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Thanksgiving and Christmas have now become a new memory as we spent special time with family and friends. The politically-correct are trying to force Christ out of Christmas and if Christians continue to allow them to keep taking away the privileges and old-fashioned traditions that our Father’s of the Faith passed on to us, then they to will be nothing more then a fading memory.
There will come a time when we can only practice our Faith, Christianity and Worship where they say we can. No enemy has taken it from us but we have given it up…
As we start a “New Year” this year in 07, we must decide to humble ourselves before God that we may manifest His Glory to a lost and dying world.
“What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own.” “For ye are bought with a price: therefore
Glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are Gods.” (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20)
WHERE IS THE GLORY OF GOD’S PEOPLE
Also read (Ezekiel 11: 22, 23) and (John 1:14). When the Bible talks about “The Glory Of God,” it is talking about all of His attributes, all that God is and all that God does. “Glory” is not a single characteristic of God; Everything about God is glorious. Wherever He is present, His Glory is there.
As I travel all across the United States and Canada, I have met so many Christians who are just satisfied being saved but have no desire to live their life so as to bring honor and glory to God. God’s power is not in God’s Presence but in God’s Glory.
“And she said, The Glory is departed from Israel: for the ark
of God is taken.” (1Samuel 4:22)
This could also be said of many Churches today in (v. 21) it is called I-cha-bod. God’s Glory originally dwelt in the Holy of Holies of the Jewish Tabernacle, where the sacred Ark of the Covenant resided. His Throne was the Mercy seat, the golden covering of the ark on which the sacrificial blood was sprinkled on the annual Day of Atonement.
But Israel sinned, and the Glory of God departed from the Tabernacle. Then Solomon built the Temple, and God’s Glory graciously moved in, but, alas, Israel sinned again. God not only removed His Glory from the Temple, He removed His Temple from the earth. As He chastened His disobedient people, God permitted the Babylonians to destroy Jerusalem and the Temple.
The Glory Returned to Earth in the body of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. “We beheld His Glory” (John 1:14). That glory was covered in darkness when He died for us on Calvary, but He arose from the dead, and He has gone back to Heaven, The Glorified Son of God.
Where is the Glory? Now it dwells in the lives of His People. So many Christians have no power of God in their lives because the Glory of the Lord has departed and their testimony is I-cha-bod.
Folks go to Church and hear the preaching of God’s Word faithfully and once in a while they might get a glimpse of God’s presence but not His Glory. They go home the same way they come to Church, with unconfessed and unrepented sins in their lives which causes them to be defeated Christians and have no Victory or Power of God in their lives because His Glory has departed.
We are His Temple. Can others see His Glory in us, or must God write over our lives I-cha-bod. The Glory is departed. (I Samuel 4:21, 22)?
Brethren, each of us must examine our own hearts and ask ourselves if the Glory of the Lord has departed or if we have His wonderful Glory and Power on our lives.
I have had preachers say to me, how they pray to have God’s Power in the ministry. Men, if we have the Power of God in our personal lives, it will be in the ministry as well.
We all must get a vision and desire and seek after the Power and Glory of God and not just settle for His presence. This new year as we face many new challenges, we are going to need to repent and ask God to forgive us for loosing sight of His Glory. I desire with all my heart to have God’s Glory and Power in my life.
“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 [Bless] their land.”
This New Year let us all pray for one another and encourage one another to bring Honor and Glory to Our Heavenly Father.
REASONS WHY CHRIST SHOULD BE LAID IN A MANGER
Christmas is always such a special time of year at our Home Church [Mountain View]. It is about the only time of year that I get to see our Pastor and our Church Family. They are so special to us. It blesses my heart to hear the old Christmas Hymns sung by our Church Choir with such affection. Also to see our little kids participating in the kids program as well. And in New England if we are fortunate we might be blessed with a little snow…
It is also a time for my family and I to read our favorite Christmas Passages about the Birth of our dear Savior. So as I write this letter, it is October and the leaves are beginning to change and in New England they are bringing in Maple Syrup and frost is in the air. Now back to Christmas…
“And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped
him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there
was no room for them in the Inn.” (Luke 2:7)
As I thought about how there was no room for them in the Inn, I gave much thought to some of the reasons why Christ should be laid in a Manger. First, I believe it was to show His humility. According to prophesy He came to be despised and rejected of men. A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. It certainly would not have been proper that the man who was going to hang naked on the Cross should be robed in purple at His Birth. It would have not been appropriate that the Redeemer Who was to be buried in a borrowed Tomb should be born anywhere except a humble Stable. The Manger And The Cross standing at the two extremes of the Savior’s earthly life. He is to wear peasant’s clothes through life and He is to associate with Fishermen and the lowly are to be His disciples. And, cold mountains are many times to be His bed. He said, “foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath no where to lay His head.”
