"Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. 2. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before His presence with singing."
The next three articles will be based on Psalm 100. This has been one of my favorite texts over the years. Years ago I saw in this psalm an apt description of our faith in Christ. Verses 1-2 reveal that our faith is an active faith. "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord" tells us that our faith is an active faith. It begins by encouraging us to use our voices in praise to God. This can be in worship, or in our daily lives, where we constantly praise God by the way we live, or it can be using our voices to tell others about Him. Perhaps the way we live our lives should "make a joyful noise..." The number of ways that we can use our voices in praise to God is limitless. Is your church making a "joyful noise" in your community? If your church followed your example, would it be making a joyful noise? In verse 2, we come to serving the Lord with our hands and feet: "Serve the Lord with gladness." Whatever our service for the Lord is, we should do it gladly. It occurred to me years ago that I would do a better job of preaching if I did it gladly. I discovered that sometimes I was not serving God gladly in the pulpit. I think that this discovery revolutionized my preaching ministry. God did not have to allow me the privilege of preaching His word, but He did! I should do it gladly! Whatever your gifts of service, do you do it gladly. Are you really glad that the Lord lets you serve Him. And we should "come before His presence with singing." This means that we should come before God with glad hearts and with joyful songs. When you serve the Lord, do you have a song in your heart? Use your voice, hands and feet, in God's service, and do it gladly! He allows you to serve Him. Think of the difference our churches would make in this world if every member "served the Lord with gladness...." I remind myself of this often, and it would do you good to remind yourself to "serve the Lord with gladness." Amen Bro. Joe
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""And it came to pass, that, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said unto Him, Lord teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples."
Christ's disciples wanted Jesus to teach them to pray. (Can you imagine having a study on prayer with Jesus!) I can certainly not give a lesson on prayer like Jesus could give, but I do have a few suggestions about prayer in the following article. . First, we need to pray for ourselves. Jesus’ advice to Peter, James and John in Gethsemane illustrates this need: “Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation.” (Matthew 6:41a) Second, we need to pray for other people. Intercessory prayer is a recurring theme in the Bible. We need to pray for church leaders, missionaries, government officials, friends, etc. (The list is really endless.) We need to pray without ceasing for the people who make decisions that affect our lives. (Don't just pray for those officials that you voted for, but all of them!) Third, we need to pray for ministries and churches and pastors. We particularly need to pray that evangelistic and missionary work will be successful. In Matthew 9:38, Jesus told His disciples: “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into the harvest.” And pray that He will send you into the harvest. We particularly need to pray for people who are not Christians. I know of people who have prayed for lost loved one for years, and lived to see them take Jesus into their hearts. We should never give up in this endeavor. We certainly have not covered all that we need to know to grow in prayer, but these points make a good starting place. Truly, there is no substitute for prayer. What James wrote in James 5:16b is true: “the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Believe it and do it! Bro. Joe "Good understanding gives favor: but the way of transgressors is hard.
What is "good understanding"? It means to understand that God's will is important, and if we want God's favor we will pay attention to His will for our lives, and we will make our lives decisions based on His will. If we want to find out how hard the "way of transgressors" is we can step outside of God's will and we will learn. Before I go any further in this article, let me ask you whether or not you are following God's will now? If you want to know the feeling of "favor" pause here and ask God if you are doing what He wants you to do with your life. I am not assuming that you are not, but it is good to talk to the Lord about this question. Perhaps you know deep down inside of yourself whether or not the path you are taking now is God's path for you. This article is not only for people who need to decide whether or not they should be in some church ministry. It is important that all of God's people be in consort with God's will in relation to their churches. For example, is the church that you are attending where God wants you? I'm not trying to get you to change churches, but just to help you decide that you and your family are in the right church for you. A good question for you to ask is whether or not you are doing in your present church what it is that God wants you to do? Could you help your church by singing in the choir? Your voice might just the voice that that they need now. If you felt that God wanted you to take a particular Sunday School class, would you surrender to Him and take that class? Would you let God lead you to people who might need to join the church you are attending? Would you pray for them and invite them? I don't mean to meddle (lol). But these are some good questions for you to answer about God's will for your life. Bro. Joe “Then I went down to the potter’s house and there I will cause you to hear my words. 4. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter.”
The question is: Will God use broken vessels? According to what Jeremiah wrote in the text above, He will. The gist of what Jeremiah was writing was that when a nation, or as in our case, an individual, goes against God and repents they can be used of God again. There are many people who do not feel that they can be of any use to God because of past transgressions. This might be an excuse on their part not to serve the Lord, or it might be that they genuinely feel that they are unusable. One thing is certain: if they have repented they can be used again, just like the marred pottery in Jeremiah 18:4. This would include you and me. We forget that God’s forgiveness is complete and if our confession and repentance was genuine, God has forgiven it and expects us to forgive ourselves. This doesn’t mean that there will not be scars, but scars are a sign of healing. I want to use some examples from the Bible of how God used “broken vessels.” Of course you know that David comes to mind. In one of his sermons in Antioch in Acts 13:22 Paul wrote: “And when He had removed (Saul) he raised up unto them David to be their king, to whom He also gave testimony and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill my will.” The point is that David’s sin did not disqualify him to be recognized as God’s servant. Paul obviously wrote this many years after David died. In fact, Jesus referred to Himself as the “root and offspring of David” in Revelation 22:17. If you know the rest of the story about David, you know that things did not go easy for him after his sin with Bathsheba, but he was still used of God after that, and was well-spoken of in the Bible. Another person who comes to mind is Simon Peter. The person with even a minimal knowledge of the New Testament knows that Peter denied Jesus. Before Jesus’ arrest, Peter had declared that, in essence, he would defend Jesus with his own life. Of course you know that when it came time to stand up for Jesus he didn’t do it, but he denied even knowing Jesus. Surely, God couldn’t use such a person as this. But in events after His resurrection, Jesus challenged Peter to “feed my sheep…” On the Day of Pentecost, after Jesus’ resurrection, Peter stood and preached a bold sermon about Jesus and His resurrection and three-thousand people were won to Jesus. God used this “broken vessel” to win many people to Himself. That brings us to you and me. If you are like me, you can’t claim to have lived a faultless life. You might not consider yourself a “broken vessel” but you are a “sinner saved by grace.” Some of you reading this might describe yourself as “broken vessels,” but like the piece of pottery in Jeremiah 18:4 you can be “made over” and be used of God. Don’t give up on yourself, and certainly don’t give up on God. Bro. Joe "I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations. 10. For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds."
Psalm 57 was written when David was fleeing from King Saul. In verse 4 he wrote: "My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword." That is why verses 9-10 amazed me when I read them. These are words of praise in the midst of hard times. Understand that David was in real trouble. King Saul fully intended to kill him. This was a matter of life and death. He was not exaggerating when he wrote in verse 4 that his soul was among lions. Yet he praised God. When we go through hard times, we would be wise to praise God rather than complain to Him or about Him. David might have thought "Why me?" But this was not his final reaction. Praising God will remind us that we are not alone in our hard times, that we have a God who loves us and will stand by us. This is why Jesus told us: "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28). Jesus knew that He was the main person that we would need in hard times. In verses 2-3 of Psalm 57, we learn why David praised God in his hard times: "I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me. 3. He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up, Selah. God shall send forth His mercy and His truth." That is a prayer of faith, and as we go through hard times, we would do well to pray in faith. Bro. Joe “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” Author unknown
I saw the above quotation on a church bulletin board a few years ago, and it has stuck with me. I don’t know who wrote it, but it gets to the core of the problem of Christian witness and behavior. It reminds me of the advertisements on medicines these days on television. Truth in advertising laws demands that they tell the side effects of the medicine they are advertising. By the time they list all of the side effects, I usually end up asking myself why in the world would I take that medicine if it could do all of that to me? But it is best that we know the truth about it, and would I not want them to tell me the truth? We need truth in advertising in our lives as well. It is easy for one to say that he or she is a Christian. The words come so easily: “I am a Christian.” What do we mean by that? Do we realize that when we say that, people will certainly