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Eighth Sunday after Pentecost The Collect: Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Old Testament: 2 Samuel 7:1-14a 1Now when the king was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, 2the king said to the prophet Nathan, ‘See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.' 3Nathan said to the king, ‘Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you.' 4 But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: 5Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? 6I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. 7Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar?' 8Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; 9and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 10And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. 12When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 14I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. Psalm: Psalm 89:20-37 20 I have found David my servant; *        with my holy oil have I anointed him. 21 My hand will hold him fast *        and my arm will make him strong. 22 No enemy shall deceive him, *        nor any wicked man bring him down. 23 I will crush his foes before him *        and strike down those who hate him. 24 My faithfulness and love shall be with him, *        and he shall be victorious through my Name. 25 I shall make his dominion extend *        from the Great Sea to the River. 26 He will say to me, ‘You are my Father, *        my God, and the rock of my salvation.' 27 I will make him my firstborn *        and higher than the kings of the earth. 28 I will keep my love for him for ever, *        and my covenant will stand firm for him. 29 I will establish his line for ever *        and his throne as the days of heaven.” 30 “If his children forsake my law *        and do not walk according to my judgments; 31 If they break my statutes *        and do not keep my commandments; 32 I will punish their transgressions with a rod *        and their iniquities with the lash; 33 But I will not take my love from him, *        nor let my faithfulness prove false. 34 I will not break my covenant, *        nor change what has gone out of my lips. 35 Once for all I have sworn by my holiness: *       ‘I will not lie to David. 36 His line shall endure for ever *        and his throne as the sun before me; 37 It shall stand fast for evermore like the moon, *        the abiding witness in the sky.' “ Epistle: Ephesians 2:11-22 11 So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called ‘the uncircumcision' by those who are called ‘the circumcision'—a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands— 12remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. 15He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, so that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, 16and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. 17So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; 18for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, 20built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 22in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling-place for God. Gospel: Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 30 The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. 31He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.' For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. 33Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. 34As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. 53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. 54When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, 55and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the market-places, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

Mark 6:1-13He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.Then he went about among the villages teaching. He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.In today's gospel we hear a passage that has two distinct stories. In the first, Jesus is going home to Nazareth and in the second Jesus is sending out the Twelve to spread the good news to all who will hear it. At first glance these seem unrelated, but digging deeper we see that the two stories intertwine each other and have similar themes and lessons. As we go home with Jesus and his disciples we remember that just before this, Jesus was out in the community performing miracles. He had just healed some pretty sick folks. He made the woman who had been sick for twelve years well and brought Jairus' daughter back to life. He calmed the storm on the water, exorcised demons, and healed others along the way. These were big, loud proclamations of faith. We heard that those who saw these miracles were astounded and in awe of Jesus and the goodness he brought. They were joyous and had deep faith in who he was. All that stands in stark contrast to what we see in the story this morning. Jesus is back home for a visit now. We do not know how long he has been gone or why exactly he is coming home, but you would think that he would have a big hometown fan base waiting for him after all the miracles he has performed. By now, they should have added to the town sign “Home of Jesus: Savior of the World.” However, that is not what happens. The folks back home are not too sure about who he is and what he says he can do. They do not have much faith in him. When he was in the synagogue teaching, those who were listening at first said, “Wow! Look at this guy! He knows so much! These are great teachings!” But that quickly changes and they start to question who he is and what he is teaching. It sounds like a nightmare for anyone coming home. Here Jesus is, coming home after a long trip and he is met by people who are put off by his presence. They are offended by what he is saying. The red carpet is not rolled out for him, there is no parade, just townspeople who remind him exactly who he is. A carpenter. The son of Mary. Just a normal guy. Jesus seems unbothered and responds by saying that, “Prophets are honored everywhere except in their own hometowns, among their relatives, and in their own households.” He seems to have expected this unbelief. Apparently Jesus could not even perform many miracles because of their stubbornness and lack of faith. It is strange. Why wouldn't Jesus want us to stay and keep working at changing these hearts? It is suggested by scholars that, “unbelief made a miracle not so much impossible as meaningless, and therefore in most cases futile.” So Jesus was not powerless, but performing a miracle would not have permeated the hardened hearts of those listening. So he moves on with his disciples and teaches elsewhere. He just brushes off their rejection and their stubbornness. If we have been paying attention though, this is not the first time that Mark has told us how Jesus was rejected, and ultimately we know what is going to happen at the end of the story and the rejection to come for Jesus. But nevertheless, I think it is safe to say that Jesus was probably a bit annoyed at what he came home to. These were supposed to be people who knew him best, the longest, the most intimately. Some were even family. They should have celebrated his return, but all he got was questioned about who he was and folks unwilling to believe that he was a prophet. The one they were expecting and looking for. But he was too normal, they said. He was not this larger than life figure. In their eyes, he was just the boy who had grown up in town and ran around the market when he was little. This might be a familiar scene or feeling for some if not all of you. I think this experience of coming home is interesting. A lot of times you are not really sure what you are “coming home” to and your expectations might not be met. Depending on how long you were gone, things change, people change, and it is not the same place anymore. I have had that experience of coming home so many times. On school breaks I came home. After I finished college I came home. After I finished grad school I came home. And each time there were challenges. Each time I realized that while I was always coming home to the same place that my parents had always lived and the same house I had grown up in, it was different. I was different. Each time I came home I was a stronger version of myself, always evolving and figuring out who I was, as we do in our twenties. And each time I met someone at home that still had an old idea of who I was in their head. Each time I came back I was at risk of shrinking back into the person I was before, not good or bad, just not fully me anymore. Coming back to preach here at church feels a bit that way. A homecoming. Trying to fit back in. This place is really near and dear to me and I owe a lot of my spiritual formation to people who were here over the years. Some of you have been here since my family joined back when I was just going into middle school. And for that reason I get a bit nervous about preaching to you. (It's also my first time with a full live audience, but still.) Today's gospel brought to light a lot of thoughts I have when I come back to this place and preach here for you all. I think about your expectations of me. I think about how I want to make you all proud of who I have become. I want to say the right words and preach a good message that speaks to at least one person. I want to stay true to what I want to preach but also preach a message that challenges those who hear it in whatever way they need. And I trust God is active in all of this and I know that I have a word to share. But sometimes we hold on to ideas about people and who we think they are like those in Nazareth are doing in today's Gospel, which prevents us from seeing the fullness of who they have grown into and I think it also inhibits our own growth. Obviously I am not the same shy kid I was when I first came here and what a good thing that is! :) I am really proud of who I have become. We have all moved beyond the people we used to be and the ideas that people hold in their heads about who we are and have grown into who God created us to be instead. This is what is happening in the gospel today. Those Jesus encountered in town are unable to see the fullness of who he is, a prophet! Those in Nazareth were blinded by their narrow viewpoint they had locked themselves into and were unable to see the fullness of what Jesus was doing and who he had grown into. Maybe they even had expectations that he would still be that carpenter they all knew. But he does not feed into their expectations or shrink to make himself smaller. He knows who he is. He has been out traveling, living into his calling and who is meant to be.For this reason I think one of the lessons for us this morning in Mark's gospel is to stay true to who you are and the beautiful person God knows you to be. To stay true to the work that you know is important and to trust yourself in doing it. You might come home and be wary to share who you are and who you have become since you went away. You might be confronted with people who are unhappy with who you are or question it. They can be stumbling blocks. But Jesus does not let the opposition sway him or convince him he is someone different and neither should we. God cannot be convinced that we are not God's beloved children either. That identity is unmovable. We have a God that loves us big and sees us as good and valid and whole. We are valued in and for ourselves. We have a God too, who sends us out into the world to share that message with others. And we see this in the second part of the gospel. Jesus sent out his disciples two by two. He tells them to pack light. This isn't a bring everything you think you might need just in case kind of deal. It is an instruction that I am sure they questioned. I am someone who likes to pack for a trip with lots of “just in case” items. I make lists and I pack a week ahead of time at least. I like to be prepared for anything and want others to feel safe and ready for anything too. I was usually told to pare it down growing up and that I did not need to bring so many shoes. So hearing that the disciples are not meant to pack a full suitcase, stresses me out. But, they are to pack light because they are to expect hospitality. So it is okay that they do not have everything they need. Jesus tells them that they will find welcome, but they will also experience resistance and opposition just like they just experienced in his hometown. So I can probably abandon some of my strict packing rules and trust that along the way, what I need will also be provided. And that has proven to be true so far for me. Not everywhere has been the right place for me, and I think we can all feel and know what that is the case, but like the disciples, we can go on our way trusting that more will be provided down the road. It is the true risk of discipleship. But it is also what we are called to do. Yes we might feel responsible for a place or connected to a hometown. I definitely feel the same. I feel connected to a place. I do not live here in New Pal anymore, but I still feel like it is a part of me in some ways. I think this is okay to feel this way. We all have hometowns. But those feelings of commitment and care towards those places should not prevent us from our real task: which is going out just like the disciples do in the second half of the gospel. If our hometown rejects us we can move on. We are called to be at home among strangers trusting that welcome will follow. He knows that the people in his town are unable to believe at this moment, but the seeds have been sown. It is now time to go out and receive the hospitality that is out there waiting for us if we just take the first step. And if we are not welcomed into a place, Jesus says to shake off the dust and move on. This meant something different than it does now. There were ideas back then about not bringing dust or soil back into Israel that was considered dirty. I hear now that we can brush it off and trust that there is another, better fitting place for us out there waiting for us to discover. I hear that we are meant to move on because there will be another place that will accept us. We do not have to always do the work from within if we are unwelcome. I hear him saying that if someone is not ready to believe or is not receptive to it, then move on because we are just seed planters, called to plant. We do not necessarily have to see the entire plant grow. There are other planters and others who can tend to the growth. But we can trust that some of these seeds might grow into the tallest trees or the most beautiful flowers. We remember that some who heard Jesus in the gospel today were unable to see the full expansion of what he was doing and how vast the love of God is. But my hope is that we are able to broaden our viewpoints and allow space for people to bring their full selves into our communities. I hope we also have hearts that are open to the task of going out, leaving home, trusting that just like the disciples we will find welcome, nourishment and hospitality abounding. And that we will always share the love of God in ways that remind people that God's love is always expanding. Always accepting who we don't, and always assuring us that we too are wonderfully made. Amen.

Homily focusing on Jn 10:11-18, 11I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12He who is a hireling and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13He flees because he is a hireling and cares nothing for the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, 15as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them....

Matthew 21 (ESV) 1Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, tothe Mount of Olives, then Jesussent two disciples,2saying to them,Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me.3If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, The Lord needs them, and he will send them at once.4This took placeto fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5Say to the daughter of Zion,Behold, your king is coming to you,humble, and mounted on a donkey,on a colt,the foal of a beast of burden. 6The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them.7They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them.8Most of the crowdspread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.9And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting,Hosanna tothe Son of David!Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosannain the highest!10Andwhen he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, Who is this?11And the crowds said, This isthe prophet Jesus,from Nazareth of Galilee. 12And Jesus entered the templeand drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables ofthe money-changers and the seats of those who soldpigeons.13He said to them,It is written,My house shall be called a house of prayer, butyou make it a den of robbers. 14And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.15But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple,Hosanna to the Son of David! they were indignant,16and they said to him, Do you hear what these are saying? And Jesus said to them,Yes;have you never read, Out of the mouth ofinfants and nursing babiesyou have prepared praise? 17Andleaving them, hewent out of the city toBethany and lodged there. 18In the morning, as he was returning to the city,he became hungry.19And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it,May no fruit ever come from you again!And the fig tree withered at once. 20When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, How did the fig tree wither at once?21And Jesus answered them,Truly, I say to you,if you have faith anddo not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain,Be taken up and thrown into the sea, it will happen.22Andwhatever you ask in prayer, you will receive,if you have faith. 23And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to himas he was teaching, and said,By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?24Jesus answered them,I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things.25The baptism of John,from where did it come?From heaven or from man?And they discussed it among themselves, saying, If we say, From heaven, he will say to us,Why then did you not believe him?26But if we say, From man,we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John wasa prophet.27So they answered Jesus, We do not know. And he said to them,Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. 28What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, Son, go and work inthe vineyard today.29And he answered, I will not, but afterward hechanged his mind and went.30And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, I go, sir, but did not go.31Which of the two did the will of his father?They said, The first. Jesus said to them,Truly, I say to you,the tax collectors andthe prostitutes go intothe kingdom of God before you.32For John came to youin the way of righteousness, andyou did not believe him, butthe tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterwardchange your minds and believe him. 33Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planteda vineyardand put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower andleased it to tenants, andwent into another country.34When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servantsto the tenantsto get his fruit.35And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, andstoned another.36Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them.37Finally he sent his son to them, saying, They will respect my son.38But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves,This is the heir. Come,let us kill him and have his inheritance.39And they took him andthrew him out of the vineyard and killed him.40When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?41They said to him,He will put those wretches to a miserable death andlet out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons. 42Jesus said to them,Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejectedhas become the cornerstone;this was the Lord's doing,and it is marvelous in our eyes? 43Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of Godwill be taken away from you and given to a peopleproducing its fruits.44Andthe one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; andwhen it falls on anyone, it will crush him. 45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them.46Andalthough they were seeking to arrest him,they feared the crowds, because they held him to bea prophet.

When You Don’t Get The Answer You Desire Or Expect, Remember God Knows The Larger Picture And Has Something Bigger Planned 2 Samuel 7:8 - 16 8“Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. 9I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. 10And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning 11and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders a over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies. “ ‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: 12When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. 13He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. 15But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me b ; your throne will be established forever.’ ”

I want to remind you are a kingRead Proverbs 25:2It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.Here is how I define God's Sovereignty- Ruler of all the Universe, Heaven, and Earth answering to no one.God does whatever God wants to do without asking for permission.Mark 7:6-9, 13He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me. Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandments of God, you hold the tradition of men, the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do." He said to them, "All to well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition."13 "making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do."Every religion has guidelines doctrines or traditions, all of our directions come from the Bible. The teaching you live your life on should come directly from the word of GodOne of the three things I want to remind you is Jesus is one day closer to returning.But while reading, studying, and praying I believe I have found a key to unlocking when Jesus will come...once His enemies become His footstools. Psalm 110:1The Lord said to my Lord, sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.In my small way here at No Doubt No Fear Only Believe want to help make that happen.We are officially sick of watching evil seemingly triumph in this world and we are here to help the church turn the tide on Satan and his kingdom.We will teach, inspire, motivate and encourage believers to take the authority Christ has given each one of us and use it to become the kings He has created us to be.We will not fight against flesh and blood but against the spiritual wickedness in high places. We are commissioned by God Himself to make disciples of all nations and that is what we intend to do.

Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/493572620YouTube Link for video with in the message: https://youtu.be/bZFPtpZcs0QLuke 1:39-45 (Mary went to visit Elizabeth) 39At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. 41When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her! John, even as a baby…not a fetus…a baby…knew who to get excited about Rosie (rescued, separation anxiety from her rescuers and pure joy in being reunited) John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a]it. John 1:14 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 1. The Creator of the World humbled Himself and became a man, just to live for us, die for us (by our own hands) and raise from the dead…all for our forgiveness and redemption. Best summed up by: John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.There are over 400 prophesies about the Messiah in the Old Testament – Jesus fulfilled them all. The odds of Jesus fulfilling just 8 of those prophesies is 1 in 1 quintillion (18 zeroes) Lee Strobel figured out a visual for that: tiles 1 1/2” square, one with red on the bottom – covering the every bit of dry land on the earth - 1 person walking the earth for a lifetime can only pick up 1. Genesis 49:10 (about 1500 years before Christ) The Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet,[a] until he to whom it belongs[b]shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his. Isaiah 7:14 (about 700 years before Jesus was born) The Messiah would be born of a virgin 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you[c] a sign: The virgin[d] will conceive and give birth to a son, and[e] will call him Immanuel. Fulfilled: (Luke 1:26-33) 26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” Jeremiah 23:5 (about 646 years before Jesus) “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will raise up for David[a] a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. 2 Samuel 7:12-13 When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. 13He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.Back to Luke: Luke 2:1-7 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to their own town to register. Micah 5:2 (400 years before the birth of Christ) The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, from the tribe of Judah “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans[a] of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” (In the beginning was the word) Luke 2 4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. 0. Jesus is born when Israel is under Roman Rule. 1. There is an invisible power behind and OVER the human rulers. They didn't know it at the time, but God used Caesar and Quirinius to fulfill what He had promised long before that. 2. If you're tempted to worry or celebrate over who is in charge of this great nation, your town or you HOA, DON'T. The same God is behind and over all OUR rulers too. 3. The birth of Christ…God became a Man. 4. Nothing about this particular scene says “GLORY”, but everything about this scene INSTRUCTS us about Glory. 5. In the Kingdom of God, HUMILITY always precedes GLORY - The first will be last, and the last will be first (Mark 10:31) - God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6) …also 1 Peter -Humble yourself before the Lord, and in good time, He will exalt you (James 4:10) + We see this modeled right from the beginning of Jesus' life + True greatness is not always visible greatnessOne of our favorite Christmas songs is “Christmas Snow” by Audrey Assad (on Chris Tomlin's Christmas) Could've come like a mighty storm With all the strength of a hurricane You could've come like a forest fire With the power of Heaven in Your flame (But) You came like a winter snow Quiet and soft and slow Falling from the sky in the night To the earth below 6. Truth is, most of us have glory-craving hearts, and the incarnation of the Son of God in an animals feeding trough should put our hearts in check. In fact, Jesus spent a lifetime showing us how to live like Him. Philippians 2:3-11 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in very nature[a] God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature[b] of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. Luke 2:8-20 8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 1. The angels appeared to shepherds keeping watch over their flock. - Not glorious work / bad reputation / they were considered unreliable and despised. - God chose THEM to get the good new first…the first to hear of the great joy for all people - These despised individuals were the first to hear that God became a man… - These guys were the first to hear all of the titles of Jesus brought together – Savior, Messiah, Lord WHY? The Bible doesn't necessarily say why them…but It appears that God chose the humbled of society to reveal the humble beginnings of the life of His glorious Son. Jesus was consistent throughout His ministry in is love for the humble Jesus' very beginning didn't demonstrate the riches of His existence, but Jesus Himself was born into poverty. SIDE NOTE – What do you think that implies? 1. Poverty is not a sin. 2. Poverty is not God's disapproval 3. Poverty does not prevent a person from worshipping God 4. Poverty does not necessarily doom a person to poverty forever 5. Poverty does not excuse unrighteousness 6. Poverty is not shameful in and of itself 7. Poverty is a cross that God entrusts to some people for a time If some prosperity gospel preacher tries to tell you that poverty is a sin, of that it is God condemning you, and that you just have to give a certain amount of money to be released, they are lying to you.Some poverty is our own responsibility. Point to Jesus. 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 1. That does not mean…”huh?”. - An angel had visited her (and her fiancée), she became pregnant as a virgin and just gave birth to the Savior of the world in barn. A bunch of stinky shepherds came to visit her baby, the Good Shephard telling them of heavenly hosts of angels…she didn't go “huh”…”what do ya know…” 2. She treasured the moment as a mother and pondered the events leading up to it in her heart. 3. People who ponder the fact that God Became a Man, don't just go “huh”. God became a man – THAT is what we're excited about And if you really want to get excited, knowing that Jesus fulfilled all of the Old Testament prophesies about the Messiah, give this a pondering: He's Coming Back as a conquering King 1 Thessalonians 4: 16-17 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Revelation 22:12-13 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” The one who fulfilled all of the prophesies about the Messiah, Jesus himself, said He is coming back… We better believe it We better be ready

COMING OUT OF THE ARK SERIES 11. THE ALTAR, THE PRIESTHOOD, THE AUTHORITY. GOD IS RESTORING ORDER BACK TO OUR LVES THROUGH THE RESTORATION OF THE ALTAR AND THE PRIESTHOOD. Restoring the Altar is a key pointer to the restoring of the authority and government of the ecclesia to the earth in this new day, and the Lord has continued to reveal to us how this priesthood of reconstruction will take place. Elijah represents heaven's apostolic system in the art of reforming and restoring a nation and society that has suffered the long reign of Ahad and Jezebel. The return of rain will demand we acknowledge and position ourselves as the Church of the Lord to the order of divine intervention. The ministry of order is important to the restoration of the altar and the priesthood that will represent the government of God in this season. 1 KINGS 18 30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.” 32 With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.” 34“Do it again,” he said, and they did it again. “Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time. 35 The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. As we have carefully observed from the pattern of beginnings that setting up altars is necessary to hear the voice of the Father. Without building and repairing broken or burnt altars, we do not have access to establishing the prophetic order and initiatives of heaven. Noah, a pattern and system of the firstborn church, showed us how to access heaven and the things of the Spirit. Hebrews chapter 7 11 If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also. 13He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. Building an altar is not just a ritual or religious right but a powerful principle of re-establishing the government of heaven over a place or region. There is a present required priestly order demanded to move the things of the Spirit and the presence God from where it was to the rightful place it ought to be in this present hour.

COMING OUT OF THE ARK SERIES 11. THE ALTAR, THE PRIESTHOOD, THE AUTHORITY. GOD IS RESTORING ORDER BACK TO OUR LVES THROUGH THE RESTORATION OF THE ALTAR AND THE PRIESTHOOD. Restoring the Altar is a key pointer to the restoring of the authority and government of the ecclesia to the earth in this new day, and the Lord has continued to reveal to us how this priesthood of reconstruction will take place. Elijah represents heaven's apostolic system in the art of reforming and restoring a nation and society that has suffered the long reign of Ahad and Jezebel. The return of rain will demand we acknowledge and position ourselves as the Church of the Lord to the order of divine intervention. The ministry of order is important to the restoration of the altar and the priesthood that will represent the government of God in this season. 1 KINGS 18 30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.” 32 With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.” 34“Do it again,” he said, and they did it again. “Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time. 35 The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. As we have carefully observed from the pattern of beginnings that setting up altars is necessary to hear the voice of the Father. Without building and repairing broken or burnt altars, we do not have access to establishing the prophetic order and initiatives of heaven. Noah, a pattern and system of the firstborn church, showed us how to access heaven and the things of the Spirit. Hebrews chapter 7 11 If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also. 13He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. Building an altar is not just a ritual or religious right but a powerful principle of re-establishing the government of heaven over a place or region. There is a present required priestly order demanded to move the things of the Spirit and the presence God from where it was to the rightful place it ought to be in this present hour.

INSTAGRAM: @youth_bioyPSALM READING: Psalm 108:6–13NEW TESTAMENT READING: Galatians 4:21–5:6OLD TESTAMENT READING: Isaiah 44:24–46:13He had no one to help him become a lawyer or a politician. He was not interested in the army. He had no desire to be a doctor. Therefore, the only obvious career move in those days for a man of his background was to become a clergyman in the Church of England.

https://us15.campaign-archive.com/?u=012a44d6e7986cf7f82de120f&id=ccb2b476f3 12 Then He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the ……….do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his images? For they say, ‘The LORD does not see us. The LORD has forsaken the land.’ ” 13He also said to me, “Yet again you shall see greater abominations that they do.” 14 Then He brought me to the door of the gate of the house of the LORD which was toward the north. And women sat there weeping for Tammuz. 15 Then He said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Yet again you shall see greater abominations than these.” 16He brought me into the inner court of the house of the LORD, and at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east. And they worshipped the sun toward the east. 17 Then He said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? For they have filled the land with violence and have continually provoked Me to anger. And they put the branch to their nose. 18 Therefore I will indeed deal in fury. My eye shall not spare, nor will I have pity. And though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, yet I will not listen to them.” Ez 8 There must not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or who uses divination, or uses witchcraft, or an interpreter of omens, or a sorcerer, Deuteronomy 18:10 and poured out innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood. Psalm 106:38 WWW THE RAGGED EDGE RADIO . COM LIVE NOTES by Russ Dizdar © 3 The pictures of that first satanic memory haunted me day and night. I couldn’t get them out of my head. When I met Joanna again she suggested I get them on paper by drawing them. With all of the talent of a four year old, I drew the images looping through my brain until they stopped. There was no way to capture the fear with crayons. There was no way to make sense of the black hooded figures, the blood, or the rape. But I was finally able to put the images down and let them go Katie. Satanic Ritual Abuse Exposed: Recovery of a Christian Survivor (p. 79). Revelation Gateway Publications, LLC. Kindle Edition. Memories of being taken to strange places for rituals complicated my understanding of the various affiliations and organizations with which my family was connected. How could so many people be involved and yet it seems no one knows? My mother took me to a Catholic monastery where nuns walked the halls in black gowns and white head coverings. I could hear her high heels on the cold stone floors. She gripped my hand firmly while we walked through the building. The ritual took place in a large underground room with no light. Candles lit the pentagram on the floor. The faces of other frightened children spooked me. This was a black mass amid Latin chanting and strange laughter. Blood was spilled everywhere while children whimpered in terror.

Paul Arrested 27When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him,28shouting, Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.29(They had previously seen Trophimusthe Ephesianin the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple.) 30The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul,they dragged himfrom the temple, and immediately the gates were shut.31While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar.32He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. 33The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be boundwith twochains.Then he asked who he was and what he had done.34Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another,and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks.35When Paul reached the steps,the violence of the mob was so great he had to be carried by the soldiers.36The crowd that followed kept shouting, Get rid of him! Paul Speaks to the Crowd 37As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks,he asked the commander, May I say something to you? Do you speak Greek? he replied.38Arent you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the wildernesssome time ago? 39Paul answered, I am a Jew, from Tarsusin Cilicia,a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people. 40After receiving the commanders permission, Paul stood on the steps and motionedto the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic[a]:221Brothers and fathers,listen now to my defense. 2When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic,they became very quiet. Then Paul said:3I am a Jew,born in Tarsusof Cilicia,but brought up in this city. I studied underGamalieland was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors.I was just as zealousfor God as any of you are today.4I persecutedthe followers of this Wayto their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison,5as the high priest and all the Councilcan themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associatesin Damascus,and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished. 6About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.7I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me,Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me? 8Who are you, Lord? I asked. I am Jesus of Nazareth,whom you are persecuting,he replied.9My companions saw the light,but they did not understand the voiceof him who was speaking to me. 10What shall I do, Lord? I asked. Get up,the Lord said,and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.11My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me. 12A man named Ananias came to see me.He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there.13He stood beside me and said, Brother Saul, receive your sight! And at that very moment I was able to see him. 14Then he said: The God of our ancestorshas chosen you to know his will and to seethe Righteous Oneand to hear words from his mouth.15You will be his witnessto all people of what you have seenand heard.16And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptizedand wash your sins away,calling on his name. 17When I returned to Jerusalemand was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance18and saw the Lord speaking to me.Quick!he said.Leave Jerusalem immediately, because the people here will not accept your testimony about me. 19Lord, I replied, these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprisonand beatthose who believe in you.20And when the blood of your martyr[b]Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him. 21Then the Lord said to me,Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles. Paul the Roman Citizen 22The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, Rid the earth of him!Hes not fit to live! 23As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaksand flinging dust into the air,24the commander ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks.He directedthat he be flogged and interrogated in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this.25As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasnt even been found guilty? 26When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. What are you going to do? he asked. This man is a Roman citizen. 27The commander went to Paul and asked, Tell me, are you a Roman citizen? Yes, I am, he answered. 28Then the commander said, I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship. But I was born a citizen, Paul replied. 29Those who were about to interrogate himwithdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen,in chains. Paul Before the Sanhedrin 30The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews.So the next day he released himand ordered the chief priests and all the members of the Sanhedrinto assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them. 23Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrinand said, My brothers,I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscienceto this day.2At this the high priest Ananiasordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth.3Then Paul said to him, God will strike you, you whitewashed wall!You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck! 4Those who were standing near Paul said, How dare you insult Gods high priest! 5Paul replied, Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.[c] 6Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadduceesand the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, My brothers,I am a Pharisee,descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead.7When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.8(The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection,and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these things.) 9There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Phariseesstood up and argued vigorously. We find nothing wrong with this man,they said. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?10The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks. 11The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said,Take courage!As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.