Nothing then could be more fitting, then in His season of humiliation, when He laid aside all His Glory and took upon Himself the form of a Servant. Even to the extent of being laid in a Manger…
Secondly, by being laid in a Manger He was declared to be King of the poor. They were able to recognize His relationship with them from the position in which they found Him. I believe it excited the minds and feelings of the Shepherds when the Angels told them the good news (Luke 2:11, 12). In the eyes of the poor Imperial robes excite no affection but a man in their own grab attracts their confidence. With much determination a man will follow a leader of their own order. Believing in Him, because He knows their struggles and trials. And, He sympathizes in their sorrows and feels an interest in all their concerns.
The King of Men Who was born in Bethlehem was not exempted in His Birth from common problems of the poor. His lot was even worse than theirs.
Surely the Shepherds and others like them, the poor of the earth, discerned at once that here was their King. Noble in descent but still has the Lord hath called Him. One chosen out of the people, great Prince of Peace. In one sense the Manger was His Royal Cradle. He was declared to be a leader and witness to the people.
Also by being laid in a Manger, He gave an invitation to the most humble to come to Him. You know we might be afraid to approach a Throne but we cannot be frightened to approach a Manger. In fact if we had seen the Master first…riding through the streets of Jerusalem with garments laid in the way, the streets covered with palm branches, and the people crying Hosanna…we might have thought that Christ our King was not approachable. Never has there been anyone more approachable than Christ. No rough guards pushed poor folks away, no array of offended friends were allowed to keep off the Widow of the man who clamored that his Son might be made whole. The hem of His garment was always trailing where sick folks could reach it. He Himself always had a hand ready to touch those with disease and an ear ready to catch the faintest sound of
misery. Even as a Babe in a Manger He was set forth as the friend of sinners. Come to Him, ye that are weary and heavy laden. Come to Him, ye that are broken in Spirit, ye that are bowed down in the soul, ye, that despise yourselves and are despised of others. Come to Him Publican and harlot, thief and drunkard. In the Manger is where He lies. Unguarded from your touch and unsheltered from your gaze. Bow the knee and kiss the Son Of God and accept Him as your Savior. Because He puts Himself into the Manger that you might be able to approach Him. His Throne is not like other Kings, His Throne INVITES YOU…
Finally, I think there was another reason. You remember that the Inn was free to all. Now beloved our dear, Lord Jesus Christ was born in a Stable of the Inn to show us how free He is to all who come to Him. The Gospel is preached to every creature and shuts No One Out…There are no classes that are excluded here. No high class or low class or middle class of society are required to enter the Stable.
So if you come to Christ you must come as you are. You may come now. He who is among you that desire His heart to Trust Christ is free to do it…Jesus Christ is free to you. He will welcome you with gladness.
To show this the Babe was cradled in a Manger. We know that many times sinners think that they are shut out. Brother if God hasn’t shut you out Don’t you shut yourself out. Come to Christ in the Strength and faith of it and ye shall find Him free to all who come.
Mrs. Davis and I along with our Son Dan, would like to take this opportunity to wish you, your families and church families a Blessed and Christ-Honoring Christmas. Take this time with family to share the Gospel to your lost loved ones. We will be praying for their salvation.
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David
“a Savior,” which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11)
Love and Prayers In Christ,
Bro. Randy Davis
(Isa. 40:31)
(Habakkuk 1:1-4) (v. 1) “The BURDEN which Habakkuk the prophet DID SEE.” (v. 2) “O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! Even cry out unto thee of Violence and thou wilt not save!” (v. 3) “Why dost thou show me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? For spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention.” (v. 4) “Therefore the Law is slacked, and Judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.”
A MAN WITH A BURDEN
After being on the road for 20 weeks since January holding meetings in the South, Midwest, Northeast, and also Canada, I am looking forward to some time with my Church family and some personal time with my wife and son.
Fall is Sandy’s favorite time of year. This is a beautiful time to live in the Northeast. It is so breathtaking to see trees of Spruce, White Birch and Beechnut as they show off their color of bright yellow, reds and gold leaves against the morning sun.
But as I was watching this time of seasonal change, I thought about the burden that I too, like the prophet Habakkuk also see…
Just as the trees change from their summer dress to their fall clothing, I thought about the change that the Church and Christians have gone through.
Wherever he is…a man with a burden will make a difference for the Lord. Not just the burden that Habakkuk had but the burden Habakkuk the prophet did see.
Here his burden is knowing that God must intervene. It was more than a need; it was more than seeing problems that surrounded him. A man with this kind of burden will make a difference in his home, church and community. A man with this kind of burden will stir others to action because he is moved by the love of Christ.
