Jesus as our Alpha and Omega

Romans 16:25-27

25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ,  according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26 but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith
— 27 to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.


We all want to end well. With Jesus as our Omega.

Knowing our God, our Righteous Father is waiting for us as Abba. Running to us as we are the prodigals and He is Covering us with Jesus.

We want Jesus. We want to know God is able to strengthen us. His Truth. His Command. And in His Righteousness - He sees us as obedient to His call for Faith. Our Light He has given us shows God to be the Glorious Abba in Jesus Christ forevermore.

How will we draw His strength upon us?

Jesus has told us in His Gospels. We ask for the Holy Spirit and Pray. And like Acts, life is discussed. And we will be asked even just about life, we tell of His Love. Our lives should speak of our Love for Father God.

Jesus said He wants us to Proclaim Him. What Father God, the angels, the prophets, God's Word - this proves reliable. We can look to His Word - ask - seek - find His Path for us.



1 Thessalonians 2:13

God says this about His Word and believers:

what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers


By paying attention to God, He will strengthen us. Jesus told us of the seeds and snares of life. Staying in Jesus, is the path to God. Jesus Christ is the center. We could easily start here and talk about The Seeds Parable. What happens to people in life to make the winds of life push them. Instead:

Consider this Important Fact.

Look at all of the Gospels. Jesus did not turn the Gospels into the incredible conversion stories of Jesus the Savior. He never gave a tally. Really. We never know about the end of those who were healed. Only a few times. Previous Blind Bartimaeus turned and followed Jesus. The ten lepers were healed and one turned back.

Now is this discouraging? Hardly. No, this is encouragement. Jesus was saying don't tally your life up yourself. God is going to do this for you and with you in His Strength.

Bishop Papias of Hierapolis is a very interesting historian. He knew John the Beloved Disciple towards the end of John's very productive and active life in the beginning of the 2nd Century. He went to John and said someone needed to follow up this Beautiful, Wondrous, Amazing Jesus life and find out what happened. And since he knew John, Bishop Papias wanted to know if John fully approved of the three Gospels and their supporting and other-seat-at-the-table-views of Jesus' life. 

John said he completely did agree with the Gospels and said they were well written and correct. Let's remember together, all the writers of the Gospels arranged this Story of Salvation to explain their order of thinking in the levels of journey and process as they look, learn and love the Son of God.



2 Corinthians 10:18
For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

1 Corinthians 12:11
All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.



And Bishop Papias sets out to meet and interview all the living and children of the living Presbyters who had met Jesus Christ and been healed by Him. Did Bishop Papias take a tally of their changed lives? We would and we might even have polls of their opinions. And data.

God is Wise. He wanted His Story to be His Story. Bishop Papias came home having found that the Presbyters did agree that Jesus healed them. And He was raised Victorious from the Dead to become the First to Overcome Death as God's Son. And that was the accomplished history of Bishop Papias of Hierapolis.

Bishop Papias of Hierapolis came back saying, not the finished lives of the people who met Jesus. No. Bishop Papias came back with the history the Gospels report the people in the next Century declare The Gospels regarding the Life of Jesus the Messiah are correct and true. This is enduring. This is correct,  the way Bishop Papias told His Story impacts us - today. 

This is Jesus' Story for us. Jesus is the Center.









The Holy Spirit tells us to check.

1 John 4:1
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God

How will we know Jesus as a Historical fact? Two ways to see the Salvation of Jesus impact the world. One with faith. And then eyes of faith. The dispersion of the Christians. The fear of the Emperor. The change is recorded most in the area of the most human interest. The History of the Empire sweeping the Globe. The Change of the Roman Empire. The continuation of the Roman Empire in Constantinople for 1,000 years. Later called Byzantine by the victors.

This Jesus - does not end. We hear the faithful today tell of the comfort of loved ones passing to Him.

 





Psalm 145:2
Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.


We begin each day, with the adventure of His Mercies Renew Each Day.

We say the Lord's Prayer when thoughts assail us of our own frailties and mortality. We see His Sustenance.

And Believe with Trust and Happiness, God is going to help us sweep what is painful in life to forgiveness in His Righteousness. We Faithfully Pursue our Belief Jesus is God. And trust and laugh at the time to come. Presenting our earnest and believing hearts are a Joy a Delight and a Happiness to God who Dearly Loves us as we are. Calling us Righteousness in Jesus to Abba, Our Father.







Father God,

I believe in You as God. And say, God's will is ~ I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in Your Company.

Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Jesus says we are welcome.

