Podcasts about abhor

Healthy Churches Have Healthy Members Romans 12 12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. 9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. John 10:3-4 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. John 10:16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. Romans 3:10-12 None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Must Haves of a Church Member A Lamb (v1-2) Loyal (v5,10) Loving (v9-10, 14-16) Likable (v3, 18) Laborer (v6-8,11 Must Not's of a Church Member Lawless (v2,17-21) Legalistic (v9, 16) Lustful (v2) Lazy (v3, 11) Lukewarm (v1-3, 11) Are you a healthy church member? Are you helping to advance this church towards health?

   Cling to that which is good!Listen to what the Bible says, from Romans(click for podcast)Let riduurok cuyir ures hypocrisy. Abhor ibac meg is ori'dush. Cling at ibac meg is jate.Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil. Cling to that which is good.Listen to the Word, it reaches even to galaxies far, far awayOnline Bible

   Cling to that which is good!Listen to what the Bible says, from Romans.(click for podcast)chaw' muSHa' taH Hutlh hypocrisy. Abhor vetlh nuq ghaH mIghtaHghach. Cling Daq vetlh nuq ghaH QaQ.Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil. Cling to that which is good.Online BibleListen to the Word, it helps us navigate the stars and beyond.

Matins - The Monday Before LentIn the Name of the Father and of + the Son and of the Holy Spirit.Amen. The Invitatory and PsalterLord, open our lips.And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.O God, make speed to save us;O Lord, make haste to help us. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,world without end. AmenPraise the Lord;The Lord's name be praised ¶ Then follows the Invitatory Psalm with a Lenten antiphon.  Lenten AntiphonThe Lord is full of compassion and mercy: Come let us adore him.VeniteCome, let us sing to the Lord; * let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving * and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.For the Lord is a great God, * and a great King above all gods.In his hand are the caverns of the earth, * and the heights of the hills are his also.The sea is his, for he made it, * and his hands have molded the dry land.Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, * and kneel before the Lord our Maker.For he is our God,and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. * Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!Harden not your hearts,as your forebears did in the wilderness, *at Meribah, and on that day at Massah,when they tempted me.They put me to the test, * though they had seen my works.Forty years long I detested that generation and said, * "This people are wayward in their hearts;they do not know my ways.”So I swore in my wrath, * "They shall not enter into my rest.”Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,world without end. AmenLenten AntiphonThe Lord is full of compassion and mercy: Come let us adore him. The PsalmsAntiphon 1In the time of my trouble, I will call upon you, O Lord. Psalm 86:6-17Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer, and attend to the voice of my supplications.In the time of my trouble I will call upon you, for you will answer me.Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord,  nor anything like your works.All nations you have made will come and worship you, O Lord, and glorify your Name.For you are great; you do wondrous things;  and you alone are God.Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth;  knit my heart to you that I may fear your Name.I will thank you, O Lord my God, with all my heart,  and glorify your Name for evermore.For great is your love toward me;  you have delivered me from the nethermost Pit.The arrogant rise up against me, O God, and a band of violent men seeks my life;  they have not set you before their eyes.But you, O Lord, are gracious and full of compassion,  slow to anger, and full of kindness and truth.Turn to me and have mercy upon me;  give your strength to your servant;  and save the child of your handmaid.Show me a sign of your favor, so that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed;  because you, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me. Antiphon 1In the time of my trouble, I will cal upon you, O Lord.Antiphon 2Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God, and worship him upon his holy hill. Psalm 99The Lord is King; let the people tremble;  he is enthroned upon the cherubim;  let the earth shake.The Lord is great in Zion;  he is high above all peoples.Let them confess his Name, which is great and awesome;  he is the Holy One."O mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity;  you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob."Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God and fall down before his footstool;  he is the Holy One.Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among those who call upon his Name,  they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud;  they kept his testimonies and the decree that he gave them.“O Lord our God, you answered them indeed;  you were a God who forgave them,  yet punished them for their evil deeds.”Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God and worship him upon his holy hill;  for the Lord our God is the Holy One.Antiphon 2Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God, and worship him upon his holy hill.Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,world without end. Amen ReadingsRomans 12English Standard Version12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.The Word of the LordThanks be to God Matthew 23:13-39English Standard Version13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.' 19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. 22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' 31 Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? 34 Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, 35 so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 38 See, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'”The Word of the LordThanks be to God Canticle #9 The First Song of IsaiahSurely, it is God who saves me; * I will trust in him and not be afraid.For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense, * and he will be my Savior.Therefore you shall draw water with rejoicing * from the springs of salvation.And on that day you shall say, * Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name;Make his deeds known among the peoples; * see that they remember that his Name is exalted.Sing the praises of the Lord, for he has done great things, * and this is known in all the world.Cry aloud, inhabitants of Zion, ring out your joy, * for the great one in the midst of you is the Holy One of Israel.Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,world without end. Amen The Apostles' CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. The PrayersThe Lord be with you.And with your spirit.Let us pray.Lord, have mercy upon us.Christ, have mercy upon us.Lord, have mercy upon us.Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. SuffragesShow us your mercy, O Lord;And grant us your salvation.Clothe your ministers with righteousness;Let your people sing with joy.Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;For only in you can we live in safety.Lord, keep this nation under your care;And guide us in the way of justice and truth.Let your way be known upon earth;Your saving health among all nations.Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.Create in us clean hearts, O God;And sustain us with your Holy Spirit. The CollectsCollect of the DayO Lord, you have taught us that whatever we do without love is worth nothing; Send your Holy Spirit, and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of love, the very bond of peace and of all virtues, without which whoever lives is counted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ. Amen.A Collect for PeaceO God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.A Collect for GraceLord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.A Prayer for MissionLord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen.A time for intercessions and thanksgivings may follow. A Prayer of St. ChrysostomAlmighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.Let us bless the Lord.Thanks be to God. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.Romans 15:13

Teaching Text - Romans 12I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. The Apostles' CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. When we think of the idea of “hospitality”, we usually think of wining and dining. Images of nice houses, fine meals, and throwing parties that impress our friends and neighbors comes to mind. A whole segment of our economy has developed around what we call the “hospitality industry”, which makes a business out of increasingly impressive hotels, restaurants, and venues. Now, I have nothing against nice hotels and restaurants—and certainly nothing against nice homes and good meals! However, the biblical idea of hospitality is much different than all this. The New Testament word translated hospitality is made of the Greek words for “lover” and “stranger”. Someone who practices biblical hospitality is a “lover of strangers”. In other words, they are doing the hard work of making outsiders feel welcomed.Thus, hospitality is not merely for those with means, but those with very little means. It is for all people. It doesn't matter how much you have; what matters is how much of that you give. It's not about impressing others with how valuable you are; it's about impressing others with how valuable they are. It's not surprising then that hospitality is a character requirement of church leaders (1 Timothy 3:2), and of Christians in general (Romans 12:13). If God loved us when were strangers, wandering from Him, then how can we not do the same for others. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”~Romans 12:9-21 (ESV)

A Conversation on Grief and Honoring Your Emotions with Natasha Smith During this episode, we are learning how to trust God with the fullness of our emotions.ROMANS 12:9-15 ESVLet love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit,[a] serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.MEET NATASHA SMITHNatasha Smith is a wife, mom, and NC native. She is a writer, speaker, and podcaster, who shares stories on faith, family, and grief. She has inspired others through her writing for over 12 years. Her work has appeared in Guideposts and Focus on the Family print publications. And Her View From Home, TODAY Parents, Pray with Confidence, and other e-publications. You can find her online at imnatashasmith.comRESOURCESConnect with Natasha on IGPurchase Black Woman GriefGrab Liv's Resource to Shift Your Shallow Bible Study to a Sincere One Connect with Me on IGGrab Your Copy of Selah hereFind the Complete Show Notes HereSELAH: A STUDY OF 1 AND 2 SAMUELPurchase your copy of Selah: A Study of 1 and 2 Samuel

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Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be conceited.(English Standard Version)

9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. 10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another…

9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 

   Cling to that which is good!Listen to what the Bible says, from Romans(click for podcast)chaw' muSHa' taH Hutlh hypocrisy. Abhor vetlh nuq ghaH mIghtaHghach. Cling Daq vetlh nuq ghaH QaQ.Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil. Cling to that which is good.Online BibleListen to the Word, it helps us navigate the stars and beyond.

Against the Grain // Au ContraireLiving a Life of Love In a Revenge Culture  Romans 12:2 (ESV)Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:9-21 (ESV)Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Matthew 5:43-48 (ESV)You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Acts 4:29-31 (ESV)And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. 1.             Be Perfect2.             Love your “enemies”3.             Pray for those who persecute you4.             Do not be overcome by evil

Discussion Questions Sermon Overview A life pleasing to God includes humbly, genuinely loving his people in the local church.Digging Deeper    Read Romans 12:3-101. Our seventh Defining Value as a church is “Growing Relationships within the Local Church.” (You may want to reread this section of the Defining Values document.)  What are some of the ways you see this value lived out in our life as a church? Are there ways you would like to see us grow in this? How so?   2. When you think of church (or “the church”), what comes to mind?3. Over the last twenty years or so, there has been a decline (accelerated by COVID), in church attendance, even among those who claim to be Bible-believing, evangelical Christians. What are some of the reasons people offer for not attending a local church (or not attending very often)?        4. How might this passage and this sermon help us as we seek (with humility, gentleness, and love) to encourage ourselves or those in our lives who are currently not attending church (not engaged in / participating in a local body), to consider a greater degree of engagement? 5. Pastor Brett helped us see from Rom. 12:3-10 that “A life pleasing to God includes humbly, genuinely loving his people in the local church.”  What are some of the reasons it can be hard to love God's people in our local church? 6. How does the Gospel provide the motivation and power we need to love others well?7. God calls us to humbly serve one another with the gifts he has given us (Rom. 12:3-8). What gift(s) has God given you? How are you using them to serve God's people? How might you grow in using the gift(s) he's given you more effectively? 8. One aspect of loving one another is dealing rightly with good and evil in ourselves and one another (“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” v. 9b).  What is a specific situation in your life right now where God is calling you to do this? What might obedience to this verse in that situation look like for you? 9. God calls us to treat one another (within the church) as a family (“love one another with brotherly affection” v. 10a).  What is one specific concrete thing you could do this week to put this into practice? 10. One of the ways we can genuinely love one another is by “lead(ing) the way in putting others first.” (“Outdo one another in showing honor.” v. 10b). To whom in your life could you seek to show honor? How might you do that this week (in word or deed)? Is there anything in your heart that resists that? If so, please share.Prayer

Send us a textRomans 12:1-21 KJV  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  (2)  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.  (3)  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.  (4)  For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:  (5)  So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.  (6)  Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;  (7)  Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;  (8)  Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.  (9)  Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.  (10)  Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;  (11)  Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;  (12)  Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;  (13)  Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.  (14)  Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.  (15)  Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.  (16)  Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.  (17)  Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.  (18)  If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.  (19)  Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.  (20)  Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.  (21)  Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.#apostolicbiblestudytime#spartanburgsc#apostolic#torah#instructions

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!Mishlei 16:12 - Why Kings Should Abhor Acts of Wickednessתּוֹעֲבַת מְלָכִים עֲשׂוֹת רֶשַׁע, כִּי בִצְדָקָה יִכּוֹן כִּסֵּא:Length: 1 hour 30 minutesSynopsis: This evening (10/14/24), in our Monday Night Mishlei shiur, we learned another pasuk in this local cluster of pesukim about kings. This one seemed obvious to some, but ended up yielding fruitful ideas about leadership and the relationship between their morality and the morality of the people they rule.-----מקורות:משלי טז:יבתרגום רס"גמצודת ציון/דודמלבי"םרבינו יונהרלב"ג-----The Torah content from now through Isru Chag has been sponsored by Dani Kuznicki, to honor the memory of his mother, Zisel Gittel bas Moshe (a"h), who appreciated the beauty, clarity, and inspiration of Rabbi Schneeweiss's shiurim. Tizku l'mitzvos and Chag Sameach!-----If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.-----Substack: rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/Patreon: patreon.com/rabbischneeweissYouTube Channel: youtube.com/rabbischneeweissInstagram: instagram.com/rabbischneeweiss/"The Stoic Jew" Podcast: thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com"Machshavah Lab" Podcast: machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com"The Mishlei Podcast": mishlei.buzzsprout.com"Rambam Bekius" Podcast: rambambekius.buzzsprout.com"The Tefilah Podcast": tefilah.buzzsprout.comOld Blog: kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/WhatsApp Content Hub (where I post all my content and announce my public classes): https://chat.whatsapp.com/GEB1EPIAarsELfHWuI2k0HAmazon Wishlist: amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y72CSP86S24W?ref_=wl_sharel

Romans 12:9-14

Sometimes we forget that the service shown to others in keeping house…being domestic in Christ can be holy and honoring. A home is an extension of the body of Christ and the hospitality we are to show. Cleaning feet was a service and about keeping house. Cleaning the toilets, doing the dishes, all these things are little acts that serve others. John 13:1-5 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.Romans 12:9-13Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Book review: On the Edge, published by PeterMcCluskey on August 31, 2024 on LessWrong. Book review: On the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything, by Nate Silver. Nate Silver's latest work straddles the line between journalistic inquiry and subject matter expertise. "On the Edge" offers a valuable lens through which to understand analytical risk-takers. The River versus The Village Silver divides the interesting parts of the world into two tribes. On his side, we have "The River" - a collection of eccentrics typified by Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and professional gamblers, who tend to be analytical, abstract, decoupling, competitive, critical, independent-minded (contrarian), and risk-tolerant. On the other, "The Village" - the east coast progressive establishment, including politicians, journalists, and the more politicized corners of academia. Like most tribal divides, there's some arbitrariness to how some unrelated beliefs end up getting correlated. So I don't recommend trying to find a more rigorous explanation of the tribes than what I've described here. Here are two anecdotes that Silver offers to illustrate the divide: In the lead-up to the 2016 US election, Silver gave Trump a 29% chance of winning, while prediction markets hovered around 17%, and many pundits went even lower. When Trump won, the Village turned on Silver for his "bad" forecast. Meanwhile, the River thanked him for helping them profit by betting against those who underestimated Trump's chances. Wesley had to be bluffing 25 percent of the time to make Dwan's call correct; his read on Wesley's mindset was tentative, but maybe that was enough to get him from 20 percent to 24. ... maybe Wesley's physical mannerisms - like how he put his chips in quickly ... got Dwan from 24 percent to 29. ... If this kind of thought process seems alien to you - well, sorry, but your application to the River has been declined. Silver is concerned about increasingly polarized attitudes toward risk: you have Musk at one extreme and people who haven't left their apartment since COVID at the other one. The Village and the River are growing farther apart. 13 Habits of Highly Successful Risk-Takers The book lists 13 habits associated with the River. I hoped these would improve on Tetlock's ten commandments for superforecasters. Some of Silver's habits fill that role of better forecasting advice, while others function more as litmus tests for River membership. Silver understands the psychological challenges better than Tetlock does. Here are a few: Strategic Empathy: But I'm not talking about coming across an injured puppy and having it tug at your heartstrings. Instead, I'm speaking about adversarial situations like poker - or war. I.e. accurately modeling what's going on in an opponent's mind. Strategic empathy isn't how I'd phrase what I'm doing on the stock market, where I'm rarely able to identify who I'm trading against. But it's fairly easy to generalize Silver's advice so that it does coincide with an important habit of mine: always wonder why a competent person would take the other side of a trade that I'm making. This attitude represents an important feature of the River: people in this tribe aim to respect our adversaries, often because we've sought out fields where we can't win using other approaches. This may not be the ideal form of empathy, but it's pretty effective at preventing Riverians from treating others as less than human. The Village may aim to generate more love than does the River, but it also generates more hate (e.g. of people who use the wrong pronouns). Abhor mediocrity: take a raise-or-fold attitude toward life. I should push myself a bit in this direction. But I feel that erring on the side of caution (being a nit in poker parlance) is preferable to becoming the next Sam Bankman-Fried. Alloc...

  In hour 1 of The Armstrong & Getty Show: Zuckerberg is sorry for FB's censorship Mailbag! Mics on or off for the Trump vs Harris debate? Katie Green's headlines!  Follow the guys on twitter!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  In hour 1 of The Armstrong & Getty Show: Zuckerberg is sorry for FB's censorship Mailbag! Mics on or off for the Trump vs Harris debate? Katie Green's headlines!  Follow the guys on twitter!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” - Ephesians 2:10Our good works are not for our sake but for God's sake, to give Him glory. Investing gives us a powerful way to do that. Today, we'll talk with Dr. Finny Kuruvilla about investing to change the world.Dr. Finny Kuruvilla is the Co-Chief Investment Officer and Founding Member of Eventide Asset Management, an underwriter of Faith & Finance. He holds an MD from Harvard Medical School, a PhD in Chemistry and Chemical Biology from Harvard University, a master's degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT, and a bachelor's degree from Caltech in Chemistry.The Purpose of InvestingInvesting has always been about supplying capital to businesses. This concept originated in the 1400s and 1500s with the rise of corporations, particularly those financing maritime trade. Investing primarily aims to fund companies to help them do good work. However, this purpose can be perverted to support businesses that go against God's design for humanity. Hence, it's crucial to remember that investing should always aim to fund ethical companies.Investing as OwnershipWhen you invest, you become a part-owner of a company, which carries an ethical responsibility. Like owning a small business, you are accountable for the actions of the companies you invest in. This ownership confers a duty to ensure these businesses align with your values and promote good.Integrity in InvestingRomans 12:9 states, "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good." This principle applies to investing as well. To maintain integrity, you should avoid profiting from industries that contradict your values, such as pornography or tobacco. Instead, invest in businesses that advance the common good, like those making significant strides in healthcare and biotechnology.For example, advances in treatments for leukemia have dramatically increased children's survival rates, thanks to innovative companies in the healthcare sector. These companies exemplify how investment capital can drive significant positive outcomes.Performance and OutperformanceInvesting in businesses that promote the common good can lead to long-term outperformance. Studies, like those referenced in Fred Reichheld's "Winning on Purpose" and Alex Edmans' "Grow the Pie," show that companies adding value to their stakeholders often outperform their peers. This approach aligns with the biblical principle of loving your neighbor and can result in superior long-term returns.Eventide's ApproachEventide uses a framework called Business 360 to evaluate how companies interact with various stakeholders, including customers, employees, and the community. By focusing on companies excelling in value creation, Eventide aims to identify businesses aligned with promoting the global common good and likely to outperform over the long term.The future is bright for Faith-Based Investing because of the growing awareness in faith-based and secular circles that investing inherently involves ethical considerations. This awareness will lead to more opportunities to use investment dollars constructively, promoting values that align with a vision for a better world.Investing with integrity means aligning your investments with your values and ethical responsibilities. As Christians, this involves avoiding industries that contradict biblical principles and supporting those that advance the common good. Doing so can achieve both financial returns and a positive global impact. To learn more about this approach to investing, visit Eventide Funds.On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:I heard somewhere that you can take 4% a year out of your 401(k)s, and they should last you, but I'm looking for information like that. How much? When do we start taking money from these 401(k)s?I could not file my income taxes on time this year, but I did again and got an extension. Are there any penalties that I need to be aware of? I also have become very lazy regarding budgeting, keeping my finances, and keeping on track with them. How do I start over? Where do I begin?Resources Mentioned:Eventide Asset ManagementWinning on Purpose: The Unbeatable Strategy of Loving Customers by Fred ReichheldGrow the Pie: How Great Companies Deliver Both Purpose and Profit by Alex EdmansRich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich FoolFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA) or Certified Christian Financial Counselor (CertCFC)FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on the Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. Visit our website at FaithFi.com where you can join the FaithFi Community and give as we expand our outreach.

