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Services recap...

"The promises to Abraham" By Kevin Harvey and Message in song by Kevin and Norm.

10/28/2012

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Kevin and Norm : Message in song

(I'm Gonna) Sing, Sing, Sing 
Songwriters: WILLIAMS, SR., HANK / WILLIAMS, SR., HANK

[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/h/hank_williams/im_gonna_sing_sing_sing.html ]

When I get to glory, I'm gonna sing, sing, sing
I'm gonna let the Hallelujah's ring
I'm gonna praise my blessed Savior's name
When I get to glory, I'm gonna sing, sing, sing

In this world of sorrow, I've seen trouble and woe
When I get to glory I'll see no more
For I know my prayers have not been in vain
When I get to glory, I'm gonna sing, sing, sing

Sometimes I get so weary inside
Then I recall how my Jesus died
Up there I know, there'll be no pain
When I get to glory, I'm gonna sing, sing, sing

When I get to glory, I'm gonna sing, sing, sing
I'm gonna let the Hallelujah's ring
I'm gonna praise my blessed Savior's name
When I get to glory, I'm gonna sing, sing, sing

Up there no tears will blind my eyes
As I'll walk along by my Jesus side
I'll meet my loved ones all once again
When I get to glory, I'm gonna sing, sing, sing

When I get to glory, I'm gonna sing, sing, sing
I'm gonna let the Hallelujah's ring
I'm gonna praise my blessed Savior's name
When I get to glory, I'm gonna sing, sing, sing



UNCLOUDY DAY LYRICS - WILLIE NELSON

O they tell me of a home far beyond the skies,
O they tell me of a home far away;
O they tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise,
O they tell me of an uncloudy day.

O the land of cloudless day,
O the land of an unclouded sky,
O they tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise,
O they tell me of an uncloudy day.

O they tell me of a home where my friends have gone,
O they tell me of that land far away,
Where the tree of life in eternal bloom
Sheds its fragrance through the uncloudy day.

O the land of cloudless day,
O the land of an unclouded sky,
O they tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise,
O they tell me of an uncloudy day.

O they tell me of a King in His beauty there,
And they tell me that mine eyes shall behold
Where He sits on the throne that is whiter than snow,
In the city that is made of gold.

O the land of cloudless day,
O the land of an unclouded sky,
O they tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise,
O they tell me of an uncloudy day.

O they tell me that He smiles on His children there,
And His smile drives their sorrows all away;
And they tell me that no tears ever come again
In that lovely land of uncloudy day.

O the land of cloudless day,
O the land of an unclouded sky,
O they tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise,
O they tell me of an uncloudy day



Shouting On The Hills Of Glory Lyrics

The Stanley Brothers[ From: http://www.metrolyrics.com/shouting-on-the-hills-of-glory-lyrics-the-stanley-brothers.html ]

There'll be shouting on the hills of glory
Shouting on the hills shouting on the hills
There'll be shouting on the hills of glory
There'll be shouting on the hills of God

Oh what a blessed reunion
Oh what a blessed reunion
When will we gather over yonder
There'll be shouting on the hills of God

No more sorrow in that city

No more sorrow in that city
Jesus prepared a place in heaven
There'll be shouting on the hills of God

Now's the time to make your preparations
Now's the time to make your preparations
So stop and make your reservation
There'll be shouting on the hills of God


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SERMON  "The Promises to Abraham"
By Kevin Harvey  
(Baptist Church of Chateauguay )
(Please find here excerps,  webmistress personnal notes, paraphrases, and results of research  to complete the notes taken during  Mr Kevin Harvey's sermon)

Calling every nations, kindred, tongues, and people of every ages.

Abraham's call is God's gift of Salvation to the Faithfull.

Genesis 13:12
New International Version (NIV)
12 Abraham lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom.


After Araham and Lot separated, 


The Call of Abram

12 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

2 “I will make you into a great nation,
    and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing.[a]
3 I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.

4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.

6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring[c] I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

8 From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.

9 Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.


God  promised the land to Abraham' descendants. 
Israel : God's people are back in the land  " miracle"
God fulfilled the promise. Jews were scattered over all the nations.


Exodus 6 
2 God also said to Moses, “I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty,[a] but by my name the Lord[b] I did not make myself fully known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners. 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.


We,  the church though that the promise of God was null and void.


(For our understanding : 
In a sentence, two covenants were nailed to the cross. One covenant was given to Adam and Eve, the second was given to the biological descendants of Abraham. ( Genesis 15:18; Exodus 24:1-8; Deuteronomy 31:16; Jeremiah 11:10; 31:31-34; Ephesians 2; Colossians 2:13-17). When these covenants became null and void at the cross, two things changed. Animal sacrifices were no longer necessary, and all distinction between Jews and Gentiles came to an end. Paul wrote, “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile – the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ ” (Romans 10:12,13) After the cross, salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ. “. . . Whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) ref 
http://www.wake-up.org/Alpha/Chapter8.htm)


The Jews came back after the war:  miracle,  Genesis 14:

17 After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).

18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High,19 and he blessed Abram, saying,

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
    Creator of heaven and earth.
20 And praise be to God Most High,
    who delivered your enemies into your hand.”

Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself.”

22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, 23 that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ 24 I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me—to Aner, Eshkol and Mamre. Let them have their share.”)


The Lord’s Covenant With Abram


God promises a son : Genesis 15 

4 Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” 


6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

This promise seemed impossible because they were so old but Abraham believed what God said.

Abraham was called the first "Hebrew" which probably means "to cross over" because he was supposedly so foolish for thinking that there was just one God and that if he crosses over the Euphrates river that he would find this new land that God had promised. But it was with Abraham that God established His covenant. 


Isaac's birth came about from a miracle - Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born (Genesis 21:5), and Sarah, at age 90, had been unable to have children (Genesis 16:1, 17:17). As explained by God:
"Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. 


Genesis 15

8 But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?”

9 So the Lord said to him, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.”

10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13 Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.15 You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age. 16 In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”


Then the sacrificial system was horrible

God asked Abraham to sacrifice his own son. God was not blood thirsty: 

Abraham Tested

22 Some time later God tested Abraham.

He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”


8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God,because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram[a] caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,18 and through your offspring[b] all nations on earth will be blessed,[c] because you have obeyed me.”

The Lord appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." So, a land would be given to the descendants of Abraham - that's the essence of the first promise.

Abraham and Ishmael

What happens when we are impatient, we do not wait!

Isaac was not Abraham's firstborn, or only, son. Fourteen years before, when Abraham was 86 (Genesis 16:16), Sarah (then called Sarai) had arranged for a child to be born to Abraham through her own Egyptian maidservant, Hagar. Ishmael was born from the arrangement (Genesis 16:1-4).

Wars still....
The deeply-embedded seeds of the modern Israeli-Arab conflict indeed has roots dating back to the man Abraham.

Muslims trace their lineage to Abraham through Ishmael.
The “original Jews” are the physical descendents of Abraham, his son Isaac, and his son Jacob through Jacob's sons who became the 12 tribes of Israel

God makes promises after Isaac is born. Take your only son and sacrifice him. He knew that God would provide the sacrifice through Isaac.... as seen in verse 8 (above) ...Nevermind Abraham

Where is the lamb, the goat...he raises his knife and sacrifices the goat.

Picture of you and I's sins from Adam  

Sacrifice Jesus on the cross = lamb

Jesus Christ our Lord  ...He is the sacrifice. 


Call upon him

Whoever you are; whatever your blood line or national origin - you can hear, believe and obey the gospel. And thus become a participant in the spiritual promise God made to Abraham.

Jesus made a promise and he keeps his promise. Faith in Jesus and we will be saved. 
Jesus is not the same as the others Boudah etc


 Who Jesus was : 
"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."


We are blessed today because of the faith of Abraham.

From John 12 
"Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. 45 The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. "


You will mess up and I will forgive you...


The 3 promises to Abraham :


1. The Land Promise: "A land that I will show you."

"I shall make you a great nation": Genesis 15:18

2. The National Promise: "A great nation."


"I shall bless you and make your name famous": Genesis 15:4-5 and in Genesis 17:4-8 



3. The Spiritual Promise: "All the families of the earth shall be blessed."

"You are to be a blessing!" : Genesis 22:18

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Special order: The Baptism of Bentley Thomas Sutton

10/21/2012

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Preparations
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Preparations
Reading of the Scripture,  Luke 18:15-17  Thornton Westley

Luke 18:15-17
New International Version (NIV)

The Little Children and Jesus

15 People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

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HYMN :    When Mothers of Salem

When mothers of Salem
their children brought to Jesus, 

The stern disciples drove them back
 and bade them to depart:
But Jesus saw them ere they fled

 and sweetly smiled and kindly said, 
"Suffer little children
to come unto Me.


