THE FAMILY TREE THAT LED TO THE FIRST CHRISTMAS

TEXT:

MATTHEW 1:1-17

1. The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham: 2 Abraham fathered Isaac, Isaac fathered Jacob, and Jacob fathered [d]Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah fathered Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez fathered Hezron, and Hezron fathered Ram. 4 Ram fathered Amminadab, Amminadab fathered Nahshon, and Nahshon fathered Salmon. 5 Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab, Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth, and Obed fathered Jesse. 6 Jesse fathered David the king.

David fathered Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah. 7 Solomon fathered Rehoboam, Rehoboam fathered Abijah, and Abijah fathered Asa. 8 Asa fathered Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat fathered Joram, and Joram fathered Uzziah. 9 Uzziah fathered Jotham, Jotham fathered Ahaz, and Ahaz fathered Hezekiah. 10 Hezekiah fathered Manasseh, Manasseh fathered Amon, and Amon fathered Josiah. 11 Josiah fathered Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

12 After the deportation to Babylon: Jeconiah fathered Shealtiel, and Shealtiel fathered Zerubbabel. 13 Zerubbabel fathered Abihud, Abihud fathered Eliakim, and Eliakim fathered Azor. 14 Azor fathered Zadok, Zadok fathered Achim, and Achim fathered Eliud. 15 Eliud fathered Eleazar, Eleazar fathered Matthan, and Matthan fathered Jacob. 16 Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

LOOKING BACK WITH GRATITUDE

TEXT:
PSALM 18:1-3 ~  "I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
    my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
    my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
    and I am saved from my enemies.

PRAYERS OF THE BIBLE SERIES: THE BOOK OF NUMBERS #4

REJECT GOD AT YOUR OWN PERIL!

17And now, please let the power of the Lord be great as you have promised, saying, 18'The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.' 19Please pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of Your steadfast love, just as You have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now." Numbers 14:13-19

Many do not believe in generational curses, but do believe in generational blessings. If you look at some of the great men of God in all history, there may be something to that. The greatest sermon in America was preached by Jonathan Edwards in 1747 in East Windsor, Connecticut. It is "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God". This sermon was read in monotone off notes by a near-sighted Pastor Edwards and 500 people got saved that day. He was the great reformed preacher from the First Great Awakening in America which led to the American Revolution, and the birth of the greatest country ever on planet earth.

Now many will say that generational curses do not apply anymore, since the Age of Grace. There is some validity to this. However, whatsoever a man sows, that shall he reap.  The principle does not change. America’s great preacher of the 18th century – Jonathan Edwards’ descendants were college presidents, and pastors. There was even one Vice President of the United States in there. There is another prominent North Eastern American family, from the same state, whose patriarch was a notorious rum runner and manipulator and womanizer. A lot of his descendants became drug addicts, divorce-ridden multiple times and even dead at an early age. These are not generational curses but family traits. The son of one of the biggest atheists in America became a pastor....thereby showing the Sovereignty of God....and how He fits nobody's patterns or thoughts. This man's mother is Madelyn Murray O’Hair, the person who got prayer and the Bible out of American schools.

In this prayer above, Moses acknowledges the patient mercy, grace and long-suffering of the Lord.  From our personal experience, we know God has been patient with us in all our stupidity and sin from the day we were born. Even when we continue to sin after we were born again, our Father Who art in Heaven, forgives and removes our sin from our record. Not so with the unsaved and especially those who have committed transgression and iniquity. Transgression and Iniquity are places no Christian would wish to go because they represent severely willful defiance of God.

We are all sinners saved by grace and will have a nature in us which continually misses the mark. This will decrease as we grow more mature in the Lord and will last with us throughout our lives on earth. Transgression, however, is crossing the line from trying to live right and sinning occasionally, to willfully disobeying God. Samson is good example.  As a Nazarite, he was not supposed to be around any dead animal, drink alcohol, go near pagan women or allow his hair to be cut. He violated all of this. 

Iniquity is the mother of all sin. It is as vile as King David willfully staying away from his duty and ogling his one of his Mighty Men - Uriah the Hittite’s wife – Bathsheba. This led to the culmination of years of ungodly lust for her, as he summoned her and they willingly had an affair. The affair then resulted in Bathsheba becoming pregnant. However, David went one step worse than crossing the line from Transgression.  He committed premeditated murder of Bathsheba’s husband and his own friend, Uriah thereby breaking every single one of the Ten Commandments. This was his iniquity as it was unrepentant sin of the highest degree which he plotted and committed. It was cold, calculated sin (iniquity) and a slap in the Face of God, which took two years for him to be caught by the Prophet Nathan. It took two years for King David to repent before God.

