21 January 2014 - The Names of God (part one)

“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh”, Moses did God ask

In Exodus three, God said He would be with Moses for the task

Moses asked what name he should use when referring to God

“I AM WHO I AM” came the response, which sounded a bit odd

“Yahweh is the God of your fathers” – of the entire Israelite nation

And that this was how He should be remembered in every generation

For although to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob He had appeared

His name Yahweh to them He had until this time not volunteered

“The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed…and in times of trouble”

Psalm nine says that He will not forsake those, even in rubble

Exodus twenty verse seven says not to misuse the Lord’s name

He will punish anyone who does, the commandment does exclaim

We are to praise His greatness, per Deuteronomy 32 verse four

His works are perfect, his ways are just - and there is much more

We are to call on His name, per 1 Chronicles chapter sixteen

And make known to the nations all the wonders that have been

From Proverbs 18:10, the Lord’s name is a strong tower

“The righteous run to it and are safe” because of His power

Similarly, Jeremiah ten verse six does state

That “no one is like you, O Lord, you are great”

King David said to the Lord, in 2 Samuel seven verse twenty two

“How great you are, O Sovereign Lord…there is no God but you”

David also said that God had redeemed Israel as a nation

His “great and awesome wonders” are cause for celebration

God established the Israelites as His “very own forever”

Thus implying that God’s ties to them, nothing can sever

Psalm 68 says that God helps us escape from death

Psalm 70 states that God is our hope in every breath

He will destroy the unfaithful, as per Psalm seventy three

Being near God and making him our refuge is the key

“Lift up your heads, O you gates” says Psalm twenty four

So “that the King of glory may come in” through the door

For He is strong in battle and is the Lord Almighty

This is something on which the psalmists all agree

About angels singing, in Revelation fifteen John did write

“Just and true” are His ways, throughout both day and night

“All nations will come and worship before [Him]” per verse four

For revealed to all will be his righteous acts and so much more

In Job chapter thirty four, Elihu makes a statement quite strong

“Far be it from God to do evil” or “the Almighty to do wrong”

And for what a man and his conduct deserve, God will repay

“It is unthinkable…that God would pervert justice” Elihu did say

“The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power”

But because he does not oppress, we should not cower

Psalm ninety one says that God “is my refuge and fortress”

Acting as our “shield and rampart” will be his faithfulness

“I am the Alpha and the Omega”, said God in Revelation 1:8

“Who is, and who was, and who is to come” He did state

19 January 2014 - ENCS

Pastor Josh continued the series entitled "Get In Shape"

Today's topic "A Healthy Body" he did take by the nape

Pastor reviewed the message from Rachel last week

At a diagram of concentric circles we did then peek

In the middle was spirit, surrounded by our soul

To serve as a tent or dwelling is our body's goal

That things can be good for us, he did remind

As long as they don't become gods of a kind

For our spirit needs to define our entire identity

"From the inside out", as we had sung so loudly

 

About going "from death to life" Pastor did then talk

Through the start of Ephesians two we did quickly walk

We had no identity when our lives begun

We needed God in order to really have one

In our transgressions and sinful nature, we were dead

But God's love through Christ made us alive instead

For we were saved because of God's amazing grace

Not because of works done by any of the human race

And as Paul wrote in Second Corinthians 5 verse seventeen

"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation" that is clean

But being alive in Christ is not enough, Pastor did extol

We need to let that new spirit drive our body and soul

For God works in us per his will and our works are for Him

As we can read in Philippians 2:13 and in many a hymn

But it is not easy for our old self's habits to overcome

Fear, jealousy, confusion, and perfection are just some

We should not conform to this world, per Romans 12 : 2

For being transformed by God's will is what we should do

 

In regards our soul, from "turmoil to peace" Pastor did say

Per Psalm 43:5, putting our hope in God is the best way

From knowing God, we can find praise, hope, and salvation

Pastor Josh then referred to St Augustine of Hippo's oration

"Because God made us for Himself", the saint did clearly state

"Our hearts are restless until they rest in Him" and on Him wait

"He makes us lie down" in Psalm 23 David did write

So he can restore our souls, a phrase we often recite

In Matthew 11 verses 28-30, this concept Jesus did repeat

For only with Him will the rest for our souls be complete

 

Onto "A Healthy Body" and Romans six Pastor then did move

"Do not offer" parts of our "body to sin", it does behoove

Verse twelve says that in our mortal bodies, not to let sin reign

But rather offer ourselves to God, for righteousness we can gain

Pastor said that God's whispering we should not shun

That does not mean that God does not want us to have fun

For us to have a life of abundance He has no objection

As long as it is consistent with His continual direction

To sin which leads to death we should no longer be a slave

But for righteousness, we should be obedient and behave

 

