David and the Oligarch, by Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture: Colossians 2

¹ For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;

² That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;

³ In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

⁴ And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.

⁵ For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.

⁶ As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

⁷ Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

⁸ Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

⁹ For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

¹⁰ And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

¹¹ In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

¹² Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

¹³ And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

¹⁴ Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

¹⁵ And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

¹⁶ Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:

¹⁷ Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

¹⁸ Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

¹⁹ And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.

²⁰ Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,

²¹ (Touch not; taste not; handle not;

²² Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?

²³ Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body: not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.

There is within these verses a wealth of power and knowledge of which we as Christians should be aware, stand in confidence through, and wield as power and authority through the work of the Holy Spirit against the enemies of justice, righteousness and the mission of Jesus Christ on earth.

Toward that end, I want to begin by concentrating on verses two and three.  Paul's purpose, he writes, is "That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

There is power in that wisdom and knowledge for those who belong to Jesus Christ, and Paul is saying, "Use it!"

There are times, in the face of evil's triumph, beset by frustration and disappointment, when I must agree it looks like the world is slipping into bloody oblivion and surely Jesus Christ is on His way to claim His kingdom, putting Satan and his agenda in their place.

But I also wonder if all the crime and confusion, the murderous circus engulfing us is not of our own making, reaping that whirlwind we have created by ignoring the very wisdom and knowledge God has put in place for us.  For very often we have not met our responsibilities as good citizens.  We've not paid attention to what makes a decent society of mixed people; too busy entertaining ourselves and deigning to "let George do it"; shuffling what should be our decisions off on those we elect to office as our political representatives.

Along the way we have conveniently ignored the truth that those whom we have saddled with this burden of decision-making are not only humanly tempted, but that they may not at all share our sense of what is right and what is wrong; what is ethical, moral and Godly.  But they do have a nice face, a good TV presence, a friendly and persuasive nature, and who knew when we opened the door to the candy store that rather than manage the store for us they were going to eat themselves silly and ignore us.

Legislative advocacy groups have determined that during this fall recess, rather than seeking out public input members of Congress are holding fewer public meetings than in previous years.  This in the face of outrageous political scandals and budgetary hardships.  Apparently, they already know the will of the people and I would say, from their aberrant votes on The Hill that our wishes and our intentions don't match theirs.  That's especially true in regard to immigration, spending, medical care, taxes, national security and a host of others.  They don't want to hear from We the People.

It would appear they have come to the belief the candy store is theirs, and only they know what is best for its management.

They are wrong.

But then, oligarchs are often wrong.

You might ask, what is any oligarch?  One who represents an oligarchy: "A small group of people, the elite, having control of a country, organization, or institution."

The President of the United States, through actions such as Executive Orders that go around the peoples' elected representatives in the Senate and House of Representatives, is creating an oligarchy.  His political appointees and the additional government organizations he has created, such as the Department of Homeland Security -- which competes for authority and scarce dollars with the Department of Defense -- have become part of that oligarchy.  Decisions are made daily about money spent and programs enacted which not only do not represent the will of the people in this nation, but represent programs and policies the people of this nation do not want put into place.

The United States of America, one nation under God, was never intended to be ruled by an oligarchy, but of the people, by the people, for the people. 

Enter little David, stage right.  It's a simple fact of nature, I've observed, that wherever you find evil you will find good standing up to it.  It's just in our soul, in our genes as God-created people.  Wherever you find darkness, you will find light overcoming it.  Where you find anger, stubbornness, hardness of heart, you will find love still fights free. 

As I said previously, enter little David, stage right, just because the time is right.

If you remember your Bible, you will remember how the giant-size Goliath stood before the Army of the Lord and dared anyone to come against him.  He was backed by the dreaded Philistines, and Goliath was so huge, so powerful, so bold and frightening that among King Saul's soldiers their spines melted like on a hot day.  These were battle-hardened men who knew their swords and spears would not cut him down. 

But David had no sword, no spear, none of the battle weapons that wouldn't work.  What he did have was a sling and a smooth stone that he knew how to use and an experiential confidence that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was with him.  Young David was not concerned that this might be the end of the world, or even the end of his world.  He stood on the ground of faith that Almighty God would give him the victory, and that is always a good place to be.