David and Phil discuss some of the fulfilled Messianic prophecies in the Bible that point to Jesus as being the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. Here are some of the Scripture references mentioned.He would fulfill the writings of the Old Testament (Law of Moses, prophecies, Psalms) concerning the Messiah – Luke 24:27; Luke 24:44He would be God - Isaiah 9:6 He would be born of a woman - Genesis 3:15He would be born of a virgin - Isaiah 7:14He would be a descendant of Abraham - Genesis 12:3He would be a descendant of Isaac - Genesis 17:19He would be a descendant of Jacob - Numbers 24:17He would be a descendant of Judah - Genesis 49:10He would be a descendant of and occupy the throne of David – 2 Samuel 7:12–13He would be born in Bethlehem - Micah 5:2He would go to Egypt - Hosea 11:1His birth would result in the slaughter of innocent children – Jeremiah 31:15He would be preceded by an Elijah-like messenger - Isaiah 40:3–5; Malachi 4:5–6He would be rejected - Isaiah 53:3He would ride into Jerusalem as a king on the colt of a donkey - Zechariah 9:9He would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver – Zechariah 11:12–13He would be spat upon and struck - Isaiah 50:6He would be crucified with criminals - Isaiah 53:12He would have His hands and feet pierced - Psalm 22:16He would have no bones broken - Exodus 12:46Most importantly, He would be resurrected from the dead - Psalm 16:10; Psalm 49:15

11strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13He has delivered us from the power of darkness and [c]conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14in whom we have redemption [d]through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. 15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or [e]principalities or [f]powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

OK , we know that you are into .fellasmaking stuff happen When something is broken, .you need to fix it You love helping people out and it feels natural for you to jump in and rescue. So why, when your wife has a problem, ?does she get all upset with you when you want help Join our hosts, Danny and Mandi, for our episode called .Mr "Fix It" Let us know what episodes you would like us to do next by doing this anonymous survey https://www.hesaysshesaysgodsays.com/survey If you've got something to say about Marriage, the Podcast, or anything really, email us podcast@hesaysshesaysgodsays.com Until next time, .He Says, She Says, God Says LINKS & SCRIPTURESwww.hesaysshesaysgodsays.com Proverbs 18:13He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him. Ecclesiastes 3:7A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; John 8The story about the woman caught in the act of adultery Mark 1:15And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel CREDITSMusic by Caleb Mason (c) 2019 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the recording of this sermon on our website: https://www.casperwels.com/sermons/what-does-it-look-like-when-our-savior-goes-after-a-lost-sheep/It is often not a sheep that you would want in the flock, but that sheep is made valuable to the shepherd and to the flock, and God is glorified by His grace to His sheep.12I give thanks to the one who empowered me, namely, Christ Jesus our Lord, that he treated me as trustworthy, appointing me into his ministry. 13He did this even though formerly I was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man. But I was shown mercy, because I acted ignorantly in unbelief. 14The grace of our Lord overflowed on me along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15This saying is trustworthy and worthy of full acceptance: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners," of whom I am the worst. 16But I was shown mercy for this reason: that in me, the worst sinner, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his unlimited patience as an example for those who are going to believe in him, resulting in eternal life. 17Now to the King eternal, to the immortal, invisible, only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Vitals - Generosity Part 1Dave Riddle - 08/11/19Key Passage: Romans 8:32Definition: Showing a readiness to give more of something than is strictly necessary or expected.Scripture: At the core, it’s all about GodJesus: Perfect example of generosityHe gave willinglyJohn 10:18He gave joyfullyJohn 15:13He gave purposefully1 Peter 3:18He gave sacrificiallyEphesians 5:25Philippians 2:5-8

The Names and Titles of Jesus – The King of Kings Episode 103 This series of the names and titles of Jesus will give us a more in-depth understanding of Jesus Christ our Lord. This is eleventh in the series. Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth Abraham blessed by Melchizedek 7 This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, 2and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” 3Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever. 4Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder! 5Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people— that is, from their fellow Israelites—even though they also are descended from Abraham. 6This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7And without doubt the lesser is blessed by the greater. 8In the one case, the tenth is collected by people who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living. 9One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, 10because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor Judah Genesis 49:10 “Judah, your brothers will praise you;… The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his. Israel Rejects God 1 Samuel 8 (NIV)6But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. 7And the LORD told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.” 1 Samuel 12:12(NIV)… you said to me, ‘No, we want a king to rule over us’—even though the LORD your God was your king. The Anointing of King David (1 Sam. 16) David was not “the” king of promise “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah ... For thus says the Lord: David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel and the house of Judah” (Jeremiah 33:14-26). “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body and I will establish his kingdom ... Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure before me forever” (II Samuel 7:11-16). David was not “the” king of promise Isaiah speaks of the coming son who will shoulder the government “upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom ... from this time forth and for evermore” (9:6-9) Ezekiel says that the Lord “will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David” (34:23). “My servant David shall be king over them ... forever” (Ezekiel 37:24-25). Psalm 45:6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom. 7You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of joy above Your fellows. Once again their King would be God. God The Son Matthew 1:1-17(NIV) This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham: Abraham--Jesse the father of King David David --Josiah the father of Jeconiah[and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon. 12After the exile to Babylon---16and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah. 17Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah. 18This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about[d]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet[e] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[f] because he will save his people from their sins.” 22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”[g] (which means “God with us”). Luke 1 New International Version (NIV) God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” Matthew 2 New International Version (NIV) 2 After Jesus from as born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi the east came to Jerusalem 2and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ Matthew 3 The Baptism of Jesus In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 13Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. 16As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him, I am well pleased.” Jesus reveals himself as the king of the Jews “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” John1:49 Teaching Parable, Parable, Parable, Parable about the kingdom of God Demonstrating His Power as King over—Satan—nature—sickness—time and space—death. Fulfilling Prophecy—Prophecy—Prophecy--Prophecy The Coming of Zion’s King Zechariah 9 9.Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth Hey Vav Hey Yod YHVH . Hebrew language reads right to left. – – Sound, pictographs meaning, and numerical value. Yod = Means extended arm and hand. Hey = Means the breath of God, behold or reveal, Abraham – 5 for Grace, Vav = Means spike or nail. It is also the number 6 in the Hebrew alphabet meaning man and is the exact center of the Torah. Hey = Means the breath of God, behold or reveal, Abraham –or  5 for Grace, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” 18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Hebrews 1 8But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. 9You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.” 1 Timothy 6 (NIV) Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,15which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen. Revelation 3:21 King James Version (KJV) 21To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. Revelation 19 13He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.”[a] He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Psalm 21 Why do the nations conspire[a]and the peoples plot in vain? 2The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the LORD and against his anointed, saying, 3“Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.” 4The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. 5He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, 6“I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” 7 I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father. 8 Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.9 You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. 11Serve the LORD with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. 12Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. Takeaways From Psalm 2 Vs. 4-9 We have a King. Greater than all Kings, God says, My King Vs. 1-3 Tells us we, as human beings hate that King. Vs. 11-12 Declares though we who have hated Him we need the King. We will never have blessedness until we serve the King and kiss The King. He is the King of the Jews (Matt. 2:2). He is the King of Israel (John 1:49). He is the King of the nations (Rev. 15:3–4). He is the King of Heaven (Dan. 4:34, 37). He is the King of righteousness (Heb. 7:1–3). He is the King of peace (Heb. 7:1–3). He is the King of glory (Ps. 24:7–8). He is the King of the ages (1 Tim. 1:17). He is the King of all kings (Rev. 10:12, 16). Worship Jesus the King. Subscribe to the podcast: {Apple Podcasts}{Stitcher}{Google Play}{IHeartRadio}{YouTube}{Spotify}{CastBox}

Find us online at: AdventNYC.orgEmail us at: Podcast@AdventNYC.orgTalk with us at: Advent Sermons & Conversations on FacebookCome to a service and hear the sermons live and in person Sunday morning 9am and 11am in English and 12:30pm in Spanish at 93rd and Broadway.Readings for this week:Ezekiel 2:1-5[A voice] said to me: O mortal, stand up on your feet, and I will speak with you. And when he spoke to me, a spirit entered into me and set me on my feet; and I heard him speaking to me. And he said to me, Mortal, I am sending you to the people of Israel, to a nation of rebels who have rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have transgressed against me to this very day. The descendants are impudent and stubborn. I am sending you to them and you are to say to them, “Thus says the Lord God.” Whether they hear or refuse hear (for they are rebellious house), they shall know that there has been a profit among them.Psalm 123To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master,as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until he has mercy upon us.Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt.Our soul has had more than its fill of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.2 Corinthians 12:2-10I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows. And I know that such a person—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows— was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat. On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me, even considering the exceptional character of the revelations. Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated.Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.Mark 6:1-13He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.Then he went about among the villages teaching. He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

