When the Lord restored the fortunes of^[a] Zion,
    we were like those who dreamed.^[b]
2 Our mouths were filled with laughter,
    our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
    “The Lord has done great things for them.”
³ The Lord has done great things for us,
    and we are filled with joy.

⁴ Restore our fortunes,^[c] Lord,
    like streams in the Negev.
⁵ Those who sow with tears
    will reap with songs of joy.
⁶ Those who go out weeping,
    carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
    carrying sheaves with them.

 

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, they were like those who dreamed and the mouths were filled with laughter’s and songs of joy. Other nations said the Lord has done great things for them and they were filled with joy. This first strophe (v1-4) speaks so clearly of the dream being fulfilled. I have to say that people who experienced this are the ones who have been longing for the Lord to answer their prayers and putting their trust in Him fully despite setbacks. It reminds me of the shameless audacity of the man knocking at the door of his neighbor for bread at midnight.

Sometimes we wonder if the Lord’s going to answer our prayers after such a long time and even years of waiting, like Psalmist prayed “For how long Lord? But this first strophe gives me a clear sense of the Lord’s answering their prayers in a big way. In fact so big that they felt like they dreamed, and filled with laughter’s and joy. I’m convinced that this sense of laughter and joy and dreaming would not come about without a sense of deep longing, waiting, crying out to the Lord for a long time. That’s why when He’s actually finally answered prayers, he felt like he dreamed and was so happy and feel with joy and laughter’s. It is not saying that he’s hoping for the Lord to answer his prayer but the Lord has already answered his prayer. And this answer to prayer is not a small thing because v3 says, “this is great things the Lord has done and they’re filled with joy”. I believe all of us have dreams and big dreams for God to do for our ministry, our families and we must not give up praying and asking until he answers our prayers. This is not about whether the Lord will answer our prayers, but rather when the Lord is going to answer our prayers. I just want to let this thought sinks into my spirit so that it truly becomes part of me and I will continue to press on prayer.

 

Life is not always rosy, and indeed there will be a period of seeming dryness, drought and silence from the Lord even though technically I know that the Lord is working behind the scene but I’m just a broken human wanting to serve him and glorify him. And what I love about this On v4-6, Psalmist cried out to the Lord to restore their fortunes. It is clear that the Lord has restored their fortunes but not all of it obviously. There are some parts of it is not restored and the beautiful thing it really shows how important it is to work hard at it to persevere and to press on. V5 says those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. I’m reminding myself that I should not be discouraged just because I have not seen the restoration of my fortunes in some ways and if I have not sown with tears and gone out weeping carrying the seed to sow, I will not be able to return with songs of joy and carry sheaves with me.

Therefore v5- 6 is a tremendous encouragement to affirm me that the Lord sees our tears, He wants us to really pour grace into our heart, and trust Him. I’m reminded that the Lord Jesus himself cried out with loud cries with tears (Heb 5:7) to God the Father often and he learned obedience through suffering so that he can become the source of salvation to all peoples. I’m challenged that it has not been easy for the Lord Jesus himself and if I were to look for an easy way for my fortunes restoration, I’ve probably made a mistake and I should repent and put my faith all over again in the Lord our God Jesus Christ . I want tostand on the promise of God that those who sow with teas will reap with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them. V5-6 shows us the promises of God for us if we go out to sow with tears and weeping, we shall come home and reap with shouts of joy and bringing sheaves with us. I’m particularly encouraged and strengthened to see that God will restore us in due time in his time.

Joshua 24 it’s about Joshua at the end of his life in an average trying to convince the nation of Israel, how much God has done for them, God driven out all the different nations for them, and literally God fought for them. And also Joshua warned them that if they disobey God, the curses will fall upon them, and verse 14 says so feared the Lord and serve him faithfully. and put away all the idols forever. Now the word fear means to deeply reverence and deep admiration for the Lord that’s the way we going to obey the Lord and draw with all the idols now the.

Now it seems the antithesis of the opposite of serving God is serving idols. Why is idols, the antithesis of dread opposite of God because idols it’s a form of fake God that throughout the Old Testament, like the golden cow kissing point nation, Israel bow down to the golden cow while waiting for Moses to come down from the mountain do you know the reality is every one of us need God and even for the brief moment of 40 days waiting for Moses to come down from Mount Zion. They ran out of patience because they need a God to lead them into the promised land.

Do you know that really we also need a God to lead us into our promised land into our ambitions into our hopes and dreams, but the problem is we don’t call it idols because we don’t realize it is actually idols though we need God.

Because we are so self-sufficient because we think we’re capable of doing everything until we hit troubles. Not at least for the old time Israel nation knows what is God and what is idols. Idols is a very huge component of their lives and they know that but for us today, idol is not something we even talk about. Because it is not part of our vocabulary for conversation really.

But God’s first requirement’s to throw away all the idols is for us today it means to throw away anything that is precious important in our life, they may stand in the way of us coming to worship God. Idols are always some thing precious and treasured in peoples minds and lives.

Therefore, to know the danger of idolatry is absolutely important for us to be happy in lives, and to flourish. There are many things in our lives that can turn out to be idols, including our jobs our career, our money, power, sex, pleasures, or even families. That’s why we absolutely have to put God above everything else in life, and that require our faith and trust in God, because we simply cannot do that without putting our number one trust and faith in our God!

Augustine talks about disordered love in the sense that our problem is not that we don’t love God, our problem is we love something else more than God and that’s what is called disorder love. Augustine really gets it. You know our common problem it’s not that we don’t love God that’s Christian’s at least, but we just don’t love him enough that opens up the door for something else in our lives to cause us to fall into the traps of idolatry.

Genesis 22 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” ² He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

Abraham called by the Lord to sacrifice his own son Isaac unto the Lord in Genesis 22: If we were to preach it along the redemptive historical approach, we will have to treat Isaac as Christ and Abraham as God? No way!

Now there’s a huge difference between Isaac and Christ being sacrificed.

Isaac had no idea as a young kid what his dad was really trying to do even though when Abraham was trying to kill him, bound him up ,there’s no mention about his struggle in whatever. However in the case of the son of God, Jesus Christ when he was commanded and called by God the Father to be sacrificed on the cross as a substitutional redemption for mankind, he obeyed and he knew exactly what’s he’s going in for.

Even though he struggled greatly in the Garden of Gethsemane including dropping of sweat and blood, it is astounding as a human , Jesus asked God the Father to take away the cup of sufferings but he also asked finally, after much struggle, that the Father’s will be done. And the angels came and strengthened him and he settled on that end and proceeded to be whipped and scorned and pierced, crucified, suffered the most painful death on the cross and most shameful way for the sake of redeeming mankind. He knowingly and willingly to be sacrificed. Whereas Isaac was not willing and he did not know what the heck was going on. That’s a huge difference between the two.

Its Exemplary sermon, not Redemptive Historical

Therefore we cannot force the passage into the redemptive historical approach sermon. The real sermon will be on the obedience and faith of Abraham to the call of God which in a sense is also redemptive historical. That’s an exemplary approach sermon.

Because Hebrews 11 says Abraham believed that God will raise his son even after he has sacrificed him and therefore that empowered him to proceed to obey God in this brutal and unfathomable command of God. In other words God gave the Providence to empower and help Abraham to obey his call by who God is.

The secret of obedience to Christ is to really know who God is and his character of goodness and faithfulness. Amen

Revelation 3:1–2  

“ ‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. ² Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.

The mild & meek and suffering and loving Jesus turned around in his glorious powerful figure with fire flame in his eyes, voice like a thunder speaking to the seven churches via John the apostle.

In Revelations 3,  Jesus criticized and warned the church in Sardis to wake up from spiritual complacency. The church they thought they were alive, but Jesus blatantly told them in the face. They are dead. Therefore, Jesus exhorted them to keep what is right in their lives and repent. And if they don’t repent, Jesus is going to come in an hour, they don’t expect, and they will be taken off the book of life. (Revelation 3:1–3)

The words used by the Lord before his return in this period of time is full of fire and expectations and blunt speaking in the sense of speaking the truth in love. Only people who loves you enough, will tell in your face what’s wrong with you. Pastors or churches trying to accommodate the culture of the world will lose out big time in the end.

A pulpit that doesn’t provide the piercing word of Christ that cleanses our souls, the fire of God to stir us, is the main culprit to spiritual complacency

I just put out a video on the spiritual complacency, and how to resolve that. Spiritual complacency, in my mind, is largely from the lack of expository preaching to the hearts and minds, and the souls of the people.  I believe puppet is the main culprit among other things surrounding which may be challenging, like church polity and constraining circumstances like long commute, etc. But largely a pulpit that doesn’t provide the piercing word of Christ that cleanses our souls, the fire of God to stir us up into actions, is the main culprit to spiritual complacency. A sermon that focuses on largely the horizontal distance of exemplary sermon is the least helpful to the congregation and all the redemptive history sermon preachers would know what I’m talking about. But preaching exemplary sermons, one make reference primarily to the horizontal relationship between one another. Redemptive historical or RH preachers hate the “do’s and don’ts”  sermon because they are so lack of fire because its all man will power. They are devoid of the vertical transcendent power, and the glory of God. This is very much like, a Arminianism kind of self-help, self-determination, self will kinds of prayer kind of  sermons.

They are saved and we are brother sisters in Christ, but it is very hard to do what the Lord asked for example in the book of Revelations, his expectation, his desire for a blameless bride. Spotless, bright, and a beautiful bride for the bride groom, the return of Christ. It is impossible! People get exhausted, and the next thing you know they slipped into spiritual complacency. The worst thing is people in complacency do not know that they are actually in one. It takes a jerking out and it needs a pulpit that preaches the transcendent God to empower, to feed the sheep with real transcendent God kind of sermons, which is really redemptive historical.
Jesus said ” If you don’t repent, I will come back in an hour that you do not expect, like a thief. Jesus called him up, saying you have a reputation of being a life, but you were dead.” Look at the words he said straight in your face he said, “you have a reputation….”, it’s almost being cynical, but that is the reality. The church needs the kind that speaks to the reality of the hearts, and not just to the likes of our minds. V2 Jesus said wake up and strengthen what remains and it’s about to die, for that not find your works complete in the side of my God. Jesus is warning the churches to wake up and strengthen what is remaining and it’s about to die, that is scary. If we don’t realize that complacency is a deadly disease with whatever we still got left, we will eventually die as well and that’s not the way to proceed in our spiritual journey with Christ on this side of the world.

May God bring us fire, will renew war and revival. Amen.

Galatians 4:22–24 (ESV)

²² For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. ²³ But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. ²⁴ Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar.

Abraham and Sarah were childless even up to his and her very old age in the 90s. They have been waiting for a long time for a child but to no avail. It is at those crucial time of waiting and waiting in an extended period of time that Abraham and Sarah began to doubt God’s promise. In all natural circumstances their question and doubt is totally legitimate. I think that’s where the challenging point is as Christians as we wait upon God because from the natural circumstances we seem to have exhausted all means of bringing the redemption and correction we so desired. We just don’t know what’s going to happen next? Even though God has promised repeatedly two to three times the Abraham will have a son and he shall be his heir. God actually fulfilled that promise when Sarah was in her 90s and was barren, a truly miraculous act of God.

But Galatians 4 woke me up because one it’s a son by a slave woman and the other one by a free woman. Galatians 4 verse 22 says the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, the son of the free woman was born through promise. Verse 24 says this may be interpreted allegorically. One is from Mount Sinai bearing children for slavery she is Hagar. The other one is Jerusalem like Isaac are children of promise.

In our exasperation, who could be very well tempted to act like Sarah and Abraham to speed out the process to fulfill the promise of God. But the problem is that will not be the fulfillment of the promise of God, but that would be the work of the flesh. This notion of the work of the flesh is deadly and a true wake up call for us Christians as we seek to do God’s will. Flesh is our default value and action mode unless and until we are sanctified and glorified more and more in our personal relationship with Christ. We have to understand that even if we have rushed like Sarah and Abraham, on the surface it seems that we have solved the problem that we have but in reality, we just messed up the good plan of God for us. And of course by the grace of God, he didn’t let this completely screw up Abraham’s calling, but he continued to honor them and provided miraculously the pregnancy of Sarah to give birth to their promised son Isaac.

 “²² For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. ²³ But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise.” (Galatians 4:22–23)

This is exactly what happened and is very significant. Hagar gave birth to her son according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. These are two very important words. The flesh speaks of all human endeavor, human effort, our own planning and agenda, while the promise is the promise given by God to Abraham and to us in his calling. You can see that our flesh works against the promise of God. We must have the promise of God overwhelms and defeats the flesh the human effort which is carnality. Therefore in our waiting to see God’s promise fulfilled in our lives, we have to be patient and be focused on God continually through meditation of the scripture, through prayers, and continually submitting our hearts’ desire unto the Lord. We should mortify our flesh giving the flesh no chance of raising its ugly head. Do you want the promise of God or do you want the works of your flesh?

We could wait upon the Lord and trust in him to break about the calling just like at the right time God cause Sarah to be pregnant. And if God could do that with the 90 years old barren woman to give birth to a son, God could do that with us giving us his promise for his calling upon our lives. I begin to realize that even if we succeeded via flesh, or the human efforts, my own efforts, then I may find life to be really miserable because of the oppositions, politics, and tough times. We could run ahead of God and circumvent the true calling of God which is from him, and that will be exactly what Abraham Sarah did we Hagar their slave woman and the result didn’t look pretty. We should be scared that by further asserting our own effort we could produce a fruit according to the flesh and missing out the true calling of God through God’s promise.

I would just say I surrender all to the Lord O God and trust in Him. Amen.