OUR CATTLE ARE PRETTY TAME CRITTERS, BUT I WOULDN'T ADVISE GETTING BETWEEN A MOTHER COW AND HER CALF
SERMON
2-11-07
Thou no gods shalt have but me.
Before no idol bow the knee.
Take not the name of God in vain.
Dare not the Sabbath Day profane.
Give to thy parents honor due.
Take heed that thou no murder do.
Abstain from words and deeds unclean.
Steal not, for thou by God art seen.
Tell no willful lie and love it.
What is thy neighbor's do not covet.
-The Ten Commandments In Rhyme
One who trusts in Christ alone [will] completely give up his idols, horoscopes and other such practices of his old life that go against Christ's Lordship. When a true believer is made aware of any area of his life that is not yielded to Christ, he will yield it. When he is made aware of a Christian principal to be followed, he will follow it whatever the cost.
So when a new believer finds out that a follower of Christ should love his enemies, he will do so, even though that seems sheer folly in today's society. When he finds out that a follower of Christ cannot pay a bribe, he will stop paying bribes and pay dearly for it as far as his success in society is concerned. When finds out that a follower of Christ treats both high and low caste people, both rich and poor people as equals, he will do so, however hard that may be for him.
Hos 5:3-6:1
3 I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from Me; for now, O Ephraim, you have played the harlot and have worshiped idols; Israel is defiled.
4 Their doings will not permit them to return to their God, for the spirit of harlotry is within them and they know not the Lord [they do not recognize, appreciate, give heed to, or cherish the Lord].
5 But the pride and self-reliance of Israel testifies before his [own] face. Therefore shall [all] Israel, and [especially] Ephraim [the northern ten tribes], totter and fall in their iniquity and guilt, and Judah shall stumble and fall with them.
6 They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord [inquiring for and requiring Him], but they will not find Him; He has withdrawn Himself from them.
7 They have dealt faithlessly and treacherously with the Lord [their espoused Husband], for they have borne alien children. Now shall a [single] New Moon (one month) devour them with their fields.
8 Blow the horn in Gibeah and the trumpet in Ramah [both lofty hills on Benjamin's northern border]. Sound the alarm at Beth-aven: [the enemy is] behind you and after you, O Benjamin [be on your guard]!
9 Ephraim shall become a desolation in the day of rebuke and punishment. Among the tribes of Israel I declare what shall surely be.
10 The princes of Judah are like those who remove the landmark [the barrier between right and wrong]; I will pour out My wrath upon them like water. [Deut 19:14; Prov 22:28.]
11 Ephraim is oppressed; he is broken and crushed by [divine] judgment, because he was content to walk after idols (images) and man's [evil] command(vanities and filth).
12 Therefore I am like a moth to Ephraim and like dry rot to the house of Judah [in My judgment against them].
13 When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah saw his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria and sent to [Assyria's] great King Jareb [for help]. Yet he cannot heal you nor will he cure you of your wound [received in divine judgment].
14 For I will be to Ephraim like a lion, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will rend and go on [rending]; I will carry off and there will be no one to deliver.
2-11-07
Thou no gods shalt have but me.
Before no idol bow the knee.
Take not the name of God in vain.
Dare not the Sabbath Day profane.
Give to thy parents honor due.
Take heed that thou no murder do.
Abstain from words and deeds unclean.
Steal not, for thou by God art seen.
Tell no willful lie and love it.
What is thy neighbor's do not covet.
-The Ten Commandments In Rhyme
One who trusts in Christ alone [will] completely give up his idols, horoscopes and other such practices of his old life that go against Christ's Lordship. When a true believer is made aware of any area of his life that is not yielded to Christ, he will yield it. When he is made aware of a Christian principal to be followed, he will follow it whatever the cost.
So when a new believer finds out that a follower of Christ should love his enemies, he will do so, even though that seems sheer folly in today's society. When he finds out that a follower of Christ cannot pay a bribe, he will stop paying bribes and pay dearly for it as far as his success in society is concerned. When finds out that a follower of Christ treats both high and low caste people, both rich and poor people as equals, he will do so, however hard that may be for him.
Hos 5:3-6:1
3 I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from Me; for now, O Ephraim, you have played the harlot and have worshiped idols; Israel is defiled.
4 Their doings will not permit them to return to their God, for the spirit of harlotry is within them and they know not the Lord [they do not recognize, appreciate, give heed to, or cherish the Lord].
5 But the pride and self-reliance of Israel testifies before his [own] face. Therefore shall [all] Israel, and [especially] Ephraim [the northern ten tribes], totter and fall in their iniquity and guilt, and Judah shall stumble and fall with them.
6 They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord [inquiring for and requiring Him], but they will not find Him; He has withdrawn Himself from them.
7 They have dealt faithlessly and treacherously with the Lord [their espoused Husband], for they have borne alien children. Now shall a [single] New Moon (one month) devour them with their fields.
8 Blow the horn in Gibeah and the trumpet in Ramah [both lofty hills on Benjamin's northern border]. Sound the alarm at Beth-aven: [the enemy is] behind you and after you, O Benjamin [be on your guard]!
9 Ephraim shall become a desolation in the day of rebuke and punishment. Among the tribes of Israel I declare what shall surely be.
10 The princes of Judah are like those who remove the landmark [the barrier between right and wrong]; I will pour out My wrath upon them like water. [Deut 19:14; Prov 22:28.]
11 Ephraim is oppressed; he is broken and crushed by [divine] judgment, because he was content to walk after idols (images) and man's [evil] command(vanities and filth).
12 Therefore I am like a moth to Ephraim and like dry rot to the house of Judah [in My judgment against them].
13 When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah saw his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria and sent to [Assyria's] great King Jareb [for help]. Yet he cannot heal you nor will he cure you of your wound [received in divine judgment].
14 For I will be to Ephraim like a lion, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will rend and go on [rending]; I will carry off and there will be no one to deliver.
Hos 13:7-8
7 "So I will be to them like a lion;
Like a leopard by the road I will lurk;
8 I will meet them like a bear deprived of her cubs;
I will tear open their rib cage,
And there I will devour them like a lion.
The wild beast shall tear them.
NKJV
15 I will return to My place [on high] until they acknowledge their offense and feel their guilt and seek My face; in their affliction and distress they will seek, inquire for, and require Me earnestly, saying,
Hosea 6
6:1 COME AND let us return to the Lord, for He has torn so that He may heal us; He has stricken so that He may bind us up.
AMP
1. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC (MOTHER BEAR FISHING WITH HER TWO CUBS)
I was watching a program the other day and this mother bear was teaching her two cubs how to fish. As they were fishing along comes a huge male. He wandered toward the cubs, but the mother bear was watching. She let the male know that she wasn't happy. Even though he was much bigger than her, he backed down, because he knew she would fight to the death to protect her young.
2. COUGAR PROTECTING HER YOUNG FROM A GRIZZLY
I watched in dismay as a cougar drove off a huge bear who was threatening her cubs.
YOU ARE IN EXTREME DANGER IF YOU POSITION YOURSELF BETWEEN A GRIZZLY AND HER CUBS OR BETWEEN A LION AND HER YOUNG OR EVEN BETWEEN A COW AND HER YOUNG CALF
THE SAME CAN BE SAID IF YOU POSITION YOURSELF BETWEEN GOD AND HIS PEOPLE ---
1. CLERGY
Jer 50:6-7
6 "My people have been lost sheep.
Their shepherds have led them astray ;
They have turned them away on the mountains.
They have gone from mountain to hill;
They have forgotten their resting place.
7 All who found them have devoured them;
And their adversaries said,'We have not offended,
Because they have sinned against the LORD, the habitation of justice,
The LORD, the hope of their fathers.'
NKJV
James 3:1
3:1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers , knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.
NKJV
My father doesn't know Christ, and my sister and I have been praying for him for twenty plus years. Recently he lost his wife to heart failure even though she was much younger than him. I hurt for him, but did ponder the possibility that she was coming between my father and Jesus. I am not proposing that was the case, but I did wonder.
IF GOD HAS HIS TARGET ON SOMEONE --- YOU BETTER NOT GET BETWEEN GOD AND HIS SOON TO BE CHILD
NOW EVERYONE HERE IS A CHILD OF GOD === AT LEAST AS FAR AS I KNOW BUT CARRYING THIS IDEA IN A LITTLE DIFFERENT DIRECTION THINK ABOUT THOSE THINGS (IDOLS) IN YOUR LIFE THAT STAND BETWEEN YOU AND GOD
Deut 4:23-24
23 Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the LORD your God which He made with you, and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything which the LORD your God has forbidden you. 24 For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
NKJV
HE IS MORE FIERCE THAN ANY GRIZZLY BEAR ---- MORE FIERCE THAN ANY LION --- IF THERE ARE IDOLS IN YOUR LIFE THAT ARE PREVENTING YOU FROM TOTAL SURRENDER TO HIM --- WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN TO THOSE IDOLS --- THEY ARE GOING TO BE DESTROYED
1 Sam 5:1-5
Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon . 3 And when the people of Ashdod arose early in the morning, there was Dagon , fallen on its face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and set it in its place again. 4 And when they arose early the next morning, there was Dagon , fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. The head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold; only Dagon's torso was left of it. 5 Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon's house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
NKJV
GOD IS NOT GOING TO SHARE THE STAGE WITH DAGON OR ANY OTHER IDOL
HE IS NOT GOING TO SHARE YOUR HEART WITH SOMEONE OR SOMETHING ELSE
GOD ISN’T MEAN BUT HE KNOWS THE STRENGTH OF THE IDOLS IN OUR HEARTS AND THEIR EFFECT
When I was a little girl my mother would often say to me, "Edith, I know just who you've been playing with today." She knew because I had become something like the other little girl, whichever one it was, enough like her that the girl could be identified by my changed accent, my mannerisms, and other telltale changes. Children often copy other children quite unconsciously. So do adults. We are affected by the people we spend time with, in one way or another. God makes clear to us that not only is it sin to bow down to idols and worship or serve them, but that there is an effect which follows very definitely. People who worship idols become like them.
Rev 9:18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed — by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. 19 For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm.
20 But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. 21 And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
NKJV
HE WILL LOVE YOU ---- COMFORT YOU ---- BE PATIENT WITH YOU --- INSPIRE YOU TO GIVE UP YOUR IDOLS, BUT HE WILL NOT PERMIT YOU TO CLING TO YOUR IDOLS
The dearest idol I have known,
Whate'er that idol be,
Help me to tear it from thy throne,
And worship only thee.
William Cowper (1731-1800)
Gen 1:1 - Deut 17:19
"When you come to the land which the LORD your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say,'I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,' 15 you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. 16 But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the LORD has said to you,'You shall not return that way again.' 17 Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself.
18 "Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes,
NKJV
SOLOMON
Solomon's Sins. Solomon's reign brought changes not only to Israel but also to his own life. Near the end of his life, the king lost the ideals of his youth, becoming restless and unsatisfied. His writings in Ecclesiastes, proclaiming that "all is vanity," support the view that the world's wisest man had become a pathetic figure in his old age.
Solomon's greatest sin was his loss of devotion to the God of the Hebrew people. In this, he fell victim to his own trade agreements. By custom, beautiful women were awarded to the most powerful member of a treaty to seal the covenant. The constant influx of wives and concubines in Solomon's court led eventually to his downfall. Thus, Solomon broke the Mosaic Law and violated the warning not to stray from the path of his father David.
The large number of foreign women in Solomon's court made many demands upon the king. He allowed these "outsiders" to practice their pagan religions. The result was that Jerusalem, and even its holy Temple, was the scene of pagan practices and idol worship (1 Kings 11:1-13).
Solomon's own faith was weakened. Eventually he approved of, and even participated in, these idolatrous acts. The example he set for the rest of the nation must have been demoralizing. This unfortunate error was a severe blow to the security of Solomon's throne and to the nation he had built.
(from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright © 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
SOLOMON WOULD HAVE WRITTEN A COPY OF THE LAW INCLUDING THE COMMAND OF THE KING TO NOT MULTIPLY WIVES TO HIMSELF --- HE DISOBEYED GOD AND MULTIPLIED WIVES TO HIMSELF --- I AM SURE HE JUSTIFIED IT BECAUSE OF THE TREATIES THAT HE WON THROUGH THESE MARRIAGES
HIS DISOBEDIENCE LED TO THE WORST SORT OF IDOLATRY
YOU ARE IN EXTREME DANGER IF YOU POSITION YOURSELF BETWEEN A GRIZZLY AND HER CUBS OR BETWEEN A LION AND HER YOUNG OR EVEN BETWEEN A COW AND HER YOUNG CALF
THE SAME CAN BE SAID IF YOU POSITION YOURSELF BETWEEN GOD AND HIS PEOPLE ---
1. CLERGY
Jer 50:6-7
6 "My people have been lost sheep.
Their shepherds have led them astray ;
They have turned them away on the mountains.
They have gone from mountain to hill;
They have forgotten their resting place.
7 All who found them have devoured them;
And their adversaries said,'We have not offended,
Because they have sinned against the LORD, the habitation of justice,
The LORD, the hope of their fathers.'
NKJV
James 3:1
3:1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers , knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.
NKJV
My father doesn't know Christ, and my sister and I have been praying for him for twenty plus years. Recently he lost his wife to heart failure even though she was much younger than him. I hurt for him, but did ponder the possibility that she was coming between my father and Jesus. I am not proposing that was the case, but I did wonder.
