Sermon Central
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Stop The Clock
Contributed by Sylvester Fergusson on Nov 28, 2017 (message contributor)
Summary: There are times in our lives when there is a drastic change and we begin numbering the years from that time. So often we would hear, Oh it is five years since mother died, or two years since we were married. These are time stopping moments. In our lives t
This is top priority in war we must always be in touch with the commander general. Communication is essential if the war is to be won and the altar is the communication centre. Here is where we spend special time relating to God. In a world which is fast pace many find little time for pray. It is done in a flippant and hurried way so that the business at hand can be dealt with but we cannot operate in this vain if we are to be committed, consecrated, surrendered Christ saved Christians.
THE POEM
I knelt to pray but not for long,
I had too much to do.
I had to hurry and get to work
For bills would soon be due.
So I knelt and said a hurried prayer,
And jumped up off my knees.
My Christian duty was now done
My soul could rest at ease.
All day long I had no time
To spread a word of cheer.
No time to speak of Christ to friends,
They’d laugh at me I’d fear.
No time, no time, too much to do,
That was my constant cry,
No time to give to souls in need
But at last the time, the time to die.
I then before the Lord, I came,
I stood with downcast eyes.
For in his hands God held a book;
it was the book of life.
God looked into his book and said
"Your name I cannot find.
I once was going to write it down...
But I never found the time"
We have to stop the clock on the way we delegate our time and started it again with time allocated for altar worship.
The Jews knew the importance of worship to their success not only spiritually but physically as well. Wasn’t it Hezekiah who being surrounded and taunted by Sennacherib, opened his letter before God (2 Kings 19:14; Is. 37:14). And God delivered the Israelites from his hand. Time spent at the foot of the throne cannot be considered as time wasted but time well invested.
The Jews did not seek only to build the altar but they set about to build the temple as well Ezra 3: 10-13.
[Ezra 3:10-13]10And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of Israel. 11And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. 12But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: 13So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.
The building of the temple was for those who had not seen the first temple a source of joy but for those who knew what the first temple was like it was a source of sorrow. Brothers and sisters we cannot allow the past to rob us of the joys of the present. We have to know when to stop the clock and get a new perspective. Oldsters still had they clock ticking but God was setting a new agenda. For it was to this house the Son of God would come, thus the prophet Haggai declared: The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, Haggai 2:9.