"For I will receive them

 and fold them to My bosom:
I'll be a shepherd to these lambs, 

O drive them not away;
For if their hearts to Me they give, 

they shall with Me in glory live:
Suffer little children 

to come unto Me."

How kind was our Savior
to bid these children welcome! 

But there are many thousands
 who have never heard His Name; 
The Bible they have never read,
 they know not that the Savior said, 
"Suffer little children
to come unto Me."

The Baptismal service with Reverend Elke Mehnert officiating
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Rev Elke Mehnert      (fragments and paraphrases from the webmasters' notes)


I recently was visited by a friend. I had previously given her directions to get to my place.  "At the flasher on the 202 turn left etc..." She finally got to my place but a lot later than expected. She had to stop to ask where I lived.  She said there was something wrong with the directions I gave her, something about the stop sign and there were no flasher.
Well,  the next time I went to Ormstown, I made sure to re-verify all the directions I had given her . When I got to the corner of the Sideroad and the 202, I realized there was no flasher!!!!!

When you know where you are going, there is no problem if a flasher is not there. But when you do not know where you are going , you need directions, we need the way.

Jesus is the way. We need to know what kind of way to go.


I have here my old book  "Shield of Faith" that I had to tape before coming here this morning.

Bentley will be given a book of children bible story by the community this morning.
They are stories that are directions, signs, posts of Jesus directions.
...........
According to Mark 
Mark 9:42

"let the young children come to me.... do not hinder them..

For those who hindered the children,  it was millstone around their neck and they were thrown in a deep well (  "the well" is a bit of paraphrasing from the speaker as the exact word in the scriptures is in "the sea").


Yes we do........ promises. 
  • responsability
  • serious
  • Thanksgiving
  • We are not yet perfect .
(The sacraments provide a picture of God’s promises to us)*
  • Promise that God is waiting for us

-----------------------
Signs are things that can be seen, such as the water

(“outward and visible signs of an inward and spiritual grace.” )*

sign of grace that God is in our life


(in the baptism waters, we gain a new identity as followers of Jesus Christ. As Jesus was declared God’s beloved Son at his baptism, so too at our baptism we are declared to be God’s beloved children.)*
------------

All authority


(It is also a seal, a mark of authority guaranteeing promises.)*




Matthew 28:18-20
New International Version (NIV)

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

---------
Gospel of Mark 


Mark 10:13-16
New International Version (NIV)


The Little Children and Jesus

13 People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16 And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.



We cannot take for granted that we can worship freely. We are families, that we can meet .... we do with gratefull hearts  thankfull to God.


During Baptism, some people dunk under the water. You are pushed backward. You have to trust that the minister will bring you back--- promise of trust------God


Sign of Grace


God calls Bentley to this inheritance of the Church to be baptized.


Jesus is the light of the world. All children are a gift... we are all children of God. 


God gives you to your parents.


*
http://www.presbyterian.org.nz/for-ministers/worship-resources/special-services/baptism-liturgy

http://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/today/sacraments/

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"ESPECIALLY FOR CHILDREN" WITH DEBBIE BAXTER

Sermon : Especially for children by Debbie Baxter

A gift from God
Did you know that in the Bible God said Children are a gift.

Do you think: that it is funny that you are a gift?

Well we are all God's Children first and God gives us to our parents.


Lets make up a little story about this gift.
Here we have a green circle, something like the earth. Now lets take God's gifts out of the box.
First your mom, then your dad they were God's gift to your grandparents. Now here is Hudson Sutton another gift. Here you are living on the earth with your parents Dan Sutton& Christine Caza.
Are there any other gifts in this box? Well look here is Bentley Sutton, a little smaller than Hudson.


Now God gave all you children on this earth ajob. Your job is to do what your parents tell you to do.
There are many things your parents tell you to do. Like in the morning your mom or dad may tell you to eat your breakfast, brush your teeth, and put on your coat if it is cold outside.


God also gave parents ajob to do, a very, very important job. Your parents job is to love you and to take care of you. That is why your parents tell you to do things, things to keep you healthy and stop you from getting hurt or hurting other children.


When all children do job God gave them to do all parents do the job God gave them to do, it makes God happy because it spreads God's love all around to world to many families just like yours.

