SCRIPTURE: Nehemiah 2:1-8 (ESV)

DATE: 5-10-20

I want to welcome all of you who are joining us this weekend at Gateway Church. And the one thing I always want all of you to know is that God loves you and that I love you too. 

SERIES INTRODUCTION

Today we’re finishing up a series where we’ve been looking at some emotions that most of us have experienced — to some degree or another — over the past few months. Thus far we’ve looked at the emotions of loneliness, emptiness, and anxiousness. And — today — the emotion we’ll be looking at is depression.

And we’ve been examining each of these emotions — and finding biblical guidance and help — by looking at the lives of some individuals in the Bible. We began by looking at a moment in the life of the prophet Elijah when we studied loneliness. Then we traveled even further back in time — to the time before the days of the kings — back to the time when judges led the Israelites — when we looked at the emotion of emptiness in the life of a woman named Naomi. And last week we looked at anxiousness in the life of a woman named Martha — who was alive when Jesus was here on earth. 

And — today — as we look at depression — we’re going back in time — once again — way before the time of Jesus — back to the Old Testament — to the life of a man named Nehemiah.

ANNOUNCE THE TEXT AND BACKGROUND

So if you have your Bible please turn with me to the book of Nehemiah. We’ll be in chapter 2 — looking at verses 1-8.  

And while you’re finding Nehemiah chapter 2 — let me tell you what’s coming up in the next few weeks and then I’ll give you some background on Nehemiah.

First — what’s coming up? Well this is the 19th weekend of 2020 and I’ve preached 17 of them. So you’re probably tired of hearing from me. So for the next two weeks you’re going to hear from someone else — actually — two someones. Matt Ginter — the director of Christian ministries at the University of Findlay and a North Main campus regular — will be teaming up with Jon McKanna — our North Main campus pastor — for a two part series in the book of Psalms. So come eager — the next two weeks — to hear from Matt and Jon as they preach to us from the Psalms. In fact — right now — if you’re on Facebook or our church online page — why don’t you let Matt and Jon know that you’re excited to hear them preach from the Psalms. 

And after a short break — as Arnold said — “I’ll be back.” And we’re rearranging the preaching calendar — again! — and we’re headed back to the book of Romans — this time we’ll be in chapter 8. We’ve already gone through the first seven chapters and this seems like a good time to begin Romans chapter 8 — a chapter full of promises and truths about the assurance we have through our faith in Jesus Christ. 

So there’s what’s coming up in the next few weeks.

Now — what about Nehemiah? If you’ve been with us — for the past few months — you’ve heard my overview of the history of the Jewish people. Well…get ready to hear it again. 

The nation of Israel was birthed from a man named Jacob — who God renamed Israel. And from Jacob’s sons came the 12 tribes of Israel. Now hundreds of years later, these tribes demand to have a king — they wanted to be like the other nations surrounding them who had kings. And after just three kings — Saul, David, and David’s son Solomon — when we get to the time for the fourth king of Israel to be picked — well — there’s division and the nation splits into two. Ten tribes join together — in the north — and keep the name Israel. Two of the tribes stick together — in the south — and become the nation of Judah. So the people of God have split up and divided.

Now Israel is the first to be conquered by a foreign nation — the Assyrians come in and take over. The nation of Judah lasts a bit longer — but eventually the nation of Babylon comes in and conquers them. And after Judah is conquered — most of the people are sent into exile — which was prophesied about. The prophecy predicted that the people would be in exile for 70 years. But the prophecy also contained a promise. What was the promise? That God would return the people to their land after the 70 years were over. And this is the time when Nehemiah is alive — sometime in the 5th century BC — when the people are returning to their homeland. 

Now Nehemiah was in a bit of an unusual position — he was the cupbearer to the king. And this gave him direct access to the king on a regular basis. But Nehemiah — like the other Jews — he was living in exile — he was living in a foreign land. And as he begins to hear stories of what things are like back in his homeland — Nehemiah begins to be bothered by what he’s hearing. 

Which leads us to the words found in Nehemiah chapter 2. Beginning in verse 1. 

In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. 2 And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid. 3 I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” 4 Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ graves, that I may rebuild it.” 6 And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. 7 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me. (Nehemiah 2:1-8 ESV)

SERMON INTRODUCTION

I’ve been reading regularly in the psalms — journaling my way through them this year — and recently I read Psalm 88 — which ends with a verse that very much relates to our topic of depression and even connects with the world of social distancing that we’ve been living in. The last verse — of Psalm 88 — reads, “You have taken away my companions and loved ones. Darkness is my closest friend.” (Psalm 88:18 NLT)

So we’re going to talk about that darkness — today — the darkness of depression — which may be a close companion for you. Now we tend to see a couple of common responses to depression in our country. The first — and we’ve seen this previously with other emotions in this series — but one response to depression is to immediately address it with medication. And a second response — which we’ve also talked about in this series — is how some people try to rid themselves of their depression by pursuing something new and exciting — it could be a new purchase or a trip to Disney World — anything to distract us from how we’re really feeling — especially when we’re feeling down.

Now — and I’ve said this before — medication can be helpful — especially with clinical depression among many other mental health struggles you may be facing. So I don’t want anyone to feel guilty if you do take medication for depression — and I don’t want you to hear me say that medications are bad. I’m not saying that at all. For many, medication is necessary. But what I’m about to say — may really surprise you — because I also want to say that healthy distractions aren’t always a bad way to deal with our emotions. Sometimes a change of scenery is just what we need.

But obviously medication isn’t always the answer and neither is distracting ourselves from our emotions. And — as Christians — we have no theological or scriptural warrant to justify medication as being the only solution to depression — just like we have no theological or scriptural warrant to justify always distracting ourselves away from emotions like depression. Both can be helpful and both should come with warnings.

But — what I hope is an encouragement to you — is how the Christian faith offers us other resources not found in medications or distractions. Though the Christian faith acknowledges that our circumstances can and do affect our feelings — even the feeling of being depressed — the Christian faith also teaches that Jesus has come to offer us freedom from — and hope in — the darkness — and not just spiritual depression — but emotional depression as well. 

Now — of all the emotions that we’ve looked at in this series — depression may be the one that we Christians have been the most unkind towards those who struggle with it — though it may be a toss up between anxiety and depression. One woman recalls her church leaders telling her, “You have to pray to God for healing [from your depression]…You have to have faith and trust him!” 

Now hear me out. I’ve got nothing against prayer — and we do need to have faith in and trust God — but these phrases aren’t to be weapons used to beat up those who are struggling with depression. 

• And — often — these kinds of statements only make those who are struggling feel guilty or spiritually inadequate. 
• Statements like these may make new Christians think they’re unacceptable to God unless they get their emotions in check. 
• Others may think that God’s not going to accept them if they don’t fix themselves first. 
• And none of that is true and none of it is the gospel. 
• In fact, some of the great heroes of our faith — both in the Bible and in church history — have struggled with the darkness of depression — we’ll look at one pastor’s struggle with depression later on.

But another danger to these statements — is how they can make those who say them — proud. Because — often as we say these kinds of things — we think the person struggling just isn’t working hard enough, or practicing enough faith, or believing and trusting in God enough. And — by implication — since we’re not struggling with depression — we must be working hard enough, and practicing more faith than they are, and we’ve really figured out this whole believing and trusting in God stuff. Like — I said — it’s easy to be proud and look down on others when we have a shallow understanding of the complexities of these emotions.

Now we Christians are to be gospel people. Men and women who remind each other that God is committed to comforting his people even as they experience the darkness of depression. And God comforts us through a variety of means which we’ll look at in a bit. But — for me — an amazing thing about God’s comfort to us is that — in Jesus Christ — God has experienced all of the human emotions. So he knows how to comfort us even in the darkness of depression. 

SITUATIONAL DEPRESSION

Now the type of depression we see in Nehemiah’s life appears to be situational — which is what many of us — who may not regularly struggle with depression — it’s what many have experienced over the past few weeks and months. And I know that situational depression is only one kind of depression — and if you’re a professional — I know that situational depression falls more in a grief type category — but I think for most of us — even though there are many types of depression — for many of us — situational depression is the likely emotion we’ve been facing over the past weeks and months. 

So let’s look back at this moment in Nehemiah’s life and see the source of his depression.

Now — you may wonder — “Josh, how do you know that Nehemiah’s depression was situational?” Because of what happens in the chapter before ours. The book of Nehemiah begins with “These are the memoirs of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah. In late autumn, in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign, I was at the fortress of Susa. 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came to visit me with some other men who had just arrived from Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had returned there from captivity and about how things were going in Jerusalem. 3 They said to me, “Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.” 4 When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.” (Nehemiah 1:1-4 NLT)

So it’s the report of what’s going on back in Jerusalem that’s caused emotional distress in Nehemiah’s life — what will be described as a “sadness of the heart.” And if we turn to our chapter — now having this background — we read…

In the month of Nisan (So now we’re in the spring — roughly four months after Nehemiah first received news of what was going on in Jerusalem…), in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I (so Nehemiah is our narrator and he says that he…) took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. (Nehemiah 2:1 ESV)

Alright, Nehemiah is displaying sadness in front of the king — which — we see — was unusual for him to do.

2 And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” (Sadness of the heart — a very honest way to describe how many of us have felt.) Then I was very much afraid. (Nehemiah 2:2 ESV)

Now the reason why Nehemiah’s afraid is — because most likely — there was an expectation that the king’s servants were only to display happy and cheerful moods in front of the king. No grumps or sad people in the king’s court — only “shiny happy people holding hands” in the presence of the king. But  Nehemiah isn’t able to hide his emotion in front of the king. And the king notices and asks him why he’s suffering from sadness of the heart. 

3 I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” (Nehemiah 2:3 ESV)

So — as we’ve already seen — Nehemiah’s sadness of the heart is due to the city of Jerusalem being in ruins. There’s a situation that’s causing his depression — a sadness of heart that’s been going on for months.

4 Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. (Nehemiah 2:4 ESV)

Now back in chapter 1, we saw that Nehemiah was already praying about the situation in Jerusalem. But here — in the moment when he’s talking to the king — he quickly prays for God to help him before he speaks.

5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ graves, that I may rebuild it.” 6 And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. (Nehemiah 2:5-6 ESV)

Though it may seem strange to us — for the king to care about what kind of timeline Nehemiah has in mind — this most likely shows us just how important Nehemiah’s position was to the king. So the king wants to know how long Nehemiah is going to be gone.

7 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me. (Nehemiah 2:7-8 ESV)

Nehemiah makes a few additional requests and then acknowledges that everything that’s been granted to him — by the king — is ultimately the result of God orchestrating everything that’s happened. The good favor he’s received from the king is due to the good favor he’s received from God. 

And — if you don’t know Nehemiah’s story — I want to encourage you to go and read it and see how a man — who was so emotionally disturbed by what was happening in his homeland — go read about how he was able to lead the rebuilding of the city walls even in the face of grave danger. Nehemiah’s emotions moved him to action as he depended upon God for guidance and favor.

