Good morning,
Praise the Lord, for Jesus is the Christ of Christmas. I get excited about thinking about our Lord and serving Him with Joy. Indeed, He infuses us with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Without Christ the world is full of vanity.
Many world leaders are gathered in Copenhagen for the Summit on Global Warming. Many of them are confused and self-seeking. Without Christ every culture is in a crisis, subject to decadence and depravity. However, as Christians we serve a Savior who brings peace with all Creation (Isaiah 11.6-9). It is His nature and His desire to bring order to a culture and blessings to a nation.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul noted that even the created world was affected by the fall of mankind, and that it, too, will be returned to peace and wholeness by Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:20-21, "For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God." Isaac Watts sang it this way: “No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground; he comes to make his blessings flow, far as the curse is found.” Even weeds are redeemed by Jesus.
Isaiah illustrates the same. The wolf and lamb will be friends; the leopard will sleep beside a goat and not eat it. Bears will no longer threaten the cattle and mothers will no longer scream when they see a cobra wrapping itself around their infant child. Peace of this scope and nature is seen as a pervasive reconciliation seeping into every pore of the universe. Such is the extent of the power and work of Messiah. His new creation restores the harmony and happiness that once characterized Eden.
Matthew Henry noted how these words apply to us, when he said, “The old complaint that man is a wolf to man, shall be at an end. Those that inhabit the holy mountain shall live as amicably as the creatures did that were with Noah in the ark…. This is fulfilled in the wonderful effect of the gospel upon the minds of those that sincerely embrace it; it changes the nature, and makes those that trampled on the meek of the earth, not only meek like them, but affectionate towards them…. Some are willing to hope it shall yet have a further accomplishment in the latter days, when swords shall be beaten into plough shares. What shall be the effect, and what the cause, of this wonderful softening and sweetening of men’s tempers by the grace of God?
The effect of it is that people shall be tractable, and willing to receive instruction. A little child shall lead those who formerly scorned to be controlled by the strongest man. Calvin understood it in terms of their willing submission to the ministers of Christ, who are to instruct with meekness and not to use any coercive power, but to be as little children. (Matt. 18:3, 2 Corinthians 8: 5. The cause of it shall be the knowledge of God. The more there is of that the more there is of a disposition to peace. They shall thus live in love, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, which shall extinguish men’s heats and animosities. The better acquainted we are with the God of love the more shall we be changed into the same image and the better affected shall we be to all those that bear his image.” The more we know God and his Messiah, the better this peace will characterize our relations one with another,
Further, peace with creation marks those who know Jesus. It is to our shame that we read our Bibles and claim to know when God made the world and how long it took him, but we know little of protecting and caring for the world. Environmentalists have carried the day, though their devotion to “mother earth” is idolatry, and the alarms about world overpopulation are often as surely an attack on children as were the Israelites’ offering their sons and daughters to pagan gods.
We Follow A Messiah Who Brings Peace with All People (Isaiah 11.10-16). In these verses, God tells Israel and Judah that though they have been punished, they will be restored. As a result, they will no longer hate each other; jealousy shall depart. They will not squabble and fight like selfish brother and sister; they will be best friends, but bosom buddies. Nor will peace between people be limited to a few tribes of Jews. In Isaiah 2 we find that all the nations will come together at the house of the Lord, so that God can teach us his ways and cause us to walk in his paths.
All reconciliation begins at the cross. Jesus said, “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself” (John 12.32). Jesus creates peace between those who are his followers.
God gave us the “ministry and message of reconciliation because he is in Christ, reconciling the world to himself” (1 Corinthians 5.18-19). “He makes us one, breaking down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility” (Ephesians 2.14-16).
The story is told of a pastor, new to a city, who wanted to establish a chaplain ministry involving mercy and compassion. He went to the local mental hospital to see if he might pray and counsel with the people. One section of the hospital was separate, blocked off because the people there were dangerous. The pastor asked if he could serve in that section. He was led to the section, but was shocked to find there only three guards watching over hundreds of "dangerous" patients. He asked his guide, “Don’t you fear that this people will get together, overpower the guards, and escape?” The reply was: “No, not really, lunatics never unite.”
We Follow A Messiah Who Brings Peace with God (Isaiah 12.1-6) When Isaiah looked out at the congregation to whom he preached, he saw a sinful people, a fearful people, and a sorrowful people.
1) They were sinful, and God’s curse lay heavily upon them. Each day brought the new conviction that their lives were inconsistent with their profession; each failure increased the grief they felt and the guilt they carried.
2) They were afraid, for they could not help themselves. The world, the flesh, and the devil were against them. They had made God their enemy—and no power can restrain his anger.
3) They were sorrowful. I have taken dozens of counseling training courses from many different teachers and a variety of theological and philosophical perspectives. One message is consistent through all—when people lose hope that life can change and improve, depression follows and we quit trying. Judah’s doom had been sealed; only debilitating dread remained.
Our God, as revealed in the Person of Jesus Christ, solves their every problem.
1) God redeems from the curse and makes his own a holy people.
2) God reconciles enemies, restoring friendship.
3) God rejoices the heart, by promising a future of hope and happiness.
He is active in the world today, beckoning people to Him, restoring lives and filling them with His joy.
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9rw3RLv9AY
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 12-08-09
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this Holy season, the season of Advent. It is the season of our Lord's visitation in humility and mercy and grace. His visit has made the heaven and earth difference in the lives of those who have welcomed Him in to their hearts and lives.
Soren Kierkegaard, the great Danish theologian told the following story. A prince wanted to find a maiden suitable to be his queen. One day while running an errand in the local village for his father he passed through a poor section. As he glanced out the windows of the carriage, his eyes fell upon a beautiful peasant maiden. During the ensuing days, he often passed by the young lady and soon fell in love. But he had a problem. How would he seek her hand? He could order her to marry him. But even a prince wants his bride to marry him freely and voluntarily and not through coercion. He could put on his most splendid uniform and drive up to her front door in a carriage drawn by six horses. But if he did this he would never be certain that the maiden loved him or was simply overwhelmed with all of the splendor. The prince came up with another solution. He would give up his kingly robe. He moved into the village, entering not with a crown but in the garb of a peasant. He lived among the people, shared their interests and concerns, and talked their language. In time the maiden grew to love him for who he was and because he had first loved her.
This is the story of Advent, our God coming down to us, to live with us, and to win us, not by his power, but through HIS great LOVE! Advent is the celebration of the coming of the Christ Child. For Isaiah, the Prophet, Advent was a time of prayer. He was hungry to see his God COME DOWN! Too long had the people waited on their God. Impatience was the emotion of the day. Isaiah would go from wanting to see God’s National Power to seeing God’s personal power!
Isaiah 64:1, 2: “Oh, that you world rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you! As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you.” In other words, Isaiah called out to God and prayed, “Come down here and show this world and all our oppressors just who you are!!”
Verses 3 and 4 continue: “For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you. Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.” OUR GOD IS ALL POWERFUL AND CAN DO GREAT THINGS FOR HIS PEOPLE!
Come Lord Jesus,
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6yevmluq2M
Praise the Lord for this Holy season, the season of Advent. It is the season of our Lord's visitation in humility and mercy and grace. His visit has made the heaven and earth difference in the lives of those who have welcomed Him in to their hearts and lives.
Soren Kierkegaard, the great Danish theologian told the following story. A prince wanted to find a maiden suitable to be his queen. One day while running an errand in the local village for his father he passed through a poor section. As he glanced out the windows of the carriage, his eyes fell upon a beautiful peasant maiden. During the ensuing days, he often passed by the young lady and soon fell in love. But he had a problem. How would he seek her hand? He could order her to marry him. But even a prince wants his bride to marry him freely and voluntarily and not through coercion. He could put on his most splendid uniform and drive up to her front door in a carriage drawn by six horses. But if he did this he would never be certain that the maiden loved him or was simply overwhelmed with all of the splendor. The prince came up with another solution. He would give up his kingly robe. He moved into the village, entering not with a crown but in the garb of a peasant. He lived among the people, shared their interests and concerns, and talked their language. In time the maiden grew to love him for who he was and because he had first loved her.
This is the story of Advent, our God coming down to us, to live with us, and to win us, not by his power, but through HIS great LOVE! Advent is the celebration of the coming of the Christ Child. For Isaiah, the Prophet, Advent was a time of prayer. He was hungry to see his God COME DOWN! Too long had the people waited on their God. Impatience was the emotion of the day. Isaiah would go from wanting to see God’s National Power to seeing God’s personal power!
Isaiah 64:1, 2: “Oh, that you world rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you! As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you.” In other words, Isaiah called out to God and prayed, “Come down here and show this world and all our oppressors just who you are!!”
Verses 3 and 4 continue: “For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you. Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.” OUR GOD IS ALL POWERFUL AND CAN DO GREAT THINGS FOR HIS PEOPLE!
Come Lord Jesus,
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6yevmluq2M
Monday, December 7, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 12-07-09
Praise the Lord for the songs of the season. We had some snow this weekend. My wife Alice was singing and dancing with joy for the fresh snow the Lord gave us. " It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas". Praise the Lord for the many sweet and triumphant songs of our Savior's birth. The Gospel reading for yesterday was taken from Luke 1: 67 ff. It is the song of Zechariah, also known as Benedictus. The Lord blessed us with a glorious weekend, including worship yesterday and the concert by the St. Petersburg Men's Ensemble from Russia in the evening. The following is a portion of the message I shared yesterday.
Zechariah, the father of John Baptist, was one of the ordinary characters in the Christmas story whom God used to make an extraordinary contribution. The Bible describes Zechariah and Elizabeth as “righteous in God’s sight, living without blame according to all the commandments of the Lord, but they had no children” (Luke 1: 6-7). Though Zechariah was a priest, a man who possessed a divine call to represent God to the people, he doubted the promise of God to provide a son to him and Elizabeth. When he failed to believe the angelic announcement about his son, the angel declared, “You will be silent and unable to speak until the day these things take place because you did not believe my words” (Luke 1: 20).
Before examining the incredible prophecy delivered by Zechariah, two significant truths emerge from the introductory description provided in Scripture. First, faithfulness does not eliminate trials. Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous followers of God, yet they did not have children. Our society holds a different view about having children, but in the first century Judaism, barrenness was seen as curse for unfaithfulness. Zechariah and Elizabeth illustrate the fact that this belief was a cultural myth, not divine mandate. Second, we should be encouraged that even the great servants like Zechariah have moments when their faith is weak, but God used him anyway! We don't have to be perfect to be used mightily of God.
Consider the following list of imperfections of God’s servants. Abraham lied. Noah got drunk. Moses committed manslaughter. Samson was a womanizer and had an ego problem. Jonah was a racist. Hosea married a prostitute. Amos thought pruning figs was a homiletics class. Jeremiah was depressed. Elijah got depressed when it rained. David was an adulterer. Peter had a big mouth and an impulsive nature. Matthew was a tax collector. Thomas doubted. John Mark was a quitter. Martha was a control freak, while her sister Mary was lazy. Paul had "a thorn in his flesh". Timothy needed a drink to calm his stomach ulcers. Lazarus was dead! And the list goes on…
The incredible prophecy of Zechariah comes after nine months of divinely appointed silence. Shortly after the birth of his son, Zech erupted in praise. He declared that the LORD has raised up a horn of salvation to redeem his people and deliver them from sin. This glorious salvation is described as a purchase. God redeemed us, or bought us, with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus described His ministry this way, “The son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom (or payment) for many” (Mark 10:45). Zechariah also proclaimed the purity of salvation. Luke 1:77 describes salvation as the forgiveness from sins. We are not just saved from danger, but we have been saved from our own depravity. The prophet Isaiah said our sin becomes white as snow when we are cleansed by almighty God.
Zechariah continued the amazing prophecy about the Messiah by calling Him the “horn of salvation” and the one who “rescues us from our enemies.” In Scripture, a horn represented power, and authority (see 1 Kings 22:11, Ps. 89:17). It also is indicative of the fact that Jesus, God's incarnate Word, came to proclaim salvation among His people. He came to be heard.
This is another of the great paradoxical truths about the Lord Jesus. He is the Christ child who conquered the forces of darkness. Satan is the defeated enemy. Through the powerful horn of authority and strength, Jesus Christ, we are rescued from the enemy’s deadly grip of destruction.
Revelation 12: 1-9 describes what many Bible scholars believe to be a cosmic battle that occurred when Christ was born. A fiery red dragon with seven heads and seven horns sought to devour the child of a pregnant woman clothed with the sun. The child who is called to shepherd all nations was spared by God. Then war broke out between the angels of God and the dragon. We must look beyond the birth of Christ on a silent night and learn to appreciate the cosmic battle and ultimate victory secured by Christ. He is Immanuel who entered this world through holy invasion into enemy territory.
The promised Christ delivers us form sin, defeats the enemy, and destroys our fear. Zechariah declared that the Messiah would perform a work in our soul so that we would serve Him without fear. Knowing our sins are forgiven and that the enemy is soundly defeated, we can approach God with boldness. We must always stay humble before God, but humility is not to be confused with fear. Hebrews 10:19 says, “Therefore brothers, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus” though Scriptures also teach us to live in the fear (awe, wonder, and respect) of God. In Christ we experience perfect love that Zechariah describes as “God’s merciful compassion” (v. 78). The apostle John reminds us in 1 John 4:18 that “perfect love drives out fear.”
Our tendency is move away from truth and drift toward lies that produce fear. When people become paralyzed by fear, they begin listening to voices that reinforce fear. The Bible declares that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but we have a spirit of power, love, and sound judgment (2 Tim. 1:7). In a world of negativism, criticism, and pessimism, we must embrace the truth that Christ makes us “more than conquerors.” We have been adopted into the almighty family of God, and we have been given a divine inheritance that cannot spoil of fade. We serve our blessed Savior without fear!
The final part of Zechariah’s prophecy uses a familiar metaphor to describe salvation. Christ is described as a shining light to those who live in darkness, but it also identifies our responsibility to walk in the path of peace. Christ is the guiding light for our journey along paths of peace. We are to walk as peacemakers who shine the light of Christ to those who dwell in darkness. Jesus used both concepts of peace and light to define His call upon those who followed Him. He said let your light shine before men (Matt. 5: 16), and He challenged us to live as peacemakers (Matt. 5:9). Each of us is called to display the glorious light of Christ.
One of the most popular Christmas songs is "Carol of the Bells". Our friends from Russia sang this song last evening with power and zeal. Although it is often thought to be a Russian song, the song was written by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych and first performed in 1916 at Kiev University. The Ukraine is a large geographic area possessing its own alphabet and language. Even though the Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, it has maintained a culture distinct from the traditional Russian culture. The song "Carol of the Bells" was inspired by a legend that at midnight the evening Jesus was born all the bells of earth started to ring out of their own accord. I am deeply encouraged that one of the most inspiring songs about our Savior’s birth came out of a political system that denied His existence. After the concert I took our Russian friends for dinner at the Chinese Buffet. They were sharing that, in spite of the economic crisis there, the Church in St. Petersburg is strong and vibrant. New churches and cathedrals are being built up in all over Russia. Communism failed to deliver people form the bondage of sin, but the gospel of Christ is sill setting captives free! Jesus delivers us from sin. Jesus defeated the enemy. Jesus destroys our fear, and Jesus displays light. Merry Christmas! All Hail the power of Jesus Name.
In Jesus.
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JYrOMK1aDA
Zechariah, the father of John Baptist, was one of the ordinary characters in the Christmas story whom God used to make an extraordinary contribution. The Bible describes Zechariah and Elizabeth as “righteous in God’s sight, living without blame according to all the commandments of the Lord, but they had no children” (Luke 1: 6-7). Though Zechariah was a priest, a man who possessed a divine call to represent God to the people, he doubted the promise of God to provide a son to him and Elizabeth. When he failed to believe the angelic announcement about his son, the angel declared, “You will be silent and unable to speak until the day these things take place because you did not believe my words” (Luke 1: 20).
Before examining the incredible prophecy delivered by Zechariah, two significant truths emerge from the introductory description provided in Scripture. First, faithfulness does not eliminate trials. Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous followers of God, yet they did not have children. Our society holds a different view about having children, but in the first century Judaism, barrenness was seen as curse for unfaithfulness. Zechariah and Elizabeth illustrate the fact that this belief was a cultural myth, not divine mandate. Second, we should be encouraged that even the great servants like Zechariah have moments when their faith is weak, but God used him anyway! We don't have to be perfect to be used mightily of God.
Consider the following list of imperfections of God’s servants. Abraham lied. Noah got drunk. Moses committed manslaughter. Samson was a womanizer and had an ego problem. Jonah was a racist. Hosea married a prostitute. Amos thought pruning figs was a homiletics class. Jeremiah was depressed. Elijah got depressed when it rained. David was an adulterer. Peter had a big mouth and an impulsive nature. Matthew was a tax collector. Thomas doubted. John Mark was a quitter. Martha was a control freak, while her sister Mary was lazy. Paul had "a thorn in his flesh". Timothy needed a drink to calm his stomach ulcers. Lazarus was dead! And the list goes on…
The incredible prophecy of Zechariah comes after nine months of divinely appointed silence. Shortly after the birth of his son, Zech erupted in praise. He declared that the LORD has raised up a horn of salvation to redeem his people and deliver them from sin. This glorious salvation is described as a purchase. God redeemed us, or bought us, with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus described His ministry this way, “The son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom (or payment) for many” (Mark 10:45). Zechariah also proclaimed the purity of salvation. Luke 1:77 describes salvation as the forgiveness from sins. We are not just saved from danger, but we have been saved from our own depravity. The prophet Isaiah said our sin becomes white as snow when we are cleansed by almighty God.
Zechariah continued the amazing prophecy about the Messiah by calling Him the “horn of salvation” and the one who “rescues us from our enemies.” In Scripture, a horn represented power, and authority (see 1 Kings 22:11, Ps. 89:17). It also is indicative of the fact that Jesus, God's incarnate Word, came to proclaim salvation among His people. He came to be heard.
This is another of the great paradoxical truths about the Lord Jesus. He is the Christ child who conquered the forces of darkness. Satan is the defeated enemy. Through the powerful horn of authority and strength, Jesus Christ, we are rescued from the enemy’s deadly grip of destruction.
Revelation 12: 1-9 describes what many Bible scholars believe to be a cosmic battle that occurred when Christ was born. A fiery red dragon with seven heads and seven horns sought to devour the child of a pregnant woman clothed with the sun. The child who is called to shepherd all nations was spared by God. Then war broke out between the angels of God and the dragon. We must look beyond the birth of Christ on a silent night and learn to appreciate the cosmic battle and ultimate victory secured by Christ. He is Immanuel who entered this world through holy invasion into enemy territory.
The promised Christ delivers us form sin, defeats the enemy, and destroys our fear. Zechariah declared that the Messiah would perform a work in our soul so that we would serve Him without fear. Knowing our sins are forgiven and that the enemy is soundly defeated, we can approach God with boldness. We must always stay humble before God, but humility is not to be confused with fear. Hebrews 10:19 says, “Therefore brothers, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus” though Scriptures also teach us to live in the fear (awe, wonder, and respect) of God. In Christ we experience perfect love that Zechariah describes as “God’s merciful compassion” (v. 78). The apostle John reminds us in 1 John 4:18 that “perfect love drives out fear.”
Our tendency is move away from truth and drift toward lies that produce fear. When people become paralyzed by fear, they begin listening to voices that reinforce fear. The Bible declares that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but we have a spirit of power, love, and sound judgment (2 Tim. 1:7). In a world of negativism, criticism, and pessimism, we must embrace the truth that Christ makes us “more than conquerors.” We have been adopted into the almighty family of God, and we have been given a divine inheritance that cannot spoil of fade. We serve our blessed Savior without fear!
The final part of Zechariah’s prophecy uses a familiar metaphor to describe salvation. Christ is described as a shining light to those who live in darkness, but it also identifies our responsibility to walk in the path of peace. Christ is the guiding light for our journey along paths of peace. We are to walk as peacemakers who shine the light of Christ to those who dwell in darkness. Jesus used both concepts of peace and light to define His call upon those who followed Him. He said let your light shine before men (Matt. 5: 16), and He challenged us to live as peacemakers (Matt. 5:9). Each of us is called to display the glorious light of Christ.
One of the most popular Christmas songs is "Carol of the Bells". Our friends from Russia sang this song last evening with power and zeal. Although it is often thought to be a Russian song, the song was written by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych and first performed in 1916 at Kiev University. The Ukraine is a large geographic area possessing its own alphabet and language. Even though the Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, it has maintained a culture distinct from the traditional Russian culture. The song "Carol of the Bells" was inspired by a legend that at midnight the evening Jesus was born all the bells of earth started to ring out of their own accord. I am deeply encouraged that one of the most inspiring songs about our Savior’s birth came out of a political system that denied His existence. After the concert I took our Russian friends for dinner at the Chinese Buffet. They were sharing that, in spite of the economic crisis there, the Church in St. Petersburg is strong and vibrant. New churches and cathedrals are being built up in all over Russia. Communism failed to deliver people form the bondage of sin, but the gospel of Christ is sill setting captives free! Jesus delivers us from sin. Jesus defeated the enemy. Jesus destroys our fear, and Jesus displays light. Merry Christmas! All Hail the power of Jesus Name.
In Jesus.
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JYrOMK1aDA
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