In this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:Russia and China pounce on Trump rally shooting to undermine U.S. (Washington Post) The Gunshots Rang Out. Then the Conspiracy Theories Erupted Online (New York Times) Chaos on social media platforms after Trump shooting is a mess of their own making (CNN)Elon Musk Wants His AI Bot to Deliver the News. It Is Struggling With the Job (WSJ)Spotify's new comment feature tries to solve a longtime problem (Fast Company)Comments on Podcasts Gives Creators and Listeners More Ways To Engage (Spotify)A grieving mom's TikTok videos spark online speech battle (Washington Post)This episode is brought to you with financial support from the Future of Online Trust & Safety Fund, and by our sponsor Concentrix, the technology and services leader driving trust, safety, and content moderation globally. In our Bonus Chat at the end of the episode, Paul Danter, Global Head of Trust and Safety at Concentrix, talks about what he's excited for at next week's TrustCon event and the huge potential for industry collaboration. Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a weekly podcast from Techdirt and Everything in Moderation. Send us your feedback at podcast@ctrlaltspeech.com and sponsorship enquiries to sponsorship@ctrlaltspeech.com. Thanks for listening.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 1, 2024 is: abhor • ub-HOR • verb Abhor is synonymous with loathe. Something or someone who is abhorred is regarded with extreme disgust or hatred. // Mariah is an animal rights activist who abhors any and all mistreatment of animals. See the entry > Examples: "While Anne's embarrassed by the slightest bit of conflict, disruptive Jenny abhors obedience—she's a roll of Mentos dropped into her sister's placid Diet Coke life." — Peter Debruge, Variety, 1 Nov. 2023 Did you know? Those who shudder to think about having to clean dirty carpets might fairly be said to abhor a vacuum. Nature is often said to abhor a vacuum as well, albeit a different one—according to plenists, there is always some matter or material floating around ready to fill a void. Interior designers afflicted with horror vacui abhor vacuums as well, being unable to tolerate empty spaces in artistic designs. In each of these cases, abhor implies strong feelings of disgust and aversion, a degree of distaste embedded in the word's history: the word's Latin source, the verb abhorrēre, comes from the prefix ab- ("from, away") and the verb horrēre ("to bristle, shiver, or shudder"). Horrēre is also the source of the English words horror, horrify, and horrible.

Welcome to Inside the Epicenter! In today's episode, we dive deep into the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast with our special guest, Albert Veksler, executive director of the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast. Join us as we explore the impact of this significant event that brings together leaders from various nations to discuss issues concerning Israel and the Jewish people. Listen in as Albert shares moving stories from the event and the powerful experiences that have inspired and united Christian and Jewish leaders. We also hear from our host, Joel Rosenberg, who emphasizes the importance of standing with Israel and understanding the region's complexities. Get ready for a thought-provoking and inspiring conversation about faith, politics, and the power of unity.   (00:05) Jerusalem is the epicenter of Israel.(05:34) People felt called by God to gather.(11:02) Support Israel and Palestine through understanding and compassion.(13:07) People from various nations prayed for Jerusalem.(18:54) Jewish leaders find comfort in Christian love.(21:33) Knesset members initiated a relationship with Christian allies.(23:20) Initially uninterested, but later got significant responsibilities.(28:53) Reflection on prayer breakfasts around the world.(30:08) Michele Bachmann's 30-minute prayer sparked controversy.(35:23) Israeli fighter pilot overcame unlikely religious boundaries. Learn more about The Joshua Fund. Make a tax-deductible donation. The Joshua Fund Stock Media provided by DimmySad/Pond5   Verse of the Day: Romans 12:9-12 - Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.  In love of the brethren be tenderly affectioned one to another; in honor preferring one another;  in diligence not slothful; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing steadfastly in prayer;  Related Episodes:How to Show Love and Support for Israel and Her Neighbors #182Families' Heart-Wrenching Pleas: Inside the Hostage Crisis with Hamas #178How to Use Military Strategies for Spiritual Battles #173The Power of Prayer and Fasting & The Jewish People #137 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Honor: The currency of the miraculous What is honor? To esteem To Value To give respect to To honor someone is to value them highly or bestow value on them What does the bible say about honor? Romans 12:9-10 ESV 9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Philippians 2:3 ESV Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Who should we honor? 1 Timothy 1:17 NIV Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 6:1-3 NIV Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” Leviticus 19:32 AMP You shall rise before the gray-headed and honor the aged, and you shall fear your God [with profound reverence]; I am the Lord. Romans 13:1-3 NIV  Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.  So the bible tell us to honor: God  Our Parents  The elderly  Those in authority Our Spiritual Leaders 1 Timothy 5:17 ESV Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. Mark 6:4-5 And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” 5 And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. Key take aways:  When Honor Goes up, miracles Go up.  When Honor goes down, miracles go down The anointing you honor is the anointing you will receive from Honor is never for the person you are honoring. Gratitude is a part of honor. Gratitude is never silent.  Communicate good things with them  Share the load with them  Defend them to others  Look for opportunities to bless them  Live out their teachings  Be easy to lead  Repent quickly where you miss it Revival comes on the heels of repentance --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coastalchurch/message

Sermon Notes Date: 06/09/2024 Preacher: Monty Simao, pastor Series: Romans Key Text: Romans 12:9-16 Description:   Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of […]

Alan's Soaps https://alanssoaps.com/TODD Use coupon code ‘TODD' to save an additional 10% off the bundle price.  Bioptimizers https://bioptimizers.com/todd Use promo code TODD for 10% off your order. Sharpen your edge and reach your potential with Mushroom Breakthrough by Bioptimizers.     Bonefrog   https://bonefrogcoffee.com/todd Use code TODD at checkout to receive 10% off your first purchase and 15% on subscriptions.  Bulwark Capital  Bulwark Capital Management (bulwarkcapitalmgmt.com) Call 866-779-RISK or visit online to get their FREE Common Cents Investing Guide.   EdenPURE https://edenpuredeals.com This week only!  Get Buy One Get One free pricing on the Thunderstorm Air Purifier with code TODDBOGO. GreenHaven Interactive Digital Marketing https://greenhaveninteractive.com Your Worldclass Website Will Get Found on Google!  Liver Health https://getliverhelp.com/todd Order today and get your FREE bottle of Blood Sugar Formula and free bonus gift. Renue Healthcare https://renuewellcation.com Register today for your Wellcation with Todd Herman June 7-11, 2024.  See site for details

My friend and pastor, Jim Putman joined us for an important discussion about why God abhors human pride. Pastor Putman shares valuable insight from God's Word on this subject. I also ask him a question I have heard in the wake of a local pastor's suicide in our area: Do those who commit suicide get into heaven?What does God's Word say? James 4:6 ESV  But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”Episode 1,643 Links:Jim's Podcast: Church is a Team SportThe Revolutionary DiscipleAlan's Soaps https://alanssoaps.com/TODD Use coupon code ‘TODD' to save an additional 10% off the bundle price.  Bioptimizers https://bioptimizers.com/todd Use promo code TODD for 10% off your order. Sharpen your edge and reach your potential with Mushroom Breakthrough by Bioptimizers.     Bonefrog   https://bonefrogcoffee.com/todd Use code TODD at checkout to receive 10% off your first purchase and 15% on subscriptions.  Bulwark Capital  Bulwark Capital Management (bulwarkcapitalmgmt.com) Call 866-779-RISK or visit online to get their FREE Common Cents Investing Guide.   EdenPURE https://edenpuredeals.com This week only!  Get Buy One Get One free pricing on the Thunderstorm Air Purifier with code TODDBOGO. GreenHaven Interactive Digital Marketing https://greenhaveninteractive.com Your Worldclass Website Will Get Found on Google!  Liver Health https://getliverhelp.com/todd Order today and get your FREE bottle of Blood Sugar Formula and free bonus gift. Renue Healthcare https://renuewellcation.com Register today for your Wellcation with Todd Herman June 7-11, 2024.  See site for details

Romans 12:9 says, “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.” It may not be intuitive, but this verse is a compelling guide for applying our faith to our investment decisions. We'll talk with Jason Myhre today about how we can love without hypocrisy as we invest our money.Jason Myhre is the Executive Director of the Eventide Center for Faith & Investing, an educational initiative of Eventide Asset Management, and an underwriter of Faith & Finance. Bringing Faith into Investing: A Deeper LookThe phrase, “Let love be without hypocrisy,” challenges us to ensure our love is genuine. In Paul's time, hypocrisy referred to actors wearing masks and pretending to be someone else. Similarly, our love must be real, not a façade. As Christians, the greatest commandment is to love God and our neighbors authentically. This principle extends to our investments, calling us to invest with genuine love and integrity.Recognizing Good and EvilPaul's guidance on what real love looks like—abhorring evil and clinging to good—provides a litmus test for our actions. Genuine Christian love passionately opposes evil and fervently supports good. In the context of investing, this means avoiding investments in companies that engage in harmful practices and supporting those that contribute positively to society.Three Key Takeaways For Faith-Based Investing1. Add Moral DiscernmentTraditional investing focuses on risk and return. However, as Christians, we should prioritize moral discernment. When investing, we are supporting real businesses with real-world impacts. Recognizing the moral dimensions of these businesses is crucial. We must look beyond the numbers and assess the ethical implications of our investments.2. Avoid Harmful InvestmentsWhile not every investment decision is clear-cut, some areas are easier to discern. The Christian investment community consistently recommends avoiding companies involved in abortion, tobacco, pornography, gambling, and alcohol. These industries are consistently identified as morally problematic. Faith-based investing can guide us in steering clear of such entanglements.3. Embrace Good InvestmentsMany businesses produce goods and services that benefit society. As investors, we should actively seek out and support these companies. Investing in businesses that align with our values allows us to live out the love described in Romans 12:9.Taking the Next StepTo help you apply these principles, Eventide Center for Faith and Investing has created a resource listing faith-based investment products that align with Romans 12:9. You can access this resource at faithandinvesting.com/faithfi.By integrating faith into our investment decisions, we can honor God and contribute to a more just and loving world. Let's strive to invest with authenticity, discernment, and a commitment to good, reflecting our Christian values in every financial choice we make.On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:I currently have a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home with my husband, and we're looking to upgrade it because my parents are planning on moving in with me. We're selling our current home and plan on having $260,000 as a deposit somewhere. Our ballpark is around $500,000, but finding a four-bedroom at that price point is a little tricky. In the worst case, we'd be willing to go up to about $540,000, but that's about 30% of our take-home expenses. 25% is the ideal, and I wanted your thoughts on that.What documentation does the IRS need from a church for me to claim a deduction for tithes paid last year? We tithed to a church last year and then changed churches. However, we didn't receive documentation of giving from the church we left. We've tried to contact the church but haven't got a response.Resources Mentioned:Eventide Center for Faith & InvestingList of Faith-Based Funds (By ECFI)Rich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich FoolFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA) or Certified Christian Financial Counselor (CertCFC)FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on the Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. Visit our website at FaithFi.com where you can join the FaithFi Community and give as we expand our outreach.

Romans 12:9 says, “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.” And although it may not be intuitive, this verse is a compelling guide for applying our faith to our investment decisions. On today's Faith & Finance Live, host Rob West will talk with Jason Myhre about how we can love without hypocrisy as we invest our money. Then, Rob will answer your calls about finances. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The need for confrontation in relationships is inevitable. Truly, if we love as Jesus loves, there are times when the uncomfortable practice of addressing issues is needed. Love doesn't always feel good. Sometimes love even hurts. BUT, if we love and if we are concerned and have the others' best interests at heart, we'll be willing to speak to the hard issues; and to lead in correction—for the good of all involved. Join Eric and Gena as they speak to us about the truth of Romans 12:9—”Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.”

A new MP3 sermon from Grace Audio Treasures is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Let us abhor the very idea of play-acting and mask-wearing in our Christianity! Subtitle: Puritan Devotional Speaker: J. C. Ryle Broadcaster: Grace Audio Treasures Event: Devotional Date: 5/8/2024 Bible: Luke 20:46-47; Matthew 23:33 Length: 2 min.

