This is an old story but is vogue today and has application above all the bad news we hear today! It is more than a warm feeling on a cold night! This is a radical, revolutionary story that has changed you, me and the whole world! This is the greatest story ever told to the world! How does a pregnant teenager tell her story? You could imagine social media buzz today if she tried to explain how God got her pregnant? What would Joseph tell the media? The shepherds were gathered around a small fire trying to keep warm and guard their sheep! An angel appears before them and tells them not to be terrified! Some of the shepherds were thinking my mommy told me not to be a shepherd! First one angel and then a host of them! God wants all people to hear the Good News! Notice Jesus birth was announced to people living on the margins! The church is to serve people living on the margins! The dignity Herod also heard the news but tried to kill Jesus! The angels through the shepherds spread the news! Shepherds were looked down on in their culture! They hung around dirty, smelly sheep! They were considered scavengers and thieves! David got his rough and tough training as a shepherd boy! If you want to take down a giant call a shepherd! They were the most unlikely people to hear the news first! Remember the lambs were raised to be sold to be sacrificed at Jewish feasts! The lambs were sold to be slaughtered! The lambs were destined to die for sin! The Good News for us and the lambs is that a greater sacrifice was born in Bethlehem. God said I give my life for you! Jesus came for the willing! Are your motives and plans for your life set in concrete? Do you have premeditated plans that leave God out of your life? This is a question we need to answer as we lead into 2015? Herod although a governor had no room for Christ and died a miserable death! Have you predetermined what you are going to do with your life? You have to be more than curious you have to be committed! Would you do anything God called you to do? Would you carry a baby for a Holy God? Why are we chosen? We get excited about the Royal couple and their baby and a baby coming out of Rome or Jerusalem! We must say yes to God even when we do not know the outcome! Are you ready to sign up? Mary was a virgin and told the people she was impregnated by the Holy Spirit! This never happened before and never after in history! Then they had to spend Christmas in Egypt to escape from Herod! Joseph and Mary were imperfect parents raising a perfect God! Do not divorce her! Joseph had to change all his plans! Love her, surround her and protect her. Joseph had a good job and business as a carpenter. I have to build my business! The Roman government requires a lot of Crosses! God has a plan for you and it usually is not your plan! You have to choose! It did not work out the way I thought but God’s plan is a perfect plan! For His plan for your life carries on into eternity! God takes the willing and builds character! Yes God I will go! How willingly Joseph and Mary obeyed! Faith is hard to explain? The natural mind thinks linear and logic does not fit! Sometimes Faith does not make sense? By Faith we let God fill in the blanks! Faith is not normal! The only thing normal in life is the setting on your clothes dryer! Could you raise God as a baby? Verse 17 goes on to say they worshipped Jesus then they went out and told everyone! The story of Jesus is now ours to tell! The angels appeared and then they diminished! Why fear the angels who are messengers? You are now the messengers! Popular culture has a fear about hearing the Good News? We have a story to tell to the nations! We all have a story to tell! With all the troubling news in the world we should be encouraged to tell the Good News! We will either tell or we will retreat? God is not looking for a perfect people to tell the perfect story! Today we are the messengers! Tell God’s story this week! How do we invite people to our Christmas Eve services? We have an amazing story to share with you and we invite you to come with us! We are caretakers of this story! The story is ours! We are the beneficiaries! We are now story tellers! Luke 24:46-49 You are witnesses of these things! You and me together go and tell! What do you want to happen this Christmas Eve? Isaiah 9:2, 6. People in darkness see a great light! A child is born and a Son is given! A wonderful councilor, Prince of Peace! Help people see the great Light! Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado. December 21, 2014
Tag: egypt
Joseph and Mary Spend Christmas in Egypt!
Revelation Chapter 12, Verses 5-6, 13 and 17. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up to God, and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. And when the dragon saw that he was cast forth unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Is It All About Food?
Adam and Eve were given all the food in the garden except one tree! They had a vegetarian dish of everything except for one dish! Could they follow instructions? No! Israel ate the Passover mean with unleavened bread before leaving Egypt. No time to ferment the bread they had to get out of Dodge(town). Moses got complaints about the food in the wilderness. The Jews told him they wish they could go back to Egypt and eat the garlic and onions! God wanted to kill them all but Moses pleaded with God and they got frosted flakes in the wilderness. Just a note here I have a bowl of Luckey Charms every morning for breakfast. Then the most significant event in all of history happened! In an obscure village named Bethlehem God prepared another Table for us! The name Bethlehem means house of bread. Then we have the last supper. We have the Lord’s table or Thanksgiving meal. This meal is also called the Communion Table where we receive Christ’s Body(Broken Bread), and His Blood(Wine) as atonement for our sin. On the resurrection day we will all be at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb! The point here is God has prepared a Table for us simply by His Grace over us! We did not earn this but a gift to us! God has prepared a table for us both past, present and future! As we sit around a table this Holiday season think on these things and The Table He by His great sacrifice has provided to you! Source; Sermon notes taken from Pastor Brady Boyd at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Message given on December 8, 2013. Thankyou. James Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Abortion In Egypt! Exodus 1:17-20
Murder or genocide of minorities is nothing new to the history of man. This episode in Egypt took place thousands of years ago against the Jews. Today in America genocide is being done on African Americans through abortion. Over 40 percent of all abortions done in America are done on African Americans. Their population only represents 12 percent of all Americans. So they get over a 300 percent disproportionate increase in abortions over all other races. The other sad and tragic story here is the Democratic party tells them they are for them while promoting genocide against them with our tax dollars? Martin Luther King had a very noble dream but it did not include this nightmare! Let us together fight for life to remove this scar upon our land and pursue liberty and justice for all! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
God Sent Me To Preserve Life! Genesis 45:5
This is really what God is all about! In a world full of death, disease, wars and storms man needs someone to preserve life! These words were said by Joseph to his brothers when he revealed himself to them as second in command in Egypt. The name Joseph means, “God Will Increase.” When you let God do the increasing instead of by your own efforts peace will come along with prosperity for you and others around you. The world’s way is to get it for myself. God’s way is just the opposite. We receive from Him to benefit others! If Egypt ever needed a Savior it is right now. The Joseph God sends to them today may be you? You could spend a few years in prison there on false charges as Joseph did but God will raise you up through Christ as a mighty deliverer! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Sermon On The Mount Series New Life Church
Matthew Chapter 5; The sermon on the mount is the most taught and least followed of all Jesus teachings! Jesus brings a new imagination ( image ) and a new people out of this sermon. Israel has a history of getting things wrong! They moved from holiness, sin, rebellion, repentance and back to holiness. The difficulty today is the church is just like Israel. Often we cannot tell the difference between the church and the world. Leviticus 18:1-4; God found us in Egypt! God did not want the Jews to be like Egypt or like Canaan. There are traps both in prosperity and bondage. Do not follow the practices of the world. The world is sinking sand. Build on the rock (Christ). The Jews wanted Samuel to give them a king. Why? Other nations had kings. We want to be like the world. God and samuel were greived. So they got Saul, David and a bunch of really bad kings out of forty. Ezekiel 20:6-8; It is possible not to lust, control your temper and live peaceably. Here is a summation of the sermon on the mount, “An invitation from Jesus to be like him and be set apart.” We are a covenant people serving a covenant God. As a mother feeds her baby through the umbilical cord so we are the branches attached to the vine. Moses could not follow the law! The sermon on the mount is not another set of rules. Jesus in you teaches you and enpowers you. John 15:5-6; Apart from me you can do nothing. Bare much fruit! Philippians 2:12; Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. God works in you! No individualism here but community. The disciples left the crowd but after Jesus changed their lives they went back to minister to the crowds! We are in covenant with God and the community. If we try by ourselves we will fail. Live with Jesus and others. No isolation from community in the covenant. The table of covenant is community. Together we servs the community. We serve each other and we serve Christ as He serves us! The Trinity of the covenant is serving community, each other and Christ! Source; Sermon notes, Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Sermon On The Mount Series, 28 April 2013. Thankyou. James Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Arab Spring?
