The War Against God, by Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture:  Psalm 14

14:1  Fools say in their hearts, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is no one who does good.
14:2  The Lord looks down from heaven on humankind to see if there are any who are wise, who seek after God.
14:3  They have all gone astray, they are all alike perverse; there is no one who does good, no, not one.
14:4  Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon the Lord?
14:5  There they shall be in great terror, for God is with the company of the righteous.

14:6 You would confound the plans of the poor, but the Lord is their refuge.
14:7  O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion! When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.      

          There used to be a TV series called "Evening Shade" starring Burt Reynolds, with Charles Durning as the philosophizing old Southern doctor who would often shake his head and declare, "The world's gone noouuts."  I heard his voice in my head this past week, observing the hue and cry and calls for boycotts over words the CEO of Chick-Fil-A never said.  Supporters of the same-sex marriage idea went ballistic after CNN reported that CEO Dave Cathy came out publicly in an interview against same-sex marriage.  But transcripts bear out that isn't what he said.  In answer to an interviewer's question, Cathy stated he believed in traditional family values.  The story went on to allege that meant Cathy refused to support same-sex values.  Since the company has always closed on Sunday their Christian values were no secret, but now homosexual supporters called for a nationwide boycott.

          Roseanne Barr announced those who eat at Chick-Fil-A "deserve to get cancer."

This past Friday the Chick-Fil-A corporate VP for PR died of a heart-attack, and already Chick-Fil-A's opponents are mocking his death.

           On the Internet, discussions about Chick-Fil-A have turned into a blatant attack on God, on Jesus Christ, and Christianity in general.  But it has not stopped with trashing Chick-Fil-A, it was if a dam of hatred and evil invective had burst.

          Foul-mouthed TV host Kathy Griffin viciously attacked 17-year-old Willow Palin, clling her a "dirty whore and future porn star."

          The founder of Amazon.com gave $2.5 million to fight for same-sex marriage.

          Actress Ellen Barkin denounced conservatives, sending out hate-filled rants about the death of Internet guru Andrew Breitbart, a devoted husband and father of four.

          When the CEO of Chick-Fil-A was recently asked on a radio interview if he was against same-sex marriage, he said he was for one-man, one-woman marriage.  Now organizations supporting homosexuality have announced a nationwide boycott of Chick-Fil-A, and the mayors of Boston and Chicago announced they don't want Chick-Fil-A in their cities.  Even the ACLU came out against those statements.

          Again I could hear the old doctor on Evening Shade, intoning, "The world's gone noooouuts."

          Sometimes you have to wonder how some of these people found their way out of the birth canal.  But as I was reminded, some didn't, they were pulled out.

          But where does all this hate come from?

          And if you are thinking it all comes from liberals and leftist idealogues, you would be wrong.  There are those claiming to speak for God who spew hatred, as well.  But whether it comes from the right or left, it originally comes from the Father of Lies.  For Satan gives away the game when those he influences to hate their brother also misrepresent God while arguing for or against homosexuality.

          As I have often said, there is no good way to do a wrong thing.  You cannot hate your homosexual brother, or sister, and love God.  Even holy scripture says you can't do that.  It's in 1st John 3:15 that we find, "Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him."
          But this hate-filled war against Biblical ethics and morals is not just a war against Christians or their beliefs, it is a war against God, against Jesus Christ, against the influence of the Holy Spirit.  To rebel against God is to war against Him.  This becomes even more obvious when those who support same-sex activity claim the Bible is an out-of-touch book written by 40 different authors with lots of contradictions, or it was written by the "Illumanati", or it just has no bearing on our life today because we don't sacrifice animals to God, or we meet on the wrong day, or all religion is just a crutch.  All are shallow misstatements that say more about the claimant than the Bible.

          Almighty God is as clear in His words to us about the issue of same-sex as he is about pre-marital sex, about thievery, about murder, and more; "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?  Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God."  (1st Cor. 6:9-10)  We will not see the unrepentant in heaven.

