Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Jun 2nd Leave Them Be

Today’s Passage – Ezra 5 – 7

Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in his place.          (Ezra 6:7)

This verse jumped out at me when I read it.  Darius the King of Persia ordered the governors that were over the land of Judah to let the people of God alone; and stop trying to hinder them in their work of re-building the Temple.  If you recall from chapter 4, the devil had used some people to complain to the king about the Jews and the work they were trying to do.   The king (Atexerxes at the time) ordered the work stopped, because he believed the lies of these men.  Later, however, the people of God went back to work, apparently without authorization.  Again the children of the devil began to complain and worked to stop the people of God from their work.  This time, King Darius (whose heart was in the Lord’s hand) not only approved their work; but also financed it.  And best of all, he commanded that the enemies of God were to “leave them alone” in their work.

Today, there are many people inside and outside of the church that are working against the cause of Christ.  We can’t really do too much about the government, or anybody else outside of the local church; but let me offer some advice to those of you within the local body.  You need to find a way to support and serve your church as it strives to fulfill the Great Commission.  Keep your hands of hindrance off those who are trying to bring the ministry forward.  Lead, follow, but by all means get out of the way of the folks who are trying to do what God has called them to do.  Leave them be.

Jun 1st It’s Never Going To Be The Same

Today’s Passage – Ezra 1 – 4

But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.

In chapter 3 of today‘s passage we see the children of Israel (or at least some of them) back in their land after a long captivity in Babylon and Persia.  Eventually they begin the process of rebuilding the Temple of God that had been completely destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar years earlier.  Remember, the Temple that had been constructed by Solomon was perhaps the most beautiful piece of architecture that has ever been built, with literally tons of gold covering much of the building itself, and also the furniture and instruments used in the temple.  The building that they were in the process of constructing now could not possibly compare to the old one.   However, it is important to note that these elder men who were despondent over the lack of luxury in this new temple had actually never seen the presence of God at the old one.  At the time that they were there (before the captivity), the glory of God had long since departed because of the falling away of the people of God.  So these elders were upset simply because of a building.  They failed to see that this new building, though not nearly as ornate and expensive as the old, had the potential for being a place where God would actually meet with His people.

In my 20 years or so of being saved, I have seen this same mentality.  I have seen church buildings that were absolutely gorgeous with large auditoriums, countless classrooms, fellowship halls, and even landscaped gardens.  However many of these buildings, though beautiful, have “Ichabod” written all over them.  But on the other side of town there is a storefront building with no classrooms where a preacher and church are boldly proclaiming the Truth, with the Spirit of God all over them.  Yet, most people in the world; and even most Christians would say that the church with the beautiful facility is the “real” church.

One more thought from this passage:  Sometimes, those that have been saved for awhile, and have seen the power of God in previous years, tend to live in the past.  God does not live in the past.  Actually he is way ahead of us.  We are supposed to be following Him.  This is partially what Paul meant when he said, “leaving those things which are behind”.  I believe the greatest movement of God is yet to come.  I believe the greatest days of Jersey Shore Baptist Church will be in the tomorrows; not in the yesterdays.  While I rejoice over what God has done in the past, I am looking for “greater works than these”.

May 31st You’ve Gone Too Far This Time

Today’s Passage – 2 Chronicles 35 – 36 

And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place:But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand. 

God, in His mercy, will send us messengers to warn us of  the judgment that is coming if we fail to humble ourselves before Him, and submit to His will.  Oftentimes the people of God would turn back to him and would escape the judgment, or at least postpone the judgment.  But here we see the people of God, not only rejecting the Word of God; but are also mocking and attacking His messengers. 

Today in America, the Spirit-filled preacher of the Word of God is also mocked, and sometimes even attacked by the world around them; and even sometimes by the people of God.  God will not put up with this too much longer.  There will come a time when God will say, “enough is enough”.  And when that happens we are finished as a nation. 

