Psalm 137:1
“By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.”
As Israel sat captive in Babylon, all they did was talk about what it used to be like. They reminisced about their homeland and what it used to be like. The time of reminiscing caused them to do nothing. In fact, it says that they hung their “harps upon the willows.” They got to the point when they were asked to sing one of the songs of Zion that they responded in verse 4, “How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a strange land?” They thought that all they had left were memories.
Jeremiah 26:15
“But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof: for of a truth the LORD hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears.”
We live in times when if you don't like the message, it is easy to move to another messenger who will give you a message that you do like. Churches, and I use that word loosely, abound everywhere. What I have seen happen with many Christians is, instead of dealing with their own issues that have been discovered, they would rather go to another church hoping this new pastor won’t be as “restrictive” as the previous one. The problem that these Christians face is that the messenger was not the problem, the problem was the listener who wouldn't repent.
Four great messages for the first week of 2016:
- Why Did this Happen to Me?
- Why Did this Happen to Me? #2
- The Perilous Days Challenge
- Spiritual Maturity
Now at Baptist City!
Sunday, 12/27/15 Ps 95:7b-8a, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart, as in the provocation... It seems that hardening is a possible (or probable) daily occurrence, so softening must also be done daily (at least.) Prepare your mind and heart before coming to your Bible or prayer time. Ps 95:2, Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. An idea for you musical people: set more Scripture to music and share it. An idea for all of us: set more Scripture to music for you and God to enjoy. YES: Y-O-U come up with some tunes. How? Memorize a verse; review it frequently, ask God to help with a tune, go out walking and reciting, refine it, and hopefully, share it, but at least use it for you. Quit making excuses and let God use you to obey this verse and be a blessing to others.
Jeremiah 10:2
“Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.”
A banker once explained to me how they were trained to spot a counterfeit. He told me that the bank did not show them counterfeit money, but they were taught how to spot a counterfeit by being very familiar with real money. He said that the familiarity with the real thing would cause them to easily spot a counterfeit.
Jeremiah 1:4
“Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,”
It was June 21, 1973. I was sitting in my living room and my mother was giving devotions because my father was out soul winning. That was the first time in my life that the LORD spoke to me. It was that night that He spoke to me about my need of a Saviour, and it was that night that I put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ to be my personal Saviour.
Isaiah 61:4
“And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.”
One would think that the past can have no influence on the future, but when you look at the verse above you will see this is not true. God teaches us that when a person is filled with the Spirit of God, they will build that which was wasted and torn down. Notice, their future was to build the “old wastes.” In order to move forward they had to look back to see what “former desolations” they must rebuild. They must look at what the “waste cities” used to be in order to build the new city. Their future was the past.
The evening sermon from 12/27/15 is now up at Baptist City!
Isaiah 49:1
“Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.”
It is very clear from the verse above that Jesus was placed on this Earth to fulfill a purpose. It says, “The LORD hath called me from the womb…” The Messiah was placed on this Earth to reconcile Israel to the Father through His sacrificial death, and He was also placed on this Earth to be a light to the Gentiles. Everything Jesus did while on this Earth was to fulfill that purpose.
The 01/03/16 FBC Hammond bulletin is up at www.baptist-city.com