          We who follow Jesus Christ need to be very concerned about those who practice such as this.  Not because they might convince us of their argument, but because they will not convince themselves of the reality of the Living God.  They have put themselves on His throne in their lives, convincing themselves, as verse 1 of Psalm 14 says, "There is no God," and all the perversions and ill-behavior mentioned in Psalm 14 become theirs.

          They remind me of a TV commercial seen recently, where one guy is telling another that he is 99.99% certain of whatever it was he was telling the other one. The first guy says, "So you don't know."  And so it is with most honest people.  We just don't know in a scientific demonstrable way, what is certain and what is not.  It is all probability.  In a court room, a person is found guilty or innocent on a preponderance of evidence.  Within Christianity we believe in our Redeemer based on a preponderance of evidence. My faith in God cannot be proven scientifically.  If I tell you I had lunch alone on a certain hillside yesterday, at 12 noon, there is no way to scientifically prove it, yet I was there.  And so is My Lord and Savior.  He was there.  And He still is, and is still with me, as well.  Given all the evidence in favor of the infallibility of the Bible we believe in it beyond all ancient manuscripts.  For it has the most evidence for reliability and being what it claims to be. Yet I can't prove it above that 99.99% of certainty.  Rather, the amount of evidence produced allows us to rely upon it's trustworthiness, as a matter of faith.  God, in His love for us, has given us the highest probability possible that we may believe.  If we had proof positive of the Bible's reliance, of the presence of God, it would not be a matter of faith and belief.

          This conflict over same-sex issues is not just a matter of different ideas, but a matter of different ideals and goals.  Those who rebel against God want to satisfy their own desires, despite what God has said.  They have a problem with His authority.  And as do many who are centered on self, who want what they want, regardless, men and women tend to resort to bullyism to demand they get their way.

          In this most recent outbreak of it, those who support same-sex marriage are attempting to bully those who have a right to their opinion, even if dissenting.  They have that right to an opinion, on both sides of the issue, because this is still America.  And if those against same-sex marriage decide to bully those who are for it, with tactics such as are being seen against Chick-Fil-A and others, we should stand against that, as well.  Bullying for anything changes no one's mind, in fact it just more resolutely hardens opinions so there is no room for open discussion.

          My Christian friends, homosexuality is a selfish concentration on what pleases us, becoming our idol, what we pay most attention to, replacing God on the throne of our life.  Only Christ and His influence, working through those who rebel, can make them see they are nothing, He is all. They need good friends who can tolerate -- not accept or support -- but tolerate their idolatry of self. I am personally familiar with what goes on socially among these folks, and often there is violence involved, as making "natural" what is known in the heart to be unnatural takes a toll on both partners. I know, there will be those here who castigate me for speaking plainly to you, but I urge you not to push them away, but to remain friends, to pray for them, for only Christ and His influence working through them can convince them that they are nothing, as we are nothing, and He is all.  Those who choose to continue in error, in the face of hard evidence that such behavior is a choice, and in the face of a continuing lack of even scientific evidence to the contrary -- with no lack of repeated attempts to prove otherwise, that there is a "homosexual gene" -- merely confuses the issue for others.

          In fact, from a purely scientific point of view, Isaac Newton's Third Law of Motion affirms that "To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction; something observable in everyday life, and applicable in this context.  Newton's laws of motion are three physical laws that form the basis for classical mechanics.

          So when we as a people see actions taking place such as the evil of the attack on the people of New York City on September 11, 2001; when we see the massacre of Christian men, women and children, and their homes and churches burned in Africa, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and elsewhere; when we see the senseless attack of a gunman on theater attendees in Aurora, Colorado, we know that evil exists.  And if the common sense law of Isaac Newton holds any sway at all, then where there is evil, there is good.  And what is observable all over this earth is the ongoing war between good and evil, between Satan and God.  Time to choose sides.

          The book that pre-dates all other books of historical, religious and law-giving precedence, the Bible, tells us this war has been an observable activity since the very beginning of time.  And for the very same reason that a thief kills a drug store clerk and robs the store -- someone wants something someone else has -- that war between good and evil continues in a range from a stolen toy to a the threat of nuclear holocaust.

          On that basis, no one should be surprised that when good raises its hand and says to the community, national or otherwise, that what we are entering into is not good, it is evil, then evil is going to climb on its hind legs and use every weapon in its arsenal to silence that voice.  And that is what is happening now as commercial companies and larger enterprises, for a profit motive, climb on the homosexual bandwagon. 

          These decisions are apparently based on the belief that by coalescing with the homosexual agenda -- which they must believe is gaining adherents -- their customer base will be enlarged and their profits increased.

          I believe they are mistaken.  But I also believe they are more than mistaken, I believe they have forsaken the good of their fellow man and entered into a war against God.

          Practically no companies have come out in support of scriptural prerogatives as has the Chick-Fil-A restaurant chain.  When asked about his beliefs, CEO Dan Cathy said, "I think we are inviting God's judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say, 'We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage.'" He continued, "I pray God's mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to define what marriage is about."

          In a statement made following the CEO's remarks, Chick-fil-A reaffirmed its foundation on "Biblically-based principles," but also said that "The Chick-fil-A culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect –regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender." Company officials said that they plan to "leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena" in the future.  However, the fact that the company both hires and serves homosexuals without discrimination has not saved them from becoming a boycott target among those in support of the homosexual agenda.

          In this case, the company's opinion is of little consequence, actually, for God has had His say about the subject of sexual perversion, as well as those who rebel against Him.  When you take a stand against what He has said, it is good to recognize that you as a human being who is here for a short time and then gone like a breath of wind, is taking a stand against the Creator of human life, the controller of wind and seas, and all human life.

          Those who have made a decision to turn their life over to the Son of God, Jesus who is the Christ, and allow the will of Almighty God to work through them, need to live out loud the life God has provided, and step away from those who are at war with God, even as we pray for them.

          Throughout our life we will meet those who believe with all their heart that their narrow view of life and what constitutes happiness is all there is.  But through Jesus Christ we have the freedom to a much more expansive view of life, here and beyond, and the freedom to love even those who hate us.  For no one who hates his brother can love God.  Please, friends, love God.  Make that decision for life, everlasting.  Amen.

Week of Worship

July 29, 2012

Invocation:  O God, creator of all humankind, I  ring to You the cares and concerns of all Your creatures.  Look now to those who cry for help from every corner of the earth, for You alone are able to satisfy our deepest desires.  Amen.

Read: Psalm 63

Daily Scripture Readings

Monday                Genesis 22:1-14

Tuesday               1st Timothy 6:11-19

Wednesday          Psalms 68-10
Thursday              John 10:1-18

Friday                   Matthew 7:1-12

Saturday               1st Peter 5:1-11

Sunday                 2nd Samuel 12:1-14; Ephesians 3:14-21; Psalm 32;

                             John 6:1-15 

Reflection: (silent and written)

Prayers for the church, for others, for yourself.

Hymn: "By Gracious Powers"

Benediction:  And now, my God, as I go to my place in the world, go with me.  May the peace of sin forgiven and the power of your Holy Spirit work in me and through me to Your glory.  Amen.

The Days Are Coming, by Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture:  Jeremiah 23:1-6

23:1  Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord.
23:2  Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord.
23:3  Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply.
23:4  I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord.
23:5  The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
23:6  In His days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which He will be called: "The Lord is our righteousness."

          The days of Jeremiah are far behind us in the passage of time, but the Word of Almighty God lives on forever.  Hebrews 4:12 reminds us that the Word of God "is alive and powerful..."  There is no end to it.

          In the days of King David the prophet Jeremiah prophesied, through the direction of God, that "'The days are surely coming,' says the Lord, 'when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch...'" 

