Category Archives: Messages

Answers, Asking, Bible, Blessing, Faith, God's Will, Knowledge, Listening, Messages, Scripture, Seeking

ASK IT AGAIN

ZECHARIAH 4:12

“And I responded the second time and said to him, ‘What are the two olive branches which are beside the two golden pipes, which empty the golden oil from themselves?’”

Children can wear you out asking questions. Go to a preschool classroom full of 3 and 4-year-olds. Wow! Pastor Carl, why do ducks have webbed feet? Pastor Carl, where does the sun go at night? Pastor Carl,…? You see what I mean. They are inquisitive and want answers. If they don’t get an answer the first time, they will ask it again and again.

Zechariah has now asked the angel three times about these olive trees or branches. He still hasn’t gotten an answer (we’ll see that in a couple of days). He wants to know what all this means. He wants to make sure he understands exactly what it means. Why? Because he knows he must tell the people what God has shown him.

APPLICATION

God’s Word has all the answers to every question we have. You just have to look for it. That may mean digging it out yourself. It may mean going to someone you trust and asking them. Listen to Paul in his letter to the Romans. Romans 11:33 says, “Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”

I really like Psalm 19:9-10. “9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much pure gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.” Isn’t that awesome? And so is the study of His Word.

Let me challenge you this week to do a deep dive into the Word. You may have a pressing question you want answered. Maybe there’s a word you have been meaning to study more about. Take the time. Turn off the TV and let God speak to you. He will not withhold His wisdom from those who seek it.

Oh Lord, I want to know You more. I want to know more of Your Word.

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Angels, Belief, Bible, Caregiver, Inspirational, Messages, Ministry, Scripture

ANGELS, ANGELS EVERYWHERE

ZECHARIAH 2:3

“And behold, the angel who had been speaking with me was going out, and another angel was going out to meet him.”

Have you ever noticed that when you get something new, all of a sudden everywhere you look you see somebody with the same thing. They are everywhere. My wife and I are experiencing that regarding our grandchildren. We never noticed grandparents with their grandchildren out and about until we had our own grandchildren. Now, everywhere we look we see grandparents with their grandchildren.

Zechariah has seen a lot of angels already in his visions from the Lord. I don’t know how many angels Zechariah had seen before all this started, but I am willing to bet not too many. Now, they are everywhere. Some are telling him things while others are directing the other angels. We don’t know who these two angels are in today’s verse, but if they were sent by the Lord, they must have been important to listen to.

APPLICATION

Did you know right now there are angels all around you? I truly believe we live in realm that embodies angels of all kinds. Unfortunately, media has portrayed angels in a way that is not exactly biblical. For example, The Bishop’s Wife had Cary Grant doing all sorts of mystical things as an angel, including decorating a Christmas tree. Angels are sent with a message. Angels are sent for a purpose.

The author of Hebrews addresses this question in Hebrews 1:14. “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to provide service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?” We are told in Mark 1:13 that God sent angels to minister to Jesus while He was in the wilderness. Do you get the picture? Angels are among us.

One of my favorite angel verses is Hebrews 13:2. “Do not neglect hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.” You just never know if that stranger you meet might be an angel. The point is this – the Lord is watching over us. He cares for us and, if need be, will send His ministering angels to care for us.

Thank You for watching over me and sending Your messengers into my life.

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Bible, Commands, Glory, God's Will, Hearing, Listening, Messages, Scripture, Witnessing

JUST GOD’S WORDS

HAGGAI 2:2

 “‘Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying,’”

There’s a game I used to play a lot with children. You line the kids up and then give the first one in the line a message to pass down the line. The message should be clear but perhaps a little challenging. Let the children pass it down the line very quietly so only the person they are talking to can hear it. The only rule is they can only tell it once to the person they are passing it to. At the end of the line the last child will say what they heard out loud. Normally, the last message is nothing like the one you told the first child. The game is called Rumors.

Haggai is not playing a game with the Israelites. God isn’t whispering in his ear and asking him to pass it along to see how wrong they can get it. No! God speaks clearly. His words are precise. He is giving Haggai a message to deliver to His people. Why? Well, we will see that in the coming days. Come back to this blog site and watch how God’s message can bring peace and comfort.

APPLICATION

When God speaks, we must share. His message to us is never meant just for us. Now, it may be a very personal message. But God wants His words known to the world. You may ask How do I know that it is God speaking to me? Simple. Does the message glorify Him? Does it agree with Scripture. You can be assured that any message you get from the devil will do neither.

What is the message God has given you? What! You haven’t heard from Him? Are you listening? You can’t hear God unless you have your ears tuned in to hear His voice. God normally isn’t going to shout it to you in claps of thunder. His message will come to you as you study His Word or meditate on a passage. Perhaps in the quietness of your prayer time He will speak.

Once you hear the message, though, tell everyone. They may think you are a little “off,” but that is okay. Tell them how God loves them. Tell them how they can experience that love. Tell them they have a Savior in Christ. You see, God is still proclaiming that message. We have work that needs to be done. Let’s go.

Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere.

