The name of Jesus is so sweet.
I love its music to repeat.
It makes my joys full and complete.
The precious name of Jesus.
Jesus, oh how sweet the name.
Jesus, every day the same.
Jesus, let all saints proclaim his worthy
praise forever.
Whose heart and veins apart, who
bids all anxious fears depart, of
Jesus.
That name I fondly love to hear.
It never fails my heart to cheer.
Its music dries the falling tear.
Exalt the name of Jesus.
Oh how sweet the name.
Jesus, every day the same.
Jesus, let all saints proclaim his worthy
praise forever.
No word of man can ever tell how
sweet the name I love so well.
Oh let its praises ever swell.
Oh praise the name of Jesus.
Jesus, oh how sweet the name.
Jesus, every day the same.
Jesus, let all saints proclaim his worthy
praise forever.
Jesus, let all saints proclaim his worthy praise
forever.
This morning as we look to Ecclesiastes chapter
5, we are going to see a little
bit of a transition in a sense in
what Solomon has to share.
In these first verses of chapter 5, he
is not so much dwelling on life under
the sun as vanity, as he is of
giving some very important information concerning when we
come into the house of the Lord.
And so the title of the message is
grave warnings.
And there are some very serious warnings that
are presented to us in these seven verses
that we're going to be looking at.
The statement we have heard many times that
familiarity brings contempt or breeds contempt.
And one of the things that we need
to be very, very careful about as believers
is that we never allow that to begin
to become our way when we come into
the house of God.
It is a very serious thing to come
to God's house and to have fellowship with
him as well as to have fellowship with
one another.
And one of the challenges that I think
we ongoingly face is that kind of a
balancing act between the sweet fellowship that has
love and a certain degree of levity between
brothers and sisters in Christ and then moving
into the realm where we kind of move
away from the sacredness of the hour and
the sacredness of whose presence it is that
we're coming into.
And so this morning, I pray that God
would help me to communicate a balance for
us.
And I pray that we might, as a
fellowship, ongoingly have a balance that is honoring
to God as well as building up the
unity and the fellowship that we have with
one another.
In verse one, as we look at that
verse, it says, Keep thy foot when thou
goest to the house of God.
And be more ready to hear than to
give the sacrifice of fools, for they consider
not that they do evil.
What we're looking at is how important it
is when we go into the house of
the Lord to to listen very intently and
to pay attention to what he might have
to say to us that particular day.
Go with me, if you would, to the
book of Hebrews.
And in Hebrews, we come to a very
familiar passage that we've spoken about and you've
heard many times in Hebrews, chapter 10, verse
19.
And in this very verse, you will see
presented something that can be identified as the
important balance that we are to recognize in
our relationship with the Lord.
Verse 19 says, Having therefore, brethren, boldness to
enter into the holy, holiest by the blood
of Jesus, by a new and living way,
which he has consecrated for us through the
veil, that is to say, is flesh.
And having an high priest over the house
of God, let us draw near with a
true heart and full assurance of faith, having
a heart sprinkled from an evil conscience and
our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold fast the profession of our
faith without wavering, for he is faithful at
promise.
And let us consider one another to provoke
and to love and to good works, not
forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the
manner of some is, but exhorting one another.
And so much the more as you see
the day approaching.
Now, it says here in this passage that
because of the finished work of Christ, we
can come boldly to the throne of grace.
And I praise God that we can come
boldly to the throne of grace today.
We can know that a way has been
made that we can bring our petitions before
the Lord.
We are not as those who who tremble
that there is no satisfaction before God, that
we must all through our life tremble and
doubt and fear whether we could ever approach
unto a holy God.
Christ has made the way where we might
come boldly.
But friends, that is different than coming arrogantly
or flippantly or lightly into his presence.
We need to understand that difference.
And also, we are commanded this passage not
to forsake the assembling of ourselves together as
a manner of some is, but where to
encourage and exhort one another.
So there's that that challenge that is a
command, as it were.
Don't forsake the assembly of yourself.
Get to church.
Don't lay out.
But pastor, it's Super Bowl.
Don't lay out.
Yeah.
Get together.
And when you come together, there is that
process of exhorting and encouraging one another.
