28 June 2014 - Israel Returns and Rebuilds

The Lord moved the king of Persia’s heart, per Ezra one

So that Jeremiah’s prophecy would be fulfilled and done

To build a temple for God, Cyrus the king was directed

He said that wishes of God’s people would be respected

So several families prepared to go back to Jerusalem

Taking silver, gold, goods, and livestock with them

Articles from the temple, King Cyrus also did return

Returning to Jerusalem is what the people did yearn

Per Haggai one, the word of the Lord came through

He made it clear to the returning people what to do

Reminding them that the temple was in a bad state

Despite their houses being paneled, looking great

God then said, “Give careful thought to your ways”

Rebuild the temple to bring honor for all the days

So the high priest and the remnant of the people

Obeyed the Lord’s voice and raised a new steeple

Per Zechariah one, the prophet had a vision

It seems that God had made a big decision

Angels “found the whole world at rest and in peace”

So the Lord’s anger with Jerusalem would cease

He promised to “return to Jerusalem with mercy”

And “his towns will again overflow with prosperity”

When Judah’s enemies heard the plans, per Ezra four

The temple for the Lord they offered to help restore

But the heads of the families this offer did refuse

Building it alone is the path they preferred to choose

So the other people set out to make them afraid

They did things which made the project delayed

But Haggai and Zechariah continued to preach

Eventually the objective the people did reach

The temple was built according to God’s command

For many more years, it would continue to stand

15 June 2014 - ENCS

Pastor Larry continued the "Greater Than" series this Father's Day

Talking about suffering which of course happens in many a way

But first we took some time to hear the testimony of the family Brill

Who went through tough times but are now living per God's will

To Joel chapter two verse twenty five they in conclusion did refer

That God can repay the years of suffering, they clearly do concur

 

From John sixteen and James five, Pastor Larry did then read

Despite our worldly troubles, God offers all the mercy we need

"God is Greater than Bad Days" was the apt title of Pastor's talk

Reminding us that none of our bad days compared to Job's walk

On one day, he lost all his cattle and most of his family as well

On the second, he got sores all over his body the Bible does tell

Into his life and actions and faith, Job's wife and friends did prod

Job corrected them, prayed, remained silent, and repented to God

 

Job suffered loss and emotional pain greater than most could bear

But per Isaiah sixty one, we are told to praise instead of despair

When Job was faced with the losses and pain, God he did worship

"The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away," he did astutely quip

 

Job suffered sickness and much physical pain, Pastor went on to say

Per John nine, sometimes this comes so God's work He can display

When faced with this, Job's wife asked him to curse God and die

He rebuked her strongly and instead focused on how to God glorify

 

Job suffered accusations from his friends and therefore mental pain

Per Matthew five, for the kingdom of heaven the persecuted will attain

Despite that, Job knew that God knew the way that Job would take

God was ultimately in control and happy is what He would Job make

 

In conclusion, Pastor Larry then read from First Peter chapter number four

Which said that no matter what trials we face, we will be blessed even more

So remember that struggles and challenges this world will momentarily bring

And we should worship, glorify, and give thanks in the midst of any suffering

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As I listened to Pastor's sermon, I thought of another poem once done

About suffering and perseverance, using Romans five from verse one

"Therefore", the start of this passage sayeth
"We have been justified through faith"
"We have peace with God through Christ"
For it was his sacrifice that sufficed
"In the hope of the glory of God" we rejoice
But also in our sufferings, for we do have a choice
For "suffering produces perseverance"
Which then leads to character's appearance
From character we then get hope
Can hope disappoint us? Nope!
"For God has poured out his love into our hearts"

That is where the work of the Holy Spirit starts

1 June 2014 - Daniel Reads the Writing on the Wall

“King Belshazzar gave a great banquet”, per Daniel five

He served wine in gold goblets when the guests did arrive

Although from the temple in Jerusalem the goblets came

They praised “the gods of silver and gold” all the same

Then “suddenly the fingers of a human hand” did appear

“And wrote…on the wall,” leading the king to greatly fear

None of his wise men could decipher what the hand did write

So the great king became filled with more terror and fright

The queen came into the hall and said not to be alarmed

For she knew of a man who with great insight was armed

For Belshazzar’s father, Daniel interpreted many a dream

So could thus determine the writing’s meaning and theme

“Daniel was brought before the king” and promised riches

He said Belshazzar’s father had gotten too big for his britches

This arrogance and pride are what led to his big downfall

Yet Belshazzar was doing the same in the banquet hall

By praising the gods of silver and gold and the like

He did not honor God who had the power to strike

So God’s hand wrote “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin”

Meaning that a big mess Belshazzar was now in

His days were numbered, Daniel then confided

His kingdom to his enemies would be divided

And “that very night Belshazzar…was slain”

Darius the Mede thus began his lengthy reign

31 May 2014 - The Fall and Restoration of Israel

Jeremiah looked at Jerusalem, per Lamentations one

It seemed the people’s suffering was far from done

It was as if the nation went from queen to slave

She weeps bitterly for citizens gone to the grave

But Jeremiah had hope, per Lamentations three

For the Lord’s great love is there for all to see

“His compassions never fail” and his faithfulness great

Jeremiah said to himself that for the Lord he would wait

“The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him”

