Podcasts about in chapters

In Chapters 38 & 39 of Genesis, we find two unusual stories. Chapter 38 summarizes about twenty years of Judah's life while Chapter 39 picks up the Joseph story where it left off at the end of Chapter 37. Both stories are exceptional examples of how we use and abuse power. Actions have consequences.

In Chapters 1 and 2, we looked at flawed marriages and families.  Most of those have very flawed husbands and fathers.  Many fathers are absent as in gone/gone or married to their jobs.  One side of our society say that Fathers don't matter.  They say the nuclear family is dead.  Truth, where I see the nuclear family dead or lacking, I see a lot of problems.  In our largest cities to the suburbs, I see a lot of chaos.  Speaking of unmet expectations, some of you have been let down big time by your dad.  You either had a terrible Dad or a good Dad or somewhere in between.  Some say that has no impact?  I bet we all can agree a bad Dad can have a negative impact.  Yet, some say a good dad doesn't matter.  I call BS on that.  So does Maya and many more.  Here is the Good News, you do have an ultimate Father that loves you more than you can ever realize.  I'm not talking about your earthly Dad either.  Of the 140+ episodes so far via FriDudes this is one of my faves and it makes the book.  This one aired just before Fathers Day 2020.  Here you go, Chapter 3, Do Fathers Matter?Discussion Questions1.  How does your earthly Dad rank?2.  Do you believe there is a heavenly Father that loves you more than you can imagine?3.  Regardless of your answers above, did this Chapter 3 make sense?  Do you see where Maya and others are coming from on the hope/love side?Thanks for sharing!  If you would like more insights and invites or would like to one or several of the FriDudes to speak at your next event, hit them up at FriDudes.com.  Now, go, love and serve others.  If you can follow that order, Your Heavenly Father, Your Spouse of your kids, and then your kids and others.

In Chapters 5 and 6 of Paradise Restored, David Chilton discusses the importance, and the biblical theology, of animals, trees, and land. Modern Christianity often has a worldview that more closely resembles Gnosticism, being skeptical of property and physical blessings. But everything God creates and gives to His people are a lesson about how to live and take dominion in God's world.

In Chapters 2 and 3 of GK Chesterton's The Outline of Sanity (1926) we get perhaps one of the first identifications of and arguments against capitalist realism, the idea that we can do no better. He also anticipates some aspects of neoliberal capitalism which we are all too familiar with today, particularly the idea that workers must simply sacrifice for the greater good rather than hope to really get ahead and be happy themselves. Chesterton lays the groundwork for his proposal of a third way economy of Distributism. … More GK Chesterton on Capitalist Despair (Audio)

Happy Thursday! And welcome to another episode of The Book Nook. Today we continue with Voodie Baugham's, "What He Must Be: If He Wants To Marry My Daughter". We got the book's image from the internet, we DO NOT own the rights to the image nor claim to. We just wanted you to see to cover. In Chapters 5 and 6 we see the type of leader/husband our daughters should be searching for in a Christian man. One who doesn't think he is lord of the castle, but one who understands the weight of loving his wife and protecting her heart as well. These two chapters were like eating two 4 course meals. Listen in as we discuss our take-aways from chapters 5 and 6. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/t-anthony-bland/support

Should Christians ____________________? I asked a few friends to fill in the blank in this question with “gray area” issues they have encountered in their life. Here are some examples of what you came up with: Should christians drink in public?Should Christians drink at all? Should Christians listen to secular music? Should Christians watch Rated R Movies? Should Christians practice yoga? Should Christians get Tattoos?These gray area debates have caused division in the church from the beginning. In Chapters 8-10 of 1st Corinthians, Paul answers one of these gray area questions for the Church in Corinth. “Should Christians eat food sacrificed to Idols?” At face value, this topic doesn’t seem really relevant to us. But, the principles given to answer this question can be applied to most of the gray area questions we face for culture today! Paul doesn’t answer this cultural question with a simple “yes” or “no” but filters it through the calling Jesus gave to us to love and glorify God with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love others as we love ourself. Can you (insert gray area topic of concern) and glorify God with it? Are you setting an example of love through participating in that thing? The way you answer those two questions determines your course of action. This Episode Begins a three-week Series on Setting an Example of love to others through our behavior.

