Podcasts about emperor tiberius

Londinium 90 AD Gaius & Germanicus puzzle at the inadequacy of Emperor Tiberius, aka Joe Biden. Michael Vlahos Friends of History Debating Society @michalis_vlahos AUGUSTUS AND CLEOPATRA

The Roman historian Suetonius' biography of the controversial Emperor Tiberius is one of his most shocking and salacious, condemning Tiberius to infamy. But was Tiberius really the perverted monster Suetonius would have us believe? Born of Rome's most illustrious family and a sacred bloodline - the Claudians - Tiberius' mother Livia was unceremoniously taken from his father while she carried him, to marry the great Emperor Augustus. So it was that Tiberius grew up in the very heart of imperial power, proving himself intelligent, and a superb military commander. But, following the unforeseen deaths of Augustus' young heirs, he found himself primed to become the next caesar of Rome. The reign that ensued would prove largely peaceful, prosperous and stable, though Tiberius himself was increasingly plagued by paranoia and fear. While the last of Augustus' bloodline were wiped out one by one, he retired to Capri, much to the horror of the Roman people. Before long, rumours had begun percolating of the heinous deeds, sick proclivities, and vile abominations Tiberius was practicing on his pleasure island… Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss Tiberius, the impressive though widely lambasted second emperor of Rome. What is the truth behind the sordid myths and mysteries of his reign…? Pre-order Tom Holland's new translation of 'The Lives of the Caesars' here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/279727/the-lives-of-the-caesars-by-suetonius/9780241186893 _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett Editor: Aaliyah Akude Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode Professor Ed Watts and I look at the brilliant career and sad life of the Emperor Tiberius. We try to understand how this most capable and intelligent man came to be seen by history as one of the most monstrous of the Roman emperors.In researching for the podcast I came across a really stirring defence of Tiberius in the shape of a monograph by Norman Douglas. On looking into who Norman Douglas was I discovered that he was a great literary figure of the first half of the 20th century. He was also an open paedophile and quite possibly child rapist. In short some of the crimes Tiberius himself was accused of. Here is an article about the man by Rachel Hope Cleves which I found interesting and unsettling in equal measure. Regardless, I think Ed makes a good case for considering Tiberius to have been a good emperor but broken by age, family tragedy and an impossibly demanding stepfather.You can send a message to the show/feedback by clicking here. I can't reply so if you need one please include your email.

December 22, 2024 -- Pr. Kevin Kritzer -- "Coming Soon: Peace!" -- Luke 1: 6-80; 3:1-18 76 “You, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High. You will go ahead of the Lord to prepare his way. 77 You will make his people know that they can be saved through the forgiveness of their sins. 78 A new day will dawn on us from above because our God is loving and merciful. 79 He will give light to those who live in the dark and in death's shadow. He will guide us into the way of peace.” 80 The child John grew and became spiritually strong. He lived in the desert until the day he appeared to the people of Israel. --- (Ch.3) It was the fifteenth year in the reign of the Emperor Tiberius. Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea. Herod ruled Galilee, and his brother Philip ruled Iturea and Trachonitis. Lysanias was the ruler of Abilene. 2 It was at the time when Annas and Caiaphas were chief priests that God spoke to John, son of Zechariah, in the desert. 3 John traveled throughout the region around the Jordan River. He told people about a baptism of repentance [a] for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As the prophet Isaiah wrote in his book, “A voice cries out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way for the Lord! Make his paths straight! 5 Every valley will be filled. Every mountain and hill will be leveled. The crooked ways will be made straight. The rough roads will be made smooth. 6 All people will see the salvation that God gives.' ” 7 Crowds of people were coming to be baptized by John. He would say to them, “You poisonous snakes! Who showed you how to flee from God's coming anger? 8 Do those things that prove that you have turned to God and have changed the way you think and act. Don't say, ‘Abraham is our ancestor.' I guarantee that God can raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones. 9 The ax is now ready to cut the roots of the trees. Any tree that doesn't produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into a fire.” 10 The crowds asked him, “What should we do?” 11 He answered them, “Whoever has two shirts should share with the person who doesn't have any. Whoever has food should share it too.” 12 Some tax collectors came to be baptized. They asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 13 He told them, “Don't collect more money than you are ordered to collect.” 14 Some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He told them, “Be satisfied with your pay, and never use threats or blackmail to get money from anyone.” 15 People's hopes were rising as they all wondered whether John was the Messiah. 16 John replied to all of them, “I baptize you with water. But the one who is more powerful than I is coming. I am not worthy to untie his sandal straps. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing [b] shovel is in his hand to clean up his threshing floor.[c] He will gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn the husks in a fire that can never be put out.” 18 With many other encouraging words, he told the Good News to the people. --GW http://www.bethanylutheran.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.facebook.com/Bethany.Long.Beach⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.youtube.com/c/BethanyLutheranLongBeach

Second Sunday of Advent Old Testament Malachi 3:1-4 See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight-- indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years. The Song of Zechariah     Benedictus Dominus Deus Luke 1: 68-79 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; * he has come to his people and set them free. He has raised up for us a mighty savior, * born of the house of his servant David. Through his holy prophets he promised of old, that he would save us from our enemies, * from the hands of all who hate us. He promised to show mercy to our fathers * and to remember his holy covenant. This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, * to set us free from the hands of our enemies, Free to worship him without fear, * holy and righteous in his sight  all the days of our life. You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, * for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, To give his people knowledge of salvation * by the forgiveness of their sins. In the tender compassion of our God * the dawn from on high shall break upon us, To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, * and to guide our feet into the way of peace. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: * as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. The New Testament Philippians 1:3-11 I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God's grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God. The Gospel Luke 3:1-6 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"

Luke 3:1-6   In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"

Luke 3:1-6 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and…

In this week's conversation, Lars Olson explains what the season of Advent is and why it's not simply a season of preparation ahead of Christmas: it's announcing Christ is here, now. Lars also teaches Kiri and Mason why Luke includes so many historical details about the political and religious leaders of the time and the significance of “the wilderness,” and why we encounter God there. Lastly, in a text with John the Bapist saying Jesus is near and quotes from Isaiah saying this is what God is going to do, it can be tempting for preachers to give a call to action before Jesus is born. Lars reminds us God has already delivered his promise and how preachers can effectively connect those dots in this text. ADVENT PLANNING GUIDE Luther House of Study is pleased to announce a brand new Advent Planning Guide! Courtesy of Pastor Mark Anderson, this guide contains Advent weekly planning outlines, Bible studies, activities, liturgies, and hymns. Download the guide at lutherhouseofstudy.org/resources.COURSES Do you like what you learn in the conversations on Scripture First? Luther House of Study has numerous interactive courses available for free on subjects ranging from the Lutheran Catechism to core Christian beliefs. Visit lutherhouseofstudy.org to see their available courses, create an account to track your progress, and dive deeper into your learning. SING TO THE LORD Martin Luther said, "Next to the word of God, the art of music is the greatest treasure in the world." To understand the importance of hymnody in the Lutheran church, Lars Olson and Mason Van Essen sit down with Zachary Brockhoff to discuss the lectionary's hymns, their meaning and history, and how the music preaches the Gospel. 

John 21:1 After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We are going with you also." They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. 4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any food?" They answered Him, "No." 6 And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. 7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. 9 Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have just caught." 11 Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken.   This Chapter is here for 5 reasons: Helps us understand Peters prominent position in the church How are we to relate to the risen Christ Give us a Balance between Nurturing the saved and winning the lost Refutes the false rumor that Jesus coming back before John died Clear expression of how to love Christ. If you love me keep my commandments We are blessed by Laboring with the Lord.  The disciples have learned how to cooperate with one another and how to obey Jesus. What examples for us to follow as we seek to “catch fish” for Jesus Christ! There are “fish” all around us. If we obey His directions, we will catch the fish.   The Purpose of chapter 21 The Conclusion Or Epilogue The expression, "By hook or by crook," originated from the 21st chapter of the Gospel of John. A hook is the symbol of a fisherman, while a crook is the symbol of a shepherd. Here then in this chapter are symbolized the two ministries of the church: fishing and shepherding. That is how the work of God goes forward. Chapter 21 contains instruction for those who have come to faith in Him and explains how they are to serve Him as they carry out their mission (20:21-23). Many of the prominent themes in the rest of the Gospel recur here. "Some critics have argued that this chapter is anticlimactic after the great conclusion in chapter 20, and therefore was written by another (anonymous) writer. But the language evidence does not support this notion. In addition, other great books of Scripture have appendixes after reaching a grand climax (cf. e.g., Rom. 16 following Rom. 15:33). Thus John 21 is neither without value nor out of harmony with other Bible books." The structure of this chapter is similar to the rest of the Gospel. John first narrated an event (vv. 1-14) and then related Jesus' teaching based on that event (vv. 15-23). Finally he concluded his Gospel (vv. 24-25). In many ways, “frustrating” also describes what it must have been like for the disciples during that 40-day interval between Jesus' resurrection and His ascension. With few exceptions, the disciples had spent three wonderful years with Jesus. They traveled together, ate together, camped out at night together, and shared a common purse. Their private, relaxing times together were exceedingly few and far between, but at least they were continually in close contact during the time of our Lord's earthly ministry. The last few hours our Lord spent with His disciples before His arrest were private and uninterrupted. After the horror of our Lord's arrest, trials, and crucifixion, it would be tempting to think of this 40-day interval as a time of wonderful fellowship for our Lord and His disciples, but this was not really the case. For one thing, the disciples expected Jesus to immediately commence His kingdom, but it quickly became evident that this wasn't happening. For another thing, the disciples were not really seeing a great deal of their Lord. After Jesus appeared to them, and they were convinced that He was alive, they were filled with joy. But if the disciples were thinking they would now be spending a lot of time with Jesus once again, they were wrong. Things had changed. This change was first indicated to Mary by our Lord, when He appeared to her after His resurrection: John 20:16-17 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God'” (NIV). Jesus informs Mary that things are no longer going to be as they once were. Jesus was not going to be with His disciples on earth much longer, but was returning to His Father, as He had indicated earlier. He promised that after His ascension, He would dwell among them, and in them, through the Holy Spirit, but at the time they had no idea what He meant. And so the disciples found themselves relating to Jesus in an entirely different way during this 40-day period of time. They were formerly with Him day and night. Now, they only saw Him from time to time. Eight days passed from the time Jesus first appeared to His disciples (John 20:19-23) to the time of His second appearance (John 20:26). He appeared to them only a handful of times in those 40 days (see 1 Corinthians 15:5-7). He came and went in such a way that they never knew when to expect Him. And He did not always look exactly the way He once did—there was something different about Him, which sometimes caused them to wonder whether or not it was really Him (see Mark 16:12; Luke 24:16, 31; John 21:12). I'm sure the disciples wished for the “good old days,” when they enjoyed much more intimate fellowship with Him. Jesus, however, was “weaning” them from those days, because He would no longer dwell among them as He once had. He was soon to ascend into heaven to be with His Father. There were other things that made this time difficult. These were perilous days. The tomb of Jesus had been sealed and was under Roman guard, by order of Pilate. When Jesus was raised from the dead, the Jews and the Roman soldiers agreed on a cover-up. They sought to explain the resurrection and the empty tomb by circulating the story that Jesus' disciples had stolen His body. This would have been a serious crime. The disciples could have been the targets of a manhunt. No wonder they were hiding out in a locked room when Jesus came to them (John 20:19, 26). In addition to this, there was really very little the disciples could do during these 40 frustrating days. They were told to wait until they were given power from on high. The Holy Spirit had not yet come, because Pentecost was still a few days away. These men were not yet transformed, nor were they supernaturally empowered to heal the sick, raise the dead, or proclaim the gospel. The kingdom was on hold, there was little for them to do, and Jesus was seldom seen or heard from. It was not an easy time for the disciples at all. I can imagine that Peter could have gone home, only to find Mrs. Peter standing in the doorway, with her hands on her hips. “Peter,” she might have said sharply, “we've got bills to pay and mouths to feed. When are you going back to work? How long are you going to wait around, wondering what to do with yourself?” All of the disciples must have been thinking similar thoughts. They had families to support. They had to do something. They couldn't just wait around … Why would we be surprised that it was Peter who decided to do something? Why would we find it unusual for Peter to speak out? This is precisely where the final chapter of John's Gospel takes up. Command - vs 1-6- Manifested or Revealed Himself to the Seven Disciples 1 ¶ After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: John recorded still another post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to His disciples. It undoubtedly occurred during the 32-day period between Thomas' confession (20:28) and Jesus' ascension (Acts 1:9). Same as the sea of Galilee.  Called different names depending on where they are, Emperor Tiberius officially named it that. Evidently most of his original readers would have known it by this Roman name. They were to learn something new about Him from this revelation.  2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. Mt 4:21; Joh 1:45 The exact number may be another detail designed to add credibility to the account,  or  John  may  have  been  hinting  that  a  complete  number  of disciples was present. Seven was a number that symbolized completeness to the Jews (cf. Gen. 2:2-3; et al.). He may have been implying that the lesson that Jesus taught here was applicable to the full complement of disciples. Book starts with 6 disciples and ends with 7? Anything to do with the completeness now of the work being done? Peter is always named first His name expresses the grace of God, He was impetuous, vacillating, moody, sees us as who we can be Thomas called the Twin Nathanael of Cana in Galilee The sons of Zebedee – James and John and two others of His disciples - Probably Andrew and Phillip  3 Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We are going with you also." They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. Some expositors have interpreted Peter's words as a renunciation of his calling as Jesus' disciple. They believe he meant that he intended to return to his former occupation as a fisherman permanently. However there is no basis for this conclusion in the text. Indeed when Peter learned that Jesus was standing on the shore he jumped into the water to get to Jesus as quickly as he could (v. 7). Mt 26:32 "But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee." Mt 28:7 "And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you."  Mt 28:10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me."  Mt 28:16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. Mr. 16:7 "But go, tell His disciples--and Peter--that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you." For the third time in John's Gospel, our Lord appears to His disciples. This time He reveals Himself to seven of His disciples as they are fishing on the Sea of Tiberias — the Sea of Galilee (John 6:1). Most of these men were fishermen by trade. When Peter informed them that he was going fishing, they knew he was not planning to go out and do a little fly fishing on the Sea of Galilee, hoping to catch a fish or two. They understood that Peter was going back to work as a fisherman. They all must have had financial obligations they needed to meet. In addition, they needed to eat. And so those who were with Peter agreed to go fishing with him. There seemed to be nothing better to do. I do not find this decision to go fishing something unbefitting for a disciple. It was better for them to be doing something productive than nothing at all. The first miraculous catch of fish came fairly early in the ministry of our Lord. Jesus was teaching beside the Sea of Galilee, and the crowds were pressing in on Him. There were at least two boats pulled up on shore nearby. One belonged to Peter and his brother Andrew, the other to James and John (and apparently their father—see Luke 5:2-11). These men had been out fishing all night, unsuccessfully, and were now washing their nets. Jesus got into Simon Peter's boat and asked him push out from shore, so that He could use the boat as His speaker's platform. When Jesus finished teaching, He told Peter to launch out into deeper waters and to lower the nets for a catch. Peter gently protested, informing Jesus that they had just spent the entire night fishing, without success. Nevertheless, Peter did as his Master instructed. As the nets were drawn in, it was evident that they had a huge catch of fish, so large that the nets were beginning to tear. Peter and his brother gestured to their partners, James and John, who came alongside with their boat. They filled both boats so full with the fish that they began to sink. Peter fell at Jesus' knees (they were still in the boat) and said, “Go away from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord!” (Luke 5:8). Jesus comforted the men with these words, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people” (5:10). It would seem that from this point in time, they ceased fishing for their livelihood and followed Jesus wherever He went. In John 21, we read of a very similar miraculous catch of fish. It is my opinion that it took place at virtually the same place, with the same boats, and most of the same fishermen. You will recall that before His crucifixion, Jesus told His disciples that He would go ahead of them to Galilee (Matthew 28:7; Mark 14:28). Then, after His resurrection, Jesus instructed His disciples to meet Him in Galilee (Matthew 28:10; Mark 16:7). The disciples who have gone fishing with Peter may very well be in Galilee because they have done what Jesus instructed them to do—go to Galilee, where He will meet them. This took them out of Jerusalem and Judea, the source of the strongest Jewish opposition. Like most of the disciples, Peter was a Galilean. These were his old “stomping grounds.” If they had been waiting for some time, Peter might well have concluded that they may as well occupy themselves by doing something profitable. And so he announced to his colleagues that he was going fishing.  4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Joh 20:14 Likewise the breaking of this new day is perhaps symbolic of the new era that was opening up for them as Jesus' disciples, though they did not realize that yet. Jesus' instruction would change the course of their lives forever.  5 Then Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any food?" They answered Him, "No." Lu 24:41 Much of the fishing in the Sea of Galilee was done at night in those days as it is yet today. Fishermen used torches to attract the fish to the boat and then netted them. But although they were expert fishermen, the disciples had labored throughout the night and had caught nothing. That must have been a rather unusual experience for them. Yet as this account makes clear, it was the Lord's intention that they catch nothing on this occasion. Now the question that Jesus asked is a number of observations. First it's framed expecting a negative answer. What the expected answer? "Well of course not," And that's exactly the way Jesus has framed the question. "Haven't you caught any fish?" "You haven't caught any fish, have you?" That would be the English equivalent. "You haven't done so well, have you?" I think their answer is sort crestfallen. "No." Failure is a very demoralizing thing. Some of you have tried hard to accomplish something. Like these fishermen, you have expended much energy and utilized all your resources but gained nothing in return. But although failure is a painful experience, valuable lessons can be gained through it. Here is what one writer said about this failed night of fishing: The night of failure was not without its lessons and its benefits. We can do worse than fail. We can succeed and be proud of our success. We can succeed and burn incense to the net. We can succeed and forget the Hand whose it is to give or to withhold, to kill or to make alive. People who think they have done it all themselves are common today. Every now and then I meet someone who claims to be a "self-made man." I have discovered, however, that most self-made men worship their creator! Yet nothing is more revealing of human ignorance than the claim to be a self-made man. That is to take for granted all that has been provided for them all throughout their lives, without giving a thought for Who provided it. Yet, were it not for God's providing hand, we would have neither the opportunities nor the resources to begin with. Success -- yes, even spiritual success -- can be a snare and a ruin, while failure can be an unspeakable benefit. Failure is often the only test by which the real worth and quality of a man or woman can be tried. It is in failure that a man begins to think, to wonder where his failure comes from, to look around and seek for the reasons, to put into his work double watchfulness and double energy, and to look upwards to Him who can turn failure into a glorious achievement. John goes on to show what God can do with a night of failure. Now many of your translations, unfortunately, render the word "friends." The word is not friends. The word is children. In fact it's a diminutive term. It's “little children.” And I think when the translators gloss over it and call it "friends" it is unfortunate because you want to see Jesus Christ here as coming on the scene as a fatherly, loving, compassionate friend of theirs. And it's sort of like the Brits would say, "Lads. Or boys in our language" Or if you're a dad with three or four sons, and they might even be grown sons, and you would say, "Sons." There is a real endearing and graciousness in the tone of the word. "Little children." Who else uses the phrase "little children" in the NT? John in First John. Little children. Little children. Little children. It's caring and compassionate and rich. One can sense the discouragement and mild embarrassment in the disciples' "no." Jesus was in the process of teaching these men their personal inadequacy even in the type of work they knew best and had most experience with. It was important that they articulate their failure.  6 And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast, and now they In the Luke 5:5 account, Simon tries to pull them in and the nets are breaking, remember? They almost make the boats sink, remember? So these two are two different stories. Luke 5:5 account says: "Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets." Maybe there was a little hint of that again; There's enough differences in the stories that we know these are two different incidents; one early in the disciples' life and one right prior to Christ's ascension. In verses seven to nine the disciples recognize Him: they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. Lu 5:4,6-7 Their nets had been hanging over the left-hand side of their fishing boat. The unknown authority on the shore now promised that if they would cast their net on the right-hand side they would catch some fish. Such a suggestion must have seemed ludicrous to these seasoned fishermen. The idea that such an insignificant change would accomplish anything was laughable. Yet amazingly the disciples followed Jesus' orders. Nevertheless it seems clear that even after they obeyed the unknown armchair fisherman on the shore this dark morning they still did not realize that He was Jesus. The reason for the disciples' obedience is not as important as the fact of it. Had they not obeyed Jesus' command they would have failed to catch any fish. However because they obeyed, they experienced overwhelming success, success far exceeding their natural ability. Jesus knew that these men had worked all night and had caught nothing. I am tempted to think that Jesus actually orchestrated things so that these men would not catch anything. Anyway, Jesus let the fishermen know that He knew they had caught nothing. He then instructs them to cast out their nets on the right side of the boat, assuring them that when they do so, they will find some fish. I don't know why these weary fishermen did it, but for some reason they were willing to make one last effort. When they drew in their nets, they did not contain just a few fish, or even a lot of fish. Their nets were virtually filled with fish. These men would reflect on this experience and realize that Jesus had been teaching them how important it was to obey His word. Obedience to Jesus was the key to supernatural success. Indeed obedience to His word even though they did not know it was His word yielded an unbelievable reward. It was at this point that John seems to have realized what was happening  7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. Joh 13:23; 20:2 Again John realized something about Jesus before Peter did (cf.  20:8).  Probably  he  sensed  that  a  miracle  had happened,  and  he  remembered  that  a  few  years  earlier  Jesus  had performed a similar miracle (Luke 5:1-11). True to the pictures we have of them in the New Testament John exhibited quick insight and Peter quick action. Now the identity of Christ is no longer obscure. They know who He is and they can see Him. This incredible catch quickly reveals to John that it's the Lord. Peter connects the dots and before we know it characteristically he's thrown himself in the water. Apparently he wanted to get to Jesus faster than his boat and net now full of fish would allow. He showed no concern for the fish; he willingly let them go. His only desire was to get to Jesus. This was not the first time that Peter had met Jesus after the Crucifixion. Jesus had appeared to Peter evidently on Easter morning (1 Cor. 15:5) and undoubtedly on Easter evening (20:19-23; cf. Mark 16:14). Peter had also seen Jesus the following Sunday when Thomas made his profession of faith (20:26-29). Therefore we should not conclude that Peter would have been reluctant to see Jesus now because of his denial in the high priest's courtyard. Peter's moment of reconciliation with Jesus had already passed. Now there's a little bit of a question if you read the text carefully. He's stripped for work. I don't think he's naked but I think he's down to the bare minimum of what he could have on. He's going to gird himself with something and jump into the water. Now if you've come to the edge of the water you take as much off as you can before you jump in not to be encumbered by your shoes or your coat or whatever else you have, right? So why is Peter putting something on? There are a couple of little hints in the text that are kind of fun. This is the same word only found in John thirteen where Jesus girds Himself to wash the disciples' feet. And so now we see Peter girding himself. I think Peter is sort of, if you will, working hard and sweating and so he's probably hot and smelling like fish, certainly like the lake water. And so he puts on the minimum amount of clothing when he comes out of the water to see Christ. John wants us to see these little connections about Jesus and girding up to serve and Peter girding himself as he goes to see his Lord, his friend and starting to put this thing together. When the disciples had followed Peter to go fishing, they don't follow him to jump in the water. It's about one hundred yards to the shore according to the text. It's a pretty good measurement. Fishermen usually worked in their light undergarments (Gr. chiton, not underwear). Peter evidently put his outer garment (Gr. ependytes) on so when he reached land he would be properly clothed albeit soaking wet. Normally people take unnecessary clothing off before going swimming. Peter's somewhat irrational behavior seems to be another indication of his strong desire to get to Jesus quickly. He was again demonstrating his characteristic extravagant loyalty to his Lord (cf. 20:6). So we have the boat, some think there are two boats, a larger fishing boat and a smaller like dingy type boat. We can't know for sure. Instinctively, he knew that the man on the beach was Jesus. And now that he knew, he told Peter as well. That was all it took for Peter. He tucked in his outer garment and plunged into the sea, swimming to shore to see Jesus. Someone has remarked that what we find here is typical of both Peter and John. John was the first to understand; Peter was the first to act.  We cannot be sure that Peter actually arrived on shore first. One thing does seem certain: Jesus must have personally forgiven and restored Peter on His previous, private meeting with him (see Luke 24:34; 1 Corinthians 15:5). Peter certainly shows no reluctance to see Jesus face to face here! 8 But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. If I were one of the other disciples, I would have been perturbed with Peter for leaving me behind with a full net and an unsecured boat, still several hundred feet from shore. They seem to have learned from the miracle in Luke chapter 5 that it was unwise to try to empty the net full of fish into the boat—since their two boats nearly sank on that occasion. And so they simply drug their bulging nets behind the boat and made their way to shore, with their nets still in the water, teaming with fish. Jesus supplied the original fish and all we have originally comes from the hand of the Lord.  James 1.17  9 Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. John's narrative sort of creates a setting here of a number of things. He mentions a charcoal fire. If you've been with us in the study only one other time in the New Testament do we have the phrase charcoal fire. Do you remember where it is? It was with Peter's denial. Why does John, with an eyewitness touch, mark this little detail of charcoal fire at the denial and now he marks it again. What's about to happen? Peter's restoration. We can almost smell the smoke of the fish and a charcoal fire. First there's a charcoal fire as they're warming themselves and he bitterly denies Christ and breaks down and cries and now there's a charcoal fire with fish on it that Jesus prepares for him. Now they're about to be restored with a threefold question, "Do you love Me, Peter?" There are interesting eyewitness touches that John gives us Jesus was setting the stage for a lesson He was about to teach the disciples and especially Peter. Bread and fish were common staples, but again they recall earlier miracles that Jesus had performed. He had miraculously provided meals for 5,000 and later 4,000 males plus women and children with bread and fish. Notice that He had already provided some fish for them before the disciples got out of their boat and pulled the fish that they had caught to shore. Several things here have parallels in the work of fishing for men. Notice that Jesus supplied the original fish and bread for this breakfast. When the disciples landed, the charcoal fire was already lit, and fish and bread were lying there. This is indicative that all that we have come from the hand of God. We did not provide this world or the food that is in it. We do not provide the opportunities that come our way. Many of them come to us right out of the blue. Behind all of this the hand of God has already been at work. He has already put us in the right place, leading us into situations we could never have designed ourselves. We operate by his grace and according to his efforts. Before His crucifixion, Jesus had served His disciples by washing their feet (13:1-17). Now He continued to serve them as their risen Lord by providing them with a warm fire and breakfast (cf. v. 13). Jesus invites us to labor with them,  Little boy brought his fish and bread, they caught it and hauled it in. The “fire of coals” would certainly remind him of the fire at which he denied the Lord (John 18:18). It is good for us to remember the past; we may have something to confess. 10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have just caught." Even though there was already one fish (Gr. opsarion, singular) on the fire Jesus instructed the disciples to bring some of the fish (plural) that they had caught. He would not provide for their physical needs by multiplying the food miraculously as He had done in the past. Now He would use the product of their labor to satisfy their need. Nevertheless it was clear that their fish had been the result of His miraculous provision. Perhaps this was all symbolic of how Jesus would carry out His mission through His disciples in the future compared with how He had done it during His pre- cross ministry. But notice that Jesus then invites the disciples to bring the fish they have caught. This beautifully suggests the way God works with man. As I read through the Scriptures I am continually astonished at the privilege given us by God of being co-laborers with him. Human labor was involved in almost all of the miracles of Jesus. For instance, our Lord multiplied the bread and fish which the boy had to feed the multitude, but he first sent the disciples searching through the crowd to see what they could supply. The wonder of this is that God, who could easily do it all himself, nevertheless gave them the great privilege of being co-workers with him. What he invites you to do may be a very simple thing. You may have opportunity to share your faith with your neighbors. While that may seem an insignificant thing now, when history has come to an end and we are all gathered on the shore with Jesus this may well become the greatest thing you have ever done. We will see ourselves as tremendously privileged to have worked with God in what he was doing in this world.  11 Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. A spiritual lesson here is that great blessing comes to one's efforts when he follows the Lord's will. Peter either organizes the landing of the fish or he's the one who hauls it in. Now, if you've ever been in the water playing with your children when they're small, you can have two or three of your small children kind of hanging on you and you can still get around the water, right? Because the buoyancy displacement makes them not as heavy as if you were on land. On land you might be able to move a step or two but you sure can't haul them around the water, right? So you envision Peter. They can't get over the gunnel of the ship because it's so heavy, but he can sort of man handle it in the water up to the side and then the disciples would organize the getting of all the fish out before they could slip back into the Sea of Galilee. Why 153 fish? Well it's almost comical, commentators write pages of what the number 153 means. They have spiritualized allegorizations into all kinds of things in the Bible and it's almost comical to read, but unfortunately they happen to believe the stuff they write. I am one hundred percent convinced that it means there were 153 fish. And if you know anything about fishing, what does any good fisherman do? You count your fish. Notice the text says large fish? No one ever says, "I caught 153 little fish.  John tells us it was 153 large fish. Much has been made of the number 153, but it may be enough to note that the author knew the exact number of fish caught, and that it was a great quantity. Such details give credibility to one's testimony, and John certainly provides us with details. There have been many symbolic explanations of the meaning of the 153 fish. One of the more credible of these is as follows. Jesus formerly told His disciples that they would become fishers of men, an obvious metaphor (Mark 1:17). If the fish here represent the converts that Jesus would miraculously provide for His disciples to "catch," perhaps their large number represents many converts and the fact that Jesus is the one who is responsible to bring the converts in to us. Mt 13:47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, 48 "which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. 49 "So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, Mt 25:32 50 "and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth." The fact that the net did not break may symbolize the capability of the gospel to "catch" many people without failing. We are blessed by Laboring with the Lord They have much patience and persistence, and they will not quit. They know how to cooperate with one another, and they are skilled in using the equipment and the boat. What examples for us to follow as we seek to “catch fish” for Jesus Christ! We are indeed “fishers of men,” and there are “fish” all around us. If we obey His directions, we will catch the fish. But the main emphasis in this account is: success cannot occur without the recognition that the power of God is needed. This is not new truth. In Psalm 127 the psalmist said, "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it. Except the Lord guard the city, the watchman watches in vain," (Psalms 127:1 KJV). But it is very common in the church today to see people rely on strictly human methods, with no recognition of the fact that God must supply. Eph 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us        Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

It's time for the Sonic Society with Jack and David. This week, it's Part 1 of Little Boots. 37 CE. As the reign of Emperor Tiberius comes to an end, 24 year-old Gaius takes the imperial throne. Lead by the able hand of his beloved sister, Drusilla, he embarks on a wave of reform that upends Roman society and sets him on a collision course with madness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's time for the Sonic Society with Jack and David. This week, it's Part 1 of Little Boots. 37 CE. As the reign of Emperor Tiberius comes to an end, 24 year-old Gaius takes the imperial throne. Lead by the able hand of his beloved sister, Drusilla, he embarks on a wave of reform that upends Roman society and sets him on a collision course with madness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Text: Mark 12:13-17 (ESV)   13 And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk. 14 And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone's opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances,[c] but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” 15 But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius[d] and let me look at it.” 16 And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar's.” 17 Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” And they marveled at him.   RENDER TO GOD WHAT IS DUE UNTO HIM   According to the account of Luke, gives details that the scribes and chief priests want a valid excuse to arrest Jesus there and then. Thus, they send the Pharisees and Herodians to try to trap Jesus into saying something that would incriminate Himself. They were intentional to trap Jesus. "Trap" is from the Greek root word ‘agreuo' and literally means to hunt. The word implies an intent to capture by surprise. On the other hand, Matthew's account uses "entangle" which is from the Greek root word ‘pagideuo', that is "to ensnare, as a bird in a net" (Mat 22:15).   Jesus knows it so that He asked, “Why put me to the test?” He knows that they pretend to be sincere.[Luke 20:20] As a note, the Pharisees and Herodians dislike each other in every other context, but cooperate to oppose Jesus early on in His ministry (Mark 3:6). The Pharisees were threatened because Jesus rebukes them of their man-made traditions over Mosaic law. Whereas, the Herodians were concerned that Jesus may start a rebellion that would provoke the Roman government.   They trapped Him about paying taxes. Does Jesus support the Roman government by paying taxes? Jesus rebuke them using the denarius. He confirmed with them that Caesar's image is enscribed in it. A denarius is a coin equivalent to a day's wage for a laborer. (Mat 20:1–16). The design of coin itself is scandalous to the Jews. Why? The image of Emperor Tiberius is pressed into one side with the words "Tiberius Caesar Augustus, Son of the Divine Augustus." This means, the coin claims Tiberius is a demigod and his parents are gods of the emperor cult.   Jesus made a proclamation about the delineation of the human government and His kingdom. He said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” Tiberius' authority is acknowledged by Jesus. It is well within the rights of His government to issue coins and collect taxes. It is within a private person's rights to use those coins and pay taxes.. If "bearing the image" of someone implies obligation, then coins bearing the image of Caesar are legitimately owed to Caesar. However, a life bearing the image of God, therefore, is rightfully owed to God (Gen 1:27).   Paul reiterates Jesus' words to the Christians in Rome. He explains that secular rulers are servants of God, commissioned by God to enforce justice. As such, they are owed their taxes, and we are to pay what is owed (Rom 13:1–7). It is possible to give due respect to a God-established but ungodly civil government and worship God at the same time.   Listen and FOLLOW us on our podcast ------------------------- Visit and FOLLOW Gospel Light Filipino on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram

Pontius Pilate was the Roman Prefect of Judea during the reign of Emperor Tiberius and is most famous for condemning Jesus of Nazareth to death by crucifixion in the Four Gospels. But who really was he? And how much do we know about him?In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan speaks to Prof. Helen Bond to delve deeper into the life of Pontius Pilate and discover what else we know about this famous Roman governor.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code DANSNOW sign up at https://historyhit/subscription/We'd love to hear from you- what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.You can take part in our listener survey here.

Iskander Rehman, Ax:son Johnson Fellow at the Johns Hopkins SAIS Kissinger Center and author of Iron Imperator: Roman Grand Strategy Under Tiberius, joins the show to talk about the military career and statecraft of Tiberius and what his career has to teach us today. ▪️  Times      •      02:32 Introduction      •      03:29 The Pentagon and Rome     •      07:29 Why Tiberius?     •      15:04 Parallels      •      18:26 Germania     •      22:38 Roman criticism      •      28:03 Auxiliaries and proxies      •      32:09 Diplomacy and a recruitment crisis     •      34:00 A brilliant military career     •      37:17 Force structure     •      41:18 Parthian Cold War Follow along  on Instagram Find a transcript of today's episode on our School of War Substack Buy the book here - Iron Imperator: Roman Grand Strategy Under Tiberius

Pilate's soul hangs in the balance as he puts Jesus Christ on trial and declares the innocent one guilty. The question lingers... are you doing the same? - SERMON TRANSCRIPT - This morning I had the privilege to sit again in the “Discovering Christ” class, which is a class we have every week to study the person and work of Christ based on the Gospel of Mark. I was struck again as we began the cycle. We're looking at infinite majesty of the person of Christ. That's the purpose of the Gospel of Mark. It depicts Jesus in His remarkable person, His authority, declared to be the son of God at His baptism by a voice that came from heaven when heaven was torn apart and a dove came down and a voice said, "This is My Son whom I love; with Him, I'm well pleased." Then Jesus begins his ministry, teaching in a way that no one had ever heard before with authority, the ability to speak the truth of God in a powerful way, authoritative way- “You have heard that it was said, but I say to you.” Then as a demon possessed young man is there, to be able to instantly drive out the demon with a word. The demons were terrified of Jesus. He had no fear of them; He absolute authority over demons. Then there was every disease and sickness known to man. There was no disease or sickness He could not cure effortlessly, instantaneously, personally, effectively, every disease and sickness. We see His ability to control the wind and the waves when He was in the boat. A raging storm came down and the boat was filling with water. Jesus was asleep, then got up and stretched His hand over the wind and the waves and said, "Peace, be still." Instantly they obeyed His voice. “What kind of man is this? Even the wind in the waves obey him.” He revealed power over death as He raised Jairus's daughter from the dead. He said, "Talitha Cumi, little girl, I say to you, get up,” and her spirit returned to her and she got up. For Him, death and sleep were no different. It's just the same as waking a girl up from sleep. That's how powerful Jesus is over death, but even more, His authority over sin, His ability to declare to a sinner, your sins are forgiven and they are. This man that we've been learning about now in fourteen chapters now going into the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of Mark is on trial before Pontius Pilate, on trial for His life, the only perfectly good man that's ever been. On trial for what? What did He do except love God with all of His heart, soul, mind and strength and love His neighbor perfectly as Himself and didn't break any of God's laws or man's laws ever. He's on trial before Pontius Pilate. Things are not, however, as they appear. If we had been transported back in time and we were there, we'd see this prisoner arrested on trial before the Roman procurator, on trial for his life. But the reality is much different. It was determined in the mind of God that Jesus should die for the sins of the world and that that would be the process whereby it would happen. It was a foregone conclusion. What's really going on in this account of Jesus before Pilot is that Pilot's on trial, actually. Pilot's on trial. In order to make that case and to make it then relevant to us, I'm going to... often I just stick with the words of Mark. But this morning I'm going to be reaching out to all four Gospels. I would say especially John 18:28-19:16 which probably puts the trial of Pilot himself more clearly than any of the other gospels. I'll be leaning on that, but also some things from Matthew. Whereas Pilot thought that he was evaluating and judging Jesus, the reality was that he was on trial and through him, all of us are, we all have a decision to make about Jesus because the Bible reveals that someday we're going to stand before his Judgment Seat. The only way we're going to survive that is if in this world, in this time now we have, come to personal faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord. Only that way will we survive judgment day, only that way. So here's Pilot judging, the only perfectly innocent man that has ever lived and by condemning Jesus to death, a man Pilot again and again asserts publicly that He is innocent. A man he may well have believed was supernatural and incarnation of sorts. We'll talk about that. He was actually destroying his conscience and condemning his own soul, he did it, we're told in the text, to please the crowd. Behind that we can say, he was trying to save his life and his job. But Jesus put it so plainly in Mark 8:36, "What would it profit a man if he should gain the whole world and lose his soul?" I don't know if Pilate ever did repent of his sins and trust in Jesus as his Lord and Savior, I have no idea. But if he didn't, he'll spend all eternity wishing for this moment back. The real question in front of all of us, what about us? What about you? Not just that personal moment of repentance and faith in Jesus, but understanding really what this passage teaches us. There's so many lessons here. We're going to see how God orchestrated in providence the condemnation of Jesus before the Roman procurator, before any of these things came to be, that God moved providential wheels to give the Jews, the chief priests, the Sanhedrin power over Pilate, so he would do what they wanted him to do, though he didn't want to do it. We're going to walk through that and learn providence. Now overall, the purpose of this account, like any account in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John is summed up in John's purpose statement in John 20:31, "These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and believing may have life in His name." So that's the purpose today. 1. The Charge Against the Silent Jesus: “King of the Jews” Let's walk through the trial. Let's see what happens in Mark's account, but then looking at the others as well. In the charge against Jesus... Jesus is arraigned before Pilate, the religious phase of the trial is over. The Jewish leaders had come to their decision. Look at verse 1, “Very early in the morning the chief priests with the elders, the teacher of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound Jesus, led Him away and delivered Him over to Pilate.” They have condemned Jesus to death, but they can't kill him, as much as they would like to. The Romans took away the power of that local body to execute people. The Romans retain that right, so they needed Pilate's involvement. They deeply wanted to put Jesus to death. They wanted him killed. Now we notice in John's account the hypocrisy of these Jewish religious leaders. In John 18:28, "Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness, the Jews did not enter the palace because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.” This is disgusting, religious hypocrisy. They maintained an outward appearance of spirituality and legality, but their whole purpose that morning was to murder an innocent man and not just any innocent man but to kill the glorious Son of God. But they're maintaining a certain pattern of religiosity so they can go through their rituals. Pilate asks Him this question, verse 2, "Are you the King of the Jews?" That's how it begins. This was the charge the Jews had figured would work with the Roman governor. They had tried to get him, as we know earlier in Mark's Gospel, on tax evasion, saying you don't need to pay taxes to Caesar, but Jesus openly asserted that they did. "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God, the things that are God's." So that didn't work out, but this “King of the Jews” charge was weighty because it implied a threat to Roman interest in the area. In Luke's Gospel, Jesus’ enemies took another approach. In Luke 23:5, they insisted, "He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here." That basically is a charge that He's a rabble rouser, He's an insurrectionist. Ironically, Barabbas, the very one they chose instead of Jesus, was openly an insurrectionist. So are you for or against insurrectionists? In Luke 23:19, "Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city and for murder." Pilate zeroes in on this question, this charge, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus gives a very interesting answer. In verse 2, "You have said it," or, "Yes, it is as you say," there are different translations. In Matthew 27:11, "You have said it." What does that mean? It’s somewhat mysterious. Perhaps Jesus meant the words like this, “Yes, it is as you say, but it's not what you mean or not how you mean. Or, you have said it but you really don't understand it.” In John 18, he goes into it in more detail. In John 18:36-38, "'My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews, but now my kingdom is from another place.' 'You are a king then,' said Pilate. Jesus answered, 'You are right in saying that I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born and for this I came into the world to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.' 'What is truth?' Pilate asked." That's a more in-depth conversation on Jesus's kingship. Jesus's kingdom is infinitely more powerful and more complex, more spiritual than Pilate could possibly imagine, but it's an entirely different thing than he was thinking when he asked, "Are you the King of the Jews?" So was He? Was Jesus King of the Jews? Answer: Absolutely, yes. As a matter of fact, that's the purpose of the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew, the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. The first thing taught in the New Testament about Jesus is that He is the son of David, meaning King of the Jews. That's true, yes, He was King of the Jews, but not the way anyone thought, not the way His disciples thought, not the way anybody on earth thought. Yes, He's King of the Jews, but certainly not the way Pilate thought. Actually, Jesus is more than just King of the Jews. In Zechariah 9:10 it says, "He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth." So not just King of the Jews, but yes, King of the Jews. Was Jesus a threat? Was Jesus a threat to Pilate? Was Jesus a threat to Caesar? Was Jesus a threat to Rome? Answer: yes and no. Let's say no and yes. Jesus is no threat to lead an immediate political insurrection against Pontius Pilate and Judea or Caesar and the Roman Empire. But Jesus threatened Pilate and Caesar with eternal damnation. Jesus' kingdom is vastly more powerful than any earthly ruler could ever imagine. When Christ returns, He will set up a kingdom that will destroy all other kingdoms and will itself never be destroyed. This is the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream in Daniel 2, it says, "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself endure forever.” This is the meaning of the vision of a rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands. The rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold to pieces. Those represent empires. All empires come to an end at the Second Coming of Christ, and Jesus's kingdom established will reign forever and ever. The account is given in Revelation 19 of the Second Coming, "Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule him with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty and on his robe and on his thigh, he has this name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords." "Jesus is no threat to lead an immediate political insurrection against Pontius Pilate and Judea or Caesar and the Roman Empire. But Jesus threatened Pilate and Caesar with eternal damnation." Is Jesus a threat? Absolutely. Just not the way the Pilate was thinking. Jesus responds in silence, in direct fulfillment of prophecy. Look at verses 3-5, the chief priests accused Him of many things. Again, Pilate asked him, "Aren't you going to answer? See how many things they're accusing you of." But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed. This is in direct fulfillment of course, of Isaiah 53:7, "He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth." Why not? Why was Jesus silent? There's a horizontal and a vertical aspect of Jesus' silence. Horizontally, He's silent because the trial is completely corrupt and unjust, and there's nothing He can say that will change it, and He's very aware of that. There's no point in Him saying anything. As He says in Luke 22:67-68, "'If you are the Christ,' they said, 'tell us.' Jesus answered, 'If I tell you, you will not believe me, and if I asked you a question, you would not answer.'" So He's openly saying, "What's the point?” Horizontally, there's no point in Him answering. Vertically, He must be silent because He's our sin bearer and there's nothing we can say in response to defend ourselves. We are guilty. We have broken God's laws and He has taken our sins on Himself and cannot reply to Almighty God, and so He must be silent, vertically. Pilate was amazed at the silence. He had never seen any prisoner behave like this man. As procurator with the power of life, death, he was used to seeing prisoners in many different states. Some might beg and plead for their lives, groveling on the ground. Some might be terrified, unable to speak because of terror, paralyzed. Some might be sullen or defiant or louder defiant. But Jesus had a supernatural calm to Him and a peace to Him. In the Gospel account, especially in John, there's a sense that He's in charge of the whole process. He has no fear at all. “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.” Pilot's never seen a man like this before. Never. Proverbs 16:32, "Better a patient man than a warrior. A man who controls his temper than one who takes a city." Jesus was in absolute control of Himself, of His emotions, of His reactions at every moment. He was infinitely strong. 2. Pontius Pilate on Trial It really is Pontius Pilate on trial. Look at verses 6-15, “That was the custom at the feast to release a prisoner whom the people requested. A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. The crowd came up and asked Pilot to do for them what he usually did. ‘Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews,’ asked Pilot, knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilot release Barabbas instead. ‘What shall I do then with the one you call King of the Jews,’ Pilot asked them. ‘Crucify him,’ they answered. ‘Why? What crime has he committed,’ asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, ‘Crucify him!’ Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilot released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged and handed him over to be crucified.” Pilot's on trial here, though he doesn't know it. As we look at John's account, we can see that Pilot again and again and again tries to release Jesus. It's his top priority it seems, below self-interest. He wants to release Jesus, he wants to set him free. Pilot knows that Jesus is innocent. In our text he says he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him. Pilot has undoubtedly heard about Jesus's miracles and the power that surrounded His ministry. Thirdly, Greeks and Romans frequently believed that the gods and goddesses took on human bodies and mucked around in human life and did human things and got into human affairs, and they believed this. There's biblical support of this conception. In the book of Acts, in Acts 14:11-12 when Paul and Barnabas were ministering in Lystra and did a healing miracle, it says, "When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in Lyconian language, 'The Gods have come down to us in human form.'" That's it right there. Barnabas, they called Zeus, and Paul, they called Hermes. They tried to offer sacrifices to them. This idea of gods taking on human bodies was well established in Greek and Roman culture. Fourthly, we have Pilate's wife who had a dream about Jesus and sends him a message during the trial about the dream, and we'll get back to that in a moment. John's Gospel, therefore, makes it plain that Pontius Pilate was afraid of Jesus. Most of the depictions of the trial do not show this aspect of Pilate, but he was afraid of Jesus. In John 19:7-9, “The Jews insisted, ‘We have a law, and according to that law, he must die because he claimed to be the Son of God.’ When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid and he went back inside the palace. ‘Where do you come from,’ he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer.” What do you think was in his mind when he asked him that question? Are you a God? That's what he's asking. But however afraid he was of Jesus, he was even more afraid of what the Jews would do to him if he didn't do what they wanted. Now to get this background, we have to turn to a Jewish historian named Josephus, who tells us what the early stages of Pontius Pilate's rule was like in Judea. It was bad. Josephus was a Jewish historian who lived shortly after Jesus, and he gives us insights. Pilate ruled the Roman province of Judea from 26-36 AD. Once he was established in his position, he quickly offended the Jews multiple times by his high-handed and arrogant treatment of the Jewish people. Right away he marches into Jerusalem and sets up the Roman Eagles in the temple itself. The Roman Eagles were looked on by the Romans and therefore by the Jews as idols, representatives of Caesar's power. For him to put them physically in the temple was incredibly offensive to the Jews. They assembled and demanded that he remove the Eagles. Pilate refused and threatened the Jewish mob with slaughter if they didn't disperse. Undaunted, the Jews bared their necks and said, "Go ahead and kill us. We're not leaving." So Pilate backed down, losing face and authority with them. Soon after that, he offended the Jews again with his handling of a public aqueduct conflict. Again, the Jews assembled a protest. Pilot had the crowd infiltrated with plain clothes Romans, bearing swords. When the Jews refused to disperse again, Pilot gave the signal and the soldiers slaughtered many of the Jews. Jesus talks about this, how Pilot had mingled their blood with their sacrifices. He killed a lot of Jews that day. But the Emperor Tiberius was so angry at Pilot for his mismanagement because if he's stirring up trouble, Caesar will have to send more troops to the region. This is key. He was under orders to keep things quiet and orderly and get along with the Jews. These two things happened before Jesus's trial. Do you not see the hand of God in all this? He's giving to the Jewish Sanhedrin, the high priests, the chief priests, power over Pilot and they traded it in, in John's Gospel. No doubt about it. It says in John 19:12, "From then on Pilot tried to set Jesus free." You see that statement? He wants to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar's. Anyone who claims to be a king, opposes Caesar." They're clearly threatening to go to Tiberius, to go over his head. There's no doubt about it. Now, as I said, Pilot's conviction is that Jesus was completely innocent. He knew it was out of envy that the chief priest had handed Jesus over to him. Three times in John's Gospel, he declares publicly that Jesus was innocent of any charge at all. John 18:38, "I find no fault in him." John 19:4, "Look, I'm bringing you out to let you know I find no fault in him." And then verse 6, "You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against." That's three times a public assertion of Jesus's innocence. Set him free, you’re in charge. Set him free if he's innocent. This whole conviction is even more greatly strengthened by his wife's dream. Matthew 27:19, "While Pilot was sitting on the judge's seat, his wife sent him this message. 'Don't have anything to do with that innocent man.'" Innocent man. "For I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him." What effect do you think that message would've had on Pilot in the middle of this? In John's account, he goes out to the Jews and back to Jesus. He goes out. He's going back and forth. He doesn't know what to do. He's like a trapped animal. All of this was orchestrated by God. Why? Because He wanted to give His only-begotten son, in your place, as an atonement for your sins to bring you to heaven. That's why, and Jesus was equally determined to die for you and me. That's why all this was happening. Now he tries the clever attempt. One of the things he tries is, "Oh wait, yeah, it's the feast. I can release a prisoner. I got an idea. Let's do that.” It was the custom at the feast to release a prisoner whom the people had requested. A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists, who had committed murder in the uprising. The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did. Pilate brings it up in John's Gospel. They both remember this custom. "Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews," asked Pilate, knowing it was out of envy the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. However, this clever attempt to get out of this whole thing was thwarted by the Jewish leaders. In verse 11, the chief priest stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead. I don't know how they did that, but they were running the show here. They had infiltrated the crowd. They had whispered, they'd called in IOUs, maybe bribed some people, got some people to shout things out for Barabbas and then shout, "Crucify!" for Jesus. They manipulate the crowd into a maniacal frenzy. "What shall I do then with the one you call King of the Jews," Pilate asked them. "Crucify him!" they shouted. "Why? What crime has he committed? He's innocent." But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!” In Matthew's account, "Pilate saw he was getting nowhere, but instead an uproar was starting." It's a frenzy. Satan must've been stirring this whole thing on as well. It was Satan that was in Judas Iscariot to orchestrate this whole thing. Satan's fanning this whole thing into a flame because he was a murderer and he hates the Son of God and wants him killed. The sinlessness of Jesus is clearly established. The roots of the chief priests and elders, their wicked hatred for Jesus was envy, greed, and power. The crowd vacillating just a week before shouting, "Hosanna, Hosanna!" Now they're yelling, "Crucify, crucify!" This is the culmination of Jesus's rejection by His own people. He's been officially rejected by the chief priests and the Sanhedrin. He's officially condemned to death, but now the people are shouting for His death. "He came to his own and his own did not receive him." [John 1:11]. In Matthew 27, this stunning statement is made, "When Pilot saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. 'I'm innocent of this man's blood,' he said. 'It's your responsibility.' And all the people answered, 'Let his blood be on us and on our children.’" 3. Jesus’ Blood on the Jewish Nation (Matthew’s Gospel) Wow, what a statement. What does that mean? “Let his blood be on us,” mean we'll take responsibility. It's a common Jewish expression. Like in Leviticus 20:9, "If anyone curses his father or mother, he must be put to death. He has cursed his father and mother and his blood will be on his own head." In other words, he's responsible for what's coming to him. That's their way of saying, "We will take responsibility, let his blood be on us and on our children." This is the very thing that Jesus said would happen in Matthew 23, after the seven-fold woes. "Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees." After all that He says, "'Therefore, I'm sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you'll kill and crucify. Others, you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town and so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. I tell you the truth, all this will come down on this generation.’" They are going to be responsible for it all. They're willing to take responsibility for the death of Jesus. Later they try to shirk this responsibility. In Acts 5, they said to the apostles, "You filled Jerusalem with your teaching and to determine to make us guilty of this man's blood." Well, you are, you are. So that's the first sense, that's the darkest sense. But there's another sense of “Let his blood be on us and on our children,” a much better sense. Because it is only by the blood of Jesus shed on the cross that our sins are forgiven, that our sins are forgiven. At present through unbelief, the blood of Jesus is upon them and their children for condemnation and for guilt, but if any individual Jewish person repents of his or her sins and trusts in Christ, His blood will be on them to cleanse them from all their sins, just as it's on us for salvation and cleansing. For God delivered Jesus over as a propitiation, a sacrifice of atonement through faith in His blood. It is by the blood of Jesus, by the shedding of blood. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. I believe that at the end of history, there'll be a massive turning of ethnic Jews physically descended from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to faith in Jesus, and His blood will be on Abraham's children for salvation. As it says in Romans 11, "And so all Israel be saved, as it is written. The deliverer will come from Zion; he'll turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” "For God delivered Jesus over as a propitiation, a sacrifice of atonement through faith in His blood. It is by the blood of Jesus, by the shedding of blood. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins." IV. The Final Verdict The final verdict is given by Pilot. In verse 15, "Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilot released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged and handed them over to be crucified." Pilot could not evade responsibility. He washes his hands, but he's responsible for what he did. He rendered a verdict, guilty, death on a cross, but it violated his conscience. He knew he wasn't guilty. Was it really Pilot who handed Jesus over to be crucified? It was at the human level, but as I've already said, Romans 8:32, "He who did not spare His own son but delivered Him up for us all. How will He not also along with Him, graciously give us all things?" Interesting, at the moment that He was delivered over to be crucified, Barabbas was set free. That's marvelous, isn't it? It's an interesting picture. The guilty set free, the innocent dies. This is a picture of substitutionary atonement. As 1 Peter 3:18 says, "For Christ died for sins once for all the righteous, for the unrighteous to bring you to God." Barabbas represents a disgusting, vile murderous sinner who's set free from condemnation death by Jesus. I'm not saying Barabbas is in heaven. I hope so. Wouldn't it be great to meet him and say, "Generations have been talking about you, now here you are." But we don't know. We have no knowledge, but I'm just saying he's a picture of a guilty person set free and not having to pay the penalty that we deserve. Concerning the flogging, it was a hideous punishment. Picture a rod of wood and long leather straps with bits of bone and metal at the end, like a whip, only enhanced. The straps would wrap around the victim's body and then rip flesh off that victim's back. It was a hideous torture. If done enough, it would be lethal. It was done to weaken the victim before the crucifixion, so he ordered that it be done. Why? He was innocent. In John's Gospel, it was used as one of the steps that he tried to appease the people, but it didn't work. Here it is written at the end. It's beautiful because in Isaiah 53:5 it says, "He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our inequities. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him. And by his wounds, sometimes translated stripes, we are healed.” As 1 Peter 2:24 says, "He himself bore our sins in His body on the tree that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed.” V. Applications First of all, the judgment theme. You've heard the evidence, you have the information. You're sitting, in some sense, in judgment on Jesus. You're deciding about Jesus. God gives you that time to do that. Make a right judgment. Evaluate Him properly. Look at the evidence. I began the sermon with the marvels of the person of Jesus as depicted in the Gospel of Mark. Make a right judgment about Jesus and trust in Him for the forgiveness of your sins and the salvation of your soul. Don't do what Pilate did. Make a right judgment about Jesus. Secondly, understand what's going on here. I've said it two or three times, I'll say it one final time. This account is evidence of God's sovereign control over human history, His orchestration of events, His maneuvering of people and positioning of people because He's sovereign over everything that happens on earth. What He was doing was giving the Jews power over Pontius Pilate so that he would condemn an innocent man to death. What God's intention was to give Jesus as a Savior for your sin. Again here, Romans 8:32, "He who did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also along with Him graciously give us all things?" What is the “all things”? I've been thinking about different pastoral circumstances that I'm walking through right now with different people in the church. It could be medical, it could be relational, it could be a sin problem, it could be financial. There's all kinds of things going on all the time in the life of the church. I don't know what's happening in all your lives.The things that you're yearning for are significant, they’re important. Romans 8:32 doesn't minimize. It's just saying, "With God already having given his only-begotten Son, everything else in the universe is lesser than that to Him. He would not withhold from you anything that would further His purpose in your life, which is to save your soul, use you in this world, and then take you to heaven.” Understand that's what's going on in this trial here. Thirdly, rejoice in God's sovereignty over wicked, unjust human governments. As we go through a political process in this nation, and we wonder who's going to get elected president or lesser roles, and not just our country, but around the world, we can see evidence of this kind of selfishness and weakness and caving into the crowd and injustice. Isn't it wonderful to know that God is sovereign over that whole thing and rules actively over it for His own purposes, for His own glory, and for the good of His people? Fourth, look at the fickleness of the crowd here. "Hosanna," one week, a week later, “Crucify," and distrust your own loyalty to Jesus. Say, "Prone to wander. Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. Here's my heart, Lord. Take and seal it. Seal it for thy courts above. Help me not to be fickle and weak and vacillating in my love for Jesus." Finally, it's time now to get our hearts ready for the Lord's Supper. I'm going to close the sermon time and prayer ,and we're going to transition to the Lord's Supper. Father, we thank you for the word of God. We thank you for its power. We thank you for this account of the trial of Jesus before Pontius Pilate. Now as we give our attention to the Lord's Supper, we pray that you would be with us in this time. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Pontius Pilate was the Roman Prefect of Judea during the reign of Emperor Tiberius and is most famous for condemning Jesus of Nazareth to death by crucifixion in the Four Gospels. But who really was he? And how much do we know about him?In this Easter special of The Ancients, Tristan speaks to Prof. Helen Bond to delve deeper into the life of Pontius Pilate, and discover what else we know about this famous Roman governor.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code ANCIENTS - sign up here.You can take part in our listener survey here.

Germanicus, son of Drusus, the golden boy!  As remarkable as his father in so many ways, he made his name campaigning across the Rhine just like dad, and managed to recover lost Eagles, to give a proper burial to the Roman dead at Teutoburg, and to teach Arminimus a lesson.  Perhaps he did too much in fact, inspiring jealousy in his adopted father, the Emperor Tiberius, and a suspicion that would bring about his early, tragic demise. 

The Gospel of John 15-21                                               Part Four – Speaking Truth to Power By Louie Marsh, 5-7-2023   Intro – last week bad sermon – sorry no refunds! Last slide Sowell quote.   1) Jesus PROTECTED the disciples and suffered the consequences himself.   ·       He REINFORCES his identity.   4Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” 5They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.   ·       He FREES the disciples from any consequences.    7So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 8Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.” 9This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.”   ·       He protects them from THEMSELVES.   10Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) 11So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?” 12So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him.   2) Jesus spoke PUBLICLY, he had no secret agenda.   19The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. 20Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. 21Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said.” 22When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” 23Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?”   3) Jesus clearly DEFINED who & what he is.   33So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” 35Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” 36Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”   ·       Jesus Kingdom CHANGES our focus & values.   4) Jesus came to speak and defend the TRUTH.   PILATE   Pontius Pilate is believed to have hailed from the Samnium region of central Italy. According to the traditional account of his life, Pilate was a Roman equestrian (knight) of the Samnite clan of the Pontii (hence his name Pontius.)   Pontius Pilate served as the prefect of Judaea from 26 to 36 A.D. Pilate died in 39 A.D. The cause of his death remains a mystery but the fact that he lived cannot be disputed. During a 1961 dig in Caesarea Maritima, Italian archeologist Dr. Antonio Frova uncovered a piece of limestone inscribed with Pontius Pilate's name in Latin, linking Pilate to Emperor Tiberius's reign.   In 26 A.D. the Roman Emperor Tiberius appointed Pontius Pilate prefect of the Roman provinces of Judaea, Samaria and Idumæa, although Pilate is best known for his leadership of Judaea. While the typical term for a Roman prefect was one to three years, Pilate was to hold his post as the fifth Roman procurator for 10 years. In assuming his position, Pontius Pilate succeeded Valerius Gratus.   Protected by Sejanus, Pilate incurred the enmity of Jews in Roman-occupied Palestine by insulting their religious sensibilities, as when he hung worship images of the emperor throughout Jerusalem and had coins bearing pagan religious symbols minted. This caused riots and eventually most of the shields bearing the Emperors likeness were taken down. But not all of them.   As a Roman prefect, Pontius Pilate was granted the power of a supreme judge, which meant that he had the sole authority to order a criminal's execution. His duties as a prefect included such mundane tasks as tax collection and managing construction projects. But, perhaps his most crucial responsibility was that of maintaining law and order. Pontius Pilate attempted to do so by any means necessary. What he couldn't negotiate he is said to have accomplished through brute force.   The circumstances surrounding Pontius Pilate's death in circa 39 A.D. are something of a mystery and a source of contention. The Samaritans reported Pilate to Vitellius, legate of Syria, after he attacked them on Mount Gerizim in 36 AD. He was then ordered back to Rome to stand trial for cruelty and oppression, particularly on the charge that he had executed men without proper trial. According to Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History, Pilate killed himself on orders from the emperor Caligula. Other accounts say he was sent into exile and committed suicide of his own accord.   Some traditions assert that after he committed suicide, his body was thrown into the Tiber River. Still others believe Pontius Pilate's fate involved his conversion to Christianity and subsequent canonization. Pontius Pilate is in fact considered a saint by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.   According to the Biblical Archeology Society, “early Christians saw Pilate in a very different way. Augustine hailed Pilate as a convert. Eventually the Greek Orthodox and Coptic faiths, named Pilate and his wife saints. And when Pilate first shows up in Christian art in the mid-fourth century, he is juxtaposed with Abraham, Daniel and other great believers.”   The ancient historian Eusebius supports this claim by saying Pilate converted after seeing the many wonders that occurred after Jesus' death, even reporting it to Tiberius. In the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church their feast day is June 25.   37Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. 39But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” 40They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.” (John 18:1–40, ESV)   ·       How badly do I want the truth?    

Imagine being so destructive, and so capricious in your violence and sadism, that even two thousand years after you shake off your mortal coil, your childhood nickname still evokes wickedness, wantonness, and profound corruption among all who hear it. Welcome to Trashy Royals, friends, where we begin with Rome's third emperor – and among its most notorious – Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, known to his parents as Caligula (“Little Boots” in their native tongue). Caligula's path to Roman Emperor was bloody and twisted, with his family murdered or exiled by Emperor Tiberius, who in turn became something of a sadism teacher to his receptive student. History is replete with examples of poor rulers and bad people, but few figures combine the worst of both as shockingly as Caligula. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

JESUS IS JUDGED BY PILATE – Jesus Walking in the Way of the Cross (VIDEO)   LYRICS TO MUSIC: Husband come and hear my plea I've seen this man you keep He visits me between the walls of my dreams He comes upon the whitest righteous wings   I see the crowd turn and move as one They're fools to follow themselves they're fools in what they want   His blood's upon their hands and on their children's fate It wasn't made to bathe their greed still it was made for this very claim   Do not break do not lose to the roaring round What they beg of you what their voices howl It's an evil born from their bones that they don't know   I heard you ask what you already know Where is he from where will he go It was he who said his kingdom's not of here And a throne I cannot see is a throne that I must fear   Do not break do not lose to the roaring round What they beg of you what their voices howl It's an evil born from their bones that they don't know   MESSAGE SUMMARY:  In support of the gospels, a good amount of extra-biblical evidence exists about the man Pontius Pilate. We know he was the governing leader of the Roman province of Judea from approximately AD 26-36. We know he served under Emperor Tiberius. We know he was the man who ultimately decided Jesus' fate, handing him over to the crowds to be crucified. Very little is known about Pilate's wife however. Though Pilate's interaction with Jesus is seen in all four gospels, all that is known about his wife comes from a single verse in Matthew. “Now as he [Pilate] was seated in the chair of judgment, his wife sent him a message, ‘Have nothing to do with that innocent man; I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him' (Matthew 27:19). Dreams can be fascinating. Stirring, vivid collections of the senses can be produced in the mind, all while the body is at rest. Pilate's wife's dream must have been particularly impressive. So powerful and moving that she ‘suffered' because of it. No more details of her dream are known beyond that it concerned Jesus, and that she somehow knew him to be innocent or upright. Maybe she saw Jesus coming on the clouds with glory. Maybe she saw him sitting upon the judgment seat. Perhaps her dream was just an encounter with Christ, and while in his presence she realized his holiness and simultaneously, her unworthiness. But this is all conjecture. What is known from scripture is that a woman sent her husband an urgent message, warning him not to condemn the man who stood before him. She had come to some understanding of who Jesus was, and her understanding led to knowledge and fear. The famous preacher Charles Spurgeon put it well. “Most dreams we quite forget; a few we mention as remarkable, and only now and then one is impressed upon us so that we remember it for years. Scarcely have any of you had a dream which made you send a message to a magistrate upon the bench.” It is truly a unique situation. God gives Pilate's wife new perspective. God uses Pilate's wife to warn him. Though Pilate certainly did not know it, this was no doubt one of the most crucial and important renderings of judgment in history. And amidst his deliberation comes a simple message from his bride. Don't do it. Don't condemn this man. But the crowds had a different message. “Crucify him!” Again and again. “Crucify him!” Pilate knows the truth. He says so himself, “the man has done nothing to deserve death,” (Luke 23:15), and he was even “anxious to set [Jesus] free,” (John 19:12). His wife's plea only reiterates what he already knew. Jesus was innocent. He was faultless. He in no way deserved punishment. But as the crowd continued their chanting, Pilate's anxiety grew in another way. Mark 15:15 says that he was ‘anxious to placate the crowd.' How often is this our response? We know something to be true in our spirit, but everyone else contradicts it. The crowd or culture shouts, screams, and clamors with ‘Crucify him,' and it becomes increasingly difficult to stand against them. It is a far easier path to blend in and become one of the mob, even if we don't agree. So that is often what we do. Jesus says in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Despite his own feelings, and a unique message from his wife, Pilate chose the wide path of destruction. Written by Jesse Braswell Roberts / Poor Bishop Hooper golgothamusic.com // poorbishophooper.com // Second edition ©2022 Jesse Braswell Roberts / Poor Bishop Hooper   TODAY'S PRAYER: Would you have chanted with the crowd that day? Pray for conviction to stand up for your beliefs. Ask God for integrity and strength at all times and in all circumstances, whether public or private. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, I will proclaim Him. (Philippians 1:15f). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 27:11-26: “Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied. When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate asked him, “Don't you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor. Now it was the governor's custom at the festival to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose name was Jesus Barabbas. So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” For he knew it was out of self- interest that they had handed Jesus over to him. While Pilate was sitting on the judge's seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don't have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.” But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed. “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they answered. “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!” “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man's blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!” All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!” Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.”. Further Reading: Mark 15:1-15; Luke 23:1-23; John 18:28-40. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “How Does God Say He Loves You: Part 5 The New Covenant”, at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

This week on Royally Screwed, we're talking about the latter era of Emperor Tiberius's reign. With no signs of Tiberius naming a new heir, he'll retire to the island of Capri. But what does that mean for Rome in the emperor's absence?Subscribe for more episodes as they come.Twitter: @Denim_CreekInstagram: denimcreekproMusic:Intro/Outro: “Life O' the Lavish” - Jules Gaia, "Action rock_full” - Radio_Parma, “Dayfreak” - White Bones, “Vapour” - Osoku, “Sail Away With Me” - Von MeyerCopyright 2023, Denim Creek Productions

Read Here: https://www.bible.com/en-GB/bible/111/LUK.20.NIV . Luke 20:20-26, Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said, so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. So the spies questioned him: “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” He saw through their duplicity and said to them, “Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?” “Caesar's,” they replied. He said to them, “Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's.” They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent. In this chapter, we get a pretty clear picture of how hard the Pharisees are trying to catch Jesus saying or doing something punishable by Jewish law. They keep trying to trick him; they have no idea with whom they are dealing! No one enjoys paying taxes and in first century Palestine, this was a particularly sticky topic. The Jewish leaders are trying to trap Jesus so they ask him if it is lawful to pay taxes, meaning according to God's law. But if Jesus says it isn't lawful, then he could get in trouble with the Romans. The Jewish authorities are hoping he will be in trouble no matter which way he answers. But Jesus is not deceived. He asks for a coin, which had Emperor Tiberius' image stamped on it, and asked who was on it. When they said Caesar, he told them to give to Caesar what it Caesar's and to God what it God's. It left no room for argument and his enemies are literally stunned silent. Jesus is making the point that we are citizens of both earth and heaven at the same time. While we have allegiance to both our nation and God, there is no question that our first and primary loyalty is to God. Jesus is Lord over all the earth, over our nation, over the church, and over our lives. Think of Paul's words in Philippians 3, But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Let's pray…Lord Jesus, You are Lord of all! Help me live that way. In Your Name, Amen. https://www.findnewhope.com  Our staff and leadership employ what's called the “S.O.A.P. Method”. It stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. Each day, we read one or two chapters of Scripture and focus on one particular verse. We make some observations about how that verse touches us, discern how it applies to our lives, and offer a prayer related to what we have read. - Rev. Dr. Vicki Harrison -- Donate via PayPal to support the podcasts and the Technical Arts Ministry of New Hope! https://goo.gl/o2a9oU Subscribe at: http://www.findnewhope.com/soap (813) 689-4161 keywords: devotional, bible study

This week on Royally Screwed, we're talking about Germanicus, nephew/adopted son of Emperor Tiberius. We'll watch this young man prove himself as a military leader and possibly become a spark of hope in an uncertain time.Subscribe for more episodes as they come.Twitter: @Denim_CreekInstagram: denimcreekproMusic:Intro/Outro: “Life O' the Lavish” - Jules Gaia, “Action rock_full” - Radio_Parma, “Glitz at the Ritz” - Jules Gaia, “Beginner's Luck” - White Bones, “Dayfreak” - White Bones, “Zone Out” - Daniel Fridell, “Always There” - Table EtiquetteCopyright 2022, Denim Creek Productions

JESUS IS JUDGED BY PILATE – Jesus Walking in the Way of the Cross (VIDEO) LYRICS TO MUSIC: Husband come and hear my plea I've seen this man you keep He visits me between the walls of my dreams He comes upon the whitest righteous wings I see the crowd turn and move as one They're fools to follow themselves they're fools in what they want His blood's upon their hands and on their children's fate It wasn't made to bathe their greed still it was made for this very claim Do not break do not lose to the roaring round What they beg of you what their voices howl It's an evil born from their bones that they don't know I heard you ask what you already know Where is he from where will he go It was he who said his kingdom's not of here And a throne I cannot see is a throne that I must fear Do not break do not lose to the roaring round What they beg of you what their voices howl It's an evil born from their bones that they don't know MESSAGE SUMMARY:  In support of the gospels, a good amount of extra-biblical evidence exists about the man Pontius Pilate. We know he was the governing leader of the Roman province of Judea from approximately AD 26-36. We know he served under Emperor Tiberius. We know he was the man who ultimately decided Jesus' fate, handing him over to the crowds to be crucified. Very little is known about Pilate's wife however. Though Pilate's interaction with Jesus is seen in all four gospels, all that is known about his wife comes from a single verse in Matthew. “Now as he [Pilate] was seated in the chair of judgment, his wife sent him a message, ‘Have nothing to do with that innocent man; I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him' (Matthew 27:19). Dreams can be fascinating. Stirring, vivid collections of the senses can be produced in the mind, all while the body is at rest. Pilate's wife's dream must have been particularly impressive. So powerful and moving that she ‘suffered' because of it. No more details of her dream are known beyond that it concerned Jesus, and that she somehow knew him to be innocent or upright. Maybe she saw Jesus coming on the clouds with glory. Maybe she saw him sitting upon the judgment seat. Perhaps her dream was just an encounter with Christ, and while in his presence she realized his holiness and simultaneously, her unworthiness. But this is all conjecture. What is known from scripture is that a woman sent her husband an urgent message, warning him not to condemn the man who stood before him. She had come to some understanding of who Jesus was, and her understanding led to knowledge and fear. The famous preacher Charles Spurgeon put it well. “Most dreams we quite forget; a few we mention as remarkable, and only now and then one is impressed upon us so that we remember it for years. Scarcely have any of you had a dream which made you send a message to a magistrate upon the bench.” It is truly a unique situation. God gives Pilate's wife new perspective. God uses Pilate's wife to warn him. Though Pilate certainly did not know it, this was no doubt one of the most crucial and important renderings of judgment in history. And amidst his deliberation comes a simple message from his bride. Don't do it. Don't condemn this man. But the crowds had a different message. “Crucify him!” Again and again. “Crucify him!” Pilate knows the truth. He says so himself, “the man has done nothing to deserve death,” (Luke 23:15), and he was even “anxious to set [Jesus] free,” (John 19:12). His wife's plea only reiterates what he already knew. Jesus was innocent. He was faultless. He in no way deserved punishment. But as the crowd continued their chanting, Pilate's anxiety grew in another way. Mark 15:15 says that he was ‘anxious to placate the crowd.' How often is this our response? We know something to be true in our spirit, but everyone else contradicts it. The crowd or culture shouts, screams, and clamors with ‘Crucify him,' and it becomes increasingly difficult to stand against them. It is a far easier path to blend in and become one of the mob, even if we don't agree. So that is often what we do. Jesus says in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Despite his own feelings, and a unique message from his wife, Pilate chose the wide path of destruction. Written by Jesse Braswell Roberts / Poor Bishop Hooper golgothamusic.com // poorbishophooper.com // Second edition ©2022 Jesse Braswell Roberts / Poor Bishop Hooper   TODAY'S PRAYER: Would you have chanted with the crowd that day? Pray for conviction to stand up for your beliefs. Ask God for integrity and strength at all times and in all circumstances, whether public or private. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, I will proclaim Him. (Philippians 1:15f). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 27:11-26: “Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied. When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate asked him, “Don't you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor. Now it was the governor's custom at the festival to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose name was Jesus Barabbas. So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” For he knew it was out of self- interest that they had handed Jesus over to him. While Pilate was sitting on the judge's seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don't have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.” But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed. “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they answered. “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!” “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man's blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!” All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!” Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.”. Further Reading: Mark 15:1-15; Luke 23:1-23; John 18:28-40. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “How Does God Say He Loves You: Part 5 The New Covenant”, at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

This episode begins with a fly-by definition of some recurring church words: liturgy, lectionary, liturgical calendarto give context to when this sermon was preached (versus when it's being released into the wild, wild internet). Send your questions to Heather here!The gospel reading and homily begin at 8:30Luke 3:1-6, NRSVIn the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:‘Prepare the way of the Lord,    make his paths straight.Every valley shall be filled,    and every mountain and hill shall be made low,and the crooked shall be made straight,    and the rough ways made smooth;and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'”

Second Sunday of Advent The Collect: Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Old Testament: Baruch 5:1-9 or Malachi 3:1-4 1 Take off the garment of your sorrow and affliction, O Jerusalem,    and put on for ever the beauty of the glory from God. 2 Put on the robe of the righteousness that comes from God;    put on your head the diadem of the glory of the Everlasting; 3 for God will show your splendour everywhere under heaven. 4 For God will give you evermore the name,    ‘Righteous Peace, Godly Glory'. 5 Arise, O Jerusalem, stand upon the height;    look towards the east, and see your children gathered from west and east    at the word of the Holy One,    rejoicing that God has remembered them. 6 For they went out from you on foot,    led away by their enemies; but God will bring them back to you,    carried in glory, as on a royal throne. 7 For God has ordered that every high mountain and the everlasting hills be made low    and the valleys filled up, to make level ground,    so that Israel may walk safely in the glory of God. 8 The woods and every fragrant tree    have shaded Israel at God's command. 9 For God will lead Israel with joy,    in the light of his glory,    with the mercy and righteousness that come from him. or 1 See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap; 3he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. 4Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years. Psalm: Canticle 4 or 16 — The Song of Zechariah (Luke 1:68-79) Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; *      he has come to his people and set them free. He has raised up for us a mighty savior, *     born of the house of his servant David. Through his holy prophets he promised of old, that he would save us from our enemies, *     from the hands of all who hate us. He promised to show mercy to our fathers *     and to remember his holy covenant. This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, *     to set us free from the hands of our enemies, Free to worship him without fear, *     holy and righteous in his sight     all the days of our life. You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, *     for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, To give his people knowledge of salvation *     by the forgiveness of their sins. In the tender compassion of our God *     the dawn from on high shall break upon us, To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the                             shadow of death, *     and to guide our feet into the way of peace. Epistle: Philippians 1:3-11 3I thank my God every time I remember you, 4constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, 5because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. 6I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. 7It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God's grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. 9And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight 10to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, 11having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God. Gospel: Luke 3:1-6 1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, 2during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth;6and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'”

Ever dreamed of going to the Island of Capri? Join Rob and Capri native and tour guide Constantino as they go on a sightseeing journey of one of the most beautiful islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The sheer cliffs, the amazing views, the chic style and so much more. Rob and Constantino recount a day they spent together last July taking a tour of the island and seeing two amazing sites, the ancient Villa Jovis connected to the Emperor Tiberius and Villa Lysis with its stunning gardens and views. #Capri #podcast #Italy #walkingtour #vacation #walkingtour #ancientRome 

Sermon by Rev. Barb Lemmel and Rev. Mitch Hay Gospel Lesson Luke 3:1-6, 10-16 NRSV In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make God's paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'” And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation and be satisfied with your wages.” As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

"Let us prepare a path for the righteous one to shake up this world and make it heaven on earth."What does it mean to you to make heaven on earth?//Luke 3:1-6In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low,and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth;and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'”//This episode was written and recorded by Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis, the Senior Minister at Middle Collegiate Church in New York City. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Relinquish, Reckoning, and Smooth Actor by Podington Bear.• Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all eight seasons of Be Still and Go. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital ministry resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo/#sign-up to receive new episodes by email. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/app to download the Riverside app.• Visit https://jacquijlewis.com/ to learn more about Rev. Lewis and her book, Fierce Love.

Luke 3:1-6   In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"

Luke 3:1-6In the fifteenth year of the Emperor Tiberius, while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, while Herod was ruler over Galilee, and his brother Philip was ruler over the region of Iturea and Trachonitis, Lysanius was ruler over Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, son of Zechariah, in the wilderness.He went out around the region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord and make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, every mountain and high place shall be made low, the crooked will be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh will see the salvation of God.”Some of you know this, because you've been part of them, but when I lead discussions on race relations, racism, and diversity, I often suggest that participants, in order to get familiar with a perspective different from their own, they be more deliberate about reading, listening to, even following on social media, voices from different walks of life.For me – a straight, white, middle-class man in the United States, it has meant that I do simple things like follow People of Color on social media and read Black authors like Ibram X. Kendi, Colson Whitehead, and Isabel Wilkerson. (I can't recommend her latest book, Caste, highly enough.)It's why I learn so much from female theologians like Rachel Held Evans, Nadia Bolz Weber, and colleagues who are women, too.It's why I am as entertained as I am informed by the music of gay and lesbian artists like the Indigo Girls and Brandi Carlile.And it's why I'm so blessed and better for the perspective I gain about poverty and wealth from my friends in Haiti.And thinking about this with today's Gospel on the brain made me think about John the Baptist in a new way, too.See, for a long time, I believed all those names listed in this chunk of Luke's Gospel, were nothing more than date stamps; historical markers; ways to establish the place in time that all of this took place; “all of this” being the beginning of what we know of John the Baptist's ministry. And it is that to some degree. It's interesting and telling – especially for people who know their history – to know that all of this happened when Tiberius and Pontius Pilate and Herod and Philip and Lysanius and Annas and Caiaphas were doing their thing, all of which happened sometime in the late 20's or early 30's of the first century, according to smarter people than me. I was never great with dates and timelines.But it's even more interesting to me to understand that Luke's Gospel is up to something much more meaningful than recording history by time-stamping his Gospel with the names of political and religious leaders; emperors, governors, high priests, and whatnot. Luke was also pointing out that God's word and God's ways were not always proclaimed to – or by the likes of – the people in high places.Instead, the word of God came to and came through the likes of this camel-fur-wearing, honey-and-locust-eating, crying-out-in-the-wilderness, down-by-the-river-baptizing, repentance-and-forgiveness-preaching Jesus freak, named – not Tiberius or Lysanius, not Pontius Pilate or Herod, but John. Just John, the son of Zechariah. And he wasn't from anywhere that mattered or that you could find on a map, like Judea or Galilee or Iturea or Trachonitis or Abilene, either. He was out in the wilderness … down by the river somewhere … if you could find him.It might go something like this today: in the first year of the presidency of Joseph R. Biden, when Eric Holcomb was governor of Indiana, and Joe Hogsett was mayor of Indianapolis, during the papacy of Pope Francis and the bishopry of Bill Gafkjen and Elizabeth Eaton, the word of God came to Steve … or Stacy … or Jamaal … or Jesula – over the river and through the woods; on the other side of the tracks; or under the bridge; or maybe “down at the B.A.R. with the B.U.M.'s,” as Christa's favorite aunt used to say.Because what John was saying was the same thing the prophet Isaiah proclaimed: that God would show up first, for those who needed God most. That Jesus would be a welcome guest for those who were suffering and struggling and sick and in need. And that Jesus would be a fly in the ointment, a thorn in the side, a pain in the behind for those in power; for those in high places; for those with titles before – and with letters after – their names.Which is to say, those in low places will be lifted up; those in high places will be knocked down; those doing wrong will be righted; those who are rich will be made poor; those who are poor will have enough; and any other way you can think to promise that the status quo would, could, and should be upset for the benefit of those who rarely benefit from the status quo, such as it is. And all of that is why we do so much of what we do as God's people in the Church – especially during these holiday days. It's why we give gifts to foster kids. It's why we pack Thanksgiving dinners for our food pantry families. It's why we send a little something extra to our Agape Alliance friends and give so generously to the Grace Quest students to buy all of those animals from the ELCA Good Gifts program. And every bit of that is good and gracious and holy. Don't get me wrong. But let's not break our arms patting ourselves on the back about it.Because I think the reason John named – and the reason Jesus challenged – the likes of emperors, governors, rulers and religious leaders of all shapes and sizes, is because the kind of confession and repentance John called for, the kind of challenge and change Jesus championed, was meant to be deeper and wider and structural and systemic in such a way that it would last longer than the holiday season and have impacts so far-reaching, so culture-shifting, so world-rocking that heaven and nature might sing at the results and ramifications of it all.“Every valley shall be filled,” remember. “The mountains and the high places shall be made low.” “The crooked made straight and the rough ways made smooth,” after all. And, you realize, none of this “prepare the way of the Lord” stuff is about landscaping or road work or the new round-about over at Gem Road and 300 South. John is talking about the repairing and restoring and reinventing the broken social, cultural, political, religious systems of the world as we know it.He's talking about God's desire to create a level playing field of justice and mercy… of healing and hope… of peace and prosperity that would, could, should be available to all of God's children – especially for those relegated to the valleys; especially for those who get screwed by the crookedness of corruption and injustice; especially for those who can't ever seem to get over the rough road of their station in life.Like, what if, among other things, we could smooth out the rough, rocky roads in the Holy Land by having great compassion for our Jewish brothers and sisters there, yes, but without also condoning or ignoring the plight of the Palestinians, too.Like, what if, among other things, the glass ceiling of sexism in this country could be brought low, so that women don't make a mere 82 cents for every dollar that a man makes?What if the crooked ways of systemic racism could be hammered flat so that, among so many other things, people of color weren't incarcerated for longer sentences than white people for the exact same crimes?What if the low places of homophobia were raised up so that, among other things, gay and lesbian people didn't have to call me, before showing up for worship here, just to be sure they'll be safe and feel welcomed, if they muster the courage to give it a go?See, God knows it's so often the emperors and governors, the rulers and religious leaders, the people of power and privilege, who rest easy in the status quo and who resist change for the sake of others because of it. It's why God's word comes to the likes of John down by the river, and sends people like him to cry out in the wilderness, to prepare the way of the Lord, and to make his paths straight.Tupac Shakur, a Black rapper from my generation – a voice in the wilderness of his day, for sure – wrote something that made me think about all of this: So let's stop long enough to listen, you and I, during these Advent days, and beyond. Let's hear the cry of John's voice and others like it these days: voices different from our own; voices different from the powers that be; voices that tell of struggle and oppression and suffering and a life's experience many of us can't fathom or fully grasp. And let's respond to God's invitation to confess, repent, and do something to change what's broken in this world until all flesh – all flesh – shall see, receive, and experience the salvation God brings in Jesus Christ, our Lord.Amen.

Luke 3:4: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.'”God is bigger than we are, which means that we are called to trust in him, rather than negotiate with him.Luke 3:1-6: In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,"The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight,  and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"Support the show (https://www.episcopalcathedral.org)

Luke 3:1-6   In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"

Luke 3:1-6 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and…

Notes for Sermon on the Second Sunday of Advent at Faith, Okemos, December 5, 2021 based on Luke 3:1-6 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius…the word of God came to John.  And in this first year of Joseph Biden's presidency….when Gretchen Whitmer is governor, Elissa Slotkin, our district 8 congressional representative, Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, our senators, Craig Satterlee, our synod bishop, and Elizabeth Eaton, our presiding bishop, the word of God still comes to us:  comes to me, to Deb, to Bruce, to Chris, to Phylis here in this worship space and to all worshiping with us online.  To us now in this still beautiful, but lately too often also dangerous wilderness, in a country deeply divided over masks and vaccinations, in a violent world – filled with tragedies like that at Oxford High School, with unsettling threats of violence from a student at Holt Junior High, in a world infected by a wily, ever mutating virus, in a nation embroiled in heightened tensions over the fate of Roe v.Wade… to us in this violent, tension-fraught wilderness, the word of God still comes...  It is a voice crying in the wilderness:  Prepare the way of the Lord…. It is a voice I so want my children to hear.  I can see in the faces of our three children  a pervasive weariness, both physical and psychological. I see and read and hear over and over  the wide spread anxiety of a  world  more and more characterized by meanness and hardness of heart, But to us the word of God has come, still comes, “proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”  The word of God calls us to an immersion, a deep and daily washing away of our sins and of the sins of the world…calls us to a baptism, acknowledging our need and earnest desire for a stirring in our hearts, for the mercy of God to save us, for God to save the people of Okemos, of Michigan, of the United States, of South Africa, of Namibia, to Syria, of Afghanistan, of Ukraine, of Germany, of Russia. The word of God has come and is still coming to me, to Ellen, to Deb, to Bruce,  to Phylis, and to you  online.  The word of God is calling us to a deliberate, repeated turning (the meaning of repentance) toward the mercy and kindness of God who is both our judge and our savior. It is the baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins that can raise us from this deep valley of darkness.  It has the power to make tunnels through the otherwise insurmountable mountains of hatred and exploitation, of shame and disgrace.  The gift of repentance for the forgiveness of sins has the power to make the crooked straight and the rough ways smooth. This word of God proclaiming the baptism of repentance spoken with fierce love can open the doors of our hearts to the presence of Christ like nothing else. And it is Christ Jesus who then works within us to eradicate, to burn away our hatreds and prejudices.  It is then Jesus who through his own suffering and death and resurrection transforms our rigid. hardened hearts with God's forgiveness, God's compassion and mercy and kindness, Our daily immersion in the waters of baptism, of repentance and forgiveness enables us to keep our eyes on the future, on the coming dawn that will follow a dark night, a day when all will see the salvation of God. But know this:  God's way to this future for us and for the whole world is the way of the cross. With Jesus we will suffer misunderstandings, yes, recurring hatred and rejection and abandonment along this way toward a more peaceful, harmonious, loving world…  Yet though it is hard and painful, we will never walk this path alone.  With Jesus, the valleys of death and darkness will be filled, the mountains brought low, the crooked paths made straight, the rough roads made smooth.  With Jesus healing and wholeness will in God's time supplant hardened hearts and shattered relationships. To be clear, we are not Jesus, that is, we are not the Savior of the world, let alone of our own selves.  But when the word of God comes to us, we can be John the Baptist.  John's dad, Zechariah, filled with the Holy Spirit after the birth of his son, spoke these words to his son:  “…..you child, will be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins. By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. By the grace and power of God we can be John the Baptists.  Because the word of God still comes to us, we can with bold love proclaim to our neighbors near and far God's tender compassion and mercy for them.  In this wilderness of darkness, of division and disease, we can proclaim God's salvation for them, God's forgiveness for them, experienced over and over through the baptism of repentance, of turning their lives and hearts toward this most gracious and loving God.  We can proclaim to them that God will guide their feet into the way of peace.  Amen.                                                       JDS                                                                                                  

Luke 3:1-6   In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"

The Proclamation of John the Baptist (NRSV)3 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler[a] of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler[b] of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler[c] of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low,and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth;6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'”

The IEA Book Club welcomed Dr George Maher to discuss his latest book “Pugnare – Economic Success and Failure”. This event took place on Monday 29th November at the IEA. Donald Trump and Commodus? Emperor Tiberius and the 2008 financial crisis? Two worlds, 2000 years apart that are not as different as you think. In his book, George shines a light on the side of Rome that they do not teach you in textbooks, exploring it from a business perspective to better understand the people, the empire, and its successes, failures and ultimate demise. By looking back at Rome, we can learn valuable lessons to take into the future. George holds a PhD in the economy of the Roman Empire from King's College London. He is a fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and was Director and Trustee of the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies. He was a Partner at Tillinghast-Towers Perrin and continues to practice consultancy. George recently carried out an IEA Book Club Short on our Youtube Channel, discussing his book with Dr Steve Davis (IEA Head of Education). To view this, click the link here. This event is exclusive to IEA Book Club members. To find out more about the IEA Book Club, please follow the link here or contact us at bookclub@iea.org.uk     Support the IEA on Patreon, where we give you the opportunity to directly help us continue producing stimulating and educational online content, whilst subscribing to exclusive IEA perks, benefits and priority access to our content https://patreon.com/iealondon   FOLLOW US: TWITTER - https://twitter.com/iealondon​​ INSTAGRAM - https://www.instagram.com/ieauk/​​ FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/ieauk​​ WEBSITE - https://iea.org.uk/  

Caligula, Nero, Elagabalus, Vitellius, all of these are noted debaucherous Roman Emperors. However, they pale in comparison to the original king of wicked desires, the Emperor Tiberius. In this episode we discuss the perverted and depraved acts of Tiberius and how those acts may have affected Emperors for generations after Tiberius' demise. Please note: Episodes of Kinky Facts contain adult themes, graphic content, and vulgar language. It is not suitable for anyone under the age of 18, it is also not suitable for work. Listener discretion is advised. Want more Kinky Facts? Follow me on instagram or TikTok: the_dahlia_rose Only Fans : rose.dahlia (free to subscribe) To read my spicy short stories, poems, or to suggest kinky facts visit my website at: https://dahliarose.weebly.com/ Music from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/soulful-sparks License code: I3XF9GKGKU2CSCKG Soulful Sparks by Soundroll Sources for this episode: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiberius https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tiberius https://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/tiberius.html https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/tiberius.shtml https://www.thecollector.com/tiberius/ https://www.walksinsiderome.com/blog/the-scandalous-private-life-of-tiberius-caesar/ https://rome.us/roman-emperors/tiberius.html https://bigthink.com/the-past/7-most-notorious-and-excessive-roman-emperors/ https://erenow.net/ancient/thejoyofsexus/76.php --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Donald Trump and Commodus? Emperor Tiberius and the 2008 financial crisis? Two worlds, 2000 years apart that are not as different as you think. Dr George Maher shines a light on the side of Rome that they do not teach you in textbooks, exploring it from a business perspective to better understand the people, the empire, and its successes, failures and ultimate demise.   By looking back at Rome, we can learn valuable lessons to take into the future. Historian and Author Dr Steve Davies (Head of Education, IEA) sits down with Dr George Maher to discuss George's latest book 'PUGNARE: Economic Success and Failure'. George's book is available to purchase here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/PUGNARE-Econ...   Support the IEA on Patreon, where we give you the opportunity to directly help us continue producing stimulating and educational online content, whilst subscribing to exclusive IEA perks, benefits and priority access to our content https://www.patreon.com/iealondon   FOLLOW US: TWITTER - https://twitter.com/iealondon INSTAGRAM - https://www.instagram.com/ieauk/ FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/ieauk WEBSITE - https://iea.org.uk/

The hosts unravel the lives and legacies of two Roman Emperors; Caligula and Nero. They discuss the Caligula's stellar ancestry, the origin of the nickname 'Caligula', his adoption by the Emperor Tiberius, his suspicious succession to Emperor, his cruel reign, sexual perversions and his eventual assassination. They also discuss Nero's many connections to Emperor Claudius, his unbelievable mother Agrippina the Younger, his tutor Seneca, his cruel and disinterested reign, his obsession with the arts, his handling of the Great Fire of Rome and the revolt that led to Nero's suicide. These two dictators battle it out in Round 16 of the knock-out tournament to determine the single greatest dictator of all time. One of these two dictators will be eliminated from the tournament and the other will remain in contention to be crowned history's biggest dictator.

Step into the shoes of a Roman detective and help Emperor Tiberius solve the mystery of the death of Aponia... OK the actual murder is pretty easy to solve but it's cool that you get to spend time with the Emperor, right? Was Emperor Tiberius a proto-Fox Mulder? Did Apronia just accidentally fall out of a window? Does Apronius deserve even more titles and accolades? Solve the mystery here.

Readings for Thursday, April 15, 2021 “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” -- Luke 3:4b-6 Morning Psalm 47 1 Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with loud songs of joy. 2 For the Lord, the Most High, is awesome, a great king over all the earth. 3 He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. 4 He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. 5 God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. 6 Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. 7 For God is the king of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm. 8 God is king over the nations; God sits on his holy throne. 9 The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted. Psalm 147:12-20 12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! 13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your children within you. 14 He grants peace within your borders; he fills you with the finest of wheat. 15 He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. 16 He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes. 17 He hurls down hail like crumbs— who can stand before his cold? 18 He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow, and the waters flow. 19 He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and ordinances to Israel. 20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his ordinances. Praise the Lord ! Midday Daniel 2:31-49 31 “You were looking, O king, and lo! there was a great statue. This statue was huge, its brilliance extraordinary; it was standing before you, and its appearance was frightening. 32 The head of that statue was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 As you looked on, a stone was cut out, not by human hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and broke them in pieces. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, were all broken in pieces and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. 36 “This was the dream; now we will tell the king its interpretation. 37 You, O king, the king of kings—to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the might, and the glory, 38 into whose hand he has given human beings, wherever they live, the wild animals of the field, and the birds of the air, and whom he has established as ruler over them all—you are the head of gold. 39 After you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over the whole earth. 40 And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron; just as iron crushes and smashes everything, it shall crush and shatter all these. 41 As you saw the feet and toes partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but some of the strength of iron shall be in it, as you saw the iron mixed with the clay. 42 As the toes of the feet were part iron and part clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 As you saw the iron mixed with clay, so will they mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. 44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall this kingdom be left to another people. It shall crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever; 45 just as you saw that a stone was cut from the mountain not by hands, and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. The great God has informed the king what shall be hereafter. The dream is certain, and its interpretation trustworthy.” 46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, worshiped Daniel, and commanded that a grain offering and incense be offered to him. 47 The king said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery!” 48 Then the king promoted Daniel, gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Daniel made a request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king's court. 1 John 2:18-29 18 Children, it is the last hour! As you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. From this we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But by going out they made it plain that none of them belongs to us. 20 But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and all of you have knowledge. 21 I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and you know that no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; everyone who confesses the Son has the Father also. 24 Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is what he has promised us, eternal life. 26 I write these things to you concerning those who would deceive you. 27 As for you, the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and so you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, abide in him. 28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he is revealed we may have confidence and not be put to shame before him at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who does right has been born of him. Luke 3:1-14 3 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; 6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'” 7 John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 9 Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” 10 And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” 11 In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” 12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 13 He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” 14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.” Evening Psalm 68 1 Let God rise up, let his enemies be scattered; let those who hate him flee before him. 2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; as wax melts before the fire, let the wicked perish before God. 3 But let the righteous be joyful; let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy. 4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds—his name is the Lord — be exultant before him. 5 Father of orphans and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. 6 God gives the desolate a home to live in; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious live in a parched land. 7 O God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness, 8 the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain at the presence of God, the God of Sinai, at the presence of God, the God of Israel. 9 Rain in abundance, O God, you showered abroad; you restored your heritage when it languished; 10 your flock found a dwelling in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy. 11 The Lord gives the command; great is the company of those who bore the tidings: 12 “The kings of the armies, they flee, they flee!” The women at home divide the spoil, 13 though they stay among the sheepfolds— the wings of a dove covered with silver, its pinions with green gold. 14 When the Almighty scattered kings there, snow fell on Zalmon. 15 O mighty mountain, mountain of Bashan; O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan! 16 Why do you look with envy, O many-peaked mountain, at the mount that God desired for his abode, where the Lord will reside forever? 17 With mighty chariotry, twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands, the Lord came from Sinai into the holy place. 18 You ascended the high mount, leading captives in your train and receiving gifts from people, even from those who rebel against the Lord God's abiding there. 19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. 20 Our God is a God of salvation, and to God, the Lord, belongs escape from death. 21 But God will shatter the heads of his enemies, the hairy crown of those who walk in their guilty ways. 22 The Lord said, “I will bring them back from Bashan, I will bring them back from the depths of the sea, 23 so that you may bathe your feet in blood, so that the tongues of your dogs may have their share from the foe.” 24 Your solemn processions are seen, O God, the processions of my God, my King, into the sanctuary— 25 the singers in front, the musicians last, between them girls playing tambourines: 26 “Bless God in the great congregation, the Lord, O you who are of Israel's fountain!” 27 There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead, the princes of Judah in a body, the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali. 28 Summon your might, O God; show your strength, O God, as you have done for us before. 29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem kings bear gifts to you. 30 Rebuke the wild animals that live among the reeds, the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples. Trample under foot those who lust after tribute; scatter the peoples who delight in war. 31 Let bronze be brought from Egypt; let Ethiopia hasten to stretch out its hands to God. 32 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; sing praises to the Lord, 33 O rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens; listen, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice. 34 Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel; and whose power is in the skies. 35 Awesome is God in his sanctuary, the God of Israel; he gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God! Psalm 113 1 Praise the Lord ! Praise, O servants of the Lord ; praise the name of the Lord . 2 Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time on and forevermore. 3 From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the Lord is to be praised. 4 The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. 5 Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high, 6 who looks far down on the heavens and the earth? 7 He raises the poor from the dust, and lifts the needy from the ash heap, 8 to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people. 9 He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the Lord ! You can also find all of today's readings at PCUSA.org. The Daily Lectionary podcast is a ministry of First Presbyterian Church of Plattsburgh, NY, read by Pastor Timothy J. Luoma. (One year ago today, The Daily Lectionary had its first episode go live. Thank you to those who listen. If you do, please let me know, it's nice to hear from listeners. You can reach me at luomat at gmail dot com.)

It's time for the Sonic Society with Jack and David. This week, it's Part 1 of Little Boots. 37 CE. As the reign of Emperor Tiberius comes to an end, 24 year-old Gaius takes the imperial throne. Lead by the able hand of his beloved sister, Drusilla, he embarks on a wave of reform that upends Roman society and sets him on a collision course with madness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's time for the Sonic Society with Jack and David. This week, it's Part 1 of Little Boots. 37 CE. As the reign of Emperor Tiberius comes to an end, 24 year-old Gaius takes the imperial throne. Lead by the able hand of his beloved sister, Drusilla, he embarks on a wave of reform that upends Roman society and sets him on a collision course with madness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1085/29 Pilate said to them, What shall I do with Jesus?’ They all said, Let Him be crucified!’ Why, what evil has He done?’ But they kept shouting, Let Him be crucified!’It’s Good Friday, a solemn day for believers when we acknowledge the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Today, host Rob West points out that while the spiritual implications are enormous, politics and yes, even money, played a role as well. Looking at the economics of the crucifixion in no way diminishes its spiritual importance. But as Jerry Bowyer points out in his book,The Maker vs. The Takers, understanding theeconomicfactors behind Jesus’ execution is valuable as it heightens our understanding of sin and forgiveness. God’s purpose for the crucifixion was to save mankind from sin. However, there were many other actors in this drama: the priests, the Herodians, and the occupying Romans. For them, politics and money played a major role in the decision to murder Jesus because He threatened their monetary interests. Scripture implies that privately,the Pharisees and the Sadduceesdid have financial concerns. As Jerry often points out, the ruling class in Jerusalem was based on a corrupt system of extracting money from the lower classes for temple sacrifices. After Jesus drove the money changers from the temple in Mark 11, we read, And as he taught them, he said, Is it not written:My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a den of robbers.’ The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.Jesus was exposing their corrupt system and they feared He would put an end to their affluent lifestyle. But politics played a role as well. What about Pilate? He was in a precarious situation. He was under suspicion in Rome for possibly being part of an attempted coup against the Emperor Tiberius that had recently been put down. The emperor had crushed his political enemies in Rome, many of whom were part of Rome’s financial class and who also held vast real estate holdings. The result was an economic collapse similar to what we saw in 2008. Many of those wealthy Romans became paupers overnight and feared for their lives. It was from among that financial class that the Roman governor Pilate had his main support. So, he was already on thin ice when the Jerusalem elite came to him demanding that Jesus be executed. While Jesus’ death is heartbreaking, on Sunday we’ll celebrate His glorious resurrection and the unspeakable gift of His grace that opened the gates of Heaven to believers. On today’s program we also answer your questions: I just sold some stocks that made me over a million dollars. I’m going to owe a lot of taxes on this! Do I pay the IRS up front? Regarding qualified charitable distributions, I have anRMD for about $1,600. Can I divide this up and give, say, $500 to three different places or do I have to give it all to just one place? I have about $1 million in life insurance. If I die, my wife gets this. When we both die, our oldest daughter becomes the beneficiary. Is there any way to direct what happens to that pay-out? Ask your questions at (800) 525-7000 or email them atquestions@moneywise.org. Visit our website atmoneywise.orgwhere you can connect with a MoneyWise Coach, purchase books, and even download free, helpful resources. Like and Follow us on Facebook atMoneyWise Mediafor videos and the very latest discussion!Remember that it’s your prayerful and financial support that keeps MoneyWise on the air. Help us continue this outreach by clicking the Donate tab at the top of the page.

Pontius Pilate hailed from a minor aristocratic family in the region of Samnia in what is now Italy. He served as Governor of Judea during the reign of the Emperor Tiberius. History does not tell us how Pilate rose to this position or what became of him later in life, but it seems most likely […] The post Truth on Trial appeared first on State Road Church.

37 CE. As the reign of Emperor Tiberius comes to an end, 24 year-old Gaius takes the imperial throne. Lead by the able hand of his beloved sister, Drusilla, he embarks on a wave of reform that upends Roman society and sets him on a collision course with madness.

  Many traditional elements of Christmas pre-date Christianity. In other words, Christmas was pagan before it was adopted (and renamed) by Christians. The Catholic Encyclopedia of 1908 states that "Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church. Irenaeus and Tertullian omit it from their lists of feasts" - those authors lived into the 3rd century. The CE article concludes that when later Christians adopted the date of the 25th of December for Jesus' birth, "the abundance of analogous midwinter festivals may indefinitely have helped the choice of the December date, the same instinct which set Natalis Invicti at the winter solstice will have sufficed, apart from deliberate adaptation or curious calculation, to set the Christian feast there too". Prof. Hutton, a respected and careful primary-sources historian, mentions Christmas in his valuable book on the history of modern Paganism. How December 25 did officially became the world important most grandeur festive day in the calendar? We all know that Christmas is being observed around the world and generally commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ among Christian communities. The word Christmas is from the old English “Crīstesmæsse”, the pre historic Christian churches referred the meaning to “Christ’s Mass” the Eucharistic feast celebration of Christ birthday. The Birth of Christ.   Although the year of Jesus Christ birth date was estimated by most modern theology scientists and historians somewhere between 7 and 2BC, the debate continues about the exact month and day of Jesus birth. Dionysius Exiguus, a Scythian monk has determined the year of Jesus birth through his own calculation using the foundation of city of Rome “ab urbe condita” thus 1 AUC signifies the birth year of Rome. Dionysius counted the reign of Roman Emperor Augustus to Emperor Tiberius and in the New Testament, the Gospel of Luke 3:1,23, indicates the 15th year of Tiberius reign where Jesus turned 30 years old. Jesus lived 15 years under Augustus in his 28th year of reign as a Roman Emperor. Dionysius concluded that the Christ was born 754 AUC the year Augustus reign started. However, the Gospel of Luke 1:5 placed Jesus birth under Herod and Herod died in 754 AUC, for this reason why most modern biblical scholars discredit Dionysius calculation. How Did Christmas Day End Up In December 25th?   Did you know that earlier before Christmas date was established, the ancient Roman feast of Saturnalia called “temple of Saturn“, was first introduced by Roman Pagans. It is an ancient Roman festival, a celebration of Cruelty, lawlessness, adulterous, brutal violence and human sacrifices from 17th to 23th of December. The Roman court is closed in the whole festive season and its early law’s allows anyone to injure any people and damage properties without getting any punishment from the Roman authorities. The Roman Pagans started the Saturnalia festival from dragging the prisoner or the “the enemy of the Roman people” to the center court on the first feast day to represent the “Lord of Misuse”. Every Pagan community choose a victim within their community and forced them to indulge into sexual pleasures and eat festive foods before brutally sacrificing them on the 23th of December as the final festival day concluded. Other regions in the Roman Empire continued the secular celebration in festive atmosphere ’till the end of month of December every year, long after it was officially removed from the official calendar. But this ancient festival has left traces and found numerous signs of medieval and modern customs in occurrence at the time of winter solstice. Some of the practices such as gift-giving and festive food banquet were carried out in the modern age and adopted later in Christmas customs. From 4th Century CE history, early Western Christians Church adopted and brought the Saturnalia festival into other regions of pagan masses, converted them to Christian faith with the promised to continue the Saturnalia Festival as Christians. Although the early Christian church leaders described Saturnalia Feast as unbiblical and contradict the fundamental belief of Christians at that time, the Christian Leaders managed to changed the pagans cultures by naming the 25th day to be Jesus Christ’s birth day. How did the Twelve Days of Christmas Start?   Other Christian churches celebrate Christmas every 25th of December using the Julian calendar which the festive currently correspond to January 7 in Gregorian calendar, that is the day after the feast of Epiphany concluded. From the Council of Tour of 567, the Christian church declared the 12 days of Christmas as the unifying period of Christmas festival season “Christmastide“, giving the essential importance of Christmas Days between the feast of Christmas and the feast of Epiphany.

December 2, 2020 Advent 2 Luke 3:1-18 3 It was the fifteenth year in the reign of the Emperor Tiberius. Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea. Herod ruled Galilee, and his brother Philip ruled Iturea and Trachonitis. Lysanias was the ruler of Abilene. 2 It was at the time when Annas and Caiaphas were chief priests that God spoke to John, son of Zechariah, in the desert. 3 John traveled throughout the region around the Jordan River. He told people about a baptism of repentance [a] for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As the prophet Isaiah wrote in his book, “A voice cries out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way for the Lord! Make his paths straight! 5 Every valley will be filled. Every mountain and hill will be leveled. The crooked ways will be made straight. The rough roads will be made smooth. 6 All people will see the salvation that God gives.' ” 7 Crowds of people were coming to be baptized by John. He would say to them, “You poisonous snakes! Who showed you how to flee from God's coming anger? 8 Do those things that prove that you have turned to God and have changed the way you think and act. Don't say, ‘Abraham is our ancestor.' I guarantee that God can raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones. 9 The ax is now ready to cut the roots of the trees. Any tree that doesn't produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into a fire.” 10 The crowds asked him, “What should we do?” 11 He answered them, “Whoever has two shirts should share with the person who doesn't have any. Whoever has food should share it too.” 12 Some tax collectors came to be baptized. They asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 13 He told them, “Don't collect more money than you are ordered to collect.” 14 Some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He told them, “Be satisfied with your pay, and never use threats or blackmail to get money from anyone.” 15 People's hopes were rising as they all wondered whether John was the Messiah. 16 John replied to all of them, “I baptize you with water. But the one who is more powerful than I is coming. I am not worthy to untie his sandal straps. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing [b] shovel is in his hand to clean up his threshing floor.[c] He will gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn the husks in a fire that can never be put out.” 18 With many other encouraging words, he told the Good News to the people.

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.

The complete audiobook is available for purchase at Audible.com: https://adbl.co/35FfS3Z The Cream of the Jest By James Branch Cabell Narrated by John Burlinson James Branch Cabell (1879-1956) is best known for his tales of the imaginary land of Poictesme, where chivalry and gallantry live on. In this volume we meet the novelist, Felix Kennaston, who lives in parallel worlds. One of these is with his wife in their suburban Virginia home and genteel society. The other is with the beautiful Lady Ettarre, who shares his travels through space and time to meet, among many others, Oliver Cromwell, Napoleon, and the Emperor Tiberius. Lusty and magical, romantic and rueful, subtly erotic and laced with sardonic humor, this absorbing book is highly regarded as a masterwork of Fantasy literature. “A book of dreams it is, and of very wonderful dreams.” -- Sinclair Lewis “A curious, singular and enchanting book. I have read it with admiration and delight.” – Arthur Machen Production copyright 2020 Voices of Today

As a child, Caligula lived in the shadow of his father, Germanicus — a hero of Rome. When Germanicus suddenly dies, Caligula is forced to spend his teenage years at the mercy of Emperor Tiberius. And a once pampered life quickly descends into hell.

In the final years of Emperor Tiberius’s reign, he built lavish villas on Capri, hosted orgies with young boys and girls, and tortured and executed people who spoke out against him. He was more than a dictator. He was a monster.

Ben Bernanke, eat your heart out. In the year 33 CE the Emperor Tiberius, was forced to take a break from assorted depravities on the island of Capri (not for nothing was he dubbed "the old goat of Capri" by less than objective chroniclers) to head off a financial crisis that threatened the stability of the Roman Empire. He succeeded. The crisis had deep roots in Roman history and in Roman politics, roots that included the death and disgrace of the man Tiberius had left in charge when he retired to Capri to indulge his worst instincts. Download the podcast and find out what went down in Rome in the year 33, not long after Christ was crucified.

The Temple of Concord is the site of a series of shrines dedicated to the Roman goddess Concordia, and erected at the western end of the Roman Forum. The earliest temple is believed to have been vowed by Marcus Furius Camillus in 367 BCE, but it may not have been built until 218 BCE.   The temple which had been occasionally repaired was completey rebuilt by Emperor Tiberius and dedicated in the year 10 after the original had been burnt down following a lightning strike.  Tiberius paid for the construction with the spoils of his and his brother Drusus’ highly successful campaigns conquering and pillaging across vast areas of Germania. The early version of the temple was similar to the nearby Temple of Castor and Pollux with steps leading up through lines of columns supporting a pediment that led to the entrance doors and a long and narrow main cella.  However Tiberius’ version was quite different as the temple expanded sideways with the main cella being wide rather than long – in part this was necessary because of the space limitations at the foot of the Capitoline hill and the fact that is was sited at the foot of the Tabularium. Its sideways expansion meant it ate into the space that had been occupied by the Basilica Opimia (sited to the left of the original building when looking from the path that runs in front of the Arch of Septimius Severus).

Great NT Profiles Part 15Homework Tips Checklist for ParentsPONTIUS PILATERelated Scriptures:• Luke 13:1-5; Matthew 27:1-28; Mark 15:1-15; Luke 23:1-25; John 18:28-19:42; Acts 3:13-15; 4:27-31; 13:28-33; 1 Timothy 6:13-16• Pontius Pilate was the fifth governor (prefect) of the Roman province of Judea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 CE. It is believed he hailed from the Samnium region of central Italy.• Pilate appears in the writings of the Jewish historian Josephus and the• Jewish philosopher Philo.• In the New Testament, he is at best opportunistic, culturally insensitive, and often cruel.Governorship• Jesus was crucified during Pilate’s governorship, which lasted from 26 to 36 C.E.• Pilate was appointed by Tiberius himself known for anti-Jewish sentiments.• Pilate was known for his lack of respect for the Jewish population and cruelty (Luke 13:1-5)Clash with the Jewish Population• Pilate is known to have treated Jewish customs with contempt.• Almost immediately upon his arrival in Palestine in A.D. 26, he was at odds with the Jews.• There are three major clashes.Clash 1• His first act of provocation was the introduction into Jerusalem of Roman standards with embossed figures of the emperor.• Previous prefects had been careful not to offend Jewish religious views by not allowing any sign of emperor worship when the troops entered Jerusalem.• This act aroused great indignation and as a result the Jews sent a delegation to Caesarea who pled for five days for the removal of the standards.Clash 2• Pilate seized funds from the national treasury known as the Corbonas in order to construct an aqueduct.• Later when Pilate visited Jerusalem, the Jews met him with anger.• He orders his soldiers to mingle among the crowd dressed as civilians with hidden clubs.• On a prearranged signal, they drew their clubs and began to beat the protestors, killing many.Clash 3• In AD 36 a Samaritan false prophet promised his followers that he would show them the sacred vessels, which, according to tradition, Moses had buried on Mount Gerazim.• Many believed him and gathered with arms at the foot of the mountain. Pilate blocked the projected route with heavily armed infantry.• Some of the followers were killed in battle, others imprisoned, and others executed.Dismissal• The Samaritans complained to Vitellius, prefect of Syria, who shortly afterwards sent Marcellus to take temporary charge of Judea, ordering Pilate to report to Tiberius.The Gospel PortraitAll four Gospels portray him as a vacillating judge.The Trial of Jesus• The Jewish leaders brought Jesus to Pilate early on Friday morning of the passion week (Matt. 27:1-2, 11-14; Mark 15:1-5; Luke 23:1-5; John 18:28-38).Barabbas• All four Gospels show an interest in the release of Barabbas.Only in Matthew• Only in Matthew does Pilate wash his hands to symbolize his innocence (27:24)• Only in Matthew do “all the people” cry, “His blood be on our heads and on the heads of our children” (27:25)Only in Luke• Only in Luke does Pilate declare Jesus “innocent”. Luke emphasizes it three times.• Pilate (23:4)• Herod Antipas (23:11)• Roman centurion (23:47)Only in John• John’s account shows Pilate desperate to release Jesus. (John 18:31).• Pilate finally gave in to the pressure of the Jewish leaders when they threatened him with the accusation of not being a friend of Caesar (John 19:12).Questions of History• Pilate seems to disappear from history after his rule.• According to Josephus and the Roman historian Tacitus, Pilate was removed from office and sent back to Rome.• According to some traditions he was executed by Emperor Caligula or committed suicide, with his body thrown into the Tiber River.• The early church father Tertullian claimed he became a follower of Jesus and tried to convert the emperor to Christianity.

When Emperor Tiberius first ascended to the throne in AD 14, he seemed to be a principled reformer set on cleaning up the empire -- checking excesses and abuses, erasing loopholes and banning astrologers. However, the death of his son seemed to push him into a severely unbalanced mental state. His paranoia and cruelty were extreme (even for an Emperor) and, eventually, he found he preferred to eschew politics altogether, reigning as Emperor in name alone from the isolated island of Capri, where he reputedly engaged in all manner of depraved, hedonistic sexual acts before returning, years later, to terrorize Rome. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

John 21:1 After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We are going with you also." They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. 4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any food?" They answered Him, "No." 6 And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. 7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. 9 Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have just caught." 11 Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken.   The Purpose of chapter 21 The Conclusion Or Epilogue This Chapter is here for 5 reasons: Helps us understand Peters prominent position in the church How are we to relate to the risen Christ Give us a Balance between Nurturing the saved and winning the lost Refutes the false rumor that Jesus coming back before John died Clear expression of how to love Christ. If you love me keep my commandments We are blessed by Laboring with the Lord.  The disciples have learned how to cooperate with one another and how to obey Jesus. What examples for us to follow as we seek to “catch fish” for Jesus Christ! There are “fish” all around us. If we obey His directions, we will catch the fish. The expression, "By hook or by crook," originated from the 21st chapter of the Gospel of John. A hook is the symbol of a fisherman, while a crook is the symbol of a shepherd. Here then in this chapter are symbolized the two ministries of the church: fishing and shepherding. That is how the work of God goes forward. Chapter 21 contains instruction for those who have come to faith in Him and explains how they are to serve Him as they carry out their mission (20:21-23). Many of the prominent themes in the rest of the Gospel recur here. "Some critics have argued that this chapter is anticlimactic after the great conclusion in chapter 20, and therefore was written by another (anonymous) writer. But the language evidence does not support this notion. In addition, other great books of Scripture have appendixes after reaching a grand climax (cf. e.g., Rom. 16 following Rom. 15:33). Thus John 21 is neither without value nor out of harmony with other Bible books." The structure of this chapter is similar to the rest of the Gospel. John first narrated an event (vv. 1-14) and then related Jesus' teaching based on that event (vv. 15-23). Finally he concluded his Gospel (vv. 24-25). In many ways, “frustrating” also describes what it must have been like for the disciples during that 40-day interval between Jesus' resurrection and His ascension. With few exceptions, the disciples had spent three wonderful years with Jesus. They traveled together, ate together, camped out at night together, and shared a common purse. Their private, relaxing times together were exceedingly few and far between, but at least they were continually in close contact during the time of our Lord's earthly ministry. The last few hours our Lord spent with His disciples before His arrest were private and uninterrupted. After the horror of our Lord's arrest, trials, and crucifixion, it would be tempting to think of this 40-day interval as a time of wonderful fellowship for our Lord and His disciples, but this was not really the case. For one thing, the disciples expected Jesus to immediately commence His kingdom, but it quickly became evident that this wasn't happening. For another thing, the disciples were not really seeing a great deal of their Lord. After Jesus appeared to them, and they were convinced that He was alive, they were filled with joy. But if the disciples were thinking they would now be spending a lot of time with Jesus once again, they were wrong. Things had changed. This change was first indicated to Mary by our Lord, when He appeared to her after His resurrection: John 20:16-17 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God'” (NIV). Jesus informs Mary that things are no longer going to be as they once were. Jesus was not going to be with His disciples on earth much longer, but was returning to His Father, as He had indicated earlier. He promised that after His ascension, He would dwell among them, and in them, through the Holy Spirit, but at the time they had no idea what He meant. And so the disciples found themselves relating to Jesus in an entirely different way during this 40-day period of time. They were formerly with Him day and night. Now, they only saw Him from time to time. Eight days passed from the time Jesus first appeared to His disciples (John 20:19-23) to the time of His second appearance (John 20:26). He appeared to them only a handful of times in those 40 days (see 1 Corinthians 15:5-7). He came and went in such a way that they never knew when to expect Him. And He did not always look exactly the way He once did—there was something different about Him, which sometimes caused them to wonder whether or not it was really Him (see Mark 16:12; Luke 24:16, 31; John 21:12). I'm sure the disciples wished for the “good old days,” when they enjoyed much more intimate fellowship with Him. Jesus, however, was “weaning” them from those days, because He would no longer dwell among them as He once had. He was soon to ascend into heaven to be with His Father. There were other things that made this time difficult. These were perilous days. The tomb of Jesus had been sealed and was under Roman guard, by order of Pilate. When Jesus was raised from the dead, the Jews and the Roman soldiers agreed on a cover-up. They sought to explain the resurrection and the empty tomb by circulating the story that Jesus' disciples had stolen His body. This would have been a serious crime. The disciples could have been the targets of a manhunt. No wonder they were hiding out in a locked room when Jesus came to them (John 20:19, 26). In addition to this, there was really very little the disciples could do during these 40 frustrating days. They were told to wait until they were given power from on high. The Holy Spirit had not yet come, because Pentecost was still a few days away. These men were not yet transformed, nor were they supernaturally empowered to heal the sick, raise the dead, or proclaim the gospel. The kingdom was on hold, there was little for them to do, and Jesus was seldom seen or heard from. It was not an easy time for the disciples at all. I can imagine that Peter could have gone home, only to find Mrs. Peter standing in the doorway, with her hands on her hips. “Peter,” she might have said sharply, “we've got bills to pay and mouths to feed. When are you going back to work? How long are you going to wait around, wondering what to do with yourself?” All of the disciples must have been thinking similar thoughts. They had families to support. They had to do something. They couldn't just wait around … Why would we be surprised that it was Peter who decided to do something? Why would we find it unusual for Peter to speak out? This is precisely where the final chapter of John's Gospel takes up. Command - vs 1-6- Manifested or Revealed Himself to the Seven Disciples 1 ¶ After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: John recorded still another post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to His disciples. It undoubtedly occurred during the 32-day period between Thomas' confession (20:28) and Jesus' ascension (Acts 1:9). Same as the sea of Galilee.  Called different names depending on where they are, Emperor Tiberius officially named it that. Evidently most of his original readers would have known it by this Roman name. They were to learn something new about Him from this revelation.  2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. Mt 4:21; Joh 1:45 The exact number may be another detail designed to add credibility to the account,  or  John  may  have  been  hinting  that  a  complete  number  of disciples was present. Seven was a number that symbolized completeness to the Jews (cf. Gen. 2:2-3; et al.). He may have been implying that the lesson that Jesus taught here was applicable to the full complement of disciples. Book starts with 6 disciples and ends with 7? Anything to do with the completeness now of the work being done? Peter is always named first His name expresses the grace of God, He was impetuous, vacillating, moody, sees us as who we can be Thomas called the Twin Nathanael of Cana in Galilee The sons of Zebedee – James and John and two others of His disciples - Probably Andrew and Phillip  3 Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We are going with you also." They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. Some expositors have interpreted Peter's words as a renunciation of his calling as Jesus' disciple. They believe he meant that he intended to return to his former occupation as a fisherman permanently. However there is no basis for this conclusion in the text. Indeed when Peter learned that Jesus was standing on the shore he jumped into the water to get to Jesus as quickly as he could (v. 7). Mt 26:32 "But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee." Mt 28:7 "And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you."  Mt 28:10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me."  Mt 28:16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. Mr. 16:7 "But go, tell His disciples--and Peter--that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you." For the third time in John's Gospel, our Lord appears to His disciples. This time He reveals Himself to seven of His disciples as they are fishing on the Sea of Tiberias — the Sea of Galilee (John 6:1). Most of these men were fishermen by trade. When Peter informed them that he was going fishing, they knew he was not planning to go out and do a little fly fishing on the Sea of Galilee, hoping to catch a fish or two. They understood that Peter was going back to work as a fisherman. They all must have had financial obligations they needed to meet. In addition, they needed to eat. And so those who were with Peter agreed to go fishing with him. There seemed to be nothing better to do. I do not find this decision to go fishing something unbefitting for a disciple. It was better for them to be doing something productive than nothing at all. The first miraculous catch of fish came fairly early in the ministry of our Lord. Jesus was teaching beside the Sea of Galilee, and the crowds were pressing in on Him. There were at least two boats pulled up on shore nearby. One belonged to Peter and his brother Andrew, the other to James and John (and apparently their father—see Luke 5:2-11). These men had been out fishing all night, unsuccessfully, and were now washing their nets. Jesus got into Simon Peter's boat and asked him push out from shore, so that He could use the boat as His speaker's platform. When Jesus finished teaching, He told Peter to launch out into deeper waters and to lower the nets for a catch. Peter gently protested, informing Jesus that they had just spent the entire night fishing, without success. Nevertheless, Peter did as his Master instructed. As the nets were drawn in, it was evident that they had a huge catch of fish, so large that the nets were beginning to tear. Peter and his brother gestured to their partners, James and John, who came alongside with their boat. They filled both boats so full with the fish that they began to sink. Peter fell at Jesus' knees (they were still in the boat) and said, “Go away from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord!” (Luke 5:8). Jesus comforted the men with these words, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people” (5:9). It would seem that from this point in time, they ceased fishing for their livelihood and followed Jesus wherever He went. In John 21, we read of a very similar miraculous catch of fish. It is my opinion that it took place at virtually the same place, with the same boats, and most of the same fishermen. You will recall that before His crucifixion, Jesus told His disciples that He would go ahead of them to Galilee (Matthew 28:7; Mark 14:28). Then, after His resurrection, Jesus instructed His disciples to meet Him in Galilee (Matthew 28:10; Mark 16:7). The disciples who have gone fishing with Peter may very well be in Galilee because they have done what Jesus instructed them to do—go to Galilee, where He will meet them. This took them out of Jerusalem and Judea, the source of the strongest Jewish opposition. Like most of the disciples, Peter was a Galilean. These were his old “stomping grounds.” If they had been waiting for some time, Peter might well have concluded that they may as well occupy themselves by doing something profitable. And so he announced to his colleagues that he was going fishing.  4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Joh 20:14 Likewise the breaking of this new day is perhaps symbolic of the new era that was opening up for them as Jesus' disciples, though they did not realize that yet. Jesus' instruction would change the course of their lives forever.  5 Then Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any food?" They answered Him, "No." Lu 24:41 Much of the fishing in the Sea of Galilee was done at night in those days as it is yet today. Fishermen used torches to attract the fish to the boat and then netted them. But although they were expert fishermen, the disciples had labored throughout the night and had caught nothing. That must have been a rather unusual experience for them. Yet as this account makes clear, it was the Lord's intention that they catch nothing on this occasion. Now the question that Jesus asked is a number of observations. First it's framed expecting a negative answer. What the expected answer? "Well of course not," And that's exactly the way Jesus has framed the question. "Haven't you caught any fish?" "You haven't caught any fish, have you?" That would be the English equivalent. "You haven't done so well, have you?" I think their answer is sort crestfallen. "No." Failure is a very demoralizing thing. Some of you have tried hard to accomplish something. Like these fishermen, you have expended much energy and utilized all your resources but gained nothing in return. But although failure is a painful experience, valuable lessons can be gained through it. Here is what one writer said about this failed night of fishing: The night of failure was not without its lessons and its benefits. We can do worse than fail. We can succeed and be proud of our success. We can succeed and burn incense to the net. We can succeed and forget the Hand whose it is to give or to withhold, to kill or to make alive. People who think they have done it all themselves are common today. Every now and then I meet someone who claims to be a "self-made man." I have discovered, however, that most self-made men worship their creator! Yet nothing is more revealing of human ignorance than the claim to be a self-made man. That is to take for granted all that has been provided for them all throughout their lives, without giving a thought for Who provided it. Yet, were it not for God's providing hand, we would have neither the opportunities nor the resources to begin with. Success -- yes, even spiritual success -- can be a snare and a ruin, while failure can be an unspeakable benefit. Failure is often the only test by which the real worth and quality of a man or woman can be tried. It is in failure that a man begins to think, to wonder where his failure comes from, to look around and seek for the reasons, to put into his work double watchfulness and double energy, and to look upwards to Him who can turn failure into a glorious achievement. John goes on to show what God can do with a night of failure. Now many of your translations, unfortunately, render the word "friends." The word is not friends. The word is children. In fact it's a diminutive term. It's “little children.” And I think when the translators gloss over it and call it "friends" it is unfortunate because you want to see Jesus Christ here as coming on the scene as a fatherly, loving, compassionate friend of theirs. And it's sort of like the Brits would say, "Lads. Or boys in our language" Or if you're a dad with three or four sons, and they might even be grown sons, and you would say, "Sons." There is a real endearing and graciousness in the tone of the word. "Little children." Who else uses the phrase "little children" in the NT? John in First John. Little children. Little children. Little children. It's caring and compassionate and rich. One can sense the discouragement and mild embarrassment in the disciples' "no." Jesus was in the process of teaching these men their personal inadequacy even in the type of work they knew best and had most experience with. It was important that they articulate their failure.  6 And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast, and now they In the Luke 5:5 account, Simon tries to pull them in and the nets are breaking, remember? They almost make the boats sink, remember? So these two are two different stories. Luke 5:5 account says: "Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets." Maybe there was a little hint of that again; There's enough differences in the stories that we know these are two different incidents; one early in the disciples' life and one right prior to Christ's ascension. In verses seven to nine the disciples recognize Him: they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. Lu 5:4,6-7 Their nets had been hanging over the left-hand side of their fishing boat. The unknown authority on the shore now promised that if they would cast their net on the right-hand side they would catch some fish. Such a suggestion must have seemed ludicrous to these seasoned fishermen. The idea that such an insignificant change would accomplish anything was laughable. Yet amazingly the disciples followed Jesus' orders. Nevertheless it seems clear that even after they obeyed the unknown armchair fisherman on the shore this dark morning they still did not realize that He was Jesus. The reason for the disciples' obedience is not as important as the fact of it. Had they not obeyed Jesus' command they would have failed to catch any fish. However because they obeyed, they experienced overwhelming success, success far exceeding their natural ability. Jesus knew that these men had worked all night and had caught nothing. I am tempted to think that Jesus actually orchestrated things so that these men would not catch anything. Anyway, Jesus let the fishermen know that He knew they had caught nothing. He then instructs them to cast out their nets on the right side of the boat, assuring them that when they do so, they will find some fish. I don't know why these weary fishermen did it, but for some reason they were willing to make one last effort. When they drew in their nets, they did not contain just a few fish, or even a lot of fish. Their nets were virtually filled with fish. These men would reflect on this experience and realize that Jesus had been teaching them how important it was to obey His word. Obedience to Jesus was the key to supernatural success. Indeed obedience to His word even though they did not know it was His word yielded an unbelievable reward. It was at this point that John seems to have realized what was happening  7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. Joh 13:23; 20:2 Again John realized something about Jesus before Peter did (cf.  20:8).  Probably  he  sensed  that  a  miracle  had happened,  and  he  remembered  that  a  few  years  earlier  Jesus  had performed a similar miracle (Luke 5:1-11). True to the pictures we have of them in the New Testament John exhibited quick insight and Peter quick action. Now the identity of Christ is no longer obscure. They know who He is and they can see Him. This incredible catch quickly reveals to John that it's the Lord. Peter connects the dots and before we know it characteristically he's thrown himself in the water. Apparently he wanted to get to Jesus faster than his boat and net now full of fish would allow. He showed no concern for the fish; he willingly let them go. His only desire was to get to Jesus. This was not the first time that Peter had met Jesus after the Crucifixion. Jesus had appeared to Peter evidently on Easter morning (1 Cor. 15:5) and undoubtedly on Easter evening (20:19-23; cf. Mark 16:14). Peter had also seen Jesus the following Sunday when Thomas made his profession of faith (20:26-29). Therefore we should not conclude that Peter would have been reluctant to see Jesus now because of his denial in the high priest's courtyard. Peter's moment of reconciliation with Jesus had already passed. Now there's a little bit of a question if you read the text carefully. He's stripped for work. I don't think he's naked but I think he's down to the bare minimum of what he could have on. He's going to gird himself with something and jump into the water. Now if you've come to the edge of the water you take as much off as you can before you jump in not to be encumbered by your shoes or your coat or whatever else you have, right? So why is Peter putting something on? There are a couple of little hints in the text that are kind of fun. This is the same word only found in John thirteen where Jesus girds Himself to wash the disciples' feet. And so now we see Peter girding himself. I think Peter is sort of, if you will, working hard and sweating and so he's probably hot and smelling like fish, certainly like the lake water. And so he puts on the minimum amount of clothing when he comes out of the water to see Christ. John wants us to see these little connections about Jesus and girding up to serve and Peter girding himself as he goes to see his Lord, his friend and starting to put this thing together. When the disciples had followed Peter to go fishing, they don't follow him to jump in the water. It's about one hundred yards to the shore according to the text. It's a pretty good measurement. Fishermen usually worked in their light undergarments (Gr. chiton, not underwear). Peter evidently put his outer garment (Gr. ependytes) on so when he reached land he would be properly clothed albeit soaking wet. Normally people take unnecessary clothing off before going swimming. Peter's somewhat irrational behavior seems to be another indication of his strong desire to get to Jesus quickly. He was again demonstrating his characteristic extravagant loyalty to his Lord (cf. 20:6). So we have the boat, some think there are two boats, a larger fishing boat and a smaller like dingy type boat. We can't know for sure. Instinctively, he knew that the man on the beach was Jesus. And now that he knew, he told Peter as well. That was all it took for Peter. He tucked in his outer garment and plunged into the sea, swimming to shore to see Jesus. Someone has remarked that what we find here is typical of both Peter and John. John was the first to understand; Peter was the first to act.  We cannot be sure that Peter actually arrived on shore first. One thing does seem certain: Jesus must have personally forgiven and restored Peter on His previous, private meeting with him (see Luke 24:34; 1 Corinthians 15:5). Peter certainly shows no reluctance to see Jesus face to face here! 8 But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. If I were one of the other disciples, I would have been perturbed with Peter for leaving me behind with a full net and an unsecured boat, still several hundred feet from shore. They seem to have learned from the miracle in Luke chapter 5 that it was unwise to try to empty the net full of fish into the boat—since their two boats nearly sank on that occasion. And so they simply drug their bulging nets behind the boat and made their way to shore, with their nets still in the water, teaming with fish. Jesus supplied the original fish and all we have originally comes from the hand of the Lord.  James 1.17  9 Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. John's narrative sort of creates a setting here of a number of things. He mentions a charcoal fire. If you've been with us in the study only one other time in the New Testament do we have the phrase charcoal fire. Do you remember where it is? It was with Peter's denial. Why does John, with an eyewitness touch, mark this little detail of charcoal fire at the denial and now he marks it again. What's about to happen? Peter's restoration. We can almost smell the smoke of the fish and a charcoal fire. First there's a charcoal fire as they're warming themselves and he bitterly denies Christ and breaks down and cries and now there's a charcoal fire with fish on it that Jesus prepares for him. Now they're about to be restored with a threefold question, "Do you love Me, Peter?" There are interesting eyewitness touches that John gives us Jesus was setting the stage for a lesson He was about to teach the disciples and especially Peter. Bread and fish were common staples, but again they recall earlier miracles that Jesus had performed. He had miraculously provided meals for 5,000 and later 4,000 males plus women and children with bread and fish. Notice that He had already provided some fish for them before the disciples got out of their boat and pulled the fish that they had caught to shore. Several things here have parallels in the work of fishing for men. Notice that Jesus supplied the original fish and bread for this breakfast. When the disciples landed, the charcoal fire was already lit, and fish and bread were lying there. This is indicative that all that we have come from the hand of God. We did not provide this world or the food that is in it. We do not provide the opportunities that come our way. Many of them come to us right out of the blue. Behind all of this the hand of God has already been at work. He has already put us in the right place, leading us into situations we could never have designed ourselves. We operate by his grace and according to his efforts. Before His crucifixion, Jesus had served His disciples by washing their feet (13:1-17). Now He continued to serve them as their risen Lord by providing them with a warm fire and breakfast (cf. v. 13). Jesus invites us to labor with them,  Little boy brought his fish and bread, they caught it and hauled it in. The “fire of coals” would certainly remind him of the fire at which he denied the Lord (John 18:18). It is good for us to remember the past; we may have something to confess. 10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have just caught." Even though there was already one fish (Gr. opsarion, singular) on the fire Jesus instructed the disciples to bring some of the fish (plural) that they had caught. He would not provide for their physical needs by multiplying the food miraculously as He had done in the past. Now He would use the product of their labor to satisfy their need. Nevertheless it was clear that their fish had been the result of His miraculous provision. Perhaps this was all symbolic of how Jesus would carry out His mission through His disciples in the future compared with how He had done it during His pre- cross ministry. But notice that Jesus then invites the disciples to bring the fish they have caught. This beautifully suggests the way God works with man. As I read through the Scriptures I am continually astonished at the privilege given us by God of being co-laborers with him. Human labor was involved in almost all of the miracles of Jesus. For instance, our Lord multiplied the bread and fish which the boy had to feed the multitude, but he first sent the disciples searching through the crowd to see what they could supply. The wonder of this is that God, who could easily do it all himself, nevertheless gave them the great privilege of being co-workers with him. What he invites you to do may be a very simple thing. You may have opportunity to share your faith with your neighbors. While that may seem an insignificant thing now, when history has come to an end and we are all gathered on the shore with Jesus this may well become the greatest thing you have ever done. We will see ourselves as tremendously privileged to have worked with God in what he was doing in this world.  11 Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. A spiritual lesson here is that great blessing comes to one's efforts when he follows the Lord's will. Peter either organizes the landing of the fish or he's the one who hauls it in. Now, if you've ever been in the water playing with your children when they're small, you can have two or three of your small children kind of hanging on you and you can still get around the water, right? Because the buoyancy displacement makes them not as heavy as if you were on land. On land you might be able to move a step or two but you sure can't haul them around the water, right? So you envision Peter. They can't get over the gunnel of the ship because it's so heavy, but he can sort of man handle it in the water up to the side and then the disciples would organize the getting of all the fish out before they could slip back into the Sea of Galilee. Why 153 fish? Well it's almost comical, commentators write pages of what the number 153 means. They have spiritualized allegorizations into all kinds of things in the Bible and it's almost comical to read, but unfortunately they happen to believe the stuff they write. I am one hundred percent convinced that it means there were 153 fish. And if you know anything about fishing, what does any good fisherman do? You count your fish. Notice the text says large fish? No one ever says, "I caught 153 little fish.  John tells us it was 153 large fish. Much has been made of the number 153, but it may be enough to note that the author knew the exact number of fish caught, and that it was a great quantity. Such details give credibility to one's testimony, and John certainly provides us with details. There have been many symbolic explanations of the meaning of the 153 fish. One of the more credible of these is as follows. Jesus formerly told His disciples that they would become fishers of men, an obvious metaphor (Mark 1:17). If the fish here represent the converts that Jesus would miraculously provide for His disciples to "catch," perhaps their large number represents many converts and the fact that Jesus is the one who is responsible to bring the converts in to us. Mt 13:47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, 48 "which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. 49 "So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, Mt 25:32 50 "and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth." The fact that the net did not break may symbolize the capability of the gospel to "catch" many people without failing. We are blessed by Laboring with the Lord They have much patience and persistence, and they will not quit. They know how to cooperate with one another, and they are skilled in using the equipment and the boat. What examples for us to follow as we seek to “catch fish” for Jesus Christ! We are indeed “fishers of men,” and there are “fish” all around us. If we obey His directions, we will catch the fish. But the main emphasis in this account is: success cannot occur without the recognition that the power of God is needed. This is not new truth. In Psalm 127 the psalmist said, "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it. Except the Lord guard the city, the watchman watches in vain," (Psalms 127:1 KJV). But it is very common in the church today to see people rely on strictly human methods, with no recognition of the fact that God must supply. Eph 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today. hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32 The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions.

Sejanus gets his comeuppance but not before getting on the bad side of his lover Livilla! On this episode, hosts John Hodgman and Elliott Kalan recap episode seven of I, Claudius, “Reign of Terror.” An Emperor Tiberius -  empowered Sejanus seeks to continue his climb up the Roman social ladder while Claudius argues with his book publisher about elephants! PLUS, we welcome very special Time-Warp guest Patricia Quinn to the show and ask her about her time on I, Claudius as the passionate and enchanting Livilla. Watch along at home and make sure to follow John and Elliott on Twitter for all of their hot takes that couldn’t make it to air.Do you have a an awkward memory of watching I, Claudius as a kid? Share it with us on Reddit!

Scripture for the day: Isaiah 43:1-7 Thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, who formed you, O Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,and the flame shall not consume you.For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.For you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you.Do not fear, for I am with you;I will bring your scattered children from the east, and from the west I will gather you;I will say to the north, "Give back those you have taken away," and to the south, "Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away, my daughters from the end of the earth,every child that was taken from me--everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."   Luke 3:1-17,21-22 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod Antipas was ruler of Galilee, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah while he was in the wilderness. He traveled through all the region around the Jordan River, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:‘Prepare the way of the Lord,make God’s paths straight.Every valley shall be filled,and every mountain and hill shall be made low,and the crooked shall be made level,and the rough ways made smooth;and all people shall see the salvation of God.’” John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We are safe, for we have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God could raise up children of Abraham from these river stones. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” And the crowds asked him, “Then what should we do?” He answered, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.” The people’s hearts were full of expectation, wondering if John might be the Messiah. John answered all of them, saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him, in a physical form that looked like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” ------ You can support Grace Lutheran online at gracenempls.org/donate.

“Waiting & Preparing” Rev. Shawn Hyska First Presbyterian Church in Kensington December 9th, 2018 “Take off the garment of your sorrow and affliction, O Jerusalem, and put on for ever the beauty of the glory from God. Put on the robe of the righteousness that comes from God; put on your head the diadem of the glory of the Everlasting; for God will show your splendour everywhere under heaven. For God will give you evermore the name, ‘Righteous Peace, Godly Glory’. Arise, O Jerusalem, stand upon the height; look towards the east,and see your children gathered from west and east at the word of the Holy One, rejoicing that God has remembered them. For they went out from you on foot, led away by their enemies; but God will bring them back to you, carried in glory, as on a royal throne. For God has ordered that every high mountain and the everlasting hills be made low and the valleys filled up, to make level ground, so that Israel may walk safely in the glory of God. The woods and every fragrant tree have shaded Israel at God’s command. For God will lead Israel with joy, in the light of his glory, with the mercy and righteousness that come from him.” Baruch 5:1-9 “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, ‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” ’Luke 3:1-6

Jamie Howison's sermon for the 2nd Sunday in Advent, on Luke 3:1-18

Luke 3:1-6Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church from the Gospel of Luke:In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God

Second Sunday of Advent. This sermon was given by the Rev. Peter Moore at Greenfield Presbyterian Church, Berkley, MI. Scripture lesson is Luke 3:1-14 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) The Proclamation of John the Baptist 3 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler[a] of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler[b] of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler[c] of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; 6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’” 7 John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 9 Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” 10 And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” 11 In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” 12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 13 He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” 14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.” Footnotes: [a] Luke 3:1 Gk tetrarch [b] Luke 3:1 Gk tetrarch [c] Luke 3:1 Gk tetrarch

Call CCM Podcast @ 615-669-930 Welcome to the Conservative Christian Movement Podcast episode 011 titled "Easter's Lessons in Politics". Today on the Conservative Christian Movement Podcast I’ll give details on  Saul Alinsky’s Tenth rule for Radicals,   We'll see what political lessons we can take from the Easter Story and I’ll begin talking about Johnson Amendment in depth.  I’ll find more examples of liberal melt downs.  Show Notes for this episode can be found at CCMPodcast.com.   Thank you for joining in, without any more Introductions, let's get started. The verse of the day: Proverbs 12:17 New International Version (NIV) "An honest witness tells the truth, but a false witness tells lies." I can't tell you how many people have asked me about the Johnson Amendment.  It's an important topic, one which demands exacting research.  It is also quite powerful.  It is a greatly divisive topic.  Proverbs 12:17 tells us there are witnesses who tell truth and those who tell lies.  Often, lies are shaded with partial truth, or nuggets of lies scattered among facts.  Only YOU can define what is factually accurate and what is not.  My aim with this podcast is not to cast out my opinion, but to help YOU to know how to sort it out and come to your own conclusion. The Tenth Rule for Radicals— The tenth rule: The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition. It is this unceasing pressure that results in the reactions from the opposition that are essential for the success of the campaign. Just watch the news.  How long did we hear about Russia?  Email Server?  The stained dress?  How about then Presidential Candidate Trump's tax returns.  Each received an absolute bombardment of coverage in the main stream media-- on both sides of the aisle.  The difference may only be in the fury of news coverage between left and right, when it comes to the ideology of the candidates of which the news is speaking.  Fox News, and their Fair and Balanced claim is largely ceremonial, though they do hit President Trump frequently, mostly over tweets. The key here is that we as Christians do not need to resort to low blows or innuendo.  There are enough facts to share which make your point.  In the days of 24 hour news, there are not enough facts to fill the time.  As a result, you end up with, as I've mentioned before, beyond a couple of sentences worth of news, you get innuendo, opinion and sometimes made up points-- sometimes lies. Rarely in the news cycle do you find a story full of only documented facts.  I spoke of this in my episode "Honesty Please" available at www.ccmpodcast.com.  Your job as a Christian voter is to recognize how much  of a news story is actually true and how much of it goes beyond sourced information considered factual.  When candidates are being pummeled with such stories, you can almost certainly bet there is money behind the attacks. Political Lessons from the Easter Story. Nearly two thousand years ago, Jesus walked this earth, the Son of God, accepted by some, rejected by others.  He did good works for those in need, spoke of God and our soon to be home in Heaven.  There is much more to the story than that, but for the purposes of this episode, I'll focus on the politics involved with the crucifixion and put aside the Biblical plan set in motion upon the birth of Jesus and Bethlehem. Jesus was tried by the government officials, in this case Pilate, the Prefect (or Governor) over Judaea, under powers granted by Emperor Tiberius .  The "Religious people", some who felt threatened by what Jesus represented-- a loss of power in the church wanted Jesus crucified. Weak politicians will often say one thing and do another.  Some may use Christianity as a business card to garner support from you, the Christian voter.  I happen to take a person at his word but hold them accountable when their promises outweigh their results.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+27:11-26 (Matthew 27:11-26) Five hundred years ago, Martin Luther nailed the Ninety-five Theses to the Wittenberg church door in Germany setting in motion a series of events we now call the Protestant Reformation. The prominent themes accompanying that period are Grace Alone, Word (of God) Alone, Christ Alone, and Faith Alone. I'd like to look again at those significant themes by re-examining the trial of Jesus before Pilate. Have you ever served as a juror? I served once for a man who'd been arrested for drug possession with intent to deliver. The prosecution had lots of evidence establishing the man's guilt, but the defense attorney over and over said, “Do you have a conviction beyond a reasonable doubt?” I, as a member of the jury, had to decide whether the man was guilty or innocent, whether he deserved punishment legally or whether he should be set free. There is a sense in which every time we hear the message of Jesus Christ or the story of Jesus on trial, we become jurors. We decide what the evidence tells us who Jesus is. What does Pilate say about Jesus in the story? What does Pilate's wife, Claudia, say about Jesus. And what do you say? Historians tell us Pilate did not have a wealthy upbringing. He was middle-class. He served in the Roman army in Germany and then married into the family connected to the Emperor Tiberius. Because of this connection with the man on the top, Pilate was given a position that would never have been given to him any other way. In AD 26 on the recommendation of Sejanus, Tiberius's right-hand man, Pilate was appointed governor of Judea. That is nepotism at its strongest – a man appointed to a position of authority simply because he knows the right people. In Judea, being governor carried a lot of responsibility. As the Roman procurator, he was responsible for maintaining law and order and peace in the region. Pilate's normal headquarters were in Caesarea, but during the Jewish Passover tensions often ran high. So Pilate was in Jerusalem to maintain law and order. Hence, when Jesus was brought before him for trial, it was in the city of Jerusalem. Pilate, we are told, was a tactless, stubborn, and ruthless governor. He thought that because he had power and authority, he could bully the people to enforce his will. He exploited them for personal gain and manipulated them for political advantage. For example, the city of Jerusalem needed a water supply, which was always a problem. So Pilate constructed an aqueduct, a channel to bring water into the city. He concluded that because it benefitted the Jews, he would use the Temple treasury to pay for it. As you can imagine, the people were very indignant that Pilate would steal from the holy money of the Temple treasury to pay for the aqueduct, so they rebelled and rioted. Pilate sent his own people into the crowd wearing plainclothes and carrying clubs and daggers. At an appropriate signal, they turned on the people, clubbing and stabbing them. Many were killed that day. That's why in Luke 13:1 it speaks of the Galileans whose blood Pilate mingled with their sacrifices. Pilate was not a kind governor. He was ruthless. On this trial day, Jesus is brought before Pilate, and they have a conversation about the charge made of Jesus being king of the Jews. “Are you a king?” Pilate asks. Jesus has an unusual response. “You say that I am,” or “You have said I am.” Could it be, in the manner with which Pilate was going to treat Jesus, that he was saying he was King because he was fulfilling the prophecy of the crucified Messiah, or did Pilate actually believe Jesus was a king of sorts? Remember the sign over Jesus' head when He was executed on the cross. A sign always told the crime for which the person was being put to death. It read, THE KING OF THE JEWS. The Jewish leaders came to Pilate and said, “Don't say ‘The King of the Jews,' say, ‘He claimed to be the King of the Jews.'” But Pilate...

I. Introduction For almost all of my Christian life, I've been drawn like a moth to a flame to accounts of the persecuted church. Very early in my Christian life, when I was still a student at MIT, I began to read accounts of the trail of blood that has led from Jerusalem through Judea and Samaria, and now for 20 centuries to the ends of the earth to advance the Kingdom of Christ. I have been transfixed by accounts of courageous brothers and sisters who faced the rage and might of one Roman emperor after another and who, with unflinching courage, testified to their faith in Jesus as Lord of heaven and earth, crucified and resurrected, who holds the keys of death and the grave. I have delighted in stories of these persecuted brothers and sisters. I have shared many of them from this pulpit. I remember sharing some years ago the story of the Roman noble woman, Felicitas, who stood on trial for her life before a hostile Roman judge and she said, “While I live I shall defeat you and if you kill me, in my death I shall defeat you even more.” To think that she is my sister in Christ, that I actually get to be part of the same family of God with a woman like that. I have heard of 40 shivering Roman soldiers who, in the year 320, were members of the famed 12th Legion, called the Legion of Thunder, who were stripped naked and left to die in a frozen lake in Sebastia, in the modern day Turkey, because of their profession of faith in Christ. I have heard, as most of us have of Tertullian’s famous statement, “The blood of martyrs is seed for the church.” That is his version of “While we live we shall defeat you and if you kill us, in our death we shall defeat you even more.” I have yearned for these stories, to read about these martyrs and to drink in their faith, and their boldness, and their powerful testimony to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. They have utter disregard, it seems, for personal safety and unconcern for their own suffering and death. One story in particular that moved me came from the Romanian church from the era of Communist oppression under Ceaușescu. A Romanian pastor was arrested and dragged into a filthy, dark prison to be tortured until he should renounce his faith in Christ and surrender the names of all the Christians in their city, which he refused to do. Despite the savage beatings they gave him day and night, he would not surrender his brothers and sisters in Christ, and he certainly would not surrender his faith in Christ. When they saw that he would never yield, they sadistically took a different tactic, arresting and bringing his teenage son into the torture chamber with him. When the pastor saw his son, he became terrified in a way that he had not been in all the weeks that they had been beating him. They screamed that they would beat his son before his eyes until he renounce Christ and betrayed his fellow Christians. When they began their savage beating, the pastor began to waver. He begged them to stop, but like wolves seeing blood on the snow, they became more motivated and more enraged and more vicious. The son was clearly being beaten to his death. The man could bear it no longer and cried out for them to stop, saying he would give them whatever they wanted. Upon hearing this, the son begged him with the little strength he still had left, “I’m ready to die and be with Jesus. Please don't make me the son of a traitor.” This gave the father strength to endure; though the son was beaten to death, the father did not renounce his faith in Christ or surrender his brothers and sisters in Christ. These stories sparkle like diamonds scattered along the trail of redemptive history. They give us hope, they give us power, they give us conviction and shame for sin. It is hard, I think, for us as healthy Christians to read these and compare it with our own levels of boldness and willingness to suffer, and not to feel a sense of conviction and shame. But in a healthy way, they make us want to be more bold, more faithful, with the short time that we have left. They make us want to suffer for Jesus more than we have ever done before, if He would grant us the privilege. These stories have flowed right down to the present day and they are going on right now in the world around us; we know more and more about the persecuted church. Knowing that I was going to preach on this small persecuted church of Smyrna, I have been saturating myself in these accounts over the last number of weeks. I have been reading books like Extreme Devotion, which is the sequel to an earlier book called Jesus Freaks which was put out as a very powerful account of martyrs dating back to the beginning of the church. I have read portions of a book called By their Blood, which is account of 20th century martyrs for Christ organized geographically around the world. Last night, at about 11:30, I finished watching Nik Ripken's documentary called “The Insanity of God”. Nik Ripken is an amazing man. After he and his wife lost their son to disease while on a mission field — it was not a case of persecution but definitely they would have had better medical care if they hadn't gone on the mission field — and he died. Ripken reached a certain crisis of his own faith and began asking the question, “Is it all real?” He asked not from a doctrinal but experiential standpoint — is Christianity real? Is Christ risen from the dead with transforming powers, that are at work now in lives around the world. In his quest, he was drawn to the persecuted church; he felt a right instinct that he would get the answer there and his quest has led him all over the world. It began with an opportunity to go with the Red Cross to Somalia for a month. The bloody streets of anarchy in that dark country, country, he said, was the closest place to hell he had ever been on earth or probably ever would be. The terror was real as aggressive Muslim warlords unleashed young men, teenage warriors, with vehicles that had machine guns welded to the roofs, and they just scattered terror everywhere they went. Everyone was terrified of these people but especially Christians, whom they specifically targeted for death. Ripken met a group of significant Somalian evangelical church leaders, and they befriended each other. They opened themselves up to him — they prayed together and shared communion. He said that they were partaking in communion as if it were their last supper, which turned out to be the case, since over the next year all of them were dead. Ripken moved on in his search to Russia, where he began interviewing church leaders who had suffered bitter persecution in prison by the KGB during the era of the Soviet Union. One man had been arrested for pastoring a secret church, which got a little too large — in persecuted countries you're not looking for a mega church. They stay small, because once it gets to a certain level it will attract the attention of the state apparatus, and that is what happened to him. He was arrested, thrown in prison — a very severe prison, the kind reserved for the worst criminal elements in Russia. He was beaten again and again by the guards. But every morning when he woke up, he would stand and sing in his cell — what Ripken called his heart song, a Russian hymn that was his favorite. He would sing the same one every morning, in a loud voice, bringing jeers and derision from these hardened criminals. They would try to throw things at them and yell at him — they were rejecting him — but he would sing this song every morning. One day, the prison guards found a significant portion of scripture in his cell, and they dragged him out, clearly intending to beat him to his death at a post in the courtyard, where these kinds of things happen all the time. At that point something amazing happened. All of these male prisoners, 1500 of them, stood up in their cells and began singing the song he had been singing for months, in a united voice. The guards let go of this pastor and looked at him wondering and asking, “Who are you? What kind of man are you?” like he had electric shock on him. And he said, “I am a Christian, I am a son of the living God.” Ripken's travels took him to China, where he was led into the secret assembly of house church leaders — the church in China knows all about vicious persecution at the hands of Communist government leaders. 40% of the leaders of the house churches in China have been imprisoned at least three years. They call it their seminary. That is where they go to learn to be pastors. The church in China, though, has thrived in persecution. The Communists took over in 1948 and expelled western missionaries, and estimates put the size of the Protestant in church in China at somewhere between 400,000 to 700,000 people. In 1983, when China began to open again to the west, Christian leaders in the west wondered if there would be any Christians at all in China. Imagine the stunned surprise of the evangelical world to find out estimates at that point were well over 10 million believers in Christ. Now, the number stands at 10 times that — maybe over a hundred million evangelical believers in China — so the church has flourished in persecution. Ripken interviewed these house church leaders, and they peppered him with questions about the rest of the world. They honestly wanted to know if the story of Jesus had made it to any other country, or was it it just in China? That was the level of their ignorance of what was going on around the world. They were delighted to find out that there were Christians in other countries, delighted to find out that it extended to places all over the earth, but they asked, are any of them being persecuted as we are? So Ripken started telling the stories that he had already been developing, especially in Somalia, and they sat there for two hours, listening to his stories about Somalia and other places, like they were statues carved from stone; they didn't move, like they were hardly breathing. The next morning, he was awakened to the sound of people crying out, and he thought the police had found them and were dragging them out, but discovered that they were all praying, with their hands lifted up, praying fervently. He couldn't understand any of the Mandarin that they were speaking, but he heard this one word over and over: “Somalia, Somalia, Somalia.” He found out from his translator that they were so moved by the stories of persecution in Somalia that they had committed to get up one hour earlier than they are already were getting up to pray for the persecuted church in Somalia and around the world for the rest of their lives. They began that morning. The final story that Ripken zeroed in on was a man that he called the “toughest man I have ever met.” He would not say where this man was from. But they showed a map of central Asia and right in the center was Afghanistan more lit up than the other countries around. He said that this man had fought with other Muslim warriors in his country against an invading army that had come in. It was not hard to figure out that he was talking about the Russians who had invaded. This man was a Mujahideen leader who would led a cadre of fighters in the mountains of Afghanistan in the name of Allah. He stopped counting the number of soldiers he'd killed with his own hands, bloody deaths, at 150, probably many more than that. In the years that followed that war, he had recurring nightmares of his hands soaked in blood. In his nightmare, he was trying to wash his hands and he could never get the blood off no matter what he did. He tried scrubbing his hands with sand. Nothing would change. And then it got even worse. He started having visions during the day of his hands bloody, all the time. Then one night he had a different dream. And it was a dream of a man radiant in white, radiant in light with nail marks in His hands, in His feet, and wound in His side and scars on His forehead. And He said, “I am Isa,” which is Arabic for Jesus. “I am the Messiah and if you search for me, you will find me. I am the only one who can remove the blood from your hands.” There were no missionaries and no Christians in that country, nowhere to turn, but scraps of the gospel message got to him sufficiently. He did come to Christ, and then he felt strongly led by Christ to start reaching out to the former warriors, who were now fighting a different war. He went into the mountains and found some of the soldiers that used to fight with him. But when they emptied his backpack and found Bibles in there, they immediately started to beat him and were ready to kill him right there on the spot. What he didn't know was one of them had come to a secret faith in Christ like Nicodemus, and he spoke up for this man and saved his life. He got him out of there on the pretext of saying, “We can trace his contacts, who is getting him the Arabic Bibles. Then we can get them all.” When they considered that, they let him go. This man is now continuing his evangelistic ministry in the mountains of his country. Ripken’s final and main point in his documentary, “The Insanity of God”, is this: the gospel continues to be authenticated, proven to be true by what people are willing to suffer for Christ. II. Christ Sets Up the Suffering Church As we come to Revelation 2:8-11, we come to an account of a suffering church, the church of Smyrna. I think to some degree, Jesus’ letter to that church stands in front of all Christians for all time. Effectively, Jesus is asking, “What am I worth to you? What are you willing to suffer to take my gospel message to people who are not yet converted?” What are we willing to suffer to witness to this resurrecting power? Jesus said very plainly in John 12:24, “Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it [brings forth much fruit].” Godly men and women, boys and girls from the beginning of the church have been willing to pay the price to advance the gospel from the era of the Roman persecution right on to our present day. This church in Smyrna was one of the earliest example of a church crushed by Rome — crushed by the devil, crushed by false Jews who claimed to be Jews, but really weren't because they were rejecting Christ and were of the “Synagogue of Satan.” One of the sweetest fragrances in the ancient world was myrrh. Of course you have heard of it — it was used for burials and was stunningly costly. It was present at both Jesus’ birth — one of the gifts of the Magi — and at His death, when He was wrapped up in those grave clothes. The word “smyrna” is used in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, to refer to the Hebrew word “myrrh.” Myrrh is a resinous substance, a natural gum that bleeds from the myrrh tree when it's sliced, wounded. People harvesting myrrh slice wounds in the branches, and allow the sap to bleed out. After it bleeds out, then it immediately becomes hard and glossy and forms itself in these sticky balls. Then those gummy balls of myrrh are crushed or burned to release the fragrant aroma. This is an apt picture of a small faithful church in Smyrna: a beautiful living parable of the suffering church throughout history. The church is wounded, it bleeds, it is crushed, it is burned, and it gives off this beautiful fragrance for the glory of God. God uses these sufferings and this incredible fragrance to purify His church and to advance it, to make progress in the internal journey of holiness and the external journey of gospel advance. He does it by suffering. It seems a paradox but the more the church is persecuted in this world the purer and stronger it becomes. It is a lesson that we who are so used to a comfortable relationship with the surrounding world in 21st century America would do well to take to heart. In this brief letter from Jesus Christ to Smyrna there is not a single word of criticism of the church. There is only a command to be faithful unto death and many encouragements from Christ. None of this was an accident. To some degree Christ is always putting His churches on display. Remember the image from Revelation 1 when Jesus is moving through the seven golden lamp stands: He is in His priestly robe, ministering to these seven churches, which are on lamp stands on a platform. In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven.” Jesus set the church at Smyrna up on a pedestal and put it on display. He wants everyone to see them, not just their surrounding neighbors, and not even just their own generation. The Holy Spirit authored this letter and gave it to us, and we are told “He who has an ear, let him hear” what the Spirit says to the churches. Their testimonies echo through 20 centuries of church history and encourage us today. The suffering of that local church or any local church is never an accident. It does not mean that Christ has lost His power or that He does not love that church anymore. It does not mean that Satan has outwitted Him or outflanked Him on the battlefield. Not at all. Christ was intentionally setting Smyrna up on a pedestal to shine in that region. What was then the city of Smyrna is now called Izmir. I have a good friend who ministered in Izmir. He will be preaching to you on Easter Sunday when I will be in Cameroon. He has been faithful there in Izmir, and many other are witnessing in that area as well. It is five miles up the coast and due north from Ephesus. It is an ancient city, established perhaps as early as 3000 BC. Smyrna had long been a staunch, loyal ally of Rome. They even won a contest in that area to build a temple to the Emperor Tiberius in the year AD 25, so their loyalty to Caesar was a matter of both civic pride and prosperity. They were very loyal to the cult of Rome there in Smyrna. It was a beautiful place located right on the coast; a great port. We have no idea how the church in Smyrna was planted, no record of it in the book of Acts, but in Acts 19 it says, “The entire region of Asia Minor heard the word of God,” from Paul’s ministry in Ephesus. That is probably where it came from. Now look at versus 8-9. It says, “To the angel of the church in Smyrna, write: These are the words of Him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again: ‘I know your afflictions and your poverty — yet you are rich!’” The word for “afflictions” here in the original language means “pressure,” literally crushed. Jesus begins his letter here to them by speaking of their afflictions. This is their time of testing, and it will get worse. What are the reasons for these afflictions? First and foremost, their commitment to Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords; second, their refusal to submit to the fanatic cult of Rome and to burn incense to Caesar; third, the presence of this “Synagogue of Satan” which we will talk about in a moment — Jews there were slandering Him and persecuting Him and that is why they were having trouble. Here we see a major theme which will carry throughout the book of Revelation, not just here in the letters to the seven churches — Christ and Caesar, the battle between Christ and Rome. The battle is joined vigorously at this point. Things had gotten much worse when the Emperor Domitian had declared it to be a capital offense in Asia Minor to refuse to offer the annual sacrifice of incense to the Emperor. This burning of incense to the Emperor was a declaration of open loyalty to Rome. He demanded it of all the citizens of that region in the world. They went to a specific temple to be observed burning a small pinch of incense while saying, “Caesar is Lord,” and then received a certificate. If they did not have that certificate they were liable to punishments, even to the point of death. Obviously, this was the essence of the affliction that Smyrna faced, for their loyalty to King Jesus would not allow them to worship Caesar as a God or say the slogan, “Caesar is Lord.” They said instead, “No Jesus is Lord.” So it came down to a simple choice, Christ or Caesar, and they would not yield. Caesar threatened physical death, but Jesus (ultimately God) threatens eternal death and hell. We are told in several places in the Gospels, “Do not fear those who kill the body and after that have nothing more they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who has the power to destroy both soul and body in hell. Yes I tell you fear him.” To burn the incense, all that was required was to say, “Caesar is Lord”, but Christians could never do that, they could not violate their faith. They would only say, “Jesus is Lord.” This brought them into great affliction. The surrounding citizens would see this as a disgraceful lack of patriotism which, if it went unchecked, could threaten the city's special relationship with Rome. Along with this, as I've mentioned, is Jewish opposition to the gospel. There was, as Jesus said, here “a synagogue of Satan.” In verse 9, He says, “I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not but are a synagogue of Satan.” The Jews as a group had been given an exemption from needing to burn the incense to Caesar. The Jews exploited their privilege and used it against this hated sect of the “Nazarenes,” as they called Christians. They curried favor with the Gentile overlords by luring the Christians into the temptation to deny their faith in Christ, whereupon they would have them in one sense. But if they refused to burn then they would turn them in to the authorities. They would speak about it, hence the word “slander.” Jewish hostility to the Gospel happened in Jesus’ lifetime. The Gospel of John in particular makes it plain that Jesus dealt with Jewish leaders who rejected his claim to be the Messiah, the Son of God. They would not believe in Him and so He was rejected by His own people. “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” We see it also in Paul’s life and ministry, in the book of Acts — everywhere, it seemed, Paul went, he faced this. He went first to the Jews, to the synagogue, then there would be division. The Jews would start kicking up trouble for Paul and eventually would get him expelled from the city; if not, they were trying to get him killed. Some Jews even took a vow of starving themselves until they could murder Paul — that was the level of commitment they had. This Jewish opposition to the Gospel spread way into the second century AD and even beyond in terms of Smyrna, for when their godly leader Polycarp was burned at the stake, it was the Jews who were the most eager to gather the wood for the burning. Four Specific Trials: Poverty Jesus mentions four specific trials for the church at Smyrna: poverty, slander, prison and death. First, he mentions poverty. Look at verse 9: “I know your poverty,” He says. Undoubtedly this refers to economic poverty that came on them because they were Christians. Even during Jesus’ lifetime, the Jewish authorities had said that if anyone said that Jesus was the Messiah he would be put out of the synagogue. What that meant was disconnection from society. They probably then could not buy or sell or make a living and so it became immediately difficult to live in that situation. The same mentality, then, must have gone on in the Gentile world. Those who did not play ball or do the pagan thing the way that their other Gentile neighbors did would be ostracized. They would not be able to make a living. Beyond this, the persecution would impoverish them — being arrested and put in prison, they could not make money and became a drain at that point. As it says in Hebrews chapter 10 about some other persecuted Christians,“You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.” So that's the nature of their poverty because they were Christians they were poor. Slander Second, slander: Jesus said, “I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a Synagogue of Satan.” The word “slander” has to do with a false accusation. The Jews were turning the Christians in, providing their names to the authorities and that is how they knew whom to arrest. They were doing the work of the devil. The word “satan” means, in Hebrew, accuser; the Jews were doing that accusing work. Also, Satan is a liar and the father of lies. Prison Third, we have prison. He says in verse 10, “I tell you the devil will put some of you in prison to test you and you will suffer affliction for 10 days.” They lost their freedom as a result of these slanders. They were put in Roman prisons, which were horrible places — they were dark, they stank, there was no food, no water, no medical treatment, nothing. It was horrible. There was no habeas corpus — the authorities did not need to give any probable cause for incarcerating them. There was no requirement for a speedy trial, There was no possibility of a bond that would let them out until a trial happened. In many cases they were thrown in jail; in effect the jailers threw away the key and forgot about their prisoners. They may not have executed them but effectively their lives were over. Death Finally death: He says in verse 10, “Be faithful even to death and I will give you the crown of life.” Often throughout the history of the early church, death at the hands of legal authorities was common. “The blood of martyrs is seed for the church.” Christians died so that others might spring up from their bloody witness. We will see this later in Revelation 12:11. The Christians — courageous bold Christians — overcame Satan “by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” Probably the most famous story of a martyr in the ancient world was that of Polycarp. Polycarp was the bishop (or overseer or elder) of the church there in Smyrna. Church tradition says that he had been discipled by the Apostle John. By the year 156 AD, he was a very old man. He was arrested. He had fled the city at the begging of his church. They did not want him to be arrested, though he was perfectly willing. But he complied and went out of the city. However, his pursuers tracked him down and found him, and he made no effort to flee at that point. In fact, he invited his captors in for a meal — showed them hospitality, fed them, gave them drink — and asked if he might have some time to pray. They granted it to him and he prayed for two hours. Those were some patient guards. As a matter of fact they were very favorably disposed toward him. The entire time that they drove him to the amphitheater they were pleading with him to recant. They wanted to save his life — he had a great reputation in that community. He was pulled up in front of the proconsul in the amphitheater, who said, “Respect your years, swear by Caesar, burn the incense, revile Christ and I'll set you free.” Polycarp said very famously, “For 86 years I have served Him and he has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my king who saved me?” It is one of the most famous statements ever made by a martyr. The proconsul said, “I have wild beasts.” Polycarp said, “Bring them. You get to choose how I die, I'm going to die today.” The proconsul replied, “If you disdain the beasts I will burn you with fire.” Polycarp said, “You threaten a fire that burns for a little while then it is extinguished, but God threatens a fire that burns forever. But what are you waiting for?” So immediately the trial was over, and the proconsul ordered him to be burned. He refused to be fastened to the stake but instead prayed, “Oh Lord Almighty God, the Father of your beloved Son Jesus Christ, through whom we have come to know you, I thank you for counting me worthy this day an hour of sharing in the cup of Christ among the number of your martyrs.” The fire was lit but a gust of wind blew the flame away from him, greatly increasing his torture, whereupon a sympathetic guard ran him through with a sword and ended his life. A Timeless Call from Christ to Suffer for Him This is the kind of witness that Christ was calling on Christians to make there in Smyrna, and indeed, around the world. This is really a timeless call from Christ to suffer for Him. Look at verse 10: “Be faithful, be faithful to me. Keep your promise to me.” “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you crown of life.” Suffering is foundational to our Christian faith. We talk about the internal journey of holiness and the external journey of gospel advance. Neither one happens without suffering. It is impossible to make any progress in holiness and any progress in spreading the gospel without suffering. “Unless a kernel of wheat falls in the ground and dies it remains a single seed. If it dies it brings forth much fruit.” A Mark of a True Church This is the mark, therefore, of a true church. The more faithful a church is, the more likely it will be to suffer persecution. In the parable of the seed in the soils, the rocky soil hears the word, receives it with joy — has a happy initial reaction to the gospel — but when trouble or persecution because of the word comes they quickly fall away. A church made up of cowards is no church at all. Our Temptation to Compromise Here in America, we are overwhelmingly tempted to compromise. What about us? How is the church in America? How is the church in Durham? How is this church, First Baptist Church in Durham, on this? Christianity is becoming increasingly unpopular in the United States. I am sure you have noticed. Our views on the exclusivity of Christ being the only way of salvation seems to be incredibly arrogant to people. Our views on gay marriage and transgenderism are seen ironically to be sick, mentally ill, and hateful. Our views on the inerrancy of scripture is laughable in the light of science’s advances. Our views on sexual purity, the unlawfulness of all sex outside marriage is seen to be prudish, and outmoded, and ridiculous. Our commitment to life contrary to abortion and euthanasia seems to make us hateful to the freedom of women to make choices and the freedom of others to die with dignity. The list goes on and on. We are under constant assault towards sin and compromise. The biggest question is, will we be faithful to share Christ with lost people? All these other issues are small compared to that. Are we willing to speak up to a lost person and say something about Jesus this week? We seem to be ashamed of Christ. In Mark 8:38, Jesus said, “If anyone is ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, will the Son of man be ashamed when he comes in His Father's glory with the angels?” III. Christ Comforts the Suffering Church Christ’s Clear Command to Smyrna Christ gives comfort to his suffering church. Look what he says in verse 10. He gives them a clear command, “Do not be afraid of what you're about to suffer. I tell you the devil will put some of you in prison to test you and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful even to the point of death and I will give you the crown of life.” Jesus is saying, in effect, “Be willing to die for me. Be faithful even if they're killing you.” This is the hardest command, I think, Jesus could ever give. “Greater love has no one than this: that he lay down his life for his friends.” Jesus is saying, “I’m asking greatest love of you, that you lay down your life for me if called to do it.” I believe this command is timeless, not just for this church at Smyrna, but for all of us. He says, “Do not be afraid of what you're about to suffer.” Faith and fear are frequently juxtaposed as opposites in the New Testament. Faith drives out fear. Do not fear and think about this, what you are about to suffer but have not been begun yet. And think about that. A suffering that has not come yet but is coming — that is fearful, is it not? It is the kind of thing we fear. “Sometime this week you will suffer greatly. Don't know when.” How would you go on? But don't be afraid of what you're about to suffer. Faith Drives Out Fear…the Stronger Our Faith, the Bolder We Become You know that the devil wants to harm you. Others have already been thrown in prison. The devil is coming after you. Your fears of the unknown rise and take your imagination to high levels. You start to have trouble breathing, and you break out and sweat, and you start being anxious. Do not do that, do not be afraid. Psalm 56:3-4 says, “When I am afraid, I will trust in you, I will trust in you. In God whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?” The strongest words in the Bible on this are found in Isaiah 8, which tells us to fear God more than we fear anything man can do. Isaiah 8:12-14 says, “Do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, He is the one you are to fear, He is the one you are to dread, and he will be a sanctuary for you.” So the more we see the invisible, eternal, majestic enthroned God, the less we will be afraid of people. Ultimately we need to focus on Christ above all. Look what he says about himself at verse 80: “These are the words of him who is the first and the last.” It is a claim to deity. Focus on Christ Above All: Christ is the Eternal God Jesus is saying, “I am the point of history. I am the beginning of history, I'll be the last of history.” It is the very thing God the Father had claimed in Revelation 1:8, when he said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega.” Jesus is claiming deity. He is the first and the last and nothing can stop his purposes from happening. The flow of history will go on and nothing will stop it. And also as the first and the last, he's the same, as it says in Hebrews 13:8, “The same yesterday and today and forever.” Focus on the timeless unchanging Jesus. Christ is the Death Conqueror Verse 8 says, “These are the words of him who is the First and the Last who died and came to life again.” He is the death conqueror. “I hold the keys of death and Hades.” I love that. He said, “I died and behold, I'm alive.” Isn't that beautiful? “Behold. Just look at me I'm alive. What are you afraid of?” “I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in me will live even though he dies. And whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” Hebrews 2 says, “He died, so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death — that is the devil — and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” We are set free from fear of death, or should be. So what are we afraid of? Some years ago I preached an Easter message from Hebrews 2. I gave a series of quotes of saints about death and how we need to fear nothing at all. Spurgeon said this, “For these saints, to die has been so different a thing from what they expected it to be, so lightsome, so joyous; they have been so unloaded of all care, have felt so relieved instead of burden, that they have wondered whether this could be the monster that they had been afraid of all their days. They find it a pin's prick, when they feared it would be a sword thrust; it is the shutting of the eye on earth, and the opening of it in heaven.” Thomas Goodwin, Puritan pastor said, “Ah! Is this dying? This? How have I dreaded as an enemy this smiling friend?” William Preston said, “Blessed be God! Though I shall change my place, I shall not change my company.” Charles Wesley said, “I shall be satisfied with thy likeness… satisfied, satisfied!” He said that over and over — that is a good way to die. Adoniram Judson, who suffered more than we can possibly imagine in the spread of the gospel, was sick with the illness that would take him out of this world. He said, “I am not tired of my work, neither am I tired of the world; yet when Christ calls me home, I shall go with the gladness of a boy bounding away from school.” William Everett simply said, “Glory… Glory… Glory…” for 25 minutes, until he was finally out of this world. Christ has the power to free us from the fear of death. Christ Knows Our Suffering in Detail He knows our suffering in detail. He says to the church in Smyrna, “I know.” “I know your afflictions, your poverty. I know the slander of the Jews.” “[I am] close to the broken hearted and I save those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). “I am acutely aware of how many tears you have wept in prison or for those in prison.” Psalm 56:8 says, “You have kept count of my tossing. You put my tears in your bottle. Are they not written in your book?” “I am very aware of what you're going through. Christ is Sovereign Over Our Sufferings Not only is Christ aware of our sufferings, he orchestrated them. He is not saying, “Oh, you're suffering. Well, let's make the best of it.” He orchestrates the afflictions of his people to put them on display, and he controls them. Look at verse 10: “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you … for 10 days.” It is measured, who gets put in prison and how long they will suffer. “Some of you will go in prison, not all of you, and it will be a narrow time, ten days.” Not literally 10, I don't think but just a very short amount of time. 1 Corinthians 10:13 “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” Christ is Purposeful in Our Sufferings Christ will not allow the devil to do more than God in Christ wills, and He is purposeful in our sufferings. “He [Satan] will put you in prison, it says to test you.” In Luke 22, Jesus says, “Simon Simon, Satan has asked to sift you [all of them] as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” And so these trials, 1 Peter 1, “have come so that your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes, though refined by fire — may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” Praise, glory, and honor for yourself, yes (Romans 2), but also praise, glory and honor for Jesus for saving you; and also for other people who are saved when they watch how you suffer. IV. Christ’s Rewards for the Suffering Church Temporarily Poor, Yet Eternally Rich Christ has rewards for the suffering church. He says in verse 9, “I know your afflictions and your poverty — yet you are rich!” Isn't that beautiful? You appear poor, but you are actually rich. Later he will say to the church at Laodicea, “You appear rich. You are actually destitute.” To this suffering church, Jesus is clearly referring to the inestimable treasure waiting for these martyrs when they get to heaven. Heavenly treasure. What is the essence of that treasure? Rewards from God, which I believe is praise from God. Meditate on that — praise from God! He will praise you. He will honor you. He will say, “Well, done you good and faithful servant, you are faithful unto death.” He will praise you. And he talked about this crown: “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” It is an emblem of achievement and of honor. “You will not be hurt at all by the second death, which is hell. You are not going to go to hell; you will be freed from that. You will go to heaven, and I will give you emblems of honor, and you will take those crowns and put them at my feet, and you will give me full credit for all of your honor and glory, but it will be yours to give because I will give it to you. I will give you a crown of life.” I do not believe all Christians will be equally honored in heaven. Not at all. If I keep on living the kind of life that I am living right now, I will not receive these kinds of honors. Church history is filled with people who have suffered far more than me or most of you. Remember John and James said, “Grant that we may sit at your right and your left in your kingdom.” That is a bold thing to ask: "I want to sit right next to you in your kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “You do not know what you're asking. Can you drink from the cup I am going to drink?” We see how it is linked to suffering: the more we suffer, the more honor. The brothers and sisters who suffer the most will be honored the most — but we will all be perfectly happy in heaven. Perfectly happy, but not equally honored. Thus Jesus said, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” V. Applications Trust in Christ for the Forgiveness of Your Sins Here are some applications beyond the ones I have already given. The first and greatest has to be to make an appeal directly to any of you who are outside of Christ, non-Christians who are here today. These letters to the seven churches were written from Jesus to Christians, and so as I said last week, and I will continue saying, if you are not a Christian you are listening into somebody else's mail. But it could be yours if you will just repent and trust Christ. God sent his son into the world to live a sinless life and to die an atoning death on the cross that you and me, sinners like us can be forgiven. Remember that man, that had that blood on his hands, he couldn't get it off. Jesus can cleanse us and purify us of all our sins, so trust in Christ. Understand the Main Message Here: In this World You Will Be Hated Second, understand the main message here: In this world you will have trouble, but take heart and overcome the world through faith in Christ. The more courageously and boldly we testify to Christ, the more the gospel advances. James Merritt, a pastor in Georgia and president of the southern Baptist convention, said this a number of years ago: “90% of evangelical Christians in America, who are effectively born in the church, raised in the church, married in the church, living in the church, raise their family in the church, get old in the church and die in the church. 90% of them never open their mouths and say anything to a lost person about Jesus.” 90%. The Chinese Christians, when asked in Ripken's documentary about remaining silent in the face of persecution, said they believe that when you are being persecuted and opposed and you remain silent and choose not to say anything about Jesus, you have identified with the persecutors. It is light and darkness, good and evil, life and death. You have associated with the enemies. If you are silent, you need to speak. Learn About and Pray for the Persecuted Church Third, learn about and pray for the persecuted church. Remember the Chinese Christians, who added one hour a day praying for the persecuted church in Somalia. It says in Hebrews 13:3, “Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” Study about the persecuted church. Read Extreme Devotion or Jesus Freaks; or get “The Insanity of God,” this DVD and watch it. Learn about Voice of the Martyrs and Persecution Project, and other groups that are putting the persecuted church more in focus to make people more and more aware. Learn about what is going on in the world. The worst persecuting nation on earth is North Korea, a communist country. However, 41 of the 50 worst nations for persecution on earth are dominated by Islam. Understand the Unity of the Church Fourth, understand the unity of the church. We are one body. 1 Corinthians 12:26: “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it.” We are not different churches; we are a part of the suffering of persecuted churches. We show by prayer and by concern and by learning that we are a part of it. “When one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” When those brothers and sisters get huge, amazing crowns in heaven and we don't get them for suffering in the same way, we will be so thrilled and happy with them in heaven. Why? Because there is no bad stuff in heaven — no discontent, no pride, no arrogance. We will celebrate the achievement of those brothers and sisters in Christ, but the more we do that now, the better. Let's honor those who are worthy of honor. Delight in the Glory of a Church Advancing by Blood Fifth, delight in the glory of a church that advances by the blood of its messengers. In Colossians 1:24, Paul says, “I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.” There is nothing lacking in the blood of Christ for atonement, but what is lacking is the application of the atonement to the elect who are as yet unconverted. And who does the persecuting in the world? Unconverted people. That makes sense, doesn't it? Unconverted people are in two categories: unconverted elect and unconverted non-elect. We will never know who the non-elect are in this world. Never. We always have good hopes that the persecuting people might some day come to Christ. So let's delight in the glory of that. Give Money to the Persecuted Suffering Church Sixth, let's give money to the persecuted suffering church. You have an opportunity to do that this very week. In your bulletins, there is a story about a famine in East Africa. The United Nations says this is the greatest humanitarian crisis since World War Two. There are certain criteria for labeling starvation in crisis, and what they are seeing is way beyond their markers. Five nations in particular, are starving to death. They are Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Nigeria, and Kenya. The primary of cause of famine in four of the countries is Muslim extremism. The Muslims are trying to take over countries like Somalia and all that, and people cannot work. There is also a drought currently. This is a direct issue of the persecuted church suffering and unable to eat or even live. Baptist Global Relief — BGR — is there. You can give this afternoon to them to relieve our brothers and sisters who are starving to death in East Africa. Be Ready to Suffer Yourselves Finally, I urge you to be ready to suffer yourselves. The small persecution is not insignificant, Jesus said, “Blessed are you when people insult you and falsely say things against you.” That is not a minor thing. Be bold. Share Christ with someone this week. Get outside your comfort zone. Realize the comfort zone is not from Christ but from Satan. Get outside the comfort zone and share Christ. VI. Closing Prayer Close with me in prayer. Father, thank you for the things that we've learned about the suffering church. Thank you for the examples, the stories of their courage, their boldness and faith. Thank you, oh, Lord, for the church at Smyrna and the way that they were exhorted by Christ to be faithful unto death. Help us to be willing to be faithful, to deny ourselves daily and take up the cross daily. Help us to fight the good fight of holiness, of private holiness, of purity, so that we can get stronger to fight the external battle of witnessing. Give us strength and courage, Lord. Thank you for our brothers and sisters in Christ. We pray that you'd strengthen those in Somalia and those in North Korea and those in China and other places that are being persecuted for their faith. Give them strength. Help their faith not to fail. And help us, oh Lord, to be more faithful in praying for them in Jesus' name.

SMYRNAA city in western Asia Minor (modern Turkey) where one of the seven churches in the Book of Revelation was situated (2:8-11). Smyrna's superb natural harbor made the city an important commercial center. In spite of keen competition from the neighboring cities of Ephesus and Pergamum, Smyrna called itself "the first city of Asia."As early as 195 B.C., Smyrna foresaw the rising power of Rome and built a temple for pagan Roman worship. In 23 B.C., Smyrna was given the honor of building a temple to the Emperor Tiberius because of its years of faithfulness to Rome. Thus, the city became a center for the cult of emperor worship-a fanatical "religion" that later, under such emperors as Nero (ruled A.D. 54-68) and Domitian (ruled A.D. 81-96), brought on severe persecution for the early church. Smyrna is known today as Izmir.

SMYRNAA city in western Asia Minor (modern Turkey) where one of the seven churches in the Book of Revelation was situated (2:8-11). Smyrna's superb natural harbor made the city an important commercial center. In spite of keen competition from the neighboring cities of Ephesus and Pergamum, Smyrna called itself "the first city of Asia."As early as 195 B.C., Smyrna foresaw the rising power of Rome and built a temple for pagan Roman worship. In 23 B.C., Smyrna was given the honor of building a temple to the Emperor Tiberius because of its years of faithfulness to Rome. Thus, the city became a center for the cult of emperor worship-a fanatical "religion" that later, under such emperors as Nero (ruled A.D. 54-68) and Domitian (ruled A.D. 81-96), brought on severe persecution for the early church. Smyrna is known today as Izmir.

SMYRNAA city in western Asia Minor (modern Turkey) where one of the seven churches in the Book of Revelation was situated (2:8-11). Smyrna's superb natural harbor made the city an important commercial center. In spite of keen competition from the neighboring cities of Ephesus and Pergamum, Smyrna called itself "the first city of Asia."As early as 195 B.C., Smyrna foresaw the rising power of Rome and built a temple for pagan Roman worship. In 23 B.C., Smyrna was given the honor of building a temple to the Emperor Tiberius because of its years of faithfulness to Rome. Thus, the city became a center for the cult of emperor worship-a fanatical "religion" that later, under such emperors as Nero (ruled A.D. 54-68) and Domitian (ruled A.D. 81-96), brought on severe persecution for the early church. Smyrna is known today as Izmir.

SMYRNAA city in western Asia Minor (modern Turkey) where one of the seven churches in the Book of Revelation was situated (2:8-11). Smyrna's superb natural harbor made the city an important commercial center. In spite of keen competition from the neighboring cities of Ephesus and Pergamum, Smyrna called itself "the first city of Asia."As early as 195 B.C., Smyrna foresaw the rising power of Rome and built a temple for pagan Roman worship. In 23 B.C., Smyrna was given the honor of building a temple to the Emperor Tiberius because of its years of faithfulness to Rome. Thus, the city became a center for the cult of emperor worship-a fanatical "religion" that later, under such emperors as Nero (ruled A.D. 54-68) and Domitian (ruled A.D. 81-96), brought on severe persecution for the early church. Smyrna is known today as Izmir.

SMYRNA A city in western Asia Minor (modern Turkey) where one of the seven churches in the Book of Revelation was situated (2:8-11). Smyrna's superb natural harbor made the city an important commercial center. In spite of keen competition from the neighboring cities of Ephesus and Pergamum, Smyrna called itself "the first city of Asia." As early as 195 B.C., Smyrna foresaw the rising power of Rome and built a temple for pagan Roman worship. In 23 B.C., Smyrna was given the honor of building a temple to the Emperor Tiberius because of its years of faithfulness to Rome. Thus, the city became a center for the cult of emperor worship-a fanatical "religion" that later, under such emperors as Nero (ruled A.D. 54-68) and Domitian (ruled A.D. 81-96), brought on severe persecution for the early church. Smyrna is known today as Izmir.

SMYRNAA city in western Asia Minor (modern Turkey) where one of the seven churches in the Book of Revelation was situated (2:8-11). Smyrna's superb natural harbor made the city an important commercial center. In spite of keen competition from the neighboring cities of Ephesus and Pergamum, Smyrna called itself "the first city of Asia."As early as 195 B.C., Smyrna foresaw the rising power of Rome and built a temple for pagan Roman worship. In 23 B.C., Smyrna was given the honor of building a temple to the Emperor Tiberius because of its years of faithfulness to Rome. Thus, the city became a center for the cult of emperor worship-a fanatical "religion" that later, under such emperors as Nero (ruled A.D. 54-68) and Domitian (ruled A.D. 81-96), brought on severe persecution for the early church. Smyrna is known today as Izmir.

SMYRNA A city in western Asia Minor (modern Turkey) where one of the seven churches in the Book of Revelation was situated (2:8-11). Smyrna's superb natural harbor made the city an important commercial center. In spite of keen competition from the neighboring cities of Ephesus and Pergamum, Smyrna called itself "the first city of Asia." As early as 195 B.C., Smyrna foresaw the rising power of Rome and built a temple for pagan Roman worship. In 23 B.C., Smyrna was given the honor of building a temple to the Emperor Tiberius because of its years of faithfulness to Rome. Thus, the city became a center for the cult of emperor worship-a fanatical "religion" that later, under such emperors as Nero (ruled A.D. 54-68) and Domitian (ruled A.D. 81-96), brought on severe persecution for the early church. Smyrna is known today as Izmir.

SMYRNAA city in western Asia Minor (modern Turkey) where one of the seven churches in the Book of Revelation was situated (2:8-11). Smyrna's superb natural harbor made the city an important commercial center. In spite of keen competition from the neighboring cities of Ephesus and Pergamum, Smyrna called itself "the first city of Asia."As early as 195 B.C., Smyrna foresaw the rising power of Rome and built a temple for pagan Roman worship. In 23 B.C., Smyrna was given the honor of building a temple to the Emperor Tiberius because of its years of faithfulness to Rome. Thus, the city became a center for the cult of emperor worship-a fanatical "religion" that later, under such emperors as Nero (ruled A.D. 54-68) and Domitian (ruled A.D. 81-96), brought on severe persecution for the early church. Smyrna is known today as Izmir.

SMYRNA A city in western Asia Minor (modern Turkey) where one of the seven churches in the Book of Revelation was situated (2:8-11). Smyrna's superb natural harbor made the city an important commercial center. In spite of keen competition from the neighboring cities of Ephesus and Pergamum, Smyrna called itself "the first city of Asia." As early as 195 B.C., Smyrna foresaw the rising power of Rome and built a temple for pagan Roman worship. In 23 B.C., Smyrna was given the honor of building a temple to the Emperor Tiberius because of its years of faithfulness to Rome. Thus, the city became a center for the cult of emperor worship-a fanatical "religion" that later, under such emperors as Nero (ruled A.D. 54-68) and Domitian (ruled A.D. 81-96), brought on severe persecution for the early church. Smyrna is known today as Izmir.

RCL Year C, 2 Advent That gospel reading from Luke starts off so big and important. Let’s hear it again: ‘In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias […]

First impressions from reading Strickland's “Age of Paradise”. Enjoy!