Don’t you believe it!

Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look! Here is the Messiah!’ or ‘There he is!’—do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce great signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Take note, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, ‘Look! He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look! He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. “Immediately after the suffering of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see ‘the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven’ with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:23-31, NRSV)

Until you see the sign of the Son of Man in heaven and see His angels and hear the trumpet call do not believe!

But what is the sign? The Son of Man coming on the clouds?

Or maybe Monty Python got it right and we will see a Grail Beacon, like the Bat Signal, in the sky when the end of times is here.

Whatever the signal, if we focus on Jesus and follow Him, we will not miss it and we will not be led astray!

So follow Jesus and keep your self-focused on the cross and you will not be led astray!

signs

As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.” When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birthpangs. (Mark 13:1-8, NRSV)

Signs, signs everywhere there signs…

blocking the scenery, breaking my mind,

do this! don’t do that! can’t you read the signs…

Can’t you read the signs?

So many people now a days and I’m sure even shortly after Jesus ascended were saying, or are saying, the world is going to end.

The signs are all around us!

But these signs have been there and will still be there. So when will the world end?

When God is ready for it to. And not a moment before. And it is not for us to worry about.

We are to stay focused on Jesus and follow Him and do what He has set before us to do.

Don’t get caught up in reading the signs because you will read them wrong. Just follow Jesus!

consider the poor

Happy are those who consider the poor;
the LORD delivers them in the day of trouble.
The LORD protects them and keeps them alive;
they are called happy in the land.
You do not give them up to the will of their enemies.
The LORD sustains them on their sickbed;
in their illness you heal all their infirmities.
(Psalm 41:1-3, NRSV)

When we think about others God will be near and hear our troubles. He will protect us and keep us alive.

God sees and hears our cries when we see and hear the cries of those in need around us. When we ar ethe hands and feet of God ans take care of His children, He will take care of us.

So consider those around you and help those in need. Because that is what God does for you!

as yourself

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here, please,” while to the one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you? You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (James 1:27-2:8, NRSV)

When we look upon people we are not to judge them and place them in honorable places and dishonorable places by how we judge them.

We are to try the as we would treat ourselves. That is why this picture is a great reminder of how we should look upon people. When we look at someone we should see us. Because when God looks at us does He see us or does He see Jesus?

So love everyone as Jesus loves you.

take care

Do not speak harshly to an older man, but speak to him as to a father, to younger men as brothers, to older women as mothers, to younger women as sisters—with absolute purity. Honor widows who are really widows. If a widow has children or grandchildren, they should first learn their religious duty to their own family and make some repayment to their parents; for this is pleasing in God’s sight. The real widow, left alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day; but the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. Give these commands as well, so that they may be above reproach. And whoever does not provide for relatives, and especially for family members, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (1 Timothy 5:1-8, NRSV)

Who needs to care for others?

We all do. We need to make sure that our family is taken care of.

That they have all they need, and that they do not have to live alone.

We are called and equipped to care for the other, and if the other has no family, they become our family.

We are called to love as God loved us.

gifts

chosenNow during those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables. Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.” What they said pleased the whole community, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. The word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. (Acts 6:1-7, NRSV)

I always thought the apostles were a little full of themselves. They can not be bothered to serve people because they have to study the word of God and to make sure others hear the word. But remember that there was no written word in the apostles day, except for the epistles of Paul and the others writing letters. The apostles were transmitting the word of God, so it is a big deal.

But the 7 that were chosen are not less qualified than the apostles, they are just qualified differently!

You see we all have gifts to use in service to God, and you like Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus are chosen by God to serve and do good for His people!

Walk

So now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? Only to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD your God and his decrees that I am commanding you today, for your own well-being. Although heaven and the heaven of heavens belong to the LORD your God, the earth with all that is in it, yet the LORD set his heart in love on your ancestors alone and chose you, their descendants after them, out of all the peoples, as it is today. Circumcise, then, the foreskin of your heart, and do not be stubborn any longer. For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing. You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 10:12-19, NRSV)

What does God require?

Fear the Lord.

Walk in His ways.

Love Him.

Serve Him with all your heart and soul.

Keep the commandments.

And love the stranger.

So it is not enough to say you love God and walk in His ways if you hate the other. Because not doing one of the things God requires of you is like not doing them at all.

So walk with God and love the stranger, because God loves you!

oppressed

Rise up, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand;
do not forget the oppressed.
Why do the wicked renounce God,
and say in their hearts, “You will not call us to account”?
But you do see! Indeed you note trouble and grief,
that you may take it into your hands;
the helpless commit themselves to you;
you have been the helper of the orphan.
Break the arm of the wicked and evildoers;
seek out their wickedness until you find none.
The LORD is king forever and ever;
the nations shall perish from his land.
O LORD, you will hear the desire of the meek;
you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear
to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed,
so that those from earth may strike terror no more.
(Psalm 10:12-18, NRSV)

Do not forget the oppressed!

People think they can do what they want, whihc is true to a point. But if we ar enot looking out for our fellow man, then we do not get the law of Love that God gave us to live by.

God hears the desires of the meek and does not forget the oppressed. He will vindicate the downtrodden and bring up the lowly.

He will do justice for the ophan and the oppressed!

out of poverty

As he taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:38-44, NRSV)

I love this reading. It is the scripture lesson I preached the first sermon I ever preached to a call committee.

Beware of men in long flowing white robes! I read and talked about as I wore a long flowing white robe!

We read this passage, I said then and still believe, as a stewardship passage. We are supposed to give every last cent to God. And I do not say no to this notion, however, I think Jesus was more than holding this woman up as a model to live by. I think Jesus was and is tearing down religious systems that put people in a place where they feel they have to give everything they have in order to be in the right.

Jesus would never ask us to give something to get something, and sometimes it seems that the system is doing just that.

We do not have to give anything to earn God’s love, or to be in the right with God. His love should so overflow in our lives that we just naturally give everything.

But this passage makes me think this widow didn’t feel like she had a choice. She had to give it all to be there, where others could give a little, she had to give it all. And we are here to help the poor, not to hold them down more.

So love like Jesus and allow His love to move you, but do not feel compelled to give to get somethings, because the greatest gift of all can not be bought.

Bless the Lord!

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and do not forget all his benefits—
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the Pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good as long as you live
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The LORD works vindication
and justice for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always accuse,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far he removes our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion for his children,
so the LORD has compassion for those who fear him.
(Psalm 103:1-13, NRSV)

Everytime I read this psalm I see the guys from Camp Chrysalis in Kerrville, TX singing the song. I am filled with so much joy on thinking about this.

And that is the joy that over flows our lives when we know that God has rescued us from the pit, and brought us up. He has given us life in Him.

And for that we should bless the Lord!