Let me suggest to you that you believe whatever you wish about the nearness of "end times," for each person's last breath is always in their nostrils, and in that sense our own "end times" is always near.

But also take stock of David's knowledge that God is with you, that evil -- whether by ignorance, by mistake, or by a malevolent nature -- is always to be overcome by the power of Almighty God.

As a child of the King, you have that power.  What is that verses two and three say?  That in Christ we have "all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."  

Is there evil and mischief afoot?  Are there families going without homes, without food, without jobs to support them?  Is government spending out of control?  While those here at home live in cardboard boxes and do without necessities, are millions and billions being given to the very enemies of our national security abroad?  Are free elections being contaminated by fraud here at home?  Do our own government officials lie to us and spy on us?  Is the U.S. Constitution being ignored to deny Americans the free exercise of their religious beliefs?  Do our own judges take into account foreign legal systems in order to mete out an altered justice outside of our own legal system?

Yes.  Yes to all of the above.

But has God said we should fear all of this, or has He given us the spirit of power, of love, and a sound mind?  Second Timothy, chapter one, verse seven said he has given us exactly that.

Matthew 28:18 tells us that Jesus Christ has been given authority, authority over absolutely everything!

Mark 9:17-29 shows us how faith allows us to access our authority; the authority of Jesus Christ for spiritual power.

No matter how strong a Christian you are,  if you chunk a rock at a hornet’s nest, you’re in big trouble.  And you can’t simply curse cancer and cause it to disappear.  Jesus said, "Peace, be still," and calmed a storm, but you and I don't have that power yet.  Our full inheritance is waiting until Jesus comes again.  When our Lord says He gives you authority, He’s talking about spiritual authority, and you have it. You have authority over Satan's influence over you.  But if someone tries to convince you that you have "full" authority, try ordering someone else's dog around.

Satan may try to corrupt and pervert your spiritual authority and want you to believe you have authority to make it rain, or that you can walk into a hospital room and empty it.  But no, you can’t. 

Your power, through the name of Christ, is in spiritual power, and that can save this nation.

God has an army of spiritual forces, an angelic host filled with power from on high.  It was God's power that defeated Satan on the Cross of Calvary, where we read in Colossians 2:15 and Hebrews 2 and John 12 how Jesus Christ bore our sins in a plan of redemption that set us free, free for Him to give us spiritual authority.  The machinations of evil and the befouled programs that work against the purposes of God are no match for our spiritual authority and the power of the mighty hand of God.

Prayer, in the spiritual authority of Christ, is the answer, and the boldness to speak against evil in the name of Almighty God.  Wherever evil, immorality, unethical behavior -- sin -- shows itself, speak out, speak up, in the name and authority of Jesus Christ.  Stand firmly, as David did against a "superior" enemy, in the confidant power of Almighty God.

Paul, writing to Timothy in his second letter, sets forth in verses six through ten: "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.  For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.  And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power..."

To repeat Paul, having received Christ, walk in Him, for in Jesus Christ is all the fullness of the Godhead.  In Jesus Christ we find the answers to a deteriorating society, the answer to godless forces that threaten  the fabric of the nation. 

Stand firmly in the spiritual authority you have from Jesus Christ, confidant in the power of Almighty God, and speak out, speak up, in the name and authority of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Is the Light in America Going Out? -- by Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture:  Matthew 5:13-16 -- “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

How many times have you heard people say, "God is too loving to send people to hell."  Or perhaps, "What you need is more of the love of Christ. If you had more love, you wouldn't speak against the beliefs of other people."  And then there are those who say that when you warn others about the danger of what holy scripture calls sin, you are guilty of "hate speech."

First, allow me to point out that such ideas are common in this age, but they would have been laughed at in ages past, when Christian men and women of conscience would not allow their Christian experience and their knowledge of holy scripture to be watered down, attacked, and misused.

Secondly, let me hasten to deal with the idea that God sends people to hell.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  A lady following some exotic philosophical religion once said to me, "I could never follow a god who sent people to hell."  Her lostness is in her own ignorance of God.  Those who end up separated from the love of God have constructed that separation themselves.  2nd Peter 3:9 makes that point: "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."

Third, as for the lack of love being behind warning others of sin, we turn to Ezekiel 33:8, where God tells us, "When I say unto the wicked, 'O wicked man, thou shalt surely die;' if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand."  Our love of God and our Christian love of our brother and sister should compel us to speak truth in the presence of sin.

The whole idea of "hate speech", of course, is a stillborn idea without merit borne of the political correctness movement that has no justification in scripture, much less in real life.  Those who accuse others of hate speech are first, guilty of it themselves through their accusation, and second, they are apparently ignorant of Ecclesiastes 3:8, "There is a time to love and a time to hate, a time of war and a time of peace."

Much of this convoluted misunderstanding comes from those who know of the Christ, but do not know Jesus Christ; those who know of holy scripture, but do not know scripture.  Time and time again I must advise people, who are wielding a verse of scripture like a bludgeon, to go back and read the verses before their stated verse, and the verses afterward to gain context.  You cannot simply pluck a verse out of context and because by itself it suits your argument, win your argument with it when it doesn't mean at all what you are claiming.

They remind me of the story of the man was convinced he could receive divine guidance by simply opening the Bible each morning and reading the verse upon which his eyes first fell.  The first time he tried that method, he came to where the apostle Matthew wrote of Judas, "Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself" (Matthew 27:5).  Very disturbed by that reading, he tried it again, this time finding in Luke 10:37 where Jesus said, "Go and do likewise."

We must keep in mind, when studying scripture, to keep the words within their context. A good example is where the New Testament tells us to "work with your hands."  So, does that mean a man must literally work with his hands in his job, such as digging ditches, or engaging in such careers as woodworking, agriculture, metalwork?  What if a man is adept at being an accountant, or rises to be a bank president?  Is he sinning?

Well, of course the answer is no.  When you go back to the context of that information, you find a contrast is being made between stealing for a living and working for a living (Ephesians 4:28).  And to add to that, in 1st Thessalonians 4:11 and 12, Paul is telling men to stick to their own business, set a good example for others and be self-sufficient.  It is about being a good disciple of Jesus Christ, not setting aside jobs that are un-Christian.

As Americans, and even as claimed followers of Jesus Christ, we have strayed far afield from the scriptural characteristics of the Christian life we are to lead.  Many of our problems in this day and age, across our troubled nation, spring from a lack of spiritual commitment by men and women, even men and women of faith.  If we know what God says about our current problems, to often we are silent, and we avoid taking positions of moral leadership out misunderstood calls for humility, civility, and "understanding."

We don't understand scripture, and we stand in error because of that.

At a time when this nation desperately needs strong ethical and moral leadership, as found only in the Christian scriptures, even God's called Pastors, as well as Elders and Deacons of the Church worldwide hide their knowledge of God under a bushel and fail to advise others not to abandon God to go another direction, that the bridge to God is out that way.

Jesus Christ is the bridge to God.  And yes, He is a one-way Jesus.  He said Himself, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)

Those who equivocate about whether Jesus is the only way to God stand in error.

You don't want to stand in error, because James 4:17 warns us, "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."  Short version, you stand in error.  The danger here is what Jesus said in Matthew 10:32-33, speaking to His disciples, "Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.  But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven."

The characteristics of the life of those who claim to follow Jesus Christ is laid out very clearly in Galatians 5:22-23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

There is no use looking for figs on a lemon tree, or cherries on an apple tree.  And there is no use looking for these fruits outside the Holy Spirit.  Can men and women live decent, helpful lives without being Christians?  Of course they can.  Can men and women get to God without Jesus Christ?  No, and if you claim otherwise, you stand in error.

If men of good Christian character, believers in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, His death, burial and resurrection, would stand up in the face of evil and declare, "This is wrong!  Repent of your sins!", this nation would undergo a revival of faith, a reinstatement of ethics and morals such as we have never seen.

If you are not willing to do that, then yes, you stand in error.

Every individual, man, woman, and child, who has proclaimed a belief in Jesus Christ, should ask themselves, "After salvation, what?"

As an answer to that, Robert H. Kreger has written, in part, "God's purpose for the Christian calls for spiritual growth.  2nd Peter 3:18, "But grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ....." 

"2nd Timothy 2:15, "Study to show yourself approved of God, a workman who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." The Christian is kept alive on earth to fulfill his destiny, which is to become a spiritually mature believer, a spiritual winner.  "...a mature person to the measure of the maturity which belongs to the fullness of Christ." (Eph 4:13-16).

"Each believer's life becomes a unique expression of the glory of God in both time and eternity (Romans 8:29-30; 9:23-24), but only the spiritually mature believer's life glorifies God by receiving the highest and best that God has prepared for him (Romans 6:1-2a; Ist John 1:5-2:6). Divine blessings that the Christian can understand and experience and the overt manifestations of the Christian way of life only come as a result of spiritual growth."

That spiritual maturity, that fullness of Christ, that growth should be manifesting itself in the American community every day of our life.  Our entire nation would be at peace with itself and with our neighbors if every decision, every action, every plan had at its base God's manifested purpose.

So what should we do, you ask.  Should we take the locks off of our doors, throw away all security measures of protection, trust that those outside of Christ will treat us with kindness and compassion?

No, because we are not there, yet.  Jesus warned His disciples in Matthew 10:16, "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.  Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."  You and I live and work among two-legged animals who would do harm to us and those we love, given the opportunity.  Violence is rampant and very nearly out of control in this nation.  Even our police are ramping up to military levels of protection and control, to a disturbing level for a freedom-loving citizen. 

Data compiled by the FBI shows a 1.2% increase in violent crime.  Doesn't sound like much, but that's nationwide.  According to the FBI, violent crime includes murder, non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery and aggravated assault.  The following comes from the June 13th edition of the Wall St. Journal: "Three cities — Birmingham, St. Louis and Oakland — were among the 10 worst cities in the nation for both violent crime and property crime. In some of the most dangerous cities, specific types of property crime were especially common. Flint and Cleveland had among the highest burglary rates, while Oakland, Detroit and St. Louis had among the highest rates of vehicle theft."

The top ten most violent cities, from most to less violent, are Cleveland, Ohio; Baltimore, Md.; New Haven, Conn,;  Birmingham, Ala. ; Stockton, Calif.;  Memphis, Tenn.; St. Louis, Mo.; Oakland, Calif.; Detroit, Mich.; and Flint, Mich.  These represent a significant failure of the Christian influence in these violent cities.

Of them all, Detroit, Mich., with 54.2 murders for every 100,000 people reached the highest level in the past 40 years.  They have a 40.9% poverty rate, and their unemployment rate at 18.6% is much higher than the 8.1% national rate.

The city’s aggravated assault rate of 1,320.8 cases per 100,000 people was also the second highest in the U.S.  Those are people we are talking about, people murdered, maimed, hurt, families devastated by the lack of Christian ethics and morals throughout the community of Detroit.

Detroit seems to be one of the worst nationally acknowledged humanitarian disaster spots in America.  Block after block of deteriorating homes, empty and abandoned.  A city that has attempted to file for bankruptcy.  The soaring crime rate simply leads the list of many reasons not to move to Detroit.

To make matters worse, the huge Islamic presence in Detroit has become a growing problem for those who wish to worship in the name of Jesus Christ.  They have been arrested for praying in public.  They have been arrested for handing out Christian tracts.  They need your prayers around the clock.

Some people, in discussing the disaster of Detroit, have asked is Chicago next?  How about Chicago now?  They have serious crime problems in Chicago, much of it involving black on black crime.  Unfortunately, when I Googled "Black on Black Crime in Chicago," most of what I got were leftist blogs attempting to divert attention back to "white racists ignoring the problem."  I guess "black racists" can't accept any blame because so many people tell me that "black racists" don't exist.  I and my family members have the lumps and memories to effectively dispute that lie. 

