The quality of being humble
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an expository sermon on Zephaniah 2 preached by Pastor Jordan Atkinson on June 29, 2025
Humbly surrender in light of God's scandalous love.
Paul, the author of the book of Galatians, exhorts the readers (hearers) of his letter to use their new-found freedom in Christ to humbly serve one another in love, rather than their inherent sinful nature. To "love your neighbour as yourself", is to deny your pride and seek opportunities to humbly serve others with the spirit of love.
Daily Anglican Prayer - Wednesday Morning – 25th June 2025 Readings NRSV: Psalm 135; 1 Samuel 19. 1-17; Acts 13.1-12. Led by Felicity Scott, an Anglican prayer minister in Queensland, Australia. The full prayer transcript is available by going to this episode on the Podcast website. https://dailyprayeranglicanprayerbookforaustralia.podbean.com Welcome to Wednesday Morning prayer. We proclaim the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ: GOD in his infinite mercy, forgives all sins, and through our baptism in the name of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, we are given a rebirth into new life, free from the burden of all sin. ALLELUIA With faithfulness we respond to the good news: We acknowledge Christ as our saviour and accept with gratitude, that we are forgiven for all wrong doings, past and present. To honour the gift of forgiveness, we release our burden of guilt and rise up to live in the glory of God forever more. Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Blessed be God forever. Let us Pray. 1 Rejoice always pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus. Glory to God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit: as in the beginning, so now, and for ever. Amen. 2 The Opening Canticle, A Song of God's Grace Blessed are you, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: For you have blessed us in Christ Jesus with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, You chose us to be yours in Christ, before the foundation of the world: That we should be holy and blameless before you. In love you destined us to be your children, through Jesus Christ: according to the purpose of your will, to the praise of your glorious grace: which you freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1.3-6 3 The Opening Prayer The night has passed and the day lies open before us; let us pray with one heart and mind. Silence may be kept. As we rejoice in the gift of this new day, so may the light of your presence, O God, set our hearts on fire with love for you; now and for ever. Amen. 4 The Psalms as appointed. A pause is observed after each. Psalm reading… Psalm 135 1 Praise the Lord, praise the name of the Lord: praise him, you servants of the Lord, 2 Who stand in the house of the Lord: in the courts of the house of our God. 3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is gracious: sing praises to his name, for it is good. 4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself: and Israel as his own possession. 5 I know that the Lord is great: and that our Lord is above all gods. 6 He does whatever he wills, in heaven and upon the earth: in the seas and in the great depths. 7 He brings up clouds from the ends of the earth: he makes lightning for the rain and brings the wind out of his storehouses. 8 He struck down the firstborn of Egypt: both man and beast alike. 9 He sent signs and wonders into your midst, O Egypt: against Pharaoh and against all his servants. 10 He struck down great nations: and slew mighty kings, 11 Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, the king of Bashan: and all the princes of Canaan. 12 He made over their land as a heritage: a heritage for Israel his people. 13 O Lord, your name shall endure for ever: so shall your renown, throughout all generations. 14 For the Lord will vindicate his people: he will take pity on his servants. 15 As for the idols of the nations, they are but silver and gold: the work of human hands. 16 They have mouths, but speak not: they have eyes, but they cannot see. 17 They have ears, yet hear nothing: there is no breath in their nostrils. 18 Those who make them shall be like them: so shall everyone that trusts in them. 19 Bless the Lord, O house of Israel: bless the Lord, O house of Aaron. 20 Bless the Lord, O house of Levi: you that fear the Lord, bless the Lord. 21 Blessed be the Lord from Zion: he that dwells in Jerusalem. Praise the Lord. 5 At the end of the (last) pause there may follow We consecrate this day to your service, O Lord; may all our thoughts, words, and actions be well-pleasing to you and serve the good of our brothers and sisters; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. 6 One or two Readings from the Bible as appointed. Old testament Reading… 1 Samuel 19. 1-17; Jonathan Intercedes for David 1 Saul spoke with his son Jonathan and with all his servants about killing David. But Saul's son Jonathan took great delight in David. 2 Jonathan told David, “My father Saul is trying to kill you; therefore be on guard tomorrow morning; stay in a secret place and hide yourself. 3 I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you; if I learn anything I will tell you.” 4 Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul, saying to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have been of good service to you; 5 for he took his life in his hand when he attacked the Philistine, and the Lord brought about a great victory for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced; why then will you sin against an innocent person by killing David without cause?” 6 Saul heeded the voice of Jonathan; Saul swore, “As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.” 7 So Jonathan called David and related all these things to him. Jonathan then brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before. Michal Helps David Escape from Saul 8 Again there was war, and David went out to fight the Philistines. He launched a heavy attack on them, so that they fled before him. 9 Then an evil spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand, while David was playing music. 10 Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear; but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. David fled and escaped that night. 11 Saul sent messengers to David's house to keep watch over him, planning to kill him in the morning. David's wife Michal told him, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” 12 So Michal let David down through the window; he fled away and escaped. 13 Michal took an idol and laid it on the bed; she put a net of goats' hair on its head, and covered it with the clothes. 14 When Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.” 15 Then Saul sent the messengers to see David for themselves. He said, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.” 