Holy Ambition
We continue to worship now is when we share our Joys and concerns and I forgot to edit the joys and concerns on the second slide. Helen Myers is still on there and you don't know how long passed away this week and we had her service yesterday and it's just a small service with the family, but it was nice to see them all gathered there and honoring Helen and the in honor of Helen if you don't use that entrance, you may not know but there were some flowers planted on the north side of the building in Helen's on her because she always use that door over there. So I haven't get a chance look at those and likes that it's nice that she has been honored in that way. As we continue to like continue to remember our people in our care facilities as they're there, you know. It's hard for them. They don't get their usual visitors can't do their usual activities go out and do what they could so keep them in your prayers and also for our church family. We have several people going through different things right now. So keep them in your prayers as they recover from those things and just forgot to continue to give him strength. Then also the last one there are service members keep them in your prayers. Also as they serve our country during this time. Are there any other Joys are concerned that anyone would like to share this morning?
Well, if not, let's go to the Lord in prayer.
Most gracious heavenly father as we come to you today Lord. We thank you for the many blessings that you give us. We thank you for Being with us in this week that the kids started back to school and Lord. We do pray for a special blessing there. Lord we pray that your help keep our kids and families healthy learned that our school will be allowed to remain in session and Lord that your protection will just be over our community. And Lord, we pray that you'll be with all those who make decisions related to that as it's not an easy job. Barbie with our teachers and all of them as they start back and lower to just help the teachers and students to be able to adjust to all the changes and Lord to continue to be able to learn what they need to learn to spite all the distractions with mask and other things going on. and Lord we pray that is each of these people in our congregation are facing different physical ailments toward that you would just protect them Lord. We know you are the great physician. We know that you know, what each and every one of these individual needs and we pray that you would touch them in that way. Lord I pray that you would Inspire each of us to continue to pray for our community during this time and Lord lifted up daily and prayer. Lord I pray that as we listen to your word today Lord that you will speak to each and everyone of us what it is you want us to hear from your word today North how we can apply at our lives and pray with us all in your most. Holy name. Amen.
You know having an ambition in life is the idea that you have something that you really want to go after something that you really want to work towards as an individual. Yeah. This could be considered your life's dream or your goals that you have set for yourself in life. But your life's ambition is something that you really want to achieve during your lifetime. You know for many people it's often something that they know that they really want to do. But maybe sometimes they can't quite put it into words what it is that they want what it is that they want to achieve with their life. You know for many of us as Christians those things tend to have a more spiritual flavor to them. You know, maybe we're working towards starting some Ministry that we feel God calling us to start or maybe it's just simply the fact that this year. We're going to try to read through the entire Bible.
Or maybe you know, we want to get to the end of our life's journey and hear the words that we see in Matthew 25:21 where it says the master was full of Praise. Well done my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful and handling the small amount. So now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let's celebrate together.
You know, it's a verse I thought about this week as I prepared for a funeral message and thought about how for a lot of us. That's a goal that we have. But if we look at this particular Parable you'll notice if you read this passage in Scripture that verse 23 basically says the same thing. Now, why would Jesus repeat the same thing twice in the same parable? Normally, we know throughout scripture when something is repeated. It's because Jesus is trying to make a point. He's trying to stress the importance of something. So obviously with this verse he's pointing out that finishing well is important.
A little over a year ago. I read a book entitled. Holy ambition by Chip Ingram and in that book he wrote. Most Christians I talked to want to finish well, unfortunately finishing well gets translated into some vague. Wish that God will say something nice to them in eternity. They don't dare make that phrase the purpose of their lives. but if that isn't the purpose for living once we've met Christ then what is
you know, we see this attitude of holy ambition everywhere in scripture. Now that phrase holy ambition isn't necessarily used itself. But many of the commands and directions from God's word can only be applied if we think about them as being our holy ambition. May consider some of these examples in Proverbs chapter 3 verses 5 and 6 trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not unto your own understanding in all your ways submit to him and he will make your path straight. Are Luke chapter 22 verses 26 through 30 where it says? But you are not like that instead the greatest among you should be like the youngest in the one who rules like the one who serves for who is greater. The one who is at the table or the one who serves it is not the one who is at the table, but I am among you as one who serves you are those who have stood by me in my trials and I confer on you a kingdom just as my father conferred one on me so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on Thrones judging the Twelve Tribes of Israel or Luke chapter 9 verses 23 and 24 that says then he said to them all whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me for whoever wants to save their life will lose it. But whoever loses their life for me will save it. Each one of those passages kind of presupposes this idea that you must be fully committed to God to do those things. And when we call something our ambition in life, it means it is an idea that we are fully committed to something that we are devoting a lot of our time and our energy towards seeking. That's kind of this whole idea that I want to get at it, you know for us to call something our holy ambition. Is a big thing cuz holy ambition is something that's very deep. It's something that affects every part and all of our life. You know the depth and the length of our holy ambition will be interested when you set a big goal that you want to accomplish for God and for his kingdom you're going to be tested. And those who proved faithful will hear what I talked about from Matthew. They will one day hear that phrase. Well done good and faithful servant.
