The ninth day of Av is a Jewish fast (Tisha B‘Av) mourning the destruction of the Second Temple. Gary explores the spiritual impact of this event and how it reveals what is sacred to God. He then encourages believers to hold to what is sacred.
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Show Notes:
God allowed the destruction of the temple where His glory dwelled because He was not pleased with His people. Now the ninth day of Av is a Jewish fast called Tisha B‘Av that calls the people of Israel to repentance.
“There is nothing so sacred to God that He will not allow it to be destroyed.”
Sometimes God, by His grace, allows everything in our lives to crumble like piles of temple rubble. He takes away what displeases Him and replaces it with what honors Him.
“If the Lord is not pleased and glorified with our lives,
with our works, and with what we are doing to build His kingdom,
then I pray that He tear it all down.”
As believers in Christ, we should welcome the tearing down of whatever hinders us from our first love of God.
“Don’t think it is a horrible experience. It is the grace of God in your life.
Don’t take it as destruction that is permanent. It is just the time of new beginning.
It is God taking away the first in order to establish the second.”
Key Verses:
- Zechariah 7
- God scattered the people because they were not fasting for the Lord.
- Their love was for the temple more than their love was for God.
- They forgot their first love.
- 2 Chronicles 7
- God’s heart will always be toward the place of the temple.
- God’s promises will still be fulfilled.
- 1 Corinthians 3:10-17
- Jesus Christ (Yeshua) is the foundation of God’s spiritual temple, the church.
- We build on that foundation by our works for the kingdom.
- How we build will be revealed through the fire.
- Even if our work is burned up, we will be saved.
Quotes:
- “As we walk with God, we are building our lives. We are building our families. We are building the kingdom of God by fulfilling the words of God to us and the leading of the Holy Spirit.”
- “We should have this constant experience where the fire of God is coming upon us daily to test everything about our spirit, soul, body, mind, heart, our first love, and how we are relating to Him. We should see the fire as the grace of God that comes to burn up everything surrounding us that is not yet pleasing to God.”
- “Greater than the momentary pain of suffering is the salvation that He brings.”
Takeaways:
- Participate in Tisha B‘Av and reflect on all God has burned up in your life by His grace in order to rebuild that which pleases Him.
- There is nothing we hold precious, that God will not allow to be demolished if it is greater than our dedication to God.
- If we repent thoroughly, God can turn our weeping into joy, and our fasting into feasts of rejoicing.