Echoing Down from Jeremiah, by Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture: Jeremiah 18:1-11

18:1  The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord:
18:2  "Come, go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear My words."
18:3  So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel.
18:4  The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him.
18:5  Then the word of the Lord came to me:
18:6  Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the Lord.  Just like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.
18:7  At one moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it,
18:8  but if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will change My mind about the disaster that I intended to bring on it.
18:9  And at another moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it,
18:10  but if it does evil in My sight, not listening to My voice, then I will change My mind about the good that I had intended to do to it.
18:11  Now, therefore, say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Thus says the Lord: Look, I am a potter shaping evil against you and devising a plan against you. Turn now, all of you from your evil way, and amend your ways and your doings.

The prophet Jeremiah -- sometimes called "the weeping prophet," and a man persecuted by his own Jewish kinsmen who cursed him, beat him, and threw him in prison -- writes between 680 and 530 B.C. about the final prophecies to the kingdom of Judah.  He warns of the nation's coming destruction if they do not repent.  Jeremiah practically begs the nation to return to the God of their fathers.   And yet, all the while he recognizes how inevitable is Judah’s destruction due to the idolatry and immorality from which it will not turn back.
Earlier in his writings Jeremiah even understands how difficult it is for them to turn their back on their pleasures, writing in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.  Who can understand it?”
So, who is this Jeremiah, that he should have the final word of God?  Jeremiah the prophet was a man who had been given a very difficult task by God.  He loved the nation of Judah, but he loved God more.  So as painful as it was for Jeremiah to tell his own people God had judged them, he knew he needed to be obedient to God.  He could hope and pray for mercy, but He also trusted God to be good, just and righteous in this matter.
Still he often became frustrated and angry with the people of Judah for their refusal to set aside their idols, as he prophesied for a quarter of a century before the siege of Jerusalem and the monumental destruction that included the razing of Solomon's Temple by Nebuchadnezzar.  At times it was apparently more than Jeremiah could handle, and he had to lay it at God's feet.  And yet for those of us in this age, the words Jeremiah brought to the people of Judah from God come echoing down through the ages to us.
When we must finally lay everything at God's feet, in our powerlessness, do we trust that God, in His infinite mercies and in His wisdom, will bring about His perfect plan and, in the end, what is best for us?  That's what Jeremiah had to do.  We of New Testament times absolutely should, even in our overwhelming difficulties believing in the truth of Romans 8:28, "He works all things together for good to those who love God, and are called according to His purposes."  
Jeremiah's story of his visit to the potter's house, and how God uses the potter's working of the clay is a metaphor for God's own work, on the one hand clear and straightforward, but on the other hand, raising questions for us.
For example, God has given us life, and for those of us in America, freedom and the gift of opportunity and hope for the future.  But if we spoil that gift of life, of freedom, of opportunity and hope, Jeremiah says God will scrap what we have spoiled and make of it "what seemed good to Him."
For those of us in America, the historic events happening around us would seem to make it clear we are in "the Potter's House", and as the potter's metaphor makes clear, God will have the last word.  A remolding is taking place, for the first effort has been spoiled.  The very best thing we can do is make God's will our will.  Can we discern meaning in the historic events happening around us at this time?  Does the history of similar events hold lessons for us?
Jeremiah urges us to find meaning in this.  We are not Israel, but we serve the same God now as Israel served then.  And while Jeremiah makes clear that the Lord God may change His mind if the criteria for His judgments change, yet the values, the standards for God's judgments do not change.  It is left for us to change, for us to come up to His standards.  The potter does not allow the clay to create its own standards of perfection.
The very first thing we see in this chapter of Jeremiah is that God changes the prophet's position.  "Come, go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words.  So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel," say verses 2 and 3.
We must be in the right position to hear what God wants us to know.
Our natural position is one of bankruptcy.  Physically we are dying and morally we are bankrupt.  “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ -- by grace you have been saved . . .” (Ephesians 2:4-5).
God, by His grace through faith has moved us from our position of corruption, wearing the righteousness of His Son Jesus Christ, to a position within the royal family of God.  And yet, we are undeserving sinners, saved by the grace of God through Jesus Christ.  And if we are undeserving sinners, then we have sinned against God’s common grace and have provoked His wrath to His face. We deserve righteous judgment.
But just as God moved Jeremiah to the potter's workplace to see first-hand what He was about to do to Judah, so God moves us under the righteousness of the Son, with eyes to see and ears to hear the truth of the Gospel, to see and to know the deadliness of sin and the consequences of remaining in it.
Just as God was offering the people of Judah a second chance through Jeremiah, the mystery of the gospel is that even though we were corrupt and unrighteous, working against God and without any love for God, yet He gave us the gift of hearing the gospel.  God’s grace -- the mystery of His mercy -- saves us for His glory despite our natural and willful condition.
Today, just as with Jeremiah's people, we have our idols to which we give our time, our money, and our adoration, while tipping our hat to God one day a week.  Do we think God doesn't notice?  Maybe He doesn't care?  The people of Judah had the luxury of hearing Jeremiah's warnings for 25 years before God dropped the hammer on them, and the overwhelming forces of King Nebuchadnezzar's army came rampaging across them, destroying and killing.
If God gave America the same 25 years, the problem is we don't know when He started the clock.  It's terribly obvious this nation is in dire trouble as regards the economy, jobs, our security, and our morality.  Recent surveys show a drastic drop in the public's confidence in both the federal government and the news media.  Murder, mayhem, selfish violence, and a deep lack of morality fill the news each night.
Across America in churches, on television, the Internet, through ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the voice of Jeremiah is heard urging men and women to turn away from the idolatry that occupies them, and turn their attention back to God.  It is not as if we are not being warned.
Perhaps the most troubling aspect of studying the book of Jeremiah is knowing that from chapters 24 on, Jeremiah records King Nebuchadnezzar conquering Judah and making it subject to him (Jeremiah 24:1).  Judah had a promising future, protected by the benevolent and mighty arm of God.  But when they turned away from Him, He merely removed His arm of protection.
After further rebellion, God allowed Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian armies back to destroy and desolate Judah and Jerusalem (Jeremiah 52).  When God's people do not learn, when they do not respect the God who has cared for them and protected them, then in the end, God's judgment falls on them.  They did not change.  Neither did God.  "He who has ears, let him hear."  (Matt. 11:15).  Amen.


Meditations

August 26-September 2, 2012

Invocation:  Lord Jesus Christ, whose cross was raised on Golgotha's brow, casting its long shadow over Jerusalem's soul, may the cross be raised at the center of my life, casting its shadow over all my desires and all my motives.  In Your strong name I pray.  Amen.

Read: Psalm 18:1-19

Daily Scripture Readings
Monday John 1:19-28
Tuesday John 14:1-11
Wednesday Colossians 1:15-23
Thursday John 6:66-71
Friday John 12:20-36
Saturday John 11:1-16
Sunday 2nd Samuel 23:1-7; Ephesians 5:21-33; Psalm 67;
John 6:55-69

Reflection: (silent and written)

Prayers for the church, for others, for yourself.

Hymn: "How Can We Name a Love"

Benediction: I bind myself today to the strong name of Jesus.  My God, I call You to the center of my life.  Come to me, stay with me, all the day long.  Amen.

In the Right House, by Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture: Psalm 111

111:1  Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
111:2  Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.
111:3  Full of honor and majesty is His work, and His righteousness endures forever.
111:4  He has gained renown by His wonderful deeds; the Lord is gracious and merciful.
111:5  He provides food for those who fear Him; He is ever mindful of His covenant.
111:6  He has shown his people the power of His works, in giving them the heritage of the nations.
111:7  The works of His hands are faithful and just; all His precepts are trustworthy.
111:8  They are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
111:9  He sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever. Holy and awesome is His name.
111:10  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever.

       At the beginning of WWII, a young boy on a farm in Oklahoma was drafted into the Army.  He was to meet the train in the small town of Walnut on a certain date and travel to Oklahoma City for processing.  But the bus he was to catch on the highway to Walnut got there the night before, so he needed a place to stay and his family had no money for hotels.  The boy called his uncle who lived in Walnut to see if he could stay overnight at his house.  The uncle said of course he could, but the uncle would be out of town that night.

       "You come stay at my house," the uncle said, "at 19 Orange St., and I'll meet you there in the morning and take you to the train.  Don't worry about a thing, I'll have a nice hot meal waiting for you and a comfortable bed.  Walnut's a small town, so nobody ever locks their doors, you just go right in and make yourself to home.  I'll leave the porch light on."

       So the boy packed a small overnight case, said goodbye to his family, and caught the bus out on the highway going to Walnut.  It was dark by the time he arrived, so he asked directions and walked over to Orange Street where he found house number 19.  But the porch was dark, as was the house.  Inside, the place was a shambles.  There was no food on the table or in the refrigerator.  The whole place smelled of dirt and mold.  There was no bed in the bedroom, only a broken-down couch in the living room.  And there he spent the night, hungry, tossing and turning in the cold trying to stay warm.

       The beeping horn of his uncle's car woke him in the morning.  He struggled to the door where he found his uncle parked across the street and several houses down.

       "What are you doing over there?" his uncle asked the bedraggled boy.  "Nobody lives over at 16.  The boy looked at the address.  In the morning light he could see a nail had come loose and the number six had dropped around to look like a nine.  Across the street where his uncle was parked, was the real 19, where a hot meal and a warm bed had been waiting for him.

       So often, when people complain to me that "the church" or "pastors" are not doing enough to keep America from going down the ethical and moral drain, not speaking out enough about bad politics and cultic idols and foreign religions, I want to tell them they only believe that because they are in the wrong house.

A recent article, "The Silence of the Pulpits," has been gaining some attention, a piece written by Bill Warner.  It is a well written, but wrong essay, blaming the silence of the church for what is wrong with America.  

Bill Warner is the Director, Center for the Study of Political Islam.  Perhaps it's like the old story about how to carpenters everything looks like a hammer.  Bill Warner's assertion is that it is the fault of Christian Pastors that Islam is growing rampantly across America. He is busily pointing fingers, looking for scapegoats, and warns, "We cannot defeat political Islam until we get Christian boots on the ground.  Do the math. The pulpits must become a source of courage and knowledge and stand up for Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and all others who suffer under Islam’s persecution today and for the last 1400 years."

I do agree with Warner when he points out that "facts are the new hate speech."  Calling sin a sin has never been popular with those involved.  But America is not waiting for Christian pastors to lead the charge against Islam.  Christian pastors are low hanging fruit, and urging them to do more while ignoring the damage done by our elected and appointed politicians, and by the individual uninformed citizen, amounts to grumbling, not doing.

Nor have the Christian church or Christian pastors been silent about the issues of lapsed ethics, morals, and the war against Christ in America.  If anyone accesses any of my 12 Christian Facebook pages they will see no less than Billy Graham has spoken out on this subject.  I am constantly posting news of pastors speaking out about the ethical and moral lapses by politicians and organizations that require us to ask, why are we in this hand basket and where are we going?

There are many people whom I tend to regard as "tip your hat to God Christians" who know little of scripture and have only a Sunday passing acquaintance with the Almighty God, who want to equate America today with the dying Roman empire or with the ancient city of Ninevah whom God threatened to destroy for their rampant evil and giving over to the pleasures of the flesh.  But for Rome, when the Vandals and pagans attacked the gates, it was the insidious evil inside Rome and its war against the Christ that had already destroyed them.  As for Ninevah, God had mercy and sent a recalcitrant prophet -- Jonah didn't want Him to save Ninevah -- to bring that city to its knees, and the people repented.  It lasted another 200 years, finally being destroyed 600 years before the time of Christ.  Today the ruins sit on the east bank of the Tigris River, across from the modern city of Mosul in Iraq.

I once had the grand experience of telling a boardroom full of Army engineers that they paid me a great deal of money for me to share my 50 years of PR expertise with them, they might want to listen to what I was telling them.  They were furious with me, to the point some of them walked out.  They were even more furious later when the issue they were handling badly blew up in their faces, angering an entire town, its mayor and a powerful U.S. Congressman on the Congressional Finance Committee.  It then took months to fix the situation, and the next assignment for the Army Lieutenant Colonel in charge was the Sinai Desert.  I had nothing to do with that.  But he resigned his commission rather than go.

Why do I tell that story?  Because I believe that like most people here, we've all "been there", having spoken up about the clear truth of the matter, and been ignored by those who could have made a difference.  It's frustrating, but as God tells us in Ezekiel 33:8-9, we His children have limited responsibility for others; "When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you shall surely die!’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.  Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul."   

Are we Christians the only ones aware there are Christian pastors being held in prisons in China, Iran and Pakistan under death sentences for preaching Christ? That there are dead pastors and slaughtered churches in India and Africa?  That even though the IRS has not yet been successful in using  the Pres. Lyndon Baines Johnson sponsored law to yank 501.3C tax-free status from churches where Pastors talk politics from the pulpit, they have taken churches to court and attempted it.  So far, they have not been successful.  But the threat remains.  The question is this, why are Christians the only ones who speak out about these things?  As 17th Century English poet John Donne wrote, "Ask not for the whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee."

And while I will quickly agree with others that we have an overabundance of liberally-trained "meek and mild-mannered Christian clergy" who shoot from the hip at our own walking wounded, the church in America also has a stiff backbone of clergy -- I know many of them, former U.S. Marines and U.S. Navy, personally -- who speak out regularly and do what they can to raise the awareness that it is necessary we keep the evil politicians and idol-worshipers from controlling America and ripping away our God-given rights. 

Perhaps you've heard of the Black Robe Regiment which goes back to Revolutionary Days; activist ministers of Christ who during the war for independence took the forefront in leading that fight against tyranny.  The Christian ministers who make up today's Black Robe Regiment are still active today.  And while we would hope pressure would be brought to bear to move the political candidates away from supporting the same-sex agendas and "feel good" approaches to religious and cultic enslavement, of even more importance to all of us as men of God, and which we would hope would be important to others, would be represented in the reality that the people of God are rising to the purposes of God's Kingdom.  Across this nation prayer groups are increasing, and we need to continue creating an atmosphere for miracles.  A miracle, through concentrated prayer of God's people, may be the only thing left to us.  

The God for whom time does not exist, who moves mountains, parts seas, heals the living and resurrects the dead surely will have no trouble handling empty suit politicians and those who support them, but will empower His people to crush and set aside Islam and other false religions just as they did Baal in ancient times.  We should all ask Him to do exactly that.  The intent of 2nd Chronicles 7:14 is still alive and well; "If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."  