          That righteous Branch is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who came to us in the birth of a child, was crucified for our sins, was buried and raised up on the third day as He said He would be, and today sits on the right hand of God the Father.

          The promise of a person of peace and salvation by the Father has been fulfilled.  And as might be expected by the father of lies, Jesus has been under attack, as have those who follow Him, all down through the centuries.  Even today, in our enlightened time, Jesus Christ, and those who follow Him, are under attack.

          In California a pastor preaches that because Jesus took on the sins of the many, He can no longer be the Son of God, and his congregation sits and listens.  Another pastor preaches that the god of Mohammed, the god of Islam, is the same as the Living God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and no one cries out "Blasphemy!"

          All across America, to the disdain of Christians in Europe and Africa, pastors here preach that homosexuality is not a sin, or anything to be concerned about, flying in the face of the 1st Corinthians 6:9 scripture, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals."  It is not a choice nor a lifestyle says the holy Word of God.  It is a sin that separates us from the gift of life God has promised in Jesus Christ.  Like all such sins, it is an attack on God the Father, on Jesus Christ, on the Holy Spirit.  Like those who practice fornication, idol worship, adultery, the effeminate male prostitution, the unrepentant homosexual will not see heaven.  God has had His say on that.

          First, Hebrews, Chapters 1 and 2, speak to both the holiness and the humanity of Jesus Christ, the author and the finisher of our faith.  His authority is sure so that when in John 14:15 He says, "If you love Me, you will do the things I say," it is more than just a plea that we love Him.  He who loved us first, before we ever knew of Him, died a terrible death on that cross for each one of us.

          Perhaps the true wealth and worth of what He did for us is encapsulated in Rev. 5:9-10: "And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth."

          It is for those reasons and more that as followers of Jesus Christ we need to be responsible for the state of our faith, and not be dependent upon the words, the claims, the preaching of others.  For it is before the throne of Almighty God we will be responsible to answer for ourselves.

          To focus in on that point, let us look briefly at Colossians 1:12.  Here Paul was writing from a Roman prison to the mainly Gentile and Jewish believers in this thriving city of Colosse in a Roman province of what is now modern Turkey.  A church of Jewish legalism and pagan mysticism, it was plagued with a heresy that said Jesus was less than He was, less than deity.  That lie robbed believers of the inheritance they deserved as children of the King. 

          Colossians 1:12 reads: " giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light."  It's the fourth verse in a nine verse prayer by Paul for the members of the Colosse church, a prayer rich in reciting the promises God has for us in believing in Jesus Christ.

          For example, note the past tense in "has qualified us"; a promise already fulfilled.  It's done.  The Amplified Bible version reads: "Giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified and made us fit to share the portion which is the inheritance of the saints (God's holy people) in the Light."

          The Greek word for "qualified us" actually means "to make sufficient," "to empower," or "to authorize."  God qualifies us only through the finished work of the Savior.  Apart from God's grace through Jesus Christ all people would be qualified only to receive the wrath of God.  "Inheritance" literally means "for the portion of the lot;" each believer will receive his own individual portion of the total divine inheritance.   

          In his book "Jesus + Nothing = Everything," Tulliam Tchividjian writes of these verses in Colossians that you and I have "already been liberated out of darkness's grip and transported into the kingdom of Jesus; you now are, and forever will be, safe and sound in Jesus -- all because of what He long ago accomplished for you."

          I couldn't say it any better than that.  It reminds us of the wisdom in Ephesians that tells us, again, that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers in the spiritual realm.  It reminds us that not the sinner, or a disagreeable neighbor or even a dissenting friend, not even their opinion, is our enemy.  We need not worry about our reputation or the inaccurate things said about us, or the fear others will not respect us, or even if we will be recognized for what we have achieved.  That is all slavery. 