The people under Moses’ care and leadership had reached that point (of no return) when they rejected the reports of Joshua and Caleb and sided with the other ten scouts who basically called God a liar. It was God Himself who had Moses send out the 12 tribe representatives to view and scout the Promised Land.

The rebellion against God was so evil that the people wanted to choose a leader who would lead them back to Egypt! That would be like God rescuing us from a sewer pit and then having tasted of His miracles and His goodness, we decided that we actually loved living like pigs in the muck, dirt and sewage rather than worship in the Freedom, Purity and Goodness of Almighty God. This is what the majority of the tribes did. When Joshua and Caleb spoke up to defend the Lord and tell of His Truth and the wonders of the Promised Land, the people tried to stone them.

For their rejection of the One True God, He wanted to wipe them out right then and there…and this is where the humble man of God – Moses, interceded once more.  Here is where Moses also sought to maintain the reputation of the Lord, while attempting to save his people from destruction. He knew God was more than justified in wiping the memory of them off the earth and off His books, but Moses also knew the Egyptians will hear of about one million people dying in the desert at the Hands of “their God”.  Because Moses sought no other purpose other than the Glory and Good Name of the Lord, God did not immediately destroy every person in that motley group of Israelites. God mentioned the ten times they rejected him and it was only then, that He decreed them wandering in the desert for forty years, after which every single adult except Joshua and Caleb over the age of 20 would die in the desert. To show His utter rejection of them as a people, He called their future perishing bodies “carcasses”! 

What are the lessons for us today? First, simply put – we should never cross that line. When we were saved, God saved us from the Power of Sin, however the presence of sin still abounds.  We see it everywhere.  Scripture teaches us to "take every thought captive". When the devil puts a tempting thought to distract and divert us away from God, to sinful thoughts, we MUST eradicate it with the Power of the Holy Spirit and not dwell on it.  Even good Christians have the potential to fall and fall hard if we do not run from sinful thoughts, but allow then to embed themselves in our consciousness and then develop into lustful fantasies which may or may not cross the line into active sin.  God has created several firewalls before we even get to that point of transgression and pre-meditated commission of sin.

We must activate those firewalls by knowing the Scripture and how to beat back the lies of the devil with them. We must also run from sin and we should not worry about offending the person tempting you to sin. Worry more about offending God and bringing bad consequences of any potential actions. There is a reason the Bible tells us to “flee immorality” and “resist the devil and he will flee from you”. They work! The firewall against sin, transgression and iniquity is the Word of God and the willingness to follow what it says.

The second lesson is this – God WILL punish all who reject Him. He is patient and kind and will allow people to reject, blaspheme and ignore Him more than ten times. However they will pay the price. In fact, if you want to go back to the pit where you came from, God will allow your choice because He does not wish to coerce anyone to love and respect Him, who is not inclined that way. Hell is full, and will be replete with the majority of mankind from all eras, who have shaken their collective fists at God, shouting that He is "dead" or how much they "do not believe in Him". The Kingdom of Heaven remains open to all, who fear God, keep His commands and accept the Son - Jesus Christ - as Lord and master over all. This also has not changed and the free offer stands as long as there is time.

The third lesson is God is patient. While He can destroy anyone at anytime, He listens to prayer and the prayer of one of His most faithful servants - Moses. Abba Father still pay attention to the prayers of His saints and desires that none should perish but that all will come to repentance. The entire account from Numbers 13 and 14 about what led up to this prayer and God's angry reaction is symptomatic of life today. Christians and others are always asking "where is God while....X Y or Z is happening".... or "how long can the wicked reign..." and all its variations. His patience, grace and love should not be mistaken for weakness, because when He acts, it is always final and the results are devastating. The key is for the Faithful to remain faithful in prayer, supplication and obedience. The modus operandi for remaining in the good graces of God is finally, to keep short accounts with God and man; to walk the straight and narrow and to live a repentant lifestyle....not in fear, but out of love and respect for the One Who has saved us by His Grace.

(Photo Credit Here)

WHAT KIND OF MAN IS THE SON OF DAVID (JESUS) IS CALLING US TO BE?

THE EXAMPLE? - THE MIGHTY MEN OF KING DAVID!

King David was on the run from his archenemy Saul for many years. He was successful for two big reasons - first - the LORD His God was with him (David) and secondly, David had 400 trusted, tried and true warriors who believed in him, the cause and the men themselves were searching for purpose in their lives! 

Why do I say that? Well, let's examine just who these 400 men. First Samuel 22:2 describes just who they were: "everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him!"

That's it! These are the champions from whom 37 Mighty Men were listed by the Holy Spirit in 2 Samuel 23 and in 1 Chronicles. These are the heroes of Israel who had impact into the reign of King Solomon. And these are also the type of men whom King Jesus uses to be His called out ones - His Elect.

The Elect are the Gideon's Army of the Lord of Hosts. The Commander in Chief of the Universe is Jesus Christ Whose army carries only Bibles, prayers and words of encouragement.  But this army consists of men like you and I. We were (and still are in some cases) men who were in distress and going now where. We are in debt up to our necks in a lot of instances. And before we were safe, we were discontented with our lives!!! This description of our spiritual condition before we were elected by Jesus Christ, adopted as sons and then drafted into the Lord's Army, is identical to the 400 men who left their homes and more to follow David, while he was on the run from Saul!

So what were the characteristics of these powerful men of God? Who were these men who never backed away from a fight and killed lions with their bare hands? Who were they? 
Watch the video message here:

Also what was it in David that would cause such men to leave their comfortable homes and go out with him for the greatest adventure of their lives. And what is it about King Jesus that He would draw all men unto Himself? What are the similarities between King David and the SON OF DAVID? 
Watch this video message here:

One clue - both men - King David and King Jesus were outsiders. They were rejected by men, religious leaders and though the masses followed, the Remnant  caught the vision of these anointed men of God, they followed the same maxim described here by Paul in Hebrews 13:12-14: "Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come". 

Are you and I ready to "go outside the camp" and suffer the reproach of Christ? God is calling us to be mighty men of the Son of David. Let's roll - no time to waste!

PRAYER FOR AMERICA, PART 1

These are some of the darkest days, for the greatest country in the world to ever exist.  America and Freedom, the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, are under literal assault from the forces of hell worldwide. Now, almost hourly, we receive news of more violence against military personnel, embassies and while the corrupt American mainstream media will not publicize it - Christians are more in danger around the world than ever before.

So what are God's people on this continent - in the US and Canada - to do? After we get riled up at the video on TV or the internet of the rioting, mayhem and more, we go to the Lord. Abba Father. We cry out to Jehovah Nissi, our Standard Bearer. A Standard Bearer goes before us in battle, carrying the flag (or banner or standard) and tells those who are our enemies, who we are. When God the Father, is your standard bearer, we have the added benefit of knowing WHOSE we are! Amen!

Therefore, in Jesus' Holy Name, we begin praying the Imprecatory Psalm 35 into these times. King David, under the Power of the Holy Spirit, prayed this to the LORD and He heard David's plea and answered Him. Pray this in your own way and cry out to God for the country, our families, our children's future and the US Military. Remember those who are currently in leadership. Pray for them as well. Remember while praying, that enemies are both outside of this country and there are those who wish harm on the people of God, inside the country as well. I will not tell you how to prayer this first portion, but I am replacing the personal pronouns "I and me" with America and "our" etc, to help us press in at this time. The text is from the New King James Bible.

Psalm 35

New King James Version (NKJV)

The Lord the Avenger of His People

A Psalm of David.

35 Plead America's cause, O Lord, with those who strive with America;
Fight against those who fight against America.
² Take hold of shield and buckler,
And stand up for our help.
³ Also draw out the spear,
And stop those who pursue us.
Say to our soul,
“I am your salvation.”

⁴ Let those be put to shame and brought to dishonor
Who seek after American life;
Let those be turned back and brought to confusion
Who plot our hurt.
⁵ Let them be like chaff before the wind,
And let the angel^[a] of the Lord chase them.
⁶ Let their way be dark and slippery,
And let the angel of the Lord pursue them.
⁷ For without cause they have hidden their net for us in a pit,
Which they have dug without cause for our life.
⁸ Let destruction come upon him unexpectedly,
And let his net that he has hidden catch himself;
Into that very destruction let him fall.

⁹ And America's soul shall be joyful in the Lord;
It shall rejoice in His salvation.   We will again say, as our founders did, “In God We Trust !”  