Dig, Beg or StealScripture:Luke 16:1-13He also said to His disciples: "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. 2 So he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.'3 "Then the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.'5 "So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' 6 And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' So he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.' 7 Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' So he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.' 8 So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.9 "And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home. 10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. 11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?13 "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."Sermon Notes:A ________ _______ storySome important _______________ (5)________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________A final ______ ___________ Scripture taken from the New King James Version ®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Names and Titles of Jesus – Jesus the Good Shepherd Episode 98 This series of the names and titles of Jesus will give us a more in-depth understanding of Jesus Christ our Lord. This is the seventh in the series. The following is an outline. THE NAMES AND TITLES OF JESUS John 10 I Am the Good Shepherd I Am the True Shepherd I Am the Door Understanding the Shepherd His job was a dirty and dangerous one. Many times, all the shepherd had to fight off lions and other wild animals was a staff with a crook. He willingly put his life on the line for his flock. At night, he would put the flock in a makeshift pen that had only one way in and out. Day and night Communal pin in town He knew each one of his sheep—inspected them—he gave each one a name—He loved them like we love our pets—His sheep loved their shepherd They knew what he did for them and they knew his voice Abraham – Isaac – Jacob – Moses – David David the Shepherd Ps 78:70-72; He also chose David His servant And took him from the sheepfolds; 71From the care of the ewes with suckling lambs. He brought him To shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel His inheritance. 72So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart And guided them with his skillful hands. The True Shepherd God was The Shepherd that all other shepherds of God’s people represented Ps 80: 1 Oh, give ear, Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth! The Messiah would be the True Shepherd Throughout the Old Testament, you have some promises of a shepherd yet to come Matthew 2:6, which is a quote from Micah 5 in the Old Testament:  And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you [Bethlehem] shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel (v. 2).  And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, [Who shall dwell secure? The sheep] for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD John 10:6 This figure of speech = not a Parable, a Parable is like something ie sower, hidden treasure etc.—Jesus is the door Jesus is The Good Shepherd. It is not just a figure of speech or a comparison, but a saying that is loaded with significance--the verbal equivalent of Jesus' signs. This picture is not so much an allusion of Ezekiel 34 as a development from it. Ezekiel 34:23-24 23“Then I will set over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd. 24And I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David will be prince among them; I the LORD have spoken. Context of John 10: John chapters 9 and 10 belong  together The Pharisees self-appointed shepherds of God’s flock - were putting people out of the temple who believed in Jesus—plotted to kill Jesus – they tried to kill  him twice ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Woe, shepherds of Israel Ezk 34 Jer 32“Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of My pasture!” declares the LORD. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; All who came before Me are thieves and robbers a hired hand,…He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. John 10 10 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. 2But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. 3To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them. • 7So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10The thief comes enters through Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and [a]have it abundantly. 11“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 12He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, 15even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father, and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice, and they will become one flock with one shepherd. 17For this reason the Father loves Me because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. 18No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.” I lay down My life for the sheep But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our [i]well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging, we are healed. 6All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way, But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. Isaiah 53 1 Peter 2:24-25 24and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. 25For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls. John 10 9A division occurred again among the Jews because of these words.20Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?” 21Others were saying, “These are not the sayings of one demon-possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?” 22At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; 23it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon. 24The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me.26But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. 27My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30I and the Father are one.” 31The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. 32Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” 33The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.” 34Jesus answered them, “Has it not been written in your Law, ‘I SAID, YOU ARE GODS’? 35If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 36do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may [f]know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.” 39Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and He eluded their grasp. 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FROM OVERWHELMED TO OVERFLOWING Pastor David Rathel - Mother’s Day 2018 1. A SHORTAGE mindset: I never have enough & never will Bible words: Lacking, Wanting, Need Jesus “I’ve come that you may have real life, and enjoy it in abundance - to the fullest, until it overflows!” John. 10:10 (Amp) o The Focus of a SHORTAGE mindset: MY LIMITED RESOURCES I look at all the things I’m lacking...don’t have...in short supply o The Result of a SHORTAGE mindset: AN OVERWHELMED LIFE Never have enough... always in competition. If you get more it mean... Leads to jealousy... envy... resentment... worry... insecurity 2. A SURPLUS mindset: God has more than I’ll ever need Bible words: Abundance, Abounding, Plentiful “You can be sure that God will supply everything - all that you need - from his abundant wealth that he pours out on us through Jesus Christ.” Philippians. 4:19 o The Focus of a SURPLUS mindset: GOD’S LIMITLESS RESOURCES He has all the resource of the universe & more! o The Result: AN OVERFLOWING LIFE A life of PEACE... confidence... security .. Cooperation It’s the life David refers to in Psalm. 23:5 “You fill my cup to overflowing.” “You give me more than I can hold.” (ICB) “My cup overflows!” (NIV) vs 1 “I shall not want.” vs. 5 “I OVERFLOW with MORE than I need!” Are ever you worried that someone’s else breathing would steal your air? WHAT IS AN OVERFLOWING LIFE? A Definition: To be filled beyond capacity with an endless supply of God’s goodness Bible: Cup of JOY... HOPE... BLESSING “I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay connected to me... you’ll produce a lot of fruit. But you can’t do anything without me!” John 15:5 Unless I’m connected – I’ll never have enough! “If you stay connected to me and My Words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted! My true disciples produce much fruit. This brings glory to my Father... So, stay connected to my love. You stay connected to my love when you obey me... I’ve told you this so that you’ll be filled with my joy. Yes, your cup of joy will OVERFLOW!” John 15:7-11 (NLT/LB) TWO CURES: GRATITUDE & GENEROSITY GRATITUDE - The Healthiest Emotion. Griping – one of unhealthiest! “Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all God has done.” Col. 2:7 “We do not make the mistake of comparing ourselves with others. When we compare ourselves we are foolish.” 2 Cor 10:12 “In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing..” Phil. 2:14 What do you compare or complain about? Does it help? Feel better? “No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thess. 5:18 (NLT) - Start your day with gratitude - to God and for others = you’ll overflow. - Research - Send 1 text of gratitude each morning = lowers stress. - Gratitude is obedience that makes us healthy in every area. GENEROSITY - Stinginess is evidence of a shortage mindset. The more generous you are...the more YOU WILL OVERFLOW! The Generosity Difference: The Surplus Mindset Versus The Shortage Mindset. Feeding The 5 Thousand - Luke 9 12Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.” 13He replied, “You give them something to eat.” They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” 14(About five thousand men were there.) But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. 16Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. 17They all ate and were satisfied, a

Worship audio from February 18, 2018 - Lent 1B. Warmly referred to as "Festival of the Means of Grace Sunday." Bulletin pasted in below.Green Pastures with Jesus is the podcast from Shepherd of the Lakes Lutheran Church of Fairmont, MN. Here you’ll find a variety of segments to lead you to the green pastures of the Word of God, where our Good Shepherd feeds our faith.  Find us online: www.shepherdofthelakes.net or http://facebook.com/shepherdofthelakes Worship is Sunday mornings at 9:30 AM.Bible class & Sunday School follow at 10:40 AM.323 E. 1st St – Fairmont, MNpastorhagen@icloud.com or (507) 236-9572iTunes & iPhone: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/green-pastures-jesus-shepherd/id1183522558?mt=2 Stitcher link: http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=127180&refid=stprOr simply search for “Green Pastures with Jesus” in your podcast app.Intro & Outro courtesy of Koine - The Church Band. Check them out at www.koinemusic.com, or find them on iTunes & Amazon: Search for Koine.Bible text from Biblegateway.com - EHV.Bulletin PDF here - or below.Welcome to Shepherd of the Lakes! We’re here to shepherd Christ’s flock and seek the lost sheep by sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with all. Come, let us worship!For your convenience, in the back corner of the sanctuary there is a room for any parents with children in need of a quiet place. The restrooms are located on the lower level. Please ask if you have any further questions or concerns. Lord Jesus, you took on our humanity and fought temptation. You were victorious! All praise to you for your perfect obedience! And miracle of miracles . . . you have credited this perfection to me. Thank you! AMEN.Christ’s Kingdom Grow through the Means of Grace:Christ’s kingdom exists only with the Word and Sacraments. Therefore, it is necessary to baptize little children, that the promise of salvation may be applied to them, according to Christ’s command to baptize all nations (Matthew 28:19). Just as in this passage salvation is offered to all, so Baptism is offered to all, to men, women, children, infants. It clearly follows, therefore, that infants are to be baptized, because salvation is offered with Baptism. Second, it is clear that God approves of the Baptism of little children. God’s approval of the Baptism of little children is shown by this: He gives the Holy Spirit to those baptized [Acts 2:38–39].Apology to the Augsburg Confession, Article 9 (Concordia p. 153)Because He Knew: He Would Died – He Would LiveWhy did Jesus keep moving toward the cross? Surely, he should have known this was coming. Surely, he could have avoided the pain, the suffering, the death. But that’s the point, Jesus knew all along he was going to die. That was the eternal plan of the Father, that the holy Son of God would suffer and die for a world of sinners. However, Jesus also knew that death would not be the end. The payment for sin would be accepted and he would rise to life again and defeat death itself, for us.How does the Temptation of Jesus solidify our Christian hope today?OPENING HYMN: 224 – God Himself is PresentLITURGY: Holy Baptism, CW p. 12Please rise.PRAYER OF THE DAY:M: Lord our strength, the battle of good and evil rages within and around us, and our ancient foe tempts us with his deceits and empty promises. Keep us steadfast in your Word, and when we fall, raise us up again and restore us through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: Amen.The WordFIRST READING: Genesis 22:1-18What do you love so much that it would be impossible to willingly and gladly give up if the Lord required it? The time of Lent is a call to serious struggle against sin, including the idolatry of loving anyone or anything more than God:Some time later God tested Abraham. He called to him, “Abraham!” Abraham answered, “I am here.” 2God said, “Now take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains there, the one to which I direct you.” 3Abraham got up early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, along with Isaac his son. Abraham split the wood for the burnt offering. Then he set out to go to the place that God had told him about. 4On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go on over there. We will worship, and then we will come back to you.” 6Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and loaded it on Isaac his son. He took the firepot and the knife in his hand. The two of them went on together. ( . . . continued . . . )7Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father?” He said, “I am here, my son.” He said, “Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8Abraham said, “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them went on together. 9They came to the place that God had told him about. Abraham built the altar there. He arranged the wood, tied up Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. 10Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11The Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!” Abraham said, “I am here.” 12He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy. Do not do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13Abraham looked around and saw that behind him there was a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14Abraham called the name of that place “The LORD Will Provide.” So it is said to this day, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.” 15The Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16and said, “I have sworn by myself, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17I will bless you greatly, and I will multiply your descendants greatly, like the stars of the sky and like the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the city gates of their enemies. 18In your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” PSALM: CWS 3 (Bulletin p. 6)SECOND READING: Romans 8:31-39Lent proves the love of God: God gave his own Son for us all. With this truth planted into our hearts, God gives us perseverance in all things: 31What then will we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also graciously give us all things along with him? 33Who will bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies! 34Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus, who died and, more than that, was raised to life, is the one who is at God’s right hand and who is also interceding for us! 35What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?36Just as it is written: For your sake we are being put to death all day long. We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor rulers, neither things present nor things to come, nor powerful forces, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. THEME VERSE: Matthew 4:10It is written: “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” Thanks be to God.GOSPEL READING: Mark 1:12-15In his grace, God leads Gentiles to worship Christ:12The Spirit immediately sent Jesus out into the wilderness. 13He was in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels were serving him. 14After John was put in prison, Jesus went to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God. 15“The time is fulfilled,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near! Repent, and believe in the gospel.” This is the Gospel of our Lord Jesus.Praise be to you, O Christ!HYMN OF THE DAY: 201 – A Mighty Fortress is Our GodSERMON based on Mark 1: Only a Victorious Christ could Preach the GospelCONFESSION OF FAITH: Luther’s Explanation of Holy Baptism, from the Small Catechism (1529)M: What is Baptism?C: Baptism is not just plain water, but it is water used by God's command and connected with God's Word.M: Which is that Word of God?C: Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Matthew, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”M: What does Baptism do for us?C: Baptism works forgiveness of sin, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare.M: What are these words and promises of God?C: Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Mark, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”M: How can water do such great things?C: It is certainly not the water that does such things, but God's Word which is in and with the water, and faith which trusts this Word used with the water. For without God's Word the water is just plain water and not baptism. But with this Word it is baptism, that is, a gracious water of life and a washing of rebirth by the Holy Spirit.M: Where is this written?C: Saint Paul says in Titus, chapter three, “God saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying.” ( . . . continued . . . )M: What does baptizing with water mean?C: Baptism means that the old Adam in us should be drowned by daily contrition and repentance, and that all its evil deeds and desires be put to death. It also means that a new person should daily arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.M: Where is this written?C: Saint Paul says in Romans, chapter six, “We were buried with Christ through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”OFFERINGPRAYER OF THE CHURCH & LORD’S PRAYER: p. 32The sacramentFor our Holy Communion practice, please see the purple sheet in the pew racks.COMMUNION LITURGY: p. 33DISTRIBUTION HYMN: 737 – God’s Own Child, I Gladly Say ItSONG OF THANKS: CW 316 (Purple sheet or hymnal)CLOSING HYMN: 752 – In Christ AloneNOTESAll are invited to celebrate Gideon’s baptism at noon at the Pizza Ranch.See the sign-up at the back of church for next week’s congregational bowling.Midweek Lenten worship continues with a 6 PM meal & 7 PM worship. THIS WEEKToday 1 Samuel 19 9:30 - Lent 1 Worship with Holy Communion & Baptismal Affirmation of Gideon Johanson 10:45 - Sunday School & Bible Class (The Flood) 12:01 PM - Baptismal celebration at the Pizza RanchMonday 1 Samuel 20Tuesday 1 Samuel 21 7 PM - CAP class: The Start of Unit 2! Wednesday 1 Samuel 22 NO CATECHISM CLASS 6 PM - Lenten Meal 7 PM - Midweek Lenten WorshipThursday 1 Samuel 23Friday 1 Samuel 24Saturday 1 Samuel 25Sunday 1 Samuel 26 9:30 - Lent 2 Worship 10:45 - Sunday School & Bible Class (The Flood)                  Membership at Shepherd of the Lakes means more than a person’s name on a church roster. Membership is about belonging to Christ, growing in faith, and sharing the joy of salvation together. We enjoy life together with a merciful God through faith, growing together as lifelong learners of Jesus, spending time together with one another in Christian friendship and support, and going out together into our communities and circles of friends to make a meaningful difference.Our new member process aims at nurturing those relationships, which includes but is not limited to an agreement together on the truths of the Bible. Unity of belief is the building block for life together with Christ, growing in faith together, and sharing in the joy of salvation together.Those who want to join Shepherd of the Lakes coming from other WELS or ELS churches will be familiar with our beliefs. Others experienced in another church, or who have little or no religious background at all, become members through participation in a Bible information class taught by Pastor Hagen. Many of our members have taken this class numerous times, as a reminder and refresher on the different teachings in God’s Word.Togetherness in beliefs then leads to a new member process that nurtures togetherness in relationships with God, church and community.Speak to Pastor Hagen if you’re interested. There is no charge. Even if you’re just curious, come check it out!                                                                                  