16 When the messengers came in, the idol was in the bed, with the covering of goats' hair on its head. 17 Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this, and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go; why should I kill you?' ” Hear the word of the LORD. Thanks be to God New testament Reading… Acts 13.1-12 Barnabas and Saul Commissioned 1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the ruler, and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. The Apostles Preach in Cyprus 4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia; and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John also to assist them. 6 When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they met a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet, named Bar-Jesus. 7 He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear the word of God. 8 But the magician Elymas (for that is the translation of his name) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 But Saul, also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? 11 And now listen—the hand of the Lord is against you, and you will be blind for a while, unable to see the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he went about groping for someone to lead him by the hand. 12 When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord. Hear the message of Christ. Thanks be to God. 7 The Canticle, We praise you O God: we claim you as Lord. All creation thanks you: The Father everlasting. To you all angels, all the powers of heaven: The cherubim and serafim sing in endless praise: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of power and might: Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Father of majesty unbounded: Your true and only son, worthy of all praise, the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide. You, Christ, are the king of glory, the eternal son of the father. When you took our flesh to set us free: You humbly chose the virgin's womb. You overcame the sting of death: And opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. You are seated at God's right hand in glory: We believe that you will come to be our judge. Come then, God, and help your people, bought with the price of your own blood: And bring us with your Saints to glory everlasting. 8 The belief and principle is said I believe in God, creator of heaven and earth, whose love and merciful forgiveness endures everlasting. I believe in Christ the saviour, whose example of love and compassion, taught us a restored way to live, in collaborative unity with all people. I believe in the Holy Spirit, whose divine guidance brings us together to be one with the Holy Trinity. Amen. 9 The Prayers Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. God have mercy. 10 The Lord's Prayer and the Collect of the Day Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen. The Prayers of the Week following the second Sunday after Pentecost Almighty and everlasting God, You are always more ready to hear then we to pray and give more than either we desire or deserve pour down upon us the abundance of your mercy forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask, saved through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, your son our Lord. Amen 11 Intercessions and Thanksgivings may be made according to local custom and need. Let us pray Lord, we give you thanks, that through your son Jesus Christ, you have shown us the way to live in your righteousness. You made us in your likeness, you gave your only son Jesus Christ who gave us forgiveness of sin, bring us together as one, different in culture but given new life in Jesus Christ. Reconciled, forgiven, sharing you with others as you have called us to do. We pray for reconciliation with you God and reconciliation with each other and ask for strength to remain in your presence in all we do. Humbly, in faith we Pray – LORD hear our prayer Saviour God, we remember with love all those that have passed this week. We thank you for the faithfully departed and your servants in every age. We ask that our ancestors and all your saints may be brought to the joyful resurrection and the fulfilment of your glorious kingdom. Humbly, in faith we Pray – LORD hear our prayer God of justice, we ask for your help with ending domestic violence. We ask that you shine your heavenly light to guide people to live in peace with each other and make amends, by freeing their victims of abuse. Humbly, in faith we Pray – LORD hear our prayer Blessed God, we ask your blessing for those listed on the Anglican cycle of prayer: Wednesday 25 June The Diocese of Namibia – The Anglican Church of Southern Africa The Diocese of The Northern Territory: The Parish of Toowoomba West: Anglicare SQ Symes Grove Residential Aged Care – Taigum All Anglican Schools Business Managers/Bursars and Senior Leaders All Prison ministry chaplaincy teams All people joining in this prayer offering. Humbly, in faith we Pray – LORD hear our prayer 12 The Morning Collect Eternal God and Father, by whose power we were created and through whose love we are redeemed: guide and strengthen us by your Spirit, that we may give ourselves to your service, and live this day in love to one another and to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 13 The Lord be with you. And also with you. Let us praise the Lord. Thanks be to God. May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant us to live in such harmony with one another in accord with Christ Jesus, that we may with one voice gratify our God and Father. Amen. Romans 15.5-6 Music by John Keys – Anglican Chant Canticle organ accompaniments. A reminder disclaimer to the listener. The readings in the podcast may include ancient and old-fashioned sayings and instructions that we do not in any way condone as in use or to be used in today's modern world. The readings have not been modernised to reflect todays thinking, instead the readings remain from the old version of the NRSV bible. The podcast owners explicitly declare that each listener is responsible for their own actions in response to the bible readings and the podcast owners bare no responsibility in this sense.
Rom. 12:3-8. 6/22/25. An expositional sermon from the letter to the Romans.
Romans 1:14 — For whom is the gospel? Does the Christian gospel seem more palatable for a suburban context? It might seem that a learned man like the apostle Paul would feel more comfortable preaching to philosophers, stoics, and epicureans rather than the common men and women of the city. As Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones demonstrates in his message on Romans 1:14 titled “The Whole Counsel of God,” this could not be further from the truth. Show Paul a soul – whether that soul be wise or unwise, Greek or Barbarian, rich or poor, slave or free – and he would preach the gospel to them with great profundity and fullness. In this challenging message, Dr. Lloyd-Jones holds up Paul as an example of what it means to be a gospel Christian. The Christian cannot forget that, like Paul, they are under obligation to all humanity. There is a universal need of all nations and all people to hear the gospel. Dr. Lloyd-Jones provocatively says that if preachers today cannot preach to everybody, they should not preach to anybody. Gospel preachers must develop an ability to preach to a range of people otherwise they will give the impression that the gospel is only for a certain type of person. Humbly listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones dispels false ministry methods and calls Christians to once again impart the whole counsel of God to the whole world.
“By faith Your Word has made us bold to seize the gift of love retold; All that You are we here receive, and all we are to You we give. “One bread, one cup, one body, we, rejoicing in our unity, Proclaim Your love until You come to bring Your scattered loved ones home.”
Romans 1:14 — For whom is the gospel? Does the Christian gospel seem more palatable for a suburban context? It might seem that a learned man like the apostle Paul would feel more comfortable preaching to philosophers, stoics, and epicureans rather than the common men and women of the city. As Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones demonstrates in his message on Romans 1:14 titled “The Whole Counsel of God,” this could not be further from the truth. Show Paul a soul – whether that soul be wise or unwise, Greek or Barbarian, rich or poor, slave or free – and he would preach the gospel to them with great profundity and fullness. In this challenging message, Dr. Lloyd-Jones holds up Paul as an example of what it means to be a gospel Christian. The Christian cannot forget that, like Paul, they are under obligation to all humanity. There is a universal need of all nations and all people to hear the gospel. Dr. Lloyd-Jones provocatively says that if preachers today cannot preach to everybody, they should not preach to anybody. Gospel preachers must develop an ability to preach to a range of people otherwise they will give the impression that the gospel is only for a certain type of person. Humbly listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones dispels false ministry methods and calls Christians to once again impart the whole counsel of God to the whole world. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/603/29
Ebed-Melech risked it all to obey God in a deadly siege - his faith won God's promise. In your storms, live by faith, not fear - God will deliver you too.
Ebed-Melech risked it all to obey God in a deadly siege - his faith won God's promise. In your storms, live by faith, not fear - God will deliver you too.
The words of James about arrogant merchants and oppressive landowners works on two levels. It reminds us to remember our lives are contingent on God. So, put aside the arrogance and accept our human limitations. At the same time, James offers a word of comfort to those who are suffering for their faith, to assure them that God has not forgotten them; they can trust him and be patient in their pain.
What does it look like to live humbly and how is this possible?www.instagram.com/thehishillpodcast/www.hishill.orgkelly@hishill.org
Humbly take Scripture to heart, love the brethren, and continue in grace
Send me a Text Message here.Yes... I just wanted to... Wait... (Wow, I can't get a word in.)This week I finish the conversation with Julie Kléne, an LSF/French sign language interpreter. She explains more about the profession in France and shares some insights into developing and improving as a sign language interpreter.Some interpreting topics to fuel your brain machines!The Interpreter's Workshop with Tim Curry is three years old in June of 2025!In the summer 2025, July and August, the Interpreter's Workshop with Tim Curry will take a break.The episodes will resume in September.Catch up on the episodes you've not listened to yet!Check me out on Instagram @interpretersworkshop.Support the showDon't forget to tell a friend or colleague! Click below! IW Community Buy Me a Coffee Get extras with a subscription! Share the PODCAST Subscribe to the Monthly Newsletter Listen & follow on many other platforms. Send me a voicemail! [TRANSCRIPTS ARE HERE] Thanks for listening. I'll see you next week.Take care now.
Humbly confess and renounce any hidden sin in your life.
Danny Wind is a Local Conversation leader and Regional Transportation Commission member from Lake County, California. In this Bottom-Up Short, Danny discusses their Open Street Map Project, which gives people a space to share photos and descriptions of the everyday challenges they face. Danny explains how this method of humbly observing where people struggle is a powerful force for change and how it intersects with their Regional Transportation Commission work. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Read more about Danny: “A Love That Helps Your Place Live Up To Its Full Potential” Learn more about the Strong Towns approach to public investment. Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn). Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!
Sermon from Matt Magee on June 1, 2025
It's Wednesday, May 28th, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 125 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com. I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Jonathan Clark Somalian Muslim man trusts Christ and is kicked out of home A young Muslim man in Somalia was kicked out of his home recently after converting to Christianity. The 20-year-old struggled with substance abuse and had not been home to see his Muslim parents for months. That's when an underground pastor shared the Gospel with him. The young man came to Christ and gained freedom from drug use. After going home, however, his parents drove him away because of his new faith. The young convert told Morning Star News, “Now that I have loved [Jesus], I do not have a family standing with me. I do no not know what to do. I need prayers.” Please pray for this brother in Christ in Somalia, Africa. The country is ranked second on the Open Doors' World Watch List of most difficult places to be a Christian. In Matthew 19:29, Jesus said, “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.” French Muslim youth vandalizing Catholic churches and assaulting Catholics The European Conservative reports there have been a string of attacks on churches in France recently which have received little attention from the mainstream media. In one case, Islamic youths insulted a Catholic priest and threatened to set the church building on fire earlier this month. Days earlier, another group disrupted a parish meeting in the same area. Muslim attacks on Catholics have included vandalism, physical assault, and kidnapping. Supremes split decision result: OK religious charter school unfunded In the United States, the Supreme Court delivered a split decision last Thursday in a case involving religious education. Previously, Oklahoma's charter school board had approved funding for St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School. It would have been the country's first publicly-funded religious charter school. However, Oklahoma's Supreme Court blocked the school. And the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 4-4 in the case, leaving the lower court ruling in place. For some reason, conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself from the case. Defense Secretary Hegseth: "“King Jesus, we come humbly before You." U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth led a prayer meeting at the Pentagon last Wednesday. Listen to his opening prayer. HEGSETH: “If you would bow your head in prayer. “King Jesus, we come humbly before You, seeking Your face, seeking Your grace, in humble obedience to your law and to Your Word. We come as sinners, saved only by that grace, seeking Your providence in our lives and in our nation. “Lord God, we ask for the wisdom to see what is right, and in each and every day, in each and every circumstance, the courage to do what is right in obedience to Your will. “It is in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that we pray. And all God's people said, Amen. Thank you.” The voluntary 30-minute prayer meeting was called “Secretary of Defense Christian Prayer & Worship Service.” Hegseth said it may become a monthly event. Colossians 4:2 says, “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.” Planned Parenthood to close 8 abortion mills in Iowa and Minnesota Last Friday, Planned Parenthood North Central States announced it will close eight locations across Iowa and Minnesota over the next year. Planned Parenthood blamed the closures on states passing anti-abortion laws as well as a freeze on federal funding for abortion. The closures will also involve laying off 66 staff members. CDC no longer recommends COVID-19 shot for pregnant women & kids The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will no longer recommend COVID-19 shots for pregnant women and healthy children. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made the announcement yesterday. KENNEDY: “Hi everybody. I'm Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, your HHS Secretary. And I'm here with NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya and FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty MaKary. “I couldn't be more pleased to announce that, as of today, the COVID vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the CDC-recommended immunization schedule. Last year, the Biden administration urged healthy children to get yet another COVID shot, despite the lack of any clinical data to support the repeat booster strategy in children! BHATTACHARYA: “That ends today. It's common sense and it's good science.” MAKARY: “There's no evidence healthy kids need it today. And most countries have stopped recommending it for children.” KENNEDY: “We're now one step closer to realizing President Trump's promise to make America healthy again.” Lawmakers want to launch “Natural Family Month” Republican lawmakers in Ohio are considering a bill to celebrate families. The measure would designate the weeks from Mother's Day to Father's Day as “Natural Family Month.” The timeframe goes from the second Sunday in May to the third Sunday in June. This contrasts with Homosexual/Transgender Pride Month when many celebrate sexually perverted lifestyles in June. 1,500-year-old Christian graves in Israel discovered And finally, archaeologists recently uncovered 1,500-year-old Christian graves in Israel's Negev Desert. The graves reflect Christian burial practices. Inside, archaeologists found rare ebony figurines depicting individuals with African features. Researchers wrote, “It is possible that the deceased were of ‘Ethiopian' origin, and that they, or their ancestors, converted to Christianity and moved to the Negev.” The figurines were made out of ebony wood sourced from India or Sri Lanka and likely carved in Africa before being brought to the Negev. Researchers believe it is the first time they have discovered such artifacts in the region of Israel and Jordan. Close And that's The Worldview on this Wednesday, May 28th, in the year of our Lord 2025. Subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol — that our lives had become unmanageable.2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Rev. Sam Taaffe
God will fulfill all His salvation promises. Humbly bow before Him and worship.
Austyn Wild. Galatians 6:1-10. "Humbly bear the burdens of others and do good to the household of faith."
Overview In this message, we explore James 4:11–17 and what it means to live humbly under God’s sovereign authority. The passage confronts our tendency toward self-righteous judgment and arrogant presumption, calling us instead to entrust ourselves—and others—to the righteous judgment of God. Big Idea: Loving God and others means entrusting our lives and others' actions…
Tune in as Joni shares a touching story about a UCLA basketball coach. -------- Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible. Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.
Reverend Chris Harper - Scripture: Isaiah 28-35
1 Corinthians 9:1-18
Y'all -- put your hands together for my good friend Sam Johnson!! This convo will live rent free in my head for a WHILE because it parallels so perfectly with similar messages the Lord has been sending my way over the last few months. Sam and I dive deep into: How Sam's trust in the Lord to provide has always paid off in both his career and life How Sam has overcome feelings of insecurity and unbelonging What a life of abiding with Jesus looks and feels like If you're not sure where you stand with God or you're wrestling with feelings of not enoughness, this episode is truly for you -- tune in and get your tissues ready :') Reach out to Sam: sam@vigilanthope.com Donate to Vigilant Hope Follow Wrestling With Life Need help with social media?
The world is mourning the passing of Pope Francis at 88 years old, just a day Catholics celebrated the Resurrection
In Season 6 of the Forever Marriage Podcast we are going to publish the content from our most recent Forever Marriage Conference that Lakewood hosted at the end of March. Scott and Dawn Smith were our keynote speakers and they talked about what it looks like to THRIVE in marriage, and not just survive. So they broke down the word THRIVE into an acrostic for their teaching points and we are going to use those session recordings for our Season 6 content. In this episode we are going to hear in the first session where they unpack the letter H in the acrostic THRIVE. Homework: Complete the Establishing a Culture of Honor Sheet mentioned in this episode.
A Sermon for Palm Sunday Philippians 2:1-11, St. Matthew 21:1-17, and St. Matthew 27:1-54 by William Klock The Pantheon in Rome is famous for being one of the architectural and engineering wonders of the ancient world. It was one of the buildings we studied when I took Architectural History and I remember our professor stressing that the photos in our book could never do it justice. It's a great round building covered by the largest vaulted concrete dome in the world. It looks big. It is big. The dome is 43 metres high. But you don't realise just how big that is until you add people into the photos. It's about twenty-five times higher than the average person is tall. And it was built by the Romans two millennia ago. It's survived all these years, even after builders scavenged the bronze off its roof and left the concrete exposed. It is, again, known for being an architectural and engineering marvel. But Brothers and Sisters, the Pantheon is important for another reason that's hardly ever discussed. It was, again, built almost two thousand years ago—in the early second century. Begun under the Emperor Trajan and finished during the reign of Hadrian. It stood on the Field of Mars and replaced an earlier temple dedicated to Mars, the god of war, and built by Agrippa during the reign of Augustus. But the Pantheon, fairly quickly it seems, became an unusual temple. The Romans usually dedicated a temple to a single god. The gods were jealous. They didn't like sharing. And if a temple were, say, struck by lightning, you'd know that it was the god of that temple who was angry. But the Pantheon became a temple for all the gods—or, at least, many of them. That's what the name means: pan…theon. It was one of the greatest temples of pagan Rome. But in the Year of Our Lord Six-hundred-and-nine, at the instruction of the Christian Emperor Phocas and the Bishop of Rome, Boniface IV, the Pantheon was stripped of its pagan idols and its pagan altars. Twenty-eight cartloads containing the bones of Christian martyrs were exhumed from the catacombs and reburied there, a Christian altar was placed in the building, and it was established as a church in honour of the memory of those martyrs whom the pagan Romans had killed in the name of their gods. To this day, over fourteen-hundred years later, the Church of St. Mary and the Martyrs remains there, a faithful witness to conquest of Rome by the gospel and of the Lordship of Jesus. A testimony to the power of the cross and the blood of Jesus not only to purify us from our sins and to make us a dwelling fit for God's Spirit, but to wash creation clean from our sins as well. We began Lent, listening as St. Matthew told us the story of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness. The devil took him off to a very high mountain and showed him all the magnificent kingdoms of the world. Off on the horizon was Rome. “I'll give the whole lot to you,” the devil said, “if you will fall down and worship me.” It was, after all what Jesus had come for. He was creation's true Lord. Caesar and all the other kings were pretenders, shams, parodies of who and what Jesus really is. All of it, from Jerusalem to Rome and beyond belongs to him. “There is not one square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!” to quote Abraham Kuyper. But this was not the way. Jesus will not reclaim his creation without also setting it to rights, without dealing with the problems of sin and death. Without purifying it from our idolatry. To do that requires more. And so today we hear Matthew again as he tells us of Jesus' triumphal procession into Jerusalem. When they came near to Jerusalem, and arrived at Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of the disciples on ahead. Go into the village over there and at once you'll find a donkey tied and a foal beside it. Untie them and bring them to me and if anyone says anything to you, say, “The Lord needs them and he'll send them back right away.” He sent them off at once. Jesus was about to act out another one of his prophecies. This time it was to show and to remind the people what sort of king the Messiah was to be. They did want a king who would set all to rights, but in their heads, to their way of thinking, that meant leading a revolt against the Romans. He would be like David, who defeated the Jebusites to take their city Jerusalem as his capital. He would be like Judas Maccabeus, who defeated the Greeks and established an independent Jewish kingdom under the high priest. The Messiah would be like that, only better, greater, more powerful, and his kingdom would be forever. He would raise up Israel and put the gentile kings in their place. The day before or maybe even that same day, as Jesus came to Jerusalem from Bethphage, Caesar's governor, Pontius Pilate, was marching into the city from the opposite direction, from his base in Caesarea, at the front of a column of Roman soldiers. They were there to represent Caesar's might and to keep the peace during Passover. If Jesus was the Messiah, now was his time—or so a lot of people thought—now was Jesus' time to finally and really be the Messiah, raise up his army, and cast down Pilate and the Romans and take his throne. But that wasn't the way to the throne any more than bowing down to the devil was. Matthew says that Jesus did it his way to remind the people of what the Lord had said about the Messiah through the Prophet Zechariah: Tell this to Zion's daughter: Look now! Here comes your King. He's humble, mounted on a donkey, yes, on a foal, it's young. The king they expected was going to ride into Jerusalem on a chariot or at least on a great warhorse. But God's king is different. A great warrior might take care of the Romans and even take his throne. He could set things to rights in the way of earthly kings, but the world would still be subject to sin and death. So Jesus acted out the prophecy. The disciples brought the donkey and Jesus humbly rode it into the city. And the people cheered all along the way. They spread their cloaks on the road. Others cut branches form the trees and scattered them on the road. The crowds who went ahead of him, and those who were following behind shouted, “Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And the whole city was gripped with excitement when they came into Jerusalem. “Who is this!” they were saying. And the crowds replied, “This is the prophet, Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee. With that prophetic reminder, at least some of the people seemed to get it even if it wasn't what they expected. Jesus was fulfilling Zechariah's prophecy. The long-awaiting king had come. But not everyone got it. Jesus wasn't finished with his acted out prophesies. Matthew says that he went straight to the temple and when he got there he threw out the people who were buying and selling in the temple. He upturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of the dove-sellers. It is written, he said to them, “My house will be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a brigand's lair!” The blind and lame came to him in the temple and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the remarkable things he was doing, and the children shouting, “Hosanna to the son of David!” they were very angry. The king was fulfilling the words of the prophets. He came in humility. And he came announcing that he really was going to set the world to rights. He was going to set the world to rights in a way that would make the temple obsolete. All through his ministry he'd been showing how he was the new bridge between God and sinful humans and that last week he spent in the temple—starting with this acted out prophecy and continuing as he healed and preached, he made it clear. So clear that the people invested in the temple and the priesthood and that whole system took it all for blasphemy and had him arrested. Our long Palm Sunday Gospel today—Matthew 27—vividly depicts the Messiah's humble way to his throne. Betrayed by his friends, rejected by his people. Standing humbly before the Roman governor so many people expected him to slay. Facing trumped up charges made by lying men. Left condemned to death as the people chose instead that Pilate should free a brutal, violent revolutionary—a man truly guilty of the trumped of charges against Jesus. Standing humbly as the very people he came to save cried out to Pilate, “Crucify him!” Standing humbly as he, the king, was rejected by his own people who cried out, “We have no king but Caesar!” Standing humbly as Roman soldiers mocked him, beat him senseless and scourged him, ripping the skin from his body. Humbly dragging the very cross on which he would be crucified through the city. The king, nailed to a cross and hoisted to die between two violent thieves as his own people shouted blasphemies at him, as the chief priests and scribes mocked him shouting, “He rescued others, but he cannot rescue himself. If he's the king of Israel, let him come down from the cross! He trusts in God; let God deliver him now if he's really God's son!” For hours it went on. Jesus, pulling on those nails driven through is wrists, pushing on the nails driven through his feet, lifting himself to gasp for breath through the pain, while the people gathered around: Jews, Romans, even the pastors, the shepherds of his people who claimed to speak for God mocked him and shouted blasphemies. Luke writes that Jesus prayed for them: Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. And eventually his body could take no more and Jesus breathed his last breath. And, Matthew says, the earth shook. The great veil that guarded the holy of holies in the temple was torn in two. And the Roman centurions standing guard were scared out of their wits and announced the very thing Jesus' own people would not: He really was the son of God! Brothers and Sisters, there can be no Easter without Good Friday. To set the world to rights—to really set to rights—not just to take a throne, not just to defeat the Romans—but to defeat sin and death and to reconcile sinful men and women to God required a king willing to let evil rise up to its full height, to let evil concentrate itself all in one place, and to let it do its worst, crashing down on him all at once. It required a king willing to throw himself into the gears of this fallen, broken, and sinful world to bring them to a stop. It required a king willing to give his life for his own people even as they mocked and blasphemed him, so that he could rise from that humiliating death to overturn the verdict against him, rise victorious over sin and death and the absolute worst that they could do. Only that humble king could defeat death and bring life—real and true life—back to God's creation and gather a people forgiven, cleaned by his blood, and filled with his Spirit to become a new temple, a new holy of holies where the nations would—where the nations now—enter the presence of God. It was in that humble king that those Roman centurions saw something they had never seen before. Their Caesar called himself the son of God, but in Jesus they saw the God of Israel at work in all his glory, in all his love, in all his mercy, in all his faithfulness—like no god they'd ever known—completely unlike any god or goddess honoured in the Pantheon. Whether they knew it or not, those centurions that first Good Friday announced the defeat of Jupiter and Mars, of Hera and Diana, of Neptune and Vesta and all the others. And they announced the defeat of Caesar, too. In less than three centuries, the Emperor of Rome himself would be captivated by the good news about Jesus, the son of God, the great King who was setting the world to rights. But Brothers and Sisters, the good news about Jesus, crucified and risen, didn't go out through the empire and to the nations all on its own. It was carried, it was stewarded by a people—by a church—that, itself, took on the humility of the Saviour. The bones of those martyrs buried in the Pantheon are a testimony to the faithful and humble witness of Jesus' people in those early centuries. They didn't just proclaim a message. They lived it out as a community—as the vanguard of God's new creation born that first Easter morning. In the midst of a world of darkness, of false gods and idolatry, of brutality and immorality hard for us to imagine today, they gave the pagans a glimpse of God's future. By the way they lived, they lifted the veil and showed the world God's new creation. It was not only the proclamation of the church, but the very life of the church that showed the world a better way, a way no one before had ever known. Here's the truth of it: The people of the humble king must be humble too or it's all for nought. This is why Paul, writing to the Philippians, says to them, If our shared life in the king brings any comfort; if love still has the power to make you cheerful; if we really do have a partnership in the Spirit; if your hearts are at all moved with affection and sympathy—then make my joy complete! Bring your thinking into line with one another. In other words, if you're going to be a gospel community for all the world to see Have this mind amongst yourselves! Here's how to do it. Hold on to the same love; bring your innermost lives into harmony; fix your minds on the same object. Never act out of selfish ambition or vanity; instead, regard everyone else as your superior. Look after each other's best interests, not your own. But it's so hard to do that, Paul! So, so hard! And Paul knew that. And so he takes them back to the cross. Brothers and Sisters, everything goes back to Jesus and the cross! This is how you should think amongst yourselves, Paul goes on—with the mind that you have because you belong to Jesus the Messiah. And now he doesn't quote from the passion narratives because they weren't written yet, although I think that would have worked just as well. Every Holy Week we immerse ourselves in the passion narratives and Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John remind us of the very thing Paul writes here. But instead Paul breaks out into song. He reminds them of a hymn they presumably all knew and he copies it out for them: Who, though in God's form, did not regard his equality with God as something he ought to exploit. Instead, he emptied himself, and received the form of a slave, being born in the likeness of men. And then, having human appearance, he humbled himself, and became obedient even to death, yes, even death on a cross. And so God has greatly exalted him, and to him in his favour has given the name which is over all names. That now at the name of Jesus every knee within heaven shall bow—on earth, too, and under the earth. And every tongue shall confess that Messiah Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Paul reminds them of the humble king, the son of God who not only took on our flesh, but who gave his life in the most painful and humiliating way possible so that on his way to his throne he might take us with him. Brothers and Sisters, the only way we will ever be faithful in being the people Jesus has called us to be, the only way we will ever be faithful in being the new creation people the Spirit has made us, the only way will ever be faithful stewards of the gospel is to keep the cross of Jesus always before us. There's a reason why we confess our sins before we come to the Lord's Table. There is a reason that we repeatedly recall our unworthiness to enter the presence of God on our own merit. There is a reason why, as we rise in the morning and as we go to bed at night, we confess our sins. It's so that as we hear the absolution and as we come to the Table, we will remember just how gracious and merciful and loving God has been to us. It's why we sing songs like “Amazing Grace”. Amazing grace is such a sweet, sweet sounds, because apart from grace we are such sinful wretches. And it is inevitable that when we forget this, when we start to think of ourselves as deserving of the gifts God has poured out on us, when we forget the heinousness and offensiveness of our sins and our rebellion against God, dear Friends, that's when we forget the true power of the gospel and the true mercy of the cross and the great depth of the love of God for sinners. When we forget the sinfulness of our sin, we lose sight of the amazingness of God's grace. Eventually we lose the mind of Jesus the Messiah and we cease to be the community of humble servants that he has made us. And our light grows dim. Our witness fails. We see it happening all around us in the West. We've stopped talking about sin and we've thought more highly of ourselves than we ought. We preach a doctrine of cheap grace. And our light has gone dim. Our churches have emptied and the culture has claimed them for its own. In some they preach false gospels of prosperity or the divinity of man or the goodness of sexual perversion. We setup idols to politics and earth power in them. Some are literally gutted, becoming theatres or bars. Others are little more than tourist attractions: testimonies to the power of the gospel in the days we proclaimed it, but now empty, dead shells. The culture removes the cross and sets up altars to its idols. Brothers and Sisters, before it is too late, let us knee before the cross of Jesus and look up. Let it fill our vision. Let us remember that he—the sinless son of God—died the death we deserve. And let us meditate on the depth and power of his grace that we might share the humble mind of our humble king, that we might be the people he has called us to be, the people he has given his Spirit to make us, the people who will steward the gospel until every knee bows and every tongues confesses that Jesus the Messiah is Lord and gives glory to God the Father. Let's pray: Almighty and everliving God, in your tender love for mankind you sent your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share in his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
This is one of those sermons which seems to bubble over in a torrent from the preacher's soul. Rather than broadening out, it narrows down, perhaps a reflection of pressure of time in the preaching, coming to an ever more narrow focus. The sermon begins with the excellence of a humble walk, considering what that means. It moves on to the humble walk as an evidence of salvation, with Christ in his proper place in your heart. This humble walk is also a symptom of spiritual health, calling us to self-examination, including in our response to providences which we may not appreciate. It is also a cause for very great anxiety, by which Spurgeon means that we must take it seriously, because it is too easy to presume upon. Finally, a humble walk is the source of the deepest conceivable pleasure, for “the man that leaves everything to God finds joy in everything.” The sermon is a great example of unpacking a very brief phrase in a thoroughly Christian fashion, pressing it into the conscience in a way that both brings us low and lifts us up. Read the sermon here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/walking-humbly-with-god Check out the new From the Heart of Spurgeon Book! British: https://amzn.to/48rV1OR American: https://amzn.to/48oHjft Connect with the Reading Spurgeon Community on Twitter! https://twitter.com/ReadingSpurgeon Sign up to get the weekly readings emailed to you: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts-1/from-the-heart-of-spurgeon. Check out other Media Gratiae podcasts at www.mediagratiae.org Download the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
This is one of those sermons which seems to bubble over in a torrent from the preacher's soul. Rather than broadening out, it narrows down, perhaps a reflection of pressure of time in the preaching, coming to an ever more narrow focus. The sermon begins with the excellence of a humble walk, considering what that means. It moves on to the humble walk as an evidence of salvation, with Christ in his proper place in your heart. This humble walk is also a symptom of spiritual health, calling us to self-examination, including in our response to providences which we may not appreciate. It is also a cause for very great anxiety, by which Spurgeon means that we must take it seriously, because it is too easy to presume upon. Finally, a humble walk is the source of the deepest conceivable pleasure, for "the man that leaves everything to God finds joy in everything." The sermon is a great example of unpacking a very brief phrase in a thoroughly Christian fashion, pressing it into the conscience in a way that both brings us low and lifts us up.
A new MP3 sermon from Maidenbower Baptist Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Walking Humbly with God (sermon 1557) Subtitle: From the heart of Spurgeon Speaker: C. H. Spurgeon Broadcaster: Maidenbower Baptist Church Event: Podcast Date: 4/11/2025 Bible: Micah 6:8 Length: 15 min.
Humbly Unified and Pursuing Holiness Week 2 of the Refresh 2025 Series Speaker: Adam Kuntz Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-6 Download the slides for this message: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/tc189jz7wigxtk2p4esms/Refresh-2025-Week-2-PDF.pdf?rlkey=z66xkblwdjolpdjsqfkkk77mb&st=juskjen9&dl=0 (If using on mobile, click the icon on the top right and click direct download)
Recorded April 5, 2025 The Mermaid and I are joined by Jini Clausen who quickly finds some common roots with Anna. Ever hear a podcast done with a guy and two Bay Area ladies? You're about to..... We go on to recap all four games, two of which were, admittedly, hot garbage for Our Caps. And then came a most epic night of greatness. I don't think I have to tell you what happened. As poorly as the games ran for this week it all ended with a truly grand once-in-a-lifetime moment we Caps fans will remember forever. It really is all about taking the good with the bad sometimes..... Please consider a donation to the V Foundation for Cancer research and stand with Our Captain against this disease: v.org/GR8chase. #ALLCAPS #LockedOnCapitals #SportsOTHP #ThatsDCHockey #SucramsCapitalsOffTheirChainpodcast #JenayaTalksCaps #TheOfficialCapsChirpPodcast
A look at humble submission to God and what follows with that from James 4:6-12. A brief look at serving God faithfully where you are!Ben's Instagram and email: @ben.mitchell04 and bmmitch04@gmail.com. LACIDAR's Instagram and email: @lacidarpodcast and LACIDAR2020@gmail.com. LACIDAR Facebook: Lacidar
Rev. Dan Kim Philippians 2:1-11 March 30, 2025
There is no one like you and you are the ONLY one able to do the vital work you were created to do. Allow this season to open you up and turn up the voice of your soul and turn down all the distractions. Lean in. Humbly walking beside you, Ange PS If you want to be in my orbit more, here are some ways to connect: drangela@creatingubuntu.com - feel free to share your insights about the podcast and how it supports you in your unique life journey PPS I have created a sanctuary for the servant leader within you. This online portal is available to connect you with other revolutionaries. Let's gather together and rise. Ubuntu CommUNITY is open for you, now. Email me and I can send you the deets.
Send us a textThe tension between accomplishment and humility stands at the heart of Jewish spiritual life. How do we strive for greatness while remaining modest? This profound question finds its answer in Parsha Pekudei's account of the Mishkan's construction.When the impossibly heavy beams of the Mishkan needed to be erected, no one—not even Moshe—possessed the physical strength to lift them. Confronted with this impossible task, Moshe turned to Hashem, who offered a life-changing instruction: "Occupy yourself with your hands." Make the effort, and the impossible will happen through divine assistance. This teaching parallels other biblical moments where humans faced impossible challenges—Moshe being asked to count children inside homes without entering, and Avraham being commanded to count the stars.The pattern reveals a fundamental spiritual principle: we must exert our maximum effort even when success seems beyond reach. Whether in Torah study, building families in challenging times, or professional pursuits, our obligation is to try—to get our hands dirty in sincere effort. Only after we've done our part does Hashem step in, making the crushing weight feel light, making the stars countable, making the impossible happen.Yet this raises another challenge: how do we remain humble after experiencing success? The answer lies in recognizing the true source of all achievement. Like a parent supporting a milk carton while a child believes they're pouring it independently, Hashem provides the strength behind our accomplishments. We may direct the effort, but He powers the outcome.This delicate balance between striving and humility creates the perfect Jewish approach to life. Work diligently, attempt the impossible, create vessels for blessing—then watch as divine assistance transforms your efforts into accomplishments beyond your natural abilities. And when success comes, remember who truly lifted the weight.What impossible challenge are you facing today? Remember: your job is to put your hands on it. The rest will come from above.Support the showJoin The Motivation Congregation WhatsApp community for daily motivational Torah content!Elevate your impact by becoming a TMC Emerald Donor! Your much-needed backing is crucial for our mission of disseminating the wisdom of the Torah. Join today for just $18.00 per month. (Use your maaser money!) https://buy.stripe.com/00g8xl5IT8dFcKc5ky------------------Check out our other Torah Podcasts and content! SUBSCRIBE to The Motivation Congregation Podcast for daily motivational Mussar! Listen on Spotify or 24six! Find all Torah talks and listen to featured episodes on our website, themotivationcongregation.org Questions or Comments? Please email me @ michaelbrooke97@gmail.com