Good Morning.
It is going to be one of the brilliant days. Autumn colors are in full burst. Praise the Lord for the way He displays wonderful colors and the way He demonstrates His glory and power. In this vast domain and in the universe our Lord God is mindful of us. He demonstrates and displays His pathos and passion towards us. In his book entitled, "Thoughts in Solitude," the late great French-born American Roman Catholic Trappist monk, poet, author, social activist, and student of comparative religion, wrote these words, which have come to be known as "The Merton Prayer:"
"My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following Your Will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this You will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore, I will trust You always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for You are ever with me, and You will never leave me to face my perils alone."
This is a beautiful prayer. Sometimes knowing God’s Will for our lives can be somewhat of a mystery. Yet, the Lord our God honors our desire to please Him. He honors our intentions to please Him. I love the spiritual song, "Lord I want to be a Christian in my heart. Lord I want to be like Jesus in my heart... in my heart... in my heart. Lord I want to be like Jesus in my heart." The Lord of hosts is our Lord God. He demonstrates His prevenient grace towards us. He desires to be near to us on a personal level. His will for us is personal. Jeremiah 29:11 (KJV), tells us, "’For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,’ saith the Lord, ’thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.’" He has a Will for specifically designed for each of our lives!
Our Lord God, who can uphold and sustain the Universe, at the same time can hear our prayer about our job situation! Though the earth’s Sun keeps all the planets in our solar system in orbit that same Sun will warm our faces as if it has no other purpose! Likewise, we have a God Who has created all of the Universe and holds it together, Who will lead us and guide us personally as if He had nothing else to do! Almighty God wants to be intimately involved in every detail of our lives if we are willing to let Him!
Luke 12:6-7 (KJV) records Jesus, the Christ, saying, "Are not two sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? (v. 7) But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows." Almighty God is concerned about the details of our individual lives! The Apostle Paul tells the Romans and us, in Romans 8:14 (KJV), "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."
I read a story about the late, great, well-known Austrian-born American violinist and composer, Fritz Kreisler (1875 - 1962). He placed an advertisement that said he would play a concert in New York City on a priceless Stradivarius violin worth over half a million dollars. The concert hall was packed - Fritz Kreisler came out - and, he awed and wowed the audience with his violin virtuoso performance. The high notes seemed as if angels were singing and brought tears to the eyes of strong men! When he finished, the crowd stood to their feet in loud, spontaneous applause! To their horror, Fritz Kreisler took that violin, smashed it on the stage, stomped it into splinters, and then walked off! The people were stunned into silence!
Shortly after, the concertmaster came out and said to the crowd, "Fritz Kreisler has asked me to convey to you that he just performed this concert on a fifty dollar fiddle he bought at a pawn shop this afternoon. He wanted to show you that it is not the instrument; it is any instrument in the hand of the master." Our God’s grace is a deficiency equalizer - He takes ordinary lives and demonstrates His extraordinary powers in and through them. It is wonderful blessing to know what our Lord can do with our lives when we place them in His very capable hands!
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwPeud_V7cg
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 10-7-09
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day. Praise the Lord that He is upon the Throne. He reigns, He rules, and He is in control. It is a wonderful blessing to know the living God in and through Jesus Christ the Son, who has revealed the Father. It has been wisely said that religion is man's search for God, and that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the Lord's search for man. Jesus said, "I have come to seek and to save the lost". He came as the Good Shepherd looking for the lost sheep. He is still looking for the prodigal sons and daughters and lost sheep.
Some time ago I read an article about Frank Warren, editor of the book, "The Secret Lives of Men and Women: A Post Secret Book". After a troubling period in his own life, he handed out 3000 self-addressed stamped postcards to people on the street, asking them to anonymously mail him their secrets. It began as a sort of public art project in 2004. To his surprise, the cards started pouring in. He doesn’t have to hand out cards anymore. He has received over 100,000 cards, many of which are works of art in themselves. One postcard had an old picture of a Santa Claus with two boys on his lap. On the picture were written the words, “I wish my sons would contact me.” Another that I was particularly drawn to was one where a man had taken a picture of hands praying, and written on the picture: “I don’t know how to go back to God, and I want to more than anything else in the world.” Both cards were about finding your way back home. One was as a father who missed his sons, and the other from a lost son who could not find the way back to his heavenly Father. It is the original sin, our rebellion against the Lord who has created us and has redeemed us ,that creates a gulf between us and the Lord. If we could have interviewed the prodigal son in Jesus’ story,( Luke 15) he might have told us that he did not like all the rules at home. He may have said that he did not like having to answer to his father for everything. He needed to get away from home and have a change of scenery. Perhaps he just wanted to sow his wild oats. Another young man by the name of Jacob, in the Book of Genesis, ran away from home. Jacob had created his own problems through deceit and self-centeredness, and these caused many destructive things in his life. We see a lot of people today who would rather continue in their dysfunctional lifestyles than to turn their lives over to God. They would like God to help them with some of their problems, but they have no intention of surrendering their lives to God. They are caught up in a web of self-destruction, but would rather live with the results of their destructive choices than give up "control" of their lives.What makes it so difficult for us to find our way back home? We don’t know the way.
Jacob was a man who needed to find his way to God, but he did not seem to know how. His father Isaac and his grandfather Abraham both had life-altering encounters with God, but nothing has happened to Jacob up to this point. He had heard all the stories of his father and grandfather, but to him they were only stories. Life had been pretty good for Jacob. He had grown up to be a shepherd and he lived a serene existence. Jacob had never really needed God. We never read about any conversations that Jacob entered about God or with him. We never read about him worshiping, nor do we read of any encounters with God in all of his life up until he met God at Bethel. Yet, Jacob came to the place where he desperately needed God. After he swindled his brother out of his birthright and inheritance the conflict between him and his brother escalated to the place where he was in fear of losing his life. He needed to "go home to God", but he did not know the way. The good news is that, when we cannot find our way to God, God will come to us. It is called the Prevenient grace. Jacob ran from his brother and his problems — problems of his own creation. Finally, the night came and he fell asleep. A rock pillowed his head, and above his head were the open heavens. While Jacob slept, God revealed himself to Jacob. In his dream there was what appeared to be a large ladder, or staircase of light, the top of which reached heaven and the very throne of God. God revealed himself to Jacob, promising that Jacob would inherit the promises which God had made to his father and his father before him. The Lord repeated those promises to him personally saying, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth... All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you” (Genesis 28:13-15). Jacob called the place “Bethel,” which in Hebrew means ‘House of God’, because this place seemed to him to be the very dwelling place of the Lord. Jacob met God. He wasn’t expecting to meet him. He wasn’t even thinking of God. It was purely grace. His only thought was to get away from his brother. His mind was full of thoughts about where he was going and what was ahead of him. In spite of this, God broke into Jacob’s self-absorbed world in a dramatic way. God opened his own world to Jacob, even though Jacob had closed his world to God. This whole incident tells us something very important about God. Isaiah, the prophet, quoted God as saying, “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I’” (Isaiah 65:1). God is full of surprises. Just when you do not expect to meet him, he comes to you. God can interrupt our self-centered lives in the most amazing ways, even if we are not wanting to hear from him. God is interested in us. He has a prior claim on us. He is looking for us so that he can come into our lives and lead us home. We may be running like Jacob. We may run from family, from problems, or from God. Our lives may be in upheaval. There may be broken relationships as there were with Jacob. We may be heading into an uncertain future. God can meet us in any of these circumstances. We never know when he is going to show up. Any day could contain a most unusual visit from God. There extends a stairway from the heart of God to our hearts right now. Let us say with Jacob: “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it... How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven” (Genesis 28:16,17).
In Christ the Saviour,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTLGWYskQlc
Praise the Lord for this new day. Praise the Lord that He is upon the Throne. He reigns, He rules, and He is in control. It is a wonderful blessing to know the living God in and through Jesus Christ the Son, who has revealed the Father. It has been wisely said that religion is man's search for God, and that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the Lord's search for man. Jesus said, "I have come to seek and to save the lost". He came as the Good Shepherd looking for the lost sheep. He is still looking for the prodigal sons and daughters and lost sheep.
