Have You Hung Up Your Harp?

5-30-10

Ezra/Haggai
Lesson 1b-2a
Ezra 1-4

Well, if you missed today - you missed a 45 minute overview of the entire Bible! (LOL) I do not exaggerate, and I literally came home and crashed after lunch as I'm sure those that were there did as well. Now, why did I feel it necessary to start in Genesis and briefly walk through a timeline of the entire Bible? Because if we are going to study a historical book like Ezra, we MUST place it into the context of all of God's story. Why? Because we want to see the BIG picture of how Israel got into this mess to start with and how God, through His sovereign mercy, has never removed His hand from upon them, And most importantly, we must see that same truth for our own lives as well. I propose that if each of us drew a timeline on a piece of paper, starting with our birth to now, we would see some of the same events as we see in the history of Israel. i.e.

1. times of great victory
2. times of great defeat
3. times of immense obedience
4. times of immense disobedience
5. times of freedom
6. times of captivity
7. times of joy and singing
8. times of sadness, regret, and silence

I think you get the point, as this list could go on and on with simple comparisons. Do we ever stop and realize that the God of Israel is OUR God as well, and that this same faithful God has crossed us through the "Red Sea" and the "Jordan River's" of our lives; He has been faithful and merciful and compassionate through every step of our wilderness. It is so important for us to sit and consider our entire life, looking back at the hand of God carrying us and guiding us through our days. This is exactly what the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles did for Israel in 539 BC. If you are going to get the courage to return home and restore your life, that courage is only found in a step back look at your life, sifted through faithful fingers of love and seen through His word manifested in your life.

As a broad application, I want to encourage each of you, no matter where this course has found you in your walk upon this earth to stop and consider:

1. How did I get here - to the place I find myself today?
2. Is there anything I should have utterly destroyed that has now begun to control my life?
3. Is there a giant "talkin' smack" that should have been put away years ago?
4. Have I lost my joy and my song -" Hung up my harp"(Ps.137) - because I have found myself in captivity?

Oh dear students, we have much yet to glean and learn from this beautiful historical narrative by Ezra, a scribe and priest. He better than anyone, knew the importance of looking at the big picture as he perhaps authored 1 and 2 Chronicles along with the book that bears his name. I would like to meet Ezra in glory; he was certainly a pioneer and not a settler as he encouraged a people that needed to return home and restore their lives.

And now, here we stand on the banks of God's word as inspired through Ezra's. These very words are timeless and useful to us as well. I admonish you this day to listen to them and consider coming home. In the book of Joel, God promises to restore their joy and the years the locust have eaten. He will do the same for you, BUT... you have to do the walking! And then you can take down your harp and sing for joy as you take each step of faith toward home!

Your Job:
Repent and Return

12 The Lord announces to his people,
"Return to me with all your heart.
There is still time.
Do not eat any food.
Sob and cry."
13 Don't just tear your clothes to show how sad you are.
Let your hearts be broken.
Return to the Lord your God.
He is gracious.
He is tender and kind.
He is slow to get angry.
He is full of love.
He takes pity on you.
He won't destroy you.   Joel 2:12-13

God's Job:
Restore

"Then I will make up to you for the years That the swarming locust has eaten" Joel 2:25
"For behold, in those days and at that time, When I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem" Joel 3:1

Thank You Lord for not NEVER taking Your hand off my life. Though I have wandered away many times, You have never left nor forsaken me. Lord, I want to come home to Your loving arms. I want to restore Your temple, my heart and soul that houses Your very presence! Lord, I have lost my joy along the way, help me to take down my harp and sing again.

Lord, I realize You will be with me the entire journey, but I HAVE TO TAKE THE STEPS! We praise you for loving us enough to forgive us and allow us to come home - home to the God of again!

Thank you Lord for MERCY!

In the Name of our Abba Father,

A God of Again

5-23-10
Ezra/Haggai
Lesson 1
Ezra 1-3
"A God of Again”

You did it AGAIN – you know, that thing you said you would never do AGAIN! We seem to circle the same places over and over AGAIN! We live a life of "déjà vu" moments; sometimes it’s a smell that reminds us or maybe a place, but none the less, we remember being in this very similar situation. Yet, here we are AGAIN, crying out to our God to get us out! So too, were the children of Israel, at least the southern kingdom of Judah, that is. They found themselves cycling through the same old sins over and over AGAIN. Nevertheless, God, through His mercy, lovingkindness, patience, and compassion, had warned them to return to Him through Isaiah, Jeremiah, and several of the minor prophets. The southern kingdom had an extra one hundred years to repent, yet even after seeing their northern cousins dragged away to a foreign land, they still continued to repeat the same old AGAINS. Nonetheless, God never turned His back on His people, but because He loved them and had promised them the blessings and the cursings in Deuteronomy, He had to judge them. But even in His discipline, He showed mercy by promising them it would be over in 70 years, allowing the land a Sabbath rest from their many years of idolatrous pollution. The land needed REST and the people needed a God of AGAIN!