Another challenging gem by Ryle-

And so today, given the passage, I cannot jump into every detail of the passage, but what I do want to do is take a broad sweep of the passage and bring out the primary thrust of what Jesus wants us to take away as we discuss the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem and the end of times, his second coming. And just want to say this comes in between ... We have community groups that meet every week. They discuss the sermons. And we do know when the end of times get brought up as people gather over the word, there's often confusion, disagreement. And so I'm trying to bring us to a simple, clear understanding of this chapter after maybe some people are coming out of last week with a little bit of confusion. I say Pasture Jan's presentation on those verses, I was chewing on it all week, was masterful from my studied perspective as someone who somehow had the blessing to go to seminary and read books for three years. But yeah, we're trying to bring clarity on this topic and bring out the main thrust.Let me read God's word. Mark 13 verses 24 to 27 to start us off. Mark 13 verses 24 through 37. "But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light and the stars will be falling from heaven and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. From the fig tree, learn its lesson. As soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near at the very gates. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven nor the son, but only the father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge each with his work and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore, stay awake. For you do not know when the master of the house will come. In the evening or at midnight or when the rooster crows or in the morning. Lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you, I say to all. Stay awake. The grass withers and the flower fades but the word of the Lord remains forever."Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we come to you today living in a world full of wars and rumors of wars. Full of much conflict and confusion. Today we come to you with thanksgiving, that you have given us your word, the rock, the one, the only true place that a person can firmly stand. We pray that as we open your word, that it would bring courage to our hearts and strength to our feeble bodies. That we would go from this place renewed and invigorated to serve you and to face whatever may come in our lives with hope that you are behind it and that you will be with us through it. Grant us your peace and steadfastness for the journey to come. We come to you in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.It's been a really special year with my middle child. My daughter, Clara. She's been three years old. She'll be four in a couple of months. And what's been really fun to experience with Clara in the season of life at three and a half is her engagement with holidays. Moving from age two to three throughout the past year now and closer to four, she started to remember her celebration of holidays in the past and to start look forward to celebrating them again in the future. And so with Christmas last year, six months out, five, four, three, two, one months out from Christmas, she was talking about Christmas all the time. She was asking, "Is Christmas today?" Just waking up and asking that several months out, multiple days a week. Asking how soon it will come. And she was planning to receive presents of course. And thankfully she was planning to give presents, not just receive. And because we couldn't celebrate it at the time, she was wrapping presents and giving them to her stuffies well in advance of the day.And Clara's excitement for the day was contagious. But more than that, her excitement and expectations around that day gave her a superpower. It gave her a willingness to endure anything that came her way until Christmas Day came. What was most amazing prior to Christmas occurred on Christmas Eve. And if you remember that Christmas Eve, it was a Sunday this year and so we had one service here at Mosaic and after service we packed up my Honda Odyssey. And I don't call it a minivan. It's just that great. It's an Odyssey. A very special vehicle. Minivan, Odyssey life is not as bad as its rep gets sometimes. But we packed up our Odyssey. And the miracle of the day that Clara's expectation around Christmas brought her through was that she endured a seven and a half hour ride from Boston to my parents' place outside of Philadelphia without a stop. And she was perfectly peaceful, perfectly content because she knew what was about to come. She knew that Christmas was tomorrow. She knew that she was going to celebrate Jesus' birthday. She knew that she was going to receive presents as part of that celebration. She knew that she was going to give presents. She was going to spend the day with her loved ones. We don't get to see my parents, my siblings that much. She knew that there was going to be a feast.And so Clara was ready to endure anything. So seven and a half hours. Even if it was just the five-hour trip, which is the fastest time you can get between here and Philadelphia, if she stayed peaceful for that amount of time, that would've been the Christmas miracle and the expression of her superpower. And Clara's fascination with the end and the reward that came with it helped her through her present situations. It gave her resilience to face anything as her hopes and expectations where she knew what was about to come as we formed them, as she reflected on her experiences that we gave her at Christmas in the past.And so I've thought about this. What's refreshed my mind had me thinking about this in recent weeks really the past couple months is her birthday's in a couple of months. And so since Christmas there's been a lot of waking up, "Daddy, is my birthday today?" And just a repeat. So she's been blowing out fake cakes and giving presents to her stuffies in preparation as she waits that day. I discussed Clara's typical childish fascination with Christmas and her birthday as an illustration. I bring it up for a couple of reasons. First, I mentioned this fascination to point out her childlike faith. We are going to speak in a specific topic on Christ's return and the end of times. But before we do that, I want to remind us of a broader principle of the kingdom of God that Jesus mentioned earlier on in Mark. What Clara exhibits around the day of Christmas, the expectations and hopes around it that we formed and set for her, she exhibits childlike faith. It's a sure fact that it's going to be as good as she thinks it is. And we need to have such faith as we walk through life and the kingdom.Mark 10: 14 and 15 says, "Let the children come to me. Do not hinder them. For to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." So Clara expects us to deliver on Christmas and her birthday, and that gives her superpowers to endure what is to come. And we as Christians, the Lord tells us of a specific day like the end of times and Christ's return as the same day. And we need to let him form our expectations around that topic. And there are going to be details that are not going to be perfectly clear. There are going to be questions around that day. And we can get lost in the pursuit of those answers. We can rest upon what the Lord has made clear in setting the expectations for us around that day. We can have childlike faith that our heavenly father has told us what we need to know as the day of the Lord comes. So we need to have childlike faith as we open up this topic a little bit more.But further, I want to just say Clara's fascination with Christmas ... We're in a topic today that there's a lot of fascination as we discuss the end of times. And while Clara's experienced her fascination with Christmas and her hopes and expectations around it, it's something that gives her joy, it gives her stamina, it gives her hope to face the present as she waits that day. Unfortunately, this topic on the day of Christ's return, it's something that really breeds the opposite response in us. A lot of times we naturally as Christians, we're interested in this day. For surely we await the benefits that come with the moment of Christ's return. We can't wait to be free. See this creation, see our flesh free from the power and influence of Satan. Free from the power of influence of sin. We can't wait to see an end natural disasters and wars. But we tend to take up this topic as a church and it really breeds a lot of anxiety and paranoia. It's because we're trying to go beyond what the Lord has told us and as he set our expectations in scripture.And so without a doubt, there's a fascination within the church about the end of time and when it will come and the manner in which it will come. It rarely leads to any good. And if anyone has been in the church for a while, I just want to elaborate on this. A lot of people, if you're in a church for a month or a year, you know the tendency for Christians. At a Christian gathering, people might be talking about faith, repentance, belief, obedience to Jesus Christ, how to apply just God's word to day-to-day life. But the end of times gets brought up and one little detail, one little hint of it, and it can derail the whole discussion. Everybody knows if you've been in a church with small groups ... We have community group here at Mosaic where we discuss the sermons together, God's word together. Everyone knows that experience of like, oh no, someone ... Conversation's been going, been fruitful, vibrant. Someone just brought it up. They did it. Maybe at that point, a couple of people in that conversation who have very passionate views on the end of times and the timing of it, they dominate conversation and it really becomes this a draining discussion and that everybody leaves more confused and really just too drained to go honor Jesus for the rest of the evening or the next day.And all people in the church know this tendency. And we Christians, we know that debates and conversations, they lead to real division normally. The talk on these topics can lead brothers and sisters to separate from brothers and sisters instead of continuing to gather as the people of God. And most Christians, they do know someone who got obsessed with figuring out the details about Christ's return. Who started losing their grip with reality. Who lost focus on working out their salvation with fear and trembling one day at a time. And in the end, maybe they just stumbled for an extended season or in the end they lost their faith altogether as they got lost in these details.Furthermore, we know there are whole in the Christian world ... And maybe some of you don't know this stuff. But as pastors we do engage a lot of these instances in our ministry. We know that there are whole churches and conferences and gatherings of supposed believers who meet not to praise God, not to preach his gospel, but to promote specific teachings, primarily promote specific teachings on the end of times. That's what they're gathering around. I've heard of several people giving large chunks of money to ... Or essentially their whole retirement savings saved for decades to supposed prophets who claim to elucidate the details of the timing and manner of Christ's return. In our day anybody can start teaching and give their take on YouTube, on social media. There's a tendency in the church today, there's people who will listen to these teachers at the cost of heeding the words of their pastors, their brothers and sisters in Christ and who they're gathering with in day-to-day real life.I've spoken to a few Christians who you dig into the details of their lives and they profess faith in Christ, but they have not read the gospels or most of the New Testament aside from the book of Revelation because they're reading the apocalyptic literature and verses of the Old Testament prophets and Revelation primarily. And this stuff happens. In a city like Boston who could get lost in that stuff? No. These are common tendencies.And so at Mosaic, if you've only been with us for two weeks, we've talked about ... We'll now take up this topic two weeks in a row. And you might think we have an unhealthy fixation on this topic, but I assure you we're taking it up as it naturally has come up in our scripture as we are going verse by verse through Mark. But before I go through it, I want to say at our church a little commentary, we generally are not guilty of unhealthy fixation on the end of times across our membership. We're not marked by neglect of coverage on the topic. We're facing it today. It's easier to skip over these chapters. As a pastor, we're here to face it as it's been brought up in our history in the text. We're not marked necessarily by widespread anxiety and paranoia that comes with fixation. If anything, at Mosaic, we're guilty of a tendency to think that the end is near because something bad happened in our personal lives or in society as a whole. And it leads to a distractedness that tends to decrease our level of day-to-day faithfulness a little bit. So 2020 Ukraine-Russia, Israel-Palestine death and health scares, cultural and political tensions. These tend to lead us to say nonchalantly and perhaps ignorantly that things are getting worse. It's clear. The end is near. And may we say that just a little naively or truly ignorantly.We continue to just carry forth our day-to-day responsibilities with some faithfulness. But I think even beneath that a tendency in our body is more of a hopeless spirit of resignation. When we face calamity, hardship in our lives, trials personally or internationally and nationally, we can assume a hopeless spirit of resignation that, oh, there's so much brokenness around us. Who am I as an individual to bring Jesus' light and redemption through my day-to-day faithfulness? And we still do the thing, do what we think God is calling to us but not with belief that he can use us to redeem brokenness in the world around us, in the relationships, in society through our small efforts. And so today you'll see that Christ has a word for engaging such circumstances for us as the natural disasters, the trials of society. And so yeah, we're going to see what that word is.And there's no question that this fascination with the end of times, it doesn't stop at the church. The world has wrestled with it. Again, everything I've mentioned from 2020 to 2024 I think it's safe to say we all have seen a lot more headlines talking about is this the end of society as a whole? Are things getting worse? Is America facing its doomsday? Is the current banking system a potential collapse? What's that going to lead to? There's a lot of anxiety, there's a lot of worry. There's always an ancient calendar. In 2012, the Mayan calendar ended. I remember articles around that. You think of year 2000 going into the new millennium, there's a lot of, is the world going to end? It just gets brought up whether there is seeming reason to appeal to or not. So there is a widespread fascination with the end. And really it normally leads to anxiety, fear, and paranoia and faithlessness. Especially when we start mining the details of what the Bible has a say about it.So Jesus today as we open up chapter 13 again, he speaks to the disciples about the end. And I want to say very clearly he has one easy message in this chapter that we want to focus on primarily as we study it. Stay awake and be ready. The theme sentence of this chapter, Christian lives shall be marked by steadiness and readiness as they await Christ's return. Christian lives shall be marked by steadiness and readiness as they await Christ's return. This message, you can find it just by appealing to the specifics of a few verses. Verse 33 Jesus says, "Be on guard, keep awake." Or perhaps I can claim that this is the theme of the chapter as the chapter ends in verse 37 by saying, "And what I say to you, I say to all. Stay awake." All of this chapter, it's pointing to the call for Christians to exhibit a steadiness, a coolness, a calmness as they face challenges, trials, conflicts, natural disasters in this life and readiness as they ponder the end of times. And so he declares, "Don't waste your time reading into all the things that could deceive you or prevent you from faithfulness to him in the things of God in day-to-day life." So stay awake and be ready.Verse 31 says, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." The world is going to fall down around us. We shouldn't be shocked when it happens. It's been happening throughout history. The Roman Empire, it did fall. Imagine how people fell when that truly fell. It's going to happen around us. It's happened throughout history. It'll keep happening. Everything will pass away but what will remain are Jesus' words and his assurances. And I want to pause right here. Think about the things. If they passed away, what are those things whose passing would shake you? In me It's honestly like news of what's happening in my small suburban town outside of Philadelphia. When I see the culture shaking, the schools shifting in my heart, it really stirs me to the point of almost hopelessness or God, what's happening here? When we think about America, are there major societal shifts? Are we heading in a bad direction? When we face political tensions. We've gotten upcoming election this year. When we face potential shifts in our country, does it stir us? Do we begin to question God's faithfulness to us in such moments? Jesus says we need to trust him.I was at the Inter Miami verse New England Revolution soccer game last night to see Lionel Messi and a couple of his former Barcelona players. It was my first time at Gillette Stadium. And part of it is to show my son, wow, look at this man who has used what God has given him and mastered it. But part of it is to say to my son, "Look, this man, he is going to die one day. I hope he doesn't have a great spiritual moral failure before all of us. I hope he professes his imperfections and faith in Jesus at some point and I do pray for him." But Messi's going to pass away and Gillette Stadium is going to pass away or they're going to blow it up. And I want them to so that they get rid of the turf field and put in a grass field because professional sports should be played on grass.But these figures of society, these people, these institutions, they're all going to fall. And how will that move you? What will your response be? Jesus says the only thing we place our faith in is his word. Everything will pass, but we are to trust his assurances. And so verse 13 in our chapter, the one who endures to the end will be saved. We place our hope in Jesus and his works and his promises. That's where our hope lies. So Jesus is saying broadly in this chapter, be ready for the end to come right now. Be ready for the end every moment of every day. Don't misuse your time getting lost in the meaningless things of the world. Don't misuse your time obsessing over predictions, dates, the left behind stuff, the book series, the movie series. Jesus comes when you don't know. So be ready. At every moment of your life be steady and be ready.And so I'm going to draw this point out as I try to speed through the chapter today. Chapter 13. I'll revisit some of the verses from one through 23 and glean over them. But it's all to remind you this point. Christian lives shall be marked by steadiness and readiness as they await Christ's return. I'm not going to necessarily pull out specifics of where I get that theme. You're going to have to come with me as I just keep emphasizing it. And I think it's important. This is a topic that's been convoluted, confused throughout church history, even within our own body. And we have to just get what is primary. And this is where we build our foundation and thinking on the end of times going forward. So chapter 13, we have Jesus falling of the temple, Jerusalem, the sign of the fig tree, a call to be ready. Let's try to explain it. What's Jesus talking about here? How do I come to this emphasis on steadiness and readiness?So let's step into this situation with the disciples. The day is still Tuesday. On that Friday, Jesus is going to be crucified. Jesus and his disciples have been in the temple most of the day. It's probably late afternoon. Jesus decides it's time to go. It's very likely this is Jesus' last time in the temple. And while they're walking away from the temple, one of his disciples is overcome with awe. They were admiring the size, the glory, the structure of the temple. And it really was a sight to behold. It was gargantuan and grandiose, huge and intimidating in its size and in its extravagance and ancient wonder of the world. And King Herod put a ton of money into it for several decades. We're talking in the billions of our current dollars. And so this temple, it's huge. It's ornate. The temple grounds and courts, they covered about one-sixth of the city of Jerusalem at the time. The individual stones that were used to build the temple were gigantic.Josephus, one of the historians of the day wrote down the size of the stones that they were about 45 feet by 15 feet by 18 inches thick. One stone. You could go and look at a stone that size and just be in awe. So these stones are massive. Ornately decorated. The text begins with a disciple saying, "Teacher, look at the size of these stones. Look at the majesty of the temple of Jerusalem. The whole city. Isn't this amazing?" Jesus says, "You see this giant beautiful building. You see this city. You see these massive stones. Not one stone will be left standing upon one another. This whole city is going to be destroyed."And this would've been a shocking statement. Definitely awkward silence afterwards. And it's shocking, especially when you consider the sides of these stones, saying not one will be left standing on another. And then they walk. Jesus says this, and they walk through the city of Jerusalem, they walk to the Mount of Olives to an elevated area where they sat down and they have another great view of the city. And as they thought about Jesus' pronouncement of the destruction of the temple, its complete devastation, the devastation of the city, they begin to naturally ask some questions. One asked in verse four, "Tell us when will these things be and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?" And so there's a lot more behind this question than first appears. The disciples regard this temple as a fixed structure. They look at it, they think this thing could last forever.They couldn't imagine its destruction. And so immediately they're tying the destruction of this temple with the end of the world. For surely that's the only way and time that it could be destroyed. And so with the question in verse four, they're not just asking when is the temple going to be destroyed, but how do we know that the end is near? This is affirmed in Matthew chapter 24 verse three where they ask in a parallel passage, "Tell us when will these things be and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" So they're asking, when will the temple be destroyed? When will Jerusalem be destroyed? That's one question. When will we know it's time for your return? When will the end come? That's what the disciples are asking in Mark as greater clarified in Matthew. They're seeking answers.And Jesus in response, he gives them a long, seemingly complicated answer. And the first part of his answer is a warning to not be led astray. Verse five, Jesus says, "See that no one leads you astray." In the NIV translation, "Watch out that no one deceives you." The disciples are assuming all of this is going to happen very soon based on Jesus's words. So they're eager. They're eager for the end to come. And as a result they're going to be tempted into reading into every little sign. So Jesus is anticipating that and he's given them some instructions to not be led astray. So in verse six he says, "Many will come in my name saying I am he and they will lead many astray." So he's saying, "There is definitely going to be a time where a lot of people say that they're sent by me or come in my name or bring greater revelation, greater word of God beyond what I've said."He says, "Don't be surprised. Don't follow them. Don't put your trust in them." And in the first century, history is captured. There's a lot of ... And scripture captures some of it. There are a number of false messiahs who appeared and they had followings, but in time they proved to be false prophets and the false prophets that they were. And it still happens today. It's happened all throughout history and it still happens today. Joseph Smith, a relatively recent false teacher, he started Mormonism. He said that Jesus appeared to him in 1820 in his backyard and he told him that all existing churches had turned from the gospel. And after that an angel of God appeared to him and essentially gave him a new source of revelation, a new word for man, true followers of Christ, the Lord to follow. And Jesus, which conflicts with our Bible, the 66 books of the Bible, Jesus is telling us, don't follow this kind of guy.More recently, I grew up in 90s public school hearing about David Koresh and the Branch Davidians who in the 80s and 90s said that he was one who was going to establish the Davidic kingdom. And so these figures keep appearing throughout history and we can't be so eager for the end to come that we follow anyone who is essentially pronouncing Jesus' return or new age in Christ. Jesus warns us about these men. Don't follow them. And then he goes on to warn them about something else. Next, he talks about disasters and wars. He says in verse seven, "And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place but the end is not yet." So he's saying, don't be deceived by natural disasters and wars. Don't be so eager for the end to come that you read into all these things.When you hear of hurricanes, tsunamis, wars, rumors of wars, don't claim this is the end. Don't just bluntly ignorantly claim things are getting worse. Verse eight says, "For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places. There will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains." So we shouldn't be shocked by such events. We shouldn't be distracted by these events and drop faithfulness in day-to-day life. So many people read into these events and conclude that the end is near but these things have been happening since the beginning. These are but the beginning of the birth pains. We think we're so unique as a generation, but like a lot of these things ... Not like. A lot of these things have been happening throughout history. Nothing new under the sun is happening in 2024. Even with Russia and Ukraine, Israel-Palestine, as I've mentioned earlier, nothing new is happening in 2020. Is what we've experienced recently more dramatic and traumatic than what has been dishonoring to God throughout history, through previous societal collapses, wars and earthly disasters.Just pausing about World War I, World War II is what we're facing right now really worse than that? The societal and cultural drama, severe natural phenomena, they've always been occurring. And it is. We should be heartbroken when we see it, but we shouldn't jump to conclusions that this means that the end is near and imminent. We lament the occurrence of these events. We long for Jesus to come back to put an end to them. But we don't get obsessed with finding specific meaning in them as they relate to the end of times. Third thing that Jesus warns us about is in verses nine through 13. I don't think I put them up on the slides, I'm going to skim through them. He says, "Don't be deceived by the persecution that you faced. The people of God are going to suffer. Just because you're persecuted doesn't mean that the end is near." Jesus tells them plainly that they're going to be flogged and judged by governors and authorities. They'll be hated as the gospel goes forth. The gospel divides. It has two effects. It draws people in as you stand on it, preach it and stand on it and it draws people away. It's a stench that they reject. They don't want to hear it. They harden their hearts against God.It divides even families. In verses 12 to 13, he elaborates that man will kill his own brother over Christianity, a father a child. Children will kill their parents. Christians will be killed by their own family members, but they are not specific signs that the end is near. These things have been happening, they'll continue to happen. So this fascination with the end should not cause us to look upon these three categories of just travesty as false teachers, natural events, wars and killing within families.They should not cause us to say immediately the world is coming to end. And Jesus is telling when these things happen, when people believe them, when people start taking others and saying, this is the end, a lot of people are led astray. We should not be led astray. And so we engage it. We engage it with a steadiness. We're not shocked by their occurrence. Verse 10, he's saying, "We live in the period of last days." But before the Lord returns, what we focus on is one thing. Verse 10. And the gospel must be first proclaimed to all nations. So this is going to take some time. It's taken 2000 or so years so far and we're not done yet. If you really want the world to come to an end, don't focus on reading into all of the events. Instead, focus yourself on applying the gospel to your own heart in a deeper way each day. Then when you do that, think about and pray about how the Lord could use you to transform your neighbor's heart. Then think about how he can use you to transform every country, every culture, every community, tribe, person, and do this work with much patience, humility, sobriety and self-control as things of the world are rising and falling around you.Jesus is saying, be steady, be ready. Be ready for a long race. Don't follow the likes of Joseph Smith, Joe Schmo who says he comes in the name of the Lord in desperation. Don't read into all the current events. Don't expend all your energy on that. There's an opportunity cost to spending time on this stuff at the cost of faithfulness to Jesus and loving God and loving your neighbor day-to-day. Focus on right now. That's what Christians are called to do. How can I be salt and light where the Lord has placed me right now with every relationship I have with every office he's called me to as a single, as a married, as a parent, as a worker, as a neighbor. How do I run faithfully and steady? Stay awake. This is what Christians are called to.And so I emphasize that. We're called to be steady. Called to be ready. The second part of Jesus' answer goes to verses 14 to 23. This section is the direct answer to the disciples question about the destruction of the temple. So Jesus before prophesying about anything that will happen in the future in this section, he's making a statement about the destruction of the temple. Remember the disciples asked him, when will the destruction of Jerusalem occur? And so he's given an answer. Jesus begins verse 14 with a cryptic statement. It's using terminology from the book of Daniel. He says, "But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be ..." Another translation says when you see the desolating, sacrilege, when something holy or sacred is profaned. When you see that you know the end is near. And so he's talking about the end of Jerusalem here first and foremost.Pastor Jan on in his second half of his sermon, he talked about there is a two-fold nature to prophecy that we see in scripture where first and foremost, a prophetic statement typically has that prophetic statement in the day. And that's what I'm saying. These verses 14 to 23 are talking specifically about the near the fall of Jerusalem in the near term, short term. Pastor Jan did open up the topic a little further to say there's abomination of desolation statement. Is this a statement for the future? And he talked primarily about what continues as a spirit. We are not saying history captures. There's a couple of points in time where we saw Gentiles in 168 B.C. Antiochus Epiphanes, a Roman general captured Jerusalem. He went to the temple and he profaned it by offering sacrifices to Roman false gods in the temple. And so a lot of people that is an abomination of desolation.Furthermore, history talks about after the Romans in this siege of 70 A.D. that I'm going to talk about in detail in a little bit. After they conquered Jerusalem and the temple, they did offer sacrifices to their gods in what remained of the temple space. But one of the things that Pastor Jan on really tried to focus us on is that the greatest travesty, the greatest abomination of desolation that ever occurred in history was done by those who were supposed to be the chosen people of God. The Jewish authorities, the Sanhedrin, the high priest rejected Jesus Christ, the anointed one, the son of God who showed who he was through his miracles, through his word, through his faithfulness and sacrifice and obedience. They rejected him. And for 40 years, what did they do? They rejected him so much to the point, the very presence of God, the word incarnate, they rejected him to the point that they conspired with their enemies, the Romans to send him to the cross. And so this destruction of Jerusalem that happened in 70 A.D. four decades after Christ, for four decades, they stood with hardness of heart against their standing on Jesus Christ. They desolated the perfect spotless land of God and the rejection of him.And what perhaps the continuation of that is anyone who claims that he was wrong. He was not who he said he was. In the local church, in authorities, religious authorities, those who reject Christ are in a way profaning what is holy in rejecting Jesus. And so this abomination of desolation ... Pasture Jan on goes in more detail. But specifically these verses, let me take us back, they're talking about the destruction of Jerusalem.When the holy temple is desecrated Luke chapter 20 verses 20 to 21 also adds to this phrase, when you see the city surrounded by armies flee. So when you see the temple being desecrated and you see the city of Jerusalem surrounded by armies, run as fast as you can run. This is verses 14 23. Don't pack up your belongings. There isn't any time. When you see these things run. Hopefully you're not pregnant. Hopefully it's not winter because that'll make the flee harder. Jesus is speaking very directly here about the destruction of the temple and he's warning his disciples about ... He's given warnings about how it'll happen. Mark verse 19 talks about it's a calamity tribulation that the world has never seen before. So 40 years after this discussion between Jesus and the disciples on the Mount of Olives again in year 70, the Romans completely demolished Jerusalem. The temple and Jerusalem. Josephus, the Jewish historian, recorded details of this event.He tells us that in response to a Jewish uprising in year 66, the Roman army laid siege to the city of Jerusalem. Romans built a high wall around the city. Almost every tree within miles of the city was cut down to build the wall, transforming the landscape of Jerusalem into a desert. And the Romans dug a deep trench all around the city. No one could get in, no one could get out, no food or water could be brought in. Any Jews who tried to flee Jerusalem were captured and crucified and placed on top of the wall for everyone to see. After four years of this, tens of thousands of Jews, sometimes 500 plus a day, who tried to escape were crucified on the wall. Just absolutely horrific. And the people who were left inside that were dying of starvation. Eventually the Roman army did breach the walls of Jerusalem and they slaughtered the surviving Jews and burned the entire city, including the temple.Josephus estimated that during the Roman siege of Jerusalem, over 1.1 million people were killed, mainly Jews, and that another 97,000 were captured and enslaved. And the temple, there's a lot of theories about why was every stone broken down. There's a theory that there was just such animosity through this long conflict that the Romans just with vehemence just wanted to sack the Jews. Sack the city. So in their anger, they destroyed every last stone. There's also theories that the gold all over the temple and perhaps in the homes there's gold in the walls, that they were seeking the treasure. There's a theory that they did burn the temple as part of the process and some of the gold melted into the cracks between the rocks. So perhaps that drove them to destroy each stone. But we do find history shows us that Christ's prophecy in verse one, verse two, "Do you see these great stone buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." That happened. So think about the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Greece. The Romans didn't destroy it. We can still see it today. But the Romans actually, they initially wanted to preserve the temple, but they found they're just losing too many soldiers. So that's when they set fire to it. But not one stone was left upon another just as Jesus said. Even the foundation was taken up.So this verse 13, chapter 13, the first section is about warning to not be deceived, be steady as you face deception. This section, it talks about the destruction of the temple before anything else. The third section of Jesus' answer starts in verse 24, and this is our primary text for the day, and I'm going to try my best to speed through. He's transitioning from what is going to happen in the temple to discussion on the end of time and the coming of the son of man. So Jesus is answering the disciples questions about the timing of Jesus' return. When are you going to return? When's the last day coming? This is where Jesus answers that."But in those days," verse 24 to 27, "after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and then the moon will not give its light and the stars will be falling from heaven and the powers in the heavens will be shaken and they'll see the sun of men coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven." So all of this ... This is crucial to understand the passage. All of these verses here in the third section of the chapter state that God's power will be seen in an unmistakable way at the end of times. It will be very distinct from what we see upon war and travesty in our current times.An earthquake, a tsunami, a hurricane. Don't think those are things that will usher in the end. Those are small compared to what's going to happen in the end. He says you're going to see stars fall from the sky, the sun go dark. Jesus, the son of man will come in the clouds with power and glory. Angels probably visibly will be gathering the Lord's people. When you see God's power coming like it never did before in an unmistakable manner, that is the sign that the end is here. The end is imminent. That's what we watch for the end. And in the middle of this display of power, he's going to, as the skies break down, natural disasters that we've never seen before, the sun of man, in a split second, he'll appear. He'll come in the clouds and everyone is going to see him and they're going to know it's him. There's not going to be a question, who is this guy? Is this him? Should I follow him? Maybe I can keep eating right now. No. It's like we're going to know it's him.Christ is going to return and the fullness of his glory and he will complete the work that he began. He'll send his angels to gather all of his people, all the elect. Those who have received him by grace through faith. We as Christians can look forward ... As we understand this, as he returns and he is going to gather in his elect, we can look forward to this day if it happens in our lifetime. Like my daughter Clara looks forward to Christmas and her birthday, we can look forward to it. It'll be a good day for us. If we're dead, when that day happens, our sleeping bodies will rise and be united with our resurrected souls for ever. This is the great hope of the people of God, the elect. For those who are in Jesus Christ. This is the end of the present time, the current order of creation before Jesus makes all things new unblemished by sin and the enemy.So in the first section, don't be deceived. In the second section, temple will be destroyed very soon. The third section, Christ will return in glory in the midst of an unmistakable display of God's power. And now the last section, this section is a little different than the first three. The first three are primarily predictions. Jesus is telling the disciples when these things will occur in response to his questions. This is more prescriptive. Jesus is telling them what to do.The first part of this section, it's verses 28 to 31. It said ... This is very important to understand this passage. It said specifically with regard to the destruction of the temple, not the end of times. So he tells them, learn the lesson from the fig tree, verse 28. "From the fig tree, learn its lesson. As soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves you know that summer is near. So also when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near at the very gates." When you see these things happening, army surrounding Jerusalem, the temple desecrated, you know that destruction of the temple and Jerusalem is right around the corner. It will happen. As sure as you know, summer will happen when the fig tree puts out its leaves. So in an agricultural society, they would've understood when the fig tree is putting out its leaves, summer is coming. When these things happen, be assured the temple Jerusalem is going to be destroyed. That's verse 28 to 31. Be ready. And Jesus assures them that this destruction of Jerusalem will happen before this generation passes away. In verse 31, he says, "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place."So those who are alive right now, right then at the moment that Jesus is teaching, some of them will still be alive. That generation will be alive to witness the destruction of Jerusalem. He's given them the prescriptive order to be steady, be ready, flee when that time comes. They'll experience it or witness it. They need to be ready for it. And so this is crucial to the understanding of the text. And then in verse 32, he transitions to talk about the end of time again. His return. He says, "But concerning that day or that hour ..." Verse 32 literally begins, "But concerning that day or that hour ..." Another period of time, another moment in time. We're now speaking about the end of time Jesus second coming. He assures them, no one knows when that day or hour will come. Verse 32. "But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven nor the son, but only the father." No one knows when the end will come. Nobody knows when the day or hour will come. Nobody will be able to predict it or narrow it down to a time or a day. Nobody knows.Jesus even says that only the father knows when Christ will return. Not even the angels. Not even himself. And I don't know how that can be. This is a big question of the Trinity and just the recesses of how the Father, the son, the spirit relate. And we can't really answer that question right now. We take Jesus' word for it as the word of God, but we take now practical application. If Jesus doesn't know, then why are we in the church, in the world spending so much time trying to figure the timing and specific manner of this day out? If Jesus doesn't know, we're not going to figure it out. If we don't know the time, but Jesus gives orders ... We don't know the time, but Jesus, he gives us orders of prescription, a command for followers to await the last day, the day of his return by being steady and being ready. And that's what verses 33 to 37, that's how he closed the chapter."Be on guard. Keep awake for you. Do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey when he leaves his home and puts his servants in charge each with his work and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake For you do not know when the master of the house will come. In the evening or at midnight or when the rooster crows or in the morning. Lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you, I say to all, stay awake." So when you see that unmistakable display of God's power, you will know that the end is upon us. Jesus is saying, be ready for it. Don't be found sleeping. We need to expect and anticipate that moment without getting fixated upon the details of when it will be. The timing of it. When the end comes, when he does return, what does he want to see? He wants to see us awake and faithful. He needs to find us focused living by faith following him. Be ready for Christ's return by running the race steadily and faithfully. We don't chase the buzz about the end of time. We don't speculate about dates and predictions. We don't over-read into current events. Instead be ready. That's Christ's orders. That's his prescription. And what do we do day-to-day? We do what God is called us to do. We're about that task.He may return in a day or 10,000 years. Whenever he does, we need to be found ready. And so we live by faith, have our eyes fixed on Jesus, the only savior, our only king, the true prophet. We don't get drawn into the temptations of the world thinking, I can do this stuff and before I die or Christ comes, I can repent. We don't function like that. It could be today. We need to be ready. Furthermore, a lot of Christians are so obsessed with the end of times because they think that it'll wake people up to start living for Christ. That's why people have the signs out on the streets. They're trying to essentially scare people. Hey, the end is about to come. Repent. It's not all out of bad motives. They think if we know it's near, then it'll make us start living in the right way.But I asked if you knew that the end was in a year, would that change the way you live the next year? If you're a Christian in Christ today, it really shouldn't. You should be living this day, this moment, this year as if Christ is going to return in the very next moment. We're always being ready. We're always awake. We're not going to get focused on not getting caught sleeping, not scrolling around through TikTok shorts, YouTube media shorts, living just slovenly, slothful lives. We focus on the work that he's called us to. We say, "Lord, what would you have me do today?" And we seek faithfulness to and the power and blessing of his spirit as we try to do it for his glory. The return of Christ, it means both judgment and salvation. For those who are spiritually sleeping, those who are not following Christ, it will be a time of judgment and his wrath will crush you worse than the destruction of Jerusalem. And it's a destruction that you will not be able to flee. It will be worse than anything you could imagine.The good news is that what's amazing is that all you need to do to avoid such wrath is trust that Christ went to the cross to pay the penalty for your sin, your rebellion against him. The crucifixion scene of Mark in chapter 15 states that Christ faced darkness, an unnatural supernatural darkness in the middle of the day for three hours on the cross. Three hours of supernatural darkness as he drank the cup of God's wrath for all of the elect. After he drank that cup, drank the full wrath, the full punishment deserved, he shouted in victory and breathed his last.If you believe that he did that for you, you can be a saved and avoid the wrath of God at the last day. For those whose eyes and hearts are already fixed on Christ, who trust in him for the forgiveness of their sins, who follow him as Lord and Savior, this day will be a day of joyful salvation. It'll be like a great holiday, a holy day, the holiest of holy days that we look forward to where we will be gathered into the fullness of his glorified presence. Perhaps I dare say we should look forward to it like a small child looks forward to Christmas or a birthday for it will be, in a sense, a new birthday where we're gifted with our resurrected eternal bodies free from the influence of Satan and power of sin. If we pause like Clara to revel and meditate on the and gifts to come that's ahead on that day that are mentioned in Scripture, we would be willing to endure any hardship to get to that day. And so I ask, what kind of day is it going to be for you? Are you ready? Are you awake? Is your life marked by steadiness or steadfastness of faith that when Jesus does appear in an unmistakable fashion that you know have assurance that you'll be gathered by the angels or do you face death, darkness, wrath?Our world, even the church, it's guilty of speculating over the end of times, but Jesus says don't get caught up in it. Jesus says, "Watch, be steady, be ready. And in the meantime, may God, may he be glorified in all that you do." And I haven't talked too much about what that means practically speaking. What does it mean that God may be glorified as we're steady and ready one day at a time trusting him, awaiting his return with patience and self-control? I'm going to close by reading 12: 9 through 21 as this makes our daily tasks clear. This is what Christians do as we await Jesus's return.Romans 12: 9 through 21. "Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil. Hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful and zeal but fervent in spirit. Serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope. Be patient in tribulation. Be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own say. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God for it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. To the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink for by doing, you'll heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."Let's close in prayer. Heavenly Father, we just come to you with humility to say that in our impatience, in our faithlessness, in our fear of man, fear of physical pain, fear of death, Lord, we confuse and conflate your promises about your presence with us through trials, through tribulations. We confuse and conflate just the joy, the reward that's ahead of us with Christ's return. Lord, we just pray forgive us and Jesus and help us to leave here steadfast in faith, knowing that you will be with us, whatever is to come in this life individually in our lives or as greater society rises and falls. Lord, give us faith that when we step out to honor you, that you can use us to bring redemption. Bring your grace, bring your mercy to the brokenness around us. Let us never grow weary of doing good for your glory. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

This media has been made available by Mosaic Boston Church. If you'd like to check out more resources, learn about Mosaic Boston, or donate to this ministry, please visit mosaicboston.com. Heavenly Father, we thank you that you, the God of love, the living and loving God, sent your son Jesus Christ to live the life that we were supposed to live, he did it in our stead, and to die the death that we deserve to die for our law breaking. Jesus, we thank you that through your resurrection on that third day, on that first Sunday, the first resurrection day, you triumph over Satan's sin and death. The greatest enemies, our greatest enemies were placed as a foothold under your feet. Lord Jesus, we thank you that you are the life and the resurrection. You promise that whoever believes in you, though he die, will pass into eternal life. We thank you for the promise of the resurrection, that in the resurrection we will rise with glorified bodies, transformed bodies. We pray, Lord, that you continue to establish us by the power of the Holy Spirit in your will in obedience of faith.We thank you for the Holy Scriptures, Lord, and as we meditate on how Christ read the Scriptures, how he revered the Scriptures, how he submitted to them, I pray that you make us some people who love the holy Word of God and make us some people that long to be truly devout, sincere in our faith, knowing that your opinion of us is the one that matters most. Lord, make us the people that hate hypocrisy, hate hypocrisy within ourselves, that distance between what we show to the world and what we are inside and make us the people of integrity, integrated within loving you with all of our heart, with all of our strength, with all of our mind and strength. Lord bless our time, the Holy Word. We pray this in Christ's name, amen.We're continuing our sermon series through the Gospel of Mark called the Gospel of Mark and the Secret of God's Kingdom, Kingdom Come. The title of sermon today is Love God and Hate Lies. You've seen the yard sign, "Hate has no home here." Well, then God has no home there because God hates, and that sign hates God. God hates because God is love. Because he is love, there are things that he hates. In Proverbs 6:16-19 it says, "There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are in abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers."Our God is a God of perfect holiness; therefore, he must hate evil to remain in perfect holiness. And our God is a God of infinite love; therefore, he must hate that which destroys the object of his love lest he isn't loving. To love is to hate. To love God is to hate Satan. To love good is to hate evil. Proverbs 8:13 says, "The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance in the way of evil and perverted speech I hate." Or Romans 12:9, "Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good." So to love truth, we must hate lies.Psalm 119:163 says, "I hate and abhor falsehood, but I love your law." To love God's word is to hate any perversion of it, any adulteration of it, and to love the Gospel is to hate any false gospel. Galatians 1:8-9, "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed." Strong words.A false gospel dishonors the person and the work of Christ, and Christ is the supreme object of God's love, the supreme display of his infinite goodness, and the one who accomplishes God's ultimate purpose to display his glory. In false gospels, they lead people away from Christ and the gospel by which they may be saved and enjoy forgiveness of sin, new life, and eternal happiness with God. God's love for people leads him to a place where he does hate that which leads them astray, which destroys them. And that's sin. God hates sin. In addition to its ugliness and opposition to the beauty of his holiness, sin ruins people. Therefore, loving God who loves people, he hates that which ruins them. True love hates that which hurts the object of God's love. To love sincerity is to hate hypocrisy. That's what we see in our text today, that Jesus hates hypocrisy. To conform to the image of Jesus Christ is to love what he loves and hate what he hates. Jesus loves God's Word; therefore, we are to love God's Word. Jesus loves the bride, the church; therefore, we are to love the church as Jesus did.Today we're in Mark 12:35-44. Would you look at the text with me? "And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, 'How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?' David himself and the Holy Spirit declared, 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand until I your enemies under your feet. David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?"' And the great throng heard him gladly. And in his teaching he said, 'Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.'And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins which make a penny. He called his disciples to him and said to them, 'Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.'" This is the reading of God's holy and errant and fallible authoritative word. May he write these eternal truths upon our hearts.Three points to frame up our time. First, love the Scriptures like Jesus; second, hate hypocrisy like Jesus; and third, love sacrificial devotion like Jesus. First, love the Scriptures like Jesus. Having vanquished his opponents in a series of verbal duels against the synagogue, the Sanhedrin, the scribes of the Sanhedrin, we see this in Chapter 11, Chapter 12, he silenced the crowd. He silenced the religious establishment, the religious leaders. We know that through entering Jerusalem to the adulation of the crowds who cried out "Hosanna!" Then by entering the temple courtyard and driving out the merchants and the money changers, Jesus is throwing down the gauntlet. "Sanhedrin religious leaders, what are you going to do with the one who claims that he is the son of David, with the one who claims that the Messiah is here?"Through his actions, Jesus is messing with the support and the cash flow of the Sanhedrin. So they confront him publicly, and privately they plot to kill him. Jesus overturns their tables, and now he turns the tables against them. After a day of them questioning him, now he questions them with the question of the day. And the question is, "Is Jesus Lord? If Jesus is Lord, Sanhedrin, what are you going to do about it? Are you going to submit to Christ as Lord?" This is Verse 35, "As Jesus taught in the temple, he said, 'How can the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of God?'" In the Greek where it says, "He taught in the temple," it says, "He answered," meaning, he's answering their silence. He has silenced them. They should have then humbled themselves and said, "Lord, we humble ourselves underneath your authority and the teaching of Scripture," But that's not what they do. So he now answers their proud silence by asking them a question.Jesus had already entered Jerusalem in triumph. He has been hailed as the vanguard of David's restored dominion. This is the Messiah. He's here. The people have accepted him. Now Jesus is asking, "How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?" He used the word Christ, which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word for messiah, the one who is anointed to be king. Jesus had accepted the Messianic praises. He is the son of David. But by asking this question and by starting this conversation, what Jesus is getting at is, is the messiah only the son of David? Because if the messiah is only the son of David, then the messiah is only king of Israel. That's what they thought. That's what Israel thought that the messiah is going to be. Because David was the greatest king Israel ever had, the messiah is David's son; therefore, the messiah is going to be a king just like David, a king of only Israel.This is where they wrongly assumed that God was the God of only Israel, that God was the God of only their people, only their nation. So Jesus here is expanding the definition of the messiah by asking, "How can the messiah be only David's son?" What the people could not see is that while Jesus came as Israel's Messiah, he didn't come to save Israel from Rome. He didn't come to save them from the occupying forces. He didn't come to restore Israel to their former glory. He came to save them. He came to save them from their sins, but not just them, also people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. Their expectations were not too high for the Messiah. They were too low. The scribes of Jesus' day interpreted the messianic prophecies to mean that Israel's messiah would be a biological descendant of David and a great king to return Israel to its greatness.This makes all the more surprising what happens next. Jesus goes on the offensive, not against pagans, but against Jewish scribes who teach that the messiah is simply the son of David. So Jesus in Verse 36 says, "David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared, 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet."'" Here King Jesus quotes Psalm 1:10, which was authored by David, but Jesus doesn't say, "David himself declared." He says, "David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared." Here Jesus is revealing how he viewed Scripture, how he viewed the Hebrew Scriptures, the Old Testament, as we call it, that the Holy Spirit is the one that penned the Scriptures through David, through the authors.Here we see the Holy Trinity. The Spirit is writing through King David, and then it says the Lord, that first Lord in the Hebrew is Yahweh, that's God the Father, and the second Lord is Adonai, which is Lord, which is Jesus Christ. So God the Father says to God the Son, "Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet." We have the Holy Trinity right there in that text.But how does this inform your understanding of Holy Scripture? Do you view Holy Scripture as Jesus did that it was written by the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. 2 Peter 1:16 says, "For we do not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father and the voice was born to him by the Majestic Glory, 'This is my beloved son with whom I'm well pleased,' we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns in the morning, star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."I find J.C. Ryle's comments here extremely relevant. He says the following, "Let us learn in the first place from these verses how much there is about Christ in the Old Testament Scriptures. Our Lord desires to expose the ignorance of the Jewish teachers about the true nature of the Messiah." He does it by referring to a passage in the Book of Psalms and showing that the scribes did not rightly understand it. In so doing, he shows us that one subject about which David was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write was Christ. We know from our Lord's own words in another place that the Old Testament Scriptures testify of Christ, John 5:39, "They were intended to teach men about Christ by types and figures and prophecy until he himself should appear on Earth."We should always keep this in mind in reading the Old Testament, but never so much as in reading the Psalms. Christ is undoubtedly to be found in every part of the law in the prophets, but nowhere is he so much to be found as in the Book of Psalms. His experience and sufferings as first coming into the world, his future glory and his final triumph as second coming are the chief subjects of many a passage in that wonderful part of God's word. It is a true saying that we should look for Christ quite as much as David in reading the Psalms.Let us beware of undervaluing or despising the Old Testament. In its place and proportion, the Old Testament is just as valuable as the New. There are probably many rich passages in that part of the Bible which have never yet been fully explored. There are deep things about Jesus in it, which many walk over like hidden gold mines and know not the treasures beneath their feet. Let us reverence all the Bible. All is given by inspiration and all is profitable. One part throws light upon another, and no part can ever be neglected without loss and damage to our souls. A boastful contempt for the Old Testament Scriptures has often proved the first step towards infidelity.So as Jesus quotes Psalm 110, one thing to note is that the New Testament quotes Psalm 110 more than any other text from the Old Testament. 33 times it quotes Psalm 110. I'll read the whole passage of Psalm 110:1, "The Lord says to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.' The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies! Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, 'You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.' The Lord is at your right hand; he shall shatter kings on the day of his wrath. He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he shall shatter chiefs over the wide earth. He will drink from the brook by the way; and therefore he will lift up his head." So the same Lord that is referred to in Verse 1 is also referred to in Verse 4. There we read, "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind. You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."So we see here that not only is the Lord on the throne, not only is the Lord the King, but he's also the priest. He's not a priest according to the order of Levi. He's a priest according to the order of Melchizedek. So whoever this Messiah is, yes, he's the son of David, but he's so much greater. His dignity is so much more profound because he is eternal. He's an eternal priest, an eternal king. "Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet." The messiah was thought to be a biological ancestor of David. Yet, David here is saying, "No, the Messiah is greater than I am, much more exalted than I am." Possesses a far greater dignity than David's own. In fact, David calls the Messiah, "My Lord," and Jesus' question is here, "How is the son of David called Lord by David?"That's the question of Verse 37. "David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son? And the great throng heard him gladly." The logic seems to be that no father calls a child or calls a son Lord. Therefore, if David calls the Messiah Lord, is it appropriate to call the Messiah just the son of David? How can the Messiah fulfill these prophecies about an eternal Messiah if he is simply David's son? This is what Jesus here is questioning. He's not denying his physical descent from King David. No. Jesus is from the tribe of Judah. He is the Lion of Judah.What he's saying is, "I need to expand your definition of the messiah." He's not just the son of David. He's not just the messiah for Israel. He's also the Son of God. That's why David calls his son Lord. By asking this provocative question, Jesus is letting the people know he's the Lord. He's the Lord that David referred to. Yes, he's the son of David. He's also the Son of God. If he is David's Lord, then his messianic mission cannot be limited simply to restoring the nation of Israel to its former greatness.Jesus' kingdom is not of this world; therefore, his kingdom is for the whole world. Jesus isn't just king of the Jews. He's not just king of Israel. He's not just king of Christians. He is king over everything. The question is, are we going to submit to him here and now and say, "Lord Jesus, I'm yours. I want to serve you. I love you. What would you have me do?" or do we wait until all of the enemies of Jesus Christ will be placed under his feet, including those who reject the gospel in this life?The irony is that David's Lord and descendant is standing in the very same temple which was designed to point Israel to Jesus Christ, and they don't recognize him. Although the people were amazed at his words, they definitely didn't fully understand what Jesus is saying. If they had, in a few days they would not have cried out, "Crucify him!" They heard him greatly. They received him gladly. Romans 1:3-4 makes this clear that Jesus is both the son of David and the Son of God. "...concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of in by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord."In the next passage, Jesus will impugn the characters of the scribes in the Sanhedrin, accusing them bluntly of oppressing and of their hypocrisy. Meaning, they mouth the words, "Yes, Lord. Yes, you're Yahweh. Yes, you're Adonai," but deep inside they had no love for the Lord, and therefore, they were hypocrites. Jesus shows us how much he hates hypocrisy. In point two: hate hypocrisy like Jesus. Psalm 97:10, "O you who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked." One of the greatest forms of evil is hypocrisy because hypocrisy is evil masquerading as good. It's lies masquerading as truth. It's wolves in sheep clothing. How odious is the sin of hypocrisy in the sight of Jesus, so he says in Verse 38, "Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts."This is the irony of ironies that those who claim to love God the most, who claim to love the law of God the most, who view themselves as the guardian and defenders of the faith didn't know God. They didn't want the blessings of God as much as they wanted the trappings that came with religious service. They claimed to be zealots for God, but they devoted themselves entirely to presenting themselves as righteous, presenting themselves as holy. These men may strive to please God in some sense, but they love the perks of holiness. They love walking around in their flowing robes, receiving the greetings of the people, taking the seats of honor, talking as if they know the Lord when they don't.Then Jesus exposes that they're actually using this front, this façade, this posturing as a means to evil gain. When Jesus says, "Beware of the scribes," he's not just saying, "Okay, beware of those religious people out there." He's saying, "Beware of the same hypocrisy in their heart, beware of that same hypocrisy in your own." Hypocrisy is so dangerous because it's lies that people begin to believe themselves. It's self-delusion. If you think you're right with God, if you think you're righteous, if you think you're a good person, you start to begin believing that, and you want to be around people who think you're righteous. This is exactly what these people were doing. In an honor-conscious, Greco-Roman society, these distinctions about the robes and the seats and the positions of honor and the greetings, there were important signs of status. What Jesus is saying that that's what was most important to them than the delight of God the Father.Then Mark 12:40, "... who devour widows' houses and for pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation." They were devourers of the good of the poor saying they did so on the grounds of justice, but in reality they were destroying those on the fringes. Here Jesus rips off the scribes' mask of respectability to reveal the brutal, even demonic reality underneath. We see this in the words, "They love to be at feasts," where there was civilized dining, and then when no one's looking, they're devouring the houses of the widows. The same word for devour was used only one other time in Mark, in Mark 4:4 where Satan comes like the bird to eat the Word of God, the seed of the Word of God. These very pillars of society, men distinguished as such by dress and universal acclaim, they're revealed to be demonic abusers of the helpless, and then they use prayer as a means of veiling their assaults.To add insult to injury, in the book of Deuteronomy, the Levites were included along with the widows, the orphan, and the resident aliens as people who require societal support. So the Levites, they didn't own land, and because they didn't have land ownership, they relied on the people and the gifts of the people for their sustenance. But instead of relating to the widow and the orphan and the resident alien, they betrayed a sacred trust. They violated it and defrauded them. This is particularly heinous in the eyes of the Lord because God loves the widow, and he loves the orphan, and he loves the resident alien.The widow's house was often the sum total of her inheritance. That's all she had. What these scribes did was they would go to the widow and they'd say, "Well, have you paid your tithes to the temple? Oh, we see you have not." Then through their legalese, they would take the house away from the widow, and they would say, "We're giving it to the Lord." How does the Lord view this? He said they're going to receive great condemnation. They're going to receive God's justice. If you do not repent of your sin, justice will come down upon you for this law-breaking, for this heinous crime. The Old Testament often threatens with judgment those who oppress widows, orphans, and other helpless persons.The Lord hates defrauding. He hates robbing. If you've ever been robbed, if you've ever been defrauded, you know that feeling of violation. I was actually surprised by this. A neighbor ran up to me a little while back. He said, "Have you seen my daughter's bicycle?" They had parked it in the back of the condominium association, and then someone came and just took the bicycle. This is a very established, even-keeled gentleman. I will never forget the look of disgust as if he was violated. It's just a bicycle. Well, people defraud all the time, that we live in an evil world. The Lord sees and the Lord will bring justice. We as believers, we are to be thankful to the Lord for that, that the Lord hates evil and he will judge it. The question we got to ask, is there evil in my life, in my heart that the Lord hates, that the Lord wants to condemn? If so, I need to repent.That's how you battle hypocrisy. You battle hypocrisy by saying, "Lord, yes, I present myself as a follower of Christ, but when I get on my knees, I know my sin, I know my evil and you know it as well. Lord, forgive me. Lord give me grace and help me put this evil to death." These were people that used evil as... They used the excuse that good will come or we'll take the houses. We're going to build up the temple. Saint Paul writes in Romans 3:8, "Why not do evil that good may come? As some people slanderously charged us with saying, 'Their condemnation is just.'"Isaiah 10 makes this practice of the scribes as they oppress the widows clear. Isaiah 10:1, "Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil and that they may make the fatherless their prey! What will you do on the day of punishment in the ruin that will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help and where will you leave your wealth? Nothing remains but to crouch among the prisoners or fall among the slain. For all this, his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still."The oppressors are said to defraud their victims with evil writs or iniquitous decrees or documents, documents that would come from a scribe. They would seize the property because they said, "Look, according to our documents, you haven't paid the tithes, so we're taking it." Jesus Christ, he hates this hypocrisy, he hates this injustice, he hates this evil, and above all else, he hates the fact that these people presented themselves as righteous and they're using their pseudo-righteousness as a cover for evil.The Lord reserved his strongest language, his strongest and heaviest denunciations against hypocrisy. Yes, it's bad enough to be led away and captive to open sin and to serve diverse lusts and pleasures, but it's even worse to pretend like you're having a living faith, but in reality, you serve the world. So we as believers, we have to be aware, "Beware," Jesus says, "of falling into this abominable sin, beware of ever putting on a cloak of hypocrisy." Let us be real, honest, thorough, and sincere in our following of Christ. We can trick people for a little while, but we will never trick God. God is not mocked. He's the discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart and his all-seeing eye pierces through the varnish, the tinsel which cover the unsound heart.Having predicted judgment of the scribes who devour widows' houses, Jesus now turns his gaze to an impoverished widow. He's sitting there watching as she gives, and he commends her for her generosity. The two passages are meant to be taken together. They're an illustration of the age-old motif of the two ways. There's two ways. You can either pretend to be a follower of the Lord but deep down inside it's just corruption and sin, or the path is offered to be like this widow where she is serving the Lord. No one sees, she thinks. It's all hidden, and her poverty is matched by her generosity. So we are to be careful to, yes, believe the right things but also live our lives in a way that our lives adorn the doctrine of Christ.This brings us to the third point: love sacrificial devotion like Jesus, Verse 41, "He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums." It says he sat down, and the sitting could be significant, especially after Jesus just claimed to be the Lord sitting at the right hand of Yahweh, and he sits opposite the treasury. Most exegesis say this treasury is part of the Woman's Court that had 13 brass receptacles shaped like trumpets. You would come up to the brass receptacle that's shaped like a trumpet, and you'll put your coins in. There was no paper currency at the time. So when people threw the coins in, the more coins, the bigger the coins, the heavier the coins, the more noise they made.When this poor widow brings her money, there's not much noise. Verse 42, "A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny." This is the least valuable of the Roman coins, the smallest coin in circulation. She's giving all she has, but it's not much. Jesus is there. He's watching and he's sitting. Verse 43, "He called his disciples to him and said to them, 'Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box.'" All those contributing, Jesus is using that phrase collectively, that this one widow gave more, according to Jesus, than everyone else combined.Why? Because of Verse 44, "They all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on." All she had to live on, that phrase is even her whole living. The word bios is used. It literally means life. She's given all she has. She's given her life, everything she had for her life. The crucial thing we learned is not the quantity that gives, but the scarcity from which one gives, what's subsequently left over. It's more commendable to give out of poverty than out of abundance, according to the Lord.I do want to point out that the Lord notices. The most sacrifices that we make for the Lord, no one sees, but the Lord does see, and the Lord does notice, and the Lord does keep track. The depth of the widow's sacrifice is emphasized by the repetition at the end. "She gives everything she has." When the rich young ruler came to Jesus Christ and said, "How can I obtain eternal life? How can I inherit eternal life?" Jesus says, "Go sell all that you have, all that you have." Here she gives all that she has.One thing to point out is, on the one hand, Jesus excoriates the Sanhedrin and the temple and the institution in this corruption. On the other hand, he points to this precious soul within the institution that doesn't know about all of the corruption. She's giving out of her love for the Lord. We see this example all throughout the Scriptures. In the Book of Luke, we see Zechariah, Elizabeth, Simeon, Anna, all who go to the temple to pray as expressions of their piety. But then also in the Book of Acts, we see Stephen get up and preach a sermon in which he excoriates the temple and predicts its destruction by God.So it is possible to recognize the corruption of an institution, the venality of its officers, at the same time to admire the piety of the simple souls who devote themselves to an innocent faith. Jesus' point is that what sinful men and women regard as piety like the scribes did, well, Jesus doesn't really care about that. The scribes had their robes and they had their seats and they had their greetings. They thought they gave a lot to the Lord. But the Lord is saying he cares more about the precious state of the heart of this woman. When the kingdom of God comes in power, God reverses everything sinful. Yet, religious people think about what God expects.This week I celebrated my birthday. Someone asked me, "What'd you do?" I said, "I did my favorite thing. I did nothing." That's my favorite thing. I went for a walk. Then we had Raising Cane's with my girls in the evening. It was a very nice. Raising Cane's shout out with the secret sauce. Then my daughters gave me a little gifts, little note cards. My youngest daughter gives me this card that she drew. It's beautiful. "Dad, you're the best dad ever," thank you, thank you, and a big picture, beautiful, we're holding hands.Then I open it up. There's a dollar bill inside. I was like, "No way!" I was like, "A dollar bill?" I'm looking at it, I was like, "It's a dollar bill. Baby, do you know inflation? Come on. It's not worth anything. You can't buy a thing." Maybe that's why she gave it to me. "Dad, I know inflation." No, she's in the first grade. She doesn't know about that. It's all she had. This is like her greatest treasure. "I'm six. What can I get my dad? I'm going to make him a card, and I'm going to give him my net worth. Here you go, a dollar." I'm never going to spend that dollar. I've got it on my mantle. I'm never going to spend it. It's so precious to me.That's what the Lord is saying. God looks at the heart. God notices not how much, but from how much. God does not look at the size of the gift but the dimensions of the sacrifice behind it. God looks at the heart of the giver. The depth of the widow's sacrifice is emphasized by the repetition at the end. "She gives everything she has, even her whole living all of her life." The widow is a fitting conclusion to the Lord's public ministry and is called to discipleship. Jesus said, "This is what it means to follow me. You take up your cross, deny yourself daily, and follow me." Here she is, a true disciple because she's lost her life for his sake, as Jesus says all true disciples will do.He, like her, will also give everything he has for the temple, but not the second temple, but the third temple. With his sacrifice on the cross, he's redeeming for himself a new people. Through those people, he creates a temple of the Spirit of God and a sanctuary not made by hands. This combination of self-sacrifice and eschatological construction will confound human ways of knowing. Jesus raises this contrast not to encourage us to give all that we have away, but rather to make the point that true piety, true faithfulness, true following of the Lord will often go unnoticed. True devotion will often go unnoticed because it's unassuming, because it's private.True piety is not a matter of mere external conformity to the law. Rather, true piety results from that faith to trust God to provide no matter what because he is a good God. But as Jesus insists, true righteousness isn't a matter of just outward demonstration. It's all about the heart. Then ultimately, we don't... Even with this widow, even this widow needed a righteousness that is not her own. She needed someone to die for her sins, to ransom her from the condemnation that we deserve. That's exactly what Jesus will do on the cross.So who is the Lord? Well, he is David's son, and he is also David's Lord. In other words, our Lord Jesus Christ here is saying that he is the Lord that demands that we love him with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind. In the previous text, the scribe says, "What's the greatest commandment?" and Jesus says, "Here O Israel, the Lord our God. The Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind." In our text, Jesus says, "I'm the Lord. Yahweh says to me, 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.'"So what Jesus here is saying is that he is the ultimate object of worship. The fact that Jesus of Nazareth was and is Almighty God is the single fact that unlocks the secret of your existence and the secret of the existence of every human being. It is the single reason why we as Christians have every right, not just right, every duty, obligation, we have every right and duty to say that every human being must become a Christian, every human being must become a follower of Christ. It's for this reason that Jesus, the first century man, has no rivals. He has no successors. His life is unique and it is final.If you make the crucial discovery that Jesus is God, you can't avoid the conclusion that all of the other religions are not true. That Islam, which regards Jesus just as a prophet, but not even the ultimate prophet, that Islam and, for that matter, Judaism or Buddhism or any other human religion or philosophy is wrong at the very key point. They may be right about many things, but they're wrong about the most essential point. It is the fact that Jesus Christ is God that makes the Christian faith true and all the other religions and philosophies false at the bottom.In this text, we have two mysteries for the price of one. We have the plurality of the persons within the unity of the Godhead. We have the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and we have the union of the Godhead and the manhood in the person of Jesus. He is the son of David; therefore, he is fully man. He is the Son of God; therefore, he is God himself. But mysterious as all this may be, the logic is clear and the logic is irresistible. If Jesus is God and died for the sins of the elect and obviously that and only that is the way of salvation, Jesus is the only way that we can be reconciled with God.For someone who has embraced Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the fact that he is both God and man makes him unquestionably deserving of our absolute and unquestioning loyalty. There's only two ways. Either you love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind in this age, either you love Jesus Christ; or you are his enemy and you will be placed under his feet for all eternity. If you're not sure, today we urge you, we plead with you, turn to Jesus Christ in your heart of hearts in prayer and say, "Lord Jesus, forgive me for my sins. You are Lord. I am not. I have sinned. And Lord Jesus, forgive me. Give me grace and make me a person that is fully devoted to you no matter the sacrifice."1 Corinthians 12:3, "Therefore, I want you to understand that no one's speaking in the spirit of God ever says 'Jesus is accursed!' and no one can say, 'Jesus is Lord" except in the Holy Spirit." Then the concluding words of 1 Corinthians 16:22, "If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen."Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this text and we thank you that you are a God who loves us; therefore, you hate sin. On the cross, Lord, we see both your love for us in that you sent your Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for our sin. We also see your hatred of sin as you pour out your wrath on your Son as he bore our sins, the penalty for our sins. Lord Jesus, we pray that you continue to make us the people that love you, love your word, love the truth, and hate lies. Make us the people who long to be sincere in our walk with you. Make us the people who hate hypocrisy, beginning with the hypocrisy that's so close to our hearts. The Holy Spirit, continue to build us up as your church, the church of Jesus Christ. Continue to draw the elect and continue to use us powerfully as a witness here in the city. We pray this in Christ's name. Amen.

This media has been made available by Mosaic Boston Church. If you'd like to check out more resources, learn about Mosaic Boston, or donate to this ministry, please visit mosaicboston.com. Heavenly Father, we thank you that you, the God of love, the living and loving God, sent your son Jesus Christ to live the life that we were supposed to live, he did it in our stead, and to die the death that we deserve to die for our law breaking. Jesus, we thank you that through your resurrection on that third day, on that first Sunday, the first resurrection day, you triumph over Satan's sin and death. The greatest enemies, our greatest enemies were placed as a foothold under your feet. Lord Jesus, we thank you that you are the life and the resurrection. You promise that whoever believes in you, though he die, will pass into eternal life. We thank you for the promise of the resurrection, that in the resurrection we will rise with glorified bodies, transformed bodies. We pray, Lord, that you continue to establish us by the power of the Holy Spirit in your will in obedience of faith.We thank you for the Holy Scriptures, Lord, and as we meditate on how Christ read the Scriptures, how he revered the Scriptures, how he submitted to them, I pray that you make us some people who love the holy Word of God and make us some people that long to be truly devout, sincere in our faith, knowing that your opinion of us is the one that matters most. Lord, make us the people that hate hypocrisy, hate hypocrisy within ourselves, that distance between what we show to the world and what we are inside and make us the people of integrity, integrated within loving you with all of our heart, with all of our strength, with all of our mind and strength. Lord bless our time, the Holy Word. We pray this in Christ's name, amen.We're continuing our sermon series through the Gospel of Mark called the Gospel of Mark and the Secret of God's Kingdom, Kingdom Come. The title of sermon today is Love God and Hate Lies. You've seen the yard sign, "Hate has no home here." Well, then God has no home there because God hates, and that sign hates God. God hates because God is love. Because he is love, there are things that he hates. In Proverbs 6:16-19 it says, "There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are in abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers."Our God is a God of perfect holiness; therefore, he must hate evil to remain in perfect holiness. And our God is a God of infinite love; therefore, he must hate that which destroys the object of his love lest he isn't loving. To love is to hate. To love God is to hate Satan. To love good is to hate evil. Proverbs 8:13 says, "The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance in the way of evil and perverted speech I hate." Or Romans 12:9, "Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good." So to love truth, we must hate lies.Psalm 119:163 says, "I hate and abhor falsehood, but I love your law." To love God's word is to hate any perversion of it, any adulteration of it, and to love the Gospel is to hate any false gospel. Galatians 1:8-9, "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed." Strong words.A false gospel dishonors the person and the work of Christ, and Christ is the supreme object of God's love, the supreme display of his infinite goodness, and the one who accomplishes God's ultimate purpose to display his glory. In false gospels, they lead people away from Christ and the gospel by which they may be saved and enjoy forgiveness of sin, new life, and eternal happiness with God. God's love for people leads him to a place where he does hate that which leads them astray, which destroys them. And that's sin. God hates sin. In addition to its ugliness and opposition to the beauty of his holiness, sin ruins people. Therefore, loving God who loves people, he hates that which ruins them. True love hates that which hurts the object of God's love. To love sincerity is to hate hypocrisy. That's what we see in our text today, that Jesus hates hypocrisy. To conform to the image of Jesus Christ is to love what he loves and hate what he hates. Jesus loves God's Word; therefore, we are to love God's Word. Jesus loves the bride, the church; therefore, we are to love the church as Jesus did.Today we're in Mark 12:35-44. Would you look at the text with me? "And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, 'How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?' David himself and the Holy Spirit declared, 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand until I your enemies under your feet. David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?"' And the great throng heard him gladly. And in his teaching he said, 'Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.'And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins which make a penny. He called his disciples to him and said to them, 'Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.'" This is the reading of God's holy and errant and fallible authoritative word. May he write these eternal truths upon our hearts.Three points to frame up our time. First, love the Scriptures like Jesus; second, hate hypocrisy like Jesus; and third, love sacrificial devotion like Jesus. First, love the Scriptures like Jesus. Having vanquished his opponents in a series of verbal duels against the synagogue, the Sanhedrin, the scribes of the Sanhedrin, we see this in Chapter 11, Chapter 12, he silenced the crowd. He silenced the religious establishment, the religious leaders. We know that through entering Jerusalem to the adulation of the crowds who cried out "Hosanna!" Then by entering the temple courtyard and driving out the merchants and the money changers, Jesus is throwing down the gauntlet. "Sanhedrin religious leaders, what are you going to do with the one who claims that he is the son of David, with the one who claims that the Messiah is here?"Through his actions, Jesus is messing with the support and the cash flow of the Sanhedrin. So they confront him publicly, and privately they plot to kill him. Jesus overturns their tables, and now he turns the tables against them. After a day of them questioning him, now he questions them with the question of the day. And the question is, "Is Jesus Lord? If Jesus is Lord, Sanhedrin, what are you going to do about it? Are you going to submit to Christ as Lord?" This is Verse 35, "As Jesus taught in the temple, he said, 'How can the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of God?'" In the Greek where it says, "He taught in the temple," it says, "He answered," meaning, he's answering their silence. He has silenced them. They should have then humbled themselves and said, "Lord, we humble ourselves underneath your authority and the teaching of Scripture," But that's not what they do. So he now answers their proud silence by asking them a question.Jesus had already entered Jerusalem in triumph. He has been hailed as the vanguard of David's restored dominion. This is the Messiah. He's here. The people have accepted him. Now Jesus is asking, "How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?" He used the word Christ, which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word for messiah, the one who is anointed to be king. Jesus had accepted the Messianic praises. He is the son of David. But by asking this question and by starting this conversation, what Jesus is getting at is, is the messiah only the son of David? Because if the messiah is only the son of David, then the messiah is only king of Israel. That's what they thought. That's what Israel thought that the messiah is going to be. Because David was the greatest king Israel ever had, the messiah is David's son; therefore, the messiah is going to be a king just like David, a king of only Israel.This is where they wrongly assumed that God was the God of only Israel, that God was the God of only their people, only their nation. So Jesus here is expanding the definition of the messiah by asking, "How can the messiah be only David's son?" What the people could not see is that while Jesus came as Israel's Messiah, he didn't come to save Israel from Rome. He didn't come to save them from the occupying forces. He didn't come to restore Israel to their former glory. He came to save them. He came to save them from their sins, but not just them, also people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. Their expectations were not too high for the Messiah. They were too low. The scribes of Jesus' day interpreted the messianic prophecies to mean that Israel's messiah would be a biological descendant of David and a great king to return Israel to its greatness.This makes all the more surprising what happens next. Jesus goes on the offensive, not against pagans, but against Jewish scribes who teach that the messiah is simply the son of David. So Jesus in Verse 36 says, "David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared, 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet."'" Here King Jesus quotes Psalm 1:10, which was authored by David, but Jesus doesn't say, "David himself declared." He says, "David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared." Here Jesus is revealing how he viewed Scripture, how he viewed the Hebrew Scriptures, the Old Testament, as we call it, that the Holy Spirit is the one that penned the Scriptures through David, through the authors.Here we see the Holy Trinity. The Spirit is writing through King David, and then it says the Lord, that first Lord in the Hebrew is Yahweh, that's God the Father, and the second Lord is Adonai, which is Lord, which is Jesus Christ. So God the Father says to God the Son, "Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet." We have the Holy Trinity right there in that text.But how does this inform your understanding of Holy Scripture? Do you view Holy Scripture as Jesus did that it was written by the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. 2 Peter 1:16 says, "For we do not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father and the voice was born to him by the Majestic Glory, 'This is my beloved son with whom I'm well pleased,' we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns in the morning, star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."I find J.C. Ryle's comments here extremely relevant. He says the following, "Let us learn in the first place from these verses how much there is about Christ in the Old Testament Scriptures. Our Lord desires to expose the ignorance of the Jewish teachers about the true nature of the Messiah." He does it by referring to a passage in the Book of Psalms and showing that the scribes did not rightly understand it. In so doing, he shows us that one subject about which David was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write was Christ. We know from our Lord's own words in another place that the Old Testament Scriptures testify of Christ, John 5:39, "They were intended to teach men about Christ by types and figures and prophecy until he himself should appear on Earth."We should always keep this in mind in reading the Old Testament, but never so much as in reading the Psalms. Christ is undoubtedly to be found in every part of the law in the prophets, but nowhere is he so much to be found as in the Book of Psalms. His experience and sufferings as first coming into the world, his future glory and his final triumph as second coming are the chief subjects of many a passage in that wonderful part of God's word. It is a true saying that we should look for Christ quite as much as David in reading the Psalms.Let us beware of undervaluing or despising the Old Testament. In its place and proportion, the Old Testament is just as valuable as the New. There are probably many rich passages in that part of the Bible which have never yet been fully explored. There are deep things about Jesus in it, which many walk over like hidden gold mines and know not the treasures beneath their feet. Let us reverence all the Bible. All is given by inspiration and all is profitable. One part throws light upon another, and no part can ever be neglected without loss and damage to our souls. A boastful contempt for the Old Testament Scriptures has often proved the first step towards infidelity.So as Jesus quotes Psalm 110, one thing to note is that the New Testament quotes Psalm 110 more than any other text from the Old Testament. 33 times it quotes Psalm 110. I'll read the whole passage of Psalm 110:1, "The Lord says to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.' The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies! Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, 'You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.' The Lord is at your right hand; he shall shatter kings on the day of his wrath. He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he shall shatter chiefs over the wide earth. He will drink from the brook by the way; and therefore he will lift up his head." So the same Lord that is referred to in Verse 1 is also referred to in Verse 4. There we read, "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind. You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."So we see here that not only is the Lord on the throne, not only is the Lord the King, but he's also the priest. He's not a priest according to the order of Levi. He's a priest according to the order of Melchizedek. So whoever this Messiah is, yes, he's the son of David, but he's so much greater. His dignity is so much more profound because he is eternal. He's an eternal priest, an eternal king. "Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet." The messiah was thought to be a biological ancestor of David. Yet, David here is saying, "No, the Messiah is greater than I am, much more exalted than I am." Possesses a far greater dignity than David's own. In fact, David calls the Messiah, "My Lord," and Jesus' question is here, "How is the son of David called Lord by David?"That's the question of Verse 37. "David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son? And the great throng heard him gladly." The logic seems to be that no father calls a child or calls a son Lord. Therefore, if David calls the Messiah Lord, is it appropriate to call the Messiah just the son of David? How can the Messiah fulfill these prophecies about an eternal Messiah if he is simply David's son? This is what Jesus here is questioning. He's not denying his physical descent from King David. No. Jesus is from the tribe of Judah. He is the Lion of Judah.What he's saying is, "I need to expand your definition of the messiah." He's not just the son of David. He's not just the messiah for Israel. He's also the Son of God. That's why David calls his son Lord. By asking this provocative question, Jesus is letting the people know he's the Lord. He's the Lord that David referred to. Yes, he's the son of David. He's also the Son of God. If he is David's Lord, then his messianic mission cannot be limited simply to restoring the nation of Israel to its former greatness.Jesus' kingdom is not of this world; therefore, his kingdom is for the whole world. Jesus isn't just king of the Jews. He's not just king of Israel. He's not just king of Christians. He is king over everything. The question is, are we going to submit to him here and now and say, "Lord Jesus, I'm yours. I want to serve you. I love you. What would you have me do?" or do we wait until all of the enemies of Jesus Christ will be placed under his feet, including those who reject the gospel in this life?The irony is that David's Lord and descendant is standing in the very same temple which was designed to point Israel to Jesus Christ, and they don't recognize him. Although the people were amazed at his words, they definitely didn't fully understand what Jesus is saying. If they had, in a few days they would not have cried out, "Crucify him!" They heard him greatly. They received him gladly. Romans 1:3-4 makes this clear that Jesus is both the son of David and the Son of God. "...concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of in by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord."In the next passage, Jesus will impugn the characters of the scribes in the Sanhedrin, accusing them bluntly of oppressing and of their hypocrisy. Meaning, they mouth the words, "Yes, Lord. Yes, you're Yahweh. Yes, you're Adonai," but deep inside they had no love for the Lord, and therefore, they were hypocrites. Jesus shows us how much he hates hypocrisy. In point two: hate hypocrisy like Jesus. Psalm 97:10, "O you who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked." One of the greatest forms of evil is hypocrisy because hypocrisy is evil masquerading as good. It's lies masquerading as truth. It's wolves in sheep clothing. How odious is the sin of hypocrisy in the sight of Jesus, so he says in Verse 38, "Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts."This is the irony of ironies that those who claim to love God the most, who claim to love the law of God the most, who view themselves as the guardian and defenders of the faith didn't know God. They didn't want the blessings of God as much as they wanted the trappings that came with religious service. They claimed to be zealots for God, but they devoted themselves entirely to presenting themselves as righteous, presenting themselves as holy. These men may strive to please God in some sense, but they love the perks of holiness. They love walking around in their flowing robes, receiving the greetings of the people, taking the seats of honor, talking as if they know the Lord when they don't.Then Jesus exposes that they're actually using this front, this façade, this posturing as a means to evil gain. When Jesus says, "Beware of the scribes," he's not just saying, "Okay, beware of those religious people out there." He's saying, "Beware of the same hypocrisy in their heart, beware of that same hypocrisy in your own." Hypocrisy is so dangerous because it's lies that people begin to believe themselves. It's self-delusion. If you think you're right with God, if you think you're righteous, if you think you're a good person, you start to begin believing that, and you want to be around people who think you're righteous. This is exactly what these people were doing. In an honor-conscious, Greco-Roman society, these distinctions about the robes and the seats and the positions of honor and the greetings, there were important signs of status. What Jesus is saying that that's what was most important to them than the delight of God the Father.Then Mark 12:40, "... who devour widows' houses and for pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation." They were devourers of the good of the poor saying they did so on the grounds of justice, but in reality they were destroying those on the fringes. Here Jesus rips off the scribes' mask of respectability to reveal the brutal, even demonic reality underneath. We see this in the words, "They love to be at feasts," where there was civilized dining, and then when no one's looking, they're devouring the houses of the widows. The same word for devour was used only one other time in Mark, in Mark 4:4 where Satan comes like the bird to eat the Word of God, the seed of the Word of God. These very pillars of society, men distinguished as such by dress and universal acclaim, they're revealed to be demonic abusers of the helpless, and then they use prayer as a means of veiling their assaults.To add insult to injury, in the book of Deuteronomy, the Levites were included along with the widows, the orphan, and the resident aliens as people who require societal support. So the Levites, they didn't own land, and because they didn't have land ownership, they relied on the people and the gifts of the people for their sustenance. But instead of relating to the widow and the orphan and the resident alien, they betrayed a sacred trust. They violated it and defrauded them. This is particularly heinous in the eyes of the Lord because God loves the widow, and he loves the orphan, and he loves the resident alien.The widow's house was often the sum total of her inheritance. That's all she had. What these scribes did was they would go to the widow and they'd say, "Well, have you paid your tithes to the temple? Oh, we see you have not." Then through their legalese, they would take the house away from the widow, and they would say, "We're giving it to the Lord." How does the Lord view this? He said they're going to receive great condemnation. They're going to receive God's justice. If you do not repent of your sin, justice will come down upon you for this law-breaking, for this heinous crime. The Old Testament often threatens with judgment those who oppress widows, orphans, and other helpless persons.The Lord hates defrauding. He hates robbing. If you've ever been robbed, if you've ever been defrauded, you know that feeling of violation. I was actually surprised by this. A neighbor ran up to me a little while back. He said, "Have you seen my daughter's bicycle?" They had parked it in the back of the condominium association, and then someone came and just took the bicycle. This is a very established, even-keeled gentleman. I will never forget the look of disgust as if he was violated. It's just a bicycle. Well, people defraud all the time, that we live in an evil world. The Lord sees and the Lord will bring justice. We as believers, we are to be thankful to the Lord for that, that the Lord hates evil and he will judge it. The question we got to ask, is there evil in my life, in my heart that the Lord hates, that the Lord wants to condemn? If so, I need to repent.That's how you battle hypocrisy. You battle hypocrisy by saying, "Lord, yes, I present myself as a follower of Christ, but when I get on my knees, I know my sin, I know my evil and you know it as well. Lord, forgive me. Lord give me grace and help me put this evil to death." These were people that used evil as... They used the excuse that good will come or we'll take the houses. We're going to build up the temple. Saint Paul writes in Romans 3:8, "Why not do evil that good may come? As some people slanderously charged us with saying, 'Their condemnation is just.'"Isaiah 10 makes this practice of the scribes as they oppress the widows clear. Isaiah 10:1, "Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil and that they may make the fatherless their prey! What will you do on the day of punishment in the ruin that will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help and where will you leave your wealth? Nothing remains but to crouch among the prisoners or fall among the slain. For all this, his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still."The oppressors are said to defraud their victims with evil writs or iniquitous decrees or documents, documents that would come from a scribe. They would seize the property because they said, "Look, according to our documents, you haven't paid the tithes, so we're taking it." Jesus Christ, he hates this hypocrisy, he hates this injustice, he hates this evil, and above all else, he hates the fact that these people presented themselves as righteous and they're using their pseudo-righteousness as a cover for evil.The Lord reserved his strongest language, his strongest and heaviest denunciations against hypocrisy. Yes, it's bad enough to be led away and captive to open sin and to serve diverse lusts and pleasures, but it's even worse to pretend like you're having a living faith, but in reality, you serve the world. So we as believers, we have to be aware, "Beware," Jesus says, "of falling into this abominable sin, beware of ever putting on a cloak of hypocrisy." Let us be real, honest, thorough, and sincere in our following of Christ. We can trick people for a little while, but we will never trick God. God is not mocked. He's the discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart and his all-seeing eye pierces through the varnish, the tinsel which cover the unsound heart.Having predicted judgment of the scribes who devour widows' houses, Jesus now turns his gaze to an impoverished widow. He's sitting there watching as she gives, and he commends her for her generosity. The two passages are meant to be taken together. They're an illustration of the age-old motif of the two ways. There's two ways. You can either pretend to be a follower of the Lord but deep down inside it's just corruption and sin, or the path is offered to be like this widow where she is serving the Lord. No one sees, she thinks. It's all hidden, and her poverty is matched by her generosity. So we are to be careful to, yes, believe the right things but also live our lives in a way that our lives adorn the doctrine of Christ.This brings us to the third point: love sacrificial devotion like Jesus, Verse 41, "He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums." It says he sat down, and the sitting could be significant, especially after Jesus just claimed to be the Lord sitting at the right hand of Yahweh, and he sits opposite the treasury. Most exegesis say this treasury is part of the Woman's Court that had 13 brass receptacles shaped like trumpets. You would come up to the brass receptacle that's shaped like a trumpet, and you'll put your coins in. There was no paper currency at the time. So when people threw the coins in, the more coins, the bigger the coins, the heavier the coins, the more noise they made.When this poor widow brings her money, there's not much noise. Verse 42, "A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny." This is the least valuable of the Roman coins, the smallest coin in circulation. She's giving all she has, but it's not much. Jesus is there. He's watching and he's sitting. Verse 43, "He called his disciples to him and said to them, 'Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box.'" All those contributing, Jesus is using that phrase collectively, that this one widow gave more, according to Jesus, than everyone else combined.Why? Because of Verse 44, "They all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on." All she had to live on, that phrase is even her whole living. The word bios is used. It literally means life. She's given all she has. She's given her life, everything she had for her life. The crucial thing we learned is not the quantity that gives, but the scarcity from which one gives, what's subsequently left over. It's more commendable to give out of poverty than out of abundance, according to the Lord.I do want to point out that the Lord notices. The most sacrifices that we make for the Lord, no one sees, but the Lord does see, and the Lord does notice, and the Lord does keep track. The depth of the widow's sacrifice is emphasized by the repetition at the end. "She gives everything she has." When the rich young ruler came to Jesus Christ and said, "How can I obtain eternal life? How can I inherit eternal life?" Jesus says, "Go sell all that you have, all that you have." Here she gives all that she has.One thing to point out is, on the one hand, Jesus excoriates the Sanhedrin and the temple and the institution in this corruption. On the other hand, he points to this precious soul within the institution that doesn't know about all of the corruption. She's giving out of her love for the Lord. We see this example all throughout the Scriptures. In the Book of Luke, we see Zechariah, Elizabeth, Simeon, Anna, all who go to the temple to pray as expressions of their piety. But then also in the Book of Acts, we see Stephen get up and preach a sermon in which he excoriates the temple and predicts its destruction by God.So it is possible to recognize the corruption of an institution, the venality of its officers, at the same time to admire the piety of the simple souls who devote themselves to an innocent faith. Jesus' point is that what sinful men and women regard as piety like the scribes did, well, Jesus doesn't really care about that. The scribes had their robes and they had their seats and they had their greetings. They thought they gave a lot to the Lord. But the Lord is saying he cares more about the precious state of the heart of this woman. When the kingdom of God comes in power, God reverses everything sinful. Yet, religious people think about what God expects.This week I celebrated my birthday. Someone asked me, "What'd you do?" I said, "I did my favorite thing. I did nothing." That's my favorite thing. I went for a walk. Then we had Raising Cane's with my girls in the evening. It was a very nice. Raising Cane's shout out with the secret sauce. Then my daughters gave me a little gifts, little note cards. My youngest daughter gives me this card that she drew. It's beautiful. "Dad, you're the best dad ever," thank you, thank you, and a big picture, beautiful, we're holding hands.Then I open it up. There's a dollar bill inside. I was like, "No way!" I was like, "A dollar bill?" I'm looking at it, I was like, "It's a dollar bill. Baby, do you know inflation? Come on. It's not worth anything. You can't buy a thing." Maybe that's why she gave it to me. "Dad, I know inflation." No, she's in the first grade. She doesn't know about that. It's all she had. This is like her greatest treasure. "I'm six. What can I get my dad? I'm going to make him a card, and I'm going to give him my net worth. Here you go, a dollar." I'm never going to spend that dollar. I've got it on my mantle. I'm never going to spend it. It's so precious to me.That's what the Lord is saying. God looks at the heart. God notices not how much, but from how much. God does not look at the size of the gift but the dimensions of the sacrifice behind it. God looks at the heart of the giver. The depth of the widow's sacrifice is emphasized by the repetition at the end. "She gives everything she has, even her whole living all of her life." The widow is a fitting conclusion to the Lord's public ministry and is called to discipleship. Jesus said, "This is what it means to follow me. You take up your cross, deny yourself daily, and follow me." Here she is, a true disciple because she's lost her life for his sake, as Jesus says all true disciples will do.He, like her, will also give everything he has for the temple, but not the second temple, but the third temple. With his sacrifice on the cross, he's redeeming for himself a new people. Through those people, he creates a temple of the Spirit of God and a sanctuary not made by hands. This combination of self-sacrifice and eschatological construction will confound human ways of knowing. Jesus raises this contrast not to encourage us to give all that we have away, but rather to make the point that true piety, true faithfulness, true following of the Lord will often go unnoticed. True devotion will often go unnoticed because it's unassuming, because it's private.True piety is not a matter of mere external conformity to the law. Rather, true piety results from that faith to trust God to provide no matter what because he is a good God. But as Jesus insists, true righteousness isn't a matter of just outward demonstration. It's all about the heart. Then ultimately, we don't... Even with this widow, even this widow needed a righteousness that is not her own. She needed someone to die for her sins, to ransom her from the condemnation that we deserve. That's exactly what Jesus will do on the cross.So who is the Lord? Well, he is David's son, and he is also David's Lord. In other words, our Lord Jesus Christ here is saying that he is the Lord that demands that we love him with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind. In the previous text, the scribe says, "What's the greatest commandment?" and Jesus says, "Here O Israel, the Lord our God. The Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind." In our text, Jesus says, "I'm the Lord. Yahweh says to me, 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.'"So what Jesus here is saying is that he is the ultimate object of worship. The fact that Jesus of Nazareth was and is Almighty God is the single fact that unlocks the secret of your existence and the secret of the existence of every human being. It is the single reason why we as Christians have every right, not just right, every duty, obligation, we have every right and duty to say that every human being must become a Christian, every human being must become a follower of Christ. It's for this reason that Jesus, the first century man, has no rivals. He has no successors. His life is unique and it is final.If you make the crucial discovery that Jesus is God, you can't avoid the conclusion that all of the other religions are not true. That Islam, which regards Jesus just as a prophet, but not even the ultimate prophet, that Islam and, for that matter, Judaism or Buddhism or any other human religion or philosophy is wrong at the very key point. They may be right about many things, but they're wrong about the most essential point. It is the fact that Jesus Christ is God that makes the Christian faith true and all the other religions and philosophies false at the bottom.In this text, we have two mysteries for the price of one. We have the plurality of the persons within the unity of the Godhead. We have the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and we have the union of the Godhead and the manhood in the person of Jesus. He is the son of David; therefore, he is fully man. He is the Son of God; therefore, he is God himself. But mysterious as all this may be, the logic is clear and the logic is irresistible. If Jesus is God and died for the sins of the elect and obviously that and only that is the way of salvation, Jesus is the only way that we can be reconciled with God.For someone who has embraced Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the fact that he is both God and man makes him unquestionably deserving of our absolute and unquestioning loyalty. There's only two ways. Either you love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind in this age, either you love Jesus Christ; or you are his enemy and you will be placed under his feet for all eternity. If you're not sure, today we urge you, we plead with you, turn to Jesus Christ in your heart of hearts in prayer and say, "Lord Jesus, forgive me for my sins. You are Lord. I am not. I have sinned. And Lord Jesus, forgive me. Give me grace and make me a person that is fully devoted to you no matter the sacrifice."1 Corinthians 12:3, "Therefore, I want you to understand that no one's speaking in the spirit of God ever says 'Jesus is accursed!' and no one can say, 'Jesus is Lord" except in the Holy Spirit." Then the concluding words of 1 Corinthians 16:22, "If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen."Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this text and we thank you that you are a God who loves us; therefore, you hate sin. On the cross, Lord, we see both your love for us in that you sent your Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for our sin. We also see your hatred of sin as you pour out your wrath on your Son as he bore our sins, the penalty for our sins. Lord Jesus, we pray that you continue to make us the people that love you, love your word, love the truth, and hate lies. Make us the people who long to be sincere in our walk with you. Make us the people who hate hypocrisy, beginning with the hypocrisy that's so close to our hearts. The Holy Spirit, continue to build us up as your church, the church of Jesus Christ. Continue to draw the elect and continue to use us powerfully as a witness here in the city. We pray this in Christ's name. Amen.

Sermons Archive RSS Romans 12 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in the proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 Therefore“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;If he is thirsty, give him a drink;For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt word proceed our of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.1 Timothy 4:1-2 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,1 Peter 1:22 (Legacy Bible) Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a love of the brothers without hypocrisy, fervently love one another from the heart.2 Corinthians 6:3 (Legacy Bible) giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited.2 Corinthians 6:6 (Legacy Bible) in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in un hypocritical love.Matthew 15: 7-8 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:8 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,And honor Me with their lips,But their heart is far from Me.Matthew 12:34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.Luke 12:1-3 In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.1 Peter 2:1 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,1 Thessalonians 4:4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,Romans 8:13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.Revelation 20:15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.Sermon Discussion Questions:What are the two types of hypocrites?Why should we love without hypocrisy?Why does God hate hypocrisy?What does hypocrisy reveal about our heart condition?What watt is your life?Can God be deceived?Have you searched your heart for the “leaven” of hypocrisy?

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If you're curious about how to become a follower of Jesus, visit: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/MeetJesus    ⇒ TODAY'S DAILY SPONSOR:   I was recently a guest on the Dangerous Man podcast, a show produced by a Morning Mindset listener named Matt, and his Pastor, Rory. You should check it out - especially if you’re a man who wants to know and follow Jesus more. https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/DM   You can sponsor a daily episode of the Morning Mindset too, by going to https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/DailySponsor ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: ROMANS 12:9 - Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SUPPORT OUR WORK: (not tax-deductible) -- Become a monthly partner: https://mm-gfk-partners.supercast.com/ -- Support a daily episode: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/daily-sponsor/ -- Give one-time: https://give.cornerstone.cc/careygreen ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CONTACT US AT: Admin@MorningMindsetMedia.com

Episode #305Ryan shares a Bible verse to encourage you to continue to stand in truth when others come against you.Sharable Episode Links (scroll down or search for this episode):Ryan's Website Buzzsprout Link MORE FROM RYAN:FREE DOWNLOAD: 21 Days to a Spirit-Led Life Subscribe on YouTubeTwitter | Instagram | LinkedInSubmit a question or topic for the podcast at ryanshoward.com/contactGet Ryan's eCourse & Coaching ProgramsSupport the show

“It's not about who can show up or who can't that week, we are showing up for Christ, for our kids, our teachers, our schools. Our prayers in the ears of the Lord are just as impactful as hundreds or thousands of people.” Author and speaker Michelle Umbehauer joins Aubrie on the podcast this week to remind us not to do life alone. Gathering with community strengthens us and our faith, especially when we use that time to pray together. Don't miss the sweet encouragement Michelle shares along with the ways God answered prayers in her group. The Moms in Prayer Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual advice to help you grow into the parent you want to be visit ChristianParenting.org ABOUT OUR GUEST Michelle K Umbehauer studied Journalism at La Salle University in Philadelphia. She soon opted to become a stay-at-home momma (x6), yet has never stopped with her love of writing. She was a regular speaker at Crossroads Community Church and is a local leader of Moms in Prayer in New Jersey. Whether in ministry, motherhood, or marriage, Michelle has a life passion to encourage others in Christ, and she especially loves doing so alongside of her husband, Doug. SCRIPTURES  And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them. Matthew 18:20 ESV But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 ESV I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Romans 12:1-18 ESV LINKS Michelle's Website BOOKS Got Your Hands Full MOMS IN PRAYER New to Moms in Prayer? How to get started Join a Moms in Prayer Group Moms in Prayer Blog by Michelle Global Celebration of Prayer Support Our Mission

Support Common Prayer Daily @ PatreonVisit our Website for more www.commonprayerdaily.com_______________EpiphanyAnd nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.Isaiah 60:3 ConfessionOfficiant: Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God.People: Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against your holy laws.We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done; and apart from your grace, there is no health in us. O Lord, have mercy upon us. Spare all those who confess their faults. Restore all those who are penitent, according to your promises declared to all people in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may now live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of your holy Name. Amen.Officiant: Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen. The Lord's PrayerOur Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. Invitatory & PsalmsOfficiant: O God, make speed to save us. People: O Lord, make haste to help us. Officiant & People: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. EpiphanyThe Lord has shown forth his glory: Come let us adore him. Venite Psalm 95:1-7Come, let us sing to the Lord; *let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving * and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.For the Lord is a great God, *and a great King above all gods.In his hand are the caverns of the earth, * and the heights of the hills are his also.The sea is his, for he made it, *and his hands have molded the dry land.Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, * and kneel before the Lord our Maker.For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. * Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice! Psalm 107:13-2213Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, *and he delivered them from their distress.14He led them out of darkness and deep gloom *and broke their bonds asunder.15Let them give thanks to the Lord for his mercy *and the wonders he does for his children.16For he shatters the doors of bronze *and breaks in two the iron bars.17Some were fools and took to rebellious ways; *they were afflicted because of their sins.18They abhorred all manner of food *and drew near to death's door.19Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, *and he delivered them from their distress.20He sent forth his word and healed them *and saved them from the grave.21Let them give thanks to the Lord for his mercy *and the wonders he does for his children.22Let them offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving *and tell of his acts with shouts of joy. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. The Lessons2 Kings 4:1-17 English Standard Version4 Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord, but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” 2 And Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” 3 Then he said, “Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not too few. 4 Then go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons and pour into all these vessels. And when one is full, set it aside.” 5 So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and her sons. And as she poured they brought the vessels to her. 6 When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another.” Then the oil stopped flowing. 7 She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”8 One day Elisha went on to Shunem, where a wealthy woman lived, who urged him to eat some food. So whenever he passed that way, he would turn in there to eat food. 9 And she said to her husband, “Behold now, I know that this is a holy man of God who is continually passing our way. 10 Let us make a small room on the roof with walls and put there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, so that whenever he comes to us, he can go in there.”11 One day he came there, and he turned into the chamber and rested there. 12 And he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite.” When he had called her, she stood before him. 13 And he said to him, “Say now to her, ‘See, you have taken all this trouble for us; what is to be done for you? Would you have a word spoken on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?'” She answered, “I dwell among my own people.” 14 And he said, “What then is to be done for her?” Gehazi answered, “Well, she has no son, and her husband is old.” 15 He said, “Call her.” And when he had called her, she stood in the doorway. 16 And he said, “At this season, about this time next year, you shall embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord, O man of God; do not lie to your servant.” 17 But the woman conceived, and she bore a son about that time the following spring, as Elisha had said to her. Romans 12:6-15 English Standard Version6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.Officiant: The Word of the LordPeople: Thanks be to God. You are God(Te Deum laudamus)You are God: we praise you;You are the Lord: we acclaim you;You are the eternal Father:All creation worships you.To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,heaven and earth are full of your glory.The glorious company of apostles praise you.The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.The white-robed army of martyrs praise you. Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you;Father, of majesty unbounded,your true and only Son, worthy of all worship, and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.You, Christ, are the king of glory, the eternal Son of the Father.When you became man to set us free you did not shun the Virgin's womb. You overcame the sting of death and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. You are seated at God's right hand in glory.We believe that you will come and be our judge.Come then, Lord, and help your people, bought with the price of your own blood, and bring us with your saints to glory everlasting. John 2:1-11 English Standard Version2 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.Officiant: The Word of the LordPeople: Thanks be to God. A Song of Praise(Benedictus es, Domine Song of the Three Young Men, 29-34)Glory to you, Lord God of our fathers; * you are worthy of praise; glory to you.Glory to you for the radiance of your holy Name; * we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.Glory to you in the splendor of your temple; * on the throne of your majesty, glory to you.Glory to you, seated between the Cherubim; * we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.Glory to you, beholding the depths; * in the high vault of heaven, glory to you.Glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; * we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever. The CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. The PrayersOfficiant: The Lord be with you.People: And also with you.Officiant: Let us pray The SuffragesShow us your mercy, O Lord;And grant us your salvation.Clothe your ministers with righteousness;Let your people sing with joy.Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;For only in you can we live in safety. Lord, keep this nation under your care;And guide us in the way of justice and truth. Let your way be known upon earth; Your saving health among all nations. Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten; Nor the hope of the poor be taken away. Create in us clean hearts, O God; And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.Take a moment at this time to reflect and pray for the needs of others. Epiphany 2 (Anglican Prayer Book)ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, you who rule over all things in heaven and earth: Mercifully hear the prayers of your people, and grant us your peace all the days of our life; through Jesus Christ our LORD. Amen.A Collect for PeaceO God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.A Collect for GraceLord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.For MissionAlmighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. ThanksgivingsThe General ThanksgivingAlmighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.A Prayer of St. ChrysostomAlmighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen. ConclusionThe grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen. 2 Corinthians 13:14

Romans 12–13 Romans 12–13 (Listen) A Living Sacrifice 12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers,1 by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.2 2 Do not be conformed to this world,3 but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.4 Gifts of Grace 3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members,5 and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads,6 with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Marks of the True Christian 9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit,7 serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.8 Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it9 to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Submission to the Authorities 13 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. Fulfilling the Law Through Love 8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. 11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. Footnotes [1] 12:1 Or brothers and sisters [2] 12:1 Or your rational service [3] 12:2 Greek age [4] 12:2 Or what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God [5] 12:4 Greek parts; also verse 5 [6] 12:8 Or gives aid [7] 12:11 Or fervent in the Spirit [8] 12:16 Or give yourselves to humble tasks [9] 12:19 Greek give place (ESV)

Romans 12–13 Romans 12–13 (Listen) A Living Sacrifice 12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers,1 by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.2 2 Do not be conformed to this world,3 but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.4 Gifts of Grace 3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members,5 and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads,6 with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Marks of the True Christian 9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit,7 serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.8 Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it9 to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Submission to the Authorities 13 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. Fulfilling the Law Through Love 8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. 11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. Footnotes [1] 12:1 Or brothers and sisters [2] 12:1 Or your rational service [3] 12:2 Greek age [4] 12:2 Or what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God [5] 12:4 Greek parts; also verse 5 [6] 12:8 Or gives aid [7] 12:11 Or fervent in the Spirit [8] 12:16 Or give yourselves to humble tasks [9] 12:19 Greek give place (ESV)

The book of Romans has been praised by theologians as a masterful explanation of the doctrine of salvation. Martin Luther in fact called the book “the clearest gospel of all.” The bulk of Romans, chapters 1-11, consists of Paul explaining how God has acted in Christ to reconcile sinners to himself and grant them eternal life through his Spirit. But in chapter 12, Paul get's practical for the believers in Rome. Commentator Douglas Moo, says that in chapters 12-15 Paul “urges Christians to manifest the power of the gospel in specific areas of day-to-day life.” It is within this context that we find, in Romans 12:9 a key admonition toward gospel living: “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.”In today's article, Matt Rusten explores how this admonition towards gospel living applies to our immediate day-to-day lives in the world of investing. What does this admonition have to say about the way we allow the gospel to transform our lives as investors?On this episode:Matt Galyon, Associate Director, ECFI Matt Rusten, President, Made to Flourish Notes & Links: View our Courses These communication herein is provided for informational purposes only and was made possible with the financial support of Eventide Asset Management, LLC (“Eventide”), an investment adviser. Eventide Center for Faith and Investing is an educational initiative of Eventide. In some cases, information in this communication may include statements by individuals that are current clients or investors in Eventide, and/or individuals compensated for providing their statements. In such cases, Eventide identifies all relevant details of the relationship, the compensation, and any conflicts of interest, within the communication which can be found at faithandinvesting.com.  Information contained herein has been obtained from third-party sources believed to be reliable. Statements made by ECFI should not be interpreted as a recommendation or advice pertaining to any security. Investing involves risk including the possible loss of principal.

What's with all this killing? Is the God of the Old Testament a moral monster? Emma Dotter touches on what is happening in Israel right now as well as how we make sense of 2 Kings 24-25.  Additional scripture referenced in today's episode: Genesis 1:26-27 - Created in the image of God Ezekiel 33 - God doesn't delight in the death of the wicked Matthew 5- Pray for your enemies Rev 5:9, 7:9 - Jews and Palestinians worshiping together in eternity Romans 12:9 - Abhor what is evil Genesis 12:3 - God intended for all the families of the earth to be blessed by Israel Exodus 19:6 - Israel was called to live set apart lives Ezekials 18:23- God doesn't delight in the death of the wicked 2 Peter 3:9 - He desires all people to know Him  Watermark Family Letter on Israel, Gaza, and the Gospel: https://www.watermark.org/blog/israel-gaza-and-the-gospel  Grab a Join The Journey Journal that coincides with this part of the Join The Journey Reading Plan: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C7TCKPR1/ref=sr_1_14crid=3MDHUUF0FW85G&keywords=join+the+journey+volume+2&qid=1686688452&sprefix=join+the+journ%2Caps%2C122&sr=8-14  Join the Journey Jr. https://www.jointhejourney.com/jr/5781-do-you-remember-god-s-promises-to-abraham

This years conversation starters will be based upon sharing your faith and talking to others about Jesus. We hope that you are encouraged to do just that after listening to this short devotional thought. https://www.facebook.com/BibleConversationsPodcasthttps://www.kims-kloset.com/online-ordering/#!/Bible-Conversations/c/129096254Kcocbibleconversations@gmail.com

Old Testament: Jeremiah 18–20 Jeremiah 18–20 (Listen) The Potter and the Clay 18 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2 “Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear1 my words.” 3 So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. 4 And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. 5 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the LORD. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. 7 If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, 8 and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. 9 And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, 10 and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it. 11 Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the LORD, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.' 12 “But they say, ‘That is in vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.' 13   “Therefore thus says the LORD:  Ask among the nations,    Who has heard the like of this?  The virgin Israel    has done a very horrible thing.14   Does the snow of Lebanon leave    the crags of Sirion?2  Do the mountain waters run dry,3    the cold flowing streams?15   But my people have forgotten me;    they make offerings to false gods;  they made them stumble in their ways,    in the ancient roads,  and to walk into side roads,    not the highway,16   making their land a horror,    a thing to be hissed at forever.  Everyone who passes by it is horrified    and shakes his head.17   Like the east wind I will scatter them    before the enemy.  I will show them my back, not my face,    in the day of their calamity.” 18 Then they said, “Come, let us make plots against Jeremiah, for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, let us strike him with the tongue, and let us not pay attention to any of his words.” 19   Hear me, O LORD,    and listen to the voice of my adversaries.20   Should good be repaid with evil?    Yet they have dug a pit for my life.  Remember how I stood before you    to speak good for them,    to turn away your wrath from them.21   Therefore deliver up their children to famine;    give them over to the power of the sword;  let their wives become childless and widowed.    May their men meet death by pestilence,    their youths be struck down by the sword in battle.22   May a cry be heard from their houses,    when you bring the plunderer suddenly upon them!  For they have dug a pit to take me    and laid snares for my feet.23   Yet you, O LORD, know    all their plotting to kill me.  Forgive not their iniquity,    nor blot out their sin from your sight.  Let them be overthrown before you;    deal with them in the time of your anger. The Broken Flask 19 Thus says the LORD, “Go, buy a potter's earthenware flask, and take some of the elders of the people and some of the elders of the priests, 2 and go out to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom at the entry of the Potsherd Gate, and proclaim there the words that I tell you. 3 You shall say, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing such disaster upon this place that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. 4 Because the people have forsaken me and have profaned this place by making offerings in it to other gods whom neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah have known; and because they have filled this place with the blood of innocents, 5 and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or decree, nor did it come into my mind—6 therefore, behold, days are coming, declares the LORD, when this place shall no more be called Topheth, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter. 7 And in this place I will make void the plans of Judah and Jerusalem, and will cause their people to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hand of those who seek their life. I will give their dead bodies for food to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the earth. 8 And I will make this city a horror, a thing to be hissed at. Everyone who passes by it will be horrified and will hiss because of all its wounds. 9 And I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and their daughters, and everyone shall eat the flesh of his neighbor in the siege and in the distress, with which their enemies and those who seek their life afflict them.' 10 “Then you shall break the flask in the sight of the men who go with you, 11 and shall say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: So will I break this people and this city, as one breaks a potter's vessel, so that it can never be mended. Men shall bury in Topheth because there will be no place else to bury. 12 Thus will I do to this place, declares the LORD, and to its inhabitants, making this city like Topheth. 13 The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah—all the houses on whose roofs offerings have been offered to all the host of heaven, and drink offerings have been poured out to other gods—shall be defiled like the place of Topheth.'” 14 Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the LORD had sent him to prophesy, and he stood in the court of the LORD's house and said to all the people: 15 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, behold, I am bringing upon this city and upon all its towns all the disaster that I have pronounced against it, because they have stiffened their neck, refusing to hear my words.” Jeremiah Persecuted by Pashhur 20 Now Pashhur the priest, the son of Immer, who was chief officer in the house of the LORD, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things. 2 Then Pashhur beat Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the upper Benjamin Gate of the house of the LORD. 3 The next day, when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The LORD does not call your name Pashhur, but Terror on Every Side. 4 For thus says the LORD: Behold, I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends. They shall fall by the sword of their enemies while you look on. And I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon. He shall carry them captive to Babylon, and shall strike them down with the sword. 5 Moreover, I will give all the wealth of the city, all its gains, all its prized belongings, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah into the hand of their enemies, who shall plunder them and seize them and carry them to Babylon. 6 And you, Pashhur, and all who dwell in your house, shall go into captivity. To Babylon you shall go, and there you shall die, and there you shall be buried, you and all your friends, to whom you have prophesied falsely.” 7   O LORD, you have deceived me,    and I was deceived;  you are stronger than I,    and you have prevailed.  I have become a laughingstock all the day;    everyone mocks me.8   For whenever I speak, I cry out,    I shout, “Violence and destruction!”  For the word of the LORD has become for me    a reproach and derision all day long.9   If I say, “I will not mention him,    or speak any more in his name,”  there is in my heart as it were a burning fire    shut up in my bones,  and I am weary with holding it in,    and I cannot.10   For I hear many whispering.    Terror is on every side!  “Denounce him! Let us denounce him!”    say all my close friends,    watching for my fall.  “Perhaps he will be deceived;    then we can overcome him    and take our revenge on him.”11   But the LORD is with me as a dread warrior;    therefore my persecutors will stumble;    they will not overcome me.  They will be greatly shamed,    for they will not succeed.  Their eternal dishonor    will never be forgotten.12   O LORD of hosts, who tests the righteous,    who sees the heart and the mind,4  let me see your vengeance upon them,    for to you have I committed my cause. 13   Sing to the LORD;    praise the LORD!  For he has delivered the life of the needy    from the hand of evildoers. 14   Cursed be the day    on which I was born!  The day when my mother bore me,    let it not be blessed!15   Cursed be the man who brought the news to my father,  “A son is born to you,”    making him very glad.16   Let that man be like the cities    that the LORD overthrew without pity;  let him hear a cry in the morning    and an alarm at noon,17   because he did not kill me in the womb;    so my mother would have been my grave,    and her womb forever great.18   Why did I come out from the womb    to see toil and sorrow,    and spend my days in shame? Footnotes [1] 18:2 Or will cause you to hear [2] 18:14 Hebrew of the field [3] 18:14 Hebrew Are foreign waters plucked up [4] 20:12 Hebrew kidneys (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 108 Psalm 108 (Listen) With God We Shall Do Valiantly A Song. A Psalm of David. 108   My heart is steadfast, O God!    I will sing and make melody with all my being!12   Awake, O harp and lyre!    I will awake the dawn!3   I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples;    I will sing praises to you among the nations.4   For your steadfast love is great above the heavens;    your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. 5   Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!    Let your glory be over all the earth!6   That your beloved ones may be delivered,    give salvation by your right hand and answer me! 7   God has promised in his holiness:2    “With exultation I will divide up Shechem    and portion out the Valley of Succoth.8   Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;    Ephraim is my helmet,    Judah my scepter.9   Moab is my washbasin;    upon Edom I cast my shoe;    over Philistia I shout in triumph.” 10   Who will bring me to the fortified city?    Who will lead me to Edom?11   Have you not rejected us, O God?    You do not go out, O God, with our armies.12   Oh grant us help against the foe,    for vain is the salvation of man!13   With God we shall do valiantly;    it is he who will tread down our foes. Footnotes [1] 108:1 Hebrew with my glory [2] 108:7 Or sanctuary (ESV) New Testament: Romans 12–13 Romans 12–13 (Listen) A Living Sacrifice 12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers,1 by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.2 2 Do not be conformed to this world,3 but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.4 Gifts of Grace 3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members,5 and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads,6 with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Marks of the True Christian 9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit,7 serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.8 Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it9 to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Submission to the Authorities 13 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. Fulfilling the Law Through Love 8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. 11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. Footnotes [1] 12:1 Or brothers and sisters [2] 12:1 Or your rational service [3] 12:2 Greek age [4] 12:2 Or what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God [5] 12:4 Greek parts; also verse 5 [6] 12:8 Or gives aid [7] 12:11 Or fervent in the Spirit [8] 12:16 Or give yourselves to humble tasks [9] 12:19 Greek give place (ESV)