MESSAGE FROM THE DEAD

Eltham Baptist 4th Nov 2012

No. 396

As I drove to Hawera on Friday, after I left the town limits I was aware that I had seen 3 dead birds on the side of the road within a kilometre stretch. Now you may say that you see dead birds all the time on the road, and that is true, but these were just recently made into road kill, and weren't your average sparrow. First there was a Duck, then a Pukeko and finally a Hawk. If this was within a small stretch of road in New Zealand then how many birds die each day on the roads throughout New Zealand? What about all the other creatures as well? There was also a possum and maybe a hedgehog which I could hardly identify. If you do the maths, there are about 11,000 kilometres of State Highway and 83,000ks of local roads throughout NZ. Does this mean that over 10,000 birds die a day in God's Zone every day? What about all the possums and hedgehogs as well? When Bernice and I were in Guernsey, it was front page news when a hedgehog was run over on the Island. It was classed as a 'hit and run' and you could be lynched if you were caught doing it. It's a pity I didn't see more dead magpies on the road instead of these other birds, but I guess they aren't as stupid. Mother ducks seem to be really dumb at this time of year with all their chicks following them and I hope this dead one's family hasn't been left homeless. I had a DOC friend who was taking some Australians on a night trip in Waitomo once when he came across a possum on the road and ran over it. The Australians wouldn't talk to him any more after that. Little do they realise how these imported creatures are destroying our lovely native bush. Now what has this all got to do with the gospel you say? Well it got me thinking as I drove about what the bible has to say about birds. In my short trip and limited knowledge especially without the help of Google, I thought of just three occasions where birds are mentioned in holy scripture. Later I remembered how Noah let a dove go from the Ark but don't have room to talk about that as well. The 3 bird incidents that I thought of were the ravens that brought Elijah food during the famine, the birds that came down to steal precious seed in the parable of Jesus and the birds that nested in the branches of Nebuchadnezzar's dream. The Ravens: These birds are unclean in scripture, yet God used them to feed the hungry Prophet when he was hiding from the murderous King Ahab.
"Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word. Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there. So he did what the LORD had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. 1 Kings 17:1-6

The thing that intrigued me about this incident was that God only fed him twice a day with these birds. If it were us we would be upset with God that we didn't get 3 solid meals, with morning and afternoon tea thrown in as well? And we'd complain about the fluff in our cuppa tea. I think that we eat too much food in this generation and would do ourselves a favour if we missed the odd meal and spent more time in prayer. Just a thought. Why didn't God use a dove instead of a dirty old raven to feed Elijah? What I feel He was showing us is a prophetic picture of how He was going to use the Gentiles (who were classed as unclean) to fulfil His mission in future generations. God has often used unclean things to do His will. What about the building of the Tabernacle in the wilderness. It was built with gold and silver that was donated by the Children of Israel, and where did they get that booty from? It was taken as spoil from the Egyptians. Food for thought. When Oral Roberts was in a financial pickle building his Christian Hospital, he needed millions to finish the project and said God would take him home if he didn't raise the money. The money finally came through with a dog racer and his winnings. I was horrified that he could accept this gift such an unclean source, and many criticised him for it, including me, but now I realise that I was wrong. This also raises the question; should we accept money for the Church from Lotto? When Peter had his vision of how he must take the gospel to the Gentiles, it all came about through him seeing a sheet coming down from heaven with all sorts of unclean creatures in it, including birds. The interpretation is interesting.

"He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. Then a voice told him, Get up, Peter. Kill and eat. Surely not, Lord! Peter replied. I have never eaten anything impure or unclean. The voice spoke to him a second time, Do not call anything impure that God has made clean. Acts 10: 11-15

The next reference I want to use is in the parable of the 'Sower and the Seed'.
"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up." Luke 8:5

Jesus says that the birds are like the Devil who comes and snatches away the precious seed from our hearts. We need to be careful to hold on to all that God gives us. Remember how the Devil comes to steal, kill and destroy. Resist Him when he comes and tell Him to depart in Jesus name.
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10

If Satan can't steal your salvation then He will take away your joy, and the joy of the Lord is your strength. He steals away your money, that could be used for the spreading of the gospel. He steals your health, your power and even your family. The Bible says that we need to hold onto all that is good and protect our precious possessions like a farmer would protect his crop from the birds, especially when it still only a small seed. We need to put up spiritual Scare Crows.
"I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown" Revelation 3:11

The third reference is a dream that King Nebuchadnezzar had where he saw a tree cut down and later growing again and birds came and nestled in its branches. The birds here were people. The tree was His Kingdom which would be cut down and later restored bringing people back to him.
"Here is my dream; interpret it for me. These are the visions I saw while lying in my bed: I looked, and there before me stood a tree in the middle of the land. Its height was enormous. The tree grew large and strong and its top touched the sky; it was visible to the ends of the earth. Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant, and on it was food for all. Under it the beasts of the field found shelter, and the birds of the air lived in its branches; from it every creature was fed." Daniel 4:9-12

God is going to bring people your way in this life, they will come like birds and nest in your branches. When Israel was in the wilderness, God brought quail into their camp. A strong wind blew them in from the sea. Ask God to blow people into your camp and your Church.
"Now a wind went out from the Lord and drove quail in from the sea. It brought them down all around the camp to about three feet above the ground, as far as a days walk in any direction. All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered quail." Numbers 11:31-32

God blows people into our camp and wants us to share the gospel with them. A minister was sharing with us recently how he did a survey in his Church about what they thought their Church does to witness to the lost and they all said that it was the ministry they had with the youth. He had to change their mind set to make them realise that the outreach was also in their work place and even the Old Age Home. God wants us to be like a tree where people feel safe in your branches. .A place of safety and blessing.
"See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice. Each man will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land." Isaiah 32:1-2

In closing I want to add the statement made by Jesus about birds. If only we could take a feather from their cap, or should I say wing.
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin.

Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear? For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:26-34