Just sharing.

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Rejoice - God is with you! I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her saints will ever sing for joy. Psalm 132:16 NIV __________________ For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist Luke 21:15 KJV __________________ But the LORD is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten. Jeremiah 20:11 KJV __________________ Behold, I have made your face hard against their faces, and your forehead hard against their foreheads. Like adamant, harder than flint, have I made your forehead; fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house." Moreover he said to me, "Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart, and hear with your ears." Ezekiel 3:8-10 RSV __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“Satan hindered us.”

1 Thessalonians 2:18

Since the first hour in which goodness came into conflict with evil, it has never ceased to be true in spiritual experience, that Satan hinders us. From all points of the compass, all along the line of battle, in the vanguard and in the rear, at the dawn of day and in the midnight hour, Satan hinders us. If we toil in the field, he seeks to break the ploughshare; if we build the wall, he labours to cast down the stones; if we would serve God in suffering or in conflict — everywhere Satan hinders us.

He hinders us when we are first coming to Jesus Christ. Fierce conflicts we had with Satan when we first looked to the cross and lived. Now that we are saved, he endeavours to hinder the completeness of our personal character. You may be congratulating yourself, “I have hitherto walked consistently; no man can challenge my integrity.” Beware of boasting, for your virtue will yet be tried; Satan will direct his engines against that very virtue for which you are the most famous. If you have been hitherto a firm believer, your faith will ere long be attacked; if you have been meek as Moses, expect to be tempted to speak unadvisedly with your lips. The birds will peck at your ripest fruit, and the wild boar will dash his tusks at your choicest vines.

Satan is sure to hinder us when we are earnest in prayer. He checks our importunity, and weakens our faith in order that, if possible, we may miss the blessing. Nor is Satan less vigilant in obstructing Christian effort. There was never a revival of religion without a revival of his opposition. As soon as Ezra and Nehemiah begin to labour, Sanballat and Tobiah are stirred up to hinder them. What then? We are not alarmed because Satan hindereth us, for it is a proof that we are on the Lord's side, and are doing the Lord's work, and in his strength we shall win the victory, and triumph over our adversary.

 

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It's All About Me

"In humility consider others better than yourselves." (Philippians 2:3)


Suppose I asked you to search for someone who is completely self-absorbed. Talk about an easy assignment. Just watch TV for a minute, get the dirt on the latest sports celebrity, or read about the politician who accepted contributions under the table. Then there's the infamous Miss Piggy. I can almost hear her singing, "Me, me, me, meeee."

Now suppose I suggest that the disease of "me-ism" may be more widespread than you think. In fact, this highly contagious virus is lurking everywhere. And, well, uh--I'll just say it: "Is it possible that *you* are infected?"

Chances are, you ask a lot of "me" questions throughout the day. Does my hair look okay? How does this outfit look on me? What does he think of me? What would make me more popular?

I've often wondered if it's really wrong to ask these questions. After all, I'm pretty sure it's a good idea to keep my hair looking nice. It can't be wrong to want to look good and feel accepted. I want people to like and admire me. So sue me.

But I'm getting too defensive. I'd better take the time to find out what the Bible has to say about looking out for myself. What I found in the pages of Scripture makes me think harder about my heart. It's not about how great I look or who likes me. God says that He looks at something no one else can see--my motives.

He spells it out loud and clear in Philippians 2:3. "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves."

Is it really possible to put the disease of "me-ism" behind me? Not on my own. But suppose I seek to be like Jesus? What if I allow the Holy Spirit to work in and through me? What if I pray and trust that God will enable me to become more and more like Christ?

If we do our part to get rid of "me-ism" in our hearts, God has already promised that He'll do the rest.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

~ How often do I put the needs of others before my own?

~ Do I know someone who consistently serves others?

~ What is one thing I can do today to put someone else first?

When it's "all about me," it ain't about much.

 

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I am with thee to deliver thee Work to See His Kingdom Come "If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman. Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them. I will make you a wall to this people, a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue and save you," declares the LORD. "I will save you from the hands of the wicked and redeem you from the grasp of the cruel." Jeremiah 15:19-21 NIV __________________ But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee. Jeremiah 1:7,8,19 KJV __________________ But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. Matthew 10:19,20 NASB __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“Ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit.”

Romans 8:23

Present possession is declared. At this present moment we have the first fruits of the Spirit. We have repentance, that gem of the first water; faith, that priceless pearl; hope, the heavenly emerald; and love, the glorious ruby. We are already made “new creatures in Christ Jesus,” by the effectual working of God the Holy Ghost. This is called the first fruit because it comes first. As the wave-sheaf was the first of the harvest, so the spiritual life, and all the graces which adorn that life, are the first operations of the Spirit of God in our souls.

The first fruits were the pledge of the harvest. As soon as the Israelite had plucked the first handful of ripe ears, he looked forward with glad anticipation to the time when the wain should creak beneath the sheaves. So, brethren, when God gives us things which are pure, lovely, and of good report, as the work of the Holy Spirit, these are to us the prognostics of the coming glory. The first fruits were always holy to the Lord, and our new nature, with all its powers, is a consecrated thing. The new life is not ours that we should ascribe its excellence to our own merit; it is Christ's image and creation, and is ordained for his glory.

But the first fruits were not the harvest, and the works of the Spirit in us at this moment are not the consummation—the perfection is yet to come. We must not boast that we have attained, and so reckon the wave-sheaf to be all the produce of the year: we must hunger and thirst after righteousness, and pant for the day of full redemption. Dear reader, this evening open your mouth wide, and God will fill it. Let the boon in present possession excite in you a sacred avarice for more grace. Groan within yourself for higher degrees of consecration, and your Lord will grant them to you, for he is able to do exceeding abundantly above what we ask or even think.

 

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But God


Two of the most beautiful words in the Bible are “but God.”

The Walking Dead
No, this is not about the endless series you see far too often on cable. It’s about “but God!” Every time I read a verse that says “but God,” it is fantastically good news that follows. There are dozens and dozens of verses that have “but God” in both the Old and New Testaments. When people are convicted so badly that they feel they can’t be forgiven, I remind them about myself and other sinners, who but for God, would have had no hope, but salvation is not like boarding an airline and where you can have too much baggage, but sometimes people feel they have too many sins to overcome and too much to have forgiven, even by God. I can reassure them that holiness is not the way to Jesus.

I can point them to Ephesians 2, where the Apostle Paul wrote, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (Eph 2:1-5).
Once we were dead in sin, but God made us alive!
Once we were captive to Satan, but God set us free!
Once we were children of wrath, but God has now not appointed us unto wrath.

Made Alive
The Bible teaches that we were dead in sins (Eph 2:1), and just as dead men can’t raise themselves to new life, as in the case of Lazarus who needed Jesus’ help, neither can we resurrect ourselves after we die… but then we read, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (Eph 2:4-6). Look at this!
We were dead in sin, but God “made us alive together with Christ.”
We were held captive by the prince of this world and following his way, and enslaved to the course of this world (Eph 2:2-3), but God raised us up with Christ and made us sit with Him in the heavenly places. We were the children of wrath and deserved God’s judgment, but instead of pouring out His wrath on us, we will spend eternity with Him, as He shows the immeasurable riches of his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (Eph 2:7).

No More Separation
The Apostle Paul wrote that “neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:38-39), so Paul wanted to remind the church at Ephesus to “remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Eph 2:12). What changed? It was Jesus that changed us, and Jesus brought with Him the words, “but God.”

We were dead in our sins, but God made us alive with Christ.
We were captive to the prince of the power of the air and enslaved to the course of this world, but God raised us up with
Christ and made us sit with Him in the heavenly places.
We were children of wrath, deserving of His judgment, but now, God will spend eternity showing us the immeasurable riches of his kindness toward us because of Jesus Christ.
But for God


We were children of wrath, but God promises us His endless kindness.

We were enslaved to the spirit of this age, but God freed us to sit with Christ.
We were dead in sins, but God made us alive, together with Christ.
Brothers and sisters, this is good news!

Lest we confine these precious words, “but God,” to New Testament Scriptures, let’s examine a few like Genesis 50:20, which says, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” The Sons of Korah wrote, “Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; death shall be their shepherd, and the upright shall rule over them in the morning. Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell. But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me” (Psalm 49:14-15).
But God
I cannot possibly include all of the “but God’s” in the Bible, but significant ones include Acts 13:29-30 where it says, “And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead.” The Apostle Paul wrote, “For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:7-8). A few others include:

1 Corinthians 1:26-27
For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standard, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.

1 Corinthians 3:6-7
I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Conclusion
We cannot deliver ourselves from the wrath of God and eternal death. We can’t think that holiness is the way to Jesus, because Jesus is the way to holiness. Do a word search for the words “but God” in your Bible and you’ll see how the impossible becomes possible. The dead are made alive. The captives are set free. And the wrath that was our due, shifted to the Son of God Who gave His life as a ransom for us (Mark 10:45). For us, it was impossible, but for God, all things are possible (Matt 19:26). Thankfully, what we cannot do, God can.

 

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Believe in the Lord your God Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. 2 Chronicles 20:20 KJV __________________ "He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward." Matthew 10:40,41 NIV __________________ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34,35 RSV __________________ We proclaim Jesus, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me. Colossians 1:28-29 NIV __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“And I will give you an heart of flesh.”

Ezekiel 36:26

A heart of flesh is known by its tenderness concerning sin. To have indulged a foul imagination, or to have allowed a wild desire to tarry even for a moment, is quite enough to make a heart of flesh grieve before the Lord. The heart of stone calls a great iniquity nothing, but not so the heart of flesh.

“If to the right or left I stray,
That moment, Lord, reprove;
And let me weep my life away,
For having grieved thy love”


The heart of flesh is tender of God's will. My Lord Will-be-will is a great blusterer, and it is hard to subject him to God's will; but when the heart of flesh is given, the will quivers like an aspen leaf in every breath of heaven, and bows like an osier in every breeze of God's Spirit. The natural will is cold, hard iron, which is not to be hammered into form, but the renewed will, like molten metal, is soon moulded by the hand of grace. In the fleshy heart there is a tenderness of the affections.

The hard heart does not love the Redeemer, but the renewed heart burns with affection towards him. The hard heart is selfish and coldly demands, “Why should I weep for sin? Why should I love the Lord?” But the heart of flesh says; “Lord, thou knowest that I love thee; help me to love thee more!” Many are the privileges of this renewed heart; “'Tis here the Spirit dwells, 'tis here that Jesus rests.” It is fitted to receive every spiritual blessing, and every blessing comes to it. It is prepared to yield every heavenly fruit to the honour and praise of God, and therefore the Lord delights in it. A tender heart is the best defence against sin, and the best preparation for heaven. A renewed heart stands on its watchtower looking for the coming of the Lord Jesus. Have you this heart of flesh?

 

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Comforting The Afflicted, Afflicting The Comfortable



The Word of God is sharp and it cuts, but it cuts in order to heal. It comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable.

Good to be Afflicted
When we think about afflictions, we generally think of them as something we want to avoid, but afflictions can do more good than harm. The Psalmist knew enough about life and the Word of God that he could say from experience, that “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word” (Psalm 119:67), so “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes” (Psalm 119:72). Afflictions can draw us closer to God, and they bring us back into obedience to the Word of God, so in that sense, afflictions are good. They become course corrections in life that steer us out of dangerous harbors. So how could the psalmist, who was under affliction, say, “I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me” (Psalm 119:75)? It is because of His great love for us. As we will read, discipline is linked to love. Where there is no discipline, there is no love.

Hate is not the opposite of love; it is apathy. Solomon wrote that “the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights” (Prov 3:12), so the truth is, “the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives” (Heb 12:5). If we’re without discipline, can we claim to be His child since He only disciplines the ones “whom he loves?” What parent, foster-parent, or caregiver wouldn’t discipline a child who continually goes out to play in the street?

Good to be Comforted
The Word of God also comforts those who are afflicted. It is a spiritual balm for the soul that gives the believer hope, reassurance, and joy because of the manifold promises of God; and not one good promise will fail. He promises eternal life to all who believe (John 3:16), and promises that whoever believes in Christ, even death cannot separate them from God (John 11:25-26; Rom 8:38-39). The psalmist again wrote that “This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life” (Psalm 119:50), so even in their afflictions, the believer can have hope in life; this life and the next to come. This is why he prayed, “Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant” (Psalm 119:76).

Countless times, God has used others as a means to comfort others. The Apostle Paul wrote that God “comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Cor 1:4). Whatever means God used to comfort you in your last affliction, you can do the same for others in whatever ways you can. The early church claimed this comfort from God and God caused the church to grow. It says the early church was “walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied” (Acts 9:31). God used the Thessalonians to comfort Paul as he wrote that “in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith” (1 Thess 3:7).

Afflicting the Comfortable
If ever there were a comfortable group in a society, it was the Jewish religious leaders, and for the most part, only the rich or elite had any chance at becoming a ruler or leader. Those in power were going to remain in power because of their wealth and influence, and if it meant using the threat of throwing people out of the synagogues to keep them in line, they’d do it (and did!). That’s why many were hesitant to publically profess Christ. They knew that if they did, they’d be kicked out of the synagogue, and a Jew who couldn’t go to synagogue, was in one of the most humiliating positions one could be in, in their society. Jesus knew this, so on more than one occasion, He offended the religious leaders by openly exposing their hypocrisy, and often to the delight of the crowds. This made the leaders even more determined to have Jesus silenced…permanently.

Jesus, in speaking to the Pharisees and scribes, said “You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matt 15:7-9). Later, “the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying” (Matt 15:12)? I don’t think Jesus cared about that. They were too comfortable in their own skin. Jesus refers to the Jewish leaders in the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, saying that there were “some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt” (Luke 18:9).

The Jewish leaders didn’t need comfort from the Word of God; they needed the Word of God to afflict and to humble them, because they were trusting in their own righteousness and not realizing that even our best works are filthy rags to God (Isaiah 64:6). You can read just how useless works will be on the Day of Judgment (Rev 20:12-15), but the Word of God does what He send sit out to do (Isaiah 55:11), and so sometimes, His Word will comfort the afflicted, but it will afflict the comfortable.

Conclusion
Who wouldn’t be glad for pain that warns them about a life-threatening issue and then head to the ER, and discovered it saved their life? The Word of God comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable. We know that, but we also know that God can use afflictions to draw us closer to Him; to expose and work on a serious besetting sin we have; to humble us when we start to believe our own stuff too much and not give glory to God; but afflictions will also help us learn God’s statues or laws. It may even drive us into the Word of God and knock us to our knees.

That way we’re already in a position to pray and seek comfort from God and His Word. Ask Him what He wants us to learn, unless it’s something obviously sinful (1 Cor 6:12-20). Remember, God disciplines every child of His because of His great love for us. Afflictions are not God “getting even,” but getting closer. He is nearer to those who are of a broken heart and crushed spirit (Psalm 34:18). That’s closer…not further, as we often assume God is more distant.

Wrong. He seeks a closer relationship with His children, and if afflictions do that, we should be good with that.
Do you know someone who’s afflicted right now? Be used by God to comfort them, and in ways that God comforted you. Philemon comforted Paul in his distress, and Paul wrote, “For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you” (Phil 1:7). Now, let us go and do the same.

 

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Believe in the Lord your God Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. 2 Chronicles 20:20 KJV __________________ "He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward." Matthew 10:40,41 NIV __________________ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34,35 RSV __________________ We proclaim Jesus, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me. Colossians 1:28-29 NIV __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“This sickness is not unto death.”

John 11:4

From our Lord's words we learn that there is a limit to sickness. Here is an “unto” within which its ultimate end is restrained, and beyond which it cannot go. Lazarus might pass through death, but death was not to be the ultimatum of his sickness. In all sickness, the Lord saith to the waves of pain, “Hitherto shall ye go, but no further.” His fixed purpose is not the destruction, but the instruction of his people. Wisdom hangs up the thermometer at the furnace mouth, and regulates the heat.

1. The limit is encouragingly comprehensive. The God of providence has limited the time, manner, intensity, repetition, and effects of all our sicknesses; each throb is decreed, each sleepless hour predestinated, each relapse ordained, each depression of spirit foreknown, and each sanctifying result eternally purposed. Nothing great or small escapes the ordaining hand of him who numbers the hairs of our head.

2. This limit is wisely adjusted to our strength, to the end designed, and to the grace apportioned. Affliction comes not at haphazard—the weight of every stroke of the rod is accurately measured. He who made no mistakes in balancing the clouds and meting out the heavens, commits no errors in measuring out the ingredients which compose the medicine of souls. We cannot suffer too much nor be relieved too late.

3. The limit is tenderly appointed. The knife of the heavenly Surgeon never cuts deeper than is absolutely necessary. “He doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.” A mother's heart cries, “Spare my child”; but no mother is more compassionate than our gracious God. When we consider how hard-mouthed we are, it is a wonder that we are not driven with a sharper bit. The thought is full of consolation, that he who has fixed the bounds of our habitation, has also fixed the bounds of our tribulation.

 

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Kathy and I have friends who live in Switzerland. Our friends have made summer trips to the states and we have gone to visit them three times, also in the summer. Each trip we used vacation time off from work and they did the same. Our friends kept referring to the time off as a “holiday.” To Europeans, the word holiday has already been related to a lesser meaning. Even though the word “holiday” actually means “holy day,” in Europe it is used to describe any vacation.

In the United States the word holiday is becoming a generic term for time off from work, without regard to the reason for the celebration. We tend to forget the reason behind national days such as Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Martin Luther King’s birthday, President’s Day, etc. Unfortunately, we do the same with Christmas and Easter. It has become politically correct to overlook the life-changing events that Christians celebrate at Christmas and Easter. Our culture is obsessed with the vacation benefit of the holiday, which waters down its meaning. How do you refer to Christmas? Is it more than a vacation? Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ.

Without Christ, any time off from work would be just a vacation. And, since Jesus is the Savior of the world, this celebration is very important. If you have Christ in your heart, refer to this time of year as the Christmas season. Share the good news of his birth and what that means to you. The Christmas season begins with Advent and concludes on Epiphany, January 6. Advent is a four week preparation and anticipation of the coming of Jesus Christ. The advent candle at church last Sunday was for Hope, and this Sunday we lit the candle of Love. Joy and Peace are to come in the two remaining Sundays leading up to Christmas Day.

Yes, Jesus came into this world to give us hope for an eternal future, to share His love, and to bring us joy, and to share His peace. These four blessings are far more important than a generic vacation called “holiday.” Question: Do you invite others to celebrate the meaning of Christmas, and do you refer to the Christmas season in a way that honors Jesus Christ? Scripture: She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). Closing Prayer: Help us, dear Lord, to always maintain our excitement to celebrate the birth of your son, Jesus Christ. Let the anticipation of His coming be our priority during the entire Christmas season. Amen

 

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LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, Who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman, who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD, Who keeps his oath even when it hurts, who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken. Psalm 5 NIV __________________ No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. 1 John 4:12,13 KJV __________________ For God is not so unjust as to overlook your work and the love which you showed for his sake in serving the saints, as you still do. Hebrews 6:10 RSV __________________ We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will [8]assure our heart before Him 1 John 3:14,18,19 NASB __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not.”

Mark 15:23

A golden truth is couched in the fact that the Saviour put the myrrhed wine-cup from his lips. On the heights of heaven the Son of God stood of old, and as he looked down upon our globe he measured the long descent to the utmost depths of human misery; he cast up the sum total of all the agonies which expiation would require, and abated not a jot. He solemnly determined that to offer a sufficient atoning sacrifice he must go the whole way, from the highest to the lowest, from the throne of highest glory to the cross of deepest woe. This myrrhed cup, with its soporific influence, would have stayed him within a little of the utmost limit of misery, therefore he refused it. He would not stop short of all he had undertaken to suffer for his people.

Ah, how many of us have pined after reliefs to our grief which would have been injurious to us! Reader, did you never pray for a discharge from hard service or suffering with a petulant and wilful eagerness? Providence has taken from you the desire of your eyes with a stroke. Say, Christian, if it had been said, “If you so desire it, that loved one of yours shall live, but God will be dishonoured,” could you have put away the temptation, and said, “Thy will be done”?

Oh, it is sweet to be able to say, “My Lord, if for other reasons I need not suffer, yet if I can honour thee more by suffering, and if the loss of my earthly all will bring thee glory, then so let it be. I refuse the comfort, if it comes in the way of thine honour.” O that we thus walked more in the footsteps of our Lord, cheerfully enduring trial for his sake, promptly and willingly putting away the thought of self and comfort when it would interfere with our finishing the work which he has given us to do. Great grace is needed, but great grace is provided.

 

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Born in Bethlehem: Fabrication or Fact?



In this holy season of the year, we encounter still another question raised by modern critical inquiry: Is the story of Jesus’ birth, as narrated by Matthew and Luke, a fabrication – a fairy tale with about as much truth as Santa Claus? The issues involve questions as to whether Jesus was really born in Bethlehem, was there really a census, and were there really Magi.

Part of a Brazilian manger scene that has been in the Hobson family for decades. Photo: Catherine Hobson.
First: Does it matter? It’s a matter of opinion. If we propose that it does not matter, then Jesus’ birth takes its place next to the legends of Santa Claus and Muhammad’s ascent to heaven. If we go that route, then the choice between faiths becomes a pointless dispute over “My concocted narrative is better than your concocted narrative.” (Or maybe all are equally well-meaning but dubious.)

The possibility that the canonical Gospel account of Jesus’ birth is true lends credibility to the rest of what the canonical Gospels have to say. One does not even have to accept every last detail. Whether the Magi saw a supernova witnessed by the Chinese in 5 BCE (http://www.tyndalehouse.com/tynbul/library/TynBull_1992_43_1_02_Humphreys_StarBethlehem.DOC), a conjunction of planets in 7-6 BCE, or whether they were guided by a moving light that no one else could have or would have seen, is not important, if the rest proves to be plausible. Scientists such as Sir John Polkinghorne and Francis Collins (director of the Human Genome Project) do not accept every detail in the Gospels, but because they are convinced that Jesus truly rose from the dead, they are careful not to jump to skeptical conclusions about belief-stretching claims in Scripture.

So, was Jesus really born in Bethlehem? Both Matthew and Luke agree that he was, but they get there by completely different routes. Luke’s default setting for his story is Nazareth; Luke just has to explain how the holy family got to Bethlehem. Matthew’s default scene is Bethlehem; he has to explain how Jesus ever got to Nazareth. Whether this is a flat contradiction rooted in a fictional basis for both narratives, or whether this is what we would expect from independent testimony, we will decide based on whether our attitude is one of default skepticism or default trust. One does not have to believe in the “inerrancy” of the Bible to believe that the Gospel accounts here are innocent until proven guilty.

(One might also ask why Matthew would invent the manger as a detail, or why Justin Martyr testifies to the location of the stable where Jesus was born, or why the emperor Hadrian defiles a shrine in a cave at Bethlehem in 135 AD.)
Historians have disputed Luke’s claim that there was any census under Quirinius until 6 AD. Suddenly, bumbling Josephus becomes more reliable than Saint Luke! But wait. Ethelbert Stauffer (Jesus and His Story, 33–35) argues that Luke 2:1 is referring to the apographē, the preliminary tax assessment, while what Josephus is talking about in 6 AD was the final head count (apotimēsis – see Acts 5:37). Stauffer argues that if Joseph had any property rights in his ancestral hometown, he would have had to appear there during this preliminary assessment, and while only the father had to appear in the case of Roman citizens, here in a province or client state such as Judea, women also had to appear.


(By the way, notice that Joseph and Mary are doing the opposite of what illegal immigrants do. Rather than evading the law, they are obeying the law even when it was costly to do so, and when it would have been tempting not to cooperate.)

A meteorologist named Ernest Martin argues in his 1996 book The Star That Astonished the World that the path of Jupiter in 2 BCE fits the phenomena described in Matthew. In the previous year, Jupiter passed so close to Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo, that it may have appeared like a crown above the star, which could have easily been seen by the Magi as a sign of the birth of a king in Judea.

The behavior of Jupiter would help explain what otherwise might appear as a fanciful account of the star of Bethlehem going ahead of the Magi and standing still over the place where Jesus was (Matthew 2:9). Apparently, before dawn on December 25, 2 BCE, Jupiter stood still before beginning its yearly retrograde motion. Seen from Jerusalem, it stood at 68 degrees above the southern horizon, right over Bethlehem. I am unsure whether the theory is true, but here we see how a star that leads and then stands still, can suddenly turn from fancy into plausible fact.

(As for the question of whether the common consensus that Herod died in 4 BCE makes this proposal impossible, see my next post over the Christmas weekend, where several pieces of evidence point toward a re-dating of the death of Herod.)
Were there really Magi? A similar scene takes place in 66 AD, where Parthian magoi from the East come to Rome to bow before Nero, bearing gifts (Suetonius, Nero 13, 30; Tacitus, Annals 16:23). The possibility that this scene could have also happened to Jesus 70 years earlier is not implausible, given that signs in the sky had been seen not long before that were taken to be good omens for Augustus.

We don’t have You-Tube or cell-phone video to confirm the Christmas story. But what we have is enough to give the story the benefit of the doubt. We are not compelled to blow it off as legend, nor treat it as guilty of error until proven innocent. Instead, we can celebrate Jesus’ birth as the once for all time arrival of God in human flesh, to live the life we should have lived, and to die the death we should have died, so that we might have life forever that we never could have earned.
May we all take comfort and joy from the amazing plausible truths surrounding the birth of Jesus in this holy season. Merry Christmas!

 

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Dwelling together in unity Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore. Psalm 133:1-3 KJV __________________ Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. 1 John 2:9,10 NIV __________________ Rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 2 Corinthians 13:11 NASB __________________ We proclaim Jesus, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me. Colossians 1:28-29 NIV __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength.”

Psalm 31:4

Our spiritual foes are of the serpent's brood, and seek to ensnare us by subtlety. The prayer before us supposes the possibility of the believer being caught like a bird. So deftly does the fowler do his work, that simple ones are soon surrounded by the net. The text asks that even out of Satan's meshes the captive one may be delivered; this is a proper petition, and one which can be granted: from between the jaws of the lion, and out of the belly of hell, can eternal love rescue the saint.

It may need a sharp pull to save a soul from the net of temptations, and a mighty pull to extricate a man from the snares of malicious cunning, but the Lord is equal to every emergency, and the most skilfully placed nets of the hunter shall never be able to hold his chosen ones. Woe unto those who are so clever at net laying; they who tempt others shall be destroyed themselves.

“For thou art my strength.” What an inexpressible sweetness is to be found in these few words! How joyfully may we encounter toils, and how cheerfully may we endure sufferings, when we can lay hold upon celestial strength. Divine power will rend asunder all the toils of our enemies, confound their politics, and frustrate their knavish tricks; he is a happy man who has such matchless might engaged upon his side.

Our own strength would be of little service when embarrassed in the nets of base cunning, but the Lord's strength is ever available; we have but to invoke it, and we shall find it near at hand. If by faith we are depending alone upon the strength of the mighty God of Israel, we may use our holy reliance as a plea in supplication.

“Lord, evermore thy face we seek:
Tempted we are, and poor, and weak;
Keep us with lowly hearts, and meek.
Let us not fall. Let us not fall.”

 

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The Season of Giving



This time of the year is all about giving, but for some, it’s more about getting, but the greatest gift ever given is often overlooked.
Getting by Losing
For the world in general, the Christmas season is the most giving time of the year. For corporations, it is no doubt the same thing, however, their year-end donations are more tax write-offs than anything benevolent because they use it as a way of reducing their company’s tax liability and it is a lot more common than you might think. The tax structure, and the way the tax laws are written actually make it easier for some business’s to lose money on certain ventures or in certain divisions so they can gain profits by reducing their tax liability. This is actually encouraged by the way the tax laws are written and the plethora of tax loop holes that are so easy to jump through. One company I did a cost-analysis for years ago has a division that they intentionally want to lose money. In other words, they want to lose money because the loss is then subtracted from the company’s profit tax, but this is only a small part of problem of the skyrocketing national debt.

What the Govern-ment
None of us can run our household’s in the way the government does…spending more than they take in, but that’s just what some businesses do, and what happens? They give us the business. People use tax deductions, for the most part, in legitimate ways, like for children or home-related expenses, but some companies, politicians and even some city governments use deductions for what they did not legitimately deserve. For example, it’s outrageous to me that a company purposely loses money in one of its subsidiaries or divisions to make money by reducing their tax loads. A household cannot operate that way, so in a way, they encourage losses in some areas so that they can deduct these losses from their tax liability. This is akin to stealing funds from legitimate social needs that the government should be using for purposes like Women With Infants and Children (WIC) and food stamps (via the SRS), which are declared emergencies, but businesses using tax write-off’s to make more money isn’t what the “govern-meant!”

The Greatest Givers
The greatest givers remain the private citizens. They are by far the most altruistic. And Americans in general give nearly twice as much, per capita, than any other nation on earth. Yes, they too get tax reductions from giving, but by and large, theirs are legitimate. Many times people give to charitable organizations and their donations have a direct impact and effect at the point of service. This is actually where the needs are the greatest. This is taking it to the streets, the shelters, the shut-ins…those who are deemed expendable or unimportant by most of society. The elderly are seen as a debit to companies, corporations (as in retirees), and society in general, but to many ordinary Americans, they are the ones most deserving of help.

Who Cares?
There was no one more cynical about the citizen than economist Arthur Brooks. For example, he was convinced that Christians were probably the stingiest givers of all, so a few years ago Brooks launched a three year research project and concluded that he was dead wrong. His findings were published in his book “Who Really Cares?” and they were totally the opposite of what he went out to prove or what he expected. After his research was completed, Mr. Brooks totally changed his mind. He found out that the richest among us gave the least proportionately, and the poorest among us give proportionally the most. Based upon Brooks’ findings, giant companies and CEO’s gave absolutely the least, in proportion to their income. The poorest 15% of society gave the most, again in proportion to their income. He also found that people of faith are 38% more likely to give to charity, 52% more inclined to do volunteer work, and 3 & ½ times more likely to donate than the general public at large. Christians and the lowest 15% of the economic ladder were 57% more likely to help a homeless person.

Researching Charities
Before you give, I would recommend that you do your homework and research any charitable organization before you give, since there are many wolves in sheep’s clothing. For example, I have found that Action Against Hunger is one of the most highly rated based upon needs for children where they put nearly 94% of collected funds at the point of service. In this case, that’s food in the mouths of hungry children. Salvation Army is also one of the most efficient in providing help. The citizens who directly impact their own community by volunteering or giving donations are more likely to make a difference in people’s lives.

There are fewer middle men, and this means more funds at the direct point of need. Even giving of yourself, holding the door open for someone, smiling at the clerk, giving generous tips at the restaurant, all create that positive, ripple effect of good will and cheer, and contrary to conventional thinking, the giver actually receives more than the recipient. To give of yourself and of your money does more for the giver than the person receiving the gift, so it is true that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).

Season of Giving
Since it is the season of giving, please give to a charity that you trust and know, and one that directly impacts our world…particularly those with the greatest needs. Let me put it this way:

When those who have the most,
give less than those not rich.
They rob themselves of precious things,
and those who are not rich.

The giver knows such fine returns,
than those who want for more.
And when they give they do receive,
more than they sent the poor.

Conclusion
Who gave the most? Clearly, Jesus gave the absolute most. What more can you give than your own life? Jesus said, “whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:43-45), which proves that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

 

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Blessed are the peacemakers Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God Matthew 5:9 KJV __________________ For, the one who desires life, to love and see good days, must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. He must turn away from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. 1 Peter 3:10,11 NASB __________________ The the counsellors of peace is joy! Proverbs 12:20 KJV __________________ Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! "May they prosper who love you! Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers!" For my brethren and companions' sake I will say, "Peace be within you!" For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good. Psalm 122:6-9 RSV __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“And they fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall.”

Nehemiah 3:8

Cities well fortified have broad walls, and so had Jerusalem in her glory. The New Jerusalem must, in like manner, be surrounded and preserved by a broad wall of nonconformity to the world, and separation from its customs and spirit. The tendency of these days break down the holy barrier, and make the distinction between the church and the world merely nominal. Professors are no longer strict and Puritanical, questionable literature is read on all hands, frivolous pastimes are currently indulged, and a general laxity threatens to deprive the Lord's peculiar people of those sacred singularities which separate them from sinners.

It will be an ill day for the church and the world when the proposed amalgamation shall be complete, and the sons of God and the daughters of men shall be as one: then shall another deluge of wrath be ushered in. Beloved reader, be it your aim in heart, in word, in dress, in action to maintain the broad wall, remembering that the friendship of this world is enmity against God.

The broad wall afforded a pleasant place of resort for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, from which they could command prospects of the surrounding country. This reminds us of the Lord's exceeding broad commandments, in which we walk at liberty in communion with Jesus, overlooking the scenes of earth, and looking out towards the glories of heaven. Separated from the world, and denying ourselves all ungodliness and fleshly lusts, we are nevertheless not in prison, nor restricted within narrow bounds; nay, we walk at liberty, because we keep his precepts.

Come, reader, this evening walk with God in his statutes. As friend met friend upon the city wall, so meet thou thy God in the way of holy prayer and meditation. The bulwarks of salvation thou hast a right to traverse, for thou art a freeman of the royal burgh, a citizen of the metropolis of the universe.