Matt 2:1-2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."
Después de nacer Jesús en Belén de Judea, en tiempos del rey Herodes, he aquí, unos magos del oriente llegaron a Jerusalén, diciendo: 2 ¿Dónde está el Rey de los judíos que ha nacido? Porque vimos su estrella en el oriente y hemos venido a adorarle.
Intro.: The Wise Men were looking for a Savior, and they recognized the sign of Jesus. They followed that sign until the found Jesus. When they found HIM they worshipped HIM with very costly offerings. Our challenge is to still be seeking the sign of the Savior, to do whatever it takes to get to where Jesus is, and to worship HIM with our very best gifts. This is our highest calling.
Matt 6:31-34 Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
NOTHING ELSE MATTERS UNLESS WE SEEK THE KING & HIS WILL FOR US
I. I See His Star Shining Once Again
Tim. 3:1-5
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-- having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
Matthew 24:42,44 “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. . . . Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh”
The ungodliness of this generation is the surest sign of Christ’s imminent return!
Every biblical prophecy regarding the end times has been fulfilled except for the rapture of the Church
Jesus is coming again soon & very soon. Wise men are seeking HIM!
While on a South Pole expedition, British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton left a few men on Elephant Island, promising that he would return. Later, when he tried to go back, huge icebergs blocked the way. But suddenly, as if by a miracle, an avenue opened in the ice and Shackleton was able to get through. His men, ready and waiting, quickly scrambled aboard. No sooner had the ship cleared the island than the ice crashed together behind them. Contemplating their narrow escape, the explorer said to his men, "It was fortunate you were all packed and ready to go!" They replied, "We never gave up hope. Whenever the sea was clear of ice, we rolled up our sleeping bags and reminded each other, 'The boss may come today.'"
II. Push Aside Every Obstacle
Hebrews 12:1 kjv Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Fight the Crowd, like the woman with the flow of blood
Touch the hem of HIS Garment
III. Bring an Offering to the KING
Geneses 4:3-5 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
Come looking for HIM but don’t come empty handed
Don’t bring HIM a 2nd class offering
Don’t go cheap on GOD!
Bring HIM the first born of your flocks, and see how the favor of GOD brings victory into your life!
Conclusion: Wise men still seek HIM. His star is shining once again in our generation. Push through every obstacle, set aside every distraction, and bring an offering into the presence of the Most High King.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Finding faith from skepticism
I was reading Exodus this morning, and the first bits of Leviticus. I was reading from a skeptical point of view, not because I have doubts, but because I am always looking for a better defense of my faith. As I read about the sacrifices, I noticed that all of the really choice portions of the offerings got to be eaten by the priests. I thought about the liberal critics and their scoffing attitude towards the WORD, and I saw a real opportunity for the skeptics to jump all over this. From a critical, doubting perspective, it looked like Moses set up the Tabernacle and the priestly sacrifice to benefit himself and his family. He and his close relatives got the best food the nation could provide, wore the finest garments in all of Israel, and held tremendous authority and power over the people. Then I got to chapter ten. Leviticus 10:1,2 Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. 2 So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.
Aaron was the High Priest and his four sons were priests. This was the very beginning of the priestly ministry for Israel, and two of his sons were killed by God for not following Moses' exact instructions for worship, as given by God. Now I really started thinking! To whom much is given, much is required. Sure, the priests got to eat well and dress finely, but what a responsiblity they assumed! Every time they handled the Lord's sacrifice or performed the rituals of the Tabernacle, they were literally putting their lives on the line. Another verse came to mind: A workman is worthy of his hire.
Moses didn't set up the priestly order and Israel's sacrificial system to benefit his family: his family paid dearly to answer God's call upon them!
I approached the scripture with skepticism and came away with greater faith! When we approach God's word honestly, HIS word can handle the close examination and build our faith. It isn't wrong to question, or even to doubt, as long as we keep seeking until we find truth.