The only media dealing factually with black on black crime in Chicago seem to be theguardian.com, thedailybeast.com, and thugreport.com.  Whites want to deal with it because they still live in Chicago, but black opinion leaders just want to blame "whitey" for it.  Makes no sense to me.  In Christ there is no difference, but many have abandoned the words and the cause of Christ.  Black young men and women are dying, black young men and women are going to prison for their crimes.  Why isn't black leadership dealing with this?  Why isn't Chicago's black Mayor dealing with this?  Why isn't America's first black President dealing with this?  I suggest it is because they stand in error.

Like Detroit, Chicago is replete with Islam representation, with mosques, Islamic centers, and web sites determining the seven times of prayer across the city.  Why can't they do better in the crime and home security arena?  Because they are in error. 

Some have suggested that God is punishing such cities, indeed, America, for turning their back on Him.  I suggest to you that God need not actively punish those in error, but He need simply remove His arm of protection. 

Deuteronomy 33:27 -- "The Eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." -- shows us that the arm of God symbolizes His protection.  And in Psalm 91:1-4 we read, ""He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust.  Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.  He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler."

God is our refuge in times of trouble, and we naturally take shelter in His protective arms.  But we need to stay in communication with our God, through a strong prayer life and communion with Him.  God wants to protect His children, but if we refuse to be His children, we have lost that option.  Jesus said it plainly in Luke 6:46, "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?"

Our verse for today, Matthew 5:13-16, speaks to what is wrong with this nation today.  “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

Is the light in America going out?  Has life lost its Christian savor in America?  You cannot speak for others, so speak only for yourself.  How far does your light reach?  Are those around you seeking the seasoning that makes your life what it is?

Light the light right where you are.  Share the salt.  Amen.

There Will Be Blood? There Already IS Blood.

Our freedoms are God-given, not state-given, not authorized by some elected official with Emperor envy.  We are His, not his.

By Pastor Ed Evans

http://nocompromisepac.ning.com/profiles/blogs/there-will-be-blood-there-already-is-blood

President Barack Hussein Obama is on record as having told his supporters that if he doesn't win the Presidential election in November there will be fighting in the streets.  Spoken as a double-edged sword, this was said to his supporters as an urging for more supportive action, but the intention was undoubtedly also for the ears of his opponents, his detractors.  

"Take the hint, don't make trouble," is the unspoken warning.  But they are Pres. Obama's opponents, his detractors for reasons none of them takes lightly.  For they have seen active threats to their religious freedoms, frightening threats to their longevity and health through political agendas, threats to their God-given freedoms represented by their Constitutional First and Second Amendment rights.  They have seen the law of the land trampled upon, causing death and destruction in some cases, wars expanded, military respect mocked and embarrassed.  They have seen the America they grew up in depicted as something to be shunned and changed through social experimentation.  They have seen morals and integrity pummeled and questioned at the highest levels.  They have been told that their President and those they themselves elected "know best."  They have been made to understand that author George Orwell's "1984" assertion that "some people are more equal than others" has come to be a truly bitter pill to be accepted and swallowed.  For those who are more equal "know best."  And this "experiment" regarding individual rights will soon be over, to be accepted for the good of the state.

However, those who would rule by tyrannical power never understand that those who have tasted freedom will never give it up lightly, even at the cost of their lives and their livelihood. It is not nearly so much that free men hate what they see before them, but that they love so dearly what is taking shelter behind them.

This Sunday, Pastors in their churches across America must ignore the threat of the IRS regarding involvement in politics and preach the complete word of the Living God.  For He, the Living God, the Creator, He meant us to be free.  He still means us to be free.

Governmental threats regarding preaching on political evils, threats that violate the God-given rights of the U.S. Constitution are but mists in the winds of time as compared to the standing truth of the Living God. We must, we must obey God rather than men.

Such innuendo from the left that speaks of dissolving tax-free statuses, of prison terms, of claims "there will be blood", need have no meaning whatsoever for men and women already covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. He is our God, and we are His. "Be still and know that I am God," says the Creator to the Created.  Upon that we must stand.

Who Loves You, Baby?, by Pastor Ed Evans

Who Loves You, Baby?

by Pastor Ed Evans

Scripture: John 15:9-17

9.  Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. 

10.  If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 

11.  These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

12.  This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.

13.  Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

14.  You are My friends if you do what I command you. 

15.  No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.

16.  You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.

17.  This I command you, that you love one another.

                                

          You may recognize the title of today's sermon from something that movie actor Telly Savalas used to say when he played the TV detective Kojak, with a lollipop in the corner of his mouth: "Who loves ya, baby?"

          But love is what I want to talk about this morning.  We have a lot of churches who preach only the God of love, when there are so many other facets to Him.  It is not for nothing it says in Proverbs 9:10, "Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."  So yes, God is more than love, but that's my focus this morning.  It's my focus partly because much of the world seems to have lost the idea of love for one another, and it's partly my focus because as we come down to what many of us believe is one of the most important elections in our nation's history, there is a great deal of hate being splashed around.  So I'm going to talk just about love this morning. 

          And the need for love I'm going to talk about has nothing to do with politics, or how the clerk treats you at the grocery store, or how your next door neighbor talks to you about your barking dog.  It's so very much more important than any of that.

          There's the story of the old Pastor, now retired but still very well known, and he was visiting a very large church, and the resident Pastor there asked if the elderly gentleman would bring the message that evening.  The elderly Pastor agreed.

          That night the church's Pastor went into a long introduction of how educated this man was, how many degrees he had, how many of the famous and well-known people sought him out for counsel, and on and on, finally ending with, "Now please welcome and pay rapt attention to this famous man of God."

          The congregation of several thousand people stood and applauded.  The old Pastor shuffled to the podium, signaled for them to please sit down.  They did.  It was so quiet you could have heard a church mouse squeak.

          The old Pastor looked out over that great congregation and he intoned, "It is true I have spent the best years of my life in study of our God, and in service to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  And out of all of that, I want to share with you this evening the very most important essence of what I have learned, and what I have lived.  And that is this ..."

          There was a brief rustle as pens and notebooks came out to take notes.

          "It is this...." he said, "Jesus loves me, this I know.  For the Bible tells me so."

          And he sat down.

          Friends, if you remember nothing else of what I say to you this morning, I would rejoice to know you remember those words: "Jesus loves me, this I know.  For the Bible tells me so."

          Those words actually began as the lines of a novel in 1860 by Norma Lee Liles, just as the nation was entering into the War Between the States.  In the book, a Mr. Linden, the book's principal character, looks into the eyes of a dying child and recites those word, moving thousands of readers to tears.  I'm certain Norma Lee Liles could never have known how many times those words have been repeated, at a child's bedside, on the battlefield, in hospital rooms.  They still have the power to move a loving person to tears.

          It is probably true that most of us learned those words at the knee of a children's Sunday School teacher; some loving man or woman who felt a mission to introduce children to the very God who loved them first, and introduce them just as soon as possible.

          I didn't hear about Jesus Christ -- other than as a swear word -- until I was about 10 years old.  In a little white Baptist Church in Fresno, California, a dear woman who not only told us of Jesus, but lived and modeled Jesus, made an indelible impression on us.

          As a teenager, an Army Major and his wife opened their home to the teenagers the church I attended in Seattle, Washington.  It became a second home, a loving home, for many of us who came from homes full of anger and alcohol and divorce.  We could see Jesus in them; we knew where we could go when we were in trouble; we knew where the love was.

          "Jesus loves me, this I know.  For the Bible tells me so."

          All of us at some point in our lives have learned that life is hard, and it's even harder without Christ.

          To know, from the very beginning of our life, that there is someone who will always love us, this will often give us pause when we are faced with temptation, simply because we don't want to disappoint that person.  And that tag line, how do I know?  Because the Bible tells me so.  Therein lies an assumption that there is truth in the Word of God.

          We know from throughout the Bible and particularly from John 14:6, where Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life..." that God is truth.  So if He is truth, and He is, then His word which He has guided to us down through the ages -- regardless of what all the learned skeptics may say, despite all those who on the basis of either emotion or logic would rewrite history -- despite all that, His word is truth. 

          Jesus love me, this I know.  For the Bible tells me so.

          In those words are multiple sermons for those who would share the gospel message.

          For me, aside from the feeling of safety and fulfillment that is promised -- for no one keeps promises like our God -- aside from that warm, fuzzy  feeling, those words lead me to so many scriptures that undergird my faith in Jesus Christ.

          I am reminded of God's love of children.  There is the verse in Matthew 18:6, "But whoever shall offend one of these little ones who believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea."  I've often thought I should start a millstone business.  There ought to be a real market for them in this age!           

          Matthew 18 goes on to say in verse 10, “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven."  They are never out of His presence.

          Then there is the issue that, if Jesus loved me first -- and He did -- how can I not love Him?  And in loving Him we come upon John 14:15, where Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will do the things I say."  Oh, yes Lord Jesus, yes Lord.

          There is another story, not a Bible story, but a story of our own time about the love of God, and I want to wrap up by sharing it with you.  Anyone who has spent time in hospitals holding hands with the aged and dying, anyone who has comforted and prayed with distraught parents when their child is under a doctor's care, will identify with this story.

          On March 10, 1991, Diana Blessing, after only 24 weeks of pregnancy, had to undergo a Caesarian operation to save the life of her tiny premature daughter, Danae Lu Blessing.  The baby was 12 inches long and weight only one pound, nine ounces.  The doctors told Diana and her husband that there was little chance the child would survive, and if it did, she would never walk, never talk, and be blind.

          To make matters worse, for two months the child was kept in isolation.  Having been taken early from her mother's womb, for two months she totally alone.  Her under-developed nervous system meant any touch, even a kiss would cause extreme pain.  So the child never knew a mother's touch for two months.  All they could do was pray that God would stay close to their precious little girl.

          Now jump ahead five years, 1996.  Danae Lu Blessing was seen to be - quote - "A petite but feisty young girl with glittering gray eyes and an unquenchable zest for life.  She shows no signs, whatsoever, of any of the mental or physical impairments of which the doctors warned her parents."  Unquote.

          One afternoon in 1996, on a blistering hot day at her home in Irving, Texas, Danae was sitting in her mother's lap watching her big brother Dustin practice baseball and chattering away.  Suddenly she became very quiet, and hugging her arms across her chest, Danae asked her mother, "Do you smell that?"

          Sensing the approach of a thunderstorm, her mother said, "Yes, smells like rain.  I think we're about to get wet."

          Danae, with her eyes closed, shook her head and patted her thin shoulders, saying, "No, it smells like Him.  It smells like God when you lay your head on His chest."

          Tears filled Diana Blessings eyes, as Danae hopped down to go play with the other children.  Danae had confirmed what her family had known, at least in their hearts, all along.  That during those long days and nights of her first two months of life, when her nervous system was too sensitive for them to even touch her, God was holding Danae on His chest, and it was His loving scent she remembered so well.

          We serve such a great, loving God.

          Jesus loves me, this I know.  For the Bible tells me so.

          There is so much more to loving our God, to knowing Jesus Christ, to learning from the leading of the Holy Spirit.  But if you start here, you can't go wrong.

          Jesus loves me, this I know.  For the Bible tells me so.  Amen.

Week of Worship

September 2, 2012

Invocation:  Good Teacher, help me in this hour to hear Your clear call to discipleship.  By the power of your Spirit grant me wisdom, courage and strength to live as Your disciple all day long.  Amen.

Read: Psalm 1

Daily Scripture Readings

Monday                Philippians 2:1-8

Tuesday               Galatians 5:16-24

Wednesday          Matthew 5:1-11
Thursday              Matthew 5:12-16

Friday                   Matthew 7:21-28

Saturday               Matthew 5:43-48

Sunday                 1st Kings 2:1-4, 10-12; Ephesians 6:10-20; Psalm 121;

                             Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 

Reflection: (silent and written)

Prayers for the church, for others, for yourself.

Hymn: "O Jesus, I Have Promised"

Benediction:  O my God, since You are with me, and I must now, in obedience to Your commands, apply my mind to these outward things, I beg You to grant me the grace to continue in Your presence.  To this end, prepare me with Your assistance, receive all my works, and possess all my affections.  Amen.

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.