Pastor Tim Brown, Calvary Chapel Fremont, Sunday February 14, 2010

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The Firewall of the Church - Part 2

1 Peter 5:5-7 p2

Pastor: I had dinner at the home of a woman in the church and she sure seemed 2b filled w/ pride. I did not like to judge her, but the things she said and the way she acted, led me to think that this was a big problem for her. That afternoon I preached a sermon on pride and had her specially in mind.  Of course, I did not tell my listeners that I meant her and I was careful when making certain remarks, that I would look in another direction, but I had her in mind. After the meeting she started to walk right toward me, and I said to myself, ‘Uh-oh, I think she must have realized I meant her.’ She said, “O, Brother Barton, I am so glad you took up that subject today, because there are some people in this room who really needed to hear that.” Pride will keep you form hearing the word of the Lord.

Humility is the firewall of your soul/the church – it protects you from spiritual viruses that the world/flesh/devil want to download n2 your soul/church.  Last week: humility is following the pattern of Christ.  It is not throwing my weight around/coercing u2 recognize me/thinking that I’m special and you need to pay attention to me.    

Fears: OK, I get that, but if I don’t throw my weight around/insist on my own way/promote myself, I’ll be overlooked/passed by/I won’t get what’s coming to me.  What is Peter’s counsel to someone who is anxious like me?  V6.  

How did Peter understand the mighty hand of God?

Then Moses entreated the LORD his God, and said, “O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?  Ex. 32:11

You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand …  Dt. 5:15

… the LORD brought us from Egypt with a mighty hand.  Dt. 6:21

… the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.  Dt. 7:8

…the great trials which your eyes saw and the signs and the wonders and the mighty hand and the outstretched arm by which the LORD your God brought you out.  Dt. 7:19

I prayed to the LORD and said, ‘O Lord GOD, do not destroy Your people, even Your inheritance, whom You have redeemed through Your greatness, whom You have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand.  Dt. 9:26

…the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand …  Dt. 26:8

And now, O Lord our God, who have brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand… Daniel 9:15

There was only one way up from Egypt/out of their chains/carried forward to their destiny – to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God.  They had to come under the mighty hand of God.

The Jews didn’t understand the mighty hand of God as that which would crush them, but that which would crush their enemies – a hand which would bring them out of their trials/troubles.  This wasn’t an invitation to individual oblivion/personal annihilation.  This wasn’t a summons 2b crushed by the hand of God, but a call n2 safety/refuge.  Preaching of Noah – judgment is coming, get n2 the ark.  Those outside knew that once inside they would be limited.  They didn’t want to live in the limitations/confinement the ark would impose.  Ark – might hand of God stretched out…

So many fear that a surrender to God will mean the obliteration of their individuality/unique personality – surrender to the hand of God will impose limitations on the life they are living and they are not about to yield this to anyone.  Many fear that a life given n2 the hand of God means that a life lived in living color will turn black/ white – that all the taste/color will go our of life and everything will taste vanilla and look manila.  Confinement of ark saved Noah…

Why ‘mighty hand’?  Why not just ‘hand’?  A whole culture/value system/way of life was imposing itself upon Israel in Egypt.  “You will do what we tell u2 do.  You will be who we tell u2b.”  It wasn’t the mighty hand of God that posed a threat to their uniqueness and individuality – it was the culture of Egypt.  If Egypt had its way, Israel would forget that they were the covenant people.  

If many in our culture had their way – you’d forget about following Jesus.  There is a militant atheism aggressively working to undermine faith in Jesus and sideline/marginalize anyone who expressed faith in God.  The mighty hand of God is necessary to break the grip of the world system that is seeking to impose itself on you to mold/shape you and have you lose this silly notion of God that you have.  Judges 6:11-15  Gideon needed to experience mighty hand of God – he is beat down. 

What is exaltation?  It is being brought out from wherever ur stuck.  The mighty hand of God will bring you out.  

7    Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me;   

You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies,   

And Your right hand will save me.

8    The LORD will accomplish what concerns me… Ps. 138

What is your trouble?  Marriage/finances/addictions/bondages/ afflictions/hopelessness…  With a mighty hand God will bring you out/exalt you.  “Do you mean that God will bring me out of a lousy marriage/confining finances/life threatening addictions?  YES.

Here’s how exaltation works:

He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.  Acts 5:31

As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.  John 3:14

Seated at right hand of God – exaltation | Crucifixion – exaltation

He had to go through one exaltation to arrive at the other one. You have to go through the exaltation of bearing the cross to arrive at the exaltation of wearing the crown.  When you humble yourself, you’re crucifying yourself.  You’re taking up your cross and following Jesus.  When you humble yourself you purpose to obey God no matter what this obedience will cost you – just like Jesus.

The obedience you give to God when you humble yourself b4 Him will change/transform you.  Will God bring you out of a lousy marriage w/ His mighty hand when you humble yourself?  Yes – He will make you the spouse you need 2b to love unconditionally the spouse who isn’t loving you unconditionally.  God doesn’t transform marriages – He transforms people.  It is transformed people who have transformed marriages.  Finances – due to impulsiveness/ compulsiveness/lack of discipline…  

As you humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, you get your life back – even as Noah and family preserved their life.   

Proper time  Terror is on every side; while they took counsel together against me, they schemed to take away my life.  But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD, I say, “You are my God.”

      My times are in Your hand… Ps. 31:13-15

I have always been blessed when I have joined together Ps. 138:8 and 31:15.  The LORD will accomplish what concerns me… My times are in Your hand…

Mary/Martha to Lazarus: Don’t worry, Jesus will come.  He’s never late/always on time.  

Where ru in relationship to the hand of God?  

Avoiding – Noah’s generation – too steep a price to pay/too confining.  Under – I can’t control/predict – I’m not in charge.  The Lord will accomplish what concerns you.  Your times are in His hand.

Nodar Kumaritashvili – Georgian luger killed in practice runs at Winter Olympics held in Vancouver BC in 2010.  Who knew, when the camera zoomed in on his face at the top of the run, that he would be dead in 50 seconds.