Give Ear, O My People

Psalm 78:1-4 - Give ear, O my people, to my law; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.

Children of God. People of God. His peculiar people. A chosen generation. A holy priesthood. His inheritance. Saint of God. New creature. God's workmanship. Citizen of heaven. Chosen of God.

How is it we had not heard at an early age? Where were the people? Where was the Church? How is it there are so many differing opinions on the idea of salvation and what the Bible proclaims? Why isn't there just one heart, one mind and one God?

And yet, somehow, the message was passed on. Somehow on one day God presented to many His Son Jesus for the very intent of saving yet another soul. The message was spoken, it was heard, it was taken in, it changed one more person, then another and another. Why not more? God knew long ago that the road would be narrow and few would follow it. And that's just the way it is.

Yet He has given so many a chance to receive that Word, the sayings of old, the message that never quits and never changes.  Now we must take that same word and message and perpetuate it. Teach it to not only those around us but the next generation. Teach the parables and the laws. Teach them Jesus. Teach them that in Him is life an no other life is as great at what He has to offer.

Teach them creation, in it's truth. Teach them all God has done for His people, of which some are now included as. Teach that He saved and healed, that He was with them through thick and thin, as long as they were obedient to Him, that He is with us through thick and thin, as long as we are obedient to Him. Like a (good) father to a child...that's what He is. Not all of us have experienced a good and loving father. But He is there to be the replacement, the One who will love unconditionally.

Remind that when stubbornness and rebellion are present in a life or a country or a world, judgment will come. God will not leave His people but our desires can often lead us to leave Him. His love is unconditional; our has conditions, generally focused on self.

Remember all He did for past generations. He longs to do this for us. He parted seas that Israel might cross on dry ground. He longs to part the seas in our lives that we might cross over to a better life...leave the oppressed lives we don't even realize we have for a real life, a fulfilling life. He longs to protect us from our enemies. He longs to provide for us. All He has can be ours if we only submit to Him.

God's anger will be provoked soon enough. He will not let us live as we are much longer if His name is sullied, mocked, ignored, spat upon or blasphemed much more. Hard words? Look around.

As His anger against His people was before, it will happen again. But God...is merciful to those who seek Him. His love is everlasting to those who heed Him. He asks us to seek Him while He can still be sought, before His wrath is so great and the doors close forever to His kingdom...like the doors on the ark...and the people who scoffed perished without. His story has a perfect ending for those willing to submit and serve Him...something the pride of the world has a hard time accepting.

Yes, a perfect ending.

Revelation 17,14 - And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. 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.

Relevant Teaching??

1Thessalonians 2:13 -  For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.

Seems like relevance is a word being used the past couple weeks at church. I've mentioned time and again about how the Bible is relevant to today. Only thing is, it's not my quote! For those who know and take the time to know the Bible, we know relevance is everywhere. Our pastor, Terry Fischer at The Church in Wisconsin, said this one Sunday: I want to preach a very relevant subject...so I'm going to use the Bible! Oh, yes!

If we want to know what truth is we need to know God and we can find evidence of Him from Genesis to Revelation. From In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1) to He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen (Revelation 22:20-21).

I wrote the other day about Jesus being His own testimony...in the Word as the Word. The One who created the heavens and the earth, who came down from His throne and stepped into sinful mankind's world to show us who He was (and is and is to be) and that He would so lovingly redeem us if we would only believe, humbling Himself by becoming obedient to death--even death on a cross--enduring beatings, mocking, being spit upon, and piercing, all without complaint, without even one word to justify Himself...because He was not only the Son of God but God.

What's the relevance? That He, Jesus Christ, is the only true Way to salvation, righteousness, reconciliation once again with God our Father and the surety of eternal life. Oh, the relevance in that!

As Pastor Terry mentioned a couple Sundays ago, while the world was about their daily lives, doing what people do, Noah was about the only thing that, even if he didn't understand the why about what he was doing, he did anyway, in pure faith...he built an ark. Noah, like Jesus, was jeered by the multitude. Relevant? In today's world, yes. Anyone who wants to share the truth of Jesus and the Word of God gets jeered, or worse, persecuted. It is no longer politically correct to mention God's name in public or to see the signs of our faith.

These people are not focused on what God says, and will be like all those people clamoring to enter the ark when the rains come someday. They'll be pounding on the door for entry into security, hoping to be removed from their own torment just like those people while Noah and his family were in the safety of the ark.

Another blog awhile back was about the ark and the door. Jesus is that door. He is the safety we can cling to if we keep our hearts, eyes and minds focused on Him. He is at the doors to so many souls. He's knocking that they might receive Him. Receive Him that the security of eternal life would be so real and there will be no furnace of fire where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth, or the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night...(Matthew 13:42, Revelation 14:11a). Imagine these people who did not listen to Noah, who mocked him as he built this huge boat, as he talked about the rain and flood to come.

Today this same story is relevant because it prophesies what it will be like in the last days when those who have heard Jesus knocking at their hearts but did not open their hearts to receive Him. What's the knocking? It's those preaching, teaching or discussing the message that seems like foolishness. Where is this God spoken of? How can we believe in something we can't see? Believing and receiving are action words. There is something you must first do in order to "get it."

John 12:48 - He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.