Month: August 2017

And they fled

Zechariah 13:7  “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me,” declares the LORD of hosts. “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; I will turn my hand against the little ones.  In the whole land, declares the LORD, two thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one third shall be left alive.  And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’”

Matthew 26:31   Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

Matthew 26:56    But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.

Mark 14:27    And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’

Mark 14:50    And they all left him and fled.

John 16:32   Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone.

Isaiah 53:4    Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.  But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.  By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?  And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

Can you imagine what it would be like to have lived in the time of Zechariah and hearing this and then 400+ years later it being fulfilled.  How many people during that time looked at this and said “more foolishness” or “this makes no sense”.  Much about the gospel is foolishness to those who do not believe.  Prior to being saved each of us would have to say it was words on paper to which we had no wisdom or understanding.  Then at some point God opened our heart and mind to this wonderful news in a way that is almost unexplainable.  Our whole life changed in that moment.  We saw everything in a new light.  It was as though blinders were taken off our eyes and everything was made new.  In fact scripture says at this moment of belief we are new creations.  Our previous purpose of living, doing, saying, thinking…. all went away …… but we need to be ever diligent knowing this sinful nature lurks.  Lust of the eyes (I want more), lust of the flesh (I want the pleasure), pride of life (I want prestige).  Satan is behind every temptation.  Peter, knowing this, put it this way: 2Pe 1:4 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,  and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Darkness to Light

Psalms 82:5  They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

Proverbs 1:29   Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD,

Romans 1:28    And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

Proverbs 4:19    The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.

Ecclesiastes 2:14   The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness

John 3:19    And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

John 12:35    So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.

1 John 2:11    But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Proverbs 2:6  For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;  he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,  guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints.  Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path;  for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;  discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you,  delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech,  who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness,   who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil,   men whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways.

Ecclesiastes 3:16    Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness.

2 Timothy 2:19    But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

There is one thing that keeps coming to mind from these scriptures.  People without Christ walk in darkness and they have no clue they are.  In fact they do not even know what the light is or how it will help or where to find it.  We are to be a reflection of this light, able to tell them of the light, and where it can be found.  Being a reflection means our way of light ought to be easily recognized as different from the world we live in.  The way we talk, react, think, and respond.  Our lives should reflect joy, peace, wisdom, understanding, hope, love, generosity, strength, courage, and concern all in the help and name of Jesus Christ.  Is it possible, as christians, that we too choose to live in darkness or with the light set to very dim.  Are we drifting away to a life of complacency, neglecting our calling to be light unto a lost generation.  Do we set our expectations so low for being a follower of Christ that there is no visible differences between us and those lost other than going to church on Sunday?  I think we have fallen into and follow a lie.  That lie is “it is up to the pastor, preacher to tell the gospel and up to me to go hear him teach and preach”  rather than being a reflection of Christ and telling others of His great love, hope, joy, peace …….  Out of the abundance of our heart the mouth will speak.  If nothing is coming out and nothing can be seen differently in our lives then we certainly need to look at what is filling our heart.  Living to be a humble servant, honoring, following, and obeying God requires us to choose to be in His word with the desire and intent to know Him and how to serve Him and be able to discern His leading each day.  Our reflection of the light of Christ will grow brighter and brighter as we choose to be in His word and be used by Him.

Fountain Opened

Zechariah 13:1  “On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.

Psalms 51:2     Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!

Psalms 51:7     Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Isaiah 1:16    Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil,  learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.  “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

Ezekiel 36:25     I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.

John 1:29     The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

1 Corinthians 6:11    And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Titus 3:5    he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,  whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,  so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

1 John 1:7    But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Our hope is built on promises from God.  The hope of forgiveness, complete cleansing from sin, salvation, and eternal life.  This is offered to all and God, not wishing any to perish, gave the promise of eternal life to all who would believe in the complete cleansing through the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  Peter in light of the grace and mercy from God through Christ, and seeing that all of this world will pass away, asked a question “Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness”  How should our lives be lived out this side of eternity?  Are we to be complacent and lukewarm in our commitment to this great act of Love?  Being lukewarm and complacent manifests in a life that seldom speaks of Christ, lacks confidence in being cleansed, thinks about performing acts of goodness to overshadow the sin in their life,  loses sight of promises of God, does not have contentment/peace, seldom sees God’s hand at work in their life, rarely hears the whispers of God, lacks confidence in God’s purpose and plan for their life.  This all can hit home to anyone but the good thing is, if God is convicting your heart there is the promise “if we confess our sin He is faithful and just to forgive us”  This means it is gone forever to never be remembered again.  Believing and knowing without doubt is hard if the promises of God are not in your life.  Satan is a liar and will speak lies into our lives. You’re not good enough, you’re to far gone, there is no hope for you, or on the other hand you are good enough, you are to busy, you are doing enough, compare yourself with others, blah, blah, blah.    These struggles are common when our lives are more committed to this world, what it has to offer, and the cares surrounded by it.  Know that your sin is forgiven by the work of Christ, repent from whatever it is that is holding you back from committing to humbly serving, honoring, following, and obeying Him.  Make time to spend in His word with the purpose of knowing Him.  Listen for His whispers of leading.  Today is the day you can commit to Him and ask Him to open His word to your heart and mind.