Ep. 82 In Chapters 36 & 37 of Lies of the Magpie, Maleah finds herself caught in a tug-of-war between allopathic and homeopathic medicine. She struggles to decide whether to take the prescribed thyroid medication or continue homeopathic treatment in hopes that her body can heal itself naturally. The post Lies of the Magpie Ch 36 & 37 appeared first on Maleah Warner.

Homily at 21:30 1 Kings 3: "Solomon, ask me for what you want." —God to Solomon. Solomon is known for his wisdom, and for being David's son, and for prefiguring Jesus. He is the son of the great King David, who appointed Solomon as his successor. At this point, Solomon became the 3rd king of Israel—Jesus fulfills the prophesy and became the much "greater Solomon." 2 Samuel 7—The Sandlot (God tells Solomon one of Solomon's descendants will rule for•ev•er) Solomon built the Temple, and God tore it down, and rebuilt it in three days. In the New Testament, Jesus refers to himself as the son of David. Christ fulfills this prophesy by building the New Temple, as the new son of David. Jesus built the true temple, where he said, "You are Peter and on this rock, I will build my Church."—The true Church—the Church of the living God. Jesus is the true "wise man," and anyone who listens to "these words of mine will become like the wise man." If we listen, we become wise. Crux to pray with this week: The image of modesty is the image Solomon uses to describe the beauty in the image of God. "God, give me wisdom. Lord, protect me from the dangers and the sirens of the world, but help me to resist them." Proverbs: Solomon wrote the book of Proverbs for his son: one of the themes of Proverbs is the two types of women—Lady Wisdom "does not wisdom call?" In Chapters 1 & 8, Lady Wisdom says to you, "Come follow me." In Proverbs 2,3, & 9—Lady Folly, or The Seductress. She sits at the door of her house. She takes a seat at the high places of the town. She calls out to them and says, "stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant, but he does not know that the dead are there." Solomon teaches us that in our soul, there are two voices. Which voice will you follow? "The cynic is someone who knows the cost of everything, and the value of nothing." Pray for protection from the cynical voice of the world, and know in the depths of your heart and mind, that when you sell everything for the Lord, God you gain the greatest treasure, ever, forever. "Wisdom is a far greater beauty, with a far greater depth."—Fr. Brian Larkin Let us cry out for insight, as Solomon suggests. Details about Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church in Denver, Colorado: For sacramental inquiries: email admin@lourdesdenver.org Location: Denver, Colorado, United States Links: Donate: https://lourdesdenver.org/donate/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LourdesDenver/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lourdes_denver/ Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user73713480 Website: https://lourdesdenver.org/

June 21, 2020 We can easily see an attitude in the world that says, "We don't need to know God's word. We know better." The Bible is an old, outdated book that we can live without. Look at all of our accomplishments and our technology. We are a civilized nation. We do not oppress people or live in fear like other nations. Obviously, we have become a fantastic nation because we are amazing people. God did not do that for us. Should we really let the thoughts of primitive men guide our way of life? Everyone here tonight probably does not think this way. You care enough about God and his word to keep from this level of arrogance. But what is our attitude toward learning the word of God? If it is not the most important thing to us, we will share the curses of Israel. That is the message of this book. We must know the word of God and teach it clearly to our children. The Story The book of Joshua ended with us wondering what will happen. Moses and Joshua have foretold Israel falling away from the Lord and being punished. In Deuteronomy, God said that he would slowly remove the people from the land and help the people destroy all of the inhabitants (Deut 7:22-26). The only requirements for Israel were that they fight against the inhabitants, obey the commands of the Lord, and destroy all of the idols in the land. At the end of Joshua, we see that the people are mostly faithful. But we are left wondering how long that will last. Joshua 24:19--20 (ESV) --- 19 But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.” Joshua 24:31 (ESV) --- 31 Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the work that the Lord did for Israel. The beginning of Judges tells us exactly how things began to unravel for Israel. In Chapter 1, some of the tribes were willing to fight for the Lord and defeat their enemies, but most of the nation refused to drive out the Canaanites that lived among them. God told them that he would help them overtake all of these nations, and he commanded them to defeat them, but they refused. In Chapter 2, the angel of the Lord who leads heaven's army rebukes Israel for this. Judges 2:1--5 (ESV) --- 1 Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, 2 and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done? 3 So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.” 