Podcasts about his father

Pilate gives the people a choice between Barabbas and Jesus, and the crowd chooses the criminal. Pilate doesn't want anything to do with the situation. And Jesus is mocked while He is crucified and forsaken by His Father. Have a listen.   Show Notes: Support 1517 Podcast Network 1517 Podcasts 1517 on Youtube 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts 1517 Events Schedule 1517 Academy - Free Theological Education What's New from 1517: Preorder Sinner Saint by Luke Kjolhaug The Impossible Prize: A Theology of Addiction by Donavan Riley Ditching the Checklist by Mark Mattes Broken Bonds: A Novel of the Reformation, Book 1 of 2 by Amy Mantravadi  More from the hosts: Daniel Emery Price Erick Sorenson

God is not looking for an army of task-doers to fulfill His purposes in the Earth. He is building a family of sons and daughters that bear His likeness. In this powerful message, Ps. Mike unpacks a very powerful prayer that Jesus, the perfect son, prays to His Father.

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...

In this powerful episode of the Jake & Gino podcast, we're joined by Israel Duran—entrepreneur, speaker, author, and the self-proclaimed "Impact Architect." Israel shares how losing his father at 3 months old shaped his lifelong quest for identity, purpose, vision, and a custom plan. Through hardship and a near-fatal car accident, Israel discovered his mission to help others scale their influence, impact, and income. Jake and Gino dive into Israel's 4-step Principle of Impact, explore how resistance and resilience lead to breakthroughs, and unpack the mindset shifts required to build a thriving business rooted in service and purpose. Whether you're stuck in a corporate rut or launching your first deal, this episode is your blueprint for transformation.Free Gift from Israel:Get the Online Business Blueprint for free! DM "blueprint" on Instagram via https://www.israelduran.com   Chapters:00:00 - Introduction  02:31 - The 4 Things Israel Wished He Got from His Father  05:16 - From FBI Dreams to Corporate Life  07:15 - The 2018 Car Accident That Changed Everything  20:57 - Why Most People Quit at Resistance  26:56 - Why People Wait Until Their 40s to Change  30:27 - Books and Philosophies That Shaped His Journey  31:45 - How Israel Invests and Builds Partnerships  33:10 - How Israel Uses AI to Increase Productivity and Show Rates  40:53 - Gino Wraps it Up   We're here to help create multifamily entrepreneurs... Here's how: Brand New? Start Here: https://jakeandgino.mykajabi.com/free-wheelbarrowprofits Want To Get Into Multifamily Real Estate Or Scale Your Current Portfolio Faster? Apply to join our PREMIER MULTIFAMILY INVESTING COMMUNITY & MENTORSHIP PROGRAM. (*Note: Our community is not for beginner investors)

"And they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus." Acts 4:13 A Christian should be a striking likeness of Jesus Christ. You have read 'lives of Christ', beautifully and eloquently written; but the best life of Christ is His living biography, written out in the words and actions of His people. If we were what we profess to be, and what we should be, then we would be pictures of Jesus. Yes, such striking likenesses of Him, that the world would, when they once beheld us, exclaim, "He has been with Jesus; he has been taught of Him; he is like Him; he has caught the very idea of the holy Man of Nazareth, and he works it out in his life and daily actions." A Christian should be like Christ in his boldness. Never blush to own your religion. Be like Jesus, very valiant for your God. Imitate Him in your loving spirit; think kindly, speak kindly, and do kindly--that men may say of you, "He has been with Jesus!" Imitate Jesus in His holiness. Was He zealous? So be ever going about doing good. Let not time be wasted; it is too precious. Was He self-denying, never looking to His own interest? Be the same. Was He devout? Be fervent in your prayers. Had He deference to His Father's will? So submit yourselves to Him. Was He patient? So learn to endure. And best of all, as the highest portraiture of Jesus, try to forgive your enemies, as He did; and let those sublime words of your Master, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do," always ring in your ears. Forgive, as you hope to be forgiven. Good for evil, recollect, is godlike. Be godlike, then; and in all ways and by all means, so live that all may say of you, "He has been with Jesus!"

1 Timothy 4 commences with signposts which mark out the coming departure from true teachings – 1) a belief in evil and deceitful spirits; 2) a celibate clergy forbidden marriage; 3) the refraining from eating certain foods ie meat on Fridays and during Lent leading up to Easter – all foods are for our eating as long as we have offered a prayer of thanksgiving before eating. In verses 6-10 we have the third faithful saying, “bodily exercise is of some value, but godliness Greek “eusebia”) is profitable in every way, benefiting present daily life, and offering the hope of eternal life in the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ”. It is essential that believers be reminded of the necessity to be pure in thought, word and action. Such diligence will save both the teacher and the hearer alike. In chapter 5 we are told the type of respect to be shown to elderly believers. Next follows instructions on the proper treatment of widows. It tells families to show their commitment and care for the widows before requesting aid from the ecclesia. However, widows whose faith and actions stand as a witness to their commitment to Christ Jesus and His Father should be supported in their needs. Older members of the flock of God who have diligently proclaimed the Word of God must be honoured (compare Hebrews 13 verses 7, 17). Those whose words and actions show a failure to continue in the beliefs and behaviour of the Truth are to be openly rebuked. Be careful in the choice of those commissioned to faithful service. Timothy should drink wine moderately for reasons of health. Sometimes the faithfulness of some believers is evident; and sometimes the wrongdoing of believers is seen. But not always. Beware of hypocrisy, but be assured it will be unmasked in the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” (Ephesians 6:18 NLT) All Christians experience times when we come face to face with overwhelming hardship. For Peter, it was witnessing the betrayal and arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. You can find the story in John 18. Peter simply could not stomach the thought of the Lord’s enemies taking Him away. Frustrated and in despair, Peter drew his sword in defense of his Lord and cut off the ear of one of the men who arrested Jesus (see verse 10). Of course, that’s not what Jesus wanted. The sword was not the answer to salvation. Poor Peter. He was always doing the wrong thing at the wrong time. He was sleeping when he should have been praying. He was talking when he should have been listening. He was boasting when he should have been fearing. And he was fighting when he should have been surrendering. His instincts were 180 degrees off. Peter failed to see that he was fighting the wrong enemy. As the apostle Paul points out in Ephesians 6:12, our enemies are not of flesh and blood. They are principalities and powers, and they cannot be defeated by ordinary measures. Too often we, like Peter, forget that ours is a spiritual battle that requires spiritual weaponry. And we neglect the most powerful weapon in our arsenal—prayer. We are too quick to protest or picket and not quick enough to pray. In his description of the armor of God available to believers to withstand and counter the attacks of our enemy, Paul concludes with this: “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere” (Ephesians 6:18 NLT). Pray at all times. Be persistent. Prayer isn’t just an emergency button we push when we can’t think of anything else to do. It’s an essential communication channel that links us to God, our source of strength, courage, wisdom, comfort, and peace. God supplies us with everything we need for our spiritual battles. But we don’t have to wait until we’re in the thick of the fight to call on Him. Jesus faced opposition throughout His ministry. Passages such as Luke 5:16 give us a glimpse into how He prepared for battle. “But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer” (NLT). And when that opposition came to a head, Jesus headed for Gethsemane, a favorite prayer spot. The reality is that we all will face Gethsemanes in life. For Jesus, Gethsemane was a time of suffering and hardship, a time when He chose to surrender to the will of His Father. You, too, may face similar experiences in life that you don’t understand. You don’t know what lies ahead. But you can trust your unknown future into the hands of a known God. Reflection Question: How can you make your prayers more effective in your spiritual battles? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship! — Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Song of Solomon 5:16, "Yes, He is altogether lovely! This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend!" The soul that has been awakened by grace, drawn by the Spirit, and brought to behold the Lord Jesus through the eyes of faith, cannot help but echo this exclamation: "Yes, He is altogether lovely!" In every aspect of His person, every office He holds, every work He performs, and every word He speaks--Jesus is infinite in loveliness. The redeemed heart, taught by the Spirit, finds no flaw in Him, and no rival to Him. Consider the beauty of His person. He is fully God and fully man--God manifest in the flesh. In Him, all the fullness of Deity dwells bodily. He is the brightness of the Father's glory, the exact representation of His being. And yet, He is tender and lowly, gentle and accessible. The glory of His majesty does not drive sinners away--it draws them near. The same hand that upholds the universe, was stretched out to touch lepers and lift fallen sinners. His character is equally lovely. His holiness is not austere, but beautiful. His righteousness is not harsh, but winsome. He was full of grace and truth--never compromising either. In Him, mercy and justice meet. He never turned away the penitent, never coddled the proud, never failed to glorify His Father. His every motive was pure, His every word was true, His every act was love. The beauty of Jesus shines most in His sin-atoning sacrifice. He gave Himself for us. It was the grandest display of self-sacrificing love the world has ever seen! At the cross, we behold the perfection of His grace and justice meeting in breathtaking harmony. There is no beauty like the beauty of a bleeding Savior. None so lovely as H

Sabbath School panel discussion and insight by 3ABN pastors and teachers. This podcast episode follows 2025 quarter 2, lesson 8 of the adult Bible study guide book. This quarter's book topic is “Allusions, Images, Symbols: How to Study Bible Prophecy”. and this week's Sabbath School lesson is titled “In the Psalms, Part 1” Join us every week for a fresh and relevant study of the word of God. Reading: Heb. 9:11–15, Psalm 122, Psalm 15, Psalm 24, Exod. 33:18–23, Psalm 5, Ps. 51:7–15. Memory Text: “Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father's name written on their foreheads” (Revelation 14:1, NKJV). (May 17 - May 23) Sunday (James Rafferty) - “Our High Priest”Monday (John Dinzey) - “On Mount Zion” Tuesday (Shelley Quinn) - “Law in Our Hearts”Wednesday (Daniel Perrin) - “Psalm 5”Thursday (Jill Morikone) - “Teach Transgressors Your Way” 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

Parenting is one of the most meaningful – and often the most challenging – callings we can step into. But here's the hope: we're not called to do it alone. In this message, Ben Pinches unpacks what it means to build a household where Jesus is truly at home – where grace, truth, and love shape the atmosphere for both parents and children. From Deuteronomy to Ephesians, Scripture calls the home the first and most formative place of discipleship. 1 Corinthians 15:58 reminds us that our labour in the Lord is never in vain – even when parenting feels exhausting or unseen. Whether you're a parent, guardian, grandparent, or part of the village raising the next generation, your presence matters. We explore four powerful ways God models His Father heart – He is present, He protects, He provides, and He prepares. This same pattern offers wisdom for our own parenting journey, including practical encouragement on topics such as social media, boundaries, and intentional rhythms of discipleship within the home. We'll also take time for ministry and prayer, reminding each other that God doesn't call us to perfection, but to faithful presence.

In this episode of inVerse, we study the devotional practices of Jesus. Despite His busy schedule, lots of interruptions, and the heavy demands of ministry, Jesus protected unrushed time alone with His Father.

— Paragraph 3 The Lord Jesus, in His human nature thus united to the divine, in the person of the Son, was sanctified and anointed with the Holy Spirit above measure,13 having in Him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge;14 in whom it pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell,15 to the end that being holy, harmless, undefiled,16 and full of grace and truth,17 He might be throughly furnished to execute the office of mediator and surety;18 which office He took not upon himself, but was thereunto called by His Father;19 who also put all power and judgement in His hand, and gave Him commandment to execute the same.20 13 Ps. 45:7; Acts 10:38; John 3:34 14 Col. 2:3 15 Col. 1:19 16 Heb. 7:26 17 John 1:14 18 Heb. 7:22 19 Heb. 5:5 20 John 5:22,27; Matt. 28:18; Acts 2:36 — Paragraph 4 This office the Lord Jesus did most willingly undertake,21 which that He might discharge He was made under the law,22 and did perfectly fulfill it, and underwent the punishment due to us, which we should have born and suffered,23 being made sin and a curse for us;24 enduring most grievous sorrows in His soul, and most painful sufferings in His body;25 was crucified, and died, and remained in the state of the dead, yet saw no corruption:26 on the third day He arose from the dead27 with the same body in which He suffered,28 with which He also ascended into heaven,29 and there sits at the right hand of His Father making intercession,30 and shall return to judge men and angels at the end of the world.31 21 Ps. 40:7–8; Heb. 10:5–10; John 10:18 22 Gal 4:4; Matt. 3:15 23 Gal. 3:13; Isa. 53:6; 1 Pet. 3:18 24 2 Cor. 5:21 25 Matt. 26:37,38; Luke 22:44; Matt. 27:46 26 Acts 13:37 27 1 Cor. 15:3–4 28 John 20:25,27 29 Mark 16:19; Acts 1:9–11 30 Rom. 8:34; Heb. 9:24 31 Acts 10:42; Rom. 14:9–10; Acts 1:11; 2 Pet. 2:4

Main Idea: "Because Christ suffered, died, rose from the dead, and victoriously ascended into heaven to His Father, we have an eternal hope of salvation to persevere in living for Jesus."1. Jesus brings us safely to God2. Jesus proclaimed His victory3. Jesus brings His enemies into subjection to Himself

John 4:7-8 There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Yesterday we were encouraged that God has divine appointments for us. The woman from Samaria had no idea at the first that she was having an encounter with God, but of course, Jesus did. Being weary and thirsty, it's easy to imagine what was going on in Jesus' mind as He watched her walking toward Him with her water pot. She could get Him a drink, which He needed for refreshment. Maybe they greeted each other cordially, or maybe not. It's not recorded. If these were the first words Jesus spoke to her, then it probably caught her off guard. Jesus didn't ask her to give Him a drink, He commanded her to do it. The reason given for Jesus' demand was that His disciples were not with Him. It implies that had they been with Him, one of them would have had the means to draw water for Him. But since He was alone, He needed her help. Let's notice what love did in this situation. First, let me remind us of God's kind of love. It is the sustained direction of the will toward the highest good of another, no matter what the cost, in the power of the Holy Spirit, for the glory of God. So Jesus' demand for water wasn't selfish, it was an act of love. He was relating to her for her highest good, which was to serve God by drawing water for Him. Jesus also glorified His Father by receiving His need for water as a need arranged by His Father. He also looked to His Father for the supply of His need. No doubt, He viewed the woman coming to the well as His Father's supply. Therefore, He concluded, that the Father's way of loving this woman was to use the circumstances to reveal the Father to her. He had a need, and she could help. Jesus often drew people into an encounter with God by asking them for help or using what they had at their disposal for God's work. A young virgin's womb, a young boy's lunch of fish and bread, hospitality from a tax collector, a man's donkey, or a friend's guest room are examples of the Father's provision for His Son. In each case, the Son had a need, and the Father glorified Himself in and through those who had what Jesus needed. The need was necessary, so God could be revealed. This raises a question. How often are we in need of help, but don't ask for it because we don't want to inconvenience anyone? Are we really loving them by not asking for help? This story encourages us that one aspect of loving with Jesus is to ask others for help when we have a need. As they respond, we then have the opportunity to receive their service in Jesus' name and point them to Him. If God brought them to us at just the right time, then we know it's a divine appointment—an opportunity to love with Jesus. This is what it means to abide in Jesus—to receive our circumstances from the Father as well as His guidance in response to the circumstances. The result will always be for the glory of God as we live to love with Jesus. 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.

Up To Jerusalem - Teaching 14 Scripture: John 17:1 - 18:12, Hebrews 7:23-24, Philippians 2:6-11, Matthew 26:36-44, Luke 22:42-46. Today's study focuses mainly on Jesus' High Priestly Prayer, a prayer following His meal with the disciples and the night of His betrayal. Pastor talks in depth about the prayer     ⁃    Focusing in on what Jesus says about God's name     ⁃    God's name is His character     ⁃    God's name is called the tetragrammaton - it is 4 letters but we are not sure of the pronunciation.     ⁃    What we do know is that at its root is “To Be”      ⁃    The One who always IS     ⁃    At Mt. Sinai God told Moses “I Am who I Am, if anyone asks who sent you, tell them I AM has sent you.     ⁃    God is always with us     ⁃    He does not change - the same yesterday, today and tomorrow - forever!     ⁃    He is all powerful     ⁃    All merciful     ⁃    All loving     ⁃    He is gracious     ⁃    Jesus reveals the Father's character and shows us the Father's love     ⁃    He is One with the Father If you want to know what God looks like — Look at Jesus! Something to think about: what must this have felt like for the disciples to hear Jesus praying this prayer to the Father?     ⁃    When we walk with God we walk out of step with the world     ⁃    God's word is the Truth - it is a Living Word - Jesus is Truth and speaks only Truth     ⁃    Sanctification     ⁃    Believers are to be one with Christ and one with the Father and one with each other. One in Body - one mind - the mind of Chris - focused on spreading the Good new in Christ     ⁃    God is One     ⁃    Suffering for faith     ⁃    Experiencing the glory of God     ⁃    Submission to God     ⁃    Everything Jesus does is for the purpose of saving the world     ⁃    He lives to intercede for us Following the prayer, Jesus and His disciples head to the Mt of Olives and into the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus takes 3 of the 11 as He moves further into the garden. He tells them to stay awake and pray as He goes deeper into the garden. He is dealing with unimaginable anguish grief, and anxiety as He prays again to the Father expressing that His sole is overwhelmed to the point of death and prayer for “this cup” to be removed but only if it is the Father's will. Jesus is willing to do what the Father desires, and yet He shares His heart with His Father. Jesus is in so much anguish and agony He is to the point of sweating blood and yet He pushes through in endurance to follow the Father's plan. A total of 3 times He prays and then returns to find the disciples asleep instead of staying awake and praying and trying to understand this is Jesus' greatest hour of need.  The solitude and loneliness Jesus experiences must have been painful. He friends will abandon Him, His Father will abandon Him. It is Christ ALONE and He faces it all with the words of His prayer, “Your will be done.” And this is the true picture of Love. Today's study ends with a reading of the betrayal of Jesus and will pick up with this portion of the story next week.  Please join us! Our website – https://www.awakeusnow.com Watch the video from our website! https://www.awakeusnow.com/2-year-study-of-the-gospels-upper Watch the video from our YouTube Channel!! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTaaqrC3dMOzMkhPyiNWwlJRpV6Bwpu01 Up to Jerusalem is a study of the final weeks of Jesus' ministry concluding with His resurrection and ascension, using the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John together with material from ancient sources and recent discoveries. Up to Jerusalem is part five of our Two Year Study of the Gospels. Up To Jerusalem is the story of the plan of God to redeem the world, and the story of a Savior willing to obey the Father's plan. As we study Jesus' final days, we will be impacted as we discover the Love of God for each one of us.  This study is great for large group, small group or home group study and can be started at any time.

John 4:5-6 So He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; and Jacob's well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. It was noon, and Jesus was tired. The well apparently was located outside the city of Sychar and more than likely beside the road upon which Jesus was traveling. It was like a Buc-ee's here in Texas or a rest area on the interstate—well, not exactly, but it was a place to rest and get refreshment. Our encouragement today comes from what we learn about Jesus from John's account. He was wearied from His journey. When we are doing God's will, it doesn't mean that it will necessarily be easy. We should not be discouraged if we have to make long, tiring trips, work hard, and need to pause for some R and R. It's okay and expected that we would experience weariness because we are in bodies of flesh. Because we are living to love with Jesus, we, like Jesus, also know we are on our way to love someone God wants to love through us. Jesus was waiting because He knew someone would eventually come and be able to give Him some water to drink. As He waited, He probably was receiving ideas about how He was going to introduce Himself and direct the conversation to a relationship with His Father. Be on the alert to the Spirit of God as you go places. Consider the setting, the possibilities of interactions with people, and ask the Holy Spirit to prepare you for them. Sometimes we may use the term “divine appointment” to describe an encounter with someone. When we live with Jesus' worldview, namely, there's only one God from whom are all things, and He is love, we view every encounter with someone as a divine appointment. Jesus knew any encounter He had with someone was a divine appointment. The Father arranged it, and Jesus expected His Father would reveal Himself through Him. We may have that same confidence as we go through each day. So, let's be ready for the appointments God has prepared for us today. 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.

How do we actually know what Jesus said while praying to His Father if the disciples weren't there? Can everyone say God is their Father? Did God choose Judas to betray Jesus? What did Peter mean about God‘s impartial judgment of everyone? I thought Christians weren't judged!

You are not alone.You have a divine 'intercessor.'And when life gets hard, the Son pleads your case to His Father.But what does He say? What does He ask for?That will be the focus of today's study in John 17.

Welcome to another episode of Refuse Ordinary: Season 3! This season we're joining in on one of the many classes taught to levels 1-4 of the full time School of Transformation. In this episode, we will be sitting in on a class called "The Power of Following", taught by Pastor Johnny Bowers. Through the life of Jesus—who only did what He saw His Father doing—we see a powerful example of what it means to follow. Pastor Johnny unpacks the purpose behind following, explores the common struggles we face, and shares insights on how to overcome them. If you have any questions about this topic, or about the School of Transformation, email us at info@transformationschool.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SchoolOfTransformationOroville/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sotoroville/

You are not alone. You have a divine ‘intercessor.' And when life gets hard, the Son pleads your case to His Father. But what does He say? What does He ask for? That will be the focus of today's study in John 17.

You are not alone. You have a divine ‘intercessor.' And when life gets hard, the Son pleads your case to His Father. But what does He say? What does He ask for? That will be the focus of today's study in John 17.

You are not alone. You have a divine ‘intercessor.' And when life gets hard, the Son pleads your case to His Father. But what does He say? What does He ask for? That will be the focus of today's study in John 17.

You are not alone. You have a divine ‘intercessor.' And when life gets hard, the Son pleads your case to His Father. But what does He say? What does He ask for? That will be the focus of today's study in John 17.

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: 1 Chron 22-24; 1 Thess 3 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible! In today's episode, host Hunter walks with us through day 135 of our journey in the scriptures, exploring 1 Chronicles chapters 22–24 and 1 Thessalonians 3. Join Hunter as he reflects on David's preparations for the Temple, the organization of worship, and the encouragement Paul gives to the Thessalonian church. We'll consider what it means for God to fill the gaps in our lives—those places that feel unfinished or empty—and how Christ is the one who brings fullness where we need it most. Along with our scripture readings, you're invited into heartfelt prayer and thoughtful reflection, all wrapped in daily encouragement. Whether you're new to the Bible or have been reading for years, there's something here for you as we seek to walk slowly in God's presence and let His love overflow. TODAY'S DEVOTION: Christ fills the gaps. That's what Paul says in verse 10: “Night and day, we pray earnestly for you, asking God to let us see you again to fill the gaps in your faith.” This is the walk of discipleship: to recognize that God has filled what was absent and lacking. So much of our life gets lost in the gaps, lost in the lie of God's absence, and God's separation—the lie that creates all kinds of problems, all kinds of divisions, addictions, and neuroses. But our discipleship is about God filling us in those places—places we thought would be forever empty. The gaps, those unfinished areas in our life, can be filled. But filling is a process, and faith is a walk. And the destination is Him—the one who fills all things with Himself. There's a day coming up on the church calendar called the Day of Ascension, when we remember that Jesus ascended in His resurrected human body to sit at the side of His Father, having accomplished and created for us our completed life, our full life in Him. Today, we can walk with Him and allow the Spirit to open our eyes even more to the fullness that is ours in Christ. Christ fills the gaps, and He will fill all things with Himself. And the prayer of my heart is that I will begin to live into the reality of what is true about God and about myself in Christ. That's a prayer that I have for my family, for my wife and my daughters and my son. And that's a prayer that I have for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord of life, you have awakened me again to the gift of this day. You go before me, walk beside me, and dwell within me. Let me walk slowly in your presence. May I resist the hurried spirit of this world and instead breathe deep of your peace. Open my eyes to beauty, my ears to your voice, and my heart to the quiet work of grace. Help me not to strive, but to abide, not to achieve, but to receive. Today, let my words carry your kindness. My actions reflect your mercy. My thoughts be anchored in your truth, that I am yours, and you are with me. Amen. And now as our Lord has taught us, we are bold to pray: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

“Joint heirs with Christ.” — Romans 8:17 The boundless realms of His Father's universe are Christ's by prescriptive right. As “heir of all things,” He is the sole proprietor of the vast creation of God, and He has admitted us to claim the whole as ours, by virtue of that deed of joint-heir-ship which the […]

SOLITUDE & PRAYERIn these verses from Mark 1:29-38, we see Jesus exemplifying the importance of solitude and prayer in His own life. After a busy day of ministry and healing, Jesus sought out a deserted place to spend time in communion with His Father.

Revelation 14:1-20   14:1 Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000 who had His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. 3 And they *sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one was able to learn the song except the 144,000 who had been purchased from the earth. 4 These are the ones who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are celibate. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from mankind as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. 5 And no lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless. 6 And I saw another angel flying in midheaven with an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation, tribe, language, and people; 7 and he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth, and sea and springs of waters.” 8 And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.” 9 Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” 12 Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. 13 And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!'” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.” 14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, with a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, calling out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe.” 16 Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped. 17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. 18 Then another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe.” 19 So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God. 20 And the wine press was trampled outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses' bridles, for a distance of 1,600 stadia.     BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well: https://www.listenerscommentary.com     GIVE -  The Listener's Commentary is a listener supported Bible teaching ministry made possible by the generosity of people like you. Thank you! Give here:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com/give     STUDY HUB - Want more than the audio? Join the study hub to access articles, maps, charts, pictures, and links to other resources to help you study the Bible for yourself. https://www.listenerscommentary.com/members-sign-up   MORE TEACHING - For more resources and Bible teaching from John visit https://www.johnwhittaker.net

John 17 is Jesus' longest prayer in all the Gospels. Think of all the mornings and nights that Jesus spent praying to His Father. It is here, in John 17, that we get a glimpse into the content of those prayers. Jesus was the most selfless person to ever live. He spent His ministry pouring into and praying for others. Yet Jesus also prayed for Himself. John 17:1-5 provides a fascinating look into Jesus' own prayer requests for Himself and thus what mattered most to Him. As Christ followers, what matters most to Jesus should matter most to us.  Take-Home Message: The Lord's greatest prayer reveals His greatest priorities. Jesus' High Priestly PrayerJesus prays for Himself (17:1-5)Jesus prays for His Apostles (17:6-19) Jesus prays for all believers (17:20-26) Jesus prays for HimselfJesus prays for His glory (1) §  What does it mean to glorify Jesus? “Glorifying” means feeling and thinking and acting in ways that reflect Jesus Christ's greatness. Is it righteous for Jesus to pray for His own glory?Yes, because Jesus' glory reflects and magnifies His Father's glory. Jesus prays for His gift (2-3) Jesus prays for His work (4-5) Take-Home PrioritiesCome to ChristGlorify ChristParticipate with Christ Message: Jesus Prays for Himself Scripture: John 17:1-5

John 3:35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. What John the Baptist said about Jesus was ultimately the revelation of the Father, God's love for Jesus, His Son. The Father loves the Son, so the Father tells and shows Jesus all things that He is doing. That's why Jesus can testify of what He has seen and heard (vs. 32). It is the Father's love for His Son that He has given all things on the earth into His hands, including those Jesus and His disciples were baptizing (vs. 26). Not only did God create everything that exists through His Son (John 1:3), but He gave the entire salvation project of mankind into His hands. Those who are to be saved throughout the entire history of the world were given by the Father to the Son because He loves the Son. Listen to the first words of Jesus' prayer in John 17:1-3. Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. What does this mean to us? If we have eternal life in Jesus, it is because God loves His Son and gave us to Him. We are not the center focus of God's love. Jesus is. He loves us because He loves His Son. If we were not given to Jesus, we would not know God or love with Him—at all. God gave all things to Him so that He would be first place in all things. The apostle Paul stated clearly all that I have said in Colossians 1:18-20. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. So there is great encouragement to live to love with Jesus in this verse. Our salvation was generated by God's love for His Son, who gives the Spirit of love without measure to dwell in us. We are a love gift to Jesus. Therefore, we have been loved by the Son as He has been loved by His Father. Out of His fullness, we love others with Him. 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.

JOHN 5:1-18 - TAKE UP YOUR MATT - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025JOHN 5:1-18 "After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. 5 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”8 Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” 9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.And that day was the Sabbath. 10 The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.”11 He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.' ”12 Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk'?” 13 But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. 14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”15 The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.16 For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.”18 Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God."To support this channel and partner with Brian in Ministryhttps://www.briansumner.net/support/For more on Brianhttp://www.briansumner.nethttps://www.instagram.com/BRIANSUMNER/https://www.facebook.com/BRIANSUMNEROFFICIALTo listen to Brians Podcast, click below.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...Purchase Brians Marriage book at https://www.amazon.com/Never-Fails-Da...Brian is a full time "Urban Missionary" both locally and internationally with a focus on MISSIONS - MARRIAGES - MINISTRY. Since coming to faith in 2004 doors continued opening locally and internationally to do more and more ministry with a focus on Evangelism, Outreach Missions, Marriage, Counsel, Schools, Festivals, Conferences and the like.  Everything about this ministry is made possible because of people personally partnering through the non profit. God Bless and thank you. †Support the showSUPPORT THE SHOW

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.

John 3:32 What He has seen and heard, of that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. John the Baptist was speaking of Jesus in these verses. Jesus is from heaven, and what He has seen and heard in heaven, of that He testified on earth. In the first chapter of his gospel, the apostle John said that Jesus came to His own people and they didn't receive Him. In 3:11, Jesus told Nicodemus, “Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony.” So this point was important enough to John, that he mentioned it twice in this chapter. It raises the question for everyone reading, “Have you received Jesus' testimony?” It is because of Jesus' testimony that we call people to live to love with Jesus. He has come from heaven to tell us that God is love. He declared that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that He has made God known. He came to live to love with His Father. He commands us to believe He is God and to love one another as He has loved us. He has given us the Holy Spirit so that He abides in us and we in Him. The proof of our relationship with God is the fruit of His presence and power in our lives. That fruit is love. If we don't love with Him, which is the only way we can glorify God, our lives are wasted (1 Cor. 13:1-3). We live to love because, unlike those of whom John the Baptist spoke in this verse, we believe Jesus' testimony of what He has seen and heard in heaven. God is love, and we're here to live to love with Him. 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.

We see the holiness of Christ not only in His separation from sin but also in His loving devotion to His Father and His people. Today, Sinclair Ferguson marvels that we are consecrated to enjoy the perfect love of the triune God. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/things-unseen-with-sinclair-ferguson/consecrated-to-god/ A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Donate: https://donate.ligonier.org/ Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

“Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings.” — Ephesians 1:3 All the goodness of the past, the present, and the future, Christ bestows upon His people. In the mysterious ages of the past the Lord Jesus was His Father's first elect, and in His election He gave us an interest, for we were chosen […]

On the next Treasured Truth, as we continue our study about evangelism, Pastor Ford will explain that we each need to be circumspect and make sure that we know our own answer to this question—Are we not witnessing because we’re ashamed of Jesus? Because if we are ashamed of Him, Jesus said that He would be ashamed of us before His Father in heaven. To learn more about what compels us as believers to share the gospel, be sure to join us for the next Treasured Truth. Treasured Truth is a listener supported program on Moody Radio. To join our team of supporters, click here. To learn more about Pastor James Ford, Jr., click here. To learn more about Treasured Truth, click here.Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/treasuredtruthSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why do I still struggle with sin? Might I end up losing my salvation? Does Hebrews 3 really teach believers to hang on for dear life? What do Seventh-Day Adventists believe? Why did Jesus ask His Father about forsaking Him? Don't I need to ask for forgiveness after each sin so God won't judge me or punish me? *Previously aired

Peter says “this Jesus” three times in his message on Pentecost. He is defiantly wanting to make a point and he does it. Jesus was executed, raised to life, and exalted by His Father!

Law and the Real Sabbath (1) (audio) David Eells – 5/4/25 First, let me say that we do have a Sabbath to keep in the New Covenant. If you, who have eyes to see, will be patient and hear me out, I will show you that it is the best news you have ever heard. The Sunday Sabbath folks want to bring us under the law of man, and the Saturday Sabbath folks want to bring us under the Law of the Old Covenant, which God refused to make with the Gentiles (Psa.147:19,20; Deu.7:6,11). If you hold either one of these positions, do not be afraid to examine this subject for the truth will hold up to scriptural scrutiny. The early church kept neither Sunday nor Saturday as the New Testament Sabbath until a great falling away in the third century. The Old Covenant Saturday Sabbath was a type and shadow of what is promised in the New Covenant, but as we will see, Sunday is not the fulfillment of it. (Col.2:16) Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a feast day or a new moon or a Sabbath day: (17) which are a shadow of the things to come; but the body is Christ's. As anyone knows, a shadow is not real; it is only darkness. It is created because what is real is in the light. When Christians try to keep the Old Covenant Sabbath, they are in darkness and have not yet come into the light of the real Sabbath. The Jews never knew what the real Sabbath was, only the shadow or type of the New Testament Sabbath. God never made the Law covenant with the Gentiles. For a Christian to come under part of the Law, like the old Sabbath, is to come under a curse for not keeping the whole Law. (Gal.3:10) For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one who continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them. Christ delivered us from the curse of failing to keep any part of God's Law. (13) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: (14) that upon the Gentiles might come the blessing of Abraham in Christ Jesus; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. We are now justified by faith, not by keeping any part of the Law. Paul then warned the Christians not to go back under the Law in observing feast days and Sabbath days. (Gal.4:9) but now that ye have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how turn ye back again to the weak and beggarly rudiments, whereunto ye desire to be in bondage over again? (10) Ye observe days, and months, and seasons, and years. (11) I am afraid of you, lest by any means I have bestowed labor upon you in vain. Paul warned by the Spirit that these believers could not be Christ-like under the Law. (19) My little children, of whom I am again in travail until Christ be formed in you. Paul then warned that the Christians who go back under the Law are sons of the bondwoman Hagar and not the freewoman Sarah. (21) Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? (22) For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, one by the handmaid, and one by the freewoman. (23) Howbeit the [son] by the handmaid is born after the flesh; but the [son] by the freewoman [is born] through promise. Here we come to a stern warning for those seeking to be justified by keeping the Old Covenant Sabbath or any other part of the shadow of the Law. (30) Howbeit what saith the scripture? Cast out the handmaid and her son: for the son of the handmaid shall not inherit with the son of the freewoman. For a Christian to go under any part of the Law is for him to go into bondage and be cut off from the benefits of Christ. (5:1) For freedom did Christ set us free: stand fast therefore, and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage. (2) Behold, I Paul say unto you, that, if ye receive circumcision (Or any other part of the Law), Christ will profit you nothing. (3) Yea, I testify again to every man that receiveth circumcision (Or any other part of the Law), that he is a debtor to do the whole law. (4) Ye are severed from Christ, ye would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace. We are “severed from Christ” when we do not follow or abide in Him, but the Law. Only under grace through faith are we united with Christ through justification and delivered from the curse. Neither Jesus nor the Apostles told us to keep the Old Covenant Sabbath. Jesus always appeared to the disciples and taught on the Lord's day after His resurrection because it was His resurrection day, the first day of the week (Luk.24:1,13; Luk.27-32; Joh.20:1,17,19, 26; Rev.1:10-13). The disciples gathered on the first day of the week (Act.20:7; 1Co.16:1,2). However, they did not make the Lord's Day into a command or law, but a custom; and they never claimed it was the Sabbath. Apostate men did that. Jesus and the disciples went to the Jews on their Sabbath to evangelize them and bring them into the New Covenant Sabbath rest through the promises. Jesus was constantly accused of breaking their shadow Sabbath (Mat.12:2; Joh.5:16-19; 9:16) because He was not under the Law. We will also be accused of this if we follow in His steps instead of being “severed from Christ” by keeping a Law that was never given to us. The Apostles and elders in Acts 15 were gathered together to see whether to bring the Gentiles under the Law. They came to a conclusion that those under the Sabbath Law need to understand. (Act.15:19) Wherefore my judgment is, that we trouble not them that from among the Gentiles turn to God; (20) but that we write unto them, that they abstain from the pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from what is strangled, and from blood. These few things he commanded so that the Jews would not consider them anathema. This was important for the Jews' sake so that they could be evangelized. (21) For Moses from generations of old hath in every city them that preach him (Law), being read in the synagogues every Sabbath. (28) For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things.... Notice that the Sabbath was not commanded of the Gentiles. Neither were a lot of other things that the legalists bring the ignorant Christians under. The Law passed away and was fulfilled in Christ, except for those whose hearts are blinded by the veil. (2Co.3:12) Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness of speech, (13) and [are] not as Moses, [who] put a veil upon his face, that the children of Israel should not look steadfastly on the end of that which was passing away: (14) but their minds were hardened: for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remaineth, it not being revealed [to them] that it is done away in Christ. (15) But unto this day, whensoever Moses is read, a veil lieth upon their heart. (16) But whensoever it shall turn to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Don't go into bondage with the veil of Old Covenant Laws, which are just shadows or parables of what was to come. Now we, with an unveiled face see the New Covenant in Christ. (17) Now the Lord is the Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, [there] is liberty. (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. The Law was cancelled because it could not complete or make perfect, because it was only a shadow of the good things to come in the New Covenant. (Heb.7:18) For there is a disannulling (Greek: Annulled or cancelled) of a foregoing commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness (19) (for the law made nothing perfect), and a bringing in thereupon of a better hope (The New covenant through grace), through which we draw nigh unto God. The purpose of those under the Law was to give us a shadow or parable of the great things to come. (Heb.8:5) who serve [that which is] a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, even as Moses is warned [of God] when he is about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern that was showed thee in the mount. (6) But now hath he obtained a ministry the more excellent, by so much as he is also the mediator of a better covenant, which hath been enacted upon better promises. (7) For if that first [covenant] had been faultless, then would no place have been sought for a second. (8) For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, That I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; (9) Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers ... (13) In that he saith, A new [covenant] he hath made the first old. But that which is becoming old and waxeth aged is nigh unto vanishing away. (10:1) For the law having a shadow of the good [things] to come, not the very image of the things, can never with the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make perfect them that draw nigh. The Law was always planned to be a temporary shadow. (Gal.3:19) What then is the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise hath been made... So there was an end of the Olde Covenant law. The Sabbath was eternal as the legalists will tell you (Exo.31:16). So how could it be eternal and still pass away? What they do not understand is that it changed from letter to spirit in the New Covenant (2Co.3:2-11). The letter of the type, shadow, or parable as taught in the Old Covenant is now fulfilled in the spirit of the New Covenant. Jesus said in (Mat.5:17) Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I came not to destroy, but to fulfill. (18) For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law, till all things be accomplished. So now we must fulfill the parable. Fulfilling or accomplishing the Law is not the same as being under the Old Covenant Law as Jesus went on to demonstrate. (21) Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time (Notice that the Law was spoken unto them, not us.), Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: (22) but I say unto you, that every one who is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment. Notice that Jesus changed the Law from regulations of our actions to regulations of our heart, as the prophets said would come (Jer.31:33) But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith Jehovah: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Those who do not permit anger in their heart will fulfill the Law and not kill. (27) Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt not commit adultery: (28) but I say unto you, that every one that looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. Jesus interpreted the Law again. If we do what He says and avoid lust, we will fulfill the Law by not committing adultery. Jesus continued to demonstrate how changing the Law from outer actions to inner nature will fulfill it (Mat.5:33, 43). If God changed all these Laws in order to fulfill them, then He did the same with the Sabbath. The Sabbath was meant to be a change in our nature rather than a regulation of our actions, one day a week. If a person rests from his own works every day by believing in Christ's finished work, he will certainly fulfill the Law of resting for one day. The Law will be fulfilled in us, but not by keeping the letter, “For the letter kills but the spirit gives life”. It will be fulfilled through us as we walk in and by the Spirit. (Gal.5:16) But I say, walk by the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. (18) But if ye are led by the Spirit, ye are not under the law. When you see what's written in the shadow of the Law, you must look in the New Covenant to find out what the fulfillment is. Circumcision was necessary under penalty of death, but Paul, by the Spirit, changed it from a carnal shadow to the spiritual fulfillment of baptism. (Col.2:11) ... in the circumcision of Christ; (12) having been buried with him in baptism. Under the Old Covenant, we were 90% owners and 10% stewards but according to Jesus, we are now 100% stewards, or we are not really disciples. (Luk.14:33) So therefore whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. To Peter, it was revealed that the Old Covenant carnal restriction on eating unclean beasts was spiritually a restriction of partaking of unclean people, which Solomon called beasts (Ecc.3:18), and the gospel solves that problem. (Act.10:11) and he beholdeth the heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending, as it were a great sheet, let down by four corners upon the earth: 12 wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts and creeping things of the earth and birds of the heaven. 13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill and eat. 14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common and unclean. 15 And a voice [came] unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, make not thou common. Then Peter was sent with the gospel to the Gentiles and got the revelation that they were the unclean beasts that God had cleansed. (28) and he said unto them, Ye yourselves know how it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to join himself or come unto one of another nation; and [yet] unto me hath God showed that I should not call any man common or unclean. As you can see, it was the habit of Jesus and the disciples to translate the shadow to the spiritual reality. It is a violation of the Spirit to bring old Covenant ceremonial laws into the New Covenant without translating them. Since this is so, we must find out what the Sabbath translates to. Let me explain the New Testament Sabbath rest. The Sabbath shadow was to cease from man's works one day a week. But we are commanded to do this every day.  We can cease from works of religious self-justification, works of the flesh, and various forms of salvation by man's works, through faith in the work that Christ has already accomplished. Jesus said, “All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive (Greek: received) them, and ye shall have them (Mar.11:24). Why believe that we have received everything? Notice in the following verses that all things have been received by us and that the only thing left is for us to believe it. Also note the past-tense of our sacrificial provision in the following verses: (Eph.2:8) For by grace have ye been saved through faith; (1Pe.2:24) Who his own self bare our sins in his body ...by whose stripes ye were healed; (Col.1:13) Who delivered us out of the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love; (2Co.5:18) ...who reconciled us to himself; (Gal.2:20) I have been crucified with Christ, and its no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me; (Gal.3:13) Christ redeemed us from the curse; (1Pe.1:3) ...the Father ...begat us again ...by the resurrection of Jesus Christ; (Heb.10:10) We ...have been sanctified ...; (14) He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified; (Eph.1:3) ...who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing, and God (2Pe.1:3) hath granted unto us all things .... Jesus told us in His day which, of course, is also in the past that “Now shall the prince of this world be cast out” (Joh.12:31); “But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (Joh.16:33); “It is finished” (Joh.19:30). This is why we are to believe we have received. The devil and the curse were conquered. We were saved, healed, delivered, and provided for. We can rest from our own works to accomplish this when we truly believe. Let me give you an example. (1Pe.2:24) who his own self bare our sins in his body upon the tree, that we, having died unto sins, might live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed. The one who believes that Jesus already “bare our sins” considers himself delivered and can rest. He no longer has to worry about how to be delivered because he reckons himself to be “dead unto sin but alive unto God” (Rom.6:11). He reckons within himself, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me” (Gal.2:20). He can rest. Notice that the one who believes that “by whose stripes ye were healed” never has to resort to his own works to get healed. All he has to do is rest and receive it by faith. If a man continues to try to get healed when the Word says he was healed, he shows he does not believe the Word. He has not ceased from his own works to enter the rest by believing 1 Peter 2:24. All the sacrificial promises are past-tense to cause us to rest from our works every day. Redemption from the curse is truly finished! In fact, God's “works were finished from the foundation of the world” (Heb.4:3) when He spoke the plan into existence. The only thing left is for the true sons of God to enter into those works by faith, believing they have received. Since the works are finished, we should believe and rest from our own works to save, heal, and deliver ourselves. (3) For we who have believed do enter into that rest. Notice it is not the one who ceases from works on Saturday or Sunday but the one who believes who enters the New Covenant Sabbath rest every day. (9) There remaineth therefore a Sabbath rest (Greek: sabbatismos, “keeping of rest”) for the people of God. This constant “keeping of rest” every day, not one day a week, through the past-tense promises, is our spiritual Sabbath. (10) For he that is entered into his rest hath himself also rested from his works, as God did from his. This rest is to believe these past-tense promises and rest from our own works or man's works to save ourselves. Our faith in each of these promises brings us into more of the rest. We should be diligent not to leave out even one of these promises for our own good. (Heb.4:1) Let us fear therefore, lest haply, a promise being left of entering into his rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it. (2) For indeed we have had good tidings preached unto us, even as also they: but the word of hearing did not profit them, because it was not united by faith with them that heard. This is true faith and always brings the answer. Through believing the promises, we enter into rest from our own works. For a child of God to say that they believe they have received and yet continue seeking to receive, usually through worldly methods, is to be double-minded. (Jas.1:6) But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. (7) For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord; (8) a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways. Those who continue to work for what God has freely given believe in salvation by works. (Heb.4:10) For he that is entered into his rest, hath himself also rested from his works. (Jas.3:19) And we see that they were not able to enter in because of unbelief. Since the promises of deliverance from the curse are past-tense, when we believe them, we must stop working. It is an evil heart of unbelief to not rest. God was angry with Israel because they would not believe His Word in their trial in the wilderness (Heb.3:8-10). (Heb.3:11) As I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest (the Sabbath!). (12) Take heed, brethren, lest haply there shall be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God .... (14) We are become partakers of Christ (His health, holiness, and blessing) if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end. When we believe we have received, we are put in a position of weakness because we cannot do anything to bring the desired result to pass. This weakness is rest in our wilderness experiences because there is no help from Egypt or the world there. Only God's power saves in the wilderness. God says, “My power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor.12:9). If we refuse to be weak, God refuses to be strong on our behalf. Our weapon against our enemies who try to talk us out of our covenant rights is the two-edged sword of these past-tense promises (Heb.4:11,12). Let me share with you a good example of the power of the true gospel through faith in our past provision. Several years ago, I ran across a lady who had two large, inoperable tumors. She listed for me several famous preachers she had been to, who had prayed for her to be healed. She said to me, “David, I just don't understand why I have not been healed”. I said, “You just told me why you have not been healed. You are looking in the wrong direction. Turn around and look behind you for 'by whose stripes ye were healed' (1Pe.2:24). You are looking forward to a healing that happened behind you. You have a little hope, but no faith. Faith 'calls the things that be not (in this case, healing) as though they were' (Rom.4:17). Faith looks back at what was accomplished at the cross, but hope looks forward to what will be accomplished. Jesus said, 'All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for believe that ye receive (Greek: “received”) them, and ye shall have them' (Mar.11:24). That is the gospel, sister, that you must believe”. With these few words, I saw the light come on in her eyes; and her face brighten up. I said, “Now we are going to pray one more time; but this time believe the Scriptures, and believe you have received whether you see an instant manifestation, or not”. She agreed, so I rebuked the infirmity and commanded her to be healed in Jesus' name. She instantly felt the tumors leave. We rejoiced and thanked God together. I said, “Sister, that is the first time you believed the true gospel concerning your healing. If you had done that when those other preachers prayed, you would have been healed.” Because she, through faith, entered into rest from her own works to save herself, she saw the works of Jesus. Many do not receive from God because they do not keep our Sabbath through faith. Many years ago, I had a dream about resting from my works in order to be caught up by the power of God to do His works. In scene one, my wife and I were resting in lawn chairs in front of our house. Our gaze was riveted on the power line that crossed our property because it was sagging between the power poles so much that it almost touched the ground. As we watched and rested, a tornado came over that power line and picked us up out of our chairs and carried us away. Interpretation: God helped me to understand this prophetic dream. As we cease from our works and enter into the rest (the lawn chairs), the power of man (power line) comes to an end, and the power of God (tornado or whirlwind) takes over. God only gives this power to those who cease from their own works, even religious works, to follow His Spirit because they believe the promises. In scene two, I found myself in front of a large church. I walked through the front door and standing in the foyer was an “old man” in a suit. I avoided this old man as if he were a rattlesnake and went into the sanctuary, so-called. I saw there a large double sink, full of water. In the water were babies; they were faced down and most were dead. I quickly went to the sink, picked up a baby, and held him in the air. He spoke to me saying, “Thank God, I knew he was going to send someone”. Interpretation: I was made to know that there are many carnal ministers (old man - Eph.4:22; Col.3:9,10) who are trying to wash up the people of God (babies in the sink) by using the word as the letter of the Law (which is the water in Eph.5:26) and they're killing them instead. (2Co.3:6) who also made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. The letter of the Law that is taught by the Pharisees of today only gets our eyes on our own earthly ability or inability, like being face down in the water, which kills. Many are they that sit under the condemnation of the Law, which is a powerless false gospel, only to give up in their failure to please God and go back into the world or die on a church pew. We cannot pick ourselves up by our bootstraps or be saved by our own self-will. This is an understanding that is from the earth, and is face down. Seeking this is to be “ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2Ti.3:7) that sets free. Jesus purposely spoke in parables so that only those who have eyes and ears for heavenly things would understand (Mat.13:10-14). These seek a knowledge that is born from above, I.e., face up. (Mat.16:17) And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father who is in heaven. As always, those whose understanding is “face up” will be fought by those whose understanding is “face down”. The good news of the promises is the power of God given freely to save the one who believes (Rom.1:16). These promises get our eyes on God's ability and provision or face up. These promises give faith (Rom.10:17) to get grace (Eph.2:8) in order to have the power to live the Christian life and cease from our works. The Jews complained that Jesus' disciples were breaking the Sabbath by harvesting grain to eat (Mat.12:1,2), which was true according to the Law (Exo.31:14-17). Jesus replied to them; (Mat.12:5) Or have ye not read in the law, that on the Sabbath day the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are guiltless? Notice that He was proclaiming that His disciples were guiltless for profaning the old Sabbath. The priests, in order to fulfill the Sabbath, had to work in the temple. They did the work of God as we should also. Jesus was rebuked for healing on the Sabbath. Those outside the temple had to cease from their own works. (6) But I say unto you, that one greater than the temple is here. Jesus is our New Testament temple. We who abide in Him must work His works in order to fulfill the Sabbath. We must work the works of our Father, for we are the priests of God. (Rev.1:6) and he made us [to be] a kingdom, [to be] priests unto his God and Father .... Those who do not abide in Him have not ceased from their own works and are breaking the real Sabbath. Those who follow Christ as Lord are keeping the Sabbath, for He is Lord of the Sabbath. (Mat.12:8) For the Son of man is Lord of the sabbath. If we follow the Lord, then we have rested from our works to do His works. (Joh.14:12) ... 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. If we follow the Law, we are cut off from Christ and grace and cannot be keeping the real Sabbath (Gal.5:4). Those seeking to keep the Law of the Sabbath are instead breaking it because they are not resting from the works of the Law. Those under the Law, who condemn us for following Christ on Saturday or Sunday, condemn the guiltless. (Mat.12:7) But if ye had known what this meaneth, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice; ye would not have condemned the guiltless. We are to work and do good on our Sabbath. All good is legal on our Sabbath, every day, but our old works are not. (12) ...Wherefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath day. Good, of course, is God's works. (Joh.5:16) And for this cause the Jews persecuted Jesus, because he did these things on the sabbath. (17) But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh even until now, and I work. Notice that Jesus worked His Father's works even on their shadow Sabbath. Then Jesus specified what works are legal on our Sabbath. (19) ...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. We see here that works that come from self are illegal on our Sabbath, but works that our Father does through us are not. (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. As sons seeking the will of God, we also may work the works of God on our spiritual Sabbath but not the works of self. Even the Old Covenant gives us clues to this principle. (Isa.58:13) If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, [and] the holy of Jehovah honorable; and shalt honor it, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking [thine own] words: (14) then shalt thou delight thyself in Jehovah; and I will make thee to ride upon the high places of the earth; and I will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it. Jesus said that He always did the will of His Father. Therefore He always rested from His own works, and those who follow Him do also. God gives the same Spirit that Jesus had to those who wish to be empowered to follow Him and so keep the real Sabbath. (Isa.28:11) Nay, but by [men of] strange lips and with another tongue will he speak to this people; (12) to whom he said, This is the rest, give ye rest to him that is weary; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. Paul declared this verse to be a promise to those who are filled with the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues in the New Covenant (1 Cor.14:21). Jews and Christians who refuse this Spirit to rest from the works of the Law, including the old Sabbath, are said to be those who “would not hear”. If we receive and follow the Spirit, we are not under the Sabbath or any of the Law. (Gal.5:18) But if ye are led by the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Those who receive the Spirit are empowered to live in Christ, which is the rest from the works and curse of the old Law. (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. We are under the Law of the Spirit. Except for prophets and kings, Israel did not have this Spirit to guide and empower them, and therefore needed rules and regulations on their external conduct. Those who live by the Spirit of life in Christ naturally fulfill the Law, which has been written in their hearts. Those who live in Christ by the Spirit cease from their own works every day. (Gal.5:16) But I say, walk by the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Jesus said that those who received the Spirit would be witnesses of Him to the world (Acts 1:8). Jesus and His apostles never commanded to cease from work on a day. (Mat.11:28) Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden (with the Law [Mat.23:4]), and I will give you rest. The problem is that we are in and out of the rest like we are in and out of Christ. Abiding in Christ is resting in our promised benefits. Some say God gave us the gift of eternal life so he can't take it back. In Gal.3:16 we are told “to Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many, but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ”. You see, the promises were given to Christ, not to you. The only way the promises are yours is if you abide in Christ. Abiding in Christ is: bearing His fruit (Joh.15:1-6), walking as he walked (1Jn.2:3-6), believing the same teachings given by Jesus and the apostles without adding or subtracting (1Jn.2:24 / Jude 3 / Mat.28:20 / Rev.22,18,19), not walking in willful sin (1Jn.3:5,6), keeping his commandments (1Jn.3:24). 1Jn.5:11 says that “God gave unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” and that is the only place we can claim this gift. God doesn't have to take it back, his people walk out of it. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body (1Co.6:18). If we walk in willful sin, we are not abiding in his body, for there is “no sin in him” (1Jn.3:5,6). Sins of ignorance or failure are covered by the blood (Rom.7:15-8:2) but willful sin is always judged. (Heb.10:26) For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins, (27) but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which shall devour the adversaries. The Spirit of life in Christ empowers us to walk in Him by faith in His promises. (Heb.4:9) There remaineth therefore a Sabbath rest (Greek: sabbatismos, “keeping of rest”) for the people of God. This constant “keeping of rest” is every day, not one day a week. Paul, comparing the weak in faith with those who are mature, said, (Rom.14:5) One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day [alike]. In our Covenant, every day is the Sabbath rest. As he said in Gal.4:9,10, “how turn ye back again to the weak and beggarly rudiments, whereunto ye desire to be in bondage over again? Ye observe days”. Our Sabbath is freedom from bondage to the works of the Law. Since Jesus took away our sins, it is freedom from fleshly works too. (Psa.118:24) This is the day which Jehovah hath made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Old Jerusalem ruled over God's physical Old Testament people just as New Jerusalem rules over God's spiritual New Testament people. Paul declared that we have come to this spiritual city. He showed us that it is not a physical city that can be touched. (Heb.12:18) For ye are not come unto [a mount] that might be touched ... (22) but ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem ... (23) to the general assembly and church of the firstborn.... Jesus' called-out ones come to this mountain. This is the place of God's continual rest. (Psa.132:13) For Jehovah hath chosen Zion... (14) This is my resting-place for ever: Here will I dwell; for I have desired it. Unlike those under the Law, we are not to dwell outside the temple and go there occasionally, nor are we to dwell outside the rest six days and only dwell in it one. Those who dwell in this spiritual Jerusalem remain in God's resting place. There is only one day in the New Testament Jerusalem, the spiritual city of God. That day is the real Sabbath. (Rev.21:25) And the gates thereof shall in no wise be shut by day (for there shall be no night there). Notice that there is one day and no night in the city of God where the Lamb is the light (23). There is no darkness to break up the one day of God's work for those who abide in Christ. (1Jn.1:5) And this is the message which we have heard from him and announce unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. Those who abide in God continue in the light of day doing His works. (6) If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: (7) but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin. Those who walk in the light of our day are always in the presence of the sun (Son). Night is to have the earth between you and the sun (Son). Our flesh came from the earth (Gen.2:7) and symbolizes the earth. When the works of our flesh come between us and the Son, we are living in the darkness of night. If we are in this idolatry with the world, whether this means our flesh or the things of the world (1Jn.2:15,16), we live in the night. Walking in the light of our one Sabbath day, the works of man are destroyed. I want to remind you that the Law is a shadow, and if you are under a shadow you are not in the light. The saints live in the lighted day of ceasing from their own works, especially the works of the Law, while the wicked live in the dark night of their own works. (1Th.5:5) For ye are all sons of light, and sons of the day (the Sabbath): we are not of the night, nor of darkness; (6) so then let us not sleep (Having their eyes closed to the light of the Son), as do the rest, but let us watch and be sober. (7) For they that sleep sleep in the night: and they that are drunken are drunken in the night. (8) But let us, since we are of the day (the Sabbath), be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. As long as Jesus has been in this world, either in His first body or His second corporate body, it has been day. (Joh.9:5) When I am in the world, I am the light of the world. (Mat.5:14) Ye are the light of the world. That only makes one day as long as the saints are here. (Joh.9:4) We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day (When we are ceasing from our works to do His, it is the Sabbath day.): the night cometh, when no man can work. Our works in Christ for this world are over when the Lord comes for us and then night comes for the judgment of the world. (1Th.5:2) For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. (3) When they are saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them... After the tribulation, the light of the world will be gone! (Mat.24:29) But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven (This is the falling away and reprobation of 1/3 of the stars, representing the spiritual seed of Abraham [Rev.6:12-14; Gen.22:17]). The darkening of the light of this world here is physical as well as spiritual. Joseph shared a dream that clearly showed that the people of God spiritually are the sun, moon, and stars, “the light of this world”. (Gen.37:9) ...behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars made obeisance to me. (10) And he told it to his father, and to his brethren; and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? Starting as a star glory, Joseph went to his cross in Egypt and was promoted in glory above his brethren, the children of Israel. We grow from star glory to moon glory and then to sun glory as we continue to walk in the light that God gives us (2Co.3:18). Paul agreed that the saints manifest these three glories in 1Co.15:41,42. Now we can see that when the Lord comes and takes His sun, moon, and star glory saints, the world will be left in the darkness of night. (Mat.24:29) But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven. (30) ...and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (31) And he shall send forth his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect...Glory to God! Jesus taught that the whole Christian New Covenant era on earth is only one day. (Joh.11:9) Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If a man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. (10) But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because the light is not in him. Those who walk in this continual Sabbath day walk in the light. This spiritual day lasts until the judgment. (Mat.20:1) For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that was a householder, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. Jesus started hiring laborers for His vineyard first thing in the morning, which was almost 2000 years ago. Then He gives examples of going out to hire all during the day, the third hour (verse 6), the sixth and ninth hour (verse 5), and the eleventh hour (verses 6-9). Of the eleventh hour people it was said, “These last have spent [but] one hour” (12). Then at the twelfth hour He called in all of His servants to give them their reward. (8) And when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the laborers, and pay them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. Jesus calls in all of His servants to face Him and receive their reward at His coming. (Rev.22:12) Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to render to each man according as his work is. Midnight is the twelfth hour when the Lord comes for the virgins (Mat.25:6) and also the time when the saints leave the Egypt of this world (Exo.29:12-31). At this time, even though it is midnight for the world, the saints are walking with lamps full of Holy Spirit light (Mat.25:4). From Jesus' first coming to His second coming is one day. This one day incorporates the whole Christian New Covenant era on earth. It should not surprise us that God could change something as important as the Sabbath from many carnal days to one spiritual day. He changed something much more important, our sacrifice, from many carnal sacrifices to one spiritual sacrifice, our Lord Jesus. The Lord again defines our rest as a corporate day that covers every day. (Heb.4:6) Seeing therefore it remaineth that some should enter thereinto, and they to whom the good tidings (the promises) were before preached failed to enter in (Even though they kept the Saturday Sabbath) because of disobedience (Greek: “apeitheia” also means unbelief), (7) he again defineth a certain day, To-day, saying in David so long a time afterward (even as hath been said before), To-day if ye shall hear his voice (the promises), Harden not your hearts. (Today is any day that you are presently in. Since this verse was written to all saints throughout the New Covenant, then “today” is every day that they live in. God was telling us that when you hear His promises, do not harden your heart as Israel did, but believe to enter the rest in the day that you live in.) (8) For if Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken afterward of another day. Today is that day saints, not Saturday or Sunday. Five times in this text, God uses the term “To-day” to define the rest. (3:13) but exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called To-day; lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. “Day by day” it has been “called To-day” for almost 2000 years. (4:9) There remaineth therefore a Sabbath rest (Greek: sabbatismos, “keeping of rest”) for the people of God. God has been merciful to our ignorance of this true Sabbath, but judgment will now be seen the world over because we have come to a second spiritual type of the Sabbath. (2Pe.3:8) But forget not this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. Having read the writings of the early church fathers, I can tell you that they commonly believed in the one thousand-year prophetic day and that after six of these days from the beginning, the end time judgment would come. The Hindus, Muslims, and the Jews also believed this. Gibbon in The Rise And Fall of The Roman Empire said that the early Christians believed this. The Bible is laid out in seven prophetic one-thousand-year days. These days are numbered from the creation of Adam. There were four thousand years or four days between Adam and Jesus. Since the days of Jesus, the calendar has been tampered with extensively, but most researchers believe we are close to traversing two more days and coming to the beginning of the seventh, thousand-year period from Adam. Besides the regular spiritual Sabbath that we have already spoken of, this seventh, thousand-year day is a second spiritual Sabbath. When the body of Christ was crucified, it was a high Sabbath (Joh.19:31). That means it was a regular Sabbath and a second Passover Sabbath. This second spiritual Sabbath will also be a Passover Sabbath for those who have eaten the Lamb and are about to leave the Egypt of this world. This will also be a crucifixion to the fleshly works of the body of Christ. According to the shadow, when this end-time second spiritual Sabbath begins, God will judge those who go on in their own works. (Exo.31:12) And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, 13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily ye shall keep my sabbaths: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am Jehovah who sanctifieth you. Christians who try to keep the Sabbath in the “letter” don't understand this because they don't see that this is a “sign”. (15) Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to Jehovah: whosoever doeth any work on the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. This is also the time when He finishes His creative work. (Gen.2:2) And on the seventh day God finished his work, which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work, which he had made. According to this type, God is about to finish His new creation work during this morning of the seventh day and rest. Every man's work will be proven by the fiery trial on the one day Sabbath. (1Co.3:12) But if any man buildeth on the foundation (of Christ) gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble; (13) each man's work shall be made manifest: for the day (one Sabbath) shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself shall prove each man's work of what sort it is. The wood, hay, and stubble of man's works will burn up on God's Sabbath day because, according to the shadow, there is judgment against man's work on the Sabbath. (Exo.31:14) Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that profaneth it shall surely be put to death; for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Since there is only one Sabbath day, we have to rest every day from our own works, as the rest of the New Testament also teaches. (Rev.2:23) ... I am he that searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto each one of you according to your works. (25) And he that overcometh, and he that keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give authority over the nations. (Exo.31:15) Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to Jehovah: whosoever doeth any work on the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. 16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days Jehovah made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. Let's look again at this verse about the refreshing in Isa 28:11 Nay, but by men of strange lips and with another tongue will he speak to this people; 12 to whom he said, This is the rest, give ye rest to him that is weary; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. This refreshing is coming again on the morning of the 3rd day (which is the Sabbath). There's going to be a change in the way God will deal with man when this millennium begins. There must be a ceasing from a Christian's own works and enter into the rest. Man's works have been going on in the church for six days (six thousand years). The church has been falling away from keeping the true Sabbath and we're coming to a time where if you don't cease from your own works, you will be cut off from the Body of Christ. There are many Sabbaths. There's the 7th day Sabbath, the 49th year Sabbath, there's the 50th year Sabbath, and there's the 7th millennium Sabbath. There's a Sabbath called the Jubilee. A Jubilee is a year. There are 120 Jubilees every 50 years. 120 Jubilees till Noah and another 120 till the next Noah. Noah means rest. So, 120 Jubilee years until the beginning of the Sabbath. 120 Jubilee Sabbaths bring us to the actual year 6000. We are entering into the prophetic Sabbath or the millennial Sabbath.   Reconciled to God Php 4:19  And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.  (“Every need”, not greed. “Every” would include Spiritual, physical, emotional needs.)   What is faith? Heb 11:1  Now faith is assurance [substance?] of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen. When you believe for something that is not yet seen, that is faith. How do we have God's faith to receive every need? Mar 11:22  And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have God's faith. (This is according to the numeric pattern proof.)  23  Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he saith cometh to pass; he shall have it. 24  Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received (Numeric) them, and ye shall have them. (This is exactly what Quantum Physics, or Quantum Mechanics has proven, Jesus said it first. And here is an important condition to receiving. 25  And whensoever ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any one; that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.  Col 1:19  For it was the good pleasure of the Father that in him should all the fulness dwell; 20  and through him to reconcile (The Greek: kattallasso means “exchange” of Jesus' life for ours) all things(not Numeric) unto himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross; through him, I say, whether things upon the earth, or things those (Numeric) in the heavens. (Notice: He is not speaking of things but His people) 21  And you, being in time past alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil works, 22  yet now hath he reconciled (exchanged) in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without blemish and unreproveable before him: 23  if so be that ye continue in the faith, grounded and stedfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel which ye heard, which was preached in all creation under heaven; whereof I Paul was made a minister.  First the sons and daughters of God are exchanged and then Christ in them can deliver the creation. Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God. 20  For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but by reason of him who subjected it, in hope 21  that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. 22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. The Lord told me that he bore the symbol of the cursed creation upon the cross. It was the crown of thorns. As we manifest our sonship we have authority over the cursed creation. We can pray for our grass, dogs, cows, bugs, trees, neighbors, etc.  Gal 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:.. 2Co 5:14  For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15  and he died for all, that they that live should no longer live unto themselves, but unto him who for their sakes died and rose again. 16  Wherefore we henceforth know no man after the flesh: even though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now we know him so no more. 17  Wherefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: the old things (not Numeric) are passed away; behold, they are become new. 18  But all things (not Numeric) are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and gave unto us the ministry of reconciliation; 19  to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not reckoning unto them their trespasses, and having committed unto us the word of reconciliation. (We reconcile others by showing them the exchange.) 20  We are ambassadors therefore on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us: we beseech you on behalf of Christ, be ye reconciled to God. 21  Him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him.    Believe You Received and Rest Suani Guzman - 01/09/2010 I want to share a quick dream that helped me a lot. We all know that we must abide in the Sabbath Rest and boldly speak the good confession, but we don't always do it. So the Lord has to remind us sometimes. I have been going through some hard trials with caring for my elderly parents. I don't want to impose my faith on them but at the same time I'm trying to stand for their spiritual and physical salvation. The Lord impressed upon me that I must abide in the rest or the enormity of the problem will overwhelm me. In the dream, my husband and I had a truck in which we went sightseeing. We parked it and left for a walk. When we came back, the truck was a wreck -- another car had hit it really badly, and it was ruined. My husband, Raul, and another man tried to fix it. I went to help. I stood there and said something like, “Jesus had fixed it”. When those words left my mouth, the truck was immediately transformed into being whole again. I was so on fire and praised God and started to witness boldly to everyone about what Jesus had just done. We then left and, as we went, the truck started to stall and I said, “Oh no, it's healed”, and immediately it got power again. That happened twice. Then we got on a freeway full of cars. We were on the outer lane and struggling up a very, very steep hill. We were driving with two tires on the road and two in a ditch. The car couldn't go up like that, so it flipped over about two times and landed away from the road. So we stopped to consider the hill. By sight, it looked almost impossible to climb. We tried to figure out another way, but could see no other way. I thought that it was going to take all my strength to do it, and still it would not be enough. End of dream. (What is impossible with men is possible with God. We must trust His promises not our works.) Mar.11:24 Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received (Greek) them, and ye shall have them. Heb.4:2 For indeed we have had good tidings preached unto us, even as also they: but the word of hearing did not profit them, because it was not united by faith with them that heard. (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. (9) There remaineth therefore a sabbath (Greek: Sabatismos -- a continual rest) 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. (11) Let us therefore give diligence to enter into that rest, that no man fall after the same example of disobedience. Building the “Resting” Church  Eve Brast - 08/11/2012 (David's notes in red) | (Deb Horton's notes in green)  I dreamed I was driving east (faceing toward the coming of the Son) toward Dallas on a large highway with very sparse traffic on it. (The highway of holiness going to Dallas, which means “meadow dwelling”.) (A place of feeding with the flock.) It was dark but I could see a little light on the horizon in the east. (Near to the coming of the Lord in the Man-child on the morning of the seventh thousand year-day.) I was going to an eight-story hospital building that was under construction (the true Church of the called-out ones is being built), where my husband (representing Jesus) had instructed me to meet him. The building was oval-shaped and not square. (The building was eternal without beginning or end because of its shape and eight floors. (An “8” lying down is the sign for infinity or eternity and “8” is the number of Jesus. Since it's lying down, it could mean resting in Jesus. A hospital is a place for healing the sick, spiritually and physically, which the Church is supposed to be.)  I pulled into the parking garage and parked my old, gray (indicating mixture of good and evil, white and black), five-speed (grace received to get to this point) manual (not automatic, works by self), 1980 Toyota Corolla that had been my first car when I learned to drive. (Our first car represents our first ways of rest in the Lord. To park is a sign of coming into maturity through rest.) I went inside the building with my son's blue backpack containing surgical instruments and food my husband had asked me to bring to him. (Man's burdens and works we bear until we reach the seventh floor of rest and give them over to Jesus. Mat.11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.) I went into the ground floor lobby with a recently laid, highly polished wood floor (the human nature is under our feet to serve the spiritual man).   I waited at the only elevator (there's only one Way to God) to go up to the seventh floor (entering into the rest) (The first six floors represent the first six days of the different levels of man's works we do until we rest on the seventh spiritual day). I had to wait a bit because it was the only elevator. I was the only one waiting to go up. (The Bride will be the first to fully enter into the seventh-day rest.)  When the door opened, A black sister from UBM was the elevator attendant, but she was white and looked like me. (The white represents holiness.) She greeted me and began telling me how old the elevator was. (2000 years) She was an expert on this elevator. It was her assigned job in the building, and she knew everything about it. She told me that currently, the elevator only reaches the seventh floor, but when the construction is complete, it will go all the way up to the top, which is the eighth floor. (The eighth floor is Jesus and Heaven and new beginnings. When the building representing the Church is finished, we will go to the top, the eighth, heavenly floor.)  When I got off the elevator on the seventh floor, my husband passed by me wearing metal leg braces supported by a blue, padded waistband that girded his waist and metal crutches that braced around his forearms. (Our husband Jesus was strengthened by the Father to finish His pilgrimage as a type of the body.) (This reminds me of the command in Deuteronomy to bind the phylacteries, which are Scripture verses, on the forehead and hand, because the phylacteries are bound on the hand and are laced on from the forearm.) (David had a similar revelation where he was wearing leg braces. They strengthened his walk and helped him to stand.) (God's power is made perfect in our weakness.) He looked at me as he passed by with a knowing look (seeing eye to eye) and a smile, as if we shared a common understanding of something. (A common understanding of faith in the same promises brings people to the seventh floor of rest.) (Amo.3:3) Shall two walk together, except they have agreed?  Suddenly, I realized that I left my backpack on the elevator, or I thought I had, but it wasn't over my shoulder anymore. (We can't take our own provision or burdens to the seventh floor of the rest but we can give it all to Jesus there.) I became concerned (we will lose the rest if we think on our burdens) and turned around to push the button to go back down (A warning not to fall away from the rest).   While waiting for the elevator doors to open, I overheard an accountant from the hospital discussing a debt of $20 that they said I owed with another employee. (A warning that If we leave the rest of faith, we begin to bear the debt of sin again. The first mention of 20 in the Bible is Gen.6:3 And Jehovah said, My spirit shall not strive with man for ever, for that he also is flesh: yet shall his days be a hundred and twenty years.) They said they had tried to call my cell phone to give me this report, but I wouldn't answer because I knew it was not really my debt and that I wasn't required to pay it. (The accuser will always try to convince you that you still owe the debt that Christ already paid for you.) (If one leaves the rest, they will be tempted even more so.)  When the elevator doors finally opened, a horde of people out of nowhere rushed into the elevator, as if desperate to get out of the building. (They were in their flesh and leaving the rest.) I calmly walked in but there was barely enough room. When the doors shut, we were warned that the ride down was much scarier than the ride up because the elevator went down really fast, and it did (Because this represents the falling away. We have seen people lose all the gain of years in moments.). But it slowed down midway for safety precautions (this could represent those who are neither hot nor cold -- the fence-sitters in the middle) (also, God makes a way for His people to change their mind and Return unto thy rest, O my soul Psa.116:7) and then it sped back up until it reached the ground floor.  As I got off the elevator, the morning sunshine streamed through the lobby windows (Jesus in the Man-child is manifesting). A surgeon from the hospital who was going up said, “Isn't it exciting that the building construction will be completed in a week?!” (After the seven years of the 70th week of the tribulation, the Church will be complete, and I believe this week will start very soon.) I turned around and said, “Yeah”. But the importance of what he had just announced didn't register with me. I was concerned about finding the backpack because my husband needed me to bring it to the hospital (to give that burden to him).  I hoped I would find the backpack in my car in the parking garage, since it had not been left in the elevator. I ran out to the car and found it (the burden was in the car, representing immaturity) and brought it back into the lobby and pushed the elevator button again.   When the doors opened, my sons Noah and Elijah came out of the elevator and passed me as I went in. They were eight-foot-tall, grown men! (Their “8” size indicates they have grown up in Jesus.) They gave me the same knowing look of common understanding and smile that my husband had given me. (The faith that brings relief from our burdens and works.) They said, “Don't worry, Mom. We have everything under control”. (Jesus in the Man-child ministry beginning to reign [having given their burdens to God].) Then I woke up.  Why would we bear the burdens of the curse if we believe what Jesus said? Mar.11:23 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he saith cometh to pass; he shall have it. 24 Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. 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. 19 Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father who is in heaven.  When we pray and believe, we rest from all the curse. Gal.3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14 that upon the Gentiles might come the blessing of Abraham in Christ Jesus; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Abraham was blessed in all things. Not entering the rest or keeping the spiritual Sabbath is because of unbelief. Heb.3:11 As I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest. 12 Take heed, brethren, lest haply there shall be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God: 13 but exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called To-day; lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin: 14 for we are become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end:...  18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that were disobedient? 19 And we see that they were not able to enter in because of unbelief.

Introduction: How Do You Stop Hatred from Growing in Your Heart? (Matthew 5:21–26) By putting it to Death when it First Appears. (Matthew 5:21–22a) 1 John 3:15 – Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By refusing to Kill others with Destructive words. (Matthew 5:22b) Ephesians 4:29 – Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. By seeking after Immediate Reconciliation. (Matthew 5:23–24) By remembering what's At Stake. (Matthew 5:25–26) 1 Corinthians 6:10 – ...nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Small Group DiscussionRead Matthew 5:21-26What was your big take-away from this passage / message?Are you struggling with anger/hatred? How can you deal with it right now before it gets out of control?Read Ephesians 4:29 - What are some practical ways to control your mouth and keep corruption from spreading to others?Why is it so hard to admit your faults and ask for forgiveness?What are the consequences of giving yourself over to hatred and unforgiveness? BreakoutPray for one another. AUDIO TRANSCRIPT Turn your Bibles to Matthew chapter 5 verses 21 through 26.Matthew chapter 5 verses 21 through 26.We live in a culture that is absolutely obsessed with murder.There are dozens and dozens of true crime podcasts that delve into the nitty-gritty detailsof the worst crimes imaginable.Who has ever listened to a true crime podcast?No shame.Just asking.There are seemingly thousands and thousands of TV shows that are centered around murderinvestigations.Let me just list a few.Blue Bloods, Only Murders in the Building, Criminal Minds, Chicago PD, Sherlock, Bones,Castle, The Rookie, Longmire, Colombo, Psych, Monk, Murder She Wrote, Diagnosis Murder.Then there are the franchises that have spun out an endless amount of added-on shows, right?Law and Order, Law and Order Special Victims Unit, Law and Order Criminal Intent, Law andOrder LA, Law and Order Trial by Jerry, Law and Order True Crime, Law and Order OrganizedCrime, NCIS, NCIS Origins, NCIS Los Angeles, NCIS Hawaii, NCIS New Orleans, NCIS Sydney,CSI, CSI Miami, CSI New York, CSI Los Angeles, CSI Vegas, CSI Cyber, CSI Sheboygan, CSI Wexford.Okay, wait.Those last two don't actually exist, but at the rate they're pumping out these spin-offs,you never really know.But millions of people tune into these kind of shows every single week to watch fictionalmurderers face justice.On top of these podcasts and TV shows, we even play a board game with children thatis all about murder.That board game is?Who has ever played Clue at some point in their lives?I don't want to explain the basic premise, right?Okay, three to six players, you're all trapped in a mansion and one of you murdered Mr. Bodie,who owned the mansion.Was it Ms. Scarlett, Colonel Mustard, Mrs. White, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock, or ProfessorPlum?The whole purpose of the game is to figure out who is the murderer, what is the murderweapon, and what is the location of the killing?Again, this is a game for children.If the game can end with an accusation like this, Colonel Mustard in the conservatorywith a candlestick.Maybe you love playing this game growing up because you like to solve the mystery, assignthe blame for murder, and point the finger at made-up characters.But what if I were to tell you that every single person in this room is guilty of murder?This is in my opinion, it's not a suspicion, a hunt or an unfounded accusation.This is a clear and simple fact from the mouth of our Lord.According to Jesus Christ, we are all Colonel Mustard in the conservatory with a candlestick.And you may be thinking, "Taylor, I don't know about the person next to me, but I havecertainly never murdered anyone in cold blood."Well, you may be innocent of physically murdering, but there is no wiggling out of the realitythat you are guilty of spiritually murdering in your heart by hating others.And again, I know that some of you may be resisting what I'm saying already.You think to yourself, "I don't hate anyone.I am pleasant with everyone."I mean, sure, there are some people I intensely dislike.There are some people I vent about constantly.There are some people I avoid at all costs, and if I saw them in the grocery store, Iwould run in the opposite direction.But hey, that's different.Is it different?Maybe you are dressing up your hatred to make it look nice and acceptable when it is actuallycruel and dishonoring to the Lord.No matter who you are, how nice you may appear, you are not exempt from hatred.Because you have to understand that murder is not just an action.It is a state of heart in mind.We have been studying the Sermon on the Mount since February, and we are in the second sectionof our study, "The Heart of the Law."Last week, Pastor Jeff taught that Jesus Christ didn't come to abolish the law, but to perfectlyfulfill it through His life, death, and resurrection.And throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus demonstrates that the law is not skin deep.It actually drills down deep within you to your heart.Jesus cares about who you are on the inside.He is far more interested in the internal than the external.In Matthew 5, verses 21-26, Jesus exposes your greatest desires, fears, and innermostfeelings which you try to keep hidden away from others.Jesus pulls your anger into the light to show you how truly ugly, subtle, and destructiveit actually is.Jesus doesn't do this to humiliate you.He does this to help you.Jesus doesn't do this to condemn you, but to change you from the inside out.Because hatred cannot be allowed to fester.It will hollow you out on the inside, and it will hurt everyone around you.So how do you stop hatred from growing in your heart?Well, our passage for this morning offers four methods of extermination that will keepthe infection from spreading.Before we cover those, let's go to the Lord and ask for His help.Please pray for me that I will faithfully proclaim God's Word, and I will pray for youthat you will joyfully receive God's Word.Father, we thank you for this most important appointment of the week.We gather together as your people to worship you, to encourage one another, and to situnder the proclamation of your Word.Lord, I thank you that you watch over your Word to perform it, and that your Word accomplishesevery purpose for which you send it out.I pray this morning that you would do your work in our hearts and lives.We ask all this in Jesus' name.Amen.So how do you stop hatred from growing in your heart?The first method of extermination by putting it to death when it first appears.By putting it to death when it first appears.Let's read verses 21 through 22.Jesus says, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not murder, andwhoever murders will be liable to judgment.But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment."So Jesus kicks off a pattern that we see six times in Matthew chapter five.You have heard that it was said, but I say to you.And at first glance, it may look like Jesus is changing one of the six commandments.It may look like he is erasing the original meaning and coming up with something brandnew.But as Pastor Jeff said last week, Jesus came not to lessen the law, but to elevate it.Jesus is not changing the sixth commandment.He is simply revealing something that has always been within it, but has been ignored.He is not contradicting God's word.He is contradicting the Pharisee and scribes incomplete interpretation of God's word.The religious leaders of Jesus' day thought and taught that the sixth commandment of,"You shall not murder," only applied to the physical acts of homicide in manslaughter.They put this commandment into a box and ignored its deeper meaning.And here is the heart of the sixth commandment.Do not give yourself over to unrighteous anger, which leads to the act of unjustly endingsomeone's life.Anger is the first domino in that chain reaction.The religious leaders limited the scope of God's command and the process they limitedits impact.By viewing the sixth commandment in this way, a religious leader could look at himself andsay, "Hey, I am perfectly keeping this commandment.I have never clubbed someone over the head.I've never pushed my neighbor off a tall building in a fit of rage.God must be so proud of me, but internally they are killing people by despising them,despising tax collectors, sinners, and Gentiles."In this passage, Jesus corrects the massive oversight of the men who should know the lawbetter than anyone else, but have missed the entire point.They have missed the heart.Jesus is saying, "Don't think you're safe and sound because you have no bodies buriedin your backyard.You were on the hook for a serious crime and heading for serious consequences if you havehatred and anger and bitterness buried in your heart."It's especially egregious to be angry with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.Why is that?You know, as a dad, it pains me to watch or read news stories about kids being bullied.But do you know what would be worse than watching strangers be mistreated, finding out thatone of my own kids is being bullied?Do you know what would be the worst of all?Discovering that one of my kids hates and actively tries to hurt his or her sibling.It grieves the heart of God to watch his children despise and attack one another.And John talks about this in his first epistle.He says, "Everyone who hates his brother is a what?A murderer.And you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him."At this point, you may be frustrated thinking, "Wait, so you're saying I can never be angrywith anybody, especially if he or she is a Christian.How is that possible?"To be clear, Jesus isn't saying that anger is always sinful.God gets angry.God hates sin and what it causes.Jesus got angry throughout the Gospels.As a human, it is impossible for you to not feel feelings of betrayal, of annoyance, andfrustration.Jesus isn't condemning anger in general.He is condemning a very specific kind of anger.In this passage, the word for anger in the Greek is orgizō.And this is a fuming, a boiling anger that is nurtured and intensified like a pot of wateron a stove.You keep dialing up the temperature, keep dialing up the intensity until it overflowsand scalds people.This kind of anger twists your heart.It distorts how you view other people.You may even danger about bad things happening to this person.You may want this person to get what's coming, to get what they deserve, to be publicly humiliatedand to feel the same exact pain that you feel.When you hate someone, you are communicating this message to the Lord.Lord, I don't care if that person dies and I want them out of my life for good.Now, you would never say that out loud, but that's what you're feeling in your heart whenyou harbor bitterness.Because that person is dead to you when you never ever want to see him or her ever again.In your book, it's like they've been wiped out of existence.It's like they've fallen off the face of this earth.That kind of anger is a spark that can be snuffed out or fanned into flame.It's challenging to put to death in its infancy, but it's way harder to kill once it's fullygrown and is out of control.And this principle holds true in every other area of life.If you had gone to the dentist, when you first noticed that tooth pain, you could have avoidedthe unpleasant and very expensive root canal.That small leak in your attic would have been much more manageable whenever it was a smalldrip, but now every single time that it rained, it's like a waterfall in your attic.Even care of your yard would have been much easier when you pulled weeds as they poppedup, but after months and months and years of neglect, there are weeds everywhere.In those moments, you noticed a problem, but you did nothing about it.You stuffed it down instead of honestly addressing the issue.Never turn a blind eye to your sin.Only when it comes to unrighteous anger and hatred, when you see that root of bitternesspop up, be relentless and pulling it out and throwing it away instead of giving it roomto breathe and to grow.When that urge to mentally curse someone out in your mind pops up, don't entertain it.Don't go down that ungodly route.Instead, choke out those thoughts with the word of God.If that person is a believer, pray for their sanctification.If that person is not a Christian, pray for their salvation.When a family member or friend fails you, trust me, they will fail you.Don't stew on the offense and tally up all the ways that person has let you down in thepast.Instead, run to the only one who has never and will never let you down.Go to God the Father so that you can choose patience and gentleness instead of pettinessand retaliation.When the desire to believe the worst about someone in this church enters your mind, willinglydecide to believe the best until proven wrong.Run down the stove of your anger before it hurts you and everyone around you.How do you stop hatred from growing in your heart?Second method of extermination by refusing to kill others with destructive words.By refusing to kill others with destructive words.So Jesus moves on from what's in your heart to what comes out of your mouth at the endof verse 22.He says this, "Whoever insults his brother will be liable to the counsel and whoeversays you fool will be liable to the hell of fire."Maybe this seems over the top to you.You may be thinking, "Really Jesus going before the Supreme Court and being thrown into hellfor insulting and slander?"Isn't that a bit severe?Well, maybe you won't think that if you understand what these insults actually mean.That word for insult in the Greek is "rokka" which means empty-headed or worthless.And that word for fool is "moros" from which we get which English word do you think?Moron.That's not just a cute, funny word.The New Testament uses that word to describe those who were outside the kingdom of God.So by labeling someone as "rokka" and "moros" you are saying you are a worthless and stupidwaste of space with nothing of value to offer anyone so you can go straight to hell forall I care.True Christians cannot lose their salvation by using their mouths for evil.But a person whose life is marked by this kind of vile speech should question the genuinenessof his or her faith and status in the family of God.How can you flip people off in traffic throughout the week and then passionately raise your armsand worship on Sunday?How can you unapologetically scream at your wife and your kids and then use that samemouth to pray to a heavenly Father who you were nothing like?How can you day after day at work belittle your colleagues, your coworkers, your employees,and then go to a small group and claim that you are a bold witness for Christ?How can you ruin the reputation of others with slander and then describe your reputationas above reproach in God-honoring?You cannot habitually kill others with your words and claim to love Jesus with your wholeheart.Your words say way more about you than the person you are speaking against.Please do not underestimate the impact and influence of your words.You can use your mouth to point someone to Christ or away from Christ.To smash them into a million pieces or to help put them back together again.You can use your mouth to give someone hope or to take away the little hope that someonehas.Listen to what the apostle Paul has to say about how you should and shouldn't speak inEphesians 4-29.Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouth, but only such is good for building up as fitsthe occasion that it may give grace to those who hear.No corrupting talk.Corrupting brings the mental picture of something that is rotten and moldy.Imagine every single time you use your words in a negative way that this gross odor eaksout of your mouth and grosses out everyone around you.My wife and I were first married.We lived in a garage apartment above the house with a very nice Christian couple and theirson.We have almost no complaints about them.Great family, very kind to us.We had one small complaint.Once or twice a week they would make a meal that smelled horrible.The smell would go from the kitchen into the vents and finally into our apartment.I can't tell you how many candles we lit, how many balls of Febreze we sprayed to tryto fight off this odor.Somehow those defenses make it worse, doesn't it?The smell is kind of mixed together to create a horrible uber smell.It's been 11 years.I swear to you, I can still smell this meal in my house sometimes.I know that's not possible.My wife tells me I'm imagining it, but that smells so offended in my nose that it hauntsme in every season of life.You may be thinking, "Okay, what's the point of this random gross story?"Your corrupting words have the power to linger and haunt people for the rest of their lives.If I passed around a mic this morning and asked everyone to share the most hurtful thingsthat have been said to or about you, there wouldn't be a dry eye in this room.Now I want you to think about some of the most hurtful things you've ever said to orabout someone.Was it worth it?Do you stand by what you said or do you regret it?Just given a do over, would you say it all again or would you keep your mouth shut?Remember your answers to those questions when you were tempted to lash out at others withyour words.Recognize that you can never take your words back no matter how much you wish that you could.How do you stop hatred from growing in your heart?Third method of extermination by seeking after immediate reconciliation.By seeking after immediate reconciliation.So verses 23 through 24, Jesus switches gears to focus on how you should address the angerof others when you are at fault.Let's see what he has to say about next steps.Verse 23, "So if you were offering your gift at the altar and there, remember that yourbrother has something against you.Leave your gift there before the altar and go.First be reconciled to your brother and then come and offer your gift."Jesus places a high premium on resolving relational issues quickly and pursuing after reconciliationas soon as possible.He even puts it above sacrifice, which to Jews in the first century would have beenunthinkable.Being sacrificed is expected and commanded by God, but Jesus says it's more importantto be at peace with others around you.He's saying if you're making your sacrifice, leave it there, leave, go put this issue tobed and then come back to finish your sacrifice.This would be similar to us hearing, "Listen, if you're shopping at giant eagle, leave yourcart at the register and get out of there.If you're pumping gas, jump into your car and speed away and don't worry if the gasnozzle is dragging on the road behind you.If you're worshiping a church on Sunday, stop singing and track that person down.Resolve that unfinished business."Do you have unfinished business right now?Do you need to ask for forgiveness?Maybe you need to step out, make that call, send that text or even speed out of the parkinglot.If that's you, do it right now.Maybe you don't want to.Sadly so many of us demand apologies from others, but we're so bad at apologizing whenwe're wrong.Why is that?Because apologizing requires humility.You have to make yourself small and put yourself at the mercy of someone else.Do we naturally want to do that?None of us do, but it's commanded by our God and it is expected.It's way easier to cut ties and run than it is to admit your faults.That's why there are so many marriages that end in divorce.That's why there are so many friendships that are broken.That's why so many professing Christians leave their current church to go to anotherchurch down the street.Well, time for a fresh start.No one at this new church knows my dirty laundry or my history yet not yet.Give it a few weeks or months and you'll be looking for a new church yet again.It is far more appealing to the flesh to be totally unknown and completely unconfirmedthan it is to be fully known and lovingly confronted.Please stop pretending because Jesus is not fooled.Stop running away from those you've hurt because your problems will just follow you whereveryou end up.Do not be lazy and passive about reconciliation.Just like, yeah, yeah, I'll put that on my to-do list and get to it at some point.No, Jesus is saying, rip up your to-do list because nothing else matters.Do whatever is necessary to attempt to stifle that anger that is between you and the otherperson.How do you stop hatred from growing in your heart?Final method of extermination by remembering what's at stake.By remembering what's at stake.Maybe you're still unmoved by Jesus called a crush hatred and pursue after restoration.You know what God is calling you to do, but you just don't want to do it.You don't have any plans to make any changes or say sorry anytime soon.Well, thankfully, Jesus knows how stubborn you are.And he knows how stubborn I am.So he follows up his command with a very stern warning in verses 25 to 26.He says this, "Come the terms quickly with your accuser while you were going with himto court lest your accuser hands you over to the judge and the judge to the guard andyou be put in prison.Truly I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny."Let me bring this first century illustration into the 21st century.Imagine that you and your neighbor are fighting over a property line dispute.And during one argument, you get so angry that you viciously attack him.You were 100% guilty and there are witnesses to back up your neighbor's testimony.Your neighbor threatens to call the cops, to press charges and sue you if you do not apologize.But in that moment, you don't want to apologize.You want to defend yourself.You want to fight against your neighbor.You don't want him or her to have the satisfaction of beating you.But let's follow that to its logical conclusion.The cops come, you're arrested, you're put on trial and you have to go to prison andstay there until you are let out.And even then, you still have a lot of legal fees and you still have to pay out the lostsuit.Let me ask you, is there any upside to that option, option A?What do we think?No, it's all horrible.But thankfully, there's an option B. Throw yourself at the mercy of your neighbor.Ask for their forgiveness and seek after an agreeable solution.If you do that, your future is no longer filled with orange jumpsuits and public showers.Maybe thinking, well, thanks for the random legal advice, I guess.But what does this have to do with me?Well, here's the point.Hatred is a prison that you willingly lock yourself into.Hatred is a prison that you willingly lock yourself into.If you give yourself over to it, if you refuse to repent, there will be consequences in thislife.You will become very lonely and unpleasant to be around.You'll be known as the cranky guy or lady at church that everyone wants to love butdoesn't know how to.You'll be viewed as the human cactus.Everyone tries to hug you and bring you closer, but you just push them away and hurt themwith jabs.You will be trapped in a loveless marriage.Your children will wither away under your harshness and constant criticism.And you'll wonder one day why they don't visit anymore or call you to check in.Your friends will drop away like flies one by one by one because they're tired of youpicking fights and refusing to apologize.Let me ask you, is that the direction you want your life to take?Is that where you want to end up?And these final two verses, Jesus is focusing on the penalties you will face right now ifyou wrong others and never seek forgiveness.But over this past week, I couldn't help but consider the eternal penalty for unrepentanthatred and a continual refusal to seek after the forgiveness of Christ.Paul is crystal clear in 1 Corinthians 6 10 that revilers slanderers will not inheritthe kingdom of God.As I said earlier, some of you need to do some serious self examination.If you relentlessly feed this anger in your heart and it pours out from your mouth andthrough your actions, you may need to answer this really difficult question.Am I truly saved?Because true Christians choose to love instead of hate.A true follower of Christ wants to repent of sin, not wallow in sin.Someone who has experienced the forgiveness of Christ wants to extend that to others insteadof withhold it.Those who have been changed from the inside out say, "I'm sorry, will you forgive me?"Not "I'm sorry, but" or "I didn't do anything wrong."Because none of us are perfect in any of these areas.But you should be making progress day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year.Are you kinder, more loving, more forgiving now than when you first came to Christ?And if the answer is no, maybe you never truly came to Christ in the first place.If your honest answer to the question of "Am I truly saved?" is no, then your future isfar more terrifying than any earthly jail or prison.You are looking down the barrel of an eternity of being sentenced to a prison that is inescapableonce you are there.In hell, no one is released early or given visitation rights.But I have great news this morning.You don't have to be sentenced to that kind of eternity.There is still time to trust in Christ today.You don't need to carry that hatred or bitterness any longer.Those burdens will sink you both now and forever if you let them.Give those burdens over to Christ who was hated by the crowds that you could be lovedby His Father, who was rejected on the cross that you could be accepted, who bore the angrywrath that you deserve so you could be declared innocent.Jesus Christ has open arms this morning.He is calling you to run to Him.He is ready and willing.Are you ready and willing to run to Him and accept all that He has to offer?Let nothing hold you back from Christ because He will withhold nothing from you once youcome to Him with a sincere faith in genuine repentance.If your honest answer to the question of "Am I saved?" is yes, but you still wrestle withholding on to resentment and burning with anger, I have a few final words of encouragementfor you.You may have dug yourself into a pit of your own making.You keep digging and digging and digging with obsessive thoughts, unkind words, and stubbornness.But please listen to me.You only need to stay in that hole as long as you want to.Nothing and no one is keeping you there besides yourself.If you want to get to a better place, get over yourself and admit your neediness.Admit that you need God's help.Find yourself the truth instead of buying into your own lies.You should hold no grudges because God holds no grudges against you.You have nothing to prove to anyone because Jesus Christ already approves of you.You have no reason to repay evil for evil because the Bible says that vengeance belongsto the Lord.You have no defense for your hatred because you have received the greatest love imaginable.Let's spend some time with the Lord in prayer.Please close your eyes and bow your heads.Use this time to confess your sin to the Lord.To acknowledge how much you need Him to change.Stop putting on a show and be honest with your Father because He already knows whatyou're struggling with.The first step in finding a solution to your problem is admitting that you even have aproblem.Don't worry about what's for lunch.Don't worry about your busy day tomorrow, how your kids are doing in the back.Do business with God.Father, we come before you to confess our sin.Lord, all of us struggle with this in some way at some level, whether we want to admitit or not.And Lord, if there is someone in this room who doesn't know you, Lord, I pray that todaywould be the day of salvation.Today would be the day where they run to you and ask for forgiveness for the very firsttime.For the rest of us, Lord, would help us to recognize that we are already forgiven ofour hatred, that the eternal penalty for our sin has been taken away.But Lord, we are called to love you so much that we must hate our sin.Lord, help us to hate how we sin against you rather than hate others.Where we ask for your power, we ask for your strength to grow, to mature.I pray that we'd walk out of this room as lighter people after giving you the burdenof our hatred and anger.I ask all this in Jesus' name.Amen.

Send us a textGood morning! Thank you for taking a few minutes to listen. If you are interested in the Daily Bible Devotional, you can find it at the links below:Amazon - (paperback, hardcover, and Kindle)Spiritbuilding.com - (premium quality paperback)Youtube Video Introducing the ContentFeel free to reach out with any questions: emersonk78@me.comJohn 17 This is one of the most beautiful chapters in all of scripture. It documents a prayer offered by Jesus while He is with His Apostles. Jesus speaks of all things leading back to the Father. Whatever glory and authority Jesus has, He uses it to turn all attention to the Father and His gift of eternal life. Jesus committed his life to accomplishing the will of the Father. Jesus is soon to depart, and He prays that God will keep the disciples in the faith and unified with one another. Jesus asks for God to keep them from the evil one and to sanctify them in the truth. Jesus then prays for all believers that they may be one, perfected in unity, striving together in the love of God.  The most striking aspect of this prayer is the incredible humility of Jesus. He defers all glory to His Father, addressing Him as holy and righteous. All that Jesus has been gifted to do is used to turn the world toward the Father. This is a lesson that should live on in us. We are agents for God, and all the glory and authority we have is to direct people back to Him. Jesus then prays fervently concerning His disciples. He prays for their unity, and their strength, and that they live in sanctity and love. If we are genuinely interested in honoring the Father in this life, we must invest ourselves in the strength and unity of fellow believers.  Holy and righteous Father, You are worthy of all praise and glory. Even Jesus, the Savior of the world, gives honor to You. Great God, demand of us the service and loyalty that You deserve. In You is eternal life, and we devote our lives to service and gratitude for this incredible gift. Father, Your Son has taught us to love one another. Unity among Christians was the Savior's prayer, and we make it ours as well. Please help us overcome the issues and attitudes that divide us. Sanctify us together in truth and keep us from the evil one.   Thought Questions: -       Jesus knew His death was coming, and He welcomed it to honor God. How will you be like Him when difficult times come?  -       Jesus prayed that God would protect His friends from Satan. Who will you ask God to protect from the enemy today? -       Why do you think there is so much division among God's people? How can Jesus' prayer for unity help us all?  

Recorded on 4.29.25.A life of ministry can bring demands. How do I know the line between burnout and just being tired? Is burnout a real thing in ministry? We never really see the Apostle Paul addressing his "burn out." Jesus shows us how to stay fresh and has everything to do with being with His Father. Great Convo with Hector and the "Pastor Homie" about fighting burn out, staying faithful, and looking to Jesus.

Experience the intensity of Jesus' righteous anger as He clears the temple, revealing the true purpose of God’s sacred space.In this episode, Jesus arrives in Jerusalem and finds the temple overrun with merchants and money changers. Driven by a fierce zeal for His Father's house, He cleanses the temple, reminding everyone that God's house is meant to be a place of prayer and worship, not a marketplace.Today's Bible verse is Psalm 69:9, from the King James Version.Download the Pray.com app for more Christian content including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Pray.com is the digital destination for faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bible Reading: Luke 6:27-36; Romans 5:6-8Max strung out a long piece of cheese and took a bite of his pepperoni pizza. He loved this restaurant--it had tons of fun games. This would've been the best day ever except for the mean kid."Mom, see that tall kid over there with red hair? When I was shooting hoops, he shoved me and stole my tickets out of the game."His mother frowned. "That wasn't very nice.""I know." Max picked at his food. "I feel like punching him in the face.""Now, Max, you know that's not how we treat people," said Mom. "The Bible tells us to love our enemies.""But he's mean!" said Max."Do you realize that people were mean to Jesus too?" asked Mom. "The Bible says we were all enemies of God at one time, but Jesus willingly suffered and died for our sins so we could be forgiven and become God's friends."Max took a bite of his pizza and glanced at the boy. "I think I'm gonna play some games with the rest of my tokens.""Okay, but you don't have much time. We need to leave in ten minutes to pick up Grandma from the airport."Max headed for the race car game where he ran into a friend from school. "Hey, Jacob. What are you doing here?""I'm gonna play this racing game." Jacob jumped in the seat and slid a token into the slot. "I bet I can beat you.""No way." Max smiled as he took a seat behind the wheel.After a couple rounds with Jacob, Mom called to him. "Max, it's time to go!"He looked down at the coins in his hand. He still had five left. For a moment he considered giving them to Jacob. Then he remembered what his mother had said."I gotta go," he told Jacob. He jogged over to the guitar game where the red-haired boy stood in front of the screen."Here." Max held out his coins. "These are for you."The boy's mouth dropped open as Max handed over the tokens. "Why would you give me these?" he asked. Max shrugged. "I thought you could use them." Then he smiled and went to find his mom.–Annika Klanderud How About You?Is it hard for you to be kind to mean people? If somebody teases you, do you hope they get in trouble? People often describe Jesus as kind, merciful, and forgiving. But the amazing thing is, He's kind to bullies, cheaters, and people who break all the rules. While dying on the cross, He even asked His Father to forgive His murderers. Now that's an exceptional love--and He wants you to show that love to others.Today's Key Verse:Love your enemies! Do good to them…for [God] is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. (NLT) (Luke 6:35)Today's Key Thought:Love others like Jesus

Passages - that's how one author described life's major points of transition where you are moving from one life-stage to another. I remember when our daughter and son-in-law were in one of those passages. They were going to have their first child. Actually, as our daughter experienced all the morning sickness, and afternoon sickness, and evening sickness, and as she experienced the impact of pregnancy on her body, it brought about some tender moments between her and her Mom. My daughter got real soft and she said to my wife, "Mom, I don't know how to thank you." Her Mom wasn't sure what she had done to be thanked for. Actually, it was something a long time ago. Our daughter said, "Mom, I really want to thank you because I never realized what you went through for me." Well, then there was a lot of hugging. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Realizing What You Cost." It does something to a relationship when you suddenly realize what that person has gone through for you. In fact, when it comes to life's most important relationship - a relationship with God - that realization may actually be what starts your God-relationship. Our son-in-law once met a man on a plane, and the man told him about growing up in a Christian church, but deciding that what he heard wasn't for him. He related his years of sampling a lot of spiritual experiences and beliefs on the spirituality buffet. But none of them satisfied the yearning in his heart. Then one day he visited the church of his childhood; he saw a cross up front. He said, "You know, I had seen that cross hundreds of times. But something powerful happened that day, because I saw it again for the first time in many years. Suddenly, I was overcome with emotion as I looked at that cross and I found myself saying two words, 'For me.'" Finally, he realized what Jesus went through was for him, and he was ready to embrace Jesus as his Savior. One Biblical writer - a man who had once bitterly opposed Christianity - writes in our word for today from the Word of God what captured his heart. It's in Galatians 2:20 - "I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me." There are those two words again, "for me." I wonder, have you ever in your heart stood at the cross of Jesus, and said those two life-changing, eternity-deciding words, "For me. Jesus, what You are doing on that cross is for me." After years of hearing about the cross, knowing about the cross, it finally hits you; some of those sins Jesus died for are the sins you've done. My daughter's relationship with her mother deepened when she realized what her mother went through for her. Your relationship with God begins when you realize what the Son of God went through for you. Remember, this is the Son of God - the One who created every galaxy, who made the tree He was dying on, who made the soldiers who nailed Him there. He chose to die there for you. The thorns jammed into His head, the spikes driven into His hands, into His feet, the spear rammed into His side - for you. But much more, Jesus was absorbing all the guilt and all the degradation of your sin; this One who had never sinned in His life. He was taking all the eternal agony of a hell you and I deserve, cut off from His Father so you would never have to be. Maybe this is your "for me" day. "The Son of God loved me and gave Himself for me." Isn't it time you gave yourself to Him? If you want to begin this relationship with Jesus, tell Him that right now. Stand there at Jesus' cross. Look at what He went through for you. Let me encourage you to just go to our website as soon as you can today and let me walk you through exactly how to be sure you really do belong to Him. It's ANewStory.com. When you stand at that cross in your mind, you'll realize how very much God loves you and how very urgent it is that you belong to Him, and why God is never going to forget what you do with His Son.

Send us a textGood morning! Thank you for taking a few minutes to listen. If you are interested in the Daily Bible Devotional, you can find it at the links below:Amazon - (paperback, hardcover, and Kindle)Spiritbuilding.com - (premium quality paperback)Youtube Video Introducing the ContentFeel free to reach out with any questions: emersonk78@me.comJohn 8 Jesus is teaching in the temple when Jewish leaders bring Him a woman who has been caught in adultery. They ask Him what should be done to her. He asks the one who has no sin to cast the first stone. Slowly, all the men leave. He then explains there is no testimony against her and sends her away, telling her to “sin no more.” This opens a discussion about testimony concerning Jesus, including His own words and works, along with the prophecy and proclamations of His Father. He teaches eternal life with the Father and that unbelievers will die in their sins for the devil is their father! The men try to claim Abraham as their father, but Jesus enrages them when He says, “Before Abraham was, I am”. Things are heating up between Jesus and the Jewish leaders. He is teaching in their temple and embarrassing them with His wisdom. In the case of the adulterous women, the men's motives are faulty, and they leave in shame. But the guilty woman is given a pardon by the mercy of the Lord. Jesus has proven His glory and His right to be obeyed, and those who will not believe will die in their sins. To claim God as Father is to follow Jesus. We must understand this. To follow the world is to have the devil as our father. We belong to whomever we follow. Jesus existed before all men, is glorified as holy, and is worthy to be praised.  Kind Father, we know You show mercy to those who are sorrowful for their sins. Like the adulterous woman told to sin no more, we call upon your grace to free us from our sins, and we vow to pursue holiness. We acknowledge Your Son as the Light of the world, and the One who was lifted up to save us from sin and darkness. He is eternal and He is holy, and reverence to You is shown through belief in Jesus and obeying His teachings. We commit to Him as our Guide and to You as our only Father.  Thought Questions: -       Beyond the fact that all witnesses left, why did Jesus send the adulterous woman away unpunished? What does that say about Him? -       Jesus said you must continue in His word to be set free from sin. How are you making it a priority to continue in His word? -       Can God be your Father if He is not allowed to control your life? Why must you trust and follow Jesus to have God as your Father?    

Why do I still struggle with sin? Might I end up losing my salvation? Does Hebrews 3 really teach believers to hang on for dear life? What do Seventh-Day Adventists believe? Why did Jesus ask His Father about forsaking Him? Don't I need to ask for forgiveness after each sin so God won't judge me or punish me?

Send us a textGood morning! Thank you for taking a few minutes to listen. If you are interested in the Daily Bible Devotional, you can find it at the links below:Amazon - (paperback, hardcover, and Kindle)Spiritbuilding.com - (premium quality paperback)Youtube Video Introducing the ContentFeel free to reach out with any questions: emersonk78@me.comJohn 7 Jesus' unbelieving brothers encourage Him to go to Jerusalem and publicly work miracles. Jesus refuses and later goes up more privately, and He eventually enters the temple and teaches the people. He gives all glory to His Father for His words of wisdom. Though many believed in Jesus when He acknowledged having come from the Father, many Jewish leaders sought to kill Him. Jesus makes a series of beautiful claims. He is soon to return to His Father. All who come to Him with spiritual thirst will be gifted a flowing river of living water. Those who believe in Him will be given the Holy Spirit. These messages divide the crowd. Some proclaim Him as the Christ, but the Pharisees will not believe and become even more angry.  Even Jesus' brothers had doubts about Him before His resurrection from the dead. Jesus continues to be patient with them and with all His disciples in His teaching. He is also insistent that He has come from the Father, and He has all authority to teach and would be returning to the Father. The kingdom would leave no middle ground for disciples to believe in His blessing without also trusting in His Lordship. Jesus will come and take us home with Him. He will fill us with eternal life and the Holy Spirit. But there cannot be doubt within us. We must confidently assert Him to be “the Prophet” and “the Christ”, even in the face of those who reject Him.  God of Grace, You have shown Your deep love for us in sending Jesus to guide us back to You. Thank You for His ministry, His wisdom, and the undeniable proofs of His Sonship. So many will not believe in Him. So many are inconsistent in their willingness to obey Him. We pray for the resolve to put our lives in the hands of the Prophet and to surrender to Him as the Christ. Please fill us with salvation from Your Holy Spirit. We also ask for boldness to always defend Your honor and to invite others to surrender to Jesus. Thought Questions: -       Many hated Jesus because He exposed their sinful deeds to be evil. Do you also have to see sin as evil to be a follower of Jesus? -       Jesus always redirected glory away from Himself and to the Father. In what ways should we be openly redirecting all praise to God?   -       The Pharisees rejected all testimony about Jesus. What leads hearts to be that hard to truth, and how do you avoid that same fate?

Part two of the spring 2025 installment of Unearthed! features the potpourri category, plus drones/radar/lidar, books and letters, animals, edibles and potables, shipwrecks, swords (sort of) and cats. Research: Roque, Nika. “Maria Orosa, fellow World War II heroes laid to rest at San Agustin Church.” GMA Integrated News. 2/14/2025. https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/936107/maria-orosa-fellow-world-war-ii-heroes-laid-to-rest-at-san-agustin-church/story/ Adam, David. “Does a new genetic analysis finally reveal the identity of Jack the Ripper?” Science. 3/15/2019. https://www.science.org/content/article/does-new-genetic-analysis-finally-reveal-identity-jack-ripper Jeffries, Ella. “These Everyday Artifacts Tell the Story of Harriet Tubman’s Father’s Home as Climate Change Threatens the Historic Site.” Smithsonian Magazine. 3/14/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-everyday-artifacts-tell-the-story-of-harriet-tubmans-fathers-home-as-climate-change-threatens-historic-site-as-climate-change-180986204/ The History Blog. “Lavish private baths found in Pompeii villa.” 1/18/2025. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/72199 Balmer, Crispian. “Rare frescoes unearthed in Pompeii shed light on ancient rituals.” Reuters. 2/26/2025. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/rare-frescoes-unearthed-pompeii-shed-light-ancient-rituals-2025-02-26/ Lawler, Daniel. “How did this man's brain turn to glass? Scientists have a theory.” Phys.org. 2/27/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-brain-glass-scientists-theory.html The History Blog. “Footprints fleeing Bronze Age eruption of Vesuvius found.” 1/31/2025. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/72318 net. “Archaeologists Identify ‘Lost’ Anglo-Saxon Site Depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry.” 1/2025. https://www.medievalists.net/2025/01/archaeologists-identify-lost-anglo-saxon-site-depicted-in-the-bayeux-tapestry/ Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “Fragment of Epic Medieval Bayeux Tapestry Rediscovered in Germany.” Artnet. 3/5/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/bayeux-tapestry-fragment-rediscovered-in-germany-2615620 Schrader, Adam. “Is There Graffiti of a Legendary Film Star Under the Lincoln Memorial?.” Artnet. 2/23/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/graffiti-of-a-legendary-film-star-under-the-lincoln-memorial-2611242 National Museums Northern Ireland. “Further research Suggests Remains Found in Bellaghy Likely to be Female.” https://www.nationalmuseumsni.org/news/ballymacombs-more-woman Boucher, Brian. “Who Owned This Fabulous Hoard of Viking Treasure? A New Translation Offers a Clue.” ArtNet. 2/21/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/galloway-hoard-communal-wealth-translated-inscription-2611850 Randall, Kayla. “Josephine Baker’s Memoir Is Now Being Published for the First Time in English.” Smithsonian. 3/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/josephine-baker-memoir-now-published-first-time-english-180985963/ Anderson, Sonja. “Archaeologists Discover Intricately Decorated Tomb Belonging to a Doctor Who Treated Egyptian Pharaohs 4,100 Years Ago.” Smithsonian. 1/10/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-intricately-decorated-tomb-belonging-to-a-doctor-who-treated-egyptian-pharaohs-4100-years-ago-180985788/ University of Vienna. “Analysis of skull from Ephesos confirms it is not Cleopatra's sister.” 1/10/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-analysis-skull-ephesos-cleopatra-sister.html Weber, G.W., Šimková, P.G., Fernandes, D. et al. The cranium from the Octagon in Ephesos. Sci Rep 15, 943 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-83870-x Ferguson, Donna. “Archaeologists discover 3,500 year-old tomb of ‘missing pharaoh’ in Egypt.” The Guardian. 1/19/2025. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/19/first-new-pharaohs-tomb-to-be-found-in-over-a-century-discovered-in-egypt Ferguson, Donna. “‘You dream about such things’: Brit who discovered missing pharaoh’s tomb may have unearthed another.” The Guardian. 2/22/2025. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/feb/22/you-dream-about-such-things-brit-who-discovered-missing-pharaohs-tomb-may-have-unearthed-another State Information Service. “New Discoveries illuminate the Legacy of Queen Hatshepsut’s Temple in Luxor.” 1/8/2025. https://www.sis.gov.eg/Story/204116/New-Discoveries-illuminate-the-Legacy-of-Queen-Hatshepsut%E2%80%99s-Temple-in-Luxor?lang=en-us Lynch, Cherise. “Penn Museum, Egyptian archaeologists discover tomb of unnamed pharaoh.” 3/27/2025. https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/penn-museum-egypt-unnamed-pharaoh/4145053/ Melly, Brian. “The scent of the mummy. Research discovers ancient Egyptian remains smell nice.” Phys.org. 2/16/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-scent-mummy-ancient-egyptian-nice.html Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “Suitcase Belonging to King Tut Tomb Explorer Sells for More Than 11 Times Its Estimate.” ArtNet. 2/28/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/howard-carter-suitcase-king-tut-2612417 Erb-Satullo, Nathaniel L. et al. “Mega-Fortresses in the South Caucasus: New Data from Southern Georgia.” Antiquity 99.403 (2025): 150–169. Web. Cranfield University. “Drone mapping unveils 3,000-year-old fortress, reshaping ancient history.” Phys.org. 1/8/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-drone-unveils-year-fortress-reshaping.html Randall, Ian. “Sprawling Lost City From 600 Years Ago Revealed.” 1/30/2025. https://www.newsweek.com/lost-city-mexico-guiengola-zapotec-forest-lidar-archaeology-2023494 Anderson, Sonja. “Researchers Have Found an Inca Tunnel Beneath the Peruvian City of Cusco.” Smithsonian. 1/21/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-have-found-an-inca-tunnel-beneath-the-Peruvian-city-of-cusco-180985872/ Politecnico di Milano. “Ground-penetrating radar reveals new secrets under Milan's Sforza Castle.” EurekAlert. 1/14/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1070514 Schrader, Adam. “Rare 19th-Century Painting by Beloved Black Artist Found in a Thrift Store.” Artnet. 1/6/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/william-henry-dorsey-thrift-store-painting-2595107 Kinsella, Eileen. “Unique 19th-Century Double-Sided Portrait by American Folk Art Icon Resurfaces.” Artnet. 1/6/2025. https://news.artnet.com/market/ammi-phillips-double-portrait-rediscovered-christies-2595027 Whiddington, Richard. “A Famed Painting of Venice’s Grand Canal Is Reattributed to a Precocious 16-Year-Old.” ArtNet. 3/11/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/a-grand-canal-painting-bellotto-wallace-collection-2618974 Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “Lavinia Fontana’s Lost Miniature Resurfaces at Texas Auction.” 1/20/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/miniature-portrait-lavinia-fontana-2599828 Wizevich, Eli. “Expert Rediscovers Painting by Renaissance Master Lavinia Fontana, One of the First Professional Female Artists.” Smithsonian. 3/26/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/experts-rediscover-painting-by-renaissance-master-lavinia-fontana-one-of-the-first-professional-female-artists-180986307/ The Collector. “Digitization Reveals Cathedral’s Hidden Medieval Wall Paintings.” https://www.thecollector.com/digitization-reveals-hidden-medieval-wall-paintings/ The History Blog. “Hidden 13th c. murals of Angers Cathedral documented for the 1st time.” 1/14/2025. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/72156 Almeroth-Williams, Tom. “Islamic ‘altar tent’ discovery.” University of Cambridge. https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/islamic-altar-tent Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “Van Gogh Museum Rules $50 Garage Sale Painting Is Not a $15 Million Masterpiece.” Artnet. 1/29/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/van-gogh-lmi-group-2602847 Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “$50 Van Gogh? Experts Say No, Offering Alternative Attribution in Dramatic Art Dispute.” ArtNet. 2/3/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/van-gogh-lmi-henning-elimar-attribution-2604921 The History Blog. “Hellenistic era statue found in garbage bag.” 2/5/2025. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/72363 Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “18th-Century Drawing Rescued From a Dumpster Shatters Estimates at Auction.” Artnet. 3/14/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/how-did-this-18th-century-english-drawing-end-up-in-a-new-york-dumpster-2611654 “Police, art sleuth crack case of Brueghel stolen in Poland in 1974. 3/3/2025. https://www.rfi.fr/en/international-news/20250303-police-art-sleuth-crack-case-of-brueghel-stolen-in-poland-in-1974 Jeffries, Ella. “Eagle-Eyed Experts Say They’ve Solved the Mystery of a Missing Masterpiece—Half a Century After It Was Stolen.” Smithsonian. 3/5/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/eagle-eyed-experts-say-theyve-solved-the-mystery-of-a-missing-masterpiece-half-a-century-after-it-was-stolen-180986157/ Heritage UK. “Could This Mysterious Portrait Be Lady Jane Grey?” 3/7/2025. https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/about/search-news/could-this-mysterious-portrait-be-lady-jane-grey/ Archaeology Magazine. “Ancient Greek Statues Smelled of Perfume.” https://archaeology.org/news/2025/03/17/ancient-greek-statues-smelled-of-perfume/ Kuta, Sarah. “Man Finds Rare Trove of Winnie-the-Pooh Drawings and Manuscripts in His Father’s Attic.” Smithsonian. 1/28/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/man-finds-rare-trove-of-winnie-the-pooh-drawings-and-manuscripts-in-his-fathers-attic-180985907/ Leiden University. “Keyhole surgery on old books leads to discovery of medieval fragments.” Phys.org. 1/13/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-keyhole-surgery-discovery-medieval-fragments.html Killgrove, Kristina. “Curse tablet found in Roman-era grave in France targets enemies by invoking Mars, the god of war.” 1/15/2025. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/curse-tablet-found-in-roman-era-grave-in-france-targets-enemies-by-invoking-mars-the-god-of-war Wells, Robert. “Ancient artifacts unearthed in Iraq shed light on hidden history of Mesopotamia.” EurekAlert. 1/14/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1070460 net. “Earliest Known Rune-Stone Discovered in Norway.” https://www.medievalists.net/2025/02/earliest-known-rune-stone-discovered-in-norway/ Archaeology Magazine. “Oldest Example of Writing in Northern Iberia.” 1/25/2025. https://archaeology.org/news/2025/02/25/oldest-example-of-writing-in-northern-iberia/ Whiddington, Richard. “Century-Old Bottle Turns Up Behind a Historic Theater Stage—With a Sealed Note.” Artnet. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/century-old-bottle-discovered-in-kings-theatre-2615505 University of Oxford. “Researcher uncovers hidden copy of Shakespeare sonnet.” Phys.org. 3/3/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-uncovers-hidden-shakespeare-sonnet.html net. “Over 110,000 Medieval Manuscripts May Have Been Copied by Women.” https://www.medievalists.net/2025/03/110000-medieval-manuscripts-women/ Ommundsen, Å., Conti, A.K., Haaland, Ø.A. et al. How many medieval and early modern manuscripts were copied by female scribes? A bibliometric analysis based on colophons. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 12, 346 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04666-6 Pacillo, Lara. “Paleolithic ingenuity: 13,000-year-old 3D map discovered in France.” Phys.org. 1/14/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-paleolithic-ingenuity-year-3d-france.html Oster, Sandee. “Archaeologists reveal 8,000-year-old bone powder cooking practice in ancient China.” Phys.org. 1/15/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-archaeologists-reveal-year-bone-powder.html “Dried plants 19th-century Australian colonial institution indicate secret, illicit snacking among residents.” Phys.org. 1/21/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-dried-19th-century-australian-colonial.html Connor, Kimberley. “History under the floorboards: Decoding the diets of institutionalized women in 19th century Sydney.” Phys.org. 1/22/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-history-floorboards-decoding-diets-institutionalized.html#google_vignette The History Blog. “Earliest distilled liquor in China found in owl vessel.” 1/22/2025. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/72239 Naiden, Alena. “An ancient Dene cache discovered at JBER highlights Anchorage’s Indigenous history.” Alaska Public Radio. 1/22/2025. https://alaskapublic.org/news/alaska-desk/2025-01-22/an-ancient-dene-cache-discovered-at-jber-highlights-anchorages-indigenous-history Kuta, Sarah. “This 1,600-Year-Old Filter Helped Ancient Drinkers Sip Beverages Through a Straw.” Smithsonian. 1/20/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-1600-year-old-filter-helped-ancient-drinkers-sip-beverages-through-a-straw-180986073/ Archaeology Magazine. “Study Finds Evidence of Early Alcoholic Drinks in Brazil.” 2/18/2025. https://archaeology.org/news/2025/02/18/study-finds-evidence-of-early-alcoholic-drinks-in-brazil/ University of York. “The early roots of Carnival? Research reveals evidence of seasonal celebrations in pre-colonial Brazil.” 5/2/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-early-roots-carnival-reveals-evidence.html net. “Medieval Birds of Prey Feasted on Human Waste, Study Finds.” https://www.medievalists.net/2025/01/medieval-birds-of-prey-feasted-on-human-waste-study-finds/ Autonomous University of Barcelona. “Iberian Neolithic herders were already strategically managing cattle herds 6,000 years ago.” 2/3/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-iberian-neolithic-herders-strategically-cattle.html Kuta, Sarah. “Mammoth Bones Used to Build Mysterious 25,000-Year-Old Site in Russia Came From Different Herds.” 2/3/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mammoth-bones-used-to-build-mysterious-25000-year-old-site-in-russia-came-from-different-herds-180985977/ Vrak Museum of Wrecks. “Oldest Carvel-built Ship from the Nordic Countries Discovered.” 2/21/2025. https://www.vrak.se/en/news/oldest-carvel-built-ship-in-nordics-found/ Archaeology Magazine. “Brazilian Ship Struck by WWII U-Boat Located.” 2/19/2025. https://archaeology.org/news/2025/02/19/brazilian-ship-sunk-by-wwii-u-boat-located/ Kuta, Sarah. “Warship Sunk by the Nazis During World War II Located Off the Coast of Brazil.” Smithsonian. 2/5/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/warship-sunk-by-the-nazis-during-world-war-ii-located-off-the-coast-of-brazil-180985996/ Richmond, Todd. “Explorers discover wreckage of cargo ship that sank in Lake Superior storm more than 130 years ago.” Phys.org. 3/11/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-explorers-wreckage-cargo-ship-sank.html Wizevich, Eli. “Metal Detectorists Stumble Upon a Rare 2,000-Year-Old Roman Sword in Poland.” Smithsonian. 2/25/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/metal-detectorists-stumble-upon-a-rare-2000-year-old-roman-sword-in-poland-180986101/ Anderson, Sonja. “Archaeologists Unearth Early Medieval Sword Engraved With Mysterious Runes in a Cemetery in England.” Smithsonian. 1/6/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-early-medieval-sword-engraved-with-mysterious-runes-in-a-cemetery-in-england-180985768/ The History Blog. “Rare two-handed medieval sword, axes found in Poland.” 2/21/2025. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/72486 The History Blog. “1,000-year-old scabbard fitting found in Poland.” 3/26/2025. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/72759 Pare, Sascha. “Pet cats arrived in China via the Silk Road 1,400 years ago, ancient DNA study finds.” LiveScience. 3/9/2025. https://www.livescience.com/animals/domestic-cats/pet-cats-arrived-in-china-via-the-silk-road-1-400-years-ago-ancient-dna-study-finds Kuta, Sarah. “Staffers Find a Japanese Hand Grenade From World War II at a Museum in Kentucky.” Smithsonian. 1/27/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/staffers-find-a-japanese-hand-grenade-from-world-war-ii-at-a-museum-in-kentucky-180985885/ Dimacali, Timothy James. “Ancient seafarers in Southeast Asia may have built advanced boats 40,000 years ago.” Phys.org. 2/21/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-ancient-seafarers-southeast-asia-built.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send us a textGood morning! Thank you for taking a few minutes to listen. If you are interested in the Daily Bible Devotional, you can find it at the links below:Amazon - (paperback, hardcover, and Kindle)Spiritbuilding.com - (premium quality paperback)Youtube Video Introducing the ContentFeel free to reach out with any questions: emersonk78@me.comJohn 5 Jesus returns to Jerusalem and heals a man who has been lame for 38 years. The Jews begin to persecute Jesus for healing on the Sabbath day. Jesus responds by proclaiming that He is carrying out His Father's work. The leaders understand Jesus to be claiming a special relationship with God, so they seek to kill Him. Jesus claims to be sent by God and presents testimony to prove it. Firstly, the preaching of John the Baptist verifies the deity of Jesus. Secondly, the miracles of Jesus prove His heavenly power. Thirdly, the Old Testament scripture, including the teachings of Moses, prophesy concerning Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus has the authority to speak for God and He will be the final judge over all men on the last day! It must have been incredible to be healed by Jesus after 38 years of illness. Jesus levels a powerful message to the healed man: “Do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you.” Surely this man lived the rest of his days in faithfulness to God. The Jewish leaders were too busy arguing about Sabbath rules to see the amazing things Christ was doing. We must be like the healed man and not the Pharisees. We are healed from a life of sin by Jesus. And we are charged with faithfulness in His honor. Jesus has proven His power to save and direct us. If we stay humble, we will have compassion for everyone who needs Jesus.  Dear Father, before Jesus found us, we were burdened by sin and unable to stand justified on our own. But Your Son has saved us by His grace. Help us to live every day in thankfulness to Him. He has also directed us to flee from sin and honor His Lordship. Please teach us how to do those things joyfully. Strengthen us to have hearts of faith that believe the testimony about Jesus, and hearts that lovingly adore Him and care about others as much as He does. We will love Him and live in readiness for His return. Thought Questions: -       What has Jesus healed in you that was previously a heavy burden? Are you thankful enough to “not sin anymore” in His honor? -       Jesus provided testimony to prove His Lordship. What evidence would you provide to convince someone Jesus is God? -       Jesus is coming again in the final judgment. Are you ready for that day to come? How do you do your best to stay ready?

The first part of our springtime edition of Unearthed! for 2025 features so many updates! There are also finds related to Egypt and artwork. Research: Roque, Nika. “Maria Orosa, fellow World War II heroes laid to rest at San Agustin Church.” GMA Integrated News. 2/14/2025. https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/936107/maria-orosa-fellow-world-war-ii-heroes-laid-to-rest-at-san-agustin-church/story/ Adam, David. “Does a new genetic analysis finally reveal the identity of Jack the Ripper?” Science. 3/15/2019. https://www.science.org/content/article/does-new-genetic-analysis-finally-reveal-identity-jack-ripper Jeffries, Ella. “These Everyday Artifacts Tell the Story of Harriet Tubman’s Father’s Home as Climate Change Threatens the Historic Site.” Smithsonian Magazine. 3/14/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-everyday-artifacts-tell-the-story-of-harriet-tubmans-fathers-home-as-climate-change-threatens-historic-site-as-climate-change-180986204/ The History Blog. “Lavish private baths found in Pompeii villa.” 1/18/2025. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/72199 Balmer, Crispian. “Rare frescoes unearthed in Pompeii shed light on ancient rituals.” Reuters. 2/26/2025. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/rare-frescoes-unearthed-pompeii-shed-light-ancient-rituals-2025-02-26/ Lawler, Daniel. “How did this man's brain turn to glass? Scientists have a theory.” Phys.org. 2/27/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-brain-glass-scientists-theory.html The History Blog. “Footprints fleeing Bronze Age eruption of Vesuvius found.” 1/31/2025. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/72318 net. “Archaeologists Identify ‘Lost’ Anglo-Saxon Site Depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry.” 1/2025. https://www.medievalists.net/2025/01/archaeologists-identify-lost-anglo-saxon-site-depicted-in-the-bayeux-tapestry/ Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “Fragment of Epic Medieval Bayeux Tapestry Rediscovered in Germany.” Artnet. 3/5/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/bayeux-tapestry-fragment-rediscovered-in-germany-2615620 Schrader, Adam. “Is There Graffiti of a Legendary Film Star Under the Lincoln Memorial?.” Artnet. 2/23/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/graffiti-of-a-legendary-film-star-under-the-lincoln-memorial-2611242 National Museums Northern Ireland. “Further research Suggests Remains Found in Bellaghy Likely to be Female.” https://www.nationalmuseumsni.org/news/ballymacombs-more-woman Boucher, Brian. “Who Owned This Fabulous Hoard of Viking Treasure? A New Translation Offers a Clue.” ArtNet. 2/21/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/galloway-hoard-communal-wealth-translated-inscription-2611850 Randall, Kayla. “Josephine Baker’s Memoir Is Now Being Published for the First Time in English.” Smithsonian. 3/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/josephine-baker-memoir-now-published-first-time-english-180985963/ Anderson, Sonja. “Archaeologists Discover Intricately Decorated Tomb Belonging to a Doctor Who Treated Egyptian Pharaohs 4,100 Years Ago.” Smithsonian. 1/10/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-intricately-decorated-tomb-belonging-to-a-doctor-who-treated-egyptian-pharaohs-4100-years-ago-180985788/ University of Vienna. “Analysis of skull from Ephesos confirms it is not Cleopatra's sister.” 1/10/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-analysis-skull-ephesos-cleopatra-sister.html Weber, G.W., Šimková, P.G., Fernandes, D. et al. The cranium from the Octagon in Ephesos. Sci Rep 15, 943 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-83870-x Ferguson, Donna. “Archaeologists discover 3,500 year-old tomb of ‘missing pharaoh’ in Egypt.” The Guardian. 1/19/2025. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/19/first-new-pharaohs-tomb-to-be-found-in-over-a-century-discovered-in-egypt Ferguson, Donna. “‘You dream about such things’: Brit who discovered missing pharaoh’s tomb may have unearthed another.” The Guardian. 2/22/2025. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/feb/22/you-dream-about-such-things-brit-who-discovered-missing-pharaohs-tomb-may-have-unearthed-another State Information Service. “New Discoveries illuminate the Legacy of Queen Hatshepsut’s Temple in Luxor.” 1/8/2025. https://www.sis.gov.eg/Story/204116/New-Discoveries-illuminate-the-Legacy-of-Queen-Hatshepsut%E2%80%99s-Temple-in-Luxor?lang=en-us Lynch, Cherise. “Penn Museum, Egyptian archaeologists discover tomb of unnamed pharaoh.” 3/27/2025. https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/penn-museum-egypt-unnamed-pharaoh/4145053/ Melly, Brian. “The scent of the mummy. Research discovers ancient Egyptian remains smell nice.” Phys.org. 2/16/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-scent-mummy-ancient-egyptian-nice.html Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “Suitcase Belonging to King Tut Tomb Explorer Sells for More Than 11 Times Its Estimate.” ArtNet. 2/28/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/howard-carter-suitcase-king-tut-2612417 Erb-Satullo, Nathaniel L. et al. “Mega-Fortresses in the South Caucasus: New Data from Southern Georgia.” Antiquity 99.403 (2025): 150–169. Web. Cranfield University. “Drone mapping unveils 3,000-year-old fortress, reshaping ancient history.” Phys.org. 1/8/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-drone-unveils-year-fortress-reshaping.html Randall, Ian. “Sprawling Lost City From 600 Years Ago Revealed.” 1/30/2025. https://www.newsweek.com/lost-city-mexico-guiengola-zapotec-forest-lidar-archaeology-2023494 Anderson, Sonja. “Researchers Have Found an Inca Tunnel Beneath the Peruvian City of Cusco.” Smithsonian. 1/21/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-have-found-an-inca-tunnel-beneath-the-Peruvian-city-of-cusco-180985872/ Politecnico di Milano. “Ground-penetrating radar reveals new secrets under Milan's Sforza Castle.” EurekAlert. 1/14/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1070514 Schrader, Adam. “Rare 19th-Century Painting by Beloved Black Artist Found in a Thrift Store.” Artnet. 1/6/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/william-henry-dorsey-thrift-store-painting-2595107 Kinsella, Eileen. “Unique 19th-Century Double-Sided Portrait by American Folk Art Icon Resurfaces.” Artnet. 1/6/2025. https://news.artnet.com/market/ammi-phillips-double-portrait-rediscovered-christies-2595027 Whiddington, Richard. “A Famed Painting of Venice’s Grand Canal Is Reattributed to a Precocious 16-Year-Old.” ArtNet. 3/11/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/a-grand-canal-painting-bellotto-wallace-collection-2618974 Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “Lavinia Fontana’s Lost Miniature Resurfaces at Texas Auction.” 1/20/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/miniature-portrait-lavinia-fontana-2599828 Wizevich, Eli. “Expert Rediscovers Painting by Renaissance Master Lavinia Fontana, One of the First Professional Female Artists.” Smithsonian. 3/26/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/experts-rediscover-painting-by-renaissance-master-lavinia-fontana-one-of-the-first-professional-female-artists-180986307/ The Collector. “Digitization Reveals Cathedral’s Hidden Medieval Wall Paintings.” https://www.thecollector.com/digitization-reveals-hidden-medieval-wall-paintings/ The History Blog. “Hidden 13th c. murals of Angers Cathedral documented for the 1st time.” 1/14/2025. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/72156 Almeroth-Williams, Tom. “Islamic ‘altar tent’ discovery.” University of Cambridge. https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/islamic-altar-tent Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “Van Gogh Museum Rules $50 Garage Sale Painting Is Not a $15 Million Masterpiece.” Artnet. 1/29/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/van-gogh-lmi-group-2602847 Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “$50 Van Gogh? Experts Say No, Offering Alternative Attribution in Dramatic Art Dispute.” ArtNet. 2/3/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/van-gogh-lmi-henning-elimar-attribution-2604921 The History Blog. “Hellenistic era statue found in garbage bag.” 2/5/2025. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/72363 Lawson-Tancred, Jo. “18th-Century Drawing Rescued From a Dumpster Shatters Estimates at Auction.” Artnet. 3/14/2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/how-did-this-18th-century-english-drawing-end-up-in-a-new-york-dumpster-2611654 “Police, art sleuth crack case of Brueghel stolen in Poland in 1974. 3/3/2025. https://www.rfi.fr/en/international-news/20250303-police-art-sleuth-crack-case-of-brueghel-stolen-in-poland-in-1974 Jeffries, Ella. “Eagle-Eyed Experts Say They’ve Solved the Mystery of a Missing Masterpiece—Half a Century After It Was Stolen.” Smithsonian. 3/5/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/eagle-eyed-experts-say-theyve-solved-the-mystery-of-a-missing-masterpiece-half-a-century-after-it-was-stolen-180986157/ Heritage UK. “Could This Mysterious Portrait Be Lady Jane Grey?” 3/7/2025. https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/about/search-news/could-this-mysterious-portrait-be-lady-jane-grey/ Archaeology Magazine. “Ancient Greek Statues Smelled of Perfume.” https://archaeology.org/news/2025/03/17/ancient-greek-statues-smelled-of-perfume/ Kuta, Sarah. “Man Finds Rare Trove of Winnie-the-Pooh Drawings and Manuscripts in His Father’s Attic.” Smithsonian. 1/28/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/man-finds-rare-trove-of-winnie-the-pooh-drawings-and-manuscripts-in-his-fathers-attic-180985907/ Leiden University. “Keyhole surgery on old books leads to discovery of medieval fragments.” Phys.org. 1/13/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-keyhole-surgery-discovery-medieval-fragments.html Killgrove, Kristina. “Curse tablet found in Roman-era grave in France targets enemies by invoking Mars, the god of war.” 1/15/2025. https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/curse-tablet-found-in-roman-era-grave-in-france-targets-enemies-by-invoking-mars-the-god-of-war Wells, Robert. “Ancient artifacts unearthed in Iraq shed light on hidden history of Mesopotamia.” EurekAlert. 1/14/2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1070460 net. “Earliest Known Rune-Stone Discovered in Norway.” https://www.medievalists.net/2025/02/earliest-known-rune-stone-discovered-in-norway/ Archaeology Magazine. “Oldest Example of Writing in Northern Iberia.” 1/25/2025. https://archaeology.org/news/2025/02/25/oldest-example-of-writing-in-northern-iberia/ Whiddington, Richard. “Century-Old Bottle Turns Up Behind a Historic Theater Stage—With a Sealed Note.” Artnet. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/century-old-bottle-discovered-in-kings-theatre-2615505 University of Oxford. “Researcher uncovers hidden copy of Shakespeare sonnet.” Phys.org. 3/3/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-uncovers-hidden-shakespeare-sonnet.html net. “Over 110,000 Medieval Manuscripts May Have Been Copied by Women.” https://www.medievalists.net/2025/03/110000-medieval-manuscripts-women/ Ommundsen, Å., Conti, A.K., Haaland, Ø.A. et al. How many medieval and early modern manuscripts were copied by female scribes? A bibliometric analysis based on colophons. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 12, 346 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04666-6 Pacillo, Lara. “Paleolithic ingenuity: 13,000-year-old 3D map discovered in France.” Phys.org. 1/14/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-paleolithic-ingenuity-year-3d-france.html Oster, Sandee. “Archaeologists reveal 8,000-year-old bone powder cooking practice in ancient China.” Phys.org. 1/15/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-archaeologists-reveal-year-bone-powder.html “Dried plants 19th-century Australian colonial institution indicate secret, illicit snacking among residents.” Phys.org. 1/21/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-dried-19th-century-australian-colonial.html Connor, Kimberley. “History under the floorboards: Decoding the diets of institutionalized women in 19th century Sydney.” Phys.org. 1/22/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-history-floorboards-decoding-diets-institutionalized.html#google_vignette The History Blog. “Earliest distilled liquor in China found in owl vessel.” 1/22/2025. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/72239 Naiden, Alena. “An ancient Dene cache discovered at JBER highlights Anchorage’s Indigenous history.” Alaska Public Radio. 1/22/2025. https://alaskapublic.org/news/alaska-desk/2025-01-22/an-ancient-dene-cache-discovered-at-jber-highlights-anchorages-indigenous-history Kuta, Sarah. “This 1,600-Year-Old Filter Helped Ancient Drinkers Sip Beverages Through a Straw.” Smithsonian. 1/20/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-1600-year-old-filter-helped-ancient-drinkers-sip-beverages-through-a-straw-180986073/ Archaeology Magazine. “Study Finds Evidence of Early Alcoholic Drinks in Brazil.” 2/18/2025. https://archaeology.org/news/2025/02/18/study-finds-evidence-of-early-alcoholic-drinks-in-brazil/ University of York. “The early roots of Carnival? Research reveals evidence of seasonal celebrations in pre-colonial Brazil.” 5/2/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-early-roots-carnival-reveals-evidence.html net. “Medieval Birds of Prey Feasted on Human Waste, Study Finds.” https://www.medievalists.net/2025/01/medieval-birds-of-prey-feasted-on-human-waste-study-finds/ Autonomous University of Barcelona. “Iberian Neolithic herders were already strategically managing cattle herds 6,000 years ago.” 2/3/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-iberian-neolithic-herders-strategically-cattle.html Kuta, Sarah. “Mammoth Bones Used to Build Mysterious 25,000-Year-Old Site in Russia Came From Different Herds.” 2/3/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mammoth-bones-used-to-build-mysterious-25000-year-old-site-in-russia-came-from-different-herds-180985977/ Vrak Museum of Wrecks. “Oldest Carvel-built Ship from the Nordic Countries Discovered.” 2/21/2025. https://www.vrak.se/en/news/oldest-carvel-built-ship-in-nordics-found/ Archaeology Magazine. “Brazilian Ship Struck by WWII U-Boat Located.” 2/19/2025. https://archaeology.org/news/2025/02/19/brazilian-ship-sunk-by-wwii-u-boat-located/ Kuta, Sarah. “Warship Sunk by the Nazis During World War II Located Off the Coast of Brazil.” Smithsonian. 2/5/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/warship-sunk-by-the-nazis-during-world-war-ii-located-off-the-coast-of-brazil-180985996/ Richmond, Todd. “Explorers discover wreckage of cargo ship that sank in Lake Superior storm more than 130 years ago.” Phys.org. 3/11/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-explorers-wreckage-cargo-ship-sank.html Wizevich, Eli. “Metal Detectorists Stumble Upon a Rare 2,000-Year-Old Roman Sword in Poland.” Smithsonian. 2/25/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/metal-detectorists-stumble-upon-a-rare-2000-year-old-roman-sword-in-poland-180986101/ Anderson, Sonja. “Archaeologists Unearth Early Medieval Sword Engraved With Mysterious Runes in a Cemetery in England.” Smithsonian. 1/6/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-early-medieval-sword-engraved-with-mysterious-runes-in-a-cemetery-in-england-180985768/ The History Blog. “Rare two-handed medieval sword, axes found in Poland.” 2/21/2025. https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/72486 The History Blog. “1,000-year-old scabbard fitting found in Poland.” 3/26/2025. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/72759 Pare, Sascha. “Pet cats arrived in China via the Silk Road 1,400 years ago, ancient DNA study finds.” LiveScience. 3/9/2025. https://www.livescience.com/animals/domestic-cats/pet-cats-arrived-in-china-via-the-silk-road-1-400-years-ago-ancient-dna-study-finds Kuta, Sarah. “Staffers Find a Japanese Hand Grenade From World War II at a Museum in Kentucky.” Smithsonian. 1/27/2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/staffers-find-a-japanese-hand-grenade-from-world-war-ii-at-a-museum-in-kentucky-180985885/ Dimacali, Timothy James. “Ancient seafarers in Southeast Asia may have built advanced boats 40,000 years ago.” Phys.org. 2/21/2025. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-ancient-seafarers-southeast-asia-built.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.