Many Christians have a hard time understanding why on the cross Christ cried out, "Father, why have You forsaken Me?" On the surface, it seems contradictory to what we know of Christ, His understanding of His earthly mission, and His relationship with God. But the truth is that instead of being a contradiction, these words are actually a wonderful blessing for all of us!
Understand that when Jesus said those words, it was the exact moment He took all our sins upon Himself. And because God will have nothing to do with sin, Jesus was separated from His Heavenly Father. It's a picture of God having to turn away when His Son took that awful punishment of absorbing all of our sins. So Jesus cried out because He was separated from His Father for the only time in all eternity.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Enslaved by Our Government
I would love to give the Pastor of this predominantly black church in
Virginia three cheers. This guy is obviously a leader. Perhaps we should
each decide who our real leader is... It is amazing to see that very little
has changed in 4,000 years.
Good morning, brothers and sisters; it's always a delight to see the pews
crowded on Sunday morning, and so eager to get into God's Word. Turn with me
in your Bibles, if you will, to the 47th chapter of Genesis. We'll begin our
reading at verse 13, and go through verse 27.
Brother Ray, would you stand and read that great passage for us? ...
(Reading) ... Thank you for that fine reading, Brother Ray. So we see that
economic hard times fell upon Egypt , and the people turned to the
government of Pharaoh to deal with this for them. And Pharaoh nationalized
the grain harvest, and placed the grain in great storehouses that he had
built. So the people brought their money to Pharaoh, like a great tax increase, and gave it all to him willingly in return for grain. And this
went on until their money ran out, and they were hungry again.
So when they went to Pharaoh after that, they brought their livestock -
their cattle, their horses, their sheep, and their donkey - to barter for
grain, and verse 17 says that only took them through the end of that year.
But the famine wasn't over, was it? So the next year, the people came before
Pharaoh and admitted they had nothing left, except their land and their own
lives. "There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our
land. Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and
our land for food, and we with our land will be servants to Pharaoh." So
they surrendered their homes, their land, and their real estate to Pharaoh's
government, and then sold themselves into slavery to him, in return for
grain.
What can we learn from this, brothers and sisters?
That turning to the government instead of to God to be our provider in hard
times only leads to slavery? Yes... That the only reason government wants to
be our provider is to also become our master?
Yes. But look how that passage ends, brothers and sisters! Thus Israel
settled in the land of Egypt , in the land of Goshen . And they gained
possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied greatly." God provided
for His people, just as He always has! They didn't end up giving all their
possessions to government, no, it says they gained possessions! But I also
tell you a great truth today, and an ominous one.
We see the same thing happening today - the government today wants to "share
the wealth" once again, to take it from us and redistribute it back to us.
It wants to take control of healthcare, just as it has taken control of
education, and ration it back to us, and when government rations it, then
government decides who gets it, and how much, and what kind. And if we go
along with it, and do it willingly, then we will wind up no differently than
the people of Egypt did four thousand years ago - as slaves to the
government, and as slaves to our leaders.
What Mr. Obama's government is doing now is no different from what Pharaoh's
government did then, and it will end the same. And a lot of people like to
call Mr. Obama a "Messiah," don't they? Is he a Messiah? A savior? Didn't
the Egyptians say, after Pharaoh made them his slaves, "You have saved our
lives; may it please my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh"? Well, I tell
you this - I know the Messiah; the Messiah is a friend of mine; and Mr.
OBAMA IS NO MESSIAH! No, brothers and sisters, if Mr. Obama is a character
from the Bible, then he is Pharaoh. Bow with me in prayer, if you will...
Lord, You alone are worthy to be served, and we rely on You, and You alone.
We confess that the government is not our deliverer, and never rightly will
be. We read in the eighth chapter of 1 Samuel, when Samuel warned the people
of what a ruler would do, where it says "And in that day you will cry out
because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will
not answer you in that day..."
And Lord, we acknowledge that day has come. We cry out to you because of the
ruler that we have chosen for ourselves as a nation. Lord, we pray for this
nation. We pray for revival, and we pray for deliverance from those who
would be our masters. Give us hearts to seek You and hands to serve You, and
protect Your people from the atrocities of Pharaoh's government. In God We
Trust...
Virginia three cheers. This guy is obviously a leader. Perhaps we should
each decide who our real leader is... It is amazing to see that very little
has changed in 4,000 years.
Good morning, brothers and sisters; it's always a delight to see the pews
crowded on Sunday morning, and so eager to get into God's Word. Turn with me
in your Bibles, if you will, to the 47th chapter of Genesis. We'll begin our
reading at verse 13, and go through verse 27.
Brother Ray, would you stand and read that great passage for us? ...
(Reading) ... Thank you for that fine reading, Brother Ray. So we see that
economic hard times fell upon Egypt , and the people turned to the
government of Pharaoh to deal with this for them. And Pharaoh nationalized
the grain harvest, and placed the grain in great storehouses that he had
built. So the people brought their money to Pharaoh, like a great tax increase, and gave it all to him willingly in return for grain. And this
went on until their money ran out, and they were hungry again.
So when they went to Pharaoh after that, they brought their livestock -
their cattle, their horses, their sheep, and their donkey - to barter for
grain, and verse 17 says that only took them through the end of that year.
But the famine wasn't over, was it? So the next year, the people came before
Pharaoh and admitted they had nothing left, except their land and their own
lives. "There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our
land. Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and
our land for food, and we with our land will be servants to Pharaoh." So
they surrendered their homes, their land, and their real estate to Pharaoh's
government, and then sold themselves into slavery to him, in return for
grain.
What can we learn from this, brothers and sisters?
That turning to the government instead of to God to be our provider in hard
times only leads to slavery? Yes... That the only reason government wants to
be our provider is to also become our master?
Yes. But look how that passage ends, brothers and sisters! Thus Israel
settled in the land of Egypt , in the land of Goshen . And they gained
possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied greatly." God provided
for His people, just as He always has! They didn't end up giving all their
possessions to government, no, it says they gained possessions! But I also
tell you a great truth today, and an ominous one.
We see the same thing happening today - the government today wants to "share
the wealth" once again, to take it from us and redistribute it back to us.
It wants to take control of healthcare, just as it has taken control of
education, and ration it back to us, and when government rations it, then
government decides who gets it, and how much, and what kind. And if we go
along with it, and do it willingly, then we will wind up no differently than
the people of Egypt did four thousand years ago - as slaves to the
government, and as slaves to our leaders.
What Mr. Obama's government is doing now is no different from what Pharaoh's
government did then, and it will end the same. And a lot of people like to
call Mr. Obama a "Messiah," don't they? Is he a Messiah? A savior? Didn't
the Egyptians say, after Pharaoh made them his slaves, "You have saved our
lives; may it please my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh"? Well, I tell
you this - I know the Messiah; the Messiah is a friend of mine; and Mr.
OBAMA IS NO MESSIAH! No, brothers and sisters, if Mr. Obama is a character
from the Bible, then he is Pharaoh. Bow with me in prayer, if you will...
Lord, You alone are worthy to be served, and we rely on You, and You alone.
We confess that the government is not our deliverer, and never rightly will
be. We read in the eighth chapter of 1 Samuel, when Samuel warned the people
of what a ruler would do, where it says "And in that day you will cry out
because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will
not answer you in that day..."
And Lord, we acknowledge that day has come. We cry out to you because of the
ruler that we have chosen for ourselves as a nation. Lord, we pray for this
nation. We pray for revival, and we pray for deliverance from those who
would be our masters. Give us hearts to seek You and hands to serve You, and
protect Your people from the atrocities of Pharaoh's government. In God We
Trust...
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
College World Series Pool Play
I've never really liked the fact that a team can go to Omaha and lose two games and that's it. Maybe they were the victim of a stellar pitching performance in the first game and then they face elimination right off the bat.
What I'd like to see is pool play, like the ACC did with their conference tournament this year. Take the two 4-team sides of the College World Series and play a round-robin. So that way each team is guaranteed at least 3 games in Omaha.
What I'd like to see is pool play, like the ACC did with their conference tournament this year. Take the two 4-team sides of the College World Series and play a round-robin. So that way each team is guaranteed at least 3 games in Omaha.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Don't Worry Trust God
It's so easy to worry about things. I often want to worry about something and try to find the solution myself instead of casting my worries on God - which is what he wants us to do.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with Thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7.
God knows everything about us. He knows what we need and he will provide it if we have faith in Him and trust the he will provide.
"Do not worry, saying 'what shall we eat?' or 'what shall we drink?' or 'what shall we wear?'. For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:31-33.
Easier said than done to completely trust God and not worry about things, but when you do it, and God provides, it is an incredible closeness with Him that you get, and your faith will grow tremendously.
JB
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with Thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7.
God knows everything about us. He knows what we need and he will provide it if we have faith in Him and trust the he will provide.
"Do not worry, saying 'what shall we eat?' or 'what shall we drink?' or 'what shall we wear?'. For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:31-33.
Easier said than done to completely trust God and not worry about things, but when you do it, and God provides, it is an incredible closeness with Him that you get, and your faith will grow tremendously.
JB
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)