The LORD's Day, May 13, 2007 Happy Mother's Day!

The LORD Restores

Psalm 102.12-22

Jerusalem was in ruins. The once beautiful city became a smoldering ash heap. The temple was destroyed and the city once flowing with inhabitants lay desolate.

Jeremiah the prophet wrote Lamentations. In Lamentations 1
1 How deserted lies the city,
once so full of people
How like a widow is she,
who once was great among the nations
She who was queen among the provinces
has now become a slave.

6 All the splendor has departed
from the Daughter of Zion.
Her princes are like deer
that find no pasture;
in weakness they have fled
before the pursuer.

The people of Jerusalem had been through quite an ordeal. Similar to the people of Greensburg, Kansas this past week, their city was destroyed. Jerusalem was destroyed by an invading army. This judgement was years in the making: Solomon was warned by his father David: I Chronicles 28.5 Of all my sons—and the LORD has given me many—he has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel. 6 He said to me: 'Solomon your son is the one who will build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. 7 I will establish his kingdom forever if he is unswerving in carrying out my commands and laws, as is being done at this time.'

8 So now I charge you in the sight of all Israel and of the assembly of the LORD, and in the hearing of our God: Be careful to follow all the commands of the LORD your God, that you may possess this good land and pass it on as an inheritance to your descendants forever.

9 And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. 10 Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a temple as a sanctuary. Be strong and do the work. Solomon did complete the work on the temple but he did not listen to the words of David about his personal life. Generations later Jerusalem and this temple he built was destroyed. Guarding our hearts and lives is a work we will have to do until the end.

So that brings us to this Psalm. It was written at the end of the time of judgement when the LORD was getting ready to restore Jerusalem. It was 70 years that the nation was in Babylon. It was a difficult time for the people who remained in the vicinity of Jerusalem.

When the LORD brought the people back it was an experience that was difficult to express. The Psalmist in Psalm 126.1 When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed. 2 Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations , The LORD has done great things for them.

God brought the people back and reestablished the nation. It is a thrilling story. It is told about in Nehemiah, Ezra, the prophets and in the Psalms.

In this portion of the Psalm we read this morning we see the LORD at work in restoring the nation. As we just read they were like men who dreamed. It didn’t like it was happening. They were carried away in wonderful thoughts. They were seeing God’s Hand upon them. It was glorious.

God is the Creator and He is the “Recreator”. He makes things new. In Revelation 21:5 He who was seated on the throne said, I am making everything new Then He said, Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.

Even on earth He does this work, in our age, in our time. As He did with Jerusalem so He can with lives today. That doesn’t change the past, those returning still had to face the consequences of the sins that had been committed in generations before. But they were brought back into their country, they were in their homeland, and they had the privilege of joining in the work with God of seeing the temple restored.

The LORD loves to write final chapters. He loves to put commas where men put periods. He loves to restore souls and families and nations. That is His work.

Now it isn’t all rosy and sweet as we move toward restoration. I wrote in my journal my life’s verse this week, Psalm 16.6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.” And they have. I have been blessed beyond measure in so many ways. My fellowship with the LORD and others- visiting Eloise this week and before...wonderful Yet Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble, but be of good cheer I have overcome the world ” But we will have trouble. And there is sometimes difficulty in our very work and worship from enemies.

Daniel had them. He prayed and was arrested and thrown into the lion’s den. Yet God delivered him. But he still went through the experience of brushing with death and facing had the LORD not intervened and shut the mouths of the loins We will not be free from trouble until we are home with the LORD. But while we walk this pilgrim pathway there are some awesome things we get to see the LORD do and one of His marvelous works is restoring, rebuilding, working wonders among us.
One of the illustrations of this work of God came to Jeremiah. The LORD directed him to go down to the Potter’s house.
In Jeremiah 18. 1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD : 2 Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message. 3 So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. 5 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 6 O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does? declares the LORD. Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.

God can remake lives. He does it today.

Psalm 102.12-22

1. He is in Control -v.12

God has always been on His Throne, is now and always will be Things may seem like they have spun out of control but they are under His control. Men think too highly of themselves when they think otherwise.

It may have appeared and probably did to the inhabitants of Jerusalem when it was destroyed in 586 B.C. that God was not in control. Jeremiah and Psalm 102 sets this type of false thinking straight. God is in control. It is futile and foolish to be angry with God. Things may be falling apart around us. God reigns. Events may happen that look like this is not true but He is on His Throne in the heavens and He will be there forever. Wait for Him because...


2. Restoration Comes in His Appointed Time. v.13
It is not for you to know the dates or times the Father has set but when it comes you will know

Jerusalem was rebuilt when God decided and its rebuilding lined up with Jesus coming into the temple on Palm Sunday- dates the Father had set by His own authority. We make dates and appointments but they are nothing compared to God’s. In His Time He makes all things beautiful. He set the order of the seasons. He sets things in order in restorations. Benefits of spiritual destitution... One million dollar lotto winner this week... widow’s mite... No record of Jesus ever having money.

Wait for the LORD. Be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD

3. He will Come and Rebuild Things During Our Lifetime. v.16
He rebuilds lives.
He is the Potter. We are the clay. He can remake and reshape things.
He rebuilds homes and families.
Some things will never be back the way they were. Reality does not repeat. But He restores the human heart and He repays us for the years the locust have eaten. (Joel 2.25)
He rebuilds cities and nations. (Gulf Coast- Mission Team from Long Island Nazarene Churches this summer). Much of the relief work has been by the church.

He restores broken hearts. Hallelujah
Some things cannot be put back to the way they were. Time has brought great change and we cannot go back. But God can heal the broken hearted. He does that today. He restores my soul

4. Complete and Full Restoration is Heaven v.21-22
That is when He will make everything new

There are certain things that will not be fully restored until they get to heaven and that includes you and me We contend with the world, the flesh and the devil. The world a nd its desires are passing away. One day we will leave this body and be given a new body like Jesus’s glorified body and the tempter, the dragon, the serpent, Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire.

Emma’s words yesterday.

It won’t be long. It could easily happen any time. The war on terror has all the markings of the final war as well as originating in the place where the final war will be fought

What is the LORD saying to you in the broken places of your life these days? Look to Him for restoration and rebuilding. He is the LORD

The LORD’s Day
May 13, 2007
Mother’s Day

We Worship In Singing
We Worship In Prayer
We Worship In Hearing the Word of God
The LORD Restores Psalm 102.12-22
*Tithes and Offerings can be placed in the box at the rear of the sanctuary*
Please join us for coffee and bagels downstairs if you are visiting today.

V
This Week
Bible Reading Psalm 104-106
Monday Men’s Prayer Meeting 6:30am in the church basement
Wednesday Bible Study & Thursday Bible Study will not be held this week.
Pastor will be at District Assembly in New Jersey.
Next Lord’s Day
Morning Prayer- 10am in the church basement
Morning Worship- 10:30am(Sunday School for Children)
Spanish Service- 4pm

In Your Prayers For All of God’s People
Remember the men serving in the armed forces: Bradley, Julia Bujold’s grandson with Special Forces in Afghanistan, home on leave right now, Ken Brown, Pastor’s friend’s son on his third tour of Iraq. Please pray for the whole family. Billy Knapp, Jr. in Iraq with the Marines (neighbor of the church and Pastor- Billy’s sister graduated from Good Shepherd) One of Billy’s friends (also from the Island) was killed this week in the fighting in Iraq. Please remember that family in prayer. Matthew Klaus, brother of Good Shepherd parent in Iraq as a firefighter for Haliburton... Pray for them and the others away from their families. Praise God for keeping David Louis, Jake Morgan and Tom Hindelang safe during their times in Iraq. Christine Frankland, Katharina’s daughter continuing to recover from surgery. Please pray for Monica’s (Katrina’s granddaughter) mother-in-law, Rosemary, with breast cancer doing well. Kathy, Ziggy and Margot’s daughter-in-law, under the doctor’s care for fibromyalgia. Prasie God for their son Michael’s recovery from surgery. Pray for Eloise Brooks in Sunrise Manor undergoing rehab. She wanted to be remembered to everyone. Remember Jean Louis as both he and Eloise are on dialysis. Christopher (Uncle of Good Shepherd Grad) with leukemia. Grace Martin, Edie Raevis’ daughter, fibromyalgia. kidney stones and liver inflamation. Reginald Mooney, friend of Terri and John Garry, with a tumor in his kidney. Lisa Siler, a staff member of John’s, is expecting a baby and had three year old named Lauren with scarlet fever. She is home and doing well. Praise the LORD
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A number of nursery school families are going through difficult times. If you would like to sponsor a child presently at Good Shepherd, see Alice or call the school at 666-7503
If you would like to help with the Sunday Morning Bagel ministry see John or Terri Garry.



Notes on Our Time in the Word of God This Morning:
The LORD Restores
Psalm 102.12-22




Pastor’s messages are now available online:
http://thesundaymorningmessage.blogspot.com/
Church e-mail: bayshorenaz@rock.com
Church Phone: 631-969-1730
1314 Pine Acres Boulevard, Bay Shore, Long Island, NY 11706-5436


Whatever you do, in word or deed, do all for the glory of God