Jehovah-Shammah: The Lord is there

By Mrs. Sunshine Stahl, Associate Pastor, Seventh-day Adventist Chinese Church, December 11, 2010

This is the first sermon I heard here in Singapore. It was my second week in this foreign country and my first time to attend church here. Such sermon is very significant to me as I am new here and I don’t have any relative to run to. This holy Name of my God is a great promise to me: THE LORD IS THERE for me always! (Note: Personal reflections are added.)

“…And the name of the city from that time on will be: THE LORD IS THERE.” Ezekiel 48:35

We are more familiar of this city with the name Jerusalem. Jerusalem is said to be the city of peace. God so loved this place as His Son, Jesus, is the Prince of Peace.

In the book of Jeremiah, God expresses His desire to live with men (Jeremiah 30:22, 31:33). His other Name, Immanuel which means the Lord with us, also shows how much He yearns to walk and commune with His people.

God is there! Amidst this turmoil many nations are facing – great floods, landslides, war, crisis, corruption, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, violence, death – people in their human nature tend to ask where God is. But –

God is there! It’s just that He implicitly hides His face or else we’ll be burned in His glory.

Since man’s inception, God is always with men. In the wilderness, He walked and talked with the Israelites through a cloud at daytime and a pillar of fire at night. (Speaking of cloud, I really felt God’s closeness that Sabbath day as I searched a church. Singapore’s weather is always hot and that day is not spared. I only have $30 at hand and I am afraid to take the MRT, taxi, or bus thinking that my money is not enough and it’ll be my first time. Besides, I needed to walk to be more familiar with the place. As I was preparing to go out, I looked out of the window and saw people walking with umbrellas to protect them from the scorching sun heat. I have no umbrella but I was determined to go out. While walking, I looked up and saw clouds covering the sun. God is really good!). They set up a tabernacle so that the Lord can dwell among them.

For His love to man, God sent His Son who was born and dwelt among us (John 3:16). Seven hundred years before Jesus was born, His birth was prophesied. The prophet Isaiah mentioned that He shall be called Immanuel (7:14). From this, “the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us…full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Jesus is the Word who instructs us the right way.

And when the Lord is with us, it is heaven. Countless blessings are poured upon us. We may face adversities but being with Him gives us peace and contentment.

To be with God is to renew thy self. Renewing is done every day and not just a single day. We need to pray to Him daily, praising Him and acknowledging His presence in our lives.

Why is God ‘out of reach’ now?

There are really tough times when we can feel that God is out of reach. Let’s learn from our forefathers, the Israelites. In the years 605-608 BC, they were taken captives by Babylon. Ezekiel was one of them. After five years of captivity, God gave him a vision. The reason of their captivity was shown before him – all because of idol worship and rejection of God’s ordinances (Ezekiel 3, 5:5-6). Ezekiel saw in his vision that his people turn their backs toward God’s sanctuary, facing the east and worshipping the sun (Ezekiel 8:16). (This rings a bell to me. I’m sorry to all SUNday-keepers.). Thus, the glory of the Lord departed from them.

If we feel like God is far, let’s examine ourselves. We may be keeping an idol in our hearts. We should remove it.

Also, do we FULLY obey God’s precepts? God has only 10 commandments; do we do what He said we should do? Not do what we should not do? Remember and keep the day He rested on, sanctified, and blessed? Honor whom we should honor?

The Lord ‘is not here’ because of our hardened hearts, because we don’t love Him (see, if we love Him, we should keep His commandments-John 14:15); we don’t obey Him.

Ezekiel 11:18-20 tells us to return to our Lord and remove all vile images and detestable idols so that He will give us undivided hearts, put a new spirit in us, remove from us our heart of stone, and give us a heart of flesh. We should follow His decrees and BE CAREFUL to keep His laws. This way, we will be His people, and He will be our God.

That’s how our heavenly Father loves us. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8), rose up to heaven to prepare a place for us and promised to return and take us to BE WITH HIM (John 14:2-3).

Brothers and sisters, let’s take heed of God’s Words. Someday in the New Jerusalem, “the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God” (Revelation 21:3). Amen!

God’s Names:

Jehovah Jireh – forever

Jehovah Rapha – healer

Jehovah Nissi – banner (victory)

Jehovah Shalom – peace-Giver

Jehovah Rohi – Shepherd (protects)

Jehovah Tsidkenu – righteousness (bestows all good, reserves nothing)

Untimely death: Just sharing

A good and concerned friend sent me this through e-mail and i also want to impart to everybody.

DEATH. Many people (or should i say, most people) fear death. But Christians should not! Because if we profess to be Christ-followers then we should believe that He conquered death.

UNTIMELY death is a dreadful thing. It means something is wrong; there's a breach in the life 'contract' that it was shortened and terminated.

The wise King Solomon says in Proverbs 11:28 that, "A life devoted to (worldly) things is a dead life, a stump; a God-shaped life is a flourishing tree." Moreover, apostle Paul pointed out in his epistles to the Galatians (6:7) and to us that we "be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap."

Through the decades, some people tried and mocked God...and here's what happened:

JOHN LENNON (Singer) - Some years before during his interview with an American magazine, he said: "Christianity will end, it will disappear. I do not have to argue about that. I am certain. Jesus was OK, but His subjects were too simple, today we are more famous than Him." 1966
After saying that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ, Lennon was shot six times.

TANCREDO NEVES (President of Brazil) - During the presidential campaign, he said if he got 500,000 votes from his party, not even God would remove him from presidency.
Sure he got the votes, but he got sick a day before being made president, and then he died.

CAZUZA (Bisexual Brazilian composer, singer and poet) - During a show in Canecio (Rio de Janeiro), while smoking his cigarette, he puffed out some smoke into the air and said, "God, that's for you."
He died at the age of 32 of lung cancer in a horrible manner.

THE MAN WHO BUILT THE TITANIC - After the construction of Titanic, a reporter asked him how safe the vessel would be. With a sarcastic tone, he said, "Not even God can sink it."
The result? I think you all know the tragic end of that famous ship.

MARILYN MONROE (Actress) - Billy Graham visited her during a show presentation telling her that the spirit of God had sent him to preach to her. After hearing what the preacher had to say, she muttered, "I don't need your Jesus."
A week later, she was found dead in her apartment.

BON SCOTT (Singer, ex-vocalist of AC/DC) - On one of his 1979 songs, he sang: "Don't stop me; I'm going down all the way, down the highway to hell..."
On February 19, 1980, he was found dead - choked by his own vomit.

CAMPINAS in 2005 - In Campinas, Brazil, a group of drunk friends went to pick up a friend. The mother accompanied the young lady to the car and was so worried on the drunkenness of the group. Holding her daughter's hand (who was already seated in the car), she blessed her: "My daughter, go with God and may He protect you." The youngster replied: "Only if He (God) travels in the trunk, 'cause inside here, it's already full."
Hours later, news came by that they met a fatal accident - everybody died. The car could not be recognized what type of car it had been, but surprisingly, the trunk was intact. The police said there was no way the trunk could have remained intact. To their surprise,  inside the trunk was a crate of eggs - none was broken.

CHRISTINE HEWITT (Jamaican journalist and entertainer) - Having said that the Bible (Word of God) is the worst book ever written, she was found burned beyond recognition in her motor vehicle in June 2006.

"Many more important people have forgotten that there is no other name that was given so much authority as the mighty name of Jesus. Many have died but only Him died and rose again, and He is still alive!"

indeed, we reap what we sow.