(All Scripture is from Bible Gateway)

THIRTY DAY PRAYER CHALLENGE - DAY 17

PRAY THE NAMES OF GOD

DAY 17


GOD IS OMNIPRESENT


Image this scenario.....this man was called to, well, a Prophet. He was full of the Holy Spirit and worked diligently for the Lord, because he really loved his own people. One day, God told him to go and talk to people from another race, so they too, can be saved.


This really bothered the Prophet because, these people were not just the nation next door, but a brutal race of people who had terrorized Prophet and his folks for decades. They were hated and just plain evil. Prophet knew he had to do something...so instead of going northeast towards this country on his missions trip, he bolted the other way, jumped on a fast boat headed southwest....and the rest of history.


This Prophet is Jonah, the disobedient man of God, who even though he ended up going to Nineveh, preaching repentance and bringing an entire city to the Lord, tried to run from it and paid the price.


So will we, if we say we want to serve Christ and yet disobey His commands. We will be saved and all that, just like Jonah was, but will lose our covering, our blessing and our rewards in Heaven. Jonah did not know what King David, before him, knew - THAT YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE. David wrote here:

Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.

(Psalm 139:7-12 ESV)

So Father, in the Name of Jesus, I humble myself before Your Mighty Throne this day, which You and You alone have made. I thank you for first of all creating me in YOUR image, for saving me from myself and then for placing the Spirit of the Living God within me.

By this, oh God, I know I am Yours and You are mine. Therefore, because You have called me Yours and brought me in YOUR Kingdom, because You have bought me with Your Blood and selected me for a specific calling, Father God, in the Name of Jesus, I report for duty this morning.

Lord, we all have the spirit of disobedience and even the potential to do evil things, even as we are saved, just as King David did with Bathsheba, but Lord take away the propensity to sin sexually, morally, ethically and spiritually!

Yes Father, we too, struggle with a spiritual pride and even racism, like Jonah, where we think we are not only better than others, but that we have arrived! Lord, You know we have only boarded that ship and are still on that lifelong lovely Journey with Jesus, and Lord You know that when we have been with  You 10,000 years from now, we will still not know everything there is to know about Jesus and You!

So Father, let us remember that and also, God, gives us an unction to function with humility, mercy, compassion and love....yet never losing sight of the Truth as we come to you now, knowing that You not only know EVERYTHING about us - Your Creation - but You know where everything is on this planet, this galaxy and this universe and how it got there!

Thank You, Lord...because I have nothing to fear with Your Presence in EVERY part of Life in the Universe and my own life! It is a joy and security and comfort to me, to know that YOU are Here, There and Everywhere at all times! Thank You, my Father in Heaven, in the Name of Jesus, amen and AMEN!!!!

TOMORROW: GOD IS MERCIFUL

(image by google images)

OH LITTLE TOWN OF "BEIT LEHEM" - HOUSE OF BREAD!

Micah 5:2(NKJV): " But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me - The One to be Ruler in Israel,

Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting."

A cold dark, starry, starry night in the little sleepy village of Bethlehem was a night just like any other.....or was it? Bethlehem literally means "House of Bread" (from the Hebrew "Beit Lehem"). The great King of the Bible and History - David, was born here, as was his father Jesse, from the Line of Abraham. By the way, isn't it amazing that the Bread of Life (Christ) was born in the "House of Bread"!

Once in Royal David City, stood a lowly cattle shed, a manger if you will. Rachel, the wife of Jacob (Israel) is buried at the entrance to the gate of the little town. The fields of Boaz, from the book of Ruth are in this area. It is so like God, to send His Only One - Yeshua the Maschiah (Jesus the Messiah) to be born in a land with such a rich, yet humble history. 

He had planned it long, long ago.

The world of the Jews at the time were looking for a political deliverer, just like most today who can only see and exist in the temporal and the flesh. They missed the importance of the Creator "Whose goings-forth are from old"...and Who has always existed. This is Who was born in this little town, on Christmas day.

It matters not what day of the Hebrew or Julian calendar He was born. This day which was chosen to celebrate His Birth can be used to shout His Name from the mountaintop. From the day after Thanksgiving to December 25, we have four weeks when the world has its eyes and, without being totally conscious of it, hearts tuned in to what Christians celebrate.

So as we go about our Christmas programs, carols, outreach and even shopping etc...let us NOT waste this privilege to share the Hope, Love, Peace, Joy and Encouragement of the Ancient of Days, born cold and humble in a shed of straw not too far from where poor, unloved and rugged shepherds - as insignificant as you and I - were tending sheep that night almost 2000 years ago!

Merry Christmas to one and all, in Jesus Name, Amen.