Build His Kingdom 3
BUILD HIS KINGDOM • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Announcements
Announcements
SUMMER SEMESTER
- Consolidated schedule
- Tuesdays prayer at 6:30
- Wednesday morning and evening Bible Study - 10 and 6:30
- Thursday - KNOWING JESUS 101
Veterans of Action update!
1. Helped us do outreach by bringing Bibles
2. Renovate our basement to convert it from a basement to offices. Including putting in new flooring in the basement and stairwell.
3. Paint our pre-school room into a multipurpose space.
4. Realign a few doors in the building - including the front door.
5. Invert our refrigerator access.
6. Also bring the word on Father’s Day.
And now VOA has begun shifting focus to their return to Guam this September.
Thank you for helping move that project along! Because of your generosity, Refuge Aviano was able to send $2130.46 - nearly half the cost to update the kitchen there in the Yigo Guam MTTM Center.
SUMMER CAMPS
June 24-28
July 1-5
RECAP
RECAP
GOD IS LOOKING FOR KINGDOM BUILDERS!
People, called by His Name, for His purpose, gifted for service in the Kingdom to Build His Kingdom.
Ezra and Nehemiah were builders - rebuilders even.
Ezra - build the house of the Lord, the God of Israel
Nehemiah - Let’s start building - and their hands were strengthened to do this work
He’s looking for Creatives - people who use their talents to create and facilitate moments for which God can meet someone in a sacred time and space - the moment at which they can be redeemed!
This is a characteristic of God birthed within us!
God is the ultimate Creator - and Jesus is the Centerpiece of all creation.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and by him all things hold together. 18 He is also the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
The reason He came is so we can be reconciled with God!
The reason He came is so that we can have unity with God!
And we see God’s heart in this intent throughout all of Scripture - and you and I are invited by God to be part of His creative process…IN BUILDING THE KINGDOM OF GOD
What God establishes, no devil or no man can block what He’s started.
And with that - just like we heard at the Spring Retreat just a few weeks ago - we are Unlocked and Unblocked for His Kingdom purpose to be fulfilled.
We are Holy-Spirit gifted to serve - as overseers, as Kingdom builders, and in service to others.
To include Ezra’s and Nehemiah’s account of Israel’s return fro Babylon to the Promised Land.
Week before last, we reflected on Ezra’s process and account of his group of God’s people returning to Jerusalem and finding the entire city decimated, and the temple in shambles.
They focused on rebuilding the Temple - rebuilding the sacred place of God’s presence and providing a return to a God that once again was releasing them from bondage.
Release from captivity brought a return to the Sacred Place - a place of restoration, a place of sacredness, that is set apart and reserved for reunification with God and His precepts.
This required reclaiming what was let go in the past.
This brought about a reorientation of LIFE according to the Law.
The baseline of the Law we know as the 10 Commandments
You shall have no other gods before Me
You shall not make idols
You shall not use the Lord’s Name in vain
Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy
Honor your father and mother that your days shall be long on the earth
You shall not murder (which we know Jesus elevates hatred to the status of murder)
You shall not commit adultery
You shall not steal
Do not bear false witness against your neighbor - telling lies or creating false imaginations of someone
You shall not covet - to desire what someone has to the point you begin to contemplate ways of acquiring it
Spiritual renewal in Ezra-Nehemiah comes to an all-time high with the people’s recommitment to the Lord.
So much so that the people of Israel determined in Nehemiah 9:38
38 In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement in writing on a sealed document containing the names of our leaders, Levites, and priests.
After reading the Law and confessing their sin, the people literally signed on to a renewed relationship with the Lord.
They bound themselves, as the Hebrew Bible says, “with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations and decrees of the LORD our Lord.”
The oath and living according to the commitment of God’s Word would bring blessing!
The curse would be the hard road someone walks when they walk away from the Lord.
Just like Proverbs 13:15 says “the way of the transgressor (or the unfaithful) is hard”.
21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy command delivered to them. 22 It has happened to them according to the true proverb: A dog returns to its own vomit, and, “A washed sow returns to wallowing in the mud.”
This is not God’s desire for anyone - He doesn’t want anyone to perish, but that ALL would have eternal life!
So God raised up a people. For Israel’s return from Babylonian bondage, He raised up an Ezra and a Nehemiah, and all those that went with them to reBuild the City of God and facilitate the moment where God’s people returned to Him.
It all started with a prayer and fasting
4 When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of the heavens. 5 I said, Lord, the God of the heavens, the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him and keep his commands, 6 let your eyes be open and your ears be attentive to hear your servant’s prayer that I now pray to you day and night for your servants, the Israelites. I confess the sins we have committed against you. Both I and my father’s family have sinned. 7 We have acted corruptly toward you and have not kept the commands, statutes, and ordinances you gave your servant Moses. 8 Please remember what you commanded your servant Moses: “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples. 9 But if you return to me and carefully observe my commands, even though your exiles were banished to the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place where I chose to have my name dwell.” 10 They are your servants and your people. You redeemed them by your great power and strong hand. 11 Please, Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to that of your servants who delight to revere your name. Give your servant success today, and grant him compassion in the presence of this man. At the time, I was the king’s cupbearer.
Any time a change of trajectory is needed in someone’s life, it needs to start with prayer and fasting.
Any time you need God to intervene in your life, you should start with prayer and fasting.
God wants to know how real you are about your situation. He is always testing your heart. What is it that your heart really desires? And where does He rack and stack in the list?
If God is not the goal of what it is you need Him to do in your life, is it worth Him supplying it to you?
I imagine when we get to Heaven and see all the lists of prayers brought before the Lord, that we will see a A LOT of “No’s”. A lot No’s that maybe I thought should have been Yes’s.
But hear me this morning when I tell you, God is not always interested in just giving you what you want. He knows your interests. He’s interested in what you’re interested in.
But His plan for you is way more valuable and strategic than your interests.
We should thank God for the No’s in our life. Because He knows what is best for His children.
But Nehemiah here is more concerned with what is beyond Himself. He’s looking to Jerusalem, the Holy City, the place where God chose for His presence to dwell.
And it broke Nehemiah’s heart to hear that the city and its walls were destroyed, dilapidated, demolished.
Nehemiah is heart-broken and his countenance in the presence of King Artaxerxes. And old King Artaxerxes agreed to release Nehemiah to lead and support the rebuilding of the City gates and walls.
In this process of rebuilding, Nehemiah and the priesthood would begin a prophetic spiritual renewal that would be revealed first in Christ Jesus, but also in the lives of every disciple of Christ.
Ezra lead the rebuilding of the Temple - and when Nehemiah shows up, the temple was either completed or it was in its final stages.
We know the Temple is where the presence of God rested - by God’s choice and intent.
The 10 gates and city walls would be the dividing line between where the people of God dwelt, and the rest of the world resided.
It was imperative for the people of God to have this city of defined borders surrounding and leading to the Temple - the presence of God.
These 10 gates were rebuilt counterclockwise in this prophetic order:
i. Sheep Gate
ii. Fish Gate
iii. Old Gate
iv. Valley Gate
v. Dung Gate
vi. Fountain Gate
vii. Water Gate
iix. Horse Gate
ix. East Gate
x. Inspection Gate
*View point of City and gates*
Nehemiah 3: the Sheep Gate
Nehemiah 3: the Sheep Gate
1 The high priest Eliashib and his fellow priests began rebuilding the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and installed its doors. After building the wall to the Tower of the Hundred and the Tower of Hananel, they dedicated it. 2 The men of Jericho built next to Eliashib, and next to them Zaccur son of Imri built.
We see here that the first gate to be rebuilt was the Sheep Gate.
Why the sheep gate?
Why not the inspection gate, or the Water gate, or some other security type gate?
Because the priorities reflected the people’s relationship with God!
As we’ve studied before, God must be first in our lives. God must be number 1. He canNOT be second.
And sometimes what is required in prioritizing God in our lives may look foolish to others - or maybe even ourselves.
But when we prioritize our relationship with God, all the other things of life fall into place.
All LIFE begins with the Sheep Gate. Everything begins and ends with the Sheep Gate.
You’re probably wondering: “Pastor Ryan, what are you talking about? What on earth does prioritizing God have to do with a Sheep Gate?!”
Well let’s look into this…
The Sheep Gate was the first gate to be restored and it was rebuilt specifically by the High Priest and his fellow priests.
When you read through Nehemiah, you’ll also find that this is the ONLY gate that dedicated to the Lord, or as we would say, consecrated.
The Sheep Gate was called the Sheep Gate because it was the entrance for sheep entering into the Temple compound from the sheep markets.
