Sermon in Rockford 31.12.2014

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with each of us now and always. Let us join our hearts together in opening prayer and thanksgiving.

Dear Heavenly Father, this last day of the year we wish to gather around your holy and unperishing word. Dear Father, we began the year around your word and we wish to end it around your word. For dear Father, in your word we find the word of God. In your word we find the words of eternal life. In your word we find the source of strength for our endeavor of faith. In your word we find words of comfort in our time of need. In your word we find reasons for thanksgiving, even this evening.

So dear Father, we pray that you would enlighten the work of your Son, the Lord Jesus. And let us again know that in his name and in his blood we have the permission to believe our sins forgiven. And we pray as your Son has taught us, our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Amen. Chapter 2, verses 3 through 7. And we read these words in Jesus' name as follows. Amen.

Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? And how do you see it now? Is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing? Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the Lord. And be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedek, the high priest. And be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord. And work. For I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts. According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you, fear ye not.

For thus saith the Lord of hosts, yet once. It is a little while, and I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations. And the desire of all nations shall come. And I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts. Amen.

Amen. Before beginning, I would like to bring greetings from our dear brother, Ray Warnamy, who was feeling a little bit under the weather. And he was looking forward to a trip this weekend and asked if I would take his place tonight. And he asked that I would wish you all a happy new year and God's blessings in 2015. Amen.

Amen. Amen. The parts of God's word that are set for this evening are portions that help us to look back into the past in the correct way. Amen.

Amen. We know and remember from scriptures that...

Amen. It's not something that we wish to do if we look back at our own sinfulness. Perhaps the best example of that is when we speak about Lot and his wife. When they left the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot's wife looked back because she recalled those days which she lived there and those days which were lived in sin. And because of that, she was turned into a pillar of salt.

So when we look back at our life in that way, it's not what God blesses. On the other hand, in the New Testament scriptures in the book of Hebrews, it tells about the writer wants his listeners to remember the former days. But then he adds on to that, not the former days which were lived in sin, but the former days in which they were illuminated, as it says there. Or in other words, those days after that time when they received the grace of repentance.

So that is a good example for us to recall those days and what they were like in our life and how they can teach us in our life to come in the future.

In the same way also, one of the other prophetical texts for today, in the first book of Samuel, in the seventh chapter, there's one verse set aside for today. It talks about Samuel when he, after one of the battles that the children of Israel had done, had taken a stone and set it in their midst.

What had happened in the life of the children of Israel was that at one point a few years earlier, they had had a battle. And that battle was at a place called Mizpah, or in that area. And they were defeated there. But again, the children of Israel gathered again at the same place.

And it's an interesting story, dear brothers and sisters, if you'd stop to read that, how it tells that they gathered into the congregation tonight. And they gathered to, as it says there, they fasted, they confessed their sinfulness against God, against God.

But in the middle of that type of gathering, the Philistines again heard that they were there in Mizpah and began to attack them. And if you would look at it from this perspective, the children of Israel had gathered there for peaceful purposes as a religious gathering. They didn't show up there with armaments of war. And the Philistines came to attack them.

So it's no doubt a reason for them to be fearful. And they were fearful when they saw the Philistines coming. And they told Samuel to cease not to cry unto the Lord. And Samuel cried unto the Lord for Israel, and the Lord heard him.

And so then after Samuel had prayed unto the Lord and says that the Lord had heard him, he offered up a burnt offering as the Philistines drew near. And when that burnt offering arose to God, it says the Lord thundered with a great thunder.

And it's an interesting description. I'm not quite certain what this means, but if you think about it, from an outward perspective, if the Philistines were attacking and they were a military force, it says that thunder came and it discomfited them.

So whatever it caused these Philistines to do, it meant that the unarmed Israelite believers were able to overcome them. And they were smitten before Israel.

And so then it says, Samuel took a stone and set it there, at Mizpah, and he called the name of it Ebenezer, which means a rock of, or a stone of help, saying, hitherto hath the Lord helped us.

