“The High Cost” Part IV of V

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 19 Issue 10 March 29, 2009

We’ve discovered that Sin is the most expensive thing in the world. It is expensive to commit sin, to cover sin, and certainly there’s a price to confessing sin. However, these costs are minute compared to the cost of cleansing sin.

How marvelous that our God is able to cleanse the sinner! When you trusted Jesus as your Saviour, God forgave you. Not only forgiving but forgetting!

Psalms 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Romans 4:7-8 Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven… Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. “Impute”: means to hold charargable.

When we are saved we are forgiven. God wipes the record clean. God never again puts to our account the sins we commit.

In Psalm 51 David used three different words to describe what he did wrong. Transgression, iniquity and sin. The word transgression emphasizes rebellion, iniquity refers to the deviousness, the word sin means to miss the mark.

God in forgiving David would have to deal with all the areas of his sin. David asked for mercy. Mercy: God not giving us what we deserve (death). Romans 5:8 God commended his love toward us, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

David used 3 verbs that are rather interesting: blot out, wash and cleanse.
· The term blot out refers to the blotting out of a debt. .
· The phrase wash me. Sin always defiles.
· David asked God to Cleanse him. As from a disease.


Psalms 51:1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to your lovingkindness: according to the multitude of your tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

First of all there is a debt that has to be paid! There is no way that we can hope to pay this! Colossians 2:13-14 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, has he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

Right on! the Lord has blotted out the debt! But sin not only creates a debt, sin also creates defilement. David was dirty and God had to wash him. Psalms 51:2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

· Revelation 1:5 washed from our sins by his own blood

Sin creates debt, defilement and a disease in our spirit that robs us of strength and of power. God has to deal with all of this! How is this possible? It is only possible through the blood of Jesus Christ. When Jesus died for us on the cross He died for all of our sins. I John 1:7 ....the blood of Jesus Christ God’s Son cleanses us from all sin.

For God to forgive our sin, He had to pay a High Price! Romans 6:23 the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ

FORGIVENESS LEADING TO ETERNAL LIFE MAY BE FREE, BUT IT’S NOT CHEAP!

Many people believe that Jesus only forgave their past sins when they got saved. But let me ask how many of your sins were past when Jesus died? All of them were future.

Jesus dealt with all of your sin for all time and eternity when he died on the cross and rose again. He was made sin for us - not just part of our sin, but all of our sin.

So what about when we as God’s children rebel or disobey God? Consider “family forgiveness” When our kids disobeyed us they didn’t stop being our children. They may have stopped being “happy children”, they may have stopped being in close fellowship with us their parents, but they never stopped being our children.

Folks in Psalm 51, David wasn’t an unconvertred man coming to be saved, he was a converted man coming to be forgiven and cleansed.

David prayed, “Purge me” Psalms 51:7 Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Why did David mention hysop? Hysop is a little shrub which the Jews used for sprinkling blood and water in differeent levitical purifications.

For example when a leper was cured of his disease, the priest would examine him and declare him clean. Then the priest and the leper went through an interesting ritual described in the 14th chapter of Leviticus.
The healed leper would bring two birds an earthen jar some scarlet material and some hyssop. The two men would go out to some running water and do a strange thing. They would put one of the birds into the clay jar and kill it. Then they would sprinkle some of the blood on the living bird and turn it loose. The priest would then use the hyssop to sprinkle some of the blood on the healed leper. This was a picture of what Jesus did for us! His death and resurrection.

Birds aren’t supposed to be stuffed into clay jars! One day the Lord Jesus came down from the heavens and as it were put Himself into a clay jar - He took on a human body. Do you know why?
That He might die on the cross and shed His blood for the sins of the world. Jesus died for our sins, but rose again from the dead. Jesus went back to heaven; where He now reprersents us. His blood has paid the price for all sin and we can through faith in Him be forgiven and cleansed.

According to I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. How? By shedding His blood for us! THAT IS THE HIGH COST OF CLEANSING SIN!

Plainly....
“Our sin put Jesus on the cross”
Isaiah 53:4-8 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. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

· John 1:29 Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
· Titus 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity
· I Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the cross

WHEN IS THE LAST TIME YOU REALLY STOPPED TO CONSIDER THE HIGH COST OF CLEANSING SIN?

Zechariah 13:6 And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.

“The High Cost” Part III of V

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 19 Issue 09 March 15, 2009

We have considered the high cost committing sin and the high cost of covering sin. Today we’ll deal with the high cost of confessing sin.

There is no question about it - David had sinned. He had lusted, he had coveted, he had taken his neighbour’s wife, then he had her husband killed. He then covered it up for almost a year.

I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness

But what does it really mean to confess sin?
To confess does NOT mean to “admit”.

“Ok, I admit I did it!” (LOL) You or I can't hide anything in our heart from God - He already knows!

The word confess means “to say the same thing”.

Saying the same thing about our sins that God says about them... this leads to repentance rather than penance.

Speaking of penance - No amount of good work can atone for our sins. The only thing that takes care of sin is the blood of Jesus!

There is a definite difference between regret, remorse and repentance.
· Regret matter of the mind. sorry we got caught
· Remorse matter of the emotions. feeling terrible about it
· True repentance involves the whole person. The word repentance means to change direction.

Repentance begins in the mind and then moves into the heart! Psalms 51:4 Against You, You only, have I sinned and done this evil in Your sight:

David sin against Bathsheba and Uriah. But in the long run when we sin against man we sin against God.

II Samuel 12 And the LORD sent Nathan to David. He said, There were two men in a city; one rich, the other poor. The rich man had incredibly big flocks and herds: The poor man had nothing, except one little lamb, which he had bought and nourished, it grew up with him and his children; it ate and drank in the house - like one of the family. A traveller came to visit the rich man, the rich man spared his own flock, but took the poor man's lamb and butchered it for the traveller. And David's anger was great against the man and he said to Nathan, As the LORD lives, the man that has done this thing shall surely die: And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
David knew the rich man had sinnned and he was angry!
And Nathan said to David, You are the man! Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed you king over Israel and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul; I gave you the king’s house and his wives, and I gave you rulership over the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have given you more... Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD? Why have you done this evil in his sight? You’ve killed Uriah with the sword and you took his wife to be thy wife… “You’re the man!” Not a good thing!
David replied, “I have sinned!” I’m glad David didn’t ruin his repentance with an excuse!

Many people can say, “I have sinned!” but God knows what is in the heart.

Pharaoh had said, “I have sinned”, but he simply regretted suffering judgement.

Saul had said that he had sinned, but he too only regretted that he got caught.

Judas said, “I have sinned” but it was only remorse, so much so it led him to suicide.

Confessing sin is not cheap. It cost more than mere words. David never argued about his sin, nor did he excuse it. He admitted his heart was sinful. Psalms 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

David spoke clearly in Psalms 51:16 For You desires not sacrifice; or else I’d give it: You don’t delight in burnt offering.

David was a wealthy man and could’ve brought expensive sacrifices. But he knew that those sacrifices would not do any good if his heart was not broken before God.

That’s why David said, Psalms 51:17 a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You wilt not despise.

The high cost of confessing sin is a broken heart! Not just good intentions! When we come to the place where we realise that from head to toe we are nothing but dust - and defiled dust at that - and we have a broken heart, then we can sincerely confess our sin.

Psalms 34:18 The LORD is near to them that are of a broken heart and saves such as are of a contrite spirit (crushed with sorrow for sin / humbly thoroughly penitent.)
Luke 22:54-62 They took Jesus and brought Him to the high priest's house. And Peter followed at a distance afar off. And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them. But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with him. And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not. And after a little while another saw him and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not. And about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilaean. And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, rooster crowed. And the Lord turned, and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the rooster crows, you shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.

All Jesus had to do was look at Peter, and Peter began to weep. Our Lord didn’t hit him, whip him, scold him or preach at him. - just looked! Peter’s heart broke.

What it takes to bring you to the point of real brokenness shows you where you are in the Christian Life!

Here’s the facts: God loves us. God is gracious, merciful and long suffering. God is true to His promise. If we come to God with a broken heart and confess our sin, He will forgive us and restore us.

Beware of cheap confession! Remember there is NOTHING CHEAP ABOUT GRACE! Consider the high cost of confessing sin!

A look at Confessions:

In the washroom of his London club, British newspaper publisher and politician William Beverbrook happened to meet Edward Heath, then a young member of Parliament, about whom Beverbrook had printed an insulting editorial a few days earlier. "My dear chap," said the publisher, embarrassed by the encounter. "I've been thinking it over, and I was wrong. Here and now, I wish to apologize." "Very well," grunted Heath. "But the next time, I wish you'd insult me in the washroom and apologize in your newspaper."

Four preachers met for a friendly gathering. During the conversation one preacher said, "Our people come to us and pour out their hears, confess certain sins and needs. Let's do the same. Confession is good for the soul." In due time all agreed. One confessed he liked to go to movies and would sneak off when away from his church. The second confessed to liking to smoke cigars and the third one confessed to liking to play cards. When it came to the fourth one, he wouldn't confess. The others pressed him saying, "Come now, we confessed ours. What is your secret or vice?" Finally he answered, "It is gossiping and I can hardly wait to get out of here."

“The High Cost” Part III of V

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 19 Issue 09 March 15, 2009

We have considered the high cost committing sin and the high cost of covering sin. Today we’ll deal with the high cost of confessing sin.

There is no question about it - David had sinned. He had lusted, he had coveted, he had taken his neighbour’s wife, then he had her husband killed. He then covered it up for almost a year.

I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness

But what does it really mean to confess sin?
To confess does NOT mean to “admit”.

“Ok, I admit I did it!” (LOL) You or I can't hide anything in our heart from God - He already knows!

The word confess means “to say the same thing”.

Saying the same thing about our sins that God says about them... this leads to repentance rather than penance.

Speaking of penance - No amount of good work can atone for our sins. The only thing that takes care of sin is the blood of Jesus!

There is a definite difference between regret, remorse and repentance.
· Regret matter of the mind. sorry we got caught
· Remorse matter of the emotions. feeling terrible about it
· True repentance involves the whole person. The word repentance means to change direction.

Repentance begins in the mind and then moves into the heart! Psalms 51:4 Against You, You only, have I sinned and done this evil in Your sight:

David sin against Bathsheba and Uriah. But in the long run when we sin against man we sin against God.

II Samuel 12 And the LORD sent Nathan to David. He said, There were two men in a city; one rich, the other poor. The rich man had incredibly big flocks and herds: The poor man had nothing, except one little lamb, which he had bought and nourished, it grew up with him and his children; it ate and drank in the house - like one of the family. A traveller came to visit the rich man, the rich man spared his own flock, but took the poor man's lamb and butchered it for the traveller. And David's anger was great against the man and he said to Nathan, As the LORD lives, the man that has done this thing shall surely die: And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
David knew the rich man had sinnned and he was angry!
And Nathan said to David, You are the man! Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed you king over Israel and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul; I gave you the king’s house and his wives, and I gave you rulership over the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have given you more... Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD? Why have you done this evil in his sight? You’ve killed Uriah with the sword and you took his wife to be thy wife… “You’re the man!” Not a good thing!
David replied, “I have sinned!” I’m glad David didn’t ruin his repentance with an excuse!

Many people can say, “I have sinned!” but God knows what is in the heart.

Pharaoh had said, “I have sinned”, but he simply regretted suffering judgement.

Saul had said that he had sinned, but he too only regretted that he got caught.

Judas said, “I have sinned” but it was only remorse, so much so it led him to suicide.

Confessing sin is not cheap. It cost more than mere words. David never argued about his sin, nor did he excuse it. He admitted his heart was sinful. Psalms 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

David spoke clearly in Psalms 51:16 For You desires not sacrifice; or else I’d give it: You don’t delight in burnt offering.

David was a wealthy man and could’ve brought expensive sacrifices. But he knew that those sacrifices would not do any good if his heart was not broken before God.

That’s why David said, Psalms 51:17 a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You wilt not despise.

The high cost of confessing sin is a broken heart! Not just good intentions! When we come to the place where we realise that from head to toe we are nothing but dust - and defiled dust at that - and we have a broken heart, then we can sincerely confess our sin.

Psalms 34:18 The LORD is near to them that are of a broken heart and saves such as are of a contrite spirit (crushed with sorrow for sin / humbly thoroughly penitent.)
Luke 22:54-62 They took Jesus and brought Him to the high priest's house. And Peter followed at a distance afar off. And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them. But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with him. And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not. And after a little while another saw him and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not. And about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilaean. And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, rooster crowed. And the Lord turned, and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the rooster crows, you shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.

All Jesus had to do was look at Peter, and Peter began to weep. Our Lord didn’t hit him, whip him, scold him or preach at him. - just looked! Peter’s heart broke.

What it takes to bring you to the point of real brokenness shows you where you are in the Christian Life!

Here’s the facts: God loves us. God is gracious, merciful and long suffering. God is true to His promise. If we come to God with a broken heart and confess our sin, He will forgive us and restore us.

Beware of cheap confession! Remember there is NOTHING CHEAP ABOUT GRACE! Consider the high cost of confessing sin!

A look at Confessions:

In the washroom of his London club, British newspaper publisher and politician William Beverbrook happened to meet Edward Heath, then a young member of Parliament, about whom Beverbrook had printed an insulting editorial a few days earlier. "My dear chap," said the publisher, embarrassed by the encounter. "I've been thinking it over, and I was wrong. Here and now, I wish to apologize." "Very well," grunted Heath. "But the next time, I wish you'd insult me in the washroom and apologize in your newspaper."

Four preachers met for a friendly gathering. During the conversation one preacher said, "Our people come to us and pour out their hears, confess certain sins and needs. Let's do the same. Confession is good for the soul." In due time all agreed. One confessed he liked to go to movies and would sneak off when away from his church. The second confessed to liking to smoke cigars and the third one confessed to liking to play cards. When it came to the fourth one, he wouldn't confess. The others pressed him saying, "Come now, we confessed ours. What is your secret or vice?" Finally he answered, "It is gossiping and I can hardly wait to get out of here."

“The High Cost” Part II of V

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 19 Issue 08 March 1, 2009

Two weeks ago in Part 1 of our mini series on the “High Cost” we looked at the high cost of committing sin. We read how David coveted his neighbor’s wife, committed adultry and then committed murder. Today we’ll look at “The High Cost of Covering Sin.”

David according to II Samuel 11 and 12 tried to “cover his sin”.

Solomon (David’s son) years later wrote, “He that covers his sins shall not prosper” Proverbs 28:13

Psalm 32 and Psalm 51 are a record of David’s confession, repentance and restoration. I think you’ll agree David paid a dear price in trying to cover his sin. Psalms 32:3-4 When I kept silent my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer.

David was saying, because he covered his sin, he became physically old;. The word “moisture” in verse 4 is the Hebrew word for “freshness”. He says my freshness is turned into the drought of summer. He became dried up spiritually. Sin does that... especially if we are busy trying to cover it up.

Psychiatrists will tell you that guilt affects people physically. It has been discovered that deep buried guilt can be the cause of nervousness, backaches, headaches, heart trouble and ulcers.

Lets see how it affected David:
His Eyes: Psalms 51:3 .... my sin is ever before me.

Have you ever watched a child who has done something he shouldn’t do? You may not know what he has done, but you know he’s guilty of something. You can see it in his eyes.

David who saw God’s glory in everything around him... Psalms 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork... now only saw his sin.

People with unconfessed sin cannot see the beauty or blessings of God. Something happens to their sight.

His Mind: Psalms 51:6 desire truth in the inward parts... make me to know wisdom.

The dumbest person in the world is a Christian trying to cover his sin! Look at the things David did: He tried to pass off his adultry to Uriah - that didn’t work! He made Uriah drunk - that didn’t work! He gave Uriah a letter to give to Joab—wierd isn’t it carrying your own death letter..I wonder what Joab thought? I guess David wants to get rid of Uriah for some reason.

Proverbs 28:13 “he who covers his sin will not prosper”
Numbers 32:23- “Be sure your sin will find you out”

His ears: Psalms 51:8 Make me to hear joy and gladness…

Unconfessed sin causes everything to sound bad. You attend Bible Study and critise it, you attend church and critize - the choir was off key, the message to long or too strong. Everything you hear is wrong! Do you know why? You are wrong!

Ear Infections cause imbalances.

His bones: Psalms 51:8 ...that the bones which you have broken may rejoice.


When we walk with God our bones so to speak are strong, sturdy and straight. But as we try to carry the burden of unrepented sin - our bones become dry and brittle.

His heart: Psalms 51:10 Create in me a clean heart

Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.

Maybe you think - I’m not like David, I’ve never committed adultery. Matthew 5:28 whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Again David’s son wrote: Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

David no longer had a clean heart - it had been defiled by sin, that is why he prayed create in me a new heart! When your heart is dirty, everything becomes dirty

Matthew 12:34 out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

David’s spirit: Psalms 51:10 ... renew a right (steadfast) spirit within me.

Something happened to David’s spirit - he lost his enthusiasm, his desire to walk upright. His attitude was wrong!

David’s fellowship with God: Psalms 51:11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

As David continued covering his sin something happened to his fellowship with God.
Folks when we sin, we grieve the Holy Spirit. When we cover our sin we quench the Holy Spirit. Something happens to our fellowship with the Father.

When we cover our sin we are actually trying to fool God. We use up incredible energy trying to keep sin covered.

David’s joy: Psalms 51:12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation;

This “missing” joy is experienced whenever you attempt to hide your sin. Husband / wife; Parent / child; Employer / employee

David’s Testimony: Psalms 51:13 Then will I teach transgressors your ways; and sinners will be converted to You.

David’s testimony was tainted and he knew he couldn’t lead others.

A good man doing a bad thing causes far more damage than a bad man doing a bad thing.

David’s hands: Psalms 51:14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness There was blood on his hands. David was guilty of murder!

Uriah’s blood stained David’s hands, and nothing but (a stronger blood) the blood of Jesus could wash that stain away!

David’s tongue: Psalms 51:14-15 my tongue shall sing aloud of your righteous-ness….

When David walked with God he wrote songs of praise and joy. But now? How could he sing about righteousness?
Every word was a knife!

At times we go through the same thing.... there are times we can’t sing at all. Some thing happens to our mouth and we can’t praise God in the freedom and joy of truth.

David’s ministry: Psalms 51:18 .. build the walls of Jerusalem.

David had been a builder, he had built a strong city and a strong nation. But when he sinned and covered up his sin something happened to his ministry. Instead of being a builder he became a destroyer.

Instead of being part of the solution he became the problem.

I Kings 8:19 Nevertheless you shalt not build the house..

The neat part of this was that David wasn’t upset - he knew God was right! Folks their are consequences to sin!

David still stored up supplys and money to build even though he wouldn’t be building it.

I often wonder what would happen in our churches if all of the people of God would get right with God... how ministry would be blessed! Think of the spiritual building!

See the high cost of covering sin!

Something happened to his eyes, his mind, his ears, his bones, his heart and his spirit.

Somethingh happened to his fellowship, his joy and his testimony.
Something happened to his hands, and to his mouth. As a final result something happened to his ministry.

We started with Proverbs 28:13 He that covers his sins shall not prosper: BUT hang on friends for there is more to this verse…
whoever confesses and forsakes his sins shall have mercy!

“The High Cost” Part I of V

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 19 Issue 07 February 15, 2009

The high cost of committing Sin: Psalm 51 is a Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he’d gone in to Bathsheba.

The most precious thing in all the universe is the human soul. Jesus said, Mark 8:36 what will it profit a man, if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?

The value of the human soul was demonstrated at calvary, for the Lord Jesus shed His precious blood that we might be saved.

Sin’s High Cost: If the human soul is the most priceless thing in the world, anything that ruins or destroys that soul is expensive. What’s the most expensive thing in the world? I think the most expensive thing in all the world is sin.

This fact is illustrated in the experience of King David as recorded in II Samuel 11, 12, Psalm 32, 51. II Samuel 11 sets the stage - “it was at the time when kings went to battle, that David sent Joab, his servants and all Israel.. But David stay at the palace. One night David got up from his bed and walked on the roof, and from there he saw a woman washing herself; she was very beautiful, and David asked about her. He was told that she was Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite. David sent for her and she came to him, and he lay with her and she returned to her house. A little while later he got word that she was with child.

King David took off his armor and relaxed! He really should have been fighting out on the battlefield. One restless night he walks out onto the deck and his eyes wandered, he saw his neighbour’s wife, he lusted after her and he took her. He committed adultery. And later she sent word to him that she was pregnant.

David faced a serious problem, a self created problem.
He tried to get out of it, by calling her husband Uriah, a soldier in from the battlefield. He suggested Uriah go home and spend time with his wife, but he would not go home. David’s first plan didn’t work.

David then got Uriah drunk... that still didn’t work. Uriah was a true soldier. David arranged to have Uriah murdered on the battlefront. Shortly after this took place David married Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife. A baby was born, but the baby died.

God recorded David’s actions in the Word to teach us. II Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness

Psalm 32, 51 David’s prayers of repentance, recording the spiritual change that took place in David’s life when he honestly dealt with his sin.

I ask you to consider the high cost of sin. Some professing Christians have the idea that because they’ve been saved by grace they can live any way they please. The Apostle Paul faced these people when he wrote Romans 6:1 Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? Of course in verse 2 he says, God forbid

Two powerful motives can lead us into holy living. One is the fear of God - a holy loving reverent fear of God.

The second is a holy hatred for sin. The more we learn about God the more we want to be with Him and obey him... the more we learn about sin the more we ought to hate it.
Avoid sin at any cost!

Turn to Psalm 51 and lets discover the high cost of committing sin. You may have heard it said - the act of sin - David committed adultry. David made a man drunk. David murdered a man. These are acts. But sin is much more than an act; sin is a process.

Sin can begin with an act, but that act plants seeds and those seeds grow and produce fruit. The Word is clear, “what a man sows, that shall he also reap.” Galatians 6:7

Psalm 51:1, 2 “blot out my transgressions” / “Wash me throughly from mine iniquity” “cleanse me from my sin.”

David used the words transgression, iniquity and sin. These words are not synonyms. The Hebrew language like the Greek language is very full and very rich when it comes to describing things.

The word transgression means rebellion. In defying the law of God which he knew, David was a rebel. When you and I sin we oppose God’s will… that’s rebellion!
· Exodus 20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife.... but he coveted.
· Exodus 20:14 Thou shalt not commit adultery. but he committed adultry
· Exodus 20:13 Thou shalt not kill. but he murdered.

He used the word iniquity. The word transgression emphasizes the rebellious-ness of sin, but iniquity refers to the crookedness of sin. There is something devious and crooked about sin.
David rebelled against God’s law and committed adultry, then he became devious.

A tragic thing took place to in David’s relationship with God - something wicked happened to his character - he became devious. Walter Scott put it well: “O what a tangled web we weave, When we first practice to deceive”

The third word David used for his action was sin. This word here simply means to miss the mark. This emphasizes the fact that David did not meet God’s standard.

All of us have standards of one kind or another. Some lower their standards to cover up their sin. David missed the mark. God had a goal, a standard... But David missed that mark.

Consider the high cost of committing sin: something happens to your will - you become a rebel; something happens to your character - you become devious; something happens to your goals - you miss the mark.

David used 3 verbs that are rather interesting: blot out, wash and cleanse. Not mere repitition, each of these words tells us something sin does.

The term blot out refers to the blotting out of a debt. When David sinned he became a debtor. He broke the Law and now had a debt before God that he had to pay.

The beautiful thing about living an obedient life is that you are debt free. Free from guilt and shame!
But when we sin we move out of that credit column in God’s account book and become debtors. We don’t lose our salvation - I want to make that very clear, rather we lose that close fellowship with God. We stop enjoying the riches of God’s grace.

Isaiah 59:2 your iniquities have separated you and your God, your sins have hid his face from you...

David also used the phrase wash me. Sin always defiles. We’re not only made debtors but we’re made dirty by sin.

I have yet to meet a person who says, sin makes me a better person NO! sin always defiles the mind and the heart. David felt dirty. His conscience was dirty, so he cried out, God Wash me! This is the high cost of sin. It makes you a rebel, it makes you devious, it makes you miss the mark, it makes you a debtor and it defiles you.

David prayed - cried if you will - Cleanse me. This word is used in reference to the lepers. Sin not only results in debt and defilment but sin is also a disease. In several references disease is used as a picture of sin. Think of it - David who had been spiritually healthy had become spiritually diseased!

I want to ask you all a simple question regarding sin - Is it really worth it? When you realize the high cost of committing sin, the answer must be no!

Before David sinned he was a friend of God; then he became a rebel.

Before David sinned;
He was straight in his living then he became crooked and devious.
He was meeting the goals that God set for him, then he missed the mark. He was enriched in spiritual blessing, then he became a debtor.
He was clean, but he became defiled.
He was spiritually healthy, but then he became diseased.

The next time you are tempted to sin remember the high cost and ask yourself is it really worth it?

“Good Trouble?”

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 19 Issue 06 February 8, 2009

The Christian life is not always smooth sailing. No Kidding!

It certainly hasn’t been a picnic - it hasn’t all been through green pastures and beside still waters. There were dark canyons and rough mountains. But as I look back on those stressful days I realize that they didn’t end as disastrously as I thought they would’ve. In fact I’m amazed that those bad days brought no lasting harm at all. My losses became gains.
Although I still carry the scars. I can say as the Psalmist It is good for me to have been in trouble. Psalm 119:71
The Apostle Paul spoke of this when he said, We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us II Corinthians 4:7

The Greek word Paul uses for "earthen" is "frail clay" meaning, "weak, easily broken". The fact is, we all suffer what the Bible calls "infirmities." "often infirmities" I Timothy 5:23

The Greek word "infirmity" here means "sickly, without strength, feeble of body or mind."

Infirmities of the mind are more widespread then you think.
I'm not talking about mental illness, rather those times when your feelings play tricks on your mind.

It's possible to go to bed feeling at peace and yet wake up the next day with a heavy cloud of gloom hanging over your head. All day long you are bound by your downcast state of mind.

Guilt, fear and anxiety are all infirmities of the mind.
And these infirmities cannot but help affect your feelings.

For instance, you might not be able to shake off some harsh words spoken to you a few days before. You may constantly battle feelings of rejection or unworthiness.

Ironically, my bad days usually come after a spiritual high or after preaching my heart out in a service. I can be easily overwhelmed with feelings of worthlessness and discouragement.

Feelings of doubt may try to enter your mind. You may voice things like: "I can't feel God's presence” “I wonder if He exists”

Let me encourage you...your heavenly Father knows exactly what you're going through and He'll see you through it all.

There may be awful trying days when you feel like giving into your emotions, wanting to give up or quit. But, I can tell you from experience that God always gives you strength to go on.
The Apostle Paul said, God...comforts those that are cast down II Corinthians 7:6

The Greek word for "comforts" here means "to call close." How amazing is that! When we experience bad days, our heavenly Father takes advantage of them to draw us close!
Paul said, My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus Philippians 4:19 God is faithful to take care of all your concerns business, financial and otherwise.

Notice, God shall supply all your need that’s singular. In short, You need only one thing Jesus! Lay hold by faith.

Searching the Word I discovered that suffering is not “new”!

II Corinthians 1:8 we want you to know of our trouble we were pressed out of measure above strength, inasmuch that we despaired even of life:

Paul was saying “I’m going through something I don’t understand at all. I’m being pressed beyond my endurance, beyond my ability to handle it and I don’t know why. I’m not so sure we’ll make it.”

Consider:
II Corinthians 4:8-10 troubled on every side, yet not distressed; perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.

THE PRIMARY PURPOSE BEHIND ALL SUFFERING OF SAINTS IS TO QUALIFY US TO BECOME CONSOLERS.

I Corinthians 1:3-5 God comes alongside us when we go through hard times and before you know it, He brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of His healing comfort - we get a full measure of that, too.

When I’m really hurting (pastors hurt too), I don’t want to read some book that gives me ten steps on how to find victory!

And I certainly don’t need to go to some “big” name minister to “zap” me.
NO - I want to talk to some ordinary, unknown saint who has suffered heavily and yet come through it all praising God, comforted and full of faith!
I want someone who has been tested in the fires of affliction - one who has known loneliness, sadness, sorrow, rejection, heartache. I want someone who has been to the point of giving up - and yet has trusted God and come through it rejoicing, believing, stronger than ever.

Paul was able to rejoice in all his sufferings because he knew his tribulations were for other’s benefit.

The best teachers in any church are not the ones in the pulpit. Rather they are sitting in the pews, they’ve suffered, yet still worship the Lord.

God wants to build your faith on all His past deliverences. So that you will trust Him in every new and coming crisis.

II Chronicles 20:15-17 God says, Be not afraid nor dismayed by this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.... You will not need to fight in this battle: stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, fear not, nor be dismayed; go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.

II Corinthians 1:18-19 I think you ought to know, dear brothers about the hard time we went through in Asia. We were really crushed and over-whelmed and feared we would never live through it. We felt we were doomed to die and saw how power-less we were to help our ourselves, but that was good, for then we put everything into the hands of God who alone could save us, for He can even raise the dead, and He did help us and saved us from a terrible death; yes and we expect Him to do it again and again.
A final note; don’t allow your troubles to make you hard hearted, bitter and cruel. instead, make profit out of calamities and change losses into gain. Learn the art of changing your cross into a crown.
We know that all things work together for good to them that love God. Romans 8:28
I know there are times when we can’t possibly understand how this can be true. But if in spite of our difficulties we hold fast in faith, then one day we too, shall be able to sing, It is good for me to have been in trouble.

See, I’ve refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction Isaiah 48:10
We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us.
As it is, there's not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we're not much to look at. We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized; we're not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we've been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn't left our side; we've been thrown down, but we haven't broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives!

We're not keeping this quiet, not on your life. Just like the psalmist who wrote, "I believed it, so I said it," we say what we believe.

And what we believe is that the One who raised up the Master Jesus will just as certainly raise us up with you, alive.

So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever

“Goshen”

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 19 Issue 05 February 1, 2009

Goshen? A simple word, yet it paints an incredible picture.
I know Goshen to be a safe place. I hope the phrase, “But not in Goshen” will be of great encouragement to you.

I believe God has something in this message for you, and I don’t want you to miss even the smallest bit. Let those with ears...

Last week we spoke of savouring God’s presence, hanging on to His every word. Rushing through God’s visitation is rude but being indifferent to His message brings shame.

First and foremost, the word Goshen refers to a place. A place of God’s choosing. Not any old place, but the best of places.

For the children of Israel, Goshen was a safe place in the midst of their captivity. I am convinced that Goshen speaks of a safe place for us and I am not talking about here at the Gathering Place. We sure hope to be a safe place and we will try very hard to be a safe place. Folks, before this can be a safe place, we ourselves need to be in a safe place?

There are several referrances to the place called Goshen, the first in: Genesis 45:10 “You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children's children, your flocks, your herds and all that you have.”

While in Egypt, Joseph was given a place of rulership and in this verse he is inviting his wayward brothers to come and live with him. Joseph is a type of Christ. So when Joseph speaks of wanting his family near him, Jesus is saying the same thing.

What a comfort to hear Jesus say, you shall be near me, you, your children and your children's children

As we see in Genesis 46:34, Egypt was cattle country, shepherds and sheep were not welcomed. They were considered an abomination.

Egypt is a type of the world and the true shepherd of Israel is rejected by her as well.
Remember, God’s children are sheep.

Pharoh considered Goshen to be the best land of Egypt. Looking at Goshen as being the WORD - it too is the best. There are hundreds of thousands of good books, great books in fact, but nothing compares to this Holy Book!

Let me add to my case by reading Genesis 47:27 “And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly.”

We too live in this world, but as long as we abide (dwell) in the WORD and hold our possessions based on the WORD, we will grow and multiply exceedingly!

In Exodus 8:22-23 God establishes Goshen as a safe place, bringing to light the statement, “but, not in Goshen!”

God said, “I’ll sever in that day the land of Goshen in which my people dwell, no swarms of flies shall be there; so they will know, I am the LORD..I’ll put a division between my people and the people of Egypt.”

Exodus 9:4&6 “The LORD shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt. All the cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of Israel died not one.

Genesis 9:26 “Only in the land of Goshen was there no hail.”

Plagues, pestilence, judgement came... but not in Goshen!
Are you in the Word? Is the Word in you? If so, then you are safe.

In this late hour, God Himself sends a strong delusion in response to the hardness of people’s hearts. God has provided a Goshen for us today - His Holy Word! The Truth of His Word will not only set us free, it will keep us!

II Thessalonians 2:8-14, 19 “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth (His Word) and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believe not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

This is confirmed in Mark 13:22 “For false Christs and false prophets shall rise and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.”

Who are the elect? II Thessalonians 2 “God has chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. He called you by the gospel to obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ...the foundation of God stands sure having this seal, The Lord knows them that are His.”

Jesus spoke clear warnings in Matthew 24:4-5,11&24
¨ Jesus answered saying, take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
¨ Many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many.
¨ There shall arise false Christs and false prophets showing great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they’ll deceive the very elect.

This will increase! II Timothy 3:13 “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.”

TRUTH is the best safe guard against deception.
God’s WORD is TRUTH!

Ephesians 4:10-21 “He gave some apostles and some, prophets; and some evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.”

Could this be spoken of in Amos 8:11
“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.”

God sends this famine because of the contempt people show for His Word! A dreaded release comes because people in their rebellion refuse to obey the WORD. Psalms 81:11-12 “But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel didn’t want any of me. So I gave them up to their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels.”

If you’re starting to see that the Word is a safe place, listen to this John 1:1&14. “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God, the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory full of grace and truth.”

This will get you excited!
Revelation 19:13 “He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood and His name is called The Word of God.”

Jesus Himself is our safe place in John 10:27-28 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me: I give them eternal life; they shall never perish, nor shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”

Now friends, we are just scratching the surface. But this is enough food for thought for this week. Just remember, in order for you to survive, you must be in spiritual Goshen.

You must be in the WORD and have the WORD in you!
Eat it!
Devour it!
Absorb it!
Take it in!
Isaiah 55:11 “So shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper [in the thing] whereto I sent it.”

We are kept from deception
by our obedience to the WORD!

James 1:22 “Be doers of the word, not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

“Is That To Go Or Stay?”

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 19 Issue 4 January 25, 2009

FYI: Corn is sown. It grows and is harvested and then the whole plant, roots and all is plowed under. Consider, God's work is spiritual to the point of having no earthly roots, no smell of earth on it at all. Men pass on, but the Lord remains.

Everything to do with the Church must be up-to-date and living, meeting the present needs of the hour.

King David is dead. Moses is dead. Gideon, Samson, the three Hebrews - all are gone, silent and still. But we are alive. It is our hour to minister! It is our turn to Carry On!

Carry On: to keep up; to continue; to behave in a “wild, excited” manner.

John 8:31 “Jesus said, If you continue (carry on) in my word, then you really are my disciples.”

John 15:9 “Jesus said, Continue (carry on) in my love.”

Acts 14:22 “Confirming the disciples and exhorting them to continue (carry on) in the faith.”

Colossians 4:2 Continue (carry on) in prayer

Acts 4:18-19 “They ordered them not to carry on in this manner any longer. But Peter and John said, Whether it be right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. But we can do nothing but carry on speaking the things which we have seen and heard.”

Were they thrown off because of this? no way

Listen to their prayer! Acts 4:29-34 “Lord, you heard their threats: grant us more boldness so we may speak your word.” (God help us to carry on carrying on!)

Hebrews 12:1 “Seeing we are surrounded by such great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run (carry on) with patience the race that is set before us.”

The problem is we are slow at laying aside every weight, and the sin that so easily besets us.

We struggle in our running because we are out of shape. Too busy, too preoccupied with our lives to spend quality time with the coach!

Our coach is none other than Jesus, but alas our vision of Christ is too small, too limited.

If we had a revelation of how vast Christ is - how boundless, measureless, limitless, immense - it would become impossible for us to ever be set back by life's problems.

We need to rush back to the Lord's presence, to the secret closet of prayer, to His table, getting lost in His fullness.

We’ve vacated our seat at His Table and settled for a sort of “take out” service. Choosing to go through the Drive Thru rather than the intimate sit down feast!

We are hungry, but out of time. So we grab a “Happy Meal”. We shove fries and a burger in our mouth while we drive in rush hour traffic. But hang on it’s not in vain, look…..there’s a “toy” inside.

We settle for gracelets - bits and pieces of God as we rush through this life hoping to die well, but dear friends you should be more concerned about living well.

You may say, hang on preacher - there are times I get so excited about God that I actually cry out to Him for more.

But super-sizing your take-out order doesn’t change the fact that it is still a take out order. You still really have no time for Him.

Our heavenly Father is looking for believers who understand that Christ is our everything.

Paul said, “In Him we live and move and have our being” Acts 17:28. True people of God live this verse.

Their life, their every move, their very
existence is wrapped up only in Christ.

Every true servant of God should willingly wait on Him, quietly, in faith believing, trusting the Holy Spirit to manifest the mind of God.

There is so little fresh truth, so little clear and ever-expanding precious word from the Lord.

The church is overrun with would-be prophets who go about saying, “God told me” or “I have a word from God for you”. Sadly, most of it is gibberish.

What is needed most today, is a return to God’s infallible word, a true and living revelation. Amos 8:11 “Behold, the days come, says the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.”

It is in our world today, most sermons you can only find a few kernels of wheat surrounded with mountains of chaff.

God's people worldwide need to once again hunger and thirst for a Word from God! Saints of God, EAT THE BOOK!

Get your own touch of God! Cherish His invite! Run to His table! Don’t be called twice!

Please give me your attention - this is vital! Paul says “that Christ was revealed in him, not simply to Him.” Galatians 1:16

If you want nothing but Christ, you’ll hide yourself away with Him! You’ll sit in His presence, in no hurry, loving Him, worshipping with upraised hands, yearning after Him.

Far too many of us are guilty of using Christ.

We use Him to further our own dreams, God forgive us!

God prepares an incredible spread for us. God invites us to a continual feast.

He waits ready to bless us as we dine with Him but we settle for a fillet of fish…..on the run!
The problem is we get just enough of Jesus to keep us going. We become self deceived in thinking that this is all there is.

But listen to this….

God declares that this feast is a time for laughter, joy and singing. He tells you, “Eat, drink - rejoice and be glad. A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes merry.” Ecclesiastes 10:19

Then, then as you dine, Oh saints hear me now. As you dine, God anoints your head with the oil of gladness.

“You anoint my head with oil.”
Psalm 23:5, 45:7

Hebrews 1:9 “God your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness.”

Meanwhile, as God is preparing and serving your feast, He makes your enemies sit on the outer fringe of the scene and watch
everything unfold.

They see the Lord Himself, spreading your table with food, escorting you to your seat and waiting on you. They watch as you fill your soul with heaven's manna.

No demon power, including the devil himself, could ever comprehend this kind of love, mercy and grace.

Your enemies will be in shock.

Jesus tells us that the Father does this for all His children.

“Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when he comes shall find watching: verily I say to you, that he shall gird himself and make them to sit down to meat and will come and serve them.” Luke 12:37

“Facing The Future”

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 19 Issue 03 January 18, 2009

“The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1 How would you like to learn the secret to facing your untried tomorrows with calm confidence and hope?

My text this morning is probably the most familiar song in the literature of the world. More of you can quote it from memory than any other single passage in God's Word.

If this Psalm could write its own biography, what a thrilling story it would have to tell! There is not an ocean it hasn’t crossed, no country it hasn’t visited, no road it hasn’t travelled. We can’t say with authority who wrote these words. For long centuries they have been credited to David, the shepherd king.

If David wrote them, as I assume he did, they were not written, I feel sure, in the springtime of his life, nor yet in the vigor of midsummer. These are the words of a man who has lived much and thought much. Who has greatly sinned and has been greatly forgiven.
There is One who has loved me and has sought me in all my wanderings. “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.”
What an amazing discovery! Look at the incredible wealth of it.
· He dares to claim God as his very own.
He does not say that the Lord is a Shepherd.
Having dared to claim God as his own, the psalmist's next word is the most logical ever uttered. If the Lord is my Shepherd, what follows as naturally as night follows day? Just this, “I shall not want.”
· He is able to supply all our needs.
We are accustomed to say that money talks, and that is true to some degree. But in the presence of the deep wants of the heart, it is as useful as a screen door on a submarine.
What are some of the wants that the Good Shepherd will supply?
If the Lord is our Shepherd, we shall not want for rest and refreshment.
· “He makes me to lie down in green pastures.”
We shall surely find in him satisfaction for the hungers and thirsts of our souls.
The sheep lie down because their hunger has been satisfied. They feel secure.
“He that comes to me shall never hunger; and he that believes on me shall never thirst.” John 6:35
“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29
· “He leads me beside still waters.”
With the Lord as our Shepherd, we shall not want for leadership and guidance. That means that He goes before us into our unknown tomorrow.
After the old geographers had mapped the known world, they wrote on the seas that lay beyond the confines of the known such words as these: “Here be dragons. Here be demons that devour men.” But the author of the 23rd Psalm had a sure confidence.
He believed that it was not dragons and demons that were waiting for us, but that God was there.
“If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall your hand lead me and your right hand shall hold me.” Psalm 139:9
What faith the Psalmist had. Whatever lies beyond to-day, we may be sure of this, that God is there. He goes before.
· “He leads [or guides] me in the paths of righteousness.”
Not only does the Good Shepherd go before us, but He gives us guidance.
How we need such guidance!
How limited is our vision!
How often we stand bewildered at the forks of the road not knowing which way to turn! “When he, the Spirit of Truth is come, he will guide you.” John 16:13
· “He restores my soul.”
This word restore has two possible meanings. Firstly, it means to bring back to health and strength, one who is sick. And secondly, to restore means to seek that which is lost and to bring it back to the fold. Surely David is here speaking out of his own experience.
This year that is ahead need not be simply another year. It can be a new year. New because we ourselves have become new. I know that to some this sounds like a lot of double talk, but some of you have given up hope of ever being anything different from what you are.
Not satisfied with the lean, drab lives that we are living, yet we see little chance of ever changing them for the better.
We hear of people making resolution after resolution, but never changing. Resolves and re-resolves and then die the same. But here is one who stands in a world grown old and gray and shouts, “Old things are passed away; behold they are become new.” II Corinthians 5:17
With the Lord as our Shepherd. we will not want for companionship and comfort in sorrow. The Good Shepherd leads us in green pastures and beside the still waters. But sometimes the road changes suddenly from green pastures to wild rugged mountains. But our Shepherd does not forsake us in those dark and desperate hours. In fact, He draws closer to us.
· “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
He not only walks with us in the darkness, He brings us through it.
The Good Shepherd will not leave us in the dark valley. He will bring us through it into the sunshine.
“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Psalm 30:5
Now for something few people know…

· “Thy rod and staff comfort me.”

Leviticus 27:32 “And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passes under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD.”

Ezekiel 20:37 “And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant.”

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.”

Finally, with the Lord as our Shepherd, we shall not want for a home at the end of the journey.
Will Jesus love us and lead us all through our pilgrimage only to forsake us in the end?
Will He hold our hands in His till we reach that greedy and muddy ditch that we call the grave, and then fling us into it and turn His back upon us forever?

I for one, refuse to believe that. On the contrary, I am confident that when the shadows gather, Jesus, being the Good Shepherd that He is, is going to lead us home; that where He is, we may be also. He loves us too much to willingly throw us away.

“Starting The Year Out Right”

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 19 Issue 02 January 11, 2009

II Corinthians 9:6-15 But this [I say], He which sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which sows bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposes in his heart, [so let him give]; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loves a cheerful giver. And God [is] able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all [things], may abound to every good work: (As it is written, He has dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remains for ever. Now he that ministers seed to the sower both minister bread for [your] food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)
Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causes through us thanksgiving to God. For the administration of this service not only supplies the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for [your] liberal distribution unto them, and unto all [men]; And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you. Thanks [be] unto God for his unspeakable gift.

Genuine stewardship is not one thing, but several things which work together.

Stewardship exercises a Choice: v6 We are all stewards. The choice is, do you want to be a good steward or a poor steward? We are given the privilege to make decisions that directly effect our financial lives. Do you see it in verse 6?

This is one of God’s laws of harvest.
1: We Will Reap Only If We Sow.
2: We Will Reap What We Sow.
3: We Will Reap More Than We Sow.
4: We Will Reap In Proportion To What We Sow.
5: We Reap Later Than We Sow.
6: We Will Reap.
7: We Reap Because God Gives the Increase.
Law #4: We Will Reap In Proportion To What We Sow.

II Corinthians 9:6 "sow sparingly reap sparingly; sow bountifully reap bountifully."

The more you sow, the more you reap. The more seed you plant, the greater your harvest. Paul isn’t talking about agriculture - he’s talking about finances. God leaves how much we plant up to us, but He promises to bless everything we plant. That’s our choice.

Stewardship expresses a Cheerfulness

II Corinthians 9:7 begins, "Every man . . ." The appeal to give is for every one.

You may have heard some one pray, "Lord, bless those who can give and those who cannot."

That may sound good, but it's not Scriptural. "Every man" that is a Christian should give, “according as he purposes". There is the idea of choice again.

You might be thinking, "What if I don't want to give?"

Then you ought to pray for a new "want to."

Do you think you will impoverish God by not giving?

Will you hinder God's cause by not giving?

Actually, you only impoverish yourself when you choose not to give.
". . . in his heart." Now follow the progression of this Scripture. Every person who is a Christian who chooses to give should consecrate his gift to God. God is not only interested in what's in your hand, but what's in your heart!

It's not just the amount, it is also attitude.

". . . so let him give." It is one thing to choose to give but it is all but useless if you don’t carry through by actually giving!

Once the heart and mind are joined on giving a certain amount the hands are to take hold of that money and give it.

". . . not grudgingly, or out of necessity."
". . . For God loves a cheerful giver."

The word "cheerful" means "hilarious."

Can you even imagine that kind of giving?

Can you imagine how many people would actually be awake during the offering if some broke loose with a "hallelujah" or a "praise the Lord"?

All too often the deadest part of the service is the offering.

But what kind of salvation did you receive from the Lord? It was the "happy kind," if God gave it. You didn't have much, but you were happy. You didn't know much, but you were happy.

"God loves a cheerful giver," but He’ll take from a grump!
Stewardship brings a Completeness: v8 “And God is able to make all grace abound to you...” Do you believe that?

There is a wonderful illustration of this in
II Kings 4:1-7 The story is of a prophet’s widow who was bankrupt. The creditors were about to sell her two sons as slaves. Elisha asked her what she had of value and she said only a vessel of oil. It was likely a memento of the oil that was used to anoint her husband at the beginning of his ministry. Elisha told her to go to her neighbors and borrow as many vessels as she would, with very specific instruction not to borrow just a few.

She filled her house with these borrowed vessels. And then the prophet told her to pour out her oil into those vessels. She did and kept pouring until all the vessels were full. Elisha then said, "Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and have your family live of the rest."

There was the first door-to-door recycling lady!

Getting out of debt freed her and restored her testimony to her creditors. She would live off of the rest and her children’s needs would also be met.

What a great God we serve who takes care of all our needs!

Stewardship exhibits Contentment v9-15.

Do you see the flow of this passage?
What begins with a choice and is carried our with cheerfulness becomes our completion and results in genuine contentment.

John Maxwell tells the story of a woman he once pastored by the name of Helen Douglas. She was a poor woman who lived in government housing. Her old car was covered with bumper stickers. Maxwell says he used to say to her, "Helen, if you peel off one bumper sticker the whole car will fall apart."

Even though she didn’t have much money, she was faithful to the church. When time came to raise a great deal of money for a new building, the church held prayer meetings every morning at 6 a.m. Helen was always there, waiting for the doors to be opened. She prayed, wept, and fasted asking God to supply their needs.

Finally, when the day of the big offering came, she let the plate pass her by.
God spoke to her heart, "Helen, why didn’t you give?" She said, "Lord, I’m a poor lady. I don’t have anything to give." The Lord said, "Give all you’ve got."

She dug in her purse and came up with a handful of loose change. She put it is an offering envelope and wrote on it, "It’s all I have."

After the service, she gave it to Pastor Maxwell. He tried to give it back to her. She said, "No this is my gift to God." He took it home and opened it. It was $3.30.

That evening, the church was packed because everyone wanted to hear how much the big offering had been. Once everyone settled down, Pastor Maxwell said, "I want to tell you about the largest gift given today." He then shared the story of Helen Douglas. One of the men stood up and said, "That’s the greatest story of stewardship I’ve ever heard. I want one of the coins from that envelope to remind me. I’ll give you $10 for one." Then someone else did the same. Suddenly a spirit of giving came over the church and for the next 30 minutes people sat down and wrote checks and brought them to the front. Some went back and wrote as many as three checks. The smallest gift of all become the largest gift in the history of that church. Stewardship is God’s pathway to blessings.

“Shake Before Using”

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 19 Issue 01 January 4, 2009

Deuteronomy 32:11 “As an eagle stirs up her nest, flutters over her young, spreads abroad her wings, takes them, bears them on her wings....”

Perhaps not very much of a Scripture reading, but it certainly is the Word of the Lord. There is enough here that God will no doubt show us something over the next 20-30 minutes. If we have the right attitude I know it will cause us to grow in Jesus.

Fellow climbers as we enter this new year, I need you to understand that the Word of God is...
· Healing to you if you receive it as healing
· Pardon to you if you receive it as a pardon
· Every blessing is yours if you receive it as God wrote it

“As the eagle stirs her nest, flutters over her young, takes them on her wings and bears them….” What a beautiful picture of how God deals with his people!

There are at least seven stages that a young eagle goes through when learning to fly. As we talk about them, see if you can find what stage you are at?

The seven stages are: Demonstration, Discomfort, Danger, Decision, Direction Change, Doing and Deliverance.

1. The Demonstration Stage
When it is time for a young eagle to begin flight training, the mother eagle will frequently push off from the perch where the nest is and hover above her young. The little eaglets begin to flap their wings in imitation. Although they don't have enough feathers to fly, they begin to develop their wing muscles.

Consider what God has done for us through His Son. Jesus came to earth demonstrating the faith life for us to follow.

Romans 5:8 “God demonstrated his love towards us.”

John 13:34, 15:12 “Love one another; as I have loved you.”
God has never left us to figure things out on our own.

He cares enough to give us a full blown living demonstration..... Jesus!

2. The Discomfort Stage
Like an eagle that stirs up its nest… It's one thing for those young eagles to flap their wings in the security of their down-filled home. It's quite another for them to move to the edge, look over and imagine stepping out on to nothing!

Naturally, they don't want to do it.

So the adult eagle does something the eaglets won't understand until much later. She begins “stirring up” the nest! She actually begins to tear the nest apart. The young eagles are literally poked out and forced to fly.

In our faith-life, this stage is when we begin to be bothered about something. We sense that something is wrong.

Like Job in Job 30:27, we might say, “My heart is troubled and restless.” Spiritually we become aware of a new level or step we should be taking.

The trouble is, like the eaglet, we too are reluctant to move out of our comfort zone.

It is so much easier to “stay in the nest”, to continue just attending church.

But hey, God never sent His Son to die for us so we can attend meetings. Yes, the Bible warns us not to forsake our assembling together, but there is more.

It wasn’t the disciples meeting in the upper room that turned the world upside down.
It was when the disciples spilled out into the streets and started living God’s Love in sandal leather.

God knows He has to stir up our nest, making us uncomfortable. There is a good reason they call most church seats “pews”.

Unfortunately most of us are like certain medicines. We have small print on our souls that states, “Shake before using!”

Why does God have to shake us? It is too often the only way He can prepare us for change.

Do you know what I mean?

Sadly, some people live their entire lives in this Discomfort Stage. They cling to their nest (church chair or pew) like terrified eagle chicks, afraid to do anything about their problem.

They'd rather live with discomfort than risk the unknown thing called “flying”.

Sadly we get stalled in our discomfort. Our reluctance to change forces God to bring us to the next stage.

3. The Danger Stage
Can you imagine a full grown eagle perched in the nest of its parents, peeping like a baby begging for something to eat?

But eagles weren't meant to be nest-sitters, they are to fly!

We weren’t meant to be church goers, we are called to be the church! Because He loves us, God allows a danger or a crisis to come into our lives that moves the issue we're ignoring off the back burner.
He sends us a wake up call.

All of a sudden the situation gets so bad we can't ignore it anymore.

We get fired or are set back by an accident or serious illness. The pain becomes unbearable.

Our spouse threatens to walk out or a creditor starts foreclosure.

Like the eagle's nest, the bottom falls out from under our lives and we realize we've got to do something…. something fast!

It happened to King David. Look at what he says in Psalm 119:67 “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word.”

An affliction was needed to show David that it was important to keep God's Word.

Could this be the reason you are in a crisis right now?
Is there something you've been ignoring?

Remember…..God wants you to fly, not flutter in the nest.

He wants you to grow up!

The danger stage quickly moves us on to the next stage.

4. The Decision Stage
What is it going to take to get you to make a
decision? Is God dealing with your stubbornness or neglect?

And after the Decision Stage comes…..
5. The Direction Change Stage
The young eagle, falling fast, has come to the wise conclusion that he has got to do something.

He has to change direction! He must start going up instead of down.

You can’t continue on in the same manner
as you have and expect to grow.

In fact, doing the same thing in the same way while expecting a different result is the definition of “Insanity”.

We're talking about God teaching us to fly - to live the faith life in a way that is pleasing to Him and brings us to maturity.

6. The Doing Stage
The adult eagle can teach her young to fly but she cannot fly for them. They must do it themselves.

When Jesus cleansed the ten lepers, He told them to go present themselves to the priest. Then, “as they were going, they were cleansed.” Luke 17:14

This step of doing is critical to the young eagles learning to fly and it is critical to our growing up in Christ and to the final step.

7. The Deliverance Stage
This one is beautiful. “He spread His wings and caught them, He carried them on His pinions.”

I understand that the adult eagle will actually swoop down and catch her falling offspring on her back and carry them back up to the home perch. What a beautiful picture of what God does for us!

II Timothy 3:11 “What persecutions I endured and out of them all the Lord delivered me!”

Psalm 34:19 “Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”

If you are a Christian, God will teach you to fly. There will come a season - it may be now - that God will begin His stirring. Be sure God wants you to fly. You can ignore it, but it won't stop the process. You can resist it, but it won't stop the process.

Isaiah 43:19 “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, [and] rivers in the desert.”

“It Is Well”

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 18, Issue 39, December 28, 2008

PSALM 46:1-11 ... God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah….. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah… Be still, and know that I am God:
We all have days when we’d like to run away from it all. Sometimes our hurt is so bad our spirit throbs inside us.Our dreams fall apart...our hopes fade.
Our lives become wearisome drudgery.
A marriage goes bad…
Health problems develop…
Financial problems come up…
A loved one dies...And we are tempted to give up.... There is hope because - God is our Refuge (a shelter or hiding place) and Strength (our security, boldness, might) a very Present (He is always with us) Help (aid) in Trouble (tight spots, misery, distress, agony, suffering).
The word “IN” here means, not before or after, but during, in the midst of. In other words IN all these problems God is our refuge, strength, and a present help.
Do you remember the Big fire in Chicago?

It was apparently started by Mrs. O'Leary's cow knocking over a lantern. Sixteen hours later, 3 and 1/2 square miles of Chicago were burned to the ground. A family with the name of Spafford were completely wiped out by this disaster. But because of a consistent history of acting on their faith, they devoted countless hours to helping the survivors.
In November of 1873, Horatio Spafford planned a trip to Europe to hear DL Moody preaching his revivals. When the time for the trip drew close, Spafford’s business encountered some difficulties that required him to remain at home. Not wanting to deprive his family of the anticipated trip, he sent his wife and daughters on ahead promising to join them soon.

The Spafford women, Anna and her four young daughters, 11 year old Annie, 9 year old Maggie, 7 year old Bessie, and 2 year old Tanetta, boarded a French steamer and began their trans-Atlantic journey.

Off the coast of Newfoundland, however, tragedy struck. The ship collided with an English ship ripping a gaping hole in the ship’s hull. The French Steamer plunged to the bottom of the frigid sea within 12 minutes. In the moments before the ship sank, Anna Spafford gathered her 4 young girls to her side and prayed with them, holding the youngest in her arms. As the icy waters of the North Atlantic swept over the decks, the 3 older children disappeared.

Eventually even the baby was washed from her mother’s arms.

Anna, was able to cling to a piece of floating wreckage.

Alone and near death herself, Anna was spotted from a lifeboat and plucked from the sea. Only 47 out of 273 survived. It was 10 days before the survivors landed safely in Cardiff, Wales. From there Anna sent a telegram to her anxious husband It was a brief and distressing message: "Saved alone." Boarding the next available ship out of New York, Horatio sailed to be reunited with his grieving wife.

In the mid-Atlantic ocean, the ship’s captain called Spafford to the bridge and said, "To the best of my calculations, this is where the tragedy occurred and your four little daughters were drowned." Horatio stood on the bridge contemplating the loss of his girls. After a considerable time he went to his cabin and wrote the poem that begins;
When peace like a river attendeth my way. When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, it is well, it is well, with my soul. It was reported by DL Moody (their friend) that though they were experiencing deep sorrow, the Spaffords never lost their abiding faith in God. This grieving father longed for the day…. when he would see his 4 beautiful daughters again. "And Lord haste the day when the faith will be sight, the clouds be rolled back as a scroll; the trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend, even so, it is well with my soul."
The hope of being reunited with their children gave these parents the courage to keep on living in faith.

Their hearts were comforted and strengthened by the truth of the resurrection.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling….. God will help us.

Psalm 30:5 weeping may endure for a night, but joy will come in the morning
Returning to Chicago, Spafford rejoined his legal practice. Once again, he became active in the local Presbyterian church as an elder and working with the YMCA. A visitor to his office two years after the shipwreck asked about the telegram in a frame above Spafford’s desk carrying only the words, "Saved alone." Spafford told the man the full story and again affirmed, "It is well. God’s will be done." The Spaffords had 2 more daughters and 1 son born after the tragedy. But sorrow and tragedy would strike them again. In 1880, their 4-year-old son, Horatio, came down with scarlet fever. In spite of the efforts by the best physicians in Chicago, Spafford’s son died. Some members of the Presbyterian congregation to which the Spaffords belonged believed that some sin in their lives had caused all these tragedies. They kept telling the Spaffords to repent! But Spafford said, It Is Well With My Soul.Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. This means trusting God with all our problems, resting in Him as our refuge. John 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you: not as the world gives. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
The opposition grew until finally the Spaffords were asked to leave their church. And with unwavering faith and trust in God, they departed. Long interested in biblical archaeology, Spafford decided to leave the United States. In 1881, at the age of 53, he and his wife and 2 daughters moved to Jerusalem. There they founded an American colony where they spent the rest of their lives. The words "it is well with my soul" are not found in scripture, But Jesus did say, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and you’ll find rest for your souls Matthew 11:28-29
Our compassionate heavenly Father gives us comfort, hope and peace in his Son Jesus Christ. One day God will wipe away every tear and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain. And now you know the rest of the story. Be blessed.

The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah…
Be still, and know that I am God:

“Wise Guys”

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 18, Issue 38, December 21, 2008

Common to many nativity scenes are three wise men and their camels. It is implied that these men, three in number, visited Jesus while still in the manger. It is believed these men came from the east by following a star that led them to Bethlehem.

The story of wise men visiting the Christ Child found in the Bible is both interesting and has a practical value for us today.

Matthew 2:1 tells us: Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem.

This Bible passage doesn't say how many wise men came from the east nor does it mention their names or their method of travel. It is only assumed they traveled by camel. They could’ve walked for all we know.

So who exactly were these "wise men from the East"?

The Bible doesn't say these men were kings, however it is speculated they were educated men, perhaps astrologers.
Some think they were a group of priests from Persia others believe they were astrologers from Babylon

Some Eastern religions have claimed there were 12 wise men making the journey to Bethlehem. According to medieval legend the names of three were Melchoir, King of Arabia, who brought gold; Gaspar, King of Tarsus, whom brought myrr; and Balthasar, King of Ethiopia, whom brought frankincense.

However, these names aren’t in the Bible and didn’t appear in Christian literature until 500 years after the birth of Jesus.
It is interesting to note that Matthew 2:11 states: and when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him.

The statement of coming into a house instead of a stable and seeing a "young child," not a newborn baby, leads one to think that the wise men didn't arrive until quite some time after the Lord’s birth.

Most likely it was up to 2 later that they visited Mary and the child in a house.

How many were there?
No actual number is given. Matthew 2:11 they presented to him gifts; gold and frankincense and myrrh.

True three types of gift are mentioned, but that doesn’t mean there were three givers!
The gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh were very prophetic for they spoke of our Lord's offices of King, Priest, and Savior.GOLD: It's a gift fit for royalty. It says to the Christ child, You will be a KingFRANKINCENSE: We recognize the word incense in its name. Ancient people burned frankincense, believing it to carry their prayers to heaven. Its use as incense illustrates His role as our Priest.MYRRH: This is perhaps the most mysterious of the Gifts. Myrrh is an Arabic word for bitter, and it is considered a wound healer because of its strong antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. It was used as an embalming material for Egyptian mummies. As an embalming ointment it signified that He was born to Die for the world.

In fact, Myrrh was one of the burial spices of Jesus John 19:39

These wise men came following a star. So what about the "star"? How did these wise men connect the star with the birth of the king of the Jews?

The fact is the Bible says little about who these men were. Perhaps because it was more important as to what they did:
We have come to WORSHIP Him.

There are certainly some lessons that can be learned:

It is easy for fiction to be taken as fact...

I’m not just talking about Jesus birth. What about the "forbidden fruit" in the Garden being an "apple"; or that baptism in the Bible is pouring or sprinkling.

We need to be more like the Bereans in Acts 17:11 making sure we get the facts. There may be true servants of God in places we might not expect...

Don’t assume that God's people consists only of those you know about. There are many faithful Christians in other countries.

We may not know about them, but God does!

Those who claim to have religion don’t always give Christ the most honor.

You’d think the chief priests and scribes would’ve been the first to go to Bethlehem.
But no, it was a few unknown strangers from a distant land.

As John wrote in his gospel, He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him John 1:11

Sadly, the same is often true today, those of the Lord's church often show less love and
adoration than those of the world.

Children of Christian parents often show less interest in the things of God than the children of non-Christians.

There may be knowledge in the head, while there is no grace in the heart…

The chief priests and scribes were quick to provide Herod the answer to his question,
but as far as we know, they didn’t go to Bethlehem.
In fact most of them never did believe in Him.

Many today, can be described in the same manner.

The wise men are a great examples of spiritual diligence…

Consider what it must have cost them to travel; In money; In time; In dangers.

What about our diligence?

Are we willing to pay the price?
To find Christ?
To serve Him?
To worship Him?
Are we willing to make the effort to find, worship, and serve this great King?

They traveled at great costs and risk to find and worship Jesus; many Christians won't even take the time to attend a gospel meeting during the week or a second service on a Sunday!

The wise men are a great example of faith…

They believed in Christ… yet they’d never seen Him prior to their journey.

They worshipped him as king when all they saw was a little child on a mother's knee!

Without miracles to convince them (except the star) they left their homes and traveled for neatly two years.

Without much teaching to persuade them they were convinced that this was the Christ Child… they fell down and worshipped Him

This is the kind of faith that God delights to honor!

As Jesus said later, Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. John 20:29

May the wise men inspire us to greater service to our Lord!

As stated on a popular bumper-sticker:
Wise men still seek Him

“Four Keys To Good Relations”

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 18, Issue 37, December 7, 2008

Philippians 1:3-11

A few good friends can make all the difference in the world.

Friends can uplift your mood, inspire you to move beyond your current level, comfort you when you’re down and provide escape from boredom and routine.

Friends can also open your eyes to opportunity, encourage you, and provide wisdom and support. It’s a common denominator for all of humanity to want good friendships.

Unfortunately, loneliness and lack of friendships are a major affliction in our modern world. The busyness of our culture, our mobility and a focus on privacy has contributed to a breakdown in friendships

1. Always thank God for the people close to you. (vs. 3)
Background: Acts 16

2.Pray for them with joy (vs. 4)

What to pray for others.
1. Pray that they will grow in love and knowledge .
2. Pray that they will live pure and blameless lives .
3. Pray that they will do the right thing.
4. Pray that they will live abundantly in God's glory.

3. Be patient with their progress. Philippians 1:6

Understand that God is not yet finished with people.

Our Mistake: We judge others by how far they have got to go rather than how far they have come.

4. Love them from the heart Philippians 1:7,8

The secret of enjoying the people in my life is to be filled with God's love.

Five common reasons for friendlessness:

1. You’ve been hurt in the past.
Most of us have been hurt by someone in our past, but some allow it to compromise future relationships.

The key is learning how to forgive people for their shortcomings. Harboring bitterness, resentment and an unforgiving attitude, will hinder all your relationships.

2. You’re afraid of being found out. We all have secret insecurities and shortcomings but life is too short to waste energy hiding your imperfections. Don’t toss aside a friendship because you’re scared they’ll find out you are imperfect. We all are.

3. The negative side of life gets the bulk
of your attention.
No one wants to be around someone who finds everything wrong in the world. It’s okay to acknowledge struggles and be real about the challenges you face, but know when to draw the line and see the bright side.

4. You’re a harsh judge of character.
If you’re someone who enjoys friends only until you find something wrong with them, you won’t keep friends. If you’re quick to make character judgments, as opposed to judging people based on track record, people will walk on eggshells around you and consequently won’t want to be around you. Be slow to judge.

5. Holding unrealistic expectations of
friends.
Don’t expect your friends to intuitively know your needs or to always support you in the ways you’d like. Let them know if you’re in need of their support instead of expecting them to know.

Dear Sir:
I am writing in response to your request for more information concerning Block #11 on the insurance form which asks for "cause of injuries" wherein I put, "Trying to do the job alone." You said you needed more information so I trust the following will be sufficient.

I am a bricklayer by trade and on the date of injuries I was working alone laying brick around the top of a four-story building when I realized that I had about 500 pounds of brick left over. Rather than carry the bricks down by hand, I decided to put them into a barrel and lower them by a pulley which was fastened to the top of the building. I secured the end of the rope at ground level and went up to the top of the building and loaded the bricks into the barrel and swung the barrel out with the bricks in it. I then went down and untied the rope, holding it securely to ensure the slow descent of the barrel.

As you will note on Block #6 of the insurance form, I weigh 145 pounds. Due to my shock at being jerked off the ground so swiftly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Between the second and third floors, I met the barrel coming down. This accounts for the bruises and lacerations on my upper body. Regaining my presence of mind again, I held tightly to the rope and proceeded rapidly up the side of the building, not stopping until my right hand was jammed in the pulley. This accounts for the broken thumb.

Despite the pain, I retained my presence of mind and held tightly to the rope. At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of bricks hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Devoid of the weight of the bricks, the barrel now weighed about 50 pounds. I again refer you to Block #6 and my weight. As you would guess, I began a rapid descent. In the vicinity of the second floor I met the barrel coming up. This explains the injuries to my legs and lower body. Slowed only slightly, I continued my descent landing on the pile of bricks. This accounts for my sprained back and internal injuries.

I am sorry to report, however, that at this point, I again lost my presence of mind and let go of the rope, and as you can imagine, the empty barrel crashed down on me. This accounts for my head injuries. I trust this answers your concern. Please know that I am finished "trying to do the job alone."

Solomon gives three reasons why friendships are so valuable.
A friend provides encouragement/help in our struggles and failures. "If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!" Whenever we struggle or fail, we need a friend who will not walk away but will stay and help us up.

One of my favorite examples is the story of the Garden of Gethsemane. In our Lord's greatest hour of need, did he try to go it alone? No, he called his inner circle of friends (Peter, James John) to be with Him.

Look at Matthew 26:36-38. Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, 'Sit here while I go over there and pray. He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said, My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.

Jesus had someone to lean on, but if someone doesn't, then what? Solomon tells us: "But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!"—v. 10b. When we choose not to rely on another, we risk staying down and defeated after we have fallen. But a friend can lift us up, dust us off, and help us get going again.

A friend provides support when the other is vulnerable. "...if two lie down together, they will keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone?" This verse could certainly refer to marriage each supplying what is needed for the other, whether it be physical, mental, social, or spiritual.

A friend also provides protection when the other is attacked. v12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. These words assert that the ability of two to ward off physical, spiritual or other assaults is much greater than that of one.

Two can defend themselves and defeat the obstacles. Two outfitted with the armor of Christ and the sword of the Spirit, and surrounded by prayer, can see much accomplished and much of the enemy's activities defeated-Eph. 6:10-18. But Solomon's statement is not limited strictly to physical and spiritual dangers.

A plaque entitled "A Friend" reads, "A friend is one who knows you as you are, understands where you've been, accepts who you've become, and still gently invites you to grow."