Pastor Cal Lord's Recent Sermons
God is looking for our RSVP
Ezra 2:68-70 January 27, 2008
In his book, The Quest For Character, Chuck Swindoll tells about a terrible thing that happened a
few years back. It seems that a vandal ran into an art museum in Amsterdam with a knife. He ran
up to a priceless Rembrandt painting and slashed it to ribbons. Just a short time later, another
vandal snuck into St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome with a hammer. He took his hammer and began to
smash Michelangelo’s beautiful sculpture of Mary holding the crucified body of Jesus called The
Pieta. If you had seen either one of those priceless works of art at that time, you would have
thought they were lost forever. The painting was shredded and tattered and torn. The statue was
defaced and broken. The only thing they were good for was the garbage, right? Wrong. Because in
the hands of the most gifted artists and experts available, those masterpieces were restored.
Now I can’t think of a more gifted artisan than God. When it comes to creative and restorative
power, there is no one like him. That is why it should never surprise us to witness something or
some being rebuilt. That brings us back into the story of the Jews we read in Ezra. Nearly 70 years
before, Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed the temple in Jerusalem. To look at it then, you would have
thought there was no way to restore it. But you see, God had a plan. Even though the people had
been disobedient and were now facing the consequences of their disobedience, God had a plan for
their restoration.
Over the last few weeks we talked about the plan. First God touched the heart of Cyrus and
opened the door for them to return. Then God moved the people to share their wealth so that they
would have all the resources they needed to build and outfit the temple. Thirdly, God chose the
people with the gifts and skills to do the job and he set them apart as the remnant that would
return. Today I want to spend a few minutes talking about the call of God that came to them to do
the work and actually claim responsibility for the mission of rebuilding the temple.
You know it is one thing to talk about doing something. It is another thing to actually to do it.
Jesus tells a parable about two boys who want to honor their father. One son says, Yes, father I
will do this for you and then goes out on his merry way and never thinks about it again. The other
son refused to do it and said he wanted to do his own thing. But Jesus said that after a brief time,
the second son came back and did what his father wanted. The question posed to his hearers was
this: “Which son proved faithful? The one who said he was going to do something or the one who
did it?” The answer was obvious. Doing is what makes us faithful.
Now I don’t want to get into the question of works vs faith because that is not my point today.
The truth is that here in the book of Ezra, God is now calling the people to take responsibility for
the next part of his plan. He has given them everything they need. As a matter of fact they had it all
even before their journey began. Before they even took one step the people had everything they
needed.
I’ll never forget the day our oldest daughter, Rebecca went to college. We loaded up the van and
drove across New York State to Ithaca. I think she took half the house. She had everything from
bedding to a tool kit that one of our friends had given her. When we loaded up the car, we wanted
to make sure she had everything she would need because she wasn’t coming back for a while.
So it was with the Jews. God had provided and they were set to go. Funny thing is that the Bible
doesn’t say one word about the journey. They travel 1000 miles across the wilderness and it doesn’
t even rate a paragraph. As a matter of fact all it says is “When they came.” It is almost as if God
is saying that a journey of 1000 miles was just one step along the way. As a matter of fact it was
such an insignificant step along the way that it didn’t even merit discussion.
It was the first step that flowed from their obedience to being called out as God’s remnant. But
taking that walk wasn’t the end of it all. There were responsibilities that came with following God.
It’s a sad reality but too many people in the church think that being baptized or joining a church is
the last step in our Christian calling. I have friends in the community who talk about their
confirmation in the faith, it’s ok to talk about these things with because I’m a minister, a religious
guy, and I’ll understand. But they talk as if that was all they had to do. At thirteen or fourteen they
performed the rite, some of them were even baptized then, but they have little interest in the work
of the church since. They don’t see it as their responsibility.
They go to church when it suits them or when they are pressed, but that’s it. Yet, they consider
themselves good Christians because they “believe.”
Well here is the truth in the matter. Jesus says that a lot of people will come to him on the last days
and say, “”Lord, Lord” and he will say “Who are you? I never knew you.” They claimed faith but
they never lived it and took responsibility for it.
Today we are going to hold our annual meeting of the church. I can honestly say that I am proud
of what we have done. I was telling Adele this morning that when I watched the slide presentation
of activities and events from the last year, I was moved by how much was done. It begins with
the interfaith luncheons, the mission trip, the work with the kids in youth groups, Sunday School
and basketball and extends into the quiet ministries that take place behind the scenes.