IF GOD HAS HIS TARGET ON SOMEONE --- YOU BETTER NOT GET BETWEEN GOD AND HIS SOON TO BE CHILD
NOW EVERYONE HERE IS A CHILD OF GOD === AT LEAST AS FAR AS I KNOW BUT CARRYING THIS IDEA IN A LITTLE DIFFERENT DIRECTION THINK ABOUT THOSE THINGS (IDOLS) IN YOUR LIFE THAT STAND BETWEEN YOU AND GOD
Deut 4:23-24
23 Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the LORD your God which He made with you, and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything which the LORD your God has forbidden you. 24 For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
NKJV
HE IS MORE FIERCE THAN ANY GRIZZLY BEAR ---- MORE FIERCE THAN ANY LION --- IF THERE ARE IDOLS IN YOUR LIFE THAT ARE PREVENTING YOU FROM TOTAL SURRENDER TO HIM --- WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN TO THOSE IDOLS --- THEY ARE GOING TO BE DESTROYED
1 Sam 5:1-5
Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon . 3 And when the people of Ashdod arose early in the morning, there was Dagon , fallen on its face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and set it in its place again. 4 And when they arose early the next morning, there was Dagon , fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. The head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold; only Dagon's torso was left of it. 5 Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon's house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
NKJV
GOD IS NOT GOING TO SHARE THE STAGE WITH DAGON OR ANY OTHER IDOL
HE IS NOT GOING TO SHARE YOUR HEART WITH SOMEONE OR SOMETHING ELSE
GOD ISN’T MEAN BUT HE KNOWS THE STRENGTH OF THE IDOLS IN OUR HEARTS AND THEIR EFFECT
When I was a little girl my mother would often say to me, "Edith, I know just who you've been playing with today." She knew because I had become something like the other little girl, whichever one it was, enough like her that the girl could be identified by my changed accent, my mannerisms, and other telltale changes. Children often copy other children quite unconsciously. So do adults. We are affected by the people we spend time with, in one way or another. God makes clear to us that not only is it sin to bow down to idols and worship or serve them, but that there is an effect which follows very definitely. People who worship idols become like them.
Rev 9:18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed — by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. 19 For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm.
20 But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. 21 And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
NKJV
HE WILL LOVE YOU ---- COMFORT YOU ---- BE PATIENT WITH YOU --- INSPIRE YOU TO GIVE UP YOUR IDOLS, BUT HE WILL NOT PERMIT YOU TO CLING TO YOUR IDOLS
The dearest idol I have known,
Whate'er that idol be,
Help me to tear it from thy throne,
And worship only thee.
William Cowper (1731-1800)
Gen 1:1 - Deut 17:19
"When you come to the land which the LORD your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say,'I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,' 15 you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. 16 But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the LORD has said to you,'You shall not return that way again.' 17 Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself.
18 "Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes,
NKJV
SOLOMON
Solomon's Sins. Solomon's reign brought changes not only to Israel but also to his own life. Near the end of his life, the king lost the ideals of his youth, becoming restless and unsatisfied. His writings in Ecclesiastes, proclaiming that "all is vanity," support the view that the world's wisest man had become a pathetic figure in his old age.
Solomon's greatest sin was his loss of devotion to the God of the Hebrew people. In this, he fell victim to his own trade agreements. By custom, beautiful women were awarded to the most powerful member of a treaty to seal the covenant. The constant influx of wives and concubines in Solomon's court led eventually to his downfall. Thus, Solomon broke the Mosaic Law and violated the warning not to stray from the path of his father David.
The large number of foreign women in Solomon's court made many demands upon the king. He allowed these "outsiders" to practice their pagan religions. The result was that Jerusalem, and even its holy Temple, was the scene of pagan practices and idol worship (1 Kings 11:1-13).
Solomon's own faith was weakened. Eventually he approved of, and even participated in, these idolatrous acts. The example he set for the rest of the nation must have been demoralizing. This unfortunate error was a severe blow to the security of Solomon's throne and to the nation he had built.
(from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright © 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
SOLOMON WOULD HAVE WRITTEN A COPY OF THE LAW INCLUDING THE COMMAND OF THE KING TO NOT MULTIPLY WIVES TO HIMSELF --- HE DISOBEYED GOD AND MULTIPLIED WIVES TO HIMSELF --- I AM SURE HE JUSTIFIED IT BECAUSE OF THE TREATIES THAT HE WON THROUGH THESE MARRIAGES
HIS DISOBEDIENCE LED TO THE WORST SORT OF IDOLATRY
KEEP YOURSELF FROM IDOLS BECAUSE THEY WILL BE RIPPED FROM YOU LIKE A BEAR RIPS A RIB CAGE FROM ANY ANIMAL THAT GETS BETWEEN HER AND HER "LOVED" CUBS
1 John 5:21
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols . Amen.
NKJV
1 John 5:21
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols . Amen.
NKJV
