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John 6:16-21,When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going. One of the tensions we feel in preaching the Gospel of John is how to get the right balance in explaining the narrative strategy of John and then also showing the practical reality of who Jesus is. We need to look at the text, to see what's going on, and we also need to look through the text to see the Person it's showing us.In other words, Bible study by itself will not change your life; it's encountering Jesus that will change your life — and encountering Jesus comes by giving attention to the Bible. The book is God's gift to us to show us Christ. We learned this in Chapter 5, verse 39 when Jesus told the Jewish leaders, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.”So see they had the Bible but missed Jesus — that's possible! That can happen! But we don't want to do that. We want to see Jesus through the Bible! That's a theological, affectional commitment of our church. And it's relevant for this sermon, because our passage this morning is really important to the narrative strategy of the Gospel of John. Chapter 5, verse 1, all the way through Chapter 8, verse 11, is a section in this Gospel that features the confession of the identity of Jesus. That's the theme. Who Jesus is as God the Son comes to the forefront in this section, and the direct center of this section is our passage today, Chapter 6, verses 16–21. And as you might expect, the center-point of this section is also the highest point where John gets his message across the clearest. Jesus's authority over the sea (which is what's happening here) is one of the most definitive declarations of Jesus's identity in all of his earthly ministry. And I want us to be able to see this in the text as straightforwardly as John is telling us.So we're going to look at this story this morning in its three natural parts: Setting, Conflict, and Resolution. Those are the three movements going on here, and we'll start first with the setting.Movement 1: the SettingHere it is: the disciples are in the dark and alone.Verse 16 tells us what happened after the feeding of the five thousand. Remember from last week that Jesus withdrew from the crowd. They wanted to force him to be king, in defiance of this Father's will, and so Jesus got out of there. And now in verse 16 it's evening. Jesus's disciples went down to the sea, got in a boat, and started sailing across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum. John is just telling us step by step what they're doing. But in verse 17 John reminds us of two important details. Everybody look at verse 17 and get ready. I want you to see this. Everybody find verse 17. In the second sentence of verse 17, John writes, “It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.”Now why is this a reminder?Well, it's because we already know both of these things: In verse 15 John told us that Jesus withdrew by himself (he's not with his disciples), and in verse 16 John told us it was evening. This means the reason he mentions these things again in verse 17 must be because they're important.So as readers, we need to keep these two things in mind. The disciples are in the dark and they're alone. That's the setting. Movement 2: the ConflictHere it is: the disciples are frightened.Now verse 19 tells us point-blank that the disciples were frightened. This is easy to see. The bigger question, though, is why they're frightened. Go to verse 18 for a minute…Verse 18 says that the sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. Apparently, according to people who know these things, the Sea of Galilee is infamous for storms. It's something to do with the geology and weather — because the sea is surrounded by hills, and there's unpredictable wind patterns and temperature changes — storms happen a lot here, and this one happened fast. But it would have been something the disciples were used to, and in fact, according to verse 19 they made significant headway in the storm: they rowed about three or four miles out into the sea, in the storm.Now I don't know if any of you have ever been three or four miles out in the Sea of Galilee — I've never been there — but I have been deep-sea fishing one time off the coast of North Carolina, and it wasn't long before we got far enough out in the ocean to be completely surrounded by just water in every direction, and I mean completely surrounded by water as in you feel vulnerable ... and I mean you feel vulnerable as in you don't expect to see a person walking up to you. And I was there in broad daylight. The disciples are here in the dark, in a storm. And verse 19 says they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near their boat, and then John tells us “they were frightened.” We might think, based upon how this story is going — dark, alone, storm — we might think that it's the sight of a figure walking on the water that scared them. When we read this account in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark that's the impression we get.Both Matthew and Mark say that when the disciples saw Jesus they thought he was a ghost! And that was enough to scare them. But John doesn't say that. John says explicitly that the disciples saw Jesus walking on the sea. And since John names Jesus this way he implies that the disciples recognized Jesus. And I think that is actually why the disciples were frightened. See, in John's account, they were frightened not because of the setting, and not because they were startled by a figure walking on the sea, but they were frightened precisely because they knew it was Jesus walking on the sea toward them.They knew what this meant! They knew it meant that Jesus is God and that they were now in the presence of God, and so the disciples do what we see basically every person in the Bible do when they encounter the presence of God: they're afraid!I think there's another Moses-wink going on here. (Remember the Moses-winks from last week? They are the several littles clues in Chapter 6 that allude back to Moses, and this is another one.) What's going on here is called a theophany. That word means God-appearing. It's when God appears to a person — they encounter the presence of God. And in the Old Testament, the most famous theophany involved Moses. …Moses and the burning bush. Now it's interesting that in that theophany, when Moses first sees the burning bush, he's not afraid, he's intrigued. He sees it and says I'm gonna check this out. And that's when God spoke to him from out of the bush. God said take off your sandals because you're standing on holy ground, and then God said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And immediately then, after Moses knew who he was talking to, we read, Exodus 3:6,“And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.”Moses was afraid after he recognized the encounter to be an encounter with God, and I think that's the same thing happening here. The disciples are not afraid of the unknown, they're afraid of the known!They know Genesis 1:2, that it was the Spirit of God who hovered over the face of the waters. They know Job 9:8 that it is God who “alone stretched out the heavens and trampled [upon] the waves of the sea.”They know that only God can do what Jesus is doing here and therefore Jesus is God, and that's why they were frightened! Because no longer are they just dealing with the Prophet who is like Moses (and greater than Moses), but they are in the presence of the God of Moses.Everything changes here. It gets flipped around. Jesus is not in the place of Moses anymore, but he is showing himself in the place of God and the disciples are in the place of Moses. They are biblically afraid, like Moses was. They're frightened. That's the conflict in this story. It's standard, expected, and essential … anytime mere mortals encounter the glory of Yahweh. … But now the resolution. Movement 3: ResolutionHere it is: Jesus speaks.This is verse 20. (This is still kinda like the burning bush, but it's even better because of how it ends.) Everybody look at verse 20. This is what Jesus said to the disciples as they were afraid. He said:“It is I; do not be afraid.”Now the second part of what Jesus says is a command (do not be afraid), but before the command is a declaration, and some of you might recognize it, but it's not super clear in our English translations. Most English translations put Jesus's first words here as “It is I” (because that's how we talk in English). But in the original Greek this is just two words. Everybody track with me here, okay? I want you to get this: the two Greek words are egō eimi — which, literally goes like this: egō means “I” and eimi is the verb “to be” — it means is or am. So put the two words together! egō eimi. What is Jesus saying here?! Do you see it? In this theophany, as Jesus is appearing to his disciples, showing himself to be God by his very action over the sea, and as they're frightened in his presence, he then speaks and he says I AM! So no wonder this story is the center-point and the highest point of this section in the Gospel of John. The identity of Jesus cannot be more in your face than this! Jesus Christ is God.Jesus shows this, Jesus says this, and then he says, “Do not be afraid.”And that's the real resolution.It's that God reveals himself and he says this — it's that God himself who created everything, who has authority over the seas, he is standing in front of the disciples in human flesh like theirs and he says You don't have to fear.Why not? Why shouldn't they be afraid? Shouldn't we all be afraid if we are literally meeting our Maker in the middle of a storm? Jesus is their Maker and Judge — on what basis does he tell them not to fear?Well, I think it's because of what Jesus has already told them in Chapter 3, verse 17, that “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”One day Jesus will come in judgment, but not right now, not in this story and not today. Because for now Jesus is on a rescue mission! Jesus has come as their Savior and as our Savior. That's what he says! He is not the “I AM here to condemn you.” He is the “I AM here to save you.”He is the I AM with you!I AM for you! Don't be afraid.And this is where, if we step back a little and look at this entire story as a whole, it becomes an illustration of conversion …This story is actually our story … this is everyone's story who trusts in Jesus.Let me go back and show you …The Picture of ConversionRemember the setting, the disciples were in the dark and alone.That word “darkness” is important to John. He uses it a lot:He starts this Gospel, in Chapter 1, verse 5, by saying that Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.In Chapter 3, verse 19 John tells us that Jesus is the light come into this world but people love darkness rather than the light because their works are evil. In his first letter, 1 John 1:5, John says, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”So for John, darkness is a bad thing. Darkness is anti-God. It's a metaphor for lostness. And so it's interesting that John tells us that the disciples are in the dark here, and to make matters worse, Jesus is not with them. Again, John repeats both of these things in verse 17.The disciples are in the dark and without God, and we've been there before haven't we? … I've been there … Now, look, I grew up going to church — we were a three-times-a-week churchgoing family — but I remember being lost. And it was weird because I was so close to the light that I knew the right things to say, but I was so much in the dark that I knew I really wanted a hundred other things more than I wanted Jesus.Which means I wasn't good at either part. I was like a friend who shared this with me recently: he said he was sinner and a saint and lousy at both. That was me: I was no good at following Jesus, and I was no good at running from him. That's lostness, man.What happened?He showed up. He came for me. He confronted me in a kind of storm, a fork in the road, and I knew who I was dealing with. Jesus is God, just like the Bible says. Everything I heard about Jesus is true. He has the authority. He has the power. My life is in his hands. And somewhere in that whirlwind he pointed me to his cross.I can't be good enough. I can't earn his love. But he loves me anyway. By his grace, he died on the cross to save me. He came to save me where I was. And I don't have to be afraid.And guess what?When Jesus showed up like that I was glad to take him in my boat!That's verse 21 here! Once the disciples hear Jesus speak and he tells them they don't have to fear because he is the I AM (here to save you), they're like Get him in the boat! And that's us too, right!?When we meet Jesus, when he shows up and we know who he is, and we take him at his word, we are all in with him. He is worthy of nothing less than our everything. And that's what it means to trust him. He's our only hope and we want him in our boat, in our lives, and we'll go wherever he goes, we'll do whatever he says. He's our God.And maybe you're here this morning and you've come to recognize Jesus as who he is and you're wondering about the next step. The next step is to ask him to save you. It could be a simple prayer like this,Jesus, I can't save myself and I'm done trying.You died on the cross for me and rose from the dead.You are God, save me. I'm inviting you to trust in Jesus Christ today. And for those of us who have, let's be glad he's in our boat!Let's pray:Lord Jesus, you are God. You are great and you are good and we delight in you. Thank you for coming here. Thank you for showing us who you are. Thank you for saving us! We praise you! With everything we are, with everything we've got, we praise you! We praise you! Amen.

This is message 7 in Gathered in His Name. Matthew 18:15-20 When Jesus said, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name," He was not speaking of a general prayer meeting, but of the church acting under His authority in matters of discipline. Gathered in His name means carrying out His will with the weight of His presence and power behind us. Both Matthew 18 and 1 Corinthians 5 teach that the church is entrusted with Christ's authority to make binding decisions in judgment, always seeking repentance, restoration, and the purity of the body. This is a solemn responsibility that demands prayer, submission, and reverence, knowing Christ Himself stands behind the church when it acts according to His Word. Don't forget to download our app for more from the Riverview Baptist Church. http://onelink.to/rbcapp Find more at https://riverviewbc.com/ Donate through Pushpay https://pushpay.com/pay/riverviewbc

Monday, 24 March 2025   When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. Matthew 8:28   “And He, having come into the beyond, into the country of the Gergesenes, two demon-possessings, they met Him, coming out from the tombs – exceedingly dangerous – so too, not anyone capacitate to pass through that way” (CG).   In the previous verse, the disciples marveled at the capability of Jesus to silence the storm, asking who He could be. Matthew next records, “And He, having come into the beyond.”   In other words, they had left Capernaum, sailed across the Sea of Galilee, and had then arrived on the other side, having gone “into the country of the Gergesenes.” Depending on what source text is used, or what book (Matthew, Mark, or Luke) is being evaluated, the area arrived at could be –   Gergesenes Gadarenes Gerasenes   Charles Ellicott notes the following: “Gadara was a city east of the Sea of Galilee, about sixteen miles from Tiberias. ... Gerasa was a city in the Gilead district, twenty miles east of the Jordan, described sometimes as belonging to Cœle-Syria, sometimes to Arabia. ... There was no city named Gergesa, but the name Gergesenes was probably connected with the older Girgashites, one of the Canaanite races that occupied the country before the invasion of Israel (Genesis 10:16; Genesis 15:21; Joshua 3:10; Joshua 24:11; et al.). Apparently, however, from the last passage referred to, they were on the western side of the Jordan. It is, on the whole, more likely that the reading was a mistake, than that the old tribe still remained with its old name; but it is possible that the name of Gerasa may represent an altered form of Girgashim.”   Both Matthew's and Mark's gospels say that the herd of pigs noted in the account rushed into the sea. Luke says they rushed into a lake (meaning the Sea of Galilee). Therefore, the location now must be on the shore of the sea, not some place 20 miles from the Jordan.   Despite this, Albert Barnes rightly states, “There is no contradiction, therefore, in the evangelists. He came into the region in which the two cities were situated, and one evangelist mentioned one, and the other another. It shows that the writers had not agreed to impose on the world; for if they had, they would have mentioned the same city; and it shows. also, they were familiar with the country. No men would have written in this manner but those who were acquainted with the facts. Impostors do not mention places or homes if they can avoid it.”   As for their arrival, Matthew next says, “two demon-possessings, they met Him.” Another seeming problem arises. Matthew says two but Mark and Luke only note a man in the singular. Again, there is no contradiction. This occurs elsewhere in the gospels where one person is noted here and two there.   If there are two, then there is one. Mark and Luke are giving specific focus to one of the men who they encountered. Of these two people possessed with demons, it next says they were “coming out from the tombs.”   Here is a new word, mnémeion. Specifically, it means a remembrance, as in a monument. As such, it then provides the thought of a tomb where one is laid and a remembrance is implied. These demon-possessed men were there, and they were “exceedingly dangerous.”   Another new word is found here, chalepos. It is found only one more time, in 2 Timothy 3:1, where it speaks of perilous or difficult times. It signifies that which is dangerous, but it can also be applied to the state of a person by saying he is fierce or furious. The context will decide the intent.   Of them, it next says, “so too, not anyone capacitate to pass through that way.” The men were so violent that people avoided the area lest they be harmed. In the gospel records of Mark and Luke, the one that they focus on explained that the demons in him were named Legion, signifying many demons possessed him.   His violence was so great that Luke records that “he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness” (Luke 8:29).   One can see that because of this, while Matthew focused on the fact that there were two of them, the other two narratives wanted to highlight this one man who was an especially terrible case.   Life application: With a little bit of mental effort, difficulties between the gospel narratives are seen to be not impossible contradictions. It is good to remember that these are eyewitness accounts. As such, people's perspectives will naturally be different, and they will focus on different things.   Further, the fact is that when two accounts are exceedingly similar, those who want to dismiss the Bible will use that as an excuse, saying they were merely copied from one account to the next.   In other words, no matter what God has revealed in His word, there is always someone who is there to tear it apart and challenge it as if it is corrupt. The corruption can be found in their own mirror. They have failed to accept the written word of God for what it is.   Lord God, we pray for Your word to be held in the highest esteem among churches who proclaim You. When pastors, preachers, and teachers fail to uphold it for what it is, it can only damage the listeners who are waiting to be instructed by it. May we carefully and contemplatively consider it, and may we expect that from our spiritual leaders as well. Amen.

Most of us know the story: Jesus was born in Bethlehem but grew up in Nazareth. Both Matthew and Luke agree on this, but key details raise questions for scholars. Join Bart Ehrman and Megan Lewis as they dive into why the Gospel writers placed Jesus' birth in Bethlehem. Was it historical fact or shaped by theology? Why does Luke have Mary travel 100 miles while pregnant? And why does Matthew's story send the family fleeing to Egypt?

Welcome to the very first CILIP Scotland Podcast takeover, featuring the CILIPS Students and New Professionals Community! Taking the reins in the podcast studio for the first time, Chaeli, Matthew and Filipa were keen to share with the audience their reflections on starting their professional career in the Library and Information sector post-graduation.  Defacto host for the episode Chaeli Brown is currently an Information Scientist at ThinkAnalytics. Matthew Ferrie has entered into his first role as Information Assistant at the Craiglockhart Library at Edinburgh Napier University. Both Matthew and Chaeli are Events Coordinators for the SNPC, having ran events such as an interview tips event with Falkirk Libraries, and library tour with Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons and Glasgow Women's Library alongside the CILIPS Local Studies group LocScot. Filipa Pedroso is currently spending her time post-graduation in School Libraries as a Graduate Library Assistant in London. She is the former Social Media Coordinator for SNPC.  All three are experiencing very different fields of library work, and in this conversation they bring out the parallels of their work (namely frustration with printers), and how they've translated the skills and knowledge gathered through their degrees to practical applications and people skills.  If you'd like to find out more about SNPC, you can find them on Instagram: @cilips_snpc Twitter/X: @CILIPS_SNPC, or by emailing: snpc@cilips.org.uk. Thank you to Chaeli, Matthew and Filipa for their contribution to the episode! Thanks for tuning in! If you'd like to get in touch to be a guest, or to suggest a topic for the team to discuss, please email admin@cilips.org.uk. Give us a follow on our socials too! Instagram: @cilip_scotland  Twitter/X: @CILIPScotland  Website: www.cilips.org.uk

We are going to take a break from the book of Psalms for the next eight days and share the events in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ in what is called “Passion Week”. It is in these eight days that the greatest event in the course of human history takes place, and that is, the suffering, the death, the burial, and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Don't ever forget that Jesus suffered like no man ever suffered as He lays down His life as God's perfect sacrifice for our sins!  Actually, if we want to look back one day to Saturday, we will find that the Lord Jesus was anointed with oil by Mary.  “And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table” (Matt. 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; John 12:1-8). She was criticized by Judas and the disciples, but Jesus said, “She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her." (Mark 14:8-9). Jesus knew exactly what was going to take place in the course of this week! What a great place to start these devotions this week. We should be encouraged to know that the Lord takes great note of our sacrificial devotion, records it, and will greatly reward it! Today is called Palm Sunday. On this first day of the week, our Lord makes His triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Matt. 21:1-11, 14-17; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:29-44). Luke's Gospel tells us, "Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it here. (Luke 19:28-31) Mark's Gospel informs us that this colt had never been ridden and it was tied “by the door, without in a place where two ways met.” (Mark 11:2-4). This is a beautiful picture of us as sinners. We are unbroken, rebelling against God, and “tied” to our sins! We are “tied” to our past, our guilt, our addictions, our bitterness and cannot lose ourselves. We need someone, sent by Jesus to tell us the story of His resurrection power and how He needs us to come into His family! Notice the colt was “by the door”! Remember Jesus is the door (John 10:9). The colt was “without”. We are outside the fold of safety. The colt was also “in a place where two ways met.” When we are introduced to Jesus, we are at the crossroad of two ways. We must either choose Jesus, the Narrow Way, or reject Him and continue down the broad way that leads to destruction! When Jesus came into the City of Jerusalem, there was a great celebration by the people! When “much people …. heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem... cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.” (John 12:12-13) Both Matthew and Mark's Gospel record this entry: "Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord"  "Hosanna to the son of David... Hosanna in the highest" "Blessed is the kingdom that cometh, the kingdom of our father David" (Matthew 21:9; Mark 11:9-10). It is sad to note, that in less than five days later, many in this crowd would be crying “crucify Him”.   The last thing we should note that took place on this day is the broken heart of Jesus over the city of Jerusalem. After the Pharisees criticized Jesus for accepting this praise he replied, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out." Then Luke also tells us “as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes….” (Luke 19:40-44). As Jesus faces the suffering of the cross, He is weeping over the lost condition of those who would crucify Him. May the Lord give us broken hearts like Jesus to pray and weep over the lost sinners around us today! God bless!