In the end, the word of God is living and sharper than a two edged sword, and well able to answer our doubts and fill our hearts with ever greater faith.
Aaron was the High Priest and his four sons were priests. This was the very beginning of the priestly ministry for Israel, and two of his sons were killed by God for not following Moses' exact instructions for worship, as given by God. Now I really started thinking! To whom much is given, much is required. Sure, the priests got to eat well and dress finely, but what a responsiblity they assumed! Every time they handled the Lord's sacrifice or performed the rituals of the Tabernacle, they were literally putting their lives on the line. Another verse came to mind: A workman is worthy of his hire.
Moses didn't set up the priestly order and Israel's sacrificial system to benefit his family: his family paid dearly to answer God's call upon them!
I approached the scripture with skepticism and came away with greater faith! When we approach God's word honestly, HIS word can handle the close examination and build our faith. It isn't wrong to question, or even to doubt, as long as we keep seeking until we find truth.
In the end, the word of God is living and sharper than a two edged sword, and well able to answer our doubts and fill our hearts with ever greater faith.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Do you believe in modern Prophets & Apostles?
I recently picked up a Charisma magazine. Generally, I have very literal interest in what's going on in the church world beyond my own neighborhood. I stay loosely informed, but I despise christian fads. What struck me from Charisma was the preponderance of Prophets, Apostles, and other minor deities. In Lystra, Paul and Barnabas were extremely vehement about not allowing the people to worship them. It appears to me that there is a massive movement in charismatic circles today to solicit worship for the preachers. Some of the ideas are fantastic, such as armor bearers. But, the potential for abuse is real and appears to me to be a common pattern.
Is this a WOF thing or part of the broader charismatic world? The whole concept of SUPERSTAR preachers is antithetical to the gospel.
I seem to recall a worship leader named Lucifer who began to crave the anointing of his Master.
Am I wrong? I have never met anyone whom I thought would qualify as an Apostle. Everyone I know of who has called themself Prophet or Prophetess "X" has had an easily exposed track record of false prophecies which were never fulfilled. I am not saying there are not prophets and apostles among us: I am saying that men and women with that type of anointing in their lives are unlikely to have the hubris to label themselves as such.
Is this a WOF thing or part of the broader charismatic world? The whole concept of SUPERSTAR preachers is antithetical to the gospel.
I seem to recall a worship leader named Lucifer who began to crave the anointing of his Master.
Am I wrong? I have never met anyone whom I thought would qualify as an Apostle. Everyone I know of who has called themself Prophet or Prophetess "X" has had an easily exposed track record of false prophecies which were never fulfilled. I am not saying there are not prophets and apostles among us: I am saying that men and women with that type of anointing in their lives are unlikely to have the hubris to label themselves as such.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Bible Possibly Written Centuries Earlier, Text Suggests
Scientists have discovered the earliest known Hebrew writing - an inscription dating from the 10th century B.C., during the period of King David's reign.
The breakthrough could mean that portions of the Bible were written centuries earlier than previously thought. (The Bible's Old Testament is thought to have been first written down in an ancient form of Hebrew.)
Until now, many scholars have held that the Hebrew Bible originated in the 6th century B.C., because Hebrew writing was thought to stretch back no further. But the newly deciphered Hebrew text is about four centuries older, scientists announced this month.
"It indicates that the Kingdom of Israel already existed in the 10th century BCE and that at least some of the biblical texts were written hundreds of years before the dates presented in current research," said Gershon Galil, a professor of Biblical Studies at the University of Haifa in Israel, who deciphered the ancient text.
BCE stands for "before common era," and is equivalent to B.C., or before Christ.
The writing was discovered more than a year ago on a pottery shard dug up during excavations at Khirbet Qeiyafa, near Israel's Elah valley. The excavations were carried out by archaeologist Yosef Garfinkel of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. At first, scientists could not tell if the writing was Hebrew or some other local language.
Finally, Galil was able to decipher the text. He identified words particular to the Hebrew language and content specific to Hebrew culture to prove that the writing was, in fact, Hebrew.
"It uses verbs that were characteristic of Hebrew, such as asah ('did') and avad ('worked'), which were rarely used in other regional languages," Galil said. "Particular words that appear in the text, such as almanah ('widow') are specific to Hebrew and are written differently in other local languages."
The ancient text is written in ink on a trapezoid-shaped piece of pottery about 6 inches by 6.5 inches (15 cm by 16.5 cm). It appears to be a social statement about how people should treat slaves, widows and orphans. In English, it reads (by numbered line):
1' you shall not do [it], but worship the [Lord].
2' Judge the sla[ve] and the wid[ow] / Judge the orph[an]
3' [and] the stranger. [Pl]ead for the infant / plead for the po[or and]
4' the widow. Rehabilitate [the poor] at the hands of the king.
5' Protect the po[or and] the slave / [supp]ort the stranger.
The content, which has some missing letters, is similar to some Biblical scriptures, such as Isaiah 1:17, Psalms 72:3, and Exodus 23:3, but does not appear to be copied from any Biblical texts.
Clara Moskowitz
LiveScience Staff Writer
LiveScience.com clara Moskowitz
livescience.com
Fri Jan 15, 9:40 am ET
Copyright © 2010 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.Questions or CommentsPrivacy PolicyAbout Our AdsTerms of ServiceCopyright/IP Policy
The breakthrough could mean that portions of the Bible were written centuries earlier than previously thought. (The Bible's Old Testament is thought to have been first written down in an ancient form of Hebrew.)
Until now, many scholars have held that the Hebrew Bible originated in the 6th century B.C., because Hebrew writing was thought to stretch back no further. But the newly deciphered Hebrew text is about four centuries older, scientists announced this month.
"It indicates that the Kingdom of Israel already existed in the 10th century BCE and that at least some of the biblical texts were written hundreds of years before the dates presented in current research," said Gershon Galil, a professor of Biblical Studies at the University of Haifa in Israel, who deciphered the ancient text.
BCE stands for "before common era," and is equivalent to B.C., or before Christ.
The writing was discovered more than a year ago on a pottery shard dug up during excavations at Khirbet Qeiyafa, near Israel's Elah valley. The excavations were carried out by archaeologist Yosef Garfinkel of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. At first, scientists could not tell if the writing was Hebrew or some other local language.
Finally, Galil was able to decipher the text. He identified words particular to the Hebrew language and content specific to Hebrew culture to prove that the writing was, in fact, Hebrew.
"It uses verbs that were characteristic of Hebrew, such as asah ('did') and avad ('worked'), which were rarely used in other regional languages," Galil said. "Particular words that appear in the text, such as almanah ('widow') are specific to Hebrew and are written differently in other local languages."
The ancient text is written in ink on a trapezoid-shaped piece of pottery about 6 inches by 6.5 inches (15 cm by 16.5 cm). It appears to be a social statement about how people should treat slaves, widows and orphans. In English, it reads (by numbered line):
1' you shall not do [it], but worship the [Lord].
2' Judge the sla[ve] and the wid[ow] / Judge the orph[an]
3' [and] the stranger. [Pl]ead for the infant / plead for the po[or and]
4' the widow. Rehabilitate [the poor] at the hands of the king.
5' Protect the po[or and] the slave / [supp]ort the stranger.
The content, which has some missing letters, is similar to some Biblical scriptures, such as Isaiah 1:17, Psalms 72:3, and Exodus 23:3, but does not appear to be copied from any Biblical texts.
Clara Moskowitz
LiveScience Staff Writer
LiveScience.com clara Moskowitz
livescience.com
Fri Jan 15, 9:40 am ET
Copyright © 2010 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.Questions or CommentsPrivacy PolicyAbout Our AdsTerms of ServiceCopyright/IP Policy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)