So again, when we stop to consider what that means in their life, they recalled how the Heavenly Father had guided them out of trouble, out of a seemingly hopeless situation, and gave them the victory.

In the same way also, this text which we read this evening from Haggai, brings us to a time when the children of Israel were building the temple again. And again, the Prophet Haggai wanted to bring their memories back to what it used to be like in the first temple.

And he asked the question, who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? That was probably a good question during those days, and perhaps the years had gone by, and many had forgotten, or had not been alive even during those days when the first temple had been standing.

And if they were there during that first temple, and remembered it, then he asked, how do you see it now? Another good question to think about, is that the first temple was nothing like the first temple? And he answers himself, and it says that, is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?

So that first temple was like nothing in their eyes, when they compared it to what they had at that moment. The march of time gives us many of those moments. We could look just in this past year to find those types of moments. We could look back 20 to 30 years and find those moments.

And even just in my father's generation, if I asked him for his experiences, he'd be able to tell me things that I have never seen. About things which I perhaps don't even understand.

In our day and age, for instance, me, I was born in 1970, in the middle of the struggles of the last heresy. And I don't remember anything of that.

The same question could be asked of the elders tonight. That, who is, or ask this congregation tonight, who is left among you that saw this house in that glory, before the heresy?

We have elders that still travel with us, as my father, who perhaps remembers those days shortly after the heresy before that. Very different types of days. Where God's kingdom was battling against a different type of spirit.

We have these battles and they're different. But perhaps we recall those days before those battles. As it could have been called like the glory days.

If we think, for instance, back to those heresies in the 1930s, and before that time. One of the servants of the word had reported to the IRS about how many believers there were. And he estimated, what was it, about 50,000 here in the United States.

And it's entirely possible that, at that moment in history, there were more believers in the U.S. than there were in Finland. But those battles came and the same types of questions were asked by the same types of questions that we have in the United States.

And I mean an iron or gold, like, eyer player, meaning. It was easy for them to come and ask بلدان or, perhaps, to carry something 되게 с in the temple.

So, again, one of the things that may be heard is a thing to consider. And again, we reach nowhere near a clear guess, no.

In his day, Solomon built the temple, and God's word tells us about those festive moments after that temple was built. But it also tells us about some very difficult times which followed. So, things which we don't have to even stop to consider.

For Haggai's people, that first temple was what they thought was the glory days. That's what they remembered, the elders. But in those glory days, if you recall, just for instance, of a man named Asaph and his family, they were in the music part of the congregation.

His brother Zechariah was killed there in the temple by the altar. And it was such a shocking event to the people at that time that it was remembered years and years later.

Jesus even mentions that amongst other things, along with the blood of Abel, the blood of Zechariah. And those were the glory days for Haggai's time, or so they could have thought.

The temple was raised. It was destroyed. They were taken into captivity. But God allowed them to return, and the temple was rebuilt.

So then the question was, how do you see it now? There before them was now a new temple, perhaps built grander and bigger and better than the one before.

The old temple was no longer seen as something so filled with glory. It was something that they remembered, but as the years continued on and the new temple was built, it was no longer seen as something so filled with glory.

They were able to experience how God's grace was sufficient for that day, and how we can forget the old days and leave those in the past.

And what we have by grace and by faith today are the most important thing. And that today's faith, today's journey, when it is in faith, is our glory day. It's way more important than that which we left behind.

The outward circumstances might change, but after all is said and done, it's not important anymore.

I remember when I was a young boy, we went to Cocado fairly often for big services, and I never thought of that as a small building. The bigger services are filled to capacity. Very warm services.

Then it was expanded. And in some ways it was perhaps better in the way it looked. But what was more important though, is that God had blessed the congregation and had grown, and that filled to capacity.

And now God has put them into a new phase there in Cocado, with a new church. But after all is said and done, even that doesn't matter.

And because of that, including those who are in the church, almost everything that existed back then on this earth, is now ample with the gospel.

All it's cut out for you now, cabbage and summertime seeker, what matters is the faith of the people that are in that church.

