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Isaiah 55:8-9 Sometimes we humans lose sight of the fact that we are “on the earth” and “God is in heaven” (Ecclesiastes 5:2). In other words, we need to be reminded that we are the creature and the Lord God is the Creator. We are dust, and He is spirit. Though made in the image of God, we are not God! You will probably say: “I know all that.” Well and good, but sometimes we act as though we don’t. We look around us at the various problems and evils in the world and wonder what on earth God is doing. Now it’s good to ponder and consider the happenings in life in light of scripture, but when we begin to think that we could fathom all that God is doing and why He’s doing it, we start to overstep boundaries. The Lord speaks through the prophet Isaiah of His ways and thoughts being higher than ours, even as high as the heavens are above the earth. That’s really high. He even states that His thoughts and ways aren’t even the same as ours! Why is this the case, if we are made in God’s image? Two things come to mind. First, the capacity of the human brain (mind) is highly inadequate to grasp all that God knows. Although marvelous creations of God, we are still human beings endowed with sufficient capacity to know what we need to know in this life, but unable to approach to the vastness nor depth of all the knowledge of God. Second, sin has corrupted our ways of thinking. We often fail to consider this or even to accept it. Our presuppositions and prejudices cloud our thinking. We tend to play favorites, our most favorite being our self. Lusts and passions (i.e. fear, anger, sadness, greed, etc.) get in the way of clear understanding. So Paul writes: “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!” (Romans 11:33) As it is, the Lord has given us more to learn in this life than we can possibly absorb. Be thankful that God knows all things. Let God be God, and you be you.

Matthew 10:40-42 Sometimes we seem to be at a loss about what we can do personally to help the congregation grow stronger in Christ as well as grow in number. But the list of helpful things which anybody can do is virtually without limit... 1 Keep a prayer list, make some quiet time and pray daily. 2 Greet your brothers and sisters at the assembly. Visitors, too! 3 Share the good news and the hope you have with somebody. 4 Read and study the Word of God. Share what you learn. 5 Learn everyone’s name, including children, and speak to each person by name. 6 Speak enthusiastically about the congregation and its works. 7 Make a good assessment of the gifts and skills which the Lord has given to you and put them to use. 8 Thank people for what they do: the songleader, the brother who led prayer, a teacher, a shepherd, a deacon, the custodian, the preacher, the person who ministered to you... 9 Speak with and encourage the young people and children. 10 Respond to every request for help which you can. 11 Send cards of thanks, encouragement, sympathy, get well, and just to say “You are appreciated.” 12 Make phone calls to encourage those having difficulties and those who have been away from the assembly. 13 Get in touch with (visit, call, Skype, etc) the sick and shut-ins to encourage them; pray with them. 14 Speak of the great things the Lord is doing in your life. 15 Smile! (You belong to Christ!) Jesus spoke of just giving “a cup of cold water” to a child as a blessed deed. Such “little” things we do in His name make a huge difference.

Matthew 10:21-31 Our ingenious Creator has made a veritable profusion of birds to inhabit the earth. They come in an assortment of sizes and colors with varied diets and habitats to match. The soaring eagle, the lazing hawk, the slashing falcon bring our admiration. The robin, the cardinal, the blue jay and the gold finch flash their colors. We delight in finches, the wren, the blue bird, the woodpecker and the hummingbird. Pelicans, sandpipers, gulls and others populate the ocean shores. Geese and ducks of all kinds abound in the wetlands. We marvel at (and shy away from) vultures and crows. The red-winged blackbird, the indigo bunting, the oriole, the starling, the dove ... the list goes on and on. Then there is the sparrow. Nothing out of the ordinary here. Nothing flashy - brown, tan gray, white. No special call nor melodious song. Small, numerous and found nearly everywhere. They hardly draw the notice of the astute birder. When we see one, our response is something like, “Oh, it’s just a sparrow.” And what matter when one is killed? They are certainly not an endangered species. Strangely enough, Jesus spoke of the lowly sparrow noting that two were sold for a “cent” (copper coin; assarion; worth about 1/16 of a day’s wage). Yet, not a one of them would fall to the ground without our heavenly Father noticing. Among all of the other glorious creatures He made and amid all of the hubbub of humanity on the earth, the lowly sparrow is not overlooked by its Maker. Jesus continues: “So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.” How often do we fret about what life will bring? How many times have we wondered if God sees the difficult circumstances in my life? Recognizes all my enemies? Knows my fears and concerns? Understands my heartache? The question is often: “God, are you there?” Well, fear not! Go, look out your window or stand on your porch. Watch a sparrow. Remember, God is watching it, too - just as He is watching over you. Jesus said so!

Proverbs 13:24 Being a parent is no easy task. In today’s culture, one might well argue that rearing children is even more difficult than in years past. Being a Christian parent adds still another layer of concern and difficulty. Numerous joys and sorrows, thrills and disappointments dot the landscape of the lives of parents. You will learn many things as you rear your children. But this one thing you will learn for certain: What kind of person you are! As a father or mother, God has given you the full responsibility of training up the children which He has given you (Psalm 127:3) in His ways (Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:4), and you will quickly find out if you are equal to the task. You, in fact, will have to grow and change more quickly than your children, or you will fail. One thing which parents must learn early on and take to heart is that their child is bent on self-destruction. “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child...” (Proverbs 22:15). A child does not know right from wrong nor what is best for him/her. The sooner a parent learns this the better. But this is just as important: accepting that truth! Some parents have that weak spot which continually makes excuses for their child. It is never their child’s fault; it was just a mistake; my child would never do that. The excuses are endless, and because of the parent’s lack of love for their child, the child suffers. What happens is this: the parents do not discipline the child as they should. The child “gets his own way” (“is left to himself”; Proverbs 29:15), and he or she brings shame to them. Solomon goes so far as to say that a parent who refuses to discipline their child actually “hates” him (Proverbs 13:24)! To be a godly parent, a person must have the heart for discipline, just like our heavenly Father (Hebrews 12:5-11). This is really the heart of love. So, parents, are you teaching and training your child in the ways of God? Or are you letting them “figure it out for themselves”! Believe me, the devil would love to teach your children his ways.

Psalm 42 See the deer come bounding down the hillside in a fit of terror. Fear is in its eyes. It is trying to outrun the wolves who have spotted it and have given chase. Its flight has been for some time now, and drawing breath is becoming more difficult while its mouth is parched, dry from the run. Two things are of immediate concern. To find a stream so it can slake its thirst, and to put enough distance between itself and its pursuers so as to get a short respite. Down the embankment it comes, at times sliding on the soft forest floor, more concerned about creating distance than not making noise. The stream is over the next rise; one more hill to climb. The wolves maintain their deliberate pace. One of the frequently recurring themes in the Psalms is the oppression of God’s people by their enemies, and their crying out to God for rescue. This should not surprise us since God’s children have been opposed and attacked by the world since the beginning, witness Cain and Abel. When Satan deceived Eve, this war between good and evil, truth and lies, righteousness and wickedness began. It has never stopped, nor will it, until Jesus returns. This Psalm may well depict the writer in exile as he recalls going in procession to the “house of God,” and desires to “appear before God” again. He remembers God as he did “from the land of the Jordan and the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.” He is desperate for God. In our times of trouble, are we desperate for God? Do we thirst “for the living God”? Do we cry out to Him for rescue from our enemies? Do we remember His rich blessings of days gone by and anticipate that He will again bless when the current trouble is past? The words “pants,” “tears,” and “pour out my soul” challenge us. Whether we get relief or not, it is God for whom we long. As the deer pants for the water, so my soul pants for You, O God.

Ecclesiastes 7:4, 14 Thinking is not something which people seem to do well these days. I’m not implying that they have lost the capacity to think, but that they have forgotten the importance of thinking things through. You may agree or disagree, but let’s consider how this may be. Ours is a “hurry up and do it now” culture with virtually instant access to everything. We can get instant credit approval, apply for jobs, and find companionship on line. We drive with cell phones in our cars, and we text while watching movies, doing work, and eating. Our social media friends are always posting something we need to see, and I need to post something as well. Ads on TV tell us to “Call now!” We can shop online: Add to Cart; Express Check Out; Submit; get it TOMORROW! Who needs to think?! It seems the faster we go the less time we have to get everything done around the house and still have some fun and relaxation worked in. Right? Besides, thinking is so much like work. It takes time and effort to research, ponder, consider alternatives and outcomes. Who has time for that? Anyway, we have educators, doctors, and government officials to do our thinking for us, right? Why even preachers can buy a whole book of sermons or even download them from the internet since they do not have time to study and think either! Ah, yes, Satan plies his trade well. The father of lies and master of deception continues to hoodwink the human race into living lives of self-destruction. Is it any wonder that when we do open up a portion of God’s word that it often seems strange to us? “The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning, while the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure.” “Man, what a downer! What’s that all about? Is this book for real?” Well, yes it is, and it portrays reality better than any other book on earth. It is God’s book of truth and life. We all need to read it, think upon its truths, take them to heart, and live them! But, do you have the time?

John 17:17 ‘Tis the season for political talk (Does it ever end?!). “Vote for me; I’m the better candidate.” “Look at my record.” “My plan is to do this.” “My administration did that.” “My opponent failed.” “My opponent flip-flops.” “Blah, blah...” “Yak, yak...” Whose words can you believe? A voter must sort it all out. We should be ever grateful that the Word of the Lord is not like the words of men. By this I’m not speaking of the fact that the Scriptures have been preserved for us down through time, although this is a strong indication that these are the words of God. We are talking about the meaning of those words written on the pages of God’s book, the truths conveyed by those words. “Your word is truth.” Jesus affirmed. We take for granted that people speak the truth. We rely upon that. Suppose this happened to you: “I know I told you the time was 8:00, but we started at 7:00. Sorry.” What about?: “I know our ad said it’s $14.99, but it’s really $34.99. Sorry.” We can rely upon God’s word being true because it comes from God who cannot lie. It is totally reassuring to know that whether we are reading about historical events, creation, Noah, sin, salvation, Jesus, judgment, forgiveness, et al ... that it’s true! We can absolutely count on it! Listen to these words from David (Psalm 12:6-7): “The words of the Lord are pure words; as silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times. You, O Lord, will keep them; You will preserve him from this generation forever.” The absolute truthfulness of God’s words are affirmed by David. It is clean of any falsehood or deceptiveness. It is perfect in what it intends to say. With this word of the Lord having been written thousands of years ago, it is vital for us today to know this: “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:6-8) It is as true today as it was when God first spoke it, and when it was first written down. It is still true. It will be true for every generation of mankind. It will never change. Amen!

Philippians 3:2-11 We have all heard of the American dream. This is usually seen as being able to hold a good-paying job, having a family, owning your own home, possessing a vehicle or two of your choice, being able to take a vacation each year, etc. The American dream isn’t a “bad” thing in itself, but it can get in the way of the Christian dream. Did you know there is a Christian dream? Perhaps not. And therein lies the danger of making one’s focus the American dream. It can easily over shadow and supplant the Christian dream. Paul presents this Christian dream better than anyone else in the New Testament. In fact, he had been living the “Jewish dream”! You can read in our text about his high standing, superior stock and track record in the Hebrew religion. He was “a Hebrew of Hebrews.” But he gave that all up for the Christian dream. So what is that? Paul states that he counted “all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” This included having the righteousness of Christ through faith, sharing in His sufferings and becoming like Him in His death. This all takes on more significance when we understand that eternal life is defined by Jesus as knowing God and His Son (John 17:3). This isn’t simply factual knowledge, and it isn’t just being able to say that you’ve been baptized into Christ (although that is a must). It is experiential knowledge. Learning to think like God and to see things as God does. It is living like Christ. It is loving like Christ. This all brings a person into the relational aspect of eternal life of oneness with God (John 17:20-23). If these aspects of the Christian dream are true in a person’s life, then the final goal will be realized - to “attain to the resurrection from the dead.” A new, never-ending life in a new body in a new place with the Lord! This is a dream which Jesus wants to come true for every person. He gave His life so it could happen. Do you have anything you need to throw in the garbage or toss in the trash so that this Christian dream can become true for you?

Matthew 28:18-20; 1 Peter 3:14-16 We read in the New Testament how the early church multiplied and spread throughout the known world in the Roman empire. This happened despite opposition from Jews and Greeks alike. This persecution was severe at times with Christians being hauled off to prison and even put to death. Yet, despite all of this, the church grew. How did this happen? What were they doing? First, they went out with the message of the gospel just as Jesus had commanded. They had the sure knowledge that He had overcome sin, was resurrected from the dead and offered everlasting life in His kingdom. They believed it, they lived it, and they proclaimed it. They went on the offense into a dying world with this glorious message of hope. Secondly, they were able to defend their beliefs against any attacks on their truthfulness or credibility. They were convinced that their faith and the gospel were grounded in the truth and reality of Jesus Christ’s resurrection. They knew what they believed, why they believed it and were able to give explanation to all those who would ask about this hope they had. So we see that the church was both out there on the offense with the gospel, and also it was able to defend its faith with reasoned arguments based on truth and reality. Both were needed to convince a skeptical, unbelieving world. But scripture does not indicate that this was done through large organized campaign-like events. Christians were so energized and zealous about their faith that they just wanted to tell about it! “Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.” (Acts 8:4). Today, young people are leaving the church, congregations are closing their doors, and some are “just hanging on.” What’s to be done? Perhaps we should listen to the voice of our Savior and Lord who said to take the gospel into all the world. Should we be on the offense or the defense? YES!!