The One who created meGenesis 1To begin a study of the Book of Genesis (or any book of the Bible for that matter), one of the most important things to keep in mind is the author's intended purpose for the book. “Good hermeneutics, that is, good interpretation and study of God's Word, starts by taking into consideration the original author, audience, and historical context.” Our natural reaction is to bring our expectations, thoughts, feelings, and culture to a text and with Genesis we want to bring the modern “origins” debate to the table. When we start reading in Genesis, we arm ourselves with arguments against macro-evolution and against the onslaught of arguments made by countless Atheists.But this is not the original intent of Genesis. If you read Genesis with science in mind, you are going to be sorely disappointed. Every branch of science wants more information than what is given in this chapter… a botanist is not satisfied with verse 11; an astronomer would choke at “and the stars also” in verse 16; a marine biologist would be put off by the lack of words to describe the variety of life in the sea; and an ornithologist - new word for the day - is not impressed by the flighty description of miraculous flying animals.Can you imagine how long Genesis would need to be if it was indeed the author's intent to satisfy all these sciences? In asking the text questions that it is not intended to answer, we end up missing the point completely.Imagine Heather and me sitting on the beach and watching the sunset. We're enjoying the moment, snuggling in closer for warmth… one of those perfect relationship moments… Heather utters: “I love sitting here with you and watching the sun set.” I look at her and say: “You know, Heather, actually the sun isn't moving. The earth is spinning and moving in an orbit around the sun and we are turning away from the sun right now. The sun just appears to be setting.” And then I wonder why Heather gets up, shakes the sand off and walks to the car. It ruins the moment and it misses the intent.Genesis is about introducing God - the mighty God: Elohim. And what He is capable of. In six days he created everything. And why? That's the point! Genesis is an invitation to worship not an instruction manual for the universe.What does this almighty creator-God do?He makes spacesDay 1He creates time 2-5Day 2He creates realms 6-8Day 3He creates a habitat (with food) 9-13He fills the spacesDay 4He creates sun, moon and stars 14-19Day 5He creates marine life and birds 20-23Day 6He creates land animals and man 24-31God says, divides, makes, names and sees. He speaks and then assigns function. He sees and calls it good. All of it culminates in the creation of mankind. Everything is created with him in mind… to make life on earth possible, to give time and mark the passing of time, to give a multitude of things to investigate and understand and lead him back to God. Food, work, enjoyment… all for man. And God changes the rhythm in creating man: God speaks to Himself, gets intimately involved in the process, creates in His image blesses, and places all things under his feet. And all of creation is given to man… and His final assessment: it is VERY good.It all leads us back to God… and we should be in awe of His story. He turns chaos and emptiness (verse 1) to living abundance… and He will do the same with your heart.

*We apologize for the sound quality on this recording.* This is the 16th class on the book of Hebrews. This Bible class was taught at the Pilot Point Church in Pilot Point Texas. The following is the outline of the class. Christ the Mediator of a New Covenant The old covenant was inadequate and faulty, the new covenant is complete will never age The old covenant was inadequate because of its nature/law of works. The old covenant was inadequate because of its national/civil function and administration. The old covenant was faulty because its membership did not know God – had to be taught about God. The old covenant was faulty because once you sinned God could not make you right with that covenant. The old covenant was faulty because it was not designed to last forever. The Place of Jesus Ministry Hebrews chapter 9 9 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 2A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. 3Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, 4which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered Ark of the Covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 5Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now. 1 Kings 6 (NIV) 14So Solomon built the temple and completed it. 15He lined its interior walls with cedar boards, paneling them from the floor of the temple to the ceiling, and covered the floor of the temple with planks of juniper.16He partitioned off twenty cubits at the rear of the temple with cedar boards from floor to ceiling to form within the temple an inner sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. 17The main hall in front of this room was forty cubits[i] long. 18The inside of the temple was cedar, carved with gourds and open flowers. Everything was cedar; no stone was to be seen. 19He prepared the inner sanctuary within the temple to set the ark of the covenant of the LORD there. 20The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty wide and twenty high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold, and he also overlaid the altar of cedar. 21Solomon covered the inside of the temple with pure gold, and he extended gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, which was overlaid with gold. 22So he overlaid the whole interior with gold. He also overlaid with gold the altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary. Leviticus 16 11“Aaron shall bring the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household, and he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. 12He is to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense and take them behind the curtain. 13He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the smoke of the incense will conceal the atonement cover above the tablets of the covenant law, so that he will not die. 14He is to take some of the bull’s blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the atonement cover. Hebrews 9 (NIV) 6 When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. • 7But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. • 8The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning. • 9This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. • 10They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order Matthew 27 45From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,[c] lema sabachthani?” (Which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).[d] 47When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” 48Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.” 50And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. 51At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split Hebrews 9 (NIV) 10They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order 11But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here,he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. The Son’s Sacrifice is Superior to the O.T. Sacrifice Hebrews chapter 9:12-10:18 Hebrews 9 (NIV) 11But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here,[a] he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. 9This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. Hebrews 9 (NIV) 13The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! 15For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. Hebrews 9 16In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. (NIV) 16For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it. 17For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives. • (NASB) Hebrews 9 (NASB) 18Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood. • 19For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20saying, “THIS IS THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT WHICH GOD COMMANDED YOU.” 21And in the same way he sprinkled both the [v]tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood. 22And according to the [w]Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. Matthew 26 (NASB) 27And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; 28for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. Hebrews 9 23Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; Subscribe to the podcast: {Apple Podcasts}{Stitcher}{Google Play}{IHeartRadio}

This week on our podcast show we introduce one of our Foundation Members, Sharryn Ludlow.About SharrynFor over two decades Sharryn has been dedicated to helping others dream, change and grow. She is a strong advocate of faith and the development of individual potential and success. Which is why she has founded GraceAndConfidence.com. She believes it is her true calling to inspire and release people into the full opportunity of their God designed potential.Her StoryHer story includes over 13 years of online business, 2 eCommerce stores selling physical products and events. Soon, she discovered that she was always reaching a limit to her capabilities, where she could only “go so far”. This brought her on a path to personal growth and development that lead to her current journey of coaching other women to help raise their level of effectiveness and become more profitable in their business.Sharryn has in many transition periods in her life, but by far her biggest transformation was the day Jesus came into her life. She considers the 25 years she has spent in international gospel ministry as her over-arching story, from the time she met Christ. Taking faith into the streets, into the nations has been her passion, and when you combine that with the Biblical endorsement of God for business, she finds that we are less likely to fall into the trap of focusing on the wrong things. Instead, your focus becomes what His purpose is for your life and that it is big, and that you are supposed to influence the nations and that you have to partner with God.5 Tips on your CraftDo a brain dump – write everything down and get it out of your headGive it Definition – Put things under categories and then prioritiseIt’s ok to make a decision on what you’re going to work onCreate a deadline for those thingsStart implementingYour bible verse for this seasonDeuteronomy 32:13He made him ride on the high places of the earth, And he ate the produce of the field; And He made him suck honey from the rock, And oil from the flinty rock.How do you incorporate God into your business?When delivering content, or coaching, she endeavors to listen to the Holy Spirit while she listens to the people or person. It is part of achieving the goal of working for their sake and for the Kingdom of God.Where can our listeners find you?CWIB Profile | Website | Facebook Sharryn's got a special giveaway for our lovely Podcast listeners! CLICK HERE TO FIND OUTThe post #9 – Ways to Focus and be More Productive with Sharryn Ludlow appeared first on Christian Women in Business. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Matthew 4:12-23 12Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 13He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 15“Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.”17From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 18As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 19And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” 20Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. 22Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. 23Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. First, to understand this text we must unlearn what we think we know about the word repent. When you hear the word repent, what comes to mind? “Repent you sinner!” I am a bad person, who must first repent so that I can be saved! But what if the word, repent, meant to turn, to change directions? What if it had nothing to do with sin or being a bad person? What if Jesus’s use of the word meant to change the current direction that your life has taken you to a new direction, one that is far more fulfilling? What if the use of the word repent meant that you turned from a life that left you aching for something more to one of which Iranaeus spoke about when he said, “The glory of god is a human truly alive.” In English the word repent means to turn from sin, to feel regret or to change one’s mind. But in the original Greek there is no sense of sin. From the original Greek, the word means to change one’s mind, to go a new direction. If we take this definition, “to go a new direction,” and apply it to this story in Matthew, the story starts to take on a very different meaning. The fishermen in the boats to whom Jesus calls out “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand,” were actually hearing, “Come and join me in going a new direction in your life, for God is with you!” Now that is an invitation that many of us would love to hear or need to hear. Secondly, to understand this text we need to know something about what it means to be a fisherman in Jesus’ day. For years, I struggled with this text as have countless other preachers and biblical teachers. We struggle with it because of its brevity. Many have come to the conclusion that there are parts of the story missing. Who would answer this call to follow Jesus without more information? Many have made up what that missing part of the story must have been. I have wondered too, until I read an article by Brian Stoffregen where he was quoting from the book Matthew and the Margins by Warren Carter. In this book Carter informs us what the world thought of fisherman in Jesus’ day. Carter writes that, “While fishermen have some economic resources, their social ranking is very low. In Cicero's ranking of occupations (De Off 1.150-51), owners of cultivated land appear first and fishermen last.” (Cicero was writing about a century before Jesus lived) “Athenaeus indicates that fishermen and fishmongers are on a par with money lenders and are socially despised as greedy thieves (Deipnosophistai, 6.224b-28c).: (Athenaeus lived about 2 centuries or so after Jesus). So for at least 3-4 centuries around the time of Jesus, fishermen were a despised lot, something on par with tax collectors. If this is true, then this story is not so much about the response to Jesus’ call as it was about who he was calling. He was calling fisherman to follow him. He might as well have been calling tax collectors. By calling fisherman, Jesus was saying to those whom society had said were not worthy that he saw something in them that made them special. Special enough for Jesus to want to say to them, “Follow me.” By calling these fishermen, he is putting into action his teaching, “the first shall be last and the last shall be first.” This is a radical statement. If what Cicero and Athenaeus says is true about the role fishermen play in their society’s, it is worthy to note that from the very beginning of Jesus’s ministry that Jesus is upsetting the norm of going to the rich and powerful to ask them to lead his movement. Instead he turns to those who are most despised in their day. This call to the fisherman would have been a huge challenge to the elites in Jesus’ day. Jesus is boldly saying to the rich and powerful, that those whom you have declared as unworthy, that in them God sees something of value, God sees people with gifts. Instead of seeing what others saw, Jesus had eyes to see what had been hidden underneath. He saw not only that they were children of God, but that they had gifts that would serve the kingdom well. It makes me wonder if I was one of those fishermen what I might be thinking. “Is he talking to me?” “What does he see in me that I do not see? This is just the first of countless stories to come where Jesus looked deeper into the person in front of him and invited that person to begin to see themselves with new eyes, with loving and grace filled eyes. Recently Luke and I were talking about what it takes to serve a church as an ordained pastor. In that conversation, he shared a bit of information that he had learned about those who are serving as senior pastors of churches. He had learned that a recent study of those serving as senior pastors had observed that 80% of senior pastors did not feel qualified to serve in that role. That number may surprise you but it does not surprise me. It is true for leaders in many professions. Ann Friedman in the article, “Not Qualified for Your Job? Wait, You Probably Are,” shared this observation, “Two-thirds of incoming students at the notoriously selective Harvard Business School raise their hands when they’re asked: “How many of you in here feel that you are the one mistake that the admissions committee made?”” She goes on to write, “that the name for that fraudulent feeling is ‘impostor syndrome.’ It’s a phenomenon in which people — usually high-achieving professionals — don’t consider themselves qualified for their position and convince themselves that they’ve cheated their way into it. It doesn’t matter how much work they’ve put in or how much experience they’ve acquired.” From my experience, I have learned that this feeling of inadequacy is far more prevalent than most people realize. My experience indicates that what is true of the students at the Harvard Business School is a common thought for many of us. In many of us, there is a tape running in our heads that repeated plays the line that goes something like, “if those around me truly knew of inadequacies… I will let you finish the line since it play slightly different for each one of us. For those among us today who have this tape playing in your heads take heed. Today’s text offers you good news. God, through Jesus is calling you to a life of fulfillment. All you need to do is to turn and live into that good news that you are gifted, that you are worthy. One of my most favorite stories to tell is the story of Isaac, a poor Rabbi from the city of Cracow. “Once upon a time there was a Polish rabbi from Cracow named Isaac. He had a dream. In the dream he was told to travel to Prague. Under the great bridge leading to the royal castle he would find a hidden treasure. The dream was repeated three times, and he decided to go. He found the bridge, but it was guarded by soldiers, so he did not dig. As he loitered in the vicinity, one of the soldiers asked him what he had lost. The rabbi told his dream and the soldier burst into laughter. “Really, poor man,” the soldier said, “have you worn out your shoes coming all this way simply because of a dream?”… “I, too, once had a dream,” said the soldier. “It spoke to me of Cracow, ordered me to go there and look for a treasure in the house of a rabbi named Isaac. The treasure was to be found in a dusty corner behind the stove.”… “But,” said the soldier, “being a reasonable man and not trusting in dreams, I decided not to go.” The rabbi thanked the soldier, returned to Cracow, dug behind his stove, found the treasure, and put an end to his poverty.” In this story of the rabbi and in the story of the calling of the fishermen, we learn that there is a treasure in each one of us that God has eyes to see even when we cannot. Today listen for Jesus’ voice. To you who have been made to feel less than worthy, hear Jesus’ call to turn from that way and to become the person that God has intended you to be. You are worthy. The treasure which you seek is in you. Turn, see it and grasp it.

Preek van 15 januariA Unique PrayerlifeLuke 11:1-13“Talking with God.” “Spending time with the Father.” “Crawling into the lap of my dad.”These are many ways that I have heard people talk about prayer. The immense personal nature of what we are permitted in prayer is actually surprising - yet we take it for granted. We are so far removed from the day in which Jesus lived.We learn many things about Christ's prayerlife in the gospels.He prayer regularly Luke 5:16He prayed with others Luke 9:28He prayed alone Matthew 19:13He prayed in seclusion Luke 6:12He prayed all night Luke 6:12He prayed with emotion Matthew 26:36-44He prayed in submission Matthew 26:39I found it telling that His disciples approach Him and ask Him to teach them to pray. We should have such an atiitude.He prays out of RelationshipJesus refers to God as “Father” some 60 times in the New Testament. And before Jesus did it, this never happened. This is unique to Christ.The examples (parables?) He employs at the end of this section clearly prove that Jesus teaches us to relate to God the Father. Relationship. A friend. A father with His children. He begins with WorshipJesus' focus is clearly on God's person and plans. In teaching how to pray, Jesus clearly wants His disciples to ascribe glory and honor to the Father. This is in stark contrast to the Pharisees (Luke 15 and 20).He ends with petitionAsking God for something isn't wrong though and Jesus instructs us how to do it… though notice the order… First the Father's wants… then my own.Jesus gives us three important needs:NourishmentThis one is physical. Please give me my daily physical needs.ForgivenessThis one is spiritual. Please give me my spiritual need.TemptationThis one is life. Help me to navigate the pitfalls of life.What Jesus proves is that there is one place to go with our needs: the Father. And He teaches us ask.

