Go With Haste To Hear The Promise

Luke 2:16-20 KJV: Go with haste to hear the promise fulfilled by that baby born in a manger.

Faith Keeps Us Moving Forward

Hebrews 11:6-8 KJV; Fear would stop us in our tracks. But, faith will overcome all fears and keep us moving in the way the Lord would have us go.

I Cannot Come

Genesis 12:1-9 KJV - Abram left his country, his kindred to go the land that God had promised. Is there anything you would not leave behind to go where the Lord leads you?

God Resides In His Temple

2 Corinthians 6:16-18; 7:1 KJV God resides in His temple. He lives in us. Hear His promises and be born again as children of God.

Joseph Believed The Word

He believed the word of the Lord brought
to him by the angel of the Lord.

But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. (Matt 1:20-21 KJV)

You're going to be a father even though you are not the father! Can you imagine what was going through Joseph's mind when he found out that Mary was pregnant? Yet, Joseph trusted; he believed the words of the angel of the Lord and took Mary and the child to be his family. 

Being a parent is a big responsibility; but, being the parent to the Son of God! How big of a responsibility is that!?

Joseph knew that this child that he and Mary would raise would inevitably save God's people from their sins.  Not only a big responsibility for the people who would raise him; but, how confusing that must have seemed. How would this child save them? What would the child's future be like? What would their lives be like? 

Anyone who finds themselves about to be a parent might have similar concerns no matter how joyful they might be over the upcoming event. Will I be a good parent? Hopefully, those who ask this question understand and are willing to give more of themselves to raise the child. Sometimes, it calls for a change in lifestyles or where one lives; even where one might work. Sometimes and usually bringing children into the world means we must be less selfish and make the children's needs over our own desires. 

Thanks be to God for picking Joseph to be the father of Jesus! Joseph was willing because he trusted in the word of the Lord brought to him by the angel of the Lord.

May God help us to trust the Lord's promises. 

"And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children." (Isa 54:13 KJV)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Praise God!

Psalm 149 KJV

Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.

Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.

Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.

For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.

Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.

Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand;

To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people;

To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;

To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the Lord.

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Praise ye the Lord for He is an almighty God. He lifts up His children. He takes pleasure in them. Let all of the saints joyfully give thanks to God and give Him all glory for all that He has done and will do.

Trust that His promises are and have been fulfilled. He loves you now and will love you always. Rejoice in His glory!

God's Peace - Pr. J. 

Faith Alone In Christ Alone

Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.

He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

                                                                                 (Gal 3:3-7 KJV)

We are indeed foolish if we think that we can be saved by keeping the law for not a one of us can keep the law perfectly. There is only way to be saved. We are saved by grace through faith in the promises of God. We are saved by faith in that Jesus died for us; for our sins.

Just as Abraham was saved by his faith in the promise of God so shall we all be saved by faith. And, where exactly would we expect our faith to come from? It comes from hearing the Word of God. Faith comes from hearing the promises. How can anyone possible believe something that they have not heard? As our reading for Transfiguration Sunday reminded us; "Listen to him." (Matt 17:5, Mark 9:7, Luke 9:35) Listen to him!

Rejoice, oh sinner, by faith alone in Christ alone you have been redeemed to live  in peace; to live in the presence of Almighty God for all of eternity.

God's Peace - Pr. J

What Was Herod Thinking!

For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.

And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee;

And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee.

And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.

And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist.

And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist.

And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her.

And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison,

And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother.
                                                                                                 (Mark 6:20-28 KJV)

This enquiring mind would like to know exactly how much did King Herod have to drink when he promised that he would give Herodias anything she wanted for her daughter to dance for him even up to half of his kingdom?  Or, maybe he was just a pedophile?  Or both?

John the Baptist for sure had exposed his sin of marrying his brother's wife; but, Herod still heard John gladly. He respected John as a holy man. So, when he was asked to behead John the Baptist it grieved him greatly. But, he had promised that he would give anything and had done so publicly. In order to save face he had to do it.