For those who seek Him, things will never be grim

The Lord replied to Habakkuk’s complaints in chapter two

Saying the enemy is arrogant and greedy in what he will do

And although he will take all the peoples captive

Piling up stolen goods and wealth is no way to live

Habakkuk prayed with admiration in chapter three

He waited for the day of calamity on the enemy

For despite the barren fields and empty stalls

Habakkuk rejoiced in the Lord though the halls

In Obadiah, the prophet shared words from the Lord

Edom will be judged, for God’s message it ignored

For violence against their brethren they were to blame

As a result, forever they would be covered with shame

They stood aloof as Jerusalem strangers attacked

And the holy city was plundered and ransacked

“The day of the Lord is near for all nations”

For their actions, there will be ramifications

But, God did say, “on Mount Zion will be deliverance”

“And the house of Jacob will possess its inheritance”

In the middle of a valley of bones, per Ezekiel thirty seven

Ezekiel was brought and then set by the Spirit from heaven

To prophesy to the bones, God then instructed Ezekiel

God would give the bones breath and life, Ezekiel did tell

While prophesying, Ezekiel saw bones come together

A vast army came to life despite the extreme weather

“The whole house of Israel” the bones did represent

And God then said what by this He actually meant

He would revive the Israelites and let them settle in their land

That He did it for them, they would once again understand

25 May 2014 - ENCS

ENCS celebrated nineteen years with a Convergence service quite unique

On "Encountering Christ, Experiencing Community", Brett Fuller did speak

He said that a daily renewal of a great relationship with God is great

"Press on to know Him better", as Paul is one we should emulate

But we must also build several relationships with others in a community

Allowing us to take our skills and talents to another level for others to see

 

From John chapter eleven, he then read the story of Lazarus' resurrection

For Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha, Jesus had great affection

The fact that Lazarus was buried in a tomb instead of a common grave

Supports the view that part of their riches as support to Jesus they gave

 

When Lazarus fell quite ill, to Jesus the sisters immediately sent word

And were thus disappointed when for days from Him they had not heard

When Martha went to meet Jesus, there was lots she probably left unsaid

For God doesn't follow our plans; we should have faith and follow His instead

 

We should let our views be driven by our theology instead of our emotion

Remembering that God is all-knowing when we come to an interpretation

And if our dreams do not come to pass or seem to be taking too long

It may well be that they are too small, distorted, or perhaps just wrong

 

Pastor said God often wants to encounter us in various new ways

We should read the Bible no matter our mood on each of our days

For just as a bricklayer builds something from a mundane process

As we build our faith and knowledge, God will most surely us bless

 

Mary went to meet Jesus with the same comments and request

Jesus went to the grave and Lazarus came out at Jesus' behest

But before this, due to his disciples' clear lack of faith, "Jesus wept"

Despite all His miracles, His promised resurrection they did not accept

 

Similarly, only Christ can bring us back from the death of sin

But, like Lazarus, others must unwrap the clothes we are in

For unless we are unbound, we cannot fulfill God's plan

This has of course been the case ever since time began

In conclusion, we cannot walk with God while we are bound

To overcome our many flaws, we need a community around

25 May 2014 - Judah Goes Into Exile

Per Second Chronicles thirty six, Zedekiah was twenty one

He became king of Judah but many bad things were done

He did not humble himself and did evil in the Lord’s eyes

Given all the warnings God had sent, this was not very wise

The people mocked His prophets and aroused His wrath

There was no remedy for they went too far down the path

God handed all of them over to the Babylonian king

All of the temple’s treasures to Babylon he did bring

Then he set fire to the temple and broke down the wall

The remnant became servants to him, one and all

18 May 2014 - The Prophets to Judah

The book of Nahum shared an oracle concerning Nineveh

For Nineveh was a major city in the kingdom of Assyria

“The Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath”

He will not leave unpunished those who block his path

His indignation nobody can realistically endure or withstand

With an overwhelming flood, he will destroy Nineveh’s land

The king of Assyria and his people will then scatter

And all other people will rejoice about the matter

The future of Jerusalem is prophesied in Zephaniah three

Zephaniah says “woe to the…rebellious and defiled” city

For in the Lord the people did not trust or draw near

The leaders’ arrogance and treachery did not disappear

The Lord dispenses his justice in keeping with His name

He does not fail “yet the unrighteous know no shame”

But God will take away punishment and grant a new start

So Israel should then “be glad and rejoice with [its] heart”

Jeremiah was a son of a priest, per Jeremiah one

The Lord’s word came to him until Judah’s exile begun

God appointed Jeremiah as a prophet before he was born

So he must do whatever God commanded, God did warn

But Jeremiah was not to be afraid, for God would protect

Then into Jeremiah’s mouth His words the Lord did inject

Jeremiah saw a boiling pot tilting away from the north

God said that on the people, disaster would flow forth

He would pronounce His judgments against them

Their wickedness and actions He would condemn

But God made a fortified city with a bronze wall

This enabling the people to fight and not to fall

After many years of prophesying, per Jeremiah twenty six

The people still ignored him and their ways they did not fix

God once again told them to listen and to follow his law

If not, they would be cursed instead of being held in awe

As soon as the people heard this, Jeremiah they did seize

For they disliked the message conveyed in his prophesies

One more time, God’s message Jeremiah boldly shared

The officials told the priests that his life should be spared