Podcasts about his son jesus

Patrick Madrid takes on a question that a lot of Catholics wrestle with today... "Can I go to a wedding that’s not valid in the eyes of the Church?" Think: same-sex weddings, remarriages without annulments, Catholics marrying outside the Church, etc... Now, Patrick’s not into the “grin and bear it, go anyway for family unity” thing. His gold standard is St. John the Baptist, who literally lost his head rather than support an invalid marriage. But the heart of the episode? A powerful letter from a grandma to her granddaughter, explaining why she can't attend her wedding...not out of hate, but out of deep, eternal, radical LOVE. Let’s just say this is the kind of letter that leaves a mark. THE LETTER: Dear sweet granddaughter, I love you and that will never change. But part of loving you is caring more for your eternal soul than your perceived temporary happiness. I wouldn't be loving you the way Christ calls me to love you if I attend something that celebrates your open rebellion against God, which will lead to His wrath being brought down upon you. Colossians 3:6 says that because of things like sexual immorality, 'the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience.' I love you so much that I want you to be saved from God's wrath. Therefore, I can't participate in a celebration that demonstrates how you deserve it. You may not see this as love right now because I'm sure my words hurt. Do you remember the time you ran into the street as a child when cars were coming? I swept you up and spanked you as a reminder to not run into the street. You didn't like that at the time. It hurt you and you weren't real happy with me in that moment. You didn’t speak to me for a little while and that wasn’t easy on a grandmother’s heart. I know my actions didn't feel loving to you in that moment, but they were out of a deeper love for you than you could understand. The pain you experienced was meant to be a warning that if you run in the street you're going to die. Would it have been more loving to watch you run in the street just because you thought it was fun and gave you momentary happiness? Some will tell you that my absence at this ceremony is a lack of love and shows that I'm just judgmental. Nothing could be further from the truth. As painful as it will be for both of us, my absence is to communicate to you how MUCH I love you. I love you so much that I'm willing to sacrifice some aspects of our temporal relationship for your eternal well-being. The street you’re about to run into is far more deadly than the one you ran into that afternoon when you were a child. No one would've called me loving if I had just sat there and watched you then. Those people would’ve been right if I had watched you then, and I would be wrong to watch you now. I cannot sit there and watch you play in a far more dangerous street. I wish I could sweep you up and pull you out of this current street. But you’re no longer a little child; you’re a grown woman and have to make your own choices. But the consequences of running in this current street are far more dangerous than the street you ran into as a child. I can’t sweep you up and pull you out now, but I also can’t sit and just watch you run into oncoming traffic. I believe my presence could be far more dangerous to you than my absence. I fear that my presence might communicate to you that the street you're playing in isn't as bad as it really is. If this causes a separation between us, my grandmother's heart will hurt. But my love as a Christian grandmother must rise above my familial emotions. I pray my absence will cause you to realize how dangerous your choice is and that any separation between us doesn’t even begin to compare to being eternally separated from God. At celebrations, I want to smile, laugh, and have tears of joy. If I attend this ceremony, none of those things would be possible. I don’t want to sit there downcast and crying tears of sadness. So, when you look out and see my absence, I want you to know that I am not sitting at home angry or in a judgmental spirit. I will be home weeping, praying, and asking God to open your eyes to your sin and bring you to repentance. This is not because I think I’m better than you. I am as much in need of God's saving grace as you are. I too once played in the street of sin and thought I was okay. I thought that because God’s wrath had not yet poured down on me that it never would. I mistook God’s kindness to withhold His immediate wrath as tacit approval of me. What I didn’t know was that God’s kindness to withhold His wrath, that I deserved to be immediately poured out upon me, was meant to lead me to repentance. And God loved me enough to send someone into my life to tell me the truth about my sin so that I might be saved from His coming wrath. Someone loved me enough to confront me, help me see my sin for what it is, and share the gospel with me. They warned me of God’s coming wrath. They showed me how God sent His Son Jesus to die in my place upon the cross and pay for my sins. They told me how Jesus not only died, but He rose again from the grave and defeated death so that I could be delivered from the penalty of death that I deserved because of my sin. And they told me I needed to turn from sin and turn to Jesus as my Lord and Savior. You’ve heard me tell you this truth since you were a child. How many times did I tuck you in and tell you of the love of Jesus and quote John 3:16? I continue to beg you to turn from your sin and come to Jesus. Whatever perceived happiness you feel in that ceremony and the relationship you're in will be fleeting. But if you turn from your sin and come to Christ for salvation, you will receive eternal peace and joy that no one can take from you. If you go forward with this ceremony, I won’t be in that room. But I will always love you and be longing for you to turn from sin and come to Christ for salvation. The truth is, I love you so much that I won’t lie to you, either directly or indirectly, about the dangers of playing in the street of sin. Know that I love you and will long for the day when you see my actions as being like Jesus - to seek and to save the lost. In true loving affection, Nana Patrick was blown away by the letter. He noted that while the letter didn’t specify the exact situation, it could apply to: -A same-sex "wedding" -A remarriage after divorce with no annulment -A Catholic marrying outside the Church without following the canonical form Whatever the case, the core truth remains: Real love doesn’t play nice with lies. Real love tells the truth, even when it costs something. Patrick reminded you of1 John 4:18: “Perfect love casts out fear.” This grandma is fearless. She’s not afraid to hurt feelings to save a soul. That is perfect love.

Steve grabbed his chainsaw and headed out to the woods. That’s when he heard five-year-old August. “Wait for me, Dad! I want to come!” Grabbing his toy chainsaw, work gloves, and earmuffs, August followed Steve out the door. Steve set out a couple of logs for him a safe distance away. After ten minutes August was worn out. Cutting logs with a fake chainsaw is hard work! But he was happy to “help” his dad, and his dad was delighted to spend time with his son. Isn’t this how it is with our heavenly Father? We suppose we’re helping. “Wait for me, Dad! I need to get my chainsaw!” But our chainsaw is the least important thing about us. We’re not helping as much as we think. God cares far more about the first part, “Wait for me, Dad!” He doesn’t need our output. If you love His Son Jesus, God has adopted you into His family and given you His Spirit. “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship” (v. 15). You’re not a servant who earns his place by hard work. You’re a child who is loved by your Father, no matter what. “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1). Our heavenly Father is delighted when we serve Him. But He doesn’t need us. He simply wants us.

Proverbs 26 verse 2 shows us that an unjustified curse will not affect its target. The verse gives us the imagery of birds flying by to illustrate that an undeserved curse does not settle on its intended victim. God's justice ensures that curses without merit do not harm the innocent, emphasizing the importance of living righteously and avoiding actions that might invite curses. This concept provides comfort to those facing unjust accusations or curses, reminding them that such curses are ineffective if they remain blameless.If the born again believer in Christ understands and believes in the variety of scripture that shows God's divine protection for those that seek Him, then nothing shall by any means hurt that person. (see Luke 10:19). Where the believer runs into trouble is when he or she believes that generational curses can still connect to them and affect them. It is like anything in the Bible. It only comes true for the person reading, when that person finds out the truth and then decides to believe in it, taking every thought captive in obedience to Christ, and rejecting any false teachings, including on this topic of generational curses.Any problem for the believer is not a generational curse, but their own actions. God has provided a way of escape from sin through trusting and leaning on His Son Jesus, being cleansed of sin and being set free FROM it after the believer confesses his or her sins. The believer simply needs to – believe – the scriptures that reveal the truth that they are set free by the finished works of Christ, repent (turn from) their sinful ways and actions and walk with Jesus with a heart of purity to the best of their ability.We also consider that the life of the believer is not necessarily a life guaranteed free of committing sin. It is extremely unlikely for a truly born again believer to desire habitual sin, since the heart of the Christian is going through a continual process of sanctification. However that does not mean sin does not occur, albeit hopefully with a sorrowful and repentant heart. How quickly the believer repents is the difference between one with a heart after Jesus, and one who is not trying to keep themselves unstained by the world. For the one with their heart focused on and seeking the Lord, that abiding with Jesus and the fellowship in the secret place ensures the continual divine protection from generational curses, and other evils from the powers of darkness and the enemies therein. (see Psalm 91:1-2 AMPC).This program covers the following Scriptures from the Amplified Classic version (AMPC): Romans 3:23, John 3:3-7, Romans 5:1, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Ephesians 1:13-14, Romans 8:9, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 5:17, Romans 7:14-25, 1 John 1:8-10, Philippians 1:6, 1 John 3:2, Romans 5:19, Philippians 3:9, Romans 8:1, 1 John 1:9, Romans 8:13, Galatians 5:16, Romans 8:30, 1 Corinthians 15:49-53, Romans 8:38-39, Proverbs 26:2, Psalm 91:1-2, 1 Peter 5:7-8, Mark 4:18-19, Numbers 23:1-12.Support the show

We all know people who attend church regularly, but the teachings of Jesus and the ways of God's people simply don't exude from them.  They play church, if you will, but they don't really allow God to penetrate their hearts or be Lord of their lives.  No doubt these people know a lot about God, but they don't have a relationship with Him.  Join us in this podcast of Woman at the Well Ministries as Kim takes us on a journey through the scriptures revealing how we can truly know God by having a personal relationship with Him through His Son Jesus. Come join us as we receive the blessings of having a personal relationship with Jesus and being part of the family of God.  Scriptures Mentioned in this Episode Philippians 3:7–21 www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians+3%3A7-21&version=KJV  Psalm 37:4 www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+37%3A4&version=KJV  Ephesians 1:17–23 www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+1%3A17-23&version=KJV  1 John 5:13 www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+5%3A13&version=KJV  John 14:7 www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+14%3A7&version=KJV  John 14:15 www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+14%3A15&version=KJV  John 14:21 www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+14%3A21&version=KJV  Did you enjoy this podcast? Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning into this podcast, then do not hesitate to write a review. You can listen to us on all major podcasting platforms like Apple Podcasts,  Spotify,  Google Podcasts,  YouTube, and Podbean. Check out Kim's latest Bible Bit book on Amazon! Do you want to bring Kim Miller to your church, upcoming retreat, or conference? Contact us! This podcast is brought to you by Woman at the Well Ministries and is supported by our faithful listeners. To support this podcast, please visit our support page.  

Remembering is not just a mental act—it's a spiritual one. God calls us to remember because He knows it keeps us anchored in Him. It keeps us close. Don't let life move so fast that you forget how far He's brought you. Look back, give thanks, and let your faith rise and strengthen again. Worship Him through your obedience and make Him the priority in your life. Remember the Lamb that was slain for your sin, Remember Jesus.Memorial Day, a day to remember those who gave the ultimate price to be able to keep the freedoms that we share in this country. Everyday are days to remember what God has done for us especially through His Son Jesus. 

Read Online“It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.” John 15:16After Judas betrayed our Lord, the Apostles gathered together to pick someone to succeed him. They decided it should be someone who had been with them from the beginning. They prayed for guidance and cast lots “and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was counted with the Eleven Apostles” (Acts 1:26).Little is known about the ministry of Saint Matthias. Being chosen as one of the Twelve makes him a bishop of the early Church. Various traditions state that he preached in the territory of either modern-day Ethiopia, Turkey or Georgia—perhaps all of these territories. He is thought to have been killed for his faith, either by stoning or by beheading or both, which is why he is today honored as a martyr.As we honor Saint Matthias, we honor more than just a man who became an Apostle and preached the Gospel with His life, we also honor the divine plan by which God has chosen to use weak and humble instruments to further His Kingdom. The Gospel passage above certainly applies to Saint Matthias, as well as to all of us to one extent or another. It was God who “chose” Saint Matthias, as well as each and every one of us, for the purpose of going forth to “bear fruit that will remain.” But this form of good fruit, the fruit that has eternal consequences, can only be produced when we ask for it from the Father in the name of His Son Jesus.Asking the Father to produce good fruit through us in the name of Jesus His Son does not mean that we get to choose what we ask of the Father. Rather, asking “in Jesus' name” must be understood to mean that we ask the Father only what the Son has asked. We choose to share in the one eternal prayer of the Son that the will of the Father be fulfilled. And in praying this way, we commit ourselves to unity with His holy will.Sometimes we can all find ourselves asking God for this favor or that. We can place before Him our preference and our will. But if we want to be used by God, to become an instrument of His grace so as to bear an abundance of good fruit, then we must humbly set aside our own will and allow God to be the one Who chooses our mission and appoints us to His holy task. Detachment from our own will and humble submission to the will of God is the only way to bring forth God's Kingdom.Reflect, today, upon God's choice to call you to share in His divine mission. How He calls is up to God, but you can be certain that He does call you and invites you to share in His mission. Be open to any way that God appoints you to bear good fruit and humbly seek to conform your will to the Father's plan as you pray in Jesus' holy name.Lord Jesus, You have perfectly fulfilled the will of the Father in all things, and You have chosen me and appointed me to share in Your divine mission. Help me to open my mind and will to all that You call me to do, so that I, too, may be an instrument of the Kingdom of Your Father in Heaven. I make this prayer in Your most holy name. Jesus, I trust in You.  Image: Robert van den Hoecke, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsSource of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

We've read God through the Psalms. Now we look to better understand His Son Jesus who is, who was, and who is to come. Jesus is the cornerstone the builders rejected and sits at the right hand of the Father. Will we trust the Story so we might have life in Jesus?

In Acts 7 we have Stephen's defence. Stephen shows a) God is not confined to a Temple, or place; and, b) Israel's history illustrates a pattern of rebellion against the leaders God sent them. Stephen begins by telling the Sanhedrin Council – his accusers – that the God of glory appears to Abraham, not in the Land of Israel, not in a temple but in Mesopotamia. When Abraham dies the only inheritance he has in the land is the burial plot he has recently purchased. Stephen enumerates the terrible behaviour of the 12 sons of Israel. God raises up for His people Israel in Egypt a deliverer – Moses who was raised as an Egyptian prince. Stephen says that Moses was “mighty in words and deeds”. But this self confident prince thought it would be via his might and power that the Almighty would deliver His people. But at this time they reject Moses – just as they rejected Jesus in his time among God's people. Moses flees from Egypt a fearful and disillusioned man. Once again the glory of God is revealed to Moses outside the land in the Sinai desert by an angel at the burning bush in Sinai. Moses worships the LORD here. And for 40 years Moses leads Yahweh's people through the Wilderness and he is supported with signs and wonders from God. And it was Moses who had declares, in Deuteronomy 18, that the LORD God would raise them up a prophet like himself. God did send them that prophet – His Son Jesus – whom they had failed to hear. Idolatry and disbelief are Israel's characteristic pattern throughout their history. The same traits continued and caused them to be exiled in Babylon. Once again their persistent hard heartedness and their resistance to God had been evidenced in their crucifixion of God's Holy Son. At this point the hostile audience gnash upon Stephen and drawing him outside the city and stoning him. In his dying moment Stephen is granted a vision of the Son of Man, from Daniel 7 returning to set up his kingdom. He prays for their forgiveness – but omits Jesus' words that ‘they knew not what they were doing'. Stephen asks that the spirit of his testimony be received as a witness of his life.

In Acts 7 we have Stephen's defence. Stephen shows a) God is not confined to a Temple, or place; and, b) Israel's history illustrates a pattern of rebellion against the leaders God sent them. Stephen begins by telling the Sanhedrin Council – his accusers – that the God of glory appears to Abraham, not in the Land of Israel, not in a temple but in Mesopotamia. When Abraham dies the only inheritance he has in the land is the burial plot he has recently purchased. Stephen enumerates the terrible behaviour of the 12 sons of Israel. God raises up for His people Israel in Egypt a deliverer – Moses who was raised as an Egyptian prince. Stephen says that Moses was “mighty in words and deeds”. But this self confident prince thought it would be via his might and power that the Almighty would deliver His people. But at this time they reject Moses – just as they rejected Jesus in his time among God's people. Moses flees from Egypt a fearful and disillusioned man. Once again the glory of God is revealed to Moses outside the land in the Sinai desert by an angel at the burning bush in Sinai. Moses worships the LORD here. And for 40 years Moses leads Yahweh's people through the Wilderness and he is supported with signs and wonders from God. And it was Moses who had declares, in Deuteronomy 18, that the LORD God would raise them up a prophet like himself. God did send them that prophet – His Son Jesus – whom they had failed to hear. Idolatry and disbelief are Israel's characteristic pattern throughout their history. The same traits continued and caused them to be exiled in Babylon. Once again their persistent hard heartedness and their resistance to God had been evidenced in their crucifixion of God's Holy Son. At this point the hostile audience gnash upon Stephen and drawing him outside the city and stoning him. In his dying moment Stephen is granted a vision of the Son of Man, from Daniel 7 returning to set up his kingdom. He prays for their forgiveness – but omits Jesus' words that ‘they knew not what they were doing'. Stephen asks that the spirit of his testimony be received as a witness of his life.

We've read God through the Psalms. Now we look to better understand His Son Jesus who is, who was, and who is to come. Jesus is the cornerstone the builders rejected and sits at the right hand of the Father. Will we trust the Story so we might have life in Jesus?Message by Devin Burton, "A Guide Who Was, Who Is, and Is to Come" as part of our "Guided Journey" series. Message from April 27, 2025. Centralia Community Church, Centralia, WA. cccog.com It is important to know your guide on a journey. The Psalms give us a picture of who God is and what He invites us into. We can trust Him to protect us, to show us the way, and to rescue us. We are active partners in this journey, and we can live life in His presence.

The world needs answers more than ever about who God is, His Son Jesus and Heaven. Dr. Pete Battjes shares wisdom, from 40 years of pastoring, on the love God has for all people and a way you can share the good news of salvation with others! Perfect to prepare for Easter!

Jesus Nailed The Crucifixion With His Resurrection /// : For Jesus & The Chosen, Easter 2025 (Tribute to Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi) Happy Easter !!! !!! !!! !!! *Original written by: Ben Kohn, Lewis Capaldi, Pete Kelleher, Sam Roman, & Tom Barnes **Awesome Cover by Rain Paris & more Lyrics: Happy Easter!!! Jesus' life surrendered He gave it up Because the way, for us, He keeps paving He churns my writing Gives me the faith to pray in His name eternally He has authority on Earth that's real Seeds of kindness, He's grown The Bible, human life's roadmap Actively freeing our souls Life sprouted into existence through His spoken phrase Holy day after day Floor to ceiling blessing No more sickness Nice finally feeling awake! For us, Jesus intercedes He solves our problems Body, mind, & soul, He shouts out the call To drink from His forgiveness waterfall Eternal, drink now For us, God sacrificed His Son Jesus nailed His crucifixion with His Resurrection Those Sons of Thunder Loved Jesus personally James and John both reflect God's passionate virtue Thanks to Jesus, Mark & Dr. Luke reported eyewitness healings Clearly the Gospels are our Good News Matthew could dependably measure, and report what God would grow Signed it like law was his deal Used skills from his former tax collector days, rad Geneology brought to life through history's wheel John was self described as the disciple loved by Jesus; it's his acclaim His identifying nickname By citing 4 different narrators, we better understand Jesus isn't so easy to explain The fisher of men & women He solves our problems Breaks through strife like paper thin walls Offers us a forgiveness waterfall Eternal, drink now God sacrificed His Son Jesus nailed the crucifixion with His Resurrection Happy Easter~~! Hope you remember it's a sweet holiday Because you are loved by God Not because of sweet Peeps, painted eggs, or chocolate rabbits For us, Jesus intercedes He solves our problems Breaks through strife like paper thin walls Offers a forgiveness waterfall Eternal, drink now God sacrificed His Son Jesus nailed the crucifixion with His Resurrection For us, Jesus intercedes He solves our problems Breaks through strife like paper thin walls Offers a forgiveness waterfall Eternal, drink now God sacrificed His Son Jesus nailed the crucifixion with His Resurrection Eternal water, drink now God sacrificed His Son Jesus was, is, and always will be The Chosen One God's Holy Son End Tribute by Melissa SmithBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mel-s-music--3634451/support.