We must be careful of the oaths we make to others. It is much better to promise to try than to promise to do. One never knows what actually lies in the hearts and minds of others; if they are laying a trap to turn us away from the Lord and his will.

Let us always be wary of falling into the pit that comes with making promises to others that go against the will of God. Rather, seek the Lord and to do his will  that we may do good to others and cause them no harm for God is the God and Father of all.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

The Promise; Our Inheritance

 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;

Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. 

                                                                            (Eph 1:7-14 KJV)

Forgiven and redeemed by the grace of God through the blood of Jesus the Christ; for what? According to St. Paul is it so that we might be gathered together as one in Christ and not just we but all things in heaven on earth. The inheritance; the purpose, is that we might be reconciled to one another; that we might be reconciled to God.

Thanks be to God through Jesus the Christ we have been redeemed to live united in peace. That is the promise. Although that promise has not yet fully come. Our hope is that in the dispensation of the fulness of time we will fully realize that unity; that peace. That hope gives us the ability to endure all things even today.

God grant us the hope to believe the promise of unity in Christ and to live as though that promise has already been fulfilled.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Believe And Be Baptized

"Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?" 

                                                                                   (Acts 8:35-36 KJV)

"Secondly.

What does Baptism give or profit?--Answer.

It works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare.

Which are such words and promises of God? Answer.

Christ, our Lord, says in the last chapter of Mark: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."

                                                   http://bookofconcord.org/smallcatechism.php



I have run a across a very sad thing. There are those within the church on earth who have not been baptized! How does this happen? How is it that a believer has not received the Sacrament of Baptism? What has hindered them from being baptized?

I've heard a few reasons. For some it has come down to the embarrassment of not having been baptized earlier, as a younger person. There are those who have not been baptized within the church and yet are receiving the Sacrament of Holy Communion. They will rarely just tell you of their own volition that they have not received the gift of baptism. You will have to ask them.

I first ran across this years ago when I was working on membership rosters and the official congregation records. We were missing information that should have been in the books: things like birth and baptismal dates that would have been registered decades earlier. I thought that this might be a good reason to do some extra home visits and get to know some of the congregation a little better. A very elderly woman whom I regularly visited in a nursing home was on the list for missing baptismal dates. When I asked her where and when she'd been baptized, she was relieved that I asked her because no one else ever had. She confessed that she had never been baptized. When she was a child, they had a circuit pastor, who normally did baptisms during hay making season. Her family was in the fields (Yes, even on Sunday) working when the pastor came around. After she got older and got more active in the congregation no one ever asked her about her baptism and she was a bit embarrassed to admit that she hadn't previously been baptized. That's the short version of a very long story. Ultimately, she received the Sacrament of Baptism in the nursing home with her children and grandchildren around her about a week before she died.

This was not a lone incident. Most I've encountered were eventually baptized. A few have declined to receive this gift from God.

We are to go and teach and baptize (Matt 28:19-20) so that others might come to faith and be assured that they have received forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation. The mission field is huge. It begins within our own congregations. Do not assume that someone is saved just because they attend worship once or twice a year or even every Sunday. Do not assume that they know Jesus. Do not assume that they have received the Sacrament of Baptism. Proclaim the Good News to all people and encourage them to receive this life saving gift from God. And... don't forget to tell them about all of the benefits of Baptism, which is truly a gift from God for them.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Test Every Spirit

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. 

                                                                               (1 John 4:1-6 KJV)

Try the spirits! Discern whether the words; the promises; the prophecies; that you hear or read of God or of the world?

Those who are not of God will refuse to hear or accept the truth. They will also  consequently refuse to proclaim it themselves. They will do everything in their power to keep others from learning the truth that whatever they do is to glorify and profit themselves. Do not follow in the way of the world and the worldly for it will only lead to destruction.

This world is not all there is. There is so much more to life than what the world offers. We can live that abundant life even here by being in relationship with God our Father. All people have the privilege of knowing him and being in that relationship by virtue of the sacrifice made for us on the cross by Jesus. That is the truth that we need to rely on and not on the lies that are being proclaimed as truth today. There is no need to listen to false promises from soothsayers when you listen to Jesus. When you listen to Jesus you have the truth.

The false prophets that we should not be giving heed to are not just some Christian prophets as some would propose. They can be of any religion or even no religion. False prophets, no matter who they are, will attempt to lead you away from the truth. They will attempt to lead you away from Jesus as they keep you focused on the world. They will lead you and the world to destruction even as they claim that they are trying to save you. They cannot save. Only the truth who is Jesus the Christ can save you. Listen to him!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

When Will It End?

And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. 

                                                                                               (Rev 6:9-11 KJV)

It is one of those mornings when I ask again, "How long, O Lord...?" How many times have we heard or even asked ourselves, "How much longer, Lord?"

As the fifth seal is opened, St. John see the multitude of souls of those who had been killed for the word of God. They want to know how much longer before their blood will be avenged. They want to know how much longer they must wait for the judgment of the inhabitants of the earth. They want an end to the pain and suffering; the persecution of God's children on earth.

They want to know and so do we. When will it end? It will end they were told when the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters in Christ, have been killed just as they had been. Persecution and unjust killing of God's children will continue until the end. No one; but, God can tell when the full number of martyrs will join those already dressed in white robes? 

When will it end? We cannot know; but, we can trust that God does. Therefore, we wait with patience and hope and faith in His promises.

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Word Endures Forever

For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:

But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

                                                                                    (1 Pet 1:24-25 KJV)

My Easter flowers are fading fast. Today, I will replant the lilies and throw away the cut flowers. Winter has died. With spring flowers and trees are beginning to  to show beautiful signs of life again. The grass has also returned to a point where it must be mowed every week. The flowers and the grass each have their own short seasons to live. But, each spring, sometimes with a lot of extra care, they rise from their sleep and live again.

We too have a short season to live here on earth. But thanks be to God and to His Word, who is Jesus the Christ, we too will rise from death and live. Through His Word we have His promise that though our flesh will die; yet shall we live. (John 11:25-26) The Word, the promise of good news, endures forever. Thanks be to God for Jesus Christ, our Savior, our Lord, our Redeemer!

God's Peace - Pr. J. 

What Does Baptism Give?

What does Baptism give or profit?

Answer.

It works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare.

Which are such words and promises of God? 

Answer.

Christ, our Lord, says in the last chapter of Mark: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

                                                 Book of Concord, Small Catechism, Baptism 



I have run a across a very sad thing: there are those within the church on earth who have not been baptized! How does this happen? How is it that a believer has not received the Sacrament of Baptism?

I've heard a few reasons. Mostly, it has come down to being embarrassed over not having been baptized earlier, as a younger person. Those who have not been baptized; yet, are within the church receiving the Sacrament of Holy Communion, will rarely just tell you that they are not. You will have to ask them. 

I first ran across this years ago when I was working on membership rosters and official congregation records. We were missing information that should have been in the books: things like birth and baptismal dates that would have been registered decades earlier. I thought that this might be a good reason to do some extra home visits and get to know some of the members a little better. An elderly woman whom I regularly visited in a nursing home was on the list for missing baptismal dates. When I asked her where and when she'd been baptized, she was relieved that I had asked her about it. No one else ever had. She confessed that she had never been baptized. When she was a child, they had a circuit pastor, who normally did baptisms during hay making season. As a child, she and her family had been in the fields working when the pastor came around. After she got older and got more active in the congregation no one asked her about her baptism and she was a bit embarrassed to admit that she hadn't previously been baptized. That's the short version of a very long story. Ultimately, she received the Sacrament of Baptism in the nursing home with her children and grandchildren around her about a week before she died.

This was not a lone incident. Most of the people I encountered that attended worship regularly and had not baptized were then baptized. 

We are to go and teach and baptize so that others might come to faith and be assured that they have received forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The mission field is huge. It begins within our own congregations. Do not assume that someone is saved just because they attend worship once or twice a year or even every Sunday. Do not assume that they know Jesus. Do not assume that they have received the Sacrament of Baptism. Proclaim the Good News to all people and encourage them to receive this life saving gift from God. And... don't forget to tell them about the benefit of Baptism, a gift from God for them.

God's Peace - Pr. J

A Good Plan

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. (Jer 29:11 KJV)

Life can be pretty rough. We all go through hard times. But, for some people it seems as though the rough times never end and nothing good will ever come to them. But, the Lord has better plans for you than you can even begin to imagine. It begins with His love for you. It continues with your faith that His promises are true.

Trust Him. Listen to Him. Follow in the way that He has shown you through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Be Kind

"Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.." 

                                                                                         (Col 3:12-15 KJV)

We are not to be doormats. We are to stand firmly on the truth, which is the Word of God. Jesus, and in the end his disciples, did not back down from the truth. They stood firmly on God's Word and on His promises.

But, neither are we to be bullies asserting our rights over the rights of others. Paul encourages the Colossians to treat one another with compassion and kindness. We are to try to have empathy for others; to, as the saying goes: "walk a mile in the shoes of others." We are to listen to all sides with humility; humbling ourselves so that we do not put our desires over the needs of others, and with empathy so that we can act with compassion and kindness to those who are suffering.

May God reconcile us to Himself and to one another, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen

God's Peace - Pr. J

His Words Endure Forever

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (Matt 24:35-6 NIV)

Way too many Christians spend more time worrying about and even predicting the end of the world. This predicting of doom and gloom takes the focus off of the promises of God. It brings fear into the hearts of many when there is no reason to fear. It refocuses us so that we are not listening to or really hearing the words of promise and hope. The Lord's words will never pass away and his words are a promise that all who believe in him will live for all eternity in the presence of our Father in heaven. (John 3:16, John 14:1-4)

It is time for us to refocus and hear the words; the promises, of the Lord and not the doomsday predictions of humankind. After all; none of us can know the day or time. Only the Father knows. 

Hear the Good News and rejoice: The Kingdom of God, a place in our Father's house, has been secured for all who believe in him by the blood of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Promises

When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. (Hebrews 6:13-15 NIV)

There are times when we feel like we stuck a whirlwind of chaos. We may wonder if there is any real purpose to anything; if we'll ever see the sunlight again; if there is any good for us in the future. But, God has promised us an awesome life in His presence for all eternity. There are days when we may not feel like He's any where around. But, God keeps His promises. It took some time for Abraham to see the fulfillment of the promise of descendants. But, he waited patiently and received the promise.

Trust in the Lord. He promises "that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28) Have patience and wait on the Lord and you will see all His promises fulfilled.

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Hand Of The Lord

Bond Falls, Paulding, MI

I will open rivers on the bare heights,
    and fountains in the midst of the valleys;
I will make the wilderness a pool of water,
    and the dry land springs of water.
I will put in the wilderness the cedar,
    the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive;
I will set in the desert the cypress,
    the plane and the pine together,
so that all may see and know,
    all may consider and understand,
that the hand of the Lord has done this,
    the Holy One of Israel has created it.
                                        Isaiah 41:18-20 NRSV

The promises of the Lord are as numerous as the stars in the sky that He created. He created all things. He created even the wilderness which we find ourselves wandering through. The hand of the Lord has done this. Let us give thanks to the Lord for all His promises; for all of his gifts to humankind.

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Lord Delights In His People

Falls River, L'Anse, Michigan

For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory. (Psalm 149:4 NIV)

 

It is amazing to me that the Lord would take delight in any of us. But, he does. We are all sinful and unclean. We all turn our backs on Him in so many ways; choosing things of this world before him. Our priorities become fulfilling our or our loved ones' desires. But, he does. He does delight in His people. He delights in all who believe His promises. He delights in all who trust in His Son, Jesus, for their salvation. He delights in those who, in humility, recognize that they have sinned against Him and their neighbors in thought, word, and deed for they are His people.

 

Thanks be to God for His mercy is great and His love endures forever. Amen!

 

God's Peace - Pr. Judy