We can look back on those days, perhaps with nostalgia. But when we look to today, when we see what God is doing with us today, can't we see that that's nothing in comparison to now?

That's nothing in comparison to now? That's nothing in comparison to now? Yep.

Even if we just think from this past year, the things which we've seen and perhaps overcome, God has blessed us.

Our day is no different than it was then. We have the same struggles. Perhaps they've changed over this past year and we've moved into a different phase of life.

But today is our glory day. As the servants of the past have said, we are one day closer home than ever before.

When we look back at the past year, isn't that what we can say? We didn't live a life of faith that was perfect. We had the same struggles, didn't we, as in years past.

Sin burdened us. The way wasn't always easy. But from last year, we can say we are one year closer than ever before.

Isn't that something to be happy about? Isn't that our glory day? We're closer home than ever before.

We don't need to worry about last year's struggle any longer. So in comparison, it's nothing. It's not like we're talking about the past anymore.

It's as the songwriter wrote, as we just sang in our opening song, it's like a dream that's gone past.

Haggai here tells those children of Israel then, that when we look at it from that perspective, and then we look to the future, he says to be strong. Be strong. Be strong. Be strong. Be strong. Be strong. Be strong, Zerubbabel, saith the Lord.

Be strong, O Joshua. He picks these brothers by name, and I'm sure if he could have, he could have continued on to speak to all the believers, one by one. Be strong.

When we look to the future. Be strong, and he says, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord. For I am with you.

Be strong, and ye shall be strong. Be strong, and ye shall be strong. Be strong, and ye shall be strong. Be strong, and ye shall be strong.

According to the word that I have covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you. Fear ye not.

God has made so many covenants in the Old Testament that we could begin to number and repeat. And all those covenants speak to this, that they awaited a Messiah who was to come, they awaited in faith.

Moses, when we stop to consider him, was kind of one of those Messiah figures, even though he was not the Messiah. He was able to, with the help of God and faith and the Spirit, lead the children of Israel out of Egypt.

But I'm sure Moses could have, with John the Baptist, have told us, or told them at that time, that he was not the one that was to come. John said that in outward form, that he wasn't even worthy to latch the buckle of that one that was to come.

I'm sure Moses would have agreed with that sentiment. In fact, we get the understanding for he didn't even want to be that leader leading them out of Egypt. He said he didn't, he wasn't able to speak. He had a speech impediment.

God allowed him to have a helper in his brother Aaron. But after all is said and done, when we remember those days and read those parts of God's Word, isn't it remarkable that Aaron hardly ever then speaks?

It's Moses with his speech impediment who speaks those words. He was strong in what God gave him.

Can we make those same promises looking forward that we will be strong? The struggles around us can seem fierce. Our reason sometimes would argue with us.

We wish to side with those who love us. We wish to side with those who love us. We wish to side with those who love us. We wish to side with those who love us. We wish to side with those who love us.

We wish to side with those who have left. They have good arguments. But we can be strong in the Lord and in His grace, in His Word.

Look to God's Word as our sole authority. Place our trust in His Word and be strong in His Word.

He says, according to the Word that I have covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you. Fear ye not.

There is no reason to fear when we look ahead. But we can trust in God's grace and that which He has revealed to us in His Word.

For thus saith the Lord of hosts, Yet once it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations.

Oh, if those children of Israel could have heard and understood that which was told them. Oh, if those Jews of Jesus' time would have remembered these words, how He would shake the nations.

That the desire of all nations shall come. That the Messiah, the Lord Jesus, would come.

Isn't that reason to not fear for those Old Testament believers? That the Lord Jesus was coming. And He would shake all nations. The heavens and the sea and the dry land.

What happens when that Messiah comes? He says, I will fill this house with glory. And saith the Lord of hosts.

Isn't that what we've found here, brothers and sisters, throughout the ages? We've already recounted how God works in the congregations. He's not found in these outward buildings, but He's found us in the congregation.

And He works there in the hearts of His chosen people. He's found in the Spirit within us.