4 As soon as the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept. 5 And they called the name of that place Bochim. And they sacrificed there to the Lord. The rest of Chapter 2 summarizes the rest of the book. It will all go through a repeated pattern. A generation rises up that does not know the Lord, the people sin, God judges them using the nations around them, the people repent and cry out to God, and God sends a judge to deliver them from their enemies. Life will go on like this over the following four hundred years. Twelve Judges (3-16) Othniel In Chapter 3, God begins the pattern. In verse 7, the people sin. In verse 8, God sells them to Mesopotamia for eight years. In verse 9, the people cry out. In verses 9-10, God raises up Othniel, the younger brother of Caleb. Then, verse 11 ends with God giving the people rest for forty years. The people involved, the years of punishment, and the years of rest change, but the story stays the same throughout this book. Ehud In verse 12, the people sin again. Moab oppresses the people for eighteen years. God raises up Ehud, delivers the people, and gives the land rest for eighty years. But this story changes a little as Ehud assassinates the king of Moab in a graphic scene of deception. Something seems a little off about this judge. He is not an upright man Moses, Joshua, or Caleb. Shamgar To end this chapter, we read about Shamgar, who killed 600 Philistines with an oxgoad and saved Israel. We assume this followed the pattern of the previous two judges. Deborah Chapters 4-5 tell us about a prophetess named Deborah, who becomes a judge over Israel. She commands Barak to fight against Canaan's king, but he refuses to go unless Deborah goes with him. Barak seems to have very little faith in the Lord as he goes out to defeat the Canaanites. As a result, God takes away the glory from him and lets a woman kill the Canaanites' great commander. They sing a song in Chapter 5, and the land has rest again for forty years. Gideon Chapters 6-8 describe another judge who is lacking in faith. This time Midian is going oppressing Israel, and when the people cry out to God for help, he sends a prophet. Judges 6:8--10 (ESV) --- 8 the Lord sent a prophet to the people of Israel. And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of slavery. 9 And I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 And I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.’ But you have not obeyed my voice.” After the prophet, God sends the angel of the Lord to Gideon, the weakest man in Manasseh's lowest clan. This angel patiently works with Gideon to convince him that he can defeat the Midianites. Gideon seems scared to death of his own people and the Midianites. How could he defeat anyone? Judges 6:34--35 (ESV) --- 34 But the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon, and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him. 35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they too were called out to follow him. And he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they went up to meet them. After everyone gathers to Gideon, he calls for God to reassure him by making the fleece wet with dew and the ground dry. He calls for God to reassure him again by making the fleece dry and the ground wet with dew. God does this for Gideon, but then God tells Gideon to get rid of the nearly 32,000 who showed up to the battle. Judges 7:2 (ESV) --- 2 The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ He goes out and defeats the Midianites, so all of Israel want to make him king. He refuses, but he takes all of the spoil for himself and sets up a golden ephod that all of Israel "whored after." It became a snare to Gideon and his family. The people's hearts were not turned to the Lord. As soon as Gideon died, they all turned right back to worshipping idols. God The next two chapters take on a different tone. Instead of enemies rising from the outside. Israel sets up a son of Gideon, Abimelech, to rule over them, and God judges both the son and Israel. Abimelech kills off all of his brothers and gets in a fight with his home town that appointed him. After he destroys them, he goes up against another city and is killed by a woman throwing a millstone on him. Judges 9:56--57 (ESV) --- 56 Thus God returned the evil of Abimelech, which he committed against his father in killing his seventy brothers. 57 And God also made all the evil of the men of Shechem return on their heads, and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal. Tola and Jair Then, Chapter 10 starts with two judges who judged Israel for 45 years. Tola and Jair were their names, and not much information is given about them. Jephthah After these two brief judges, it seems like God is tired of this pattern. He makes a statement to Israel. After eighteen years of oppression by the Philistines and Ammonites, the people cry out to the Lord. Judges 10:10--14 (ESV) --- 10 And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals.” 11 And the Lord said to the people of Israel, “Did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines? 12 The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I saved you out of their hand. 13 Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more. 14 Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.” It seems like God is done with his people. They aren't learning their lessons. Their hearts are not growing closer to God. They are not teaching their children or helping the world to see God's glory. Judges 10:15--16 (ESV) --- 15 And the people of Israel said to the Lord, “We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you. Only please deliver us this day.” 16 So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord, and he became impatient over the misery of Israel. They cry out to God again and show fruits of repentance, so God decides to do something through Jephthah, the prostitute's son. In Chapters 10-12, he defeats the Ammonites, but then he makes a rash vow, and he is supposed to offer his daughter as a burnt offering to the Lord. We do not get any confirmation that he did that, but it shows that he is a flawed individual. Then the tribe of Ephraim comes against him, and he kills 42,000 men from Ephraim, his own people. Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon After Jephthah, we read about three men who judged Israel, but no additional information is given about them. Samson The final judge in the book is Samson. In Chapters 13-16, we see a man who is supposed to be a Nazarite all the days of his life breaking every rule and acting completely ungodly as he uses the power God gives him to destroy the Philistines. He touches dead animals, drinks wine, and pursues multiple Philistine women. He is finally stopped by telling Delilah that cutting off his hair will cause him to lose his power. But he dies taking down 3,000 Philistines with him. These twelve judges are not shining examples of obedience and morality like Moses and Joshua. They each indicate the decline in morality that was present throughout the land. Two Stories of Evil To close the book, we have two stories that describe the types of evil going on in Israel, and why all of this happened. The repeated refrain in this section is twofold. Judges 17:6 (ESV) --- 6 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Judges 21:25 (ESV) --- 25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Micah, the Levite, and Dan The first story has a progression to it. It starts with a man who steals from his mother. Judges 17:1--3 (ESV) --- 1 There was a man of the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah. 2 And he said to his mother, “The 1,100 pieces of silver that were taken from you, about which you uttered a curse, and also spoke it in my ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it.” And his mother said, “Blessed be my son by the Lord.” 3 And he restored the 1,100 pieces of silver to his mother. And his mother said, “I dedicate the silver to the Lord from my hand for my son, to make a carved image and a metal image. Now therefore I will restore it to you.” Isn't that odd? She cursed the person who stole the money, but when she found it was her son, she blesses him. This is a common sin of overlooking the evil in your family. He stole from her and is required to at least offer up a guilt offering. Instead, she decides to devote less than the required 20% to making idols. This is blasphemous. The next progression of the story depicts a Levite coming to Micah's town, and Micah hoping to use the Levite as his own personal priest. That's not how it is supposed to work. Not all Levites were priests, and even if this was a priest, priests were not personal tokens to be used for gain. They were supposed to teach the law, which clearly forbids creating idols. The final progression happens throughout Chapter 18. This chapter starts by reminding us that there is no king in Israel. Then, it tells us about men from Dan coming, taking the Levite to serve them (along with the idols), and destroying a quiet, unsuspecting town of Laish. This was not a town where Dan was supposed to live. Because they were unwilling to remove the Amorites from their land, they go up to Ephraim to take their own property in their region. This story ends by revealing that the Levite, who serves Dan as a priest, was the grandson of Moses. A Levite, his concubine, and Gibeah The last story is sick. It tells us about a Levite who travels to Gibeah with his adulterous concubine. Then, the men of Gibeah rape the concubine to death, the Levite cuts her in pieces and sends her body parts to the twelve tribes to let everyone know that Gibeah is evil. Israel then rises up against Gibeah and the tribe of Benjamin. Both sides lose thousands of men, and, in the end, they destroy almost all of the tribe of Benjamin. Then they vow not to let their daughters marry the men of Benjamin. So they have to take virgin women from the people of the land to give to Benjamin, and they tell Benjamin to steal women when they come to the feasts. All of this story is scary. Injustice leads to further injustice, and all of it shows that they don't value the lives of women. We read of a Levite who forces his concubine to be raped by the town to save his own life. He sleeps soundly through the night and wakes up to find her on his doorstep dead. Then, he thinks nothing of chopping her in pieces to send her out to the twelve tribes. The nation then tells the Benjaminites to steal women for themselves. Why Is This Important? All of this book teaches us what happens without a king and without a focus on the law of God. When there is no king, everyone is their own king. When everyone does what is right in their own eyes, the world starts to look like it did before the flood. The more power people have, the more evil they seek to create toward their fellow men. Every time the people are given some rest, they start to rely on themselves and forget God. Why does God allow this to go on, and why is this written down for us? Do you realize that this is the perpetual pattern of mankind? We would go through these cycles forever without end. If God did not step in to help us, we would destroy ourselves and make our own lives utterly miserable. This book should put a completely different perspective on God's judgment of mankind. Judgment is needed to keep us from hurting each other, but it is also a statement of God's relentless love for mankind. A God who does not judge his people does not care about creating a society full of truth and justice. God is full of mercy and faithfulness, preparing each generation to be obedient. Think about all that God did for Israel to bless them. He commanded parents to teach their children (Deut 6), redeemed them from Egypt, and poured out blessings of the land, he commanded feasts to remember God every year, and he gave them sacrifices, priests, and Levites to teach the law continually. Ultimately, all of these things are supposed to help Israel become obedient. Is it any different for us? The only unusual thing is that God has demonstrated our stubborn rebellion and his steadfast love once and for all in the murder/sacrifice of Jesus. We should have hearts that want to obey God. Application The Judges narrative is so depressing when we look at Israel. When God gives them rest, they tend to pursue life without God. They want to be like the world around them. So the question for us is, "What will we do with everything God gives us?" Will we live our lives for God and Jesus or ourselves? I often like to look at Judges and see the sins of the world around us. They certainly do what is right in their own eyes. But we do the same things. When we force people to do what we want them to do without paying attention to what scriptures actually say, we are doing what is right in our own eyes. We think that winning an argument or debate makes us right. Think about all the things that these Israelites were doing, and then think about our tendencies. We don't want to fight the battles God commands us to fight. We want to forget God and focus on the things of this world. We want to hire a person to tell us what we want to hear. We want to say to people what they want to hear. We want to fight injustice with injustice and oppress those who are weaker for our benefit. This is more like us than we realize. But through Jesus, God calls us to greater righteousness than we would choose for ourselves. He calls for us to be strong and courageous like Joshua, but also meek and humble like Moses. He calls for us to fight for justice, even if it results in our own loss. He expects us to call out sin even in our own families and to teach our children the way of the Lord. Conclusion If we neglect the command of the Lord and choose our own way after receiving blessings through Jesus, we are asking for eternal punishment. We must repent now before it is too late. When we look at God in these stories, we see his patience and his steadfast love, but when we look at God in the life of Jesus, we know that he is willing to forgive and save to the uttermost if we turn back to him. We have to turn back to him and change our lives to fit his will for us. We have a king who leads us, and we have a better understanding of God. Let's do what is right in God's sight.

June 14, 2020 Think about your enemies. Who are they or what are they? Some of us have real enemies who do not want us to succeed in life. They are making it their life's mission to destroy our lives. But most of us have found a way to avoid those situations for the most part. An occasional enemy might arise that we do not know how to handle. Aside from the people enemies that we face, can we think of other enemies? What about the spiritual forces of wickedness that are trying to make us stumble and fall away from God? Satan is a formidable enemy in our lives who we hardly think or talk about. Do we see ourselves as our own worst enemy? We can deceive ourselves. We have passions at war within us, temptations that pull us amidst trials or prosperity. It is scary to live in this world when our eyes are opened to this reality: We have many enemies. Israel had many enemies as well. In Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, we are reminded over and over again that the people are in a constant battle with Satan and sin. They go through trials and temptations, and they fall most of the time. When they come up to the edge of the promised land, their enemies stood before them, and they let fear take over. They did not even try to conquer the enemy because he was too strong for them. We cringe on that event, knowing that God could have easily given them the land if they had just believed. However, all hope is not lost. God has promised the next generation that they would enter into the promised land. Deuteronomy tells us that they are no different than their ancestors. God and Moses both end the book pointing out how stubborn they are. They refuse the obey. How could these rebellious people enter into the promised land? Faith (1-12) The first eleven chapters of this book show us why God was willing to bring these people into the promised land. The answer is that they trusted in the Lord to defeat their enemies. They did not shrink back. These are some of the most exciting and encouraging chapters of the Bible. Faith To Lead - Joshua Leads (1) The first thing we notice is that Joshua, who was commissioned to lead the people at the end of Deuteronomy, is spoken to by the Lord in the first chapter. His words at the beginning of the book help us understand what will happen in the entire book. Joshua 1:1--9 (ESV) --- 1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” God promises to Joshua that he will conquer all of the enemies and give Israel the land he has promised to provide them. Not one man will be able to stand before Joshua so long as he remains "strong and courageous" while being careful to obey Moses's Law. In the second half of Chapter 1, Joshua takes command, and the people pledge allegiance with Joshua. They will follow him as they followed Moses. Faith To Follow - Crossing Jordan, Defeating Jericho (2-6) In Chapter 2, Joshua sends spies into the land of Jericho. They are camped just on the other side of the Jordan River from Jericho. Jericho's men seek to kill them, and they hide in the house of a prostitute named Rahab. This citizen of Jericho pledges allegiance to the God of Israel and asks to be saved from the coming destruction. Chapters 3-5 are about the preparation of the people to enter the land. This is the moment of choice. Will this generation go into the promised land? They do pass over the Jordan River and enter into the promised land. In Chapter 5, Joshua sees a man standing before him with his sword drawn. He tells Joshua to take off his shoes because he is on holy ground. This is the commander of the Lord's army. He tells him to march around the city once a day for six days, and on the seventh day, they will march around seven times. Then, in Chapter 6, they obey, God takes down their walls, and they go in to destroy everyone inside. They killed everyone except Rahab and her family. Then, they devoted all the treasure to the Lord's treasury. Broken Faith - Sin In The Camp (7-8) In Chapter 7, they moved on to the next city of Ai. When they see that this is a smaller city, they send only a few thousand men to take the city. Joshua 7:4--5 (ESV) --- 4 So about three thousand men went up there from the people. And they fled before the men of Ai, 5 and the men of Ai killed about thirty-six of their men and chased them before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them at the descent. And the hearts of the people melted and became as water. They did not lose a single person in Jericho, and now they were running away from the people in this smaller town of Ai. They lose thirty-six people, and now they no longer feel invincible. Their strength and courage has failed, but what happened? Joshua falls on his face before God, afraid that all is lost. But God tells him to Get up and bring Israel before him. There is a sinner in their midst. Someone has failed to obey the Lord. So God gathers all of Israel and narrows the offender down to the tribe, the clan, and the household. Achan, the son of Carmi, is called out to confess his sin. He admits that he has stolen things that were devoted to the Lord, and God commands Israel to stone him, his family, and all he has. In Chapter 8, the people destroy all in the town of Ai because the Lord is with them. Then, Joshua builds an altar to the Lord and offers a burnt offering and a peace