This was the place where lambs were sold for sacrifice in the Temple. It was also located near the Sheep Pool, where sheep were washed for sacrificing.
This was where restored relationship with God was started - in the hearts of men as they prepared their sacrifice in praise and worship.
This was where new birth began in the hearts of men - in Holy pursuit and worship of a redeeming God.
To understand the importance of this, we must go all the way back to Israel’s exodus out of Egypt.
The final test that brought about Israel’s breakthrough for deliverance was Passover.
It was the night where God’s people sacrificed a lamb and applied the lamb’s blood on their home door’s head and posts so that when the angel of death had come to their home, it would pass over them and keep going.
The passover lamb provided an escape from certain death, and provided for an enslaved people to be set free and given a new identity.
Fast-forwarding through Israel’s inheritance of the Promised Land, this sacrifice became an annual reminder of their deliverance AND a constant renewal of God’s forgiveness.
Nearly 800 years after Israel’s deliverance from Egypt, Israel is being delivered from Babylon.
And the first thing the priesthood needed to do for the people in establishing daily life, is to reestablish the holy sacrifices that provided the atonement for people’s sins inviting God’s forgiveness and restoring spiritual LIFE.
This is why they needed the Sheep Gate done first.
They needed to complete the sacrifice that allowed for the forgiveness of sins and restore a right-standing relationship with God.
Jesus, the Lamb of God
Jesus, the Lamb of God
Now by this time you’re probably catching on to what this is all about.
You’re like, we talked about this a few weeks ago - we’re talking about Jesus, and He’s the Good Shepherd.
And you would be right!
And there’s still more - more prophetic insight to all this one gate represents.
Sheep Gate Gatekeeper
John 10:3–10 (CSB)
3 The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus gave them this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them. 7 Jesus said again, “Truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. 9 I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.
Jesus is the Gatekeeper, that provides free access to salvation -
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
An interesting fact about this Sheep Gate is that there are no locks, no door jams, no bars in its design. It opens freely. There is no resistance for those who are willing to find God’s salvation and redemption.
The Lord God Almighty wants you to be saved and your story redeemed and for you to know Him personally.
Jesus is also the Shepherd - the Good Shepherd
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them. 13 This happens because he is a hired hand and doesn’t care about the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 But I have other sheep that are not from this sheep pen; I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd.
Jesus is calling us by Name, and His sheep know His voice. The voice of God beckons all of us to come to Him - to return to the Father and find renewal in Christ Jesus.
Jesus is our High Priest
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.
Jesus, pure and holy, sanctifier and redeemer, established Himself as the Way - the gate by which we can have access to God.
Jesus made the way, when there seemed to be no way. And He established it, with His holy life and as the one true intercessor between God and man.
Jesus is the Lamb of God
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Jesus is our sacrificial lamb that was the atonement for the sins of the world.
The sacrificial lamb had to be without blemish
5 You must have an unblemished animal, a year-old male; you may take it from either the sheep or the goats.
Jesus is perfect. He never sinned. He never told a white lie. He was never disobedient. And He fulfilled all of His obligations.
21 He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
22 He did not commit sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth;
14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works so that we can serve the living God?
Jesus lived a perfect life - and therefore was the only way that we could forever be atoned for our sins.
2 He himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world.
It was by His precious blood shed for you and me that we can be free! This fulfilled God’s requirement that “without the shedding of blood, there can be no remission of sins.”
Jesus, the Son of God, came to this earth put on flesh and lived His whole life without ever sinning and sacrificed Himself so that you and I can be redeemed.
His death gives us spiritual life! And with His life comes purpose, and in purpose we live life abundantly - until the day that He decides to take us home to be with Him.
His resurrection gives us power to live life fully and with victory, .
CLOSING
CLOSING
This is why the Sheep Gate was reestablished FIRST.
Life can only begin with the forgiveness of sin - that which keeps us separated from God.
Life begins and ends with Jesus’s sacrifice at Calvary on the Cross.
It’s no coincidence that every time Jesus entered Jerusalem - with the exception of the Triumphal Entry - every time He came through the Sheep Gate. He know the importance. He is the significance.
It’s the same gate that leads to Golgotha, the path Jesus carried His Cross to His crucifixion.
This is why the Sheep Gate was first.
And so it must be with our own lives!
PRAYERS FOR TEENS SUMMER CAMP
PRAYERS FOR TEENS SUMMER CAMP