A primary reason why Christians know that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, the Promised Anointed One, the Redeemer, is the predicted prophecies that are fulfilled in his life. Psalm 22 is a detailed picture of Jesus' sufferings on the cross. Both Matthew and John relate this in their accounts. Matthew records the behavior of people and Jesus' inner experiences of thought and emotional pain as well as his bodily suffering. Listen to the record of Psalm 22 with Matthew 27 and Jesus' own prophecy in Matthew 20.

A primary reason why Christians know that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, the Promised Anointed One, the Redeemer, is the predicted prophecies that are fulfilled in his life. Psalm 22 is a detailed picture of Jesus' sufferings on the cross. Both Matthew and John relate this in their accounts. Matthew records the behavior of people and Jesus' inner experiences of thought and emotional pain as well as his bodily suffering. Listen to the record of Psalm 22 with Matthew 27 and Jesus' own prophecy in Matthew 20. Bible Insights with Wayne ConradContact: 8441 Hunnicut Rd Dallas, Texas 75228email: Att. Bible Insights Wayne Conradgsccdallas@gmail.com (Good Shepherd Church) Donation https://www.gsccdallas.org/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJTZX6qasIrPmC1wQpben9ghttps://www.facebook.com/waconrad or gscchttps://www.sermonaudio.com/gsccSpirit, Truth and Grace MinistriesPhone # 214-324-9915 leave message with number for call backPsalms 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

A primary reason why Christians know that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, the Promised Anointed One, the Redeemer, is the predicted prophecies that are fulfilled in his life. Psalm 22 is a detailed picture of Jesus' sufferings on the cross. Both Matthew and John relate this in their accounts. Matthew records the behavior of people and Jesus' inner experiences of thought and emotional pain as well as his bodily suffering. Listen to the record of Psalm 22 with Matthew 27 and Jesus' own prophecy in Matthew 20.

Jesus was political. He said, "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's but to God the things that are God's." (Matthew 22:17-21) He was crucified as "King of the Jews." In this episode, we explore how Jesus was more political than we sometimes recognize. NOTES: The birth of Jesus was political. Both Matthew and Luke set the birth of Jesus in terms of the political rulers of the day. Jesus began preaching the kingdom of heaven. The Sermon on the Mount tells us about its character, and his parables describe it. "The kingdom of heaven is like..." John 19:10-15 describes his trial before Pontius Pilate which sets his kingship against the Roman Empire. RECAP/TAKEAWAYS Jesus was more political than we expected. Jesus relates politics or government in a way that we can imitate. Political leaders neither understand nor submit to Jesus' authority. Jesus' political vision and authority are the grounds of our ultimate hope. GET IN TOUCH: We'd love to hear from you. Please send us an email or question at comment@cithonahillpodcast.com. MUSIC: Little Lily Swing, Tri-Tachyon, Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International, https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Tri-Tachyon/the-kleptotonic-ep/little-lily-swing

(Note: If you tried to listen to this episode and it cut out suddenly around the 50 minute mark, it seems like something went wrong with the upload to the server. Sorry about that. Anyway, please try again now. Seems to be working properly following a reload) Once again, it's time to share a few highlights from the past year of Something Who as we bring you a compilation from our episodes in 2023. And there's a lot to choose from. In addition to our regular presenting team of Richard, Paul, Giles and Simon, we had a lot of guests this year, including Tim Burrows from The Missing Episodes podcast on our 10th anniversary discussion of the Omnirumour. We chatted to an actual Doctor Who writer in Matthew Jacobs, along with Vanessa Yuille, who together made the wonderful fan film Doctor Who Am I? Both Matthew and Vanessa were almost upstaged by a pneumatic drill, but saw the funny side. We spoke with Steve Manfred about his friendship and collaboration with writer Neil Gaiman. Elizabeth Morton spoke with us about her family connections to Doctor Who, as well as her writing career. And Benjamin Cook, Rich Tipple and Timothy K Brown discussed their work on colourising the first Dalek story for the 60th anniversary. Simon Guerrier joined us to chat about The Rescue and The Eleventh Hour, while providing lots of insight from his research into writer and story editor David Whitaker. We hope you enjoy these clips and, if you do, please peruse our back catalogue for the full versions of all of these items and perhaps you'd like to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or similar platform. The opening music is Three Guitars Mood 2 and, yes, that is Richard playing the ukulele and kazoo on possibly the worst ever version of the Doctor Who theme tune at the end. Doctor Who Am I? is widely available in the UK on DVD and Blu-ray https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doctor-Who-Am-I-Blu-ray/dp/B0BGPYV3SD/, also on Amazon Prime: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doctor-Who-Am-Daphne-Ashbrook/dp/B0B8Q734H3/, and ITVX https://www.itv.com/. Tim's podcast Doctor Who: The Missing Episodes Podcast is essential listening for anyone interested in this topic and can be found here: https://missingepisodes.podbean.com/ Elizabeth Morton's latest novel, written as Eliza Morton, is The Orphans from Liverpool Lane, a Pan paperback described as "A warm yet gritty saga set in Liverpool in the 1940s from the acclaimed author of Angel of Liverpool." You can get it from your bookseller of choice, or this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Orphans-Liverpool-Lane-heartwarming-emotional-ebook/dp/B0BM9VN5CT  Simon Guerrier has written a fantastic book about Doctor Who's first Story Editor entitled "David Whitaker in an Exciting Adventure with Television" which you'll want to order here: https://tenacrefilms.bigcartel.com/product/david-whitaker-in-an-exciting-adventure-with-television In the UK you can find The Daleks in Colour on the BBC iPlayer here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001snnz/doctor-who-19631996-season-1-the-daleks-in-colour The pneumatic drill can be found doing a variety of construction related work in the state of California, while dreaming of an ongoing role in podcasting, Our cover art was designed for us by Bea Garrido. She's a really talented artist, who you can find on Twitter using @BeaGarrido00, where, among other artworks, you can get hold of the prints of some remarkable paintings of characters from Doctor Who.

There's no such thing as too many reminders to take a deep breath. Today we do that  by visiting with Kim and learning about her journey of over 20 years  in yoga, meditation and breathing. Matthew, her son, joins in too! Both Matthew and Kim joined us in 2022 to talk about the show Cobra Kai. Here's a link in case you want to listen:https://www.buzzsprout.com/477379/10550847We also mention a few other episodes where breathing and meditation were front and center. One was another interview. This one was with a friend on a journey in a monastery. Here's the link:https://www.buzzsprout.com/477379/4029077And this last link is an entire episode we did earlier this year on the power of deep breaths. Check it out:https://www.buzzsprout.com/477379/12326414I'm sure by now you know I've added this link to help defray costs. Got a a minute and a few dollars? We appreciate the support:Support the showAnd of course support our sponsor Honor Athletics. Here is their link:https://honor-athletics.com/We appreciate our listeners so much and hope that you'll get in touch. Reach us all over the web. Facebook and twitter are simply wildcatdojo. However insta is wildcatdojo conversations. There's a story there.)On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wildcatdojo9869/podcastsAnd for our webpage, where you can listen to all the episodes and see some info about the dojo: http://wildcatdojo.com/025-6/podcast.html . Thank you for listening.

Text: Psalm 22:1-11 (ESV) 1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? 2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. 3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. 4 In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. 5 To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; 8 “He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” 9 Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother's breasts. 10 On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother's womb you have been my God. 11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help.   MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?   Certainly, David was writing about his experience of suffering and anguish. However, this psalm transcends his experiences or to that of his contemporaries.   Take, for example, David wasn't brought to the ‘dust of the earth.' [v.15, ‘'hands and feet were not pierced'[v.16] and ‘his garments wasn't subjected to a cast of lot'[v.18]. These particular descriptions fit Jesus's crucifixion, which David has alluded unto.   Psa 22, is divided into two-fold emphasis. It began with the suffering Messiah [v.1-21] and is followed by the Exalted Messiah [v.22-31] Both Matthew and Mark recorded these words ‘My God, my God why hast you forsaken me?', given in original Aramaic. The reason perhaps is to highlight that Jesus became the sin offering.   How did God the Father forsake Jesus? Most probably, the reason was emotional. Jesus understood the reason for His suffering. ‘God can not look with approval upon sin, as Habakkuk says. [Hab 1:13] Thus, Jesus did not become literally sin, but He was a ‘sin offering' He became our substitute.   David elaborated some predictive references of the Messiah, such as, all my bones are out of joint, my heart is like wax.. melted within me[v.14].. strength is absent as moisture in a potsherd, You lay me in the dust of death [v.15] and pierced my hands and feet [v.16]. Thus, there is this seeking of God's presence to be near [v.19] expressed for only God can help [v.19-21] In v.22-26, there is a dramatic shift. The exalted Messiah will praise God. “I will tell of your name to my brothers, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: Verse 23 says, “ You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!” Moreover, the nations will exalt the Messiah. “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. 28 For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.”[v.27,28]   Listen and FOLLOW us on our podcast  ------------------------- Visit and FOLLOW Gospel Light Filipino on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram

God sovereignly chose Joseph to be the earthly father of His Son, Jesus Christ. He predicted in the Old Testament that the Messiah would come from the lineage of David. (Isaiah 11:1, Jeremiah 23:5-6) Both Matthew and Luke provide genealogies of Jesus that confirm Jesus was a descendent of David—therefore, a legitimate Messiah. (2 Samuel 7:12–13)The prophets in the Old Testament described the awaited Messiah's birth in detail. They foretold the Jesus would come from the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 12:3; 17:19; Numbers 24:17), and the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10) ) to a virgin who would call Him Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14).And the angel Gabriel confirmed God's Sovereign choice to Mary, you will become pregnant with a baby boy, and you are to name him Jesus. He will be great and will be known as the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign as King of Israel

            Prepare The Way Of The Lord  The angel Gabriel appears to Mary to tell her she will bear God's son. Mary immediately travels to see her relative Elizabeth who is also miraculously with child. Mary stays until Elizabeth's baby, John (the Baptist), is born. Joseph, Mary's betrothed, is told in a dream that Mary's pregnancy is indeed an act of the Holy Spirit so despite his misgivings, he goes ahead and marries her.Both Matthew and Luke see these events as fulfilling ancient prophecies. We take a look at those prophecies and discover that things are not always as they seem!A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. More info at EversBibleClass.com.

