Dear Father in Heaven: Thank You for a great day today and for watching over me as I was plowing. All honor and glory to You, dear Lord, for all things. Lord, thanks for helping Buck Rambo and for watching over him. Thanks for taking care of Patsy and Burt, and Bob, Eleanor and Sharon. Lord, thanks for taking care of little "Luke." Please watch over all those who are working Your fields of harvest as commanded by You. Lord, please watch over this line and help me with the message today and then help me dispatch it. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
Brothers and sisters, God is good, all the time, all the time, God is good! One of these days I am going to get some much needed sleep. I think I have been living in our plow truck. It is fun, but I have had enough fun for this year. COME ON, SUMMER!! "Gospel singer Buck Rambo," who had a stroke, is in God's hands. and the healing has started. Little Luke came through his dental surgery in great shape, all honor and glory for The Master's Touch. Keep on praying for our military and for our leaders. Pray for former bus driver Sara (Sally) Snyder's family as they mourn over her departure to go to live with Jesus. AMEN. Now let me get on with the message, "The Great Escape."
Friday, January 3, 2014, The Great Escape (Day Three).
Matthew 2:19 - After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, "Get up, take the child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the Child's life are dead." 21 So he got up, took the Child and His mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, "He will be called a Nazarene." (NIV)
Brothers and sisters, once again we see the angel of the Lord working, and they sure do work the "night shift" a lot, for during daylight hours these folks worked hard. You know that we do not hear a lot about the Child's earthly father Joseph, but God in His wisdom had to pick someone who really would take care of Jesus (still not named) in these tender years. Let's look at something that is going on right now. In most all cases we get warnings to "escape" from things, we get warnings about storms coming and we can escape, and maybe the escape might just be to our basement for the twister is coming. Or those floods, people get warnings, you must leave, that big storm is coming and the water is going up. The weather folks put it on the news, and the police and firefighters go door to door, and there is time to get a few things and escape. A lot of people wait until it is too late to escape and/or just choose to ride it out. And that is their choice, but what if they have children who they must think about? Do their parents care like Joseph cared? I mean he packed up Jesus and got Him out of danger over and over again. He took his job as a "dad" seriously when warned by the angel of the Lord, and again more than likely Gabriel, God's chosen messenger for this period of time. I am sure He had others.
Anyway, when Joseph was told in this dream, and I am looking now at Matthew 2:20, he got up right away, and without question, he took the Child and Mary and left the area. Now the other day I said maybe Joseph built a "donkey cart" for Jesus and Mary to ride in. I want you to again think about these escapes as they would not be easy. Although they did not have stuff as we have today, they still would need to pack things out. They would need water and food for Mary and Joseph, and clothes for them and of course changes of clothes for Jesus. Now remember that Mary would have "on board" food for Jesus, as people would breast feed back in those days. The journey would not be easy, it was walking for Joseph, I would think, leading the donkey, and taking breaks from the walking to get drinks and, well, take care of business. That means one tool Joseph would need to carry would be a shovel. Yes, they buried it back then, and I know I am hitting on details that today we all do not think much about, or at least until the power goes down and our potty will not flush!! So my point is, Mary was picked because she was a virgin, but beyond that she would need to be a lady who would really take care of Jesus. Again, Joseph would need to go far beyond what a really super dad would do. He would also need to provide for his animal or maybe even animals for he just might have a camel carrying the "bags" of his family. Remember, no roadside Howard Johnson, meaning no rooms, and of course, no ice cream. However, people helped others, and I would think there would be some places like we call today, "bed and breakfasts." Anyway, after arriving in Israel, he was warned again in a dream for the Child was again in danger for the son of Herod was not king of Judea. So once again, up in the night and as the song goes, "on the road again." (I like Duane Nicholson's version better than Willie Nelson's.)
So note it was off to the district of Galilee, and a town called Nazareth. And again we see what the prophets had said coming true. We also see another name for Jesus, being "Nazarene." We also understand more where the name of "The Church of the Nazarene" came from.
Brothers and sisters, I know some of my messages are different, like my asking questions, was the "Gift of Jesus" a bribe? And once again I can tell you that I do my very best to try and write down what God gives me in my mind. I have been questioned again about the Gift of Jesus and was told it is a free Gift. And yes, I pointed that out, Jesus is indeed a "free gift from God," but what God planted on my mind was it was not just a gift of love, for Jesus is love as we know, but it was a gift we need to take for us to get into heaven. Yes, indeed, a bribe! In other words, you Must accept this "Free Gift" to get into heaven. I was told that Satan has the gifts and his are used to bribe. Well, that is true, Satan's gifts are never free, never free, I said Satan's gifts are never free, for when you take them, as a bribe, you will surely pay, and his gifts will lead us to sin, always lead us to sin. This does give us a choice. Whose gift do you really want? The gift of Satan, which is the gift of death? Or the FREE GIFT OF JESUS, the gift, the only gift, yes, the gift of life. YOUR CHOICE!!!
Now go forth and share your blessings. I Love ya. Please by all means pass on the love of Jesus. Pastor Dan
Please note, you may if you choose forward my writings, however, when I tell you to "pass it on," I am talking about the Love, and it is the Love of Jesus which we should be sharing with each other all the time.
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