“A New Command”

Luke 6:27-36  

John 13:30-35
    We have begun this New Year with a series of messages entitled “All Things New” that Concerns the Christian life and what becoming a Christian is all about…and, it’s all about becoming a “new” person. It’s about starting a new life. It’s about being “born again” or another way the Bible puts it “a new creation.” It’s all about the fact that becoming a Christian is more than just being saved; however, it is through our salvation in Christ that “all things become new! In fact, 2 Corinthians 4:16 tells us that we are “being renewed day by day.”
    It is one thing for us to change our outward appearance and attempt to restore our image, but in truth what we are doing is trying to make ourselves become or fit into what the world - and even the church - views as the standard mold of a Christian. However, only God can make us a new creation! Only God can transform us and conform us into His standard, which is the image of His Son Jesus. If you want to know how you are shaping up as a Christian, don’t compare yourself to anyone else - but only to Christ!
    Today I want to look at how we are given a ‘New Command” to follow. Let me begin by attempting to answer the question “Why is it that the church seems to have so little an impact on our society?”
    Some would suggest that the church just needs to “modernize.” We need to update and bring the church (usually meaning the building) up to the 21^st century. Proponents of this would say we need to learn how to market the church like the world markets its products. We need to find out what people want, and then give it to them. We need to do whatever it takes to “draw them in.” Now, I need to follow that up with the fact that some of this is true. We do need to modernize in many respects. I mean we have come a long way from outdoor toilets and typewriters! We live in a www.com world. But, let me also say that - in my mind - there are many ways in which the church scrambles to be more like the world it is trying to save! We need to do what needs to be done, and that which we can do…but my Bible says - and has always said - that “If I be lifted up…I will draw men unto myself!”  We must never lose sight of the fact that it takes more than new tables and carpet to draw people to the church. It takes much more than we can do! It takes lifting Christ and putting God first in all that we do; knowing that WITH God, all things are possible! And, as Jesus said in John 15; “no branch can bear fruit by itself…apart from me you can do nothing.”
    In this passage of scripture for today, Jesus suggests that the key to impacting our world is for Christians to “love one another.” This is a “new commandment” says Jesus. That means that it’s not an option. This is not so much something we “feel” as much as something we “do.” It’s not an emotion, it’s an action. There is a difference. You can’t command an emotion. I can’t say to you “I want you to feel love for Mrs. Crabapple, whether you want to or not!”…You cannot command an emotion. You can’t force someone to love another person. But, you can command an action. This is why I say, Jesus was talking about how we act toward one another. Those actions, as I have said in my book “In It For Life”, are described in all the other “one anothers” in the Bible. I find that there are about nineteen of them. But, let me take you a step beyond that and ask you to read 1 Corinthians 13 as it describes what love really is.
    So, in order to understand the command we must follow, we need to understand then, what love is and how Jesus loved us.        
    1^st. of all, Christ’s love was unconditional. He didn’t just love people that loved him back; he didn’t just love those who were nice to him; he didn’t just love “good” people; or “good looking” people; He loved the unlovely, He loved the rejected, He loved the outcast, He loved the dirty and the leprous. He loved them no matter how undeserving they may be. He knew all their weaknesses and their faults, and he loved them anyway. There are no “ifs” attached to authentic, unconditional love; and He calls us to love the in the same way!
    2^nd. His love was unselfish. He chose to love mankind, who had nothing to offer in return except for our frail and often times imperfect devotion.
    We think of the opposite of love being hate, but that’s not true. Hate, you see, is the absence of love not the opposite. The opposite of love is selfishness. To be unconcerned, or to ignore or neglect, and have our focus only on ourselves and our comfort and our well-being is the opposite of love. To only think about what I can get out of a relationship, or whether or not the relation-ship is fulfilling my needs, is totally selfish and is the opposite of love!  The love that Jesus requires in this new command is an unselfish action…not a feeling.
    3^rd. The love of Jesus was expressed in his many different actions. Jesus never said that “they will know you, because you SAY that you love one another. The people knew that Jesus loved them because they could see it in practical and concrete ways. True love, Agape’ love, which overflows into Koinonia love…which is fellowship,  is always serving; doing; ministering; providing; and just about every other “ing” word you can think of…because “ing” words are actions.
    There once was a Peanuts cartoon in which Lucy asks Schroeder if he knows what love is? He stops playing his piano, stands up and says; “Love, a noun, meaning to be fond of, have a strong affection for, or devotion toward another person. Then he sits down, and resumes playing his piano. Lucy gazes into space and says; “Well…it looks good on paper!”
    That’s the weakness of what the church calls “love.” It is well worded, but lacks warmth and a genuine and sincere desire to express itself.  When we love like Jesus commanded, it will not be mere talk about love; it will have nothing to do with how we feel about one another, nor will it be just singing songs about love; or simply putting up with one another and calling it love - because that’s what we really do - it will be expressed in ways that will show our true disciple-ship… because we are loving as Jesus loved us; unconditional, unselfish actions or expressions of love.
    If you are a Christian this morning, you must know that you are also given a “new command” to follow; “Love one another, as I have loved you…by this all men will know that you are my disciples.”
    So, I challenge you this morning to be sensitive to the needs around you. Be sensitive to those who need your love…and then do something. I’m not telling you anything that I myself am not guilty of…I am trying myself to get back on the right track of living under this new command; to “love one another.”
    Let me follow that with something we don’t often think about; In the scripture there is a story of some men who had a sick friend whom they could not heal…So they did something incredi-ble; they brought him, and lowered him through the roof of a house, to the one who could heal. The moral of this story is that “Sometimes we don’t have to be the healer…we just have to be the friend!”