0 (0s): Good morning harvest church. Let's 1 (3s): Come together. Let's stand and worship our Lord and savior Jesus Christ this morning. Amen. 0 (31s): Worship hockey. Come let bow his feet. He has John Gray things. 2 (45s): See 0 (45s): What a savior has done. See how his loves. He has done great things. 2 (58s): He 0 (59s): Has done great things. D oh, hero of heaven. You conquer the you free and cat and break every, oh God, you have done great. We, your you've been faithful through every store. 0 (1m 49s): You'll be faithful forever. You have great beans. You conquer the great, you free recap and break every chain. 0 (2m 30s): God, you have to, we, oh God, you have done great things. Sing. Hallelujah, 2 (2m 56s): Hallelujah. 0 (2m 58s): Above it. Hall hall. You done great things. Great things. And hall it. God shakeable you have done great things. You've done great things. Oh, hero of heaven. You conquer 2 (3m 36s): The great you 0 (3m 38s): See and break every chain. Oh God, you have done great days. We, your freedom alive. Oh Jesus. I save lived. Oh God, you have done great. Oh of heaven. You conquer. And, and 2 (4m 10s): Every, 0 (4m 11s): Oh God, 2 (4m 13s): You, 0 (4m 21s): Oh, savior, great. You great things. God, you, 2 (4m 47s): Oh, great 3 (4m 52s): Church. We're gonna sing a song called new wine. And this week, as I have been meditating on the lyrics, I've been in Matthew, Matthew nine, where talks about how you can't have new wine and old wine skins. And you can't have old wine and new wine skins. You have to have new wine and new wine skins. And I don't know about you, but I know that God wants to bring new wine out of my life. And I know he wants to bring new wine out of your lives as well. So would you sing this with me 2 (5m 43s): In the, 0 (5m 57s): To 2 (6m 30s): You 0 (6m 42s): The, in the soil 2 (7m 17s): Make me 0 (7m 18s): Your 2 (7m 24s): Make me, 0 (7m 37s): Me, 2 (7m 39s): Jesus, 0 (7m 50s): Outta out being 2 (8m 18s): A, 0 (8m 44s): Do five sing. Make me, so make me your, make me, me, whatever you want to. But all 2 (9m 14s): You 0 (9m 15s): Have given me Jesus out me. Jesus, 2 (9m 31s): Jesus. 0 (9m 55s): Out your spirit out your, we need your love. We need your love church. If you feel comfortable, would you just raise up your voice and sing out a song to a word in this moment? Love leg, your 2 (10m 40s): Me 0 (10m 41s): And me, whatever you want me to be. God, the Jesus out me. Jesus, Jesus out. 0 (11m 46s): And could not hold you the on before you 2 (11m 53s): You sign and the you, your what name? 2 (13m 3s): Name? The you're hitting. 2 (14m 21s): So what, what 0 (14m 56s): A, what a, 2 (15m 36s): The, 0 (15m 50s): Do you have? No. The what? 2 (17m 13s): Powerful name? Powerful name. What a powerful name, name? 0 (17m 48s): What 4 (18m 0s): We praise Jesus. You're so good. God, nothing compares to you. You have no rival and you have no equal Jesus. You are incredible. We lift your name high. We praise you in this place Lord. And when the world is chasing after this thing or that Lord in this house, we praise the Lord. We praise the Lord above all else. Jesus, because we realize our hope is in you, Lord. You are so, so, so good. And Lord, I just pray over every person here, the circumstances in their lives that they're coming in with Lord, you can address them. 4 (18m 44s): You can heal them. You can pour your love out on them. Jesus, your holy spirit is the great, the wonderful counselor. Jesus, you are the wonderful counselor. And so Lord, I just pray that you would counsel each person in this room. Lord, I just asked that each person would open their hearts and open their minds because you want to speak to us this morning. Jesus. And we want to hear from you. God, you are so good. We humble ourselves before you. We just exalt your name this morning. Jesus. We love you so much. And it's in his name. Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. 4 (19m 25s): All right. You can take your seats and thank you worship team. Thank you, Jesus. Let's give Jesus a hand. Woo. So good. All right. Well thank you for being here this morning. My name is Curtis. It's great to have you all here today. If you are new here, we've got a couple things for you. We've got coffee and tea out on the patio. We've got bathrooms down these hallways and water back there as well. So make yourself at home. We're we're really glad that you're here. We've got some stuff happening around here and we just encourage you to connect. So one of those things is that to be able to connect with you, we have to have your information. 4 (20m 8s): We have to have some way like your email or your phone number or something. And we would love to that. We would love for you to do that. And that's just a way for us to be able to get you on the email updates and all of that. So you can connect with life groups and really just so your walk with the Lord can continue to grow. So we wanna empower you. We wanna walk with you in that. So if you'd like, and you haven't done it yet, or if it's been a long time, since you've given us your information and maybe it's outdated, you can head back to the info center and fill out your info there. And we'd love to connect with you in that way. The next thing is that we've got a outreach happening this next Saturday. 4 (20m 47s): The harvest festival is gonna be happening. Lots of people right outside this building that we get to love on and just encourage. So at the harvest festival, we are gonna be out front, handing out love first and foremost. And then also we got water bottles and balloons for the kids and stuff like that. So if you want to come by, we're gonna be here from 8 45 to noon and just to love on the people coming by, they're coming right to our front doors. And so how can we pass that opportunity up? It's gonna be great. So we'd love for you to join us. Also, we've got our Bonko for babies event. This is gonna be to support lifeline and all of the unexpected pregnancies, the, the young girls and young boys, young men who are having unexpected pregnancies. 4 (21m 32s): If you wanna support them, head back to the info center and, and learn more about how you can get connected to that event. It's gonna be awesome. The last thing is that the Christian ethics class that I announced last week, apparently I did a really bad job explaining it. So, so these are some of the questions that we're gonna be talking about in the Christian ethics class, Dr. Stacy, Harmon's gonna be leading it. And it's just gonna be a powerful time to kind of dig into some of the harder questions in our lives. So if Sarah live today, we should get an IVF. Did Sampson commit suicide and our frozen embryos alive and have a soul. So these are just some of the questions that they'll be discussing. And it just kind of helps you dig into your faith a little bit and get some, get some Bible behind you. 4 (22m 16s): So if you wanna do that, it's gonna be on Thursdays at six 30 in the loft. So you can sign up at the info center for that. And then in just a minute, we're gonna be having Jeremy come back up and he's gonna share. The second part of his series of the veil is getting thinner and it's gonna be really great. But right now we're gonna have you get up and meet somebody you haven't met before. And we'll be back in just a minute. Thanks. 6 (24m 10s): All right. Good morning. Good morning, everyone. Good morning. So glad to see you all fellowshiping. What a great Sunday morning I, I gave the children's ministry. That, that, that heads up that I'm gonna go a little long. Alright. So I guess we need every bit of 35 minutes and plus more to get through the content for today, but I'm excited to be here. 6 (24m 56s): I'm I'm, I'm grateful for Steve who gave me once again, another privilege to come and share this. It seems like it's resonating with a lot of you. So that, that encouragement encourages me. I, I hope that you're digging in hope. You've looked at those passages. I hope you continue to do that. I, I, I hope you never just take, you know, a preacher's word for it. I hope you go back and really study and find it in the word of God. So that be principle from acts chapter 17, but I'm glad to be here sharing this message. Once again, we're talking about the veil is getting thinner and, and this and this, this thing that we're seeing and witnessing and around our world about the supernatural getting mixed or, or getting mingled with the natural realm. 6 (25m 44s): So what's what last week we really dug into like, what's, what's going on? What, what is, what is this, why are, why is the government releasing all this UFO stuff? Now? Why, why is this stuff happening? So we, we dug into that a little bit last week. If you missed that message, I would really encourage you to go back after this and, and listen to that, dig in steady. But so as we dig in, let me just give you the answer. Jesus is the answer. Okay? Jesus is the answer. Let's pray and we'll dig in heavenly father. We thank you for your word. We thank you for the complexities in it. We thank you that my daughters, a seven year old, a 10 year old can read your Bible and know it and understand it and coming to a saving knowledge Lord, but we're also thankful for a lifetime of study. 6 (26m 36s): Could never mind the depths of which your holy scriptures have Lord and what they, how they speak into our life and our culture, our context, the things that we're going through Lord. So we pray Lord that we would have the wherewithal to have to dig into the meat of the word of God, to be able to chew on these things. Lord. So Lord to God, as we open up your scriptures, Lord, speak to us in Jesus name, we pray. Amen. Let me tell you about three rebellions in the Bible. Because to the, the, the, to the biblical authors to the, the first century Jews, there was, there was three main rebellions that they understood that we've kind of lost sight of. 6 (27m 16s): We, we UN we know the first rebellion. That was the rebellion that happened in Genesis Genesis, chapter three, with the fall of man, kind of the fall of Adam, that sin that was passed on through Adam's sin of, of disobeying God, he, the sin that came upon him and the death, that how that was passed on through Adam to us. Now, we understand that Jesus came to undo and to pay for the penalty of that sin by dine on the cross, thereby giving us life. We understand that as Western Christians that is accurate, but what we missed is that they're actually in the old Testament, there was two more divine rebellions that happened. 6 (27m 56s): And it all goes back to the Genesis chapter one through 11, the more you understand, the more you dig into what was happening in Genesis chapters, one through 11, the more the, you will unlock the different complexities of the Bible of the word of God. Revelation will become something that you'll understand more greatly. As you understand the context of Genesis chapters, one through 11. The second rebellion is what we really talked about last week, the rebellion of the sons of God, see God made man in his own image and the image, God, he created the male and female. He created them. God made man in his own image and he placed his own code into us, but then the sons of God and their rebellion and, and, and justice, chapter six, they came and they tried to implant their own image on humanity. 6 (28m 43s): That's what the whole thing was. There was the mixing of the sons of God with the daughters of, of, of men. And so that was Genesis chapter through this, the second rebellion, these angels, these sons of God, rebelled of God's natural habitation for them and Jesus in his ministry was became not only to undo the fall of our sin of Genesis chapter three, but he also came to, to reclaim and to undo the sin of these sons of God. That's why Jesus so often, and throughout the scriptures, we see that Jesus came against many demons like March chapter one, verse 23. It says now there was a man in the synagogue with an unclean spirit. 6 (29m 25s): Whoa, wait a second. There's a church. And there's a man with an unclean spirit, a demonic spirit within him, a church that still happens today. But that man began to climb out, you know, who led us alone? Who have we to do with you? Jesus of Nather. You did you come to destroy us? I know who you are. You're the holy one of God. And Jesus cast him out. He rebuked him, caused him to be quiet because Jesus came to undo the fall of the sons of God. And not only that, but all three gospels record that Jesus went up onto a mountain and was transfigured before his disciples and then was joined by Moses and Elijah. That is because Jesus was showing himself to be greater than these sons of God. 6 (30m 9s): He was showing not only his disciples, but he was showing the evil, spiritual realm that he was God in flesh. And he was coming for them. The third rebellion that we find in scripture is the rebellion at Genesis chapter 11 at the tower of vowel, God blessed no one, his sons. And he says, go out and be fruitful and multiply. But one of those sons decided that they were not gonna do that. They were gonna then gather up the nations into one and they were gonna build a tower, remember to try to get above the flood as well, but to build a tower, to, to get to the heavens. And so they were building this tower. They gathered the nation into one place under the leadership of one person into one government. 6 (30m 56s): And not only that, but they Satan led this merging technology, human centered ATIC religion and a global government. All that was found in the, the supernatural rebellion in Genesis chapter 11. This is what Todd Hamson who wrote the book, the nonprofits guide to spiritual warfare. It has, if you look at the book, the front of the cover, it's corny, but it's really in depth. So I, I recommend this book at the parable bookstore, the nonprofits guide to spiritual warfare. This is what he said about Babylon. Babylon means gateway to God or gateway to the gods. Several times in scripture, phone angels are referred to as lowercase G gods at the tower of Babybel man and evil entities were attempting to work together through the veil that separates the scene and the unseen realms in open defiance against the Lord, knowing that with that, they would, that rebellion would incur God's judgment. 6 (31m 55s): That's what was happening at Babylon. So how did Jesus undo that? Well, you see at babble, the languages and the nations were divided. Deutero 32 that says within that division, Deutero 32 versus seven through nine says, remember the days of old consider the years of many generations ask your fathers and he will show you your elders. And they will tell you when the most high gave the nations, their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples, according to the number of the sons of God. But the Lord's portion is his people, Jacob, his allotted heritage. 6 (32m 38s): So I said, when God divided the nations, not only to divide the languages and he sent out nations, is that he also put over the, these different nations, supernatural powers, these divine, these sons of God, these divine beings. And he gave them over the ch that's why we see a Daniel. When Daniels in Persia, the, he, he, his prayers were withheld by the prince of the, the prince of the Persia. He was withheld by the spiritual force that was overseeing that nation because God had given that nation to that according to D 32, but God claimed for himself is Israel and Jacobs allotted heritage. 6 (33m 18s): That's why in Jesus' ministry. Jesus first sends out his 12 disciples. That's who his important ministry was to reclaim the, the nation of Israel, what they were called to be the light of the world. He sends his 12 disciples out, and then when they come back, they bring good report. And then later on, we see Jesus sends out the 70, have you, any of you ever wondered why Jesus sent out the 70 disciples? We understand the 12 for the 12 tribes of Israel, but the 70 correspond back to Genesis, chapter 10 and 11 Noah shaman and Shaham and Jacob Noah's three sons were sent out and they were divided up into 70 different nations. 6 (34m 0s): Go back to Genesis, check that out. So when Jesus sends out the 70, what is he doing? He's saying I'm not only the God of Israel. I am the God of the world. And I am reclaiming these nations for myself, showing that I am superior to that. Isn't it interesting that God's a nationalist. God believes in the rights of sovereign nations because sovereign nations hold power back from each other, help us keep back the evil at bay. You think of when we went in and invaded Iraq, how all of a sudden Iran came to power. When we took Saddam hue out of power, we didn't realize that all of a sudden Iraq or Iran would come to power within the region. 6 (34m 45s): There was a withholding of the powers there. God is a nationalist. He believes in nations, God design nations. So Jesus having sent out the 70 and seeing the result back when he says that I saw state and fall like a, like fall out of heaven. He now says ILOs chapter two, verse 13, through 15 of what Jesus did over all these supernatural entities was this. He said, and you being alive in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he has made alive together with him having forgiven you all trespasses having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. 6 (35m 27s): And he has taken it out of the way. Having nailed it to the cross. You know, that God is a God of justice. And he's a God who believes in the legal system. God has a legal system that he's worked out for the salvation of us. God can't extend out of that because God keeps within his own legal boundaries. He's there's handwritten requirements that were, that were against us. But after he did that, having nailed it to the cross, having disarmed the principalities and powers, he made a public spectacle of them and triumphing over them all. That's why Jesus is the answer. That's why Jesus is the answer. He is the name above every name. 6 (36m 7s): So that's where we leave off this week. But let's, let's remember where we left off last week. And that last week we talked about the diff or we left off with the difference between angels and demons. So let's get into that. Now, first of all, there's a number of different types or classes of angels. There's types, kinds hierarchy within the angels, angelic realm. There's the Sarah F in the chair of him. Those are normally found around the throne room of God. We have the arc angels who are these kind of warrior angels that are given much power, much authority. We have messenger angels, guardian angels, and then over 70 different types of angels are described in the book of revelation. There's a guy who recently wrote a book on 70 angels in the book of revelation, but we don't have time to jump into those guys. 6 (36m 53s): Those are, I'll leave those for further study for you. But what, where we were at last week was the sons of God. That statement the sons of God, the sons of God in the old Testament were direct creations of God, okay? God directly created the sons of God. So if I were gonna get onto a tangent, which I'm going to, because it relates to you and I today, the tangent is that in the old Testament, they're called the stone of God. What about now? What about in the new Testament? And that's where the genealogy is really interesting. Interesting. Both Matthew one and Luke three have different genealogies for Jesus. One follows the lineage of Joseph. 6 (37m 34s): One follows the lineage of Mary Luke's lineage follows Mary Luke and Luke chapter three, the genealogy, we see it all the way down from, from Mary's, from Mary. Her, her father is that we fall that all the way down. The son of the son of the son of, until we get to Adam, the son of God, why was Adam called a son of God? Because he didn't have a mother or father because God directly created Adam. So how does that relate to us today? Well, that's, that's, what's encouraging about the new Testament says second Corinthians five says, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. 6 (38m 14s): The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. Or what about Romans eight versus 12 through 14? Paul says, therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh to live according to the flesh. But if you live according to the flesh, you will die. But if by the spirit you are put to death, the deeds of the body you will live for as many as are led by the spirit of God to these are called the sons of God. Isn't that interesting that we, by believing in who Jesus Christ has have been given the rights to be called the sons of God, John one also says, but as many received him to them, he gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name. 6 (39m 4s): First John three, one behold, what manner of love the father's bestowed on us, that we should be called the children of God. Therefore, the world does not know us because it did not know him. We, because of Jesus can be called the son or the child of God, because we've made a new creation in him. And that means that we are co-heirs with Christ, But we don't become angels. We don't become angels because we're a new creation. We're still humans, but we've been made in the image of God angels. When a person dies, they don't become an angel. Can I dispel that the Bible does not teach that? 6 (39m 45s): Okay. We will be humans. Humans will be humans. And these divine beans will continue to be that. So back to angels, supernatural, divine beans that dwell in a realm above ours in an unseen realm, you see, we have arch angels, messenger angels, guardian angels, angels unaware to us. In fact, the, the one thing that separates angels in the Bible is angels ability to manifest into our world and even disguise themselves as humans. Isn't that interesting angels are able to manifest into our world into our seen realm. 6 (40m 26s): Hebrews 13 chapter 13 verse two says, do not forget to entertain strangers for BISO, doing some, have unwittingly entertained angels. Isn't that interesting that person you bump into on the street, they might be an angel. He was just be careful. You might, you might be that might be an angel that because angels are able to manifest into our scene realm, and that didn't just happen. He's not just warning in, in Hebrews or, or message in Hebrews. It's also in the old Testament in Genesis 18, we see that yawe himself and two other divine beans met with Abraham in the flesh and they ate a meal together. 6 (41m 13s): These angels met with lot and ate Genesis 19 that says those two angels had to physically grab lot and pull him out. That means that angels were able to manifest into our existence into a physical substance and pull lot out of that city. And though even the townsmen of those of that city of Sodom and Gamora thought that those two angels were men it's because the angels are able to manifest Genesis chapter 32 says that Jacob arrested with a man in that text also described as Elohim or Hebrew for God twice. 6 (41m 54s): They had a physical struggle that left Jacob injured for the rest of his life. Matthew chapter four verse 11 says that angels came and ministered to Jesus after 40 day fast Jesus in the wilderness fasting, then, then net by Satan to, to try to deceive him, to try to make him worship God. Jesus was tired after that 40 days, how was he ministered to, is the question, was he just kissed on the cheek by a bunch of butterflies as they kind of like floated around these angels beans that were unseen? No, I think they brought him food. I think they brought him water. 6 (42m 33s): I think they brought him maybe even a pillow or a place to rest. They ministered to his physical bodily needs because they were able to manifest in acts chapter five. We see that angels can open doors. We also see angels appear in speak to shepherds in the field. By speaking, we know that sound waves came out of their vocal chords. So these angels manifested into our existence and were able to speak there by creating vocal, creating these sound waves, which those shepherds were able to hear angels hit the disciples or smacked Peter around to wake them up in acts chapter 12, physically able to manifest into our world. 6 (43m 19s): And it's interesting that the angels throughout the Bible always given in the masculine gender they're, they aren't sexless. There's a book that was written in 1830. It's called flatland by a, a, a minister who was also kind of dabbled in hobbies of, of science and, and physics and stuff. And he wrote this book called flatland, where there was a, he explained and, and brought, made to life a whole world that lived in two dimensions. So the squares or the triangles were female or males in the squares were females. And they, they, he shows how they interact until one day, a three dimensional, a higher being interrupted and, and, and got involved in that two dimensional world. 6 (44m 9s): And it blew the mind of the, the guy that was the, the triangle, how this extra dimensional bean could then intercept and add in. And I wonder how our three dimensional world can be intercepted in, in Why, why, why don't we see four or five or six or 10 dimensions? Like there's theories of science that show because angels are able to manifest. So what about the fallen angels that we talked about last week and the really fallen angels? Let's talk about that. Both Peter and Jews say that both angels who rebelled at the time of no were cast away until the judgment, those angels, that specifically rebelled were cast away. 6 (44m 55s): So what that does is that leaves us two groups of fallen angels. There are those that are bound in chains or locked in tarter. They left their natural habitation, had sex with women, thereby breaking what God had designed them to do. And those, those ones are bound in chains, but there's also a group of angels of fallen angels that are still free to roam. They're the ones that rebelled with Satan, but didn't leave their natural habitations. So what does that mean? It means that some angels, some fallen angels are still at work in our world today. Galatians one eight is the warning, but even if we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel to you, then we have preached to you, let him be a cursed. 6 (45m 43s): Don't listen to it. Don't listen to another gospel. Even if it's some supernatural being, if it, whatever it is, don't listen to it. Let him be a cursed. Ephesians six reminds us of what we're struggling with or what we're wrestling with for, we do not wrestle against the flesh and blood, but against principalities, against the powers against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heaven, places, those are different boundaries in hierarchy. What about in our history? What about our world's history? Have you ever seen or heard of fallen angels come in contact with humans? 6 (46m 22s): What about the prophet Muhammad? The so-called prophet Muhammad 40 years old, he's in a cave near Mecca and he's, he's, he's praying to his God. And in that cave appears what he called the angel Gabriel. Now we know the state that they're a liar, so they can say who they want to be. But this angel grabbed Mohamed and threw him up against the wall and said, he said, read or recite. And Mohamed said, I, I, I don't, I don't know how to read. He was illiterate. He could not read. And he slumped down and the angel, then again, picked him up and threw him against the cave once again, and said, read or recite Muhammad slumped down again. 6 (47m 4s): Once again, after holding them there for a while, thought thinking that he's gonna lose his life. He let him down again. Muhammad was like, I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't do that. I, I, I don't have that skill. And the angel once again, the third time threw him up against the cave wall until Muhammad thought he was gonna die and said, read a sight. And then finally let him go. He went back to his home, back to his wife and hid under a blanket, not knowing what he had just dealt with. And that's how he come, how we get the message of Islam, an angel throwing him up against the wall. Or what about Joseph Smith and his dealing with angel Morona this angel that, that then gave him special golden spectacles and a golden tablet and said, there, this read Christianity is not correct. 6 (47m 50s): This is the true religion. And, and, and this is what you're gonna do. That was the angel moron fallen angels involved in our world. Today. You see Dr. David Jeremiah said this. He said, fallen angels don't prevent us from worshiping. Instead they changed the object of our worship. Something other than the almighty God Prevent us. They don't prevent us from worshiping. They just change the object of our worship. That is why it's my personal opinion. I brought this up last week of what UFO are. I believe these are fallen angels distracting us, preparing us in the world for when Christians suddenly disappear. 6 (48m 33s): And I'm talking about the great rescue, the great snatching, where, where we will be caught up in a moment where those who believe in Jesus Christ will be snatched up and, and just gone just off the face of the world. How is the world gonna explain that? Well, they're gonna, they're gonna use these UFO site and these fallen angels that, oh, well, the angels had to take them. New age has a belief that the world will not enter into full piece until those people who resist that are taken away that's within the new age. Belief says my belief that these things are conditionings for what to come. There's a law of prophecy that says future events, cast their shadows ahead of them. 6 (49m 18s): Future events, cast their shadows ahead of them. Turn on discovery plus, and you'll find a whole channel loaded with the paranormal, Go to the history channel. You'll have all this, all this supernatural things there. It's becoming normalized in our culture. So if angels and fallen angels are able to in manifest into our world today, what about demons? What's up with them. And this is what Jesus taught in Matthew chapter 12. Jesus taught that demons are disembodied spirits. 6 (49m 58s): Demons are disembodied spirits. Matthew chapter 12, verse 43 to 45. Jesus said when an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest and find none. Then he says, I will return to my house from which I came, which he, and when he comes, he will find it empty, swept, and put an order. Then he goes and takes it with him, seven other spirits, more wicked than himself. And they enter and they dwell there. And their last state that man is worse than the first shall. So it shall be with this wicked generation. Notice the language that Jesus has using there says unclean spirit goes out of a man out of a man. 6 (50m 42s): And then later on, he says that the Demonn says I will return to my house. That because the Demonn wants to find a place of rest of Possession as a son of missionaries to a third world country. I, I remember hearing some of these stories very early on about how my parents would once in a while, once in a while, come across these people. And, and, and they would try to exercise the demons because this little girl, young age would from her would come the weirdest and most guttural noises and sounds and speak in, in, in horrible things. And that those demons would try to hurt that girl. 6 (51m 22s): And so my parents spent time casting out these demons. I heard that from a young age. So what is going on? Well, Jesus spoke that these demons are disembodied spirits. They seek to find a body and there is levels of wickedness within the demons themselves. You see that demon didn't like whether it left or whether, if it was, it was cast out of that, that man, that person, that body, that it was in, it says, well, I'm gonna return there. And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept and put order. And he says, oh, I'm gonna take seven more, more wicked than myself so that we won't be cast out again Out of a man. 6 (52m 6s): I'm gonna return to my house. So where do these disembodied spirits come from? Be the question we should ask, where do these disembodied spirits come from? And that goes back to Genesis chapter six, Genesis chapter six, verse four says there were giants on the earth in those days. And also afterwards, we'll, we'll leave that. We'll, we'll set that aside for another time. Another discussion there were giants on the earth in those days when the sons of God came into the daughters of wi of men and they bore children to them. And these were the mighty men who were of old men of renowned that were giants is the Hebrew word for Nephem. 6 (52m 50s): There were superior beings because they were half angel and half man that Hebrew word ne ne is, is a compound word it's it's Neal, which means fallen one. See, this was another reason for the flood because the spiritual wickedness that had intercepted the human race, the human seed human DNA, and that the promised Messiah of Genesis chapter three verse 15, would, could not therefore have Satan seed within it. It had to be a pure strain. That's why the Jews were so interested in their genetics, in their lineage, their family lineage. 6 (53m 33s): And as weird as that sounds to us, the technology today is increased in increasing. We have this technology called the CRISPR technology, gene splicing technology, where we're able to split apart the human DNA and there, and put into DNA, other blocks of DNA. Now, that sounds good. When you think of how, how it could be used for cancer, if there's a, if, if, if a person has a, a, a genetic disposition that, that, that caused them to have cancer, well, you think well going in and removing that chunk of DNA, that causes, that could be a good thing, but it also can be used. Very nefariously. 6 (54m 14s): China has openly said that they're working on Chimera, they're working on and they have worked on, and they have created a live pig monkey hybrid. Please fact, checking on that because they eventually want to make super soldiers. They want to take human DNA and mix it with pig DNA. So you get these transhuman soldiers. They're working on that. As all comes down to transhumanism that we can become something greater than God. We, we could become a hybridized at the, at the fall at that second divine fall, where the sons of God came into the Dodge as a woman, they were trying to make their man and their own image. 6 (55m 3s): And that is now continues to gate today with the technology that we're at. So that's why Noah was chosen. Noah was found perfect in his generations, in his Tolo dot because he hadn't his genes hadn't been mixed. And it's interesting to look back at the mythology from all around the world, every culture, even here in the native Americans here in the us claim to have some half human half man demigod and every culture around in the, in the world also has a global flood story with one family surviving it, where these lowercase G God's coming into human women and creating hybrids. 6 (55m 48s): Superpowered beans, Gilgamesh, Hercules, a Achilles, all those speak to this demigods. But what happened to those? NELI those superpowered those half human half spiritual beans. What happened to them? Well, that's why Genesis six over and over again, says that God wiped everything out. A global worldwide flood. They all died. Jesus talks over and over again about that flood and how it wiped everything out. You see the understanding is that the, the Def the Neum, their bodies died, but their spirits lived on their bodies died in the, in the flood, but yet their spirit has been left here to Rome first or second Corinthians five, one through eight. 6 (56m 44s): Talk about how our bodies are home to our spirit. That's why when people have, or claim to have these near death experiences where their spirit is detached from their body, it's because their bodies are home to their spirit. I'm told by another pastor. And I have not been able to verify this. So don't take this as, as, as word, but I'm told by another pastor that the common name for demons at the time of Christ was Timon Neal or dead NELI. So if you can find that source that let me know, please, but that's what I'm told. And it seems to be that this was the accepted view during the time of Jesus, that demons are the disembodied spirits of the neph limb that were killed during the flood. 6 (57m 28s): And they look once again to inhabit an animal, an object, or a body. They want to have a body again, which makes sense with Jesus, talking about them being disembodied spirits. So a couple facts on demons, demons. Also, like we said, it would vary in wickedness and Inkin remember Jesus and Matthew 12 says seven other spirits, more wicked than himself. And then later on in mark, chapter nine versus 28 through 29, his disciples could not cast this certain Demonn out. And when they had Jesus privately, they said, when they'd come into the house to discipled, asked him privately, why could we not cast it out? 6 (58m 10s): So Jesus said to them, this kind can only come out by nothing but prayer and fasting, Prayer and fasting is what, how that kind would come out. You see demons seek to oppress and enticed people to sin. And if possible, to possess a person, which is the, the work that's still going on today, why? Because they want to get a body again. They want to use human vocal chords to speak. If you look at mark chapter five in Luke, chapter eight, we've we, you hear of the, the Legion, the man who had many who was naked, who was wandering the two living in the tombs. 6 (58m 55s): Jesus comes and simply cast them out. But he, but he says, he, he, he allowed those spirits to talk to. I don't know why, but he allowed those spirits to then say, Hey, can we go on those pigs? And those pigs ran off the cliff. And once again, those pigs died. Does that remind you of the flood story? 7 (59m 11s): There's 6 (59m 12s): A connection. The good news is a Christian. A Christian cannot be possessed by a, when they're filled with the holy spirit. That's pretty good. Come on. More amens on that one. Thank you. First Corinthians six says this, or do you not know that your body is the temple of the holy spirit? Who is in you, whom you have from God. And you're not your own. You are bought with a price, therefore, therefore glorify God in your body and your spirit, which are gods. Your body is the temple of the holy spirit. You've been made a new creation. You cannot be filled or possessed by a Demonn. 6 (59m 55s): Now demons have many different kind of names. I encourage you to, to look up unclean spirits, familiar spirits Diablos or devils. We don't have enough time to go into that today, but not everything can come down to well, the devil made me do it. Okay. We battle against a world system against our, our own flesh. And we battle against the devil, the world, the flesh, and the devil, but what are with specific ways to open the doors, to demonic oppression, or for those who are not believers possession, let's talk about those first one would be worship of other gods or idols, worship of other gods or idols. 6 (1h 0m 37s): Deuteronomy 32 says when they provoked him to jealousy with their foreign gods with abomination, they provoked him to anger. They sacrificed to demons and not to God, to God's. They did not know, knew God's new arrivals that their fathers did not fear. That's backed up in, in the new Testament with first Corinthians 10, when he says in verse 19 and 22, what, what am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything rather that the one things at which Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. And I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink of the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. 6 (1h 1m 19s): That is that's. Yeah. You cannot partake at the Lord's table and the table of the demons, or, or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he see by worshiping things made out of hand, the Demonn can then occupy that object. They, they were what they thought were, they were just worshiping just statues or idols. They were actually sacrificing and worshiping demons. So why you gotta be careful when you, when you, when you move into your house or if your front lawn has a Buddhist statue, a Hindu statue, get that thing outta there. 6 (1h 2m 2s): That's no right in a Christian's life. And even then we still need to be careful of what we bring into our houses. My wife loves the thrift store, the thrift shop. And she brought maybe, maybe she, yeah, I didn't ask her if I could tell the story, but she brought home this plate and it was really pretty, it was a decorative plate. It was kind of made outta her bra and it had some really cool inscriptions and it, but it had this, this kind of almost writing that went around it. And I, and I, I wasn't sure about it. And we had it in a, a house for a number of months. And, and I remember just, just, I never, I just never felt good about that thing. Never. 6 (1h 2m 42s): I just, just felt wrong. And during that time, my, my wife was having dreams and even kind of just strange stuff going on in the house. And I was like, honey, I think we gotta get rid of that plaque. Oh, but it looks so nice. No, it just needs to go. So she ended up throwing away and I never followed up with it a few months ago passed. So a couple months later, a few months ago, she's like, Hey, you remember that plate? And I was like, yeah. She's like, you know, all those things that was like experiencing, they went away. When I got rid of that plate, I was like, weird Worship of other gods right now. We never worshiped the plate. We did not do that. Okay. What about involvement in the cultism oui boards, TA cards, Palm readers, talking with the spirits of the dead witchcraft, spells movies shows even the new thing right now, crystals. 6 (1h 3m 40s): These all have their foundation in the cultism. You can all bring those all the way back to the Babylon, to Nimrod. These are things that we need to be careful of, and we think we should not have any involvement. They open the door to demonic oppression or possession D on the 18 says there shall not be found among you. Anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire or one who practices witchcraft or so there, or one who interprets omens or a sor or one who conjures up spirits or spells, or a medium or a spiritist or one who calls up the dead for all these things are an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations, the Lord, your God drives them out from you before you, these things are, do not belong in the life of a, of a, of a, a Christian. 6 (1h 4m 28s): What about alcohol? Especially too much of it. Where can you find alcohol in a store? You can find it in the spirits section Ephesians five, eight says, or five 18 says, and do not be drunk with wine, which is dissipation, but be filled with the spirit. What is that saying? That you're gonna be either filled with the spirit or you're gonna be filled with the holy spirit, or you're gonna be filled with this unclean spirit spirit. Be careful with that. Jesus warns about worshiping. Mamon what we think of money and our wealth and holding onto it too tight, trusting too much in it is the way we open up ourselves to, to the demonic realm. 6 (1h 5m 17s): What about sexual sin and perversion? We open the door to of our life, to these unclean spirits. We give them footholds in our lives. They are filthy and perverted first Corinthians six says this, please sexual sexual immorality. Every sin that man does outside his body is outside of his body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body, his own, the, the temple of the holy spirit and that word for I immorality, or is fornication. And the Greek word is pornea sexual sin. 6 (1h 6m 2s): It's perversion I'm told the average age currently is between six and eight years old. That if boy sees his first pornography, Six to eight years old parents be very careful with the technology that you allow your kids to have six to eight, open that door into the, the demonic realm where clean UN unclean spirits filthy perverted. The Bible also says that sexuality is anything outside the boundary of one man. 6 (1h 6m 45s): And one woman in a married relationship. Hebrews 13, four says the marriage bed is undefiled, but anything outside that is defiled. That includes transgenderism. Beastiality homosexuality, adultery pornography. All of that is outside the grounds of biblical marriage. And that does not belong in the life of a Christian in college. As I was dealing with my own struggle in this area, remember there was a night when my, my college roommate wasn't home and I woke up in the middle of the night with temptations from a deep sleep. 6 (1h 7m 27s): I didn't share this first service woke up from a deep sleep and there was next to my bed, a bean. And it wasn't there. There wasn't, it was, it was real enough to be not physically there, but there was a spiritual being in my room that was hovering over me. And I couldn't get a word out. I was like, pinned, locked my room. All I knew, I knew that I needed to say the name of Jesus. I knew that I needed to cast that thing out. That the thing had no right to be in my room. And I struggled for a minute. So to try to finally get the words out and that finally, that, that Jesus, that unlocked it in this beam that had a faith that was standing over me. 6 (1h 8m 10s): I somehow molded and just walked away out into where into, into the, where my roommate's room was about 15 minutes later when I got the courage and finally jumped outta bed, I ran and I made sure all the doors and the windows shut and sure enough, everything was locked up. There was a demonic bean in my room that was trying to get me to thin. What about drugs as an opening to the demonic realm? We sometimes think of these things as harmless. Just a, just things that we do once in a while, but drugs in revelation 19 night, sorry, revelation nine verse 20 through 21. 6 (1h 8m 52s): But the rest of mankind who are not killed by those plagues did not repent from the works that the hands that they should not worship demons and idols of silvers, brass stone and wood, which can either see, nor hear nor walk. And they did not repent from the murders of the, or their Soaries or their sexual immorality or their Thefts. That that word forestries is an interesting word because in the Greek, that word forestries actually is the word PIAA PIAA. And that in the context of the new Testament is mind altering substance for a long, long time throughout the century's pagans have used in their worship ceremonies, different plants and different medicinal things to get high. 6 (1h 9m 37s): And once they're high, they're in the altered state, they're in a higher state and they're able to communicate with outside extra, extra dimensional beans. You're giving your Liberty for these demons to enter your life. As you do these mind altering drugs, I'm gonna show a clip. I promised it last week of VI of Joe Rogan. He's a, a world famous podcaster, one of the most listened to podcasters, and he's gonna talk about his experience using a drug, but this, and using this drug, he enters into something that he feels is more real than real. 6 (1h 10m 21s): And from that place where he feels more real than real, he he's getting outside wisdom. So let me just play this clip and we'll go from there. 9 (1h 10m 29s): I have one way of looking at it that I always describe. This is what I say to people. I say, if there was a thing that you could do like a door you could go through and that door would take you to another dimension where you would communicate with Some entity beyond your wildest imagination, that's constantly visually changing and communicating with you telepathically and knows everything about you sees all your, and is trying to impart some ideas that will help you with your life. Cuz it's a God-like experience like you're experiencing like some sort of Uber, powerful entity, some more Uber, intelligent entity, something beyond any, if we just looked at humans and thought of the hu the evolution of human one day, we'll get to this. 9 (1h 11m 19s): We're not gonna get to that. That is a different, it seems like it's so beyond the body. It's so beyond the, the human monkey body, this is what I tell people. I go, if I could give, if you would open a door and you would go there and you'd have that experience, would you do it? And most people are like, yes, I would do it. If I gave you a drug that gave you that experience, you still have the exact same experience. It's the exact same experience. You've just decided it's not real. And you've decided it's not real because you're putting into this category of hallucination. Like what does that even mean? What does that even mean? You're actually having that experience. I don't know what it is 6 (1h 12m 1s): There. Joe Rogan is talking about how he's opening up in a door and that goes back to Genesis, right? Kane soon is knocking at your door and it seeks to master you here, here, Joe Rogan is staying. I, I I'm, welcomely opening this door into my life with this wisdom from outside to come in and give me insight. He's opened himself to demons because demons, if they are the bodies of the distant bodies, spirits of the LAN, they have been around for thousands of years and they've witnessed, they know Joe Rogan's tendencies. They know each of our tendencies, they know what we're our proclivities are. They know what we're what sins draw us. 6 (1h 12m 42s): Everyone has different sins that they're drawn to. And so these demons he's through this drug, he's allowing becomes more real than real. He's allowing these things to speak into 'em He's wrestling with that. Is that more something that's more real than real is because we are being conditioned in this culture into this day and age, that that the veil is getting thinner. The normalization of this supernatural is a trick of Satan to, to steal line from the of great movie, the usual suspects. He says that the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was trying to convince the world he didn't exist. But one of the other tricks, the devil pulls is just to get you okay with the humdrum of life like CS Lewis, the screw tape letter, just, just let them kind of do their thing. 6 (1h 13m 28s): They're okay. Because as we watch more and more and more and more come down the forest, the UFOs, the movies, the TVs, the news, the cold we're gonna be, be getting this. So we need to get back to our supernatural biblical worldview because the world needs it. The Bible has the answers. So how do we do that? Well, one, we, Jesus, Jesus, the name of every other name. We claim the name of Jesus. If you have not claimed the name of Jesus, if you have not become a follower of Jesus Christ, you need to do that today because either Jesus will influence you or these, the unseen realm will be influencing. 6 (1h 14m 12s): You Need to remove that veil from our eyes, realize that there's an unseen realm around us and that we rest will not against flesh and blood. Then for some of us, we need to close the door to the demonic strongholds in our life, drugs, alcohol pornography, those things, those doors need to be closed in the name of Jesus Christ. And those spirits cast out. We need to pick up our spiritual armor and the weapons that God has given us. He's given us directions of how to fight how and to do that. So let's do that. Go to Ephesians six, to look up your spiritual armor that God has given you. And we need to fight by getting on our knees in prayer fast. 6 (1h 14m 53s): When you, when God calls you to fast, pick up your Bible, we need to pray and speak out against our, against the demonic strongholds in our community. Our families in our country, these things are real pray. Jesus, we'd lift up your name higher than any other name, your God in the flesh who came to save sinful man to save us. So we bow our knee to you. God, cuz you've paid the price. 6 (1h 15m 41s): Jesus, we need you. We need you to fight this fight. We need to be equipped for the battle, but help us to dig into what you have for us. For Jesus. Then we pray. 2 (1h 15m 56s): Amen. 0 (1h 15m 59s): Church will you stand as we worship. So make me in offering, make me whatever you want me to be. God, I came here with nothing but all you have given me, Jesus, bring new wine out. Me, me, your 2 (1h 16m 42s): Me 0 (1h 16m 42s): In with nothing 2 (1h 16m 55s): At 0 (1h 16m 55s): All you have given me. Jesus, bring new wine outta these Jesus spring, new wine Jesus, where the is your freedom? Lay down old. 6 (1h 18m 18s): See the fight got brought to me. It became really personal. We bought an old house as a, it's a house that was built in 1934 in Santa Maria. And after moving in and we started, there's strange things happening. My daughter was saying, dad, I'm really afraid at I it's like I see something in the corner of my room. I'm like, that's what do you see, honey? And she described a Grotes old woman in the corner of her room. And I was like, well that's that's really okay. Well let's pray. Let me give you the tools. I use the name of Jesus. If you, if you sense something in your room, use the name of Jesus. Say Jesus, help me, Jesus be here. And that thing will have to flee well, talking to then after that, talking to my next door neighbor, who's a Christian as well. 6 (1h 19m 3s): He's like, I've seen that exact same old Haggard woman as well. I'll be alone in the house and I'll see her peek out, out the corner of the room and then another neighbor. And then my wife all reported three different people, independent of each other, knock talking all reported to seeing this, this abarition. And so we prayed and they, I gave them the tools I gave them that fight guard brought to me. So I said, no, there's either. I'm either run from this or I'm gonna fight it. And we chose to fight and we fight in the name of Jesus Christ. We fight in the power of God, but there is a power. There is Power in the name of Jesus Christ. Come forward. If you need prayer, come forward and deal with that. 6 (1h 19m 46s): Come forward to submit yourself and, and to yield to Jesus today. Thank you. 0 (1h 20m 0s): So make me whatever you want me to be. God, I came here with nothing, but all you have given me Jesus new one out of me. 3 (1h 20m 27s): One more time. 0 (1h 20m 30s): Me your thank me an me. Want to God, nothing at all you have given me, Jesus, bring new wine outta me. Jesus, bring new wine outta me. Jesus, bring new wine out of me. 3 (1h 21m 13s): God, that is our prayer this morning. But the old would fall away that we would step into the new God that you would bring new wine out of our lives, that any bad habits or mindsets, but that, that those would end today. God, thank you for your spirit. Thank you for your power. Thank you for your love in your precious name. We pray. Amen.

FACEBOOK COPY: The gift God gave in Jesus is foreseen in a pretty amazing way in the genealogies of Jesus - today Kent unpacks some pretty incredible hidden treasures you may have never heard. Visit section 3 today @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/timeline-of-jesus/birth-preparation/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ). ------------------- OPENING ILLUSTRATION: Growing up there was always this constant thing that would happen as my parents got to know other adults. it would start like this. Someone would start talking about how they were related to someone famous, Bloody Mary, or Herbert Hoover, whoever it was didn't matter, because what followed next was always the same. My mom would chime in and start talking about her maiden name was Crockett and we were actually related to Davy Crockett - I think His dad was my ancestors' dad too… All I know is every male in my family has to kill a bear by the age of 3… Ha, remember the song… Anyway, my mom would start to regain these fine folks and show them up on their history and how we were related to one of America's finest folk legends. And that's when it would happen, my dad would chime in and he'd say something to the effect of, “yup, Janice is related to Davy Crockett, the Wagners, come from a long line of horse thieves…” Ha. I'm about 95% sure that wasn't true… But every time it's what my dad said… As American Genealogies are kind of a mixed bag. With the invention of ancestory.com and other websites like it, some of you have figured out that you are related to the duke of wellington. But for others of us, like my dad - you could care less.. Generally speaking, Americans are about the future, not the past. “Where I come from isn't as important as where I'm going” But that's not the case for a huge part of the rest of the world… ILLUSTRATION: Jenni's uncle by marriage is Muslim. He and I were talking one day and he told me that he has a document that takes his family lineage back to Abraham through Ishmael. That's crazy, right? His genealogy anchored him in the history of a larger story b Today, we are going to look at what some might consider the most boring part of the gospels, but if you are willing to do a little literary archaeology - you will see it's a treasure trove that anchors Jesus' story in the history of a much larger story… So, first things first - before we put on our Indiana Jones hats and go archaeology-ing, I need to clear something up… Both Matthew & Luke give us the genealogy of Jesus. The problem is, they are different… Matthew 1:15b-16 Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah. Luke 3:23 23 Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli, Matthew says Joseph's Father was Jacob and Luke claims it was Heli (or some translations Eli) b What do you do with that? Some of you are like, “finally, I knew this was a bunch of hooey…” Before you get rid of the New Testament as contradictory, let me give you 3 good explanations for why there might be a difference of lineage between David & Jesus in the two gospels. [WATCH: 3 Minute Theology with Kent - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FspZ9MsVA3E ] Ok, phew - boom, hopefully, that was under 3 minutes. Because that's not what I want to show you today… All month we've been talking about the Giving God, and I want to show you how the genealogies foretold the gift… So, put on your Indiana Jones Hats, we are going to go for a ride… 1st The 14's in Matthew Matthew ends his genealogy with this statement: 17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah. I'm not going to read them all to you, but what you need to know is Matthew is doing something that is common in biblical genealogies. He has skipped some people to get three 14's - but why? Let me show you… Got your indy hats on? In Hebrew every letter has a number associated with it - numbers are huge in Judaism. b David's name happens to be the following letters in Hebrew: ד ו ד ד(dalet) + ו (vav) + ד (dalet) with me so far? ד(dalet) = 4 ו (vav) = 6 That means David's name is 4 + 6 + 4 = 14 remember Matthew's profession was “Tax collector” the guy is a math genius… But here's something else you might not know The number Three is the number of completion in the Hebrew bible. So, Matthew is saying Jesus is 14, 14, 14 - He is David, David, David - but why? Because the Jewish people knew that the Messiah would be the son of David. Jesus is the completion of the Davidic Messiah that was to come into the world. b Or what about the women in Matthew's Genealogy? …Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, …Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, …Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, …David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife -Tamar was a Canaanite woman who had to essentially prostitute herself to get her father-in-law to give her a child (her father-in-law was supposed to give his youngest son in a levirate marriage to her because two of his older sons had already died married to her - Judah doesn't and she ends up having to trick him into getting her pregnant) -Rahab was a prostitute and a foreigner who helped the spies in Israel when they came to spy out on Jericho… -Ruth was a Moabite-es - would have likely been despised by a lot of the people of the time because the Moabites had treated the Israelites terribly -And Bathsheba - Matthew references her to her previous husband to just show the extent of how terrible what happened to her was. She was raped by David and her husband was murdered. Why reference these women in a genealogy of the Messiah - all with sordid pasts and most with sexually sordid pasts? b Because Matthew is pointing out how God can use anyone and helping everyone to see that Mary really is as much of a hero as the women who came before her. Or what about Luke's Genealogy He ends his 76 generations like this… Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Kenan, 38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. Why does Luke take his genealogy all the way back to Adam and then to God? b Luke is making the point that Jesus is the essential man who is the Son of God b He came to set right what Adam got wrong… CLOSING ILLUSTRATION: When I was a kid, I was playing basketball with some buddies - the ball flew into the yard and I jumped on it. All my friends jumped on top of me to try and wrestle the ball out of my hands. I immediately started screaming - they all jumped off and when I rolled over, my pants leg was full of blood. My knee had been gashed open to within a 1/4 of an inch of paralyzing me. The next 30 minutes were a blur of blood and rushing to an er. I can remember them coming in and giving me shots inside the wound to numb it so they could clean it. Then the doc came in to sew it up. Stitches on the inside and the outside. I can remember feeling the needle and the pressure as they pulled through the skin and flesh. I was squeezing my dad's hand so hard he said his fingers were turning white. At one point, my dad said, “I wish it was me instead of you…” he would always chuckle when he'd tell this story because he said I replied, “Me too…” Ha. I know the genealogies are boring. I get it… But what they tell me is that the story of Jesus is really anchored in real history. And it tells me that the story of God coming to take our place was not just some nice story you tell your kids to make them obey. It's the real story of the Adam who came to set everything right that went wrong. What will it take for you to give your life over to Him? He literally came and took your place on the cross, taking all your sin on Him so that you could be free. he didn't just wish it was him instead of us, He did it…

Matthew 22:34-40, 5:42-48 Both Matthew 22 and Mark 12 record that Jesus was asked, "Which is the greatest commandment in the Law?

Matthew Glover is a business activist focused on removing animals from the food system. He's currently working on three main projects. Veganuary - Alongside his wife Jane Land, they came up with the idea and launched in January 2014. The campaign has grown from 3,300 in the first year to nearly 600,000 people signing up to the website in January 2021. Both Matthew and Jane now serve as trustees on the Board, and provide advice to the growing team of vegan change-makers. Veg Capital - Providing early-stage capital to companies striving to replace the use of animals in the food system. Veg Capital is a specialist private venture fund that primarily provides early-stage Angel, Seed, and Series A funding, with investments typically ranging from £100,000 to £250,000. It invests primarily in companies developing meat, dairy, eggs and seafood replacements with plant-based ingredients. Feel free to send Veg Capital a pitch deck at: https://app.zapflow.com/webentry/vegcapital VFC® - Building a Vegan Fried Chick*n brand, as chickens are the most abused land animals on the planet. Activism lies at the heart of VFC's mission which has set its sights on becoming a global food company. On this episode, Matthew shares his one way ticket to a vegan world. He also talks “speciesism”, the origins and mission of Veganuary, his outrageously delicious VFC®, and more. Matthew is just one of the engaging personalities featured on The One Way Ticket Show, where Host Steven Shalowitz explores with his guests where they would go if given a one way ticket, no coming back. Their destinations may be in the past, present, future, real, imaginary or a state of mind. Steven's guests have included: Nobel Peace Prize Winner, President Jose Ramos-Horta; Legendary Talk Show Host, Dick Cavett; Law Professor, Alan Dershowitz; Fashion Expert, Tim Gunn; Broadcast Legend, Charles Osgood; International Rescue Committee President & CEO, David Miliband; Former Senator, Joe Lieberman; Playwright, David Henry Hwang; Journalist-Humorist-Actor, Mo Rocca; SkyBridge Capital Founder & Co-Managing Partner, Anthony Scaramucci; Abercrombie & Kent Founder, Geoffrey Kent; Travel Expert, Pauline Frommer, as well as leading photographers, artists, chefs, writers, intellectuals, etc.

Matthew hails from New York, and Pearl from Mexico. Yet Papa supernaturally brought the two of them together in Texas in order to bring them together for life in the UK, where they now reside with their 4 children, balancing God, family, life, work, and ministry.Matthew and Pearl were separately, yet simultaneously radically saved in a Damascus road experience in a little church in Horsham, UK. Papa came and met with them in an amazing supernatural way, rescuing Pearl from a lifestyle as a new age ‘witch', and Matthew from the intellectual atheism that is so rampant in the world as a form of self-centred religion.During their first 10 years of traditional church, they quickly grew and rose up to lead various ministries at local church level, including helping to form a monthly spontaneous, prophetic worship event called The Cession. The Cession members and attendees spanned multiple churches across Horsham and West Sussex and accrued a strong following of people who sought more of Papa at any cost. The event encouraged prophetic art and dance, harp and bowl method of worship and intercession (as pioneered by Mike Bickle's International House of Prayer Kansas City (IHOP)), and the prophetic in general: from prophesying specifics one on one or in fire tunnels, to speaking Papa's heart for the moment into the worship.AdvertisementsREPORT THIS ADAs the Cession continued to gather momentum and honour Papa, Jesus, Holy Spirit, and especially after a one-off event sponsored by Spirit, Body, Soul with Emerge Wales called Wildfire Horsham, most of the members of the Cession band began to encounter the glory realm more and more at the events and in their everyday lives. The glory began to come regularly to the Cession events, and then began to show up at Matthew and Pearl's house meetings on Friday night, which they called Glory School, after Patricia King's teachings. There were times when tangible clouds formed in the room. Other times where the room would be filled with a sweet heavenly fragrance. Times when they would all feel the presence of angels. And always, the group would pray and prophesy over everyone attending, releasing God's supernatural power, with miracles following.Though Papa allowed the Cession to end, as Glory School continued to meet, there was a further increased time of acceleration into the things of the glory and mystic realm. Shortly after, Matthew and Pearl were invited to lead worship at the Ian Clayton Deeper event hosted by Company of Burning Hearts in Wales.At and after this event, Papa began to speak to Matthew and Pearl about being sold-out lovers of God and about them fathering nations, starting first in their local area. Papa asked them to lay down their current leadership positions in their local church to follow His vision for their lives. The two of them said Yes, unequivocally. And the ministry has grown and blossomed since.AdvertisementsREPORT THIS ADThe Glory Company is all about the Father's Business. It has always been a part of the ministry's mission to see people saved, healed, and delivered, using any tools at their disposal, such as, prophecy, laying on of hands, worship, the Bethel Sozo prayer tools, or however the Father leads during a session.After nearly 10 years of hosting Friday night Glory School church, hosting Glory Party worship events and annual Tomorrow People conferences, and speaking at or performing worship at other ministry's events, Papa God asked Glory Company to go on a season of sabbatical.During this sabbatical time, Matthew and Pearl have had a time to regroup with Papa God, write, record and mix new worship albums, mentor people and groups and conferences both in person and online. Glory Company has been given a new lease on life, returning to the humble roots of honouring God and inviting the intoxicating, joyful glory atmosphere of heaven, which opens up the mystic realm to people and encourages them to simply enjoy God for who He is. Both Matthew and Pearl have written books during this time, which they hope to publish and release soon.Glory Company's vision is to see people released and freed from the trappings of religion and into the freedom of a life with Christ. We encourage people to live in constant awareness of His presence, and to remain in perpetual conversation with the members of the Trinity; to stop accepting the mundane as their portion and to embrace a supernatural lifestyle instead; and to realise that the mystic realm is open to them all the time and that by simple faith they can enter into this realm, and in this place of rest, discover their true identities in Christ.We want people to experience God in all His glory all the days of their lives. We are born for glory. Jesus died to restore us to glory. We are made to carry the glory.

We continue in Mark 2:1-12 with Jesus demonstrating His authority. Both Matthew 9 and Luke 5 present this same incident of four men making a way to the Savior through the roof of the house where Jesus was teaching. The problem the scribes and pharisees had was their ignorance of the Savior and His divine authority. It is easy to say words that declare the forgiveness of sins, but only the Lord Jesus Christ has the divine authority to not only declare it, but to make it happen. Our Lord demonstrated the authority of God in commanding the paralytic man to rise up, take his stretcher and go home. He did just that in the presence of all the people. The people were completely astounded by this miracle in which Jesus demonstrated His Deity. Here is Dr. Mitchell on the Unchanging Word Bible Broadcast, Mark 2:1. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/unchanging-word/message

In the second of our mini-series of wellbeing specials, our host, Jonny Monkhouse, talks to Aviva employees and couple Matthew and Daniel about their experiences living with autism. Hear about their differing experiences of diagnosis, living with Asperger's through their school, university and working lives – as well as how it affects them as a couple. Both Matthew and Daniel have Asperger syndrome, otherwise known as Asperger's, which is an autism spectrum disorder. Among other symptoms, it's characterised by difficulties in social interaction and communication. If you want to know more about autism or discover any potential support available then these resources may help. NHS - Guide to autism: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/autism/ National Autistics Society: https://www.autism.org.uk/ Royal College of Psychiatrists - Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders: for parents, carers and anyone working with young people: https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/healthadvice/parentsandyoungpeople/parentscarers/autismandaspergerssyndrome.aspx If you're outside the UK then please look up what other resources are available to you locally. A transcript of this episode will be made available on aviva.com

Married with Video Games returns with a long episode all about Returnal! We've got some feelings on the story aspects, but otherwise this is such a fun game to play. Both Matthew and Christina enjoyed the heck out of this one.

Thoughts Design: Steve Webb | Painting: Leonardo DaVinci These three chapters a part of what is known as the Egyptian Hallel because they were sung as a part of the annual Passover celebration that Jews observed. Psalms 113 and 114 were sung before the Passover meal, and 115-118 were sung after the meal. When was Jesus crucified? Just before Passover. What did He do the night before His crucifixion? He celebrated the Passover meal with the disciples. Therefore, it is most likely that He sang these Psalms with His disciples on His last night with them. Both Matthew and Mark made mention in their gospels that "...they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives...", which is where he prayed to the Father, asking, "If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”, after which Judas betrayed Him with a kiss. As we read these psalms, listen carefully, and imagine what He must have thought and felt as He sang, knowing that He would soon be betrayed into the hands of those who would put Him to death. Today's Bible Translation Bible translation used in today's episode: Ch. 114 NKJV, Ch. 115-116 NLV Support Please remember that this is a listener supported show. Your support of any amount is needed and very much appreciated. Find out how by clicking here. When you buy through links on this site, we may earn an affiliate commission, and you will earn our gratitude.

Reader: take note, for days 15-37 Greetings and welcome to this second edition of the Reader: Take Note series. This is an occasional series aimed at providing extra commentary and encouragement for those following the Digging Deeper Daily reading plan. No matter where you are in the reading calendar, I hope that the things I share in this episode will support the idea that God’s Word has many treasures for us, and it always pays to dig deeper. If you have questions or comments, my favorite way for you to send messages to me is via the contact button at dailybiblereading.info. I’m always interested to hear your thoughts. On day one of our journey I mentioned Solomon in connection to Job. I challenge you to find similarities to Solomon’s writings in Job, in particular, I am most often thinking of Ecclesiastes. Actually, not all commentators think that Solomon was the writer of Ecclesiastes. But that need not concern us. As for Job, I found in a Wikipedia article that scholars consider that Job was written surprisingly late, from the 7th to 4th century BC. However Solomon lived in the 10th century BC. Other writers think the writing of Job to far predate Soloman. So far I have found no one who supports my hypothesis that Solomon wrote the book of Job. Nevertheless, let’s look at some parallels. Job hated his life and so did Solomon.GW'20 Job 7:16: 16 I hate my life; I do not want to live forever. Leave me alone because my days are so brief. GW'20 Job 9:21: 21 If I am a man of integrity, I have no way of knowing it. I hate my life! GW'20 Job 10:1: 1 “I hate my life. I will freely express my complaint. I will speak as bitterly as I feel. GW'20 Ecclesiastes 2:17: 17 So I came to hate life because everything done under the sun seemed wrong to me. Everything was pointless. ⌞It was like⌟ trying to catch the wind. GW'20 Ecclesiastes 2:18: 18 I came to hate everything for which I had worked so hard under the sun, because I will have to leave it to the person who replaces me. Both Job and Solomon complained that life is hard and futile. GW'20 Job 7:1-4: 1 “Isn’t a mortal’s stay on earth difficult like a hired hand’s daily ⌞work⌟? 2 Like a slave, he longs for shade. Like a hired hand, he eagerly looks for his pay. 3 Likewise, I have been given months that are of no use, and I have inherited nights filled with misery. 4 When I lie down, I ask, ‘When will I get up?’ But the evening is long, and I’m exhausted from tossing about until dawn. GW'20 Ecclesiastes 1:2-3: 2 “Absolutely pointless!” says the spokesman. “Absolutely pointless! Everything is pointless.” 3 What do people gain from all their hard work under the sun? Job chapter 9 is full of the idea that it is futile to argue with God, which agrees with Solomon’s complaints. GW'20 Job 9:14-22: 14 “How can I possibly answer God? How can I find the right words ⌞to speak⌟ with him? 15 Even if I were right, I could not answer ⌞him⌟. I would have to plead for mercy from my judge. 16 If I cried out and he answered me, I do not believe that he would listen to me. 17 He would knock me down with a storm and bruise me without a reason. 18 He would not let me catch my breath. He fills me with bitterness. 19 If it is a matter of strength, then he is the mighty one. If it is about justice, who will charge me with a crime? 20 If I am righteous, my own mouth would condemn me. It would declare that I am corrupt even if I am a man of integrity. 21 If I am a man of integrity, I have no way of knowing it. I hate my life! 22 It is all the same. That is why I say, ‘He destroys ⌞both⌟ the man of integrity and the wicked.’ GW'20 Ecclesiastes 7:13-15: 13 Consider what God has done! Who can straighten what God has bent? 14 When times are good, be happy. But when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one time as well as the other so that mortals cannot predict their future. 15 I have seen it all in my pointless life: Righteous people die in spite of being righteous. Wicked people go on living in spite of being wicked. Unique in Job: The need for a mediator Job 9:32-33: "A human like me cannot answer God, ‘Let’s take our case to court.’ There is no mediator between us to put his hand on both of us." Uncertainty of an afterlife Job 14:10,14: "But a human dies and is powerless. A person breathes his last breath, and where is he? … “If a person dies, will he go on living? I will wait for my relief to come as long as my hard labor continues." Eccl 3:19-22: "Humans and animals have the same destiny. One dies just like the other. All of them have the same breath ⌞of life⌟. Humans have no advantage over animals. All ⌞of life⌟ is pointless. All ⌞life⌟ goes to the same place. All ⌞life⌟ comes from the ground, and all of it goes back to the ground. Who knows whether a human spirit goes upward or whether an animal spirit goes downward to the earth? I saw that there’s nothing better for people to do than to enjoy their work because that is their lot ⌞in life⌟. Who will allow them to see what will happen after them?" The wicked often have seemingly blessed lives Job 21:7-8,13: "“Why do the wicked go on living, grow old, and even become more powerful? They see their children firmly established with them, and they get to see their descendants. … They spend their days in happiness, and they go peacefully to the grave." Eccl 8:10: NLT "I have seen wicked people buried with honor. Yet they were the very ones who frequented the Temple and are now praised in the same city where they committed their crimes! This, too, is meaningless." Eccl 8:14: NLT "And this is not all that is meaningless in our world. In this life, good people are often treated as though they were wicked, and wicked people are often treated as though they were good. This is so meaningless!" Where is wisdom found? Job 12:12,16: "“Wisdom is with the ancient one. The one who has had many days has insight. … “God has power and priceless wisdom. He owns ⌞both⌟ the deceiver and the person who is deceived." Job 28:28: "So he told humans, ‘The fear of the Lord is wisdom! To stay away from evil is understanding.’ ”" See all of chapter 28. There are many verses like that in Proverbs 1-9. I will quote only the most famous: Prov 9:10: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. The knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." We see in these examples that Job is a book to display the author’s struggle with accepting the boundaries that have been placed on human existence by God. This book is much more than just a debate on why God allows good people to suffer. For any of my listeners who actually say, “I hate my life,” I beg you to remember these points: God has given these books of wisdom to help you, and particularly to tell you that He understands your struggles. The writers of the wisdom literature in the Bible did not yet have the wonderful knowledge and promises revealed through Christ. I encourage you to be in close fellowship with believers, and especially with older, experienced believers, who will take the time to listen and pray with you. Turning to Mark I found some interesting ideas about Mark’s Gospel while doing some other reading. Maurice Robinson reports that Warren A. Gage discovered an Elijah sub-theme in Mark. Unfortunately, Gage’s unpublished research was only summarized by Robinson, and I have not been successful in getting a response from Dr. Gage to get his complete article. According to Gage, we could say that Mark presents Jesus as the new Elijah. (Evidently there is a similar sub-theme in John’s Gospel with Moses.) Not only does Mark overtly use Elijah’s name 9 times, but he alludes to Elijah around nine more times. Allusions to Elijah frame the beginning and the end of Mark, and the overt mentions occupy a long stretch in the middle of this Gospel.  Mark 1:2 (Mal. 3:1; 4:5) WEBBE Mark 1:2: 2 As it is written in the prophets, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you: WEBBE Malachi 3:1: 1 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me; and the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, behold, he comes!” says the LORD of Armies. WEBBE Malachi 4:5-6: 5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” When Mal 3:1 and 4:5 are paired together, we see that the messenger prophesied to come is identified as Elijah.  By the way, Mal 4:6 should remind you of what John’s father (Zechariah) said a week after John’s birth. 1:6 GW'20 Mark 1:6: 6 John was dressed in clothes made from camel’s hair. He wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. In our Indonesian translation, we have a footnote at this verse which says that John’s clothes and food choices would have reminded Jews of his day of Elijah. After all, Elijah spent a long time living alone in the wilderness. 12–14 GW'20 Mark 1:12-13: 12 At once the Spirit brought him into the desert, 13 where he was tempted by Satan for 40 days. He was there with the wild animals, and the angels took care of him. This can remind us of when Elijah was in the wilderness and ravens brought him food (1Kings 17), and chapter 19 when an angel fed him before Elijah took the long journey to Mt. Horeb. 7:24–25 GW'20 Mark 7:24: 24 Jesus left that place and went to the territory of Tyre. He didn’t want anyone to know that he was staying in a house there. However, it couldn’t be kept a secret. This can remind us of Elijah, when the stream dried up, and when he then went and a widow in this same area took care of him. Both stories take place in the same Gentile territory. In the case of the widow of Zerephath (1Kings 17), Elijah raised her son from death. In Jesus’ case, He expelled a demon from a Greek woman’s daughter. ————Explicit mentions of Elijah GW'20 Mark 6:15: 15 Others said, “He is Elijah.” Still others said, “He is a prophet like one of the other prophets.” GW'20 Mark 8:28: 28 They answered him, “Some say you are John the Baptizer, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets.” GW'20 Mark 9:4: 4 Then Elijah and Moses appeared to them and were talking with Jesus. Note that Elijah is mentioned first by Mark. Both Matthew and Luke put Moses first. GW'20 Mark 9:5: 5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it’s good that we’re here. Let’s put up three tents—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” GW'20 Mark 9:11-13: 11 So they asked him, “Don’t the experts in Moses’ Teachings say that Elijah must come first?” 12 Jesus said to them, “Elijah is coming first and will put everything in order again. But in what sense was it written that the Son of Man must suffer a lot and be treated shamefully? 13 Indeed, I can guarantee that Elijah has come. Yet, people treated him as they pleased, as Scripture says about him.” ————Another allusion to Elijah 12:1–7  Jesus tells this parable: GW'20 Mark 12:1,7: 1 Then, using this illustration, Jesus spoke to them. He said, “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, made a vat for the winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to vineyard workers and went on a trip. … 7 “But those workers said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ This reminds us of 1Kings 21 where Jezebel connived to murder Naboth in order that Ahab could confiscate Naboth’s vineyard. Naboth had refused to sell the property because it was his inheritance. ————————Explicit mention of Elijah  GW'20 Mark 15:34-36: 34 At three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” 35 When some of the people standing there heard him say that, they said, “Listen! He’s calling Elijah.” 36 Someone ran and soaked a sponge in vinegar. Then he put it on a stick and offered Jesus a drink. The man said, “Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down.” ————————Two more allusions to Elijah 16:19 GW'20 Mark 16:19: 19 After talking with the apostles, the Lord was taken to heaven, where he received the honored position— the one next to God the Father on the throne. GW'20 2 Kings 2:11: 11 As they continued walking and talking, a fiery chariot with fiery horses separated the two of them, and Elijah [was taken up/went] to heaven in a windstorm. LXX+ Βασιλειών Δ 2:11: 11 καὶ ἐγένετο αὐτῶν πορευομένων ἐπορεύοντο καὶ ἐλάλουν, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἅρμα πυρὸς καὶ ἵπποι πυρὸς καὶ διέστειλαν ἀνὰ μέσον ἀμφοτέρων, καὶ ἀνελήμφθη Ηλιου ἐν συσσεισμῷ ὡς εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν. RP'2018 Κατά Μάρκον 16:19: 19 Ὁ μὲν οὖν κύριος, μετὰ τὸ λαλῆσαι αὐτοῖς, ἀνελήφθη εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, καὶ ἐκάθισεν ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ ϑεοῦ. Gage (reported by Robinson) includes the allusions to Malachi 3:1 and 4:5 at the beginning of Mark's Gospel;  the placing of Elijah ahead of Moses in 9:4;  and the question whether Elijah will come down to rescue Christ from the cross in 15:36,  where the latter text “anticipates the conclusion of the Gospel wherein Jesus is translated into heaven in a manner remarkably like Elijah (16:19).” ———— Residue: I can’t see why Gage (via Robinson) listed these verses: **3:22 and 4:41; 14:12–14; 15:25, 31–39 ———— GW'20 Mark 16:15-19: 15 Then Jesus said to them, “So wherever you go in the world, tell everyone the Good News. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 “These are the miraculous signs that will accompany believers: They will use the power and authority of my name to force demons out of people. They will speak new languages. 18 They will pick up snakes, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them. They will place their hands on the sick and cure them.” 19 After talking with the apostles, the Lord was taken to heaven, where he received the honored position— the one next to God the Father on the throne. Jesus passes on his mantle, so to speak, as Elijah did.  The apostles and other followers will work miraculous signs like Elijah’s successor (Elisha) did.  Jesus was taken up to heaven like Elijah was, using the same turn of phrase. Now before I bring an important point about all this, I would like to point out that one of the characteristics of Mark’s Gospel is that he likes to not leave loose ends. As Robinson says, Mark's consistent habit is to demonstrate the reliability of Jesus' words by narrating their fulfillment, even when that narration is incidental to the flow of the main story.  In Mark 7:29, for example, Jesus tells the Syrophoenician woman who comes seeking healing for her daughter, “You may go—the demon has left your daughter.” The reader can trust Jesus' words; the pericope can conclude. But it doesn't. Mark 7:30 says, “So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.”  Similarly, in Mark 10:46–52, Jesus heals blind Bartimaeus. In verse 52a Jesus says, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Surely Jesus' words will come to pass. Yes, we know they come to pass because Mark tells us they do in 52b: “Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.” Following the same pattern of tying up loose ends, the fulfillment of Mark 14:62 (being seated at God’s right hand) is recorded in other places in the NT, but of the 4 Gospels, only Mark contains the fulfillment. (16:19) Mk 14:62: NLT "Jesus said, “I AM. And you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of [honor//power] at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven. ”" Mk 16:19: NLT "When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand." (Matt 22:44; 26:64; Luke 20:42; 22:69; Acts 2:33–34; Rom 8:34; Eph 1:20; Col 3:1; Heb 1:3, 13; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2; 1 Pet 3:22; cp. the hints in Rev 5:1, 7.) I didn’t tell you above that the book that I have been reading is Perspectives On The Ending Of Mark, which gives the text of four presentations from a seminar that was given at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2007. The first presentation was given by Dr. Daniel Wallace. I was shocked that this eminently respected scholar, and the driving force behind the New English Translation, represented the view that Mark intended his Gospel to end with chapter 16, verse 8. I will remind you what Mark 16:8 says: NET Mark 16:8 NET: 8 Then they went out and ran from the tomb, for terror and bewilderment had seized them. And they said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. I can’t imagine anyone thinking that could be the ending intended by Mark! Robinson says, “A Markan intention to end at 16:8, expecting the reader(s) to supply what is “missing” on the basis of subjective reflection, and thereby intuitively filling in gaps in light of a community-based “resurrection faith” or some such concept, requires a sophisticated postmodern viewpoint not typically found within ancient classical literature (even the short Fables of Aesop required moralia to explain the point).” Remember what I showed above. Mark doesn’t like to leave loose ends. And he is not intending to present a bunch of stories and leave the reader to decide. Had he been doing that, he would not have started his book with GW'20 Mark 1:1: 1 This is the beginning of the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Since Mark was presenting a case for Jesus being the Son of God, certainly he would end with Jesus at the place of honor beside the Father (as shown above). And if Mark were presenting Jesus as the new Elijah, then it is a nice touch to say that Jesus was taken up to heaven in words recalling Elijah’s being taken up. And just like Elijah leaving behind his mantle and miraculous gifts for Elisha, Jesus leaves miraculous gifts for his apostles in chapter 16:17-18. Many other reasons for the authenticity of Mark 16:9-20 are found in my 5th EveryWord podcast from last year. This is where my reading and study intersected with my desire to give you extra insights to think about in Job and Mark. Before I pray to close this session, I think it fitting to read the last verse of Mark: NLT Mark 16:20: 20 And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs. I’m thankful that Mark tied up that final loose end, telling us what happened to the disciples. The exciting thing is that this process is still continuing. The Lord Jesus is still working through people who go and preach the Good News. He is still confirming the Gospel in human hearts, bringing people to repentance and new birth, and working in many other miraculous ways. If you tell me that you haven’t seen this happening, then I encourage you to go and start preaching. Let’s pray: Our Lord and our God, through your Word which You have preserved for us, we almost are taken up on the holy mountain where we can still hear the echo of your words, “This is my Son, whom I love and in whom I delight.” In our spirits we feel the confirmation of the treasure you have given us in your Word. So our desire is to pay attention to it, as to a light that shines in a very dark place, and we wait with increasing confidence for the day of your coming, when the morning star will fully rise in our hearts. Amen. And may the Lord bless you ‘real good’.

Reader: take note, for days 15-37 Greetings and welcome to this second edition of the Reader: Take Note series. This is an occasional series aimed at providing extra commentary and encouragement for those following the Digging Deeper Daily reading plan. No matter where you are in the reading calendar, I hope that the things I share in this episode will support the idea that God’s Word has many treasures for us, and it always pays to dig deeper. If you have questions or comments, my favorite way for you to send messages to me is via the contact button at dailybiblereading.info. I’m always interested to hear your thoughts. On day one of our journey I mentioned Solomon in connection to Job. I challenge you to find similarities to Solomon’s writings in Job, in particular, I am most often thinking of Ecclesiastes. Actually, not all commentators think that Solomon was the writer of Ecclesiastes. But that need not concern us. As for Job, I found in a Wikipedia article that scholars consider that Job was written surprisingly late, from the 7th to 4th century BC. However Solomon lived in the 10th century BC. Other writers think the writing of Job to far predate Soloman. So far I have found no one who supports my hypothesis that Solomon wrote the book of Job. Nevertheless, let’s look at some parallels. Job hated his life and so did Solomon.GW'20 Job 7:16: 16 I hate my life; I do not want to live forever. Leave me alone because my days are so brief. GW'20 Job 9:21: 21 If I am a man of integrity, I have no way of knowing it. I hate my life! GW'20 Job 10:1: 1 “I hate my life. I will freely express my complaint. I will speak as bitterly as I feel. GW'20 Ecclesiastes 2:17: 17 So I came to hate life because everything done under the sun seemed wrong to me. Everything was pointless. ⌞It was like⌟ trying to catch the wind. GW'20 Ecclesiastes 2:18: 18 I came to hate everything for which I had worked so hard under the sun, because I will have to leave it to the person who replaces me. Both Job and Solomon complained that life is hard and futile. GW'20 Job 7:1-4: 1 “Isn’t a mortal’s stay on earth difficult like a hired hand’s daily ⌞work⌟? 2 Like a slave, he longs for shade. Like a hired hand, he eagerly looks for his pay. 3 Likewise, I have been given months that are of no use, and I have inherited nights filled with misery. 4 When I lie down, I ask, ‘When will I get up?’ But the evening is long, and I’m exhausted from tossing about until dawn. GW'20 Ecclesiastes 1:2-3: 2 “Absolutely pointless!” says the spokesman. “Absolutely pointless! Everything is pointless.” 3 What do people gain from all their hard work under the sun? Job chapter 9 is full of the idea that it is futile to argue with God, which agrees with Solomon’s complaints. GW'20 Job 9:14-22: 14 “How can I possibly answer God? How can I find the right words ⌞to speak⌟ with him? 15 Even if I were right, I could not answer ⌞him⌟. I would have to plead for mercy from my judge. 16 If I cried out and he answered me, I do not believe that he would listen to me. 17 He would knock me down with a storm and bruise me without a reason. 18 He would not let me catch my breath. He fills me with bitterness. 19 If it is a matter of strength, then he is the mighty one. If it is about justice, who will charge me with a crime? 20 If I am righteous, my own mouth would condemn me. It would declare that I am corrupt even if I am a man of integrity. 21 If I am a man of integrity, I have no way of knowing it. I hate my life! 22 It is all the same. That is why I say, ‘He destroys ⌞both⌟ the man of integrity and the wicked.’ GW'20 Ecclesiastes 7:13-15: 13 Consider what God has done! Who can straighten what God has bent? 14 When times are good, be happy. But when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one time as well as the other so that mortals cannot predict their future. 15 I have seen it all in my pointless life: Righteous people die in spite of being righteous. Wicked people go on living in spite of being wicked. Unique in Job: The need for a mediator Job 9:32-33: "A human like me cannot answer God, ‘Let’s take our case to court.’ There is no mediator between us to put his hand on both of us." Uncertainty of an afterlife Job 14:10,14: "But a human dies and is powerless. A person breathes his last breath, and where is he? … “If a person dies, will he go on living? I will wait for my relief to come as long as my hard labor continues." Eccl 3:19-22: "Humans and animals have the same destiny. One dies just like the other. All of them have the same breath ⌞of life⌟. Humans have no advantage over animals. All ⌞of life⌟ is pointless. All ⌞life⌟ goes to the same place. All ⌞life⌟ comes from the ground, and all of it goes back to the ground. Who knows whether a human spirit goes upward or whether an animal spirit goes downward to the earth? I saw that there’s nothing better for people to do than to enjoy their work because that is their lot ⌞in life⌟. Who will allow them to see what will happen after them?" The wicked often have seemingly blessed lives Job 21:7-8,13: "“Why do the wicked go on living, grow old, and even become more powerful? They see their children firmly established with them, and they get to see their descendants. … They spend their days in happiness, and they go peacefully to the grave." Eccl 8:10: NLT "I have seen wicked people buried with honor. Yet they were the very ones who frequented the Temple and are now praised in the same city where they committed their crimes! This, too, is meaningless." Eccl 8:14: NLT "And this is not all that is meaningless in our world. In this life, good people are often treated as though they were wicked, and wicked people are often treated as though they were good. This is so meaningless!" Where is wisdom found? Job 12:12,16: "“Wisdom is with the ancient one. The one who has had many days has insight. … “God has power and priceless wisdom. He owns ⌞both⌟ the deceiver and the person who is deceived." Job 28:28: "So he told humans, ‘The fear of the Lord is wisdom! To stay away from evil is understanding.’ ”" See all of chapter 28. There are many verses like that in Proverbs 1-9. I will quote only the most famous: Prov 9:10: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. The knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." We see in these examples that Job is a book to display the author’s struggle with accepting the boundaries that have been placed on human existence by God. This book is much more than just a debate on why God allows good people to suffer. For any of my listeners who actually say, “I hate my life,” I beg you to remember these points: God has given these books of wisdom to help you, and particularly to tell you that He understands your struggles. The writers of the wisdom literature in the Bible did not yet have the wonderful knowledge and promises revealed through Christ. I encourage you to be in close fellowship with believers, and especially with older, experienced believers, who will take the time to listen and pray with you. Turning to Mark I found some interesting ideas about Mark’s Gospel while doing some other reading. Maurice Robinson reports that Warren A. Gage discovered an Elijah sub-theme in Mark. Unfortunately, Gage’s unpublished research was only summarized by Robinson, and I have not been successful in getting a response from Dr. Gage to get his complete article. According to Gage, we could say that Mark presents Jesus as the new Elijah. (Evidently there is a similar sub-theme in John’s Gospel with Moses.) Not only does Mark overtly use Elijah’s name 9 times, but he alludes to Elijah around nine more times. Allusions to Elijah frame the beginning and the end of Mark, and the overt mentions occupy a long stretch in the middle of this Gospel.  Mark 1:2 (Mal. 3:1; 4:5) WEBBE Mark 1:2: 2 As it is written in the prophets, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you: WEBBE Malachi 3:1: 1 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me; and the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, behold, he comes!” says the LORD of Armies. WEBBE Malachi 4:5-6: 5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” When Mal 3:1 and 4:5 are paired together, we see that the messenger prophesied to come is identified as Elijah.  By the way, Mal 4:6 should remind you of what John’s father (Zechariah) said a week after John’s birth. 1:6 GW'20 Mark 1:6: 6 John was dressed in clothes made from camel’s hair. He wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. In our Indonesian translation, we have a footnote at this verse which says that John’s clothes and food choices would have reminded Jews of his day of Elijah. After all, Elijah spent a long time living alone in the wilderness. 12–14 GW'20 Mark 1:12-13: 12 At once the Spirit brought him into the desert, 13 where he was tempted by Satan for 40 days. He was there with the wild animals, and the angels took care of him. This can remind us of when Elijah was in the wilderness and ravens brought him food (1Kings 17), and chapter 19 when an angel fed him before Elijah took the long journey to Mt. Horeb. 7:24–25 GW'20 Mark 7:24: 24 Jesus left that place and went to the territory of Tyre. He didn’t want anyone to know that he was staying in a house there. However, it couldn’t be kept a secret. This can remind us of Elijah, when the stream dried up, and when he then went and a widow in this same area took care of him. Both stories take place in the same Gentile territory. In the case of the widow of Zerephath (1Kings 17), Elijah raised her son from death. In Jesus’ case, He expelled a demon from a Greek woman’s daughter. ————Explicit mentions of Elijah GW'20 Mark 6:15: 15 Others said, “He is Elijah.” Still others said, “He is a prophet like one of the other prophets.” GW'20 Mark 8:28: 28 They answered him, “Some say you are John the Baptizer, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets.” GW'20 Mark 9:4: 4 Then Elijah and Moses appeared to them and were talking with Jesus. Note that Elijah is mentioned first by Mark. Both Matthew and Luke put Moses first. GW'20 Mark 9:5: 5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it’s good that we’re here. Let’s put up three tents—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” GW'20 Mark 9:11-13: 11 So they asked him, “Don’t the experts in Moses’ Teachings say that Elijah must come first?” 12 Jesus said to them, “Elijah is coming first and will put everything in order again. But in what sense was it written that the Son of Man must suffer a lot and be treated shamefully? 13 Indeed, I can guarantee that Elijah has come. Yet, people treated him as they pleased, as Scripture says about him.” ————Another allusion to Elijah 12:1–7  Jesus tells this parable: GW'20 Mark 12:1,7: 1 Then, using this illustration, Jesus spoke to them. He said, “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, made a vat for the winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to vineyard workers and went on a trip. … 7 “But those workers said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ This reminds us of 1Kings 21 where Jezebel connived to murder Naboth in order that Ahab could confiscate Naboth’s vineyard. Naboth had refused to sell the property because it was his inheritance. ————————Explicit mention of Elijah  GW'20 Mark 15:34-36: 34 At three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” 35 When some of the people standing there heard him say that, they said, “Listen! He’s calling Elijah.” 36 Someone ran and soaked a sponge in vinegar. Then he put it on a stick and offered Jesus a drink. The man said, “Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down.” ————————Two more allusions to Elijah 16:19 GW'20 Mark 16:19: 19 After talking with the apostles, the Lord was taken to heaven, where he received the honored position— the one next to God the Father on the throne. GW'20 2 Kings 2:11: 11 As they continued walking and talking, a fiery chariot with fiery horses separated the two of them, and Elijah [was taken up/went] to heaven in a windstorm. LXX+ Βασιλειών Δ 2:11: 11 καὶ ἐγένετο αὐτῶν πορευομένων ἐπορεύοντο καὶ ἐλάλουν, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἅρμα πυρὸς καὶ ἵπποι πυρὸς καὶ διέστειλαν ἀνὰ μέσον ἀμφοτέρων, καὶ ἀνελήμφθη Ηλιου ἐν συσσεισμῷ ὡς εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν. RP'2018 Κατά Μάρκον 16:19: 19 Ὁ μὲν οὖν κύριος, μετὰ τὸ λαλῆσαι αὐτοῖς, ἀνελήφθη εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, καὶ ἐκάθισεν ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ ϑεοῦ. Gage (reported by Robinson) includes the allusions to Malachi 3:1 and 4:5 at the beginning of Mark's Gospel;  the placing of Elijah ahead of Moses in 9:4;  and the question whether Elijah will come down to rescue Christ from the cross in 15:36,  where the latter text “anticipates the conclusion of the Gospel wherein Jesus is translated into heaven in a manner remarkably like Elijah (16:19).” ———— Residue: I can’t see why Gage (via Robinson) listed these verses: **3:22 and 4:41; 14:12–14; 15:25, 31–39 ———— GW'20 Mark 16:15-19: 15 Then Jesus said to them, “So wherever you go in the world, tell everyone the Good News. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 “These are the miraculous signs that will accompany believers: They will use the power and authority of my name to force demons out of people. They will speak new languages. 18 They will pick up snakes, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them. They will place their hands on the sick and cure them.” 19 After talking with the apostles, the Lord was taken to heaven, where he received the honored position— the one next to God the Father on the throne. Jesus passes on his mantle, so to speak, as Elijah did.  The apostles and other followers will work miraculous signs like Elijah’s successor (Elisha) did.  Jesus was taken up to heaven like Elijah was, using the same turn of phrase. Now before I bring an important point about all this, I would like to point out that one of the characteristics of Mark’s Gospel is that he likes to not leave loose ends. As Robinson says, Mark's consistent habit is to demonstrate the reliability of Jesus' words by narrating their fulfillment, even when that narration is incidental to the flow of the main story.  In Mark 7:29, for example, Jesus tells the Syrophoenician woman who comes seeking healing for her daughter, “You may go—the demon has left your daughter.” The reader can trust Jesus' words; the pericope can conclude. But it doesn't. Mark 7:30 says, “So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.”  Similarly, in Mark 10:46–52, Jesus heals blind Bartimaeus. In verse 52a Jesus says, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Surely Jesus' words will come to pass. Yes, we know they come to pass because Mark tells us they do in 52b: “Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.” Following the same pattern of tying up loose ends, the fulfillment of Mark 14:62 (being seated at God’s right hand) is recorded in other places in the NT, but of the 4 Gospels, only Mark contains the fulfillment. (16:19) Mk 14:62: NLT "Jesus said, “I AM. And you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of [honor//power] at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven. ”" Mk 16:19: NLT "When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand." (Matt 22:44; 26:64; Luke 20:42; 22:69; Acts 2:33–34; Rom 8:34; Eph 1:20; Col 3:1; Heb 1:3, 13; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2; 1 Pet 3:22; cp. the hints in Rev 5:1, 7.) I didn’t tell you above that the book that I have been reading is Perspectives On The Ending Of Mark, which gives the text of four presentations from a seminar that was given at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2007. The first presentation was given by Dr. Daniel Wallace. I was shocked that this eminently respected scholar, and the driving force behind the New English Translation, represented the view that Mark intended his Gospel to end with chapter 16, verse 8. I will remind you what Mark 16:8 says: NET Mark 16:8 NET: 8 Then they went out and ran from the tomb, for terror and bewilderment had seized them. And they said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. I can’t imagine anyone thinking that could be the ending intended by Mark! Robinson says, “A Markan intention to end at 16:8, expecting the reader(s) to supply what is “missing” on the basis of subjective reflection, and thereby intuitively filling in gaps in light of a community-based “resurrection faith” or some such concept, requires a sophisticated postmodern viewpoint not typically found within ancient classical literature (even the short Fables of Aesop required moralia to explain the point).” Remember what I showed above. Mark doesn’t like to leave loose ends. And he is not intending to present a bunch of stories and leave the reader to decide. Had he been doing that, he would not have started his book with GW'20 Mark 1:1: 1 This is the beginning of the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Since Mark was presenting a case for Jesus being the Son of God, certainly he would end with Jesus at the place of honor beside the Father (as shown above). And if Mark were presenting Jesus as the new Elijah, then it is a nice touch to say that Jesus was taken up to heaven in words recalling Elijah’s being taken up. And just like Elijah leaving behind his mantle and miraculous gifts for Elisha, Jesus leaves miraculous gifts for his apostles in chapter 16:17-18. Many other reasons for the authenticity of Mark 16:9-20 are found in my 5th EveryWord podcast from last year. This is where my reading and study intersected with my desire to give you extra insights to think about in Job and Mark. Before I pray to close this session, I think it fitting to read the last verse of Mark: NLT Mark 16:20: 20 And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs. I’m thankful that Mark tied up that final loose end, telling us what happened to the disciples. The exciting thing is that this process is still continuing. The Lord Jesus is still working through people who go and preach the Good News. He is still confirming the Gospel in human hearts, bringing people to repentance and new birth, and working in many other miraculous ways. If you tell me that you haven’t seen this happening, then I encourage you to go and start preaching. Let’s pray: Our Lord and our God, through your Word which You have preserved for us, we almost are taken up on the holy mountain where we can still hear the echo of your words, “This is my Son, whom I love and in whom I delight.” In our spirits we feel the confirmation of the treasure you have given us in your Word. So our desire is to pay attention to it, as to a light that shines in a very dark place, and we wait with increasing confidence for the day of your coming, when the morning star will fully rise in our hearts. Amen. And may the Lord bless you ‘real good’.

The King's Pedigree (completed answers) Matthew 1:1–17 ESV The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations. What are the gospels? The gospels are the four historical accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) of the person and work of Christ. (Easton’s Bible Dictionary) Key Facts about the Gospel of Matthew: 1. Author: Matthew (also known as Levi). Luke 5:27–28 ESV 27 After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And leaving everything, he rose and followed him. 2. Time: 50-70 AD 3. Audience: Not specific (probably Jewish believers) 4. Theme: Jesus is the King and Messiah. 2 Samuel 7:16 ESV And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ” Isaiah 9:6–7 ESV 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. Genesis 12:3 NKJV 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Observations (1:1-17) 1. Genealogy was very important to the Jews for determining land ownership and who had the right to reign . 2. Both Matthew and Luke contain genealogies of Jesus, but they are very different . A. Matthew’s genealogy is through Jesus’ legal father Joseph , in order to prove Jesus’ royal lineage to King David. Joseph was Jesus’ legal father, but not his biological father. B. Luke’s genealogy is through Mary, and proves Jesus’ biological claim to be a descendant of King David. Application #1: Your steps are ordered by the Lord, as were your parents, and their parents, etc. We all have a part to play in God’s great production. Galatians 4:4 ESV 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, Proverbs 20:24 ESV 24 A man’s steps are from the Lord; how then can man understand his way? Application #2: The Lord’s family tree is made up of sinners like you and me.

Executive Producer This episode is brought to you in part by Executive Producer, John Anonymous. Today's Bible Translation Bible translation used in today's episode: Ch. 11 ESV. Ch. 12 GNT Support Please remember that this is a listener supported show. Your support of any amount is needed and very much appreciated. Find out how by clicking here. Thoughts Luke 12:10  “Whoever says a word against the Son of Man can be forgiven; but whoever says evil things against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven." In the King James, this is translated, "...but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven." Have you ever wondered what the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is? Some have called it the unpardonable sin.  William Barclay wrote a very popular set of commentaries on the New Testament, and even though I very strongly disagree with some of his views, I do like what he had to say about this verse. As a matter of fact, I'm going to quote Barclay here: It tells us of the unforgivable sin, which is the sin against the Holy Spirit. Both Matthew and Mark record that Jesus spoke about this sin immediately after the scribes and Pharisees had attributed his cures to the prince of devils instead of to God (Matthew 12:31-32; Mark 3:28-29). These men could look at the very grace and power of God and call it the work of the devil. To understand this we must remember that Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit as the Jews understood that conception, not in the full Christian sense, about which his audience at that time obviously knew nothing.To a Jew, God's Spirit had two great functions. Through the Spirit he told his truth to men, and it was by the action of the Spirit in a man's mind and heart that he could recognize and grasp God's truth. Now, if a man for long enough refuses to use a faculty he will lose it. If we refuse to use any part of the body long enough it atrophies. Darwin tells how when he was a young man he loved poetry and music; but he so devoted himself to biology that he completely neglected them. The consequence was that in later life poetry meant nothing to him and music was only a noise, and he said that if he had his life to live over again he would see to it that he would read poetry and listen to music so that he would not lose the faculty of enjoying them.Just so we can lose the faculty of recognizing God. By repeatedly refusing God's word, by repeatedly taking our own way, by repeatedly shutting our eyes to God and closing our ears to him, we can come to a stage when we do not recognize him when we see him, when to us evil becomes good and good becomes evil. That is what happened to the scribes and Pharisees. They had so blinded and deafened themselves to God that when he came they called him the devil.Why is that the unforgivable sin? Because in such a state repentance is impossible. If a man does not even realize that he is sinning, if goodness no longer makes any appeal to him, he cannot repent. God has not shut him out; by his repeated refusals he has shut himself out. That means that the one man who can never have committed the unforgivable sin is the man who fears that he has, for once a man has committed it, he is so dead to God that he is conscious of no sin at all.William Barclay's Daily Study Bible I recently said to you that we should keep our account with God short, meaning that we should confess our sins often. In doing that, we remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and will never have to fear committing the unpardonable sin.

A reading from the 1526 William Tyndale NT, then the Matthews 1537. Both Matthew ch.13. We are the seeds in this parable...

Both Matthew and Luke tell us that sometime earlier Jesus looked down upon the city and had cried out, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem…how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.” (Matthew 23:37; Luke 13:34) Do you hear those words? YOU WERE NOT WILLING. And that brings us to today. Just like the people of Jerusalem, we find ourselves in the presence of Jesus. I wonder what He sees when He looks at us? Does He see people worried about many things? Does He see people who are so busy doing things here and there—so busy that they never bother to consider those things that are eternally important? Or does He see people who recognize Him for who He is—the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God, our Savior. When He turns and looks into our lives, I wonder, will He weep once again because of what He sees? Or will we have the peace that passes all understanding as we respond to His outstretched arms and hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord”?

Our latest Talking Sport is here and we are continuing with our new host, new format and some new guests.Alan Hartnett is in the presenter’s chair once again and he is joined on the line by Laois hurlers Matthew Whelan and Eric Killeen.The trio chat about life in the new Coronavirus world, Eric’s FIFA 20 exploits and then Alan sets them a challenge.Both Matthew and Eric are asked the pick their best 7-aside teams - but the teams have to be made up of players that the other person player with.It leaves Eric having to choose between legends like James Young, Willie Hyland and Zane Keenan while Matthew is forced to pick between a number of his current teammates!It’s all a bit of fun and some of the picks are not who you may have thought before. 

Last week, we celebrated Jesus’ victory over the devil through His death and resurrection. This was not the first time Jesus did battle with Satan during his early ministry. Both Matthew and Luke record for … Jesus in the Desert Read More »

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)Aired Thursday, February 13, 2020 at 1:00 PM PST / 4:00 PM ESTOn this evening’s show Matthew & Adam will be discussing how Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is at epidemic levels, not just in veterans or emergency service workers, but in the general populace.Both Matthew and Adam have had to deal with ptsd in their own lives & will be sharing their personal experiences. We will be breaking it down & explaining how we help clients deal with ptsd & change their life experience for good.Visit the Acorn to Oak show page https://omtimes.com/iom/shows/acorn-to-oak/Connect with Matthew and Pennie at https://www.acorntooak.org.uk/#PTSD #PtsdAwareness #AcornToOak #MatthewDonnachie #PennieQuailePearce

Both Matthew and Luke name Jesus as Joseph’s son, and this is how he is identified by people throughout his life. Jesus is part of human family and story. Jesus is also the Son of God, fully divine. What difference does it make for us that this is who Jesus is?

Both Matthew and Luke have Jesus teaching how to pray, using words we know today as The Lords Prayer. But in those two gospels, the context is different. Today we read the account in Luke where Jesus encourages persistence in prayer, insisting on Gods abundant response. But many of us, even as older adults, as life-long believers, find prayer to be mysterious how do we pray?

Both Matthew and Luke have Jesus teaching how to pray, using words we know today as The Lords Prayer. But in those two gospels, the context is different. Today we read the account in Luke where Jesus encourages persistence in prayer, insisting on Gods abundant response. But many of us, even as older adults, as life-long believers, find prayer to be mysterious how do we pray?

In episode #7 of The Day 2 Day Podcast we connect with Matthew Sexton & Ashley Savanah, 2 Soul Mates who have come together to create Melbourne’s Newest Street Wear Brand called MANIFEST. They inspire the followers of their MANIFEST Brand, by designing Life Altering Perspectives in the clothing they create to ‘Convey A Message Through The Fabric’ that represents Positive Change. Both Matthew & Ashley have built up and worked with other Fashion Labels in the past and found their creativity being halted at times. Now they live together and find themselves moving their long time desires into reality. We talk about the Creation and recent Launch Night of MANIFEST, Recognition for the team, Belief in MANIFESTING Change, Future Plans & World Travels, Community Support & A Special final message to all Listeners out there. Enjoy this episode and Subscribe to hear what is next on The Day 2 Day Podcast, as we continue to interview successful people/teams from multiple industries across Australia and America.

Both Matthew and Luke show in grand poetic fashion how Jesus is not only the Messiah, but the very purpose of the entire Law of Moses, Emmanuel, God Himself. And they both do it in Chapter One.

DAY 12 | BORN IN BETHLEHEMScripture Reading: Luke 2:4; Micah 5:2; Isaiah 11:1–4 “Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David.” — Luke 2:4 “Bethlehem Ephrathah,you are small among the clans of Judah;one will come from youto be ruler over Israel for me.His origin is from antiquity,from ancient times.” — Micah 5:2 “Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse,and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—a Spirit of wisdom and understanding,a Spirit of counsel and strength,a Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. 3 His delight will be in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, he will not execute justice by what he hears with his ears, 4 but he will judge the poor righteously and execute justice for the oppressed of the land. He will strike the land with a scepter from his mouth, and he will kill the wicked with a command from his lips.” — Isaiah 11:1-4 I grew up in a small town where not a whole lot took place. Most people who hear “Chiefland” have to ask where it is because they’ve never heard of it. I have to use landmarks like 40 miles west of Gainesville or halfway between Tallahassee and Tampa on U.S. 19 to explain the location. Most would refer to it as “podunk." We’re probably most known for watermelons and speed traps. Bethlehem (“house of bread”), the town where Jesus was born, would not have much better of a reputation among most people. It was a “podunk" town known for raising sheep for making sacrifices at the temple in Jerusalem. We even sing “O Little Town of Bethlehem” because indeed it was very small. People would probably have to describe its location in relation to Jerusalem (about 5–6 miles SSW). Only those steeped in Scripture would have known that this little town was David’s birthplace and was prophesied as the place where the Messiah (“anointed one”) would originate. Even the prophecy from Micah 5:2 hints at the apparent insignificance of Bethlehem. Isaiah 11:1 discusses the shoot from the stump of Jesse (father of David) upon whom the Spirit of the Lord would rest, again pointing to the Messiah.Both Matthew and Luke’s Gospels point to Bethlehem as the place where Jesus was born, thus demonstrating the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Messiah in Jesus. The chief priests and scribes respond by quoting from Mic 5:2 when the magi appeared before Herod and he inquired where the Messiah would be born (Matt 2:3–6). Although Jesus is referred to as “Jesus of Nazareth” because this is where He spent most of His growing up years (Matt 2:19–23; Luke 2:39–40), He was born in Bethlehem. This was often confused in His life and ministry. For example, in John 7:41–42, the crowd is convinced that Jesus is from Nazareth (in the region of Galilee) but the Messiah would come from Bethlehem. You can almost sense a “tongue-in-cheek” moment here because they were correct but didn’t realize He was born in Bethlehem, fulfilling the Messianic prophecies.It amazes me how God chooses what appears to be insignificant to most people and makes them extraordinary. This is the Christmas story over and over again. In the same way Mary was chosen for no reason of her own to bear the Son of God, this little country town of shepherds was chosen as the place the Son of God would be born. It goes to show that our God sees so much more than we do and He always fulfills His promises. Reflection Questions:1. Why was it important that Jesus was born in Bethlehem? What does this say about God and His promises?2. Today, Bethlehem is an unstable city fought over by Jews, Muslims, and Christians. What does this say about its growth from humble beginnings to its significance today? Prayer:Listen to “O Little Town of Bethlehem”

This episode seeks to answer whether Jesus was "begotten" (brought into existence) or not. Both Matthew and Luke offer birth narratives and lengthy genealogies wherein Jesus' birth is described in detail. Luke, having also authored the Book of Acts, offers his thoughts on Jesus' origins in both documents, so we will explore both his Gospel and Acts in this episode. Please consider supporting this Podcast and future projects by donating at: - https://www.paypal.me/10mintruthtalks  Check out some of my videos on YouTube at: - https://www.youtube.com/user/biblicalunitarian 

Our sermons this Advent are drawn from the opening to each of the four gospels in the New Testament. We heard the beginning of Matthew three weeks ago; the beginning of Luke last Sunday. Today, we focus on the opening of John’s Gospel. Both Matthew and Luke begin their stories of Jesus with his conception and birth, not an illogical place to begin. As we will see next Sunday, Mark begins with Jesus is an adult. By contrast, John takes the origins of Jesus Christ all the way back to and even before creation. In fact, when we open the Gospel of John, we wonder if we haven’t by accident opened the Book of Genesis. Larry Hayward preaches on John 1:1-18.

Continuing our series on the Doctrine of Christ (Snuffer) Movement, we interview Matthew Lohmeier. Matt converted to the Mormon church at age 14. He served a mission in Taiwan, attended the U.S. Air Force Academy, flew F15s, and married Sara McConkie Lohmeier, granddaughter to Mormon apostle Bruce R. McConkie. Both Matthew and Sara have joined the Denver Snuffer movement and were excommunicated from the Mormon church in July 2015. This interview discusses their journey, their excommunication, their interactions with the McConkie family, and the state of the Snuffer movement.

Continuing our series on the Doctrine of Christ (Snuffer) Movement, we interview Matthew Lohmeier. Matt converted to the Mormon church at age 14. He served a mission in Taiwan, attended the U.S. Air Force Academy, flew F15s, and married Sara McConkie Lohmeier, granddaughter to Mormon apostle Bruce R. McConkie. Both Matthew and Sara have joined the Denver Snuffer movement and were excommunicated from the Mormon church in July 2015. This interview discusses their journey, their excommunication, their interactions with the McConkie family, and the state of the Snuffer movement.

Continuing our series on the Doctrine of Christ (Snuffer) Movement, we interview Matthew Lohmeier. Matt converted to the Mormon church at age 14. He served a mission in Taiwan, attended the U.S. Air Force Academy, flew F15s, and married Sara McConkie Lohmeier, granddaughter to Mormon apostle Bruce R. McConkie. Both Matthew and Sara have joined the Denver Snuffer movement and were excommunicated from the Mormon church in July 2015. This interview discusses their journey, their excommunication, their interactions with the McConkie family, and the state of the Snuffer movement.

Continuing our series on the Doctrine of Christ (Snuffer) Movement, we interview Matthew Lohmeier. Matt converted to the Mormon church at age 14. He served a mission in Taiwan, attended the U.S. Air Force Academy, flew F15s, and married Sara McConkie Lohmeier, granddaughter to Mormon apostle Bruce R. McConkie. Both Matthew and Sara have joined the Denver Snuffer movement and were excommunicated from the Mormon church in July 2015. This interview discusses their journey, their excommunication, their interactions with the McConkie family, and the state of the Snuffer movement.

Matthew and Dean ratchet back the criticism a little bit to shed some light onto Khary Payton who is forced out of his comfort zone to bring some actual emotion to King Ezekiel. Both Matthew and Dean agree that Zeke shines this week, and they were both pleased to see Carol getting back to some of her old ways. There are still problems with the execution of the action and the lads are forced to go back to season three to remind people of the excellent action and gun-play that once was. Follow https://twitter.com/Dean_LSGMedia (Dean) on Twitter. @Dean_LSGMedia Follow https://twitter.com/MatthewFromLSG (Matthew) on Twitter. @MatthewFromLSG Follow https://twitter.com/LSGMedia (LSG Media) on Twitter. @LSGMedia Support LSG Media by becoming a member. Subscribe iTunes Recording/Release Schedule schedule.libertystreetgeek.net Disclaimer This is a commentary and criticism show that will routinely slander, suggest, and make wild claims - it should be considered comedy entertainment only, and not to be taken seriously. Take responsibility for your own feelings and actions.

Sometimes life is overwhelming. Moments, situations, goals, whatever. You have no idea how this thing will work out. How will you overcome this situation? How will you accomplish this goal? How will you endure this moment? Maybe your family member has cancer. Maybe your spouse has left you. Maybe you’ve started a new job or created a new business. Whatever that thing. You wonder, how will this work out? And this is what you need to know - Jesus is God of the How. And that is our takeaway for today’s lesson. Jesus takes care of the How, we just need to be faithful. We are still pursuing the glory of God in Jesus Christ. To learn of God’s glory, we are looking at the seven signs performed by Jesus which are recorded in the Gospel of John. Today we continue in John 6. Let’s read John 6:16-21 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. 18 Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. 19 So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. 20 But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going. Both Matthew and Mark record the same event. I want us to look at Mark’s version now and examine Matthew’s later. Here is Mark 6:45-52 Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away. 46 And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray. 47 Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land. 48 Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by. 49 And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; 50 for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” 51 Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. 52 For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened. Now let’s put John and Mark together. Jesus puts the 12 in a boat and sends them back across the sea of Galilee. They rowed about 3-4 miles. But the going gets tough because of the storm. During the 4th watch or between 3-6 am Jesus comes walking across the water. At the end of Mark’s account, we learn that the hearts of the 12 were still hardened toward Jesus. In other words, many still did not believe that He is God. I was born in Jacksonville Florida. For the first 5 years of my life, we lived along the panhandle of Florida – Lake City, Tallahassee, and Panama City. But shortly after turning 5 we moved to Atlanta. When we moved to Atlanta my parents rented an apartment. The apartment complex had a pool. It was around this time that I learned the story of Jesus walking on the water. So, like any kid, as soon as the pool opened I had to try. And you know what!?! I mustered up all the faith I had and stepped out on the water.....and I sank. On the first step, I went straight to the bottom of the pool. Why is it we cannot walk on water? Boats and water bugs can move across the top of the water. Why can’t I? Sciencemag.org explains it this way. “There’s a simple reason you can’t walk on water: Humans are so big that the force of gravity overcomes the so-called surface tension of water, making us sink.“ So how did Jesus walk on the water? Jesus is fully God and fully human. Why didn’t He sink? Did He change the surface tension? HOW did He do it? I don’t know HOW He did it. The HOW does not matter. I only need to be faithful. We just need to believe. I don’t know HOW He did it. The HOW does not matter. I only need to be faithful. We just need to believe. Remember, that is today’s takeaway. Jesus is God of the How. We only need to be faithful. Let’s pursue this idea a bit further. Turn to Matthew 14:22. Here is Matthew’s version of the story. It is much the same but with something different and surprizing. Let's start at verse 25.Now in the fourth watch of the Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. Now in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” 28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” 31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.” Before we look at the text I want you to answer a question. What in your life seems overwhelming or impossible? It should be something you must deal with, something that confronts you.  I have a few. Let me share one. I know that God called me to Wakefield to lead this church to a place of health and growth. And there was a time, about a year and a half ago that I thought we were on the way to such. Now not so. We have in the last year lost people, and I am very concerned. I want to figure out how to fix this problem. What about you? What is that thing that seems impossible? Maybe your spouse or child is far from God. You want desperately for them to turn to Christ. But it seems impossible. Maybe your marriage is struggling. Maybe your job offers you no future. Maybe......well you fill in the blank. You can see what this situation ought to be but you cannot figure out HOW to get there. Recently, Andy Stanley, in his book Visioneering reminded me that God is God of how and we just need to be faithful.  Look again at the story. As Jesus is walking up to the boat, Peter says in verse 28, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” Now Peter has spent a lifetime on the water. He’s not some 5-year-old kid at the local pool testing the laws of Science. Peter knows that people sink when they step out on the water. But he has faith in Jesus. And if Jesus tells him to walk on the water, then walk on the water he will. Peter doesn’t know how he will walk any more than he knows how Jesus walks. Peter will let Jesus worry about the how. Peter will just be faithful. So in verse 29 Peter gets out of the boat and starts to walk on the water toward Jesus. It is natural that when God begins to take care of the how we either begin to take personal credit or become fearful of the things we cannot control, the things that surround us. And that is what happens to Peter. In verse 30 we read, “But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And of course, Jesus saves Peter. I know your situation looks impossible. I know that the problem or goal you have is overwhelming. But you need only to be faithful. Do what God has called you to do and let God take care of the How. Now when I say that we only need to be faithful, I do not mean that we just sit passively waiting for God to work. As we respond in faith there are steps to take. Remember Peter did get out of the boat. And Peter did take steps toward Jesus. As God takes care of the HOW you should be doing what God has called you to do. God has called all churches to fulfill the Great Commission. At Wakefield, we made the Great Commission into our mission statement which is to Share Christ and to Build believers. I need to be faithful to that. I need to share Christ and build believers. Those who attend Wakefield need to be doing the same. We need to be doing our part. And as we do that, God will take care of the how. I asked you earlier to think about that overwhelming thing. Now here is a simple question to move you forward as God takes care of the how. What actions could you take as God takes care of the HOW? Take a few minutes. Write down what you can be doing. What will be your steps of faith? Here’s an example of what I am talking about. If your spouse is unsaved and that seems overwhelming, what actions can you be doing as God takes care of the how? Here are a few that come to mind: Pray Live the life that the Bible teaches you to live. Submit yourself to the direction and needs of your spouse. Share truth of Jesus with your spouse. At the end of Matthew, the 12 worshipped Jesus and declared Him to be the Son of God. Even after the feeding of the 5,000 they still did not understand who Jesus was. But when He walked on the water, when Peter did as well, and when Jesus reached down and saved Peter, they knew that He was God the Son. When we begin to walk in faith and allow God to take care of the how, then we will see Jesus for who He is - God the Son. All of what I taught today was taught with a believer in mind. So if you do not believe on Jesus Christ, here are a few short words for you. You really only have one overwhelming thing in your life. Only one thing!? Yes, and here it is. The problem is you have unforgiven sin. Now some of you are thinking, “That doesn’t seem so bad.” But truly it is. Because of unforgiven sin, you are far from God. You were created to be a child of God, to have a relationship with God, but your sin keeps that from happening. And some day, when you die, because you do not have this relationship, you will be sent to hell and ultimately the Lake of Fire forever. So HOW do you fix this? Don’t worry. God has taken care of the HOW. God the Father sent His Son Jesus to take care of the how. Jesus died for your sin. All you need to do is respond in faith. I love Romans 10:11, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” In other words, there is no hell for those who believe on Jesus. So listener, believe today. When you can, drop over to www.wakefieldbible.org and use the contact page to say hello. We would love to hear from you. I will see you next time. Bye.

Mark's Gospel was the first one written. Both Matthew and Luke made extensive use of Mark in their own books. One of the lingering questions through the centuries, though, was why did John Mark end his book like he did? Was it intentional or is there something else going on here?

According to the ancient Passover structure, Jesus would have ended his last Passover meal on Maundy Thursday with chanting Psalm 118, today's responsorial Psalm. But is there a biblical allusion to this? Both Matthew and Mark's account of the Last Supper end with a delightful line, "And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives" (Matt 26:30; Mark 14:26). I love the image of Jesus singing, most likely chanting, this magnificent Psalm. The Psalm describes a day in which the Lord has acted (v. 24), we will rejoice and be glad in it." What day is the Psalm describing? This Psalm describes a mysterious event in which a great deliverance from death occurs (vv 14 - 21). The next verse, "The same stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone" ... is used throughout the NT as referring to Christ (vv 22 - 26). How does Christ, the rejected Stone in the quarry, become the Chief Cornerstone? By his birth, faithful life, death, resurrection and ascension. Our Eucharistic liturgy draws from this Psalm, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord ... Hosanna in the highest ... Hosanna meaning "save, Lord." Jesus wept over the holy city and said, "You won't see me again until you say, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." Again, quoting this amazing Psalm (verse 25, 26). Our Gospel reading, Luke 24:1-12, brings us into the company of stunned, heart sick friends of another failed Messiah. We join a company who are making plans to care for the dead body of their Master. Even through Jesus told them again and again that he would be handed over and killed and, on the third day, rise. They, like us, heard the words but didn't understand. They discounted it as Jesus trying to prepare them for the worst. It just wouldn't happen ... it couldn't happen, so they thought. So when the company of women head towards the tomb with select spices to anoint his body, they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, and upon entering found no body (v 3). Christianity is rightfully obsessed with the body. Last night at the vigil, we confessed the Apostles' Creed and we're getting ready to affirm it once again. The Creed says "I believe in the resurrection of the body." We have entered the fifty days of Eastertide where we will once again consider the staggering implications of the Resurrection of Christ and the resurrection of the body. What is this saying? God is the maker of this good world. Early Christians confessed this in opposition to wave after wave of gnostic teachings about the evil of the physical world. No, this is a place brought into being by a good God. This good God makes contact with the ordinary, fleshy stuff of our lives by coming in the person of Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, born of a woman. God took on a body ... fully human and fully divine in order to take on death and destroy it in his glorious resurrection. What is this saying? We are called to value every-BODY ... to rid ourselves of indifference and renew our wonder for every-BODY. This is the NEW COMMANDMENT - instituted on Maundy Thursday! To love one another as Christ loved us! In Christ, matter matters and everyBODY matters! Amen! The image is by Father Sieger Köder

Jack and Jill of all trades, Matthew and Kira McClellan, started a company to help lots of people just like you access cashflow opportunities across the world called Direct Source Wealth. This is the company Matthew and Kira built together, starting in the single-family housing space and then progressing through commercial and multi-family. This includes vacation rentals. Kira says she was always interested in real estate investing. In fact, she says she was an “insomniac child” who grew up reading and watching Robert Kiyosaki. She says her passion for real estate has never subsided. Matthew says that success came as a result of trial and error. He and Kira decided to keep going, no matter what. They used guerilla marketing strategies at the beginning and things were going okay, but they wanted to expand. Matthew says though he was scared, he moved forward anyway. He says real estate is an ever-changing market, and investors have to be flexible. Kira says that as a couple, she and Matthew have more strength, but as with many couples, one is a bit more of a risk-taker than the other. This helps her talk to investors about being smart about taking risk. She helps to ground them, so they are in a better situation. Kira says that Matthew is the safety net, because she is the risk-taker. There is a balance. They have learned from each other. Both Matthew and Kira say that they still get the butterflies in their collective stomach when doing new deals. Without that feeling, they say, maybe the deal isn’t interesting enough! Kira says she knows there will be problems in some deals, but she says you can’t let that stop you. Matthew adds that you have to turn the flashlight on in the room sometimes to see what’s in there! That’s a great analogy. The couple says that analysis paralysis is not a good thing. While it’s good to do your due diligence and ask questions, there is a time to take action. It’s a balance thing. Kira talks a lot about having a healthy partnership of balance. Success comes from recognizing who you are and then surrounding yourself with other people who have different strengths. Risk-takers need the very careful partner; conversely the careful analyzer needs to have a risk-taker to push them out of their comfort zone. Wealth is, after all, a team sport! As a real estate investor, you cannot be a one-man band. You have to work with other people. Kira and Matthew have a lot to say about creating a winning team and how to work as a team with investors. They also talk about how to boost cash-on-cash returns and tax benefits through certain types of investment strategies inside real estate. Learn more.

The Thief on the Cross   The Gospel of Matthew records that “two robbers were crucified with Jesus, one on His right and one on His left”. Mark also recorded this and said it was a fulfillment of prophecy from Isaiah 53:12. Both Matthew and Mark told us that in the beginning, both criminals were […]