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Tag: moses

  • Running from God – 4 – Elijah’s defeat

    Running from God – 4 – Elijah’s defeat

    ‘Wait,’ you’re thinking, Elijah won the contest.

    1 Kings 18: 

    37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.”

    38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.”

    40 And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.” And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there.

    broom tree in wildernessLook now at the picture of the dejected Prophet sitting under the broom tree. Does this look like a man victorious?

    Look at Moses in the wilderness. Was Moses rejoicing with the people who had walked through the Sea of Reeds while God Almighty lifted a wall of the sea? Was Moses rejoicing to receive manna from Heaven and a diet of food without flavor for forty years? And did Moses seem victorious standing on a mountain top looking at the Promised Land into which God forbid he should enter?

    The victories of Moses, Elijah and Jesus were God’s, not their own.

    Peter wanted to lift up Moses and Elijah (as the Jews still do, along with David).

    Peter was all too happy to be a leader in of the Twelve in the victory parade leading the thousands of captives to the gates of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

    Yet when the crowds disappear and there is no one else left to lead – when there is no hero left to follow: where do you go?

    1 Kings 18: 45 And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. 46 And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and he gathered up his garment and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

    We have a brief moment of joy and celebration in the Lord’s victory through us. But then what?

    Reality sets in of the difficulty of our earthly circumstances separate of God.

    Elijah fled God to the broom tree after God’s tremendous humiliation of the leader of his country and the 850 leaders of their favorite churches (so to speak).

    1 Kings 19:

    3 Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree.

    And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”5 And he lay down and slept under a broom tree.

    17 June - 17 July, in the year of our Lord Jesus Christ 2015
    17 June – 17 July, in the year of our Lord Jesus Christ 2015

    Leaders of false prophets hear now the Voice and Power of the Living God!

    You may kill more than 850 enemies, but two more evil ones will pursue your life.

    Take refuge in the One God and Christ Jesus, God’s sacrifice of love for our sins.

    1 Kings 19: [King] Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying,“So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.”

    The true Prophet of God, Elijah, knew he had earthly enemies. The true Christ, the Messiah of God, God With Us, I AM in the Person of Jesus Christ, bowed down only to God the Father.

    And the false leaders of God’s chosen people hung Jesus on a Cross in shame and suffering, until God raised Christ from death and lifted Him up in the flesh from His Blood of sacrifice!

    And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said,

    “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.”

    Now Elijah thinks that God has used him and is done with him; but like our loving Father of our Lord Jesus Christ in heaven, God has more difficult work for which to prepare him.elijah map&passages

    1 Kings 19: 7 And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” 8 And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.

    The Lord Speaks to Elijah

    9 There he came to a cave and lodged in it.

    And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

    Indeed, what am I doing in this cave of darkness?

    Led by God; awaiting His word.

    Here the prayer of a sinner, saved in Christ.

    Speak, O Lord, and I will listen.

    Deuteronomy 5:

    And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the rules that I speak in your hearing today, and you shall learn them and be careful to do them. 2 The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb…

    4 The Lord spoke with you face to face at the mountain, out of the midst of the fire, 5 while I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord. For you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up into the mountain.

    BOW DOWN! if you fear the Lord.

    Yet raise your witness of Christ’s love, if you would live in the love of His Sacrifice.

    He IS: Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

    “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.”

    He said:

    6 “‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

    7 “‘You shall have no other gods before [ besides] me.

    The LORD, He IS God! And Christ Jesus IS One in the Father and the Father in Him. Jesus IS!

    Christ Jesus IS Lord!

    Muhammad, Smith and many more are as the prophets of Asherah and Baal. 

     To be continued…

  • Running from God – 2 – Peter

    Running from God – 2 – Peter

    Stepping back a moment into the opening days of Jesus’ earthly ministry we take a look at the Apostle who denied Jesus three times before the cock crowed twice:

    Luke 9:

    And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal…

    6 And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

    7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, 8 by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen…

    18 Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 19 And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” 20 Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”

    Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

    23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?

    26 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

    The Transfiguration

    28 Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. 30 And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

    The work Jesus was ‘about to accomplish at Jerusalem‘ at the end of His earthly ministry was His Holy Sacrifice of His Body and Blood on the Cross of our Redemption.