 

All Things New Series - “A New Covenant”

Hebrews 7:22-8:13 and 9:15 

1 Cor. 11:23-26

    I am in a series titled “All things new” - which has to do with the fact that in His Word, God tells us that as Christians we have been given “new life”…we call it being “born again.” Paul tells us that this is not just a restoration of our old self, but that we are a “new creation” and, as such, we live under a new Covenant - which is what we will look at today. To come we will also find that we follow a new way of the Spirit; We also look forward to a new heaven; and, as the Book of Revelation tells us, we will be given a “white stone with a new name on it.” I write this with two goals in mind; One is to inform new Christians that there is much more to the Christian life than just being “saved.” The other is to remind all Christians of what God’s Word says, because there are parts of this “new life” that we may not understand or may not have put into practice.

    The words from Hebrews 7 and 8 are actually quotes from the Book of Jeremiah where God declares; “A time is coming when I shall make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah”. He then goes on to describe that covenant in the following verses; “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor or brother saying, “Know the Lord” because they will all know me, for I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more!” There you have it! The new covenant; The new contract between God and man.
    Now, in the other scripture, we read that Jesus is telling his disciples that the “cup” contains the blood of the new covenant”…and, when we drink of it, whenever we celebrate Communion, we in effect are remembering our contract, our new covenant, with God.
    This is also related to the fact that God’s Word is divided into two parts which we call the Old Testament and the New Testament. The word “testament” as used in the Bible refers to a “covenant” or “agreement” between two parties. The first consists of the terms which constitute the Law of God…In the Old Testament, God had a covenant with only one nation, Israel. Only those who belonged to the family of Israel could enter into this covenant relationship with God. In Ephesians 2:12 the Apostle Paul describes this to the people; “remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship and foreigners to the covenant of promise; without hope and without God in the world”…But now, in Christ Jesus, you who were once far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ….For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household.” The entire Old Testament revolves around God’s dealing with this one nation. But, in the New Testament, we see how God makes a “new covenant” with mankind that allows any person to enter into this relationship.  This new covenant was made through the shed blood of Christ on the Cross.
    The Old Testament is an informational resource for the New. From it we learn many important things that we would not otherwise know or understand; like the origin of the world; the beginning of sin; the nature and character of God; Through it’s great stories and historical facts, we learn moral principles and how they are to be applied to everyday life; We learn of the prophecies declared in the Old that are fulfilled in the New. And, all these things give us hope and confidence in the inspiration and divine nature of the Bible.
    In the Old Testament we read about the “blood of the covenant” that was sprinkled on the people and the altar. In Exodus 24:6 – ( read ) it says; “Moses took half the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he sprinkled on the altar. Then, he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to all the people. The people responded by saying they would obey, and Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people and said; “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you”… The sprinkling of the blood ratified the contract!  The sprinkling was an external thing. God’s laws were external rules and regulations the people must follow as their part of the contract. And, listen to this, as long as they did these external things like the sacrifices, and the offerings, and the cleansings, and the feasts, the promise was “forgive-ness - and – blessing.”
    The New Covenant however, is internalized. We don’t come to have blood sprinkled on us, we come to drink of the cup in remembrance of the new covenant; the new relationship we have with God. The new covenant is not an external following of rules, but an internal desire to be righteous and holy that is motivated by love. It has the same promise of forgiveness and blessings.  It is humbling because it means that we must admit our need for Christ. It means that we cannot pay the price for our own sins. We must accept the fact that Christ paid the price on our behalf; and, each time we drink of the cup, we are in fact confirming our “new covenant” with God.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come.”

“All Things New” – Part 3

    Last week I began a new blog entitled “All Things New”… It was just the introduction, but we soon found out that the Bible has a lot to say about “new” things. God’s Word is a book of old things that happened centuries ago, but the unique thing is that these old things become “new” to us when we become Christians. The Apostle Paul explains in his letter to Timothy; “All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness” and that’s exactly what it does. It teaches us things we never knew or understood before. It rebukes us for the things we did…and do…wrong. It corrects our thinking and certainly trains us in the way of righteousness. Paul also tells us in the Book of Hebrews that “the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit…joints and marrow.” This is why it’s “new” you see…because it’s “living and active!”  It’s not just an old book that sits on the coffee table.

    We also learned that Christians walk in “newness of life.” Those who are in Christ have a new heart; live by new rules; have a new view of life and life after life. Upon becoming a Christian we have new principles to live by; a new path to walk; and a new leader to follow. “Behold, old things have passed away, and all things become new.” Today, I want to look at what it means to be a “new creation.”
    Let’s begin at the beginning by looking at the biblical account of creation from Genesis 1:1-4 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (This is where it must start.) “In the beginning God”…If you don’t believe that, you are not going to understand anything about life at all. “Those who come to Him must first believe that He exists” (Hebrews 11:6) It starts with believing God exists, but we also then must believe that “God created.” It wasn’t a big bang. We didn’t come from pollywogs! We did not evolve from monkeys! We were created by God. The Bible says that He formed us and knew us in our mother’s womb.” (Jeremiah 1:5)
    “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said; “Let there be light” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness.”
    Did you catch some of the parallels here?  The words “formless”, “empty”, and “darkness” are also words that describe us before becoming new creations in Christ. The word “formless” in the Hebrew is also translated “confused.” I would be the first to admit to you that before becoming a Christian, I was definitely confused…( and the pastor’s wife just nodded…)  I was blinded to the Bible and spiritual things, and I lived only for self. We are all the same before Jesus comes into our lives. It also says that the “Holy Spirit was hovering”…That’s what he still does, the Holy Spirit hovers over us, convicting us of the guilt of sin and a wrong lifestyle.
    Before becoming a new creation, we also feel “empty and void.” We have within us a void that is God shaped, and we try to fill it in many ways with many different things, but it can only be filled by God. Again, the Apostle Paul tells us that we need to be “filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:19) We were formless, empty, and also in darkness. The Bible tell us that the “god of this age (Satan) has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they CAN NOT see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” It’s like having a blindfold on when it comes to the Bible and “church” stuff. The sad thing is that there are still people who sit in the pews of our churches who are still blinded by Satan. Today we might say; “They don’t have a clue!”
    During creation, God said “Let there be light”… Psalm 119:130 says; “The entrance of your words gives light; and understanding to the simple” and in the same Psalm it says “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” And also 2 Corinthians 4:6 which says “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness”, made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”
    There is an old clique that when someone became “religious” it was said that they “saw the light!” What is darkness? It’s the absence of light! So, like the creation story in Genesis, we were once formless, empty, and in darkness…but, now we are a new creation!
    What was the result of or the affects of the first creation? What happened after God created “in the beginning?” It tells us that the earth became alive! The darkness and void were filled with new life! And, the earth began producing fruit! This is also true of being a new creation in Christ. In John 15:5 Jesus said; “I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit”… Just as the earth became alive with new life when light came to shine upon it, so we who are in Christ come alive and bear fruit when the light of the gospel shines upon us… “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ; even when we were dead in our transgressions and sins! It is by grace you have been saved.”
    By the way, I must point out the importance of the language Paul uses in this scripture; He says “If anyone be IN Christ”…not IN church or sitting IN the pew. Just saying you are a Christian doesn’t mean you are. Just like being IN a garage doesn’t make you a car…or being IN an airplane means you can fly! (John 15:4-5 – ^“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”)
    Outward conformity like - not drinking; not cursing; and becoming a kinder gentler person doesn’t do it! Paul says we must be IN Christ. Jesus himself said; “If you are IN me and I am IN you…”
    When we are a new creation, we are new only because God has made us new! There is nothing within man that makes or can make him a new creation… Only God can do that.  Again, Jesus said; “Aside from me you can do nothing.” We must be IN the vine.
    If we are to come alive in 2013, Then we need to put ourselves in this scripture; “If I am IN Christ, and Christ is IN me, then old things have passed away, and behold! I have become NEW!  So, the next time someone says “What’s new?”…

