Listen To Him!

 

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds... (Heb 1:1-2 KJV)

There were many prophets. There still are. Some are prophets of God. Others are false prophets. It can be difficult to tell which is which. But, there is only one begotten Son of God. Listen to him!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

The Reason For Joy

O come, let us sing to the Lord;

let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

(Psalm 95:1-2 NRSV)

In five weeks it will be Christmas Day. We will make a joyful noise on Christmas Eve as we gather for Candlelight services. Hopefully, that joy will be present on Christmas day in households around the world, as well. Many churches no longer have Christmas Day Worship. Families are too busy with secular things to worry about the celebrating the birth of Christ on that day.

There will, of course, be joyful noises as children open their presents on Christmas morning. But, there will also be children with no presents, no home, no food, with very little, if any reason to be joyful. There will also be those children who do not make joyful noises because they don't get the exact presents that they wanted. Oh, you got a used car for Christmas instead of a new one? That is rough!

Christmas is not about things. It is about the greatest gift that we could ever consider receiving. For unto us a Savior has been born, that through him we would be forgiven our sins. We would be washed clean and reconciled to God our Father, becoming heirs of the Kingdom of God. That should bring more joy to our hearts than anything else.

It should bring us joy not just on Christmas Eve; but, every day of our lives. Let their be joy in the world our Lord has come!

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Son

He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, and leased it to tenants, and went to another country for a long time. When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants in order that they might give him his share of the produce of the vineyard; but the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Next he sent another slave; that one also they beat and insulted and sent away empty-handed. And he sent still a third; this one also they wounded and threw out. Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ But when the tenants saw him, they discussed it among themselves and said, ‘This is the heir; let us kill him so that the inheritance may be ours.’ So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Heaven forbid!”
                                                                        Luke 20:9-16 NRSV

The tenants refused to give a portion of their harvest to the landlord to pay the rent. They assaulted the collection agents, so the landlord sent his son thinking they might respect his son. Yeah, right! They rejected the son, too. They killed the son! They killed him thinking that they would then receive the land as their inheritance. It just doesn't work that way.

God sent many prophets to help guide the people in loving and serving the Lord. They didn't want to hear it. They wanted what they wanted. They killed the prophets. God sent his only begotten Son. We killed him, too. Rejecting the Son doesn't get us what we want. It doesn't earn us any inheritance. In the end, anyone who rejects the Son will be crushed.

There is only one way to the Kingdom of God, into the inheritance promised by the Father through the Son and that is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

God's Peace - Pr. J 

Listen To The Word!

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. Heb 1:1-2 NRSV I am always amazed by the number of people who rely on astrology or fortunetellers for a positive look at their personal futures. Sometimes, they are surprised that according to these false prophets their futures are not so bright. But, the Christian does not depend on reading the stars or listening to people who speak to the dead as these are forbidden by God. The Christian trusts in the word of God. He or she reads the word as found in the Holy Scriptures. The Christian listens to the Word who is Jesus the Christ.

In these latter days, God has spoken to us through His Son, Jesus the Christ, who is the Word made flesh. We know that in him and only in him do we have a future of hope.

If you are not worshipping with a community of believers; please, as a new year's resolution for yourself, find a local congregation to worship with so that you might hear the word of the only one who truly knows what the future will bring. He is the Word!

God's Peace - Pr. J.