Below is the outline of the sermon, I preached on Sunday 23 March 2014 at West Ewell Evangelical Church, Surrey - the second in a series on the book of Nahum.
Nahum 1: 15 - 2: 13
Introduction
Nahum prophesied a flood of judgement on Nineveh– judgement after revival there after the prophecy of Jonah. Nahum makes his proclamations from the safety of Judah about 713 BC.
He was not the only prophet at the time – Micah was also prophesy to Judah (the remaining southern kingdom).
Nahum begins by telling the Ninevites what God will do, how God will do it and (finally) why God will do it – then the Babylonians act in 612 BC (another century after Nahum's prophecy).
In this section, God shows how He will impose judgement
He is awesome – Psalm 97: 3 – 5: ‘Fire goes before Him and consumes His foes on every side. His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the world.’
Our vision of God can be too small
We will be looking at:
1. Why do God judges
2. How God judges – His methods and means
3. The outcome when God judges
In all of the passage, God’s hand print is clearly seen.
1. Why God judges
The reason is found in 2: 2, that being the restoration of Judah. God's holy presence to be felt again.
It is a reminder that God cannot stand anything that is contrary to His perfect holiness.
There is even pride in our nation when we leave God out or put Him to one side.
It is like letter in ‘The Teacher,’ which read: ‘I used to run the school football team. One Saturday we played away to the Good Shepherd Primary School. We won six-nil. The following Monday, I overheard two boys:
“Steve, how did you get on Saturday?”
“Oh, we murdered the Good Shepherd.”
In this slightly amusing story is the serious point that adults, young people and children do it daily in ignoring or opposing their Creator.
God is not random - in His judgement, we see cause and effect.
It has been recently seen when a UKIP councillor (now removed from the party) stated that the dreadful floods were result of same-sex marriage legislation. But God does not work like that – floods were more likely to the result of man’s mismanagement of the land and not acknowledging that God has ordained the boundaries (Psalm 104: 9). By contrast, the effects of same-sex relationship are manifest in matters such as domestic violence (which is greater in same-sex relationships than in heterosexual), greater instances of certain types of cancer, blood problems (e.g. NHS will not accept blood donors).
We can be In danger of categorising sins as to what we think to be important, but it has to be emphasised that same-sex sin as serious as adultery. Interestingly, Romans chapter 1 (which is often quoted in same-sex issues) ends in ‘every kind of wickedness,’ e.g. envy, gossip, boastful, arrogance, which hits closer to home.
To God, sin is sin is sin – there are no grades (such as our categorising of the 'seven cardinal sins). God hates all of them and He wants to remove sin from our lives, society, and nation.
Deuteronomy 4: 24 states: ‘For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.’ He is jealous for His holy name and the creation that belongs to Him.
God will not compromise or give in to sin. There are not be excuses (e.g. 'it was not my fault/upbringing') or comparisons (e.g. 'I am not as bad as him/her). But God will vanquish it completely at the end of time as as He is the Lord over everything.
Will you speak out against sin? Will you be God’s active witness where sin evident? (e.g. by supporting organisations (such as CARE, Tear Fund)), mentor those walking in darkness – for actions often speak louder than words.
2. How God judges
We have seen why God judges – He did not create the world and then left to own accord, but intimately involved in His creation.
Uses number of means:
· His people (1:15)
· People in general, even those who do not honour His name (2: 3 ff). The Babylonians referred to in this prophesy were not lovers of God, in fact quite the reverse as they had their own gods.
We need to be pro-active in listening to what God is saying and then following Him. Roy Comfort wrote: ‘A church that is waiting for sinners to visit their building is like the police waiting for the criminals to visit their station.’
There is the danger of not trusting God enough, to step out in faith into what He wants us to do – being the means of conviction in this neighbourhood.
God is never absent, although we can restrict Him to this building. However, the church is the people through whom god is wanting to work. We need to have faith to go into uncertain times for us but God will hold us up for He is mighty.
Chuck Swindoll stated: ‘Anything under God’s control is never out of control.’
Psalm 26: 10 tells us:‘The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever.’