WE NEED A BURDEN…
First, Judah was a Nation Defiled By Sin. Habakkuk called out to God in (vs. 2, 3) and it reaches it’s conclusion in (v. 4). Habakkuk says…this isn’t just any nation. These are your people. America isn’t just any Nation either. These are our families, friends and neighbors. These are Americans…It may look like the wicked are winning but they wouldn’t think so if they would read the end of the book of Habakkuk. [Bible] As Judah was a Nation defiled by sin so is America a nation defiled by sin.
The prophet Jeremiah was Faithful to God. He penned the Word of God and sent it to the King. When the King heard the Word of God, he said, “I don’t want God or God’s Word.” That is Judah, which is the Nation for which Habakkuk has a burden. They burned the Word of God and we shiver at the thought of it. Yet, the Bible tells us that they were not afraid, nor was there any fear of God before their eyes.
We’re living in the first generation of Biblically illiterate people today. Our message is needed more than ever today. Yet we are colder in the matter of personal evangelism, than we’ve ever been.
Things are falling apart that we ought to be building up. In this day when there is so much flesh in America, we are living like a naked nation and yet we are giving up good Bible Standards in personal living. The Christian Life is a Holy Life, a victorious life and a moral life. I know that it begins in the heart but we ought to be able to look at a man or woman and tell if they are saved or not. We’re living in a Nation defiled by SIN…I wonder how real our Christianity is when we do not have the Burden to give it out.
It is the talk among God’s People that we should straighten out the White House. But if we could hear a voice speaking from heaven to us it would say…You first must get the Church House straightened out. Judgment begins at the House of God.
Christians are so cold and indifferent today. The blame for so much that is wrong today must be laid at our own doorsteps. Sure we need revival but it begins in the hearts of every Christian. It starts in the heart of a Man With A Burden…Living in a defiled Nation.
Also, secondly, notice with me A Man That Is Desperate For Help. Habakkuk could no longer take it or leave it. He had to do something. God has done His greatest work in our lives in times of great trouble and heartache. In the hour of our greatest need.
There is no painless way to follow Christ. Christians today want a Crossless Christianity that bears no reproach or requires no faith. But Strong Christians are not built that way. Habakkuk didn’t just talk about everything that was wrong in Judah; his burden wasn’t just concerning problems with people. He took it to the next level. In Chapter 2 and verse 1 he cries out to God. He is saying…God do something…Here’s a man confessing that he is a sinner. That he needs reproving.
Part of the Work of God is to reprove us. Before He can do a work in our churches, He first must do a work in our hearts. The Lord speaks to the man (2:4). That’s for all the unsaved world…Then he turns to talk about all the saved. “The Just Shall Live By Faith.” The Just shall live by His own personal faith in God. Our victory does not depend upon other people it depends upon Almighty God. Who Never Changes…
We need a Holy Desperation…America is getting her last wake up call. The situation is desperate, but IT DOESN’T SEEM LIKE THE SAINTS OF GOD ARE. This man didn’t go to a campaign among people instead he went to the Throne of Grace, God, I’ve got to have your help. In other words, it’s so desperate Lord and it won’t get any better. Until God YOU intervene.
And then thirdly, I see also a God Who Delights In Mercy…
Have you ever gotten to that place? Habakkuk was a man with a Burden in a defiled nation and he became a desperate man. There is a God Who delights in Mercy (Micah 7:18-19). Put yourself in Habakkuk’s place living in the defiled nation of Judah. God had said that the Judgment of God is coming. You can’t change it or reverse it.
We have been decaying on the inside for years. Today the main thing Christians are talking about is, “How Bad It Is…” We need to start saying, “God, I’ve already come to grips with how bad it is. Please God, Intervene.” Help Lord. Realizing that He is a God Who Delights in Mercy. Habakkuk started out praying for God to do something because the wicked were winning. But, read for yourself (Habakkuk 3:17, 18). Habakkuk comes to the place where he said…If everything else fails I know that God is still on the Throne. There is always Victory in Jesus Christ. Because God is a God of Mercy (Habakkuk 3:19) and I love also (Psalm 136:26). He is a God of Mercy…People need that message.
I realize that God isn’t going to save all America so when I pray I pray God, in wrath, remember Mercy. Lord send Revival. Save as many as you can while there is still time. But God in wrath, remember Mercy.
We are here today by the Grace of God. A defiled Nation…There’s no doubt about it. We’ve got one. America is imploding not exploding. She is dying from the inside, Not just preachers but all of us must ask ourselves…Are we desperate people?
We have to be honest, because it is sure that we have a God Who delights in Mercy. Mercy is just the thing that God enjoys giving. What does God enjoy more than anything else? He likes forgiving sinners and showing mercy.
This is the Burden that I see…What about you? Not the Burden that you have…but what is the Burden that you see?
REMEMBER, WE HAVE A GOD WHO DELIGHTS IN MERCY.
May God give us all the burden to do something about it by making a difference in our homes, our Churches, and our communities.
A Servant Of The Lord,
Bro. Randy Davis
(Isa. 40:31)