I don’t know about you, but I, like Israel, also need a God of AGAIN! We sometimes call Him a God of second chances, but I dare to say I need a God of a hundred chances, for I seemingly find myself in a state of failure over and over AGAIN. Needless to say, this was also Israel’s plight, and our "AGAIN" God sought them out and did what He said He would do – He brought them home and forgave them AGAIN! This is what I call amazing grace in full throttle action. I did a Bible search on the word “again” and I was overwhelmed at the number of times it is used in the context of God promising to forgive and restore His people AGAIN. Below is a mere smidgen of the verses stating how God promises to restore and forgive His people AGAIN:

Psa 126:1
When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.

Psa 126:6
He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves [with him].

Isa 29:14
Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; And the wisdom of their wise men will perish, And the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed."

Isa 37:31
"The surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward

Isa 44:26
Confirming the word of His servant And performing the purpose of His messengers. {It is I} who says of Jerusalem, 'She shall be inhabited!' And of the cities of Judah, 'They shall be built.' And I will raise up her ruins again

Jer 12:15
"And it will come about that after I have uprooted them, I will again have compassion on them; and I will bring them back, each one to his inheritance and each one to his land

Jer 24:6
'For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them again to this land; and I will build them up and not overthrow them, and I will plant them and not pluck them up.

Mic 7:19
He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, You will cast all their sins Into the depths of the sea.

Zec 1:17
"Again, proclaim, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "My cities will again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.'""

Our lesson was filled with applications, NOT spiritualizations. We can apply these same truths to our lives because we are also His people. As New Testament believers, we too are in covenant with God through the blood of Christ, our propitiations (satisfaction) in God's eyes that the price had been paid for our debt. God has also promised us that we now have an advocate with the Father when we sin that intercedes on our behalf. We are a priesthood of believers, no Urim or Thummin needed, for we have the Holy Spirit within our breastplate of righteousness that God sent to indwell us, guide us into all truth, comfort us, teach us, and help us to discern the will of God in our lives. I have listed other page to the pavement apps below for you do REST in when you find yourself in the AGAINS of your life:

Lesson One Ezra 1-3 Applications

1. God is omniscient (all-knowing) Over one hundred years before King Cyrus of Persia was born, God named him and stated through Isaiah the prophet that Cyrus would be His appointed shepherd that would free Israel and declare the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple. (Is. 44-45)

2. God stirs the spirit of men to do His will, both those who know Him and those that do not. He is sovereign over kings and kingdoms AND your enemies! (Pr. 21:1 - "The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes."

3. Has God stirred your spirit lately? To do what? Do you support and encourage others as they strive to follow God’s leading? (Ezra 2)

4. God is a promise keeper. He promised through Jeremiah, the prophet, that He would restore the exiles, rebuild Jerusalem, and His house. He also promised that He would punish their captors. He brought Persia against Babylon at the end of the 70 year captivity.(Jer. 25&29)

5. God means what He says- both the blessings and the cursings. (Dt. 28-30)

6. He is patient, longsuffering, and companionate toward His people. He warned Israel over and over to return to Him. (all of the pre-exilic prophets)

7. Have you, like some of the Jews, lost your “ancestral records” proving your bloodline to Jesus? You do have the proof, the Holy Spirit within you bears witness with your spirit that you are a child of God. You are an adopted heir and joint heir with Jesus Christ. He is your great High Priest and you too are a Kingdom of priests, eligible and called to minister to a world that needs reconciliation. *Roms. 8:15-18 "For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, with Him."

8. There can be no worship without an altar. Before you build a temple, you must build the altar that sits within the only doorway. There can be no worship before a holy God without first cleansing and sanctification through sacrifice. The burnt offering is a complete, totally consumed LIVING sacrifice that was tied to the four horns of the altar.(Lev. 1) You too are to present your body as a living sacrifice before the Lord which is your spiritual act of worship. (Rom. 12:1-2)

9. Jesus became our burnt offering – totally consumed – He put on our fleshly skin so that we could wear His spiritual skin. His skin is our atonement – NO MORE SHAME! (Lev. 1)

10. Is God calling you to go home and restore the ruins of your life? Do you need to forgive someone? Do you need your hope restored? Do you need a purpose in life? He will restore the years the locusts have eaten! (Joel 2:25)

11. YOU COUNT – YOU HAVE A PURPOSE – YOU ARE IN THE FAMILY – YOU ARE A PRIEST! (1Pet. 2:9)

12. Have you "hung up your harp?" (Ps 137) Are you in captivity - you have lost your joy and your songs? Remember, He is a God of again. (Ps 126) And He will do great things for you as He did for Israel! BUT........you have to GET UP AND DECIDE TO RETURN HOME! Yes - it is a mess! But you can be restored - one stone at a time while you SING, SING, SING! Need some help? Let other's support you as Israel did as they joined together to do the work!

13. S0----ARISE AND LET’S GO UP AND REBUILD OUR TEMPLES AND THE RUINS OF OUR LIVES! (Ezra 1)

As I close, I recently watched and listened as a broken man, Tiger Woods, apologized to his family, friends, and a nation for his recent unfaithful indiscretions. He explained that he kept finding himself in that same old place of AGAIN. Comparatively, as we look back at the nation of Israel, how fitting to see a real life example of the troubles of going down a road called AGAIN. Like Israel, Tiger wants to go home and rebuild his ruins. I am sad to report that he openly stated that he is a Buddhist, and consequently, does not know the forgiving Savior that we know. Oh, how we should pray that God would stir Tiger's heart like he did that of King Cyrus causing Tiger to know that it is the God of heaven and earth that has given him his abilities and all the things of this earth. Oh, how ugly are the results of the destination called AGAIN. Yet, that is why we so desperately need the God of Again.


Thank You Lord for not only being the contractor of new construction, but also of re-model jobs where we have made the utmost mess of our lives. We praise you for loving us enough to forgive us and allow us to come home - home to the God of again!

Thank you Lord for AMAZING GRACE!

In the Name of the Lord Jesus, our burnt offering,

Welcome to My Bucket Blog!

Hello Everyone:

Welcome to my Bucket Blog and Precept class information page.  I hope this will serve our purposes for both classes and for my friends and colleagues throughout. 

Each Precept lesson's review letter will be posted by course and lesson number.  You will just have to go to those criteria to find the letter.  Also, each class as a header link that brings you to info just for your class.  The most recent letter review will always be at the center of the page under the HOME link.

Only two letters are in the archives.  I am not planning to go back and post ALL of the old letters, but I AM planning to post the Ezra letters as I teach those to the Sunday Class in May and June.

Announcements for both classes are also along the left side of the page.

A great feature for this page will be the fact that you all can post comments about:   the lesson, my letter, insights into what God is teaching you, prayer requests, questions about the homework, etc.  Not only can I respond, so can others in the class!

Now - in order to post comments - you can just scroll down to the end of the text and click on POST A COMMENT. You can post anonymously, but I would love for those of you that can to sign up as a follower so I will know who you are.  Simply follow the instructions to the right of this segment called FOLLOWERS to establish your blogger user name and password.  You will be a member of my site, and if you wish, you can also download a picture of yourself got your blogger window. (See mine as an example) Hold the cursor over the headshots, and the person's name appears.  Each time you want to post, you will sign in using your name and password.

Looking forward to using this new arena of communication with you all.

Blessed be the Name of Jesus,

Moving On!

Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed
Lesson Six

Dear Thursday Class:

Wow, what a day! We completed the Deeper Still course, had lunch, and watched a bonus DVD to complete a great year of Bible Study. We finished well! Our prayer team prayed throughout this course and this year's studies that each one of you would receive a "rhema" word, a specific word from the Lord that you can apply to your life. Bible Study is NOT about information - it's about TRANSFORMATION. This transformation should lead us all to a closer and more holy walk with God - SANCTIFICATION.

As we discussed in class, this maturing is difficult because the flesh screams out and demands what it sees, hears, and touches. Like King David, when we arrive at the top, we are most vulnerable to the seductions of the world. Chuck Swindoll said it best in his biography of David: ( p. 141, "A Man of Passion and Destiny: David")

3 Lasting Lessons Learned at David's Expense

1. Prosperity and ease are perilous times, not merely blessings.

2. Gross sin is a culmination of a process, not a sudden act.

3. Confession and repentance help heal a wound, but they will never erase all of the scars.

So, with hindsight, let's look at King David's life. What would you say were the highlights of his life? Perhaps the slaying of Goliath? Or maybe becoming king over Israel? Or his vast military accomplishments? I would also have to mention becoming the father of the wisest king of all times - Solomon, and also, the purchase of the land and the preparation of the greatest temple of all times. Yet, do we realize that both of the accolades came out of situations of sin and failure from David's life? God can take our messed up and sinful situations and make masterpieces when we hit the dirt with repentant hearts and lay ourselves at his feet. Look at this precious verse below recorded toward the end of David's life:1 Kings 1:48 –David is speaking

The king has also said thus, Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who has granted one to sit on my throne today while my own eyes see it.”


David, who had really messed up – once with Bathsheba ( 2 Sam 11) and another major time in ( 2 Sam 28) when he took a census of the people and God had told him not to, was at the end of his life having the privilege of seeing his son, Solomon, fulfill God’s plan for his life. What an awesome way to finish – being allowed the opportunity to see your child fulfill God’s plan for their life.

But the best is yet for you to be aware of – David – a liar, adulterer, manipulator, murderer, a transgressor of what God had explicitly told him not to do - finishes well. David repented and is known for having a heart that chased God. So, let’s look at what God has done “asah” ( to make something out of what is already there – see Ps 126) with David’s mess. Think with me, who is Solomon’s mother? Bathsheba. What did David have to do as a result of his disobedient counting in 2 Sam 28? – He had to go to the threshing floor of Araunah and buy it to offer a sacrifice to God to stop the plague that had come upon the people. What is the significance of this property? It is the site of where Solomon would build the temple.(2 Chr 3:1)

WOW! God took David’s two Big Failures and made good come out of them. Listen, that is what He will do for you too. Give Him your burdens and cares. And better yet, give Him your mess. Seek His wisdom. A side note in my inductive study bible says this: "To have knowledge is to have information about something. To have wisdom is to have the ability to apply knowledge to daily life." That is what God's wisdom from above is - a capacity to discern and judge.

Listen, I am an ordinary messed up gal that God has chosen to use despite both my ADD and my sinful strong willed messes:

I have been arrested

I have dried my cat in the dryer

I have gotten into the back seat before when there was no one else there to drive

I have had 2 wrecks within 30 minutes

I have worn 2 different colored shoes on several occasions.

I have worn clothes inside out without knowing it until I got home.

I have been hurt so deeply that I have curled up into a corner of my house.

I have tasted the sting of death and survived it.

I have broken someone's heart because I would not face the truth.

I have walked away from God's best and ended up in my own "Chapter 11's."

I am no different than King David - my messes had consequences,

BUT GOD... yes, Mary Alice, I agree, these are two of the greatest words of the Bible - But God has time and time again made masterpieces out of my messes! Though I must live with the consequences of those actions, I can know that one day as I stand before the Father, He will not see nor recall my sin, for it is as far as the east is to the west. What He will though look at is what did I do with the giftings and abilities that He gave me. How did I steward over them and use them for the Kingdom of God? The question is, "Have we moved on past the messes of our lives? Are we striving to finish well or are we still dealing with the same old sin over and over again? David moved on! Matt's sermon speaks about this moving on we must do if we are truly mature in Christ.

Here are the notes from Matt Chandler's sermon on May 2, 2010: Stewards of Mystery http://northway.thevillagechurch.net/sermons

These are my paraphrased notes: (Colossians 1:24-28)

Paul is a steward of the mystery - which is Christ in us, the hope of glory. Paul knows it is NOT about us working on ourselves, cleaning up our act and pit - we must move on past our sin, receive the grace, moving on and becoming a steward of that grace. We have a responsibility to help disciple others as we go through our everyday lives.

1. Christianity is NOT about being consumed with our own sin and its clean up.

2. Christianity is NOT just about a destination. We were saved to go forth and proclaim the gospel.

3. Christianity is NOT about a certain group of people. Abraham was from Iraq, Ur of the Chaldea's. The Jews and the messianic line have several Gentiles within it. The Gentiles were fully grafted in with the birth of the church in Acts. It is Not about a certain people group.

4. Christianity is NOT about a certain place. God is no longer in a box or on a certain piece of ground. He is ever present within us. Holiness is NOT geographical. It is Christ in you - the hope of glory.


Matt said we have sugar-coated the WORD; got them saved, cute, and coming, but there is nothing there that truly satisfies or matures these new believers. We draw them in saying "Jesus is cool, He's one of us!" We are cool, but we are NOT holy.

Christianity IS about Holiness lived out in Maturing Believers as they go about their everyday lives, proclaiming the gospel, warning others of God's justice, but also giving His grace, and declaring and supporting the teachings of Christ.

Now, as we go this summer, may we move forward, and be holy as He is Holy, proclaiming Him to an unholy world, living out our faith before them. Please pray for Matt and keep up with his health at: http://fm.thevillagechurch.net/blog/pastors/


In The Redeemer's Name, Yeshua,