 

    In the Book of Ezekiel, God says; “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you”… In the Psalms, David cries out; “Create in me a clean heart O God.” In the Book of Acts, we read about the early new born church, and we soon discover that these people were somehow changed, transformed, different,…“new”…“Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate with glad and sincere hearts.” Hearts that were hard had been softened…Selfish hearts were now compassionate hearts…When God measures a man, He puts the tape measure around the man’s heart, not his head!  So, the first thing we see is that God desires to give us a new heart to enable us to grow in our relationship with Him and with others. It is always vertical and horizontal!.

    Second, Christians are called to live by new rules. We live by the law of God according to the Word of God. We live by the law of “LOVE”…Gal. 5:14 - “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But, do not use your freedom to indulge in the sinful nature; rather serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in this single command; “Love your neighbor as yourself”. Within the framework of the Christian walk, we live by the law that says - “In all things LOVE is the motivating force, and the law of love governs every situation and decision.
    Third, as Christians, we have a new view of life and life after life.  We have the hope and the assurance of heaven. 2 Peter 3:13 tells us “But, in keeping with His promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.”
    A Sunday school teacher asked her pre-school class; “How many of you would like to go to heaven? All the kids raised their hands except Tommy. The teacher asked why he didn’t want to go to heaven. And, Tommy said, “Because my mom said I have to come right home after church!”  When we are Christians, God gives us a new view of and the assurance of heaven.
    Forth, we have new principles. In other words, we don’t just “know” right from wrong, we “understand” right from wrong…and new morals and new ethics guide our conduct. And, we also are given new spiritual principles which guide our relationship with God.
     Fifth, as Christians we walk a new path…we travel a new road… Jesus called it the “narrow road.”  God calls it the “path of righteous-ness”. We begin to understand the truth of God’s Word and how it relates to our lives; We begin to understand the Why’s and How’s of this life, and what it takes to find true happiness, joy, peace and success!
    Sixth, as Christians, we follow a new leader…His name is Jesus. He becomes our mentor, our leader, our standard by which we live and measure our new life. When Jesus spoke to the people they said; “What is this “NEW” teaching? And, that “He speaks as one with authority?” Which leads us to this morning’s seventh and final new characteristic of the Christian life; We are no longer interested in what the world teaches concerning life, with all its riches and fame and so called “fun.” We have “put off the old self, and put on the NEW self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” which, as Colossians 3:10 says is “Being renewed in the knowledge and image of its creator.”
    A new heart; new rules; a new view of life and death; new morals and principles to live by; a new path to walk, and a new leader to follow; a new way of life! And, this is just the beginning of “all things new!”
    So, if someone tries to tell you there is nothing “new” about the church or Christianity, you tell them to come here for the next few weeks, and they will learn all about how God can and is - making all things new.

 

“It’s Not Just a New Year”

Ephesians 4:20-24

“That, however, is not the way of life you learned ²¹ when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. ²² You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³ to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Colossians 1:9-10

^“Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”

 

    As I contemplated what message I could bring for the new year,..the scripture from the Book of Revelations 21:5 kept coming to my mind; “Behold! I am making all things new.”  When I can’t get a certain scripture out of my head, I have come to know that it usually leads to a message.   