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"Those Jews" our ancestors of faith,  by Harley Bye followed by drama moment with Debbie Baxter

10/14/2012

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Topic : My Favourite Old Testament Story! Why?
Because the Book of Job is fully human!

I-
  1. He knew the despair and shame of losing everything, from his home to sons and daughters.
  2. He experienced the sting of criticism from  his wife and his friends
  3. His faith in God put to the test
  4. He lost his mental health which brought him to the edge of suicide.

II-
 What are your Favourite Stories?
  1. Moses and Pharoah's
  2. Noah and the arch
  3. Daniel in the Lion's den
  4. Ruth and Boaz
  5. Queen Esther
  6. David and Goliath
  7. Samson and Delilah


III-
 Stories passed from generation to generation and written 100's years later. That's oral Tradition, even the New Testament, and prone to error of memory and exagerations of human imagination.


IV-
 One of my choice stories is the Book of Job.
We read The Book of Job, to explore the most difficult questions of life to explore the most difficult questions of life...questions most people ask at some time or other :
  • Why is there evil in the world?
  • Why is there pain, suffering and heart ache?
  • Why do the righteous suffer?
  • How can a loving God be defended in the pain of suffering, especially the innocent?
The theme is the question of suffering of the innocent = disease, ill health, pain, human conflict, and natural disasters ( the storm, the tsunami, the drought, the flood.)
And after 41 chapters,  the writer wordly illustrated the inadequacy of human logic to explain the problem. Then as now no firm reply, we can only ascribe to mystery. 


Come with me for a very quick review to this Old Testament story we know very well.


The Story Of Job


The setting is Uz, which is now Syria. Job is blameless and upright, as good a person as you will find anywhere.
He was blessed by children = 7 sons and 3 girls. And he was rich in goods as well as character:
  • 7,000 sheep, 
  • 3,000 camels, 
  • 500 cattle, 
  • 500 dunkies 
  • and all the servants he needed. 
He was the wealthiest man in the Middle East ( and he never knew he was sitting on a vast reserve of oil)

Imagine
The Debate in Heaven : angels doing a conference with God, reporting on their divers activities. Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, and Lucifer. 
God is also reporting and brags on his servant , Job. 

"Yeah" says Lucifer, that's because you protect him and favour him with so much wealth and love.Take it away and you'll find he'll curse you to your face". 

God replies :  "I'll accept your challenge. But spare his life. We'll see what happens. "Testing his soul, not destroying him."
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From http://phoenixarizona.hubpages.com/hub/lucifer-and-gods-wrath
In this story, Job looses everything. 
  • his livestock,
  • his wife's confidence, 
  • his family, 
  • even his health.

He is pictured covered with small pox and sitting on ashes when the lime burns the bacteria but controls the disease. .
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From : http://freddywinter.blogspot.ca/2012/04/integrity-of-job.html
Job' Testimoney in the very pit of despair : " Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and The Lord has taken away; 
May the name of the Lord be praised!


The worst is yet to come!


But the biggest test is yet to come: wife and three of his closest friends come for a visit and try to help the wrong way.


  • First was his wife. Her faith in God and love for Job dissipated with the wealth. " Curse God and die", she advised. When his wife through in the towel, Job was really in the pits.  " He prayed and cursed the day he was born. That is suicidal!

  • Friend #1, Eliphaz : "you have been too prood for your good. God is teaching you a lesson ! Job replies.. 
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From http://www.a-w-i-p.com/index.php/spiritual-matters/2010/01/17/the-book-of-job
  • Friend # 2 Bildad, "Your chidren have sinned, and you did not correct them. " Spare the rod and spoil the child. They have been fornicating, smoking pot, drinking alcohol.
  • Friend # 3 Zophar, "Job you've got secret sins and the guilt is coming out in disease. You've got to see a psychiatrist and unload your subconscience".. 

For 30 chapters, Job and his friends debate. Finally, Job says " it's time we had a prayer meeting( 42:1-10). Brothers ad sisters gave $ for his recovery.



I like the way Job recovered. Job clls his friends and wife to a prayer conference  (42:1-10) The marines slogan " When the going gets tough, the tough gets going!"From "Hour of Power " with Robert Schuller, Guest Speaker Willie Jolley "A Set-Back is a Set-Up for a Comeback".


They make a recovery plan!


(42 Then Job replied to the Lord:
2 “I know that you can do all things;
    no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’
    Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
    things too wonderful for me to know.
4 “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;
    I will question you,
    and you shall answer me.’
5 My ears had heard of you
    but now my eyes have seen you.
6 Therefore I despise myself
    and repent in dust and ashes.”
Epilogue7 After the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has. 8 So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.” 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the Lord told them; and theLord accepted Job’s prayer.

10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before.
)



The story of Job ends on a happy note. His friends went to their home. And Job became properous again. Wealth was once again his. "Can't keep a good man down"


-----------------------
God blessed Job more than at first.
  • 14,000 sheep,
  • 6,000 camels
  • 1,000 cattle
  • 1,000 dunkies.
  • 7 sons
  • 3 girls and the girls were more beautiful than ever.

----------------------
The end
Job grew old and died. But his will was ectraordinary.


Girls and boys got equal shares.
Every person got 10%  therefore the boys and the girls got equal number of sheep, camels, cows,donkeys.


What the 3 girls did with all those camels, sheeps, and dunkeys---I'll leave it to your imagination!


Conclusion = Why Job is my favourite story.


 1. He too was afflicted by disease
  • asthma, all my life
  • common colds
  • mumps, chicken pox, ringworm
  • physical exhaustion " burn out"
2.  The sting of criticism = discouraged by friends


3 My faith has wavered at time. Is there a God who cares. What is going on?
Key to wavering faith 
  1. lack of alternative explanation
  2. the power that has been with us from our earliest days.
4 One superior benefit to Job = my friends are all supportive, especially our Rockburn neighbours, and our church fellowship.
"On behalf of Carol and myself, we could never have been more blessed."
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From http://bibliolore.org/

Drama Moment with Debbie Baxter

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Thanksgiving Sunday with Harley Bye

10/7/2012

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We want to thank all of you for carrying the work of the church during our " time off for health issues"


Debbie Baxter opening the service

Good Morning! 

Welcome to the Rockburn Presbyterian Church this beautiful Thanksgiving Sunday Morning We are very thankful for so many things in our lives. 

Thanks to every person here today:we all make this hour what it is by being together . 

We as a Church are especially thankful today that our Minister Harley Bye is feeling better and has returned to the pulpit ..... Welcome back Harley! 

Shall we bow our heads in prayer 

God we thank you for your harvest which feeds us so many times each day. 

We are nourished with your forgiveness and hope 
We are sustained with your strength and patience
We are filled with your grace and compassion 


God we thank you for feeding us with a harvest of plenty 

We are restored through your generosity and healing 
We are replenished with your abundance and joy 
We are reminded of your selfless abandon 


God we thank you for feeding us with the bread of heaven 

Your gift of Christ sustains our lives 
His presence restores the promise of your love 

His life fills our hearts with your everlasting light 

God we thank you too for filling us with the water of life 

May we drink deeply that our thirst may be quenched 
May your river continue to flow 
Over us, in us, through us 
And out into the world you love.
 

Let us join together in the words of the Lord's Prayer ....Our Father Who . ...


Lord of the harvest, we bring you our thanks. Whether we see ourselves as scattered seed, full of potential, or as the ground, producing the growth; as workers sowing and reaping in your fields, or as the harvest of your efforts; No matter how we see ourselves, help us to see you in it all. From planting, to tending, to gathering in, you are with us every step of the way. 

As we give our offerings this morning, nurture our present level of faith, and challenge us to greater trust. Through him who is our Alpha & Omega, our beginning and our end, Jesus Christ. Amen. (6/16/02) 

God of harvest, gardener supreme, you place us at the centre, feed us, equip us and, having provided for us, look to a different harvest-a fruitfulness of lives and others. God of harvest, feed us prune us harvest us that our lives might bring glory to you. 

May the blessing of the LORD be upon you, and may you know the joy of putting his name upon others'. For indeed, blessed are those who walk in the light of God's face. 

-Jiff Carattini 



Scripture readings with Debbie Baxter

1 Chronicles 16:1-7
New International Version (NIV)


Ministering Before the Ark

16 They brought the ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and they presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before God. 2 After David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. 3 Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each Israelite man and woman.

4 He appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, to extol,[a] thank, and praise the Lord, the God of Israel: 5 Asaph was the chief, and next to him in rank were Zechariah, then Jaaziel,[b] Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel. They were to play the lyres and harps, Asaph was to sound the cymbals, 6 and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow the trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God.

7 That day David first appointed Asaph and his associates to give praise to the Lord in this manner:


Sunday October 7, 2012   A Thanksgiving Worship Service
by Debbie Baxter
When was the earliest Thanksgiving feast and worship service recorded in the bible?
1st Chronicles 16:1-7
Why the celebration?  


1 Chronicles 14:13-17
New International Version (NIV)

13 Once more the Philistines raided the valley; 14 so David inquired of God again, and God answered him, “Do not go directly after them, but circle around them and attack them in front of the poplar trees. 15 As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move out to battle, because that will mean God has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.” 16 So David did as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine army, all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.

17 So David’s fame spread throughout every land, and the Lord made all the nations fear him.


*********
There had been  100 year of fighting with the Philistines.  Now that David was King over a united Israel the Philistines wanted to get him out. 
The first battle Kind David prayed before battle and met the Philistines head on and won.  Now the second battle.  King David prayed and this time God told David to have his army circle around the Philistines behind the balsam trees and when they heard the sound of marching in the tops of the trees to move out to battle.  
When the Philistine army heard the sound of marching in the tops of the trees they ran.

Word spread God goes out in front of David in battle.  No one was going to challenge David’s army.  God had put the fear of God into a Godless nation.

To celebrate this time of peace.  David the master of worship as well as of worships musical components voice and instrument, called all his people to come together at a new house of worship he had built to worship God.  To come together as families and as a holy congregation to worship.  David wanted everyone to remain faithful.  To not forget all the good things God had done for them.  To not forget God.

King David thought of everything for this full day of festivities.  A choir to sing.  A well equipped band to fill the air with a joyful sound.  Bronze cymbals, lyres carrying the melody, harps filing in the harmony.  A music director in charge.

What was included in this first Thanksgiving worship?:
1.  People brought sacrifices (Today we bring our offerings to share with others)
2.  The people were blessed in the name of God.
3.  Ministers were assigned to lead worship, pray, give thanks, and praise God.
4.  Then a meal, the people were fed.  To everyone there they passed a loaf of bread and
     slice of  BBQ, and cakes with raisins and  dates .  A meal of thanksgiving,  shared in fellowship.



Sermon by Harley Bye


Glossary : 
  1. festival of "Sukkot"  Jewish annual Thanksgiving about the same time as ours.
  2. "Scripture" originally meant that which is written
  3. The Bible is a collection of 66 diverse books, each one, OLD
Testament and New Testament, written by a Jew, thus our interest in the people of Israel to this day, and in the affairs of the Middle East.

"The custom of Old"


The origin of Thanksgiving can be traced as told previously to the Old Testament 1Chronicles 16;4
to the age of David, King of Israel 

Setting 
  • time : circa 1100 BCE ( before common era)
  • battles with the Philistines ......mulberry trees

(Note from the webmistress : In the New Internationnal version,  ..... Poplar trees... but in the King James version 
1 Chronicles 14:13-17King James Version (KJV)
13 And the Philistines yet again spread themselves abroad in the valley.
14 Therefore David enquired again of God; and God said unto him, Go not up after them; turn away from them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees.
15 And it shall be, when thou shalt hear a sound of going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt go out to battle: for God is gone forth before thee to smite the host of the Philistines.
16 David therefore did as God commanded him: and they smote the host of the Philistines from Gibeon even to Gazer.
17 And the fame of David went out into all lands; and the Lord brought the fear of him upon all nations.)


  • The sound of marching in tops of  the balsam trees " Psychological warfare". The Philistines fled in terror, Sans fight. Ideal victory!

Power Pt - David proclaimed a Day of Thanksgiving
  1. Burnt offerings to the altars- samples of the harvest
  2. Gave free bread to all, plus dessert of date bread and raisins = FOOD
  3. Commander the Levites ( the clergy) to do a service of prayer and thanksgivings = WORSHIP
  4. Ending with music Lyre = violin, Harps = guitar, Cymbals ( to keep the time), and of Trumpets ( lead)
  5. Write a poem of praise ( Psalm 105) = Creation  ....ACTS OF INSPIRATION

1Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
2Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.
3Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.



Gifts to God....Food....Worship service....music


Total of 3012 celebrations since David established this festival!


Mary's song book :
Count your Blessing 


Words: John­son Oat­man, Jr., in Songs for Young Peo­ple, by Ed­win Ex­cell (Chi­ca­go, Il­li­nois: 1897).
Music: Edwin O. Excell


When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Refrain

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

Refrain

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings. Wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

Refrain

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be disheartened, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

Refrain



Amen Amen Amen
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