Savior-Serving or Self-Serving
Notes
Transcript
Last 3 Prophets
Last 3 Prophets
The OT is cyclical.
God set people up in an ideal situation.
PPL were appreciative for while, then took God granted and took credit for themselves.
Went from Savior-serving to self-serving.
God warned them, they didn’t change, so God disciplined them.
He took away what He had given them.
Eventually, ppl realized their mistake, stopped blaming God, and apologized to God.
God restored them and set them up in an ideal situation.
Rinse and repeat.
At the end of the OT, they had been set back up in the PL given the opportunity to succeed.
These prophets warned them not to repeat the mistakes of the past.
These were the mistakes that were made. Don’t do that.
This is what God wants you to do, do that. Everything will go great if you do.
Apparently, ppl are hard-headed, slow-learners.
Good Relationships
Good Relationships
Good relationships are hard work. No shortcuts.
Some things, general things, are easy to know.
But the specifics can be hard.
In the best relationships the participants do things for each other just because they care about each other. Nobody does anything for the purpose of getting anything in return.
We do it b/c we know you like it done that way. Getting something in return is not a priority.
A psychologist named Willard Harley wrote a book called, “His Needs, Her Needs”.
He has counseled thousands of ppl in their relationships.
His research has determined that everyone has a few fundamental emotional needs.
They’re not wants, they are needs.
He has concluded there are 10 basic emotional needs.
Everybody has them, just in different orders and applications.
They vary by gender.
Women tend to have several as higher priorities and men tend to have several others as their higher priorities.
And, there are exceptions, not 100% accurate, but generally, true.
They are needs, not wants. But individuals will have different wants in how the needs are met.
And, anybody who meets one of your emotional needs you will feel an emotional bond with.
So, you see how important it is for these needs t/b met by spouses and best friends.
One of most men’s higher needs is recreational companionship. We like to play and compete. And those who play w/ us, meet that need, and we will develop an emotional bond with.
Different guys prefer different games. Some golf, bowl, hike, cards, watch birds, cars, etc.
Whatever is recreation to a guy, he’ll care about the ppl who do it w/ him.
So, for a wife, it’s important that she learn to do an activity w/ her husband. She may not prefer it. But, he needs for her to do this w/ him.
It meets an important need. Not a want.
Likewise, a guy need t/b careful a woman is part of his regular golf group, or card group. As long as the relationship maintains appropriate boundaries, okay.
But, if things are strained at home and there’s another woman who plays games w/ him, look out.
Two of the higher needs of most women are honesty and open communication.
I’m not saying men don’t have these as needs. They do. Typically, they are not as high on a man’s list as a woman’s.
Sara is gone this weekend on her annual girl’s weekend w/ friends she’s had for almost 30 years.
They hole up in a cabin, this time in the Houston area, and all they do is talk.
They don’t solve any problems. They just share their thoughts and feelings about each other’s lives and the events they are all going thru.
They communicate openly and honestly. Sometimes there’s some confrontation and conflict. Friends do that. But, it’s all open and honest.
This would drive most men crazy.
But, it’s important for a husband to know, for a dad to know, that the women in his family need this. And they will love anyone who does it w/ them.
We need to carve out time to do this w/ the women whom we want to love us. It needs t/b our idea.
I can’t wait for Sara to tell me she needs for me to share what I’m feeling and thinking about a situation.
I need to plan it and do it b/c she needs for me to do it.
And, women need t/b careful if things are stressful at home and there’s another guy who makes good eye contact, asks good questions, and shares his feelings; she is going to feel something for him.
Appropriate boundaries in place, okay. But, be careful.
One of the things we learn early in adulthood is if we do something for someone, we’re more likely to get something in return.
If I take Sara on a date and listen attentively and share openly w/ her my thoughts and feelings, then she is more likely to go to a baseball game w/ me.
And, vice versa.
And, that’s all okay. But, it becomes a problem when the primary motivation for doing something for someone is to manipulate them to do something for us.
That does not meet anyone’s emotional need. In fact, it kills love and the relationship.
It’s self-serving manipulation. Nobody likes that.
We were all created in God’s image. Our relationship w/ Him is much like our relationships w/ ea other.
Why are you here today?
Are you here to worship God to give something to Him b/c you love Him. Or, is your priority and hope that b/c He’s powerful and loves you, if you worship, you’ll get something from Him?
Is your motivation and priority Savior-serving, or self-serving.
If you’re here to worship Him, tell Him how great He is, how much you love Him, study His character and work to be more like Him, then I guarantee you will walk out of here changed for the better and blessed.
But, if your priority is the blessing and the change, you’ll leave disappointed.
If you’re here for God, you’ll get blessed.
If you’re here for yourself, you’ll get missed.
And, likely, you’ll walk out disappointed at me b/c you didn’t get anything out of today’s service.
This is what Zechariah ch.7 and 8 are about. 4 messages addressing the ppl on this issue.
The ppl were engaged in their religious activities hoping God would bless them b/c they were involved in religious activities.
They were doing what they were doing trying to manipulate God into doing for them what they wanted.
Rather, they should have been involved w/ their religious practices to bless God b/c they loved Him. As a result, He would have blessed them.
It all started for them w/ a question.
The Question
The Question
In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev. The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melek, together with their men, to entreat the Lord by asking the priests of the house of the Lord Almighty and the prophets, “Should I mourn and fast in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”
Zechariah 7:
This was almost 2 years after the night he received the 8 visions. This question and his 4-part answer came on Dec. 7, 518 BC.
“Do we need to continue this 1 specific fast?”
For about 70 years they had mourned and fasted on the anniversary of Babylon burning Jerusalem to the ground.
Now, they’re back in the city and the temple is about half finished.
So, they ask Zech and leaders do they need to continue this particular fast.
God’s answer, thru Zech, is in 4 parts. And, he doesn’t get to their answering them exactly until the 4th part.
But, here’s where he starts. God begins w/ a rebuke.
Rebuke
Rebuke
Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me: “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted? And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves? Are these not the words the Lord proclaimed through the earlier prophets when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were at rest and prosperous, and the Negev and the western foothills were settled?’ ”
He calls them out for their motivation.
These fasts that he’s referencing we not called nor commanded by God. The ppl came up w/ them themselves.
The Hebrew reads, “Did you fast for me, me?”
Words are repeated for emphasis.
The answer to His question was, no. They did it for themselves.
IOW, they thought it would be good for God to see them mourning the destruction of Jerusalem so He would bless them and make them prosperous again.
They were not mourning b/c God told them to mourn.
They were sorry that they had t/b exiled and Jerusalem was destroyed b/c they suffered terribly. They were not sorry they had been disobedient leading to the exile.
Again, when a husband is caught in an affair and he says he’s sorry. Is he sorry for the wrong thing he did causing so much heartache. Or, is he sorry everyone is mad at him making his life miserable.
The self-serving motivation only does more damage to the relationship, whether is a cheated-on wife, or God.
Whether Israel was fasting or feasting they were doing it for their own well-being, not for their relationship w/ God.
It was what they wanted to do. It made them feel better about themselves and they hoped God was watching and would bless them b/c the did.
None of this was new to the nation. Before the exile, when Israel was prosperous, they fell into the bad habits of doing things for themselves.
They were self-serving, not Savior-serving and it led to God’s discipline which was the exile.
In a healthy marriage we do things for each other just b/c we love ea other, not b/c we hope to get something in return.
In a healthy, close, personal rel w/ God; we do things for Him b/c we love, not b/c we hope to get something from Him in return.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
If you are living your life for God, a living sacrifice, then you will go places and do things that would not necessarily choose for yourself b/c of the cost, they are hard, you won’t like them.
This is the dilemma Jesus faced in Gethsemane. He cried out to God and said if there is any other way to do this. He didn’t want to do if there was a less-painful alternative.
But, there wasn’t. So He did it.
God would not expect any of us to do anything He hasn’t already done for us.
So, God starts out by calling them out for their bad spiritual attitude. Their motivation was wrong. They were self-serving
Next, He calls them to admit it and apologize for it.
That is, repent.
Repent
Repent
Own your bad behavior and motives. Admit it. Apologize for it. Change it.
Change your behavior. Stop what you’re doing. Stop thinking only of yourself. And one way to demonstrate that you have changed your motivation is how you treat those who cannot possibly repay you.
You won’t get anything in return b/c they can’t give you anything in return.
When you do it for the least, you do it for God. And do it b/c you love God.
Zechariah 7:8-
And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’
Widows, orphans, immigrants who don’t have jobs, and the poor cannot repay anyone for any good thing done. So, the only motivation to help them is selfless.
It is gracious. It cannot be earned. This is the example God sets for us in how He treats all of us.
What had their ancestors done? What were they doing that caused them to miss what God was calling them to make?
Why didn’t they know what to do?
“ ‘When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land they left behind them was so desolate that no one traveled through it. This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.’ ”
They stopped listening. They plugged their ears and turned their backs on God. They didn’t want to hear it. They ignored Him.
Who hasn’t been reluctant to tell a parent, boss, spouse about something they did that they knew was wrong.
You don’t want to hear it.
As a result, God stopped listening to them. Their prayer lives went down. The wi-fi signal quit. Their prayer modem went offline. The satellite dish was covered w/ snow.
God scattered them. The land that at one time flowed w/ milk and honey went desolate.
The climate used to perform. The land used to produce. It became a wasteland as God disciplined His ppl expecting them to respond by changing their ways.
Basically, what he’s saying here is, you ancestors were exiled for this and you will be too if you stay on this self-serving path.
They tried to erect a facade of religious activity in the absence of a real relationship w/ God. It was a veneer. Shallow. No depth.
And, the evidence was no real concern for those who need their help the most.
They feasted and fasted while the poorest starved.
If they had been doing it for God they would have shared their feasts w/ the hungry and given them what they fasted from.
No such consideration.
Even as they attempted to recover from the consequences of their ancestors bad behavior they were still trying to manipulate God into doing for them what they wanted Him to do.
He was having none of it and calling them out for it.
What they didn’t remember, that God did, and He’s about to remind them, what they wanted right then, He had promised to do eventually, anyway.
Selfishly, they wanted their inheritance right then. Just like the child who demands his inheritance from his parents long before they’re gone.
In hopes of encouraging them to change their motivation on issues like this. He reminded them He was going to restore them and provide them w/ more than He ever had before.
Restored
Restored
The word of the Lord Almighty came to me.
This is what the Lord Almighty says: “I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her.”
This is what the Lord says: “I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City, and the mountain of the Lord Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain.”
God felt strongly about this. Jealous for them, not of them.
He would not stand for them to allow another into the place that only he should be. So, when they did, he punished them.
But, He promised they’d be back and he would dwell among them. He would not be aloof, distant, but right there.
Zion is the name for Jerusalem in the end times. So, again, prophecy telescopes between the near future and distant future. At some point, God will restore Israel in Jerusalem, or Zion. And the will prosper.
They will prosper b/c of the relationship and His proximity to them.
God will also protect them and provide a safe, family-friendly environment.
This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each of them with cane in hand because of their age. The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.”
You can see the image. Mayberry. Andy. Aunt Bee. Opie and his friends playing stickball in the street.
Nobody locks their doors. Nobody’s gas gets stolen out of their car.
We tend to become more paranoid as we age, more fearful.
Look at the picture he creates. Elderly, vulnerable, but content and safe while the children play.
When I was a young teen, I rode my bike all over Wichita. I had a Raleigh 10-speed. I’d ride miles from my home.
Single mom working didn’t worry about me traveling alone to friends’ homes, parks, baseball practice, stores, wherever. Crime, assault, kidnapping, human trafficking were the farthest things from her mind.
As long as I was home when she told me to be home, usually by supper. Or, when the street lights come on.
At the time of the writing they did not enjoy this kind of idyllic safety and existence. While the Persian king approved of their development, many of their neighbors did not.
They threats were real. They did not allow their children to play unsupervised in the streets. The elderly were vulnerable to assault and it happened.
So, God was speaking of a time in the distant future when there will not be a care in the world. And neighborhoods will be safe.
This is Israel’s future. It’s a certainty. God promised. It’s going to happen. The faithful will find a home on elm street and generations will share the worry-free idyllic setting.
This future is what should motivate us to worship and be religious for the right reasons now.
Not in order to get this from God. It’s already been promised. It’s a done-deal.
The climate will perform, the land will produce, we will have hard work to do, but it will be satisfying and fulfilling.
“The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will produce its crops, and the heavens will drop their dew. I will give all these things as an inheritance to the remnant of this people. Just as you, Judah and Israel, have been a curse among the nations, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong.”
This future is what should motivate us to worship and be religious for the right reasons now.
Not in order to get this from God. It’s already been promised. It’s a done-deal. We just don’t know when.
The climate will perform, the land will produce, we will have hard work to do, but it will be satisfying and fulfilling.
Don’t be afraid, don’t stress about. Wait patiently. And as you wait, worship well.
Serve God now b/c He’s promised us a great future.
Finally, He gets to their original question about their fasting. He answers it in the context of praising Him for their future not mourning for their past.
Rejoice
Rejoice
The word of the Lord Almighty came to me.
This is what the Lord Almighty says: “The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.”
This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come, and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the Lord and seek the Lord Almighty. I myself am going.’ And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty and to entreat him.”
This is what the Lord Almighty says: “In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’ ”
If you fast, do it for the right reasons. But, understand, the fasts will end and be replaced by feasts.
The mourning will give way to celebrations. They will become happy events as the past becomes a more and more distant memory.
As a result of the work of the Church and its growth, ppl from all over the world will join the Jews in their millennial celebrations.
God will transform the tragedies of the past in the triumphs of tomorrow.
But, that’s what He does. He takes the broken and beat up and makes them into a blessing.
He takes the tragedies of your life, and my life, and makes them into triumphs.
He will away our fasting on earth and turn it into feasting in heaven.
For that reason, it’s completely inappropriate for us to complain that we are not getting from God what we want.
B/C, in time, we will get more than we could ever imagine.
We just have to faithfully wait patiently, work hard, worship for the right reasons.
Show up Savior-serving and not self-serving.
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Applications
Applications
Be Gracious
Be Gracious
One of the ways we demonstrate we appreciate the grace with which God treats us is by treating others w/ the same.
Widows, orphans, immigrants, poor, homeless, addicts.
Those ppl who cannot earn nor repay what you do.
Do it b/c you love God and not to get anything in return.
Who can you find to serve this week that cannot repay you?
Listen to God
Listen to God
We worship a God who is alive and speaks to us.
The Creator of the universe has something to say to you to help you in your current situation.
Prayer is one of the most powerful and effective tools we have to survive and thrive in this life.
The bible reveals God’s character so we can know better what to expect from Him and what He expects from us.
Pray, study, listen.
Listen well. Apply what you get. It will work.
Be Motivated
Be Motivated
Let the certainty of heaven in your future motivate you to worship for the right reasons now.
If you come here to worship, attend a BS, Prayer gathering, fellowship event, or serve anywhere in any of these but do it for the purpose and priority of getting something out of it you will miss it.
If you come to these to communicate God’s worth to you, to serve Him, and sacrifice for Him even by just paying attention and committing to applying what you learn to become more like, rather than hoping He becomes more like you, You will will walk out of here blessed.
If you’re here to worship Him, tell Him how great He is, how much you love Him, study His character and work to be more like Him, then I guarantee you will walk out of here changed for the better and blessed.
But, if your priority is the blessing and the change, you’ll leave disappointed.
And, those who leave disappointed blame me.
If you’re here for God, you’ll get blessed.
If you’re here for yourself, you’ll get missed.