From Gary V. Womack... URGENCY

URGENCY

We live in a society that wants immediate gratification. (microwave ovens -vs- stove;

TV -vs- reading; credit cards -vs- layaway; etc.)

Delayed gratification is good -BUT- sometimes urgency must prevail.

Acts 16:23-34 Because Paul cast an evil spirit 

                       out of a possessed slave girl and 

                       cost her masters their means of 

                       profit - brought them before the 

                       magistrates under a false charge - 

                       they were beaten and put Paul & 

                       Silas in prison.

vs. 33 "And he took them the same hour of the night  

            and washed their stripes. And immediately 

            he and all his family were baptized."

CONTRAST

Lk. 12:16-21 Rich fool was not so urgent.

LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO WASTE IT

Jas. 4:13-15 "Come now, you who say, 'Today or 

                      tomorrow we will go to such and

                      such a city, spend a year there, buy 

                      and sell, and make a profit'; [14]

                      whereas you do not know what will 

                      happen tomorrow. For what is

                      your life? It is even a vapor that 

                      appears for a little time and then

                      vanishes away. [15] Instead you 

                      ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we

                      shall live and do this or that.'"

DELAY CAN CAUSE INDIFFERENCE & STAGNATION

Heb. 3:12-15 Exhort one another TODAY so as 

                     not to harden your heart.

Eph. 5:15-16 "See then that you walk circumspectly, 

                      not as fools but as wise, [16]

                      redeeming the time, because the 

                      days are evil."

Heb. 5:12-6:2 By this time have we grown as we 

                      should have (Teachers?)

Rom. 13:11-ff "...Now is the time..." We have 

                        wasted enough time

Let's ACT (LIVE RIGHTEOUSLY NOW)

PAUL'S CONVERSION - WITHOUT DELAY

Acts 22:16 "And now why are you waiting? Arise 

                   and be baptized, and wash

                   away your sins, calling on the name of 

                   the Lord."

ETHIOPIAN EUNUCH'S CONVERSION - WITHOUT DELAY

Acts 8:36-39 "See, here is water, what HINDERS 

                      me from being baptized?"

He could have waited until he got home. He was in the DESERT (vs.26)

2 Cor. 6:1-2 Don't receive the grace of God in 

                    vain. (Tit 2:11)

TODAY is the day of salvation

From Gary V. Womack... On Eagle's Wings: Patience in Waiting

On Eagle's Wings

Patience in Waiting

Background: Isaiah lived during the reign of 4 of Judah's kings:

Isa. 1:1 "The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, 

              which he saw concerning Judah and 

              Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, 

              Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah."

Uzziah (787 - 735 BC) Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah (726 - 695 BC)

Isa. 6:1 "In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the 

              Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, 

              and the train of His robe filled the temple."

Isaiah's prophetic work begins about 735 BC

734 BC Northern Israel carried away by Assyria

721 BC Samaria fell & the rest of Israel is carried away by Assyria.

713 BC Assyria entered Judah & destroyed 46 cities & 200,000 captives to the north of Jerusalem by king Sennacherib.

701 BC Assyria stopped by an angel at the walls of Jerusalem 185,000 Assyrians slain. (2 Kgs. 18-19) & (2 Chron. 32)

Isaiah warned Judah & Jerusalem of their eventual fall:

Isa. 1 - 39 Foretells events leading up to Babylonian 

                captivity (606 BC)

Isa. 40 - 66 Gives words of comfort, salvation, and of future glory & the Messiah.

Isa. 40:1-2 Spoken of a people who have suffered punishment = to their sin.

2 Cor. 1:3-5 "Blessed be the God and Father of our 

                     Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of 

                     mercies and God of all comfort, (4) 

                     who comforts us in all our tribulation, 

                     that we may be able to comfort those 

                     who are in any trouble, with the 

                     comfort which we ourselves are 

                     comforted by God. (5) For as the 

                     sufferings of Christ abound in us, so 

                     our consolation also abounds through 

                     Christ."

Isa. 40:3-8 Foretells John the baptist's coming to 

                 prepare the people for Christ.

Isa. 40:12-26 God's ability to supply our needs.

Isa. 40:27 The accusation that God doesn't 

                 notice (or care) for our needs

Psm. 73 Never give up!!! God is near.

Isa. 40:28 He neither faints nor is weary - His 

                 understanding is limitless.

Psm. 119:89-93 "Forever Your precepts are 

                           settled in heaven."

Isa. 40:29-30 He gives power to the weak - To 

                     those who wait on Him.

God's delay in answered prayer is often intended to only enhance the coming blessings.

God's delay is a test of our faith & trust - He often comes in the 11th. hour

Examples: At the Red Sea:

Ex. 14:13 "And Moses said to the people, ÔDo not 

                 be afraid. Stand still, and see the 

                 salvation of the Lord, which He will 

                 accomplish for you today. For the 

                 Egyptians whom you see today, you shall 

                 see again no more forever.' "

At Marah, 3 days later

Ex. 15:23-25 - Bitter water made sweet.

At the wilderness of sin, 2.5 months out of Egypt

Ex. 16:1-12 - Gave manna in the morning & quail 

                     in the evening.

At Horeb in the wilderness

Ex. 17:1-7 - Gave water from the rock.

At Jerusalem, as Assyrian king Sennacherib taunts them at the wall.

2 Kgs. 19:10-19, 35-ff - Hezekiah prays to God - 

                                     He sends an angel to 

                                     defeat Assyrian army 

                                     185,000 killed.

Isa. 40:31 Those who wait on the Lord shall 

                 mount up on eagle's wings.

Note: Mother eagles train their babies to fly by pushing them out of the nest and catching them on their back. They will carry the baby on their back then let the baby fall so it will learn to fly, and rescue it on her back until they learn to fly on their own.

NO TIME IS A GOOD TIME TO GIVE UP

Remember, our reward is just over the horizon. And as Paul said,

Rom. 13:11 "And to this, knowing the time, that now 

                     it is high time to awake out of sleep; 

                     for now our salvation is nearer than 

                     when we first believed."

God is faithful - Ready & able to swoop down and catch you up until you are able to mount up on eagle's wings.

1 Cor. 10:11-13 "Now all theses things happened to 

                           them as examples, and they were 

                           written for our admonition, on 

                           whom the ends of the ages have 

                           come. (12) Therefore let him who 

                           thinks he stands take heed lest he 

                           fall. (13) No temptation has 

                           overtaken you except such as is 

                           common to man; but God is 

                           faithful, who will not allow you to 

                           be tempted beyond what you are 

                           able, but with the temptation will 

                           also make the way of escape, that 

                           you may be able to bear it."

From Gary V. Womack... WORSHIP - In Spirit and Truth

WORSHIP - In Spirit & Truth

Jn. 4:1-24 JESUS MEETS THE SAMARITAN 

                 WOMAN AT JACOB'S WELL.

Place: Sychar in the land of Ephraim, in Samaria

Near Shechem, Jacob's well, near where Joseph's bones were buried after being brought from Egyptian bondage.

vs. 20 "Our fathers..." THE 10 TRIBES OF ISRAEL

           "...this mountain..." MT. GERIZIM, the 

            Samaritans' place of worship.

           "...you Jews say..." AS OPPOSED TO THE 

            SAMARITANS

           "...Jerusalem is the place where one ought to 

            worship."

A DISTINCTION - OPINION OR GOD'S LAW

LOOKING BACK IN HISTORY

"Our fathers..." THE 10 TRIBES OF NORTHERN 

                          KINGDOM OF ISRAEL

1 Kgs. 11:1-13, 26-40 SOLOMON TURNED FROM 

                                   GOD:

He married foreign women against God's instructions.

He allowed them to turn his heart from God.

He worshiped foreign gods (idols)

He built high places (of worship) for foreign gods.

vs. 33 KINGDOM DIVIDED BECAUSE OF IDOL 

          WORSHIP

1 Kgs. 12:25-33 JEROBOAM'S SIN OF 

                          CHANGING GOD'S WORSHIP.

He built Shechem in Ephraim (where Jesus met the

Samaritan woman at Jacob's well.)

vs. 28 He instituted idol worship of golden calves

           A matter of convenience - "too much to go 

           up..." Ascribed their exodus from Egypt to 

                    the idols.

vs. 29 He set up 2 places of worship at Dan & 

           Bethel

vs. 31 He made priests from those not of the tribe of 

           Levi.

vs. 32 He ordained a feast similar to the feast of 

          tabernacles (Neh. 8:13-18)

1 Kgs. 12:19 JUDAH & ISRAEL NEVER LOOKED 

                     AT EACH OTHER THE SAME 

                     AGAIN.

                   "...you Jews say..." AS OPPOSED 

                    TO THE SAMARITANS

254 YEARS LATER (721 BC)

2 Kgs. 17:5-12 JUDAH WAS BESIEGED 3 YEARS, 

                        THEN SCATTERED TO ASSYRIA 

                        AND BEYOND.

vss. 24-33 THE BEGINNING OF THE 

                 SAMARITANS.

Note: It appears that the city of Samaria was the primary target & primarily the people of the city that was deported to Assyria. On the walls of the royal palace at Dur-Sarraku, Sargon of Assyria had

recorded these words: "In my first year of reign...the people of Samaria ...to the number of 27,290 I carried away...The city I rebuilt - I made it greater than it was before. People of lands which I had

conquered I settled therein. My tartan I placed over them as governor."

123 YEARS LATER (about 598 BC)

WE KNOW THERE WERE STILL JEWS WHO REMAINED IN SAMARIA AFTER THE ASSYRIAN DEPORTATION.

Jer. 41:5 "...certain men came from Shechem, from 

                Shiloh, and from Samaria, eighty men 

                with their beards shaved and their clothes 

                torn, having cut themselves, with 

                offerings and incense in their hand, to 

                bring them to the house of the Lord."

THIS WOULD CAUSE US TO CONCLUDE THAT THERE WAS THE PROBABILITY THAT IN THOSE 123 YEARS, JEWS WOULD HAVE INTERMARRIED WITH THE ASSYRIAN CAPTIVES WHO HAD BEEN PLACED IN SAMARIA.

63 YEARS LATER (535 BC)

Ezra 4:1-6 THE SAMARITANS, SEEKING TO 

                 HELP REBUILD THE TEMPLE, ARE 

                 REJECTED BY ZERUBBABEL & ALL 

                 OF JUDAH.

91 YEARS LATER (444 BC)

WHEN THE WALLS ARE BEING REBUILT, SANBALLAT HARASSES . WE LEARN THAT HE WAS OF THE SAMARITANS.

Neh. 2:19-20 "But when Sanballat the Horonite, 

                      Tobiah the Ammonite official, and

                      Geshem the Arab heard of it, they 

                      laughed us to scorn and despised

                      us, and said, 'What is this thing that 

                      you are doing? Will you rebel against 

                      the king?' [20] So I answered them, 

                      and said to them, 'The God of heaven 

                      Himself will prosper us; therefore we 

                      His servants will arise and build, but 

                      you have no heritage or right or 

                      memorial in Jerusalem.'"

Neh. 4:1-2 "But it so happened, when Sanballat 

                  heard that we were rebuilding the wall, 

                  that he was furious and very indignant, 

                  and mocked the Jews. [2] And he spoke 

                  before his brethren and the army of 

                  Samaria, and said, 'What are these 

                  feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify 

                  themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? 

                  Will they complete it in a day? Will they 

                  revive the stones from the heaps of 

                  rubbish - stones that are burned?'"

"...this mountain..." MT. GERIZIM, SAMARITANS' 

                                PLACE OF WORSHIP THE 

                                PLACE WERE JESUS SPOKE 

                                TO THE SAMARITAN 

                                WOMAN AT JACOB'S WELL 

                                WAS IN THE SHADOW OF 

                                MT. GERIZIM. HISTORY 

                                TELLS US THAT SANBALLAT 

                                BUILT A TEMPLE ON THE

                                TOP OF THIS MOUNTAIN. IT 

                                WAS DESTROYED BY 

                                HYRCANUS IN 109 BC. THEN 

                                HEROD BUILT ANOTHER 

                                TEMPLE THERE IN 25 BC.

                                IT IS SAID THAT THE 

                                SAMARITANS REFUSED TO 

                                USE THE NEW TEMPLE, BUT 

                                CONTINUED TO WORSHIP 

                                OUT IN THE OPEN ON TOP 

                                OF THE MOUNTAIN.

"Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship."

A DISTINCTION - OPINION OR GOD'S LAW?

THE JEWS HAD CONTINUOUSLY CHARGED THE SAMARITANS WITH FORSAKING GOD - FOR MAKING GOLDEN CALVES TO WORSHIP AT BETHEL - AND THEN AT MT GERIZIM.

Deut. 12:1-14 GOD'S LAW REGARDING THE 

                      PLACE THEY WOULD WORSHIP - 

                      THE PLACE WHERE HE WOULD 

                      PUT HIS NAME.

1 Kgs. 9:1-9 GOD'S PROMISE TO SOLOMON OF 

                    THE BLESSING OF HIS PERPETUAL 

                    PRESENCE THERE ON THE 

                    CONDITION OF FAITHFULNESS, 

                    OBEDIENCE, & WORSHIP OF HIM 

                    ONLY.

WHAT LESSONS DO WE LEARN FROM HISTORY?

GOD IS SERIOUS ABOUT MAN'S WORSHIP.

FAILURE TO HONOR HIS WILL RESULTS IN GOD'S REJECTION OF US.

Heb. 10:19-31 CONSIDERING HISTORY'S 

                       LESSONS, THE SERIOUSNESS

                       OF WORSHIP, & GOD'S WRATH - 

                       WHAT DO THESE VERSES SAY 

                       TO US?