          No, Colosssians 1:12 assures us -- "The Father ... has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light" -- that you and I have been united to Him; we always have His name, His presence, His personality, His reputation overshadowing and filling all that we are in our innermost being.  Finally, because Jesus was "someone", you and I are free to be no one.  It's okay.  It's an amazing identity we don't deserve, an identity without guilt, without pressure, only true for us by God's amazing grace to us in Jesus Christ.  More deeply true of us than anything you or I could accomplish on our own, because of what Jesus Christ has done for you and for me, you and I have nothing to prove, no reputation to protect.

          If you can understand that, then perhaps you will understand that you have the freedom not to be what Jeremiah describes in verses 1 and 2, the sheep destroyed, scattered and driven away.  You have the freedom in Jesus Christ to be those sheep he writes of in verse 3, the remnant of the flock out of all the lands brought back to their fold, where they shall be fruitful and multiply.  Through the work of Jesus Christ our Lord, the Son of Almighty God, we have the obligation to separate ourselves from those shepherds of whom God says, "So I will attend to you for your evil doings."

          Indeed, the days of Jeremiah are long past, but the Word of Almighty God still reigns, being alive and powerful, and is to be paid mind to.  Not only does Proverbs 30 attest to us, " Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him," but even in Matthew 4:4 where Jesus answered Satan in the wilderness, we see the importance, more than physical sustenance, of the Word of God, "But He answered and said, 'It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.'"

          Jeremiah 23:5 says, "Surely the days are coming," and so they are, for Jesus Christ is even now here with us.  Let us be certain we stand with Him, in worship of Him, and not with those who destroy, scatter and drive away.  Amen. 

Week of Worship

July 12, 2012

Invocation:  O merciful god, help us to live always in the realization of the account we must one day give.  May we pray rightly, listen keenly, and live as faithful stewards of Your good gifts.  With the assistance of Your spirit.  Amen.

Read: Psalm 62

Daily Scripture Readings

Monday                Mark 9:1-8

Tuesday               James 1:19-27

Wednesday          James 4:1-10
Thursday              Romans 6:15-23

Friday                   Philippians 2:12-18

Saturday               John 14:15-24

Sunday                 2nd Samuel 11:1-15; Ephesians 2:11-22; Psalm 53;

                             Mark 6:30-34 

Reflection: (silent and written)

Prayers for the church, for others, for yourself.

Hymn: "The Voice of God Is Calling"

Benediction:  I have heard Your word for my life today.  I bind it to my heart, pledging my full obedience.  Help me, my Lord, to keep this pledge.  Amen.

Who is Your God?

by Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture: Psalm 85:8-13

85:8   Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for He will speak peace to His people, to His faithful, to those who turn to Him in their hearts.
85:9  Surely His salvation is at hand for those who fear Him, that His glory may dwell in our land.
85:10  Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.85:11  Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.85:12  The Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.85:13  Righteousness will go before Him, and will make a path for His steps.

          Who is our God?  In the Old Testament the people lived by rigid rules regarding how they were to handle the Ark of God, the sacrifices of animals, what food they were to eat and what they were to avoid, and keeping these rules defined for them the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  They lived in tents, wore sandals, kept sheep and oxen, and were subject at any time to attack from neighboring tribes.  It was to God they turned when they needed help, when the crops failed, when disease killed the sheep, when the attackers outnumbered them.

          Some things change, some never do.  We are no longer under the old dietary rules, nor are we required to build arks, or temples, or make blood sacrifices.  But when we see trouble approaching, when circumstances overwhelm us, we turn to God.  We seek His help. 

          But whose help is it we seek?

          In Exodus 6:7, we read of God saying to the people, "And I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians."

          And in the same way in Leviticus 26:13 God says, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you walk upright."
          In Philippians 2:13, Paul writes to them about seeking their salvation in God "for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure."

          Is your salvation found in Jesus Christ, the son of the Living God?  Do you consider that your freedom from sin was bought by the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross of crucifixion at Calvary?  Do you expect that when you appear before Almighty God that it is the righteousness of Jesus Christ He will see you clothed in, and not the filthy cloth of your own sins?  The same Jesus Christ who is the Son of God and who was resurrected from the grave on the third day?

          Even though these events did not happen in our life time, history has documented witnesses to them so that we can say with all assurance, that is a mighty God!

          We trust our God in so many different ways because He is God.  In Psalm 4:8, we read, "In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety."

          Really, you don't need to be a theologian to have read about, or be familiar with the mighty acts of God.  The God we turn to when we are in need of protection, when we are in need of healing, of subsistence, of a change in everything from people's actions to natural law, when we are in need of miracles.  We turn to the Living God.

          And what does this God ask of us?

          In John 14:15 Jesus said, "If you love Me you will do the things I say."

          All the way back in the book of 1st Samuel, the prophet told us, "And Samuel said, has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?  Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams."

          Obedience is such a small thing to ask over a lifetime, that if He is indeed God, and both can and will do these things for us, surely we can do as He asks.   He is surely worth obedience.

          After all, the very characteristics of God should make us want to do as he asks. 

          A.W. Tozer, writing in his classic book, "The Knowledge of the Holy," wrote, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”  About us?  Yes.  Tozer goes on to say, “Man’s spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God. Worship is pure or base as the worshipper entertains high or low thoughts of God.” 

          In that same book, Tozer outlined 18 charactistics of God, those attributes that make Him what He is, to our knowledge.  These include wisdom, infinitude in that God knows no boundaries, sovereignty, holiness, trinity in that He reveals Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; omniscience, faithfulness, love, omnipotence, self-existence, self-sufficiency, justice, immutability, mercy, eternal, goodness, gracious, and omnipresence.  This is the God who wants to bless us and love us.

          So, if all this is true, and it is, why do we want so much to change Him?

          Instead of giving Him the obedience He asks for, we often want to make deals with Him to bargain away His consistency toward us.  We want to change who He is.  Some want a God of authority, some a God of benevolence, some a critical God, some a distant God.

          All down through the ages people have tried to mold God into their image, trimming a little sanctity off here, a little righteousness off there, adding a little worldliness over here.  Doesn't work.  Go start your own religion with a false god if you wish, but the Living God does not change. 

          From illicit sexual exchanges to the position of Jesus Christ, from man-made rules and regulations for getting into heaven to even whether heaven and hell even exist, mankind twists holy scripture to make God conform to the vagaries of the flesh.

          The apostle Paul warned us these things would take place.  In ‎1st Timothy 4:1 he wrote, "Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the later times some will desert the faith and occupy themselves with deceiving spirits and demonic teachings.          Writing to the Church in Galatia, Paul wrote in chapter one, verse eight, "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed."

          Some have said, "I could never worship a god who sent his own son to die such a cruel death, or I could never worship a god who told people to kill animals, or a god who approved of war, or won't approve gays, or won't let my dog into heaven, and on and on as we attribute human characteristics to the God who always was and never dies.  Excuse me, but He is God.  He made us, and He makes the rules.  Righteousness, unchanged, is His definition.  Take another look at the last verse of today's scripture, Psalm 85:13, "Righteousness will go before Him, and will make a path for His steps."  If it isn't righteous, it doesn't go. 

          And as far as the rules go, God has had His say on that, and He does not change.  What is good and what is evil were decided long before you and I ever came on the scene.  In fact, there is a war being waged over that, and you and I are the prize.  At least, that's how the embodiment of evil, Satan, sees it.

          The truth is the war has already been won, but Satan keeps trying.  He was defeated when Jesus Christ died on a cross for the sins of you and I, and then God resurrected Him from the grave.  How all that will close this age on earth is described in colorful detail in the final book of the Bible, The Revelation of Jesus Christ.

          So, He is God and, again, why would we want to change Him?

          Better if we change ourselves, I suggest.  And since He knows what a tough job that is, He is willing to help us.  In 2nd Corinthians 5:17 we read, " Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

          All things are become new, if we are willing to believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God.  No magic words, no potions or spells, God simply wills it.  Why do we want to change Him, again?  Amen.

Week of Worship

July 15, 2012

Invocation:  O Lord Jesus, Who comes always seeking a bride without spot or wrinkle, grant that we may prepare ourselves to welcome You as our faithful groom.  O glorious union.  Amen.

Read: Psalm 46

Daily Scripture Readings

Monday                Isaiah 55:1-13

Tuesday               Isaiah 1:10-17

Wednesday          Isaiah 1:21-26
Thursday              Romans 15:1-13

Friday                   Ephesians 4:1-16

Saturday               John 17:20-26

Sunday                 2nd Samuel 7:18-29; Ephesians 1:1-10; Psalm 132:11-18;

                             Mark 6:7-13 

Reflection: (silent and written)

Prayers for the church, for others, for yourself.

Hymn: "God the Spirit, Guide and Guardian"

Benediction:  My Lord, You once said many are called to enter Your kingdom but few are chosen.  Help me today to hear Your call -- and to so live as to be numbered among the few who enter into the fullness of Your love.  Amen.

Would You Be A David?

by Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture:  2nd Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10
5:1  Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron, and said, "Look, we are your bone and flesh.
5:2  For some time, while Saul was king over us, it was you who led out Israel and brought it in. The Lord said to you: It is you who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you who shall be ruler over Israel."
5:3  So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron; and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel.
5:4  David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.
5:5  At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months; and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.
5:9  David occupied the stronghold, and named it the city of David. David built the city all around from the Millo inward.
5:10  And David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him.

          We come now to the David who has graciously lamented the deaths of King Saul, who on several occasions attempted to murder David, and Saul's son Jonathan, a dear childhood friend of David's, even as now David appears before his people as the natural heir to the crown.

          If you have read this very interesting saga of the Old Testament, you know the entire story is much more complicated than that, but let us proceed with David from this point.  For as the youngest of a family of shepherd sons, David has trusted God to lead him through a whole series of adventures to bring him to this point, now at the age of 30. 

          David would rule Israel for another 40 years, enduring a serious misstep, a sin against the very God he loved, a sin that cost the life of one of his military leaders, for which he paid a high price.

          And yet, scripture tells us that David was a man after God's own heart.  Even so, he was flesh and blood and heir to all the temptations as you and I.  Perhaps given the power at his command over 40 years, perhaps it is a wonder the compromising of Bathsheba and the murder of her husband were the only sins history ascribes to him.  For we know well, by experience during our own lifetime that absolute power corrupts absolutely.

          Still, we expect that our leaders, even one coming from a shepherd's background, will understand the precepts of leadership and be that shepherd to the people.  We need God-focused leaders who will love their people.

          Coming from the unsophisticated background that David did, it would be understandable if he had launched into building his own fortune, providing for his own future, indulging his own tastes and desires in the way only a monarch could.  After all, at no time do the writings about David present him as some angelic being above the temptation of sin.  On the contrary, he is flesh and bone, he knows hunger, danger, and the love of God.

          And yet God saw in David a King.  Just as God has a vision of your potential and my potential, He saw that in this skinny shepherd boy.  David trusted in God and relied on God, so that God was able to actualize that potential in him, through the growth of discipleship and the process of David maturing in faith.  When we trust in God to overcome, great things will happen through us.

          For David his entire life was leading to this moment we see in today's scripture. 

The tribes of Israel came to David pointed out to him that it was he who had been leading them all along. It was not an easy journey for David from the moment of his selection by Samuel to this prelude to his coronation.  There were many hard moments, moments that could have gone awry had David not trust in God, relied upon God to be God to him.  Led of God he was able to overcome strongholds in the land, even taking over Jerusalem because it would unite the tribes.