I remember years ago I had one woman who vehemently opposed having our meeting on a
Sunday. She said we weren’t supposed to conduct business on the Lord’s day. I agreed with her
and then I said but this is the Lord’s business and we want to honor him and praise him for what
He is doing with and through us. It makes more sense to do it in the context of prayer and worship
than any things else.
So today we are going to look at what God has given us just like the Jews did when they got ready
to leave Babylon. Their journey was just beginning. Our journey is continuing. But both have one
thing in common. In order for us to take the next step we must give God our RSVP. We must take
responsibility for what he is calling us to do and then get to work.
If you look at the text, you will note that the first thing the people do is make an offering. Even
before they looked for a place to settle down and raise their families, they made a commitment to
the Lord. The scriptures say that if you put God first, everything else will fall into place. Now I
could launch into a stewardship sermon right here, but I won’t. The important thing to note s that
when God called, they answered. They gave him and RSVP and said that his work would be their
priority.
You see it is funny but God understands the need to provide for our family. He understands that
there will be some shifting of obligations now and then. He understands that there is a season for
everything. He wrote the book on that! But what God wants us to understand is that his plan
needs to be our first priority. Because in making his plan work, we all benefit. Rebuilding the
temple and the community around it would be foundational for the life of the community. If that
wasn’t their first priority, they would all feel the effects of it… and they did. If you read on you
will see how their failure to keep God’s vision before them led them into difficulties.
The same is true for us. When we stray from the purposes of God we are bound to find ourselves
in trouble. I look around at a lot of churches and see their membership dwindling. Why? There are
several reasons. But one thing they all have in common is that they often lose sight of the work
God has called them to do.
As we look back on one year and begin to look ahead, I pray that we will make sure that we are
looking up as we get down on bended knee. I pray that our will and God’s will might be the same.
I pray that when God calls us as individuals and as a body, we will respond not just with a word of
affirmation, but with a commitment to do his will. I pray that will be our tribute, our offering, our
gift to God.
Amen
Ezra 2:68-70 January 27, 2008
In his book, The Quest For Character, Chuck Swindoll tells about a terrible thing that happened a
few years back. It seems that a vandal ran into an art museum in Amsterdam with a knife. He ran
up to a priceless Rembrandt painting and slashed it to ribbons. Just a short time later, another
vandal snuck into St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome with a hammer. He took his hammer and began to
smash Michelangelo’s beautiful sculpture of Mary holding the crucified body of Jesus called The
Pieta. If you had seen either one of those priceless works of art at that time, you would have
thought they were lost forever. The painting was shredded and tattered and torn. The statue was
defaced and broken. The only thing they were good for was the garbage, right? Wrong. Because in
the hands of the most gifted artists and experts available, those masterpieces were restored.
Now I can’t think of a more gifted artisan than God. When it comes to creative and restorative
power, there is no one like him. That is why it should never surprise us to witness something or
some being rebuilt. That brings us back into the story of the Jews we read in Ezra. Nearly 70 years
before, Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed the temple in Jerusalem. To look at it then, you would have
thought there was no way to restore it. But you see, God had a plan. Even though the people had
been disobedient and were now facing the consequences of their disobedience, God had a plan for
their restoration.
Over the last few weeks we talked about the plan. First God touched the heart of Cyrus and
opened the door for them to return. Then God moved the people to share their wealth so that they
would have all the resources they needed to build and outfit the temple. Thirdly, God chose the
people with the gifts and skills to do the job and he set them apart as the remnant that would
return. Today I want to spend a few minutes talking about the call of God that came to them to do
the work and actually claim responsibility for the mission of rebuilding the temple.
You know it is one thing to talk about doing something. It is another thing to actually to do it.
Jesus tells a parable about two boys who want to honor their father. One son says, Yes, father I
will do this for you and then goes out on his merry way and never thinks about it again. The other
son refused to do it and said he wanted to do his own thing. But Jesus said that after a brief time,
the second son came back and did what his father wanted. The question posed to his hearers was
this: “Which son proved faithful? The one who said he was going to do something or the one who
did it?” The answer was obvious. Doing is what makes us faithful.
Now I don’t want to get into the question of works vs faith because that is not my point today.
