Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

May 21st The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl – Who’s Your Friend?

Today’s Passage – 2 Chronicles 18 – 20; Proverbs 21.

May 20th Don’t Shoot the Messenger

Today’s Passage – 2 Chronicles 13 – 17; Proverbs 20

(Second Milers also read – Acts 13 – 15; Memorize – Proverbs 10:19)

“And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand. … Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time.” – (2 Chronicles 16:7, 10)

This is a very sad story. As I was reading 2 Chronicles 13, I was excited to read about Abijah, the son of Reheboam, who actually was a pretty good king. There aren’t too many kings mentioned in the Bible that are actually good, so I was surprised to see that this man stood for the Lord, even though his father had not. And then in chapters 14 & 15 I read about Abijah’s son, Asa, who was an even better king than his father; at least initially. Those two chapters are full of the good things that Asa did. In fact the Scripture says that “he did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God”. However, when we get to chapter 16, things begin to fall apart. It seems that the kingdom of Judah was threatened by the northern kingdom of Israel; but instead of trusting in God to bring deliverance, Asa hired the kingdom of Syria to bail him out. God sent a “seer”, or prophet by the name of Hanani to deliver the message in 16:7. Hanani basically told Asa that God was “ticked off” because Asa trusted in man instead of putting his faith in the Lord Who had already delivered him through many other battles.

What happens next, however, puts the icing on the cake. Instead of receiving the message from Hanani who was basically just a messenger for God, Asa get’s mad and has him thrown in prison; just for delivering the message that God had told him to deliver. I have had the same experience as a preacher. I pray, and study, and ask the Lord to help me prepare and deliver just the right message to benefit the people in my church; but oftentimes people will become angry with what I have to say. Individuals sometimes think that I am targeting my message directly at them in order to get even with them or something. I am merely trying to preach the message that God has laid on my heart. I can’t speak for everybody, but I know that when I am listening to someone preach, and I find myself getting angry, it is always because the Holy Spirit of God is convicting me in that area. I get mad because my flesh doesn’t want to feel like there is anything wrong. I have trained myself to ask the question, “why am I getting angry right now?” I have learned not to direct my anger at the messenger, but to accept what the Lord is trying to teach me, as painful as it may be. None of us like to be corrected, but we all need it. A wise person will receive the correction from the Lord, and will thank the man (or woman) that has been sent by God to deliver the message.

May 19th Who Do You Listen To?

Today’s Passage – 2 Chronicles 9 – 12; Proverbs 19

(Second Milers also read – Acts 10 – 12; Memorize – Proverbs 10:19)

“And king Rehoboam took counsel with the old men that had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, What counsel give ye me to return answer to this people? And they spake unto him, saying, If thou be kind to this people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be thy servants for ever. But he forsook the counsel which the old men gave him, and took counsel with the young men that were brought up with him, that stood before him.” – (2 Chronicles 10:6-8)

In our reading passage today, in chapter 10, we see the the beginning of the reign of King Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. It seems that shortly after Rehoboam became king his leadership was tested when a delegation from the northern tribes of Israel came to him asking him to lighten the burden that had been placed upon them by King Solomon. I am assuming that the burden that was placed upon them was a tax burden. Government has always been good at taxing its people, hasn’t it? Anyway, it appears that Rehoboam’s father, Solomon, had gradually increased the tax burden placed upon the people of Israel, and they were tired of it. By the way, it is very interesting to note that in the beginning of Solomon’s reign his people were very happy (9:7); but somewhere along the line his spending became out of control, and the source of most of the revenue came from the people.

Reheboam decides to ask the people to give him some time to consider the request, and he seeks counsel from two groups of people. First, he talks to the old men. Their counsel to Reheboam was to “be kind to this people, and please them, and speak good words unto them”. Their belief was that if Solomon worked with the people, the people would love him; but if he continued to tax them as his father had, the people would rebel.

The second group that Reheboam sought counsel from was the young men. They told him to whip the people into shape; to show them who was boss. Basically they told Reheboam to make it harder upon the people. They wanted him to rule with an iron fist. Unfortunately, Reheboam listened to the counsel of the young men. The result was disastrous for him, and for the kingdom. The northern tribes rebelled against Reheboam and formed their own kingdom, resulting in a civil war that would last for many years. Reheboam’s decision ended up costing him a whole lot more than the little bit of tax money that the old men had suggested he let the people keep for themselves.

Reheboam should have listened to the old men. Who do you have in your cabinet of counselors? I believe the principle that we can glean from this passage is that we need to be very careful whom we allow to influence us. I would recommend that you would put many godly people in your cabinet of counselors. The Bible says that in the multitude of counselors there is safety, but I am sure that it means only godly counselors. We need to have people in our lives who will be willing to tell us what perhaps we do not want to hear. That cabinet ought to include older men and women who have experienced a little bit of life, and are a little further down the road than we are. It also ought to include some people who are knowledgeable in the Scriptures, like a pastor, or youth leader. It also ought to include godly people who are knowledgeable in particular areas of expertise, such as finances. Choose your counselors wisely, and heed their advice.

