The Greatness of Opposition

 

The Name of Jesus Forbidden

Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. 14 And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. 15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, 16 saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.” 18 So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.

 

Prayer for Boldness

23 And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24 So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, 25 who by the mouth of Your servant David[b] have said: ‘ Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things?
26 The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the LORD and against His Christ.’[c]27 “For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together 28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. 29 Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, 30 by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

 

Sharing in All Things

32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.

 

 

I. Unlearned and Uneducated Men…as we have discussed before Jesus as Gods word has said has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. Jesus used ordinary men and women to follow him and proclaim his goodness and mercy. God uses the ordinary to do the extraordinary and Peter and John had left all to follow him and are now proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They are facing persecution for their obedience and are facing the leadership of that community. God chose to use them to fulfill his will and his destiny and sometimes there is a price to be paid for your obedience to the Lord. Jesus said Blessed are those which are persecuted for my names sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. They were being persecuted for taking a stand for Christianity in a society that was being shook up in its beliefs. The leadership couldn’t understand the compassion and works of Christ and it revealed their hatred. Peter and John purely declared the will of God and were confronted for their works and their words. If you stand up for Jesus you will be persecuted…if you stand up for Jesus you will face opposition if you stand up for God you will be hurt as they were even thrown in jail for their beliefs and outspokenness for the Lord. Have you ever made a statement of your faith in public? Have you even ever shared your faith in private with another person? Here were ordinary men facing persecution and opposition for what they believed. We need to be led by their examples and declare the truth of Gods word both in private and in public…it is a witness to your Christian Testimony. If you stand up for Jesus people will be upset.

 

II. Let us threaten them that they speak no further in this Name…the leaders were concerned they were upset that people had the will to proclaim the name of Jesus. How could they not for it was him who was crucified and had died before there very eyes but had also appeared to them in private and in public saying Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel…sometimes when you want to do what is right there will be people that oppose you…sometimes when you know to say or declare the truth their will be opposition…sometimes when you want to share Gods love people will not receive it. Today don’t be afraid to stand up for righteousness and doing what is right in your lives. Today allow the Lord to be your protector and don’t be afraid to make a move for what is good for your life spiritually and morally. Say I need your help today Lord and your peace as I move forward and he will comfort you and enable you. Never be afraid to stand for the truth..for in doing so you stand for righteousness and the kingdom of God in your confession of your faith. Only good can come from your stand for God, in this case a man who hadn’t been able to walk for forty years was now able to walk and over 5000 people became converts of the Lord. The world cannot stand the truth and the light of God but we are to be proclaimers of his righteousness and his truth. It was a movement for the Lord and listen to what the world leaders did: ‘

 

Why did the nations rage,
And the people plot vain things?
26 The kings of the earth took their stand,
And the rulers were gathered together
Against the LORD and against His Christ

 

III. This opposition promoted prayer: The apostles as a result of this persecution and threat begin to pray. They prayed to the Lord declaring what the world and the leaders had done towards the holy one and declared behold Lord their threats and their wickedness and stretch forth thy hand that they servants may speak with all boldness…instead of caving in they prayed it in. Instead of quitting they asked God for more. Instead of being hurt they reached out to God in prayer and asked him to give them boldness to continue declaring the glorious works of Christ. This opposition sparked a prayer movement in asking God to do more. Behold Lord their threats! There are times we need to ask God to step in and be encouraged by him and our Faith to continue our works with the Lord. They asked that God would continue his wonderful works through the name of his Child Jesus. For it was in his name that this man found soundness that these 5000 people found peace with God and a relationship with him ….all things come through our relationship with Jesus for he is our Hope and peace and righteousness…all channels of Gods blessings come through the peace of God and His Christ..can you believe in him today and trust him for your needs to be met. Can you believe in him and believe he hears your prayers today and knows your needs in your life? Yes you can believe today and trust him for he cares for you… Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you…Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding and he will comfort and aid you in your current affliction. For God is our peace and our shield. Trust him and he will Love you eternally today. For the grace of our Lord Jesus was this that in his Love he became poor for our sakes that we through his poverty might be made rich in the faith of the foundations of the world and all the heavens. Declare and decree it today and you will believe it.