A good name is to be more desired than great riches, Favor is better than silver and gold. Proverbs 22:1 FIRST, WHAT FAVOR ISN’T: Favor Isn't Fairness. Favor Isn't Happiness. Favor Isn't Just For You. The FAVOR OF GOD is the GUARANTEE of His PRESENCE and the PROVISION of His POWER to accomplish His DIVINE PURPOSE. Elijah and Elisha - 1 Kings 19:19-21 (NASB) So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, while he was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. And Elijah passed over to him and threw his mantle on him. 20He left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Please let me kiss my father and my mother, then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” 21So he returned from following him, and took the pair of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the implements of the oxen, and gave it to the people and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah and ministered to him. GOD’S FAVOR MEANS THAT YOU DON’T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT - YOU GET MORE! Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us… Ephesians 3:20. WHEN GOD DOESN’T GIVE YOU WHAT YOU WANT, IT’S BECAUSE HE PLANS TO GIVE YOU MORE THAN YOU WANT! Finding God’s FAVOR: Not WHAT I Want, MORE than I want. When It’s Not Right – God Says NO! When You’re Not Right – God Says GROW! When The Time Is Not Right – God Says SLOW! When IT’S Right, YOU’RE Right, And The TIME Is Right - God Says GO! 2 Kings 2:9-13 When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” 10He said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” 11As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven. 12Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw Elijah no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. 13He also took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan. 14He took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him. GOD’S FAVOR IS ALWAYS MORE THAN YOU ASKED FOR. GOD’S FAVOR IS ALWAYS MORE THAN YOU WANTED.

Luke 15:8-20 (NASB 77) Shepherds, at the time of Jesus, were the Black Sheep of society. Woe is the lowly Black Sheep of the Family. He is maligned ... misunderstood ... marginalized. The Black Sheep Often Sparks Debate Among The Rest Of The Flock: Shall we include him in family gatherings? Will he finally mend his ways? How can we manage him? Maybe he has a History Of … Criminal Conduct Financial Problems Mental Illness Ongoing Conflicts with Multiple Relatives Substance Abuse Gambling or Other Addictions Unstable Relationships Long Periods of Unemployment May only differ up or down from the rest of the family in … Values & Lifestyle Professional / Educational Attainment Religious, Philosophical & Personal Values Political Affiliation Isaiah 1:18 (NASB) “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.” Isaiah 53:6 (NASB) All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. John 10:7-13 (NASB) Jesus therefore said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly. 11I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 12He who is a hireling, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, beholds the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees, and the wolf snatches them, and scatters them. 13He flees because he is a hireling, and is not concerned about the sheep.” Luke 15:4-5 (NASB) “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? 5And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.” Revelation 5:9 (NASB) And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy art Thou to take the book, and to break its seals; for Thou wast slain, and didst purchase for God with Thy blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.”

Minister Favor Mitchell February 9, 2014 I Chronicles 13:1-14 1David conferred with each of his officers, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 2He then said to the whole assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you and if it is the will of the Lord our God, let us send word far and wide to the rest of our people throughout the territories of Israel, and also to the priests and Levites who are with them in their towns and pasturelands, to come and join us. 3Let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we did not inquire of it during the reign of Saul.” 4The whole assembly agreed to do this, because it seemed right to all the people. 5So David assembled all Israel, from the Shihor River in Egypt to Lebo Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim. 6David and all Israel went to Baalah of Judah (Kiriath Jearim) to bring up from there the ark of God the Lord, who is enthroned between the cherubim—the ark that is called by the Name. 7They moved the ark of God from Abinadab’s house on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding it. 8David and all the Israelites were celebrating with all their might before God, with songs and with harps, lyres, timbrels, cymbals and trumpets. 9When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled. 10The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God. 11Then David was angry because the Lord’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah. 12David was afraid of God that day and asked, “How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?” 13He did not take the ark to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 14The ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house for three months, and the Lord blessed his household and everything he had.

Oct 2, 2013 Podcast: Natural UTI remedies, how to detox your liver, can you drink BulletProof Coffee every day, six ways to deal with anxiety, and proven ways to fix muscle cramps. Have a podcast question for Ben? Use the Contact button on the app, call 1-877-209-9439, Skype “pacificfit” or use the “” form... but be prepared to wait - we prioritize audio questions over text questions. ----------------------------------------------------- News Flashes: You can get these News Flashes hot off the presses if you follow Ben on , and . Kinda sad that (I also mention book here) ----------------------------------------------------- Special Announcements: October 4, 6:30pm Pacific: "Get Your Ideal Winter Physique" is next Inner Circle webinar. October 8-16: Ben and Brock will be in Kona. February 6 to March 6, 2014: Want to get into the Perfect Health Diet retreat in Austin, Texas? Ben Greenfield will be presenting at the Feb 6-Mar 6 retreat. If you're looking for a topic we covered in the past - we have released the on iTunes. And of course, this week's top iTunes review - gets some BG Fitness swag straight from Ben - !   ----------------------------------------------------- Listener Q&A: As compiled, edited and sometimes read by , the Ben Greenfield Fitness Podcast "sidekick". Testimonial from Rayne @ 00:26:10I had a break through and wanted to say thank you! After listening to your pod cast I was inspired to get my act together. I've been transitioning to a lower carb eating style with increased fats and moderate protein. It's been going well - lost some weight and body fat %. I'm a relatively large guy, 6'2", 230 lbs, with approx 15%bf. But the true trial came this weekend when I ran the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim. it's 48 miles and 11000 feet of climbing. I've been running ultras for a number of years and have always used "hammer nutrition" products and consumed around 2-300 calories per hour. For this run I tried something I had never used before (Cardinal sin, I know) I used Ucan super starch, Vespa and a couple of Nut butter packets. I Felt Amazing the entire way. I began to feel sleepy in the final miles so I busted out some sport jelly beans that I had held in reserve and the glucose and caffeine woke me up and I flew out of the Canyon with a total run time of just over 13 hours. For the entire day I consumed just under 200 grams of carbs and approx 88 calories per hour! I never thought that it was possible. Thanks again for your insight and inspiration. Natural UTI Remedies Craig says @ 00:29:53He has a friend who is in her mid-70s who struggles with Urinary Tract Infections. She has tried all the stuff the docs suggested but they still come back. Do you have any ideas? In my response to Craig, I mention the by Christa Orecchio and also the and How To Detox Your Liver Kristopher says @ 00:35:40 Is currently rather healthy (and an ultra runner) but was a chronic hard drug abuser in the past. He just went through a blood test and everything looks ok (except for elevated ALT, Liver Enzymes). Is there something specific he should be looking for or at? Is there a cleanse or detox he should use to minimize or heal the damage he has done to himself. In my reply, I mention the following: - - (use 10% discount code BEN) - - - Can you drink BulletProof Coffee every day? Allie says @ 00:52:12 Do you think it is a good idea to use everyday or should you take a few days off per week and save it for "big days"? Six Ways To Deal With Anxiety Michael says @ 00:58:34What would you recommend for someone with a General Anxiety Disorder and resulting chronic/adrenal fatigue. He is looking for a more natural approach to treating his disorder. He's been on meds and has weened himself off. Then he tried some natural remedies like valarian, st. john's wort, and 5-htp. They've been working pretty well but he is still feeling fatigued. He is looking for supplements, lifestyle advice, or other remedies. In my response to Michael, I recommend: - - - - - -The Brock also mentions: and . Proven Ways To Fix Muscle Cramps Christopher says @ 01:13:13He recently lost a lot of weight, started eating paleo and started racing Ironman. Since then he has been getting a lot of cramps in calves, hamstrings and thighs. Not necessarily while training or racing but when he is asleep. If he flexes his calf hard enough he can cause it to cramp whenever he wants. Is there something he could add into his diet to help? Could it be dehydration? In my response to Christopher, I mention and I mention ----------------------------------------------------- -- And don't forget to go to -- Prior to asking your question, do a search in upper right hand corner of this website for the keywords associated with your question. Many of the questions we receive have already been answered here at Ben Greenfield Fitness! Podcast music from 80s Fitness (Reso Remix) by KOAN Sound. !

Visit Recover in Christ Ministries today Affordable Podcasting $5.99 a month includes Web Hosting And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.2And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. 3And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, 4As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. 5Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. 6And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. 7And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 8And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. 9And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. 10This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. 11And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. 12And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. 13He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant. 15And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. 16And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. 17Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? 18And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! 19And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. 20And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. 21But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. 22And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham. Advocate: My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (1 John 2:1) Almighty: I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. (Revelation 1:8) Alpha and Omega: I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. (Revelation 1:8) Amen: And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; these things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; (Revelation 3:14) Angel: The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. (Genesis 48:16) Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for My name is in him.(Exodus 23:20-21) Angel of His presence: In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. (Isaiah 63:9) Anointed: The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, (Psalms 2:2) Apostle: Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; (Hebrews 3:1) Arm of the Lord: Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon? Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over? (Isaiah 51:9-10) Author and Finisher of our faith: Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)

click hereVisit the Recover In Christ web site. click here to visit michael shull web site. Genesis 17 1And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. 2And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. 3And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, 4As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. 5Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. 6And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. 7And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 8And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. 9And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. 10This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. 11And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. 12And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. 13He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant. 15And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. 16And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. 17Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? 18And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! 19And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. 20And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. 21But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. 22And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.