Welcome to another Weekend Sermon. I hope that everyone has had a great week. Here where I live, it has been hot and very humid. I'm glad that the forecast is calling for cooler temperatures ahead.
I'd like to ask everyone to please keep praying for peace in Syria. The situation there just keeps getting worse and worse.
In our message last week, we began a short series on the Old Testament book of Nahum. If you're like me, you probably haven't heard too many sermons on this book. However, all of God's word is important. One thing that I wanted to do when I started this blog was to at least once in awhile focus on some of the smaller or less focused upon books of the Bible.
We saw last week that Nahum was an Elkoshite who brought the message that God was going to bring an end to the Assyrian Empire and its capital city of Nineveh. This happened in 612BC just as Nahum predicted.
Last week, we also focused on why Nineveh was an important focus for Nahum. This city was a cruel place that continuously tried to capture Judah. They did defeat the ten northern tribes. Nahum, and the surrounding people, would be glad to see the Assyrians gone.
So, what does this all mean for us living in the 21st century? What relevance does it have for us today?
First of all, the book of Nahum teaches us the validity of the Bible. It demonstrates that we can trust in what God says.
God said through Nahum that Nineveh would fall. It did fall. The word of the Lord was validated.
This is true of many other prophecies in the Bible. When we studied the book of Obadiah, we saw that God said that the Edomite nation would be destroyed. That prophecy came true.
The great prophetic fulfillment was the birth of Jesus. Micah and Isaiah contain prophecies about the birth of the Messiah. They were completely fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ.
The book of Daniel has many prophecies that were fulfilled. Daniel predicted the rise and fall of many empires. And what he said came to pass.
All of these prophetic fulfillments demonstrate that the Bible is reliable. We can trust what it says. It is an authoritative book that contains within it those things we need to know in order to live a life that is pleasing to God.
It is not spoken of all that much, but Jesus proved who He was through prophecy. Jesus prophesied that the temple in Jerusalem would by completely destroyed. He said, "Not one stone will be left on another." Jesus' words were fulfilled when the Roman general Titus destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in 70AD. Jesus' words were true.
Knowing that God fulfilled His word in the past gives us confidence that He will do so again. We can believe Him. Jesus said that He would come again and separate the righteous from the wicked. The Bible says that one day the Lord will reign on this earth, and everything will be restored to its original state. We can believe it because we know what God has done in the past.
Another thing that we can learn from Nahum is that God will not let unrighteousness and evil go on forever. Eventually, evil will be put to an end. The people of Nineveh were known for their horrific cruelty. They worshipped idols, and although God gave them a chance through the preaching of Jonah, the Ninevite's turn to the true and living God didn't last for very long.
We live in world that is filled with much evil. Slavery still exists in some parts of the world. Children are forced to work in unsafe conditions for virtual slave wages. Many people go hungry while greedy corporations gain more and more profit through the exploitation of people and the environment.
This I know, the Lord will not allow it to go on forever. Evil people think that they are getting away with their sin, but the Lord sees all.
One day, Jesus will return to this earth. Jesus said that when He returns He will judge. He will bring justice to the earth, and He will rule and reign in righteousness. Jesus will make right every injustice and evil that was perpetuated on earth.
Finally, the book of Nahum teaches us that God is powerful. There is nothing that the Almighty God cannot do. He is the creator and sustainer of all life. He causes nations to prosper, and He cause nations to fall. Nothing is too difficult for the Lord.
This encourages me. I have a lot of problems in my life right now. But, I know that the Lord has the power to deliver me. I trust in Him to see me through.
Next week is the Fourth of July holiday here in the United States. I will still post an animal book review on Wednesday, and a new sermon on Friday. This week, I am going to give a one week message on the compassion of Jesus. Then, in the next few weeks, we will study the first five chapters of the Revelation. May God bless you. Amen.
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