Rev 15 Seven Bowls of Wrath

Revelation 15 NIV

Now that's a novel idea: God's wrath. It seems to me that many who say they believe; but, lift up other false god's (priorities) and do not actually worship God have kind of discounted God's wrath.

I know that I am accepted by many as long as I say and do everything to please others. But, when I speak a truth that does not condone worshipping other gods, I am not at all accepted by many. If a word of truth that comes from God through me or others who proclaim His Word is not accepted, then how much less is He accepted as He is? God is not to be mocked. He is more than a benevolent spirit. He is who He is and He will do justice. Justice includes judgment. It includes His wrath as well as His mercy.

John's vision of seven angels about to pour out seven bowls filled with the plagues of God's wrath upon the earth reminds us that those who do not worship Him will endure His wrath even while those who have been victorious through the blood of Christ will praise His Holy Name.

God have mercy upon us.

God's Peace - Pr. J

John 7:37-39 Thirsty?

John 7:37-39 NIV
"Let anyone who is thirsty come to me." (vs 37)

Is there anyone who is not thirsty? Jesus came that we might all drink of him; that all of our thirsts might be satisfied. But, I am warning you... if you drink of him, by the power of the Holy Spirit, from your heart there shall also flow living waters to help quench the thirsty souls of others. You will no longer have to or want to be seeking those things that do not satisfy. You will not be wasting time chasing false gods. You will want others to have what you have. You will want them to have and to know Jesus. Have a blessed day and drink deeply of the water and eat of the bread which satisfies the longing soul.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Jeremiah 47 - As Relentless As A Tsunami

"The word of the Lord that came to the prophet Jeremiah concerning the Philistines, before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:

Thus says the Lord:
See, waters are rising out of the north
    and shall become an overflowing torrent;
they shall overflow the land and all that fills it,
    the city and those who live in it.
People shall cry out,
    and all the inhabitants of the land shall wail.
At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his stallions,
    at the clatter of his chariots, at the rumbling of their wheels,
parents do not turn back for children,    so feeble are their hands." (Jer 47:1-3 NIV)

The word of the LORD is promising destruction to the Philistines. He will send an army like an overflowing torrent of water. They shall overflow the land; all that fills it, the city, and those who live in it. People shall cry out, and all inhabitants of the land shall wail.

We have seen the destruction of tsunamis. There is nothing that can stop or even slow down the wall of water as it destroys everything in its place. The LORD has promised to destroy the enemy of His children and nothing can save them. He will send an army from the north to put an end to their attacks on others.

What the LORD sends out, nothing can stop, nothing can slow it down, except that the LORD, Himself, will change His mind. There are no magical incantations, no offerings, no false gods, no works of man's hands that can change the flow of the tide once the LORD has ordained it.

This last week we had confirmation classes at Zion for our Junior High Youth. We talked about God calling and ordaining His people. I reminded them. with a smile on my face and a shocked look on most of theirs, that when God calls you to service, He will keep calling no matter how long it takes for you to say, yes. May as well stop saying no to God now; because, sooner or later you will listen and follow. It is much easier to say yes to God when you are young than fighting against it 'till you are old when you will turn and say yes, anyway. God calls whom He will call. He will ordain whom He will ordain. What He promises will come to pass.

"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
    and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,    and succeed in the thing for which I sent it."  (Isaiah 55:10-11)

God's Peace - Pr. J
 

Jeremiah 43 - Trust The LORD - Call On His Name

OK! So, the remnant still refuses to hear the words the LORD their God had given to them through Jeremiah! Humankind is a pretty hard-headed lot. God's own people hadn't been able to keep themselves from evil or harm so far; so, they're pretty convinced Egypt is going to be able to save them.

What about the remnant today? Are we listening any better? In whom do we really put our trust? Is it God? Or, are we just like everyone else thinking that our governments will keep us safe? Do we put our faith in governments who are actually made up of people who, no matter how good their intentions, end up putting their own bias', their own welfare, before the welfare of the people, as a whole (even if they are elected by the people)?

God's not happy about the decision of the remnant to move to Egypt so that they might be safe from the Babylonians. He warns them: "In Tahpanhes the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: “While the Jews are watching, take some large stones with you and bury them in clay in the brick pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palace in Tahpanhes. Then say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will send for my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I will set his throne over these stones I have buried here; he will spread his royal canopy above them. He will come and attack Egypt, bringing death to those destined for death, captivity to those destined for captivity, and the sword to those destined for the sword. He will set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt; he will burn their temples and take their gods captive. As a shepherd picks his garment clean of lice, so he will pick Egypt clean and depart. There in the temple of the sun in Egypt he will demolish the sacred pillars and will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.’” (Jer 43:8-13 NIV)

The remnant will not escape. They cannot run to Egypt to be saved. We will not be saved by trusting in Pharaoh's and Kings to save us. There is only one God. "And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, even among the survivors whom the LORD calls." (Joel 2:32)

"And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Act 2:21)

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

It has always amazed me; but, I have been amazed all over again this past week as I have read stories of the faith of those who are being persecuted in eastern countries, particularly this week the Coptic Christians in Egypt. They continue to call on the name of the LORD, trusting in Him to be with them always, no matter what the circumstances of the world around them may be. They do not run. They stand on His promises even as their places of worship are burned. They call upon His name, even as their lives are threatened.

Let us give thanks to God for the remnant who listens and follows in the way of the LORD.

God's Peace - Pr. J

 

Jeremiah 5 - One Honest Person Saves the City

A litany of sins... that's what we have this day in our reading... So sad! So very sad! We could pray that it not be the way it is. Yet, it is the truth. We like sheep have all gone astray... No one looks for the truth. Everyone has their own truth, according to the false gods that they worship.

According to the Word of the LORD:
“A horrible and shocking thing
    has happened in the land:
The prophets prophesy lies,
    the priests rule by their own authority,
and my people love it this way.
    But what will you do in the end?" (Jer 5:30-31 NIV)

What indeed will we do in the end? How can one know the truth if even the prophets and priests allow their personal false gods to guide them? We must lean on the word that the LORD spoke to Jeremiah:

"Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem,
    look around and consider,
    search through her squares.
If you can find but one person
    who deals honestly and seeks the truth,
    I will forgive this city." (Jer 5:1)

Sounds pretty hopeless... But, is it? There has been one found who deals honestly and seeks the truth. His name is Jesus and He has come to save us. Thanks be to God for His mercy is great!

Have a blessed Christmas day!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Proverbs 23 - Common Sense; Avoid Coveting

Proverbs 23 includes wise sayings saying 7 through 19. 

Discussing proverbs the other day at a Bible study, someone noted that the proverbs are basically common sense. Sadly, they are not common sense to everyone. Not everyone has common sense. Not everyone has the wisdom to avoid coveting as the majority of these verses warn us to avoid. Coveting; whether, it is food, drink, riches of any kind, women, etc..., will lead to a person's downfall. Coveting these riches will bring poverty upon a person. These things are deceitful. These false gods will steal even the little that you had. They will destroy you. 

"Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge." (Prov 23:12 NIV) And... live life abundantly in the presence of God, through Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Proverbs 8 - Wisdom Calls

Wisdom was born as the first of God's work. Wisdom has been around for a long time, even before the earth was formed. So it might appear that wisdom comes with age. It often takes experience (sometimes bad experiences) to receive her. But, not always as sometimes those with many years behind them, refuse to listen to wisdom, themselves.

Proverbs speaks of Wisdom as though she were a person. Wisdom calls out to us, pleading with us to hear the truth that she would speak. Hear it and listen. Listen to Wisdom and choose her instruction over fortunes of this world. Wisdom is much more valuable than the material things of this world. Wisdom is more valuable than popularity or fame.

There are days when I feel like I am butting my head up against a wall when it comes to imparting wisdom to those who follow after the false gods of gold and silver - of things. Yes, I am concerned that they are following after false gods. But, I am also very concerned and heart-broken because I know where this love of "things" and "self" will lead them. It will lead to troubled and unhappy lives as their false gods demand more and more and they have less and less time and energy to enjoy the gifts that God has already given them. "Use it or lose it." They will lose the gifts that God has given them. Not, so much because God will take them away. Rather, because the gifts will decay or be put on a shelf in a basement or closet where they can no longer be found for use.

Wisdom calls out. "For those who find me find life and receive favor from the Lord. But those who fail to find me harm themselves; all who hate me love death.”  (Prov 8:35-36 NIV)

Wisdom calls out. Listen to her and live life.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Psalm 121 - Where Does My Help Come From?

"I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from?" (Psalm 121:1 NIV)

I know where my help comes from.  It comes from the LORD? Where are you thinking yours comes from. Is it really helping? Or, are you just all stressed out trusting in those false gods, because you know that they really can't help.

The LORD, God watches over all... Trust Him! He will keep you from all harm-He will watch over your life, now and forevermore.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Psalm 36 - No Fear of God?!

"I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:  There is no fear of God before their eyes." (vs 1 NIV)

I will second that!  God for many has become some sort of abstract pie in the sky. There is this idea that God does not judge.  He will not vindicate his children.  Everyone goes to heaven no matter which god(s) they serve in this world.  God is just a nice guy. 

God is, indeed, good.  But, that goodness means that He also requires justice and sometimes justice doesn't feel so good to those who unjustly persecute others, to those who choose willfully to serve other gods.  His goodness also means that he will vindicate his children.  He will care for those who are persecuted and woe to those who do the persecuting.  Sorry, if you're one who likes to do what they will, no matter who it harms, just because it might feel good to you, you really need to rethink your position on who God is. 

But, then again, those of you who are reading this blog regularly, probably already understand that God is Almighty.  He is God. To those who may stumble upon this blog looking for something else, know this:  "For the word of God is alive and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight.  Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."  (Heb 4:12-13)

God is more than a fluffy marshmellow or a cloud.  He is God.  Creator of the universe.  He gives life and He can take it away.  I think that it would be most prudent to not just love Him, but to respect (fear) and honor Him!  Put away the false gods. Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!

Let us pray:  Heavenly Father, Almighty God, Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart.  May the foot of the proud not come against us, nor the hand of the wicked drive us away. (36:10-12)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Psalm 29 - Temple of Peace

"The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace." (vs 11 NIV)

The LORD blesses His people with peace.  Everyone seems to want peace, but so few know where it comes from.  So many false gods to worship in this world, but those who dwell in the temple of the LORD, give glory to God. The members of the Body of Christ glorify God.  They focus on Him and know that He is the creator of all things.  They know that He is the recreator of all things.  Oh, if only eyes would be open to see and ears opened to hear!  

Turn away from all false idols.  Give to God the glory due His name and you will know, you will dwell, in His temple of peace.

"Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness." (vs 2)

1 Kings 12 - Israel Divided

Solomon has gone to "sleep with his fathers" and Rehoboam, his son, is now king.  Apparently, Israel was not so enamored with King Solomon's power over them as one might suppose.  The people go to Rehoboam and ask him to lighten the yoke upon them.  But, King Rehoboam, in his arrogance will not.  Instead, he increases their yoke and the people rebel. 

The promise, the threat, that the LORD made to Solomon to divide the kingdom under his son's rule because of Solomon's disloyalty to God is fulfilled.  Israel is divided.  Rehoboam reigns in Jerusalem.  Only the tribe of Judah follows him.  Jeroboam becomes king over the rest of Israel. 

But, what is it that these kings with worshipping idols.  Jeroboam doesn't want the people to go to Jerusalem to worship because he's afraid their hearts might turn to Rehoboam.  So what does he do?  He builds 2 golden calves, 2 false gods, for them to worship.  Not good!  So what's to become of Jeroboam?  What's to become of the people who follow after him and his false gods?

1 Samuel 5 - False gods fall before the LORD

The message for this morning is: False gods cannot stand before the LORD. The God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, our God has power over all things. And again... we ought not be trying to manipulating God. It doesn't work. He will have His way - one way or the other.

Sharing another story... :) About my own false gods... I have known since I was about 11 or 12 years old that I had been called into the ministry. However, I did not answer that call until I was in my 30's. I said no to God for many, many years and yes to the things of this world that were calling me. I did begin to turn my life around when I was in early 20's, but I was not willing to give up my will to His, not yet. One by one, those false gods showed themselves to be worthless. It took a lot of trials and testing to bring me to this day. Now, this may all have been God's plan for me so that when I got here, I would realize fully how worthless following other gods - following my own will and desires - actually is. Following my own desires (false gods) was definitely a wilderness experience. It is a repetition of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness. Go off doing your own thing - end up with troubles - return to the LORD - go off and do your own thing - end up with troubles - return to the LORD.

False gods are worthess. They will not stand before the LORD. They will fall before Him and bring you nothing but trouble - nothing but destruction.

During this season of Lent, consider the false gods that may have sneaked into your life and allow God to be in His rightful place in your life.

Joshua 24 - Choose Ye This Day

The journey is over.  The Israelites have been promised the land for generations.  They have been led through some hard times.  They have been blessed by the LORD.  Joshua's days are almost over.  He reminds the people of all that the LORD has done for them and tells them: 

     "Now therefore revere the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness;   put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the Rive and in Egypt, and    serve the LORD.  Now if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, shoose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."  (Josh 24:14-15)

Who indeed will you serve?  Which gods?  Will you revere the LORD in sincerity and in faithfulness?   As Joshua encouraged the Israelites to recall their history with the LORD God, I encourage you to do the same.  Who brought you out of bondage?  Did any of your false gods really help you?  You cannot serve two gods.  Choose ye this day, whom you will you serve.  And, whichever one you choose know that they will each desire faithfulness from you.  Will you choose the One who first chose you, who is faithful, and has always been faithful to you?  Will you choose the one who loves you so much that He was willing to die for you?  Or will you choose a lesser god, a god that does not love you, will only take from you, a god that will take your very joy and leave you alone and helpless?  Choose ye this day...  And, do not be deceived there is only one God that loves you.  Put away all those false gods, for you cannot serve them all and live.

God's promise to you is a for an abundant life in His Kingdom - in His very presence.  Do not choose to receive a lesser gift than this.  Do not turn your back on the LORD who gives you life.

Sneaky False Gods

Deuteronomy 13

Do not allow anyone to lead you astray; to tempt you to worship other gods.  Sound like an easy one?  It is not.  Sure, we all like to say we worship only the one true God, but in all reality do we?  It seems that I have been exposing false gods most of my life, with very little impact.  They just keep showing up and knocking at our doors - sometimes they even get in. 

It is difficult to live in this world without those false gods sneaking into our lives, often without us even knowing it.  These gods may be our desire for material wealth some earned honestly, some not so honestly.  But, even of that which is earned honestly, how much of it glorifies God?  How much time away from serving God and neighbor has been wasted away earning money while you no longer have time to enjoy being with and serving God and family or neighbor?  How much time is wasted on that false god - the television - or all those characters on it?  How much time and money in the casino?  Or on drinking or other means to getting high?  Our addictions and compulsive behaviors and attractions are false gods.  They sneak into our lives as possibly harmless diversions, ways to enjoy the company of others (maybe), to live the life that God has given us.  But, the reality is that these false gods also want our full devotion and they often get it as they lead us away from living in a fuller relationship with the one true God and with our neighbors.  One of the sneakiest false gods that I am aware of is ourselves.  Our own egos can become our gods as we strive to please ourselves rather than God.  In this age of self-help gurus, many have actually been convinced that the way to have a relationship with God is to love and be good to yourself first.  When your focus in inward upon yourself, then what is the name of the god that you end up serving?  Always... always... the one true God must come first.  Once you know the love of God, then you will learn to love yourself.   When you live in relationship with God, serving God first, then you will truly know what the blessed life is as you live in peace, reconciled to God; the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Then you will be able to live in peace in and with this world.

The new year approaches.  I encourage you to take an inventory of your false gods and resolve to see what you can do to get them out of your life.  There is only one God and it is He whom we should be serving. 

All Glory Belongs to God

Deuteronomy 8


Do not say...  I worked hard for this.  By mine own hand I have earned it.  Rather, "remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, so that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your ancestors, as he is doing today."  (vs 18 NRSV)


And... some may wonder why I talk so much about giving honor and glory to God.  Some may wonder why I talk so much about caring for and using the good gifts that God has given us so that we might honor and glorify Him.  It is because it is written in the scriptures, over and over again.


There is never a day that I don't thank God for all that He has given me.  I know that I would not have my family, my home, my past experiences, my congregration; I would have none of them except for the hand of God.  I can look back, I remember where I have been and I can see clearly how His hand was at work in all areas of my life. 


As I read the warnings to Israel, I am reminded that these warning could well be for those of us who live in the U.S. as well.  We have been tremendously blessed in this country.  Unfortunately, with all the blessings, also comes the tendency to give ourselves, rather then God, the credit, the honor, glory.  So often the will of God is no longer heard, but only the desires of our own sinful hearts.  And...  I wonder how long it will be before God says "this is enough" and takes it all from us. 


There is always a lot of lip service given to how this land was founded on Christian principles and how important that is to us.  However, there seems to me to be more lip service than actual service to God.  I am not even sure if the majority of Christians even knows what being a Christian actually is, according to scriptures (this probably applies to a whole lot more countries than the U.S.)  Very few read their Bibles.  If you do not, how would you even know what it means to be a Christian? Because someone else who never reads or hears the Word of God told you?  Christianity has become enmashed with new age teachings in order to empower us, in order to make us feel better about ourselves.  For some reason it is easier and more appealing to read New Age or self-help material rather than the Holy Scriptures.  When we apply "New Age" teachings to what little we have gleaned from the Scriptures, it is no longer Christianity.  You are worshipping a false god.  If this land being founded on Christian principles were really as important to us as we claim, would we not immerse ourselves in studying Christian principles by reading our Bibles, would we not be more faithful in attending Worship to hear the Word of God, to receive Christ into our very beings through the Sacrament of Holy Communion?


God has given us these things (Word and Sacrament), not for His sake, but for ours; so that it may be well with us.  Do not say that I am a self-made man or woman.  All that I have is mine, I have worked hard for it.  It is God who has made you.  It is God who allows you to live well upon the earth.  It is God who gives you the opportunity to worship and serve Him.  All honor and glory belongs to God, not humankind.


When my sons were in their rebellious teen years, I remember on a few occasions when I would be about totally exasperated with their shenanigans and remind them:  "God gave you life, God can take it away."  I've mellowed since then.  Well, maybe not too much...  Remembering our scriptures (2 Peter 3:9-13 NRSV) from last Sunday: 

     "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.
     Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire?  But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home."


May God help you to remember to give God the glory for all that He accomplishes through you this day.  May you be blessed with the knowledge that there is only one God and empowered to worship and serve only Him.