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2; 8:8; 12:6-7 The Preacher wrote: “...there is...a time to give birth and a time to die.” Many of us tend to take these two events as rather simply the normal happenings of life. And truly birth and death happen every day on this planet, and they happen with every person. However, neither of these events are mundane nor ordinary. They are both sacred events - sacred places. Why so? First, God is present. Second, He is effecting great changes. Birth is a sacred place. Here is the culmination of God’s creative process which began at conception. Life began. And now a another human being made in the image of God has come into the world. God has breathed the breath of life into yet another person. God has been involved from the beginning, and now this helpless “man” has begun his or her journey through life. What an exciting day it is! What a time for rejoicing! Birth is a sacred place. Death is a sacred place. The life begun some years back has now reached the end of its journey. Perhaps the individual has walked with the Lord and was being conformed to the image of Christ Jesus. She has been diligent to listen to the voice of the Shepherd. He has been devoted to serving the Lord by serving others. Or maybe not. Perhaps this person has walked in the ways of the world, indulging in the pleasures of life with little thought for God or even other people. Every journey is different. But now, the day of death is near. The Preacher wrote: “No man has...authority over the day of death.” This authority is reserved exclusively by God for Himself. He stands ready to receive the spirit which He had imparted when this person’s life began (Ecclesiastes 12:7). God is near. Death is a sacred place. Both birth and death are very visible acts of our Holy God. They are both sacred places.

Jeremiah 32:36-44 When Judah was in the midst of the trauma of being enslaved and deported to Babylon, Jeremiah found himself confused. He had been imprisoned for speaking the word of God about the exile, and many of his people had already been carried away. But then his cousin came to him and asked him to buy his field! This made no sense to Jeremiah (32:25) since the Chaldeans were already in possession of Jerusalem. Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah to reassure him that what was happening was not permanent and that fields would again be bought and sold in the land and that God would restore their fortunes - what was happening at the present was not to be the way things would always be from then on. During this corona virus situation, we have been hearing the phrase “the new normal.” I don’t care for that phrase, and I reject it. There is nothing normal about what we are experiencing. •We are in the midst of a pandemic which has killed hundreds of thousands of people •Many businesses are closed •Many people have been forced out of work •We are told not to gather in large groups •We are told to do social distancing in public •Churches in some states have been told they cannot sing or even assemble •Sporting events have no spectators •We are supposed to wear a mask when in public None of this is normal!! And we should not accept it as normal nor begin to get comfortable with it. This is why I wear your everyday generic mask. I do not want to get comfortable wearing one. By His grace and in His own way, the Lord God will remove this virus and return us to “normal.” What’s happening now is abnormal. Let’s see it that way.

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 Wrath is an “old” word in the English language which isn’t used much any more. Webster (College Dictionary, Fourth Edition) defines wrath as 1) intense anger, rage, fury; 2) any action carried out in great anger, esp. for punishment or vengeance. It isn’t a popular exercise in today’s religious climate to speak of the wrath of God, but we ignore the subject at our own peril. It is certainly attested to in the Holy Scriptures. In our text the Holy Spirit speaks of a “wrath to come.” That wrath will be God’s bringing destruction on His enemies at the end of time. Few people realize that the Almighty actually classifies some people as His enemies. (See Psalm 21:7-13 for this thought and for how God moves against His enemies.) Lest we misunderstand, the Lord disciplines His “sons” (Hebrews 12:4-11), but He brings His wrath against His enemies. Who then are the enemies of God? Basically speaking they would be anyone who opposes the will of God. This would include people continually involved in any sort of evil as defined in God’s word: murder, robbery, sexual immorality, covetousness, lying, hatred, lawlessness, selfishness, etc. Those guilty of teaching false doctrine and leading people away from the truth of the gospel or even away from God Himself would also be enemies of God. In Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians (1:6-10), he speaks more specifically about the Lord’s return “in flaming fire” when He will bring retribution “to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.” Obeying the gospel is a reference to a person’s initial faith in Christ and baptism into His death. Knowing God comes about in one’s Christian walk as he or she is conformed more and more into the image of the Christ. It seems rather plain that those who have not obeyed the gospel nor know God fall into the category of God’s enemies. How can I avoid the wrath of God? Obey the gospel and come to know Jesus. Only He can deliver from “the wrath to come.”