Luke 1:68-80 ~ Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,

 

Luke 1:68-80

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people
69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David,
70as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
71that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
72to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

76And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
78because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
79to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.






Why read Luke 1 when Christmas is over? We all walk, mostly, a similar path today and tomorrow and the next day. We need to see something of this day and every day that is meaningful.


Today, I began my day reading Luke 1 and the joy of the strength of the Spirit was Good. The last sentence of Luke 1.

To God be the Glory.

Why?

 Because when you read Revelations - the structure of the Universe - life - death - judgment - wow.  Thank God for His Wisdom and His Goodness and His Intelligence and His Will. Revelation has Chapters showing sorrow in God for choices of Death His children make.. Jesus died and one of His important statements informs us He was forming a new Heaven and new earth to cast out evil. Satan fell from Heaven. Jesus is King of Kings and the earth and the fulfillment thereof is - His Jesus;.

There is some absolute dire-ness in life and death. And we really need to trust the Lord to sort this. I love the honesty of John in Revelation 1 saying John fainted to the ground with fear. This is were Angels tread and with yar - Reverence. This is where God puts His Throne of emerald green - His favorite color. This is where God designs and sits with streams of water from His Throne. Trees of Life lead to His Throne. Where all of His creation will see. And the Cherubim and Seraphim are His Beautiful Creations.

We all have a fear. Be it bad death, meaningless life, being broke, the catastrophic events that happen. Being alone. Being reviled for being yourself. Revelation says God deals with this as God Almighty. Our prayers are breathed by God and He understands. No person creates by Word alone. God does! His Word upholds Life. John says - from his understanding in watching Jesus - God is Love. John found profound awe and all his days were blessed by God. And still he fell down to the ground to see Jesus on His Throne. And Jesus? He reassured John.

We will find Goodness in God's Glory. Eternally. Each day we can find the Light of Christ in mankind. And in that Light of Jesus - we draw strength - to go on in Hope. To comfort others. Anticipating the Goodness of God.

God is our destination. Thank God we are the Easter people - where the gap in us is met by Jesus the Lord.

Abba, our beloved Abba,

With Jesus, the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. The Gospels tell us we can ask for Jesus to pray with us in the Name of Jesus.

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

Hebrews 7 tells us, You have raised Jesus up to being our Mediator in Heaven. And Jesus is not of the tribe of Levi, He is Lion of the Tribe of Judah. We can expect God to be in the changes in life as well as the same routine.

We will come before the Throne of You, Father God, with confidence in Jesus. In prayer. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to You, Father God.

Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.


Father God, I lift up my household. Changes are upon us in health and needs. I lift up a path of internal Joy able to give Joy to others. I lift up Life and Health and Anticipation of You. I lift up moving beyond the trudge of the day - to the anticipation of accomplishment. Of the clarity of what is needed for each day. Wisdom to draw up solutions.

I give you thanks for my sons - their encouragement in Love. Their hopes and dreams to be answered by You, Father, as their Father in Hope and with open arms, Your Open Heart and open doors. I thank You tremendously for Your Goodness to them in this season. Thank You, Thank You, Father God.

We bless You for exercise. For holding on to You. For putting up our prayers and in faith knowing You know exactly our hearts and our needs. Help us to lean to Your Plan for this place of renewal, safety and diligent path. All Your works in the Holiness of Scripture show us we need to work and travel in Jesus in Faith. You give us work - the work of belief. I will trust in You. Remember us Father and strengthen and renew us in Your Good purpose.

Bless those who comfort one another. Bless them to draw up strength in their own Encouragement.

Thank You Jesus for the encouragers in my life. We lift up those we Love and the people God has given us. We thank You for Your renewal of mercy for us all. For the blessings we seek, in Your willingness. For the communion of prayer of the saints. For this Nation. The world knowing Jesus Christ and the world learning Jesus Christ. The Path of Christians. Amen and to Jesus to the people we will come to know. To God be the Glory. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Genesis 1:2 ~ The Spirit of God

Jesus must not be enjoying Egyptian bath time. Seems a good time to look at Jesus being young, just as this is still a New Year. Jesus is far, far, far from being a mere god we must always seek. Jesus is God who dwells within - knowing He is invited. And unlike the drawing, Jesus has come far, far to be dwelling among men. Zechariah and John the Beloved Disciple refer to Jesus being the Light of mankind, Light of the world. His Father would agree in Genesis 1.

Our first account of Jesus outside of Genesis 1 is more in line with the favor of God. Jesus is, we know, the exact representation of His Father. Jesus tells us when we see God, we see Jesus.

C'mon think about this.

Genesis 1:2
The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Proverbs 8:23-31 

Ages ago I was set up,
at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
24 When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no springs abounding with water.
25 Before the mountains had been shaped,
before the hills, I was brought forth,
26 before he had made the earth with its fields,
or the first of the dust of the world.
27 When he established the heavens, I was there;
when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
28 when he made firm the skies above,
when he established the fountains of the deep,
29 when he assigned to the sea its limit,
so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,

30 then I was beside him, like a master workman,
and I was daily his delight,
rejoicing before him always,

31 rejoicing in his inhabited world
and delighting in the children of man.

Exodus 34:6,7
And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.


And when would the face of God not be as filled with delight. Perhaps when the Prodigal son came asking for what was not his. Wanting separation. When a Father is called up on to set the path straight.


God has gone to amazing lengths to be part of our lives and paths.


Genesis has a quote for something exactly like this ~ the lengths Jesus has gone to to be in God's plan.

Genesis 46

¹ So Israel took his journey with all that he had

 

Jesus is recorded during Baptismal services today with the interactions Jesus has with people and water.

Being obedient to God to be Baptized and the pleasure of His Father announcing "Jesus is His Beloved Son - listen to Him."

Jesus being God knowing how healing the man at the Pool of Bethesda is going to go. The man had not asked to be healed per se, but Jesus was there and 38 years were healed.

Jesus did not quit for the man wanting to be on the side of the questioners at the Temple, Jesus was known to go to the Town of Bethsaida and to heal using His saliva and mud - sending the formerly blind man to the Pool of Siloam - sent - sent to be healed.

Jesus used saliva again and the man who was blind now said he saw trees walking instead of men. Jesus grabbed hold of the man again and the man could see.

Jesus walked on water, once perhaps teasing the disciples that He intended just to pass by, but when Peter needed Him - Jesus immediately helped Peter. Peter probably never forgot what it felt like to walk on water with the help of Jesus. Firmly back in the boat. And seeing Jesus calm the storm by His Word.

Let us all remember to thank Jesus for being sealed by the Name and Grace and Mercy of Jesus.



Father God, Abba,

Take and seal us forever sealed in Jesus Christ, in our souls. Extend Your love and mercy to those we love and our our prayer requests for the people You give us. We trust all of our cares up to You. For those nearby, far away up to the Nation and the prayers of all those around the world.

In Jesus. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

James 2:12-13 ~ Mercy

James 2:12-13

http://www.hopepointe.org/sermons/2017/1/8/living-together-in-the-goodness-of-god-god-is-good-all-the-time

12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.




1 John 3

2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

8 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.



Ephesians 3:12
In Him and through faith in Him we may enter God's presence with boldness and confidence.


1 John 2:28
And now, little children, remain in Him, so that when He appears, we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming.


Job 22:26
Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty and will lift up your face to God.

Jesus of Nazareth

Numbers 6

21 “This is the law of the Nazirite. But if he vows an offering to the Lord above his Nazirite vow, as he can afford, in exact accordance with the vow that he takes, then he shall do in addition to the law of the Nazirite.”

22 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,

24
The Lord bless you and keep you;
25
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

27 “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”




Abba Father, Beloved Father,

We are blessed in the fulfillment of the Law in Jesus Christ, God Almighty.

May the Father of Jesus Christ, our Father in Jesus Christ, bless and keep us.

May God Almighty, our Father make His Face Shine upon us and be gracious to us!

The Lord our Father lift His Smile, the Delight of His Heart Shining in His Face and His Eyes.

We shall truly know Peace.

We are covered with the Highest Name of Jesus Christ and Blessed fully and completely in Jesus. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Matthew 13:1-44 ~ Jesus sat and the crowd stood

Matthew 13:1-44

13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.

 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down.

And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.”


10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”

11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

“‘“You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
15 For this people's heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.


18 “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”







24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”







31 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

33 He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”


34 All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. 35 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:




“I will open my mouth in parables;
I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.”

36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.


44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Did you ever consider...

The Seed Parable keeps growing? I always considered ok - seeds explained. If you've heard that enough - you've heard this. And really just like Jesus the Nazarene - Jesus loves to discuss real vineyards and real life. Jesus was even known to the people who wanted to detract from Him - as a drunkard.

And once this Life Loving, People Loving, World Saving - Jesus as God - gets rolling on the ideas of seeds - He takes Matthew's 13th Chapter far from seeds to :

What we should be able to see and hear in life.

That Hell is real.

Healing is real.

Heaven is within and opens arms to many. Because God dwells within us when invited.

Life reveals us.

And this Heaven of Jesus' starts as a seed and continues to crops, flour, yeast, revealing hearts, tree, branch, forests, Angels and the Gates of Heaven. From a seed.

Matthew 13




What are we going to see? If we look to people for our affirmation - we are going to have a limited view. If we look to God - we are going to seeeeeeeeeeeee so far. God has all possibilities. Trust in God.

See God as Good.

If we believe we have a dour God. We just might have a dour god. 

See God as the Goal.

If we believe we need to please people because this is always good. Remember God said to do this. Love God. Do His Will for your life. Love yourself. As a Child of God. Love others. God says put Him first. And in this framework we will find the steadfast reliability of Love, Joy, Peace, Goodness, Strength to have Joy and Encouragement.


See God as the Goodness He is.


How are we going to Pray? I am going to pray for the best. I learned in High School from a friend who is now an Anglican Priest - pray for patience and you will be surrounded with needs for Patience. Do I believe in a tricky God? No, I do not. I believe if I do not want to suffer and I tell God exactly why - God who is GOOD - has believed my honest heart. I have approached Father God in straight forward honesty. Love and Trust.

Wouldn't the Light of the World - be a seed of Light to start?

Love and Trust.


Every 500 years Our Father God moves Mightily.

Consider prayer, answered prayer and the Purposes of God the Almighty who speaks a Word and the Planets, Universe, stars, earth and Sun align.


We will begin this 500 year old parable with a seed.



What is GOD?

GOD IS THE GOOD NEWS that when you feel like you are oppressed, alone, maligned, broke, broken, ugly, and misunderstood to gossiped about.

HE IS God and He is Waiting for

...the world?

Not exactly and yes.

For You. For you are so very, very dear and beloved to our Father and Jesus. Father would run to you.

Draws you to HIM.

Just as the Gospel of Luke starts out - Thee He Adores.

And on those days - when we plainly bite the wind and suck up with a bile personality
God Gives. Those who love you, that He gives you -
we don't offer you up.

In Jesus Christ and His steadfast committed love - we say he has a bad day, please see he is Worthy. Help him, Lord Father our God.


Jesus, God is the destination every day every hour.

HE IS THE GOOD NEWS!!!

Every 500 years Our Father God moves Mightily.

Consider prayer, answered prayer and the Purposes of God the Almighty.Yes Consider Katherine of Aragon, Princess of Spain, Wife to a Prince of Wales, Widow to a Prince of Wales and ...

married to Henry VIII.


Henry was apt to seduce or sleep with any willing woman. Calling himself God's anointed. Destroying the Monasteries feeding the Nation.



This is a living parable about MINISTRY. A life long project. Growing our soul to Father God who would run to you.





Katherine of Aragon was an earnest, lovely, Jesus woman - caught up in a serious political game and then married to two brothers and both the heir apparent to the Throne of England. She earnestly prayed for her young husband, her middle aged husband and old husband -for Henry to raise a son - to be like him ???

God had other plans. Mighty Plans.

No one, no one, no one doubts the history of Henry VIII

God took Katherine's prayers and made a Biblical analogy for today. Katherine dies in anguish of cancer of the heart. Abandoned, without a son heir. Impoverished. Rejoiced over in death.

Henry's court wears yellow to show the problem is dead - JOY.

Henry has taken all the monastery money - his nation - many starve to death. Many is a National average of starvation death of a shocking 1/3. The monasteries fed the people.

Henry is succeeded by his daughter who feared him the most.

Elizabeth I - who prays and writes hymns every day. God has heard the people.


Henry VIII

Historical fact - Henry's body exploded from the coffin and was dropped as gangrene on the Windsor Chapel. And the stench of Henry led people to flee!!! Where people offered up thousands in currency to clean this up. Hours were taken as the court ran from the offer to clean up Henry VIII. The Court returned to find packs of dogs licked up his blood and ate him at the altar. A repeat of King Ahab.


Suffering Katherine of Aragon? She did. Flawed and holy.

God uses her life to show power and evil

Bible fulfilled.





Now consider Anne Boleyn the victim who won
and had revenge
and outrage.
And Justice. And so much so she was called Nan Bully.
Then Death.


Jane Seymour slyly sweep up from a friend
And died. Henry saw their son crumble into death.


Henry then hoped to re-marry Anne.
Anne of Cleves married an old age Henry and lived.
She quickly learned to keep her mouth shut, her words sweet and she lived. To escape.


Anne Howard -
oh boy this is the culture today.
She looked to Anne of Cleves - kept her mouth shut -did alllll she wanted to do
and died for this. She ended badly.


Katherine Parr. Katherine knew when there was evil nearby, do all you can to live in love.
She was afraid of Henry for good reason. She turned him down and he forced her to marry him. He said "You are overcome with the honor I do you. Straighten this face up to joy." He signed her death warrant later. God protected Katherine for her acts of love. Henry relapsed into gout and decided she could nurse him because she usually brought down his blood pressure and that worked.

When Henry was well - Katherine wasn't 20 and Henry knew she was a saint and made him look bad.

How are we going to apply this to today?

This is a seed parable of people encountering themselves and humility and difficulties.

What's in your wallet?





Father God,

Our Beloved Jesus is always willing. Let us go willingly where Your Hope and Future would take us.

After we know our sins and flaws, let us keep our eyes on Jesus. When we look at what is good, noble, pure, willing - we will see life surrounds us with Love. Eyes on Lord Jesus Christ teaches us to broaden our hearts, arms and possibilities. Just in Prayer.

The Adventure of God works all things together for Good - for those who love the Lord Jesus and would work for His Purpose.

Jesus bless those we Love. Those You have Given us. This Nation. The communion of saints praying around the world.

God is our Strength, Love and Joy. Jesus the Lord is so Wonderful. Amen in Jesus.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †