BUILD HIS KINGDOM 6

Announcements

After service today - anyone who wants to help with Church on the Mountain

We also have some needs here at the facility with building projects or other maintenance.

Gardaland! Aug 3rd. Sign-ups for group rate discounts and carpooling.

known Women’s Conference - Sept 6-7

Recap

Ezra 1 “…build the house of the Lord, the God of Israel…”

Nehemiah 2:18 (CSB)

18 …They said, “Let’s start rebuilding,” and their hands were strengthened to do this good work.

GOD IS LOOKING FOR KINGDOM BUILDERS!

The question is - Are you a Kingdom Builder?

God still answers prayer!

Psalm 77:14 CSB

14 You are the God who works wonders; you revealed your strength among the peoples.

God did it!

I thank God that He’s awakening spiritual warriors for His Kingdom!

Your prayers were answered this week!

He is drawing near to those who are earnestly seeking Him.

And I thank God for the renewed desires we’re seeing - to get back to the Throne of Grace…to get back to the Presence of God

We need the presence of God in our lives!

We continue to investigate - through the prophetic example of Ezra and Nehemiah’s rebuilding of Jerusalem - we continue to investigate how this applies to the life of Christian; a follower of Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:16 CSB

16 Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s temple and that the Spirit of God lives in you?

And we each being a Temple of the Lord have the responsibility of building spiritual walls to protect the presence of God in our lives.

And the gates, as we read in scripture, all refer to how we live this life in this carnal world while being holy saints of God and maintainers of His presence.

This could NOT be possible without God being the center of our lives and His Word accomplishing His will.

I keep going back to this in Colossians 1 - talking about the preeminence of Christ. I changed it up this week by changing the Bible translation to the Message Bible and I loved the way this was worded.

Colossians 1:15–20 MSG

15 We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. 16 For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. 17 He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. 18 And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body. He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he’s there, towering far above everything, everyone. 19 So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. 20 Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.

And check this out -

Colossians 1:21–23 (MSG)

21 You yourselves are a case study of what he does. At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him, giving him trouble every chance you got. 22 But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God’s side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence. 23 You don’t walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted. There is no other Message—just this one. Every creature under heaven gets this same Message. I, Paul, am a messenger of this Message.

The Valley Gate

Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 3)

13 Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They rebuilt it and installed its doors, bolts, and bars, and repaired five hundred yards of the wall to the Dung Gate.

The city of Jerusalem is on a mountain top with other mountains, such as the Mount of Olives, nearby. So naturally as one suspect there are valleys around the old city of Jerusalem.

The valley gate leads to one such valley, they valley of Hinnom.

The valley gate is also located very close to the Tower of Ovens. There were a series of ovens on the western side of the city, below in the valley and up near and into the city where there were bakery ovens. The prevailing winds would provide an updraft to the city and help keep the ovens ablaze for the continuous baking of bread.

And down in the valley was a community of craftsmen that were a part of the repair work of the city and it’s walls.

The valley gate was also the place where Nehemiah went through to inspect the city walls and fortifications. A place where he had a proper vantage point to ascertain the reality of the city’s defenses.

So we see a few aspects of the Valley gate, and so now we ask the question: what is the application for a follower of Christ?

Mountain Top Experience vs the Valley Experience

We all want the mountain-top experience in life!

The mountain-top is where we’ve experienced victory, in climbing the mountain.

It’s where we can see and have an amazing view of what was experienced

And it’s the times when we feel - quite literally - that much closer to God and Heaven.

We all love the mountain top experience!

But the reality is that to know and appreciate the mountain-top, we have to walk through the valley.

Every follower of Christ has to go through the valley experience. Most of us will have several valley experiences in life!

The valley experience is different and unique to every follower, because it is a time of testing and a time of faith-building for a follower of Christ!

For some the valley experience can be a certain health issue, like cancer or some other life-threatening illness.

For some, the valley experience can be a trial of testing - emotionally, or in dealing with some kind of persistent conflict that doesn’t seem to have an end.

For some, its dealing with loss or heartbreak. Losing a loved one either when a relationship ends, or when a loved one passes away from this earthly life.

And for many of us, we will have valley moments like all of these at different moments or several at the same time!

The valley is important! God leads us through a valley so we can have the mountain-top experience!

We have to have the time of testing.

What is put to the test? The testing of our dependence on Jesus.

If a trial we’re facing is easily resolved by something we can do ourselves, we don’t need God.

But in a time of testing where you’ve done all you can do, when there seems to be no way out, when the walls are closing in, and there’s a seeming end to everything coming close, GOD SHOWS UP!

God shows up and continues where you couldn’t.

God shows up and opens doors that you thought were sealed shut.

God shows up and expands the room and lowers the walls.

God shows up and brings life - and life more abundant!

God shows up in the Valley! But we’ll never know His power and His glory if we don’t walk through the valley!

The valley is necessary.

King David wrote about valley moments.

One of the most familiar references is Psalm 23.

Psalm 23

The Lord The Shepherd of His People

A Psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

3 He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord

Forever.

We want the surely, but despise the shadows.

We want to know the goodness and mercy following me all the days of my life, but the only way to be sure of that is to be in the moments when the shadows of death.

To know God more intimately, we need the times of testing.

Faith-building comes in the valley

Faith-building comes in the valley!

One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 84.

Psalm 84:5–6 (CSB)

5 Happy are the people whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca (tears), they make it a source of spring water; even the autumn rain will cover it with (pools of blessing).

The pilgrimage is the process! We have to go through the valley process to experience the blessings of God!

Your tears are not wasted. For there will be a return of the freshest spring water for all the tears you’ve cried.

And since God is a God of multiplication, all the tears you’ve cried will also bring fresh rains in seasons of overflowing with God’s blessing.

Joel 2:23 CSB

23 Children of Zion, rejoice and be glad in the Lord your God, because he gives you the autumn rain for your vindication. He sends showers for you, both autumn and spring rain as before.

Ezekiel 34:26 CSB

26 I will make them and the area around my hill a blessing: I will send down showers in their season; they will be showers of blessing.

Blessings fall from God’s Throne in Heaven, and they pool in the valleys.

Faith-inspection comes in the valley

The valley is also a place of inspection.

A place where you have to look up - upwards to God.

And you compare the Truth of the Ancient of Days to your current circumstances.

This is why the Ancient of Days presents Himself and His majesty BEFORE you go into a valley.

This is how we carry our HOPE with us. This is how we keep hold of Truth before we succumb to the woes of the valley.

James 1:2–4 CSB

2 Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

1 Peter 1:6–7 CSB

6 You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials 7 so that the proven character of your faith—more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Just like any gold and silver have to be purified by fire, so too does our faith have to be tried so that it increases in value and strength.

The follower of Christ whose life has been purified in the fires of testing and long valley moments has a greater praise, a greater worship.

Here’s the thing - you can get olive oils without the olive being pressed and squeezed. Your oil comes from the crushing. The anointing comes with a pressing. But you can’t experience the benefits and value of the oil unless go through the process.

Yes, its uncomfortable.

Yes, at times its depressing.

But if you hold on to Jesus through the valley.

If you press in to Jesus when the shadows of death seem so near.

If you keep your eyes on from where your hope comes from.

Psalm 85 - says His salvation is VERY near to you….and that the glory of God is imminent around you.

Closing

This is why our lives, are case studies of the power of God in this world!

We all have valleys we have to walk through.

The danger is we can lose hope (expectation) of what’s on the other side of the valley.

Sometimes, the valley can be so dark…that’s why we need the city on a hill.

Church when you’re going through the valley, you have hold on that much closer to God.

He will give you moments of rest, beside still waters, quiet and refreshing.

And there will be moments of a deluge of blessings.

The point is God is revealing Himself and His glory to you in a moment - but you have to be looking for it.

It’s the moment when in our weakness we see His strength.

In our despair, we find the joy of our Salvation.

In our anguish, we find His healing.

God really loves you.

This fallen world will be filled with grief. His promise is to be with you and to walk with you.

His Spirit will be your guide.

God’s made it His business to redeem your story, if you’ll let Him.