Muammar Gaddafi ruled Lybia for 40 years! Hosni Mubarak ruled Egypt for 30 years! During their reign no United States Consulate was ever attacked and no Diplomats murdered and their staff! When news of Gaddafi’s murder reached the State Department Hillary Clinton laughed and mocked Gaddafi as can be seen on video. Who is laughing now? Russia is smarter than our current Obama administration! Russia learned the hard lessons during their 10 years in Afghanistan with a loss of 50000. troops! Why does Russia support Assad? They have learned that in Islam you must have one strong Dictator to control all the Islamic radical terrorists that otherwise would rise up and create more chaos! The Obama policy has allowed the springing of thousands of radical terrorists that are now free to create chaos and a destabilizing force in the entire region. With Turkey military action against Syria and Iran pursuing atomic weapons we now have a formula for crisis! We need an American leader who will support our only Democratic ally Israel in the region and to understand the realities of Islam to stabilize the region! Michael savage has many insights into these realities and if you can get past his rough presentations he will help you see through the wisdom in today’s complicated world! Thankyou. James Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Was Jesus Married?
This subject has come up alot since about the 4th Century! The novel, Da Vinci Code was our most recent until a Harvard scholar says she has found evidence? This writing is out of the 4th Century. The 4th Century is a long way out from the Gospel’s that were written a few years after Jesus life in the 1st Century! Keep in mind what was going on in the 4th Century! One of the greatest challenges to Christianity came from the Coptic Church in Egypt! You had a non-trinitarian theology system rising and with that the rise of Arianism! Arianism said Jesus did not pre-exist His birth. All these forces lead to the Nicene Council in 325 A.D. This lead to the Nicene Creed which millions of churches around the world hold in their theology. There were many forces in the 4th Century trying to remove Christ’s Divinity and reduce Him to a mere man. The same goes for today! This letter from Harvard came out of the 4th Century. The Gospel’s of the New Testament mention all of Jesus family which includes mother, father, sisters, brothers, cousins, ect. Also the Gospel’s take Jesus lineage all the way back to Adam and Eve! If Jesus was married it would not have been left out by all these writers of Biblical and Non-Biblical Historians during the 1st Century! His disciples died promoting the truth and reality of who Christ is and would not have died for a fake! Sometimes I joke and say Jesus did not get married because He was too smart! Think about the plan God had for His Son Jesus and what it required of Him! The Cross and all that lead up to it and then after the Cross! When would He have time for a wife and kids? Then you would have generations living after Christ who would claim they are His relatives and claim special rights! Jesus is married to His Church! We are His Bride! Jesus said you must be born again! This birth is a Spiritual Birth that transforms your life and prepares you to receive the Holy Spirit! Are you married to Jesus or are you trying to live without God? The choice is yours. Love demands a choice! You either serve God or Satan! Choose the one who has created you, died for you, saved you, rose from the grave for you and is in Heaven preparing a place for you! No one else in history can do this or would do this for you! Thankyou. James Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
United Nations Human Rights Council
President Bush and previous administrations refused to allow the United States to join this organization. The funding for this council comes from Muslim nations and has a pro-Islam agenda and a anti-Israel agenda. President Obama joined the United States to this council when he came into office. Two of the biggest supporters for this organization are Saudi Arabia and Egypt. This organization promotes Muslim Law to all nations through the United Nations. Let me give an example. Right now in London there are 80 Shia Law courts! Once Shia Law courts begin to be set up in the United States you will have two competing systems of justice! If the Supreme Court would rule these courts are constitutional we here in America would lose many freedoms such as free speech and religious freedom of worship! Christian Broadcasts on Television, radio, internet and pulpit preaching could cease by Law! Our membership renewal comes up next month in October! Just before our elections in November let us make a political statement to our representatives in Washington that we the people of America do not want membership in this organization! We need to close the door on the human rights council which has an agenda to take away our human rights! As we think of our Americans who were sacrificed on 9-11 and thousands of our military to protect our freedoms we need to close the door on Islam from infiltration into our great nation, “The United States of America” God Bless America! Thankyou. James Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com