But let’s think of this a little more personally.  Do you as a faithful member of a Bible preaching church consider the preaching and teaching by the pastor as a message from God; or perhaps do you just think of it as just good information that may or may not be helpful.  Are we not guilty of almost the same thing as these people from Judah, when we don’t heed the warnings and exhortation given to us by God in our churches.  When you listen to the preaching this week, look past the preacher and focus on the message that God has supernaturally ordained to be given to you through His messenger.  Support your preacher: cheer him on as he labors to deliver the message from God to your family.

May 30th The Marvelous Grace of God

Today’s Passage – 2 Chronicles 32 – 34

And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God. (2Chronicles 33:12 & 13)

Just a quick thought this morning from 2 Chronicles 33.  Manasseh was a bad dude.  He was arguably the most wicked king in the history of Judah.  Yet, God got hold of him; and he turned his heart to God.  And that is not the end:  He went on to serve God in a great way after his salvation.  He made right many of his former wrongs.

It was the same way for me.  I was a sinner deserving of the lowest Hell; yet, God got hold of my heart and gloriously saved me.  Praise the Lord for His marvelous grace.

May 29th Living For God – A Formula For Success

Today’s Passage –  2 Chronicles 30 – 31

And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the LORD his God. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered. (2Chronicles 31:20-21)

I think one of the main reasons that God wants us to daily spend time in His word is because that it serves to remind us daily of the basic truth that God will bless those who seek Him and serve Him.  As we have been reading in these historical books, we have seen over and over again the blessings of God upon the godly kings; and conversely the judgment of God upon the wicked.  Of course, none of the kings were perfect; all made mistakes; but when they sought the Lord for forgiveness, God would always respond in mercy.  Even the bad kings that humbled themselves before God would receive mercy.  As we look today at the life of Hezekiah we see the same principle in place.  Hezekiah “wrought that which was good and right and truth before the Lord his God…with all his heart”, and God prospered him.

Child of God, the same applies to you and me today.  I am not trying to over-simplify the Christian life, but the principles of succeeding in life are really very easy to understand.  Find out what the will of God is for your life; and then fulfil it with all of your heart.  Give it everything you’ve got.  Live for God!  I’m not saying that every day is going to be amusement parks and sunshine; but you will have that abundant life Jesus spoke of.  It’s your choice:  live for God and your life will be blessed of God; live for self, and you will look back with regret.

May 28th You Can Beat Them If You Don’t Join Them

Today’s Passage – 2 Chronicles 27 – 29 

But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out before the host that came to Samaria, and said unto them, Behold, because the LORD God of your fathers was wroth with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them in a rage that reacheth up unto heaven. (2Chronicles 28:9) 

For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel. (2Chronicles 28:23)

In the three chapters that we are reading today, we have the account of three kings of Judah: Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.  Two of these kings were good men; and under their reign the nation of Judah was blessed and prosperous.  However, during the reign of Ahaz, who was not a good king, the nation suffered.  I thought it interesting that Ahaz misinterpreted the reason for the condition of his nation.  He believed that the reason why his nation was suffering was somehow because of the blessing of some other god on those nations.  In actuality, the reason why other nations were defeating Judah in battle, and oppressing them was because of the wickedness of the king and the nation, which caused the judgment of GOD on the nation.  However, because he misunderstood the cause, he could not correct the situation.  He figured that if he starting acting more like the other nations, worshipping their gods, that he too would be blessed.  But the result of his thinking brought about more destruction to Judah. 

I find that God’s people today will often use this same kind of logic.  The Christians in America today have almost completely forsaken the God of the Bible.  We have “a form of godliness, but [deny] the power thereof”.  We have heaped to ourselves teachers having itching ears.  We truly are living in perilous times.  However, instead of recognizing the judgment of God upon our nation and turning back to Him, we go farther away from Him.  We see what appears to be the blessing and prosperity upon the lost people around us and figure that God must not really care about all of the wickedness.  after all, he is allowing it to happen.  People reason, “if you can’t beat ’em, you might as well join ’em.”  All of this logic results in the further deterioration of our families, churches, and our nation. 

As God’s people, we need to wholly follow the Lord our God, regardless of the spiritual atmosphere of the world around us.  According to 2 Chronicles 7:14, it will be God’s people who will turn this nation around; but that will not happen unless we forsake the evil around as and turn back to old-fashioned, separated, and godly living.

May 27th There’s Plenty More Where That Came From

And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, The LORD is able to give thee much more than this. (2 Chronicles 25:9)

In the three chapters we have read today we see pretty much the same patterned that we have observed throughout the Chronicles of the kings of Israel and Judah.  That is, if the king was following the Lord and submitting to His will, His reign was blessed and prosperous.  Conversely, if the king chooses to forsake God, then God also would forsake him.  Out the window would go God’s provision and protection. 

I was caught by the story in chapter 25 regarding the King of Judah, Amaziah, hiring 100,000 men out of Israel to help him fight against the Edomites.  He paid 7500 pounds of silver to the Israelites in order to hire them.  God was not pleased with Judah yoking up with Israel for this battle, and He sent a man of God to Amaziah to tell him to fire the Israelites and send them home.  Amaziah was willing to do this, but was upset about the money that he had already spent.  God assured him that there was plenty more where that came from.

I got to thinking about how many times God’s people get messed up over money.  Sometimes we get into a dispute with our brothers and sisters in Christ over some business deal; and we find ourselves fighting over money.  Can I give you some advice:  give in; don’t fight over money.  If someone is insisting that you owe them something, give it to them.  You might say, why would I do that?  Because your relationship with people is more important than any amount of money; and if you do the right thing, God will replace what you lose with interest.  We stress far too much about money.  We give it too the church; but tie a string from ourselves to the money, and then get upset about it later.  Don’t give it if you can’t completely let go of it.  It really comes down to a matter of faith.  If God asks you to give it, then give it.  He has more to give you, and He will bless abundantly the person that trusts Him with their money.

The king of Judah almost continued in a bad plan, simply because he had already laid out the money for it.  He almost let money cause the destruction of his nation.  Many a Christian I know has allowed the love of money to destroy them.  My preacher used to say, “God’s got plenty of money”.  And you and I can get all that we need if we will be willing to let go what He has already given us.  It’s all His anyway.  I am not talking about being a bad steward here; but I am saying that we need to be able to let go of HIS money, anytime He asks us to.

May 26th He Departed Without Being Desired

Todays Reading – 2 Chronicles 21 – 23

Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years, and departed without being desired. Howbeit they buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchres of the kings.(2Chronicles 21:20)

This verse is perhaps one of the saddest verses in all of the Bible.  Here we see the life of Jehoram, a king of Judah: the son of  Jehoshaphat, a great king.  The verse tells us that when he died he was not desired: nobody wanted him.  How sad it is that a person with so much opportunity for good; so much opportunity to impact his nation, would die without being desired.  Why did this happen?  What would cause this man to be so evil; so different from his father, who was loved and desired by all?  Believe it or not, I think the blame belongs to his father.  His father, though a great man himself, was not  a separated man.  Though he loved God, he was very close and friendly to others who hated God.  He got so close that he actually allowed his son, Jehoram to marry one of wicked King Ahab’s daughters.  The Bible tells us that after the death of Jehoshaphat, Ahab’s family became the counsellors of Jehoram.  His father followed God; but the son chose to follow evil. 

Parents, please be very careful about what and who you allow to get close to your children.  Though you as parents may be strong enough to stand in a wicked environment, your children may not be; and may succumb to the wickedness around them.  Live a separated life.  Don’t allow the things of this world; or ungodly people to be an influence to your family. 

My life will not be judged merely by my own conduct.  People will also judge me by whether or not my children walk with God, and serve their generation.  I want my kids to be better than I am.  I want them to have more love and compassion for their fellow man than I ever could.  I want them to be desired. 

When you die, will you leave here without being desired?  Or will people miss you?  Will they grieve for the void that will be there because of your parting? This life is not about you; it’s not about me.  It is about glorifying God; and serving our generation; and then training and teaching our children to serve their generation.

May 25th Our Eyes Are Upon Thee

Today’s Passage – 2 Chronicles 18 – 20 

O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee. (2Chronicles 20:12)

My focus this morning is on chapter 20 where we see the nation of Judah threatened by a federation of three nations.  Together, these nations were far superior in both numbers and power to the nation of Judah.  Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, did not seek out help from other nations did (as Asa did in chapter 16); but instead turns the problem completely over to the Lord.  Jehoshaphat was a great man of faith, though he was not a separated man.  He often would yoke up with the ungodly northern kingdom.  However, here he does everything right.  Notice in this passage how he demonstrates great faith in God: 

1  When first confronted with the problem he sought God.  Don’t wait until all else fails.  Go to God first. 

 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD. And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court,          (2Chronicles 20:3-5) 

2  He searched the Scriptures.  Notice in his prayer, in vv 5 – 13, he knows the principles and promises contained in the Scripture.  He was able to ask “in the will of God” because he knew what God had promised in His Word. 

3  He submitted to the man of God. In v 14, Jehaziel prophesies, and tells Jehoshaphat what to do; and Jehoshaphat obeys the prophecy of the man of God.  When you are faced with a battle, go to the man of God for counsel; and listen to what he has to say. 

4  He sang praises to God before the battle was actually won.  This demonstrated both that he had great faith, and that he was content with whatever God was going to do.  Do you trust God enough with the outcome of your battle to praise him before you see the final conclusion. 

And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endurethfor ever. And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.              

(2Chronicles 20:21-22) 

The Christian life is full of battles; but if God is with us, the victory is already ours.  Don’t fight the battle in your own strength.  Keep your eyes upon the Lord , and allow Him to win the battle for you. 

May 24th A Great Start But A Bad Finish

Today’s Passage – 2 Chronicles 15 – 17

In chapters 15 – 17 of today’s passage we see the account of King Asa.  He started out as a very good king, even going as far as removing his mother from being queen because of her idolatry.  In fact in chapter 15, everything that is recorded about his reign as king is good.  However, when we get to chapter 16, we see Asa faced with an imminent attack from his neighbor, the northern kingdom of Israel.  Now in times past, whe Asa faced strong opposition, he trusted in God to deliver him; but here he does something completely out of character for him: he relies, not upon God, but upon another nation to deliver him.  God was not too pleased with this, so he sent his prophet to rebuke Asa for his lack of faith.  Instead of getting right with God, Asa gets angry and throws the prophet in jail.  Not a very wise move.  A few years later we find that Asa is “diseased in his feet”; but once again he goes to men (the physicians) instead of going to God.  I think that the first mistake that Asa made could have been corrected with a little contrition and repentance; but instead it caused him to get angry and “dig in”; and it literally altered the rest of his life.  His pride caused him to stay his course, instead of yielding to God’s will.

I wonder how many Christians today start out well, living their lives for the Lord; but something happens: maybe they make an error in judgment; or maybe just have a moment of weakness, and they sin against God.  When they are confronted about it, instead of humbling themselves and getting it right, they “dig in”, refusing to admit that they did wrong.  As a result they continue on a path of destruction, refusing to consider the possibility that they could be wrong.  This then leads to more problems; not only for the person, but for their families as well. 

As God’s people, why can’t we just pre-program ourselves to understand that we are going to blow it at times.  We will never (in this life) lose our humanity; we will never arrive at sinless perfection.  I think God understands our humanity more that we do.  We are going to blow it eventually.  It’s OK.  We are human.  But don’t get mad at your humanity; don’t get mad at the preacher, the church, or God.  Get right!  Run to God, not away from Him! Admit you blew it; pick yourself up; pay the consequences; and move on with your life.  Why lose all of the blessings that God has in store for you simply because of your pride.