Zechariah 8:1-12 ~ The Word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, +

I see a new Heaven from an old earth. Glimpses of a mirror darkly. Living Parables.

Zechariah 8:1-12

1 And the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, 2“Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath.

3 Thus says the Lord: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain.

4 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age. 5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.

6 Thus says the Lord of hosts: If it is marvelous in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my sight, declares the Lord of hosts?

7 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country, 8and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.”

9 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Let your hands be strong, you who in these days have been hearing these words from the mouth of the prophets who were present on the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.

10 For before those days there was no wage for man or any wage for beast, neither was there any safety from the foe for him who went out or came in, for I set every man against his neighbor.

11 But now I will not deal with the remnant of this people as in the former days, declares the Lord of hosts.

12 For there shall be a sowing of peace. The vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew. And I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.




Yesterday we spoke of the Work of God our Father and in Heaven.

Would it ever please a very vast, wondrous and Amazing God if all His Children celebrated and enjoyed Abundant Life equally?

Doesn't our heart rejoice in the variations of climate, archaeology, and fierce wonders of this world?

6 Should it also be marvelous in my sight, declares the Lord of hosts?

7 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will save my people



Some will be old, some young. God Himself will decide.

Revelation 22:3
His servants will serve him


Some will labor, some will rest.

Hebrews 4

9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10 for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.

11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Jesus describes the Body of Christ being made up of people. All different, all part of the Body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12.

14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.



Father God,

Your Love for us is as high as the Heavens.

Romans 5:8
God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

We can have all hopes of Heaven in Jesus.

Romans 12:9
Let love be genuine. Hold fast to what is good.


For all of this goodness, Father.

We shall love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind.

And we will be close to the Kingdom of Heaven, our prayers enter the 12 open Gates. And we will see the river of Life flowing from His Throne, where Love, Righteousness, Mercy and Justice are held forth in His Splendor of Holiness.

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice!

Let the sea roar, and all that fills it!
let the field exult, and everything in it!

Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord !

Our LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; 7 who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin. For HE has so loved the world, our Father gave His Jesus, that we believes in Jesus, should not perish but have eternal life.

Amen in Jesus.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †

Matthew 9:1-13 ~ And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold

Matthew 9:1-13

And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. 2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. 

And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” 

3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 

4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 

7 And he rose and went home. 

8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 

11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus was eating a meal. And we know this house probably had a man-sized sky light.


But if someone needed Jesus... then.

If Jesus had been called from the house, in need. He was known to do that. Jesus was interrupted constantly. And His Ministry called Jesus to go.

Imagine, not even eating a meal.



Colossians 3:14
Love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
Jesus put His own life down all the time. For an example, coming down from the Mountain - seeing Peter and John meet Moses and Elijah. The return from this was not pleasant - Jesus met the Disciples squabbling. Needs were unmet. And Jesus dealt with this perfectly. As God.





Jesus saw this in Himself with His people:

1 Peter 4:8
Above all. Keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.



And this is what Jesus displayed:

1 John 4:18
No fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear



Who was this, the Jesus crowd?

Matthew, the ill, and .... sinners. God always works with sinners. Alleluia.



Why would Jesus do this? What is the motivation of God?

God sees us fully. And His reaction is to Give Life, Joy and Love of Relationship into Eternity... Where Jesus is - there is Joy.

Father God,

Jesus is our Savior, and has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of Your beloved Son.

Because of Jesus we have redemption, forgiveness of sins.

The warmth and heart of Jesus - the Joy and Kindness of Jesus is the image of the invisible God,

Jesus is before all things, and in Jesus all things hold together. Jesus is preeminent.

For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,

Jesus is the Ministry of Reconciliation. To reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross.

Because of Your Son Jesus we are able to be presented as holy and blameless and above reproach before God.

In Father God, indeed we will continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the Gospel.

Jesus our Steadfast God. Alleluia. Thank You, Father God. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †

Luke 2:8-11 ~ “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord"

Luke 2:8-11

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9

And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.