May 17th The Glory of the Lord Had Filled the House

Today’s Passage – 2 Chronicles 1 – 5; Proverbs 17

(Second Milers also read – Acts 3 – 6; Memorize – Proverbs 10:19)

“It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.” – (2 Chronicles 5:13-14 KJV)

Nothing pleases the Lord more that the praise and worship of His people. Here in the first five chapters of 2 Chronicles we see Solomon building the temple of God on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. All of the preparations had been made; all of the materials had been provides for; all of the instruments of worship, and the ornate furnishings had been made; and everything had been put in its proper place. Finally, this temple, which was first conceived in the heart of David, is now almost complete. I say almost, because God does not arrive on the scene until His people in one accord begin to worship and praise Him. It isn’t until then that God shows up, and fills the temple with his glory.

Two things caught my attention from this passage. The first is that they played and sang “as one”. That tells me that there was unity and harmony. God loves when His children are dwelling together in unity. The second thing is that God is well pleased with the praise of His people. This is one of the things that sets us apart from other religions. God does not force us to worship Him. Nothing about true worship is forced. Worship and praise are voluntary expressions of our love for the Lord.

As I am writing this passage, I am burdened about many things in my life, and the life of our church. I have been thinking lately that something is missing in our church. I could not put my finger on it before, but I think God has shown me something here. We are not praising the Lord as we should. We are not singing as we should with a heart filled with praise and adoration for our God. The song service in our church should be more than just some obligatory precursor to the preaching. It should be a time when we as God’s children stop everything and focus our attention on Him completely, lifting up our hearts and voices to Him in praise. It’s really pretty simple isn’t it? Maybe if we start praising and worshipping God as we should the glory will fill our house as well.

May 16th I Wonder Why They Call It “Solomon’s Temple”

Today’s Passage – 1 Chronicles 28 – 29; Proverbs 16

(Second Milers also read – Acts 1 – 3; Memorize – Proverbs 10:19)

“Then David the king stood up upon his feet, and said, Hear me, my brethren, and my people: As for me, I had in mine heart to build an house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and for the footstool of our God, and had made ready for the building:” – (1 Chronicles 28:2)

In today’s passage in, 1 Chronicles, we see David making all of the preparations for the building of the temple in Jerusalem. David would not be the one who would assemble all of the pieces together and produce the final product, as that job would be given to his son, Solomon. But David did everything else. When Solomon took over as king he had everything that he needed in order to complete the project.

In these two chapters we have seen that David did the following in order to prepare for the building of the Temple:

1  He planned it. David supervised over the drawing of the blueprints for the Temple

“Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat, And the pattern of all that he had by the spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the dedicated things: Also for the courses of the priests and the Levites, and for all the work of the service of the house of the LORD, and for all the vessels of service in the house of the LORD.” – (1 Chronicles 28:11-13)

2  He provided for it.

David provided for all of the gold, silver, brass, wood, and other materials. Everything that was needed to build the temple was provided for by David. Solomon did not have to gather any of the building materials, they were all ready to go.

3  He prayed for it.

Notice David’s prayer for Solomon and the temple in 1 Chronicle 29:10 – 19.

I think the temple should be called David’s temple. He did all of the hard work. Solomon really had the easy part. Why should he get all of the credit.

I see in this passage a picture of what God wants us to do for future generations. We are to plan, provide, and pray for the generation that is following behind us. When they arrive, they can then build upon the foundation that we have laid. Too bad Solomon didn’t continue building after he built the temple. If you study Solomon’s life you will see that he will eventually start squandering all of the things that were handed to him. He will forsake many of the things his father fought and worked for to provide for him. What a shame. We need to remember to take the things that others have built for us, and preserve them; and then build upon them so that we can deliver them to the next generation.

May 14th Making Provision for the Next Generation

Today’s Passage – 1 Chronicles 23 – 25; Proverbs 14

(Second Milers also read – John 19 – 20; Memorize James 3:5)

In today’s passage (and yesterday’s) we read about David making the preparations for the building of the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the worshipping of God in the temple.   If you will recall, David was forbidden of God to actually build the temple himself because God said that he was a man of war; and that he had shed much blood while delivering Israel from the hands of her enemies.  God said that Solomon, David’s son, would be the man that would build the temple as he would be a man of peace.  However, this did not prevent David from doing all that he could to help gather the materials, and to make the necessary preparations, so that Solomon would have all that he needed to fulfill God’s will for his life.

I have been saved now for twenty years.  I have learned that God will not allow me to do all of the things that I have dreamed of doing for Him; but that does not stop me from doing all that I can do to help pave the way for those that he will call later to fulfil His will(and some of my dreams).  I have a lot of dreams: I dream of seeing multitudes of people saved and serving God here in south Jersey.  I dream of seeing hundreds of young men and women being trained here to go forth throughout the world serving God.  I dream of planting dozens of churches here in our area.  I dream of running dozens of buses all over Atlantic County, picking up boys and girls and bringing them to the house of God.  It is in my heart to do all of these things; but God will very likely not allow me to do all that I dream of.  But maybe I can help train and prepare the next generation so that they can take what we have started and build upon it.  I have to be content with being just a part of the process.  I can maybe help give the next generation a strong foundation so that they can continue to do what I could not do.

How about you?  What are you doing today to help prepare for the next generation.  Sometimes people don’t want to be involved in the process at all if they personally can’t be there for the final product; or if they won’t receive the praise of men for the final product.  We need to forget about who gets the credit;  do all that God will allow us to do ourselves today; and then give and train and prepare so that the next generation will be able to finish what we have started and even do “greater works than these”.

We need to be concerned about the next generation. I am reminded of Hezekiah who was not at all disturbed when God told him that judgment would come in future generations, as long as things were going well in his day. I believe we have a great responsibility to provide for the next generation. I want to see those who follow behind me succeed, and to build upon the foundation that was laid by the folks who came before them.

One final note – 3 times in chapters 23 – 25, David mentions folks that would be positioned in the temple just to praise the Lord. It seems that David took his worship of God seriously. We need to make ure that the next generaltion of Christians will not be ashamed to lift up the Lord in praise.

May 13th The Place of Sacrifice

Today’s Passage – 1 Chronicles 19 – 22; Proverbs 13

(Second Milers also read – John 17 – 18; Memorize James 3:5)

“Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.” – (1 Chronicles 21:18)

In chapter 21 of 1 Chronicles we read of a very serious error in judgment made by David. This is as bad in God’s eyes as David’s adultery with Bathsheeba, and his murder of Uriah. What was this great sin? He numbered the people of Israel. You might be thinking to yourself, as I did, as to why God would be so upset about that. Because God didn’t want David trusting in the number of soldiers that he had in his army, He wanted David to trust in God. Even Joab knew better. In verse 2 he told David that God would multiply Israel’s strength against any army. There is a good lesson to be learned here for us today. We need to learn to trust God to take care of us. We live in a day when we want insurance for everything, and I am not against having insurance; but the greatest insurance policy we can have is our faith in God. God will always take care of those who place their trust in Him.

My main thought for today’s post, however, is the place where David set up the altar in order tp appease God’s wrath for what he had done. God commanded David to purchase the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite and erect an altar there. This is the same piece of ground that Abraham was called to offer up his son, Isaac in Genesis 22. It is the same place where the temple would be built later by Solomon; and it is the same place that the Lord Jesus would be crucified. It is the place of sacrifice; it is the place where we can find forgiveness. David blew it. God’s judgment was warranted for the sin, but David found forgiveness at the place of sacrifice, and so can we.

Have you blown it also? Well you can lay that sin down at the foot of the cross and watch the precious blood of the Lord Jesus, our Sacrifice, wash the sin away completely. Praise the Lord for forgiveness. Praise the Lord for the place of sacrifice.

May 12th Better Check With God First

Today’s Passage – 1 Chronicles 16 – 18; Proverbs 12

(Second Milers also read – John 15 – 16; Memorize James 3:5)

“Now it came to pass, as David sat in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Lo, I dwell in an house of cedars, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD remaineth under curtains. Then Nathan said unto David, Do all that is in thine heart; for God is with thee. And it came to pass the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying,” – (1 Chronicles 17:1-3)

In our text this morning in chapter 17, we read about King David desiring to build a permanent temple for the Lord in Jerusalem. Up until this point the ark of the Lord, and the corporate worship of God by the nation of Israel took place in a tabernacle, which was basically a tent. The tabernacle was built during the time of the wilderness wanderings of Israel after God brought them out of Egypt. The tabernacle dwelt in Shiloh for a while, and then it was eventually moved to Jerusalem. David’s desire was to build the temple, and this was a good desire. His heart was right; he wanted to do something to please the Lord. He inquired with Nathan the prophet in order to find out if it was the will of God. Nathan thought that building the temple was a good idea too, so he told David to “Do all that is in thine heart”. However, we see that God had a different plan.

My thought this morning is that we ought to check with God first before we make big decisions. In our story Nathan gives David the green light for building without having asked God about it. Nathan never would have done this if what David was asking was a bad thing or even a questionable thing, but because it was a good thing, he didn’t feel the need to go to God. So what happens is: God has to go to him, and tell him to go back to David and tell him that he will not be building a temple for him. God did want a temple built eventually, but he didn’t want David to do it. Solomon, his son, would be the one to build the temple for the Lord.

The bottom line to my thought this morning is to challenge us to ask before we act. If you have decision to make, and the thing that you want to do is not against the revealed will of God (the Bible), check with Him before you do it, just to be sure it is His perfect will. If after you ask Him He doesn’t stop you, then you can go ahead with your plan; but be willing to let Him close the door whenever He wishes. It has been my experience here at Jersey Shore Baptist Church, that I have gotten myself into more trouble because I have done “good” things that were God’s will.