Hebrews 2 says “I will put my trust in him.” and in prayer always: “Behold, I and the children God has given me.” And here we place our loved ones and our concerns. Our Churches, communities, the Nation and Christians around the world in the Name of Jesus for His Mercy, Grace, Forgiveness, Peace and Love.

May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †

Romans 2 ~ a matter of the heart, by the Spirit

Romans 2

2 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.

6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek.

11 For God shows no partiality.


12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God 18 and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; 19 and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. 24 For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

25 For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. 26 So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 27 Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. 28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.

Mamertine Prison where both Peter and Paul lived. You can go in and see the prison cells.

The Roman world when I was a child, was so so so far away. Those people ran around having riots and making up political points to scream about. They even made things up. And the morality was alllll over the map.

Romans built wonderful roads, straight, good paths and had ways for water to be delivered to homes. Well a few little quirks there, the water was carried with lead and the poison was killing the nation.

So in the middle of all this organization, there was utter chaos.

Groups of ethical people. Groups of groupies and users. Groups of soldiers. Groups of laborers. Groups of welfare recipients. And groups of foreigners.




And in the middle of alll this organization was Paul and Peter.



How are you going to take a mess and bring Joy and Love and Jesus?


How was a man in prison going to lead the Light of Christ to the Romans? Next time you feel as if you are insignificant. Realize Paul and Peter spend only a few years in ministry and some of that was being avoided and more was from prison.


Romans 2 is soooo DRY. And look what Father GOD is saying. It's not your yesterdays. It's not your flaws, this is the willingness to do what Martin Luther Did. What Jesus does. Today.

And when you get ready to do this with your worries. Jesus is going to Bring You Up To Him.

On a day filled with stresses and situations and the tug and pull of plain o life. You can condense your troubles, the societal ills, your relationships, your future and all of Romans 2 and see what Jesus is saying.

He sees us. All of us. And He says what matters is Love. What matters is to give Love. And the rest all washes away if we Trust Jesus to be God.


Father God,

Like they do in Rwanda. At the end of worship - take all of yourself, put it all out there, lay it all down at the feet of Jesus. Just you and Just Jesus.

All of our difficulties - We lift to the Cross of Jesus.

All of our troubles - we lift to the Cross of Jesus.

All those we love - we lift to the Cross of Jesus.

And our Jesus, our hero, our Beloved in God, He did not stay on that Cross. Jesus Lives. Jesus is alive and Jesus is going to help. Believe Jesus.

Amen. We say with Praise and Thanksgiving for what Jesus does. Jesus is the Lord. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †

Psalm 100 ~ His faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 100

1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!

2 Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!

3 Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!

5 For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.



When John the Baptist began his ministry - he wanted the paths to be clear, straight and going in the right direction.

Preparing a Path God would love to travel. Jesus did this life and in John 14, 15, 16 told us Jesus had found Joy living this life. Jesus was not one to whitewash to make the people feel better.

Any time we have experienced trauma in the news, we tend to be pulled down.

But the Bible tells us of times in all generations that have included joy to come.

Moses believed this of his life and this certainly proved to be true:


Numbers 10:29
Then Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, "We are setting out to the place of which the LORD said, 'I will give it to you'; come with us and we will do you good, for the LORD has promised good concerning Israel."

When people find something magnificently good, they do want to share the Goodness of God.


Hezekiah trusted God and the people worked hard to make sure that all would be in order for God. In fact at one time, Hezekiah had to turn away the tributes to God, there was no place for them. They had loaded all of the Temple.

2 Chronicles 29:30
Moreover, King Hezekiah and the officials ordered the Levites to sing praises to the LORD with the words of David and Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with joy, and bowed down and worshiped."



We are prone to dismiss all things work together for Good for those who love the Lord, but sometimes we need to see blessings with eyes of faith. Hope of Promise God would Fill.


Father God,

Renew and Fill us again and again, with Your Holy Spirit. Live and dwell richly in us. Fill us with Expectation of Your Goodness and Glory.

I give You thanks that Edward's recent health issue has a solution!!! That was appreciated.

Bless us to walk in Your Will knowing Your Hope and Your Future.

We will put down our burdens when we pray and come away with renewal in the Joy of Love.

Bless those we love and pray for. Bless these Churches tomorrow to always be a blessing to Jesus. And Bless our Nation and Christians around the world.

In Jesus. We give You Thanks. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †

Psalm 91 ~ For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways +

Psalm 91

1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will saya to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes
and see the recompense of the wicked.