10 And the angel said to them,

“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord"





If you've experienced a child passing on to Heaven, you are aware - you would far rather remember LIFE. And if the sacrifice was Noble - then this is spoken of in correlation to Life. Peter defines Jesus as the Word of LIFE.

Adam began with the charge to, "subdue the earth." To garden and cultivate in his path, making the most of what was available to him.

As relationship with God goes forth in Scripture, the charge became to shepherd. In making the most of the Way, Life and Truth of Jesus - to seek conversation with Father God. As the Scriptures continue, we see, to have conversation with Him at all times.


David began with an obligation to shepherd his family herd. He used this time to speak with His Lord.

And like the Blessings of 7 loaves becoming the Abundance of God Blessing, the remnants are 7 baskets of from Living Bread.


David took the Kingdom of Israel literally under his wing. Many came to David in His victories which included slowly taking up the nation in fragments at first. One of David's first battles was to claim, the lands of the Tribe of Judah which had not become Israel until David's anointing was coming into fulfillment.

Just as the loaves and fishes- the fulfilling of God's Word:

This is the foreshadowing of Jesus, greater than Adam and greater than Moses, servant of God.


Hebrews 11:24
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter.


Jesus did this as well Palm Sunday.


Mark 11:11
And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.


Giving thought to the graciousness of our borders. Fully understanding the 2nd Amendment of the safety of our refugees. Numbers 6, one of the Largest Blessings of the Bible, asks for the Graciousness of God to cover us. Even in the Exodus Joshua was told to be in the center of the Vast Attributes of God.

Telling us of the forward call of the Church in peace. And in the comfort of the Word of God and in the direction and leadership of His Blessing of His Creation: This is our call as a Nation.


Matthew 28:19
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Father God,

There is a separation of Church and State in this Nation celebrating Freedom. Father God, You, have taught us exactly how to do this. Be in the world and not of the world.

We are the seeds of Living Parables. Our lives, words and actions may be the only Scripture another Person ever witnesses. Our words might be the only kindness this Person hears all week.

The Spirit is God is recognized by this. Love, Joy, Peace, Encouragement, Scripture Living Words, Hope, Faith, Endurance, Character, Perseverance, Steadfast Love. The True Nobility of mankind know Father God in Jesus Christ. He who is noble, plans noble things, and on noble things he stands.


Striving side by side for the faith of the Gospel! 

Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and make good profession of Jesus as Lord.

In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith, with which you will extinguish all the flaming darts of darkness.

We Live abundantly working, seeing, proclaiming the very goodness of God.
Thanking God for the sisters and brothers beloved by the Lord.
Living in the Fruit of His Love.

Seeing the Genuineness of Love.
This is the heart of the Gospel.
Stand firm and hold to the Joy of Jesus Christ.

Father God, be our Help and direct, guide, lead each of us Shine
with the Light of Jesus Christ in all mankind
and we shall see goodness in this land -
and in the renewing of seeing the God we will recognize
in the Land of the Living,
Blessing God in Whom We Trust.

Now may our Jesus, Himself,
and God, our Father,
they love us and give us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,
comfort our hearts
and establish us in every good work and Word.

Live in us Lord Jesus! Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †

2 Chronicles 30 ~ yield yourselves to the Lord

Passover in Israel - 50,000 people attend at the Western Wall

Renewal, new Success. A Nation in Joy.

2 Chronicles 30

1 Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem to keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel. 2 For the king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had taken counsel to keep the Passover in the second month— 3 for they could not keep it at that time because the priests had not consecrated themselves in sufficient number, nor had the people assembled in Jerusalem— 4 and the plan seemed right to the king and all the assembly.  

5 So they decreed to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that the people should come and keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem, for they had not kept it as often as prescribed.

6 So couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his princes, as the king had commanded, saying, “O people of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may turn again to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7 Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were faithless to the Lord God of their fathers, so that he made them a desolation, as you see. 8 Do not now be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the Lord and come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever, and serve the Lord your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you.

9 For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.”

10 So the couriers went from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them. 11 However, some men of Asher, of Manasseh, and of Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.