Some time ago I read an article about Frank Warren, editor of the book, "The Secret Lives of Men and Women: A Post Secret Book". After a troubling period in his own life, he handed out 3000 self-addressed stamped postcards to people on the street, asking them to anonymously mail him their secrets. It began as a sort of public art project in 2004. To his surprise, the cards started pouring in. He doesn’t have to hand out cards anymore. He has received over 100,000 cards, many of which are works of art in themselves. One postcard had an old picture of a Santa Claus with two boys on his lap. On the picture were written the words, “I wish my sons would contact me.” Another that I was particularly drawn to was one where a man had taken a picture of hands praying, and written on the picture: “I don’t know how to go back to God, and I want to more than anything else in the world.” Both cards were about finding your way back home. One was as a father who missed his sons, and the other from a lost son who could not find the way back to his heavenly Father. It is the original sin, our rebellion against the Lord who has created us and has redeemed us ,that creates a gulf between us and the Lord. If we could have interviewed the prodigal son in Jesus’ story,( Luke 15) he might have told us that he did not like all the rules at home. He may have said that he did not like having to answer to his father for everything. He needed to get away from home and have a change of scenery. Perhaps he just wanted to sow his wild oats. Another young man by the name of Jacob, in the Book of Genesis, ran away from home. Jacob had created his own problems through deceit and self-centeredness, and these caused many destructive things in his life. We see a lot of people today who would rather continue in their dysfunctional lifestyles than to turn their lives over to God. They would like God to help them with some of their problems, but they have no intention of surrendering their lives to God. They are caught up in a web of self-destruction, but would rather live with the results of their destructive choices than give up "control" of their lives.What makes it so difficult for us to find our way back home? We don’t know the way.
Jacob was a man who needed to find his way to God, but he did not seem to know how. His father Isaac and his grandfather Abraham both had life-altering encounters with God, but nothing has happened to Jacob up to this point. He had heard all the stories of his father and grandfather, but to him they were only stories. Life had been pretty good for Jacob. He had grown up to be a shepherd and he lived a serene existence. Jacob had never really needed God. We never read about any conversations that Jacob entered about God or with him. We never read about him worshiping, nor do we read of any encounters with God in all of his life up until he met God at Bethel. Yet, Jacob came to the place where he desperately needed God. After he swindled his brother out of his birthright and inheritance the conflict between him and his brother escalated to the place where he was in fear of losing his life. He needed to "go home to God", but he did not know the way. The good news is that, when we cannot find our way to God, God will come to us. It is called the Prevenient grace. Jacob ran from his brother and his problems — problems of his own creation. Finally, the night came and he fell asleep. A rock pillowed his head, and above his head were the open heavens. While Jacob slept, God revealed himself to Jacob. In his dream there was what appeared to be a large ladder, or staircase of light, the top of which reached heaven and the very throne of God. God revealed himself to Jacob, promising that Jacob would inherit the promises which God had made to his father and his father before him. The Lord repeated those promises to him personally saying, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth... All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you” (Genesis 28:13-15). Jacob called the place “Bethel,” which in Hebrew means ‘House of God’, because this place seemed to him to be the very dwelling place of the Lord. Jacob met God. He wasn’t expecting to meet him. He wasn’t even thinking of God. It was purely grace. His only thought was to get away from his brother. His mind was full of thoughts about where he was going and what was ahead of him. In spite of this, God broke into Jacob’s self-absorbed world in a dramatic way. God opened his own world to Jacob, even though Jacob had closed his world to God. This whole incident tells us something very important about God. Isaiah, the prophet, quoted God as saying, “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I’” (Isaiah 65:1). God is full of surprises. Just when you do not expect to meet him, he comes to you. God can interrupt our self-centered lives in the most amazing ways, even if we are not wanting to hear from him. God is interested in us. He has a prior claim on us. He is looking for us so that he can come into our lives and lead us home. We may be running like Jacob. We may run from family, from problems, or from God. Our lives may be in upheaval. There may be broken relationships as there were with Jacob. We may be heading into an uncertain future. God can meet us in any of these circumstances. We never know when he is going to show up. Any day could contain a most unusual visit from God. There extends a stairway from the heart of God to our hearts right now. Let us say with Jacob: “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it... How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven” (Genesis 28:16,17).
In Christ the Saviour,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTLGWYskQlc
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 10-6-09
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day. The colors of Autumn are beginning to burst out in full blast. I drove through the countryside yesterday. It was a glorious day. Praise the Lord for the way He can diffuse joy in the heart that loves and the life that is fully committed to Him. One songwriter calls Jesus "The Joy Giver". Jesus is the known as the Man of Sorrows, yet He is also a Man of Joy. He is the Lord of Joy. He experienced the deepest pain, yet He was filled with joy. He willingly bore our grief. The writer of the Book of Hebrews encourages us to “fix our eyes on Jesus, the Pioneer and Perfector of our faith, who was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy He knew would be His afterward” (12:2). Our Lord was characterized by joy in spite of the task set before Him. In the shadow of the cross, Jesus asks that His joy be experienced by us. The fact that Jesus could have joy in the midst of suffering shows that we can have it also. “When Jesus bought His own joy at the price of His obedient death, He also bought ours” (J Piper). We need to know what true joy is all about and why joy is a mark of believers. “I am coming to You”, ( John 17) is part of Jesus' prayer to the Father. Jesus could have prayed silently. He prayed aloud for our benefit, to assure us that He’s committed to our joy. He knew He would soon be home, that He would enter the Heavenly Temple, and that the blood He would sprinkle upon the mercy seat would be His own. He returned to the Father with a sense of joy and satisfaction. Yet, as He prayed in John 17, He was still engaged upon the battleground of human conflict. He prayed for those who would continue to suffer hardship after His Passion ended. He prayed for our joy and He died to obtain our joy. Joy is often a misunderstood concept. People think that joy means being bubbly and carefree all the time. They equate joy with pleasure or mere happiness. Some also see it as the absence of problems. We know that life is a mixture of happiness and tears. Joy enables us to handle the tough times with a serene confidence in God’s purpose. Joy does not come by avoiding pain, but it brings us through the pain. This word “joy” could be translated “delight”, meaning “to shine” or to “be bright”.
This past summer we took our nieces and nephews to Washington. Some were able go to both the Museum of Natural History and others went to the National Zoo. The primary difference between the Museum and the zoo is that the animals in the zoo are real. Joy is real. It is more than a smiley face, and more than simply emotion -- joy is a lifestyle. True joy is unconditional; it doesn't depend on our situation. Nothing can shatter true joy. The full measure of joy doesn't rely on how life is, but whose we are. Faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord, can transform our perceptions, enabling us to be joyful throughout the good and bad seasons of our lives. We live in troubled times, but our Risen Lord is able to transcend these times and is able to fill our cups with His Joy. We all have heard people complain, “I could be happy if only…” The joy Jesus offers emerges in spite of life’s difficulties and deprivations. I have met many disappointed people along various stages of life’s journey, people with disabilities, family unrest, failed goals, and loads of regret. True joy does not rest upon getting what we want, but in accepting God’s will, realizing that His answers are wiser than our prayers.
In Philippians 4, Paul said to “Rejoice in the Lord always.” How on earth do we do that? Paul went on to say, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done…and you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.” When we are joyful, we have little room left for anxiety or worry. We do not need to act like victims. Joy must be cultivated daily, by having a quiet time with the Lord, in prayer, and in God’s word. In so doing, we learn what the prophet Nehemiah discovered, “The joy of the Lord is our strength” (8:10). The world offers many substitutes for joy, none of which leads to lasting happiness. Worldly "joys" are fleeting things, always in danger of being lost. At best, the pleasures of the world provide a false sense of happiness. Goals without Christ provide a false sense of purpose. The sorrow God turns into joy cannot be snatched from us because this joy becomes part of our lives. True joy cannot be taken from us because it’s rooted in revelation. In John 5:11 Jesus said, “I have spoken to you so My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” The source of joy is not found in this world; it is external, from Above. “The opposite of joy is not sorrow. It is unbelief “ (Weatherhead). Henri Nouwen wrote, “Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day. Joy is a choice based on the knowledge that we belong to God and have found in God our refuge and our safety and that nothing, not even death, can take God away from us.” Joy is the result of an ongoing life with Christ. It’s not something we produce but something we are. We reject what the world offers because we’ve found something richer.
Someone once admitted to a believer, “I’d give the world if I could only have your joy.” The believer’s reply: “That’s what it takes.” Our joy is permanent, because it’s founded upon the finished work of Christ. Blessed be His Name.
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-zJHgaoVa4
Praise the Lord for this new day. The colors of Autumn are beginning to burst out in full blast. I drove through the countryside yesterday. It was a glorious day. Praise the Lord for the way He can diffuse joy in the heart that loves and the life that is fully committed to Him. One songwriter calls Jesus "The Joy Giver". Jesus is the known as the Man of Sorrows, yet He is also a Man of Joy. He is the Lord of Joy. He experienced the deepest pain, yet He was filled with joy. He willingly bore our grief. The writer of the Book of Hebrews encourages us to “fix our eyes on Jesus, the Pioneer and Perfector of our faith, who was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy He knew would be His afterward” (12:2). Our Lord was characterized by joy in spite of the task set before Him. In the shadow of the cross, Jesus asks that His joy be experienced by us. The fact that Jesus could have joy in the midst of suffering shows that we can have it also. “When Jesus bought His own joy at the price of His obedient death, He also bought ours” (J Piper). We need to know what true joy is all about and why joy is a mark of believers. “I am coming to You”, ( John 17) is part of Jesus' prayer to the Father. Jesus could have prayed silently. He prayed aloud for our benefit, to assure us that He’s committed to our joy. He knew He would soon be home, that He would enter the Heavenly Temple, and that the blood He would sprinkle upon the mercy seat would be His own. He returned to the Father with a sense of joy and satisfaction. Yet, as He prayed in John 17, He was still engaged upon the battleground of human conflict. He prayed for those who would continue to suffer hardship after His Passion ended. He prayed for our joy and He died to obtain our joy. Joy is often a misunderstood concept. People think that joy means being bubbly and carefree all the time. They equate joy with pleasure or mere happiness. Some also see it as the absence of problems. We know that life is a mixture of happiness and tears. Joy enables us to handle the tough times with a serene confidence in God’s purpose. Joy does not come by avoiding pain, but it brings us through the pain. This word “joy” could be translated “delight”, meaning “to shine” or to “be bright”.
This past summer we took our nieces and nephews to Washington. Some were able go to both the Museum of Natural History and others went to the National Zoo. The primary difference between the Museum and the zoo is that the animals in the zoo are real. Joy is real. It is more than a smiley face, and more than simply emotion -- joy is a lifestyle. True joy is unconditional; it doesn't depend on our situation. Nothing can shatter true joy. The full measure of joy doesn't rely on how life is, but whose we are. Faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord, can transform our perceptions, enabling us to be joyful throughout the good and bad seasons of our lives. We live in troubled times, but our Risen Lord is able to transcend these times and is able to fill our cups with His Joy. We all have heard people complain, “I could be happy if only…” The joy Jesus offers emerges in spite of life’s difficulties and deprivations. I have met many disappointed people along various stages of life’s journey, people with disabilities, family unrest, failed goals, and loads of regret. True joy does not rest upon getting what we want, but in accepting God’s will, realizing that His answers are wiser than our prayers.
In Philippians 4, Paul said to “Rejoice in the Lord always.” How on earth do we do that? Paul went on to say, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done…and you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.” When we are joyful, we have little room left for anxiety or worry. We do not need to act like victims. Joy must be cultivated daily, by having a quiet time with the Lord, in prayer, and in God’s word. In so doing, we learn what the prophet Nehemiah discovered, “The joy of the Lord is our strength” (8:10). The world offers many substitutes for joy, none of which leads to lasting happiness. Worldly "joys" are fleeting things, always in danger of being lost. At best, the pleasures of the world provide a false sense of happiness. Goals without Christ provide a false sense of purpose. The sorrow God turns into joy cannot be snatched from us because this joy becomes part of our lives. True joy cannot be taken from us because it’s rooted in revelation. In John 5:11 Jesus said, “I have spoken to you so My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” The source of joy is not found in this world; it is external, from Above. “The opposite of joy is not sorrow. It is unbelief “ (Weatherhead). Henri Nouwen wrote, “Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day. Joy is a choice based on the knowledge that we belong to God and have found in God our refuge and our safety and that nothing, not even death, can take God away from us.” Joy is the result of an ongoing life with Christ. It’s not something we produce but something we are. We reject what the world offers because we’ve found something richer.
Someone once admitted to a believer, “I’d give the world if I could only have your joy.” The believer’s reply: “That’s what it takes.” Our joy is permanent, because it’s founded upon the finished work of Christ. Blessed be His Name.
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-zJHgaoVa4
Monday, October 5, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 10-5-09
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day, a gift from the Lord. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness. Praise the Lord for the church, the Body of Christ on earth. Praise the Lord for the way He is present with us in a very special way in the moments of corporate worship, fellowship and witness.
One of those special times of corporate worship will be next Monday, October 12, at 7 PM. The Continentals Worship Band will be joining us for an evening of worship and praise, reminding us that Christ is our Hope. They will be leading a worship concert, which will be held at the First Presbyterian Church in Endicott. Our daughter Laureen is one of the directors of the team. I would like to offer a special invitation to all who live around here to please join us. The church is located at 29 Grant Avenue in Endicott.
One of the readings for yesterday was taken from Hebrews 1. The writer of the book of Hebrews returns again and again to the word “better” which is found some thirteen times in this book to show the superiority of Jesus to every other religious system. “Christ is better than the angels (1:4). He brought in a better hope (7:19) because He is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises (8:6).” [Warren Wiersbe. "Be Confident.” (Wheaton: Ill.: Victor Books, 1982) p. 8] The book of Hebrews is a letter which was written to a group of people who were about to give up on their faith. They were at a standstill spiritually and in danger of going back-wards (5:12). They were exhorted to take stock of what Jesus has to offer and not to give in to fear or doubt, but to stay the course. “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, (2) has in these last days spoken to us by His Son…”Ever since the world began, God has been speaking to human beings at different times and in different ways. Sometimes He speaks by direct communication, sometimes through dreams and visions, but most of all through his prophets. In biblical times when God’s prophets spoke, His people listened. The reason was simple. When a prophet spoke, the people knew they were hearing from God. The Apostle Peter said, “For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). John MacArthur stated in his commentary, “Every religion is but man’s attempt to discover God. Christianity is God bursting into man’s world and showing and telling man what He is like.” [John McArthur. McArthur New Testament Commentary – Hebrews. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1983) p. 3] Jesus, the Christ, is supreme - He is superior to everyone and everything! He is superior in His Person, better than the Prophets, better than the Angels, better than Moses, better than Joshua, better than "The Sabbath", and better than other priests! Jesus, the Christ, is superior as our Priest. He is greater than the earthly priesthood, greater than the Mosaic Law (Old Covenant), greater than annual sacrifices, and greater than daily offerings! Jesus, the Christ, is superior for Life. He alone gives us Eternal Life! An old Puritan preacher once said that there were two things he needed to know, "Does Almighty God speak?" and "What does Almighty God say?" Those questions may not appear to be very profound. However, the answers give "light" to those who are wandering in the aimless, darkened streets of adverse situations and circumstances! God speaks life to dead situations, He speaks hope to the places of hopelessness, and He speaks wellness to the places of disease and illness. In the words of Charles Wesley, "He speaks, and listening to his voice,new life the dead receive; the mournful, broken hearts rejoice, the humble poor believe. Because the Lord loves to communicate with us, He loves to hear from us, too. We can talk to Him. He listens to us. He feels our love for Him. He feels of our pain and He acquainted with our sorrow and our grief.
I heard about a man who, as he traveled, began to visit churches. He was traveling in the Northeast and out West and in the foyer of every church he visited he noticed a golden phone with a sign above it that said, “Talk with God, $10,000.” Finally, he came to Tennessee and as was his custom, he visited a church. He noticed the same golden phone in the foyer, but this time the sign said, “Talk with God, 25 cents.” He was confused, and so he called one of the elders over to ask him why there was such a difference in cost. The elder replied, “Well, you see, from here it’s not long distance.”
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eiy3_KRKNaQ
Praise the Lord for this new day, a gift from the Lord. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness. Praise the Lord for the church, the Body of Christ on earth. Praise the Lord for the way He is present with us in a very special way in the moments of corporate worship, fellowship and witness.
One of those special times of corporate worship will be next Monday, October 12, at 7 PM. The Continentals Worship Band will be joining us for an evening of worship and praise, reminding us that Christ is our Hope. They will be leading a worship concert, which will be held at the First Presbyterian Church in Endicott. Our daughter Laureen is one of the directors of the team. I would like to offer a special invitation to all who live around here to please join us. The church is located at 29 Grant Avenue in Endicott.
One of the readings for yesterday was taken from Hebrews 1. The writer of the book of Hebrews returns again and again to the word “better” which is found some thirteen times in this book to show the superiority of Jesus to every other religious system. “Christ is better than the angels (1:4). He brought in a better hope (7:19) because He is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises (8:6).” [Warren Wiersbe. "Be Confident.” (Wheaton: Ill.: Victor Books, 1982) p. 8] The book of Hebrews is a letter which was written to a group of people who were about to give up on their faith. They were at a standstill spiritually and in danger of going back-wards (5:12). They were exhorted to take stock of what Jesus has to offer and not to give in to fear or doubt, but to stay the course. “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, (2) has in these last days spoken to us by His Son…”Ever since the world began, God has been speaking to human beings at different times and in different ways. Sometimes He speaks by direct communication, sometimes through dreams and visions, but most of all through his prophets. In biblical times when God’s prophets spoke, His people listened. The reason was simple. When a prophet spoke, the people knew they were hearing from God. The Apostle Peter said, “For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). John MacArthur stated in his commentary, “Every religion is but man’s attempt to discover God. Christianity is God bursting into man’s world and showing and telling man what He is like.” [John McArthur. McArthur New Testament Commentary – Hebrews. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1983) p. 3] Jesus, the Christ, is supreme - He is superior to everyone and everything! He is superior in His Person, better than the Prophets, better than the Angels, better than Moses, better than Joshua, better than "The Sabbath", and better than other priests! Jesus, the Christ, is superior as our Priest. He is greater than the earthly priesthood, greater than the Mosaic Law (Old Covenant), greater than annual sacrifices, and greater than daily offerings! Jesus, the Christ, is superior for Life. He alone gives us Eternal Life! An old Puritan preacher once said that there were two things he needed to know, "Does Almighty God speak?" and "What does Almighty God say?" Those questions may not appear to be very profound. However, the answers give "light" to those who are wandering in the aimless, darkened streets of adverse situations and circumstances! God speaks life to dead situations, He speaks hope to the places of hopelessness, and He speaks wellness to the places of disease and illness. In the words of Charles Wesley, "He speaks, and listening to his voice,new life the dead receive; the mournful, broken hearts rejoice, the humble poor believe. Because the Lord loves to communicate with us, He loves to hear from us, too. We can talk to Him. He listens to us. He feels our love for Him. He feels of our pain and He acquainted with our sorrow and our grief.
I heard about a man who, as he traveled, began to visit churches. He was traveling in the Northeast and out West and in the foyer of every church he visited he noticed a golden phone with a sign above it that said, “Talk with God, $10,000.” Finally, he came to Tennessee and as was his custom, he visited a church. He noticed the same golden phone in the foyer, but this time the sign said, “Talk with God, 25 cents.” He was confused, and so he called one of the elders over to ask him why there was such a difference in cost. The elder replied, “Well, you see, from here it’s not long distance.”
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eiy3_KRKNaQ
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