Fairfield Presbyterian Church
Connect with us
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Programs
  • Contact

BUILDING ON THE PROMISE - from Sunday, November 10, 2019

11/10/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Visionaries see the promise that many don't. Haggai sees the Temple in ruins and prophesies God's promised blessing for its reconstruction if God's people would respond faithfully. Jesus recalls the vision and authority of his mentor, John the Baptist, who announced that God's Kingdom age had come. The blessing of the promise requires vision, and then action to build upon it.

It is common for visionaries to get ridiculed for their willingness to exceed the bounds of what is obvious and expected. Reaching for new insights and sharing them with others may appear reckless or useless or even dangerous to some. But we need visionaries to build on the promise that awaits, to yield the blessing that would be for us and for many.

Haggai answers several questions that have left God's people inert before their wrecked city. Back from Babylon for about 20 years, Jerusalemites have despaired of things improving and regard themselves as weak and powerless before the huge demands of re-building the city and its once-glorious Temple.

Haggai reminds them that God will be with them, that God has done even more for them - remember the Exodus - so God has a track record, and God will provide the resources if God's people will have faith and act. From other sources, we know that they do.

Jesus has entered Jerusalem and is raising eyebrows with his teaching in the Temple. He drew a cluster of leading priest, scribes, and elders who challenge his authority to teach as he does, a message that is not in accord with the script of the elite powerful.

Jesus answers the question with a question: How do you regard John the Baptist's baptism - a blessing from God or a contrivance of human origin? Jesus takes his authority as one called to carry forward John's message of the coming Kingdom, understanding himself in the role of the Son of Man. Jesus know that he is building on the promise of God first announced by John.

The powerful leaders are put in a tough spot by Jesus' response. Their answer is pretty lame.

Building on the promise means embracing a vision for what is neither obvious nor expected. Then it requires faithful action to advance it toward completion and fulfillment. That's where the promise yields its blessing - for the faithful, actor, and for many others who also stand to be blessed.

Get the whole picture with the sermon video below.

11-10-19-sermon.mp3
File Size: 53043 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

11-10-19-ff-answers.pdf
File Size: 237 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

11-10-19-building_on_the_promise.pdf
File Size: 84 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly