Good morning,
It is Friday now, and Sunday is coming. Pray for our Friday evening television outreach this evening on Time Warner cable channel 4 at 7 PM. We will gather for Saturday evening worship with a dinner at 6 PM, fallowed by the worship at 6:30 PM. Our friend, Pastor Terry Steenberg, will be preaching. We will gather for Worship Sunday Morning both at Union Center and Wesley. This coming Sunday is the Ascension Sunday. I will be preaching from Acts 1, "This Same Jesus".
It is going to be a fantastic day here in New York. The rhododendron bushes are in full bloom in front of the parsonage. They look so brilliant and so glorious. Thank you Jesus.
I am so blessed to have put my faith in Christ Jesus from the very early days of my life. Christ and His church have been vital part my life and the life of my family. A pastor told the story of his introduction to Christ, to his calling in life, and to the Church. He was raised in a family that did not attend church. His father was a loving, but hardened man, and they didn’t have a lot of money. When he was a young boy he (the pastor) used to deliver papers.
Well, one of the customers on Bob’s route was a Methodist Minister, and one day when Bob came to ring the man’s doorbell to collect his paper money the minister said to him, “You know Bob, I was wondering. You know I’m the pastor of the Methodist Church down the street. And we don’t have anyone to hand out bulletins on Sunday mornings. I wonder if you’d be willing to come hand out our bulletins?”
Bob was astonished. He had never been in a church before, let alone handed out bulletins, but he was honored that this nice man had asked him to do this so he decided he would give it a shot. In the end, this invitation to hand out bulletins at the Methodist Church turned out to be the changing point in Bob’s life. He met and was befriended by the dear saints of the church who loved him, took him under their wing, became his family, and taught him the love of Jesus. Bob ended up going on to seminary, and from there had a lifelong ministry of loving others into God’s kingdom.
Bob, and many others like him, have put their full trust in the Lord, given their complete lives to Him in service and have found more out of life than they ever could have imagined. Because of this, they have also lived their lives to pass on this fullness of life to others. These people are saints of God.
After hearing Dr. Tim Keller read from Isaiah 25 during our Wednesday Evening study, I have been going back to the passage repeatedly. The passage from Isaiah is a description of the great celebratory banquet which will take place at the end of time, a feast hosted by the Lord of Creation, at which all those who have heard the call of God in their lives and have accepted that call by giving their lives to Christ will be. It will be held at a holy place, the mountain of the Lord: the place where God dwells. In that day, all the saints will say together in eternal celebration: “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”
There is a heavenly celebration, but there is also an earthly celebration for those who have been born of God through the blood of Christ. For we are here together, brothers and sisters in Christ, the kingdom of God here on earth.
Believe it or not, if we have given our whole lives to Jesus Christ, we are saints of the Most High God, and we are kin to all who are running the race with us, who will run the race after us, and who have run the race before us.
In Hebrews chapter 12, we are told, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” Every time we worship, we celebrate our kinship with Jesus Christ, Who endured the Cross for our sake, and we celebrate our kinship with the saints in our midst and the saints who have gone on before us.
The sacrament of Holy Communion connects us with the communion of all the millions of saints. Communion is a powerful experience in feeling connected by the body and blood of Christ; it is a great antidote for loneliness, lostness, and loss of identity. It reminds us of the race we are running, why we are running it, and it gives us a foretaste of the Great Eternal Celebration that is to come! May this be on our minds and in our hearts as we come to the Lord’s Table this coming Sunday.
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/9NADzKAEunM
Friday, June 3, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Brown's Daily Word 6-2-11
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day. He blessed us with a beautiful Wednesday evening gathering for fellowship and study. We celebrated a birthday blessing with little boy Malcolm, who turned 1 year yesterday. It was a special treat for all of us.
The letter of Romans is a very powerful portion of the Word of the Lord. This letter changed the lives and the ministries of men like Martin Luther and John Wesley. Romans 1:7, "To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness, how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you. I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong -- that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.
Paul wrote this letter to a group of Christians in the city of Rome. Rome was the capital city of the Roman Empire, the home of Caesar. Since everyone in Rome worshipped Caesar as Lord and Savior, the Christian message that Jesus was Lord and Savior was not all that welcomed. Christians were constantly in conflict with Roman society because of their beliefs. To Roman citizens, the highest allegiance was to the emperor and to the government, but for Christians their allegiance was to Christ and his Kingdom. Christians were in foreign territory in Rome because they were citizens of another kingdom.
In A.D. 64 the Roman Emperor Nero hated the Christians in Rome so much that he authorized that they be hunted down, tortured and killed. Tacitus, a historian, wrote what happened to the Christians in Rome: "Their death was made a matter of sport; they were covered in wild beast’s skins and torn to pieces by dogs; or were fastened to crosses and set on fire in order to serve as torches by night… Nero had offered his gardens for the spectacle and gave an exhibition in his circus, mingling with the crowd in the guise of a charioteer or mounted on his chariot." (Annals 15.44)
This was the culture of Rome, the ungodly in which these Christians found themselves, a culture that was highly antagonistic to the gospel. It is peculiar here in Romans 1:7 that when Paul called Jesus Lord, he used the same Greek word used by the Romans to call Caesar Lord. (kyrios). This was a coded message Paul was sending to the Christians in Rome, and in so doing, undermining Caesar’s authority! This gospel message was dangerous stuff and many of the Christians Paul was writing to in this book probably ended up in Nero’s circus, martyred because they believed Jesus was kyrios and that Nero was not!
The gospel of King Jesus continues to be a radical, revolutionary, message that often flies in the face of the establishment. About 200,000 Christians a year around the world are killed because they live out the gospel. These Christians in Rome were hard core revolutionaries. Right under the emperor’s nose they declared that Caesar was not god. Instead, they declared with boldness that Yeshua, a Jewish carpenter from Nazareth, was God. They also claimed no allegiance to the Roman Empire. Their allegiance was to the kingdom of God. This Jesus stuff is radical. Early Christians in Rome knew that they had to get real or get out.
In 1934, a group of Christians in Germany spoke out against the rise of what was called "German Christianity," inspired by Nazism. Hitler was anxious to enlist the aid of the churches, appealing to certain churchmen, patriotic Germans, who were bishops, elders, and pastors in churches, to work with him to better the lot of the German people. What emerged was the concept that it was the duty of the church to advance a political ideology. Much of the German church embraced this so-called "Nazi Christianity."
There was a group of Christians, however, that did not.
A group of Confessing Christians in 1934 got together and wrote what is known now as the Barmen Declaration, which said that the church and the gospel serves no one or nothing, that Christ is Lord over everything and the church must never allow itself to be enlisted in the service of any ideology, any government no matter how good it may seem. Most of the Christians who signed the Barmen Declaration were killed for their bold faith in defense of the Gospel. Promoting the Gospel is a dangerous business.
Soren Kierkegaard wrote, "When one preaches the gospel and when he is done someone shouts, ’Away with that man, he does not deserve to live,’ know that this is the gospel of the New Testament. Capital punishment is the penalty for preaching Christianity as it truly is."
Yet, in the face of all this pressure by the Roman government, Paul told the Roman Christians, “your faith is being reported all over the world.” Romans 1:14,
"I am obligated both to Greek and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome. I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith'."
Paul revealed that Greeks and non-Greeks, Jews and Gentiles are all called to be a part of this revolution. The Roman world divided people into two groups, Greeks and non-Greeks. The Jews divided people into two groups, Jews and Gentiles. Paul , on the other hand, insisted that this gospel is for all people. There are no worldly divisions anymore. There is no Jew, Gentile, male or female, slave nor free we are all one in Christ Jesus. This new kingdom is not like the other kingdoms of the world. It does not oppress and marginalize people, but welcomes all. That is bold, fresh, and revolutionary! The gospel is for everyone!
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/2r2y3v5LxSI
Saturday evening worship service.
Location: First United Methodist Church
53 McKinley Avenue
Endicott
Sponsored by the Union Center United Methodist Church, 128, Maple Drive, Endicott
Saturday, May 28, 2011
6 PM Dinner (at First UMC Endicott)
6:30 PM Worship Service
Worship Music: Dave Berry and the team.
Speaker: Rev. Terry Steenberg
Praise the Lord for this new day. He blessed us with a beautiful Wednesday evening gathering for fellowship and study. We celebrated a birthday blessing with little boy Malcolm, who turned 1 year yesterday. It was a special treat for all of us.
The letter of Romans is a very powerful portion of the Word of the Lord. This letter changed the lives and the ministries of men like Martin Luther and John Wesley. Romans 1:7, "To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness, how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you. I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong -- that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.
Paul wrote this letter to a group of Christians in the city of Rome. Rome was the capital city of the Roman Empire, the home of Caesar. Since everyone in Rome worshipped Caesar as Lord and Savior, the Christian message that Jesus was Lord and Savior was not all that welcomed. Christians were constantly in conflict with Roman society because of their beliefs. To Roman citizens, the highest allegiance was to the emperor and to the government, but for Christians their allegiance was to Christ and his Kingdom. Christians were in foreign territory in Rome because they were citizens of another kingdom.
In A.D. 64 the Roman Emperor Nero hated the Christians in Rome so much that he authorized that they be hunted down, tortured and killed. Tacitus, a historian, wrote what happened to the Christians in Rome: "Their death was made a matter of sport; they were covered in wild beast’s skins and torn to pieces by dogs; or were fastened to crosses and set on fire in order to serve as torches by night… Nero had offered his gardens for the spectacle and gave an exhibition in his circus, mingling with the crowd in the guise of a charioteer or mounted on his chariot." (Annals 15.44)
This was the culture of Rome, the ungodly in which these Christians found themselves, a culture that was highly antagonistic to the gospel. It is peculiar here in Romans 1:7 that when Paul called Jesus Lord, he used the same Greek word used by the Romans to call Caesar Lord. (kyrios). This was a coded message Paul was sending to the Christians in Rome, and in so doing, undermining Caesar’s authority! This gospel message was dangerous stuff and many of the Christians Paul was writing to in this book probably ended up in Nero’s circus, martyred because they believed Jesus was kyrios and that Nero was not!
The gospel of King Jesus continues to be a radical, revolutionary, message that often flies in the face of the establishment. About 200,000 Christians a year around the world are killed because they live out the gospel. These Christians in Rome were hard core revolutionaries. Right under the emperor’s nose they declared that Caesar was not god. Instead, they declared with boldness that Yeshua, a Jewish carpenter from Nazareth, was God. They also claimed no allegiance to the Roman Empire. Their allegiance was to the kingdom of God. This Jesus stuff is radical. Early Christians in Rome knew that they had to get real or get out.
In 1934, a group of Christians in Germany spoke out against the rise of what was called "German Christianity," inspired by Nazism. Hitler was anxious to enlist the aid of the churches, appealing to certain churchmen, patriotic Germans, who were bishops, elders, and pastors in churches, to work with him to better the lot of the German people. What emerged was the concept that it was the duty of the church to advance a political ideology. Much of the German church embraced this so-called "Nazi Christianity."
There was a group of Christians, however, that did not.
A group of Confessing Christians in 1934 got together and wrote what is known now as the Barmen Declaration, which said that the church and the gospel serves no one or nothing, that Christ is Lord over everything and the church must never allow itself to be enlisted in the service of any ideology, any government no matter how good it may seem. Most of the Christians who signed the Barmen Declaration were killed for their bold faith in defense of the Gospel. Promoting the Gospel is a dangerous business.
Soren Kierkegaard wrote, "When one preaches the gospel and when he is done someone shouts, ’Away with that man, he does not deserve to live,’ know that this is the gospel of the New Testament. Capital punishment is the penalty for preaching Christianity as it truly is."
Yet, in the face of all this pressure by the Roman government, Paul told the Roman Christians, “your faith is being reported all over the world.” Romans 1:14,
"I am obligated both to Greek and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome. I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith'."
Paul revealed that Greeks and non-Greeks, Jews and Gentiles are all called to be a part of this revolution. The Roman world divided people into two groups, Greeks and non-Greeks. The Jews divided people into two groups, Jews and Gentiles. Paul , on the other hand, insisted that this gospel is for all people. There are no worldly divisions anymore. There is no Jew, Gentile, male or female, slave nor free we are all one in Christ Jesus. This new kingdom is not like the other kingdoms of the world. It does not oppress and marginalize people, but welcomes all. That is bold, fresh, and revolutionary! The gospel is for everyone!
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/2r2y3v5LxSI
Saturday evening worship service.
Location: First United Methodist Church
53 McKinley Avenue
Endicott
Sponsored by the Union Center United Methodist Church, 128, Maple Drive, Endicott
Saturday, May 28, 2011
6 PM Dinner (at First UMC Endicott)
6:30 PM Worship Service
Worship Music: Dave Berry and the team.
Speaker: Rev. Terry Steenberg
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Brown's Daily Word 6-1-11
Good morning,
The Lord gave us a very hot May 31 yesterday. In fact, it was very hot and very humid. It is going to be another pretty hot day today. We will gather for our mid-week worship, fellowship, and study at 6 PM. We have en studying the Book and Video presentation titled, "The Prodigal God" by Tim Keller.
I read the following story sometime ago. There was a radio personality (Ted Malone) in the western part of this country who once got a letter from a shepherd in Idaho with an unusual request. He wrote, "Will you, on your broadcast, strike the note ’A’? I’m a sheepherder way out here on a ranch, far away from a piano. The only comfort I have is my old violin. It’s all out of tune. Would you strike ’A’ so that I might get in tune?" This radio personality honored his request. Later he received a thank you note from the shepherd who said, "Now I’m in tune."
One of the purposes of our gathering and worship together is to enable us to keep tuned to the Great Shepherd. We live in a changing world. We experience rapid changes in our technology. There are so many changes around us which we cannot prevent. We need one area of our life that is stable to give us a sense of security.
The author of the book of Hebrews told his tired community that Christians have an anchor for their lives. He pictured, at the end of chapter 12, the end of everything. He wrote about the world’s destruction and the end of all material things. But he also referred to the abiding of those heavenly realities which "cannot be shaken". Then he concluded, "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:28-29, NIV). In a world filled with change, we find in worship "a kingdom that cannot be shaken".
We come together in the Name of Jesus our Lord, to be in the presence of God. Even though it may not look like much, and even when we don’t leave with a feeling of excitement, what takes place is of great significance because this is where we approach Mount Zion and offer our praise to the one who is worthy of all praise. May we never as Christians take this opportunity lightly.
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/rq1Iv3DkwVs
Saturday evening worship service.
Location: First United Methodist Church
53 McKinley Avenue
Endicott
Sponsored by the Union Center United Methodist Church, 128, Maple Drive, Endicott
Saturday, May 28, 2011
6 PM Dinner (at First UMC Endicott)
6:30 PM Worship Service
Worship Music: Dave Berry and the team.
Speaker: Rev. Terry Steenberg
The Lord gave us a very hot May 31 yesterday. In fact, it was very hot and very humid. It is going to be another pretty hot day today. We will gather for our mid-week worship, fellowship, and study at 6 PM. We have en studying the Book and Video presentation titled, "The Prodigal God" by Tim Keller.
I read the following story sometime ago. There was a radio personality (Ted Malone) in the western part of this country who once got a letter from a shepherd in Idaho with an unusual request. He wrote, "Will you, on your broadcast, strike the note ’A’? I’m a sheepherder way out here on a ranch, far away from a piano. The only comfort I have is my old violin. It’s all out of tune. Would you strike ’A’ so that I might get in tune?" This radio personality honored his request. Later he received a thank you note from the shepherd who said, "Now I’m in tune."
One of the purposes of our gathering and worship together is to enable us to keep tuned to the Great Shepherd. We live in a changing world. We experience rapid changes in our technology. There are so many changes around us which we cannot prevent. We need one area of our life that is stable to give us a sense of security.
The author of the book of Hebrews told his tired community that Christians have an anchor for their lives. He pictured, at the end of chapter 12, the end of everything. He wrote about the world’s destruction and the end of all material things. But he also referred to the abiding of those heavenly realities which "cannot be shaken". Then he concluded, "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:28-29, NIV). In a world filled with change, we find in worship "a kingdom that cannot be shaken".
We come together in the Name of Jesus our Lord, to be in the presence of God. Even though it may not look like much, and even when we don’t leave with a feeling of excitement, what takes place is of great significance because this is where we approach Mount Zion and offer our praise to the one who is worthy of all praise. May we never as Christians take this opportunity lightly.
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/rq1Iv3DkwVs
Saturday evening worship service.
Location: First United Methodist Church
53 McKinley Avenue
Endicott
Sponsored by the Union Center United Methodist Church, 128, Maple Drive, Endicott
Saturday, May 28, 2011
6 PM Dinner (at First UMC Endicott)
6:30 PM Worship Service
Worship Music: Dave Berry and the team.
Speaker: Rev. Terry Steenberg
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Brown's Daily Word 6-1-11
Good morning,
We drove up to Burlington Vermont last Friday to spend the weekend with our friends Warren and Linda. Janice, Jeremy, Micah, Simeon and Ada joined us there. It was great treat and a great thrill to spend some time with Micah, Simeon and Ada. On Saturday, Micah ran in the Children's one mile "Marathon". It was part of Burlington Marathon that was run on Sunday. While in Burlington I had the opportunity to visit with Mr. And Mrs. George Cameron on Sunday, the day they were celebrating their 63rd wedding anniversary. They both love the Lord and ascribe praise to Jesus for His faithfulness to them.
As many already know, we had a very mild tornado that visited our area on Thursday, and we lost power last Thursday evening. The power was restored Sunday evening, as the NYSEG crew was able to replace the blown transformer.
As part of the Memorial day celebration I was looking at Psalm 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, and Isaiah 25. The prophet himself determined to praise God. Isaiah ascribed praise to the Lord’s name (His revealed character) because of His marvelous acts. The Creator God is not bounded by natural law or occurrences when He acts. He is able to act supernaturally and often does so in order to save His covenant people. Wonders are part of His planned action on behalf of His suffering people.
The things God does and will do have been planned from long ago (Isaiah 14:24, 26, 27; Isaiah 23:8-9). God is not making it up as He goes along. His wonders and His amazing acts have been given forethought and are part of His overall design. He has a divine purpose and a divine strategy to accomplish His plan especially and specifically when it concerns His people. When it does, the normal and natural are not barriers to His action on their behalf. What He plans He is not only capable of carrying out, but He is perfectly faithful in so doing.
Let us now look with the praising prophet into the future plan of God. Verse 2 states, "For You have made a city into a heap, a fortified city into a ruin; a palace of strangers is a city no more. It will never be rebuilt". God plans to humble all the works (and workers) of human pride and oppression, typified as the fortified city and a palace of strangers . [As in chapter 24 no specific city is identified and seems to represent the place of world leadership. Some say it is "Babylon," which also represents all those opposed to God.] They had strength and human wisdom to fortify what they were trusting in and the worldly wealth to live in royal luxury, but they were strangers to God. Thus all their skill and work will be shattered never to continue into the future.
God will act in miraculous manner in the future for a decisive victory over all who oppose Him. This victory will extend to the permanent destruction of all they have done with their life. God’s triumph has been planned from the beginning.
Verse 3 tells the result of this judgment. "Therefore a strong people will glorify You. Cities of ruthless nations will revere You." Why will it take such destruction to cause God to be honored? When people come to recognize no authority or persuasion but power, God will demonstrate He is the most powerful. God’s judgment on the cities, representative of the world’s leadership (24:12-13), will cause peoples from ruthless nations to honor and revere (fear) Him. Those that have been the terror of the world shall tremble before the judgments of God [and call in vain to rocks and mountains to hide them]. He will speak in a way that they will understand and obey.
Verse 4 continues to expand the reasons for honoring and praising God. "For You have been a defense for the helpless, a defense for the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a rain storm against a wall."
God is to be honored not only because He destroys the power and plans of the proud, but because He does so for the sake of those whom the proud oppress.
People of faith turn to the Sovereign who cares for us. He is our source of refuge and hope. The mighty of earth may be great, but God is greater (51:12, 13).
When the Lord establishes His kingdom on the earth, a reversal of fortunes will occur (Isaiah 25:4-5). God is a defense, a refuge, a shade for the helpless and distressed. These terms are expressions of God being there for His people. "God is our refuge and strength" (Psalm 46:2). We may suffer because of ruthless oppression, but we can turn to God for help and protection. Rest assured that when perils are most threatening and alarming, God will appear to safeguard His people. He is faithful to His own.
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/yNbLtiG2dWU
Saturday evening worship service.
Location: First United Methodist Church
53 McKinley Avenue
Endicott
Sponsored by the Union Center United Methodist Church, 128, Maple Drive, Endicott
Saturday, May 28, 2011
6 PM Dinner (at First UMC Endicott)
6:30 PM Worship Service
Worship Music: Dave Berry and the team.
Speaker: Rev. Terry Steenberg
We drove up to Burlington Vermont last Friday to spend the weekend with our friends Warren and Linda. Janice, Jeremy, Micah, Simeon and Ada joined us there. It was great treat and a great thrill to spend some time with Micah, Simeon and Ada. On Saturday, Micah ran in the Children's one mile "Marathon". It was part of Burlington Marathon that was run on Sunday. While in Burlington I had the opportunity to visit with Mr. And Mrs. George Cameron on Sunday, the day they were celebrating their 63rd wedding anniversary. They both love the Lord and ascribe praise to Jesus for His faithfulness to them.
As many already know, we had a very mild tornado that visited our area on Thursday, and we lost power last Thursday evening. The power was restored Sunday evening, as the NYSEG crew was able to replace the blown transformer.
As part of the Memorial day celebration I was looking at Psalm 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, and Isaiah 25. The prophet himself determined to praise God. Isaiah ascribed praise to the Lord’s name (His revealed character) because of His marvelous acts. The Creator God is not bounded by natural law or occurrences when He acts. He is able to act supernaturally and often does so in order to save His covenant people. Wonders are part of His planned action on behalf of His suffering people.
The things God does and will do have been planned from long ago (Isaiah 14:24, 26, 27; Isaiah 23:8-9). God is not making it up as He goes along. His wonders and His amazing acts have been given forethought and are part of His overall design. He has a divine purpose and a divine strategy to accomplish His plan especially and specifically when it concerns His people. When it does, the normal and natural are not barriers to His action on their behalf. What He plans He is not only capable of carrying out, but He is perfectly faithful in so doing.
Let us now look with the praising prophet into the future plan of God. Verse 2 states, "For You have made a city into a heap, a fortified city into a ruin; a palace of strangers is a city no more. It will never be rebuilt". God plans to humble all the works (and workers) of human pride and oppression, typified as the fortified city and a palace of strangers . [As in chapter 24 no specific city is identified and seems to represent the place of world leadership. Some say it is "Babylon," which also represents all those opposed to God.] They had strength and human wisdom to fortify what they were trusting in and the worldly wealth to live in royal luxury, but they were strangers to God. Thus all their skill and work will be shattered never to continue into the future.
God will act in miraculous manner in the future for a decisive victory over all who oppose Him. This victory will extend to the permanent destruction of all they have done with their life. God’s triumph has been planned from the beginning.
Verse 3 tells the result of this judgment. "Therefore a strong people will glorify You. Cities of ruthless nations will revere You." Why will it take such destruction to cause God to be honored? When people come to recognize no authority or persuasion but power, God will demonstrate He is the most powerful. God’s judgment on the cities, representative of the world’s leadership (24:12-13), will cause peoples from ruthless nations to honor and revere (fear) Him. Those that have been the terror of the world shall tremble before the judgments of God [and call in vain to rocks and mountains to hide them]. He will speak in a way that they will understand and obey.
Verse 4 continues to expand the reasons for honoring and praising God. "For You have been a defense for the helpless, a defense for the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a rain storm against a wall."
God is to be honored not only because He destroys the power and plans of the proud, but because He does so for the sake of those whom the proud oppress.
People of faith turn to the Sovereign who cares for us. He is our source of refuge and hope. The mighty of earth may be great, but God is greater (51:12, 13).
When the Lord establishes His kingdom on the earth, a reversal of fortunes will occur (Isaiah 25:4-5). God is a defense, a refuge, a shade for the helpless and distressed. These terms are expressions of God being there for His people. "God is our refuge and strength" (Psalm 46:2). We may suffer because of ruthless oppression, but we can turn to God for help and protection. Rest assured that when perils are most threatening and alarming, God will appear to safeguard His people. He is faithful to His own.
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/yNbLtiG2dWU
Saturday evening worship service.
Location: First United Methodist Church
53 McKinley Avenue
Endicott
Sponsored by the Union Center United Methodist Church, 128, Maple Drive, Endicott
Saturday, May 28, 2011
6 PM Dinner (at First UMC Endicott)
6:30 PM Worship Service
Worship Music: Dave Berry and the team.
Speaker: Rev. Terry Steenberg
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