Closer to God in 2022

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: Matthew 11:28

 

Matthew 11:28

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

(ESV)

 

Tomorrow is New Years Day, a day when we reflect on what occurred in the previous year and look forward to the next year. While we look forward to better things in 2022, the events of the last two years cause us to approach 2022 with caution. As believers in Jesus as our savior, we must remember that God knows the future and what will happen in 2022 and will not be surprised at what happens. Therefore, I am issuing a challenge in 2022 for everyone reading this to grow closer in their relationship with God. To draw closer to God, one must,

 

1)      Have a desire for intimacy with God (Psalm 42:1) – Deer do not normally pant for water and find water to drink before panting. When they a deer pants, it indicates an extreme thirst, providing a picture of one with an extreme thirst for intimacy with God. We just completed our celebration of the birth of Christ and soon will remember our savior’s death and resurrection for our sins during Good Friday and Easter or Resurrection Sunday. I encourage everyone reading this to take time to reflect on the great love of God the Father who sent his only Son (John 3:16), Jesus, to become one of us and suffer excruciating pain for our sins, even though he knew no sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). Why would one not want to draw close to a God showing this level of love?

2)      Have a desire to learn from God’s Word (Psalm 1:1-2) – John 1:1-5 refers to the Word being with God from the beginning. In John 1:14 Scripture goes on to tell us that the Word became flesh, a reference to Jesus, God, taking on humanity so humanity could witness the glory of God. Jesus is God and God’s Word in a fleshly form sinful humanity can relate to. While those of us living today have not seen Jesus face-to-face, God left us His Word and the Holy Spirit to help us understand it (John 14:26). It is this Word from God that lights our path and guides our feet as we discern it through the Holy Spirit (Psalm 119:105). Those desiring a closer intimacy with God must develop a desire to learn from God’s Word.

3)      Live in obedience to the Word of God (Joshua 1:8) – Jesus told the Samaritan woman true worshippers of God are not those worshipping in a certain place but those worshipping in spirit and truth (John 4:21-24). While it is important to know God’s Word, the truth, it is also important for one to live in the spirit of obedience to what the Word of God says. Joshua faced a daunting task, taking a group of people who had a rebellious streak in them across the Jordan to face the powerful Canaanites. God must have sensed fear in Joshua’s heart as he reminded him three times to be strong and courageous (Joshua 1:6,7,9). In Joshua 1:8 God tells Joshua to continually meditate on the Word of God and carefully do all that is written. Those desiring a closer intimacy with God must not only know the Word of God but live according to it.

4)      Serve and tell others about God (Acts 1:4,8) – Before departing to be with His Father, Jesus instructed His disciples to remain in Jerusalem to receive the promised Holy Spirit and once receiving this power, to be witnesses to what they had seen and learned from Jesus (Acts 1:4,8). As believers, we have received the most wonderful and powerful gift one can receive, salvation from our sins. Since all have sinned (Romans 3:23) and since sin carries with it a death penalty (Romans 6:23), sin represents humanity’s biggest problem. However, the good news of the
Gospel is that the sin problem was solved by God’s grace at the cross (Ephesians 2:8-9). When we share this news with others, we are not surrendering our gift by giving it to someone else but allowing them to also receive the gift of salvation. One desiring closer intimacy with Christ receives great joy when they share the Gospel with others and see God transform their lives.

 

God sent Jesus to restore fallen humanity by dying for humanity’s sins. However, for one to enjoy a relationship with their creator, they must seek it for God stands at the door of our hearts knocking but we must open the door (Revelation 3:20). Closer intimacy in our relationship with God happens as we learn from God’s Word, live in obedience to its teachings, and share the gift of salvation we have received with others.

 

If you are reading this and have not prayed to receive the gift of salvation offered by God through Jesus, I invite you to do so now by praying with me,

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

 

The challenge for 2022 is drawing closer in our relationship with God by the study of God’s Word, living in obedience to what God’s Word teaches, and sharing what we have learned with others. May God challenge and bless everyone reading this post. 

The Savior is Born

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: Luke 2:8-14

 

Isaiah 9:6

For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon^[a] his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called^[b]
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

(ESV)

 

Merry Christmas everyone. I pray that everyone enjoys their time with family and friends today. I also pray for those that lost loved ones this year praying that the peace of God will fill your hearts. My challenge to everyone is to take time out today to remember the reason for the holiday, Jesus Christ our savior is born. May we remember that silent night when the Lord Jesus laid in a manger. May we offer him worship like the little drummer boy and declare to the world that the Savior has come.

 

Please take a moment to enjoy these videos by clicking on the links provided

 

Video Links

Little Drummer Boy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzEX3QMuVPM

Go Tell It on the mountain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyIN0kh7_Q0

Away in a manger https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s96m4Kk5BGU

Silent Night https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=093_hkkbK38

 

Merry Christmas!!!!!

The Journey

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: Luke 2:1-7

 

Luke 2:6-7

And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

(ESV)

 

Mary and Joseph have received their calling from God to be the earthly parents of Jesus, the Son of God, and God Himself, but there is a paradox to the story, Jesus must be born in Bethlehem and not in Nazareth where Mary and Joseph live (Micha 5:2). While Mary and Joseph could have discerned from Scripture the need to go to Bethlehem so Mary could give birth there, God knew he needed to arrange circumstances in their lives, forcing them to go to Bethlehem. God used a decree from Caesar that all citizens go to the town of their birth for registration, which for Joseph meant going to Bethlehem.

 

Since I am not a lady, I cannot relate to the discomfort Mary must have felt as a decree from Caesar forced her to travel by donkey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. While this is a journey one can make by car in a couple of hours today. In the time of Mary and Joseph, the journey took several days. While the passage in Luke 2:1-7 does not go into details about how Mary felt during the journey, we can read between the lines of Luke 2:5 saying Mary was with child and discern the journey was one of pain and discomfort for Mary.

 

As circumstances would dictate, upon arriving in Bethlehem, the time for Mary came so Jesus could be born in Bethlehem in fulfillment of scripture. However, the challenges of the journey do not end there for due to the many people traveling to Bethlehem for the registration, there are no vacancies in the inns (Luke 2:6-7). Again, Scripture does not provide details, but we can imagine Mary was full of doubts and fears about where she would deliver her baby. Our modern nativity scene illustrates the paradox of the Son of God, God Himself being born in a barn and lying in a manger or feeding trough.

 

Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us that God has a plan, or calling, for each of our lives and that this calling is for our good and not our destruction. However, the context of this passage of Scripture in Jeremiah is saying it to people living in exile. Jesus told his disciples that they would have trouble in their lives but also reminded them that he had overcome the world (John 16:33). For Mary and Joseph, The trouble of fulfilling the calling was a painful and uncomfortable journey from Nazareth and Bethlehem so they would be in the right location for Jesus’ birth to fulfill Scripture (Micha 5:2).                                                                                   

 

Discovery of one’s calling from God does not mean life will be easy and in fact, may come with pain and discomfort. This is where we must have faith and trust in God that his plan for us is not destructive but for our benefit despite some pain and discomfort (Jeremiah 29:11). Like the paradox of the nativity scene, this is a paradox in our lives requiring an eternal focus on God and not the pain and discomfort we may experience during our life’s journey. With a heavenly focus, the pain and discomfort we experience becomes temporary when compared to eternity with Christ.

 

However, for one to have a future of eternity with Christ. they must accept his gift of salvation. If you have never done so, I encourage you to do so by praying with me,

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

 

Congratulations to those that just prayed and begun their life’s journey serving Christ. While this journey will come with challenges, it has a reward of eternal life and freedom of condemnation from God (John 3:16-17). I challenge everyone reading this post to maintain a heavenly focus on the reward awaiting all who believe in Jesus as their savior and not let the challenges of life’s journey distract them, May God challenge and bless everyone reading this post. 

The Calling

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: Luke 1:26-38; Matthew 1:18-25

 

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare^[a] and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

(ESV)

 

The changes of the last two years have made planning difficult because of all the uncertainty. Thankfully, the Lord is not bound by time and therefore is not surprised by what happens in the world. With this truth in mind, the wisest thing anyone can do is determine God’s plan for their life and follow it for as Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us, God has a plan for us and that plan is for our good, not our destruction.

 

Both Mary and Joseph were ordinary people living in the city of Nazareth. Joseph was a carpenter with Mary his betrothed wife. They were most likely planning their wedding with Joseph building a house for them to live in after they were married. This was most likely their plan, but God had something grander in mind.

 

In Luke 1:26-38 Mary receives a visitation from the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:26-27), Gabriel begins his message by letting Mary know she has favor from the Lord (Luke 1:28). As a young teenaged woman, Mary was troubled at the words of Gabriel trying to discern what she could have possibly done to have the angel Gabriel tell her she was favored by God (Luke 1:29). Gabriel continues his message, telling young Mary she will conceive and have a son, naming him Jesus. Gabriel continues, letting Mary know her son would be called the Son of the Most High (the Son of God) and will ascend to the throne of his father David (Luke 1:30-32). Mary’s son Jesus will reign over the house of Jacob forever with a kingdom that will never end (Luke 1:33). If Mary were puzzled at an angelic visitation before, this was even more puzzling for Mary was a virgin (Luke 1:34).

 

Gabriel goes on to explain how a virgin can conceive letting her know that the child will be from the Holy Spirit and not a human man (Luke 1:35). As confirmation that the message from Gabriel is true, Gabriel lets her know that her relative Elizabeth has conceived in her old age, something Mary will validate once she visits Elizabeth (Luke 1:36, 39-45). Gabriel lets Mary know that nothing is impossible with God with Mary responding that she is a servant of the Lord. At this Gabriel departs (Luke 1:37-38).

 

The discovery that Mary, Joseph’s betrothed wife is with child presents a problem for Joseph. In the Jewish culture at that time, a man espoused to his wife had to divorce her to end the engagement, something Joseph intended to do (Matthew 1:18-19). However, this was Joseph’s plan and not the plan of God so God sends an angel of the Lord to let Joseph know God’s plan using a dream (Matthew 1:20). The angel tells Joseph that Mary will have a son who will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). The passage then tells us that this is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah foretelling that a virgin will conceive and bear a son who will be called Immanuel or God with us (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:22-23). Joseph awakes from his dream and like Mary, does all that the angel told him to do (Matthew 1:24-25).

 

Mary and Joseph had plans for their lives together after their marriage but after an encounter with God through an angelic visitation, they both had their plans changed by God. Mary’s calling was to be the virgin of Isaiah 7:14 and give birth to the Son of God, Immanuel. Joseph also had a calling to be Jesus’ earthly father who would soon after his birth, move the family temporarily to Egypt for their safety (Matthew 2:13). While Scripture does not provide much about what Joseph did during Jesus’ childhood, we can presume that he continued his role of a provider and protector of his family. This account shows us how two ordinary people fulfilled a significant role in God’s plan of salvation because of their willingness to follow God’s plan for their lives.

 

Most of the people reading this post lead ordinary lives. We go to work, work our businesses to provide for our families. We take time with our families and have plans for providing a good life for our families. However, we must always be conscious and willing to allow God to change our plans for as Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us, God has plans for us that are for our good and not our harm. Also, since God is not bound by time, he knows our future and since his plans are for our good, the wisest thing anyone can do is surrender to God’s plan for their lives.