12 The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the Lord.

13 And many people came together in Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month, a very great assembly. 14 They set to work and removed the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for burning incense they took away and threw into the Kidron Valley. 15 And they slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. And the priests and the Levites were ashamed, so that they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings into the house of the Lord. 16 They took their accustomed posts according to the Law of Moses the man of God. The priests threw the blood that they received from the hand of the Levites. 17 For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves. Therefore the Levites had to slaughter the Passover lamb for everyone who was not clean, to consecrate it to the Lord.

 18 For a majority of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than as prescribed. 

For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying,
“May the good Lord pardon everyone 19 who sets his heart to seek God, the Lord, the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary's rules of cleanness.” [not according to the cleanness of holiness]  

20 And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people. 21 And the people of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great gladness, and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day by day, singing with all their might [with instruments of might] to the Lord.  

22 And Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good skill in the service of the Lord. So they ate the food of the festival for seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to the Lord, the God of their fathers.

23 Then the whole assembly agreed together to keep the feast for another seven days. So they kept it for another seven days with gladness. 24 For Hezekiah king of Judah gave the assembly 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep for offerings, and the princes gave the assembly 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. And the priests consecrated themselves in great numbers.

 25 The whole assembly of Judah, and the priests and the Levites, and the whole assembly that came out of Israel, and the sojourners who came out of the land of Israel, and the sojourners who lived in Judah, rejoiced. 26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. 27 Then the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy habitation in heaven.

Passover in the country of Israel, in Jerusalem, at the Wailing Wall.


Deuteronomy 6:4-6
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.

Imagine your parents, grandparents or great-grandparents being told the country of Israel was to be reformed after World War II. They would be incredulous. We live in an amazing time.

Ecclesiastes 1:9 9

 What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.

Even Israel has been reformed from exiles flung all around the world before.

We are told in Jesus Christ we are grafted into God's family by adoption. Israel fought the countries surrounding them for generations:




Perhaps if we were to honor and love the Lord more, we would have more of the peace Hezekiah miraculously found even as the Assyrian Empire chose not to enter into Judea. Peace in the face of danger.




Father God,

We ask Your Hand and Your Heart turn to us. That our prayers may align with Your Will. And in that agreement, our loved ones, our dearly held people will rejoice seeing the Wonders of God. In expectations, we open our hands and pray with Jesus.

Thank You, You hear us, Father God. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †

Romans 10:13 ~ For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Wadi Moses outside of Petra. This is the road to get to amazing Petra, Jordan. The River of Moses, a path taken during 40 years of The Exodus. Normally beautiful and amazing to pass through. A long walk, my son rode here on hired Camels. But if there is a sudden rain, the mountains will fill the canyon up swiftly and the water becomes treacherous and even deadly in the last few years. Cell phones do not cover the remote desert.

Romans 10:13

For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.


If we read the Scriptures, know the famous verses and rely only upon the subtitles...
we have watched the Superbowl commercials and might not know the score.


The Call of God to Salvation is Amazingly God sized.
Father God wants to save - the planet - through Jesus Christ the Lord.


And where we are given a Great Gift in the Salvation of Jesus Christ through His broken Body and sin free Soul. Much is given, much is required.


Matthew 7

12 So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

13“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easya that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.





How do we correlate the two passages?


God puts His Words in Order.

1 Corinthians 14:33
For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints.

1 Corinthians 14:40
But everything must be done in a proper and orderly manner.


God and the Gospels are not plunking down edicts. Thought is not randomly put forth. This is growth, this is development, this is relationship. Covered by Father God, who loves us more.

1 John 4:19
We love because He first loved us.


Father God puts forth His Words as the Creator of the Universe. Maker of all things.


The narrow gate is explained right after this:

12 So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.


Jesus tells us we worship in Spirit and in Truth.

And He continues this thought:

Matthew 7:21
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."


Recently, I felt Father God tug at my heart to give a gift that I felt would be healing.

And I was embarrassed. I felt this looked slurpy. Someone I like very well was limping. It was waved off. But I still felt off kilter to give this Tens Unit for healing, I felt preachy to someone who is wise. And I knew this for a week, brushed it off and went on.

I heard he was ill, afterwards.

Upon being told of serious illness, I told my small group about my feeling and left that with them, and God, and knew I was graciously forgiven.

I did not know. But I had a feeling to give.

Next I'm sitting with them in the Church atrium and we are praying for the next ailment. I said I felt I should have given you the tens unit for a week, but forgot. They were interested and we prayed in our healing class, the next day, the doctor declared for no apparent reason, the serious illness was gone. Life was restored to the illness.

I had confessed, we prayed, we all knew I had not known of the grave illness, but knew I was supposed to give, I was very forgiven, we all wanted him to be healed. Jesus acted. A healing occurred surprising the doctor.





Father God is not a bringer of fear, He is a God of Love.


Matthew 7:21-23

21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 2

2On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name,
and cast out demons in your name,
and do many mighty works in your name?’

23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’


This looks like someone doing the Will of God. What was the trouble?

This is Loud work. A Pharisee loves to do Loud work. Not just "works" - "Mighty Works." Showy.



 

Here we have part A and part B.

Not caring for the other person. Who is in their life - I have known people who didn't even want to tell someone ill, "I knew you had cancer." Instead they want away from the trouble and the discomfort and can't even lift a card to the mail. "What cancer?"

If we see grief and can't take a cake.

Jesus said He came for the lowly, the ill. Jesus did. We can't save people. We can do what Jesus said in small abilities. He asks more for mercy than sacrifice. One of St. Augustine's quotes says the same thing.



What is a worker of lawlessness? I've sat so often in my volunteer work with the broken hearted. A date. The way love works is you sleep with the one you want to love you. Right? No. This causes so much harm. The person who loved is harmed. This can go on and on. Lives actually change.

What is a worker of lawlessness? I saw one man feel cold that women want him to sleep with them like he is a rollercoaster. He looks hopeless as he says, what is a man to do. Bless his soul. No one, no one, no one has told him, he can say no and be free.

The movies look easy. Life doesn't have a 90 minute plot.

The Laws given have all the blessings put around them. And Jesus tells us we can't do the law. We are not good enough.

When we are sure we can call upon the name of Jesus the Lord, the Messiah, the Savior to be our waiter. We are in a 'world of hurt'.









Remember the well know prayers of the Pharisee and Tax Collector. The Tax Collector today might be - Someone in the medical profession refusing services to the dying when this is just a pill or something within reach. Someone who is paid four times what a job costs and doesn't ever offer anything that gives back. A Viking - a pillager. Jesus says once this is a lawyer who doesn't care one ounce for justice or mercy.

Ok, sure we know the story - The Pharisee says "I'm so good, thank God, I'm not the unsaved and the people with horrid people. I was smarter than That. Jesus loves the clean nose."

The first sentence says
"9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt."

And of course

13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified.






No one in life is going to get out of this life without some hurt. Trouble. Just like the Prodigal Son story, we have to go to our Father knowing we have had some of this: sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, pride, arrogance and folly.


When we truly believe we call upon the real Jesus. The Son of God. Innocent and placed as God in an animal feeder, wrapped up tightly. Healing the blind. The deaf hear. When we know God is there for us. When we want to please Jesus.

This happens in the howl of wild winds of life;


24“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”


Just like the Pastor said last Sunday. Just like Paul said in the Holy Spirit. We are going to find Jesus to help us.

Then we know. His Banner over me is Love. We can call on Jesus, for He cares this much for us. And we are profoundly grateful. Understanding the cost.

Father God,

Help us all to speak up. and give tens units and pray. Forgiven is strength to carry on.

We want our First Amendment to be there. Help us to use this and use this and use this. 

Give us wisdom to discern Your will daily.  Be with us in Grace and Kindness as we approach Your throne with Jesus confidence.

We cannot earn. We cannot work. We cannot repay. For what You have given.

We call ourselves wise. We arrogantly hold up opinions on right and wrong. We do not create life. We do not last more than tree. Our opinions will not matter in a hundred years.

And what Jesus has done for me, a sinner. In the name of Jesus, I am eternal - today. I am redeemed for His Righteousness. I am Blessed.

Thank You, Jesus. My God. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †