'Why Not?'
Restoration Fellowship
Sunday morning, September 4, 2016
CONNECT
From Jeremiah Johnson,
old Indian saying: "A tribe's greatness is figured on how mighty its
enemies be."
TEXT Ezra 4:1-2a (NIV) When the enemies
of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for
the Lord, the God of Israel, they came to
Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families...
TENSION
Movement incites resistance: we’ve never done it that way
before; joy suckers; nay-sayers; New Levels - New Devils!
2 Timothy 3:12 (NKJV) All who desire to live godly... will suffer persecution.
SOLUTION
Don't say ‘we can't!’; say ‘why not?’!
INSTRUCTION
Enemies
that come calling…
Compromise Ezra 4:2b
(NIV)
“Let us help you build…
Discouragement Ezra 4:4a
(NIV)
Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the
people of Judah
Fear Ezra 4:4b
(NIV)
and make them afraid to go on building.
Frustration Ezra 4:5a
(NIV)
They bribed officials to work against them and
frustrate their plans...
Accusation Ezra 4:6 (NIV) At
the beginning of the reign of Xerxes, they lodged an
accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
Force Ezra 4:23b
(NIV) …they
went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and compelled
them by force to stop.”
INSPIRATION
Ezra
5:1… God sends a prophet!
Haggai
1
Ezra
5:2 (NIV) Then Zerubbabel son of
Shealtiel and Joshua son of Jozadak set to work to
rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them,
supporting them.”
Ezra
6:14 (NIV) So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai
the prophet and Zechariah... They finished
building the temple...
1.
Don’t
sell out!
2.
Don't
give in!
3.
Don't
give up!
4.
Don’t
quit!
ACTION STEPS
1.
Be
careful who you walk with.
2.
Encourage
yourself in God.
3.
Walk
in faith.
4.
Listen
to the prophets.
Old saying: If not you, who? If not here, where? If
not now, when?
HASHTAG #whynot
No comments:
Post a Comment