4th Anniversary
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Intro:
Intro:
Good morning. Welcome to Church Online!
It is a special Sunday for us. This weekend we’re celebrating 4 years as a church in Glastonbury! (Go head and put the clap emoji to celebrate with us!)
If you don’t know our story, in 2015 my family moved from San Diego, CA to Glastonbury, CT to plant The River Church. We started with only 11 people (including kids), but God has been faithful to grow us. And four years in, we’re still excited to see what He’s going to do!
At the same time, our journey as a new church has not been an easy one. Actually, it’s been similar to living in 2020...
This has been a year like no other. Apart from the sickness, fear, death, and quarantines, many of us are working harder than ever. Sure, we’re working remotely, meeting together virtually (like we’re doing now), and even going to school from home… and you’d think life would be easier… But many have found the transition difficult.
… but there’s also be a silver lining...
While we’re working hard to adjust, we’ve also had the opportunity to evaluate what’s truly important in life. This year has allowed us to spend more time with family, more time outside in God’s creation, and more time resting at home. Strangely, this has been a season of “working to rest.” And that’s a concept I’d like to discuss further on this special Sunday, because I believe it’s what God is calling us into as a church: The work of rest.
Body:
Body:
In the book of Zechariah, we find a verse that I love...
Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.”
(The seven lamps represent the eyes of the Lord that search all around the world.)
Zechariah spoke this in the middle of both excitement and disappointment. We know what that’s like, right? I know I do! Let me share a little bit of my 2020...
Oh, I’m turning this 40 this year! Can’t wait to celebrate.
2020: No birthday party for you.
Janelle and I won an all-expenses paid trip to the Dominican.
2020: No trip for you.
Family trip to visit San Diego.
2020: No family for you.
Yay! Youth football looks like it’s a go!
2020: No football for you.
Even this week. Oh look… a second stimulus!
2020: No money for you.
Can y’all relate?
In Zechariah’s day, God’s people (the Jews) were experiencing the same highs and lows. You see, after God brought them out of Egypt and into the Promised Land, they were very rebellious and unfaithful to Him. Eventually, God disciplined them. He allowed the nations of Assyria and Babylon to destroy the land. And the Babylonians took them captive for 70 years, which is known as the Babylonian exile.
Yet, after 70 years, God raises up the Persians to conquer Babylon and release the Jewish people - just as the prophet Jeremiah promised.
God fulfilled His promise!
They were going home!
God even put it on the heart of the Persian Kings to finance the rebuilding of Jerusalem.
They were super excited!
But then… disappointment came. As they rebuilt, they faced a ton of opposition! It eventually brought the work to a full stop - for almost 15 years! Additionally, the people once again slipped into rebellion. Furthermore, some of the older Jews (who had seen the glory of the first temple) were greatly discouraged by the small and shoddy beginnings of this second temple.
...And that’s when God begins to speak through the prophet Zechariah!
God encourages the Jewish leaders to take heart, be courageous, have faith, and finish the work! He says...
Then he said to me, “This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him! And when Zerubbabel sets the final stone of the Temple in place, the people will shout: ‘May God bless it! May God bless it!’ ”
Then another message came to me from the Lord: “Zerubbabel is the one who laid the foundation of this Temple, and he will complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sent me.
And then we find the verse we started with...
Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.”
(The seven lamps represent the eyes of the Lord that search all around the world.)
Both the people and leadership had been on a rollercoaster of ups and downs - excitement and disappointment. Yet, God calls them into faith - greater faith. Calling them to believe in His promises and power, which is great than what they could see!
Because they saw:
Powerful opposition - like a mountain standing over them!
Their people once again living in sin and rebellion. The same thing that led to the first temple being destroyed and the exile they just came out of.
And the small puny beginnings of a once glorious temple that hosted the powerful presence of God.
But faith is believing what God says even if our eyes disagree. And God speaks confidence and hope into the situation. He challenges them to not focus on the small beginnings in front of them, whether it’s their own small strength, small commitment to holiness, or small rebuilding efforts. Why? Because this is NOT about them. This is about God!
That changes things, right? When we remember God is in the mix? When we remember this is His work FIRST!
And if God is involved, nothing is impossible. Jesus said...
But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
The apostle Paul, speaking on a connected theme, put it this way...
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
When it comes to God’s work and people, it doesn’t matter how strong the opposition is and how “weak” we are. In fact, God told Paul, “… my strength is made perfect in weakness!” And that’s what God was teaching here in Zechariah when He said...
Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him! And when Zerubbabel sets the final stone of the Temple in place, the people will shout: ‘May God bless it! May God bless it!’ ”
God’s work will get done because it’s “not by [human] might or power, but by [His] Spirit.” And that was true when considering the opposition, but also His work of righteousness and transformation in their life too.
