I think the audio bugs may be worked out now. We had another technical glitch today but that did not affect audio.

He is Beautiful

Nahum 1:15

April 16, 2006

Good News/Bad News

GOOD NEWS: You baptized seven people today in the river.
BAD NEWS: You lost two of them in the swift current.

GOOD NEWS: The Women’s Ministry voted to send you a get-well card.
BAD NEWS: The vote passed by 31-30.

GOOD NEWS: The Elder’s accepted your job description the way you wrote it.
BAD NEWS: They were so inspired by it, they also formed a search committee to find somebody capable of filling the position.

GOOD NEWS: Your women’s softball team finally won a game.
BAD NEWS: They beat your men’s softball team.

GOOD NEWS: Church attendance rose dramatically the last three weeks.
BAD NEWS: You were on vacation.

GOOD NEWS: Your deacons want to send you to the Holy Land.
BAD NEWS: They are stalling until the next war.

Good News: Your mother-in-law’s going home.
Bad News: to put her house up for sale

Maybe this morning you find yourself surrounded by bad news: Debt, disease, a marriage crumbling apart.  Maybe you feel like you can’t fake having it all together anymore.  We are inundated with bad news.

The book of Nahum is an example of a world filled with bad news.

Bad News: Assyria is going down.  Judah will not last much longer themselves.  The destruction of the Ninevites is assured.

Although just a century earlier they had repented of the cruelty and sinfulness, they are now right back where they began.  As a result, Destruction is assured. 

Nahum 3:5—7

Not a pretty picture of the devastation that will be wreaked upon Nineveh. Complete and utter desolation.

Why punishment?  Why is God so thorough here?

Nahum 1:2—3

1.     God is Jealous—God wants our allegiance.  He never equivocates anywhere in Scripture about this.  Idolatry, the worship of anything other than Him, is anathema to Him.

We often view jealousy as a negative emotion.  And in fleshly, fallible creatures such as us, it is.  But God’s jealousy is directly tied into His Holiness.  There is no other above or beyond Him.  It angers Him when we try to place someone or something in that position of honor.

God demands the worship and honor that He is due.  It is not tied into the weak and sinful envy that we, as humans, exhibit.  God is jealous of that which rightfully belongs to Him.

2.     God is avenging—The Assyrians were known for their brutality and cruelty.  They were proud of their cruelty and published tales of their sadistic acts:

Men, women and children were often thrown into large fires set in cities that did not surrender.

The city rulers would often find their heads on stakes outside the city as a warning to others.

Prisoners were often “hooked” with a metal ring or hook through the jaw, and led around by an attached chain

God does not look kindly upon the oppression of His people. Therefore, vengeance was assured.

Nahum paints a bleak picture of destruction for those who erect idols and mistreat people—failing to properly love God and love people, the two great commandments.  But in the midst is hope.

There is good news that counteracts and overcomes all the bad.

Despite the vivid picture of destruction in Nahum, there is a promise that emerges.  It is the promise of the Messiah:

Nahum 1:15 Behold, upon the mountains, the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace! Keep your feasts, O Judah; fulfill your vows,
for never again shall the worthless pass through you; he is utterly cut off.

This promise is repeated in Isaiah 52:7

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

And in Romans 10:15:

And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

 The blessed feet of the Evangelist.  The Messiah would be the ultimate bearer of the ultimate redemption message—the herald of all Easter glory.  Mountains surround Jerusalem and Jesus brought this salvation message from Mount Calvary.

For what do these blessed, beautiful feet bring us?

1)     Good News—there is good news.  There is reason to rejoice.  What is good news—it is the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The good news is that God sent that messenger, He sent the Evangelist to give us hope, to give us salvation, to give us freedom from sin.

Despite what is going on in our lives.  Despite the debt that threatens to engulf us, there is Good News.  Despite the disease that threatens to rob our bodies of its vitality, there is Good News.  Despite the relationship that is so broken it feels like we may never be able to put it back together again, there is Good News.

Jesus came for you—to love you, to know you, to redeem you.

A.B. Simpson said that the gospel “Tells rebellious men that God is reconciled, that justice is satisfied, that sin has been atoned for, that the judgment of the guilty may be revoked, the condemnation of the sinner canceled, the curse of the Law blotted out, the gates of hell closed, the portals of heaven opened wide, the power of sin subdued, the guilty conscience healed, the broken heart comforted, the sorrow and misery of the Fall undone.

Charles Bradlaugh, an avowed infidel, once challenged the Rev. H. P. Hughes to a debate. The preacher, who was head of a rescue mission in London, England, accepted the challenge with the condition that he could bring with him 100 men and women who would tell what had happened in their lives since trusting Christ as their Savior. They would be people who once lived in deep sin, some having come from poverty-stricken homes caused by the vices of their parents. Hughes said they would not only tell of their conversion, but would submit to cross-examination by any who doubted their stories. Furthermore, the minister invited his opponent to bring a group of non-believers who could tell how they were helped by their lack of faith. When the appointed day arrived, the preacher came, accompanied by 100 transformed persons. But Bradlaugh never showed up. The result? The meeting turned into a testimony time and many sinners who had gathered to hear the scheduled debate were converted.

2)    Peace—Not only does Jesus bring good news but He brings peace as well.  Despite what is swirling around in your heart this morning.  Jesus offers peace.  That is not the absence of conflict but is the presence of Christ.

It does not mean that life will always be easy but it does mean that you do not walk alone.

It does not mean that you will never want, or hurt again.  But there is a Provider, a Comforter who will never leave you or forsake you.

Jesus died a violent death.  He was beaten, tortured and suffered the most heinous execution available.

But He defeated death.  He rose again on that Easter morning.  He defeated death, and ultimately He defeats violence, and war, and pain, and suffering.

In the midst of such violence, He turned the other cheek.  And He will be your sustaining peaceful hand through the billows of your life.

Cindy Holmes is a writer and pediatric nurse in Houston, Texas. She wrote an article about a mother and child she got to know at the hospital who were both suffering from full-blown AIDS. The child, Tyler, was born infected with HIV. From the outset he had been dependent upon all kinds of medical treatment…. Sometimes he needed supplemental oxygen.

But Cindy said it didn’t slow him down. He was all boy—a little dynamo. He frequently raced through his Houston neighborhood with a little backpack on that held medications he had to take.… Sometimes he would pull an oxygen canister in the little red Radio Flyer wagon, but that didn’t slow him down. Off he would go through the neighborhood playing like children play.

Cindy Holmes got to know them best when they were confined to the hospital in the last stages of their illnesses, when they both were dying. When it became obvious to Tyler’s mother that he was probably going to die first, she decided she’d better talk with him about what was going to come next.

She pulled him up into her bed, and they talked about life, love, and fun. Then she brought up the topic of heaven. She said, “You know, Tyler, I was kind of hoping that you’d do your growing up here, but the doctors say your body is telling them that you might want to move on and grow up in heaven.” She continued, “You know, I made a decision.”

Tyler asked, “What’s that, Mommy?”

She said, “I’ve decided that if you’re going to go live in heaven, I’m going to do that too, because wherever you are, that’s where I want to be.”

A few days later, Cindy Holmes was in Tyler’s room. She said he looked up at her and said, “Miss Holmes, will you do me a favor?”

Cindy said, “Sure, Tyler. What do you need?”

He asked, “When I die, would you put a red shirt on me?”

Cindy answered, “Tyler, why do you want me to do that?”

Tyler explained, “Well, I’m going to grow up in heaven, and I’ve been told it’s fun over there. I’m going to have friends, and I’m going to play. But my mommy is going to come over there, too, and she’s going to be looking for me. And if I’m real busy and don’t see her coming, I want her to see me. So it’s really important I have on something she can see. So would you give me a red shirt?” Tyler looked up from his bed and continued, “You know, heaven wouldn’t be heaven without Mommy.”

Cindy Holmes said, “I was overwhelmed by this inexpressible sense of peace that was on his face even at a time of inexpressible crisis. And suddenly I understood where it was coming from. His peace was the result of his mother’s presence with him through his life, throughout his illness, and her promise that no matter where he went and no matter what happened, she would still be there.”

Peace is not the absence of conflict.  Peace is the presence of Christ.

He is Good News.  He is Peace. How beautiful He is.

God tells us in Nahum 1:15 to keep the feasts.  There is no greater feast for us as Christians than the Lord’s Supper.  It is here that we commemorate our risen Lord.  Our Good News.  Our Peace.