There’s a lot to get to in this post, so let’s jump right in.
From the cutting room floor:
If you’ve followed my musings for a few years, you’ll notice that sometimes I add things to this that I took out of my Sunday sermon. I usually do this for two reasons: 1) I didn’t think it fit with the big idea of the text, and/or 2) I didn’t have time to cover it.
- In Ezra 5:17, Tattenai, the governor, wrote to King Darius, “Therefore, if it seems good to the king, let search be made in the royal archives there in Babylon, to see whether a decree was issued by Cyrus the king for the rebuilding of this house of God in Jerusalem. And let the king send us his pleasure in this matter.” Ezra 6 begins with the report of Darius doing that very thing. This stirred me about a heavenly scene found in Revelation 20 and 21. Revelation 20:12 says, “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life.” Revelation 21:27 says, “Only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life” enter the New Jerusalem. This reminded me of Jesus’ words in Luke 5, when He said, “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” There’s an old hymn that states, “When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.” When the archives are searched, if you’re a Christian, your name will be found there. What a joy!
- In Ezra 6:12, Darius makes this statement: “May the God who has caused his name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who shall put out a hand to alter this, or to destroy this house of God that is in Jerusalem. I, Darius, make a decree; let it be done with all diligence.” Darius becomes an unlikely prophet. The Jews finished the temple in 516 BC (Ezra 6:15), and it stood for nearly 600 years, through multiple empires (Persian, Greek, and early Roman). None of the Persian or Greek rulers who followed Darius dared to reverse his decree or destroy the temple. Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the Temple in 167 BC but did not destroy it. He died in exile and misfortune, a historical event often seen as a judgment on his actions. By Jesus’ day, the Jewish leaders had turned His Father’s house into a den of robbers and rejected Him as the Messiah. The temple had fulfilled its redemptive purpose because “one greater than the Temple” had come (Matthew 12:6). In AD 70, the Romans destroyed the Temple. Yet God’s providence continued: Christianity was legalized under Constantine in 313 AD, became the official state religion under Theodosius I in 380 AD, and Rome itself eventually fell in 476 AD. God’s Word and His kingdom endure beyond empires. Many theologians note that since Christ came, no human empire has achieved universal authority, because Christ reigns over all nations.
- One of the points I made on Sunday was that God’s people know their history and their theology. The point above shows you how important this is. But let me add one caveat: If knowing our history and theology moves us to formalism and ritualism, we’ve missed the point. History and theology should drive us to our knees and stir fresh affection for the God we serve. If it brings about a rigid, legalistic faith, we need to be cautious about who or what we’re putting our hope in.
- In talking about how God uses political ideals to protect his people, I was reminded of something that happened this past February. President Trump issued an executive order directing the Department of Justice to identify and rectify instances where federal policies or practices unlawfully targeted Christians. Whether or not you agree with the President, God indeed used him in this moment to protect Christians from policies or practices that would hurt us. This is not a declaration of his faith, but more about his political ideals being used by God to protect God’s people.
What defines or identifies our value matters:
On Sunday, I stated that how we identify ourselves will determine how we respond to pressure and challenges. Let me explain more about that.
In the middle of the 1996 baseball season, I was in my 2nd year of coaching the UVC team and began to see a serious issue with my coaching. I was consumed with winning and respecting the game of baseball in the way we played. However, I was not distinctly Christian in my coaching. I felt convicted by the Holy Spirit that I was finding my value or identity in being a successful baseball coach more than in being a Christian. I resigned from coaching on the 1st day of the 1997 season. My regret was over the timing, not the decision. I should’ve done it earlier.
The Lord began to break through in my heart over the years, out of the game. I started finding my value and joy in life in being a child of God and began to see what I ‘did’ as secondary. By 2001, about 4 years after I resigned, the door opened to go back to be the head coach at UVC again. Jill and others felt that my value was in Christ, not the game or winning, and I was convinced the Lord was pleased with me returning. I went back to the game as a Christian baseball coach, not as a baseball coach who happened to be a Christian. I wanted to coach for God’s glory and the good of the players, not for winning.
I used this example to show you what I mean when I talk about value and identity. In my early days of coaching, I would get angry, impatient, and devastated by losses. I would take it out on our players the next day. I was punitive in my approach to discipline. The guys were not giving me what I “needed,” which was wins. Wins were my validation. After I resigned and then returned, I saw losses as opportunities for growth. Wins were not needed and were enjoyed. The players became the ‘trophies,’ and the point.
Think about your life right now.
- If you define yourself as a parent, how do you respond when your child publicly disobeys? What do you think of yourself when they succeed? Are you parenting for them or for you?
- If you’re in the business world, how do you respond to critique and evaluation? Does your boss’s encouragement make you feel like ‘you’ve arrived’ or that you can relax? If you’re a boss, do you see yourself representing the Lord Christ or yourself?
If we find our value in Christ alone, we will respond to trials, pressures, and challenges with Christ-like character.
This week and looking ahead:
This week, we will examine Ezra 6:13-22. We will discuss the completion of the Temple, and the people rededicated themselves to God’s work.
This is a great Sunday to discuss this because it’s commitment Sunday for our Gospel Legacy Initiative. Envision with us what a new building will be like and dedicate yourself to helping us raise a generation of gospel-centered people in our world.
Cheap Seats:
- I will admit that I’ve never been amazed at Shohei Ohtani. My main reason is that MLB has never allowed this until recently. I have always wondered what Mickey Mantle would’ve been like as a pitcher. I know John Olerud was a great pitcher at Washington State, but he never pitched in the big leagues. So, I’ve just never been overwhelmed by Ohtani, until last week in Game 4 of the NLCS. That was the greatest game I’ve ever seen from an individual player. Watch this and be amazed: https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/video/shohei-ohtani-s-historic-game-4-performance.
- I’m sorry, Mariner fans. I was pulling for you. I’m not being critical, and I have never been at that level, but it sure seemed Dan Wilson had quick hooks for his starting pitchers. That group is one of the most dominant in the league, and yet, they pulled their guys early, in my opinion.
- The Denver Broncos were down 19-0 entering the 4th quarter. They scored 33 points in that quarter and won the game 33-32. It was unreal. Listen to this: The win snapped a streak of 1,602 consecutive NFL games won by teams leading by 18 points with under six minutes left in the fourth quarter since the 1970 merger. That’s crazy..
Have a great week!
Christ is King!
Dave York