Again, the people were sliding back into sin. But look at what is said in the previous chapter - Zech 3.
Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.
Joshua was one of the leaders - he was high priest over those who returned from the exile. His job was to teach people to properly worship and follow God. And he failed miserably! That’s why Satan was there accusing him; probably saying stuff like, “These people aren’t even worth it! Look how rebellious they are. Not only is the leader a loser, but he can’t even get his own life together.” Because verse 3 says...
Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments.
Joshua was dirty too! But remember, this was God’s work. And God can do the impossible, even making a sinful people clean, which is why we read...
And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?” Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.” And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord was standing by.
God had started a holy work in Joshua. And when God begins something, He will finish it. Which is why we read in chapter 4...
For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.
“These seven are the eyes of the Lord, which range through the whole earth.”
You see, with God, you can’t negatively focus on the small things, because the reality of the Bible is God works progressively. He has His own timing and chooses to work out His purposes over time… meaning, it’s not all going to happen immediately! With God, sometimes a glorious work starts SMALL… but its temporary size is not important. What’s important is God has begun a work! When THAT happens, there’s reason to be excited, regardless of how it starts! Because God always finishes what He starts!
And actually, I want to look at verse 10 through two different translations because there is a word used that can be translated two different ways. However, I believe both translations can help us better understand God’s progression!
This morning, we’ve been using the NLT translation, which uses the word “plumbline.” This is also how the ESV translates it. However, other translations, like the NIV, use word “capstone.” Depending on the translation, the interpretation can mean two different things:
With plumb line, which is a measuring tool - the sense of the passage is Zerubbabel (one of the leaders) is holding it, taking preliminary measurements to continue rebuilding God’s house. He is beginning God’s work, which is currently small, but filled with hope because God will ensure he finishes!
WIth capstone - the sense of the passage, Zerubbabel will one day put the finishing stone down on this rebuilding project. It may seem impossible now, but with God’s help and power, it will get done!
So, we have two different meanings based on two different translations, but the primary interpretation and application principle is the same: When God starts a work, He is faithful to finish it. So be excited - be filled with faith- whenever a work begins!
And on this 4-year celebration Sunday, I believe this is a message for us in 2020, here at The River Church. It’s a message of faith-building hope!
You see, right now you may be thinking:
What more can go wrong with this year? What else is life going to throw at us? How much more opposition (physically, circumstantially, or spiritually) will I face?
Maybe you’re part of this small church plant…
Online: Even though we get fairly decent engagement from Church Online for a small Connecticut church, how can we compete online with global market of the online church world. Right now, cooler churches, better worship teams, better preachers, are just a click a way! If this COVID shutdown keeps people limited to online-only, there’s no way this church is going to grow when much better options are easily accessible.
InPerson: which is presently full in this room, but even if every TRC person were to show up on one day, that’s only maybe 120 people. Glastonbury by itself has 36,000 residents. That’s small beginnings! What kind of impact can 120 people make, especially when it took 4 years to even get to 120?
Heck, maybe you’ve been attending this church and trying to get your personal life right, but it’s not working out the way you anticipated. Actually, it kinda seems like you’ve been messing up MORE! And you’re thinking, “Why isn’t Jesus changing my life? Why am I still struggling?”
And I think all of those things are valid, but I don’t think it’s what God is calling us to focus on. This morning, on our 4-year celebration, I believe His message to us is, “Realize I have started a good work. And when that happens, I promise I will finish it. Therefore, put your faith in Me! Trust me with your life!”
This morning, let me encourage you:
Though life may be crazy hard in 2020, God’s doing something! The Bible says He’s always working. He has a plan - a good plan. A plan that involves saving us, giving us joy, and peace that surpasses all understanding. And the life challenges and opposition we’re facing are really opportunities to know and trust Jesus more.
And though The River Church may be visibly small, there’s a miracle happening. God is growing a healthy church that is impacting the town of Glastonbury and beyond. It’s not all happening at once; rather, God is progressively and strategically spreading gospel hope in our communities. Each day, God is taking our faithful small church and spreading the hope found in the name of Jesus little by little. And one day, He will finish the saving work He has started in our little town! And you get to be a part of that GOOD work!
And though you may not be where you think you should be in your walk with the Lord, don’t give up. Don’t let the devil accuse you. God’s work in your life is a progression. It’s a journey. It takes time. But you can be excited about God’s promise in your life. That if you’ve trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, that He will finish the work He started in you.
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
And just like Joshua the high priest, because of Jesus’ work on the cross, in one moment of faith, he has made your dirty garments clean by His blood!