And I kind of brings me to a passage that's going to kind of be a theme verse that will keep coming back to through the series that I'm going to be doing next for the about the next seven or eight weeks talking about. Holy ambition. It's 2nd Chronicles chapter 16 verse 9 the first part of it here reads for the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the Earth that he may strongly support. Those whose heart is completely his
God seeks people who are completely his I'm going to ask you a quick trick question and I want you to respond to it. What kind of people does God seek? I just said it. Come on people. Completely his that's what God is seeking God looks for that select group of hearts and it's found and widely different people all over the place from many different faiths that many different branches of our Christian faith. I guess I should say They share this heart that belongs completely to God. That's what God is seeking for their hearts. Beat with this. Holy ambition. If you look in the New Living Translation of this Versi know it says after saying that God is looking to and fro for that person who is Holy it says fully committed to him. You know, these are people that when they hear the call of God directing them to do something they leap at the chance to do it. They don't wait around they jump at that chance. You know, there's a story in 2nd Chronicles. It starts in chapter 14 and goes through chapter 16. It talks about a king who started out that way. In 2nd Chronicles, 14:11. We read then ASA cried out to the Lord his God. Oh Lord, no one but you can help the powerless against the mighty help us. Oh Lord Our God for we trust in you alone. It is in your name that we have come against this fast horde. Oh Lord. You Are God do not let near men Prevail against you.
You know when this first it's pretty clear that King ASA put his kingdom and his future and God's hand they were facing an attack where they were vastly outnumbered. And he cried out to God to defend them and God did. And if you read 2nd Chronicles chapter 14 through 16, you'll see that for the first 35 years of King Aces rain. Everything went really well.
He's totally honored God and everything. He did. He totally depended on God and His times of distress and you know, it even goes so far as to say that his heart was fully committed to the Lord. That was the first 35 years of his Reign and it went great. It said there were no Wars they were at peace God help them and everything. Tend towards chapter 16 we see that there's an unexpected crisis that comes up King ASA hears that there's another group that's going to come and attack them and they're greatly outnumbered. So in the midst of this crisis, King ASA makes a serious error in judgment instead of relying on God like he had done through the first 35 years of his Reign. He makes the choice to go and pay the king of Aram to come and help them to fight with them to defend them.
And that's where the verse that I read as our theme verse comes in. But this time I'm going to read the entire verse including the second half of it. 2nd Chronicles 16:9 for the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the Earth that he may strongly support. Those whose heart is completely his You have acted foolishly in this indeed from now on you will surely have wars. A lot of people like to quote the first half of that verse but not the second half. the second half is You know what? This Seer had to say his Prophet came to him, you know got it sent this Prophet to ASA to tell him, you know, you did really good up until this point. But you stop trusting in me. And of course King ASA didn't like these harsh words that the prophet came and spoke to him. So unfortunately, he just made a bigger mistake after this Prophet comes and tells him. Hey you've acted foolishly here. Instead of repenting of it and turning back to God. Once again, he goes ahead and oppresses the people and treats them cruelly out of his frustration and anger of how things are going now.
A few years later. He is stricken with a foot disease. And again instead of turning to God and asking for God's help in the midst of that trial. He only relies on the Physicians. And it's sad because it started out so well, but as you read this story you see it change. And you know, basically when God sent that Prophet to King ASA, he was trying to say to him if you had trusted me as you did before I would have taken care of everything. Today's the day. It's no the eyes of the Lord still go to and fro seeking the whores why. Because God wants to support every man every woman every child who is completely his. When we are completely his he will support what we're doing. ASAP missed a golden opportunity. Even though things had went poorly for him if he had repented of that and turn back to God. when that Prophet came to him is rain would have much differently. It wouldn't have ended poorly. So he didn't finish nearly as well as he started.
And you know that bring 52 bus. You know, what about your story? How is the story of your life went? You know, where are you right now? Are you at a point that you've you know where your starting point was in your relationship with Christ? Where are you in relationship to that right now? Are you still growing in your relationship with God? Are you still in that sweet spot where your continuing to pursue what God wants for you, or have you wandered off the path into the Wheats?
You know why these thoughts came to me as I Was preparing the same time. I'm preparing this message. I'm preparing a funeral message. Talk about how someone ended their life. It made me think about you know, where do you think you'll be when your license? What will be on your mind what will be your priorities? You know, what kind of commentary would God right for you up to this point in your life? What would he have to say? You notice your life look more like the early years of King ASA when his heart was completely gods and he was completely devoted to him. Or does your life look more like the later years? when King I said become a little overconfident and his own ability and he was relying on himself. He was relying on the wealth of his kingdom. He was relying on other things. to support him instead of God
You know, where does your life reflect those later years when instead of putting his kingdom and his future in God's hands. King ASA try to take it into his own
You know, those are some penetrating questions, but I think they are questions that we all need to ask ourselves from time to time.
And today I think every time that a loved one or a friend or someone in our community, we know passes away. It's always an important time for us to reflect on our own life and on the course that it's taking. Cuz you know we have to realize that passed demonstration of faith and dependency on God are no guarantee of future faithfulness.
