Good morning everyone. We are in Psalm 86 a psalm of David. David says”You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.” He speaks of how when he calls to God in the day of trouble God answers him. In verse 11 David says “teach me your way O Lord and I will walk in Your truth.” I hate the expression now a days “my truth.” Personalized truth lacks accountability and makes truth subjective. The word of God is truth. Jesus is truth and everyone who claims to be on the side of truth believes in Jesus. In Ezekiel 6 God tells Ezekiel to speak against the mountains of Israel. God promises to destroy them in front of their idols. Idolatry is so offensive to God because it is self deceiving and deadly. There is help only in the Lord not in some object made with my hands. In Matthew chapter 8 we see an emphasis on Jesus’ healing ministry. The leper asks a very humble wise question. 2…”Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” He acknowledges Jesus as Lord. He asks based on Christ’s willingness. He knows Jesus had the power and finally he asks specifically. Jesus wants him to go to the priest so there can be official recognition that a miracle has taken place according to the Law of Moses. God bless all of you this spring day.
April 19th, 2020
Good morning everyone. We are in Psalm 85 this morning. It praises the memory of God’s past favor. “You forgave the iniquity of your people and forgave all their sins.” It asks God to restore and revive us again. There is an old hymn titled Revive us Again. The tune is stuck in my head for some reason. The psalmist promises to listen to what God the Lord will say, but warns the hearers to not return to folly. Then there is this beautiful verse “Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.” What a marvelous thought to start our day. God bless all of you.
April 18th, 2020
We start with a Psalm 84 a psalm from the sons of Korah. These were the priestly professional musicians attached to the temple. They speak of how wonderful it is to be in the temple. “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.” Then we come to Ezekiel 5 where God tells his prophet to shave his head and beard. A humiliation for a man at that time. He then is scatter the hair to symbolize the death and exile the people of Jerusalem will experience. Their idolatry and rebellion will bring destruction on them. Then we come to Matthew 7 and the end of the beatitudes. Verse one on not judging is used by many people to deflect criticism of their sinful behavior. In verse 15 Jesus tells the same people to watch out for false prophets. How do “judge” the difference between a false prophet and a true one. “By their fruits you will know them.” Compare their words with God’s word, their actions with scripture. We want people to enter the narrow gate to salvation and not stay on the broad road to destruction. God bless all of you this sunny warmer day in Southern Wisconsin.
April 17th, 2020
Obviously it is not The Good Friday morning but a good Friday morning. We start with an imprecatory Psalm in Psalm 83. The Psalmist asks that God destroy Israel’s enemies for the sake of righteousness and justice. Pagan societies also had a tradition of imprecatory sayings or poems. These were tied to magic and not the one true God. They were for personal grievances not based on righteousness. We come to Ezekiel 4 where Ezekiel is commanded by God to make a model of Jerusalem and build siege works against it and the to lay on his side for 390 days straight and bake bread over cow dung to symbolize sin and suffering and that Jerusalem would be destroyed and the generation of exiles in Babylon at that time would not be going home. In Matthew 6 we have the Beatitudes. Do not perform your acts of righteousness before men. Then we are told how to pray and not to do so in vain repetition in order to manipulate God into giving us what we want but with gaining God’s perspective. “Our Father,” It is not just about you and me. “Hallowed be Thy name” I should have a reverent attitude toward God. He provides our daily bread. God bless all of you dear people.
April 16th, 2020
Good morning. In Psalm 82 it points to God’s sovereignty. In verse 1 the Psalmist says “God presides in the great assembly; He gives judgment among the ‘gods.’” He condemns those who defend the unjust (Chinese communist party) and show partiality to the wicked. They “…will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler.” Then we come to Ezekiel 3 where God gives Ezekiel his commission to his own people. In verse 7 God says, “But the house of Israel is not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for the whole house of Israel is hardened and obstinate.” Latter God tells Ezekiel that he is a watchman for the house of Israel and must warn the wicked and the righteous. If he does not he is as guilty as they are. Then we come to Matthew 5 and the beatitudes. “Blessed are…” which point out our approach to God as meek and humble as well as to men. He reminds them of how the prophets were persecuted unjustly so to will those who proclaim Jesus be “blessed” with persecution. Then at the end of the chapter Jesus says of our Father in heaven, “He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteousness.” So also this virus comes upon the evil and the good. Have a blessed day dear people.
April 15th, 2020
Good morning people for whom Christ died and rose again. Psalm 81 starts with praise to God in verses 1-5 then God Himself speaks and reminds them of His care for them. Then He warns them, “Hear, O my people, and I will warn you—if you would but listen to me, O Israel! You shall have no foreign god among you…” Then He says in verse 11. “But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.” Whenever people say “Why would a loving God let bad things happen.”Here is the answer just like in Romans 1. God warns but He does not force you to love Him. Ezekiel’s call is to this same stubborn people in Ezekiel 3 we have God’s call to Ezekiel. God says, “The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, “This is what the sovereign Lord says.’ And whether they listen or fail to listen—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them.” Will we listen? In Matthew 4 we have the temptation of Jesus by Satan. Satan attacks our weak points and manipulates our perceived strengths. He attacks Christ’s physical hunger in an almost caring manner. Feigned concern. When Jesus uses scripture to counter Satan the the Devil uses scripture to try and manipulate Jesus and God the Father. Jesus uses scripture properly to refute him. Finally Satan blatantly asks for worship and Jesus uses scripture again to counter. Let’s be aware of Satan’s methods. God bless you all.
April 14th, 2020
Praise the Lord for the sunshine this morning. We start in Psalm 80. A Psalm asking God to cease His punishment of Israel and to restore His people to their former state. “Restore us, O God; make your face shine upon us that we may be saved.” This is repeated two more times like a chorus (These are Psalms after all). The purpose of the judgment was to cause repentance and a return to the Lord. In Ezekiel we come across his fantastic vision of the throne of God coming to earth. Compare this with John’s vision of the throne in heaven in Revelation 1. Israel’s promises are earth bound, a Christians hope is in heaven. Ezekiel is an exile in Babylon taken there after the second invasion of Israel by the Babylonians. He falls before the throne of God that stands before him. In Matthew 3 John the Baptist preaches the gospel of repentance. Turn from your sin and follow Jesus who comes to inaugurate His earthly ministry by ritual baptism. Jesus had nothing to repent of and that is revealed with God the Father’s declaration that He is “well pleased with His Son.” Have a blessed day everyone.
April 13th, 2020
Good Monday morning dear people. We are in Psalm 79 and Lamentations 5 today. Both are mourning the total destruction of Jerusalem and ask that they not continue to suffer for the sins of their fathers. It reminds us of the commandment that the sins of the fathers are felt to “third and fourth generation.” A society that abandons God will suffer oppression, violence and tyranny for years at times. Then in Matthew 2 we come to the visit of the Magi. Matthew records this in order to show that even the gentiles worshiped Jesus as king of the Jews. Herod pretended to want to worship Jesus as well but an angel warned the Magi to go a different way. Joseph was awakened as well that night and he and Mary fled to Egypt in fulfillment of the prophecy of “Out of Egypt I have called my Son.” They returned to Nazareth for practical reasons but it was also in fulfillment of the prophecy that a Jesus would be called a Nazarene. There is a Nazareth vow in the Old Testament but the village was not established until much latter. God bless you all.
April 12th, 2020
Good morning! Happy resurrection Sunday. Today we look at Mary Magdalene as she returns to the tomb crying. One of the two angels asked “Why are you crying?” She turns and Jesus is standing behind her. She thinks He is the gardener until He speaks her name. Her grief blinded her to the reality of Jesus’ resurrection. He asks her to stop clinging to Him as He is going to the Father. The relationship has changed. Jesus is done with His earthly ministry and is sending the Holy Spirit who will in dwell every believer soon (Pentecost). Then Jesus appears to the disciples without Thomas being present. Thomas says he won’t believe until he sees the marks of crucifixion on Jesus’ hands and side. A week latter Jesus returns and tells Thomas to put his finger in His hand and put his hand in Jesus’ side. Thomas exclaims “My Lord and my God.” Jesus accepts Thomas’ worship and points out how blessed we are to believe without having seen what Thomas did. I pray all who read this will have believed and therefore be blessed. God bless all of you.
April 11th, 2020
Good morning dear people. Let’s look at the 7 recorded sayings of Jesus on the cross. “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Unlike Pilate and the Jewish leaders these soldiers did not know the enormity of their sin of crucifying the Lord of glory. “Today you will be with Me in paradise.” Jesus’ promise to the repentant thief on the cross. Hope in the midst of sorrow. “Dear woman here is your son, and to the disciple (John), here is your mother.” Jesus turning care of His mother to the “beloved disciple.” “My God my God why have you forsaken me.” Jesus had to be forsaken because He had become sin for us. “I am thirsty.” His humanity emphasized. “It is finished.” The price of redemption had been paid in full. “Father into your hands I commit my spirit.” We will all say that at some point, best to know the person who said that upon the cross. God bless all of you. Thanks for reading and watching.