9 Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my refugeb—
10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

14 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
15 When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”

If you are going to start talking about the Exodus, if you are thinking of the Holiness of God surrounding the Children of Israel, we probably have to start at Abraham. Abraham believed God had the ability to give Abraham blessings and strength. The sons, grandsons and descendants of Abraham believed they had the ability to pass on blessings.

God speaks for God.

Genesis 12:3
I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

Now was Abraham to dwell upon this?

Romans 12:19
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.

Jesus said this exactly the best.

Luke 10:20
Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.


Because of this!

1 Samuel 17:47
and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the LORD'S and He will give you into our hands.







And Jacob set off from land promised to Abraham. He had to do what we all do, he had to feed his children. And off to Egypt the adventure began.

This surely, surely, surely did not look like God was paying attention to His Promises.This is a hard thing even today. To think about God being asleep? Uncaring?





The Exodus is everyone's story.


500 years.

Longer than Gilligan by far. Five huuuuuuuundred years.

The History Channel did a Documentary on the Exodus and says some of the Plagues we can see from the air took place. About five or six years ago.

When you read the history of Egypt and look at the biblical dates This is very close to the 500 years we see changes in World History. 






1500 B.C.

The Tax Records today read that Joseph is here during the reign of Thutmose III, the 18th Dynasty. New Kingdom.  This is the Zenith of Egypt. As believers ar we surprised , when Joseph spoke with God?

Thutmose III

(Very similar name to Moses. Building was going on in massive scales.  Names, like those in Jeremiah 39, point out are changed to look all part of the team. And Jeremiah records the name of the Pharaoh he dealt with. Moses AND the Pharaoh decline to name each other in History. Setti II records Mose  - problems with his brother. )



In the New Kingdom -  The Glorious Years of Egypt - Monotheistic God Worship.

Akhenaten is 4 Pharaohs after Thutmose III and the 5th Pharaoh is one God alone, too. They change the Egyptian culture to Monotheistic God of the Sun. Like Joseph. Perhaps they have seen the Power of the God of Gods in the Exodus as part of their childhoods and recent history.

However the 6th Pharaoh - King Tut changes this to polytheistic and dies of a wound to the leg in his teenage years. This loss is very available for us to learn about - this is today's history.  


1200 B.C.

Seti II and Moses

Troubles are documented and various accusations occur during the short reign of Seti II. Clearly Thebes was going through very troubled times. There are references elsewhere to 'war' occurred during these years and is obscure to what. Neferhotep had complained of Paneb's attacks on himself to the vizier Amenmose, presumably a predecessor of Pra'emhab, whereupon Amenmose had punished Paneb. This trouble-maker had then brought a complaint before 'Mose' (i.e., 'Msy'), who acted to remove Pra'emhab from his office. Evidently this 'Mose' must have been a person of the highest importance.

Seti II expanded the copper mining at Timna Valley in Edom, building an important temple to Hathor, the cow goddess, in the region. It was abandoned in the late Bronze Age collapse, where a part of the temple seems to have been used by Midianite nomads, linked to the worship of a bronze serpent discovered in the area.

An important papyri date from the reign of Seti II. The Tale of Two Brothers, a fabulous story of troubles within a family on the death of their father, which may have been intended in part as political satire on the situation of the two half brothers.


 
1000 B.C.
 
500 years later the glories end - The New Kingdom is ushered out about with Ramses III. The Third Intermediate Period (1077–732 BC) marked the end of the New Kingdom after the collapse of the Egyptian Empire.  Ramses III fought an unidentified people and the treasury of Egypt is Gone. The Sea People. This Ramses III is viewed today as a mummy. Ramses III, had red hair, I've seen his mummy on display, and no teeth in old age. This is also today's history available to see after being in the ground for 3,000 years.

Ramses III

Ramses looses the treasury and fights with an unknown adversary? The Sea People?  The treasury is Broken. Ipuwer says the slaves are given everything and begged to leave.  The Egyptian army is broken by a strange set of weather of Tsunamis and Tornadoes ( the pillar of cloud Bible records). And Egypt is broken from the top wealth of the world forever. The women are left to get in boats to look for their fallen men of the army.








 


Now this is interesting, of course, but how will we relate to this?

Are we part of the 500 years where financial struggles and cultural struggles are just almost to become unbearable for our children? We have seen a lot of cultural changes from our grandparents to our children.



Well that depends on if you want to see the overview of the story with faith. This timeline fits and yet crashes us into David's Reign at 1000 B.C..  In exact parallel to Egypt.  And the Temple is Built. And finally the area around Bethlehem becomes for the First Time - really allotted to the Tribe of Judah. 


