All Things are Made New.

Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature: old things are passed away;
behold, all things are made new. 
And all things are of God, Who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ,
and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 
To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself,
not imputing their trespasses unto them;
and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ,
as though God did beseech you by us:
we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin;
that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.
2Corinthians 5:17-21

Until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field,
and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.
Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field.
And the work of righteousness shall be peace;
and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.
And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places…
Isaiah 32:15-18

Welcome, 2017.  May you be full of things made new – full of reconciliation, righteousness, fruitfulness, peace, quietness, and
assurance forever.  Because God is Good.  Amen.

The Cross. Jesus. New Life.

INTIMACY BEFORE AGONY
… ”Over the course of three years, the disciples had heard Jesus teach on a variety of subjects, including love. But Jesus never spoke of love the way he did the night before he went to the cross (once Judas had left). He mentioned “love” more than thirty times that night — the Father’s love for him, his love for the Father, even the world’s brand of love. Yet, I imagine what rang, especially in the disciples’ hearts, were his words about love concerning those present among them.
Jesus made love personal, saying, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34). Amid bickering and betrayal, relationship moved front and center. The disciples were about to experience sorrow they’d never known. They were about to be tested as never before. They needed one another. They needed to love one another. And their love would serve as a witness to a watching world that they were his disciples (John 13:35).
But once again, Jesus was not merely teaching. He was expressing the love he felt for them. “ . . . as I have loved you . . . ” No doubt, they knew that Jesus loved them. But this is the first time, as recorded in the Gospels, that Jesus openly expressed it. And he didn’t say it just once.

• “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.” (John 15:9)
• “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)

What a comfort to hearts filling with sorrow as Jesus spoke of leaving. Though he would be physically gone and though they couldn’t follow him, they could abide in his love.
And then he said this: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you” (John 15:13–14).”  … Kim Cash Tate

THE CROSS
“We often hear the phrase, “the crux of the matter” or “the crux of a situation.” The word “crux” comes from Medieval Latin, and simply means cross. Why has the word “crux” come to be associated with a critical juncture or point in time? Because the Cross of Christ is truly the crux of history. Without the Cross, history itself cannot be defined or corrected.
There is another word we often hear when we are in the throes of indescribable pain, the word, “excruciating.” That, too, derives from the Latin and means “out of the cross.” Across time and human experience, the historical event of the Cross intersects time and space and speaks to the deepest hurts of the human heart.
But we live with more than pain and suffering. We also live with deep hungers within the human heart, such as the hunger for truth, for justice, forgiveness, and peace. As I see it, there is only one place in the world where these hungers converge: it is in the Cross of Christ, where perfect peace and perfect justice became united in one death on a Friday afternoon.”  … Ravi Zacharias

BEAUTY FROM ASHES
”I keep seeing this image. It’s of the disciples, and Jesus’s mother, Mary, weeping at the foot of the cross. They are huddled together, trying to comfort each other. Trying to make sense of all that has happened. But it just doesn’t make sense.
‘The sky is black. All hope looks lost. Their dreams have died. It seems that nothing good will ever come from this.
‘To them, this day, Good Friday, is the darkest day they’ve ever known.
‘But the one thing that they do not know is . . . Easter is coming.’” … Vaneetha Rendall Risner
 

"IN SPITE OF THAT, WE CALL THIS FRIDAY GOOD" ~ T.S. Eliot in East Coker
"I'm trying not to skip ahead to Easter. I'm trying, these two days, to sit in the grace of the stripped altar and enter imaginatively into the place of the disciples [and Jesus's mother], who only knew that their Lord had died, not that he would rise again.  Flannery O'Connor's stories are a help in that regard. Her characters suffer and boast and finagle their way through a broken world, unaware that grace is streaking silently toward them like a meteor that will throw everything off balance." ... Jonathan Rogers


AT WORK IN THE DARK
“Jesus was dead and buried, with a big stone rolled against the tomb, and the Pharisees came to Pilate to ask for permission to seal the stone and guard the tomb. Pilate responded, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can” (Matthew 27:65). So they did.
They gave it their best shot — in vain.
It was hopeless then, it is hopeless today, and it will always be hopeless. Try as they may, people can’t keep Jesus down. They can’t keep him buried. They may use physical force or academic scorn or media blackout or political harassment or religious caricature. For a season, they will think the tomb is finally sealed. But it never works. He breaks out.
It’s not hard to figure out: He can break out because he wasn’t forced in. He lets himself be libeled and harassed and black-balled and scorned and shoved around and killed.

I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. (John 10:17–18)

No one can keep him down because no one ever knocked him down. He lay down when he was ready.
China may have been “closed” for forty years to Western missionaries, and it’s not because Jesus slipped and fell into the tomb. He stepped in. And when it was sealed over, he saved fifty million Chinese from inside — without Western missionaries. And when it was time, he pushed the stone away so we could see what he had done. …

For twenty centuries, the world has given it their best shot — in vain. They can’t bury him. They can’t hold him in. They can’t silence him or limit him.
Jesus is alive and utterly free to go and come wherever he pleases. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18). All things were made through him and for him, and he is absolutely supreme over all other powers (Colossians 1:16–17).”  … John Piper
 
LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, EVEN TO THE END OF THE AGE
… ”But the old creation is to limp along a little longer, while they believe that the new creation is already here and walk by faith. They must not doubt though their mortal eyes cannot apprehend this new creation. By faith they must participate in it. They must live in the faith that the curse has already been repealed. That death itself has already been conquered. That though they go down to the grave - that this means nothing.
But they shall be raised again in glory - like their saviour. And their eyes shall see him and not another. Even as their outward man - which still partakes of the old world - is passing away, they must understand that the inner man now partakes of the glory and the power of the resurrected Christ. And is being renewed daily in this new creation. And one day, though their outward man has gone down to the dust, yet he shall come up again as well. Christ is the firstfruits of that great harvest.
So Jesus gives them an assurance, though he does not appear in the eyes of the world as a king, yet all authority, all power—in heaven and on earth—has been given to him. Though they do not see him sitting on his judgment throne condemning those who crucified him—though they do not see him with a visible crown or a visible kingdom—still he tells them, ‘I have all authority and power. My reign begins now. My kingdom is here.’" … The Whole Story as preached by Bill Baldwin

Give Thanks.

Know that the LORD is God.  It is He who made us, and we are His;
we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise;
give thanks to Him and praise His name.
For the LORD is good and His love endures forever;
His faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 100:3-5

Resurrected to a New Life. Happy Easter!

 
We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that,
just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father,
we too may live a new life.
For if we have been united with Him in a death like His,
we will certainly also be united with Him in a resurrection like His.
For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,
that we should no longer be slaves to sin—
because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him.
For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead,
He cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over Him.
The death he died, He died to sin once for all;
but the life He lives, He lives to God.
In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Romans 6:4-11

note: this baby monarch emerged this morning!

May the Beauty of the Lord our God …

… rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us --
yes, establish the work of our hands.
Psalm 90:17

A Transplanted Vine; Restore us, Lord God Almighty.

Hear us, Shepherd of Israel,
You who lead Joseph like a flock.
You who sit enthroned between the cherubim,
shine forth before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.
Awaken Your might;
come and save us.

Restore us, O God;
make Your face shine on us,
that we may be saved.

How long, Lord God Almighty,
will Your anger smolder
against the prayers of Your people?
You have fed them with the bread of tears;
You have made them drink tears by the bowlful.
You have made us an object of derision to our neighbors,
and our enemies mock us.

Restore us, God Almighty;
make Your face shine on us,
that we may be saved.
You transplanted a vine from Egypt;
you drove out the nations and planted it.
You cleared the ground for it,
and it took root and filled the land.
The mountains were covered with its shade,
the mighty cedars with its branches.
Its branches reached as far as the Sea,
its shoots as far as the River.

Why have You broken down its walls
so that all who pass by pick its grapes?
Boars from the forest ravage it,
and insects from the fields feed on it.
Return to us, God Almighty!
Look down from heaven and see!
Watch over this vine,
the root Your right hand has planted,
the son You have raised up for yourself.

Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire;
at Your rebuke Your people perish.
Let Your hand rest on the man at Your right hand,
the son of man you have raised up for Yourself.
Then we will not turn away from You;
revive us, and we will call on Your name.

Restore us, Lord God Almighty;
make Your face shine on us,
that we may be saved.

Psalm 80

He Who Stirs up the Sea so Waves Roar …

“Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD.

“But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.  And they shall not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them” declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

Thus says the LORD,
Who gives the sun for light by day,
And the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night,
Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar;
The LORD of hosts is His name:

“If this fixed order departs
From before Me,” declares the LORD,
”Then the offspring of Israel also shall cease
From being a nation before Me forever.”

Thus says the LORD,
”If the heavens above can be measured,
And the foundations of the earth searched out below,
Only then will I also cast off all the offspring of Israel
For all that they have done,” declares the LORD.

“Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when the city shall be rebuilt for the LORD from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate.  And the measuring line shall go out farther straight ahead to the hill Gareb; then it will turn to Goah.  And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be holy to the LORD; it shall not be plucked up, or overthrown anymore forever.”

Rivers into Ocean…

All the rivers flow into the sea,
Yet the sea is not full.
To the place where the rivers flow,
There they flow again.
Ecclesiastes 1:7

Innumerable Grains of Sand.

How precious are Thy thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I should count them,
they would outnumber the sand.
Psalm 139:17-18

Behold, the fear of the LORD …

Where then does wisdom come from?
Where does understanding dwell?
It is hidden from the eyes of all living,
concealed even from the birds in the sky.
Destruction and Death say,
“Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.”
God understands its way,
and He alone knows where it dwells,
for He looks to the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
When He imparted weight to the wind
and meted out the waters by measure,
when He set a limit for the rain
and a path for the thunderbolt,
then He looked at wisdom and appraised it;
He established it and also searched it out.
And to man He said,
“Behold, the fear of the Lord—that is wisdom;
And to depart from evil is understanding.”