expect us to be different? I know that it is difficult to be different in today’s society. This has always been true. Peter wrote about this issue in 1 Peter 4:4: “Where in they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you.” People don’t like it when we are different. Sometimes it is because they do not realize what the Christian life is all about. Sometimes it is because our being different makes them feel guilty. But the demand is that we should be different. Warning: Being different does not mean that we should be self-righteous or judgmental. That is not called being different, it is called being a poor witness for Jesus Christ. Jesus certainly never looked down his nose at people, whether rich or poor. In fact, he was hardest on the Pharisees who were famous for their self-righteousness. Of course, we need to live clean lives, watching what we say and do. When people see us doing otherwise they are turned off. “You would never know that he or she is a Christian by the way he or she acts.” We want to stay away from sin, but, like Jesus, we need to witness and minister to people who are lost in sin. I ask again: “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” Bro. Joe “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” Author unknown
I saw the above quotation on a church bulletin board a few years ago, and it has stuck with me. I don’t know who wrote it, but it gets to the core of the problem of Christian witness and behavior. It reminds me of the advertisements on medicines these days on television. Truth in advertising laws demands that they tell the side effects of the medicine they are advertising. By the time they list all of the side effects, I usually end up asking myself why in the world would I take that medicine if it could all of that to me? But it is best that we know the truth about it, and would I not want them to tell me the truth? We need truth in advertising in our lives as well. It is easy for one to say that he or she is a Christian. The words come so easily: “I am a Christian.” What do we mean by that? Do we realize that when we say that, people will certainly expect us to be different? I know that it is difficult to be different in today’s society. This has always been true. Peter wrote about this issue in 1 Peter 4:4: “Where in they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you.” People don’t like it when we are different. Sometimes it is because they do not realize what the Christian life is all about. Sometimes it is because our being different makes them feel guilty. But the demand is that we should be different. Warning: Being different does not mean that we should be self-righteous or judgmental. That is not called being different, it is called being a poor witness for Jesus Christ. Jesus certainly never looked down his nose at people, whether rich or poor. In fact, he was hardest on the Pharisees who were famous for their self-righteousness. Of course, we need to live clean lives, watching what we say and do. When people see us doing otherwise they are turned off. “You would never know that he or she is a Christian by the way he or she acts.” We want to stay away from sin, but, like Jesus, we need to witness and minister to people who are lost in sin. I ask again: “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” Bro. Joe “And Jesus said, “Who touched me?”
In the context of the verse quoted above, Jesus was on His way to heal the daughter of Jairus, and to subsequently raise her from the dead, when a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years, came close to Him, touched the border of His garment and was healed. It is a miracle within a miracle. Notice that she did not touch his physical body; rather, she touched the “border of His garment.” (It might have been the tassels on the border of His garment.) Jesus felt the woman’s touch and asked, “Who touched me?” According to the text, Jesus felt virtue, or power, leave Him. When the woman revealed herself, Jesus told her that her faith had healed her. What I want to write about in this article is the fact that Jesus is aware of our touch as well. We need to spiritually reach out and touch Him every day. I want you to notice the following realities about touching Jesus. Jesus is sensitive to our touch. The remarkable thing about this incident is that with a big crowd of people around Him, no doubt, bumping into Him, Jesus was sensitive to the touch of one person(WoW!) Peter, and others with him, were amazed at this. In the remainder of the text verse, Peter said: “Master, the multitude throng you and press you, and you say “Who touched me?”She was just one desolate, desperately ill person, and with all of the people pressing against Him, Jesus felt her particular touch. Just so, you are one person in the vast number of people in the world, millions of whom are reaching out to Jesus, but He feels your touch. Jesus felt the woman’s touch because it was a touch of faith. He told her that it was her faith that healed her. Jesus is always sensitive to the touch, or the plea, of faith. If you will reach out to Him in faith today, no matter where you are, or what you are going through, Jesus will be sensitive to your touch. Touch Him now!!!! Jesus wants us to touch Him. When Jesus asked the question, people seemed to think that Jesus was upset because someone had touched Him. All of them denied that they had touched Him. What they were unaware of and perhaps we are too, was that Jesus was glad that someone had touched Him and that power had gone from Him. Power going from Him did not diminish the power of Jesus. He has enough power to go around to everybody on earth if they will reach out and touch Him. Jesus was not angry with the woman but had good news for her: “Your faith has made you well.” The woman who came trembling to Jesus when she realized that she was discovered, left with her illness gone and her faith strengthened. Jesus wants you to touch Him. I’ve heard people say that they needed to work out their problems, then they would go to Jesus. That is backwards!!! Come to Jesus in faith first, and you will find His power is available to you. Well, reach out and touch Him now. How? Just ask Him in faith. You will not find Him reluctant. We need to touch Jesus. No matter whether things are going well for you or bad for you, you need to reach out to Jesus today. We always stand in the need of touching Jesus. We never know what is awaiting around the corner on a given day. We need to know that Jesus is aware of what is around the corner and is awaiting your touch, your prayer and your surrender. There is no time like the present!!!! Bro. Joe "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed: 32. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
If you truly believe in Jesus Christ and have by faith asked Him into your life, you will live in His truth, and the truth that you have in Jesus will make you free. In John 14:6, "Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life: no man comes to the Father but by me." When we receive Jesus into our lives, we enter into His truth and His truth makes us free. What does this mean? It means that when we receive Jesus and His truth into our lives, we are free to be our best selves - to live our best lives. Jesus has made us free from the old person ruled by sin. We certainly do not become obnoxiously religious, but we become better people. Jesus changes our hearts, souls and minds. When Jesus sets us free, we are free to be happy. This is not the happiness that sets us from free from life's troubles, but it is the happiness that we have in spite of life's troubles. Frankly, I have to frequently remind myself of this truth. Jesus keeps life's inevitable troubles from defeating us. Jesus keeps life from burying us in self-pity and discouragement. When Jesus sets us free, we are free to live in victory. This does not mean that we win all of the time, it means that because Jesus has set us free, we can rise above life's defeats. Thank God, that He is the forgiving God and that He continually forgives us. We should not presume on that forgiveness, but we should just be thankful that we serve the forgiving God. Are you free in Christ? Bro. Joe "Except the Lord build the house, those who build labor in vain."
When we accept Christ into our lives, we become a building project for the Lord. Those who build their lives only on the flesh are "laboring in vain." If you are a Christian, you are one of God's "building projects." He builds our faith. We were saved by our faith in Jesus Christ, and we are sustained by that faith. As we draw closer to Him in prayer, worship and fellowship He is at work in our lives teaching us how to walk by faith in every decision that we make in our lives. When we stray from personal devotion to God, we stray from a greater faith in Him. He builds our faith via Bible study, prayer, and private and public worship. Are you allowing Him to build your faith? He builds our hope. I thank God that my hope is not only in myself and what I can do. I face each day in hope, because I know that God is with me, and that the Holy Spirit is guiding me. If we hope only in the flesh, our hope is in vain. I have hope because I know that Jesus is with me and that He will guide me in my decisions in life. Whatever you are seeking to build your hope on in your life outside of Jesus Christ, you are laboring in vain. This does not mean that you can't have earthly success, but our real hope is in, and by, the eternal God. He builds our love. The primary aim of the Christian faith is to build our love for God, and rejoice in His love for us. When we are filled with Christ's love we can accomplish great things for His kingdom. I must admit that loving all people, even in the church, is a difficult exercise. But we were saved because, "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." I believe that promise and I attempt to build my life on that love by accepting, and living that love each day. (Some folks make that difficult, and I am probably sometimes "some folks.") Be grateful that God is at work through the Holy Spirit, building your faith, hope and love. Bro. Joe |
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