    The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world would die for Peter, the very Apostle who had witnessed Jesus with Moses and Elijah!

    Peter, the very Apostle who would deny knowing Jesus three times,  knew with certainty that the man being beaten and bloodied beyond recognition for our many sins was the Messiah, that Jesus IS the Christ Who IS.

    To be continued…

  • A Personal God – Jesus

    A Personal God – Jesus

    Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. – Isaiah 26:4 ESV

    … and he would have given you living water.” – John 4:10b

    “I and the Father are one.” – John 10:30

    Setting aside for a moment your personal preferences for worshiping God; whether ritualistic routine, overflowing emotion, singing, shouting, standing, sitting, hands held up, heads bowed low, knees on the floor or feet off the ground; on the scriptural presumption that Jesus and God are one, let us examine two things:

    The Person of Jesus and His personal mission for each of us.

    Before Christ became God in Person on this earth as the Son of Man, some worshiped God and some worshiped worship. Some worshiped the Law, some worshiped family and forefathers above the Living God. Though Moses stood in the Presence of the Living God, the people worshiped God only in the fear and emotion of the moment.

    Exodus 20:

    18 Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off 19 and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” 21 The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

    22 And the Lord said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven.

    Followers feared Moses only when he reflected the glory of God, yet would not obey the commands given to Moses by the God they feared.

    The Prophets spoke God’s word and demonstrated the truth of God’s refining exhortations. Generation after generation, God’s worshipers assumed a posture of disobedience and self-righteousness; for by their witness they forgot the fear of God. By their witness they failed to please the LORD with the same love and compassion the LORD had shown them from generation to generation.

    The worshipers of God would not listen to Moses. The worshipers of God would not listen to the Prophets.

    Therefore, God intervened in time in the Person of Christ Jesus to redeem a sinful world from the futility of death and the inevitability of judgment.

    Jesus Christ lived in Perfect righteousness on the earth. NO man of any religion on the earth has lived in the righteousness of Christ. Men of every era have lived agendas of purpose for the earthly agendas of man; not the will of God for a Heavenly Kingdom.

    Jesus did not come into the world for worship of holy mothers or ancient fathers. Jesus did not come into the world to win a war by peaceful protest or by sword. Jesus did not come into the world to work miracles to impress or heal men who will die.

    The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…

    1 Timothy 1:15a

    Jesus became the sacrifice to God for the redemption of sin – sins you and I have committed in God’s Holy presence.

    The gospels testify to the glory of Christ Jesus, the Word of His instruction and the Life of His own witness.

    Our God is a Personal God and He IS present in the Person of Jesus Christ.

    By the perfect and sinless example of Jesus Christ we have assurance of forgiveness for our many sins and eternal life for our soul, which does long for the embrace of God through the love of His perfection.

    Fear the God Who IS. Give thanks to the One who has formed your flesh and summons your soul.

    Jesus Christ was witnessed by the Apostles, including Paul who was blinded by His presence. Jesus Christ was witnessed by disciples who believed (as well as those who refused to follow Him).

    The Apostles stood and sat and ate in the presence of the Person of Jesus from day to day and after the resurrection of His crucified body. They are witness to the Person of God in Him.

    And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” – Mark 4:41

    Acts 9 (excerpt) … and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing.

    God and Jesus pursue sinners personally – sinners like you and me.

    Jesus taught us how to live as a perfect son (which I am not) and how to approach God as a perfect father (which I am not). We are neither perfect son nor father, perfect daughter nor mother; yet because Christ Jesus has taken our sin from us, He presents us to God the Father as blameless to do the will of our Father and Lord, as He would have done ‘on earth, as it is in Heaven.’

    Our Personal God and Father has sent Himself in His only Son, Christ Jesus, to us; as example for a personal obedience to His will on earth in this day and until the day He has appointed for our finished work, the witness of His love, to complete His purpose for our mortal life.

    In Christ Jesus, our Lord, my soul stands before God and man as witness to hope eternal and witness to eternal life daily.

    In you, our Lord has placed an eternal voice and temporal call to a personal relationship of love to fulfill His purpose for your mortal life on this earth.

    God has something He has sent your soul here to do in the flesh. The Person of God has a mission just for you.

    Will you do it?

    Will you listen to God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord?

    To be continued, God willing