Genesis 22:18 to Abraham

17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."


Abraham's sons are covered by the Blessing of Abraham. What they depart with was the earnings of 500 years. Baalam can see the Blessing of Abraham. His writings are still available although he was corrupt.


Even during the years of slavery, the midwives cover the healthy birth of the Hebrew children. God protected the least of these children, the midwives are protected from Pharaoh. The blessing of Abraham.

The blessing of Abraham, Solomon increased the Children of Israel as Egypt fell. 

"Foreigners go no further. Thank you." Please be courteous..Now that is a Joke.

Even when the Children of Israsel had revisionist History in Jeremiah 23, God was making plans for the Blessing of Abraham to pull them up again. And when they killed God,  Jesus said the Temple would be pulled down and we can see the massive stones display Jesus is correct today. God holds up His Promises.

And unusually there are several intact signs saying "No Foreign Visitors." For good reason. The Temple was entirely covered in thousands of tons of Gold. Billions of dollars. I Chronicles 29 and

II Kings 10:23
So King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom

 

This Gold is the unforgotten payment of the 500 years of Jewish Slavery in Egypt. And unparalleled and recorded in Babylonian Chronicles as well - the return of the gold.

Ezra 1:5-10
The list of returned items included 1000 basins of gold, 1000 basins of silver, 29 censers, 30 bowls of gold, 2410 bowls of silver, and other vessels of gold and silver totaling 5,469 in number. 

How could the Temple even exist in safety?

The Temple is established. Upheld by the Word of God. Otherwise Pharaoh and other Empires would have melted the Temple instead of the Biblical witness to the end. 

Look Ma, It's Fort Knox. Let's get the Temple!!!  King Hezekiah did show off and really did anger Isaiah the Prophet.






Banks hold treasure and values. Empires rise and fall, quickly. This is enduring even today.

What supported the Temple and the return of the Temple things?


Numbers 23:19

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

Hebrews 1:3

The Son is the radiance of God's glory
and the exact representation of his being,
sustaining all things by His Powerful Word.


 


Jesus declared what is of value to Jesus.

Father God sees us as His Treasure.


John 6:40

For it is My Father's will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.



1 Corinthians 3

16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.






Egypt is - where Jesus spent his early years.

Lord Father God,

We pray for this Nation to have Wisdom and Blessing from You. Justice working in the appropriate Systems. Top to local.

Let us pray that those who lead - will lead by example.

The Speech the FBI gave Congress and Congress' call that injustice should be examined in the running for Presidency. 

For the 5 Dallas Police Families. Dallas is not in the news for corrupt police,  my brother John knew and defended with great integrity for honorable reasons. How tragic the Dallas Police were fired upon.. For the USA and the male Houston officer who cavity strip searched a pretty 21 year old woman in public and threw her to the ground.  That Justice will be seen as a top priority and the appropriate measures are taken throughout our Nation. Not injustice of people being shot and killed and harmed who are not at fault. The system of Justice to be working and in place. From the top government to the local governments. 

Let us praise the police departments who are doing their difficult job. And pray for top government to perform the laws at the top level.

For the need for integrity - this hunger for integrity to be filled in a way pleasing to God Himself. For the Christians unrepresented who have tried to vote for Christians. 

For the Canadian Government putting out published materials advising their travelers to not carry cash in the USA. For the need for Jesus Christ and His Mercy and Goodness, 

For the strength of the 3 branches of Government. For Congress when the Supreme Court oversteps their boundaries to set up the IRS as the power. And for Congress when the FBI comes to them and tells them who should be indicted to at least clear up criminal charges and then this does not happen. For the Presidency that has no wish for the charges of his Cabinet members to be cleared. For the integrity of the prosecution of former President Nixon. For the integrity of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to have the legal opportunity. For the integrity of the IRS to say this is not health care.

For the integrity of Free Trade to include inexpensive pharmaceuticals the USA sells in other countries for less money. Putting Care in Health Care. For the integrity of the news being held by 6 corporations only. 

For the dramatic fall in our birth rates and the really unintelligent Supreme Court decision on Abortion.

For our arrogance in wanting to police the world when so much in our nation needs strengthening.  Forgive the Nations sins, who pray to you, Father God.

Jesus God has said to pray and not give up hope. To come against mountains in prayer and they will move. 

We call to You in Peace and Expectation, Lifting up the Needs physical, spiritual, emotional and financial for ourselves and the ones we love and pray for. With certainty You alone are God.

We pray in the Name of Jesus. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †