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Welcome to Day 2640 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2640 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 69:9-15 – Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2640 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2640 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. In today's Wisdom Nugget, we continue our trek through the turbulent waters of Psalm 69 in the New Living Translation. In our last trek, we entered the raw, desperate cry of the psalmist, who felt like he was drowning in troubles, overwhelmed by enemies, and unjustly accused. We witnessed his exhaustion, his tears, and his profound sense of betrayal, even by his own family. As we continue today, the psalmist reveals an even deeper layer to his suffering: his fervent devotion to God has become the very fuel for the scorn and mockery he endures. This particular section of Psalm 69 resonates deeply with the experiences of those who choose to live wholeheartedly for God, often encountering misunderstanding, ridicule, and even hostility from the world around them. For the ancient Israelite, public shame and social ostracization were profoundly painful. This psalm gives voice to that specific agony, while simultaneously offering a powerful example of persistent prayer even when faced with unimaginable contempt. So, open your hearts and minds as we immerse ourselves in Psalm 69, verses 9 through 15. (Reads Psalm 69:9-12 NLT) For passion for your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me. When I weep and humble myself with fasting, they scoff at me. When I wear sackcloth to show my sorrow, they make jokes about me. I am the favorite topic of town gossips, and drunkards sing taunts about me. Guthrie Chamberlain: The psalmist immediately identifies the core reason for his suffering: “For passion for your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” This is a powerful declaration of his fervent devotion to God and God's dwelling place, likely referring to the Temple in Jerusalem. “Passion” or “zeal” for God's house speaks to an intense, consuming commitment to God's presence, His worship, and His honor. This kind of zeal means that God's concerns become one's own. In the ancient Israelite context, “God's house” was the center of their spiritual life. To have zeal for it meant a deep love for God's commandments, His presence, and His glory. This devotion wasn't passive; it was active, causing the psalmist to prioritize God's honor above his own comfort or reputation. The consequence? The “insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” Because he identifies so strongly with God and His honor, the contempt directed at God is effectively aimed at him. He is bearing the reproach of God. This is a profound foreshadowing of Christ, for whom zeal for His Father's house would indeed consume Him (John 2:17). The psalmist then details how his pious acts of devotion, intended to express humility and sorrow before God, have become targets of mockery: “When I weep and humble myself with fasting, they scoff at me. When I wear sackcloth to show...

God is speaking—are we listening? In a world full of noise, distraction, and distortion, Jesus calls His sheep to know His voice and follow Him (John 10).

John 3:33 He who has received His testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true. Have you set your seal, given your stamp of approval, to the reality that Jesus is the Son of God, sent by the Father, God? Jesus' testified that He was the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one can go to the Father except by Him (John 14:6). His life was the testimony of God, for Jesus said that the Father abides in Him and He abides in the Father, and that when He speaks, His Father works (John 14:10). When the Father works in the hearts of people, He prepares them to carry the fruit of the Son, the love of God (John 15:3). “You are already clean (pruned, prepared for displaying the fruit of the Vine) because of the word which I have spoken to you.” The lives of believers validate the reality of God when they receive the testimony of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus gave a new commandment to His disciples that they should love one another as He loved them (John 13:34). The only way they could love like Jesus was if they received Jesus' testimony about Himself and believed that He was God (John 14:1). Jesus told His disciples that the day the Holy Spirit came to them, they would believe and know that Jesus was in the Father, that they were in Jesus, and that He was in them (John 14:20). They would know the truth that Jesus is God, and therefore that God is real. It has helped me to understand truth this way. Truth is what Jesus does, says, and sees. Let me remind you of what John said only a few verses earlier in verse 21. “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” The work of God in our hearts, which produces the life of Jesus in us, is the truth of God. It is what God does in us, therefore, we practice or live the truth. That's what it means to set our seal to the truth that Jesus is God and therefore the source of life. When Jesus testifies to our hearts about the truth that we are one with Him and He is our life, we live out the truth by abiding in Him. We come to the Light so that what He does, says, and sees may be revealed in our lives. Living to love with Jesus is the way we practice the truth and set our seal in this world to the reality that Jesus is God. Today, as we live to love with Jesus, we are showing the world that Jesus really is God. We have received Jesus' testimony. We want everyone to come to the knowledge of the truth that Jesus is God, has risen from the dead, and can live in them. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of “giving it forward,” so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

In 1939, J.R. Tolkin took Robert Dickmans hypothesis one step further in a lecture he delivered titled, On Fairy Stories. In his lecture, Tolkin said the following about fairytales and those who create them: Probably every writer making a secondary world, a fantasy, every sub-creator, wishes in some measure to be a real maker, or hopes that he is drawing on reality: hopes that the peculiar quality of this secondary world (if not all the details) are derived from reality, or are flowing into it. The peculiar quality of the joy in successful Fantasy can thus be explained as a sudden glimpse of the underlying reality or truth. The Gospels contain a fairy-story, or a story of a larger kind, which embraces all the essence of fairy-stories. But this story is supreme, and it is true. Art has been verified. God is the Lord, of angels, and of menand of elves. Legend and History have met and fused.[1] In the Bible, the three great antagonists that we face in our story include the great serpent, the problem of sin, and death (in that order). Satan entered into the Garden as a serpent where the first man and woman enjoyed true love with both God and each other, they were tempted to sin against God by the Serpent. Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit that God commanded them not to eat and a curse was pronounced upon all of creation, and ever since that fateful day, sin and death have vandalized the peace we were created to enjoy with God. In the wake of Adam and Eves rebellion and under the shadow of evil and death, God gifted Adam and Eve a promise: The great serpent would one day be destroyed: And I will make enemies Of you and the woman, And of your offspring and her Descendant; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise Him on the heel. (Genesis 3:15) So who or what is the serpent? In The Lord of the Rings, he is the Dark Lord Sauron. In The Wizard of Oz, he is the Wicked Witch of the West. In The Matrix, he is Agent Smith. In The Chronicles of Narnia, he is the White Witch. In Superman, He is Lex Luther. In Star Wars, he is Darth Vader and every evil Sith Lord before and after him. The serpent is Lucifer, the devil, the father of lies, the accuser, and the great dragon. There is another antagonist that is the consequence of our sin and rebellion, and that is death. The word gospel simply means good news, and oh is there good news my dear brothers and sisters! The apostle Paul spoke of it in his epistle to the Romans: For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (Rom. 1:16). The gospel of Jesus Christ from Genesis through the last chapter of Revelation has everything that every great story requires, and it is a story that has the power to not only transform, but to save! The gospel of Jesus Christ is supreme because it is indeed true, and it is seen and heard throughout the 23rd Psalm! The Good Shepherd Guides His Sheep through the Valley of Deep Darkness On resurrection Sunday, we looked at the first part of verse 4, Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me... Even if your first Sunday at Meadowbrooke was on that day, you should know by now that the Lord of the 23rd Psalm is the Good Shepherd, and His name is Jesus! He is my shepherd; therefore I will not be in need. Why will I not be in need? Well... because He is my bread of life who satisfies my hunger and quenches my thirst (John 6:35)! Why will I not be in need? Well... because He is the Light of the world who lights up the darkness that surrounds me (John 8:12)! Why again will I never ever be in need so long as Jesus is my shepherd? Well... let me tell you: He for me is the resurrection and the life who has promised that not even death can take from me what I already have in Him (John 11:25-26)! Now, just because Jesus is my Shepherd, that does not mean that I am exempt from walking through the valley of the shadow of death. As I said on Easter Sunday, we all must experience the valley of utter darkness that includes suffering, sickness, a broken world, and even death; however, those whose shepherd is Jesus only must walk through it while everyone else must walk in it. For the one who does not know Jesus as the bread of life, the light of the world, and the resurrection of life will never know the kind of hope that transcends the grave. For the one whose shepherd is not Jesus, the grave is deaths victory dance over you, and the news only gets worse beyond the grave. Jesus said, Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Matt. 10:28). Again, to all who would refuse Jesus as the good shepherd, He warned: 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 narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it (Matt. 7:1314). Jesus is the narrow gate! For those whose shepherd is Jesus, then the valley of the shadow of death is a temporary experience that you are only passing through. Do you know what that means? It means that there is life at the end of the valley! There is a table, and there is oil, and there is a cup placed into your hand dear Christian that is overflowing with His goodness and faithfulness all the days of your life! At that table, we will hold high that cup and toast: Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:55-57). The Good Shepherd Comforts His Sheep with His Rod and Staff What is the significance of Jesus rod and staff? For starters, He is the one leading us through the deep dark valleys on this side of eternity; while in the valley, we have no reason to fear evil because He is with us, and while with us... He is armed with His rod and staff. In their commentary on the Psalms, Josh Smith and Daniel Akin comment: We are going through the deep, dark valleys because our good shepherd is leading us! The dark valley is part of the path of righteousness.[2] Not to belabor the point I made previously, but what does the dark valley include? It includes pain, it includes suffering, it includes disease, it includes achy joints, it includes persecution, and it even includes death! After all, Jesus did say: In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world (John 16:33b). You may be saying in response to this: Pastor Keith, what about what Jesus said in John 10:10? Here is what Jesus said: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly. The thief is anything or anyone that promises to give you what only Jesus is able to give, and the abundant life is a life with Jesus. Now, what about the rod and staff? Why not just the rod or only the staff? Why both? The rod was typically used as offensive weapon against any predator that would threaten the sheep from the outside while the staff was used to direct, round up, and pull in the sheep. While the rod is used to protect the sheep from enemies, the staff is used to protect the sheep from themselves. Jesus guides me with His staff, and as He does, He leads me through the valley to the table where He has prepared a feast for me. Because it is Jesus who carries the rod and the staff, I can be confident that Jesus will lead me to where I need to go, or as the apostle Paul put it: For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus (Phil. 1:6), and He will use His rod and staff to do it. Or as one person wrote: Jesus Christ, our Shepherd, is no emaciated weakling. Our Shepherd is a warrior, as shepherds had to be. No one can snatch his sheep out of his hand (John 10:28). The muscles of his arm are flexed to defend his flock; he doesnt carry a club for nothing. He is obviously enough for whatever the valley throws at us.[3] What is the point of verse 4? Here is the point: If Jesus is my shepherd, then even in the darkest moments of life I have all that I need because I have Him. Or, as the modern hymn, Yet Not I but Through Christ in Me, so adequately and helpfully states: The night is dark, but I am not forsakenFor by my side, the Savior, He will stayI labor on in weakness and rejoicingFor in my need, His power is displayed To this I hold, my Shepherd will defend meThrough the deepest valley, He will leadOh, the night has been won, and I shall overcomeYet not I, but through Christ in me The Good Shepherd Prepares a Feast for His Sheep in the Presence of Their Enemies So, where is He leading me? Where is He leading you dear Christian? What is waiting for me, and what is waiting for all who are being led by the Good Shepherd? A table that has been prepared by Jesus is what is waiting for His sheep. What is on that table? A feast is what is on that table! What is the meaning of this feast that He has prepared? It is a testament, it is proof, and it is a witness to Gods favor upon His sheep. This, my friend, is the abundant life Jesus provides! Again, another set of verses from Yet Not I but Through Christ in Me rings true! No fate I dread, I know I am forgivenThe future's sure, the price, it has been paidFor Jesus bled and suffered for my pardonAnd He was raised to overthrow the grave To this I hold, my sin has been defeatedJesus, now and ever is my pleaOh, the chains are released, I can sing, "I am free"Yet not I, but through Christ in me Where is the table set for His redeemed to feast? It is set in the place that my enemies are made to watch and not permitted to touch, take, or taunt because of the One who has prepared the table for me. But do not miss that before my enemies and yours, He has anointed us with oil and placed a cup in each of our hands! Besides the fact that in the dry and hot climate of the valley, oil would be used to sooth the skin and wine would be consumed to clear the throat. However, there is more to the oil and the cup! The imagery of oil and wine in the Bible speak of joy and prosperity. Conclusion When I think of the table in Psalm 23:5, I cannot help but think of three feasts mentioned in the Bible. The first happened while the Hebrew people were surrounded by Egypt under the bondage of Pharoh. On the eve of their deliverance they marked their doorposts with the blood of a lamb with no defects and feasted on that lamb. After they feasted, God delivered the Hebrews from the bondage of slavery and defeated Pharoh and his army, and then they sang a song known as, The Song of Moses that included this verse: The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him... (Exod. 15:2), and concludes with these words: The Lord shall reign forever and ever (15:18). The second feast is the one Jesus celebrated with His disciples on the eve of His crucifixion and death. Like Moses and the Hebrews before, Jesus and His disciples sat at a table to the feast of the Passover. During the meal, Jesus and his disciples no doubt recited or even sang the Song of Moses: The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation... There were four cups that the disciples drank from during the Passover which were, The cup of sanctification (holiness) to start the celebration and a reminder of the holiness of God. The cup of salvation (deliverance) symbolizing Gods deliverance which was drunk after the retelling of the Exodus story. The cup of redemption (blessing), which was drunk after the meal which represented Gods act of redeeming Israel. The cup of glory (praise) which was drunk at the very end representing the future redemption and coming of the Messiah. It was this cup that Jesus said, Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is being poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.... I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it with you, new, in My Fathers kingdom (Matt. 26:26-29). After that feast, Jesus atoned for sin on the cross and then defeated the curse of sin and death by rising on the third day. Just before He died on the cross, He declared: It is finished (John 19:30)! The third feast has not happened yet, and we learn of it in Revelation 19:7-10; it is the Marriage feast we will celebrate with Jesus as His Bride. I believe that at this coming feast Jesus will pick up the fourth cup and drink it with us. Do you know what will come after that feast? The defeat of the nations gathered against Jesus and the final defeat of Satan. According to Revelation 15, do you know what song all of heaven will sing on that day? Here is what we are told: And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! Who will not fear You, Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For all the nations will come and worship before You, For Your righteous acts have been revealed. (Rev. 15:34) So, can you guess what comes after the banquet prepared before His people in the presence of our enemies in Psalm 23:5? You guessed it! What comes after is the triumph of the Lamb of God over all that stands against those whom He has redeemed! [1] J. R. R. Tolkien. On Fairy Stories (1939). [2] J. Josh Smith and Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in Psalms 150, ed. David Platt, Daniel L. Akin, and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2022), 175. [3] David Gibson, The Lord of Psalm 23: Jesus Our Shepherd, Companion, and Host (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2023), 90.

In 1939, J.R. Tolkin took Robert Dickmans hypothesis one step further in a lecture he delivered titled, On Fairy Stories. In his lecture, Tolkin said the following about fairytales and those who create them: Probably every writer making a secondary world, a fantasy, every sub-creator, wishes in some measure to be a real maker, or hopes that he is drawing on reality: hopes that the peculiar quality of this secondary world (if not all the details) are derived from reality, or are flowing into it. The peculiar quality of the joy in successful Fantasy can thus be explained as a sudden glimpse of the underlying reality or truth. The Gospels contain a fairy-story, or a story of a larger kind, which embraces all the essence of fairy-stories. But this story is supreme, and it is true. Art has been verified. God is the Lord, of angels, and of menand of elves. Legend and History have met and fused.[1] In the Bible, the three great antagonists that we face in our story include the great serpent, the problem of sin, and death (in that order). Satan entered into the Garden as a serpent where the first man and woman enjoyed true love with both God and each other, they were tempted to sin against God by the Serpent. Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit that God commanded them not to eat and a curse was pronounced upon all of creation, and ever since that fateful day, sin and death have vandalized the peace we were created to enjoy with God. In the wake of Adam and Eves rebellion and under the shadow of evil and death, God gifted Adam and Eve a promise: The great serpent would one day be destroyed: And I will make enemies Of you and the woman, And of your offspring and her Descendant; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise Him on the heel. (Genesis 3:15) So who or what is the serpent? In The Lord of the Rings, he is the Dark Lord Sauron. In The Wizard of Oz, he is the Wicked Witch of the West. In The Matrix, he is Agent Smith. In The Chronicles of Narnia, he is the White Witch. In Superman, He is Lex Luther. In Star Wars, he is Darth Vader and every evil Sith Lord before and after him. The serpent is Lucifer, the devil, the father of lies, the accuser, and the great dragon. There is another antagonist that is the consequence of our sin and rebellion, and that is death. The word gospel simply means good news, and oh is there good news my dear brothers and sisters! The apostle Paul spoke of it in his epistle to the Romans: For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (Rom. 1:16). The gospel of Jesus Christ from Genesis through the last chapter of Revelation has everything that every great story requires, and it is a story that has the power to not only transform, but to save! The gospel of Jesus Christ is supreme because it is indeed true, and it is seen and heard throughout the 23rd Psalm! The Good Shepherd Guides His Sheep through the Valley of Deep Darkness On resurrection Sunday, we looked at the first part of verse 4, Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me... Even if your first Sunday at Meadowbrooke was on that day, you should know by now that the Lord of the 23rd Psalm is the Good Shepherd, and His name is Jesus! He is my shepherd; therefore I will not be in need. Why will I not be in need? Well... because He is my bread of life who satisfies my hunger and quenches my thirst (John 6:35)! Why will I not be in need? Well... because He is the Light of the world who lights up the darkness that surrounds me (John 8:12)! Why again will I never ever be in need so long as Jesus is my shepherd? Well... let me tell you: He for me is the resurrection and the life who has promised that not even death can take from me what I already have in Him (John 11:25-26)! Now, just because Jesus is my Shepherd, that does not mean that I am exempt from walking through the valley of the shadow of death. As I said on Easter Sunday, we all must experience the valley of utter darkness that includes suffering, sickness, a broken world, and even death; however, those whose shepherd is Jesus only must walk through it while everyone else must walk in it. For the one who does not know Jesus as the bread of life, the light of the world, and the resurrection of life will never know the kind of hope that transcends the grave. For the one whose shepherd is not Jesus, the grave is deaths victory dance over you, and the news only gets worse beyond the grave. Jesus said, Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Matt. 10:28). Again, to all who would refuse Jesus as the good shepherd, He warned: 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 narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it (Matt. 7:1314). Jesus is the narrow gate! For those whose shepherd is Jesus, then the valley of the shadow of death is a temporary experience that you are only passing through. Do you know what that means? It means that there is life at the end of the valley! There is a table, and there is oil, and there is a cup placed into your hand dear Christian that is overflowing with His goodness and faithfulness all the days of your life! At that table, we will hold high that cup and toast: Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:55-57). The Good Shepherd Comforts His Sheep with His Rod and Staff What is the significance of Jesus rod and staff? For starters, He is the one leading us through the deep dark valleys on this side of eternity; while in the valley, we have no reason to fear evil because He is with us, and while with us... He is armed with His rod and staff. In their commentary on the Psalms, Josh Smith and Daniel Akin comment: We are going through the deep, dark valleys because our good shepherd is leading us! The dark valley is part of the path of righteousness.[2] Not to belabor the point I made previously, but what does the dark valley include? It includes pain, it includes suffering, it includes disease, it includes achy joints, it includes persecution, and it even includes death! After all, Jesus did say: In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world (John 16:33b). You may be saying in response to this: Pastor Keith, what about what Jesus said in John 10:10? Here is what Jesus said: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly. The thief is anything or anyone that promises to give you what only Jesus is able to give, and the abundant life is a life with Jesus. Now, what about the rod and staff? Why not just the rod or only the staff? Why both? The rod was typically used as offensive weapon against any predator that would threaten the sheep from the outside while the staff was used to direct, round up, and pull in the sheep. While the rod is used to protect the sheep from enemies, the staff is used to protect the sheep from themselves. Jesus guides me with His staff, and as He does, He leads me through the valley to the table where He has prepared a feast for me. Because it is Jesus who carries the rod and the staff, I can be confident that Jesus will lead me to where I need to go, or as the apostle Paul put it: For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus (Phil. 1:6), and He will use His rod and staff to do it. Or as one person wrote: Jesus Christ, our Shepherd, is no emaciated weakling. Our Shepherd is a warrior, as shepherds had to be. No one can snatch his sheep out of his hand (John 10:28). The muscles of his arm are flexed to defend his flock; he doesnt carry a club for nothing. He is obviously enough for whatever the valley throws at us.[3] What is the point of verse 4? Here is the point: If Jesus is my shepherd, then even in the darkest moments of life I have all that I need because I have Him. Or, as the modern hymn, Yet Not I but Through Christ in Me, so adequately and helpfully states: The night is dark, but I am not forsakenFor by my side, the Savior, He will stayI labor on in weakness and rejoicingFor in my need, His power is displayed To this I hold, my Shepherd will defend meThrough the deepest valley, He will leadOh, the night has been won, and I shall overcomeYet not I, but through Christ in me The Good Shepherd Prepares a Feast for His Sheep in the Presence of Their Enemies So, where is He leading me? Where is He leading you dear Christian? What is waiting for me, and what is waiting for all who are being led by the Good Shepherd? A table that has been prepared by Jesus is what is waiting for His sheep. What is on that table? A feast is what is on that table! What is the meaning of this feast that He has prepared? It is a testament, it is proof, and it is a witness to Gods favor upon His sheep. This, my friend, is the abundant life Jesus provides! Again, another set of verses from Yet Not I but Through Christ in Me rings true! No fate I dread, I know I am forgivenThe future's sure, the price, it has been paidFor Jesus bled and suffered for my pardonAnd He was raised to overthrow the grave To this I hold, my sin has been defeatedJesus, now and ever is my pleaOh, the chains are released, I can sing, "I am free"Yet not I, but through Christ in me Where is the table set for His redeemed to feast? It is set in the place that my enemies are made to watch and not permitted to touch, take, or taunt because of the One who has prepared the table for me. But do not miss that before my enemies and yours, He has anointed us with oil and placed a cup in each of our hands! Besides the fact that in the dry and hot climate of the valley, oil would be used to sooth the skin and wine would be consumed to clear the throat. However, there is more to the oil and the cup! The imagery of oil and wine in the Bible speak of joy and prosperity. Conclusion When I think of the table in Psalm 23:5, I cannot help but think of three feasts mentioned in the Bible. The first happened while the Hebrew people were surrounded by Egypt under the bondage of Pharoh. On the eve of their deliverance they marked their doorposts with the blood of a lamb with no defects and feasted on that lamb. After they feasted, God delivered the Hebrews from the bondage of slavery and defeated Pharoh and his army, and then they sang a song known as, The Song of Moses that included this verse: The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him... (Exod. 15:2), and concludes with these words: The Lord shall reign forever and ever (15:18). The second feast is the one Jesus celebrated with His disciples on the eve of His crucifixion and death. Like Moses and the Hebrews before, Jesus and His disciples sat at a table to the feast of the Passover. During the meal, Jesus and his disciples no doubt recited or even sang the Song of Moses: The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation... There were four cups that the disciples drank from during the Passover which were, The cup of sanctification (holiness) to start the celebration and a reminder of the holiness of God. The cup of salvation (deliverance) symbolizing Gods deliverance which was drunk after the retelling of the Exodus story. The cup of redemption (blessing), which was drunk after the meal which represented Gods act of redeeming Israel. The cup of glory (praise) which was drunk at the very end representing the future redemption and coming of the Messiah. It was this cup that Jesus said, Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is being poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.... I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it with you, new, in My Fathers kingdom (Matt. 26:26-29). After that feast, Jesus atoned for sin on the cross and then defeated the curse of sin and death by rising on the third day. Just before He died on the cross, He declared: It is finished (John 19:30)! The third feast has not happened yet, and we learn of it in Revelation 19:7-10; it is the Marriage feast we will celebrate with Jesus as His Bride. I believe that at this coming feast Jesus will pick up the fourth cup and drink it with us. Do you know what will come after that feast? The defeat of the nations gathered against Jesus and the final defeat of Satan. According to Revelation 15, do you know what song all of heaven will sing on that day? Here is what we are told: And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! Who will not fear You, Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For all the nations will come and worship before You, For Your righteous acts have been revealed. (Rev. 15:34) So, can you guess what comes after the banquet prepared before His people in the presence of our enemies in Psalm 23:5? You guessed it! What comes after is the triumph of the Lamb of God over all that stands against those whom He has redeemed! [1] J. R. R. Tolkien. On Fairy Stories (1939). [2] J. Josh Smith and Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in Psalms 150, ed. David Platt, Daniel L. Akin, and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2022), 175. [3] David Gibson, The Lord of Psalm 23: Jesus Our Shepherd, Companion, and Host (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2023), 90.

At the Last Supper (John 13-17), Jesus explained to His disciples that He would soon be leaving and would send His Holy Spirit to be with them.  He described many aspects of the Spirit's ministry, but first and foremost that the Spirit would be with them forever; He would ABIDE (stay close, remain permanently). This wonderful truth is especially relevant because it is precisely what Jesus asks of us: that we abide in Him (John 15).  Therefore, in this message, we consider ways in which the Spirit who abides in us helps us abIde in Christ - and in so doing enables us to be fruitful as we follow Jesus.  

Pastor James Leads a special message in Luke 24:13-49 for Resurrection Sunday. 1. As these two disciples logically reasoned through the eyewitness reports of the empty tomb, they received clarity from the Lord Jesus through the Scriptures, and we too will gain understanding from the Lord as we sincerely contemplate the Word of God with genuine humility—“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-82. The two disciples recognized Jesus for who He is after partaking in intimate communion with the Lord which reminds us of the need to have daily fellowship with Christ, as it will help us grow us deeper in knowing Him—John declares in 1 John 1:3 “that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.”3. Though Jesus revealed Himself physically to His disciples by inviting them to handle His resurrected body, we will know Jesus as our resurrected Lord and Savior by embracing the Word of God, through which He gives us understanding by the power of the Holy Spirit—“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.” 1 Corinthians 2:12

This Easter program we celebrate the tremendous sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, who became the Ransom for Many according to Matthew 20:28 (AMPC), so that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him (John 3:17, AMPC).This program covers the following Scriptures from the Amplified Classic version (AMPC): John 3:16-17; Hebrews 1:3; John 6:37-40; 2 Peter 3:9; Jeremiah 17:9; Genesis 3:6; 1 John 3:8; John 8:44; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Psalm 119:105; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; John 3:1-21; Romans 8:1-2; Hebrews 9:12-14; Romans 10:9; Ephesians 1:21; Romans 6:3-8; Colossians 2:12; Ephesians 2:1-6; Galatians 2:20; John 1:12; Romans 12:2; Ephesians 2:9; 1 John 3:1-2; Mark 10:45; Ephesians 4:8-10; 1 Peter 3:19; Acts 2:24. Support the show

The Debt Rom 6:23  #Nightlight #RTTBROS The Debt We Cannot PayVerse: "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." - Romans 6:23 (KJV)In this story, a British pastor and his young son entered an expensive store with a strict policy: "Do not touch any breakages, much must be purchased." Despite the clear warning, the pastor found himself gently touching the items around him. However, his 4-year-old son, Michael, was not as gentle and accidentally knocked over a large, expensive item.The store manager appeared, simply pointing to the sign. The pastor knew he couldn't leave the store and expect his young son to pay for the damage he had caused. Michael was unable to pay the debt he owed.This story serves as a powerful reminder of our own spiritual condition. We all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory (Romans 3:23). Just like Michael, we have created a debt that we cannot pay on our own. The wages of our sin is death, and we are unable to redeem ourselves.But God, in His infinite love and mercy, provided a way for our debt to be paid. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus paid the price that we could never afford. He is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6).Just as the pastor had to pay for his son's damages, our Heavenly Father has paid our sin debt through Jesus Christ. When we accept this precious gift by faith, our debt is canceled, and we receive the promise of eternal life.Let us give thanks for the incredible love and sacrifice of our Savior, who paid a debt He did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay. May we live our lives in gratitude and devotion to Him.Be sure to Like, Share, Follow and subscribe it helps get the word out.https://linktr.ee/rttbros

Alan's Soaps https://www.AlansArtisanSoaps.comUse coupon code TODD to save an additional 10% off the bundle price.Bioptimizers https://Bioptimizers.com/toddEnter promo code TODD to get 10% off your order of MassZymes today.Bizable https://GoBizable.comUntie your business exposure from your personal exposure with BiZABLE.  Schedule your FREE consultation at GoBizAble.com today.  Bonefrog https://BonefrogCoffee.com/toddThe new GOLDEN AGE is here!  Use code TODD at checkout to receive 10% off your first purchase and 15% on subscriptions.Bulwark Capital Bulwark Capital Management (bulwarkcapitalmgmt.com).Get a second opinion on the health of your retirement portfolio today. Schedule your free Know Your Risk Portfolio review. go to KnowYourRiskRadio.com today.Renue Healthcare https://Renue.Healthcare/ToddYour journey to a better life starts at Renue Healthcare. Visit https://Renue.Healthcare/ToddGod Bless The People Who Make Things // Who Will Heal The Children's Minds? // Is This Why Andrew Tate Says Jesus Christ Is Weak?Episode Links:Mike Rowe: “For every five tradespeople that retire this year, two replace them. It's been that way for 12 years. I don't need to be a mathematician, this is bad arithmetic.”MUST WATCH: Dad OBLITERATES @JeffcoSchoolsCo after they fed his daughter lies about him, alienated her, and undermined his parental rights.A 1st grader was punished for writing “All Lives Mater.” The school district argues 1st graders are too young to have free speech. The Court of Appeals points out that if they're too young for controversial topics, then why are they learning about BLM??Elementary school disciplines first-grader for innocent “Black Lives Matter” drawingIsaiah 53:3-7 (The Suffering Servant)Prophecy: Describes a servant despised, rejected, bearing the sorrows and sins of others, wounded for transgressions, and led like a lamb to slaughter.Fulfillment: Jesus is seen as this servant, rejected by many (John 1:11), crucified for humanity's sins (1 Peter 2:24), and silent before His accusers (Mark 15:3-5).Reference: Matthew 8:17, John 12:38, Acts 8:32-33.Psalm 22:1, 16-18 (Cry of Anguish and Crucifixion Details)Prophecy: Begins with “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” and describes pierced hands and feet, divided garments, and lots cast for clothing.Fulfillment: Jesus quoted Psalm 22:1 on the cross (Matthew 27:46), and His crucifixion included pierced hands/feet (Luke 24:39) and soldiers dividing His clothes (John 19:23-24).Reference: Matthew 27:35, John 19:24.Zechariah 12:10 (Pierced One Mourned)Prophecy: Speaks of looking upon “me whom they have pierced,” with mourning for Him.Fulfillment: Jesus was pierced by a spear (John 19:34), and His death led to sorrow among His followers, later seen as a fulfillment of redemption (John 19:37).Reference: John 19:37, Revelation 1:7.Isaiah 50:6 (Humiliation and Beating)Prophecy: The servant gives his back to those who strike him, his face to shame and spitting.Fulfillment: Jesus was beaten, scourged, and spat upon during His trial and crucifixion (Matthew 26:67, 27:26-30).Reference: Mark 14:65, Luke 22:63-64.Psalm 69:21 (Gall and Vinegar Offered)Prophecy: The suffering one is given gall for food and vinegar to drink.Fulfillment: Jesus was offered vinegar to drink while on the cross (John 19:29-30).Reference: Matthew 27:34, John 19:28-30.Genesis 3:15 (Seed of the Woman Bruised)Prophecy: The seed of the woman will bruise the serpent's head, but his heel will be bruised.Fulfillment: Jesus, born of a woman (Galatians 4:4), defeated Satan through His death and resurrection (Hebrews 2:14), though He suffered (bruised heel) in the process.Reference: Romans 16:20, Colossians 2:15.Daniel 9:26 (Messiah Cut Off)Prophecy: The anointed one (Messiah) will be cut off and have nothing.Fulfillment: Jesus was crucified, seemingly ending His mission, but this was part of His redemptive suffering (Mark 15:37).Reference: Acts 3:18, 1 Corinthians 15:3.Psalm 34:20 (No Bones Broken)Prophecy: Not one of his bones will be broken.Fulfillment: Jesus' bones were not broken during crucifixion, unlike the thieves crucified with Him (John 19:32-36).Reference: John 19:36

Send us a text“The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: ‘Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' The King of Israel!” “Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: “‘Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey's colt.'”  “His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him” (John 12:12-16).Written and sent out from the morning prayer time of Tommy Hays each day.God bless you and may you have a great day!—Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministrieshttp://messiah-ministries.org

True friendship is more than just companionship—it's a biblical calling. In this message, Pastor Sam Grosso unpacks philia love, the kind of deep, brotherly connection that Scripture calls us to. Many struggle with loneliness, toxic friendships, or self-centered relationships, but Jesus commands us to love one another in a way that reflects Him (John 13:34-35). We'll explore what it means to be a Christ-centered friend, the dangers of selfishness, and why real friendship requires sacrifice. Don't miss this powerful teaching on how biblical love transforms the way we invest in others.

Join us as we explore 1 Corinthians 7:17-40, where Paul teaches believers to embrace their calling, whether married or single, while prioritizing devotion to Christ. In this study, we discuss:

In this message, Pastor Jason Sharpe unpacks the powerful truth that Jesus is the Door. Looking at John 10:1-9, we explore what it means that Jesus is the only way to salvation, the promise of protection He gives, and the abundant life He offers to those who follow Him.

We believe God loves us and, therefore, we can love. Jesus came to reveal the Father and give us access to Him (John 14:6-7), shaping our understanding of God, people, and the world. ❤️ Our Relationship with God We don't see God as angry or distant but as a loving Father who created us to love us. Even in our rebellion, He pursued us and sent Jesus so we could be restored (John 3:16). We serve Him out of love, walking in grace, not fear.

     In the Christian life, faith can be seen in two ways. First, there is the single act of faith in Jesus that results in our salvation (John 3:16; 6:40; 20:31; Acts 4:12; 16:31; Eph 2:8-9). This refers to our justification before God and is a one-time event that is never repeated. Justification is declared because God has imputed His righteousness to us at the moment we trusted in Jesus as our Savior (Rom 5:17; 2 Cor 5:21; Phil 3:9). This results in our eternal salvation and is conditioned only on faith in Jesus (Rom 3:28; Gal 2:16), for “there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Act 4:12). Second, after being born again, God calls us to a walk of faith where we continually trust Him at His Word and obey His directives (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38; 11:6). The walk of faith focuses largely on what we think (Rom 12:1-2), say (Eph 4:15; Col 4:6), and do (Jam 1:22). God's Word sanctifies us as we walk by faith in Him (John 17:17), and this glorifies Him and advances us to spiritual maturity. Justification sets the ground for sanctification, but does not guarantee it, as the Christian must possess positive volition and make ongoing good choices that are rooted in divine viewpoint. Some believers, like the prodigal son, may turn to a sinful lifestyle. Faith that Justifies us Before God      Our righteous standing before God starts the moment we believe in Jesus as our Savior. This is the Jesus of Scripture and history, and not a fake Jesus like those taught by Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, or one we create in our imagination. Jesus is the second Person of the Trinity; He is God in the flesh (John 1:1, 14; 20:28; Col 2:9). Prior to His incarnation, God the Son was involved in planning our salvation with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. God the Father sent God the Son into the world to fulfill a divine mission. God's Word tells us, “The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14; cf., John 4:34; 7:29; 8:29; 20:21). The Father's great mission was to make salvation available to everyone. This act of God was done in love, as it is written, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16), and “He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10; cf., Rom 5:8). The Son agreed with the Father, saying, “I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38), and “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). When God the Son came into the world and took upon Himself humanity, He executed His mission flawlessly.      The divine mission began in time and space nearly two thousand years ago when God the Son took upon Himself humanity. The writer to the Hebrews cites the words of God the Son as He was about to enter the world, saying, “Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says [to God the Father], ‘Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, but a body You have prepared for Me'” (Heb 10:5). The third Person of the Trinity, God the Holy Spirit, facilitated the mission by bringing about the hypostatic union within the womb of the virgin Mary (Isa 7:14; Luke 1:30-35; Gal 4:4). The angel Gabriel told Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). At the moment of conception in the womb of the virgin Mary, undiminished deity was combined forever with perfect humanity. Eventually, Jesus was born, and God “became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The apostle Paul tells us, “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form” (Col 2:9).      God's Word also informs us that Jesus was a Jew, born a son of Abraham, in the line of David (Matt 1:1), the promised Messiah (Matt 1:1, 16-17; John 1:41). Jesus grew in human wisdom (Luke 2:40, 52) and lived a perfectly righteous life before God and man. The record of Scripture is that Jesus “knew no sin” (2 Cor 5:21), was “without sin” (Heb 4:15), “committed no sin” (1 Pet 2:22), and “in Him there is no sin” (1 John 3:5). In His humanity, Jesus walked in perfect conformity to God the Father's holy character and divine revelation. This is important, for Jesus' sinless life qualified Him to go to the cross and pay the ransom price for our sins. Jesus said, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).      When the divinely appointed time came for Jesus to go to the cross (John 12:23; 13:1), He went willingly (Isa 53:10; John 10:18). Just hours before the crucifixion, Jesus said to His Father, “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do” (John 17:4). Then He went to the cross and “offered Himself without blemish to God” (Heb 9:14), and “gave Himself for our sins” (Gal 1:4). Jesus paid our sin debt by means of His “precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” (1 Pet 1:19). While on the cross, “Christ died for our sins” (1 Cor 15:3), and He died in our place, “the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18).      Jesus' death on the cross was a one-time event, as He “offered one sacrifice for sins for all time” (Heb 10:12). After Jesus paid for all our sins, “He said, ‘It is finished!' And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit” (John 19:30). Jesus' death on the cross satisfied every righteous demand of God the Father concerning the payment for our sins (Rom 3:25), for “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). Jesus paid the price for all our sins. There's nothing more to pay. After Jesus died, He was placed in a grave and was resurrected to life on the third day (Acts 2:23-24; 4:10; 10:40; 1 Cor 15:3-4), never to die again (Rom 6:9). Because Christ died for everyone (John 3:16; Heb 2:9; 1 John 2:2), everyone is savable. The Bible tells us that God has brought “salvation to all men” (Tit 2:11), that He “desires all men to be saved” (1 Tim 2:4), and is “not wishing for any to perish” (2 Pet 3:9).      Once we understand who Christ is, as God in the flesh (John 1:1, 14), and what He has accomplished for us on the cross—having died for our sins, was buried, and raised again on the third day (1 Cor 15:3-4)—we can then exercise our faith by trusting in Him as our Savior. To receive salvation, the unbeliever is told to “believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31a). Jesus is the object of our faith. To believe in Christ as our Savior means we trust Him to accomplish for us what we cannot accomplish ourselves: eternal salvation from the lake of fire.      Faith in Christ is the only condition for salvation. Faith does not save; Christ saves. Faith is merely the instrument by which we receive the free gift of God, which is eternal life. Though the gift was very expensive for the Lord, it is offered totally free to us, for “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23). And it is “by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9). Only the empty hand of faith accepts the gift. It offers nothing but is open to receive that which is offered by another. God's gift is available to everyone, for “whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16), and “he who believes has eternal life” (John 6:47). No payment is required from us to receive it. It's a free gift.      The only sin that keeps a person out of heaven is the sin of unbelief, the individual choice NOT to trust in Jesus as one's Savior. The one who rejects Jesus as Savior is judged by God on the sole ground that “he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18). These are the ones who “are always resisting the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:51; cf. John 16:8), who “do not believe” in Jesus as their Savior (John 16:9), and “are unwilling to come” to Him so that they “may have life” (John 5:40). Those who willingly reject Christ as Savior will, after death, experience eternal separation and punishment away from God for all eternity, for “if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev 20:15). This need not happen. Hell is avoidable for the one who trusts in Christ as Savior, for “whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16), and “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not believe in the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36). Salvation is a free gift from God (Rom 3:24; 6:23), offered by grace alone (Eph 2:8-9), through faith alone (Gal 2:16; 3:26; 2 Tim 3:15), in Christ alone (John 14:6; Acts 4:12), totally apart from human works (Rom 4:4-5; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5). For lost sinners, the matter is simple: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).      Once we have trusted in Christ for salvation, God then bestows on us forgiveness of sins (Acts 10:43; Eph 1:7), the gift of righteousness (Rom 5:17; Phil 3:9), eternal life (John 10:28), and many other blessings (Eph 1:3). And having entered into a relationship with God through Christ (John 1:12; Gal 3:26), we are then called to a life of holiness and righteousness (1 Pet 1:15-16), as we learn His Word (2 Tim 2:15; 3:16-17; 1 Pet 2:2; 2 Pet 3:18), walk by faith (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38), and advance to spiritual maturity (Heb 6:1). This new walk with God will honor Him and edify others (Eph 4:1-2; 5:1-2). Dr. Steven R. Cook

Hebrews 12:24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel. We who believe in God, have come to Jesus! There is no other way to get to heaven or God, apart from Jesus. He is the way, the truth, and the life. He said that no one comes to the Father except by Him (John 14:6). The Father draws all those registered in heaven to His Son (John 6:44-45) so that they may be partakers of the new covenant in His blood. As our high priest, appointed by God to bring us to Him, Jesus has inaugurated the new covenant by shedding His blood for the propitiation of our sins. The author wrote of this back in chapter 2, verse 17. “Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”  In 11:4, we read about the blood of Abel speaking. “By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.” What did Abel's blood speak? It said he was faithful until the day he died at the hands of his brother, Cain. Jesus' blood also speaks. It tells us that Jesus was faithful even to death, death on a cross. However, Abel's blood didn't enforce an everlasting covenant like Jesus' blood did. Jesus' blood also still speaks, and it speaks a better thing.  All who believe in Jesus have come to the mercy seat where Jesus' blood speaks, not only to us but to God. His blood mediates a new covenant with God. It says to God that justice has been done against all our sins. There is a basis for forgiveness, access, and intimate fellowship to be offered freely to all who are registered in heaven's assembly. The blood speaks to the assembly gathered in heaven that their sins are forgiven, they need never fear, and access to intimacy with God has forever been secured. It speaks, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27). Abel's blood could not speak this message. My dear friend, listen to the great message of salvation the blood of Jesus speaks and walk in His peace. The love of Jesus only flows out of a peaceful heart, anchored in the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ. Receive His love and walk in love and peace with Him.

The Bible describes the "Bread of Life" as Jesus Christ, who provides spiritual nourishment and eternal life to those who believe in Him (John 6:35). He teaches that unlike physical bread, which perishes, He is the true sustenance that satisfies the soul forever. In this first part of the 'I am' series, Pastor Kudzo takes us through what it means when Jesus says he's the Bread of Life. Be blessed as you listen and share with a friend.

Fear woke me at 3 a.m. on the first day of the new year. The year ahead weighed heavily on me, overwhelming me with dread. Illness in the family had long wearied me, and now, thoughts of the future made me afraid. Will more bad things happen? I wondered. Jesus’ disciples understood the fear of bad things happening. Even though their Master had prepared and reassured them the day before He died, they were still afraid. They fled when He was arrested (Matthew 26:56); Peter denied Him (John 18:15−17, 25−27), and they went into hiding (John 20:19). Their fear during the upheaval of Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion, as well as of persecution, led them to act contrary to His command to “take heart” and His promise, “I have overcome the world.” But Jesus’ death and resurrection proved His authority and power over life and death. He has the ultimate victory. Even though the sinful state of our world makes suffering a certainty, we can rest in the truth that all things are subject to the authority of our wise and loving God. His presence and peace are with us (John 16:32−33), just as it was with His disciples, who later confidently went on to share the gospel to the world. May God’s promise that He’s in control strengthen our hearts to trust Him in this new year and be courageous even when we don’t know what the future will bring.

Paul opens the chapter by reminding believers of their freedom in Christ: “For freedom, Christ has set us free; stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (v. 1). The gospel frees us from striving in the flesh that misses Christ, and the gospel as we conform in our power. It also shines a light so we see where we sinfully indulge selfishness and self-reliance to find joy on our terms. We must focus on Christ as we walk in His Spirit. Paul contrasts two ways of living: life according to the flesh and life in the Spirit. The flesh, in Paul's terms, is not just the body but our old, self-centered nature—our default way of living apart from God. It's a life marked by striving, selfishness, and broken relationships. Paul lists the works of the flesh (v. 19-21), which include sins of self-gratification (like sexual immorality and drunkenness) and sins of self-righteousness (like envy, dissensions, and jealousy). Living in the flesh is our attempt to build our identity apart from Christ's power and Lordship. We can do this through moral performance or selfish indulgence. The flesh is fundamentally self-focused, driven by a desire to control our own lives and find meaning apart from the gospel and from submitting to Christ. Life in the Spirit, by contrast, is marked by freedom, transformation, and love. Paul describes the fruit of the Spirit (v. 22-23): love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When we lose sight of the to do list and focus on living for Christ we produce fruit just as the fruit grows naturally when connected to the vine, so the Spirit produces Christlike character in us when we abide in Him (John 15:5). Life in the flesh is about striving, either through self-indulgence or self-righteousness, but life in the Spirit is about surrender—trusting the Spirit to work in and through us. The Spirit doesn't just give us new behaviors; He gives us a new heart. Paul's command to “walk by the Spirit” (v. 16) is not about trying harder but about living in daily dependence on the Spirit. In the same way, life in the Spirit is about continually turning to God's grace for every need, moment by moment. The Spirit frees us from self-centeredness so that we can love sacrificially, reflecting the love we've received from Christ. Galatians 5 teaches us that life in the Spirit is not about trying harder to be good but about being transformed by grace. The flesh leads to striving and self-destruction, but the Spirit leads to freedom, fruitfulness, and love. When we give up our control, submit to Christ, and walk in the Spirit we find the power to live out the Shalom, the peace, and the joy that God has created us to enjoy as we commune with him.

Series: Signs & GloryTitle: "Who is Jesus and why did he come?Scripture: John 1:1-51 John 1:1-2, Colossians 1:1:15-17, Phil 1:5-11, John 17:5, 20:31Bottom line: As God in the flesh, Jesus came to call people from death to life by faith in him.INTRODUCTIONCONTEXTSERMON OUTLINECONCLUSIONNOTESOUTLINESQUESTIONS TO CONSIDER DISCUSSION QUESTIONSMAIN REFERENCES USEDMy opening prayer: Lord God, help us grow to be and do like Jesus, while abiding in him and leading others to do the same. INTRODUCTIONLast week we started at the end where John tells us of his purpose in writing about Jesus. He said that he writes these things so that we might believe that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God and that by believing have life in his name. We will see this purpose unfold in his first words in his gospel account. John was one of the 12 and the disciple/apostle who lived the longest. He was the only one who wasn't martyred for his faith. Word is he lived into his 90's and died in the 90's--the AD 90s.John wrote to give us the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ from another angle. The other 3 synoptic gospels are each unique but share many of the same history, miracles and teachings. John will share less well-known history, miracles (he calls them "signs"), and teachings. Many see them as most profound. I share this perspective. This series is called Signs & Glory. The first 12 chapters will show us the 7 signs of belief along with many others truths the illustrate and bring credibility to the teachings of Jesus. Chapters 13-20 will show us the glory of God on full display. We'll see the light, life and love of God through his divine AND human son, Jesus of Nazareth. CONTEXTJohn starts his gospel account with a poetic prologue. The book is broken up into 2 main parts:1--7 sections on Jesus' public ministry followed by people's reaction to it. (Signs, John 1-12)2--The Passover weekend which includes the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (Glory, John 13-20)John loves the number 7 as it represents completeness. As a result, he structures his gospel around this number for theological purposes. Ex. 7 signsEx. 7 "I am" statementsSERMON (lots of help from Carter)Read and comment on John 1:1-5.Then answer these questions:Who is Jesus?The Word. (1:1) To tell us the way to true life. Implying we're ignorant of the truth that sets us free from sin & death.The Life. (1:2-4) He came to call us from death to life.Implying we're dead in our sins. At physical death, our soul is separated from our body.At spiritual death, our soul is separated from our Creator, God, forever.It's all about life. He created/creates life.He sustains life.He brings new life.He brings abundant life.He brings eternal life w/ God forever.The Light. (1:4-5) To show us the way to true life.Implying we're blind and cannot see the truth.The Overcomer. (1:5)To free us from the kingdom of darkness forever.Implying we feel believe we're defeated.Darkness has not nor cannot overcome light.Therefore, death has not nor cannot overcome life.Yes, there are times when there is temporary overcoming that looks like defeat. But in light of eternity, light and life (& love) cannot be overcome forever.God (1:1) in the flesh (1:14).To show and tell us the way to true life through his divine and human son, Jesus Christ. ↘️✝️

Scripture: John 6:26-40 Key Takeaways:  “Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” – CS Lewis + John 6:26 + John 6:35 + Long for Him Who is forever + John 6:27 + Ephesians 3:9-13 + 2 Corinthians 5:21 + John 6:35-40 + Ephesians 4:7-10 + Romans 5:8 + Long for Him Who is free + John 6:30-31 + Philippians 4:6 + Bread + Believe in Him + John 6:27-29 + Isaiah 26:3 + Read His Word + Psalm 119:105 + Embrace His Mission -        What is the mission of God? + Matthew 28:19-20 + Acts 1:8 + Approach His Throne + Hebrews 4:16 + Delight in Him + Isaiah 61:10 “Oh, soul are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see? There's light for a look at the Savior And life more abundant and free. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.” – Helen Lemmel

Sabbath School panel discussion and insight by 3ABN pastors and teachers. This podcast episode follows 2024 quarter 4, lesson 10 of the adult Bible study guide book. This quarter's book topic is “Themes in the Book of John” and this week's Sabbath School lesson is titled “The Way, the Truth, and the Life”. Join us every week for a fresh and relevant study of the word of God. Reading: John 13:1–20; John 14:1–3; Dan. 7:27; John 14:5–11; John 1:14; Col. 1:16, 17; John 5:38–40. Memory Text: “No one has seen God at any time.The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (John 1:18, NKJV). November 30–December 6 Sunday - Daniel Perrin - I Have Given You an ExampleMonday - Ryan Day - I Will Certainly Come AgainTuesday - Shelley Quinn - I Am the Way, the Truth, and the LifeWednesday - Jill Morikone - I AM the TruthThursday - James Rafferty - The Scriptures and the Truth Want the Panelists' notes? You can sign up here: https://3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com/notes/ Questions or Comments? Email us at mail@3abn.org Donate: https://3abn.org/donate-quick.html

It is likely the oldest question humanity has ever asked: “What must we do to perform the works of God?”   And for millennia, honest, searching people have provided their own answers to the question. Magnificent temples and cathedrals have been built; exquisite liturgies have been composed; amazing acts of kindness have unfolded—all in the hope God would be pleased with the work, the toil, the effort, the prayers.   But when the question was put to the One whom the Bible calls the Son of God, “Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent'”(John 6:29). He who flung the galaxies for joy, who holds this tiny blue-green planet in His warm embrace—He doesn't need our sweat and toil. What brings Him happiness is when we choose—in love, through grace, with gratitude—to place our trust in heaven's greatest gift: “God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him” (John.3.17). Grace moves us to believe, and only then, to act. What work we do through faith in Christ grows from our gratitude.  So stay in grace. -Bill Knott

It is likely the oldest question humanity has ever asked: “What must we do to perform the works of God?”   And for millennia, honest, searching people have provided their own answers to the question. Magnificent temples and cathedrals have been built; exquisite liturgies have been composed; amazing acts of kindness have unfolded—all in the hope God would be pleased with the work, the toil, the effort, the prayers.   But when the question was put to the One whom the Bible calls the Son of God, “Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent'”(John 6:29). He who flung the galaxies for joy, who holds this tiny blue-green planet in His warm embrace—He doesn't need our sweat and toil. What brings Him happiness is when we choose—in love, through grace, with gratitude—to place our trust in heaven's greatest gift: “God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him” (John.3.17). Grace moves us to believe, and only then, to act. What work we do through faith in Christ grows from our gratitude.  So stay in grace. -Bill Knott

November 15, 2024 Today's Reading: Matthew 26:57-75 Daily Lectionary: Jeremiah 30:1-24; Revelation 15:1-8; Matthew 26:57-75 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.”After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly. (Matthew 26:69-75)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.A great spiritual battle in the history of the world is unfolding. On the one side, Satan and the demons. Along with Satan are those who serve him as they work to bring Jesus to the cross: the Pharisees and teachers of the Law, the chief priests, Caiaphas, Herod, and, of course, Judas. On the other side is Jesus, and those who belong to Him, foremost would be His Apostles. Of the Apostles, Peter stands out. He had promised Jesus, “Though [the other Apostles] fall away because of you, I will never fall away” (Matthew 26:33).Who can Jesus depend on? As it turns out, not Peter. This preeminent Apostle folds under pressure: “Then [Peter] began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, ‘I do not know the man [Jesus].' And immediately the rooster crowed” (Matthew 26:74).  Is there any hope for Peter? If it depends on Peter, no, there is no hope. But if it depends on Jesus, there is hope. He's the One going to the cross for Peter's sin and the sin of the world. He's the One who made the promise to keep all those the Father has given to Him (John 17:6-12), and that includes Peter. For Peter, it is the Word of the cross; it is life and salvation, even over against his doubting and denial.The Word of the cross comes to you and me. Over against our doubting and denial, we hear the Lord's promise. We hear His Word forgiving our sin, and where there is the forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation. (Small Catechism, “The Benefit of the Sacrament of the Altar”)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Praise for Your great apostle So eager and so bold, Thrice falling, yet repentant, Thrice charged to feed your fold. Lord, make your pastors faithful To guard Your flock from harm, And hold them when they waver With Your almighty arm. Amen. (LSB 517:10)-Rev. Warren Graff, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Albuquerque, NMAudio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Spend time reading and meditating on God's Word throughout the Church Year with the Enduring Grace Journal. Includes scripture readings, prayers, prompts, and space for journaling. The Church Year Journal, Enduring Grace, now available from Concordia Publishing House.

Yesterday in our chat we talked about the new garment and the new wine in the closing verses of Luke 5. Today we want to look at the New Sabbath that Jesus was bringing into existence as He paves the way for the future ministry of His disciples and the Church.   Remember already in Luke 4, in His hometown of Nazareth, the religious leaders and crowd attempted to kill Jesus because He claimed to be the fulfilment of Isaiah 61, Who was the Messiah that was “anointed by the Spirit to preach good tidings to the poor, to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, to open the prison doors to those who are bound, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD”.   We usually apply these verses to Jesus setting us free from the bondage and suffering of sin. But more literally, they probably should be applied to Jesus setting the Jewish people free from the man-made laws of Judaism that had been attached to the Law of Moses over the past century. That is what we see in the closing verses of Luke 5 and these first verses of Luke 6.   We believe that now for over a year, Jesus has ministered as a popular itinerant Teacher and Healer, and multitudes followed Him. But now the time had come for Him to "organize" His followers and declare just what His kingdom was all about. In this chapter, we see the Lord Jesus establishing three new spiritual entities to replace that which was now "worn out" in the Jewish religion: a new Sabbath, a new nation, and a new blessing in the new spiritual kingdom. In these first five verses Jesus announces a new Sabbath.   The sanctity of the Sabbath, the seventh day was a distinctive part of the Jewish faith. God gave Israel the Sabbath law at Sinai (Neh. 9:13-14) and made it a sign between Him and the nation (Ex. 20:8-11; 31:12-17). The word Sabbath means "rest" and is linked with God's cessation of work after the six days of Creation (Gen. 2:2-3). Some of the rabbis taught that Messiah could not come until Israel had perfectly kept the Sabbath, so obeying this law was very important both personally and nationally.   To call Sunday "the Sabbath" is to confuse the first day and the seventh day and what each signifies. The Sabbath is a reminder of the completion of "the old Creation," while the Lord's Day is a reminder of our Lord's finished work in "the new Creation" (2 Cor. 5:21; Eph. 2:10; 4:24). The Sabbath speaks of rest after work and relates to the Law, while the Lord's Day speaks of rest before work and relates to grace. The Lord's Day commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead as well as the coming of the Holy Spirit and the "birthday" of the church (Acts 2).   The early church met on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:1-2). However, some Jewish believers kept the Sabbath, and this sometimes led to division. Paul addressed this problem in Romans 14:1-15:13 where he gave principles to promote both liberty and unity in the church. But Paul always made it clear that observing special days had nothing to do with salvation (Gal. 4:1-11; Col. 2:8-17). We are not saved from sin by faith in Christ plus keeping the Sabbath. We are saved by faith in Christ alone.   By their strict and oppressive rules, the Pharisees and scribes had turned the Sabbath Day into a burden instead of the blessing God meant it to be, and Jesus challenged both their doctrine and their authority. He had announced a new "Year of Jubilee" (Luke 4:19), and now He would declare a new Sabbath. He had already healed a lame man on the Sabbath, and the religious leaders had determined to kill Him (John 5:18; also note John 5:16). Now in Luke 5, Jesus was going to violate their Sabbath laws on two more occasions.   Jesus came to set us free from the “law of sin and death”. Praise the Lord! We are no longer under the condemnation of the law! (Romans 8:1-5). Have you experienced this new freedom in Jesus Christ?   God bless!  

Psalm 37:4-5: “Seek your HAPPINESS in the LORD, and He will give you your heart's desire. Give yourself to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will help you.” The love that God has for YOU is unconditional, He will never stop loving YOU. You are of infinite worth and value to Him, because He loves you. Just think about it - the greatest, the most powerful, the most important Person ADORES YOU. He prizes YOU as His most valuable treasure. You hold such value in His sight that He sent His most precious Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to the earth to die in your place, to pay for your sins, all for the purpose of bringing you back to Him, so He could manifest His love to you, as He longs to do. Our wonderful Heavenly Father desires a very CLOSE relationship with all His children. He is calling and leading each one of us into a closer love relationship with Him, and He wants us to seek our happiness in Him, rather than in things. Psalm 27:8: “When You said: “SEEK My FACE (Presence)”: My heart said to You: “Your FACE (Presence) Lord, I will SEEK.” “My heart has heard You say: “Come and talk with Me.” And my heart responds: “Lord, I am coming” (NLT). To SEEK is to crave and search earnestly, until the object of your desire has been found. None of us is perfect, or ever will be in this life. But even though you may be struggling with some things in your flesh, or soulish realm, do not cut your self off from worshiping God. Do not deprive God of the very thing Jesus suffered & died to give Him - your love, worship and your intimate fellowship with Him (John 4:21,23-24). God is prodigal in His love for us. Prodigal means excessive, plenty too much, over the top. The Parable of the Prodigal Son, is not so much about the son, who was prodigal in his sinning, but it is mostly about the father, who was prodigal in his great love for his sinning son. This is a picture of God's love for us. Luke 15:20: “He arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.” God longs to fellowship with us. When David cried out to the Lord (Ps 27:7), the Lord replied by saying: “SEEK My FACE” (v8). Ps 27:8: “When You (Lord) said: “Seek My Face (in prayer, require My Presence as your greatest need],” my heart said to You: “Your Face (Presence), O Lord, I will seek.” God is the all-sufficient One, so He can never be lonely. From eternity, there has been perfect love, unity & fellowship between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – the Triune Godhead. God has NO NEEDS, but He has VERY STRONG DESIRES, such as His desire for our love. He loved us so much, that He sent His only begotten Son to die for us, and redeem us from our sins, and purchase us for Himself, so we might belong to God forever as His children (John 3:16). Ephesians 2:4-7: “God, who is rich in mercy, for His GREAT LOVE wherewith He LOVED US, even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together with Christ (by grace are you saved), and has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. So that, in the Ages to come (for all eternity) He might show (demonstrate) the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” God is a Giver, not a Withholder! Seeing how much He loves us should make us want to worship Him. Isn't it breath-taking that we have the ability to bless such a loving Creator, the All-Sufficient One. How amazing that our love and worship can minister to God and give Him great pleasure! God has given us free will, so LOVING God is our CHOICE. He will never force us to love Him. WORSHIPING GOD is a CHOICE. God has placed within each one of us the ability to love, bless & minister to Him in return. But He will never force you to love Him. By giving us free-will, He has made Himself vulnerable to us. We can choose to love Him in return, or turn our back on Him, and break His heart. Hosea 11:3,8: “It was I who taught Israel how to walk, leading him along by the hand. But he does not know or even care that it was I who took care of him... Oh, how can I give you up Israel? How can I let you go? My heart is torn within Me, and my compassion overflows.” Will you break His heart by withholding your love from Him? Our loving worship BLESSES God immensely. It brings Him tremendous pleasure. He DELIGHTS in our worship. It brings Him JOY. If you knew what God really wanted from you, would you do it? Will you give Him your love? God LONGS for intimacy with us, more than we will ever understand in this life. He DESIRES sweet communion with us, more than we desire intimacy with Him. It is so amazing that Almighty God makes Himself available to us every moment of every day! We must EXPECT that He is giving us His undivided attention, when we come to worship Him. Hebrews 13:5: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Psalm 37:4-5: “Seek your HAPPINESS in the LORD, and He will give you your heart's desire. Give yourself to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will help you.” The love that God has for YOU is unconditional, He will never stop loving YOU. You are of infinite worth and value to Him, because He loves you. Just think about it - the greatest, the most powerful, the most important Person ADORES YOU. He prizes YOU as His most valuable treasure. You hold such value in His sight that He sent His most precious Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to the earth to die in your place, to pay for your sins, all for the purpose of bringing you back to Him, so He could manifest His love to you, as He longs to do. Our wonderful Heavenly Father desires a very CLOSE relationship with all His children. He is calling and leading each one of us into a closer love relationship with Him, and He wants us to seek our happiness in Him, rather than in things. Psalm 27:8: “When You said: “SEEK My FACE (Presence)”: My heart said to You: “Your FACE (Presence) Lord, I will SEEK.” “My heart has heard You say: “Come and talk with Me.” And my heart responds: “Lord, I am coming” (NLT). To SEEK is to crave and search earnestly, until the object of your desire has been found. None of us is perfect, or ever will be in this life. But even though you may be struggling with some things in your flesh, or soulish realm, do not cut your self off from worshiping God. Do not deprive God of the very thing Jesus suffered & died to give Him - your love, worship and your intimate fellowship with Him (John 4:21,23-24). God is prodigal in His love for us. Prodigal means excessive, plenty too much, over the top. The Parable of the Prodigal Son, is not so much about the son, who was prodigal in his sinning, but it is mostly about the father, who was prodigal in his great love for his sinning son. This is a picture of God's love for us. Luke 15:20: “He arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.” God longs to fellowship with us. When David cried out to the Lord (Ps 27:7), the Lord replied by saying: “SEEK My FACE” (v8). Ps 27:8: “When You (Lord) said: “Seek My Face (in prayer, require My Presence as your greatest need],” my heart said to You: “Your Face (Presence), O Lord, I will seek.” God is the all-sufficient One, so He can never be lonely. From eternity, there has been perfect love, unity & fellowship between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – the Triune Godhead. God has NO NEEDS, but He has VERY STRONG DESIRES, such as His desire for our love. He loved us so much, that He sent His only begotten Son to die for us, and redeem us from our sins, and purchase us for Himself, so we might belong to God forever as His children (John 3:16). Ephesians 2:4-7: “God, who is rich in mercy, for His GREAT LOVE wherewith He LOVED US, even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together with Christ (by grace are you saved), and has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. So that, in the Ages to come (for all eternity) He might show (demonstrate) the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” God is a Giver, not a Withholder! Seeing how much He loves us should make us want to worship Him. Isn't it breath-taking that we have the ability to bless such a loving Creator, the All-Sufficient One. How amazing that our love and worship can minister to God and give Him great pleasure! God has given us free will, so LOVING God is our CHOICE. He will never force us to love Him. WORSHIPING GOD is a CHOICE. God has placed within each one of us the ability to love, bless & minister to Him in return. But He will never force you to love Him. By giving us free-will, He has made Himself vulnerable to us. We can choose to love Him in return, or turn our back on Him, and break His heart. Hosea 11:3,8: “It was I who taught Israel how to walk, leading him along by the hand. But he does not know or even care that it was I who took care of him... Oh, how can I give you up Israel? How can I let you go? My heart is torn within Me, and my compassion overflows.” Will you break His heart by withholding your love from Him? Our loving worship BLESSES God immensely. It brings Him tremendous pleasure. He DELIGHTS in our worship. It brings Him JOY. If you knew what God really wanted from you, would you do it? Will you give Him your love? God LONGS for intimacy with us, more than we will ever understand in this life. He DESIRES sweet communion with us, more than we desire intimacy with Him. It is so amazing that Almighty God makes Himself available to us every moment of every day! We must EXPECT that He is giving us His undivided attention, when we come to worship Him. Hebrews 13:5: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Before we ever learn to speak or find some syllables of thought, we learn that how we're loved depends on how we live. As infants, we adapted to what brought us comfort and attention. As teens, we found affection best by mimicking what offered hope of friendship. And though we've grown in years and size, we still build contracts meant to bring us love. The world teaches us that love comes with conditions.  Just here the gospel shines so bright: “But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” (Eph 2:4-5). God's care for us is not proportionate to our good thoughts or choices. He doesn't wait for our  best lives before He offers His embrace. “God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him” (John 3:17). And even when we get it wrong, His love won't be deflected. We cannot earn what He so gladly gives. We cannot lose the love we never caused. Now stay in grace. -Bill Knott

Before we ever learn to speak or find some syllables of thought, we learn that how we're loved depends on how we live. As infants, we adapted to what brought us comfort and attention. As teens, we found affection best by mimicking what offered hope of friendship. And though we've grown in years and size, we still build contracts meant to bring us love. The world teaches us that love comes with conditions.  Just here the gospel shines so bright: “But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” (Eph 2:4-5). God's care for us is not proportionate to our good thoughts or choices. He doesn't wait for our  best lives before He offers His embrace. “God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him” (John 3:17). And even when we get it wrong, His love won't be deflected. We cannot earn what He so gladly gives. We cannot lose the love we never caused. Now stay in grace. -Bill Knott

Do you believe in the Son of Man? He answered, who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him? Jesus said to him, you have both seen Him and He is the one who is talking with you. And He said, Lord, I believe. And He worshipped Him – John 9:35 – 38

CLICK TO PRINT READING 7178. Exodus 6 THE DOCTRINE OF CHARITY No one can know what good is, as understood in the spiritual sense, unless he knows what love toward the neighbor and love to God are; and no one can know what evil is, unless he knows what the love of self and the love of the world are. Nor can anyone know from inward acknowledgment what the truth is which is of faith, unless he knows what good is, and unless he is in good; nor can anyone know what falsity is, unless he knows what evil is. Consequently no one can examine himself unless he knows what good from its two loves is, and what truth from good is; and unless he knows what evil from its two loves is, and what falsity from evil is. 7179. There are two faculties in man, one is called the understanding, and the other the will; the will has been given man for the sake of the good which is of love, and the understanding for the sake of the truth which is of faith; for the good which is of love has relation to the will, and the truth which is of faith has relation to the understanding; the one faculty communicates in a wonderful way with the other. They join themselves together in those who are in good and thence in truth; and they also join themselves together in those who are in evil and thence in falsity; with both classes these two faculties make one mind. But it is otherwise with those who are in truth as to faith, and in evil as to life; and also with those who are in falsity as to faith, and in apparent good as to life. 7180. Man is not allowed to divide his mind, and to sunder these two faculties from each other; that is, to understand and speak truth, and to will and do evil; for then one faculty would look upward or toward heaven, and the other downward or toward hell, and thus the man would hang between the two. But let him know that the will carries him away, and the understanding favors. From all this it is evident how the case is with faith and with love, and how with the state of man if they are separated. 7181. Nothing is more necessary to man than to know whether heaven be in him, or hell; for in one or the other he must live to eternity. In order that he may know this, it is necessary that he should know what good is, and what evil, for good makes heaven, and evil makes hell; the doctrine of charity teaches about both. 7182. Love to God is said, and by this is meant love to the Lord, for there is no other God; the Father is in Him (John 14:9-11), and the Holy of the Spirit is from Him (John 16:13-15). EXODUS 6 1. And Jehovah said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh; for by a strong hand shall he let them go, and by a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land. 2. And God spoke unto Moses, and said unto him, I am Jehovah. 3. And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, in God Shaddai; and by my name Jehovah I was not known to them. 4. And I also set up My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their sojournings, wherein they sojourned. 5. And moreover I have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, in that the Egyptians make them to serve; and I have remembered My covenant. 6. Wherefore say to the sons of Israel, I am Jehovah, and I will lead you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will liberate you from their service; and I will redeem you with a stretched-out arm, and with great judgments. 7. And I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you for God, and ye shall know that I am Jehovah your God, who leadeth you out from under the burdens of Egypt. 8. And I will bring you unto the land where I lifted up my hand to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and I will give it you for a heritage: I am Jehovah. 9. And Moses spoke thus unto the sons of Israel; and they heard not Moses for distress of spirit, and for hard service. 10. And Jehovah spoke unto Moses, saying, 11. Come, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt,

In Luke 2:33-35, Simeon goes from being a worshiper and preacher who has just experienced the very first appearance of Jesus in the temple in Jerusalem as a baby to being a prophet who speaks directly to Mary about the future of Jesus and His ministry to Israel. In verse 33, it is interesting that Luke in writing about this encounter does not say, “the father and mother”, but is careful to write, “Joseph and His mother”. Luke knew the Father of Jesus was God Himself! (By the way, the most repeated word in the Gospel of John, is the word Father, spoken by Jesus Himself.)   As Joseph and Mary are “marveling at the things” which Simeon was speaking about the baby Jesus, he goes on to speak directly to Mary about how people would respond to Jesus and His ministry and in his message, he used three important images: the stone, the sign, and the sword. The stone is an important Old Testament image of God (Gen. 49:24; Pss. 18:2; 71:3; Deut. 32:31). Messiah would be a "rejected cornerstone" (Ps. 118:22; Luke 20:17-18; Acts 4:11), and the nation of Israel would stumble over Him (Isa. 8:14; Rom. 9:32). Because of Jesus Christ, many in Israel would fall in conviction and then rise in salvation. (Simeon seems to be speaking about one group, not two.) Even today, God's people Israel stumble over the Cross (1 Cor. 1:23) and do not understand that Jesus is their Rock (1 Peter 2:1-6).   The word sign means "a miracle," not so much as a demonstration of power but as a revelation of divine truth. Our Lord's miracles in John's Gospel are called "signs" because they reveal special truths about Him John 20:30-31). Jesus Christ is God's miracle; and yet, instead of admiring Him, the people attacked Him and spoke against Him. His birth was a miracle, yet they slandered it (John 8:41). They said His miracles were done in the power of Satan (Matt. 12:22-24) and that His character was questionable (John 8:48, 52; 9:16, 24). They slandered His death (Ps. 22:6-8; Matt. 27:39-44) and lied about His resurrection (Matt. 27:62-66). Today, people are even speaking against His coming again (2 Peter 3).   But the way people speak about Jesus Christ is evidence of what is in their hearts (v. 35). He is not only the "salvation stone" and the "judgment stone" (Dan. 2:34, 45), but He is also the "touchstone" that exposes what people are really like. "What do you think about the Christ?" (Matt. 22:42) is still the most important question for anybody to answer (1 John 4:1-3). Your answer determines where you will spend eternity.   The image of the sword was for Mary alone, and it spoke of the suffering and sorrow she would bear as the mother of the Messiah. (This suggests that Joseph was dead when Jesus began His ministry thirty years later, or Joseph would have been included.) The Greek word means a large sword such as Goliath used (1 Sam. 17:51), and the verb means "constantly keep on piercing." During our Lord's life and ministry, Mary did experience more and more sorrow until one day she stood by His cross and saw Him suffer and die (John 19:25-27). However, without minimizing her devotion, Mary's personal pain must not in any way be made a part of Christ's redemptive work. Only He could die for the sins of the world (1 Tim. 2:5-6).   How much did Mary and Joseph understand of God's great plan for this miracle Child? We don't know, but we do know that Mary stored up all these things and pondered them (Luke 2:19, 51). The word means "to put things together"; Mary sought for some pattern that would help her understand God's will. There were times when Mary misunderstood Him (Mark 3:31-35), and this would add to her suffering. The last time you find Mary named in Scripture, she is in the Upper Room, praying with the other believers (Acts 1:14).   Today, may the Lord give us hearts to “marvel” about the things concerning Jesus that the Holy Spirit reveals to us as we read and study the Word of God and listen to Him!   God bless!

I heard a well-meaning pastor and theologian say by way of application from his reading of Ephesians 5:22-25 these words: Godly women want to feed their men. Godly women are designed to make the sandwiches. This is not an absolute law, like the one about making babies, and there are times when a man fends for himself and makes quite a decent sandwich. But in the general scheme of things, the apostle Paul wants the women to make the sandwiches.[1] My question to you, is that what Ephesians 5:22-25 is teaching? So, here is how I hope to answer that question. I hope to answer the above question by showing you how the willful subjecting of the wife to her husband and the sacrificial love of the husband for his wife is the apostle Pauls way of showing us what Ephesians 4:1-3 looks like in marriage; consider these verses in light of marriage: ...walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. The way I am going to show you what sandwiches have to do with marriage is by explaining what Ephesians 5:22-25 is saying, then I will show what these verses mean for your marriage, and finally, we will look at some examples of Jesus and what He thinks about sandwich making. What is Ephesians 5:22-25 Really Saying? So what is Ephesians saying? Let me begin answering that question by unpacking what the Greek word hypotassō(ὑά) means; it can be translated as subject, subordinate, or submit. Although every major translation except the NASB (95 and 2020 editions) decided to use the word submit instead of subject I believe subject is a better translation. So what is the big deal? Why do I think it matters how hypotassō is translated? In the most literal sense, the word means to order oneself under and in the case of the wife, she is to willingly order herself under the headship of her husband, which is much less confusing than submit and leaves less room for this verse to be abused in the ways it has been used in an attempt to subjugate Christian women. This is why I believe subject is a better way to translate this word, besides the fact that most of the time the word is used in the New Testament, it is rightfully translated as subject. Permit me to show you two other places hypotassō is used and why subject is a better translation of the word for Ephesians in the way wives ought to respond to their husbands. The first is Luke 2:41-52 when Mary and Joseph traveled from Nazareth to Jerusalem with 12-year-old Jesus to celebrate the Passover. Because they most likely traveled with friends and family, they did not realize they left Jesus in Jerusalem on their way back home to Nazareth. So, Joseph and Mary turned back (probably in a panic) to go get 12-year-old Jesus and it is in Luke 2:48-51 that we see how hypotassō is used and translated: When Joseph and Mary saw Him, they were bewildered; and His mother said to Him, Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You! And He said to them, Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Fathers house? And yet they on their part did not understand the statement which He had made to them. And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued to be subject [hypotassō] to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart. What did Jesus do at the age of 12 as fully God and fully human? How did he respond to his mother and stepfather as the rightful King of kings and Lord of lords? He willingly placed Himself under the headship of his mother and stepfather as a 12-year-old boy. Jesus was in Jerusalem because He had to be in His Fathers house but returned to Nazareth with Joseph and Mary because He was still under their headship. The other place the word is used is in Romans 13:1. Remember that the Empire of Rome wanted to suppress Christianity, and it was because of Pauls preaching that Rome eventually sentenced him to death by beheading, yet Paul wrote, Every person is to be subject [hypotassō] to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Paul willingly subjected himself under the Roman government but refused to disobey God when Romans demanded him to do so. With the same humility that led Jesus to subject Himself under the authority of Joseph and Mary, the wife is to subject herself under the headship of her husband. With the same understanding and trust Paul had of God and in His sovereign reign over governments the wife is called to subject herself to her husband knowing that he will have to answer for every decision made in the home and will be held to account for how he loved his wife who is first and foremost a daughter of God Almighty. Now, what is the scope that the wife is to subject herself under the headship of her husband? Look at verse 24, for it here that we are told: But the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Paul is not saying that you, wives, must be submissive in everything your husband tells you to do but to subject yourself under his headship as the one God has called to lead as one called by God to protect and provide as priest over your home out of a motivation to lay down his life for your good out of the kind of love that led Jesus to a cross: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her (v. 25). What Does Ephesians 5:22-25 Mean for Life and Marriage? So, what does Ephesians 5:22-25 mean for your marriage? What it means, is that, unlike the worlds perverted view of sex and marriage, you are to walk in a manner worthy of your calling in your marriage, as a parent or as a child (6:1-4), and in your obedience to those placed in authority over you, who you work for, or how you exercise your God-given authority (6:5-9). Think about what we have seen in Ephesians 4:1-5:21 as the application of who you are as one who once was dead but now is alive in Christ. You were redeemed and saved to walk in the good works Jesus redeemed us for (Eph. 2:10). As a child of God and His representation in a dark and evil world, you are to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called... (4:1). In light of your calling as a child of light, we are commanded to be, imitators of God, as beloved children and as beloved children, we are to walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us (5:1-2). Now in everything that we say and do, we are to, be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of your time because the days are evil (vv. 15-16). So, when it comes to what we say and how we treat one another as brothers and sisters in Christ regardless of whether you are single, married, employed, a student and living at home with mom and dad, caring for your elderly parents, we are commanded by God through the apostle Paul to, subject yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ (v. 21). But what does Christlikeness look like in marriage and what does Ephesians 5:22-25 have to do with making sandwiches? Here is the way I see it: With the same humility Christ demonstrated and we are all called to practice (see Phil. 2:3-8), wives are to subject themselves to their husbands with the same humility Jesus demonstrated on earth during His incarnation as fully human while remaining fully God. With the same selfless love that compelled Jesus to live the life we could never live and die the death we all deserved; husbands have and demonstrate for their wives. With the same honor and dependence Jesus demonstrated on earth regarding God the Father, so believing Children are to honor their parents. And, with the same willingness to subject Himself under the cross imposed by the Roman empire, so Christian slaves and employees are to obediently bear the burden they are called to with the same dedication Christ had not to Rome, but for the glory of God the Father. As a wife, or as a husband, or as a child, or as a parent, or as a boss, or as a slave/employee... we are all commanded out of love and reverent fear for Christ to, walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called (4:1), and to do so as imitators of God, as beloved children, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us (5:1-2). What Does Jesus Say about Who Should be Making the Sandwiches in Life and Marriage? Now, a word about who Paul expected to make sandwiches when he wrote Ephesians. The motivation of subjecting yourself under the headship of your husband is not because you are obligated to submit to whatever he wants, but because of a motivation for your love for Jesus. This is the point of verse 22 and Colossians 3:18, which states: Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Then, just a few verses later, we read: Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people, knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the reward of the inheritance (Col. 3:20-21). Just because you are married does not mean that you are now a slave; if you are a follower of Christ who happens to be a wife or thinking about marriage, it is out of a radical love and deep reverence for Christ that in wanting to glorify Him in all that you do and knowing that He loves you infinitely more than any man on earth can... that you are willing to subject yourself to under the headship of your husband because of Gods design for marriage. Now, a word to the men of Meadowbrooke: Consider the ways Jesus demonstrated His love for His Church during His incarnation. We do not have the time to look at every example, but I do want you to consider some of them that we discover by reading the four gospels: Well, for starters, Despite the cold shoulder Jesus received from the people He came to die for, His love compelled Him to persistently pursue them; how are you to love your wife? Be an imitator of God who is mindful of the great love and rich mercy you received because of Gods amazing grace, and walk in love before your wife and children, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us (5:1-2). Jesus demonstrated His love for His Bride even when she said and did things that frustrated Him (see Matt. 16:5-12 as an example). Jesus grieved with His Bride when she suffered loss (see John 11:1-44). Jesus loved His Bride when He washed the feet of His disciples in the upper room (John 13:5-20) Jesus loved His Bride even while she could not stay awake during His hour of need and still prayed for her wellbeing (Luke 22:39-46; John 17). Jesus loved His Bride even when She denied She knew Him (John 18:25-27). Jesus loved His Bride even though he was abused emotionally and physically because of His love for Her (John 18:12-24, 28-19:15). Jesus loved His Bride even to the point of carrying a cross She deserved for the purpose of dying a death He did not deserve on her behalf (John 19:16-30). So, men of Meadowbrooke Church, if you love your wives in the same way Christ loved His bride, are you really going to demand that she make you a sandwich? I do not believe for one second that Paul expected the wife to make the sandwiches! I believe the point he was making is that if the wife and husband are walking with Jesus out of a reverence and love for Him, their marriage will be stronger for it. She will subject herself under his headship in humility out of her reverence and love for Jesus, and he will want to love his wife deeply and sacrificially because of his deep love and reverence for Jesus. Here is why I believe Paul had in mind that both the wife and the husband would make the sandwiches. Between the two, the kind of love that leads them to one another begins with Philia (friendship love) which has grown into an unconditional agape (unconditional love), and the fruit of that philia and agape love is eros (erotic/physical love). The fruit of a Christ-centered marriage should be the kind of love described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered, it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away with; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away with. The other reason why I reject the ridiculous notion that Paul wants the wife to make the sandwiches is because of 1 Corinthians 7:1-5 in a relationship the fruit of a genuine friendship (philia) and unconditional love (agape) is physical and erotic love (eros). Listen to these verses carefully and you tell me if the woman is the only one called to make a sandwich? Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. But because of sexual immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband. The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise the wife also to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise the husband also does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. Men and women, what if we took Ephesians 5:1-2 seriously regarding everything in life that is important? What if we applied Ephesians 5:21 in our marriages, parenting, place of employment, and in our churches? What if we looked at our spouse out of a motivation of Christ-like humility and love not out of selfishness, but a giving of oneself to the other and applied that humility and love to sandwich making, dirty dishes, diapers, to-do lists, walks, dates, and even the marriage bed? The top five reasons why marriages end in divorce are as follows: 1) Too much conflict, 2) a lack of commitment, 3) infidelity, 4) a lack of physical intimacy, and 5) communication problems. If we take Ephesians 5 seriously, I believe a Christ-centered humility from the wife and a Christ-compelled love from the husband will do five things for your marriage: Christ-centered humility and love will reduce the kind of pride that leads to conflict. Christ-centered humility and love open your eyes to the value of your spouse and marriage. Christ-centered humility and love will help prevent your eyes from wandering and compel you to fight against sexual sin. Christ-centered humility and love will free both the wife and the husband to give themselves sexually to the other for the good and pleasure of the other more frequently. Finally, Christ-centered humility and love will significantly reduce your communication problems because humility and love do wonders for marital hearing loss. [1] Doug Wilson, The Natural Use of the Woman (YouTube Channel: Blog Mablog; Jan. 24, 2022)

I heard a well-meaning pastor and theologian say by way of application from his reading of Ephesians 5:22-25 these words: Godly women want to feed their men. Godly women are designed to make the sandwiches. This is not an absolute law, like the one about making babies, and there are times when a man fends for himself and makes quite a decent sandwich. But in the general scheme of things, the apostle Paul wants the women to make the sandwiches.[1] My question to you, is that what Ephesians 5:22-25 is teaching? So, here is how I hope to answer that question. I hope to answer the above question by showing you how the willful subjecting of the wife to her husband and the sacrificial love of the husband for his wife is the apostle Pauls way of showing us what Ephesians 4:1-3 looks like in marriage; consider these verses in light of marriage: ...walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. The way I am going to show you what sandwiches have to do with marriage is by explaining what Ephesians 5:22-25 is saying, then I will show what these verses mean for your marriage, and finally, we will look at some examples of Jesus and what He thinks about sandwich making. What is Ephesians 5:22-25 Really Saying? So what is Ephesians saying? Let me begin answering that question by unpacking what the Greek word hypotassō(ὑά) means; it can be translated as subject, subordinate, or submit. Although every major translation except the NASB (95 and 2020 editions) decided to use the word submit instead of subject I believe subject is a better translation. So what is the big deal? Why do I think it matters how hypotassō is translated? In the most literal sense, the word means to order oneself under and in the case of the wife, she is to willingly order herself under the headship of her husband, which is much less confusing than submit and leaves less room for this verse to be abused in the ways it has been used in an attempt to subjugate Christian women. This is why I believe subject is a better way to translate this word, besides the fact that most of the time the word is used in the New Testament, it is rightfully translated as subject. Permit me to show you two other places hypotassō is used and why subject is a better translation of the word for Ephesians in the way wives ought to respond to their husbands. The first is Luke 2:41-52 when Mary and Joseph traveled from Nazareth to Jerusalem with 12-year-old Jesus to celebrate the Passover. Because they most likely traveled with friends and family, they did not realize they left Jesus in Jerusalem on their way back home to Nazareth. So, Joseph and Mary turned back (probably in a panic) to go get 12-year-old Jesus and it is in Luke 2:48-51 that we see how hypotassō is used and translated: When Joseph and Mary saw Him, they were bewildered; and His mother said to Him, Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You! And He said to them, Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Fathers house? And yet they on their part did not understand the statement which He had made to them. And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued to be subject [hypotassō] to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart. What did Jesus do at the age of 12 as fully God and fully human? How did he respond to his mother and stepfather as the rightful King of kings and Lord of lords? He willingly placed Himself under the headship of his mother and stepfather as a 12-year-old boy. Jesus was in Jerusalem because He had to be in His Fathers house but returned to Nazareth with Joseph and Mary because He was still under their headship. The other place the word is used is in Romans 13:1. Remember that the Empire of Rome wanted to suppress Christianity, and it was because of Pauls preaching that Rome eventually sentenced him to death by beheading, yet Paul wrote, Every person is to be subject [hypotassō] to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Paul willingly subjected himself under the Roman government but refused to disobey God when Romans demanded him to do so. With the same humility that led Jesus to subject Himself under the authority of Joseph and Mary, the wife is to subject herself under the headship of her husband. With the same understanding and trust Paul had of God and in His sovereign reign over governments the wife is called to subject herself to her husband knowing that he will have to answer for every decision made in the home and will be held to account for how he loved his wife who is first and foremost a daughter of God Almighty. Now, what is the scope that the wife is to subject herself under the headship of her husband? Look at verse 24, for it here that we are told: But the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Paul is not saying that you, wives, must be submissive in everything your husband tells you to do but to subject yourself under his headship as the one God has called to lead as one called by God to protect and provide as priest over your home out of a motivation to lay down his life for your good out of the kind of love that led Jesus to a cross: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her (v. 25). What Does Ephesians 5:22-25 Mean for Life and Marriage? So, what does Ephesians 5:22-25 mean for your marriage? What it means, is that, unlike the worlds perverted view of sex and marriage, you are to walk in a manner worthy of your calling in your marriage, as a parent or as a child (6:1-4), and in your obedience to those placed in authority over you, who you work for, or how you exercise your God-given authority (6:5-9). Think about what we have seen in Ephesians 4:1-5:21 as the application of who you are as one who once was dead but now is alive in Christ. You were redeemed and saved to walk in the good works Jesus redeemed us for (Eph. 2:10). As a child of God and His representation in a dark and evil world, you are to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called... (4:1). In light of your calling as a child of light, we are commanded to be, imitators of God, as beloved children and as beloved children, we are to walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us (5:1-2). Now in everything that we say and do, we are to, be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of your time because the days are evil (vv. 15-16). So, when it comes to what we say and how we treat one another as brothers and sisters in Christ regardless of whether you are single, married, employed, a student and living at home with mom and dad, caring for your elderly parents, we are commanded by God through the apostle Paul to, subject yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ (v. 21). But what does Christlikeness look like in marriage and what does Ephesians 5:22-25 have to do with making sandwiches? Here is the way I see it: With the same humility Christ demonstrated and we are all called to practice (see Phil. 2:3-8), wives are to subject themselves to their husbands with the same humility Jesus demonstrated on earth during His incarnation as fully human while remaining fully God. With the same selfless love that compelled Jesus to live the life we could never live and die the death we all deserved; husbands have and demonstrate for their wives. With the same honor and dependence Jesus demonstrated on earth regarding God the Father, so believing Children are to honor their parents. And, with the same willingness to subject Himself under the cross imposed by the Roman empire, so Christian slaves and employees are to obediently bear the burden they are called to with the same dedication Christ had not to Rome, but for the glory of God the Father. As a wife, or as a husband, or as a child, or as a parent, or as a boss, or as a slave/employee... we are all commanded out of love and reverent fear for Christ to, walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called (4:1), and to do so as imitators of God, as beloved children, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us (5:1-2). What Does Jesus Say about Who Should be Making the Sandwiches in Life and Marriage? Now, a word about who Paul expected to make sandwiches when he wrote Ephesians. The motivation of subjecting yourself under the headship of your husband is not because you are obligated to submit to whatever he wants, but because of a motivation for your love for Jesus. This is the point of verse 22 and Colossians 3:18, which states: Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Then, just a few verses later, we read: Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people, knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the reward of the inheritance (Col. 3:20-21). Just because you are married does not mean that you are now a slave; if you are a follower of Christ who happens to be a wife or thinking about marriage, it is out of a radical love and deep reverence for Christ that in wanting to glorify Him in all that you do and knowing that He loves you infinitely more than any man on earth can... that you are willing to subject yourself to under the headship of your husband because of Gods design for marriage. Now, a word to the men of Meadowbrooke: Consider the ways Jesus demonstrated His love for His Church during His incarnation. We do not have the time to look at every example, but I do want you to consider some of them that we discover by reading the four gospels: Well, for starters, Despite the cold shoulder Jesus received from the people He came to die for, His love compelled Him to persistently pursue them; how are you to love your wife? Be an imitator of God who is mindful of the great love and rich mercy you received because of Gods amazing grace, and walk in love before your wife and children, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us (5:1-2). Jesus demonstrated His love for His Bride even when she said and did things that frustrated Him (see Matt. 16:5-12 as an example). Jesus grieved with His Bride when she suffered loss (see John 11:1-44). Jesus loved His Bride when He washed the feet of His disciples in the upper room (John 13:5-20) Jesus loved His Bride even while she could not stay awake during His hour of need and still prayed for her wellbeing (Luke 22:39-46; John 17). Jesus loved His Bride even when She denied She knew Him (John 18:25-27). Jesus loved His Bride even though he was abused emotionally and physically because of His love for Her (John 18:12-24, 28-19:15). Jesus loved His Bride even to the point of carrying a cross She deserved for the purpose of dying a death He did not deserve on her behalf (John 19:16-30). So, men of Meadowbrooke Church, if you love your wives in the same way Christ loved His bride, are you really going to demand that she make you a sandwich? I do not believe for one second that Paul expected the wife to make the sandwiches! I believe the point he was making is that if the wife and husband are walking with Jesus out of a reverence and love for Him, their marriage will be stronger for it. She will subject herself under his headship in humility out of her reverence and love for Jesus, and he will want to love his wife deeply and sacrificially because of his deep love and reverence for Jesus. Here is why I believe Paul had in mind that both the wife and the husband would make the sandwiches. Between the two, the kind of love that leads them to one another begins with Philia (friendship love) which has grown into an unconditional agape (unconditional love), and the fruit of that philia and agape love is eros (erotic/physical love). The fruit of a Christ-centered marriage should be the kind of love described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered, it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away with; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away with. The other reason why I reject the ridiculous notion that Paul wants the wife to make the sandwiches is because of 1 Corinthians 7:1-5 in a relationship the fruit of a genuine friendship (philia) and unconditional love (agape) is physical and erotic love (eros). Listen to these verses carefully and you tell me if the woman is the only one called to make a sandwich? Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. But because of sexual immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband. The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise the wife also to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise the husband also does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. Men and women, what if we took Ephesians 5:1-2 seriously regarding everything in life that is important? What if we applied Ephesians 5:21 in our marriages, parenting, place of employment, and in our churches? What if we looked at our spouse out of a motivation of Christ-like humility and love not out of selfishness, but a giving of oneself to the other and applied that humility and love to sandwich making, dirty dishes, diapers, to-do lists, walks, dates, and even the marriage bed? The top five reasons why marriages end in divorce are as follows: 1) Too much conflict, 2) a lack of commitment, 3) infidelity, 4) a lack of physical intimacy, and 5) communication problems. If we take Ephesians 5 seriously, I believe a Christ-centered humility from the wife and a Christ-compelled love from the husband will do five things for your marriage: Christ-centered humility and love will reduce the kind of pride that leads to conflict. Christ-centered humility and love open your eyes to the value of your spouse and marriage. Christ-centered humility and love will help prevent your eyes from wandering and compel you to fight against sexual sin. Christ-centered humility and love will free both the wife and the husband to give themselves sexually to the other for the good and pleasure of the other more frequently. Finally, Christ-centered humility and love will significantly reduce your communication problems because humility and love do wonders for marital hearing loss. [1] Doug Wilson, The Natural Use of the Woman (YouTube Channel: Blog Mablog; Jan. 24, 2022)

10 Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For several days we have been looking at this first public proclamation in Luke of the Gospel by the angel to the shepherds “living out in the fields”. Remember Luke was writing his Gospel to confirm the historical account of Jesus and His life on earth (Luke 1:1-4; Acts 1:1-3). I believe that Luke may have taken the time to find one of these shepherds and to personally interview him about that night when they were paid a surprise visit by this angel and then later joined by “a multitude of the heavenly host”. I'm convinced that this detailed account was not made up to enhance the story of Christmas!   The shepherds were terribly shaken and afraid as this angel appeared standing before them, and the light of the “glory of the Lord” must have lit up the whole area around them. They no doubt were aware of the stories of the appearances of angels and God's glory in the Old Testament, and usually that meant some type of immediate judgment. Now fear can be both a bad thing and a good thing.   There is a fear that we might have that paralyzes us, like fear of failure, fear of opposition, fear of rejection, and so on. This fear keeps us from doing the will of God and proves we are not really trusting and believing Him and His Word. But there is another fear that is good. In Jude 1:22-23 we are told: “And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.”     Some people, like myself, respond to the Gospel message because of the fear of spending an eternity in hell apart from God. I had memorized Mark 8:35-38 as a child and couldn't get away from it as a teenager. “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."   It was fear of eternal judgement that brought me to repentance as a nineteen-year-old teenager! For sure, this “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”, as the Scriptures repeat many times. The devil and Bible haters would like to use this fear of eternal punishment in the Bible to cause you to reject this kind of God that threatens to do this to those who reject Him. But listen to what the angel went on to say! He continued to say that he was bringing a “message of great joy which shall be to all people.”   Jesus did come first to His own people; the Jews, and they rejected Him (John 1:11-12). “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.”  Oh, how I love the next word, “But”!!!!! The message of hope, peace, and salvation is for everyone and anyone who will believe and receive!!!!  “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name”.   As the angel said, this message of “great joy” is for “all” the people of the world! It is for the rich and poor, the servant and the king. It is for the head-hunter in the jungle as much as the person in America. It is for the people in every tribe, kindred, and nation. For the greatest of sinners and for those who don't seem to be so bad! Yes, it is for anyone, everyone, anywhere!   Thank the Lord, one day I realized that I was one of those “all” people. There is a Savior for me!!!! Jesus died for me! If you have never received Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, I plead with you to do so today before it is eternally too late!!!!   God bless!

Life Under the Apple Tree (Song of Solomon 2:3-14) Introduction I of course don't know when you last read it, heard a talk about it or if you have ever read it or heard a talk about it! So, if you are in that category, it's a new thing for you! In my preparation, as I talked to other Christians about this book, I have found that some people are aghast at some of the very frank and provocative language used! But this should not stop us from reading it, studying it and learning from it. It is, after all, part of the Bible and therefore part of God's Written Word. Jesus Himself and the Disciples would have read this book at Passover time. It is a book that tells of the love of a woman (the Beloved) for a man, the man probably being Solomon. Different translations have different places where the beloved, the lover and others are actually speaking. But for ease of use tonight, we will use the guidelines of the church bibles, the New International Version. The Jews called it the Greatest Song of All Songs. Martin Luther called it the noblest of all songs! It is poetry that is full of love, romance and some say eroticism. Greater than Shakespeare's sonnets if you can believe that! Tonight, we are delving only into Chapter 2. Historically this book has been interpreted in 3 ways Firstly as a treatise on the joys of biblical sexual love; Secondly as an allegory for God's love for His people Israel; These two interpretations have great merit! However, some of you may be sad to know and others very happy to know, that I am going to concentrate principally on a third way that encompasses those two and that is seeing it as a picture of the immense love that exists between Jesus Christ for His church and its people, where the bridegroom is Jesus and His bride is the church. Paul highlights this relationship in his letter to the Ephesians. Before I forget, I should say that I am also aware of another difficulty, and that is that British men and Australian men have one thing in common - we are not very good at saying or doing things to do with love! We find it embarrassing and cumbersome. I don't know about South Africans or other nationalities though! So, hopefully with the help of the Holy Spirit, this may also make us become better men as well as feeding our minds and hearts about the love that exists between Jesus and the church! The Beloved's Portrait of the Lover (Song of Solomon 2:3-6) This is the beloved's portrait of her lover, the bridegroom. He is an apple tree! Wives, have you ever called your husband an apple tree! And of course He is an apple tree, because this lover, this bridegroom provides her with shelter, protection and food. And she enjoys it. Delighting in being strengthened, refreshed and being in love. As he embraces her, she feels his compassion, his warmth, his love for her and his strength. How does that talk of Jesus and his love for the church, His people, His bride? Jesus is the Bread of life Three times in John 6, Jesus refers to Himself as the living bread. By this He meant that He was the only one who could satiate the appetite and yearning of every person's spirit. For those He was speaking to, bread was a basic staple food for living, just as it is for millions of people today. Jesus indicates when saying He is the bread of life, that He will supply all needs! Just as He said to the woman at the well in John 4v4, that whoever drinks His living water shall never again go spiritually thirsty. When Jesus referred to the manna in the desert (John 6v49) he talked of it being merely temporary, despite being a gift from God. He, however, as the true bread of life gives permanent satisfaction and life everlasting to all those who believe and follow Him (John 6v51)! But this bread He offers, has to be eaten; it has to be taken up by the person wanting spiritual life! If you are seeking spiritual nourishment, then ask! Have you eaten of this bread? Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Jesus is the great protector, the great Shepherd. It is through Jesus and Jesus Christ alone, that salvation and spiritual protection and is found and through Him alone as the door or the gate, that people are led safely and soundly into spiritual freedom, spiritual light and spiritual sustenance. Unlike others who come only to steal, kill and destroy, Jesus offers spiritual safety & nourishment. Jesus protects those whom He loves and who loves Him! Jesus does not just offer a way out, but also a way in! The security offered by Jesus is because He is always in close proximity to those who follow Him. Jesus calls all those who follow Him by name (John 10v3) and they know each other. Jesus is the great shepherd only through the sacrifice he must make for His sheep. Here Jesus is looking ahead to the sacrifice He makes on the Cross. The cross is referred to in the New Testament as the tree on which Jesus hung. His protective and nourishing love for all of humanity compels Him to make the ultimate sacrifice of His death on the tree. Just as all shepherds will endanger themselves for the protection and safety of their sheep, so too did Jesus endure the pain and suffering of the Cross, so that people can be led into the eternal safety of God's kingdom. It is in this role of shepherd, that Jesus exhibits true leadership, which is self-less and sacrificial. I saw this week an example of a shepherd protecting his flock. It was up near Crowe and I was driving back from Burley, and there were a flock of sheep on one side of the road and the shepherd on the other. He was on a bicycle and the sheep were looking at him for directions! His sheep knew him and were looking to him and he was protecting them from being run over by a maniac in a green Fiesta! Are you looking to the great shepherd, Jesus Christ for safety, protection and guidance? These are just two examples of Jesus himself saying He protects, nourishes, gives shelter and loves. Many more examples can be found in the Gospels. Just as there is only one lover for this woman, there is only one Saviour for the world. Jesus does not say I am a true vine; a way, a truth and a life. He does not say I am a door to life, just as He does not say I am a shepherd, a door, a light or a bread of life. No - Jesus is the only way, the only truth and the only life. Jesus is the one great shepherd and the only door to life. Jesus is the only light of the world and the only true bread of life. Jesus is the apple tree, and calls everyone to partake of the nourishment and shelter only He can provide. The Beloved Encourages Others about the Lover (Song of Solomon 2:7-9) Read verses 7-9 Here now, the beloved addresses her friends and other people, not be impatient! These women were being persuaded by the beloved not to engage in sexual love until their marriage! Who were they? We don't know! But we do know from the rest of Scripture that sexual love is only for those in a committed monogamous marriage between a man and a woman. Sexual union, between a man and a woman in a committed married relationship, is a picture of the union of God and His people - that's why adultery and sexual immorality is also idolatry. Then the Beloved calls out "Listen! Look" Here he comes! She is expecting him to arrive at any time! The Beloved is waiting for her lover! She has a glimpse of Him but is waiting for His bodily presence with her. Is this not a picture of us, as the church awaiting Jesus Christ to come again? Before Jesus ascended into the clouds, He said He would be coming again! Not as a little baby next time, but coming from the clouds in great glory, honour, jubilation and exaltation! Nobody knows when that will be! There are hints in the Bible, but they are only hints! We are to wait expectantly and to live lives that are worthy of Him now, as we partake of righteousness and wait for Jesus to come again. When ever Youngmi and I go together to London, we meet up with old friends. Last time, it was a blast! We had a banquet, and there were 9 adults and 6 kids in our favourite Chinese Restaurant in Chinatown. We have all known each other for over 14 years now. One person wasn't there though. When we were walking and talker later on, two of my friends, individually of each other, told me about John. John has recently remarried and he and his new wife have been trying for the last few years for a baby. They showed me the messages they have received from him. It transpires he is giving up God, as he calls it, over this issue of not having the baby. My friends asked my advice. I said, to keep on encouraging, letting John know that while he may have let go of Jesus, Jesus has not let go of him or his wife. I also suggested that there are probably deeper issues as well, that John is not talking about. So my friends are going to continue encouraging John and uplifting him in prayer to the One who won't let go. So be encouraged! Don't give up! Encourage others who may be struggling. See and remember what the Lover is like! Be encouraged! Keep going! As Christians, if you are one here tonight, you are to bear fruit by remaining close to Jesus, as He is the vine and we are the branches. And why are we as Christians to bear fruit? As a means of bringing glory to God the Father (John 15v8). Be encouraged and be encouragers of others. Lover is like no other and wants to hear your voice. (Song of Solomon 2:10-15) The beloved speaks of the lover's voice. (Read v10-13) Then finally we hear the voice of the lover! (Read v14-15) Ever felt like God is far away? Well you aren't alone! It is an experience that is common to all Christians, at some point or another. I know I have experienced that in the past. But I also know from personal experience, that Jesus always comes through in difficult times. Although He may not come in the time I think He should come, because He knows when I need Him most. This woman, the beloved, is so expectant of the Lover's arrival she can hear his voice, his tender words! He is calling her to Himself! Jesus Christ is also calling you, to Himself! He wants you to be a partaker of the good news about Him. He wants you to be part of His family, the church. He is ever calling, ever beckoning people to enter into relationship with Him. His love for the church is indicative of verse 13, where he calls the beloved His beautiful bride. That is the church - warts and all - is His bride! By faith, He will see you through - Remember in the Gospels, when the disciples were in the storm and Jesus came to them walking on the water. Remember Jesus saying "Come" and Peter went to Him. This must have encouraged the other disciples, for upon seeing Jesus' power they worshipped him. Whatever troubles you are undergoing are temporary, and Jesus will see you through. Jesus is praying for you, will come to you, grow you and help you through troubles. By being obedient to God, you are encouraging others by showing your salvation and showing that faith is not blind, but active! Jesus wants to hear your voice talking to him... Not just for half hour in the morning but all day long. We are to yearn to talk to Him and for Him to talk to us. Prayer is a 24 hour communication exercise. Prayer, according to the Church Father Augustine, is a constant yearning for assistance and strengthening of desire towards the ultimate goal - eternal happiness and worship and knowledge of God. God Himself assists as we pray: by correcting and strengthening the yearnings. Prayers express desires and thoughts in a contributory way to the journey we are on. That means tell Jesus how you are feeling, both in the good and the hard times. Tell Him of your wants, your needs and all your cares.. Let His arms surround you! To him your voice is sweet and dulcet. Your face to Him is a delight. Seek him! Ask him! Talk to him! This is how you are spiritually energized! When you talk to God, you strengthen your relationship with Him! When you and I ask others to pray for us, Church unity is strengthened! Recap! So, how do we recapitulate. In this chapter, we firstly saw together the Beloved's portrait of the lover and how He feeds, nourishes protects and shelters her. We see this as an encompassing picture of Jesus and His love for His people, the Church. Then we saw how the Beloved lady encouraged others to wait and see this tremendous Lover. That is why we encourage one another and spur one another on as we see the day approaching when our bridegroom, Jesus Christ comes again in glory! Then lastly we saw how the bridegroom loves to hear the voice of the Beloved and gaze into her face. Jesus Christ, the great lover and bridegroom, loves to hear our voices as we express our love, gratitude, cares, worries and feelings to Him. Conclusion And what, in conclusion, do we do with all this? Jesus is the only nourisher, protector and feeder. Jesus Christ, the apple tree, provides for all your needs, your nourishment, gives you strength, protects and comforts. I don't know what situation you are in at the moment. This credit crunch, this economic crisis is affecting everybody. I guess there are probably three kinds of people here tonight. Firstly, there will be those who do not know this Jesus Christ personally. Please, do not leave here tonight without asking one of the leaders or your friends here, about how you can get to know more about this Jesus. The time is short, the waiting for Jesus to come again grows ever shorter, and when He does come again, the time will be too late to change your mind. Secondly, if you are in need of some love, some protection, some nourishment, then don't leave without having prayed with somebody or letting one of the leaders know of your needs. As Jesus Himself said, "Ask, Seek and Knock!" Jesus Christ is making intercessions for you, as He knows. He feels your cares and your worries, and knows what you are going through. Finally, if you are not in either of those situations yourself, you will know somebody who is. Therefore go and encourage those you know who are struggling and are in need of protection and comfort. This week, go and tell the good news of Jesus Christ to somebody who doesn't know Jesus personally. Right mouse click and save to download the MP3 file of this sermon.

Send us a Text Message.Subscribe here to receive my new church history podcast every few weeks at.https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.comFor an ad-free version of the podcast plus the opportunity to enjoy hours of exclusive content and two bonus episodes a month and also help keep the Bible Project Daily Podcast free  for listeners everywhere at;patreon.com/JeremyMcCandlessStudy Notes: John's Gospel – The Whole StoryPurpose of the Gospel:Structure of John's Gospel:Prologue (John 1:1-18):Jesus as the Life, rejected by some, believed by others.Believers are born of God and blessed by God.Public Ministry (John 1:19 - 12:50):Witnesses:John the Baptist: Declares Jesus as the Son of God and the Lamb of God (John 1:19-34).First Disciples: Recognize Jesus as the Messiah (John 1:35-51).First Miracle at Cana: Disciples believed in Him (John 2:1-11).Cleansing of the Temple: Public see it as a messianic act (John 2:12-22).Nicodemus: Jesus discusses rebirth and belief in Him (John 3:1-21).Samaritan Woman: Recognizes Jesus as the Messiah (John 4).Nobleman's Son: Jesus heals his son; entire household believes (John 4:46-54).Conflict Begins:Jesus Claims Equality with God: Intensifies conflict (John 5:18).Divine Origin and Resistance: Conflicts between belief and unbelief escalate (John 6-8).Climactic Miracles:Healing the Blind Man: Leads to conflict and belief (John 9).Good Shepherd Discourse: Causes further division (John 10).Raising Lazarus: Culminates in belief and a plot to kill Jesus (John 11).Private Ministry (John 13-17):Foot Washing: Symbol of servitude (John 13).Announcement of Departure: Comforts disciples (John 14).Discourse on Relationships: Vine and branches metaphor (John 15).Explanation of Departure: Promise of the Holy Spirit (John 16).High Priestly Prayer: Jesus prays for His followers (John 17).Claims to Deity:Foreknowledge and claims of divinity emphasized repeatedly.Passion Ministry (John 18-20):Arrest and Trial: Jesus identifies Himself as "I am" (John 18).Trial Before Pilate: Affirms kingship (John 18-19).Crucifixion: Jesus fulfills the prophecy of being "lifted up" (John 19).Resurrection Appearances: Validates His victory over death and divinity (John 20).Key Themes:Witnesses: Throughout the Gospel, various witnesses affirm Jesus' identity as the Son of God and the Messiah.Conflict: A consistent subplot of belief vs. unbelief, highlighting the tension between divine truth and human resistance.Jesus' Claims: Numerous statements affirming His deity, pre-existence, and role as the MessiHigh Vibes And A Mic | Motherhood, Family, International Culture, Wellness, SpiritualityLooking for a relatable and fun moms podcast? Look no further than High Vibes and a...Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the Show.Jeremy McCandless is creating podcasts and devotional resources | PatreonHelp us continue making great content for listeners everywhere.https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com

Contented? Not likely. Vast majorities describe themselves as discontented, always seeking for what's missing. Entire industries are engineered for keeping us that way. Algorithms cleverly exploit our fears and passions to keep us always scrolling. News outlets need us anxious about the crises that might happen. And—we're told—we'll be unsettled and unhappy. Inflation will eat up our paychecks; rising tides will claim our coastlands; hackers will discover passwords. So purchase many layers of things to keep yourself protected. Yet God's good Word is always our corrective: “Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (1 Tim 6: 6-7). Grace quiets what has always been our great anxiety—that God will turn His back, will cast us off, will give us only what we have deserved. In Jesus, heaven calmed our deepest fear: “For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:17). Those who most inhabit grace are always most contented. Mercy shown them soon becomes the mercy they show others. Friendships flourish; families strengthen. Anxious thoughts are quieted by God's enduring promise. Make peace with grace, and you will surely stay in it. -Bill Knott

Endure to Manifest Salvation (6)  (audio)  David Eells (7/14/24)  I'm going to pick up where we left off in our last teaching about how our faith transforms us. I mentioned just briefly about the rewards. There's a difference of reward concerning sonship. Many have been taught that everybody gets the same reward, but that's contrary to the Scriptures. There's a difference of reward because every servant will not become a son. They may have been called, but they will not be chosen. Let's start in (Eze.46:16) Thus saith the Lord God: If the prince.... The “prince” was the High Priest in the Old Testament and it says in (Heb.4:14) Having then a great high priest, who hath passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. Jesus Christ is our High Priest. (Eze.46:16) Thus saith the Lord God: If the prince give a gift unto any of his sons, it is his inheritance, it shall belong to his sons; it is their possession by inheritance. (17) But if he give of his inheritance a gift to one of his servants, it shall be his to the year of liberty.... The “year of liberty” is the Marriage Feast. The “year of liberty” to the Jews was when the land went back to the original owner and when the servants were set free.   As it says in (Lev.27:21) But the field, when it goeth out in the jubilee, shall be holy unto the Lord, as a field devoted; the possession thereof shall be the priest's. (25:54) And if he be not redeemed by these [means,] then he shall go out in the year of jubilee, he, and his children with him. Those who were in bondage were set free and we have come to a debt jubilee in NESARA/GESARA. All of this earth is going back to its original owner and those servants who are manifesting sonship are going to be set free and be joint heirs with Jesus. (Eze.46:17) But if he give of his inheritance a gift to one of his servants, it shall be his to the year of liberty (So if God gives this gift to an unprofitable servant, he's going to keep it only until the year of liberty.); then it shall return to the prince; but as for his inheritance, it shall be for his sons.  See, He's going to take the talent away from the unprofitable servant who has the one talent and He's going to give it to His sons! His sons get the inheritance of all those other servants because the other servants didn't walk in faith and they didn't manifest Christ. The sons get the whole inheritance. We see this in (Eze.46:18) Moreover the prince shall not take of the people's inheritance, to thrust them out of their possession; he shall give inheritance to his sons out of his own possession. We are joint-heirs with Christ! We receive the same inheritance He receives!   God does what He says He's going to do. And a person who doesn't manifest fruit from the gift given to them by the Lord will have their gift taken away and given to those who have chosen sonship and are bearing fruit. There's a difference of reward for what we have loosely called “Christians.” First of all, there was the servant with the two talents and the servant with the five talents. That's a difference right there, but both of those people brought forth everything that they could bring forth and that's what God put in.   God has given you knowledge and understanding, and He's going to hold you responsible to do something with it. (Luk.12:48) ... And to whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required: and to whom they commit much, of him will they ask the more. God expects you to do something with what He gives you. It's not a heavy burden that He puts upon you. (Mat.11:28) Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. He said, “my burden is light,” because knowledge is the way to fruit. If you don't know what His promises are, then you can't set your faith on them and you certainly can't have them.   It says in (2Pe.1:3) Seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue; (4) whereby he hath granted unto us his precious and exceeding great promises; that through these ye may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust. We see here the profitable servants become sons having been set free by the divine nature. See, you have to know what to reach out for. Some people are going to use the excuse, “Well, the preachers didn't teach me!” Or, “The preachers lied to me!” But Jesus said, (Joh.7:17) If any man willeth to do his will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from myself. In other words, “If you do the will of the Father, you're going to know the teaching.” No one can stop you from getting the truth, if you really want to know God, because He will make sure that it gets through to you.   Those who stay in apostate religion, don't really seek for truth, and risk being cast out and losing their inheritance. (Pro.2:16) To deliver thee from the strange woman (This is the Harlot, Babylon.), Even from the foreigner that flattereth with her words; (17) That forsaketh the friend of her youth (Jesus Christ), And forgetteth the covenant of her God: (18) For her house inclineth unto death, And her paths unto the dead. And then He goes on to warn these people in (21) For the upright shall dwell in the land, And the perfect shall remain in it. (22) But the wicked shall be cut off from the land, And the treacherous shall be rooted out of it. Remember the wedding guest who didn't have the wedding garment on? He came to the marriage feast but then he didn't get to stay. It's important to understand this because it really motivates you.   The Lord says in (Isa.65:8) Thus saith the Lord, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not, for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sake, that I may not destroy them all. He is talking about the apostate people of God. He's saying that there's a remnant of something good in their midst and that's why He's not going to destroy them all. (Isa.65:9) And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains; and my chosen shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.  (Notice the servant doesn't inherit the land but dwells there for a while.) (10) And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor (This represents tribulation. The root word for “Achor” means “to afflict” or “trouble.”) a place for herds to lie down in for my people that have sought me. (11) But ye that forsake the Lord, that forget my holy mountain (speaking of His Kingdom), that prepare a table for Fortune (These people are lusting after, and paying attention to the things of the world, prosperity.), and that fill up mingled wine unto Destiny; (12) I will destine you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter; because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but ye did that which was evil in mine eyes, and chose that wherein I delighted not. A brother, who is a friend of mine, asked, “Lord, what is going to happen to the carnal Christian?” And these were the Scriptures God gave him.   Another warning follows just a few verses later in (Isa.65:17) For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. So after God has created a new heaven and a new earth, (20) There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days; for the child shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner being a hundred years old shall be accursed. We saw previously that a “child” and “servant” are the same. (Pro 29:21)  He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child Shall have him become a son at the last.  Here we saw that the “bondservant of sin” and the “child” are the same. The servant is someone who hasn't entered into sonship, either through faith or through manifestation. And Isaiah says, “the sinner being a hundred years old.” Well, 100 is a tenth of the millennium, a tenth of 1000, and a lot of people under the Law are just doing business with God. They say, “I give God my 10 percent,” like the Israelites did in the Old Testament. But Jesus said we must renounce ownership of 100% to be a disciple.  But Paul said in (Gal.5:4) Ye are severed from Christ, ye who would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace. We are free from the Law, we are free to follow the Spirit and, if we follow the Spirit, we will surpass anything that the Law says. Again, remember that the guest without the wedding garment was in the wedding feast and he did get to stay for a little while, but then he was cast out. I believe that's what this is talking about: (Isa.65:17) For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. (18) But be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for, behold, I create Jerusalem (the Bride) a rejoicing, and her people a joy. (19) And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people; and there shall be heard in her no more the voice of weeping and the voice of crying.   (20) There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days; for the child shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner being a hundred years old shall be accursed. These bondservants of sin, who chose to remain children instead of believing and entering into sonship, will not be able to enter into the New Jerusalem Bride as it says in (Rev.21:27) And there shall in no wise enter into it anything unclean, or he that maketh an abomination and a lie: but only they that are written in the Lamb's book of life. and (22:15) Without are the dogs, and the sorcerers, and the fornicators, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and every one that loveth and maketh a lie. These people will be cast forth from the city. There's a big difference of reward between those who do serve God and those who profess God but don't serve God. Everyone who has not believed on the only begotten Son of God is already judged, but the judgment is going to be in the “separating.” We see this in (Mat.13:24) Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man that sowed good seed in his field: (25) but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares (which has small useless fruit) also among the wheat, and went away. (26) But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. (27) And the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it tares?   (28) And he said unto them, An enemy hath done this. And the servants say unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? (29) But he saith, Nay; lest haply while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat with them. (30) Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn. We're entering into the Kingdom right now and the separating the sheep from the goats is happening.   We know that we are sons of God through faith, but the Bible also teaches, (1Jn.3:2) Beloved, now are we children of God (The Greek word there is teknon or “child” and not huios, which is the word for “son.”) and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is. (3) And every one that hath this hope [set] on him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. Wow! That's a promise, isn't it? The Lord commanded us that, (Mat.5:48) Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. You know, it would have been ludicrous for Him to make a command like that, if He hadn't given us the power to bring it to pass!  Now see what Jesus said in (Joh.19:30) When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up his spirit. And in (16:33) These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye may have peace. In the world ye have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. “Be of good cheer ... it is finished ... I've overcome the world.” We are privileged to enter in by faith to what Jesus has already done. (Heb.4:3) For we who have believed do enter into that rest; even as he hath said, As I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.   The only thing that remains is for us to put our trust in God and enter into those works by faith. (Joh.6:28) They said therefore unto him, What must we do, that we may work the works of God? (29) Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. We must do the works of God, which is made possible when we, “believe on him whom he hath sent.” That's the Gospel! We just have to believe that what Jesus accomplished on the cross is ours! It's our gift and it covers it all!   What Jesus bought and paid for is that we would be sons of God, not just sons by faith, but sons by manifestation. (1Pe.1:15) But like as he who called you is holy, be ye yourselves also holy in all manner of living; (16) because it is written, Ye shall be holy; for I am holy. (22) Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently: (23) having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which liveth and abideth. You are progressively being saved in your soul through your obedience to the truth.   You can read this message of progressive salvation over and over in the Scriptures, but as the Bible also says, you have to be able to see your goal before you can reach it. (2Co.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. We see the goal by faith! If you can see in the Scriptures what it is that God has provided for you, then you can reach out your faith to it and you will manifest the sonship that Jesus paid for you to have. Jesus is the progenitor of the new creation man. He's the Father of the sons of God. (This is not to be confused with the erroneous and dangerous Manifestation of the Sons of God or Joel's Army movements, which arose from the Latter Rain movement of the late 1940s and are still being promoted today by apostate leaders.)   Throughout the Scriptures, we see a parallel with the adoption traditions of the Hebrews, Greeks and Romans. As it says in (Pro.29:21) He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child Shall have him become a son at the last. They all had a tradition of adopting their servants and making them sons. A fictional example is the story of Ben Hur by Lew Wallace. Briefly, Ben Hur is sentenced to be a galley slave, but after he saves the life of the warship's commander, Arrius, he adopts Ben Hur and makes him a free citizen. Ben Hur becomes the heir of Arrius, who is a leader in the Roman government and, through his inheritance, Ben Hur gains the power and authority that he wants. Can you see that this is what God is doing with us?   God used the traditions of those cultures, or else He created the traditions of those cultures, so that we would understand what He was saying when He said He adopted servants and made them sons. Paul says this in (Rom.8:16) The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: (17) and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with [him], that we may be also glorified with [him]. We can see where we are, but we also have to see where we are going. (Psa.119:105) Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And light unto my path. Without the Word to show you where you are going, you have nothing to exercise faith in. God is showing us in the Scriptures that we are going toward sonship, which is why the Bible commands us to see Jesus in the mirror.   Most of the church says, “No, that's not possible!” But that's what the Bible commands us to do, whether they like it or believe it, or not! It's the Good News; it's the Gospel that we are to accept from the first moment of our salvation. From the very beginning, by faith we receive everything that God has provided for us, even before we see it manifested. That's why we say, “We are saved.” People don't realize what they are saying when they say, “I'm saved.” They don't understand that the Greek word soteria, which is the word translated as “saved,” incorporates total deliverance from the curse of sin and of death. Total deliverance! When people say, “I'm saved,” they're saying a word by faith. It's a deception to believe that you are saved by manifestation because then you have no reason to walk it out. We're told in (Php.2:12) So then, my beloved, even as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. We are progressively saved by working out our salvation.   We were baptized and then, as we let the water of the Word put to death the old man, that baptism is increasingly manifested in our life as we walk on with God. Baptism is an act of faith. God has given us the goal of sonship through faith in Jesus Christ. We accept it as a free gift and, as we keep on confessing sonship in the face of trials, troubles and tribulations, we will see the manifestation of sonship in us. It will be just as automatic as planting a natural seed in the ground. That seed comes up, it produces a plant and the plant bears fruit, according to the type of plant it is. God's seeds are just like that, too. You plant them in good soil hearts and they're going to come up, and they are going to bear the fruit of God.   Now it says in (Rom.8:14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. What is it that keeps us from being led by the Spirit? Staying a child is to remain a servant and that will keep you from being led by the Spirit. (Gal.4:1) But I say that so long as the heir is a child, he differeth nothing from a bondservant though he is lord of all; (2) but is under guardians and stewards until the day appointed of the father. The manifestation of sonship is coming in the lives of those people who will give up being children or servants.   Children or servants are in bondage as it says in (Gal.4:3) So we also, when we were children, were held in bondage under the rudiments of the world. What is it that causes us to stay in bondage to the rudiments or principles of the world and not bear fruit? Walking by the carnal senses will keep us in bondage to the flesh, to the devil and to the world. Our biggest problem is walking by sight, by hearing, and by feeling. (1Co.13:11) When I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things. A son of God must give up walking by what is seen in the natural and start walking by the eyes of the Spirit.   And it says in (Heb.5:11) Of whom we have many things to say, and hard of interpretation, seeing ye are become dull of hearing. (12) For when by reason of the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need again that someone teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of solid food. Notice that we're looking at two different sets of rudiments. We have the rudiments or first principles of the world and the rudiments of the first principles of God, but you can't stay in either one, if you're going to mature to bear fruit. “Babes” are in these rudiments.   (Heb.5:13) For every one that partaketh of milk is without experience of the word of righteousness; for he is a babe. (14) But solid food is for fullgrown men (or “perfect men”), [even] those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil. “Babes” are not experienced in the “word of righteousness” because they don't have their “senses exercised” to discern good from evil. “Babes” in the Lord walk according to the first principles of the Lord and they speak what comes to their mind through their natural senses. They can't experience the “word of righteousness” because they walk after their carnal mind. Their knowledge is not a knowledge of what Jesus meant when He said, (Mat.13:9) He that hath ears, let him hear, and (16) But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.   The people He was talking to all had physical eyes and ears, but Jesus was saying that the people who received His Word would be those who had spiritual eyes and ears. Your carnal mind is influenced by your natural senses and it assimilates the influences of your natural senses. That's why people who walk after their natural senses can't walk by faith. They can't see the wonderful works of God! And they will never see the manifestation of Jesus, if they don't walk by faith, because it's just not possible. Often, people will have faith in one area, yet not in other areas. All of God's promises are manifested through faith and that means faith must be in every area of our lives. We read in (1Jn.5:4) For whatsoever is begotten of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that hath overcome the world, even our faith. Faith “is the victory” that overcomes the world. However, even babes can be justified by receiving sonship through faith. This means they are accounted righteous through faith, believing they have received.  “Babes” who walk by their natural senses, many times, do warfare that's carnal, but (2Co.10:3) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. This warfare must be accomplished, but it cannot be accomplished with your carnal senses! You are fighting an enemy that's unseen and you have to fight him with the unseen. We have to “call the things that are not, as though they were.” (Rom.4:17) ... even God, who giveth life to the dead, and calleth the things that are not, as though they were. Did you know that the things that are made are not made out of things that appear? We read this in (Heb.11:1) Now faith is assurance of [things] hoped for, a conviction of things not seen. (2) For therein the elders had witness borne to them. (3) By faith we understand that the worlds have been framed by the word of God, so that what is seen hath not been made out of things which appear.   The things that are seen are made out of faith! Sonship is made out of faith. So you can't war in the flesh; you can't war with the natural senses. We're taught in (2Co.10:4) For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds), (5) casting down imaginations (or “reasonings”), and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Where do “reasonings” come from? Reasonings, or imaginations, come from what your carnal mind has assimilated through your natural senses or dead religion. But we're told in, (Rom.12:2) And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. We're commanded to repent!   Again, “repent” is the Greek word metanoeo and it means “change your mind.” We must change our mind! We must not receive into our mind what is put there by the carnal senses. We have to receive what is put there by the spiritual senses, by the hearing of God, by the seeing of God. You have to change your mind to have any hope of Christ manifesting Christ in you. I don't say this to make anyone fear because sons of God are, first of all, sons of God through faith. You have to receive sonship through faith before you have it by manifestation and faith is accounted as righteousness. (Rom.4:5) But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness.   There are people who preach the manifestation of sonship, but they leave out the Grace of God. See, until righteousness is manifested in you, faith stands in its place. By faith, we are sons of God now! And we're studying to know what a son of God looks like, so that when we look in the mirror, we can be transformed into the same image. Be careful that the Jesus in your mirror is the Jesus of the Bible. Paul warned us about those who received another Gospel, another spirit and another Jesus! (Gal.1:6) I marvel that ye are so quickly removing from him that called you in the grace of Christ unto a different gospel; (7) which is not another [gospel] only there are some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. (8) But though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach unto you any gospel other than that which we preached unto you, let him be anathema. (9) As we have said before, so say I now again, if any man preacheth unto you any gospel other than that which ye received, let him be anathema.   Our Jesus has to look just like this Jesus! If not, you'll be transformed into a “Jesus” that is not the Jesus of the Bible and that's not the sonship of the Bible, either. I see it happen all the time! The fault here is people are somewhere in between assimilating through their natural senses and assimilating through their spiritual senses. We have to learn to see the way God teaches us to see and Jesus came to be our example of that. Now I'm sure a lot of people will say, “Well, yeah, that was just Jesus.” No, the Bible called Jesus a “sign.” (Isa.7:14) Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Luk.11:30) For even as Jonah became a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation. Jesus came to be our example, our pattern, in everything He did. Paul said, (1Co.11:1) Be ye imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ.   When Jesus was baptized, it was “to fulfil all righteousness.” (Mat.3:13) Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. (14) But John would have hindered him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? (15) But Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffereth him. In other words, “Here is what you need to do for the sake of righteousness.” He taught His disciples to do what He did. (1Jn.2:6) He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked, so obviously, it must be possible for us to do that. And what we have to learn from Jesus is the way He wants us to walk. (Joh.5:19) Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself.... This is the Sabbath rest of God!   There is a Sabbath! It says in (Heb.4:9) There remaineth therefore a sabbath rest for the people of God. (10) For he that is entered into his rest hath himself also rested from his works, as God did from his. The sabbath rest for the people of God is to cease from your works. (Heb.4:3) For we who have believed do enter into that rest.... If you believe the Word of God, it's going to cause you to cease from your own struggling, cease from your own works, cease from trying to be a son of God and, instead, to accept “sonship” as your gift! The Word of God is designed so that when we believe it, if we really do believe it, we have to stop trying to deliver ourselves. (1Pe.2:24) ... by whose stripes ye were healed, and, if you believe that, then you have to stop trying to heal yourself. If you believe that, then you are healed.   All the rest of the Bible is designed the same way; it's designed in the past tense. We have been made free from sin. (Rom.8:2) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death. See, you should never be anxious about your sin because the Bible says you've been made free from sin. (Col.1:13) Who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love. You have been made free from the power of darkness. Why is it always past tense? It's past tense so that when you believe it, you can enter into the rest. You automatically have to cease from all of your self-works. It's a privilege to do that; it's not a law. This is our opportunity to keep a New Testament “Sabbath unto the Lord” by ceasing from our own works.   Jesus kept a New Testament sabbath! (Joh.5:19) Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself.... That seems strange, doesn't it? He said, “The Son,” and do you know why He said that? It was because He wasn't talking about just Himself. (Joh.5:19) Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father doing: for what things soever he doeth, these the Son also doeth in like manner. Do you think He saw a vision of everything He was about to do? I don't think so, but He did have a vision of what the Father was doing.  One of the places He got it from was in Isaiah's prophecy about the anointing. (Isa.61:1) The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening [of the prison] to them that are bound; (2) to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; (3) to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. Jesus had a “vision”; He knew, He saw what the Father's attitude was toward those who accepted His Word. He knew His responsibility and He knew His ability!   And what we have to do is get a “vision” of, “Where does my responsibility start and where does my ability start?” You know, folks, it's big! It's real big! (Mat.18:18) Verily I say unto you, what things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and what things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. That's what Jesus said and He meant it! We are the ones who are loosing what's coming into our lives. We sow a seed that brings forth a harvest in our lives. (Gal.6:7) Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (8) For he that soweth unto his own flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth unto the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap eternal life.   We're creating our tomorrow right now! The Bible says, “What you bind on earth is bound in heaven, and what you loose on earth is loosed in heaven.” And did you know that we can bind the devil and we can bind God? That's because God will not change His Word. (Mat.24:35) Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. (Psa.119:89) Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven. He will not go beyond the boundaries He has set. A good example of that is what Jesus experienced in His own hometown. In (Mat.13:54) And coming into his own country he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?   (55) Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas? (56) And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? (57) And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and in his own house. (58) And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. Jesus Himself couldn't do many mighty works because of their unbelief! They had bound God! By our faith we loose God and we bind the devil. And by our unbelief we loose the devil and we bind God.   Jesus did those things that He saw of His Father and He said, (Joh.14:9) ... he that hath seen me hath seen the Father.... Not because they were one and the same, but because He was the express image of the Father as it says in (Heb.1:3) Who being the effulgence of his glory, and the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. What Jesus believed, the Father believed; what Jesus said, the Father said.   You know it says in, (1Pe.4:11) if any man speaketh, [speaking] as it were oracles of God; if any man ministereth, ministering as of the strength which God supplieth: that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, whose is the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (Col.3:17) And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. That means everything that we do, we do to represent Him. We can't do anything to represent ourselves. In word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ. That is ceasing from your works. That is accepting a death-to-self, so that, (Gal.2:20) …it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me.   This is what we must accept! It's a radical, death-to-self walk. I've heard some groups preach, “You must die to self. You must crucify yourself.” But you have been crucified with Christ! We are privileged to have been crucified with Christ. (Rom.6:11) Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. If you don't reckon yourself to be dead unto sin, then you will never become dead unto sin. If you don't believe that He bore all your sins, past, present and future, at the cross, then they'll never go away!   Jesus said that He only did those things that He saw of His Father. And we have to learn to do the things that we see of our Father, too, because He put these in the Bible for an example to us. If you see it in the world, that's not a good enough reason to copy it. If you see it in religion, that's certainly not a good enough reason to copy it. But He will honor His Word, if we do the things we see our Father doing! (Joh.5:19) Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father doing: for what things soever he doeth, these the Son also doeth in like manner. (20) For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth (And you know, the same is still true for us.): and greater works than these will he show him, that ye may marvel.   He also said in, (Joh.14:12) Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto the Father. So we know that Jesus is still talking to us. (Joh.5:21) For as the Father raiseth the dead and giveth them life, even so the Son also giveth life to whom he will. (22) For neither doth the Father judge any man, but he hath given all judgment unto the Son. By the way, it says in (Joh.20:23) Whose soever sins ye forgive, they are forgiven unto them; whose soever [sins] ye retain, they are retained. “David, do you mean, God gave that authority to men?” Yes! The Pharisees rebuked Jesus because He had that authority and Jesus passed it on to His disciples, the sons of men.   (Joh.5:22) For neither doth the Father judge any man, but He hath given all judgment unto the Son; (23) that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father that sent him. (24) Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth him that sent me, hath eternal life, and cometh not into judgment, but hath passed out of death into life. We pass out of death and into life by hearing the Word! We have to hear the Word in the midst of the circumstances and situations that come against us! We have to hear the Word because, if you hear the Word, you won't hear the flesh and you won't hear the devil.   When you hear the Word, you experience a spiritual resurrection from the dead and you pass out of death and into life. As it says in (Eph.2:1) And you did he make alive, when ye were dead through your trespasses and sins. And (Col.2:13) And you, being dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, you, [I say,] did he make alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses. We were dead and all around us are people who are dead! (Joh.5:25) Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour cometh, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live. Notice: “and now is”. Jesus is not just talking about a physical resurrection of the dead but a spiritual one. He's talking about passing out of death and into life because you hear the Word!   When we hear the voice of the Son of God, we come up out of our graves; we come into resurrection life. The Word is the seed that's being sown by Him and that seed brings forth the fruit. The seed has all the power it needs to bring forth the fruit. All it needs is good earth for God to sow His Seed in and that's about all the natural man is good for; he's the dirt.   Next Jesus goes on to talk about the physical resurrection of the dead. He says in, (Joh.5:26) For as the Father hath life in himself, even so gave he to the Son also to have life in himself: (27) and he gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is a son of man. Notice, Jesus had to be a son of man in order to have the authority to execute judgment. Adam was given authority over the creation and now the “last Adam” has it. The Father gave this authority to the Son because the Son came down here in “the likeness of sinful flesh” and overcame, conquered and condemned sin in the flesh. We read this in (Rom.8:3) For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: (4) that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.   (5) For they that are after the flesh mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. Jesus had the authority to judge because He overcame His flesh. (Rom.4:15) For we have not a high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but one that hath been in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Do you know why the “old man” can't judge? It's because the old man is the one who's done all the sinning in the first place! He's guilty! (Rom.2:1) Wherefore thou art without excuse, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself.... If you judge others, you judge yourself. Our old man has no authority to judge, but the spiritual man in us has every authority to judge.   And in (1Co.2:14) Now the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually judged. (15) But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, and he himself is judged of no man. The spiritual man judges all things and he's judged of no man because he has the mind of God. When the natural man is subject to the spiritual man there is no sin or its curse. Back to (Joh.5:28) Marvel not at this: for the hour cometh, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice, (29) and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment. Do you know who's going to be resurrected to life? Only those who have been resurrected spiritually in this life are going to have the resurrection of life. You have to wonder about all those people who say that the whole Church is going to be raptured out. Wait a minute! Look what it says in (Eze.18:4) Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. “The soul that sins, it shall die”; that's the Word and the Word cannot ever be broken (John 7:23).  And as we have seen those who attain to life will have star, moon and sun glory, bodies. Therefore, if anybody's going to fly away without dying, it's going to be those who have overcome because the soul that sins must die. So what they're talking about is not scripturally possible. We're here to go through trials, troubles and tribulations, in order to receive resurrection life, which is His life. We must lose our life to gain our life as Jesus said. We are constantly faced with making decisions. “Am I going to accept the Word?” Or “Am I going to do things my way? If we choose our way, if we choose to do things the way of the world, we separate ourselves from God. If we choose to accept the Word and do things according to the Word, we manifest more and more sonship. It's ludicrous to think that God would plant us here and pluck us up before we bear fruit! Nobody who wants a harvest picks the plant before it bears the fruit and nobody who wants a harvest pulls the seed out of the ground before it bears the plant. God doesn't do that, either, because He wants a harvest.  The reason we study the Scriptures is so that we will have spiritual eyes and spiritual ears. Jesus said, (Joh.5:30) I can of myself do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is righteous; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. The Lord only did those things that He heard and saw of the Father. We want spiritual eyes and spiritual ears so that we'll no longer be “babes,” but we'll be able to experience the “word of righteousness.” (Heb.5:13) For every one that partaketh of milk is without experience of the word of righteousness; for he is a babe. The Scriptures are called the “word of righteousness” because justification is through faith in the Word.   “Justification” means “accounted righteous,” so when you speak faith and you walk by faith, God will count you as righteous, just as He did Abraham in (Gen.15:6) And he believed in the Lord; and he reckoned it to him for righteousness. He counted Abraham as righteous and it didn't have anything to do with salvation. It had to do with the fact that Abraham believed what God said. That covers everything, not just what we normally think of as salvation. God said Abraham was righteous; He called Abraham His friend because he believed what He said. (Jas.2:23) And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness; and he was called the friend of God.   God reckons righteousness the same way today. There are a lot of God's people who have no eyes or ears because they are not hearing what God says. (Joh.8:47) He that is of God heareth the words of God: for this cause ye hear them not, because ye are not of God. The righteous are those who hear what He says. Jesus was talking to religious people, those Jews who had believed Him (John 8:31), and He told them that! If we are, ultimately, the elect of God, we will find out. Do you know why? It's because we are going to hear God's Word! People who won't listen to you when you try to gracefully give them the Word of God either aren't being drawn by God at that time or they're not children of God.  “He that is of God hears the words of God.” Jesus gave us this example. He didn't do anything but what He heard and saw, and that's what babes do, too. The problem is that sometimes babes are using the wrong eyes and ears, and so they are without experience of the Word of righteousness. Speaking faith, which is “calling those things that are not, as though they were” (Romans 4:17), is a Word of righteousness. God has done everything from the beginning this way. He didn't create the world in any other way, but this way. It says in (Isa.46:9) Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me; (10) declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done; saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. God speaks the end from the beginning and it comes to pass. We are in training to be sons who do this.  Now He's teaching us, as sons and daughters, to do the same thing, but you won't be able to do that, if you're paying attention to your natural eyes and your natural ears. You will always be inexperienced in the Word of righteousness. You will always be a babe, unless you begin to say the things the Bible says you should say. You will always be a babe, unless you begin to see the way the Bible commands you to see. And we need to be reminded of how the Scriptures tell us to see because it's so easy to slip back to seeing in the natural. Do you know what happens when you walk in the natural? You become worried and anxious, you become troubled because you're not seeing come to pass what's in the Scriptures. You start thinking, “It will never come to pass.” Well, it will never come to pass, unless you have spiritual eyes.   You have to see the way God tells you to see. And He tells us, (2Pe.1:2) Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord (So, the more you know about God, the more grace and peace you're going to have, but then he goes on.); (3) seeing.... You're not going to have grace and peace without being able to see this! (2Pe.1:3) Seeing that his divine power hath granted (Notice this is past tense; it's already done.) unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue. If you can see that His divine power has already granted us everything that pertains to life and godliness, you can have it! If you can't see that, then you can't have it! Grace comes from being able to see this way.   Jesus was always bold to speak things before they came to pass, and you've probably never seen a miracle that you didn't speak first, before it came to pass. The biggest miracles that I've ever seen were bold statements of faith right out in front of everybody! Look at this in (Jos.10:12) Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel; and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; And thou, Moon, in the valley of Aijalon. (13) And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, Until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stayed in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.   (14) And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel. Joshua stopped the whole solar system! He spoke it right out in front of everybody. That sounds like something a fool would do, doesn't it? But the Bible says that no one who puts their trust in Him will ever be put to shame. (Rom.10:11) For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be put to shame. If you're going to see miracles, you may have to step out there and look like a fool.   I'm not talking about saying things that you don't see; I'm talking about things that you do see. That “seeing” could be something that you see in the Word of God or it could be something that you've received in a dream or a vision from the Lord, or it could be a Word of knowledge or a Word of wisdom from the Lord. “Seeing” can come many ways and one foundational “seeing” is that God has already given you everything that pertains to life and godliness! He's telling you this is what you must see, if you're going to have it. You can't be what Peter describes as near-sighted. First he lists all the Christ-like virtues: (2Pe.1:5) Yea, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence in your faith, supply virtue; and in [your] virtue knowledge;   (6) and in [your] knowledge self-control; and in [your] self-control patience; and in [your] patience godliness; (7) and in [your] godliness brotherly kindness; and in [your] brotherly kindness love. (8) For if these things are yours and abound, they make you to be not idle nor unfruitful unto the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. And then he tells you, (9) For he that lacketh these things is blind, seeing only what is near, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. So a near-sighted person is someone who sees with their natural eyes, not their spiritual eyes; and you can't have these gifts, these virtues of Jesus Christ, if you're near-sighted. (Jas.1:23) For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror. Someone who sees their natural face in the mirror becomes a hearer of the Word, but not a doer of the Word.   This is how we're told to see, in (2Co.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. We have to see Jesus in the mirror by faith! We have to see Him with spiritual eyes and call the things that are not as though they were because the way that God does His work is through our faith. (1Co.1:26) For behold your calling, brethren, that not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, [are called:] Notice that God is speaking of people here not “things”, which is not numeric in the following text.) (27) but God chose the foolish things of the world, that he might put to shame them that are wise; and God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong; (28) and the base things of the world, and the things that are despised, did God choose, yea and the things that are not, that he might bring to nought the things that are: (29) that no flesh should glory before God.  God chose the things that “are not” to bring to nothing the “things that are.” What are “the things that are”? It's the curse! What are “the things that are not”? It's what Jesus accomplished on the cross! He gave us sonship at the cross, but it is not yet manifested! (1Jn.3:2) Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is. If you don't see Him as He is, you can't be like Him. We study the Scriptures so that we get a vision of Christ and we see Him as He is. He had a vision of His Father; that's why He did what He did. We study the Scriptures to get a vision of Christ so that we can do what He did, live what He lived, be what He was!   Of course, most of the Church says, “No! It's not possible!” But those people say that because they are only counting upon their own strength and they don't count upon the promise of the Word of God, which is backed up by God's strength. If God says, (Mat.5:48) Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect, you can have faith in Him and He will do it in you. Now, I agree that “perfect” is different for every one of us. The Greek word here for “perfect” is teleios, which is the same word for “mature.” God is maturing each one of us to do a different job in His Kingdom, so we are not going to look alike. The Bible clearly states that we're supposed to be growing into the fullness of Christ. In (Eph.4:13) Till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a fullgrown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. That's what we are supposed to reach; that's God's promise to us.   Now the bad report preachers are like the spies who went into the Promised Land and said, “Nope! We can't take it! We just have to settle for where we are! We can't overcome sin. We are always going to be sinners!” (Num.13:31) But the men that went up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. (32) And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had spied out unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature. (33) And there we saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak, who come of the Nephilim: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.   They, and everyone who believed them, died of the plague in the wilderness. They didn't go into the Promised Land because they brought a bad report! (Num.14:28) Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord, surely as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: (29) your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, that have murmured against me, (30) surely ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware that I would make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.   That's because Joshua and Caleb said, (Num.14:9) Only rebel not against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defense is removed from over them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not. They told the people, “Those giants are bread for us!” If they're “bread” for you, that must mean you're supposed to eat them and they'll cause you to grow, right? Yes! That's what it's all about! In type, those “giants” are the natural man who dwells in the Land of Promise. The spiritual man has to go in there to kill that giant and take his house, which is this body of our flesh.   God bless you Saints! I suggest that you meditate on this teaching to give roots to it. It is very important.

“It is not only the shortest psalm in the collection but also the shortest chapter in the Bible” Alter, 414; Longman, 398.  It is 27 words in the NASB and 28 in the ESV. In Hebrew it is only 17 words. “Many Hebrew mss.attach it to Ps. 116….Other Hebrew mss. join the psalm to Ps. 118” Allen, 117.The basic structure of a song of praise is simple. It begins with a call to praise (vs. 1). Then the word translated for or because introduces the reason for praise (lines 1 and 2 of vs. 2). Last, there is a final call to praise (line 3 of vs. 2).“Underlying this invitation is the conviction that the God of Israel is the God who rules the world” McCann, 1150.117:1 Praise the LORD, all nations- Other psalms, like Psalm 96:3, speak of praising God among the nations, but here all the nations and all peoples are called to praise God- Alter, 414. Laud Him, all peoples!- “This verb appears to be an Aramaic word for ‘praise, laud'; and unless it was also Hebrew but not used much in the psalms, it may indicate that the Psalmist chose it to address the nations since Aramaic was spoken in the non-Israelite world and became the dominant language at the time of captivity” Ross, 435. The word is used 11 times in the OT: I Chron. 16:35; Pss. 63:3; 65:7; 89:9; 106:47; 117:1; 145:4; 147:12; Prov. 29:11; Ecc.  4:2; 8:15.117:2 God's lovingkindness is described as ‘great.' The word ‘great' can refer to victory on the battlefield. For example, it is used twice in Exodus 17:11 in the description of Israel's battle with Amalek. Also see the word in military contexts in I Sam. 2:9; II Sam. 1:23; 11:23. The word is used for the flood waters prevailing- Gen. 7:18-20 – our iniquities prevailing- Ps. 65:3- God's blessings- Gen. 49:26- His lovingkindness- Ps. 103:11. “The Hebrew root is often used to indicate the power of a military conquer. Here it also affirms that God conquers the world, but that God does so by the power of His faithful love” McCann, 1150. God's lovingkindness has triumphed; it has prevailed.  Lovingkindness and truth are accompanied by each other in Ex. 34:6; Ps. 25:10; 36:5; 40:10; 57:10; 85:10; 86:15; 89:14; 92:2; 98:3; 100:5; 108:4; 115:1; 138:2 And the truth of the LORD is everlasting- The emphasis of the second line can be summed up by saying that God's plans and promises are as fresh and intact now as on the day that they were made; and they will remain so” Kidner, 412. His love and truth know ‘neither measure nor end” Allen, 118.God's lovingkindness and truth were dramatically demonstrated in the exodus and the events surrounding it. God revealed Himself to Moses as “abounding in lovingkindness and truth” (Exodus 34:6). “Their history was a monument to the greatness of His loyal love, for it was full of instances of loving, protecting, delivering, pardoning grace” Allen, 118. As Israel sang Psalm 117 at Passover, they remembered God's lovingkindness and truth in the exodus. God's dealing with Israel are a cause for universal praise among all nations and an attraction to all nations to worship such a God. Psalm 117 and JesusThe crucifixion/resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate display of the LORD's lovinkindness and truth. In the cross, God's lovingkindness and truth have triumphed, prevailed, and conquered the ruthless enemies of sin and death. The cross serves as a call for all nations to worship Him (John 12:32; Phil. 2:5-11; Rev. 5:8-14). Interestingly, as brief as Psalm 117 is, it is quoted in the New Testament. In Romans 15:8-12 Paul quotes from several OT passages (Rom. 15:9/ Psalm 18:49; Rom. 15:10/ Deut. 32:43; Rom. 15:11/Psalm 117:1; Rom. 15:12/Isaiah 11:10) to show God's desire has always

Jesus is the Baptiser in the Holy Spirit. John 1:33: “I did not know Him (John did not know that Jesus was the Messiah), but He who sent me to baptise with water said to me: ‘Upon whom you see the SPIRIT descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who BAPTISES with the HOLY SPIRIT.'” The Holy Spirit is vital in our fellowship with the Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: *1. The HOLY SPIRIT is the Spirit of POWER. He enables us to receive and fulfil God's Plan and Purpose for our life. *2. The HOLY SPIRIT is our wonderful COMFORTER. *3. The HOLY SPIRIT is the One who ENABLES us to RECEIVE God's LOVE. *4. The HOLY SPIRIT is the One who STRENGTHENS us, when we are weak and weary. *5. The HOLY SPIRIT is the One who opens our heart to believe and receive God's amazing, extravagant, eternal love, which heals our wounded hearts. *6. The HOLY SPIRIT is the One who FELLOWSHIPS with us (2 Corinthians 13:14). *7. The HOLY SPIRIT is here on earth to HELP us in our weaknesses, and to HELP us PRAY God's will into the earth. Romans 8:26-27: “The SPIRIT also HELPS (sun-anti-lambano = ‘takes hold together with us') in our WEAKNESSES. For we do not know what we should PRAY for as we ought, but the SPIRIT Himself makes INTERCESSION for us with groanings, which cannot be uttered... He makes INTERCESSION for the saints according to the WILL of GOD.”

Election      Election derives from the Greek verb eklegō (ἐκλέγω) which, according to BDAG, means “to make a choice in accordance with significant preference, select someone or something for oneself.”[1] According to Norman Geisler, “The word election (or elect) occurs fourteen times in the New Testament. An elect person is a chosen one; election (or elect) is used of Israel (Rom 9:11; 11:28), of angels (1 Tim 5:21), and of believers. In relation to believers, election is the decision of God from all eternity whereby He chose those who would be saved.”[2] Geisler further states, “The words chosen and chose are used numerous times. The terms are employed of Christ (Luke 23:35; 1 Pet 1:20; 2:4, 6), of a disciple (Acts 1:2, 24; 10:41; 22:14; John 15:10), and even of Judas (John 6:70; 13:18), who was chosen to be an apostle. Soteriologically, a chosen one is a person elected to salvation by God.”[3]      Election is that free choice of God from eternity past in which He chose to save and bless some (Eph 1:4-5). The elect are the ones chosen. God elects groups (Luke 6:13-16; John 6:70) and individuals (1 Ch 28:5; Acts 9:15). Election is to salvation (Acts 13:48; Eph 1:4-6; 2 Th 2:13), spiritual blessing (Eph 1:3), holy and righteous living (Col 3:12; 1 Pet 2:9), and service for the Lord (Jer 1:4-5; Gal 1:15-16; cf. Acts 9:15). In election, God is sovereign and people are free. Both are true. This is why Jesus said, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” (John 6:37). Here we observe the coalescence of God's sovereignty and positive human volition as the Father gives and people come of their own choice.[4] We observe something similar in Acts where Luke wrote, “When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48). Here we observe Gentiles who were appointed to eternal life, and that they personally exercised their volition and believed in the Lord for salvation.[5] Robert B. Thieme Jr., states: "[Election is] the recognition by God, before the foundation of the world, of those who would believe in Christ; the sovereign act of God in eternity past to choose, to set apart, certain members of the human race for privilege, based on His knowledge of every person's freewill decisions in time. While God is sovereign, having the right to do with His creatures as He pleases, never has He hindered or tampered with human free will. He did not choose some to be saved and others to be condemned. Instead, in eternity past, God first chose to accomplish the work of man's salvation through the Son. Then, He looked down the corridors of time and elected for salvation everyone He knew would believe in Jesus Christ (Eph 1:4). God elected believers in the sense that He knew ahead of time that their free will would choose for Christ….Moreover, God did not elect anyone to hell: unbelievers are condemned to eternally reside in hell only because they have used their volition toward unbelief (John 3:18)."[6] Predestined by God      When writing to the Christians at Ephesus, Paul said, “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will” (Eph 1:4-5). The word predestined translates the Greek word proorizō (προορίζω), which means, to “decide upon beforehand,  predetermine.”[7] Harold Hoehner defines the word similarly as, “to determine beforehand, mark out beforehand, predestine.”[8] Geisler notes, “Just as God predetermined from all eternity that Christ would die for our sins (Acts 2:23), He also predestined who would be saved. As Paul says, ‘Those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son' (Rom 8:29).”[9] According to Paul Enns, “Even though election and predestination are clearly taught in Scripture, man is still held accountable for his choices. Scripture never suggests that man is lost because he is not elect or has not been predestined; the emphasis of Scripture is that man is lost because he refuses to believe the gospel.”[10]      Predestination refers to what God purposes for us. The Bible reveals that God has predestined us to adoption as His children (Eph 1:5), to our ultimate conformity to Christ (Rom 8:29–30), and to the blessings of our future inheritance (Eph 1:11). Warren Wiersbe states, “This word, as it is used in the Bible, refers primarily to what God does for saved people. Nowhere in the Bible are we taught that people are predestined to hell, because this word refers only to God's people. Election seems to refer to people, while predestination refers to purposes.”[11] According to Robert B. Thieme Jr., predestination refers to “God's predetermined, sovereign provisioning of every believer for the purpose of executing His plan, purpose, and will in time (Eph 1:4-6, 11).”[12] Thieme further states: "In eternity past God decreed, or established with certainty, the believer's destiny for time and eternity. However, the divine act of predestination is never to be confused with the ideas of kismet [the idea of fate] or any other human-viewpoint system of fatalism. God did not negate free will or force anyone into a course of action. Rather, He only decreed and provisioned what He knew would actually happen. He predestined believers based on His eternal knowledge that they would, by their own free will, accept Jesus Christ as Savior. Long before human history began, sovereign God determined that every Church Age believer would be united with the resurrected Jesus Christ, the King of kings. Those who believe are predestined as heirs of God and joint heirs with the Son of God—sharing the eternal destiny of Jesus Christ Himself (Eph 1:5). Furthermore, God predestined believers with everything necessary to fulfill His plan in time. No Christian is dependent upon human energy, personality, or human effort, because God established a grace way of life and furnished the divine means of execution (2 Tim 1:9). Every believer in this age has equal opportunity to either accept or reject God's predestined provision. Regardless of personal failure or success in time, all believers are predestined to be completely “conformed to the image of His Son” in resurrection bodies in heaven (Rom 8:29)."[13] Foreknowledge      Peter wrote of God's elect as those “who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father” (1 Pet 1:1-2). Here, the word foreknowledge translates the Greek noun prognōsis (πρόγνωσις), which means “to know beforehand, know in advance”[14] Foreknowledge simply means that omniscient God, from eternity past, knew in advance all that would happen in time and space, and He knew the actions of every person and whether they would be saved or not. Jesus communicated His foreknowledge when He said to His disciples, ‘“There are some of you who do not believe.' For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him” (John 6:64). God also knew His own actions in time and space, either to direct, permit, or overrule human or angelic decisions, and to judge everyone fairly for their actions. According to Norman Geisler: "Being omniscient, God also eternally foreknew those who would be saved: “Those God foreknew he also predestined” (Rom 8:29). Indeed, they were “elect according to the foreknowledge of God” (1 Pet 1:2). Since His foreknowledge is infallible (He is omniscient), whatever God foreknows will indeed come to pass. Hence, His foreknowledge of who would be saved assures that they will be."[15]      In his letter to the Romans, Paul wrote, “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom 8:29). The word “foreknew” translates the Greek verb proginōskō (προγινώσκω) which, according to BDAG, means “to know beforehand or in advance, have foreknowledge.”[16] Here, the word connotes God's knowing people in an intimate sense and not merely what they will do. This speaks to the richness of the relationship God has with each individual. Though we exist in time and space and live our lives in a chronological manner with one experience sequentially following the next, God exists in the eternal realm, beyond time and space, in the eternal now. This means that God is present at all times and places in human history simultaneously. Scripture speaks of what God foreknew from eternity past as it relates to the choices of His elect, but His foreknowledge is not detached or impersonal; rather, it is intimately connected to the formation of His family and the execution of His purposes in the world (see Jer 1:4-5). Prevenient Grace      Prevenient grace refers to the grace of God that precedes and prepares a person's heart and will for salvation. The term “prevenient” means “preceding” or “coming before.” According to Geisler, “Prevenient means ‘before,' and prevenient grace refers to God's unmerited work in the human heart prior to salvation, which directs people to this end through Christ…This grace is also seen in the fact that ‘the goodness of God leads you to repentance' (Rom 2:4). Thus, prevenient grace is God's grace exerted on our behalf even before He bestows salvation on us.”[17]      Because God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4), and is “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9), He works in a preparatory manner to convince the fallen human heart to welcome Christ (2 Tim 1:9). Jesus spoke of the role of the Holy Spirit in the dispensation of the church age, saying, “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me” (John 16:8-9). According to Geisler, “The act of convicting, then, is that by which God persuades a person that he is a sinner and, thus, is in need of the Savior.”[18] This prevenient work of God is necessary because of the sinfulness of mankind. It is not considered to be salvific in itself but rather a preparatory grace that allows individuals to cooperate with God's saving work in Christ. In this perspective, salvation is seen as a cooperative process where individuals have the ability to accept or reject God's offer of grace. Christians are Elect in Christ      From eternity past, God intended for His grand plan of salvation for all humanity to be achieved through His Son. Scripture reveals “the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14), and “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10), and He is “the Lamb who has been slain” from the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8). Jesus is the Father's Chosen One. God said, “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen One in whom My soul delights” (Isa 42:1). And He said of Jesus, “This is My Son, My Chosen One” (Luke 9:35). And Peter describes Jesus as “chosen and precious in the sight of God” (1 Pet 2:4). Jesus was chosen by God before the foundation of the world to be the Savior of all mankind, and Christians are elect because we are in Christ. Geisler states: "Christ is eternal, and the universal church was chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4); hence, in the mind of God, the church of God is eternal. Further, Christ is the elect of God (Matt 3:16–17), and we are elect in Him; not only is Christ the elect One, but in the New Testament those “in Christ,” the church, the members of His body, were elect in Him before time began."[19]      Scripture reveals that Christians “are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father” (1 Pet 1:1-2), that Christ “was foreknown before the foundation of the world” (1 Pet 1:20), was “chosen and precious” in His sight (1 Pet 2:4), and that God “chose us in Him before the foundation of the world” (Eph 1:4). The prepositional phrase “in Him” (ἐν αὐτῷ) speaks to our election and union with Christ (Eph 1:4). According to L. B. Smedes, “This strongly suggests that God elects people for salvation in the same decision that He elected Christ as their Savior.”[20] Because Jesus is God's Chosen One, it is asserted that we, God's elect, were chosen at the same time as Christ, and He “saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity” (2 Tim 1:9). When we believed in Jesus as our Savior, God placed us into union with Christ, for “by His doing you are in Christ Jesus” (1 Cor 1:30). Paul wrote, “I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen [eklektos], so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory” (2 Tim 2:10).      The prepositional phrase, “in Christ” (ἐν Χριστῷ), emphasizes the idea of believers being in union with Christ. This union is not merely a metaphorical expression but signifies a profound spiritual reality. The Apostle Paul frequently uses this expression to convey the intimate and transformative relationship that believers have with Christ (Rom 8:1; 12:5; 1 Cor 1:2, 30; Gal 3:28; Eph 1:3-4; Phil 1:1; Col 1:2; 2 Tim 1:9; 2:10). Being “in Christ” signifies that believers are, in a real spiritual sense, united with Him. This identification includes sharing in His death, burial, and resurrection, for we have been “crucified with Christ” (Gal 2:20), and “we died with Christ” (Rom 6:8), were “buried with Him” (Rom 6:4), and “have been raised up with Christ” (Col 3:1). In a real way, we were with Him on the cross, in the grave, and at His resurrection. In the eyes of God, His experience has become our experience. This identification with Jesus is real, even though we were not physically alive at the time of His crucifixion, burial, resurrection, or ascension into heaven. Furthermore, “In Him we have…forgiveness of our trespasses” (Eph 1:7), “have been sanctified in Christ Jesus” (1 Cor 1:2), have “eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23), and are told there is “no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1). This kind of identification in and with another is true in other instances. For example, it was said of Rebekah, “Two nations are in your womb” (Gen 25:23), even before Israel was called into being as a nation. Similarly, the writer of Hebrews speaks of Levi who “paid tithes” (Heb 7:9), and this while “he was still in the loins of his father” Abraham (Heb 7:10). This means that Levi paid tithes to Melchizedek, even before he existed, as he was in the loins of his father, Abraham.[21]      Furthermore, being “in Christ” reflects a believer's new position before God. It signifies that, through faith in Christ, believers are accepted and justified before God. Their sins are forgiven (Acts 10:43; Eph 1:7), and they are seen through the righteousness of Christ (2 Cor 5:21; Phil 3:9). The phrase also emphasizes that believers participate in the benefits of Christ's redemptive work. This includes reconciliation with God (Rom 5:10), adoption as children (Gal 4:5; Eph 1:5), the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 3:16), and the status of being a new creation in Christ (2 Cor 5:17). Believers are seen as co-heirs with Christ, sharing in the inheritance of eternal life (Eph 1:3-14; Rom 8:17). This positional truth is foundational to the concept of salvation by grace through faith. While being “in Christ” has personal implications, it also has a corporate dimension. It speaks to the collective identity of the Church as the body of Christ, with believers being interconnected and sharing a common life “in Christ.” Robert B. Thieme Jr., states: "Through the baptism of the Spirit at salvation, every believer of this age is removed from his position in Adam and secured in his position “in Christ” (1 Cor 15:22; Eph 2:5–6; cf. Gal 3:27). The believer, no longer spiritually dead, is made a “new creature” with a totally unprecedented relationship with God (2 Cor 5:17a). The “old things” that once kept him alienated from God have passed away; phenomenal “new things” have come by virtue of his position in Christ (2 Cor 5:17b). The believer shares Christ's eternal life (1 John 5:11–12), His righteousness (2 Cor 5:21), His election (Eph 1:3–4), His destiny (Eph 1:5), His sonship (John 1:12; Gal 3:26; 1 John 3:1–2), His heirship (Rom 8:16–17), His sanctification (1 Cor 1:2, 30), His kingdom (2 Pet 1:11), His priesthood (Heb 10:10–14), and His royalty (2 Tim 2:11–12). This new position can never be forfeited."[22]      In summary, the prepositional phrase “in Christ” encapsulates profound theological truths about the believer's union with Christ, identification with His redemptive work, a new positional standing before God, and the communal identity of the Church as the body of Christ. It serves as a key concept in understanding the richness of Christian salvation and the transformative impact of faith in Jesus Christ. Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 305. [2] Norman L. Geisler, Systematic Theology, Volume Three: Sin, Salvation (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2004), 220–221. [3] Ibid., 221. [4] Other passages that emphasize God's sovereign choice: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44), and “no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father” (John 6:65). Paul wrote, “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will” (Eph 1:4-5). And to Christians living in Thessalonica, Paul wrote, “We should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth” (2 Th 2:13). [5] Romans 9:1-18 is often cited when discussing election to salvation; however, when one looks at the context of Roman 9, it does not pertain to salvation, but to God's selection of the progenitors of the nation of Israel. In a similar way, God sovereignly selected Nebuchadnezzar to be the king over Babylon (Dan 2:37-38; 5:18), and Cyrus as king over Persia (Ezra 1:2). In fact, God's sovereignty is supreme when it comes to selecting all human rulers, for “It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings” (Dan 2:21), and “the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, and bestows it on whom He wishes and sets over it the lowliest of men” (Dan 4:17). At times, He even raises up young foolish kings to discipline His people, as He told Isaiah the prophet, “I will make mere lads their princes, and capricious children will rule over them” (Isa 3:4). [6] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. “Election”, Thieme's Bible Doctrine Dictionary, (Houston, TX., R. B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries, 2022), 81. [7] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 873. [8] Harold W. Hoehner, Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 193. [9] Norman L. Geisler, Systematic Theology, Volume Three: Sin, Salvation, 221. [10] Paul P. Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1989), 329. [11] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 11. [12] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. “Predestination”, Thieme's Bible Doctrine Dictionary, 203. [13] Ibid., 203-204 [14] Moisés Silva, ed., New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2014), 138. [15] Norman L. Geisler, Systematic Theology, Volume Three: Sin, Salvation, 221. [16] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 866. [17] Norman L. Geisler, Systematic Theology, Volume Three: Sin, Salvation, 222. [18] Ibid., 222. [19] Norman L. Geisler, Systematic Theology, Volume Four: Church, Last Things, 50–51. [20] L. B. Smedes, “Grace,” ed. Geoffrey W Bromiley, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988), 551. [21] These two analogies with Rebekah and Levi help convey the idea of a connection or representation that transcends mere physical existence. In the case of Rebekah, the passage refers to the statement, “Two nations are in your womb” (Gen 25:23), highlighting that this declaration occurred before Israel was called into being as a nation. This serves as an example of a connection that existed before the actual historical formation of the nation. Likewise, the reference to Levi paying tithes while still in the loins of his father, Abraham (Heb 7:9-10), is another analogy used to illustrate a connection that goes beyond the immediate physical existence of the individual. It suggests a representation or identification that precedes the individual's own existence. [22] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. “Position in Christ”, Thieme's Bible Doctrine Dictionary, 200.

April 20, 2024 - Saturday 1:30PM Tent Speaker   Speaker: Scott Cain John 20:31 Faith Trust in an individual a lot of description of Jesus in John   Faith faces the fact of… Jesus' Facts (John 1:1-14) Jesus' Rationality (John 1:1-3) Jesus' Identity (John 1:1-17) “The World” Jesus In the Beginning Eternal With God Distinct from the Father Was God Deity/Godhead All… Made by Him Creator Flesh… dwelt among us Human Only begotten Son of God Grace and Truth Brought Grace and Truth Jesus' Reality (John 1:14) John bases his description of Jesus on evidence Gnostics - made up, what they claim they knew Ex. Dualism: spiritual =good and humanity = bad Jesus wasn't actual physical Others claim Jesus was physical but not deity Know-it-alls that didn't know anything Jesus' Forgiveness John 1:29 words of John the Baptist Isaiah 53:4-7 suffering servant “It's not ok, but it's going to be ok” John 12:32 Model of forgiveness (Personal and moving passages on forgiveness) John 5:14 (general forgiveness) John 4:17-18, 21 (woman at the well) John 8:7, 11 (woman caught in act of adultery, failed to catch her accomplice) John 13:38; 21:17 (Peter will deny Jesus 3x) why did Peter go back to tomb a 2nd time?  Peter wept bitterly over his own actions.  Every time sin happens, someone made a choice Motive of Forgiveness (John 3:16) Jesus' Friendship (John 15:13) Out of Friendship… He died for me (John 15:13) I live for Him (John 15:14) He shared His Father's Will (John 15:15) I have His Father's Ear (15:15, 16:27)   Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4ESJBRbG2k   Duration 41:43

“Faith or No Faith, That is the Question”All throughout Scripture, we see examples of people who have faith, but it's non-saving faith. After all, every one of us has some type of faith, and we exercise faith every day. We have faith a car will stop while we cross the street, we have faith our prescriptions will do what our doctor told us they would do, we have faith a chair will hold us up when we sit down in a crowded restaurant, and we have faith the sun will come up in the morning as we prepare to go to the job we have faith we still have. We all have faith— but we have faith at different levels and in different things. And not all faith is the same.For example, we have a certain type of faith in our government, our economic system, or the media. But that faith is not as strong, nor of the same substance, as the faith we have in the sanctity of our marriage, or the trustworthiness of our best friend, or in our ability to keep a promise to those we love. Each of these kinds of faith is as varied as the objects of that faith. And none of these reach the level of faith or trust or dependence we would expect to have in Christ. Hence, we would call these examples non-saving faith.But what happens when a seeking person, just like you or me, comes to Jesus for salvation with nothing more than non-saving faith? Would that person be saved? Or would they be deceived into thinking what faith they had, bordering on intellectual curiosity, was sufficient for salvation?The Deception of Non-Saving FaithThe Scriptures repeatedly warn about the deception of non-saving faith. In the Parable of the Sower, seventy-five percent of the seeds sown did not lead to salvation (Matt. 13:3-9). Those who sowed in the shallow and thorny soil were deceived into thinking that mere growth, without corresponding fruit, equates to salvation. Or, to put it another way, faith, without corresponding fruit, leads to salvation. And the Scriptures clearly state they don't.The Scriptures also talk about having a “form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” (2 Tim. 3:5). We see people like Hymenaeus and Alexander, both lost, serving as prominent members of the church (1 Tim. 1:20). There are those who come to the wedding feast dressed in clothes of their own righteousness. The result? They were bound, hand and foot, and “cast into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 22:13). We have the warning from the Lord about the wide road that leads to destruction and the narrow gate that leads to life (Matt. 7:13-14). And, in the book of Hebrews, some were “once enlightened and have tasted the heavenly gift” but never fully drank of the living waters of salvation (Heb. 6:4).Remember, Jesus said He “did not come to bring peace on the earth, but a sword” (Matt. 10:34) and “a man's enemies will be those of his own household” (Matt. 10:36). How? Because our commitment to Christ must be greater than our love and devotion for those we hold most dear, even our own family. When asked, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?”— Jesus said of His own family, “For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother” (Matt. 12:48-50).The sad truth is many people come to Christ but never fully partake, or drink, of Him (John 7:37) and are deceived into believing they are truly saved. Many people, most in fact, go part of the way towards Christ and end up short of true salvation. They feel and recognize their need for Christ and acknowledge He is the only One that can satisfy their deepest longings, yet they fail to appropriate Him into their lives on His terms. They thirst, they

The Debt Rom 6:23  #Nightlight #RTTBROS  The Debt We Cannot Pay Verse: "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." - Romans 6:23 (KJV) In this story, a British pastor and his young son entered an expensive store with a strict policy: "Do not touch any breakages, much must be purchased." Despite the clear warning, the pastor found himself gently touching the items around him. However, his 4-year-old son, Michael, was not as gentle and accidentally knocked over a large, expensive item. The store manager appeared, simply pointing to the sign. The pastor knew he couldn't leave the store and expect his young son to pay for the damage he had caused. Michael was unable to pay the debt he owed. This story serves as a powerful reminder of our own spiritual condition. We all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory (Romans 3:23). Just like Michael, we have created a debt that we cannot pay on our own. The wages of our sin is death, and we are unable to redeem ourselves. But God, in His infinite love and mercy, provided a way for our debt to be paid. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus paid the price that we could never afford. He is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). Just as the pastor had to pay for his son's damages, our Heavenly Father has paid our sin debt through Jesus Christ. When we accept this precious gift by faith, our debt is canceled, and we receive the promise of eternal life. Let us give thanks for the incredible love and sacrifice of our Savior, who paid a debt He did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay. May we live our lives in gratitude and devotion to Him. Our Podcast, Blog and YouTube Links https://linktr.ee/rttbros   Be sure to Like, Share, Follow and subscribe it helps get the word out. https://linktr.ee/rttbros

For decades, McDonald’s ruled fast food with their Quarter Pounder burger. In the 1980s, a rival chain cooked up an idea to dethrone the company with the golden arches. A&W offered the Third Pound Burger—larger than McDonald’s—and sold it for the same price. Even more, A&W’s burger won numerous blind taste tastes. But the burger bombed. Nobody bought it. Eventually, they dropped it from the menu. Research revealed that consumers misunderstood the math and thought the Third Pound Burger was smaller than the Quarter Pounder. A grand idea failed because people missed the basics. Jesus warned of how easy it is to miss the basics. Religious leaders, scheming to trap and discredit Him during the week He was crucified, posed a strange, hypothetical scenario about a woman who was widowed seven times (Matthew 22:23–26). Jesus responded, insisting that this knotty dilemma wasn’t a problem at all. Rather, their problem was how they didn’t “know the Scriptures or the power of God” (v. 29). The Scriptures, Jesus insisted, aren’t first intended to answer logical or philosophical puzzles. Rather, their primary aim is to lead us to know and love Jesus and to “have eternal life” in Him (John 5:39). These are the basics the leaders missed. We often miss the basics too. The Bible’s main aim is an encounter with the living Jesus. It would be heartbreaking to miss it.

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). To deny this fact is nothing less than treason against the Son of God. In this episode, R.C. Sproul urges all Christians to stand for the exclusivity of Christ in salvation. A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Donate: https://www.ligonier.org/donate/ Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

There’s a monument in the chapel of Christ’s College, Cambridge, dedicated to two seventeenth-century physicians, John Finch and Thomas Baines. Known as the “inseparable friends,” Finch and Baines collaborated on medical research and traveled together on diplomatic trips. When Baines died in 1680, Finch lamented their “unbroken marriage of souls” that had lasted thirty-six years. Theirs had been a friendship of affection, loyalty, and commitment. King David and Jonathan had a friendship equally as close. They shared deep mutual affection (1 Samuel 20:41), and even made vows of commitment to each other (vv. 8–17, 42). Their friendship was marked by radical loyalty (1 Samuel 19:1; 20:13), Jonathan even sacrificing his right to the throne so David could become king (20:30–31). When Jonathan died, David lamented that Jonathan’s love to him had been “more wonderful than that of women” (2 Samuel 1:26). We may feel uncomfortable today likening friendship to marriage, but maybe friendships like Finch and Baines’ and David and Jonathan’s can help our own reach greater depth. Jesus welcomed His friends to lean against Him (John 13:23–25), and the affection, loyalty, and commitment He shows us can be the basis of the deep friendships we build together.