That first Easter was so incredibly unfair. Jesus – the innocent man – was crucified and Barabbas – the man guilty of murder – walked off Scott free. If you were God, would you have done things that way?   Let's Tarry a While It's interesting how when Easter passes us by we kind of quickly forget it and move on. It was a long weekend, it was a great time to have off and have a rest, have some chocolate. It comes, we eat chocolate, we have a long weekend, it goes, that's it, we move on, back to work, back to school, back to the empty house, whatever it is we do day after day and this week on the program and in fact over the coming three weeks we're going to dwell in Easter for a bit longer than just a long weekend. We're going to tarry and stay there a little bit longer. And today's program is the first message in a series that I've called, "The Price He Paid For You" and as well as talking about Easter over the Easter period we're going to do the unthinkable and spend the next few weeks after Easter doing it as well. Can you believe that because it's a big thing this Easter thing? Not as a religious holiday, I don't mean that, I for one am definitely not into religion, it just doesn't work for me. Not talking about religion, I'm talking about this big thing that God was up to at Easter. The thing that Jesus went through, the suffering, the persecution, the beating, the rejection and that death on the cross. You and I are so incredibly special to God which is what makes you and me worth dying for. He's handcrafted us, He's made us, He's set us free in this amazing universe, always loving us but with the freedom He gave us a free will to accept Him or reject Him and when it comes right down to this, according to God, He made us, He loves us, He gave us free will and the point of all of that was for us to know Him and have this fantastic relationship with Him here and now and for all eternity. But it doesn't matter which way we cut it each one of us in our own way we've rejected Him. I know I have, more often than we could ever imagine or count or recall and in doing that we miss the whole point. The whole point of creation, the whole point of life, the plan and the desire of God's heart. When we turned our backs on God and we all have, we miss the whole point of life, that's exactly what the Greek word for "sin" actually means. It means to miss the mark or as we might say today to miss the point. I know when I use the word "sin" people often write in or they call and say, "Come on, this is some kind of old fuddy-duddy concept, get with it Berni, get into today, sin just isn't relevant, it's something that priests or ministers talked about in the 1950's, get with it, it's old fashioned." I know, I know that some people think of sin that way but lets come back to Easter and the central point, the central problem of all creation is that we rejected God. We turned our back on Him, it's hard to come to grips with. People say, 'Well I'm not a bad person, I'm not that bad, I'm okay' but let me ask you, from the moment you were old enough did you put God first? Was God always first in your life? Did you live your life as though you belonged to Him? And the answer for all of us is, "No, we didn't." We've all done things; we've all turned away in our own way, in different ways; we've all turned our backs on God and at that Cross at a time that we now call Easter and we celebrate and we remember, on that cross God calls us home. The consequences, what we should have paid for rejecting Him, were paid for by His Son Jesus; He died to give us a new life. Okay God calls us to a life of sacrifice, God calls us to a life of giving, He gives us a fresh new life, a wholesome life with real joy and because out of His great love He reached out to us through Jesus, He opens the door to a real and dynamic and exciting and beautiful and wondrous relationship with God. At the heart of the message of Easter is the fact that Jesus paid the price of my sin and of your sin, of our rejection of God, our missing the whole point of creation and the fact that Jesus paid the price seems unfair don't you think? Let's have a read, we're going to go to the Bible, if you have one grab it, we're going to open up at John chapter 18 beginning at verse 38 and we're going to read through to chapter 19, verse 16. Here it is: What is truth, Pontius Pilate asked? With this he went out again to the Jews and said, 'I find no basis for a charge against this Jesus but it's your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release the king of the Jews? And they shouted, 'no, not him, give us Barabbas. Now Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion. Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged, the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head, they clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him and again and again and again saying, 'hail the king of the Jews' and they struck him in the face. Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, 'I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.' And when Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe Pilate said to them, 'here is the man'. As soon as the Chief Priests and their officials saw him they shouted, 'crucify him, crucify him. But Pontius Pilate answered, 'you take him, you crucify him. As for me I find no basis for a charge against him.' But the Jews insisted, 'we have a law and according to that law he must die because he claimed to be the son of God.' And when Pilate heard this he was even more afraid and he went back inside the palace. Where do you come from?' He asked Jesus but Jesus gave him no answer. 'Do you refuse to speak to me?' Pilate said, 'don't you realise I have the power either to free you or to crucify you?' And Jesus answered, 'you would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin. From then on Pilate tried to have Jesus set free but the Jews kept shouting, 'if you let this man go you are no friend of Caesars. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.' When Pilate heard this he brought Jesus out and sat him down on the Judges seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement. It was the day of the preparation of the Passover week, about the sixth hour. Here is your king' Pilate said to the Jews but they shouted, 'take him away, take him away, crucify him.' 'Shall I crucify your king?' Pilate asked. 'We have no king but Caesar' the Chief Priests answered. Finally Pilate handed him over to be crucified. Pretty amazing story we're going to take a look at it in a moment.   An Innocent Man Not much regard for the rules of evidence if indeed there were any rules of evidence way back then. A good friend of mine by the name of Paul is a magistrate. Now, the more I get to know him, the more I realise how gifted Paul is to do that job. I've got to tell you, I'd hate to have to sit in judgment, this one goes free, this one gets locked up. And to make things even more difficult he's a magistrate in the children's court. Now Paul has this really balanced thing happening in his outlook. He weighs this against that in almost everything he does. I was saying to someone else recently that when I look at Paul, what I see is someone that I'm really comfortable with being a magistrate. I'm really glad that this guy is on the bench in the children's court because he's absolutely the right person to be doing it. When you look at the story of the crowd and Pontius Pilate and Barabbas and Jesus and this angry, ugly mob I see some of that in Pilate. When the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate and Jesus had been talking to him about truth, he says, "What is truth?" And he goes out to the mob and he says, "Look, I have looked into this man and I find no case against him, this Jesus." See he wasn't swayed initially in judgment by the religious leaders, who frankly just wanted Jesus dead because Jesus was threatening them. Jesus was going to the people and making sense to them and healing them and caring for them and loving them and standing up for them. That's why the religious leaders wanted Him dead. That's how poisoned that whole rule-based religion scene had become. See Pilate wasn't swayed by the same things that whipped up that mobbed. And all the way through this scene, over and over again, Pontius Pilate finds Jesus "not guilty". In verse 38 he says: ‘Look, I find no basis for a charge against Him'. Again in verse 4 of chapter 19: Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, ‘Look I'm bring him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him'. Verse 6 of Chapter 19: You take him, you crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him. And then again, down in verse 12: From then on Pontius Pilate tried to have Jesus set free. See he was a man who was fairly objective and he found no guilt in Jesus the Christ. Of course there's a marked difference between my friend Paul and Pontius Pilate in that ultimately Pilate was a weak man and he gave in to the crowd. He never changes his judgment mind you, but based on this tradition he just rolls over because of this angry mob. And ultimately he said, "Look, look at the life of Jesus, this man who healed people and who reached out to them and who cared for them, who taught them stuff about life that made sense, of course he's innocent." Innocent of everything except the fact that his goodness, his genuiness, stood out in stark contrast to the manipulation and the deceit of the religious leaders of the day. He threatened their power base, that's why they wanted him dead. Now the other player in this game is Barabbas. Barabbas is an interesting character. His name literally means "Son" which is what "Bar" means, "of the father" – "abba". "Barabbas" son of the father – Barabbas. We'll come back to that a little later. But he is a criminal. John tells us there in verse 40 that he'd taken part in a rebellion. If you go to Matthew's gospel chapter 27 verse 16, Matthew calls him a notorious criminal, so it was well known that this man was a crook. Mark Chapter 15 verse 7 and Luke Chapter 23 verse 19, they both tell us that Barabbas committed murder as a part of an insurrection. So here we have it. A well-known, notorious criminal, a murderer, Barabbas versus Jesus Christ superstar. This Jesus with rock-star status who healed the lame and the sick and the blind and stood up for the oppressed and the needs of the people against all of those of religious rulers from all that manipulation. He exposed the religious hypocrisy of those leaders. Huge crowds followed him, they listened to him, they saw him heal countless people, they saw miracles. The same crowds just a few days before, on the day we now call Palm Sunday, when Jesus came into Jerusalem riding on a donkey, they threw down palm leaves, they were shouting praises literally calling him "King of the Jews" – their Messiah, their Saviour. Yet now, just a few days later whipped up by the religious leaders, manipulated by them again, here they are, baying for his blood. "Crucify him". What a brutal response. No wonder politicians say that the opinion polls are fickle. There's a great saying: "A week is a long time in politics." And it was certainly true then as it is now. Look at it again. When they're given a choice they say, "We want Barabbas! We want Barabbas!" And of Jesus, "Crucify him!" When Pilate asked them about Jesus they said: "Crucify him". And ultimately Pontius Pilate went against his own impartial judgment. He was weak, he was afraid of the crowd. He had Jesus beaten, he had him handed over to be crucified. Wait for it, instead of Barabbas who got set free. Do you get it. It's a switch, it's a substitution that's going on here. Barabbas the son of the father was the murderer. He should have gone to the cross, but instead he was set free and the innocent Jesus was crucified in his place. And here's what God's saying to us through what happened. Jesus is the Son of God and the Son of Man. "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." God said that of Jesus. Jesus was also man. He often referred to Himself as the Son of Man. He was human, He was God in the flesh, He was perfect without spot or blemish. He was totally innocent. The Son of God – Jesus; the son of the father, the son of dad – Barabbas. God is a loving Dad. There's a radical concept here introduced by Jesus. The Jews didn't refer to God as Dad but Jesus called Him Abba – Dad. And this man, Barabbas – Bar-abba, son of dad – is the one who gets set free. It's the swap over, it's the substitution. The "Son of God" and the "son of God". Both with the same name. Jesus and Barabbas. The innocent is substituted for the guilty. Jesus went to the cross for Barabbas; Barabbas deserved it but Jesus wore it. Barabbas was the murderer but Jesus was killed. Barabbas was the one who hurt people and yet Jesus suffered in his place. Barabbas – the son of the father – was guilty and he went free. Jesus – the Son of the Father – was innocent and He went to the Cross. And who judged Him? Not Pilate. Pilate wasn't the one that sent Him to the Cross, it was the angry mob and the religious leaders – the very people whom He came to set free, whom He loved, whom He healed, whom He taught. They were the ones that turned against Him. They were the ones who had Jesus crucified. So what does that mean for you and for me here and now?   Who is Barabbas Let me ask you something. Who was Barabbas? There was Pontius Pilate, there was Jesus, there was Barabbas. And then there was the angry mob in this story. To the angry mob, Barabbas was just that criminal and murderer and it was the Passover Festival. The Passover is the celebration of when God was releasing His people out of slavery in Egypt centuries before. He sent ten plagues on Egypt, on Pharaoh. And the final plague was the death of the first-born of all the Egyptians from Pharaoh's son through to a slave's son right through to the first born of all the animals. And yet here was the nation of Israel captive as slaves in Egypt. And God said to them: "Look, get a lamb, kill it, takes it's blood, smear it on the top of the door and the angel of death will pass over your house and you won't suffer that death – that death in the tenth plague." It was only visited on the Egyptians but not on God's people. And the way in which God's angel passed them over was by the seeing the blood of the lamb on the door posts. And so there's this tradition where the Roman Governor at the Passover Festival all these years later would release one criminal to the people. And this year that criminal was going to be Barabbas. Someone who had been part of an insurgency, an uprising; someone who killed multiple people. I mean, the worst sort of all criminals possible is who Barabbas was. Bar-abba – "son of the father", one of God's children. You see, you and I are Barabbas in this story. I said before that attitudes to sin vary enormously in our society and so many people see "sin" as an outdated concept. But the whole point of creation was us to have a relationship with God and to give glory to God but in our free will we rejected Him just as Barabbas rejected God, just as Barabbas went out and sinned. And when we did that we missed the point. And that's what God calls "sin". It's conspicuous, you can't hide it. We're all guilty of that and ‘the wages of sin is death'. See, God is wondrous and perfect and holy and awesome and a loving God and it's hard to imagine love and judgment in one person. Yet my friend Paul, the magistrate, I was talking about him earlier, Paul is a really fair and compassionate man, he's a great husband, he's a wonderful father, but he's also just. I look at him and it gives me some understanding at how those things fit together in God's nature. In His love, instead of letting you and me pay the price, in His love God sends Jesus, His Son, to die in my place. Now you and I might say, "Look, I'm no Barabbas. I haven't killed people. I haven't done all these horrible things." The point is, the moment we turn our back on God, the moment we reject Him, the moment we do one thing wrong – because God is holy, pure, perfect, clean – the moment we sin we deserve death. God's Word tells us "The wages of sin in death", and yet when we put our faith in this Jesus, in this Jesus who died on our behalf, we're forgiven. You too are one of the sons and daughters of Abba – Dad – God. We too are loved by Him and we too can put our faith in Jesus and believe with our hearts and with our heads that on this very first Easter, on that Cross, Jesus paid the price of our sin and when we believe in Him we have complete forgiveness. Finally, Pilate handed Him over to be crucified, so that the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying His own cross He went out to a place of the Skull which in Aramaic is known as Golgotha. Here they crucified Him and with Him two others, one on each side and Jesus in the middle. And Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the Cross. It read, ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews'. Many of the Jews read this sign for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. The Chief Priest of the Jews protested to Pilate, ‘Don't write ‘King of the Jews' but that this man claimed to be the King of the Jews.' And Pilate answered them, ‘What I have written, I've written.' When the soldiers crucified Jesus they took His clothes off, divided amongst them in four shares, one for each of them with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in a single piece from top to bottom. Let's not tear it they said, let's decided by lot who gets it. This happened so that the Scripture might be fulfilled which said, ‘They divided their garments among them and cast lots for my clothing'. So this is what the soldiers did. Near the Cross of Jesus stood His mother, His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw His mother there and the Disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, ‘Dear woman, here is your son and to the Disciple, here is your mother.' And from that time on this Disciple took her into his home. Later, knowing that all was completed and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I'm thirsty.' A jar of wine vinegar was there and so they soaked a sponge in it and put the sponge on a stalk of hyssop plant and lifted it to Jesus' lips. When He'd received a drink Jesus said, ‘It is finished'. With that He bowed His head and gave up His Spirit. That's the price, the price that Jesus paid for you and for me and Barabbas. And as much as we here in the 21st Century might have a cultural problem with the notion of sin, it doesn't change anything. It doesn't change God, it doesn't change who God is, it doesn't change why God created us, it doesn't change the reality that you and I have fallen short of the glory of God. You and I have both rejected God and it doesn't change the reality that He loves us so much that He sent His one and only Son. So many people in our society have this nagging sense of guilt, this nagging sense of inadequacy, this deep down sense that they're not good enough. And the reason is that we aren't good enough. And God comes to us to the Cross of Jesus Christ and cries out and says to us: I love you. You are my Barabbas, you are my child. I love you, I sent my Son to pay the price. Look at my Son, look at the Cross, put your faith in Him and you can have eternal life. A new life, a fresh life, a life that begins now, a life with me that goes on forever. When we believe Jesus we have the forgiveness that Jesus purchased. When we believe the door is flung open into a deep relationship with God, when we believe we have eternal life, we do. Anybody, the worst criminal, you, me even if he had believed … Barabbas.

Welcome back to My Seminary Life, and to another edition of Fish FryDays. In today's episode, I share the abridged version of a recent sermon I preached on Luke 3:7-14 on John the Baptist's call to repent by loving your neighbor. Here I breakdown that spiritual priviledge and abuse of authority do not look like people who worship and believe in Yahweh, or that they are following His Son Jesus. Instead, a life that looks at one's own resources and decides how to show the love of God to their neighbor by their means is a life that does believe. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StudioTwoOneNine

Welcome back to My Seminary Life, and to another edition of Fish FryDays. In today's episode, I share the abridged version of a recent sermon I preached on Luke 3:7-14 on John the Baptist's call to repent by loving your neighbor. Here I breakdown that spiritual priviledge and abuse of authority do not look like people who worship and believe in Yahweh, or that they are following His Son Jesus. Instead, a life that looks at one's own resources and decides how to show the love of God to their neighbor by their means is a life that does believe. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StudioTwoOneNine

Join us tonight for a special message - as Pastor Jim takes us through the "Scarlet Thread of Redemption". Throughout the Bible, beginning in Genesis and ending in Revelation, we see God's plan to redeem sinful man, by sending His Son Jesus to be our ultimate sacrifice. May the Lord continue to draw us unto Himself, as we remember His unfailing, faithful love for us!

As we head towards Easter yet again, perhaps it's time to think about – well, what makes us so special, that God would do this Easter thing for us?   An Intimate Knowledge It's always something special to me, that time of the year we call Easter. So we are going to carry it on a little longer this week in the Easter story. This is my 17th Easter since I became a Christian. And it just never ceases to amaze me what the Easter story is all about. It's a good time for us to think about what God was up to. I mean, Christmas seems like it was just a few weeks ago. Hey, you know, that's when we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the whole baby in the manger thing; Jesus becoming a man. But Easter for Jesus didn't happen just a few months after Christmas. Easter for Jesus happened about 33 years later during the Passover celebration. It was the time when Israel celebrated the freedom that they had out of slavery. They'd been slaves in Egypt for a few centuries; God had sent Moses to tell Pharaoh to let His people go and God sent a whole bunch of plagues on the nation of Egypt. And the last plague, the most powerful plague, was the first born of every Egyptian family, their animals as well, the firstborn was killed by God and that ultimately convinced Pharaoh to let God's people go. But it didn't happen to the Israelites. You see, they were slaves in Egypt and God said to them, ‘Look, you get a lamb and you slay that lamb, and you put that lamb's blood on the top of your door frame and the angel of death will pass over your house and this plague upon Egypt won't befall your house. And so the Passover celebration was the celebration of the freedom that Israel received from slavery by the shedding of the blood of the lamb. And that of course is what Easter is all about. So here Jesus was in His early 30's and it's the Passover celebration and it's the time that we remember Jesus not only came to earth as a man, He not only walked through every trial and temptation that you and I do, He not only healed the sick and cast out demons and preached with power, He laid down His life for you and for me. He died for us! Now we will look at the how and why of that, but for me, Easter begins long, long before that. You look at God and you say, "Well, why did you go to such an extreme? What was this all about – you sending your Son, your only Son Jesus, your beloved and you let Him be spat upon and beaten and crucified?" Easter is God saying to us that you and I are "to die for". Now the term ‘to die for' is a contemporary term. If you're not aware it's SMS shorthand; you know, the kids as they send the SMS messages to one another often put the word "to die for" They don't write it out in full, they write it as 2di4 and it's shorthand for something that you just have to have. A girl might send an SMS to a girlfriend of hers and talk about a boy, say, "He was 2di4". A boy might look at a car or a motorbike and say, "That car or that motorbike is 2di4". Something that's ‘to die for' is something that you just have to have. And so that's why we're talking about it right now because that's what Easter's about. And this term "to die for" started me thinking, God was prepared to send His son "to die for" you and me. You and I, in His eyes, in His heart, we are "to die for". There's a beautiful Psalm. You may have heard me talk about this Psalm before. We're going to spend today looking at this Psalm. If you have a Bible grab it, open it up at Psalm 139 because Psalm 139 is a Psalm that I guess lays the foundations of Easter for me. It lays the foundations of "to die for". We're going to unpack this whole idea and have a look at what was going on in the Father's great and mighty heart. What was He thinking? How was He thinking about you and Me when He hatched Easter. Easter's a hard thing to get our hearts around; it's a hard thing to get our minds around, but Psalm 139 is a great place to start. Psalm 139 tells us just what was going on in God's heart. What drove God towards this amazing plan that we now call Easter? Let's have a read. If you have a Bible open it up. Psalm 139. We'll just look at verses 1-12 to begin with. This is what it says: Lord, you searched me and you know me. You know me when I sit down, you know when I rise up, you know my thoughts from a long, long way off. You discern my going in and my lying down; you're familiar with all my ways. Before even a word is on my tongue you already know it completely, Lord. You hem me in; behind me, in front of me, you laid your hands upon me. Such knowledge is just too wonderful for me. It's too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go to the heavens you're there. If I make my bed in the depths of hell you're still there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, If I settle on the farthest side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand me fast. If I say, surely the darkness will hide me and the light will become night around me, even the darkness isn't dark to you. The night will shine like day because darkness is like light to you. Isn't it a beautiful Psalm. They're not just words. This man who wrote the Psalm is pouring out his heart about how wonderful God is. And the three things that jump out at me in this short passages, the first few verse of Psalm 139: firstly how intimately God knows us. "Lord, you've searched me, you know me. You know when I sit down, you know when I get up, you know when I go out, you know when I lie down, you know what I'm thinking. Even before I say a word you know what words are going to be on my lips. Lord you know me." God knows us intimately. Sometimes Easter feels a little bit like a retailing phenomenon. You know, lets go buy chocolate eggs, have a long weekend, have a rest. And if God is a busy God and He doesn't have time for us then He doesn't love us. But that isn't who God is. He knows you and He knows me, everything we're thinking, everything we're doing, everything we're hoping for, everything we're for hurting for … God knows us. And secondly, He's on this journey with us. "Lord you hem me in: you're behind me, your in front of me, you've laid your hands upon me." It's interesting you know, when this was written all the other God's that all the other nations worshipped lived in static places. They lived in temples, on hilltops and people went up to the hills to worship them in their temples. But this God whom the Psalmist is writing about, this God spent 40 years on a journey in the wilderness with His people Israel. You can read some more about it in the Book of Exodus. This God sent up home amongst His people in the temple in Jerusalem when they finally crossed over into the Promised Land. This God has a heart to be with His people. It's His heart's cry. We hear it time and time and again from the beginning of the Bible, way back in the Old Testament, to almost the end. In the second last chapter of the Book of Revelation. God over and over says this: ‘I will be your God and you will be My people. And I will make my dwelling place among you'. God is a God who is on this journey with us. Even in hell, even in heaven, even if we go to the farthest part of the world, even there God is with us. His presence, His face – that's literally what the Hebrew means – His face is there. Even when it falls dark, surely the darkness will hide me and the light will become like night around me. But God, even in the darkness it won't be dark to you. The light will shine like the day for darkness is as light to you. God is in those dark places and He's not some distant God. This is not some unmoved mover. You know, someone who just doesn't feel for us. This God is a God who knows us – wonderfully, and beautifully and intimately – and He's on the journey with us. And I know that's hard for us to fathom. There are billions of people who've lived down through the ages and He knows each one of us more and more intimately than we can ever imagine. That's what God's like. He knows each one of us like that. And that for me sets the scene for Easter.   He was There We're taking a look today at what was going on in God's heart. What was He thinking when He was dreaming up this whole Easter thing? It's an amazing plan. God sends His Son to earth to be beaten and spat upon and crucified, to die on that brutal Cross at the hands of men. Psalm 139, which is the Psalm we were looking at the break, tells us about His motivations behind Easter. It doesn't talk specifically about Easter, but it tells us what God's heart is for us. And we just had a look at the first part of that Psalm to show us that God knows us intimately, He's on every step of the journey with us. And that's huge … to know that God is walking every step of the way with us. There is nowhere we can go and be alone or apart from Him, even in heaven or hell. But how is it that He knows us this well? I mean, sometimes we don't even know ourselves, do we. We can't explain why we do what we do or how we react to something or why we did that. You and I are pretty complex creatures. There's so many layers to who we are. Some things are so deep inside us, we can't really understand them or talk about them ourselves. So how does God know? Well the writer of the Psalm goes on to explain that. Let's have a read now of Psalm 139 going on to verse 13 to 16. If you have a Bible, grab it. This is what it says: For God, you created my innermost being. You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you for I'm fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, I know that so well. My frame wasn't hidden from you when I was made in secret, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days were ordained for me, they were written in your book even before one of them came into being. That's one of the most precious passages in the Bible to me. As I look back on my life, and you too, there's a mixture of wonderful and desperate; beautiful and ugly. We've both done some brilliant things and we've done some really stupid things. There are great heights and there are dark valleys. But when you and I were conceived, God was there. My innermost parts – who I am; your innermost parts – who you are. A DNA blueprint – the way that we look and sound and all our gifts and abilities and strengths and weaknesses – all that, those layers of complexity He created in our innermost being. He knit you and me together in our mothers wombs. Imagine you and I have been handcrafted by God. Distinctive, one of a kind, completely, utterly, amazingly, beautifully, wondrously made. Separated and different from any other person who has ever lived or any other person who will ever live. Intricately woven together, each strand of DNA laid down according to God's plan. But not only that, not only who we are, but everything that would ever happen to us. Look at it again. ‘All the days that were ordained for me, they were written in your book before one of them came into being.' I so despair when I meet people who waste away their lives worrying and complaining about their lot. Yes, some people seem to have better lives than others. Some people seem to get all the breaks and the benefits and the blessing and other people seem to get handed more difficult lives – painful lives. A bit like Jesus; people like the Apostle Paul. But that's all part of God's plan. There's a beautiful poem, you might have heard it once before and it goes something like this: My life is but a weaving between my Lord and me.I cannot choose the colours as He weaveth steadily, Sometimes He chooses dark threads and I in foolish pride Forget He sees the upper and I the underside. Not till the loom is silent and the shuttles cease to fly Shall God unroll the canvas and explain the reasons why The dark threads were as needful in the weaver's skilful hand As the threads of gold and silver in the pattern He hath planned. You and I are what He made us to be. We're living the lives He planned for us, lives He always knew that we'd live. Nothing is a surprise to God. And when we put our faith in Him we experience the most incredible joy. I was having lunch recently with a women who is well into her 70's now, whose husband, quite a few years back, committed suicide. How devastating would that have been. But she put her faith in Christ. She spent time in God's Word and she has this quiet joy and a beautiful countenance about her. She could have lived the rest of her life bitter, but no, she's live it in Christ. And when we see the beauty of God's plan, handcrafted as we are by Him to live the life that He laid out before time began, we get some sense of what was going on in His heart when He came up with this plan for Easter. Because we can only live the life He has planned if we live it with Him. We have a basic problem, that problem is called "sin". It's the things that we've done wrong that keeps us away from Him. And that's what Easter's about. We're going to look at that shortly.   That's Huge … As we continue to look back on Easter, one of the things that I hope we'll ponder is the reaction of the writer, the Psalmist, the person who wrote Psalm 139 that we've been looking at today. There's a sense of awe and wonder as He ponders how intimately God knows Him, how faithfully God hangs in there with Him, and the wonder of God's craftsmanship and plan. Look again at what the Psalmist writes in verse 6: Such knowledge is too high for me, it is so high I can't attain it. Verse 14: I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works, oh God, that I know very well. Verse 17: How weighty are your thoughts oh God, how vast is the sum of them. I try and count them but they're more than the sand on the beach. I come to the end and I'm still with You. Easter is the time when God sent His Son to die for us, to solve this basic problem of humanity that we have. A problem that God calls "sin". And I know, "sin" used to sound like such an old-fashioned, fuddy-duddy word to me too, but it is the problem of humanity. And we've been looking at that over the past few weeks. But the thing that oozes out of this Psalm for me – that speaks so much about God's motivation behind Easter – is His incredible love. We will never ever be able to wrap our minds and hearts around God's love completely. We'll never, ever be able to understand how God feels about us. God says in His Word that one day we'll stand before Him and all things will be revealed. I can't imagine … I just can't imagine looking at God; I can't imagine looking on the face of Jesus; I can't imagine knowing and understanding fully how much He loves us. And when He created you and when He created me individually and wondrously and perfectly handcrafted you and me – intricately woven together in our mother's womb – that was the most amazing act of grace because He knew when He did that, that you and I would reject Him. He always knew that. He always knew that to bring us back to Him, to save us from ourselves, to save us from what we deserve – which is an eternity without Him – He'd have to send Jesus to die on that Cross for you and me. No if's, no but's, no maybe's – you and I, our sin, our rebellion are no surprise to God. He always knew and He still created us. He still allowed us to be born and He still planned every day of our lives, even before any of those days existed at all. That blows me away. No wonder the Psalmist writes: How weighty are your thoughts to me oh God, how vast is the sum of them. I try and count them but they're more than the grains of sand on the beach. Because behind Easter is this amazing act of grace. Not just that Jesus came to suffer and die for our failure but that God always knew that by creating us He would have to do that. And yet He created us anyway. Could I encourage you never ever put Easter in some measured little box; never ever to consign Easter to some head knowledge thing, but like the Psalmist be blown away by God's love. Every breathe you take, every step, every hilltop, every valley, every twist, every turn, everything that we have to suffer and bare – live it in this awe and wonder of who God is and how much He loves you in Jesus. Life takes on a completely new meaning and vibrancy and colour. Doesn't matter how much we have to suffer, how much we have to weep, how many tears we cry, we know that God has a plan and He always, and God was there when you were handcrafted by Him in your mother's womb. God always had a plan for you to be who you are, for you to live the life that He's given you and for you to have a life through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus. And for you and me to walk in wonder and awe of the completely unattainable knowledge of His love for us in Jesus Christ. We've been looking at that over the last few weeks and we've seen how His love plays itself out on the Cross. But right now, unless we are completely lost in the wonder of His plan and His love, you know what, I think Easter just becomes another long weekend, doesn't it? Listen to the Psalmist: God I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are so wonderful that I know full well. My frame wasn't hidden from you when I was made in that secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days that were ordained, they were already written in Your book before any of them as yet came into being. How precious to me are your thoughts oh God, how vast is the sum of them. Were I to count them, they'd outnumber all the grains of sand on the earth. When I awake I'm still with you. You see, you and I are "to die for" in God's sight. God created us. He knew that we'd rebel, He loved us and He knew that His Son would have to come and die for you and for me. That, my friend, is what Easter is about. Because your rejection of God, my rejection of God severed the perfect relationship that we can have with God. And God is good, He's righteous, He's perfect. Ultimately when we reject Him, when we sin, when we turn against Him, when we do what we know is wrong, somebody has to pay that price. Now, if you look at our law and our judges, they don't work perfectly, but if we do something wrong, someone has to pay the price. That principle of justice comes from the very nature of God. God is a just God and He's a loving God and God's justice and His love were in conflict. Justice demanded that we be punished, love demanded that we be forgiven. On the Cross they come together, on the Cross they merge. Through the death of Jesus the demands of justice are met and the demands of God's love to set us free, to have a new life, are met as well. Friend, Easter is about the central devastating sickness of humanity. Easter is about setting you and me free from our sin to give us a new life. That's what it's all about. That's why we celebrate Easter. The chocolates are nice, the long weekend is nice, the church services are nice for those who go but bottom line God sacrificed His Son so that you and I could have an eternal relationship with Him. It's relationship that begins the moment we put our faith in Jesus Christ. Let's call our sin for what it is – it is sin. And friend, as much as we look in the mirror and we see wrinkles and warts and failures and bad things, God knows those, that's why He sent His Son Jesus to die on a Cross for you and for me, and that my friend, is Easter. If you have never put your trust in Jesus, then you do not know the freedom of God's forgiveness. The moment we believe that Jesus died to pay for our sin and through His death we're forgiven by God, the moment we accept that and believe that my friend, we are set free to live a new life. That's why Jesus rose again – to give us a new life. And that new life begins here and now. That is Easter.