"From slave to sacrifice"  is how Pastor did start to conclude

Romans twelve verse one is the passage we then viewed

We are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing

When we give our lives to God, we get freedom and fears easing

Pastor left us with Jesus' words from Luke 22 verse forty two

It is not our will, but God's will that should dictate what we do

17 January 2014 - Israel in Egypt (Exodus 1-3)

Joseph and his brothers died but the number of Israelites grew

Egypt did not remember Joseph’s deeds for the Pharaoh was new

He told his people to deal with the Israelites in a way very shrewd

He made them go into forced labor with taskmasters rather rude

But the more the Israelites were oppressed, the more they spread

Because of this, they were a group the Egyptians came to dread

Pharaoh decided to greatly reduce the Israelites in his land

Their baby boys were to be thrown in the Nile, he did command

Baby Moses was born and his mother hid him for many a week

She decided to protect him in a manner that was quite unique

She put the baby in a basket in reeds along the River Nile

Pharaoh’s daughter found the basket after a short while

She felt sorry for the baby and asked for a Israelite nurse

Moses’ mother was chosen; it could have been far worse

She was thus allowed to raise her precious little one

After he grew up, Moses became Pharaoh’s grandson

Moses went to see his people and how they were treated

He saw an Egyptian abusing a man and became quite heated

Moses killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand

The implications of this at the time he did not understand

He saw two Israelites and tried to stop their fight

The men made it clear that his crime they did sight

Moses became scared and from Egypt he did then flee

He went to Midian where his safety he could guarantee

Meanwhile the difficult labor forced the Israelites to cry out

God remembered his covenants and cared, without a doubt

Moses was tending a flock in the desert after many a year

In flames from within a bush the angel of the Lord did appear

The bush did not burn up and so Moses went to look around

God told him that the place he was standing was holy ground

Moses was afraid to look at God so he hid his face

God said he knew the misery of the Israelite race

And told Moses that back to Pharaoh he was being sent

To lead the Israelites out of Egypt and their discontent

15 January 2014 - Job (Job 1-42)

There lived a man named Job who was blameless and upright

He was a great man who shunned evil, the author did write

The angels and Satan appeared in front of the Lord one day

Satan had been roaming the earth trying to get his way

God said to consider Job, the man of perfect integrity

Satan said that God had blessed Job so incredibly

Job’s blessings Satan challenged God to reverse

Saying that God was the one Job would surely curse

God accepted Satan’s challenge, with only one condition

To touch Job himself, God did not give Satan permission

His cattle, servants, daughters, and sons Job then did lose

Satan waited anxiously to see how Job reacted to the news

Job tore his robe and shaved his head for what was done

“Then he fell to the ground in worship”, per verses 20 and 21

And Job stated “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away”

“May the name of the Lord be praised”, as Job did every day

“In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing”

For a righteous and upright life he wanted to keep pursuing

Satan presented himself to God once again on another day

Job maintained his integrity despite the events, God did say

Satan said that if Job’s own flesh was struck, he would despair

God accepted the challenge, but Job’s life Satan must spare

So Job’s entire body with painful sores Satan did supply

His wife told Job that he should “curse God and die”

Job responded to his wife’s comments on the double

“Should we accept good from God, and not trouble?”

Job’s three friends heard about all of Job’s adversity

They went to comfort him but saw him and felt pity

For seven days and nights with him they sat on the ground

Nobody spoke a word because his suffering had no bound

Eliphaz said that nobody perished if they were actually innocent

But to those who sowed trouble God’s destruction would be sent

He then counseled Job to approach God with an appeal

For if God corrected him, blessed is how he would feel

After his friends shared similar views as Eliphaz had done

Job replied that their torment had lasted long after it begun

And per chapter nineteen, if it was true that he had gone astray

It was his own concern that God may have blocked his way

But even if God had denied him justice, per chapter twenty seven

Job’ lips would never speak wickedness about God in heaven

Vowing to maintain his integrity and righteousness until he died

Job continued to be upright while to his friends he replied

The Lord eventually answered Job in chapter thirty eight

“Brace yourself like a man; I will question you” He did state

Job was reminded that the earth and its wonders God created

So anyone who argues with God will have their future ill-fated

In chapter forty, Job said that he was unworthy to answer the Lord

The Lord asked Job more questions to ensure they were in accord

“I know that God can do all things”, Job said in chapter forty two

Adding that God cannot be thwarted in anything He plans to do

Job confessed that there were many things he did not understand

But he heartily repented for he had experienced God first hand

God was angry with Job’s friends for going somewhat astray

But they atoned with sacrifices and for them Job did pray

“The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first”

Prospering him again and ensuring he would never hunger or thirst

14 January 2014 - Jacob and Joseph

Isaac married Rebekah when he was forty years old

She was barren, but Isaac prayed in a way quite bold

She got pregnant with twins who jostled inside of her

God told Rebekah that the “older will serve the younger”

The firstborn was Esau who was all hairy and red

Then came Jacob, grabbing Esau’s heel instead

Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for wild game

But Rebekah loved the one with Jacob as his name

Esau, exhausted from a day’s work, came in one night

For some of Jacob’s stew, he parted with his birthright

This upset the Lord, as per Malachi 1 verses two and three

Esau is called godless, in Hebrews 12:16-18 we do see

For a single meal, he sold his inheritance right as the eldest son

When he wanted to inherit the blessing, this could not be undone

From a very young age, Jacob’s son Joseph tended sheep

Jacob loved Joseph and gave him a bright robe to keep

Because of this, his brothers despised him and were mean

Joseph had dreams whose meaning were not hard to glean

Implying that his brothers would end up bowing down to him

Thus jealousy filled his brothers’ hearts right up to the brim

Acts chapter seven talks about the covenant of circumcision

Isaac, Jacob, and their heirs all received God’s provision

Jacob’s sons became known as the twelve patriarchs

Joseph’s brothers sold him as a slave due to his remarks

But God gave Joseph wisdom so he gained Pharaoh’s goodwill

He thus helped his family when a great famine did destroy and kill

On their second trip to Egypt, Joseph’s identity was revealed

Because of his actions, the rifts in the family were soon healed

All seventy five members of Jacob’s family moved to Egypt

This is where they lived and died, according to God’s script

When Jacob died, Pharaoh allowed him in Canaan to be buried

So to the river Jordan, Joseph and his brothers the body carried

The brothers worried that Joseph would be holding a grudge

But he told them that for their wrongs, he was not the judge

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good”

To save many lives, as only one with God’s favor could

In Genesis fifty, Joseph promised for their families to provide

“He reassured them and spoke kindly to them” after he cried

“In all things God works for the good of those who love him”

This is repeated in Romans 8:28 as well as many a hymn

13 January 2014 - Abraham

From Genesis chapter twelve it is clear what God had planned

He told Abraham to leave his country and move to a new land

For “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you”

“I will make your name great and you will be a blessing too”

So Abram left as the Lord told him; with him went cousin Lot

Setting out for Canaan with families, possessions, and what not

They arrived to find Canaanites in the land God was promising

But God appeared saying, “I will give this land to your offspring”

So Abram “built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared”

For it was the Lord who God and his family earnestly revered

After Abram saved Lot and others from the powerful kings four

The Lord’s word came to him in a vision that rocked him to his core

“I am your shield and your very great reward” so “do not be afraid”

But Abram doubted since no heirs had he and his wife made

The Lord said that Abram would have a son as his rightful heir

The offspring would number more than the stars, God did declare

The words were not written for Abram alone, per Romans 4: 23-25

But for all that believe in Jesus who from the dead came alive

Per Genesis sixteen, “Abram’s wife, Sarai, had borne him no children”

“Go sleep with my maidservant” named Hagar, she told Abram then

Abram agreed and did that in the hope she would bear him a child

Hagar despised Sarai after conceiving; this of course Sarai reviled

Hagar then tried to run away but to her the Lord did speak

She gave birth to Ishmael, whose future was quite unique

God changed Abram’s name to Abraham when he was ninety nine

At the same time, he established a covenant that was divine

“The Lord was gracious to Sarah” as per chapter twenty one

When “Abraham was in his old age”, Sarah bore him a son

In Genesis twenty two, God later put Abraham to the test

To sacrifice his son Isaac was God’s stated request

Abraham did as he was told and tied Isaac to an altar

He raised a knife to kill the boy, Abraham did not falter

But an angel of the Lord intervened and told him to stop

God had seen that Abraham’s obedience was tip-top

And as 1 John four verse ten does plainly discuss

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us”

As an atoning sacrifice for our sins, God sent his Son
Like Abraham, God was willing to part with a loved one

12 January 2014 - Noah and the Flood

Per Genesis six, Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time

When he reached five hundred years old, he was still in his prime

For he then had three sons and with God he continues to walk

One day God revealed his plans to Noah during their daily talk

God needed to nip increasingly evil thoughts and deeds in the bud

He was therefore going to destroy all creatures with a great flood

He gave Noah detailed plans about how to build a very large ark

This would serve to protect him when things got so wet and dark

God told Noah to take his family and two of all living thing

“Every kind of food that is to be eaten” Noah was to bring

Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came

For forty days and nights the rain fell, everywhere was the same

The waters covered all the earth and even the mountains so tall

Everything not in Noah’s ark was destroyed, both big and small

“The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days”

Throughout that time, nobody was able to see the sun’s rays

“By faith Noah…built an ark” per Hebrews eleven verse seven

He “became heir of the righteousness” that comes from heaven

Noah sent out a dove, from Genesis chapter eight we understand

The dove flew back and forth but could not find a place to land

After seven more days, Noah sent out the dove once more

It returned with an olive leaf; it was time for Noah to explore

The water had dried up from the earth, which was no dry

Every living thing came off the ark and began to multiply

Noah built an altar and on it burnt offerings he did sacrifice

God said in his heart that the aroma was pleasing and nice

He promised never to “curse the ground because of man”

Even though man’s inclination is evil throughout his lifespan

“Never again will I destroy all living creatures” God did say

This is a promise that God has kept right up until this day