A Series Looking At How Serious Are We About God's Serious Love For Us. Series

Are you Serious?

Zechariah 8

January 7, 2024

I’m really excited about this sermon series I’m starting today. I’ve been wrestling with this topic, since I was asked a question a little over a month ago.

The bulletin cover isn’t your typical one, it isn’t colorful, it simply asks the question - - - -

Are you serious?

I don’t know about you, but I say that a lot! I say it when someone isn’t going fast enough on a 2 lane road. I say it when someone does something which I don’t think is overly intelligent. I also shorten it - - - - SERIOUSLY?

The great tennis player John McEnroe made the question famous when he questioned a call at Wimbledon.

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That’s a great question to ask . . . ARE YOU SERIOUS? And that’s the basis of this series, and frankly, it’s going to be the basis of the entire year. This may be a 3 week series, but I tend to think it’s going to go on, but lots of different directions, with different themes which all surround the central idea which asks the question . . . . Are you serious?

Now, let me tell you where this is coming from. One day I received a telephone call from Zachary. He’s the deep thinker in the family. Not to take anything away from anyone, but that’s who he is. He works for the Air Force as a Jet Propulsion Engineer, developing new jet engines. (Quick joke about your brain!)

He called me and said “I’ve got a question for you” which is always scary!

His question was this . . . .

Why do we not take seriously the seriousness of God?

I was like . . . Huh? In other words, do we take God’s seriousness, seriously? Because if we were to be really honest, God is in the business of being serious. But it goes way deeper than that.

I thought he was going to ask me something different, I thought it would be why aren’t we serious about God’s joy? Which fits in the realm of this series as well. And is something we will talk about.

So, that’s the question we’re going to wrestle with. It’s a question which is going to drive my decisions as pastor. It’s a conversation we’re going to have tomorrow night at the organizational meeting.

Ultimately, it’s asking the question, and only you can answer it . . . .

Are you serious about God?

So, how does anyone know that, including God?

It means, are you giving God your best while at work?

Are you doing your best as a parent to honor God?

Are you loving your spouse in Christ?

Are you eating healthy is a reflection of your seriousness.

Are you serious about being a child to your parents, let alone a child to the Creator.

NOW, we can get a bit goofy on some of this, but I think you know what I mean. I can give exaggerated examples, called hyperboles, to drive home my points.

But everything we do should be a direct result of our relationship with God.

Does that mean I play pickleball to honor God? Absolutely!

Do I read the Bible and pray and give my money with seriousness? Absolutely!

Do I prepare my heart, spirit, mind and body for worship?

You see, it’s all tied together.

My problem for this series, and I’m being upfront and pretty vulnerable, is where to start. How to craft this series so that it makes sense - - - so that it goes in a cogent order, in a way which is understandable and effective and makes sense.

It seems like everything I read lately, has led me down this track. About the time Zachary asked me this question, I was reading from Zechariah. Zechariah is an OT prophetic book. It’s filled with futuristic, apocalyptic eschatology.

A lot of revelations about the end times. And in that book, God lays out this great chapter of hope for a people who were in exile. I want to base today specifically from Zechariah 8.

1 And the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying,

2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath.

3 Thus says the Lord: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem,

and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain.

4 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age.

5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.