After Hurricane Katrina, Billy Graham’s daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her ‘How could God let something like this happen?’ Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful reply. She commented: ‘I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we’ve been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?’
Sometimes, God is active in His judgement and people say ‘Stop! Stop!’ (cf. 2: 8), but the consequences of sin cannot be held back. God is pure, so He does not act out of retribution or retaliation but seeks to restores people to relationship with Him.
If His people not prepared to act/be relevant to the community, God will use those not in His family. If we are not using the resources He has given us (including the building), we will be held accountable. He prefers to use us (His people) and it is a sign of displeasure if He uses others.
We had been reminded that the Assyrians had experienced God’s blessings in the past so the UK has also known times of revival when God has moved among us.We need to be recollect that God will act, but not always favourably if we ignore Him.
3. The outcome
We have seen why and how God judges.
In hearing Andrew Heard (the President of the Australian FIEC) at the King’s Centre, Chessington recently, we were given the picture that the judgement on the world like a demolition of a building: the explosives have been laid and set off, the support has crumbled and building is suspended in mid-air until it will finally collapse. Right now, we are in that suspended period before time is wrapped up.
We are not just to hope for the best. In the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: To World’s End,’ Captain Jack Sparrow's philosophy is : 'Close your eyes and pretend it’s all a bad dream. That’s how I get by.’
There are signs around us of the collapse – but it is not the final collapse. Some of the indicators are: families are being split (including fathers being absent physically and emotionally), confused moralities.
The book of Nahum tells of complete destruction. Lions (2: 13) were portrayals of deities in Assyria.God does not do half-measures – things are totally within His hands.The false gods of our age (such as postmodernism, materialism, the cult of 'I') will be dispensed with.
Material things will be stripped away as Jesus reminded us that noting is immune from moths and thieves. We could also add financial uncertainties (as we experienced in the first few years of the 21st century), floods and winds.
We are to:
· Reach out practically – in the Black Death (in the Middle Ages), it was the Christians that stayed behind to care for sick and tend to the dead.
· Show the love of God in word and action – our attitude will lead to open doors to share love of Jesus, shown on the cross.
We are be proclaiming good news of Jesus (1: 15), cf. Isaiah 52: 7: ‘How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”’
There is no doubt that God is still active in world – He wants us to be His ambassadors.
The concluding verse in Romans 1 (verse 32) states: ‘Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practise them’ - is followed by 2: 1 ‘…for whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you pass judgement do the same things.’
As you have been rescued from judgement, you should be sharing the good news of Jesus – salvation that comes through His sacrifice on the cross.
In all that happens, the reminder is that the only certainty is God – everything else will be stripped away. We are not to depend on that which is temporary.
Even as Christians, we can be rooted in the here and now, without view of eternity. Christians are called to live life to the full (John 10: 10), not to be retired from the battle that God given to us against authorities, powers of dark world and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6: 12).
Conclusion
We have seen God in judgement – why, how and outcome.
Out of judgement comes the love and mercy of God – strong, deep and wide.
Craig Groeschel writes: ‘There is no sin too great for God’s grace. There is no habit too big for His healing. There is no label too strong for His love.’
Glenn Packiam comments : 'I am not in control, but I am deeply loved by the one who is.’
The receipt of God’s love is not passive as we should be wanting to show God how much we love Him. Doing nothing is not an option.
Elisabeth Elliot remarks: ‘God is God, He is worthy of my trust and obedience. I will find rest nowhere but in His holy will that is unspeakably beyond by largest notions of what He is up to.’
We should be looking towards the end game: when at the end of time – the time when sin, death and Satan is defeated and vanquished – the glorious manifestation of Lordship will be evident.
In the ‘Voyage of the Dawn Treader,’ CS Lewis tells of a conversation between Lucy and Aslan, the lion who is the Christ – figure in the Chronicles of Narnia stories:
“Do not look so sad. We shall meet again.”
“Please, Aslan,” said Lucy, “what do you call soon?”
“I call all times soon,” said Aslan; and instantly he was vanished away.
· Are you looking forward to God coming again?
· How is God showing His mighty power through your life? – enabling you through the power of the Holy Spirit.
