Embracing the Present: Moving Forward in Faith
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People of God, young and old, we are building something new here. Don't look for the good old days because there's no going back. Look forward to the future with rejoicing because God is good and his steadfast love endures forever. [00:32:46] (22 seconds)
The God we believe in is eternal. His love and grace are eternal. The principles he desires us to live by are eternal. The hope he holds out for all of us is eternal. He does not change with the times and seasons. His words and his purposes stand the test of time and are valid for every generation. [00:31:04] (37 seconds)
Every time the sun rises, we get a new chance to make things right. But somehow, we keep choosing violence rather than peace, oppression rather than freedom, hate, and division rather than love. And this is all because in our hearts, we choose sin rather than obedience. The king of this world rather than the king of heaven. We must say in our hearts, no going back. We must resolve to choose God. To never return to the sins that condemned and destroyed previous generations. To hold fast courageously to the religion of our fathers and the promised hope of eternal life for those who keep the faith. [00:24:34] (62 seconds)
As it was back then, so it continues today. The times are becoming more evil, not less. Don't be amazed by it. Don't be dismayed by it. All this was foretold. Like the wise king stated, don't get stuck on the whys. We already know all the whys. In fact, at the end of the day, we know there's just one why. We are fallen people living in a fallen world. The Christian doesn't ask why. We focus on the what and the who. When confronted with the evils of our time, we don't ask, why is this happening? We ask, what does God want us to do? And who does he want us to be in the face of this? [00:22:49] (60 seconds)
If the old people were weeping for the past, then we can rightly say that was a useless exercise. Live long enough and one of the first pieces of wisdom you should pick up is that it is the very height of folly to invest time and emotion on things that you cannot change. And the past is definitely one of those things. No one has invented a time machine yet. But this life, for better or worse, marches on continuously. There is no pause button. There is no rewind button. You don't get a do over. So don't weep for the old days, because they're not coming back. [00:22:05] (44 seconds)
I want to conclude by saying that God is with us in every circumstance. This church had its share of fuller and more prosperous times, but now like the Israelites of Ezra's day, the times are more evil and we are getting by on God's grace. But that grace is more than enough. There may be moments of weeping, but in every circumstance, there is always rejoicing in our God. [00:31:44] (34 seconds)
The nation of Israel, which had many times in its history been used by God to execute his righteous judgment on other nations, now met with that same judgment at the hands of the Babylonian Empire. God allowed Israel and Judah to be conquered. The once great city of Jerusalem was burned to the ground. The temple ransacked of all its sacred treasures and reduced to rubble. The people scattered and taken captive to foreign lands. But God was with his people. His promise, delivered by the prophet Jeremiah, was that after 70 years in Babylonian captivity, he would bring his people back home. [00:18:59] (51 seconds)
The point is, an idea does not have value or lack value because it's old or because it's new. Change is inevitable. Nowadays, culture and politics are evolving at such a rapid pace, it really is hard to keep up. If we anchor our lives around those things, it's going to be a bumpy ride. The current generation says that Christianity is a set of old ideas that no longer have meaning or relevance in modern times. [00:29:33] (44 seconds)
The second takeaway is, no going back. Same words. But this is not a statement of fact bordering on a cliché like the first takeaway. This is a declared intention, a commitment, a call to action. History has proven time and time again that humanity rarely ever moves forward. Human beings have short memories and self-destructive tendencies. Ask anyone who's had bad relationships but still keep choosing the same kind of people. [00:23:50] (43 seconds)
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The God we believe in is eternal. His love and grace are eternal. The principles he desires us to live by are eternal. The hope he holds out for all of us is eternal. He does not change with the times and seasons. His words and his purposes stand the test of time and are valid for every generation. [00:31:04] (37 seconds)
Every time the sun rises, we get a new chance to make things right. But somehow, we keep choosing violence rather than peace, oppression rather than freedom, hate, and division rather than love. And this is all because in our hearts, we choose sin rather than obedience. The king of this world rather than the king of heaven. We must say in our hearts, no going back. We must resolve to choose God. To never return to the sins that condemned and destroyed previous generations. To hold fast courageously to the religion of our fathers and the promised hope of eternal life for those who keep the faith. [00:24:34] (62 seconds)
As it was back then, so it continues today. The times are becoming more evil, not less. Don't be amazed by it. Don't be dismayed by it. All this was foretold. Like the wise king stated, don't get stuck on the whys. We already know all the whys. In fact, at the end of the day, we know there's just one why. We are fallen people living in a fallen world. The Christian doesn't ask why. We focus on the what and the who. When confronted with the evils of our time, we don't ask, why is this happening? We ask, what does God want us to do? And who does he want us to be in the face of this? [00:22:49] (60 seconds)
If the old people were weeping for the past, then we can rightly say that was a useless exercise. Live long enough and one of the first pieces of wisdom you should pick up is that it is the very height of folly to invest time and emotion on things that you cannot change. And the past is definitely one of those things. No one has invented a time machine yet. But this life, for better or worse, marches on continuously. There is no pause button. There is no rewind button. You don't get a do over. So don't weep for the old days, because they're not coming back. [00:22:05] (44 seconds)
I want to conclude by saying that God is with us in every circumstance. This church had its share of fuller and more prosperous times, but now like the Israelites of Ezra's day, the times are more evil and we are getting by on God's grace. But that grace is more than enough. There may be moments of weeping, but in every circumstance, there is always rejoicing in our God. [00:31:44] (34 seconds)
The nation of Israel, which had many times in its history been used by God to execute his righteous judgment on other nations, now met with that same judgment at the hands of the Babylonian Empire. God allowed Israel and Judah to be conquered. The once great city of Jerusalem was burned to the ground. The temple ransacked of all its sacred treasures and reduced to rubble. The people scattered and taken captive to foreign lands. But God was with his people. His promise, delivered by the prophet Jeremiah, was that after 70 years in Babylonian captivity, he would bring his people back home. [00:18:59] (51 seconds)
The point is, an idea does not have value or lack value because it's old or because it's new. Change is inevitable. Nowadays, culture and politics are evolving at such a rapid pace, it really is hard to keep up. If we anchor our lives around those things, it's going to be a bumpy ride. The current generation says that Christianity is a set of old ideas that no longer have meaning or relevance in modern times. [00:29:33] (44 seconds)
The second takeaway is, no going back. Same words. But this is not a statement of fact bordering on a cliché like the first takeaway. This is a declared intention, a commitment, a call to action. History has proven time and time again that humanity rarely ever moves forward. Human beings have short memories and self-destructive tendencies. Ask anyone who's had bad relationships but still keep choosing the same kind of people. [00:23:50] (43 seconds)
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