To close, I’d like to connect a theme I see in Scripture with what we’ve just talked about and with the future of our church.
If we look at the history of biblical faith, I believe we see something interesting:
In the beginning, God created humans to live in His perfect peace and presence. Yes, Adam and Eve had “work” to do, but they lived in perfect rest - trusting God for all they needed. It was an exciting time.
Then, sin entered the world and everything collapsed.
Nevertheless, after Adam and Eve’s rebellion, God made an immediate promise that one day He’d send a Savior to the world. And in Genesis 12, He made clear that Savior would come through the family of Abraham - the nation of Israel.
Initially, that nation ended up in Egypt as slaves. But God send Moses to deliver them and take them back to the Promised Land. God takes them from slavery (where they had no rest) into the Promised Land (a place of rest).
But after entering this physical place of rest, they continued i sin and rebellion against God, now placing themselves into spiritual slavery. Instead of worshiping the God of rest, they worshiped idols which trapped them into further slavery of sin.
Which led to the Exile, the event we talked about earlier, when God disciplined them thru Assyria and Babylon. But God is faithful to His people and promise. He saves them and brings them back to the Promised Land - once again offering REST to those willing to trust God by faith. That’s part of the message Zechariah is giving.
By grace thru faith, God will finish the work He started!
But fast forward 500 years to Jesus and we discover they once again entered spiritual slavery. This time it wasn’t the worship of false idols. It was legalistic religion - worshiping themselves. They thought good works and following rules made someone right before God.
And if anyone has actually tried to be a “good person” and “follow all the rules,” you know that’s not “rest, but work.” And - it never works.
But Jesus - the Savior - has good news for us...
As Jn 3:16 says...
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
The good news, the gospel, is if anyone puts their faith in Jesus, He will give them perfect REST because He did already did all the work. We don’t need to!
And here’s why I’m closing with this...
As God continues to spread His Kingdom here in Glastonbury, as He continues to grow our church, as He continues to transform us into His likeness, I think it’s important we understand this is done in REST.
Because church history has shown us that God’s people have a knack for taking the promise of rest and turning it into the burden of work. I mean, how often does the church in 2020 take the gospel and create a church-culture of:
burnout
busyness
isolation (doing all the work by yourself)
Look, the world has enough of that. COVID has shown us that with clarity! This world is filled with burnout, busyness, and isolation. That’s normal. So, why would anyone come to Jesus if the church is offering the same thing? Instead, let’s show them something that is truly needed… BIBLICAL REST.
If you’re watching online, type: REST in the comments.
That’s my vision and hope for TRC. As we continue to press forward by faith with the mission God has given us as a church, I want us to do so in REST.
With simple faith and obedience.
With peace, joy, and the Holy Spirit.
With love, unity, and genuine relationships.
That’s something truly different! That’s the kind of life that appeals to our neighbors. I believe that’s the true gospel. Faith in Jesus is REST. Jesus is the true REST.
As we work to spread God’s kingdom, let’s do so in REST. The mission of God is a work of rest. And it’s a radically different life we can enthusiastically invite others into… or as Zechariah says...
“And on that day, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, each of you will invite your neighbor to sit with you peacefully under your own grapevine and fig tree.”
Response:
Response:
So this morning, as we celebrate, let’s focus on two things:
God has started a good work here in Glastonbury. You’re part of that! And God will finish the work. Therefore, be excited!
As you participate in God’s work, do so by faith. God doesn’t need your power and might. He’s going to accomplish all His plans by His Spirit. Our part is to simply enter into it that rest and invite others to do the same.. God isn’t calling us into slavery, but a life where you can take a deep breath and simply enjoy God’s goodness. Where joy isn’t impacted by circumstances. Where peace surpasses all understanding. Where you can leave all our burdens behind you and walk with Jesus.
Let’s pray...
Father, we are thankful. Thank you for all you’ve done in the past 4 years. Thank you in advance for all you’re going to do - even the things that currently seem impossible. We recognize and believe that nothing is impossible for you. That all things are possible for you. The transformation of our lives. The salvation of our friends. The provision for our families. The healing of our hearts, mind, relationships, and bodies. We trust you with them all knowing when You begin a good work, you are faithful to finish it! So, help us to enter Your rest this morning. Help us to live in that rest. And we ask these things in Jesus name, amen.
Thanks for joining us for Church Online. If this was your first time, fill out a Connect Card. We’d love to say hi and send you a gift. Also, if you have prayer requests, would like to join a Life Group, or gave your life to Christ, we want to hear from you! There are easy ways to do that on our website (riverchurchct.com) or follow the links in the comments below!
Have a great day - God bless you!