It's for that reason, dear brothers and sisters, that we, for instance, greet each other with God's peace. When we hear that greeting and we can respond in peace and harmony with that greeting, the Spirit within us confirms with the Spirit of our brother that we are children of God.

Isn't that what that is? Amen.

In the same way also, dear brothers and sisters, as those Old Testament believers trusted in that promise of the coming Savior and how that glory would be so much greater than what they saw, even in that outward building of the temple, we can trust in that same message.

It's the same message from the beginning. It never changes. And because that message never changes, the effect is the same.

It gives to the listener, to the hearer of that message, peace and joy in their conscience.

The Apostle Paul, in one of his letters, writes, he was before King Agrippa. In the middle of his message to King Agrippa, he mentions something that's interesting that relates to what we just spoke about from Haggai.

And this is found in Acts chapter 26, verse 22. Where he writes, having therefore obtained help of God, I continue on to this day, witnessing both the small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come.

In other words, he's telling King Agrippa that with the help of God, he wants to confess his faith. And what he's going to do, what he's going to confess is the same thing that Moses and the prophets already confessed. It's not going to change.

First he had obtained the help of God, though. I ask you this evening, dear brothers and sisters, have you in the last year obtained help from God?

If you sit here in faith, you have to admit, that God's help has carried you to this day.

It is as Samuel says, that hitherto has the Lord helped us. We are believing today because of Him, for no other reason.

But because we've obtained God's help, we now continue today, witnessing both the small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come.

That we will confess our faith to those around us, about those things which we feel and understand by faith. Those things which give us peace of conscience. Those things which give us hope of heaven.

But the apostle says, witnessing both the small and great. He was witnessing, confessing his faith to the king Agrippa, a great man. He also wished to witness to the small.

Dear brothers and sisters, we can make those same promises, that we can confess our faith to anyone that is before us, whether it's our boss at work, whether it's our teachers at school, someone in authority.

Or whether it's our children, our grandchildren. So let's witness to them as well.

We remember those years gone past. They see the future before them. The faith of yesterday won't help us to reach heaven.

But we can learn from those days, dear brothers and sisters, and we can teach them to our children, and our grandchildren.

Speak to them often about the way of faith. And don't just tell them about the trials, and about the deceits. Teach them about the joys.

When the victories were won, they were not lost. They're more often than you think, dear brothers and sisters, if you stop to think about it.

Even in my own family, there are those examples from my forefathers, and my great-grandfathers. They're the same. They're the same. They're the same. They're the same.

My father's, for instance, my grandfather taught, without even speaking to us, about what it was to live of faith.

I remember at my grandmother's funeral, it was an unexpected death. She was old, and the congregation members were coming to the funeral home to comfort the family as it does happen.

But I remember my grandfather meeting his sister at the door. She was in heresy. I have to admit I was ashamed because I don't have that kind of faith.

I remember some of us trying to leave. He greeted her and the first thing he told her was that he thanked her for coming. And then he wanted to tell her, this is perhaps the last time I'll see you. Repent and believe the gospel.

She never repented. I'll never forget that moment. I can't think otherwise than this, that he's no different than me.

Perhaps he struggled in his heart. Does he say something or does he not?

Dear brothers and sisters, it pays to speak to each other about the way and the journey. We never know. We never know when God will give a receptive heart.

We've heard of those types of experiences even lately, haven't we? How God is able to soften the hearts of men who perhaps we don't, had never given thought, would repent.

We don't. But God uses us to do that. He uses us to do that work. He uses us to reveal His word and His will to those around us.

It always pays to speak to our loved ones, our close ones.

I can't help but remember from the last service that I kept here in Rockford. I believe it was in the book of Jeremiah, chapter 31.

Let's see if I can find that place. When we think about speaking to our children, I can't help but remember that.

And it's not in that chapter. But what Jeremiah had said in that place was that because of what God can do, those who do not have understanding will see, or can see.

And those that have complaints or arguments will understand doctrine.

Isn't that our hope? That those of our friends and relatives who have lost faith and have many complaints and arguments about God's kingdom, that they would understand true doctrine.

Doctrine is important, as I said that day, that it's important because it helps us to realize that we are in God's kingdom.

An example of this would be, that there are so many in this world who believe that Jesus was a man who lived on this earth.

But a point of doctrine would be this, that Jesus was God, true God.

And we could point after point begin to make this list of doctrine. Those things which we believe.

And those things which we believe so many times, dear brothers and sisters, are under assault by the world, sometimes by our own minds and reason.

So it's important, dear brothers and sisters, that we speak to each other often about the way and the journey, and about the reason for our joy, our hope of salvation.

To give each other a view to the future. As the Old Testament writer writes, that it's a future of hope. We have hope before us. A hope for eternal life.

So as Paul said, let us continue from this day then, witnessing both the small and great.

We don't have to dream up anything new. We can say the same things again, which the prophets and Moses said.

We can say the same things again, which the apostles and the Lord Jesus said.

We can say the same things again, which our grandparents said.

We can say the same things, which our parents have said.

It all comes down to this, that we are not alone.

It comes down to this, dear brothers and sisters. As the miniature gospel tells us, that God's word can be explained in a few words.

That for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that everyone that believes on him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Isn't that, in other words, the same thing which we say when we tell our children when they beg of the gospel?

When we tell our spouse, or beg of our spouse, and we've offended them? It's the same message that gives peace and hope.

It's the message of the gospel of the forgiveness of sins.

It's the message that we don't need to be ashamed of. We can preach it freely, one to another.

There are so many times, dear brothers and sisters, that we are in those types of situations where we perhaps could be ashamed.

There's no reason to be ashamed, but our flesh and blood is that way. It battles against us and causes us to sin.

It battles against us and causes us to sin.

It battles against us and causes us to sin.

It battles against us and causes us to sin.

But those of us who have strength are able to strengthen the one that's weak.

Sometimes the one that has strength will find himself or herself to be weak and will need to be strengthened.

If there be any among us tonight who has come, looking back to the year before, and simply sees defeats, the message from God's word is this, that have strength, keep faith, put sin away.

For those who have come here tonight with feelings of joy, feelings of happiness that you have reached today in faith, keep strength, keep faith, help the doubting ones, the fearful ones.

Give strength to them.

To all of you, dear brothers and sisters, as a weak servant of God, I say, lift up your hearts and believe all of your sins and failures and shortcomings of the past year, first.

The past year forgiven in Jesus' name I pray. In Jesus' name I pray. Believe and forgive it. Believe and so surely forgive it.

That hope is renewed. It's the case, dear brothers and sisters, that sometimes those moments can open to you the homeland shore before you and give you a glimpse of heaven. A glimpse of heaven's peace and joy.

Cling to those moments because, dear brothers and sisters, it seems like there are so few and far between.

So many times we are like that father who repented early in life and years later looks back and wonders how he never became a good Christian.

So many times we can be as those of us who have wandered or walked in living faith since childhood. We wonder how the believers before us seem to have so much faith.

But nevertheless, dear brothers and sisters, they lived of the same faith and lived of the same gospel.

So again, remain believing all of your sins and doubts forgiven in Jesus' name and blood and be happy and joyful. Amen.

And tonight I find my own sins and failures and ask, can I believe the gospel? Can I believe my sins forgiven? I want to believe together with you. In Jesus' name, amen.

Let us fold our hands together and pray.

Prayer and thanksgiving.

Dear Heavenly Father, we have so many reasons to thank you. But the greatest reason is this, that dear Father, until this day you have kept us in faith and we are numbered as one of your own.

Give us strength to believe. Give us strength to believe for today, but help us in the year to come.

Help those that struggle. Help those that are sick. Help those who are burdened under sin. Help all of us keep faith, keep strength, until that day when our eyes are closed to this world.

Help our country, dear Father. Help our leaders. Help all of us know and feel your guidance and protection.

And we say that the Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord make his face shine upon us and be gracious unto us. The Lord lift up his countenance upon us and give us peace.

In the name of the Father and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.