 

IV. This prayer and Faith created unity and philanthropy…their was a sharing of the people with each other….of their possessions their was a true love of God working and moving in the midst of the people. The movement had began and the spirit of real Christianity was birthed…caring sharing, prayer and faith. God was in their midst and doing a great work among the people…the Lord Blessed them and moved in them to believe and continue in Faith and good deeds…today what we need is a genuine experience with the Lord to help our hearts and to possess our souls…and it will change humanity and the way it operates in greed and in problems. The world stood against this but it was the most compassionate thing that ever began and they wanted it to stop…today we can be examples to the world and to Christ. We can trust him and he will move and love us eternally…May his Kingdom be established today in your hearts and give you peace in all that you do. May the grace and peace of God keep you and establish you in every good thing and in every good work..and may we be like them and proclaim, pray and be peaceful and caring and sharing…so help us by the Grace of God…Amen.

 

Do you know Christ today…do you have Faith today?

1 in 8 get help at food banks

ata style="DISPLAY: none" img-extension="png" prim_Id="Ar0010104" type="primitive"> ata> By Wendy Koch USA TODAY

ata style="DISPLAY: none" img-extension="png" prim_Id="Ar0010102" type="primitive"> ata>    One in eight Americans — 37 million — received emergency food help last year, up 46% from 2005, the nation’s largest hunger-relief group reports today.

 

   Children are hit particularly hard, according to the report by Feeding America, a network of 203 food banks nationwide. One in five children, 14 million, received food from soup kitchens, food pantries and other agencies, up from 9 million in 2005, the year of the group’s last major survey.

 

   “This is a crisis,” says Vicki Escarra, president of Feeding America. “People need to understand that this is America, and we’re seeing this kind of need.” She says the report is her group’s most comprehensive study on emergency food distribution.

 

   It comes as a record number of Americans are receiving food stamps — 33.7 million last year — and as President Obama, who has set a goal of ending childhood hunger by 2015, proposed in his budget Monday to add $1 billion annually to school-based food programs.

 

   The report “reinforces what we know, which is that poverty and hardship are rising,” says Stacy Dean, director of food assistance policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which researches how public programs affect low- and middle-income people. She says some of the same people who get food stamps also go to soup kitchens or food pantries, because the government aid might not be enough.

 

   The Agriculture Department reported in November that 14.6% of households didn’t have enough food at some time in 2008. ata style="DISPLAY: none" img-extension="png" prim_Id="Ar0010103" type="primitive"> ata>

 

   Feeding America based its report on 61,000 interviews with people seeking food aid and 37,000 surveys of food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters and other programs affiliated with Feeding America food banks.

 

   More than a third of those interviewed said they had to choose between food and other necessities, including rent, utilities and health care. The average monthly income of households seeking help, $940, is below the $1,214 federal poverty level for a two-person household.

 

   “Our system is overburdened,” Escarra says. She says companies, individuals and the federal government have increased donations, but food banks are still struggling to keep up with demand.

 

   The Food Bank of Northern Nevada served 124,200 people last year, four times as many as in 2005, spokeswoman Jocelyn Lantrip says.

 

   “We’re a very hard-hit state,” Lantrip says, noting Nevada’s 13% unemployment rate. She says the food bank is able to meet demand largely because it got a new privately funded facility in July 2008 that tripled the bank’s size and expanded its ability to accept perishable food, much of it donated by grocery stores.

 

   In Austin, the Capital Area Food Bank is holding more food drives and sending trucks to local grocery stores to pick up food about to expire, spokeswoman Kerri Qunell says.

 

   She says the bank collected 3.3 million pounds of food last year, up from 1.8 million in 2008.

 

   Qunell says most of her food bank’s clients have jobs but aren’t earning enough to make ends meet. Like Lantrip in Nevada, she sees more newcomers.

 

   She recalls meeting a man in his early 60s who lined up for food at a mobile pantry. He told her that, in the past, “my wife and I were always the ones who helped.” ata style="DISPLAY: none" type="entity" doc-href="USA/2010/02/02" doc-format="1.0" entityid="Pc00135" chunk-id="Pc00135" section="News" page-no="1" label="1A" name="Untitled Picture"> ata>

The Birth of Christ to the Homeless

 

I John 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

 2 The same was in the beginning with God.

 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

 15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spoke, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.

 16 And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.

 17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

 

 

I. It was a Promise….God had told us in the years of past even starting in the Garden of Eden that he would use the seed of a woman to bring forth redemption and the solution to the problems created in that time. It was through their transgression that sin entered world and through the actions of a woman and her husband that resulted in the downfall of humanity. How many of you know the Bible says Eve was deceived but not Adam. It was a terrible thing. However in the midst of the promise of death, sin, and the shadows cast upon the world ….God told Eve that through Her seed that Gods enemies would be bruised. It was later and even seen throughout the whole old testament the promises of God foreshadowing the arrival of the Birth of Christ. He used types and illustrations and direct words. One of the most quoted but most important is found in Isaiah….Behold I will give you a sign a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and his name shall be called Immanuel- This is important for this is stating the virgin birth of Christ but also the arrival of God into our earth as a child. God clothing his Son in the Flesh. It was the arrival of the divine into a fallen world and God came in the lowly birth of a manger.

 

II. It was a Process….this was a process of all of Gods promises being fulfilled, being brought to pass, It was a strategic plan anchored in Christ. The angels announced his birth to the Shepherds in the field; the star guided the wise men to discover him in the manger in Bethlehem. The child Jesus grew and the bible says that he found both favor with God and with Man. He was a child born that was destined to die for our sins. This was part of the process. Jesus begins his ministry and his Prophets role as the Messiah, he challenged the world and its culture, and he healed the sick and the poor he assisted. He spoke to us the greatest words ever spoken. He commanded us to love one another and to love our neighbors as ourselves.  He was the ultimate leader and lover of humanity. The philanthropist and prophet. Who cared for the poor and the people. It was Jesus that saw humanity as Sheep without a Shepherd and it was then that he was moved with compassion and fed them. That same spirit today lives in the hearts of charities and Christians in your community and in this world. We are the fruit of Christ death and his original commandments; it is in him that we find our mandates and callings for lives. To help those who have no help to share Gods love with those that know no love. It is in him that we lead and love and show others the greatness of God.

 

III. The Plan…the plan was that in the death of Christ all men would experience the love of Christ and the power of his cross and his forgiveness. We all have a past and some is darker than others but in this passage it states that the light shines in the darkness. In the darkness we find our saviors love, in the darkness we find the goodness of God, in the darkness we are reminded of his holiness and kindness all in one. In the darkness Jesus cries out and says I am the light of the world. Are you in darkness today? If so Christ is your answer and your hope and your love. When no one else loves you he will, when you feel all alone he cares for your….for these same scriptures say that he was full of Grace and Truth. Grace and Truth…it is his Grace that he accepts us and in truth that he justifies us and makes us Gods creation and brings into a holy right relationship with God. Today do you need his Grace do you need his kindness. Of his Kindness have we all received says the Bible. And today God wants us to experience his grace and truth and kindness. Don’t feel left out this Christ- Mass but allow the holy one. The blessed son of God to give you hope and an everlasting relationship with God... Human relationships will fail you. Heaven and Earth will pass away but not Gods love for you. Will you follow him today?

 

IV. His Peace….the angels even announced Peace on Earth and Goodwill toward men. His peace surpasses all understanding…not only will Christ bring peace to the earth but he will bring peace to your hearts. This Christ mass allow the prince of Peace to give you and everlasting peace. Peace is a missing element in our world of war and confusion but peace is a spiritual thing. It is having peace with God and His son the Lord Jesus. Today bring yourselves to him and you to will find his Blessed Peace…for he is Shalom, King of Righteousness and King of Peace…be blessed today and Gods peace be with you all Amen.

 

May Gods Grace and Peace be with you all today.