We would like to think it is and if we were living a consistent life that would be but we're all human beings. We're all prone to wander into stray. And you know, in fact as I read through the pages of the Old and New Testament. I find that there are very few men and women who finished as well as they started. Unfortunately a lot of a start out with great intentions, but we don't always necessarily end up that way. and you know that statements true not only for individuals it can also be true for churches because churches aren't immune to that same sort of life cycle, either you unfortunately, they're not are not very many churches that start out well grow and then finish well, there's ups and downs Hills and Valleys in that life cycle and I think a lot of it has to do.
Just like it does for us with individuals. How much are we depending and relying on God? How much are we completely devoted to him? Cuz you know once you experience success and your life in the life of a church. You know when we trust God out of desperation, and we fully devote ourselves to him and it goes really well.
There's usually one of two things that happens that start to lead us off the path. neither take that success and its results for Grand and we become arrogant about it thinking that we are the one that caused it to go that way not acknowledging God's part or we forget the process that God used when we settle into this comfort zone that kind of leaves God in the corner of our lives. You know where we acknowledge that God had something to do with it, but we don't give him full credit. And unfortunately, it's either of those two responses or how we can start to wander off the path. Unfortunately, what begins to happen in a lot of those situations after we wander off the path? Is survival tactics take the place of holy ambition. Instead of us being fully committed and actively pursuing the things that God is laying on her heart.
You know, we drove respectable and we think that while we don't want to tarnish the reputation. So unfortunately, we become more concerned about preserving what we had or what we have instead of advancing forward.
You know, we're more worried about preserving the institution then advancing the mission of the church and that's when it begins to become a problem. You know was King ASA his kingdom had grown and flourished for 35 years. So I'm sure he had to feel pretty good about that. He had to feel pretty accomplished as a leader.
What the problem was when he saw this? Unexpected attack from an enemy. He didn't see it as another opportunity to glorify God. He just saw his job is to protect what he had and that's what caused the problems. You know, we may Proclaim that our security is in Christ, but the problem is you actually live our life that way or we were relying on something else to provide us with that security other than Christ. do we avoid all risk just because our focus is more in the rearview mirror than it is on the future that God has for us.
A lot of us end up living Our Lives looking at past successes that we've had rather than looking forward to Future opportunities. And unfortunately for churches it's no different we can spend so much time trying to reclaim the past and what we had that we don't see opportunities that when put in front of us for the future.
She knows we're going to be talking about. Holy abuse. Bishan. We're going to be talking about answering God's call. And I think when we look at scriptures like we find here in 2nd Chronicles and we look at King Aces life, you know, it should join us out of our complacency and make us look in our own life spiritually. As individuals as a church and what God might have four is he know are we fully committed to achieving God's purposes? That's what we need to be asking ourselves. And as we do this over the next several weeks part of what we'll be doing is will be working through the book of Nehemiah. You know, he was heartbroken at the state of Jerusalem. He found out that after the people have been exiled and taken out of the city of Jerusalem. The walls have been torn down the gates have been burned in the city was just in shambles. And he was heartbroken over this and he felt God calling him to go back and rebuild that City. So great personal risk Nehemiah decided to go back to be faithful to what God was calling him to do and to rebuild that City. Like I said, this is a risky proposition, you know, first of all when he asked the king who he was serving if he could go. He didn't know what he would answer. But he asked him anyway, and he sent him with his Blessing and during the time all he was rebuilding it. There were a lot of challenges that come and those will be things that we'll talk about.
But he pursued what God had for him anyway.
And you know, the funny thing is for me is I think about this and as think about doing this series over the next several weeks. You know, it's actually a sermon series that I've had in my mind for over a year. So it's kind of crazy but a year ago when I read this book. You know, it's kind of all those things. God told me take that set it aside. You're going to come back to it. I think it's his God knew how that vote would go on August 4th. He knew where we would be heading and he knew that we would be looking at the task of rebuilding things. That's not going to be an easy task. And I think we can learn a lot from the book of Nehemiah as we look at that if how do we rebuild it?
You know, we went through difficult times. We've went through different life cycles as a church. I think now if we're poised at a point. Where we can begin to see that life cycle taking upswing again. But it's going to take a group of people who are fully committed to God's purposes. I think that's what he's challenging is too. And that's what we're going to be beginning to look at over these next several weeks.
So now to see who was paying attention. God seeks people, who are what? Completely his yep. That's what he seeks. And I'm going to keep saying that over this series. So keep that in mind. Let's bow in prayer. Heavenly father as we come to you Lord. We thank you for the blessings that you give us Lord. We thank you for Just too many things we can learn from your holy word. And Lord, I pray that as we dig into your scripture that you will just help us to see what you are calling. Each of us to do as individuals what you are calling us to do as a church. And Lord, I pray that you will just give us a holy ambition for what you want for this community what you want for this church what you want for this town clerk what you want for all of us and Lord. I pray that you will give us the strength and energy to work everyday towards that end. We pray the song your most. Holy name. Amen.