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Accountability, Bible, Commands, Commitment, Discipline, Exhortation, God's Will, Gospel, Holy Spirit, Humility, Messages, Scripture

THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME

HAGGAI 1:3

“Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying,”

How many sermons do you think you have heard in your lifetime? A hundred? A thousand? For some of us church goers, it can easily be in the thousands. I did some calculations this morning. If I have averaged just one sermon a week since age six, I have conservatively heard around 3,000. Some of those weeks I heard more than one. This doesn’t count the many conferences and revivals I have attended. That number could easily jump to 5,000.

So, when we read the words of today’s verse, don’t just read that and pass it by. Look at the words. “Then” means at a certain time, at a certain point. God decided when to speak to Haggai. Haggai didn’t just spout off some information he had. He waited for the Lord’s words. They came to him as he waited for the Lord to speak. Then and only then did Haggai speak. That’s important to see.

APPLICATION

The danger many preachers face each week is waiting on the Lord to speak before they do. The pressure to “get a sermon ready can lead to some misspoken words. Words are shared as if they are from the Lord but are not. We have to wait on Him, just like Haggai did. 2 Timothy 2:15 is a great verse to contemplate about this. It says, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”

Maybe you don’t preach or teach the Word each week. How do you share it with others? Are you accurately handling it then? Do you quote verses incorrectly to suit your situation. We have to be careful about that, too. We need to make sure when we share a verse with someone that it points them to Jesus, not just what we think is right.

Sharing God’s Word with someone else is a good thing. But we must do it with humility, knowing it is not our word but His. Only His Word can heal and guide correctly. Only His Word can accurately teach us how to handle life in the way He intended. Our job is to listen carefully for the Spirit’s bidding and then act. Wait on God’s word to come to you before you speak.

I want to be true to Your Word, O Lord, in everything I do. 

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Accountability, Advice, Bible, Conviction, Correction, Forgiveness, Guilt, Judgment, Messages, Scripture

GETTING PERS0NAL

ZEPHANIAH 1:4

“‘So I will stretch out My hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will eliminate the remnant of Baal from this place, and the names of the idolatrous priests along with the other priests.’”

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who was complaining about people? You may actually agree with them and name a few people you have issues with. But then that person begins to name things about you that bother them. Whoa, wait a minute. Now they are getting personal. They are meddling too much, right?

I am sure those who heard Zephaniah’s message agreed with the first few verses, but now he’s getting personal. Now he is naming Judah and Jerusalem. But Zephaniah isn’t pulling any punches because he is delivering God’s message to the people. He is calling a spade a spade. Those in Judah and Jerusalem who have bowed to Baal and all those priests will be eliminated.

APPLICATION

How do you handle your Pastor’s sermons? As long as he is preaching on someone else’s sins, he’s fine. But when he starts naming yours, well…that’s a different story. How dare he get personal. How did he know about that sin? Was he watching me? Who told him about that?

I have preached a lot of sermons in my ministry, but I have never preached one pointed at one person. No one has divulged a sin of someone I needed to nail from the pulpit. But there have been numerous times when people came up to me after a message and told me how I had really spoken to them that day about their life. God’s Word will penetrate the hardest heart.

If you are a Pastor or have the ear of your Pastor, tell them to just preach the Word. Don’t get fancy with all your eloquence. Just preach the Truth. Let it convict those who hear the message and draw them to point of repentance. Our job is to simply deliver the message, like Zephaniah. It isn’t to judge.

Father, thank You for entrusting me with Your Truth. Help me deliver it faithfully.

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Bible, Messages, Names, Salvation, Scripture

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

ZEPHANIAH 1:1

“The word of the LORD which came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah:”

I am named for my two grandfathers, whom I never knew. Carl was my maternal grandfather’s first name. William was my paternal grandfather’s middle name. I am proud of my name and for what it stands for. I am, in a sense, carrying on both of my family lines with my name. Names mean something, don’t they?

So, when you come to the Old Testament, most people’s names meant something. Take for instance, the names mentioned here in the first verse of Zephaniah. (Oh, by the way, we are starting a new study today which will take us through the next 53 days.)

Zephaniah means “whom the Lord hid.” Gedaliah means “whom the Lord made great.” Amariah means “whom the Lord promised.” And Hezekiah means “whom the Lord strengthened.”

So, what does that mean for us?

APPLICATION

The most famous name ever given is found in Matthew 1:21. “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Jesus’ name meant Yahweh saves. Even His name brought the message of salvation to mankind. Every time Mary called Jesus in for dinner, she would be uttering the message.

Think on that for a minute. How many of us name our children so that we are reminded of a message from God each time we call them. I have known a lot of women named Faith or Grace. I have even known a girl named Merry Christmas (no joke). I am not telling you to go and rename your children now. That would be silly. But look up the meaning of their names if you don’t already know it. The next time you call their name, think about what that means.

I am so glad that Jesus lived up to His name, aren’t you? He was born with a message. He grew up in that message. He died giving us that message. He certainly was the salvation for man. Yahweh saves. He saved through His Son. I pray you know Him as your Savior and Lord. The next time you say His name, think about what it means. He came to save you.

Oh God, I am eternally thankful for the message written in the name of Jesus. He saves!

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