Job:28:20-28

How Much More?

Then Jesus said to his disciples,
“Consider how the wild flowers grow.
They do not labor or spin.
Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field,
which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire,
how much more will He clothe you—you of little faith!
Luke 12:27-28

Always a Room Prepared …

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.
In My Father’s house are many dwelling places;
if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself,
that where I am, there you may be also.
And you know the way where I am going.”
Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life;
no one comes to the Father but through Me.
John 14:1-6

Shelter.

 

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty
I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in Whom I trust.”
Psalm 91-1-2

stars

The LORD determines the number of the stars

and calls them each by name.

Great is our Lord and mighty in power;

His understanding has no limit.

Psalm 147:4-5

When I consider Thy heavens …

O LORD, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth,
You have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!
From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength,
Because of Your adversaries,
To silence the foe and the avenger.

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
What is man, that You take thought of him?
And the son of man, that You take thought of him?
Yet You have made him a little lower than the angels,
And crown him with glory and majesty!
You made him to rule over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
All flocks and herds,
And also the animals of the wild,
The birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

O LORD, our Lord,
How majestic is Thy name in all the earth!

The LORD Watches Over …

I will extol the Lord at all times;
His praise will always be on my lips.
I will glory in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt His name together.

I sought the Lord, and He answered me;
He delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to Him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
He saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him,
and He delivers them.

Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.
Fear the Lord, you His holy people,
for those who fear Him lack nothing.
The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from telling lies.
Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord watch over the righteous,
and His ears are attentive to their cry;
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to blot out their name from the earth.

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
He delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the Lord delivers him from them all;
He protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.

Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
The Lord will rescue His servants;
no one who takes refuge in Him will be condemned.
Psalm 34

WISDOM. From the Beginning. Before the Horizon was marked on the Ocean.

  

Does not wisdom call out?
Does not understanding raise her voice?
At the highest point along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand;
beside the gate leading into the city, at the entrance, she cries aloud:
“To you, O people, I call out;
I raise my voice to all mankind.
You who are naive, gain prudence;
you who are foolish, discern wisdom.
Listen, for I have noble things to say;
I open my lips to speak what is right.
My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness.
All the words of my mouth are just; none of them is crooked or perverse.
To the discerning all of them are right;
they are upright to those who have found knowledge.
Choose my instruction instead of silver,
knowledge rather than choice gold,
for wisdom is more precious than rubies,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.

I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence;
I possess knowledge and discretion.
To fear the Lord is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.
Counsel and sound judgment are mine;
I have insight, I have power.
By me kings reign and rulers issue decrees that are just;
by me princes govern, and nobles—all who rule on earth.
I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.
With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity.
My fruit is better than fine gold; what I yield surpasses choice silver.
I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice,
bestowing a rich inheritance on those who love me
and making their treasuries full.

“The Lord brought me forth as the first of His works, before His deeds of old;
I was formed long ages ago, at the very beginning, when the world came to be.
When there were no watery depths, I was given birth,
when there were no springs overflowing with water;
before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was given birth,
before He made the world or its fields or any of the dust of the earth.
I was there when He set the heavens in place,
when he marked out the horizon on the face of the ocean,
when He established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,
when He gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command,
and when He marked out the foundations of the earth.
Then I was constantly at His side.
I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in His presence,
rejoicing in His whole world and delighting in mankind.

“Now then, my children, listen to me;
blessed are those who keep my ways.
Listen to my instruction and be wise;
do not disregard it.
Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.
For those who find me find life and receive favor from the Lord.
But those who fail to find me harm themselves;
all who hate me love death.”

Proverbs 8

Better is One Day …

My soul longs, and even yearns, for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young – a place near Your altar, LORD Almighty, my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in Your house;
they are ever praising You.
Blessed are those who strength is in You,
in whose hearts are the highways to Zion!.
As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.
Hear my prayer, LORD God Almighty; listen to me, God of Jacob.
Look on our shield, O God; look with favor on Your anointed one.
Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
the LORD gives grace and glory;
no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
O LORD Almighty, how blessed is the one who trusts in You.
Psalm 84

The LORD upholds all who fall …

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and Your dominion endures through all generations.

The LORD is trustworthy in all He promises and faithful in all He does.

The LORD upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.

The eyes of all look to You and You give them their food at the proper time.

You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

The LORD is righteous in all His ways and faithful in all He does.

The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.

He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; He hears their cry and saves them.

The LORD watches over all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy.

My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD.

Let every creature praise His Holy Name for ever and ever.

Psalm 145:13-21

He Set My Feet Upon a Rock …

I waited patiently for the LORD;

And He inclined to me, and heard my cry.

He brought me up out of the pit of destruction,

out of the miry clay;

And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.

He put a new song in my mouth,

a song of praise to our God;

Many will see and fear,

And will trust in the LORD.

How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust,

And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.

Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which Thou hast done,

And Thy thoughts toward us;

There is none to compare with Thee;

If I would declare and speak of them,

They would be too numerous to count.

Psalm 40:1-5