          Perhaps as we look at how God moved in David's life, we can see strongholds in our own lives that need to come down so God can move in unity.  Strongholds are those things about us which we build walls around so as to withstand assault, with the ability to hold anyone or anything within those walls.  In some case we keep others out.  In some cases we keep others in.

          We have probably seen instances in our own lives where, when we hold on to something too tightly, God, in His love for us, will open our hands and take it from us.  Holding on to ideas, items or people too tightly puts them between us and God.  They become an idol and take His place in our hearts and in our lives.

          In David's case, he allowed his desires to get between him and God.  In such cases, out of love for us, God will act.  Did David not know that God would act?  It may be that, lost in his momentary desires, David lost his focus, putting God on the shelf.  But God will not be put on the shelf.  He will see his plans through.

          Did David know that God was working through a plan for his life?  We don't know.  But we have what King David did not have, the whole of scripture that tells us God does indeed have a plan for our lives.  We are building to a blueprint, so the question is, whose directions are you following?

          It is in Acts 13:22 that we find Paul opening his preaching to those in Antioch, pointing out that God said David, son of Jesse, was a man after God's own heart.  Have you ever wondered what that really means?  Perhaps King David's own Psalm 16, verse 2, will help explain.  There David writes, "I said to the Lord, "You are my Lord; apart from You I have no good thing."

          With all his power and all his royal wealth and influence, David recognized that outside of God, there was no good thing.  The only good in him, at all, was God in him.  King David is the ultimate example of the need for Godly leaders to be willing to step aside from their need to build their own egos, empower their own self-confidence, and humble themselves before Almighty God.

          Those who knew President Theodore Roosevelt, and his strong manly leadership in the military and out, say that "Teddy" Roosevelt was in the habit over standing outdoors at night, gazing up at the vast universe about him to remind himself of his own humanity, of his place in God's grand universe.  Humility remains an important principle of leadership for everyone.

          Would you be "a person after God's own heart"?  Would you be a David?

          Start with a humility that turns all power, all of your life, all of your tomorrow's over to God through a relationship with His son, Jesus Christ.  If it is true that God is working from a blueprint for your life, and it is, unity with Him in everyday living would be the best way to smooth out the rough spots in our life, ensure we are headed in the right direction, His direction. 

          David was not perfect, but his heart was headed in God's direction, as ours should be.

          According to scripture, David loved the word of God (Psalm 119:97), and he loved to pray (Psalm 116:1-2).  David loved to praise God (Psalm 119:164), he loved unity among the brethren Psalm 133:1), and he hated every false way (Psalm 119:104).  But if we would be a David, we still need one thing more.

          David had learned first-hand, from Samuel, that God desired obedience over sacrifice (1st Samuel 15:22).  In fact, Jesus instructs us in John 14:15, that if we really do love Him, we will do the things He says. 

          From he who was a man after God's own heart, to the son of God who loved us first, the message is clear: obey.  Would we be a David?  Learn to obey.  Amen.

         

         

Week of Worship

July 8, 2012

Invocation:  Almighty God, in this hour, grant us grace that amidst the changes, miseries, or even pleasures of life, we may keep our minds fixed upon You and improve in grace every day till we are received into Your kingdom of eternal happiness.  Amen.

Read: Psalm 35 

Daily Scripture Readings

Monday                Matthew 10:1-15

Tuesday               Romans 1:1-7

Wednesday          John 1:6-13
Thursday              Colossians 1:9-23

Friday                   Colossians 1:24-29

Saturday               1st Peter 1:1-9

Sunday                 2nd Samuel 7:1-17; 2nd Corinthians 12:1-10; Psalm 89:20-37;

                             Mark 6:1-6 

Reflection: (silent and written)

Prayers for the church, for others, for yourself.

Hymn: "Hope of the World"

Benediction:  And now, O Lord, assist me to be diligent in labor and wise in my dealings, that I may one day hear the glorious, "Well done, faithful servant; enter into the joy of your Lord."  Amen.