 

However, the ultimate plan of God for everyone's life is accepting Jesus as their savior and entering into eternal life with Jesus (John 3:16). Accepting Jesus as one’s savior involves believing (John 3:16) and making a public profession of the belief in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (Romans 10:9-10). If you have never made this profession of faith, I encourage you to do so now by praying with me,

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

I encourage everyone that just prayed to share their decision to make Jesus their savior with others, especially with anyone that has been praying for them. I also encourage everyone to share this post with others so they can benefit from following God’s plan for their lives. May God challenge and bless everyone reading this post. 

Discerning False Information

 By: Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: Jeremiah 28

 

Jeremiah 28:9

As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent the prophet.”

(ESV)

 

Today is Pearl Harbor Day, a day set aside to honor those that lost their lives in a vicious surprise attack by the Japanese on the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor. I want to begin this post by remembering not only those that lost their lives at Pearl Harbor but also those serving in the military, law enforcement, and first responders. The last couple of years have been challenging for these individuals. Know that I and many others that read this blog are praying for you.

 

After his prophecy in Jeremiah 27, Jeremiah is confronted by the prophet Hananiah (Jeremiah 28:1). Hananiah claims his prophecy comes from the Lord and contradicts the word of the Lord from Jeremiah in that he says the Lord has broken the yoke of the king of Babylon (Jeremiah 28:2). Hananiah continues by telling the people the exile will only last two years with God not only returning the vessels from the Temple carried to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar but also the exiles and Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah (Jeremiah 28:3-4).

 

Jeremiah makes an interesting response in that he expresses his desire that the words of Hananiah would come true (Jeremiah 28:5-6). Possibly this initial response was an expression of Jeremiah’s heart, not wanting the people he loved to go into exile. Jeremiah then issues a word of caution to Hananiah in front of all the people by reminding him that the prophets preceding him also prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries (Jeremiah 28:8). When a prophet prophesies peace, the test of his or her word coming from the Lord is the prophecy coming to pass. Perhaps emboldened by Jeremiah’s initial response, Hananiah removes and breaks the yoke around Jeremiah’s neck to illustrate the Lord has broken the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 28:10-11).

 

After leaving the Temple, Jeremiah receives a word from the Lord, instructing him to confront Hananiah, telling him that he has broken a wooden yoke from his neck but put on an iron yoke to serve Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon (Jeremiah 28:12-14). Jeremiah then tells Hananiah that the Lord has not sent him and that he has made the people believe a lie. The prophecy against Hananiah is that he will die within the year, something that happened in the seventh month (Jeremiah 28:15-17).

 

Having the benefit of hindsight, we know that the exile of Judah in Babylon lasted 70 years not just two years. Using the test of a prophet from Deuteronomy 18:22, we know that the prophecy of Hananiah that claims to be from the Lord was a false prophecy because it did not happen. However, the people in the Temple did not have the benefit of hindsight and must decide whether to believe the prophecy of Jeremiah offered in Jeremiah 27 or the prophecy of Hananiah offered in Jeremiah 28:1-6. Only two years of exile would have been more appealing for it meant less time away from the homeland but if the prophecy is untrue, it sets people up with a false expectation of a short-term exile. As a short-term test of a prophet, the Lord gives Jeremiah a word from the Lord for Hananiah that his prophecy is not from the Lord and that he will die within a year (Jeremiah 28:16). Jeremiah’s prophecy comes true with Hananiah dying in the seventh month of that year, indicating that his other prophecy about Hananiah’s prophecy not being from the Lord may also be true.

 

One of the benefits of living in the information age is the abundance of information available at our fingertips. While this is a benefit with its convenience, not all the information available online is true, including teachings purporting to come from the Lord. Fortunately, unlike the people in the time of Jeremiah and Hananiah, we have the Bible, the word of God as a standard of truth. Believers also have the counsel of the Holy Spirit as our counselor (John 14:26). However, to use these tools of interpreting Scripture, one must study the Word of God and be a believer. If you are reading this and have not prayed to accept Jesus as your savior, I encourage you to do so now by praying with me,

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

 

May God challenge and bless everyone reading this post.