Sermon Details
- Pastor Name: Jonathan Cornell
- Date & Time: May 25, 2014 | 10:00am
This morning, you may have noticed we are doing things a little differently. Never fear, it is only for a week. But on this Memorial Day Weekend, where all around our nation we will celebrate with BBQs and parades, honoring the men and women who lead this nation in the face of danger and the threat of freedom, I think it only fitting that we look at what happens when freedom, liberty, and obedience are threatened. Historians say that it is precisely when freedom is no longer cherished, when we forget what got us here, that our the future is in the greatest jeopardy. And as a church that moves through the ages with a message that is 2000 years old, we ought to pay particular attention to what it is that gives us our unique place in the world.
And it just so happens at a pivotal time in Israel’s life, they too lost their way. Coincidentally, the part of scripture we’re covering in today’s message, exile and restoration, also happens to fall in line with the section we’re covering this week in our Inspired message series. Don’t you just love when a plan falls into place?
So here’s what’s going to happen in the next 40 minutes: I am going to reflect briefly on three occasions, and in between each, there will be more special music led by our choir. Then at the conclusion of the message, we will take time to recognize and show our thanks for all who have led our nation in the appreciation and preservation of liberty.
But before we begin, will you join me in prayer?
The City of Jerusalem, or as it is sometimes referred to as Mt. Zion, was the seat of God’s Kingdom on Earth. But in the decades after a Renaissance period of King David and his son Solomon, the kingdoms of Israel and Judah went through a long slow decline. As is the case so often in our lives, prosperity and safety led to complacency. It’s easy to remember God when the walls are closing in; it’s an entirely different thing when things are safe and we feel like we’re on easy street. And so they gradually forgot the story, and singular devotion turned to pluralistic experimentation with all the other god options out there. The result was that their hearts and their minds were led far from Yahweh and they adopted a sort of a-la-carte spirituality – a little dab of this, a pinch of that. Soon Yahweh is all but lost to the people.
Download the entire transcript here: Restored Rebuilt Renewed