Now something you may not have thought much about — is how the situation we’re in — or how situations you may face in the future that bring unknowns and difficulties into your life — what I want you to know is that these situations don’t have to paralyze us — even if they stir in us intense emotional responses. Like Nehemiah — these situations are an opportunity to trust in God’s guidance and favor — they’re opportunities for us to allow our emotions to drive us to action and obedience. 

• Are these emotions complex? Yes. 
• Can they seem overwhelming? Absolutely. 
• “What if I need help or medication?” Seek help. 
• But don’t miss the opportunity these difficult moments in life bring.

GODLY SORROW

So that’s Nehemiah. Now I want us to look at a moment in Jesus’ life and — as I said earlier — Jesus experienced the full gamut of human emotions. And this particular moment in his life is so intriguing to me because it mirrors the moment we just saw in Nehemiah’s life. We’re in Matthew’s gospel — chapter 23 — beginning in verse 37.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me. 38 And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate. 39 For I tell you this, you will never see me again until you say, ‘Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’” (Matthew 23:37-39 NLT)

Now here’s why this moment from Jesus’ life is so intriguing to me. What was the cause of Nehemiah’s sadness of heart — what was the cause of his depression? The physical condition of the city of Jerusalem. And what’s the cause of Jesus’ sadness of heart as he laments — which means to express deep sorrow — what’s the cause of Jesus’ deep sorrow here in Matthew’s gospel? The spiritual condition of the city of Jerusalem.

The same city — Jerusalem — causes both Nehemiah and Jesus to experience a sadness of the heart. In fact, Jesus’ words about the city have been described as a “funeral dirge” — a type of “funeral song.” And — yet — even as he experiences sorrow and sadness — Jesus gives a promise of hope for the city of Jerusalem. 

For a day is coming, when he will return to the city. And on that day, people will shout “Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” Which is what we see happen as he rides into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey a week before he would be killed on a cross for the sins of the world. And on the darkest day — in all of history — the light of Christ was not extinguished though it appeared that Jesus had failed his mission. For three days later, the darkness was dispersed as it was defeated by the power of Jesus’ resurrection. A power that’s still at work today — bringing relief and hope and light to those who experience the darkness of depression — the sadness of heart — a close companion in life for many who believe in Jesus.

CHRISTIANS AND THEIR DEPRESSION

So there’s a look at our emotion in the lives of Nehemiah and Jesus and the hope we have in knowing that Jesus both sympathizes with us — and is present with us — in the darkness of depression. Now I want to take this sadness of heart and help us see how the Christian faith offers hope to those who are depressed. I want to help us sympathize with those who are well acquainted with this sadness of the heart. And I want to do so by listening to how others have described their depression.

One woman has said that, “Depression is melancholy minus its charms.” One of the more famous authors from our lifetime writes, “Depression is the most unpleasant thing I have ever experienced…It is the absence of being able to [envision] that you will ever be cheerful again. The absence of hope. That very deadened feeling…”

C.S. Lewis — the author of the Chronicles of Narnia series — among many other writings — battled depression. Here are some of his words on the subject. Lewis writes, “Mental pain is less dramatic than physical pain, but it is more common and also more hard to bear. The frequent attempt to conceal mental pain increases the burden: it is easier to say ‘My tooth is aching’ than to say ‘My heart is broken.’” 

Sometimes it helps to hear the words of others who have faced what we’re facing. It’s even OK to borrow their words when you can’t come up with words to describe how you’re feeling. 

If you’ve experienced depression, how would you describe it? If you’re able, would you leave a comment with your description of depression? Someone may need to borrow your words because they’re in the thick of depression right now and don’t have a vocabulary to describe how they’re feeling.

I mentioned earlier that Christians throughout church history have struggled with depression. One of them was known as the Prince of Preachers. His name was Charles Spurgeon — a British preacher who lived during the 1800s. And Spurgeon battled depression nearly his entire life. 

Now if you don’t know Spurgeon — he was a famous preacher in his day — you don’t get the nickname Prince of Preachers without being well-known, right? Thousands of people came to hear him preach on a weekly basis — and again — this was back in the 1800s — not when we tend to think of churches having congregations with thousands of members. Spurgeon was quick witted, he had a big personality from the pulpit, he smoked cigars, and was the quintessential picture of a Victorian era manly man. And — yet — Spurgeon struggled with depression — most likely both clinical and situational depression. 

Now his situational depression was due to an awful event that happened while he was preaching. During one large gathering, someone who wasn’t a fan of Spurgeon, yelled “fire.” And as the panicked crowd tried to exit the building, some people were trampled to death. Spurgeon never fully recovered from the mental pain of that moment. People killed trying to flee from a building — and the only reason why they were in the building — was to hear him preach.

Yet later on — while speaking to potential pastors — Spurgeon said, “Knowing by most painful experience what deep depression of spirit means, being visited [by it] at seasons by no means few or far between [he’s saying that he’s experienced depression often], I thought it might be [comforting] to some of [you] if I gave my thoughts [on this subject], that younger men might not [believe] that some strange thing had happened to them when they became for a season possessed by melancholy; and that sadder men might know that one upon whom the sun has shone…did not always walk in the light.”

Spurgeon knew that many young preachers looked up to him — the spotlight was on him often. But not all of them knew about his battle with depression. So he wanted them to know about his depression because he didn’t want them to be caught off guard when the “sadness of the heart” became a close friend in their life.

So how did this great minister of the faith fight his depression? First, Spurgeon saw his depression as something to be used for God’s glory and for Spurgeon’s sanctification — for his growth in holiness. Spurgeon did not waver in his belief that God was in control of everything that happened to him — even his depression. And like Job — who after losing his wealth, his health, and even all of his children — like Job Spurgeon could say, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Spurgeon could say, “Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” Spurgeon saw his depression as something to be used for God’s glory and for his growth in holiness.

Second, Spurgeon believed that his most effective ministry was birthed out of his seasons of depression. From his firsthand experience with depression, he could comfort those who were in the darkness. His experience with depression made him tender with those who were suffering. He knew that in his weakness, Jesus could be strong and shine forth through him — a broken vessel. This reminds me of the apostle Paul’s words to the Christians in Corinth when he writes, “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” Spurgeon believed that his most effective ministry was birthed out of his seasons of depression.

Finally, Spurgeon used practical means — in addition to his theology — to fight his depression. He rested. He took time away from his ministry. He slowed down from all of his “doing” and worked on his “being.” Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is get outside and go for a walk and let the sun shine down on you — or — take a nap. Use practical means to fight your depression.

CONCLUSION

Now as we wrap up this series on emotions, a couple of things I hope you’ll remember. First, remember that you’re not alone. We’re here to come alongside you and support you no matter what you’re facing. So please reach out to us — send us a message or call the church office — so we can be of help to you.

Second, remember that you’re not alone. “Wait, Josh. That was your first point!” And you’re right. But — better than us being here for you — don’t forget that God is always with you. His promises to you can be trusted because the God who’s given you these promises is the definition of trustworthiness.

Third, remember that it’s not only OK — but it is good — to seek the help of professionals. Today, we’ve talked mainly about situational depression. There are many other kinds of depression and many of them require the help of a professional. You will do yourself a world of good in fighting the stubborn darkness that doesn’t seem to want to lift — by seeking the help of a professional. And we can help connect you with the pros — just give us a call.

And — finally — remember that these emotions are normal. Feeling lonely, empty, anxious, and depressed are normal human emotions. These emotions — though harder than some others to experience — these emotions don’t make you less of a human being. And they don’t make you a spiritually weak person. These emotions just prove that you’re human — like the rest of us. And we all experience these emotions to some degree or another. Which gives us an opportunity to come alongside each other in loving support, offering a listening ear to those who need to talk, and comforting one another with the comfort that God has given to us in Jesus Christ. My prayer is that we will be a church where no one faces these emotions alone. Let’s pray. 

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for always being with us. Thank you for the people you’ve put in our life who are willing to walk through the darkest of days with us. Thank you for the professionals who you’ve gifted to help us. And thank you for our emotions. It is good to feel. It is human to feel. We are physical, spiritual, and emotional beings and we need to be aware of and take care of our whole being.

Jesus, we can’t thank you enough for all that you’ve done for us. Not only did you do the work in saving us that we couldn’t do for ourselves — but you also willingly experienced all of what it means to be human — including emotionally what it means to be human — so that you can sympathize with our weakness and empower us with your strength.

Holy Spirit, you’ve heard my prayer. That we will be a church where no one faces these emotions alone. Help us to be that church. A people who are honest with how we’re doing — physically, emotionally, and spiritually — and who allow others to bring your comfort into our lives. We can’t do this in our strength, but we can in yours. So fill us with your strength. And we pray all of these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.

BENEDICTION 

May you go knowing that God is always with you — offering you comfort, peace, hope, and joy. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

SCRIPTURE: 1 Kings 19:1-18 (ESV)

DATE: 4-19-20

I want to welcome all of you who are joining us online this weekend. And one thing I want all of you to know is that God loves you and I love you too. 

SERIES INTRODUCTION

And we’re beginning a new preaching series today. And this series was originally something I had planned for later on in the year — but given our circumstances — it seemed appropriate to move some things around on the preaching calendar. So over the next four weeks, we’re going to look at the emotions of loneliness, emptiness, anxiousness, and depression. And my goal is for us to find some help and guidance from the Bible as these are emotions that all of us — to some degree or another — are all experiencing during this global pandemic and — for many of us — we’ll continue to experience these emotions even once we’re able to resume life in a “non-social distancing — you don’t have to stay at home all of the time” kind of way.

And we’re going to begin this series by examining the emotion of loneliness. 

ANNOUNCE THE TEXT

So if you have your Bible please turn with me to the book of First Kings. We’ll be in chapter 19 looking at verses 1-18.  

We’re going to examine the emotion of loneliness by looking at a moment in the life of a man named Elijah. Now to set up our verses — in First Kings 19 — you need to know some things about Elijah and his story.

Just prior to our chapter — so this is one chapter before — chapter 18 — we read of a great showdown between Elijah — the prophet of God — and the prophets of Baal — a false god. The setting is on Mount Carmel. And this is one of the great Old Testament stories — the kids really love this one. Elijah tells the prophets of Baal that, “We’re going to have a showdown to determine who serves the true God.” And here’s how they would determine which is the real God. They would prepare a sacrifice on an altar and the God who sends down fire from Heaven will be the winner. 

So Elijah — with great confidence — lets the Baal prophets go first. And they get everything ready. And they spend most of the day dancing and doing all kinds of rituals to try and get their god to send fire down from Heaven. And at one point, Elijah gets a little cocky and tells them that maybe their god is sleeping and they need to shout louder to wake him up. But you can probably guess that nothing happens.

And then it’s Elijah’s turn. And he decides to raise the stakes. He doesn’t want there to be any doubt about whose God is the true God. So he gets the altar ready. And he has a trench dug around the altar. And he has folks bring a whole bunch of water and drench the altar and everything on it — all of the wood — the animal sacrifice — water is filling the trench and running everywhere. 

And then Elijah prays, ““O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command. 37 O Lord, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself.” 38 Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench! 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, “The Lord — he is God! Yes, the Lord is God!” (1 Kings 18:36b-39 NLT)

God proves that he — not Baal — is the One true God. 

Now the king of Israel’s wife — who we’ll meet in a moment — well — she hates Elijah — and if she wanted him dead before — she wants him deader than dead now.

RE-ANNOUNCE AND READ THE TEXT

Which leads us to the words found in First Kings chapter 19 — beginning in verse 1. 

Ahab (that’s the king) told Jezebel (his wife) all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” (In plain English — she just said, “Elijah, I want you dead.”) 3 Then he (that’s Elijah) was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” 5 And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” 6 And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” 8 And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God. 9 There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he (so this is God speaking) said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 11 And he (God again) said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He said (and this will sound familiar because this is what he just said a moment ago…), “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 15 And the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. 16 And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. 17 And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. 18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.” (1 Kings 19:1-18 ESV)

SERMON INTRODUCTION

So in our country, we’ve basically seen two responses to the pandemic. There have been those who have pretty much ignored the CDC guidelines concerning COVID-19 — thankfully this group has grown smaller. Now the best of this group did so because they didn’t want to be driven by fear — that’s group one. And then there are others who have become obsessed with COVID-19 — making sure they follow every guideline to the “T.” And the best of this group did so because they didn’t want to endanger themselves or others.

Now there’s something to be affirmed in both of these positions. We don’t want to be driven by fear and we do want to practice loving our neighbors — especially those who are vulnerable — by doing our best to not spread the virus.

However, both of these positions have their faults. Mainly because most of us think we’re somewhere in the middle. No one’s admitting that they’re at the extremes — meaning — none of us think we’re just flat out ignoring the CDC guidelines nor are many of us willing to admit that we’re being driven by fear alone. And I do think that more and more of us have seen that social distancing has been the best way to get through this pandemic — the whole “flattening the curve” goal we have has been working. 

But where the gospel speaks to our current situation is by its encouragement to not be driven by fear and it’s commandment to love our neighbor. The gospel shows us our responsibility to love others by practicing social distancing — yet — at the same time we do so while being confident that God is with us and is in control of all things — including the coronavirus. But what I want to speak to is how all of us are experiencing the emotion of loneliness — to some degree or another — because of our circumstances. 

Loneliness — it’s been described like sitting on a hill — looking out into the distance — but not being able to see much because there’s a cloud of fog that keeps you from seeing what’s out on the horizon. And that’s what the future has felt like for many of us — every day is kind of the same. We’re all Bill Murray in Groundhog’s Day. “What are you doing tomorrow” is pretty much a pointless question these days.

F. Scott Fitzgerald said, “The loneliest moment in someone’s life is when they’re watching their whole world far apart, and all they can do is stare blankly.” Many of our worlds have been falling apart. Loss of jobs. Loss of retirement funds. Vacations and trips canceled. Uncertainties about graduations and other significant moments for our students. All we’ve been able to do is watch as things seem to fall apart.

And then — for many people — maybe this is you — you were lonely before the pandemic. 

• The spouse in a marriage that leaves you lonely. 
• A child whose parent has been so focused on work that you’re left feeling all alone — almost like you’re an orphan. 
• I think of the elderly who — for multiple reasons — were already living a stay at home ordered kind of life. For many of us — this stay at home life is new — but for some folks — this is every day. And hopefully this time builds a sense of compassion among us for those whose lives haven’t changed much because of the stay at home order and won’t change much after the order is lifted. 

But because of the situation going on in our world, many many more people are suffering from loneliness in a way they’ve never experienced before. And I want to offer all of us some hope in these lonely days. Especially given the fact that we’re not really sure how much longer all of this is going to go on. Yes — we’re seeing some signs of hope — what appears to be light at the end of the tunnel — but we don’t know how long we’re doing this.

One last group I want to speak to before we go back to Elijah’s story. Maybe you don’t think you’re experiencing loneliness — maybe that’s true or maybe you’re not being honest with yourself — I don’t know. But even if you’re not experiencing loneliness, you probably know some people who are. And today I want to encourage you with some ways that you can reach out and be a support to those in your life who are struggling with loneliness.

So let’s go back to this moment in Elijah’s life and see what we can learn about our situation and find some help for our loneliness. 

FEAR LEADS TO ISOLATION

And the first thing we see is this — we see that fear can lead to isolation. Fear — now it doesn’t have to — but it can lead to isolation. Let me show you this in Elijah’s story. Back to verse 1.

Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” 3 Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” 5 And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. (1 Kings 19:1-5a ESV)

Elijah’s fear led to his isolation. And his isolation led — to what many see as — depression — another emotion some of us are experiencing. And this time of physical isolation has led to some of us being more prone to sickness — and I don’t mean COVID-19 sickness — our bodies are just reacting to the isolation in some physical ways — depression being one of them — which we’ll look at in a few weeks.

But Elijah’s fear of Jezebel caused him to run. And once he stopped running — he was all alone — and he wanted to die. Which — honestly — it’s kind of ironic. He wants to die — just not at the hands of Jezebel. And for some of us — that’s what all of this feels like — this isolation — social distancing — it feels like death. 

Maybe this time feels like death to you because you so love to help others and — right now — you can’t help in the ways you’re used to helping. Or maybe — due to their own fears — you’re experiencing people reject your help. And you’re feeling unwanted — maybe even unloved. First, thank you for reaching out to others. We need people like you — wonderful servants — who care about others. But know that your value isn’t based on what you can or can’t do for others — your value comes from God. And — through your faith in Christ — he looks at you and sees a son or daughter whom he loves. 

So keep reaching out to others. Go to our COVID-19 page and sign up to help — we’ll point you to folks who can use your help. But most importantly — don’t forget to let others help you. Who are you letting check in on how you’re doing?

And to show you that this goes for everyone — myself included — there’s a staff member here at Gateway who makes sure to ask me a few times a week “Josh, how are you doing?” Because we all need to be checking in with each other and allowing others to check in on how we’re doing.

But Elijah’s fear led to his isolation. And similarly — our fear can lead us into isolation. 

And though Elijah seems to be done with being a prophet — God’s not done with him. 

PHYSICAL ISOLATION BLURS INTO SPIRITUAL ISOLATION

Which leads us to the second thing we learn from Elijah’s story — that physical isolation can blur into spiritual isolation. Often we allow our physical loneliness to convince us that we’re spiritually all alone. Let’s see this in Elijah’s life first. We’re in the last half of verse 5.

And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” 6 And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” 8 And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God. 9 There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 15 And the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. 16 And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. 17 And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. 18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.” (1 Kings 19:5b-18 ESV)

So Elijah’s physical isolation made him think that he was spiritually isolated. And this is something quite common — where we allow our physical loneliness — which is a powerful emotion — to cause us to believe that we’re spiritually isolated and all alone.

Now there are a few things that we learn from this part of Elijah’s struggle. One thing we learn is that the idea of God being some sort of distant judge up in the sky who’s out to get people — well — that doesn’t really align with the picture of God we have here. Here we see God acting like a loving, patient parent who comes alongside his prophet who’s in a difficult season of life. And this is who God is. He’s a loving and patient Father who comes alongside his children when they’re in a difficult season of life. He doesn’t abandon us. He doesn’t leave us all alone. He is always present with us — we just need to be watching for him — and listening for his voice.

But for others of us, this whole pandemic situation has just made you angry. You like to be in control and this whole situation has taken every bit of control — you thought you had — out of your hands. And why this is so frustrating or scary or whatever emotion it is that you’re feeling — well you’re feeling that way because you feel vulnerable because you have no control. But you must remember that Elijah’s God is your God — if you believe. He is the God who doesn’t betray his people. He doesn’t abandon them. He reassures them that they are not alone even when they’re in a cave all by themselves way out in the middle of nowhere. And God is wanting you to be reassured — right now — that you are not alone — even if you’re cooped up in your house all by yourself. He is there with you. 

So regardless if you’re angry — because of this whole situation — or if you’re depressed — and Elijah definitely shows a lot of signs of depression in addition to his loneliness — or if you’re anxious — regardless of what you’re feeling — here are some questions for you. 

• Do you believe that God is with you? 
• Are you allowing your physical isolation to convince you that you’re spiritually all alone?

And one last question — that’s a bit different. What is God commissioning you to do in these potentially lonely days? 

We didn’t read the rest of Elijah’s story, but after this conversation with God — Elijah gets up — and continues the work God had for him to do. What work does God have for you to do? 

And I know some of us would love for God to speak to us — maybe not with the strong winds, earthquakes, and fires — but we’d love to hear God whisper to us — “Here’s what you’re to do.” Well — you may not get that whisper — but you’ve got his Word. And do you know what this book tells you? It says, “You’ve still got plenty to do.”

WHY WE ARE NEVER ALONE

And we have to acknowledge that this kind of thinking — that we’re all alone — this thinking is an enemy of the gospel. This is what happens when we allow fear and our circumstances to drive our thinking — even our theology — more than God’s promises to us in his Word — we end up believing lies. But here’s why this kind of thinking — that you’re all alone — is an enemy of the gospel.

Just before he was betrayed — by Judas Iscariot — Jesus cleared up some things for his disciples — and they were still kind of confused — but they thought they were finally understanding what Jesus was about to do and why he was going to do it. And this is what we read in John’s gospel. 

Then his disciples said, “At last you are speaking plainly and not figuratively. 30 Now we understand that you know everything, and there’s no need to question you. From this we believe that you came from God.” 31 Jesus asked, “Do you finally believe? 32 But the time is coming — indeed it’s here now — when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. 33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:29-33 NLT)

Jesus tells his disciples that they’re all going to abandon him — leaving him all alone. But — he won’t be alone. Why? Because his Father will be with him. Yet on the cross — in some sense — the Father did leave Jesus all alone as he experienced the punishment for our sins. And here’s what this all means for us.

In the gospel we see that God has chosen to be with us. And he proved his presence to us in sending his Son, Jesus. And Jesus promised us that the Holy Spirit would come and take up residence in us. And just before he left earth, Jesus promised to never leave nor forsake us. So God has promised to be with us — always. And in being with us, he gives us comfort and peace and hope and joy — in knowing — that we are never alone.

And the guarantee of our comfort, peace, hope, and joy — being based on the fact that we’re never alone because God is always with us — the guarantee of all this is that Jesus exchanged places with us on the cross. And on the cross, he not only exchanged places with us in taking on the punishment for our sins — but he also exchanged places with us in our loneliness. Though his disciples promised that they would never leave him — in the end — all of them abandoned Jesus — leaving him all alone. And though we often fret over and feel as if Jesus has left us all alone — we have his promise — paid for in his blood — that he is always with us. 

• Will we face trials? Jesus said we would. 
• Will we face sorrows? Jesus said to expect them. 
• But we are to take heart — why? Because Jesus has overcome the world. 
• He has guaranteed that we will be victorious over our trials and sorrows — and even victorious over our loneliness — because he took our place so we can experience the spoils of his victory.

CONCLUSION

So in this time of social distancing and forced physical loneliness — remember you are not alone. God is with you. And we — his people — are with you too. And know that God is preserving for himself worshippers — in these days — just like he was preserving for himself worshippers in Elijah’s day. 

Remember — God is with you. You are not alone. So intentionally take this time to be present with him. And take time to be present with others. Let’s pray. 

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for your promises to us. The promise of your presence — to always be with us — to never abandon us — is an amazing gift you’ve given to us. It’s a gift we don’t deserve. A gift we could never earn. A gift — if we’re honest — we often doubt. But our doubt doesn’t make your promise any less true. What a wonderful gift even that is. That you are true to your promises to us even when we doubt.

Jesus, thank you for exchanging places with us on the cross. Not only did you take our place in paying the penalty for our sin, but you took our place in our loneliness. You experienced abandonment. You experienced everyone walking away from you — denying that they even knew you. You experienced loneliness so that we could experience your presence — always. 

Spirit, help us to take advantage of the time we have to be present with you. To not only remember that you are present, but to experience your presence through the Word and through prayer. Lead us towards a stronger assurance that you are always with us — that we are never alone. And even when we experience loneliness — may we know that you are present — to comfort us and to give us hope. And we pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

BENEDICTION 

May you go knowing and experiencing the presence of God in your life — for he has promised to always be with you. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 7:10-16 (ESV)

DATE: 12-22-19

It’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And one thing I want you to know is that God loves you and I love you too. 

SERIES INTRODUCTION

This Advent season we’ve been spending time in the Old Testament book of Isaiah which has some great passages that remind us of what the season of Christmas is all about. And the word I used earlier — Advent — means that this is a season of longing — a season of anticipation — a season full of expectation as we wait for the coming of our Savior. So — yes — at Christmas we celebrate Jesus’ first coming — his birth as a child — being laid in a manger — and all of the Christmas story details that we love — but we’re also to be reminded about how we’re to long for his second coming — his return to earth. 

Thus the title for our Christmas series — come. Where we’re anticipating the coming return of our Savior. And each week — in this series — we’re looking at some of the different ways Isaiah speaks of the coming of our Savior. And today, we’re going to see that our coming Savior has a name — Immanuel — which means God with us.

SERMON INTRODUCTION

Immanuel — God with us — what’s the significance of this name? Well one reason why this name is important is because we’re all lonely. A few weeks ago, my wife and I were talking and — in the midst of our conversation — I said, “To be human is to be lonely.” You see, there’s this phenomenon going on — even with social media and smartphones and all of the ways we’re supposedly connected to one another — that — in spite of all of these ways to connect — we find ourselves lonelier than ever. 

I mean, just think about all of the conversations that you have with you — in your head — that no one else knows about. Your worries, fears, hopes, and dreams — things that anger you — things that depress you, embarass you, or even encourage you — all of these thoughts and conversations that only you’re aware of. It doesn’t matter if you’re married, have thousands of followers on social media, or are in a Life Group — there’s a barrier — a wall — something like a forcefield around each of us — and it’s called loneliness. My wife — by the way — is encouraging me to write a book on loneliness — including my experience with loneliness — and she thinks “to be human is to be lonely” should be the opening line. Well we’ll see about that.

Loneliness has been described as an “acid that eats away at you.” And whether you’re willing to admit it or not — loneliness is a familiar companion in your life.

A study published by the global health service company Cigna found that 46% of U.S. adults report sometimes or always feeling lonely. And 47% of adults report feeling “left out.” I guess feeling “left out” isn’t just for the kid who doesn’t get picked at recess — we don’t seem to ever grow out of this feeling of being “left out.” The study calls these percentages “epidemic levels” — meaning — we have a loneliness problem of epidemic proportions in our country. 

Additionally, only around half of Americans say they have meaningful, in-person social interactions on a daily basis — such as having an extended conversation with friends or family. Let me say that again — only half of us feel connected to another human being in a meaningful way on a daily basis. And Generation Z — those under the age of 22 — are the loneliest generation — Millennials come in a close second. So if you’re looking for a New Year’s resolution, maybe befriending some of our younger folks should be at the top of your list. I’ve found that they’re eager for relationships — all it takes is your availability. 

So how do we deal with our loneliness? Well one strategy — that many of us use — is to find  temporary relief from our loneliness through stuff — especially during the Christmas season — which is one of the loneliest times of the year for many. In previous weeks, I’ve mentioned that I love the generosity we see during the holidays — but there’s a line that often gets crossed — where the things we buy are simply an effort to give us some relief from our loneliness. We’re told that a new car, or watch, or computer, or TV, or phone — you name it — we’re told that this thing is going to fill the void we have of being lonely. 

And the companies — selling us this stuff — are pretty intuitive — they’ve got a good read on our loneliness epidemic. They know that the holidays are a time when we especially feel the weight of our loneliness. But — and we all know this even though we keep falling for the lie over and over again — we all know that the stuff we buy is insufficient in countering our loneliness. Because the root of our loneliness isn’t a lack of something material — the root of our loneliness is spiritual. And spiritual needs can’t be satisfied with material things. And when we try to fix our loneliness with material things — well it’s kind of like putting on a bandaid to fix a broken bone — it just won’t work. Bandaids cover surface level wounds, but they can’t deal with deeper level issues like broken bones. Similarly, material things can’t get to the deeper areas of our lives where our loneliness ultimately comes from.

Thus the reason why Immanuel — God having come to be present with us is so important. God himself — in Jesus Christ — because of his love for us — has come to live among us. God has come to be with us — and he’s promised that he will come again. And when he returns, we’ll experience God’s presence in our lives in a way that’s unimaginable. For — in Jesus — we find the answer to our loneliness. 

So let’s turn to our passage and discover what it means to be so loved by God that he’s come to be present with us — always — what does it mean that Jesus is the answer to our loneliness epidemic?

ANNOUNCE THE TEXT

If you have your Bible please turn with me to Isaiah chapter 7. We’ll be looking at verses 10-16. Isaiah chapter 7. Beginning in verse 10. 

“Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: 11 “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” 13 And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15 He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted.” (Isaiah 7:10-16 ESV)

OK. So we’re going to find the cure to our loneliness through a sign, a son, and the God who is with us. A sign, a son, and the God who is with us. Let’s begin by looking at the sign. Back to verse 10.

THE SIGN

“Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: 11 “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” 13 And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also?” (Isaiah 7:10-13 ESV)

OK. So we need some background on the conflict going on so we understand our text. At the beginning of our chapter — chapter 7 — we read about a war that’s going on. And in this war, the nation of Israel has teamed up with the nation of Syria to attack Judah. 

“Wait what? Aren’t the Isarelites and the folks in Judah related?” Yup. “Well that’s messed up.” Yup again.

So please don’t think that God only wants people who’ve cleaned up their act — gotten their life together — that those are the only kinds of people God uses. The Bible tells story after story of messed up folks that God loves anyway and transforms them into — well — “a little less messed up but still pretty messed up” kinds of people. So you’re a perfect candidate to be used by God if you’re all messed up.

Now — based on information we find in the book of 2 Kings — it appears that this conflict began during the reign of Jotham who was Ahaz’s father — Ahaz is the king of Judah who’s being addressed in our text. And Ahaz became king at a fairly young age — he was twenty years old when he was crowned king of Judah. And he continued the policies that his father had put in place — policies of non-cooperation with Syria and Israel — so Ahaz inherits a political conflict and this political conflict has now turned into a military conflict. 

Now the goal of Syria and Israel is to get Ahaz replaced as the king of Judah — they want a king who will cooperate with them. So in the verses — just prior to ours — we get an overview of what was happening in the months leading up to our verses. 

And I’m going to boil it all down for you: Judah got attacked. But Syria and Israel couldn’t conquer the city of Jerusalem. 

And it’s in the midst of this situation — when the city is being attacked and king Ahaz has no idea if Jerusalem is going to fall into the hands of the nations of Syria and Israel — into the hands of those who want him out as king. It’s in this moment — a time that — as you can imagine — was one of extreme loneliness for the king. Everyone in Jerusalem is looking to him for leadership and direction — no one’s coming to his aid against these attacks — and it’s in this moment of loneliness that God stoops down to this man of feeble and weak faith and offers him a sign — a signal of God’s faithfulness and presence to him and to his people. It’s in this moment of loneliness that God comes to be present with Ahaz. 

And — through the prophet Isaiah — God tells Ahaz to “ask for any sign — make it as big and as extravagant as you want it to be — ask me to give you a sign proving my faithfulness to you — a sign that shows I am present with you.” And in verse 11 — because I don’t want you to miss this — in verse 11 Isaiah says, “Ask the Lord your God” for a sign. “Ahaz ask your God for a sign.” But Ahaz refuses. 

Oh he sounds noble, “God I don’t want to put you to the test” — but that’s the wrong answer when God tells you to test him. Ahaz shows his lack of faith and trust in God’s presence in his life. And we know that his reply upsets God because of how God responds to him. “Is it not enough for you to exhaust the patience of your people — you’ve got to exhaust my patience as well?” Or as one translation says, “It’s bad enough that you make people tired with your pious, timid hypocrisies, but now you’re making God tired.”

Ahaz was offered a blank check by God — “ask me for any sign to prove my presence in your life — my presence in this situation” — and the king refused. And from “ask your God for a sign” — in verse 11 — Isaiah now says, “you weary my God.” A not so subtle shift in the language — showing us who trusts in God and who doesn’t — who has faith in God’s presence and who doesn’t. 

Now one of the reasons why I experience loneliness — and maybe you can relate to this — but I know that if I’m honest — one of the reasons I feel lonely — feel like no one knows me — is because I choose to be lonely. Like Ahaz not trusting God — often I choose not to trust others — and sometimes — it can even be hard to trust God. So if I can be transparent with you — here’s a way that I struggle to trust in God’s presence in my life.

When it comes to what I do — being a pastor — being a preacher — I don’t think I’m all that great at what I do. You know the scenario where there’s a bunch of people in a line and a volunteer is asked for — and everyone but one chump steps backwards — leaving the one guy standing all by himself who “volunteers.” Guess who I am? 

And I honestly think there’s a long line of pastors who are way better than me and I know they’d love to have the opportunity — that I have — in pastoring a church like Gateway — you’re a fantastic church. But here’s the tension that I’ve been wrestling with — and I think it relates to Ahaz’s story and responding to God’s presence in my life. Though I feel like an average preacher — at best — remember I’m the guy who didn’t get the memo to take a step backwards — I’m coming to terms with the fact that God — in being present with me — does something through my preaching that’s beyond me. 

Now please know that I’m not bragging — in fact — this has nothing to do with me — which is why this is a struggle for me. But I’m becoming more aware of — not comfortable with — but aware — that God’s chosen to use me in a way that’s beyond my averageness as a preacher. Now he uses some pastors in a much bigger way than me — but I’m realizing that even though I feel like an average guy who really has no idea what he’s doing — I’m becoming aware that I don’t want to refuse God’s — call it anointing — call it gifting — call it talent — call it his presence in my life — honestly — call it whatever you want — but I don’t want to downplay what God does through me because I don’t want to exhaust him by rejecting his presence in my life like Ahaz did. 

Now I say all of that because maybe you can relate. Maybe you find yourself in a position of having some kind of influence or people tell you that you’re really talented in an area and you think you’re pretty average — well I just want to encourage you to think about what it might mean if you refuse to accept the gift or opportunity that God’s given you? I’m not talking about pride here — I’m talking about humbling being who God has created you to be. Where — God’s presence with you — gives you the courage to say “Thy will be done” — even when it means being used by God in a way that makes you uncomfortable. But in our discomfort — and what makes each of us uncomfortable is very different — but my hope is that in our discomfort — we’ll all grow in our trust in God’s presence in our lives.

So that’s God’s presence — but what about people? It’s so easy — isn’t it — to blame others as the reason for our loneliness — when we never give them a chance to prove themselves. 

I was talking to someone a few weeks ago about this and how — when I have a bunch of nights in a row with activities — even church activities — sometimes especially church activities — I can get all selfish and wonder “when am I going to get some ‘me time’?” And my selfishness can make it where I can be around others — all week long — and yet be lonely and blame them for my loneliness. And I was bringing up the fact of how terrible of an excuse other people are for me to both feel lonely and for me not having “me time.” 

Jesus was constantly interrupted by people and he needed time away from others to be with God — to rejuvenate — to be reenergized. And do you know what he did? He did his alone time during inconvenient times. He got up early in the morning — when no one else was up — for his “me time” — for his time with God. Making himself available for the presence of others during the day. 

The other thing — some of us may do — is just isolate ourselves from everyone — thinking that being alone won’t affect us. Some of us may even think that being alone is the ultimate freedom — because — no more stupid people! This is what Kevin thought in Home Alone, right? His family was a pain — especially his older brother Buzz. But once he’d been alone for awhile, Kevin started longing for the presence of his family. There’s even a moment — in the movie — when he prays for his family to return. Being alone won’t solve your loneliness problem either.

So back to our story. Ahaz refused to listen to God. God told him to ask for a sign — and Ahaz refused to do so. And look at what happens next.

THE SON

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. (“Ahaz, you didn’t ask — but I’m gonna give you a sign anyway.”) Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15 He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted.” (Isaiah 7:14-16 ESV)

So the sign is a son. A promise. A virgin will give birth to a son and his name will be Immanuel. But — if you notice — and if you don’t jump to the Christmas story too quickly — you’ll notice that this sign — the promise of a son — will have two fulfillments. What do I mean?

Well this sign — this promise from God that proves he has come to be present with his people who are in a lonely situation — enemies are all around — the city is being attacked — in the midst of this scenario God promises Ahaz that not only will a son be born but — in verse 16 — before he’s old enough to choose between right and wrong the nations attacking you will be deserted. “Huh? I thought this sign was about Jesus” — we’ll get to him in a moment — but it’s important to know that there was an immediate fulfillment of this sign in Ahaz’s time. 

“Well now you’re really confusing me. Are you telling me that this sign — of a child being born to a virgin — happened twice?”

Yes and no. Two sons were born — one to a virgin — the Son we celebrate at Christmas. But another son was born — hundreds of years before our Christmas morning baby. And though we have no other information about the first son to be born — some scholars think King Hezekiah may be the child, some believe Isaiah’s own son is the child, others think an unnamed prophet might be the child — but even though we’re not sure who the child is — we can tell — from Isaiah’s prophecy — that this child was going to be born relatively soon. Because we know that the nations attacking Jerusalem will be deserted while the child is still very young.

“But — Josh — what about the whole virgin birth thing?” Well — as you may have heard — the Hebrew word — that we translate as virgin — can also mean young woman. So it’s easy to imagine a young woman having a son who fulfills this prophecy in the short term — meanwhile — God had a bigger plan for this promise than anyone saw coming in Isaiah’s day. That — as Matthew records — which we’ll look at in a moment — that Isaiah’s prophecy was ultimately fulfilled when not only a young woman — but miraculously — a young virgin — gives birth to a Son.

THE GOD WHO IS WITH US

And though Ahaz refused to ask for a sign — God gives him one — a sign that a son will be born — whose name we find in verse 14. “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14 ESV)

Now why is the name Immanuel so important? It’s because of what the name means and who the name is given to. So let’s go to the New Testament — to Mathew’s gospel — to see both the significance of what the name means and who the name is given to — and how this all comes together in the Christmas story. Matthew chapter 1 — beginning in verse 18.

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.” (Matthew 1:18-25 ESV)

Jesus is Immanuel — God with us. Or as the angel said to Mary, “”Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”” (Luke 1:28b ESV)

In his first coming, Jesus was given the name Immanuel — God with us. And his name — Immanuel — shows us his faithfulness to us. Where Jesus’ commitment to his presence in our lives is summed up in his promise to never leave nor forsake those who put their faith and hope in him — because — he is Immanuel — God with us. Jesus came the first time — and has promised to come again — so that his people will be lonely no more — because God is with them. 

And maybe this is why you’re here. As I said earlier, many of us regularly feel left out — and I’m not just talking to our students who still experience not getting picked for the team at recess — which is a very real kind of hurt and pain. We adults get left out at work. Left out of family events. Even left out of things at church. And you just want to be included — to be part of something — to get an invitation. I’d like to encourage you to look to Jesus’ invitation to you. Jesus is asking you to allow him to be present in your life. He’s inviting you to be part of his team, his family, his church. Jesus wants you to know what belonging really feels like — what it means to belong to him — to be known by him — to turn to him in faith — knowing he will never turn you away.

Or maybe your feeling of being left out — your loneliness — has led to depression. To feeling hopeless. To feeling that your loneliness will never come to an end — that you’ll never be known or belong somewhere. Now I’m not a medical doctor or psychologist — but in times past — pastors were called doctors of souls — so let me give you some soul advice. Take some time to meditate on Jesus’ promise to never leave you nor forsake you. Think deeply about his promise to be with you for all eternity. Think about how often he seeks out those who were alone or helpless — like the Samaritan woman at the well — or the disciples when they were caught in a terrible storm while in a boat on the sea. Read the stories in the gospels where Jesus seeks out the lost and lonely. Where he seeks out those who are afraid and depressed and hopeless. Where Jesus moves towards those who are lonely and in need of his presence. And as you read, ask Jesus to show you his presence in your life. Ask him to remind you of ways in which he is present with you. For he still has the name Immanuel — he is God with us — he is God with you.

CONCLUSION

Mother Teresa said, “The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved.”

This Christmas, my hope for you is that you will experience the riches of being loved by God — for he loves you. And that you will know his presence in your life. His presence through Immanuel — through Jesus who has come — and who is coming again. Let’s pray. 

PRAYER

Father, Son, and Spirit, we thank you for your presence in our lives. Father, thank you for your eternal love for us. Thank you for calling us your children. For choosing us to be your beloved sons and daughters before the world was created. 

Jesus, thank you for coming to be born into our world — to be present in our lives — to be Immanuel — God with us. Help us to see your presence in our lives when we’re lonely, depressed, wanting to belong — help us to know that you are always near us.

And Holy Spirit, you are our comforter, guide, helper, and teacher. May we remember your presence with us as we navigate the rough waters of life. When the storms of life rage all around. May your presence give us joy unimaginable and reasons to praise the God who has come to be with us. And we pray all of these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.

BENEDICTION

May you go soaking in the riches that are yours because Jesus — Immanuel — the God who loves you — is present with you. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

SCRIPTURE: Acts 28:11-31 (ESV)

DATE: 10-23-22

As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too. 

SERIES INTRODUCTION

Can you believe it — we’re at the end of the book of Acts. For those of you who are newer to Gateway — this has been a multi-year long journey through this book in the Bible. We started it way back in 2018 and are concluding our time in the history of the early church today. And — as a reminder — from this point forward — if you ever find yourself in the book of Acts and are wondering what’s going on — all of the sermons — audio, video, and sermon manuscripts — are available on our church app — in addition to our recently redesigned website — as a resource for you to use. 

So be sure to check out our website — gatewayepc.org — or app for Acts resources and many other resources we’ve made available for you. 

And — before we get to our passage for today — let me tell you about what’s coming up next week. But — first — let’s take a stroll down memory lane. We began this year with a series titled Prayers for the Church. Specifically — these were my prayers for us as a church — a pastor’s prayers for the church he shepherds. Then — in the summer — we did a series called From the Elders — where you heard from some of the elders of Gateway Church. Well — we thought having heard from me and your elders — that we’d end the year with a series called From the Church — meaning the capital “C” church — God’s church that’s found all over the world. 

So for the next four weeks you’re going to hear from pastors outside of Gateway — pastors who are part of the Church — though they’re not pastors of our local church. 

• Next week, pastor Craig Cramer will be back with us. He was an associate pastor at Gateway for many years before becoming the senior pastor of Westside Church in Fort Pierce, Florida. 
• In two weeks pastor Kevin Jones will be joining us from Cedarville University where he’s the dean and assistant professor of education. But — if you have kids in Kidway — they’ll know pastor Kevin from our Gospel Project curriculum as he’s the guy on video who answers questions that are sent in from kids. Pastor Kevin will also be doing a Saturday seminar equip class focused on discipleship in the home that you’ll want to sign up for if you haven’t done so already. 
• Following Kevin, pastor Blair Hayward — of Living Hope Church here in Findlay — will be joining us. Blair and I are part of a local pastor’s group that meets monthly with a desire for there to be greater unity among the churches in our community. And as I was putting this series together — I thought, “What better way to show unity than to invite Blair to preach here at Gateway.” I’m excited for him to be with us in a few weeks.
• Then the series will wrap up with a pastor from our denomination who has ties to Gateway. Pastor Adam Reasner will be joining us from Indiana where he serves the St. Andrews congregation. His connection to Gateway is that his parents are faithful members of this church. In fact, Adam’s mom was on the search committee that called me to be the senior pastor here. It’ll be good to have Adam back with us to finish this series.

So that’s what’s coming up over the next few weeks as we head towards the Christmas season. I hope you’ll make it a priority to be here as we hear From the Church. The only guideline I gave the guys was to bring us a message they believe the Church — not just Gateway — but to bring us a message that the global church needs to hear. So come with expectant hearts over the next few weeks. 

ANNOUNCE THE TEXT

And — now — let’s turn to our passage for today. If you have your Bible please turn with me to Acts chapter 28. We’ll be looking at verses 11-31. We’re in Acts chapter 28. Beginning in verse 11. 

“After three months we set sail in a ship that had wintered in the island, a ship of Alexandria, with the twin gods as a figurehead. 12 Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days. 13 And from there we made a circuit and arrived at Rhegium. And after one day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. 14 There we found brothers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. 15 And the brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage. 16 And when we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who guarded him. 17 After three days he called together the local leaders of the Jews, and when they had gathered, he said to them, “Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. 18 When they had examined me, they wished to set me at liberty, because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. 19 But because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar — though I had no charge to bring against my nation. 20 For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain.” 

21 And they said to him, “We have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or spoken any evil about you. 22 But we desire to hear from you what your views are, for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against.” 23 When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. 24 And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. 25 And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet: 26 “‘Go to this people, and say, “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” 27 For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ 28 Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.” 

30 He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.” (Acts 28:11-31 ESV)

SERMON INTRODUCTION

As we finish Acts — once again — we’re reminded that we need each other — that’s what we see in these final verses. We — Christians — need each other — and we especially need to be encouraged by one another and need to encourage each other. Why? Because we all are in need of encouragement. 

Now — none of us like to think that we’re needy or dependent on others. Thus some of us — these days — are trying to be online only Christians. Or — if you come to one of our campuses — you do your best to do so anonymously — where you try to not connect with others. But where has this kind of behavior left us, if we’re honest? 

People are more discouraged than seemingly ever before, more lonely and isolated than ever before, and more critical of others — even the church they’re part of — than ever before. And this has robbed all of us of encouragement and joy. Resulting in that — even when someone does try to encourage us — we’re so focused on the negative — that we quickly brush off their encouragement. Add to this that we’re all so focused on ourselves — we’re blind to the needs of others around us — that they’re also in need of encouragement.

The way I’ve described humanity — at least in our neck of the woods lately — is that we’re all like the kid at school waiting desperately to be picked for the team at recess. Not realizing that we’re all that kid right now. Meaning — we think everyone else has been picked for the team and is out on the playground having fun together — but none of us have been picked. We’re all standing against the wall, waiting for someone else to initiate, to invite us over, to plan the event, to write the thank you card or encouraging note, to say hi to us at church — all while we’re all just kind of stuck in loneliness and discouragement pointing the finger of blame at everyone else. 

And — what’s scariest of all — is that living in loneliness and discouragement is becoming the new normal. We’re getting used to it. Thus you may be thinking, “This isn’t me, Josh. I’m not living like this right now.” Maybe so — but from what I see — for many this has become the new normal and thus we’re blind to it. And this is not good. 

And what I want to show us — today — is that — as the people of God — we’ve been called to something so much more. We’ve been called to something beautiful as a community — to something that brings encouragement into all of our lives as a congregation. We’ve been called to be a group that others will want to be a part of because they want to be released from their chains of discouragement and loneliness and find the freedom and joy that Christ offers to all who follow him — freedom to live a life of encouragement. 

So let’s end our time in Acts by looking at one source of encouragement for all of us — each other. And — specifically — the ministry of each other and how we’re to be encouraged by what God is doing in and through others in this congregation. 

ENCOURAGED BY THE MINISTRY OF OTHERS

When Paul and his team arrive in Puteoli they discover that other Christians have already taken the gospel to this area of the world. This is why — in verse fourteen — we read that, “There we found brothers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. 15 And the brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage.” (Acts 28:14-15 ESV)

In both Puteoli and Rome people had already heard and believed the gospel before Paul’s arrival. In Puteoli, the Christians there practiced hospitality and invited Paul and his team to stay with them for seven days. Strangers opening their homes to strangers — where — the only thing they had in common — was their faith in Jesus. And look at how this commonality — look at how their faith in Jesus — was enough for them to open their homes to people they’ve just met. 

In a day and age where persecution and death were possible because of your faith in Jesus — where — as we’ve seen in Acts — people were trying to sneak in as spies to disrupt and make life difficult for Christians — here — with open arms — these Christians minister and serve Paul and his companions. 

How have you practiced hospitality recently — opening up your home to connect with others here at Gateway? How have you responded to the invitation of others to come to their home and connect with them and others who are part of Gateway? How are you helping us model this kind of joyful, encouraging, fellowship as a congregation?

Then — upon arriving in Rome — Paul discovers that the gospel had already been proclaimed in this city as well. And — again — notice how the Christians in Rome — upon hearing of Paul’s arrival — seek him out. There’s a draw to their fellow Christians even if they’ve never met them before — there’s a longing to be with fellow Christians. What we don’t see are Christians trying to follow Jesus all on their own. Christians in both of these cities seek out Paul and — their seeking him out — was an encouragement to him. 

• How are you encouraged by the ministry of others — by the faith of others? 
• How often do you find yourself longing to be with other Chrsitians — discontent with isolating yourself or trying to live the Christian faith alone? 
• In this age of online worship services and Christian resources galore available on the Internet — it’s easy to think that we don’t need to gather with fellow Christians — it’s easy to believe that we can do this Christian faith thing all by ourselves. But this is a lie both from our Enemy and selfish desires that too many Christians are believing these days. 

Look at Paul. If it was possible, he’s the guy who could’ve pulled off being a Christian all by himself. He had more of the Bible memorized than you or I do, had multiple visions from God where Jesus literally spoke to him — I don’t know your count, but my “Jesus speaking to me in visions” count is zero — and Paul was called by God to be the author of about half the New Testament. His spiritual resume — if we’re comparing — is better than ours. 

Yet even Paul knew he couldn’t be a faithful Christian all on his own. He needed other Christians — he needed fellowship with them — he needed their gifts and talents — he needed to be encouraged by how God was using them to spread the gospel — Paul knew that he needed other Christians for the sake of his faith in Christ. And — if the apostle Paul needed others — who do we think we are today when so many Christians think they can do this all on their own — something not even Paul could do?

Afterall, he’s the one who writes, “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. 13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. 14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? 

18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. 19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part! 20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” 22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. 23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. 27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:12-27 NLT)

God’s Word says that no part of Christ’s body — meaning no individual Christian can say — “I don’t need the rest of you” — that’s what God’s Word says. Yet how many of us are giving it a shot anyway? Trying to live our Christian lives as a part of the body amputated from the rest of the body. 

Maybe you’re the foot or the hand or the eye — pick your body part — how long will a foot live without being attached to the rest of the body — or a hand or eye or whatever? Not long! And the same is true for us as Christians. Our spiritual life expectancy — detached from the rest of the body of Christ — doesn’t exist. 

• That’s why — amputated from the rest of the body — meaning a local church — you don’t feel cared for. 
• It’s why God seems distant to you. It’s why — if you’re honest — you have to admit that you’re not growing in your faith like you did when you were attached to the body of Christ. 
• Amputated body parts die — and so do Christians who remove themselves from the fellowship of the church. 

Now — for sure — you can join us each weekend while still being amputated from this body. Just showing up — while not being connected to others in this congregation — will still leave you in a spiritual mess. This is why we’ve got to be in fellowship with each other — we’ve got to personally own being connected to others. We’ve got to stop waiting for the invitation — and start inviting others into fellowship. This is what a healthy body does — this is what a healthy church congregation does.

Now — I know there are reasons why some can’t gather with us. You may be a shut in — or have health issues — or be traveling for work — all kinds of reasons. Please don’t carry guilt or shame because you’re unable to gather with us for worship if this is you. Yet — might I ask — just because you can’t gather with us on Sunday morning — how are you gathering with the body of Christ? Surely there’s a way for you to be in fellowship with other Christians even if you can’t gather with us for worship. 

Maybe there’s a Life Group you can join, or an informal Bible study in the community you can be part of, or you can call the church office and request pastor Robert or one of our deacons to pay you a house visit on a regular basis so you’re in fellowship with others. Though there may be some ways you can’t be in fellowship — what ways can you be in fellowship with other Christians so you’re encouraged by them and they by you?

For most of us — these extreme cases are not our situation. Instead, complacency, apathy, and bad habits are our nemesis and have kept us from connecting to others. And this has not increased your joy and encouragement in Christ and — if you’re honest — you know it’s actually decreased your joy and encouragement. And the opportunity before you is to step towards encouragement — to step towards joy — to step towards your fellow Christians and reattach yourself to us so you rediscover the spiritual life, health, and joy you once knew. 

CONCLUSION

And — then — Acts just ends. Paul’s under house arrest in Rome. He’s making the most of his time — continuing to minister and proclaim the gospel to all who will listen. But we never find out if he presents his case before Caesar. Is he let go? Does he die under house arrest? Luke — why are you leaving us in suspense?

Here’s why. Ultimately, Acts isn’t about Paul — or Peter or the apostles. Acts is about the work of the Holy Spirit in and through the early church. So — what may seem like a cliffhanger to us — “what’s gonna happen to Paul?” — is actually more of a “to be continued” as the Holy Spirit continues to work in and through the next generation of Christians. And the next generation after that. And the next generation after that — until — we come to our generation in whom the Spirit of God is still at work. And the next generation of Christians after us — that we’re raising up here at Gateway — the same Spirit of God will continue to work in and through them long after we’re gone. 

• The book of Acts and the history of the church is the story of the Spirit of God using Christians to minister to one another. 
• It’s the story of the Spirit using fellow believers to serve fellow believers. 
• Acts is the recorded history of the Spirit of God using followers of Jesus to encourage other followers of Jesus as they spread the news about him in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and the ends of the earth.

And — as we finish our time in the book of Acts — I can’t help but think of how Paul closes many of his letters with a personal acknowledgment of people who are important to him. They’re ministry partners — yes — but even more so — they’re brothers and sisters in Christ who he deeply cares about, is thankful for, and is encouraged by. In fact — nearly the entire final chapter of Paul’s letter to the Christians in Rome — ends with him mentioning name after name after name of Christians he dearly loves, is thankful for, and who he’s been encouraged by and wants to encourage. Many of his words of thankfulness were penned while in prison.

So — earlier this year — I began a practice of emulating Paul’s thankfulness for his ministry partners. For years, I’ve written cards to folks in the congregation — but this year — I’ve been intentional about writing to people who are serving and doing ministry here at Gateway — people who are being purposeful about connecting to others and encouraging them. I wanted to express my thankfulness for what God is doing in and through you. And — so far — I’ve written to over 180 of you. 

I share this — not to brag about how many cards I’ve written — but to let you know that this habit has increased my joy in the work that God’s doing in and through us as a church. Because — and maybe you can relate to this — it’s easy for me to focus on the negative — to see what’s missing — to dwell on the grumblers and complainers and walk right by the faithfulness of so many in this congregation — barely noticing the good that’s taking place. And this year — by simply making it a habit to catch people being faithful — I’ve been able to not only notice — but thank God for his work in and through your lives. 

And so — to end our time in Acts — I want to encourage you — this week — to watch for the faithfulness in others and to express to them your thankfulness. Not in an email. Not in a text. But in a handwritten note. I’ve had folks tell me — with tears in their eyes — that my note was the first thank you card they’ve ever received in their life. I was never expecting that to be the case — but was thankful for that streak to come to an end for them. 

And — as I said earlier — we can all use encouragement these days. So if you’re a parent — thank the kidway or youth volunteers who serve you and your child. If you don’t have kids, you’ve got the folks on the parking lot team, in the cafe, on the worship and tech team, greeters, security team folks, Life Group leaders, elders, deacons, staff members, and so on who you can thank this week. Like Paul — let’s be encouraged by one another and let’s express our thankfulness for each other to each other. Let’s be encouraged by each other and express our gratitude to God and to each other for the work he is doing in and through this congregation. Let’s pray. 

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for this congregation. Thank you for the gifts, talents, skills, and calling you’ve put on the individuals who make up this church. Thank you for the faithfulness of so many who have taken the initiative to connect to others in this body.

Spirit of God, help us to encourage each other. We all desperately need the encouragement you give us through others. Remind us that one way to rediscover joy is by appreciating what you’re doing in and through others. For encouragement is found not only in the thanks we receive, but encouragement and joy are also found in the thanks we give to others.

Jesus, thank you for making joy and encouragement possible in all circumstances. Inject us with your joy — which did not waiver — even as you looked at the cross. For this is the joy we need. A joy in all circumstances. A joy that remembers the people we’re surrounded by and is thankful for your work in and through them. Work we benefit from. Work we’re blessed by. Work that is reason for us to be encouraged. 

Father, Son, and Spirit — thank you for the gift that is each other in this congregation. What a precious gift you’ve given to us. May we cherish this gift, honor this gift, and be thankful for the gift that is your people who are part of this congregation. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

BENEDICTION

May you go encouraged by each other — and go encouraging one another — because of all that God is doing in and through this congregation. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

SCRIPTURE: Daniel 10:1-11:1 (NLT)

DATE: 8-11-24

As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And if you’re worshiping with us for the first time — are joining us at our North Main Campus or are with our friends in Bucyrus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.

SERIES INTRO

We’re continuing  our series in the book of Daniel — looking at what it means to live in exile. And we’re in the last half of Daniel — a section full of dreams, visions, symbols, prophecies about the future, and so on. And — in our verses — we’ll begin the final vision that Daniel is given — a vision that will take us through the end of the book and the end of this series. So let’s read our text for today. We’ll be in Daniel chapter ten — starting in verse one.

Daniel 10:1–11:1 (NLT)

¹ In the third year of the reign of King Cyrus of Persia, Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar) had another vision. He understood that the vision concerned events certain to happen in the future — times of war and great hardship. ² When this vision came to me, I, Daniel, had been in mourning for three whole weeks. ³ All that time I had eaten no rich food. No meat or wine crossed my lips, and I used no fragrant lotions until those three weeks had passed. ⁴ On April 23, as I was standing on the bank of the great Tigris River, ⁵ I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist. ⁶ His body looked like a precious gem. His face flashed like lightning, and his eyes flamed like torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze, and his voice roared like a vast multitude of people. ⁷ Only I, Daniel, saw this vision. The men with me saw nothing, but they were suddenly terrified and ran away to hide. ⁸ So I was left there all alone to see this amazing vision. My strength left me, my face grew deathly pale, and I felt very weak. ⁹ Then I heard the man speak, and when I heard the sound of his voice, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground. 

¹⁰ Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees. ¹¹ And the man said to me, “Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you.” When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling. ¹² Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. ¹³ But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia. ¹⁴ Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come.” ¹⁵ While he was speaking to me, I looked down at the ground, unable to say a word. ¹⁶ Then the one who looked like a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing in front of me, “I am filled with anguish because of the vision I have seen, my lord, and I am very weak. ¹⁷ How can someone like me, your servant, talk to you, my lord? My strength is gone, and I can hardly breathe.” 

¹⁸ Then the one who looked like a man touched me again, and I felt my strength returning. ¹⁹ “Don’t be afraid,” he said, “for you are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!” As he spoke these words to me, I suddenly felt stronger and said to him, “Please speak to me, my lord, for you have strengthened me.” ²⁰ He replied, “Do you know why I have come? Soon I must return to fight against the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia, and after that the spirit prince of the kingdom of Greece will come. ²¹ Meanwhile, I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one helps me against these spirit princes except Michael, your spirit prince. ¹ I have been standing beside Michael to support and strengthen him since the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede.)

INTRODUCTION

Have you ever showed up to a party or an event and realized that you were not dressed appropriately?‌ Once a year I travel to Orlando to meet with some pastors who all lead similar size churches. We always go out for dinner on our first night together. Well the first time I went to this meeting I had no idea that the restaurant was super fancy — like — “guys wear a sports coat” fancy. And I didn’t have a sports coat with me. 

Do you want to know what a group of about twenty pastors did to remedy the situation? As we walked in — they put me in the middle of the group so nobody could see that I wasn’t wearing a sports coat. We were in a private room and they knew if they got me to the room we’d be good to go — after all — they all took their coats off once we sat down anyway.

By the way — last year — I arrived in Florida and realized that we were going back to that same restaurant and I didn’t have a sports coat. So I stopped by a store and bought one for the dinner because I didn’t want to be that guy again. And would you believe that the restaurant changed its policy and guys no longer have to wear a sports coat? I wore it anyway.

What does this have to do with Daniel? Well our verses in Daniel remind us of a truth that’s found throughout the Bible. The truth that — behind all that our eyes can see — there’s a spiritual war going on. An unseen battle between good and evil — between light and darkness — between restaurants that require sports coats and ones that don’t — just kidding — a war between God’s angelic army and the devil and his demonic army. 

But this is not an even fight — these two forces are not equals. For Jesus has secured the victory of this war on our behalf — yet we experience the consequences of this spiritual war as we live in this land of exile. And — here’s the connection to my sports coat dilemma: are you dressed appropriately — are you dressed for this spiritual war?

Meaning — are we prepared — not necessarily to wage war ourselves against the devil and his army — but are we prepared for life in this land of exile which can be hard, challenging, exhausting, and trying? 

Do we know the tactics of our enemy and do we trust that God will provide all that we need as we live in this land of exile — for example his promise to clothe us in the strength we need to live faithfully — to endure — to not live in fear — but to live with peace and encouragement in knowing that we — because of what Christ has accomplished — are very precious to God. Are you dressed appropriately — clothed in God’s promises — as you live in this land of exile?

We find one of God’s promises in verse nineteen — where we read…

Daniel 10:19 (NLT)

¹⁹ “Don’t be afraid,” he said, “for you are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!” As he spoke these words to me, I suddenly felt stronger and said to him, “Please speak to me, my lord, for you have strengthened me.”

Are you dressed in — clothed in — trusting in — the promised strength from your God — strength that will keep you steadfast and faithful until you experience rescue from this land of exile? No other strength will do — the only strength that will lead us to eternal victory is the strength God provides as we clothe ourselves in his great promises to us.

STRENGTH TO STAND

Let’s return to verse one and remind ourselves of the strength God has promised to his people.

Daniel 10:1–11 (NLT)

¹ In the third year of the reign of King Cyrus of Persia, Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar) had another vision. He understood that the vision concerned events certain to happen in the future — times of war and great hardship. ² When this vision came to me, I, Daniel, had been in mourning for three whole weeks. ³ All that time I had eaten no rich food. No meat or wine crossed my lips, and I used no fragrant lotions until those three weeks had passed. ⁴ On April 23, as I was standing on the bank of the great Tigris River, ⁵ I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist. ⁶ His body looked like a precious gem. His face flashed like lightning, and his eyes flamed like torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze, and his voice roared like a vast multitude of people. ⁷ Only I, Daniel, saw this vision. The men with me saw nothing, but they were suddenly terrified and ran away to hide. ⁸ So I was left there all alone to see this amazing vision. My strength left me, my face grew deathly pale, and I felt very weak. ⁹ Then I heard the man speak, and when I heard the sound of his voice, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground. ¹⁰ Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees. ¹¹ And the man said to me, “Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you.” When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling.

So we understand where we are in history — the third year of King Cyrus’s reign is the year 536 BC. This is a couple of years — or so — after the vision Daniel had in chapter nine — when he prayed after reading from the book of Jeremiah. Now — a few years have passed since Cyrus issued the decree allowing the Jews to return to their homeland. And it’s important for us to remember what those returning exiles experienced upon arriving in Jerusalem and what they’ll continue to experience for years to come.

If you were here with us when we looked at the books of Ezra and Nehemiah — during our Finding Jesus series — you may remember the opposition and conflict the Jews experienced upon returning to Jerusalem. They experienced mocking and ridicule from those who’d been living in the area while they were in exile. The locals opposed the exiles and their attempt to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. Eventually — because of the threats from the opposition — the Jews had to hold a sword in one hand while they rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem with their other hand. 

And much of this conflict and opposition was coming from their distant relatives who were allowed to stay in the land — people who didn’t experience the seventy years of exile. Yet — after seventy years — those who stayed behind had intermarried with foreigners. They adopted and meshed other religions with their Jewish faith — creating a new religion — these folks become the Samaritans in the New Testament.

Well — all of this news was making its way back to Babylon and Daniel’s hearing about it — and it troubled him. In fact — commentaries mention that Daniel’s period of mourning, fasting, and prayer is his way of “identifying with the difficulties and trials that faced God’s people who had returned to their homeland.” (Duguid)

‌

A reminder to us that — though we’re a local expression of God’s church — we’re a small piece of God’s global family. Which is why — as a church — we strive to make disciples of Jesus who are Kingdom-minded — who — like Daniel — have an awareness of what’s happening to our faith family around the world — in places like Lebanon and Bangladesh where we have partners living in great uncertainty right now. It’s impossible for any one of us to keep up with everything going on in the world — but it is possible for each of us to keep up with what’s going on somewhere in the world.

• Some ways to do this would be signing up to receive newsletters from our ministry partners working all around the world. You can do so on our website’s ministry partners page — gatewayepc.org/ministry-partners. 
• Or you can download the Operation World app and spend a few minutes each day praying for a nation in our world. 
• Or the Unreached of the Day app to pray for a group of people who have little or no access to the gospel. 
• Or sign up for a missions trip or commit to support financially and with prayer those who are going. 

There are many ways where — like Daniel — we can expand our awareness and connection to God’s family — our faith family — all around the world.

So all of this is on Daniel’s mind when he has this final vision — a vision which speaks of “times of war and great hardship.” We want to know what war and what great hardship this is referring to — but — as one Bible commentator says — “the conflicts we experience here on earth are the counterpart of a great spiritual conflict that is presently ongoing in the heavenly realm.” (Duguid)

Meaning — what we normally focus on — worldly conflicts — like what’s been going on between Russia and Ukraine — or between Israel and Palestine — worldly conflicts grab our attention — but these are merely reflections of a spiritual war that our eyes don’t see. 

And these wars — especially in areas where there always seems to be conflict — like the Middle East — these wars can become exhausting to our ears, right? Which means — we can all relate to what Daniel must be experiencing when — as the seventy years of exile comes to an end — he receives another vision — this one of even greater hardships that are to come in the future. Daniel’s gotta be thinking, “When is this gonna end?”

For some of us — when we think of the great hardship that the book of Daniel has shown us time and time again — we’re unsettled — because we expect life to be easy. Others of us — though — aren’t surprised because we expect life to be hard. For both groups — we must remember that — what Daniel’s been teaching us is that life in this land of exile is hard — but it’s not hopeless. Hard and hopeless are very different — don’t ever forget that. Life in exile is hard — but — because of Christ — life in exile is also hopeful.

May hope be something you clothe yourself in as you go about life in this land of exile. For — if we don’t — we’ll go about life dressed with expectations that don’t prepare us for the reality of living in exile. We’ll either view this world as heaven — and what a poor substitute this world is compared to the vision of heaven we find in Scripture — or we’ll view this world as hell and — though I don’t want to down play either the joys or sorrows we experience in life — this world — as hellish as it can be — doesn’t compare to what awaits those who don’t know Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Yet — even in knowing this — many people — Christian or not — put on clothes of expectation where they anticipate every day to be like the weekend with blue skies and a high in the mid-70s. While others — again Christian or not — put on clothes expecting it to be a day of gray skies, with an inbox full of demanding emails, an empty roll of TP at a very inconvenient time, and — to top the day off — your dog said hello to a skunk — again — just before bedtime.

What kind of clothes of expectation are you wearing in this land of exile? What’s your response to his visions about the future — your future — your present even — as you live in exile? Daniel’s story is meant to help us come to biblical grips with the truth that life is hard in exile. And our verses tell us why life is hard — while also reminding us of our reason to cling to hope — for we’re not left to defend ourselves — but have One — who is all powerful — fighting on our behalf.

STRENGTH TO SPEAK

And this leads us to the strength that Daniel’s given. We’re in verse twelve.

Daniel 10:12–17 (NLT)

¹² Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. ¹³ But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. 

Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia. ¹⁴ Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come.” ¹⁵ While he was speaking to me, I looked down at the ground, unable to say a word. ¹⁶ Then the one who looked like a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing in front of me, “I am filled with anguish because of the vision I have seen, my lord, and I am very weak. ¹⁷ How can someone like me, your servant, talk to you, my lord? My strength is gone, and I can hardly breathe.”

At first — Daniel was left all alone. Those who were with him — though they saw nothing — ran away in fear. And his aloneness had to contribute to Daniel lacking strength. And what did God do for Daniel? What grace, right? God sent a messenger to go to Daniel — to be present with him — and this angelic-like companion restored Daniel’s strength.

This reminds me of what we read in the book of Hebrews when the author writes…

Hebrews 1:14 (NLT)

¹⁴ Therefore, angels are only servants — spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.

Here’s a wonderful truth for you — if you believe in Jesus Christ — you will inherit salvation. And here’s another wonderful truth for you: God is still in the business of sending his angels to care for his people when they’re in need. Especially when — like Daniel — you’re alone. Abandoned. And weak.

I wasn’t sure if I should share what I’m about to — one — because — if you’re a guest or newer to Gateway — I don’t want you to think we’re a “cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs” kind of church and — two — because I hesitate to share stories where you might think “Well of course Josh experienced that…he’s a pastor” as if you and I are in two separate categories. I’m just like all of you — I’ve just been called to pastor and preach. But here goes.

Years ago I began to study the supernatural — the unseen world of angels and demons — spiritual powers of light and darkness and how God — at times — uses his people in the spiritual conflict going on. Well — a few folks knew that I was studying this topic which led to me getting a desperate phone call due to a young lady who was acting out of her mind and was out of control. Her friends — who’d never experienced anything like this before — wondered if what was going on was demonic — so I got a call asking if I’d come and help.

Though I’d never met the girl who was in trouble — I had a strong impression that she would try and attack me. So I called a couple of people and asked them to be in the room at the church where we were going to meet — I wanted some help in case things turned violent. And I also began to pray. I was desperate for God’s help. I’d only been studying the supernatural for a few months — I wasn’t an expert — I’d never experienced the demonic or anything close to it before — yet — here I was getting a call because I was the only person someone else knew who had any familiarity with the topic.

I felt weak. Incompetent. Powerless. So I prayed. Then I got in my car — a Ford Focus — and drove to the church. And — as I was driving — I had this vision of three, big, warrior-like angelic beings sitting in the car with me. The picture I saw was of what Roman soldiers looked like in biblical times — except these angels were like ten feet tall and had muscles like Arnold Schwarzenegger in his bodybuilding days — and they were in my tiny Ford Focus! I remember thinking, “Well this is different.”

So I get to the church — and I tell two guys — who’d be in the room with me — “If she turns violent — stop her from attacking me.” I didn’t want to get wailed on by a twenty-something year old female. 

Well she got violent. At one point, she started to come at me from across the room and — time seemed to stand still as I evaluated the situation and realized that no one was going to stop her — they weren’t even moving. So here I am about to get attacked by this demonized girl — so I did something that — looking back — I have no idea where my response came from. 

I quickly stood up. Lifted my hand towards her and said, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to stop.” And she stopped. But she didn’t just stop in place — she was still struggling to get to me — but she was being held back. Her arms were in a position where it looked like she was being held — being kept from getting to me — like she’d been grabbed by some very powerful beings — and was being held in place. 

The situation was intense — so I did the next thing that came to mind: I commanded her — in the name of Jesus — to sit back down on the couch. And imagine someone who doesn’t want to sit down being forced to sit down — that’s what I — and everyone else in the room — saw. Our eyes could only see the physical — but there was a spiritual battle going on in the room that day. 

Now — because I’ll probably get asked this — I wasn’t able to free her from the demonic. At that point in her life she wasn’t willing to give up whatever the demonic was promising her — but I share the story because it illustrates what one of my study Bibles says about our verses. 

It says, “Daniel’s world, and ours, is populated by more than meets the human eye. Daniel is shown the great events of history enacted against the background of a real spiritual world where spiritual beings support or hinder God’s people, where the conflicts of the ages are also carried out. Behind all of this, the Ancient One sovereignly guides all things and sits in judgment upon the process and its conclusion.” (NLT Study Bible, note for Daniel 10:13, 1506)

STRENGTH TO ENDURE

Behind the world that we see is a spiritual world where spiritual beings — angels and demons — are either supporting or hindering God’s people. And our Enemy delights in how — especially here in the US — God’s people are naive to this spiritual war — so often going about life as if there is no spiritual reality behind the conflicts and hardships we experience.

And — yet — despite all of this — we’re to have hope. Because our God is sovereign — in control of all things — including the hardships his people experience. And we know this to be true — and trust that this is true — because our God is the One who provides us with the strength we need to endure — and not only to endure — but to be victorious. We’re in verse eighteen.

Daniel 10:18–11:1 (NLT)

¹⁸ Then the one who looked like a man touched me again, and I felt my strength returning. ¹⁹ “Don’t be afraid,” he said, “for you are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!” 

As he spoke these words to me, I suddenly felt stronger and said to him, “Please speak to me, my lord, for you have strengthened me.” ²⁰ He replied, “Do you know why I have come? Soon I must return to fight against the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia, and after that the spirit prince of the kingdom of Greece will come. ²¹ Meanwhile, I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one helps me against these spirit princes except Michael, your spirit prince. ¹ I have been standing beside Michael to support and strengthen him since the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede.)

Do you need some strength — some hope — some Good News today? Know that — like Daniel — if you believe in Jesus Christ — you are very precious to God. Please don’t dismiss these words — for they are clothes meant to adorn you with strength and hope. You are loved by God and — he so loves you — that he’s fighting on behalf of his people — including you.

“But — Josh — what about the horrible things I’ve experienced? Where was God’s angelic protection then?” 

I have no idea why God didn’t protect you from whatever it is that you’ve experienced — but I do know how easy it is for me to focus on the bad things — horrible things — evil and wicked things — I and those I love have had to endure. And yet I wonder how many times God’s protected me — and those I love — without me even knowing. 

Additionally, I have promises to clothe myself in — specifically about these moments in life when I don’t understand why God allowed something to happen. There’s the promise from God that…

Romans 8:28 (NET)

²⁸ All things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

And “all things” means “all things.” There are no exceptions — no matter how hellish or painful or “God I don’t know how this will work together for my good” it may seem. Either I clothe myself in this promise or I reject a beautiful gift from my Father in heaven. To be clear — not him — once he’s your Heavenly Father he’s always your Heavenly Father — but as his children we can either receive or reject his gifts. What gifts has your Heavenly Father offered to you that you’ve yet to receive?

One final thought before we pray. Some of you may have noticed that I included the first verse of chapter eleven in this sermon. Why did I do that? The reason why verse one is included — is because it tells us that this spiritual battle had been going on for three years — for it was during the first year of Darius’s reign that the Jews began returning to Jerusalem — and that happened three years earlier in Daniel’s life.

Three years is a long time, isn’t it? 

Think of the conflict — the hardships experienced — the pain and sorrow and wondering how all of this is going to turn out for good. Think of what kind of strength you’d need in order to faithfully endure — with hope — if what you’re currently facing goes on for another three years — or ten years — or thirty years. Nearly all of Daniel’s life was lived in exile — a land where he experiences again and again the physical echoes of the spiritual conflict he’s caught up in. And what we’ve seen today — is that even Daniel wasn’t strong enough on his own. So an angel was sent to strengthen him and to clothe him in power from on high.

So we’ll end today’s sermon on…

Ephesians 6:10–18 (NLT)

¹⁰ A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. ¹² For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. ¹⁴ Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. ¹⁵ For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. ¹⁶ In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. ¹⁷ Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸ Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

Let’s pray together.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, your Word tells us that you are the Giver of every good gift. You offer wonderful gifts to us — your children — promises that are guaranteed: Hope. Joy. Strength. Courage. Angelic care. Unseen protection. Healing. Salvation — among many others. May your gifts be received by many today — some receiving a gift from you for the first time. And may we all clothe ourselves in your promises and gifts — especially the gift of your love for us.

Holy Spirit, thank you for the times you’ve protected us without our knowing. Comforted us unexpectedly. Led us away from a foolish decision. Revealed to us what is true and what is not. Your Word tells us that you live in all who believe in Jesus and that you are not a Spirit of fear, but of power and love and self-control. Fill us with your power. Fill us with your love. Fill us with self-control as we live in this land of exile.

And — Jesus — to our strong and loving Savior — you clothed yourself in flesh in order to be our representative. You clothed yourself in flesh so that you could be our substitute in your life, death, and resurrection. You clothed yourself — not only in flesh — but in our sins — as you hung on the cross — and you did so in love for us. And now we are clothed in your righteousness and have been given a hope-increasing gift: all of God’s promises are ours — not because we’ve earned or deserve them — but because you have. Help us — we ask — to receive more and more of the gifts you earned on our behalf — good gifts from your — and our — Heavenly Father. And we pray all of this in your name. Amen.

BENEDICTION (Prayer teams available)

May you clothe yourselves in all of God’s promises — being strengthened by his power — as you live in this land of exile. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.