"A GLORIOUS CHURCH!"
Zech. 4:6-10
6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. 7 Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. …….8 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you. 10 For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.
Matt. 13:31-32
31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
Every living thing started out small!
• Every great invention started out as just an idea.
• Even the universe God has created was made out of the smallest of particles called atoms.
• We are living in a day when everything has to be "BIG"
• But it is important that we remember how important small things really are!
• The Bible teaches us to appreciate small beginnings, that God honors small things when they are not despised!
1. The Jewish people had just come through a very difficult time of history
• They had been captive for many years, and their homeland had been utterly destroyed. ..
• Some of their countrymen had made it home and had rebuilt the city…not completely but enough to be called a city again
• But they had not rebuilt the temple…..they lacked funds and resources…and the vision to think it could be done
• They all remembered their great history…how Solomon had built, a wonderful temple….and now Zerubbabel was returning and he was encouraging them to build a new one
2. They were weak, still recovering from a difficult time and they were being asked to believe God to rebuild His temple.
• The Temple of God was the symbol of their life with God,
• It was an outward show of an inward relationship with their God
• But the people had doubts about their ability to build God a house, they just didn't see how it would be possible!
• So many things for God would never happen if we were full of doubts.
• If the doubters had their way, , nothing much for God would get accomplished.
3. Listen to these actual clippings from magazines and newspapers by the authorities of that day
1840 - "Anyone traveling at the speed of thirty miles per hour would surely suffocate."
1878 - "Electric lights are unworthy of serious attention."
1897 Radio has no future. Lord Kelvin British mathematician and physicist,
1901 - "No possible combination can be united into a practical machine by which men
shall fly."
1926 - (from a scientist) "This foolish idea of shooting at the moon is basically
impossible."
1930 - (another scientist) "To harness the energy locked up in matter is impossible."
1946 Television won't be able to hold on to any market it captures after the first six months.
People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night. - Darryl F. Zanuck,
head of 20th Century-Fox, 1946.
4. There have always been those who said, "It can't be done."
• But even the experts can be and have been wrong.
• But the real tragedy is that 99 percent of the people believed them.
6. God tells his people through the prophet that they need not fear, it won't be by "might, (human strength) or power, (political power) but by my Spirit (God's power!)" that the job will get done.
• They just needed to believe and obey!
• Even the "mighty mountain" will become as level ground
• Let me tell you the biggest obstacles thrown you…the mighty mountains will "become level ground" when you by faith obey the Lord and believe that God will enable you. 4:7
7. In fact, God tells them that the day will come when they will see Zerubbabel lay the capstone on the finished building and they will shout at that time "God bless it, God bless it!" 4:9
# we get excited about our part of the work with Rev Don and Doris in Malawi Africa
• We shout when we hear 55 students are graduating…and how 6 churches have been built….and another 2 started
• But there was a time when Brother Don and Doris were the only ones with the vision…the enemy roared and said it cant be done
# Were all excited about our sign….but there was a time I was told I would utterly fail because we gave our first offering away to missions
• I was told I needed $20,000 and 10 families to make it as a church
• We had 34 dollars Mary and me and Anna
• Not by might brother don (Mans ideas) nor by power (Governments and authorize of the day) but by my spirit saith the Lord
8. In spite of all the encouragement from God and the encouragement from God's servant Zerubbabel, the critics came out and challenged the ability they have to build a new temple even with God's help.
Whenever you attempt to do anything for God you can expect there will be some critic
to tell you why it can't be done!
God asks them not to despise the small beginnings of the work.
• The first building brother Don is now a tool shed…but it started out a palace in your vision….it wasn’t despised and you didn’t give up
• This place was a mud hole…..but to us it was AWESOME to me….A PLACE OF WORSHIP WHERE God would reach out around the world from our sanctuary
• I said it on our first day and Ill say it again now If the Lord tarry we will give 100’s of thousands of dollars to missions
• We don’t need bigger and better facilities….we need bigger and better heart full of vision to reach outside the walls of this church to win souls for Jesus and the Kingdom of God!!!
Listen…The truth of the matter is that anything significant done for God will
likely go through a small stage first!...if it starts big right away don’t fool
yourself someone somewhere started small with prayer and fasting
How many ever heard of Homan Walsh?...let me tell you about him
1. Over a century ago someone proposed a bridge across the Niagara,"
• it would save miles of travel and solve many problems. But how were they to begin?
• The canyon walls were too steep, 800 feet high and the rapids were too wild to get that first strand across from cliff to cliff. ….someone had an idea.
• They'd offer a ten dollar prize to the kid who could fly a kite from one side to the other. That's how the first string got across.
• It was then connected to larger string, and it in turn was connected to a slender cable. And the slender cable was connected to the strong cable that made the entire construction possible.