    There are many references to “new” things in God’s Word. It speaks of a “new heart”, a “new life”, a “new mind and spirit”, a “new covenant”, a “new command”, a “new heaven and earth”, and when we get there, the Bible tells us we will get a “new name”! In the coming days I will be looking at these “new” things which are offered in God’s Word, and what they mean to us today.       

    A soap maker, who was not saved, walked along the road with a preacher one day. He said to the preacher; “This gospel you preach doesn’t seem to have done much good…there is still a lot of sin and wickedness in the world”. The preacher just nodded, and they quietly walked on. Then they passed a dirty little child making mud pies in the gutter…With this, the preacher spoke up; “Soap has not seemed to have done a lot of good in the world either. There is still a lot of dirt in the world and still a lot of dirty people.”…”Well”, said the soap maker, “Soap is only useful when it is applied!”…To which the preacher just nodded…

    Many people are trying to figure out what this “Christian” thing, this “Christian walk”, this “Born Again” experience is all about. It would seem that there are many who claim to be spiritual; who claim to have a relationship with God; who claim to be saved; they even attend church regularly…yet, there is nothing “new” in their lives. There doesn’t seem to be any demonstration of what God’s Word says is the evidence of being a Christian…It’s simple really, Hopefully, when you get out of the tub, you are clean…because you have applied soap. But, what kind of person would you be if you “attended” tub once a week…you knew a lot about tub and even had a knowledge of water and soap…you know the “cleansing trinity”…Tub, Soap, and Water?…. So, you attend tub, you know all about tub, but you just can’t pull yourself to apply anything!…And, the preacher just nodded….

 

"Behold, I am making all things new!"

 

A New Year Inventory

Scripture - 1^st. Cor. 4:1-3

    The month of January on the calendar was named for the Roman god, Janus. He was known as the “gate god.” Sort of symbolizing the gate-way into a New Year. Janus had two faces, which meant that he could see in two directions at the same time. Each new year we need to take at least a two-way look so that we can have a proper appreciation of the past and a bright outlook for the future.

    In verse 2 of this scripture, Paul says “it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful”. As we begin this New Year, it would be fitting to ask ourselves “Have I been faithful this past year? … Have I been faithful in my time with God’s Word? Have I been faithful in my giving? Have I been faithful in Prayer?  Have I been faithful in serving?  If the answer is Yes, then the prospect of the coming year ought to be exciting. If the answer is No, then the coming year is the time to make some necessary changes in our lives.

    Each year businesses are required to take inventory. Some look at this as a dreaded time of drudgery…counting everything in stock and mak-ing sure that the books are balanced. But, some companies take a more positive approach to inventory. They see it as an opportunity to see what sells and what doesn’t…what works and what does not work… what needs to be continued and what needs to be changed, in order to stay in business and be successful.

    I think that we as Christians need to take inventory as well, a positive inventory, and perhaps every year! In the King James translation of this scripture it reads; “Moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful”… There are several ways in which we should inventory our lives to see if we are being faithful.

    First of all, In 2^nd. Cor. 13:5 Paul gives the admonishment “examine yourselves, to see if you are in the faith”. This is where it must always begin. We need to make sure our sins are forgiven. Recall the time when we asked Jesus to be our Savior. Have the assurance that if we died this very night, we know Jesus would be there to lead us home…to help us step into eternity. 

    Second, when we take inventory of our lives, we must remember to compare ourselves with Jesus and not with anyone else. The question is always “How am I doing in my growth into Christ-likeness?” It might be good to compare our spiritual selves with this time a year ago…and see if we have grown at all. Have I grown in my knowledge of scripture? Have I grown in my relationship with God? Have I grown in the way I relate to God through prayer? Have I grown in the way I relate to my fellow Christians? Have I grown in my service to the church? Have I allowed the Holy Spirit more control in my life? Or, am I still in charge? These are the kinds of things we need to answer in order to really examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith and faithful….not in a critical way that brings guilt, but in a positive way that seeks change and success.

    At the beginning of 2013 I would suggest that we take inventory; that we examine ourselves; to see if we are in the faith and if we are being faithful. Then make a positive resolution to make some positive changes and do that which will bring success and the greatest reward!   

 

Merry Christmas

And

Happy New Year!!

 

Welcome To Our World

 Tears are falling, hearts are breaking, how we need to hear from God

You’ve been promised, we’ve been waiting

Welcome Holy child, welcome Holy child

Hope that you don’t mind our manger, How I wish we would have known

But long awaited Holy stranger,

Make yourself at home, please make yourself at home.

