May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion!
3 May he remember all your offerings and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah
4 May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans! 5 May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners!
May the LORD fulfill all your petitions!
6 Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
8 They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.
9 O LORD, save the king! May he answer us when we call.
A Sermon on Matthew 24:3-14
Signs of the End of the Age As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (ESV)
The Christian Gospel : is it relevant today? why the Gospel will never ‘change’ the world; saved from the coming destruction.
In the sermon, Pastor MLJ says that humankind believes philosophers, scientists, and evolutionists and thinks it can build a perfect world. But the humankind is in rebellion to G-D, and has been since the perfect Garden was tainted by wanting to be like G-D.
Pastor MLJ goes on to say that a misunderstanding of the Gospel has even led preachers to think Yeshua meant for us to build a perfect Earth. But the Gospel has been preached for two thousand years and we are at war, we suffer calamities, famine, and plague. Yeshua foretold those things. The Gospel offered eternal salvation to those called by G-D.
Will there ever be peace and prosperity? Yes. Yeshua will return. And will bring judgement and peace; judgement will be for those in rebellion, peace for those who’ve overcome the world, been born again into a new person in Yeshua Messiah.
With this plague that has come, let us look only to our Master, our King, our Savior—Yeshua. Philosophy won’t save us. Science won’t save us. Evolution won’t save us. Yeshua is The Way, The Truth, The Life.
According to this article in the Christian Post, Faith Over Fear, Newsweek reported comments by twitter users referring to a picture a person posted of a lite cross in his yard as being a KKK-style burning cross.
Today’s media is filled with poorly educated “reporters,” in my opinion. So That Figures.
But worse, the first comment on the CP article made by one Frances Bookheim said,
“It looks like the KKK is alive and well.”
Really! Do people simply not read before responding?
Anyway, if you don’t read the article on the CP, it’s about folks planting crosses in their yards as part of a campaign of Faith Over Fear. . . which is the headline of the CP article.
Does COVID-19 rule in your heart and mind right now? Recently, during my quiet time, a Bible verse popped off the page and pointed to three things that happened the day before. They were little things. But the trio had a big thing to say. I’ll share the Scripture at the end. First, I’ll […]
Ever been angry? Ever tried to rationally let go of that anger and find it grips like velcro? Sam knows all about it. Let her tell you in her own words: A God of Celebration.
The L-RD bless you and protect you!
The L-RD deal kindly and graciously with you!
The L-RD bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace!
My uncle, Ivor, was born in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, South Wales. Tenby is a walled city. I am told the English built it for a place to live, and walled it to keep the fierce Celts out. It still has walls, and several gates that are just wide enough to allow cars and small trucks to come and go.
Another walled city, more widely known, is Jerusalem. In Biblical times, it was sealed off hoping to prevent intrusion. The Old City of Jerusalem still has walls. The walls have come down. The walls have been rebuilt. More than once.
Many of the Psalms tell us that G-D is our refuge, our shelter. The walls we erect to protect us work only if we abide in G-D, if He is our G-D. It doesn’t take long for our walls to be vulnerable if we refuse to put G-D first.
A Song. A Psalm of Asaph.
1 O God, do not keep silence;
do not hold your peace or be still, O God!
2 For behold, your enemies make an uproar;
those who hate you have raised their heads.
Here Asapf cries for G-D’s assistance when a multi-nation force is about to come against Israel. When the army went out to fight against the foe, it found G-D had already been there, had taken care of the enemy.
When I think about our modern enemies, and our modern walls we erect, I immediately think of the distractions offered by the”world” to keep me from G-D, and the walls I create around my heart to keep the “world” out. The wall around my heart can be too solid, and it hardens me. It can be too porous and let’s the in the World’s virus. The Spirit of our L-RD balances my heart’s walls when I look to Him. And to Him alone.
My wife, a northerner originally and unaccustomed to the South, often complained that Georgia doesn’t have the four seasons she likes. We do have four seasons; they are just not well defined. Some years if you blinked you’d miss the transition between Winter and Summer, and between Summer and Winter, for instance. This year its one of those between-the-season times that’s lingered a bit. So it’s warmish days and cool nights.
In the morning we can work in the yard without being either too hot or too cold. Just Right! Like Goldie Locks. In the afternoon we can sit on the deck, in full sun, and feel comfortable, wearing light shirts. We can roll up our sleeves and generate a bit of vitamin “D.” Between the seasons is great, here in Georgia.
However, this morning I awoke and the house wasn’t warm enough to heat, but still a bit chilly.
“Oh, I really hate to admit it. I’m very bothered that I think this way.
“I think—gasp!—I’d actually enjoy a nice warm robe,” I said. “Arg!”
I thought about it for a moment.
“And maybe in the evening I’d wear a cardigan.”
Perhaps it’s my old age suddenly swooping down upon me. Perhaps it’s simply because CostCo allowed me into the store during its senior-only hours. I wasn’t asked for an ID, either. Ok, despite my declaration that my hair remains its golden blonde, I suppose it’s grey (buy only greyish).
Often my dad had worn a cardigan in the evening and early in the morning. I just never thought of myself as a cardigan person.
I guess as old age approaches, one begins to feel the chill. The Bible says so for at least one person.
“Now King David was old and advanced in years. And although they covered him with clothes, he could not get warm.” (1 Kings 1:1)
Have a Great Weekend! Let us together rejoice in the L-RD; Let us together praise His Holy Name!
Jonah’s Song 