• When the project was first announced, the critics laughed ….. When they heard that a "kite was going to solve the problem," the sophisticated engineers had a field day.
• One young boy, Homan Walsh, with a vision of earning the $10 flew the first string across with his kite in 1848.
• But there is more of the story not often told…let me read part of his story
In order to take advantage of more favorable winds, Walsh crossed to the Canadian side of the gorge by ferry just below Niagara Falls, and walked the two miles along the top of the cliff to the bridge site. At midnight, when a lull in the wind occurred, he flew his kite high above the gorge, and it reached the American side. Then there was a sudden pull of the line, and it went limp. It had broken. To make matters worse, Walsh found himself marooned in Canada for eight days because river ice prevented the ferry from operating.
Finally Walsh was able to cross to the American side of the river and retrieve his kite. He then returned to the Canadian side, where he again flew the kite to the opposite bank. The kite string was fastened to a tree on the American shoreline, and a cord attached to it was pulled across. This time it didn't break. Next came a heavier cord, then a rope, and finally a wire cable, which was the beginning of the new bridge, completed on July 26, 1848.
The beginnings of this new temple would be small, But they were not to
despise it,
1. If they would move out by faith and begin the project they would rejoice when they saw the day Zerubbabel had the plumb line or cap stone in his hand to show that God indeed did help them.
• God has surely brought our Church body a long way in 15 years also.
• He has brought Bringing hope to the World brother Don and Doris a long was in 6 short years also
• Though our beginnings were small, God has built His Church and ministry to Malawi and many have rejoiced and shouted, "God bless it, God bless it!" through the years!
• And both Crownridge Church and Bringing Hope to The World will grow and continue to grow until Jesus returns….Obstacles ..yes….but the hand of the lord will continue to provide and bless
II. GOD'S PROVISION Matt. 13:31-32
31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
1. The kingdom of God started as a small seed, in fact, the smallest of seeds cultivated by the Jewish people, the mustard seed.
• Who could have ever imagined a simple carpenter named Jesus would be the beginning of the most significant event in the history of mankind?
• Jesus is referring both to Himself and the cross of Calvary when He talks about such a small seed.
• The fact of the matter is, this small event in the eyes of those who witnessed it was the very foundation of the great kingdom of God to emerge that would change the whole world…and the world to come!
2. Almost no one imagined that the cross of Calvary would make such a difference in the world, but it was this single event that made possible man's way back to God.
3. The mustard seed though small had to be planted into the ground to die in order for the grand plant to spring forth,
• Jesus, had to be the small seed planted in the ground and to die in order for the kingdom of God to spring forth.
• The world still stumbles over this truth.
• It seems so illogical that such an event so many years ago could make such a huge difference today, but that is the small seed of the kingdom of God.
4. That small mustard seed however that died comes alive ……and produces a huge plant, the largest of cultivated plants in gardens of the first century.
• It is a marvel that such a small seed can produce such a huge plant!
• It is a marvel that the Messiah's death has produced such a huge living organism like the Church!
• The Church's success is not the result of man's clever abilities, it is the success of God's Spirit at work in individuals that come together to make up His Church!
5. This plant gave forth food and shelter.
• The Church also is a place where people find nourishment and shelter from life's storms.
6. We must live in such a way as to believe that God really is at work in His Church, that He very much desires to have His temple be a great structure for ministry.
• It is tragic that we can so easily forget that God is very much alive and still desirous to make His Church a mighty force.
# Early in their marriage, Martin Luther's wife watched him battle with seasons of
Depression
• Martin Luther questioned God's willingness or ability to help him through a difficult trial.
• Without saying a word, she put on a black dress and veil, reserved for times of mourning. She wore it all day
• When Luther asked why she was dressed that way, she said, "Because God is dead. It's obvious by the way you're acting."
7. If we are not careful we can forget too that God is still building a great Church!
• Our beginnings as a church were small, and there were those in the beginning that despised the hopes we had.
• But God and faithful people believed that God would take such small seeds and build His Church.
• His Spirit that has brought forth His Church which you are a part of and which enables it daily
5. What a privilege and honor to be a part of God's Church in this day and age, and to look forward to many more years of watching this tiniest of seeds grow.
CONCLUSION:
Whoever thought a small band of disciples would change the whole world with the simple message of Christ's death and resurrection?
God still takes small things and builds His mighty Church, the glorious Church!
# our sign- we prayed it would bring new life to people as it stand as witness day and night for Christ
• Mike brought Mr. Vasquez our rock man over Tue to evaluate the job
• He was saved right under the sign
• God can use a small thing like a sign to bring a man into his kingdom
• You who made it possible for the sign to be completed by your giving and finances are going to share in bringing this man into the kingdom