Bring your peace into our violence, Bid our hungry souls be filled.

Word now breaking Heaven’s silence,

welcome to our world, welcome to our world.

Fragile fingers sent to heal us, tender brow prepared for thorn.

Tiny heart whose blood will save us,

Unto us is born, unto us is born.

So wrap our injured flesh around you, breath our air and walk our sod.

Rob our sin and make us holy.

Perfect Son of God, Perfect Son of God.

Welcome to our world.

Christmas Eve. - “Our Song”

Scripture – Psalm 77:5-15 and Psalm 103

I thought about the former days, the years of long ago;
I remembered my songs in the night.
My heart meditated and my spirit asked:

“Will the Lord reject forever?
Will he never show his favor again?
 Has his unfailing love vanished forever?
Has his promise failed for all time?
 Has God forgotten to be merciful?
Has he in anger withheld his compassion?”
Then I thought, “To this I will appeal:
the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.
 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
 I will consider all your works
and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”
Your ways, God, are holy.
What god is as great as our God?
You are the God who performs miracles;
you display your power among the peoples.
With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
Praise the Lord, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
But from everlasting to everlasting
the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—
with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.
The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
Praise the Lord, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
Praise the Lord, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the Lord, my soul.”

Cross references:    We hear many songs at this time of year, but these words ought to be our song every day of the year!    We hear many songs at this time of year, but these words ought to be our song every day of the year!

1. Psalm 103:1 : Ps 28:6
2. Psalm 103:1 : Ps 104:1
3. Psalm 103:1 : S Ps 30:4
4. Psalm 103:2 : Ps 106:1; 117:1
5. Psalm 103:2 : S Dt 6:12; Ps 77:11
6. Psalm 103:3 : S Ex 34:7
7. Psalm 103:3 : S Ex 15:26; Col 3:13; 1Pe 2:24; 1Jn 1:9
8. Psalm 103:4 : Ps 34:22; 56:13; Isa 43:1
9. Psalm 103:4 : S Ps 8:5; 23:6
10. Psalm 103:5 : S Ps 90:14; S 104:28
11. Psalm 103:5 : Job 33:25; Ps 119:25, 93; 2Co 4:16
12. Psalm 103:5 : S Ex 19:4
13. Psalm 103:6 : Ps 9:8; 65:5; Isa 9:7
14. Psalm 103:6 : S Ps 74:21; S Lk 4:19
15. Psalm 103:7 : Ps 99:7; 147:19
16. Psalm 103:7 : S Ex 33:13
17. Psalm 103:7 : Ps 106:22
18. Psalm 103:8 : S Ex 22:27; S Ps 86:15; Mic 7:18-19; Jas 5:11
19. Psalm 103:9 : Ps 30:5; 79:5; Isa 57:16; Jer 3:5, 12; Mic 7:18
20. Psalm 103:10 : S Ezr 9:13; Ro 6:23
21. Psalm 103:11 : Ps 13:5; 57:10; 100:5; 106:45; 117:2; La 3:22; Eph 3:18
22. Psalm 103:11 : S 2Ch 6:31
23. Psalm 103:12 : S 2Sa 12:13; Ro 4:7; Eph 2:5
24. Psalm 103:13 : Mal 3:17; 1Jn 3:1
25. Psalm 103:14 : Ps 119:73; 139:13-15; Isa 29:16
26. Psalm 103:14 : S Ge 2:7; S Ps 146:4
27. Psalm 103:15 : Ps 37:2; 90:5; 102:11; Isa 40:6
28. Psalm 103:15 : S Job 14:2; Jas 1:10
29. Psalm 103:16 : Isa 40:7; Hag 1:9
30. Psalm 103:16 : S Job 7:8
31. Psalm 103:17 : S Ge 48:11; S Ezr 9:12
32. Psalm 103:18 : S Dt 29:9
33. Psalm 103:18 : Ps 119:52
34. Psalm 103:18 : S Nu 15:40; Jn 14:15
35. Psalm 103:19 : Ps 47:8; 80:1; 113:5
36. Psalm 103:19 : Ps 22:28; 66:7; Da 4:17
37. Psalm 103:20 : Ps 28:6
38. Psalm 103:20 : S Ne 9:6; Lk 2:13; Heb 1:14
39. Psalm 103:20 : S Ps 29:1
40. Psalm 103:20 : Ps 107:25; 135:7; 148:8
41. Psalm 103:21 : S 1Ki 22:19
42. Psalm 103:21 : S Ne 7:73
43. Psalm 103:22 : Ps 19:1; 67:3; 145:10; 150:6
44. Psalm 103:22 : ver 1; Ps 104:1
    We hear many songs at this time of year, but these words ought to be our song every day of the year!

1. Psalm 77:5 : Dt 32:7; Ps 44:1; 143:5; Ecc 7:10
2. Psalm 77:7 : S 1Ch 28:9
3. Psalm 77:7 : Ps 85:1; 102:13; 106:4
4. Psalm 77:8 : S Ps 6:4; 90:14
5. Psalm 77:8 : 2Pe 3:9
6. Psalm 77:9 : Ps 25:6; 40:11; 51:1
7. Psalm 77:9 : Isa 49:15
8. Psalm 77:10 : S Ex 15:6
9. Psalm 77:11 : S Ne 9:17
10. Psalm 77:12 : S Ge 24:63
11. Psalm 77:12 : Ps 143:5
12. Psalm 77:13 : S Ex 15:11; S Ps 71:19; 86:8
13. Psalm 77:14 : S Ex 3:20; S 34:10
14. Psalm 77:15 : S Ex 6:6
    I don’t want to assume that everyone was here through this entire Advent series, so let’s start with a short summary of what we have learned. I began with Zechariah’s song. Zechariah and Elizabeth were the parents of John the Baptist, whom the angel said was to “prepare the way of the Lord.” The name Zechariah means “God remembers” and the name Elizabeth means “His promise” or “promise of God”… This was the very beginning of the Christmas story, and if you put them together you have the main theme or point of this series “God remembers His promise.”

    After the birth of John, Zechariah bursts forth into a song of praise and worship with the words “Praise be to the Lord, because He has come; he has redeemed his people; he has raised up a horn of salvation; just as He said He would through the prophets of long ago.”

    Next came Mary’s song. Mary goes to visit Elizabeth, who was a relative, and Elizabeth says “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear, and blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said will be accomplished!” Then Mary bursts forth into a song of praise and worship with the words “My soul glorifies the Lord! He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendents forever, just as He said to our fathers.”

    Next comes the angel’s song. The angel’s appear to the shepherds and it says they “praised God saying; “Glory to God in the highest”… The shepherds, after finding the Christ child in the manger just as the angels said, returned “glorifying and praising God”…”for the things they had heard and seen were just as they had been told”.
    Then we heard Simeon’s song of praise and worship as he finally holds in his arms the promise of God… the song begins with the words “Sovereign God, as you have promised”… “my eyes have seen your salvation.”
    And now, I want to ask two questions – “What is God’s promise to us?”...and, “What should our song be?”
    It has to begin with the words of Jesus himself in Luke 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And, if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me.” Let’s add to that – 1^st Thesalonians 4:14 – “We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.” My friends, God remembers His promise!
    Then we read in 2 Peter 3:2 “Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior. First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”… In all that is going on in us, around us, to us, and through us, don’t forget God…who remembers His promise.
    In Psalm 77:7-15 David thinks about a time in his life when he thought “Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?”
But then in verse 11 he says “I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.
   Your ways, O God, are holy.  What god is so great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.”
    We are about to enter a new year…and I ask; Will our song be “Will the Lord reject us forever?... Will he ever show His favor again?... Has His promise failed for all time?... Is He really, ever coming back?”… Or, will our song continue to be “Praise the Lord O my soul! And all that is within me bless His Holy name!” Will God remember His Word? Will He remember His promise? The recode of scripture; my faith; my knowledge; and experience give a resounding Yes!  I don’t need an angel to appear; I don’t need the stars to fall from the sky or any other miraculous sign; I have all that I need in the Christmas story and fulfilled prophecy from God’s Word for my faith to be certain that God will remember His promise.
    Hear again these words from Psalm 103 that I think ought to be “our song” this Christmas Eve. – “Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,     who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s… The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;       he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. Praise the LORD, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the LORD, O my soul!”
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
He remembers His Promise!