Safe yourselves from this crooked generation

Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”  And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.”

Zechariah 12:10  “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.

Psalms 22:16   For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet—  I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me;

John 19:34    But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.  He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe.  For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.”  And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.”

Hebrews 12:2    looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:2    looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

2 Corinthians 7:9    As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us.  For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.  For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter.

Old and New testament records, 100’s of years apart foretell of Christ and His death and resurrection.  “They will mourn and weep bitterly” and “What shall we do?” describes the heart of those who understand the sacrifice and the plan of salvation through Jesus Christ.  Note also the scripture  “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross” Can you imagine the love that it would take to willingly go to the cross and endure the pain and shame for those who reject you?  God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that whosoever believes in Him will be saved.  We were bought with a great price so that we might live a life free from guilt and shame.  We were given great promises of love, joy, peace, mercy, refuge, power, strength, hope, faith, courage, protection, and eternity with Him.  Our lives should be lived in light of remembering the price that was paid and the promises given to all believers.  Let your light shine through humbly serving, honoring, following and obeying God.

The Branch

Psalms 80:14  Turn again, O God of hosts! Look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine,   the stock that your right hand planted, and for the son whom you made strong for yourself.  They have burned it with fire; they have cut it down; may they perish at the rebuke of your face!    But let your hand be on the man of your right hand, the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself!  Then we shall not turn back from you; give us life, and we will call upon your name! Restore us, O LORD God of hosts! Let your face shine, that we may be saved!

Psalms 89:21    so that my hand shall be established with him; my arm also shall strengthen him.

Isaiah 11:1    There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

Isaiah 49:5   And now the LORD says, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him; and that Israel might be gathered to him— for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD, and my God has become my strength—

Jeremiah 23:5     “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.  In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’

Ezekiel 17:22     Thus says the Lord GOD: “I myself will take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and will set it out. I will break off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain.  On the mountain height of Israel will I plant it, that it may bear branches and produce fruit and become a noble cedar. And under it will dwell every kind of bird; in the shade of its branches birds of every sort will nest.  And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the LORD; I bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it.”

Zechariah 3:8    Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch.

Zechariah 6:12     And say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD

I have not counted but there are numerous scripture that God confirms by saying “I will do it”.  In these verses today we see the prophetic foretelling of Christ.  The Branch from which all fruit of God’s mercy, grace, and love originates.  It is through Christ those who believe are redeemed/forgiven.  There is no amount of good will (being good) that would ever be able to cover our sin – only the blood of Jesus.  Many try to be good and hope this is enough for eternal life with God.  His word is clear “there are none righteous, no not one”,  and again “there works are but filthy rags” and again “it is not by works less any man should boast”   His arms are wide open for all who come to Him for salvation.

Foundation of earth and heaven

“Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.  They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,”

Zechariah 12:1  The oracle of the word of the LORD concerning Israel: Thus declares the LORD, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him: “Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples.

Isaiah 51:22  Thus says your Lord, the LORD, your God who pleads the cause of his people: “Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering; the bowl of my wrath you shall drink no more;  and I will put it into the hand of your tormentors, who have said to you, ‘Bow down, that we may pass over’; and you have made your back like the ground and like the street for them to pass over.”

Jeremiah 30:10     “Then fear not, O Jacob my servant, declares the LORD, nor be dismayed, O Israel; for behold, I will save you from far away, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease, and none shall make him afraid.

Isaiah 57:16     For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry; for the spirit would grow faint before me, and the breath of life that I made.

Isaiah 44:24    Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: “I am the LORD, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself,

The power and sovereignty of God can easily be seen in  scripture.  Why is it I so easily forget the power, might, purpose, plans, and love of God?  Do I not trust the creator of all there is?  Do I not have faith in His love, purpose, and plans? Do I doubt He is in control? I wish this lack of reliance and trust were put behind me and I could walk this life in and by absolute faith.  It seems as though I have the head knowledge, but the heart, mind, and soul deep belief and trust is always on the fringe.  Forgive me Father for you alone is where my service, obedience, and reliance should continually be.

Shine Your face upon us

“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us”

“Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes.”

“LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”

Psalms 80:3  Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!

Psalms 85:4    Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us!

1 Kings 18:37    Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.”

Jeremiah 31:18  I have heard Ephraim grieving, ‘You have disciplined me, and I was disciplined, like an untrained calf; bring me back that I may be restored, for you are the LORD my God.  For after I had turned away, I relented, and after I was instructed, I struck my thigh; I was ashamed, and I was confounded, because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’

Lamentations 5:21    Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old—

Psalms 4:6     There are many who say, “Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!”

How do we know if our hearts are not in line with God and His plans and purpose?  What does it take to turn our hearts back to God?  How far do we have to drift away from Him before we realize the need to turn back to Him?  Tough questions to answer.  Let’s look at it another way.  What if we chose to stay close and continually grow in our knowledge and understanding of Him, Jesus Christ.  What if we determined to commit each day to humbly serving, honoring, following, and obeying Him.  What if we devoted time each day to know Him more.  What if we listened for His whispers of guidance and leading?  What if we ?????  There is so much we can and should do to keep from drifting away.  The first of which is to have a heart desire each day to know and love and honor and obey and listen and follow Him.

Turned their back to Me, not their face

Zechariah 11:15  Then the LORD said to me, “Take once more the equipment of a foolish shepherd.   For behold, I am raising up in the land a shepherd who does not care for those being destroyed, or seek the young or heal the maimed or nourish the healthy, but devours the flesh of the fat ones, tearing off even their hoofs.  “Woe to my worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May the sword strike his arm and his right eye! Let his arm be wholly withered, his right eye utterly blinded!”

Lamentations 2:14  Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they have not exposed your iniquity to restore your fortunes, but have seen for you oracles that are false and misleading.

Ezekiel 13:3    Thus says the Lord GOD, Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!

Isaiah 6:10   Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

Jeremiah 2:26   “As a thief is shamed when caught, so the house of Israel shall be shamed: they, their kings, their officials, their priests, and their prophets,  who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ For they have turned their back to me, and not their face. But in the time of their trouble they say, ‘Arise and save us!’

Matthew 15:14    Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

We are given so many examples of the sinful nature we are born with and the consequences of it.  I can’t recall the last time I have heard preaching/teaching warning us of the consequences of a life that is not fully committed to God.  It seems as though all we hear is about God’s grace, mercy, love, and our place in heaven.  These are all true and foundational in our reason for repenting and turning away from sin to God’s redemption.  It seems as though through His great and steadfast love we come to Him for a moment in time and then live as though we are one and done on the decision to follow Him with our whole heart.  We give no thought to what it means to commit with our whole mind, soul and heart and live each day to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey.  Note the scriptures this morning -“As a thief is shamed when caught”….They know they have done wrong in their commitment to God.  Note the choice made – “they have turned their backs to me not their faces but in time of trouble they say save us”.   We are not to take our walk with God lightly.  This walk requires constant time in His word, courage, patience, faith, hope, commitment, heart deep desire to hear and be led by God.  Make God the first thing you commit to each day.

Brought very low

Psalms 79:1  O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.   They have given the bodies of your servants to the birds of the heavens for food, the flesh of your faithful to the beasts of the earth.   They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them.   We have become a taunt to our neighbors, mocked and derided by those around us.   How long, O LORD? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealousy burn like fire?   Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call upon your name!   For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation.   Do not remember against us our former iniquities; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low.   Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name’s sake!   Why should the nations say,   “Where is their God?” Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants be known among the nations before our eyes!   Let the groans of the prisoners come before you; according to your great power, preserve those doomed to die!   Return sevenfold into the lap of our neighbors the taunts with which they have taunted you, O Lord!   But we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise.

Being mindful of God and living for Him can advert many trials brought on by our actions.  Note the writer does not question the fact that their trials were because of their “Not living in line with God”.  The request for God’s compassion to over look past iniquities and come to their rescue is a heart that is ready to return to God.  Why is it we, like they,  run to God in times of trials and trouble but run/drift away from Him in times of blessing.  Stay close to God, and choose to live for Him.  Giving your whole mind, heart, and soul to honoring Him in what you say, think, and do will give present and lasting reward.