And exhortation includes not only I love you.
I'm glad to see you.
I appreciate you.
I see what God's doing in your life.
But it can also include a challenge along
the way that I see them slipping in
your life.
And I need to call you back.
And we talked about this a bit in
Sunday school.
If we see a brother overtaken in a
fall, where do we store such in one?
You know, when we this has been an
ongoing thing now for all these years that
I've been preaching it.
It's that.
And Brother Bruce, I know you'll say an
amen to this.
That's a clue that he's supposed to do
that.
You get that?
But here's the interesting thing.
Somebody is missing from church.
And so you call them up.
And one that you call up will say,
what they doing?
Keep and roll down there.
I can't even miss one Sunday without them
checking to see what's going on.
So you don't call them.
And then you get this response.
Nobody cares.
If they cared, they'd call me.
But I haven't heard a thing.
So they don't even know I exist.
So there's that ongoing challenge that we have
between those two.
But we need to follow the leading of
the Lord and try to encourage one another
and draw together.
And we're told as we look at this
passage in Ecclesiastes, that when we come into
the presence of the Lord, we're to be
ready to hear, to listen.
And the hearing is a message from God.
The message of God that comes can come
to us through the reading of Scripture, through
the singing of a song, through the preaching,
through hearing someone else's heart in tune with
God in prayer.
It can come in any number of different
ways.
And there in Hebrews chapter 4, we're told
that the word of God is quick and
powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing even to the dividing of thunder, the
joints and marrow and the thoughts and tense
of the heart.
Man is naked and open before the God
with whom we have to do.
Coming into the presence of God brings us
into the presence of his word.
And hearing his word is supposed to make
a change or have an impact within our
life.
And Solomon, I think, is talking about that
pretty forcefully when he is saying, be careful.
And he says that when you come, you
are more ready to hear than to offer
the sacrifice of fools, for they consider not
that they do evil.
What would be the sacrifice of fools?
Going through the pretense of worshiping God when
you're somewhere else.
I'm here.
I know I got to be here.
So the sacrifice of the fool is OK.
I put my offering in.
I sang the song and I can't wait
for it to be over and I'm going
home.
Coming into the presence of God means that
as we come into the presence of God,
we recognize in the house of the Lord
that we are coming into his presence.
In Exodus chapter three and verse five, you
recall Moses at the burning bush.
And those very, very powerful words.
God speaking to Moses as he saw that
Moses drew near to see that bush that
was aflame but not consumed.
The Lord spoke to him and said, draw
not nigh hither.
Put off thy shoes from off thy feet.
But we're on the outstanding is holy ground
in the book of Joshua.
Chapter five, verse 13 through 15.
I'm going to paraphrase that.
But there we find that Joshua has come
across the Jordan.
They're in the process of getting ready to
go against Jericho.
And Joshua, all of a sudden, sees a
man armed for battle.
And he comes before this one and says,
are you on our side or their side?
And the answer was a rather surprising thing
to him.
It's not what side I'm on.
I'm here to run this thing.
And the Lord spoke to Joshua and told
him to take your shoes off.
You're standing on holy ground.
Friends, when we come into the house of
the Lord, we need to understand we're coming
into his presence.
We're coming into the presence of the Lord
to hear from the Lord.
And if we're not ready to hear, then
we were going to miss out on some
very important things that God wants to say
to us.
In Proverbs 15, verse 8.
It says the sacrifice of the wicked is
an abomination to the Lord.
But the prayer of the upright is his
delight.
Proverbs 21, 27.
The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination.
We just heard that.
But how much more when he bringeth it
with a wicked mind.
I'm here.
I'm doing it.
But with a wicked mind.
And when we talk about giving offerings, tithes
and offerings.
The encouragement that we have that Paul writes
is God loves what kind of a giver?
A cheerful, a hilarious giver.
Not a reluctant, stingy kind of a giver.
But one that is a hilarious giver.
Because he knows that everything he has came
from God.
And he has this opportunity not only to
give back to God.
But to be a part of what work
God will do through those resources.
And that's why you can get excited about
it.
Now turn with me if you would in
your Bibles to the book of Isaiah.
And what we find in Isaiah chapter 1.
Is a heavy, heavy thing.
It is God speaking to his people.
Beginning in verse 10 it says.
Hear the word of the Lord.
Same counsel that Solomon is giving.
Ye rulers of Sodom.
He is likening his own people to Sodom
and Gomorrah.
Give ear unto the law of our God
you people of Gomorrah.
To what purpose is the multitude of your
sacrifices unto me?
I am full of the burnt offerings of
rams.
And the fat of fed beasts.
And I delight not in the blood of
bullocks.
Or of lambs or of he-goats.
When you come to appear before me.
Who has required this at your hand to
tread my courts?
Bring no more vain or empty oblations.
Incense is an abomination unto me.
The new moons and the Sabbath.
The calling of assembly.
I cannot away with.
I can't put up with it.
It is iniquity.
Even the solemn meeting.
Your new moons and your appointed feasts.
My soul hated.
They are a trouble unto me.
I am weary to bear them.
And when you spread forth your hands.
Supposedly as an act of worship.
I will hide my eyes from you.
Yea when you make many prayers.
I will not hear.
Your hands are full of blood.
Wash you.
Make you clean.
Put away the evil of your doings.
From before mine eyes.
Cease to do evil.
Learn to do well.
Seek judgment.
Relieve the oppressed.
Judge the fatherless.
Plead for the widow.
Verse 18.
We are quite familiar.
We have heard that used many times.
It is God's offer of grace.
Come now and let us reason together.
Saith the Lord.
Though your sins be as scarlet.
They shall be as white as snow.
Though they be red like crimson.
They shall be as wool.
If you be willing and obedient.
You shall eat the good of the land.
But if you refuse and rebel.
You shall be devoured with the sword.
For the mouth of the Lord.
Has spoken it.
Now what is curious about this.
As we read through.
Each of the assigned.
Times and dates and circumstances.
That would typically bring them in.
Presumably to worship.
And bring their sacrifices.
And offerings.
Those were all instructed in Levitical law.
And now God is saying.
I can't stand it.
What's the problem.
The problem is the heart of the people.
As they came.
They're going through the motions.
The heart.
Is far away.
From God.
Their actions were methodical.
But their heart.
Was far away.
And God is saying.
Are not interested in.
When writing.
Time to shape up.
Look with me next.
If you were to the book of Malachi.
As we look to.
Malakai chapter one.
Here we're looking at a very very.
Curious situation.
Because the children of Israel.
Judah had been in Babylon.
on for seventy years.
God marvelously brought them back.
You remember the reconstruction that went on the
rebuilding of the wall the rebuilding of the
temple the reinstituting the Passover and celebration and
revival of the people under Israel and Nehemiah.
All of those things have been going on
and and now we're just a very short
time removed from that.
And listen to what it says in Malachi
one and verse six a son on earth
his father and a servant his master.
If then I be a father where is
mine honor.
If I be a master where is my
fear said the Lord of hosts and do
you.
Oh priests that despise my name.
And you say we're in and we despise
thy name.
Answer you polluted bread upon mine altar and
you say we're in have we polluted thee.
In that you say the table of the
Lord is contemptible.
Now were they saying those exact words.
Or was it in fact.
Their overall attitude as they went through the
motions that shouted out that it's contemptible.
And if you offered the blind for sacrifices
that not evil.
And if you offer the lame and the
sick is it not evil.
Offer it now to the governor.
Will he be pleased with thee or accept
thy person said the Lord of hosts.
And now I pray you beseech God that
he will be gracious unto us.
That this has been by your means.
This has been by your means.
Will he regard your person said the Lord
of hosts.
Who is there even among you that would
shut the doors for nothing or for not.
Neither do you kindle fire on mine altar
for nothing or for not.
I have no pleasure in you said the
Lord of hosts.
Neither will I accept an offering at your
hand.
Or from the rising of the sun even
to the going down to the same.
My name shall be great among the Gentiles.
And in every place incense shall be offered
into my name.
And a pure offering for my name should
be great among the heathens said the Lord
of hosts.
But you have profaned it in that you
say the table of the Lord is polluted
and the fruit thereof.
Even his meat is contemptible.
You said also behold what a weariness it
is.
And you have snuffed it it said the
Lord of hosts.
And you brought that which was torn and
lame and sick.
Thus you brought an offering should I accept
this of your hand said the Lord.
But curse it be the deceiver which has
in his flock a male and valid and
sacrifice unto the Lord a corrupt thing.
For I am a great king said the
Lord of hosts.
And my name is dreadful among the Gentiles.
the heathens if I am God God says
where is my honor what's the answer to
the question in Jesus name at the beginning
of his ministry and at the end of
the ministry he went into the temple what
did he do on those two occasions he
scourged the people that were doing business in
the temple he says my father's house is
to be a house of prayer and what
you made it a den of thieves okay
so as we look at what's happening here
in Malachi four hundred years later what's the
new cycle it's the same old cycle and
what we need to recognize is the challenge
before us is that we do not become
so seeker sensitive that we begin to say
that we need to cause the church to
not look like a church sound like a
church act like a church because we want
everybody to be comfortable so we can fill
up all the pews friends no thousand times
no you know it's interesting as I thought
about this that scripture does give record of
this and I'm just going to allude to
that in numbers three and verse four we
find that Aaron's son Nadab in a bayou
offered strange fire and what happened God killed
him God whacked him the sons of Eli
the priest half night and Phineas they were
defiling the temple how they were bullying the
people when the people brought in sacrifices and
taking the choice meat for themselves furthermore those
two were lying with women carnally and what
happened to half nine Phineas went out to
battle with the Philistines and God killed them
bang right out there on the battlefield and
when the news came back that those two
were dead and that the Ark of the
Covenant been taken by the Philistines Eli fell
over broke his neck and died and God
was an already announced to Eli his neglect
of doing discipline to his children because they
were dishonoring the house of God and he
was not doing anything about it King Uzziah
defiled the temple by going in as a
king unauthorized he took incense into the temple
and he burst out with leprosy all over
his body and had it till he died
and they took him out of the temple
and took him off the throne because of
that so as we look at the challenge
for us keeping our foot when we go
into the house of Lord be more ready
to hear them to give the sacrifice of
food it is a serious thing for us
to come into the presence of the Lord
here in church and also at home verse
two be not rash with thy mouth and
let not thine heart be hasty to utter
anything before God for God is in heaven
and now upon earth therefore let thy words
be few being careful what we say before
God is very very significant.
We're going to get to vows in just
a little bit and that's a significant issue
as well but also being very sensitive what
am I saying in the presence of the
Lord.
How am I regarding the holiness of God
name were commanded obviously not to take the
name of the Lord our God in vain
but there's still many ways that we can
just casually dishonor God or his word by
what we say and by how we say
it in Proverbs chapter ten verse nineteen it
says in the multitude of words there one
that there lack of not sin but he
that refrain that his lips is wise Proverbs
also has another one that is very important
it says it's better it's better to keep
your mouth shut than to open it up
and prove that you're a fool and that's
a good challenge for us in Psalm thirty
four verse thirteen the message is keep thy
tongue from evil and I lips from speaking
guile that's a call to holiness before the
Lord the New Testament has a book of
wisdom and that book of wisdom is the
book of James turn with me if you
would to do the book of James and
chapter three let me just say this up
front we read this portion any time that
you start thinking I have really been doing
good lately read this passage of Scripture it'll
take you right back to where you have
room to grow and I include myself in
that verse one my brethren be not many
masters knowing that we shall receive the greater
condemnation for in many things we offend all
if any man offend offend not in word
the same is a perfect man and able
also to bridle a whole body may ask
you a question have any of you in
this last week perhaps offended by word I'm
not perfect I've done it OK so when
you begin to think I've got it made
then just review this passage a little bit
and you'll begin to humble yourself and say
God I need help verse three behold we
put bits in the horse's mouth that they
may obey us and we turn we turn
about the whole body that's not big enough
illustration and take a ship behold also the
ships with though they be so great and
are driven of fierce winds yet are they
turned about with a very small helm whether
so ever the governor listed even so the
tongue is a little member and boast of
great things behold how great a matter a
little fire kindling and the tongue is a
fire a world of iniquity so is the
tongue among our members that it be file
at the whole body and set it on
fire the course of nature it is set
on fire of hell for every kind of
beast and of birds and of serpents and
of things in the sea is tame and
have been tamed to mankind but the tongue
can no man came it is an unruly
evil full of deadly poison there with bless
we God even the father and there with
curse we men which are made after the
similitude of God out of the same mouth
proceeded blessing and cursing my brethren these things
are not so to be that the fountains
send forth at the same place sweet water
and bitter can the big tree my brethren
bear olive berries either a vine figs so
and no fountain both yield salt water and
fresh so the challenge for us is that
therefore we need to be careful when we
come into the house of the Lord but
we also need to be careful wherever it
is what we say whether it is honoring
to God whether it is honoring the demand
and whether it ultimately is productive for the
purpose of edification of others verse three for
a dream cometh through the multitude of business
and a fool's voice is known by multitude
of words verse seven for in the multitude
of dreams and many words there are also
diverse vanity but fear thou God I've rephrased
that in your bulletin there on the outline
idle daydreaming and imagination not based on scripture
and the leading of the spirit can turn
into foolish chatter passed off as spirituality a
warning now there is something that I want
to connect with that some of you have
heard me say this maybe there's a few
that have not there is a group now
called the emergent church I mean you've heard
that name the emergent church a man who
was theoretically a solid Bible believing kind of
preacher stemmed off twisted off on one side
and come up with this announcement that you
know no one can really know what the
Bible really say the best we can do
is just gather together and dialogue about the
Bible so we'll sit down and you tell
me what you think it might say and
I'll say what I think it might say
it and neither one of us has to
be right or wrong we just need to
dialogue about it let me ask you a
question where does that go what does that
produce how is that going to edify and
build up and direct a non-believer for
one but a new baby believer on the
other side how is that going to give
them a solid foundation when the word clearly
says every word of God is God breed
and it's profitable for what doctrine we prove
correction instruction and righteousness that the man of
God might be perfect thoroughly furnished unto all
good work so to say no man can
know is also to say no man can
know any of those four things in their
life so what chaos obviously is that going
to produce along the way turn with me
if you would for a second of the
book of Nehemiah and as we look at
Nehemiah picking up in verse five chapter eight
verse five Ezra opened the book in the
sight of all the people for he was
above all the people and when he opened
it all the people stood up and Ezra
blessed the Lord the great God and all
the people answered a man a man with
lifting up their hand and they bowed their
heads and worship the Lord with their faces
to the ground then what follows is a
list of those who were co-teachers as
it were workers with Ezra and it says
they cause the people to understand the law
and the people stood in their place so
they read in the book in the law
of God distinctly and gave the sense and
cause them to understand the reading so rather
than just idle chatter and just you know
empty discussion and debate how much better to
go to the Word of God and find
out what God says about it act seventeen
twenty one Paul's there at Mars Hill and
says for all the Athenians and strangers which
were there spent their time in nothing else
but either to tell or hear some new
thing and friends if that's all church is
just to tell and hear some new thing
that's not solid Bible then you're inviting trouble
first Timothy five thirteen with all day and
this is referring to unwed widows with all
they done with widows learn to be idle
wandering about from house to house and not
only idle but toddlers also and busybody speaking
things which they are not in the context
here excuse me the context here is this
there was the question within the church what
to do about the widows of men in
the church and the discussion was how are
they to be provided for how are they
going to be taken care of along the
way and the answer was is first the
responsibility of the family and if the family
neglects and it becomes or there's no one
available then it's responsibility of the church to
to pick up and to aid in that
situation but then it goes through with a
qualification of what must be reflected in this
widow's life and what's reflected is that she
must number one fear God she must have
demonstrated a servant's heart and she must be
ready to go on serving God and if
she's not committed to that then the church
would not take her in and provide for
and it says unfortunately if they do or
do not really have a sold out heart
to God then this is what they become
they just are busy wandering around from house
to house tattlers busy bodies gossips speaking about
things which they ought not second Thessalonians 311
where we hear that there are some which
walk among you disorderly working not at all
but are busy bodies let me clarify something
second Thessalonians has a good deal to talk
about in regard to the second coming of
Christ particularly chapter two OK now I am
all in if somebody wants to talk about
in times thing I believe that's important I
think that's valuable but I also think of
something else that is reflected here what was
happening among the Thessalonians where there were some
of these people that were saying Jesus is
coming soon and so we're not going to
go back to work because he's going to
be here tomorrow and so they set out
and they did absolutely nothing and that is
very clearly rebuked in the process in Titus
chapter three in verse nine we again are
instructed how to deal with those that only
want to be busy talking about their dreams
or imaginations says but avoid foolish questions and
genealogies and contentions and strivings about the law
for they are unprofitable and vain a man
that is an heretic after the first and
second admonition reject knowing that he that is
such as subverted and sin of being condemned
of himself heavy stuff but important to get
a hold of come back with me to
Ecclesiastes chapter five and we're exposed here to
this sacredness of a bow in the times
that we are living one of the sad
but true things is no longer is it
like it was with many of our great
-grandparents where a man's word was his what
bond if you shook on it that settled
it what are we now well so you
better get a contract you better have a
lawyer you better get a check by another
lawyer okay so you have an iron clad
contract and then what somebody else gets a
lawyer and those contracts it seems so many
times are made to be broken even though
they sound so official my grandpa Jones was
a little cynical way back when he said
you know what the problem is he says
the problem is we've got lawyers in Congress
we ought not to have one lawyer in
the United States Congress he says here's why
they go up there and pass laws so
that they'll have job security when they're long
no longer in Congress and they write him
so that whichever side they take in an
issue they can still have a battle and
I'm not sure but what is that way
or worse now than it was back there
forty years plus ago but when we come
to this subject about a vow we need
to realize that whether you call it a
vow a pledge an oath or a promise
it's all the same thing numbers chapter 30
in verse 2 says if a man vow
a vow unto the Lord or swear a
vow to oath to bind his soul with
a bond he shall not break his word
he shall do according to all that proceeded
out of his mouth Deuteronomy chapter 23 verse
21 when thou shalt vow a vow unto
the Lord thy God they'll show not slack
to pay it for the Lord thy God
will surely require it of thee and it
would be seen in the but if thou
shall forbear to bow it shall be no
sin in the and that which is gone
out of thy mouth thou shall keep and
perform even a free will offering according as
thou has found in the Lord thy God
which thou has promised with thy mouth so
if you promise you vow you pledge what
does God say do it what if I
don't do it it's saying OK it's wrong
in Psalm fifty and verse fourteen it says
offer unto God thanksgiving and pay thy vows
unto the Most High you're offering unto God
thanksgiving you're worshiping him and you're paying a
vow to the Most High if you recall
when we read a while ago out of
Isaiah that was one of the things God
brought up they were violating their vows and
God was rejecting it Proverbs twenty verse twenty
five it is a snare to a man
who devour that which is holy and after
vows to make inquiry in other words don't
come along afterwards and say well I didn't
really mean that and that wasn't the way
I intended it and oh I've thought about
it since and and therefore I'm not accountable
for that turn with me if you would
to the book of Jonah and I acknowledge
something as I'm preaching this this morning as
I was studying on this one of the
commentators is looking at reflected on this and
I said I I'm not sure he's saying
it right but then when I got it
out read it I had to agree with
him and Jonah chapter two in with verse
two he's now inside the bed only of
the way I cried by reason of mine
affliction of the Lord and he heard me
out of the belly of hell cried I
and thou heard is my voice for thou
has cast me into the deep in the
midst of the seas and the floods compass
me about all by billows and by waves
passed over me then I said I am
cast out of thy sight yet I will
look again toward thy holy temple and I
remind you we're talking about when you go
into the temple says the waters compass me
about even to the soul the depths close
me round about the weeds were wrapped about
my neck what a sight huh I went
down to the bottom of the mountains the
earth with her bars was about me for
ever yet has thou brought up my life
from corruption oh Lord my God when my
soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord
and my prayer came in unto me into
the holy temple now he's in the belly
of a fish but where's his spirit where's
his call where's his cry where's his hope
verse eight they that observe line vanities their
own mercy verse nine but I will sacrifice
unto thee the voice of thanksgiving I will
pay that which I what I have vowed
salvation is of the Lord now let me
conjecture with you just a second and some
of us might have a reminiscence about this
here it is apparently what's coming back to
Jonah's mind as he's there having been thrown
overboard as a a just judgment for his
rebellion against God now he is remembering something
and here's what I want to suggest to
you he's remembering that a point in the
house of the Lord he made a vow
God I'll go and do whatever you want
me to do said that's it OK how
about Nineveh what did Jonah say how about
Tarshish right OK now as he's there inside
that fish there is a wrestling match going
on and he's being reminded that in the
temple of God he made a promise listen
over the years I've had people a number
of times over the years tell me something
similar to this pastor we're building this larger
house we're going to have this these accommodations
and if you ever have missionaries come through
you just know that we have room to
put them up guess what happened and weren't
available but does God here when we make
promises how many times you know we talk
about this idea of foxhole conversion God if
you'll just get me out of here I'll
serve you forever and then they get out
and they come home and then what day
but also what happens day by day week
by week where we find ourselves in sickness
we find ourselves in financial disaster or whatever
it might be and we say all art
if you will that is taken seriously by
God a vow a pledge a promise an
oath whatever name you want to put oh
God I'm going to be more faithful I
know I need to be in church more
frequently for now on I'm going to do
it and we can patch this up here
if we want to New Year's resolutions or
wherever but when we say I'm going to
I'm going to I will then God is
listening amen and it's not just who have
you spoken it to that's that all totally
important although your testimony before them is involved
in it what is more important that is
before God you have made a vow and
if you made a vow then you ought
to fulfill and keep that in Psalm fifteen
verse one says Lord who shall abide in
my tabernacle who shall dwell in my holy
hill that's the question there's a series of
responses but I want to zero in particularly
in the latter part of verse four and
it says he that swear it to his
own hurt and changes not in other words
he's promised and what's he going to do
he's going to keep the promise you ever
need help call me I never do anything
for you let me know you're going to
borrow any my tools any time day now
listen to me and I want to say
this very clearly better not the vow of
Val and the vow of Val and not
keep it better to keep your mouth shut
then the pledge you're going to do something
that you have no intention in doing think
it through before you open your mouth now
if God's prompting you to commit to something
you ought to do that for him that
know what to do good and do it
did not what is the Bible say that's
in the gods prompting you to say this
to do this commit to that then do
it but then also follow through with it
and obey God in the process you know
in Acts chapter five we are introduced to
a man by the name of Ananias and
his wife Sapphira and there was something that
was going on in the church at that
particular time and what was going on in
the church at that particular time was there
a real there was a real spirit of
giving and sharing and and just binding themselves
together with others within the fellowship and Barnabas
was one of those who sold all he
had and he gave it to them but
other people were following suited so they were
selling their property and bringing it to the
apostles and that was being used to care
for those who were believers now here understand
something what was going on is when we
go back to the day of Pentecost there
were Jews there in Jerusalem from where everywhere
and a bunch of them came to Christ
and Acts chapter two it says they begin
to meet daily for the breaking of bread
fellowship for a study of the apostles doctrine
and they just bound themselves together and so
some of those people they lived elsewhere their
home their means of making a living were
somewhere else and now they're located there in
Jerusalem and so here are believers and they
are selling their property and giving it over
so that these people that have nothing can
be ministered to there's another application some of
those that profess Christ now no longer had
a job because they were working for some
Jew that was not converted and they would
not accept these Christians and keep them involved
in what's going on so there was a
genuine need now there was not a law
passed by the church board that said you
have to sell all you've got and bring
it in give it to the apostles people
were responding as God prompted them and a
nice and Sapphira sold the property of their
own will day but here's the thing as
they got to thinking about it what did
they decide okay well you never know you
know whether my chain whatever might happen along
the way what was their problem the problem
was not that they sold and the problem
was not that they gave to the disciples
their problem was they professed that all that
they got for their property was what they
were bringing in they were presenting a pledge
or an oath or a promise or a
reflection that they had in fact done this
very thing and what happened well and a
nice was talking to Peter God revealed to
Peter exactly what was happening and and a
nice filled with it took him out and
buried three hours later his wife came in
Peter ask a question did you sell your
house for such and such a amount yep
the ones who carried your husband out their
feet are right coming back now and they're
going to carry you out why because you
allowed the Holy Satan to come in and
you have lied to the Holy Spirit of
God they both died let me ask you
a question how many are in favor of
God eliminating all breakers in the same fashion
in the church age today well you wouldn't
have a preacher most likely and we might
be short a number of others in in
the process as well but that is a
reflection of the seriousness with which God takes
vows here's the question that I want to
kind of sum up with have you been
guilty of making a pledge to God that
if he would do this or that that
you would serve him more seriously or in
a in a different area a new area
or whatever well I was writing this up
I was reminded of something that's recorded in
Judges chapter eleven verse thirty and thirty one
man by the name of Jephthah was involved
in a battle against the people of Ammon
and Jephthah vowed a vow unto the Lord
and said if thou shalt without fail deliver
the children of Ammon into my hands then
it shall be that whatsoever come forth out
of the doors of my house to meet
me when I return in peace from the
children of Ammon shall surely be the Lord's
and I will offer it up for a
burnt offering how many of you remember what
the first thing out of his house was
when he got home it was his daughter
let me ask you a question how foolish
was that now how on thought through was
that it was very weak I mean what
did he think was going to be the
first thing come out of his house a
goat yeah I mean that guy was not
thinking but listen listen listen have we ever
been guilty of doing something almost as stupid
we're making a pledge we're making a vow
God if you will does this and then
we throw something out there the scripture that
here is before us is such a heavy
one for all of us and that is
that when we consider making pledges or promises
to God then we're not to fail to
fulfill it because to not do that is
in.
And I'm reminding you that it says in
verse six suffer not thy mouth to cause
thy flesh to sin neither say thou before
the angel in other words there are angels
who are witnesses to the vows that we
make in the vows we break that it
was an error or I didn't mean that
we're for should God be angry at thy
voice and destroy the work of thine hand
what you need to do last part of
verse seven is fear God the scripture says
in the New Testament there in the book
of Hebrews chapter ten verse thirty one is
a fearful thing to fall in the hands
of a living God so let me finish
things up here and as I do I
pray that there's not someone that goes home
and says well the preacher said it's better
for me not to come to church anymore
because it's too dangerous if that's what you're
listening and hearing you're not listening and hearing
you need to go back to verse one
and start all over again listen up what
I want is to hear and listen and
respond to is the seriousness of coming to
the presence of God whether in the house
of the Lord the church or wherever we
are because wherever we are God is he
is omnipresent amen well better watch your language
the preachers here what does that have to
do with anything right okay well no I
can say whatever I want Monday through Saturday
but on Sunday it's a different ballgame no
thousand times no it's very curious that God
stuck this in by inspiring Solomon to write
it in the midst of all this other
vanity stuff he stuck that in and says
you know you don't want to live of
being an empty life then get serious with
God and I think that's what is saying
to us and that's what we need to
hear Heavenly Father these are your people my
desire Lord is to be your spokesman Lord
I pray that what I say is from
you and I pray father that what I
say from you they would hear and your
spirit would stir and convicted and Lord drive
it home for their benefit and for their
blessing for their good and father when I
say something that is not of you and
not of value then Lord help them to
forget it quickly so that they'd not be
led astray Lord help us the church to
become more and more concerned about the holiness
the wonder the awe of coming into your
presence and how we represent you here and
how we were that represent you there wherever
there might be Lord use these messages that
we're learning to make us a living testimony
to honor and glorify you and not become
just the victims that live under the sun
living in the world and by the flesh
and having a gob of vanity and vexation
going on in our hearts Lord if there's
something today that you brought to our mind
where you have indeed been witness to the
promise the pledge the oath that we've made
and this morning you reminded us that we
have not done it Lord may we write
this very moment renew our heart to obey
and fulfill what you call this to do
and make it right and get right with
you thank you Lord that no our sins
are scarlet they can be white as snow
but they be red as crimson they shall
be as wool thank you for grace and
renewal in Jesus name Amen take your hymnals
please and turn to our.