12-30-2007 - "When God Repents..."

When God Repents…

There are multiple instances in Scripture where we see God actually repenting…changing his mind about what He intended to do…usually because He sees humans repent…

Genesis 6
1And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 2That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. 3And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. 4There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. 5And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. 8But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD…

Genesis 8
20And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. 22While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

Exodus 4
24And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. 25Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. 26So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.

(Amplified Bible):

Along the way at a (resting) place, the Lord met Moses and sought to kill him (made him acutely and almost fatally ill). (Now apparently he had failed to circumcise one of his sons, his wife being opposed to it; but seeing his life in such danger) Zipporah took a flint knife and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it to touch Moses' feet, and said, Surely a husband of blood you are to me! When He let Moses alone (to recover), Zipporah said, A husband of blood are you, because of the circumcision" (Ex. 4:24-26).

Exodus 32
1And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. 2And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. 3And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. 4And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 5And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD. 6And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. 7And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: 8They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 9And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: 10Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation. 11And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? 12Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. 13Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever. 14And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people. 15And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written. 16And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.

1 Samuel 15:35
And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel…

2 Kings 20
1In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live. 2Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, saying, 3I beseech thee, O LORD, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. 4And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 5Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD. 6And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake. 7And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.

Some rather big questions remain in the face of these instances where we see God repenting…

Repentance on our end is usually due to a failing on our part; when God repents in Scripture, does this mean that He failed? No – it merely means that He changed His mind about what He intended to do because He saw the individuals His wrath was intended for turn from their wicked ways…

In Ezekiel 33:11 we read, “Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?”

In 2 Chronicles 7:14 we read, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

The New Year is about to begin…for most of us, the New Year is a time when we make resolutions to do better…to repent from bad habits and poor practices of the past…when God repents in Scripture, He is establishing a pattern of behavior He wants us to emulate...

Surely, if our perfect God can change His mind, and can go forth in a different direction than He initially intended – so can we, His people…

We can stop committing the sins that are kinking up our relationship with God; we can kick bad habits that are doing nothing more than killing us; we can do better – with God’s help…He has not placed upon us more temptation than we can handle, for 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

Let’s look to 2008 not only a New Year, but as a New Beginning…

Corinthians 5:17 – “…if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Revelation 21:5 – “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.”

God can give us a brand new start. Will we let Him?

December 23rd, 2007

On the morning of December the 23rd, our Choir presented an awesome Christmas Cantata to a church filled with close to 140 people; later that evening, both UMYF groups presented "A Charlie Brown Christmas 2007" and, after the play, a special snow-haired visitor stopped by, and we all exchanged presents - it was a wonderful, memorable day...

Notes from Sunday, December 16th, 2007

Jesus told the Disciples to pay special attention to the times in which he might be revealed...note his wording, and how these phrases were later echoed in the same Gospel, either literally, or implicitly...

Mark 13:33-37

33 Take heed, watch and pray: for you do not know what time it is. 34 For the Son of man is like a man going on a journey to a far away place, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. 35 Watch therefore: for you do not know when the master of the house will be returning. It might be in the evening, or at midnight, or when the cock crows, or in the morning: 36 If he returns suddenly, will he find you sleeping? 37 What I say unto each of you individually, I say unto you all, Watch.

Each of these unique turns of phrase re-appeared in the same Gospel, either literally, or contextually, and each time it served to remind us of God's holy, appointed time:

• In the evening… Mark 14:17-18 – the Last Supper: “17 And in the evening he went with the twelve. 18 And they sat, and they ate…” (He warns Peter about denying him, and refers to the cockcrow again…)
• At midnight… Later, in Mark 14, we read of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, saying to the sleeping Apostles, in 14:41, “Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.”
• When the cock crows… Mark 14:66-72 – “66 And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there came one of the maidens of the high priest: 67 And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him, and said, And you also were with Jesus of Nazareth. 68 But he denied this, saying, I do not know, nor understand, what you are saying. And he went out onto the porch; and the cock crew. 69 And the maiden saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them. 70 And he denied it again. And a little while after, they that stood by again said to Peter, Surely you are one of them: for you are a Galilaean, and your speech proves this . 71 But he began to curse, and to swear, saying, “I know not this man of whom you speak!” 72 And the cock crew the second time. And Peter remembered the words that Jesus had said to him, ‘Before the cock crows twice, you shall deny me three times. And when he thought about this, he wept.”
• Or in the morning… Mark 16:2 – ”And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.”

Humans have always struggled with understanding God's timing, because His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. As we make preparation for Christmas this year, may we be reminded that the Advent season is also a period in which we await the Return and Second Coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Let us strive to do our best to be ready, so we won't be caught offguard.

Notes for the sermon 'Christmas and the Bible'...

The Birth of Jesus is described in the Gospel of Matthew, with a detailed geneology of his lineage…traces his ancestry all the way back to the House of David…but notes, in verses 18-25:

18Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 19Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. 20But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. 24Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

Matthew Chapter 2 details the story of the Wise Men, who arrived on the scene much later…

Luke chapter 1 discusses the promised coming of Jesus to the Virgin Mary, and the birth of John the Baptist, and his foretold coming as well…

Luke Chapter 2 details the story of the birth of Jesus, the shepherds, the circumcision of Jesus, and his blessing by Simeon and Anna at the Temple when he was a baby…

Some have misinterpretted Jeremiah 10:3-5 as being an anti-Christmas text, but it's actually about idols with a human form, not a Christmas tree when read in its proper context:

3For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. 4They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. 5They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.

2 Corinthians 6:16-18 does indeed speak against idolatry, but no one worships a Christmas tree in the same way pagans once worshipped false gods...


16And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. 18And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

When it comes to celebrating Christmas, or any holiday for that matter, the entire chapter of Romans 14 clarifies this matter…however, the book of Esther features texts that parallel the modern Christmas celebration in practice and concept, if not in terms of length:


Esther 9:17-22

17On the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of the same rested they, and made it a day of feasting and gladness. 18But the Jews that were at Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth day thereof, and on the fourteenth thereof; and on the fifteenth day of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness. 19Therefore the Jews of the villages, that dwelt in the unwalled towns, made the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of gladness and feasting, and a good day, and of sending portions one to another. 20And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, both nigh and far, 21To stablish this among them, that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly, 22As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day: that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.

Christmas Parade Photos

Our Children, Youth, and even some of our parents, were in two Christmas parades this year: The Seven Springs Christmas Parade, and the Mount Olive Christmas Parade...

Operation Christmas Child

We are pleased to report that our church donated 115 shoe boxes this year, and we had a special blessing for the shoe boxes on the 18th during Morning Worship...

Texts for the First Sunday of Advent

Jeremiah 23: 5-6

5Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. 6In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Isaiah 9:2, 6-7

2The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. 6For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Isaiah 53:1-6

1Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? 2For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

John 1:1-5, 9-14

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 9That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 10He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Text for Christ the King Sunday

Luke 23:33-43

33And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. 34Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. 35And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God. 36And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, 37And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself. 38And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 9And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. 40But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Primary Text Used at the Thanksgiving Service...

Psalm 26

1Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the LORD; therefore I shall not slide. 2Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart. 3For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth. 4I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers. 5I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked. 6I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD: 7That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works. 8LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth. 9Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men: 10In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes. 11But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity: redeem me, and be merciful unto me. 12My foot standeth in an even place: in the congregations will I bless the LORD.

Text for November 18th...

Luke 21:5-19

5And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said, 6As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 7And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass? 8And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them. 9But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by. 10Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: 11And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. 12But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake. 13And it shall turn to you for a testimony. 14Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: 15For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. 16And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. 17And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. 18But there shall not an hair of your head perish. 19In your patience possess ye your souls.