The truth is that here in the book of Ezra, God is now calling the people to take responsibility for
the next part of his plan. He has given them everything they need. As a matter of fact they had it all
even before their journey began. Before they even took one step the people had everything they
needed.
I’ll never forget the day our oldest daughter, Rebecca went to college. We loaded up the van and
drove across New York State to Ithaca. I think she took half the house. She had everything from
bedding to a tool kit that one of our friends had given her. When we loaded up the car, we wanted
to make sure she had everything she would need because she wasn’t coming back for a while.
So it was with the Jews. God had provided and they were set to go. Funny thing is that the Bible
doesn’t say one word about the journey. They travel 1000 miles across the wilderness and it doesn’
t even rate a paragraph. As a matter of fact all it says is “When they came.” It is almost as if God
is saying that a journey of 1000 miles was just one step along the way. As a matter of fact it was
such an insignificant step along the way that it didn’t even merit discussion.
It was the first step that flowed from their obedience to being called out as God’s remnant. But
taking that walk wasn’t the end of it all. There were responsibilities that came with following God.
It’s a sad reality but too many people in the church think that being baptized or joining a church is
the last step in our Christian calling. I have friends in the community who talk about their
confirmation in the faith, it’s ok to talk about these things with because I’m a minister, a religious
guy, and I’ll understand. But they talk as if that was all they had to do. At thirteen or fourteen they
performed the rite, some of them were even baptized then, but they have little interest in the work
of the church since. They don’t see it as their responsibility.
They go to church when it suits them or when they are pressed, but that’s it. Yet, they consider
themselves good Christians because they “believe.”
Well here is the truth in the matter. Jesus says that a lot of people will come to him on the last days
and say, “”Lord, Lord” and he will say “Who are you? I never knew you.” They claimed faith but
they never lived it and took responsibility for it.
Today we are going to hold our annual meeting of the church. I can honestly say that I am proud
of what we have done. I was telling Adele this morning that when I watched the slide presentation
of activities and events from the last year, I was moved by how much was done. It begins with
the interfaith luncheons, the mission trip, the work with the kids in youth groups, Sunday School
and basketball and extends into the quiet ministries that take place behind the scenes.
I remember years ago I had one woman who vehemently opposed having our meeting on a
Sunday. She said we weren’t supposed to conduct business on the Lord’s day. I agreed with her
and then I said but this is the Lord’s business and we want to honor him and praise him for what
He is doing with and through us. It makes more sense to do it in the context of prayer and worship
than any things else.
So today we are going to look at what God has given us just like the Jews did when they got ready
to leave Babylon. Their journey was just beginning. Our journey is continuing. But both have one
thing in common. In order for us to take the next step we must give God our RSVP. We must take
responsibility for what he is calling us to do and then get to work.
If you look at the text, you will note that the first thing the people do is make an offering. Even
before they looked for a place to settle down and raise their families, they made a commitment to
the Lord. The scriptures say that if you put God first, everything else will fall into place. Now I
could launch into a stewardship sermon right here, but I won’t. The important thing to note s that
when God called, they answered. They gave him and RSVP and said that his work would be their
priority.
You see it is funny but God understands the need to provide for our family. He understands that
there will be some shifting of obligations now and then. He understands that there is a season for
everything. He wrote the book on that! But what God wants us to understand is that his plan
needs to be our first priority. Because in making his plan work, we all benefit. Rebuilding the
temple and the community around it would be foundational for the life of the community. If that
wasn’t their first priority, they would all feel the effects of it… and they did. If you read on you
will see how their failure to keep God’s vision before them led them into difficulties.
The same is true for us. When we stray from the purposes of God we are bound to find ourselves
in trouble. I look around at a lot of churches and see their membership dwindling. Why? There are
several reasons. But one thing they all have in common is that they often lose sight of the work
God has called them to do.
As we look back on one year and begin to look ahead, I pray that we will make sure that we are
looking up as we get down on bended knee. I pray that our will and God’s will might be the same.
I pray that when God calls us as individuals and as a body, we will respond not just with a word of
affirmation, but with a commitment to do his will. I pray that will be our tribute, our offering, our
gift to God.
Amen
| Welcome to the First Baptist Church of Norwich 239 West Main Street Norwich, Connecticut Phone: 860-889-0369 |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |