Deuteronomy 4:39

"Acknowledge and take to heart this day that
the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below.
There is no other."
(NIV)

Deuteronomy 4:39

“Come, Let Us Reason Together.”

Special Guest Post By: John Stones

Psalm 23

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

 

I have been a Local Preacher for 45 years now and over the years a worrying trend seems to have taken place – that is that the Old Testament has been pushed into the background.  This, I believe, has left us the poorer for a rich source of inspiration and re-assurance is being ignored.

There are many reasons why we need to be grounded in the Old Testament – Jesus was, so was St Paul - in fact between the two of them and other New Testament writers, they quoted the Old Testament over 1,500 times.  Both Jesus and the other writers assumed we are familiar with the scriptures because their listeners and readers were – so they often didn’t feel the need to explain what they meant when they referred to them – Why was Jesus so infuriated when He saw the way the temple forecourt was being used?  What was the importance of the song that Jesus’ mother sang when she discovered she was pregnant? Why was it so wrong that Mary Magdalene dried Jesus feet with her hair?  What was the importance of a Messiah for the Jews – and why didn’t they acknowledge Jesus as Him? If you know the Old Testament background you will be amazed!

We all love a good book, I’m sure – but if you pick one up – say an Agatha Christie mystery – where do you start to read?  The last few chapters?  You won’t solve the crime that way!  No you need to read from chapter 1 – so you have all the background!  The Bible – although you can just read the Gospels or browse through Acts or the Letters – but you cannot receive the full joy of seeing the wonderful mystery of God’s amazing love unfold before your eyes!

This morning we are having two very different Bible Readings – Psalm 23, we have just heard, and Isaiah 1: 1- 20, which we will hear just now.  The first, a song-prayer, thanking and praising God for His care and protection.  The other – very different!

Rejoicing in the love, which God has showered upon him, David is confident as he sings his testimony to the Lord’s faithfulness throughout his life.  He pictures the Lord as the caring shepherd by using some common ancient Near Eastern images and progressively unveils his personal relationship with the Lord in several phases:

1.            David’s Exclamation – “The LORD is my shepherd!”  And as he shares the care that has been 

·        “I shall not want!” - All my needs have been met!

·        “He makes me lie down in green pastures!”

·        “He leads me besides quiet waters.” - He takes me into a place of safety!

·        “He restores my soul!” - He looks after my spiritual needs!

·        “He guides me in paths of righteousness!” - He looks after my future.

2.     But the Lord knows and understands that the world in which David lives is not ideal:

·     “I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.” – perils and dangers and difficult times are always going to be present in this imperfect and threatening world and The Lord does not promise that they will never happen – for they will!  And He tells us they will! But, He, the Lord, also promises that He has made provision for this!  David lists the weapons a shepherd uses to protect his sheep from the wolves and lions – and David speaks from experience!

·    “Your rod and your staff” - in South Africa we would call the rod a “knob-kierrie”. I think the English equivalent would be a “cudgel”? And His staff would be the shepherd’s crook – the hook end can, with skill, be used not only to pull a sheep closer to the shepherd, but by twisting it around the neck or leg of a predator, break bones!  In times of difficulty, when things are tough and us men try to come through them OUR WAY the Lord will gently and carefully use the crook to pull us to His side so that He can give us that special bit of care we need – but are sometimes reluctant to ask for!  And David’s shepherd is just such an expert!

3.      David’s shepherd is far more than just a protector – He is also a provider.  But not only a provider in good times – but in times of impossible hardship – as when facing those who would oppose David and would do him harm.  Not a quick snack from Mc Donald’s, but a full banquet – with a table and a white linen tablecloth!

        He “anoints my head with oil” - anointing has a two fold meaning – physically if you are in a hot, dry climate to have soothing oil poured onto your head brings relief from the sun – but being anointed in the Bible is synonymous with being blessed!  And the Lord loves to bless His flock!

Samuel anoints David, the shepherd boy, to be the next king of Israel (1 Samuel 16).

        And that anointing is not a one-off event – because David adds that these blessings will: “Surely goodness and love follow me all the days of my life!”

        “Surely” – needs a little help here!  We have changed its meaning from “It will definitely happen.  You can be ASSURED that it will take place!”  To the very feeble meaning we have given it, which is that there is doubt that it will happen but it might or of course it might not!  (MIGHT is another word which has been diluted!)

4.     Verse 6 says: “I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever!”  The Hebrew word for dwell can also be interpreted, as “I will return to the house of the Lord for ever!”  Whichever way it is taken, David is expecting to be in the Lord’s glorious presence forever!

        And guess what?  If you Love the Lord – these promises include you! For this psalm pre-echoes the promises that our Lord Jesus made when He told us that He is the Good Shepherd and we are his sheep!

But have a second lesson to hear!

But this shows a very different aspect of what our relationship with the Lord can be!

This reading shows what happens to the sheep that do not obey the Good Shepherd!

2^ND READING: ISAIAH 1: 1 - 20

We have moved on in time from the Rule of King David to the Rule of Jotham and Ahaz and Uzziah – a mere two hundred years and a very different scene greets us!

The Kingdom of Israel that David and Solomon had formed that stretched from the Red Sea up to the borders of present day Turkey– and included what is now Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and northern Iraq had vanished. In fact Israel had vanished! 

The Promised Land had been divided in two by Solomon’s sons into the Northern Kingdom – known as Israel, and the Southern Kingdom – known as Judah.

http://biblemapper.com/gallery1.htm

 In three generations David’s Kingdom of Israel had been destroyed.

·        David was committed.

·        Solomon had compromised - by allowing foreign gods to be worshipped.

·        Rehoboam and Jeroboam had turned from God to worshiping foreign idols and … Chaos resulted!

Three Generations and Chaos ensued!

Commitment, compromise, … CHAOS!

How had this come about?

The history of those times seems frighteningly familiar!

The rulers of Israel had forsaken God and formed liaisons with foreign nations and started to follow their customs and worship their gods.  Instead of trusting God when He promised to protect them from invading nations, they had formed allegiances with them and paid tribute to them to keep them from attacking Israel.

The Kings married foreign wives and adopted their form of worship, 2 Kings 16:2 tells of one such king:

Ahaz was twenty years old when he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years.  Unlike David his father, he did not do right in the eyes of the Lord.  He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, following the detestable ways of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.

And despite the threats and pleadings and warnings of the Lord sent by His messengers:

Elijah,          Elisha,         Jonah,          Amos,          Micah,          Hosea, and Joel – the rulers of Israel had ignored His messengers and they had turned away from The Lord Almighty, The God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob!

And He turned away from them!

And He allowed them to be destroyed!

The Northern Kingdom was destroyed - totally destroyed – the land was made desolate.

The Lord allowed the Assyrian Empire to wipe the 10 tribes – Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Manasseh & Ephraim – vanished!  Never to be seen again. For they would not heed His messages to them.

Jehu, king of Israel, bows before Shalmaneser III of Assyria, 825 BC

And now the LORD sent Isaiah to call the surviving two tribes, those of the Kingdom of Judah, – Judah and Benjamin to:

“Come, let us reason together.”

But His call was in vain - Do you remember from your Sunday School days how King Ahab and his evil wife Jezebel brought the evil religion of Baal worship into Judah? Remember how Elijah confronted the priests of Baal and showed that they were false? 

But the worship carried on.

And so the Lord sends Isaiah to remind them what had happened to their neighbours – and offers an alternative:

“Come, let us reason together.”

Without, giving too much away – the Land of Israel had to wait until 1948. Nearly two and a half THOUSAND YEARS later – before it was restored to the Jews!

I know two things about history - We are told that history repeats itself.  And we all know that the only thing man learns from history is that man never learns from history!

The Lord is saying to us  “Come, let us reason together.”

And , so today the countries, who once were God-fearing – and were blessed have turned their backs on the Lord!

Aren’t the people of this land turning away from the worship of Jehovah the One True God to worship at the altars of Greed, Consumerism, Self-Indulgence?

Haven’t the values that the Bible teaches been thrown away? And yes for the  last two generations been untaught?

So what is the Lord meaning when He says

“Come, let us reason together.”

He wants us to come into His presence and listen to Him.

To sit at His feet and learn of Him.

He wants to share His love , He wants us to understand why He weeps for the people who are disobedient and He wants us to understand that there is judgement tempered with mercy for all men.

Why would we not want to be in the kind of relationship that David wrote of in Psalm 23,  his heart bursting with love for the Lord?  And the joy of being washed as white snow! And to have the assurance that “Surely goodness and love follow me all the days of my life!”

AMEN

 

John Stones

John Stones is my Dad! He is a retired teacher and a local preacher at Christchurch Mudeford Lane Methodist Church in Christchurch, UK.

Christian Weekly News 030

  from Christian Concern

This week CWN features, Phil Keaggy, Lindz West of LZ7 and Dr Patrick Sookhdeo highlighting the persecution of Christians in Syria and how Barnabas Fund is responding as well as the work of Christian Medical Fellowship.

What is a Holy, Holy, Holy God? - Tim Conway

We have one hope before this God who is awful and majestic. And it is to hide our unholiness under the blood of Christ, and to hide in the shadow of the Cross. We have to see the holiness of God before we can begin to realize how amazing it is that the wrath of God was drank in full by Jesus Christ, and then for God to even invite us to come and be a partaker of eternal life.

Who is God?

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. -  Hebrews 11:6

1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!" 4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 So I said: "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts." 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth with it, and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged." 8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: "Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me." 9 And He said, "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.' 10 "Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed." 11 Then I said, "Lord, how long?" And He answered: "Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant, The houses are without a man, The land is utterly desolate, 12 The Lord has removed men far away, And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. 13 But yet a tenth will be in it, And will return and be for consuming, As a terebinth tree or as an oak, Whose stump remains when it is cut down. So the holy seed shall be its stump." - Isaiah 6

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. - Genesis 1:1

And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.' " 15 Moreover God said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 'The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.' - Exodus 3:14-15

The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. - Exodus 14:14

Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6 And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation." - Exodus 34:5-7

Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God which He made with you, and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything which the Lord your God has forbidden you. 24 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.- Deuteronomy 4:23-24

These things you have done, and I kept silent; You thought that I was altogether like you; But I will rebuke you, And set them in order before your eyes. - Psalm 50:21

"To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?" says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing. 27 Why do you say, O Jacob, And speak, O Israel: "My way is hidden from the Lord, And my just claim is passed over by my God"? 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.- Isaiah 40:25-31

And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord," says the Lord God, "when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. - Ezekiel 36:23

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. - John 1:1-14

Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." - John 8:58

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7 "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him." 8 Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us." 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? - John 14:6-9

For our God is a consuming fire. - Hebrews 12:29

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.- Hebrews13:8

Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. 8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." - Revelation 1:7-8

Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; 15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; 16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. 17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. 18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. - Revelation 1:12-18

The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!" - Revelation 4:8

And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. - Revelation 19:16

"And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last." 14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. 16 "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star." - Revelation 22:12-16

Extraordinary: by Open Doors

"Something extraordinary is happening! Prayer groups are forming, disciples are being trained, and God's word is changing lives! Freedom is being pursued, and it begins with you! www.OpenDoorsUSA.org"
More info: www.OpenDoorsUSA.org

Seek The Lord in Scripture!

SRI LANKA: Pastor Injured in Attack on Church

Please click the link below if you are able to join the Be-A-Voice Network & pray for our brothers & sisters, who are being persecuted for worshipping Jesus Christ.

http://www.be-a-voice.net/

News Updates on Pastors Youcef Nadarkhani & Saeed Abedini

Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani

You can join a community page that has been set up for Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani on Facebook.

Please keep both our brothers & their families in your prayers!

Letter from Pastor Jachin Charley

Beloved in Jesus Christ,

 Greetings to you in the Precious name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  Thank you so much for praying for my ministry.  We wish you a very Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year 2013.  Now we are praying to God to construct 6 village Churches.  Please pray and support to build a village Church in India.  Thank you so much for praying for this need.  May God continuously bless you and your family more abundantly in all your life.  Amen.

Please click the bellow link to know more about to build a village Church.  Thank you.

http://helptobuildachurch.webs.com

Your servant in Jesus Christ,

Pastor Jachin Charley

"We are reaching the unreached people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the rural villages in India. We are distributing Gospel Tracks door to door and Praying for the sick people. So many hindu people are knowing about Jesus Christ and accepting as their Lord and Saviour. So many people are getting healed from their physical sickness who are suffering with incurable diseases. Please Pray for our Gospel Outreach Program."

Please pray for Pastor Jachin, his ministry & for the building of village churches.

Messianic Prophecies

Father's Love Letter

With thanks to Fatherheart.

Whom Shall I Fear [God of Angel Armies]

A wonderful song by Chris Tomlin!

Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church: 1 November 2012

Please follow this link to Barnabas Fund's website in order to download a prayer guide.

Jesus Christ: Fulfillment of the Law

Christian News: Hundreds more Christians reach South Sudan - Barnabas - Christian persecution

Hundreds more Christians reach South Sudan | Barnabas - Christian persecution

Published: Thursday 04 October 2012

Hundreds more Christian women and children airlifted to South Sudan

Project(s): 48-1078

Country: Sudan, Middle East and North Africa, South Sudan

Almost 500 vulnerable Christians have so far been airlifted to South Sudan as part of Barnabas Fund’s major operation to rescue 2,000 women and children trapped in Sudan.

The neediest Christian women and children have been identified

The second and third flights from Khartoum to Juba took place on Sunday (30 September) and Tuesday (2 October) respectively, following the first successful airlift on 19 September. We are prioritising the most needy women, around two-thirds of whom are widows, and children.
The returnees have received a grand welcome. The first arrivals were featured on South Sudan’s TV news, and the minister of humanitarian affairs has been at the airport in Juba to greet them. He congratulated our partners, Africa Inland Church – Sudan, for facilitating the evacuation of the South Sudanese from Khartoum.
The rescue mission is ongoing but will now be on hold for around three weeks because the airlines and aviation authorities in Sudan are occupied with the mass transportation of Muslim pilgrims to Saudia Arabia for the hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca).

Background

On board the plane home to South Sudan

After the South voted to secede, people of Southern origin – most of whom are Christians – remaining in Sudan were stripped of their citizenship and given a deadline to leave. Their place in the country has become increasingly endangered as President Omar al-Bashir has repeatedly declared his intention to make the country’s next constitution 100% Islamic and strengthen sharia law.
While many Southerners have made their own way to South Sudan, hundreds of thousands remain trapped in a country that is increasingly hostile to their presence.
Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, International Director of Barnabas Fund, said: “We have pledged the funds to rescue 2,000 of the neediest Christian women and children from Sudan but we eagerly desire to be able to help more of those stranded in such a dangerous and inhospitable place. So please do give whatever you can towards this endeavour and let’s together get these vulnerable Christians home.”
The cost per person is £175 (€220, US$275, AU$260, NZ$345).

 

Please Pray:

• Give thanks for the successful transportation of almost 500 Christians from Khartoum to Juba so far. Pray that they will receive all the support they need to quickly establish new lives in South Sudan.
• Pray for those waiting to return to Juba, that the Lord will give them patience and grace, and keep them safe from all harm.
• Pray that the Lord will provide the funds so that we can transport many more than the originally planned total of 2,000 Christians to South Sudan.

 For further information & to donate, please visit:
http://www.barnabasfund.org/UK/News/Latest-emergencies/Hundreds-more-Christian-women-and-children-airlifted-to-South-Sudan.html