Will I dare ask myself if greed is an issue in my life? Will I dare ask myself if greed is an issue in my life? What is keeping me away from God today? Could greed be a problem? There's a French saying: some people are so poor, all they have is money. Today we are talking about replacing greed, and all forms of idolatry, with joy. Greed. What does the Bible say about it?  Proverbs 1:19 - Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors. Proverbs 11:28  -Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf. Greed doesn't give. Greed robs. Greed robs YOU of joy. Make sure to check out the optional-but-oh-so-helpful mini e-book to go along with the series at gospelspice.com/wisdom To start us off, Stephanie challenges us--and herself--with seven questions to self-diagnose if we have unknowingly fallen victim to greed, in one form or another: 1.     Is it MY money or God's? 2.    What would I do differently if I knew I would be dead in a year? 3.     WHY do I want more money? 4.     How do I spend my time? thinking of ways to earn more, or of ways to advance God's Kingdom? 5.     How would I behave if I lost everything? 6.     Am I truly generous? 7.     Do I compromise character to make more money? Then we ponder the link between joy and righteousness and the only true cure against greed. Idolatry is misplaced worship.  Proverbs describes where joy cannot be found. The summary of the entire book of Proverbs can be found in Mark 8:36: "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?" That's the definition of unrighteousness. Joy "must be sharply distinguished both from happiness and from pleasure" - CS Lewis Joy is “unsatisfied desire, which is itself more desirable than any other satisfaction.” – CS Lewis again. God promises to give us a joy that surpasses anything this world has to offer. Here's the question: how much of your life to do you spend experiencing this joy, vs looking for joy elsewhere? Psalm 35:27 - Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, “Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of his servant!” Haydn, the great musician, was once asked why his church music was so cheerful, and he replied: "When I think upon God, my heart is so full of joy that the notes dance and leap, as it were, from my pen ; and since God has given me a cheerful heart, it will be pardoned me that I serve Him with a cheerful spirit." Joy is the juice of gladness that comes from the fruit of peace, itself springing up from the ground of righteousness – our righteousness in Christ. Matthew Henry defines joy as "a constant delight in God." Who does the work of transforming our hearts to find satisfaction in God? God Himself is the One who transforms our heart to increasingly see Christ as our supreme treasure, even as we seek to find our satisfaction in Him. Cyprian was a third-century North African. As he was anticipating death, he penned these last words to his friend Donatus in 258AD: “It's a bad world, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of it a quiet and holy people who have learned a great secret. They have found a joy which is a thousand times better than any pleasure of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They are masters of their souls. They have overcome the world. These people are the Christians—and I am one of them.” This is an episode you do not want to miss. We look forward to serving you through it this week! MEET OUR CHARACTER OF THE WEEK  It had been a good year for John. He had managed to obtain a bonus packet worth a small fortune. It would go towards the purchase of his new beach house. Despite this formidable win, it bothered him that others in his industry made more. After all, he deserved every Benjamin, and then some. Sure, his recent promotion had come by a lot of backstabbing. Good for him. The corporate pie was only big enough to share among the most ruthless sharks, and he wants the biggest slice he could get his teeth on. John was determined to keep his focus on multiplying his assets this year, and fast. Today is all that matters. Faster, stronger, better. Last week, in the middle of a heated discussion about a takeover bid that was going to earn him that next nice bundle, John had a stroke. He is now on his hospital bed, slowly recovering. For the first time since he can remember, he has time to think. He is wondering if big money really is all that it is cracked up to be. He loves life with money, but what would money be without life? Hum. Would you say that John has reaped joy from the money he is accumulating? There's a French saying: “some people are so poor, all they have is money.” John is plagued with a self-imposed case of greed. Greed is idolatry: it is valuing something—anything—more than God. It's the “just-a-bit-more” mentality: “if only I had this, then…” The problem is, it is a moving target that never satisfies. Greed is the agony of “never enough.” It makes us ignore or forget God in our pursuit of “more.” Eventually, it slowly brainwashes us to believe that God, like everything else we've tried, is “never enough.” Greed makes us forget about eternity; it replaces our God-given perspective of Heaven with a world-centered focus on today. The change can be so subtle, though, that it is almost never self-diagnosed. Let's be the exception! Whether the Holy Spirit whispers it to us through our time in prayer, or in the study of His word, or through a true friend, let's identify any seed of idolatry in our heart. Greed, like any form of idolatry, never gives. Greed robs. It robs us of joy. The alternative to greed is joy—joy in God Himself. It is joy in our relationship with Him, not for what He can give us, but for the sheet delight of relationship. As C.S. Lewis puts it, joy in God is “unsatisfied desire, which is itself more desirable than any other satisfaction.” This is what I would wish to tell John: God promises to give us a joy that surpasses anything this world has to offer. Scripture challenges us to embrace the universe through the lens of faith. This perspective from Heaven promises us hope and joy. And yet, how often do we look for joy elsewhere? As Christians, we easily acknowledge that God is the almighty, living, ruling Lord of all. He is one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who dwells in heaven, a place of eternal joy. The psalmist says, "You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” (Psalm 16:1, NIV). But do we really experience this? Joy has been God's ambition since Day One—literally. God created the universe for His own pleasure and enjoyed doing it. He created planet earth as our breathtaking dwelling place. He fashioned man and woman in His image to glorify Him, to live and rule in peace and joy. The totality of His creation made Him smile and He called it "very good." Then something went very wrong. Iniquity appeared, and earth became a place of sorrow, a troubled segment of the universe where idolatry and greed now reign in humans' hearts. God knew it would unfold so. The plan was already in place: at the appointed time, His Son Jesus came on a pre-planned mission to free the earth from its curse and return its people to an abundant life of hope, joy, and faith. Nothing could be further from puny greed. "For the joy set before Him," Jesus endured the cross. It means that He took our sin from us, accomplished our salvation, died, and rose again to everlasting life in the kingdom of heaven. To those who receive Him as Lord and acknowledge Him as Savior, Jesus Christ promises forgiveness, redemption from sin, a new birth, answers to prayer, the outpouring of His Holy Spirit of love, victory over death, and the everlasting joy of heaven. Jesus lives today at the Father's right hand in resurrected glory and fullness of joy; He has promised to come back for His church and to take us where He is. That is the essence of joy in God, and it is ours to cling to. We invite you to listen to this week's episode of the Gospel Spice Podcast to find out what happened to John, and to unpack the deeper truth of abiding in God's joy today. Make sure to check out the optional-but-oh-so-helpful mini e-book to go along with the series at gospelspice.com/wisdom We invite you to check out the first episode of each of our series, and decide which one you will want to start with. Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog Identity in the battle | Ephesians https://www.podcastics.com/episode/74762/link/ Centering on Christ | The Tabernacle experience https://www.podcastics.com/episode/94182/link/ Shades of Red | Against human oppression https://www.podcastics.com/episode/115017/link/ God's glory, our delight  https://www.podcastics.com/episode/126051/link/   Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

God doesn't force you to choose His Son Jesus. He gives you the power to choose who you love. You can't serve them both. Jesus loves you, the devil doesn't love anyone, to include himself. What you choose on earth is what you'll get when you step out of life's backdoor.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/relationships-and-relatable-life-chronicles--4126439/support.

When we are not focused on the right things, we always want more and more, missing the fact this it is God who blesses us. We explain it away by mere coincidence. But, the truth is that God is the only one who continues to give us more and more, it is only because of Him. He has given us true treasure in His Son Jesus. This week Pastor Taylor Gabbert talks about the treasure of the Gospel in Genesis 43:1-34.Get connected! https://linktr.ee/reachtulsa

Our thumbnail image this week is not a doctored or photoshopped image, but a genuine picture of the sun from October 2024. Taken in 193 angstrom light on Oct. 26, 2024, NASA captured our sun in a state of rejoicing, or so it seemed (image credit NASA/GSFC/SDO). The darker regions you see that comprise the eyes and mouth are actually regions of the surface of the sun that have been blasted off by coronal mass ejections that can trigger solar storms here on earth. In fact, solar storm warnings were issued because of this particular image. All that "missing" material is fired off into space and some of it could (and did) strongly interact with Earth's atmosphere, creating the Northern Lights effect. The charged particles from the sun interact with the magnetic field of Earth, which shields us from just such ejections. Without the magnetic shield, Earth's atmosphere would be stripped bare by these solar ejecta. This is a perfect analogy to what the Bible says about God in Psalm 84:11. "Our God is a sun and shield." The radiant and fiercely powerful light of the sun reminds us of God as a "consuming fire", while the Earth's magnetic field reminds us that God is a shield to us. We are protected by God's wrath through Christ on the cross. God provides us with His own righteous shield, in the person of His Son Jesus who, upon the cross, has taken away our sin. Come and see what the Bible and the Parker Solar Probe have to say about our Sun, the handiwork of God. EPISODE NOTE: In the beginning of part one, Dan mentions the faint, young sun problem but we forgot to get back to it. So here is an article about the problem you can check out if you're interested! https://creation.com/young-sun-paradox Audio clips featured in part one ABC DFW Northern Lights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM6FJbehp28 Solar Probe whistle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50kwxyFQalI Solar Probe CME sounds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF_e5eYgJ3Y Podbean enables our podcast to be on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms.  To support Good Heavens! on Podbean as a patron, you can use the Podbean app, or go to https://patron.podbean.com/goodheavens.  This goes to Wayne Spencer. If you would like to give to the ministry of Watchman Fellowship or to Daniel Ray, you can donate at https://www.watchman.org/daniel. Donations to Watchman are tax deductible.

2 Corinthians 3:18But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.Did you know that you become what you behold? The Scriptures teach us that as we we gaze upon Jesus, we are continually transformed into His image. Pastor Chuck Maher begins a new series entitled: Beholding Jesus. In this weeks message, Pastor Chuck teaches that as we behold Jesus we gain a greater revelation of our Sonship. Just as Father was pleased in His Son Jesus, He is pleased with those who are His children. As we behold Jesus, we receive greater revelation on what it means to be a child of God. LiveStream:www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTQ9YOq-swg

Thank You for tuning in! Happy Valentine's Day to all of you! Speaking of love do you realize just how much God truly loves you? John 3:16 says “For God so Loved the World that He gave Hus One and Only Son for Us, that whoever believes in Him (puts their trust in Him by faith) will not perish (will not die) but will have everlasting life” God wants to spend all eternity with you! God sent His Son Jesus to pay the cost for our sins, that is Love & Redemption!!! God Bless You!! I pray this episode has blessed you and brought you closer to making a decision to have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ!

If you asked most people what is the Lord's prayer and whereyou can find it in the Bible, they would probably recite the above prayer and pointyou to Matthew 6:9-13 or to this passage in Luke 11:2-4. And in a sense, theywould be right. But if you asked someone else the same question, they might correctlyanswer and say it is found in John 17, where the entire chapter is the Lord's HighPriestly prayer just before His crucifixion. We call this "The Lord's Prayer," not becauseJesus prayed it, because He never had to ask for forgiveness, but because Jesustaught it. There is nothing wrong with praying this prayer personally or aspart of a congregation, so long as we do it from a believing heart that issincere and submitted. How easy it is to "recite" these words and notreally mean them, but that can happen even when we sing and preach! The faultlies with us, not with this prayer. Over 25 years ago I read Dr. Elmer Towns' book, “Prayingthe Lord's Prayer for Spiritual Breakthrough”, and in it I read the story ofDr. Yonggi Cho, who at that time pastored the largest church in the world inSouth Korea with an attendance of 750,000. He attributed the success and fruitfulnessof his ministry and life to reciting the Lord's Prayer first thing in themorning and repeating it throughout the day and using it as a pattern for his dailyprayer time. After reading this, I was inspired to begin doing the same andhave followed this discipline everyday since that time. I also remember that the very first book I read on prayerright after I receive Christ as my Lord and Savior on February 21,1971, 54years ago, was “Asking and Receiving”, by Evangelist John R. Rice. My dad, J.O.Grooms, along with my mother, Albertina Grooms, were both very faithful and powerfulprayer warriors. I am so thankful for their influence and for the example of mypastor, Dr. Jerry Falwell, concerning prayer during my Bible College years inLynchburg. Another dear and close friend during those years at ThomasRoad Baptist Church was R.C. Worley, who also was a great prayer warrior that Iwas privileged to pray with on a weekly basis. Today the Worley Prayer Chapelis one of the oldest and most treasured buildings on the Liberty University campus.It is still open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. for prayer. The prayer that Jesus taught His disciple to pray here inLuke 11 is a “pattern prayer”. This is given to guide us in our own praying. Thefirst thing it teaches us is that true prayer depends on a spiritualrelationship with God that enables us to call Him "Father," and thiscan come only through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 8:14-17; Galatians 4:1-7).We are told in John 1:12,“But as many as received Him, to them He gave theright to become children of God, to those who believe in His name”.God isour “dear” Father that delights for us to boldly come into His presence throughthe blood of His Son Jesus and spend time with Him (Hebrews10:19). Secondly, we are taught to recognize and acknowledge theholiness of our Father's name. When we enter into the presence of the CreatorGod of the universe, we enter to worship! We should take the time to rememberthe attributes and character of God by His many names in the Bible! Space andtime will not allow me to write about this but is my prayer that you will takethe time to meditate on God's holiness, His righteousness, His faithfulness,His mercy, His grace, His love, His truth, His sovereignty, His omniscience,omnipresence, omnipotence and His justice. And the list goes on and on! Prayer should not be just repeating the same words over andover again each day. But it should be from our hearts of worship, praise, andthanksgiving! I find reading five Psalms every day allows me to do all of thesewith God's own Word! There is nothing more important that you can do today thanpray! God bless!

Kim settled in by the window, bag packed, waiting eagerly for her daddy to arrive. But as the bright day darkened and then turned to night, her enthusiasm faded. She realized Daddy wasn’t coming—again. Kim’s parents were divorced, and she longed to spend time with her father. Not for the first time she thought, I must not really matter. He must not love me. As Kim later learned—and as all of us who receive Jesus as our Savior come to know—though our earthly parents and others will disappoint us, we have a heavenly Father who loves us and won’t let us down. John, the author of three inspired, biblical letters and the gospel bearing his name, understood the depth of God’s love. In fact, he referred to himself as “the disciple . . . Jesus loved” (John 21:20), identifying himself as someone whose life had been changed by Christ’s love for him. “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” he wrote (1 John 3:1). God loves us so much that He gave His Son Jesus who laid down His life for us (v. 16; John 3:16). He is always available to us in prayer, and He promises, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). We can rest secure in His love.

The Bible is full of hidden gems and Exodus 13 is one of them. This passage gives us profound insights into the meaning of redemption and helps us understand what it means that we have been redeemed by Christ. Join us for this important study in Exodus 13! DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS: 1.    Exodus 13 lays out for us the principle of particular redemption. While that's definitely a weighty idea, it is key to understanding who we are in Christ. So, let's think back to the final plague of Exodus 12, what “price” did the Egyptians have to pay for the redemption of Israel? Did any of the Jews have to pay this same price? Why not? 2.    According to verse 12, who belonged to the Lord? Why?  3.    The podcast explained that if God saves a person from destruction, they owe their lives to Him. In light of the final plague, what did these Jews owe to God? How does this principle relate to us who have been saved through Christ's death on our behalf?  4.    The podcast referred to Exodus 34:19-20 for the redemption price that parents were to pay the Lord for their children. What was this price and why did they have to pay it?  5.    The podcast also mentions Numbers 18:16 and Deuteronomy 15:19. What do these passages teach us about the principle of redemption? Why were some redeemed and some not? 6.    All of these redemption passages teach the principle that a redemption price must be paid. Amazingly, New Testament tells us that the Father has given His Son Jesus to pay our redemption price! If Jesus is our redemption payment, do we still have to make that payment too? Why or why not? Why is Jesus' payment sufficient for the rest of His spiritual family?  7.    In Exodus 13:8, why was the father to instruct his children of the Passover by saying “It is because of what the Lord did for *me* when *I* came out of Egypt?” Why should the father say *he* came out of Egypt when only that first generation did? How would this identify future generations with that first generation of the Exodus? How does this help us understand the New Testament teaching that we were in Christ when He made His payment for us? 8.    In verse 19, when Moses brings Joseph's bones back to the Promised Land, what principle can we learn about faith and trusting God?  9.    When God went before the people as a Pillar of Smoke & Fire, what did He presence signify? How was this different from the fact that God is everywhere at all times (i.e. omnipresence)? Could these people have been assured of God's presence if they went off and did whatever they wanted? In our life today, how do we need to walk to be assured of God's presence in our lives? Check out our Bible Study Guide on the Key Chapters of Genesis! Available on Amazon! To see our dedicated podcast website with access to all our episodes and other resources, visit us at: www.keychapters.org. Find us on all major platforms, or use these direct links: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6OqbnDRrfuyHRmkpUSyoHv Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/366-key-chapters-in-the-bible/id1493571819 YouTube: Key Chapters of the Bible on YouTube. As always, we are grateful to be included in the "Top 100 Bible Podcasts to Follow" from Feedspot.com. Also for regularly being awarded "Podcast of the Day" from PlayerFM. Special thanks to Joseph McDade for providing our theme music.   

Color: White Old Testament: 2 Samuel 7:1–16 Old Testament: Isaiah 11:1–5 Psalm: Psalm 89:1–8; antiphon: v. 8 Epistle: Galatians 4:1–7 Gospel: Luke 2:33–40 Gospel: Luke 2:22–40 Introit: Psalm 93:1, 3–4; antiphon: vv. 5, 2 Gradual: Psalm 45:2a, 1b Verse: Psalm 93:1 The Seed of David Comes to His Temple   A Rod has come forth from the stem of Jesse (Is. 11:1–5)—the Seed of David whose kingdom shall be established forever (2 Sam. 7:1–16). In the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son Jesus to redeem us from the judgment of the Law (Gal. 4:1–7). Now He is presented in the temple in fulfillment of the Law and revealed to be “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel” (Luke 2:22–40). Christ has enlightened us in baptism, giving us to be adopted as sons of God and heirs of eternal life. Receiving the Holy Sacrament of His body and blood, we are prepared to depart this world in peace, for our eyes have seen the salvation of God in Him. Lectionary summary © 2021 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Used by permission. http://lcms.org/worship

Humans do what humans do. We're born liars, thieves, drunkards, sexually immoral, and all other kinds of sinners. This is the case today, and it was the case in Isaiah's day. Today, Pastor Ken teaches that the result of all this sin can only lead one place… But God! God has created you to be so much more than your sins. He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross so that you could be set free from the consequences of sin. God created you to love Him, love your neighbor, and go and sin no more. 

God is not just a good idea... a better way to live. God isn't just offering a list of principles or moral values. God isn't an add-on to your disciplined life or your perseverance. His way, His rule, His lordship are everything. Romans 3 tells us that "ALL (of us) have sinned and fall short of God's glory." That means we all fall short of His standards. We're all failures in the light of His perfection and His holiness. Yet, ALL of us have been offered a right relationship with Him through His Son Jesus. This is for all who believe. We're all in the same boat. And we're all offered the same hope. Always remember there is hope with God. This is Wendy Palau.  radio.hopewithgod.com Find out more at https://hopewithgod.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Merry Christmas! Tonight, we are celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Sometimes, we think Christmas is for the kids, and it is, but Christmas is for you too. Christmas is for everyone. I know there is a lot going on at Christmas. This Christmas, when your heart is tempted to be anxious, the peace of Christ answers. God sent His Son Jesus to give us peace for Christmas. Recorded live at Word of Life Church in Le Sueur, Minnesota, on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2024, Pastor Jason Lang preaching. Powered by Restream https://restream.io/ (Bensound Royality Free background music)

Steve Smith :: Creekside Church :: Wednesday, December 24th, 2024 “And the Light shines in the darkness...” (John 1:5a) One of the reasons Christmas is celebrated on December 25th is the symbolism derived from the beginning of increasing daylight beginning after the winter solstice: God sent Light into a dark world in the form of His Son Jesus. Pastor Steve shares a Christmas Eve message about Jesus as the “Light of the world”, exposing darkness, directing our path, and delivering us from the consequences of sin. The candlelight service also includes worship, readings from Isaiah 9 as well as the lighting of the 5th Advent candle and accompanying scripture. Worship music permitted under CCLI License #264436.

How should we respond to the Love that God gave us through His Son Jesus? At New Promise Church you will see people of all ages, from a variety of backgrounds, and at different stages of their spiritual journey. We desire to draw closer to Jesus by understanding who He is and what He has done for us.

Your life doesn't have to be defined by overwhelm and worry when you allow God's gift to rule and reign in your heart - His Son (Jesus), the Prince of Peace.

The Bible gives us many reasons to believe that God loves us. However, there is one way we can know for certain that He loves us, He sent His Son – Jesus – to earth. This morning, we consider how the incarnation of Jesus sets into motion a string of events that will change us forever. And how it all happens because of His great love for us.

Scripture: Matthew 2:13-23. Focus: God the Father sovereignly protected His Son Jesus. Speaker: Matt Thornton, Pastor. Date: December 22, 2024

Faith and Belief are so important. How do they fit in with the gift for life that God wants to give us at Christmas? Don't miss out on any of the gifts that God has given us thru His Son Jesus. Come find out how to redeem the blessings and enjoy abundant life.

Take a look at your Christmas tree. See all those lights and gifts? Now think about this verse from James 1:17: "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights." Those lights on your tree? They remind us of God's light and glory. And the best part: the gifts at the bottom of the tree are easily reachable, just like God made His greatest gift, His Son Jesus, accessible to everyone. No matter how down you feel, that gift is within your reach. Isn't it amazing how a simple Christmas tree can show us so much about God's love?

Have you ever worried you didn't have enough money? Have you ever worried you didn't have enough money to buy Christmas presents? This week we are continuing our advent series "His Gospel Is Peace". God sent His Son Jesus to provide for all of our needs. We worry about not having enough but God gives us everything we need. Recorded live at Word of Life Church in Le Sueur, Minnesota, on December 15, 2024, Pastor Jason Lang preaching.

At Christmas we celebrate how God sent His Son Jesus to earth to seek and save the lost. The name Emmanuel means "God with Us." Just like Jesus, we have been sent as God's ambassadors to take His life changing gift of hope to a lost and hurting world. Today, Pastor Rich will look at the life of C.T. Studd, missionary to China, India, and central Africa. He lived between 1860 and 1931. This well known Cricket player, born into a wealthy family in England came to Christ at the age of 24. His desire was to "run a rescue shop within a yard of hell." Hebrews 12:1-2

Sunday, December 8th 2024 Holy Night…For ALL the People Luke 2:8-15   Thank you for taking a moment to read this.  We don't know who you are but God does.  He knew that today you would be randomly reading things online and come across this opportunity to connect with Him.  It is the time of year when Christmas is on everyone's mind.  We don't know how you feel about Christmas but we do know how God feels about you.  He loves you. No matter where you have been or what you have done, He loves you and He sent His Son Jesus for you.  The truth we will share this week from scripture could be summed up this way.  Jesus came for ALL the people.   And yes, that ALL includes you and me.  It does not matter if you feel like an outcast. If you are a little economically less fortunate. If you have a work schedule that keeps you from being part of everyday life.   Maybe you feel like you have no influence or no one will listen to you.  Maybe you are isolated or lonely.  Have you thought to yourself that your life seems meaningless or that you are unwanted?  You might be a lot like the main characters in the Bible verse this week.   No matter how you feel, God still has a good and perfect plan for your life!  A plan of redemption for you!  A plan that gives you incredible meaning and purpose and value!  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/escape-urself-podcast/support

How are you giving God sacred space in your life in this season? What has helped you focus on His gift to us in His Son Jesus? Chris Brooks wants to help you revel in your expectancy for Jesus as he talks with author and radio host Susie Larson about her book, Prepare Him Room! EQUIPPERS - Our next EQUIPPER WEBINAR is next Thursday, Nov. 14!Topic: "Beyond Politic: a Christian Response"  REGISTRATION DETAILS ARE IN YOUR E-MAIL INBOX.  Not an Equipper and want to attend?   Become an Equipper Today Equipped with Chris Brooks is made possible by your support.  To donate now, click hereTo learn more about Equipped with Chris Brooks click here

Hope Lebedyn is a nonprofit organization in Ukraine providing aid and hope during a time of war, chaos, fear, and uncertainty. Co-founder Peter Martin shares the realities of what Ukrainian families are currently facing, and how God's love has shown up as a lifeline.     Quotes “My family hasn't been asked to leave their home because a bomb might come through their roof. I haven't had to abandon all my things. So I see love in the blessing of God, in the things that I have around me, which so often I take for granted.” - Peter Martin “About twenty-five years ago, I went over to the outskirts of Moscow to hear 650 pastors from the underground church in the Soviet era share stories and how they wanted to see the church grow in the future. I was absolutely mesmerized by what was happening. The power of these stories that came across—they were just mind blowing, to be quite frank, and what people would do for the sake of the Christian cause. And I thought, Well, how can I help?” - Peter Martin “We give out aid. We go to orphanages. We've helped loads of refugees and particularly children. We planted the church there. We've even planted other satellite churches from there. We've built a brand new activity center which runs a bakery and it has had an amazing impact in these recent years.” - Peter Martin “We make sure that every child that comes to our center has a copy of the Jesus Storybook Bible. Since the start of the war, we have distributed around 2,500 to 3,000 and given them away for free. They've had a huge impact.” - Peter Martin “With everything we do, we share the love of Jesus and the Father with Bibles and scripture, through services, and through activities. We're seeing lots of young people hungry to study God's Word, which is incredible.” - Peter Martin “God, through His Son Jesus, will meet us in our time of need and He'll come into our hearts. I believe that's the same for us and these people that are struggling in the war [in Ukraine]. God will come back to them and restore them in due time.” - Peter Martin    Guest's Links Hope Lebedyn's website Hope Lebedyn's Facebook   Resources Mentioned in This Episode Swan Lake by Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky “How Great Thou Art” by Stuart Hine   Seasonal Products Free Jesus Storybook Bible Advent Reading Plan & Bonus Printables The Jesus Storybook Bible: A Christmas Collection The Jesus Storybook Bible Advent Activity Book Song of the Stars: A Christmas Story Little One, We Knew You'd Come My Little Library of God's Great Love    Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones Jesus Storybook Bible Facebook Jesus Storybook Bible Instagram  Sally's website Sally's Facebook Sally's Instagram   *Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*

How are you giving God sacred space in your life in this season? What has helped you focus on His gift to us in His Son Jesus? Chris Brooks wants to help you revel in your expectancy for Jesus as he talks with author and radio host Susie Larson about her book, Prepare Him Room! EQUIPPERS - Our next EQUIPPER WEBINAR is next Thursday, Nov. 14!Topic: "Beyond Politic: a Christian Response"  REGISTRATION DETAILS ARE IN YOUR E-MAIL INBOX.  Not an Equipper and want to attend?   Become an Equipper Today Equipped with Chris Brooks is made possible by your support.  To donate now, click hereTo learn more about Equipped with Chris Brooks click here

Many people believe that they're good enough to get into Heaven. Their definition of ‘good enough' usually means that they didn't commit some horrible crime. That's a pretty low standard. God's standard is that you have to be perfect. Breaking even one command means you're not good enough to go to Heaven. The truth is that you're far more sinful than you realize. That's what God's perfect law shows you. But in today's message, Pastor Mark shares good news. God demonstrated His grace by sending His Son Jesus to live the perfect life, and die on the cross for your sins so that you can have eternal life! That's good news indeed! 

The Holy Spirit works in and through the believer who submits to His leadership. This work is making you perfect and complete, and the Lord will not stop until He has finished making you into the image of His Son Jesus. Find out more in today’s podcast! (00:00) The Power of the Holy Spirit(08:10) The Intercession of the Holy Spirit(17:12) The Spirit's Unspoken Prayer for Believers CONNECT WITH PASTOR JACK: Get Updates via Text:  https://text.whisp.io/jack-hibbs-podcastWebsite: https://jackhibbs.com/Instagram: http://bit.ly/2FCyXpOFacebook: https://bit.ly/2WZBWV0YouTube: https://bit.ly/437xMHnTwitter/X: https://twitter.com/RealJackHibbs Did you know we have a Real Life Network? Sign up for free for more exclusive content: https://bit.ly/3CIP3M9

Hi, I'm John Sorensen, President of Evangelism Explosion International, and you're listening to Share Life Today. Sometimes, when we face tragedy, we feel that we've been abandoned. These past few weeks, we at EE have faced devastation alongside thousands of others in Asheville, North Carolina. Franklin Graham, the president of Samaritan's Purse, said, “No matter what storm you face, you need to know that God loves you. He has not abandoned you.” You see, God cares about us. He so loved the world that He sent His Son Jesus to the cross to combat the world's poison—also known as sin. And the Bible tells us that when we place our trust in Jesus alone as our Savior, He is not only our Deliverer but also our Friend. “I lift my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord...” There's a peace that He gives us even in the biggest storms of our lives because He is with us. And we have the opportunity to share that peace with others. Not sure how? Visit our website at www.sharelife.today. That's www.sharelife.today.

Scores of people today, even in many of our churches, walk around aimless. They work their jobs and take care of their families, but they struggle to understand what it is that God wants them to do.He's told us! As with every other situation, His Word speaks directly to our circumstances.Micah 6:8 says, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”The Lord requires of us that we have the mind of Christ. That we aim for showing justice and mercy to those we encounter. And notice: we are to love doing these things, not just go through the motions. And finally, we are to remember to be humble. There's only One Who is perfect and that is the Father. In our present state, we are to emulate the qualities that caused His Son Jesus to turn the world upside down for good.If you ever wonder what your purpose is, start with these awesome words from the prophet Micah.Let's pray.Lord, help us to keep in front of us at all times the simplicity that is in Christ. He shows us the way. In Jesus' name, amen.Change your shirt, and you can change the world! Save 15% Off your entire purchase of faith-based apparel + gifts at Kerusso.com with code KDD15.

Read Online“The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come.” Matthew 22:2–3The king in this parable is God the Father, and the wedding is the marriage between Christ and the Church. The Father invites each one of us to be a member of the Church and to enter into divine union with His Son Jesus, thus entering into the life of the Holy Trinity. But we see right away in the parable that the invited guests “refused to come.” As the parable goes on, the king tried even harder to invite the guests, but they all responded in one of two ways. “Some ignored the invitation and went away…” and “The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them.” Clearly, this was not the response hoped for by the generous king.We see in these two responses two levels of rejection of the Gospel that are present in our world today, just as it was at the time of Jesus. The first level of rejection is indifference. Many people are very busy today. We easily become occupied with many things that matter little in the end. Many are consumed by their smartphones, computers and tablets. Many spend countless hours watching television. Others become workaholics, spending most of their time at their occupation and leaving little time for that which is most important, such as family, prayer and service. As a result, it is very easy to become indifferent to the matters of faith and easy to fail to pray every day so as to seek out and fulfill God's will. This indifference is quite serious.There is also a rejection of the faith in our world through a growing hostility toward the Church and morality. There are many ways in which the secular world continues to promote a culture that is contrary to the Gospel. And when Christians speak out and oppose these new cultural tendencies, they are condemned and often characterized as being prejudiced or judgmental. Such malice was displayed by the guests in this parable who “laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them.” Hostility toward the Church, the faith and clear moral principles laid down by God appears to be growing every year. This form of rejection of the Gospel is even more damaging than the simple indifference mentioned above. In this parable for today, Jesus says that in response to those who were indifferent and hostile, the king “sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.”This parable should not be read in such a way that we look at others and condemn them as if we were the king and had the right to do so. We do not have that right. Only God does. Instead, this parable should be read from the perspective of your own life. Hopefully you are not one of those who are hostile to the Gospel. But perhaps you and many other Christians struggle with the first form of rejection: indifference. We can easily become indifferent in many various ways and on many different levels. The opposite of being indifferent is to care and to care deeply about going to the wedding feast when invited.Reflect, today, upon the Wedding Feast to which you are invited. You are invited to enter into the glorious celebration of becoming one with the Savior of the World. You are invited to surrender your life to Him without reserve. You are invited to holiness, moral integrity, unwavering fidelity to God, service of others, charity that knows no bounds and so much more. To enter the Wedding Feast of the Lamb is something that must take place every day and every moment of your day for the rest of your life. God is inviting you. Will you say “Yes” with every fiber of your being?My inviting Lord, You desire that all people fully accept the invitation You have given to become one with You through spiritual marriage. You call us to the glorious Wedding Feast and eternal rejoicing. May I never be indifferent to Your invitation and always make my response with all my heart. I love You, dear Lord. Help me to love You all the more. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Featured image above: Parable of the Great Banquet By Brunswick Monogrammist, via Wikimedia Commons

Read OnlineA woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the tassel on his cloak. She said to herself, “If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.” Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, “Courage, daughter!  Your faith has saved you.” And from that hour the woman was cured. Matthew 9:20–21What a tremendous amount of faith this woman had! She had suffered for many years and continued to suffer with her hemorrhages. How did she know that touching Jesus' cloak would cure her? The only answer to that is faith. Faith is not just wishful thinking or hoping. Faith is a certain knowledge, given by a special grace and revelation from God, by which a person freely assents to belief. God spoke to her heart, she listened, she responded, and she was cured.One thing that is very inspiring in this Gospel story is the humility with which this woman approached Jesus. She didn't feel as though she needed to bother Jesus, to speak to Him, or to trouble Him with her problem. Instead, in her humility, she presented her need to Jesus through her gift of faith, interiorly and silently, and the grace of God was given her because God sees the heart and responds to such humble and sincere faith.Imagine if everyone had this depth of faith in our Lord. Imagine if all of us knew, with the deepest conviction of certitude, that God would take care of every need we have. And imagine if we turned to our Lord with this deep conviction of certitude every day with every need. If we could do that, then our Lord would be able to continually care for us in every way.One key component to this woman's healing is that it was God the Father who spoke to her and invited her to touch the cloak of His Son Jesus. And it was Jesus who sensed the healing she received, since He was in perfect union with the will of His Father. Therefore, touching Jesus' cloak was not simply a magical act by which whatever this woman wanted would be granted to her. Instead, it was a response to the interior invitation she was given by the Father.In our lives, we must work to do the same. Too often we present our preferences to God and tell Him what we want Him to do. God does not respond to such requests. Instead, we must seek His will...and His will alone. This woman knew she would be healed, because God the Father spoke to her in her mind and heart and inspired her to touch the cloak of Jesus His Son, and she responded, and the healing took place. God must speak first, we must hear and respond, and then His will is accomplished. Reflect, today, upon the gentle Voice of God as He speaks to you in the depths of your heart. Do you hear Him? What is He inviting you to do? What healing does He want to bestow? As you ponder God's Voice, try to respond only to Him. Set aside all of your own preferences and ideas of what God should do and seek only what He is speaking to you. Say “Yes” to Him, do so with certitude and conviction, and trust that whatever He speaks to you, if you have faith in what He says, He will do it. My gentle Lord, You speak to me day and night, calling me to the healing I need. Help me to hear Your Voice and to respond to You in faith. May my faith and confidence in You grow strong and become the source of Your glorious action in my life. Jesus, I do trust in You.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Featured image above: Around the tea-table By Thomas De Witt, via Wikimedia Commons

Religion is man’s attempt to reach God. Christianity is God’s attempt to reach man. God is not interested in religion. He wants us to have a genuine, dynamic relationship with His Son Jesus. Find out how religion muddies the waters of faith in today’s podcast. (00:00) Living by the Spirit(15:11) Adoption and Conveyance of Authority DAZE OF DECEPTION BOOK: https://jackhibbs.com/daze-of-deception/ CONNECT WITH PASTOR JACK Website: https://jackhibbs.com/ Instagram: http://bit.ly/2FCyXpO Facebook: https://bit.ly/2WZBWV0 YouTube: https://bit.ly/437xMHn Did you know we have a Real Life Network? Sign up for free for more exclusive content: https://bit.ly/3CIP3M9