Greetings this Christmas Season,

It is so hard to imagine that within just a few weeks we will be waking up to December 25th. I hope and pray as my family is...we realize that it is more than the material blessings but it is also the spiritual blessings. While we realize all we have is in Christ we strive to remember those less fortunate. This Christmas Season let us all be thankful for all that God has done. Not only has he blessed as as scripture states with all spiritual blessings but he has also bestowed upon us His blessings in life. I know some of us are struggling so let us remember what is the foremost important thing in our lives.

God Bless you and Have a Joyful Holiday Season.

Brian

Thanksgiving Sermon to the Homeless

Ten Healed of Leprosy only One Thanks the Lord

Luke 17: 11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

I. Have Pity on Us…these were ten lepers who were outcast to society. They were not allowed to mingle or walk with the rest of the people because of their disease. It states they stood at a distance indicating their outcast position in society. Often we feel as lepers to a community or society socially unaccepted. But they found one that would listen to them. It was Jesus. Oh the truth in this is no matter how society views you or whatever you sickness or what makes you different God has time and compassion to talk to you. Jesus was sensitive to their voice realizing who they were. They cried out Jesus have Pity on us….this was something that no one else in society had ever offered them…unconditional love and mercy. They felt the pain of rejection and even the sentence of death upon them. The religious people didn’t want them, children were afraid of them, they were forbidden in mainstream society much like some of us today. They were told where to walk, sit and sleep. They experienced the feelings of rejection and having no pride in life. But Jesus tells them to do something that was actually not normal for them to do….

II. Go show yourselves to the Priest. I am sure they had even tried to do this before and knew they would be turned away. I am sure they had reached out to the community leaders before and were rejected. But they didn’t realize that Jesus or the Christ was going to do something greater than they ever expected….that was to heal them. Sensing that Jesus cared they did as he said and were cleansed or made clean of this vicious disease. They were obedient to our Lord is the substance of truth here. They went to where they felt rejected and were healed. How wonderful this is…for now they are accepted in society they are no longer seen as the outcast or forbidden to touch. Jesus had truly worked a miracle that changed their life, socially- he even removed the sentence of death that was upon them. How glorious and reflective of what he does for all of us today who cry out and say Master, have pity on us. The glorious Lord saves us and forgives us….but here is the irony and relation of this text to Thanksgiving.

III. One of them…it states that one of them only one came back and threw himself at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. Oh how sad….as it is about to be thanksgiving we are to give thanks, this one man reflects the mood of gratitude in our society and our community that basically only one in ten was grateful for the Lords help and mercy. The Lord does the work but no one thanks him. We must adopt a new attitude this thanksgiving and that is to thank the Lord for what he has done for us. Our society no longer recognizes the Goodness of God…what if only one out of ten today continues to be thankful to God? Recognize his goodness and mercy. It may be the help received through the Christian charity but we are to be thankful. IT may be that our Lord has erased and forgiven our sins and manipulation in our society. We are to be thankful. It may be that God has made us clean and overcome our addictions but we are to be thankful. It may be that society has given us a second chance in our community and we are to be thankful. To often we are to thankful for the services of the Lord and we are like the other 9 lepers who did not return to the Lord to thank him. Jesus asked him was not all ten cleansed or changed? where are the other nine? Jesus didn’t take away their miracle or his love and charity to them but simply questioned their hearts and motivation. Where are the others? Were they not grateful for what I did? This Thanksgiving let us not be as the ones that don’t thank the Lord for what he has done but let us thank the Lord for his assistance and Love. No matter how we perceive it we are at his Mercy and need his Kindness to help us. Are we grateful to the Lord this Thanksgiving? You may be in the Mission but it is the Lord who provides for you? You may be here against your will, but it is the Lord who provides for you- give your gratitude to the Lord for his Love and Works demonstrated to you this Thanksgiving,

IV. Your Faith has made you whole…in the thanksgiving of the one leper Jesus gives him the confirmation he needed to hear… he states to him your Faith has made you whole. Today it is still your Faith that makes you whole. Experiencing the compassion of Christ and Christianity. Embracing Gods love through Christ is an issue of Faith. It is your belief in Him that changes the outcome of your life. Jesus recognized the act of worship and gratitude in this person and the Lord confirmed the well being of the Leper. This year allow your Faith to make you whole. We are sick spiritually and socially we need help. Allow this year to be your year of gratitude and thankfulness. Let the power of the Lord cleanse you and make you whole. Be thankful to God. Trust God. Hope in God and you can see the Glory of God. Go in the way the Lord directs you and you will be cleansed. Be thankful and you will be confirmed show you appreciation to the kindness of God your true gratitude…And when the Lord does good for you remember to return to the Lord and be thankful for what he has done for you. Whether it was from Heaven or through Humans it is God who has done it for you. It may even be the Charity of a Mission in your community but be thankful this year for Gods Love and Blessings.

May a spirit of Thanksgiving and Gratitude be found in our Hearts this year.

Amen.

The Searching of the Lord

 

Zephaniah 1:4-7,8,12

4 I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests;

 5 And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship and that swear by the LORD, and that swear by Malcham;

 6 And them that are turned back from the LORD; and those that have not sought the LORD, nor enquired for him.

 7 Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.

12 And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.

18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD's wrath;

 

I. Them that are turned back from the Lord: them that are turned back from the Lord indicates those that no longer are pursuing a relationship with God. They in fact had turned to worship idols and false Gods..many times we turn to substitutes for God in relationships and possessions. Seeking to find fulfillment in the world in the place of God…God indicates that these individuals had turned their back from God or from the source of their life inspiration. We are to seek the Lord and search for him with all our Hearts…scripture states to Love the Lord thy God with all they heart, soul and mind. We are to worship the Lord and in Him we find completeness and the answers we search for. Don’t allow loneliness and the desire to follow the world to pull you away from your relationship hips with the Lord… Why would you want to turn back from following the Lord and the Paths of Righteousness. It is true that sometimes sin will appeal to us to forsake our Love for the Lord but we are to not turn back from the Lord. If you were to sin and you will …you should turn to the Lord and ask his Love and Forgiveness to forgive your mistakes.  Romans 1. 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.

 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

 

II. The Lord hath prepared a sacrifice and invited his Guest….The Lord reminds us that he has prepared a sacrifice for us when we follow our own paths and find sin. That in its place he has placed his Son on the Cross for us to believe in Him. We are to trust in Him and we have been invited to partake in his gift of Mercy and Love. As far as the Heavens area above the earth so is his Mercy and Love to us. It is great, it is grand and God desires and invites… calls you to be a partaker of his kingdom of His dear Son in the Light , the Lord of the Light the Lord Jesus Christ. Colossians 1:13 states he has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of his Dear Son. Today follow his path, follow his goal, find his Love and heed the Calling of God. Broad is the way that leads to destruction and many there be on it but narrow is the way to leads to life…but once you enter in you will not be disappointed you will not be ashamed. Follow the lord you are his invited guest….why decline the invitation…What better thing do you have to put in His place?

 

 

III. The Lord will do an extensive search. The Lord will do an extensive search, it states with candles. This is an unusual statement in that God will actually seek out those that have lived against him and transgressed his Holy law. No human is exempt from this search of the Lord. But it also indicated the compassionate side of the Lord in that he looks and searches for you. You may have thought you were lost in this part of the city or world or in this place on 3^rd street. But the Lord searches for you and can and will find you. You will not want the Lord to find you and you not possess a relationship with God. This search turns up both the Good and the Bad. Jesus stated will he Find Faith when he comes? The Lord is the Judge of the Living and the Dead, the Righteous and the unrighteous obey him and you shall live follow his obedience to Life.

 

 

IV. They say the Lord will do neither evil or good…These are people that have a misconception of God. They believe the Lord will neither do Good or Bad or there is no consequence for our sin. That God is almost non existent or does to hold us in accountability with him. They are not able to discern the truth and believe God is not active in the human race…they are in for a shock. The Lord can bless you with Good or he will punish our Sins…scripture even states receiving double for our sins. These individuals no longer had a respect or fear for the Lord. They felt God was absent from their midst and they felt a false sense of security in their own security. The Bible states it is a fearful thing to fall into the Hands of the living God. God does respond to humanity and is responsive to those that do good and those that do evil. Don’t be deceived God will do something.

 

 

V. Their silver and gold will not be able to deliver them from his wrath. This tells us that the rich of the world and the foolish of the world will never be able to purchase happiness or purchase forgiveness with their silver or Gold. God is not moved by mans influence. He is moved by mans heart. Those that seek evil God will punish those that come to his calling and invitation and do righteousness he does Love. Your silver can never by Gods love or exempt you from his Justice. These are but elements of the earth and have nothing to do with Gods Justice….only the Blood of the Divine Christ can deliver you.

 

 

Today let us not turn away from our Lord but let us pursue his Presence , Love and Forgiveness.

 

May his Grace and Mercy Guide us today.

 

Amen

Will we Contend with God

Book of Job

   40:1 The Lord said to Job: 

   2 “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!” 

   3 Then Job answered the Lord: 

   4 “I am unworthy —how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. 

   5 I spoke once, but I have no answer — twice, but I will say no more.” 

   6 Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm: 

   7 “Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. 

   8 “Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself? 

 

Contend with God? Really? Is it wise??

 

I. Will the one who contends with the Almighty Correct him?- Or change the way in which God is dealing with  you or his corrections or instruction toward you? No, can the clay pot say to the potterer why have you made me so. We cannot change the way in which God deals with us. Job states this is so.

 

At the Potter’s House

 1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord:   2 “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.”   3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel.   4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. 5 Then the word of the Lord came to me:   6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. 

II. Silence- Job answered the Lord by saying simply this ? How can I reply to you who am unworthy and basically made of the earth and of human frailty. Job states I am unworthy and will cover my mouth.  He states he has no answer. Job realized that you cannot argue or contend with God.. if the Almighty has chosen it or done it…..it can only be undone the moment His will decrees so. Silence was the Answer in dealing with God in correction.

III. The Storm- Look God finally speaks but from where? A storm. Or the storm. Was this a storm of lightening and thunder and wind? More than likely yes, but it is also symbolic of Jobs circumstances. He was in a storm in his Life and it was in the midst of this violence and disturbance that God Speaks. He states Brace  yourself like a man-(find courage and faith as well) I will question you and you will answer me. In other words when the supreme justice of the universe ask you a question you will speak. God gave him no option but exerts himself as God to Job. Sometimes there are no options but to speak to the Lord and answer his direct questions. Questions like are you in my will? Is it Sin at the root of your problem? Maybe the questioning of God can lead to a solution?

 

 

IV. Self Sufficiency disclaimed: God says if you can clothe yourself in honor and majesty if your voice can be as thunder or in other words if you can speak as me then I will honor you...but God shows that even the greatest of his Creations as he refers to Behemoth cannot be channeled by no man but he only responds to the almighty. It all comes back to your response to God, there is a time to be silent, a time to pray, a time to ask but never a time to blame for who can change the will and mind of God. We are to submit to his mighty power and live, obey and be justified, accept and not be destroyed. For it is he who has made us and him who we will be accountable to. BE as Job, meek humble and quiet then perhaps God will speak to you from your storm and heal your circumstances. Believe today in the Lord for he is Mighty to save. As scripture says: The Lory they God in the Midst of thee is mighty. Mighty to save. Zephaniah 3:17....The Lord they God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love. He will joy over thee with singing. Although the Lord may be angry his mercy is for a lifetime. Receive the Lord and his ways today.

 

Amen

This is the site of our Homeless Vigil - Friday Night November 6th. See the River Bridge in the background. For more information call us at 479.782.1443 or email: brian@fscrm.org- This is your opportunity to live like the homeless and have that experience for one night. To be a voice for them in thier conditions and enviroment.- Brian

Going Green- Teaching the Homeless to Pick up thier trash and be clean. When we think of places like Cheronobyl with all its Radiation that created birth defects and death for 100,000's. We should learn to keep a balance between Creation and Mans responsibility to keep it clean. Just the homeless cleaning the trash in the city area is an effort to respect Creation. I will be teaching that this month at the CRM- to take responsibility- to be constructive and not destructive...trying to spark personal responsibility.