Let us look again at today's scripture, Psalm 111.

"Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.  Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.  Full of honor and majesty is His work, and His righteousness endures forever.  He has gained renown by His wonderful deeds; the Lord is gracious and merciful.  He provides food for those who fear Him; He is ever mindful of His covenant.  He has shown His people the power of His works, in giving them the heritage of the nations.  The works of His hands are faithful and just; all His precepts are trustworthy.  They are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.  He sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever.  Holy and awesome is His name."

Now, I submit to you that if that is not your experience with the Almighty God, friend, you are in the wrong house!  You better take a good look at the address of where you've been staying, because if your god is not full of honor and majesty, if the righteousness does not last forever, if your god is not faithful and just and trustworthy, I don't care how awesome you think he is -- you're in the wrong house!

I've saved the last verse, verse 10 of Psalm 111 for the last point.  Verse 10 says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever."

I have seen, and you probably know of some, churches where all they preach is the love of God.  Love everyone regardless of how they sin against Him.  But you see, that ignores the intent of John 14:15, where Jesus tells us that if we love Him we will do the things He says.  And let's get down to it, Jesus says some things that are painful.  There are at least four books I know of written about the hard sayings of Jesus, but I think about the best is by F. F. Bruce, published in 1983.  Our God is love, but He is so much more.

In Matthew 10:34, Jesus says, "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword."  He goes on in Matthew 10 to talk about how divisive the gospel is, but adding near the end of the chapter, in verse 39, "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."  For those who believe in Jesus Christ, this world, indeed, is not our home.  There is more, much more, and much better, to come.

If Satan isn't worried about you, if you are not carrying your cross despite the hardships, if God is not sharing with you sustenance and care and joy, friend, you're in the wrong house.

But let's be clear, nowhere in holy scripture does it tell you to lead an armed insurrection and lynch evil politicians, to turn the government upside down and establish a holy kingdom in America.  God has given His people very clear guidance and if you are not privy to that, you might want to start reading at Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7.

Those demanding that Christian pastors and their churches man the ramparts and lead the revolution against bad politicians and bad government are in the wrong house.  They are also under the wrong leadership.  Almighty God is still in charge, His strategic plans are underway and unfolding.

I respectfully suggest to those who are genuinely concerned about the future of this nation, that instead of pointing fingers and looking for scapegoats they join Christian Pastors and their churches in praying for this nation.  If not, then if we intend to be Ninevah, we better start looking for a Jonah and his whale.  Otherwise, we all perish.

Another Psalm, 107, states in the first two verses, "O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good: for His mercy endureth for ever.  Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy."

If that isn't you, if you can't "say so," then you are definitely in the wrong house.  Come join the children of the Almighty God, believe in Jesus Christ.  He has a plan for your life, at the right address.  Amen.

August 19, 2012

Invocation:  Lord Jesus, life of God hidden deep within, give us today Your gift of life and nourish it until it is full-born in us.  Through the power that is Yours alone.  Amen.

Read: Psalm 145

Daily Scripture Readings
Monday        Matthew 8:1-4
Tuesday       Matthew 8:5-13
Wednesday   Matthew 8:14-17
Thursday      Matthew 9:18-26
Friday           Matthew 9:27-34
Saturday       Mark 10: 46-52
Sunday         2nd Samuel 18:24-33; Ephesians 5:15-20; Psalm 102:1-12;

                    John 6:51-58 

Reflection: (silent and written)

Prayers for the church, for others, for yourself.

Hymn: "How Like a Gentle Spirit"

Benediction: And now, Lord Jesus, illumination of the mystery of God's unending love for me, give me the grace to shine today as one of Your lesser lights, illuminating the way for others to come closer to You.  Amen

A Christian Shift: Stop the Hate, by Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture:  Daniel 3

1  Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

2  Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

3  Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

4  Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages,

5  That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:

6  And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

7  Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

8  Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.

9  They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.

10  Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:

11  And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

12  There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

13  Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.

14  Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?

15  Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?

16  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.

17  If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

18  But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

19  Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.

20  And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.

21  Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

22  Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

23  And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

24  Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counselors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.

25  He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

26  Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.

27  And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counselors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.

28  Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.

29  Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.

30  Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.

For as long as God has created people, there has been hate.  It begins in the eighth verse of Genesis 4.  We in this generation have seen an abundance of it.  Now, it is time for a Christian shift in society, a shift in how we treat one another, how we deal with one another.

Let us recognize some given facts of which we are all aware.  There are two kinds of people in the world, neither of which are going to change the others' minds.  There are those who belong to God, and those who belong to Satan. 

Any mention of God, of Christian ethics, of Biblical standards lights up the hate machine, and it roars.  It was never more evident than in this latest dustup about the same-sex supporters' call for a boycott of the Chick-Fil-A chicken franchise, and they absolutely heaped the hate on those who refused to bow down to the false god of same-sex.  But some of those who called themselves Christians reciprocated, and that is not of Christ.

We in America have many people, some even in the Christian church, who are using the world's values to make their decisions about spiritual matters, and that is always a mistake.  God has a standard of conduct, He has had His say about those standards thousands of years ago.  What He said remains the same.  He is not going to change.  It is up to us to change.

Change is actually what is badly needed right now; a dramatic change in America's political, economic and cultural integrity.  Having integrity is a matter of being complete and undivided, having the quality of honesty with strong moral principles.  We see the clash of hatred today because when those who follow Jesus Christ hold the line on what God has said, and refuse to compromise His standards, those who will not respect our commitment call that hatred.  That is an attempt to bully others by controlling the language.  We see the same thing at work when those who support same-sex ethics insist on being called "gay."

However, while that has its own effect, that is not where the battle must be fought.

The battle for a shift in integrity, morals and ethics in America must be fought on spiritual grounds even though the opponents of such a shift will deny it, and will claim a false moral and spiritual ground for themselves.  They demand, on those false grounds, that Christians approve what God has said cannot be approved.  Christian believers today occupy the same battleground as Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego when they were set up by the Chaldeans to incur the wrath of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. 

But what is significant about this historic test of wills is that at no time were these three young men angry, disrespectful or revengeful against King Nebuchadnezzar, against those who set them up, or even against those who threw them into that fiery furnace.  These were three young men who had been taken captive with the rest of the Jewish nation.  They had been separated from their families, but they remained true to their faith in the face of opposition.

No one was ever convinced to change their mind by being nasty to them, calling them names, telling them they are going to hell, or hating them.  Arguments don't change minds, they only build resistance.

Separated from all they knew, in a foreign land, under foreign laws, yet they lived out God's law of Leviticus 19:17-18, "You shall not hate your brother in your heart: you shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.  You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am Jehovah."

They were set up before King Nebuchadnezzar by the Chaldeans for death, and yet they refused to respond in kind.  They obeyed God, and He was faithful to them.

If the nation of the United States of America is to survive in this world beyond what we know, there must be a national shift which only Christians can bring about.  But it will not be accomplished through pride or right or might.  It will only be accomplished through the power and the actions of Almighty God.  And in that environment, in those actions, there is no place for hate.  For these three young men whose story is told in the book of Daniel, they knew from Genesis the story of Esau and Jacob, and the impact many generations later when God spoke through the prophet Obadiah to the men of prideful Edom, because of the sin of Esau, saying "For the violence done to thy brother Jacob, shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever."  For the slaughtered warriors were but a portion of the loss of life, loss of wealth, and loss of a future before God.

There must be a shift of dramatic proportions in how America sees success, but hate has no place in that.  We have a chilling reminder in 1st John 3:15, " Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him."

As Christians, if we want to recommend the way of Jesus Christ to others, we must be respectful, and not hateful, to those who hate us.  We can be respectful to President Barack Hussein Obama without agreeing with his policies and decisions; we can be respectful to Muslims without worshiping their god; we can be respectful to politicians and others without agreeing to support their goals and programs.

That's what we must do.

What we also must do is hold the line on what God requires.  Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego were respectful to King Nebuchadnezzar and his court, but they still said "We will not eat your pork and other foods unlawful to us," and "We will not bow down and worship your god, but will worship the Living God only."

As followers of Jesus Christ we can respect each person for the creation of God that they are, but we will still not agree to condone what God has said is wrong, we will not agree with worldly values and programs that support rebellion against God, with programs that harm the innocent, that do not support the orphan and the widow.  With all respect and love of God, those things we cannot do.

Psalm 18:2 reminds us, "The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower."

When Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego made their stand before King Nebuchadnezzar, they said to him in Daniel 3:17-18, "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.  But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."

Like these three brave followers of the Living God, Christian followers today must respectfully and lovingly take the stand our God has placed before us, but stand we must, like the rock that is our Lord.  Why would anyone follow Jesus Christ when all they see coming from His followers is drenching hate?  He does not tell us to hate or to attack.  Jesus did say to feed the sheep, not beat the sheep.  This is His battle, and He will fight for us, but we must stand firm on who He is, and what He has decreed, for all of us.  Amen.

Hello God, It's Me Again, by Pastor Ed Evans

Hello God, It's Me Again

by Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture: Psalm 130
130:1  Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord.
130:2  Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!
130:3  If You, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?
130:4  But there is forgiveness with You, so that You may be revered.
130:5  I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I hope;
130:6  my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.
130:7  O Israel, hope in the Lord!  For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with Him is great power to redeem.
130:8  It is He who will redeem Israel from all its iniquities.

          I have often repeated the old warning that those who will not talk to God don't have a prayer.  But even when we talk to God, we often treat it like the time we were sitting on Santa's lap at the department store reciting our list of "gimmes".  Gimme this, Lord, and gimme that.  And we're not prepared to realize that while God always answers prayer, sometimes the answer is "no," and acceptance of that reality requires a measure of trust on our part.

          The story is told of a man named Henry who was out hiking in the hills when he slipped and fell over a ledge, grabbing onto a small bush just below the ledge to stop his fall.  He cried out, "Help me!  Is there anyone up there who can help me?"

          A voice answered, "I can help you, Henry."

          The man said, "Who is that, and how do you know my name?"

          The voice said, "This is God, Henry.  I will help you."

          Henry said, "Okay, thank You, God."

          "Henry, let go of the bush."

          The man, not knowing he hung only a foot above the next ledge below, repeated, "Let go of the bush?"

          "Yes, Henry, let go of the bush."

          And the man said, "Is there anybody else up there?"

          As I said, sometimes God's answers require a measure of trust on our part.

          And while it's true God has said to ask for what we need, that's just one aspect of this important moment of spiritual communication God has allowed us.  For example, it is this life of prayer that builds that relationship to God allowing us to take others where they've never been before, into sharing the presence of the Almighty God. 

          But it must be noted that we cannot take others where we ourselves have never been before.  We cannot take others into a relationship with Jesus Christ any deeper than we have been ourselves; to no higher levels of prayer than we have ascended ourselves; to no deeper levels of trust in God unless we have a nature of faith ourselves.  Have we used prayer in our own lives only to ask for things, to meet our needs, to solve our problems?  God tells us to ask, but there is so much more to prayer.

          The form that Jesus gives us in Matthew 6:9-13 is always a good example, offering praise of God before there is any asking done; "Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.  Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."

          In the same way that 2nd Timothy 4:2 tells us to "Preach the word; be diligent in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine," it is just as important, maybe even more so, that we be prepared "in season and out", at a moment's notice, to enter into a time of prayer with God.  It's only human nature that those who know of our relationship with God will want us to use our "influence" with Him for their needs and problems.  They will depend upon us to usher them into the presence of Almighty God and present their petitions to Him.

          But there is a second and even more important reason why an active prayer life must be a priority for those who follow Jesus Christ.  Our Savior told us plainly that nothing of eternal significance happens separate from God.  In John 15:15, Jesus said, "Apart from Me you can do nothing."  Nothing.  Not "okay but not as good."  Not "almost there."  Nothing.  How plain is that?

          Biblical prayer will lead us into those activities of life with lasting results.  At the same time, such prayer may well be the most challenging, exhaustive, and laboriously concentrated, yet rewarding experience we will ever have.  For we who follow Jesus Christ have need of the spirit-filled life, understanding we cannot fill ourselves with the Spirit of God.  In understanding Ephesians 5:18, "...be filled with the Spirit," we note only God can do that.  God has promised us, through Jeremiah 29:13, "You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." 

          Filled then with God's purpose and God's spirit is like having a charged-up engine and a tank full of gas, ready to rumble.  But our spiritual vehicle needs a steering wheel and that's the third benefit of a dedicated prayer life -- God's wisdom.

          Our God can see around corners and across the ages of time.  We cannot.  He is far better informed and infinitely wiser than we are even at our very best moment, and God is willing to share.  In Jeremiah 33:3, knowing what He intends to do and how, God says to us, "Call to Me and I will answer you, and i will tell you great and mighty things which you do not know." 

          After all, with whom did we think we were dealing?  God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and always there.  Why wouldn't we want to turn to Him Who is willing to make use of our best resources?  In Matthew 7:7, God gives us a fourth reason for prayer, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find, knock, and it will be opened to you."  Do you want answers?  Can you handle answers?  God has them.

          There are times when even the most powerful among us, the smartest, the best-positioned, has to realize that we are nothing, and God is all.  He is everything.  Even if we attempt to bring all our resources to bear on a problem, we may still be without the solution we need because we have left God out of the equation.  We need to lay that problem at His feet, ask, seek, knock, and wait upon God for the answer.  Whether at the impossible level or the miracle level, with God all things become possible. 

          Whether coming to God for answers, or quietly recognizing that He is God in praise and prayer, we know that just dealing with everyday life can be a heavy load to bear, filled with anxiety and stress.  That's why we need to set it all aside for a brief time of prayer, laying it all at His feet, knowing we are nothing, He is all, with the admission, "I need your help, Father.  I'm asking Your intervention here, Your assistance with this difficult problem." 

          In those moments when the difficulties are such that you can't share them with anyone else, when the entire weight rests on your shoulders, that's when the Father waits for our admission that He is our problem-solver.  He can do all, when we are up against it and can do nothing in our own power.

          Lastly, as we struggle to make far-reaching decisions about the agendas that lie before us, a prayerful encounter with the God who is never surprised can provide us with, if not the details of His plan for us, at least the confidence to know that He who is in charge of our future is focused on our best interests.  As we read in Jeremiah 29:11, God assures us, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." 

          When we come to the end of our own resources, there we will find Him.  Someone has said that when you come to the end of your rope, you should tie a knot in it and hang on.  For there we find the God of the universe, waiting for us to come to the realization that we are not successful in our own power, but in His as we give our lives over to perfect submission in Him.

          This knowledge, gained through a life of prayer and faith, represents the riches available to us in Christ Jesus.  These are the jewels of the kingdom to be shared with those about us, seeking for answers, seeking for truth, seeking the secret of faith.

          But there is no secret beyond a life of prayer, that rich relationship with the God of all time and space and wisdom.  To those who seek His presence in prayer, there is in life such a depth of living and love as the prayerless never know.  As we read in verses 5-7 of today's scripture, "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.  O Israel, hope in the Lord!  For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with Him is great power to redeem."

          This is the legacy our God offers to those who will join Him in the garden of prayer, spending time quietly knowing that He is God, turning over to Him all authority for their life, depending upon Him for solace and rest, for tomorrow, for the answers to which God alone is privy.  He is ours and we are His in those precious moments of submission and total dependence upon Him who loved us first, Him who has already given us the gift of life everlasting.  Amen.

August 12, 2012

Invocation:  Almighty God, who always moves with clarity of will and singleness of purpose, help me to live and work with certainty in an uncertain world.  Light a lamp before me so that my feet do not stumble.  Make my path clear so I may never wander from Your chosen way.  I pray in the name of Jesus who comes to make Your way clear before our eyes.  Amen.

Read: Psalm 127

Daily Scripture Readings

Monday                Isaiah 54: 9-17

Tuesday               Hebrews 10:1-10

Wednesday          2nd Peter 1:1-11
Thursday              1st Peter 3:13-22

Friday                   1st Peter 4;12-19

Saturday               John 17:1-19

Sunday                 2nd Samuel 18:1, 5, 9-15; Ephesians 4:25-5:2; Psalm 143:1-8;

                             John 6:35, 41-51 

Reflection: (silent and written)

Prayers for the church, for others, for yourself.

Hymn: "O God, Our Help in Ages Past"

Benediction:  Send me, Lord, as an evangel of hope and security to those whose paths will cross with mine this day.  Amen.

Bad Day To Be A Chicken, by Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture:  Psalm 51:1-12

51:1  Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
51:2  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
51:3  For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
51:4  Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment.
51:5  Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.
51:6  You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
51:7  Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
51:8  Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
51:9  Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
51:10  Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
51:11  Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me.
51:12  Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.

          In 1968, the Sunday after Martin Luther King was assassinated, Pastor Joe McKeever writes in his blog at http://joemckeever.com/wp/ that he changed his sermon and preached to the congregation at Greenville, Mississippi’s Emmanuel Baptist Church about what our country was going through. In the middle of the message, a lady got up and walked out. He writes that she phoned him that afternoon to let me know she had.

          “What are you going to be preaching on in tonight’s service?” she asked.

          He told her, then asked, ”May I ask why you wanted to know?”

          That’s when she told him she had walked out that morning, saying, “We come to church for some peace and quiet. We get enough of the world situation on the news, and don’t need to hear about it from the pulpit.”

          Pastor McKeever goes on to point out in his blog, entitled "What the Church Forgot," that too often Churches overlook movements and trends they do not understand and cannot appreciate.  And the two-fold solution to that happening is, first, preach the whole word of God, and second, preachers should stay alert to the world around them.

          Pastors already have the first charge from 2nd Timothy 4:1-2, "I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.” 

          And the second point just seems common sense; make the message timely.  Following the attack of September 11, 2001, or after Hurricane Katrina, who would not have preached about what the people of God were facing?  Hardly the time to preach on the sins of gossiping or how to feel better about yourself.

          But there is such a thing as getting so caught up in the crafting of your message that you miss the point.

          The story is told of the pastor who just couldn't seem to come up with that last illustration to finalize his sermon.  His wife suggested they take a drive in the country to clear his mind, so they did.  Out in the country they came upon a family's house on fire, with neighbors forming a bucket brigade, everyone working together to put out the fire, and off the side the grieving family being comforted in their loss.

          "That's it," he said, and rushed home to put the finishing touches on that sermon.

          But that Sunday, after the sermon, as he and his wife drove home, the Pastor allowed as how he really thought that illustration would have been received better, about everyone working together for the good of that family in need, describing the bucket brigade and all.  But it just didn't seem to work, he said, the congregation just sat there and looked at me.

          His wife smiled at him, and said, "Well, dear, you forgot to tell them the house was on fire."

          All across the nation this past Wednesday, you would have thought something was on fire.  Millions of people crowded into 1,600 fast food chicken restaurants in such numbers that the lines to get in wound around the buildings and the drive-through lines stopped traffic on nearby streets.

          Now, there has been a great deal of heat and smoke about this issue, so let me begin by adding some facts.  First of all, this was mainly a news media-generated event.  You see, a Baptist newspaper, the "Baptist Press" interviewed the CEO of Chick-Fil-A, and they asked him about the claim that his business is operated on traditional Christian values.  He said it was his opinion that 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."

          CNN TV news then picked that up and misquoted the CEO, claiming he had come out against same-sex marriage.  Is he against it?  He does not support it.  However, he had not just out of the blue decided to attack everyone who is for same-sex marriage.  But you see, the news media in America today seems to have this mindset that conflict sells, so they seem to approach every story with "let's you and him fight."  Then they have news.

          The extremist supporters of same-sex marriage reacted to this in the very way I believe the news media thought they would, and demanded a nationwide boycott of the restaurants.  More news to sell!

          Now understand, there are homosexual people working at these restaurants, because Chick-Fil-A neither discriminates in its hiring of people nor its serving of people.  But the boycott was on.

          Former Presidential candidate and Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee then used his TV show to set last Wednesday as Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day, and encouraged people of Christian values to take part in a "buycott" on that day, giving the restaurant their business.  And they did, in a big way.  Chick-Fil-A has not released sales figures for that day, saying only that "it was an unprecedented day."

          Five other nationally known companies have now stepped up to say they stand with Chick-Fil-A's traditional family approach.  In North and South Carolina, 75 Wendy's hamburger places posted signs outside saying, "We stand with Chick-Fil-A."

          In the meantime, Chick-Fil-A has issued a statement saying, "Going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena."  The same-sex organizers however, have vowed the battle isn't over and they claim to be organizing "kiss-ins" at the restaurants.  Other same-sex organizations have refused to participate, calling it a "shallow way" to voice opposition.

          So before I lose my connection to the illustration, let me assure you, the house is on fire.  I say that because sometimes we get so caught up in trying to interpret scripture and what it means to us today, and what the activities of this age mean to us, that we are like the preacher talking about the beauty of the bucket brigade and the depth of emotion of the grieving family -- and we forget to mention, the house is on fire.

          You see, there is a great effort to say this is more about the issue of free speech, and I agree to the extent both the CEO and those who disagree with him have the right to say their piece.  But in this case, the house really is on fire.  I don't want to be like those who fill us with cute stories that tug at our heart in order to motivate people to do all the right things, but without telling them the house is on fire.

          It's in Romans 1:18-32 that we find a wide range of the sins of mankind detailed -- sinful desires of their hearts, sexual impurity, envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, shameful lusts, gossipers,  slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, boastful, and more. 

          But it is in 1st Corinthians 6:9-11 that scripture is very specific about whom we will not see in heaven: "Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God."  And make no mistake, by "house on fire" I mean hellfire.  At the end of life we have only two choices, heaven with God or hellfire with the Father of Lies.

          Some make the argument, "Oh, that's too harsh!"  I agree.  Harsh.  But your argument is not with me, it is with the Creator of us all, the Living God, who has said time and again He will not put up with unrighteousness.  Our only hope is to put on the righteousness of Jesus Christ.  And He wants us to do that.

          And many will say, oh yes, they know all about Jesus Christ.  But there is much more than a semantic difference in knowing of Christ, and believing in Christ.  To make it more pointed, all we need do is look at the words of John 14:15, where Jesus says, "If you love me, you will do the things I say."  Almighty God has already had His say on this issue.  He does not change.  We can change, and we should.  He love us, but He will not change, for He is truth and He is righteousness.  Walk away from the house on fire.

          This past week was a bad day to be a chicken, or to be a supporter of same-sex marriage.  But it will always be a bad day for those who rebel against God.  There is so much more joy and fulfillment waiting for us, more than anything the flesh, which disappears, can offer.  Accept what Jesus Christ offers through His shed blood on the cross at Calvary -- His righteousness.  Accept the gift of life He offers. 

          Let us repent of our sins so that as the Psalmist says, God will hide His face from our sins, and blot out all our iniquities.  Let us pray with the Psalmist as in verses 10-12, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.  Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your holy spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit."  Amen.

Week of Worship

August 5, 2012

Invocation:  Almighty God, create in us a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within us, that amid the din and confusion of this noisy world we may always choose the more excellent way.  Through Christ.  Amen.

Read: Psalm 73

Daily Scripture Readings

Monday                Luke 10:38-42

Tuesday               Romans 8:18-25

Wednesday          2nd Corinthians 6:1-13
Thursday              Revelation 19:1-8

Friday                   Hebrews 10:19-39

Saturday               Colossians 3:5-17

Sunday                 2nd Samuel 15b-24; Ephesians 4:1-6; Psalm 34:11-22;

                             John 6:24-35 

Reflection: (silent and written)

Prayers for the church, for others, for yourself.

Hymn: "Dear Jesus, In Whose Life I See"

Benediction:  My Lord, today I will make a thousand choices, bit and small, consequential and trivial.  In the midst of all these decisions, help me to choose the one thing needed for a richer, more vital life in You.  Amen.