offering. The people are once again in fellowship with God because they are free from the one who is guilty of rebellious sin. Then, Joshua reads all of the Law of Moses to the people so that they all know the God they serve and do not transgress his commands. Even the sojourners and the little ones heard and understood. Presumptive Faith - Rash Vow (9) In Chapter 9, we read that a large number of kings in the land started to gather to fight with Israel. They also have visitors come to them seeming to be from a faraway land, but they are actually from the next town Israel was supposed to attack. These Gibeonites begged the leaders to make a covenant with them, and the leaders agreed without consulting the Lord. So the Gibeonites were able to deceive Israel, and Israel was unable to destroy them as the Lord commanded them. They would forever be Israel's slaves. Great Faith - Holding The Sun, Conquering Kings (10-12) In Chapter 10, all of those kings started to attack Gibeon for joining Israel. The Gibeonites called out for Israel to help them, and they came to their aid. Joshua, the men of war, and his mighty men of valor all went to battle the kings. But the Lord sent down large hailstones and killed more than Joshua or his men. During the battle, Joshua called out to the Lord for more time. Joshua 10:12--13 (ESV) --- 12 At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” 13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. The sun stood in place for an entire day while the people destroyed almost all of their enemies. Joshua gathered all five of the kings that rose against him and had all of the chiefs come and stand on the necks of the kings before killing them. Joshua 10:25 (ESV) --- 25 And Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid or dismayed; be strong and courageous. For thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.” From there, Joshua continued into the southern portion of the land and destroyed all of the other kings. In Chapter 11, all of the northern kings gathered to fight against Israel, and Joshua led them to kill everyone. The repeated refrain in chapters 10 and 11 is, "They left none remaining." This was a complete wipeout of the Canaanites, just as the Lord has commanded them. Joshua 11:19--20 (ESV) --- 19 There was not a city that made peace with the people of Israel except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. They took them all in battle. 20 For it was the Lord’s doing to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy but be destroyed, just as the Lord commanded Moses. Why did they fight against Israel? Because God wanted to wipe them out. This was prophesied back in Genesis. God wanted to judge these nations for their sins. He wanted to destroy them entirely so that his people could possess the land. Chapter 12 details all of the kings Moses and Joshua killed, thirty-one kings in all. Inheritance Divided (13-22) In Chapters 13-22, Joshua divides up the land they have conquered in six years as God has commanded him. He gives Caleb the first selection and provides a significant portion to the tribes of Judah and Joseph's tribes of Menasseh and Ephraim. Then, he gives all of the other tribes their land by lot. In Chapter 20, he sets up cities of refuge, and in Chapter 21, he sets up cities for the Levites. The Levites did not own a portion of land, but they were given areas where they could pasture their flocks and herds. Chapter 22 describes an unusual event where two and a half tribes travel east of the Jordan and set up an altar. Israel goes out to destroy them, thinking that they are going to worship God apart from command of the Lord. They wanted to remind everyone of their right to worship with Israel. Joshua's Final Words (23-24) At the end of the book, Joshua tells the people to finish killing all the inhabitants in the land. There were still quite a few towns left undefeated. His words sound a lot like Moses in Deuteronomy. He warns the people against forsaking God and marrying with the people. Joshua 23:14--16 (ESV) --- 14 “And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed. 15 But just as all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the Lord will bring upon you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land that the Lord your God has given you, 16 if you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them. Then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land that he has given to you.” Then, like Moses, he tells them to choose who they are going to serve. Will they choose life or death? Joshua 24:14--15 (ESV) --- 14 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” They say they will choose life, but Joshua, like Moses, is not convinced. Joshua 24:19--21 (ESV) --- 19 But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.” 21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord.” In the end, we find that they do serve the Lord, at least until the elders die. Joshua 24:31 (ESV) --- 31 Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the work that the Lord did for Israel. Why Is This Important? In the book of Joshua, we see Israel defeat most of their enemies. They could have destroyed them all if they hadn't made any mistakes. God was willing and able to conquer all of the people who stood between Israel and the promised land. The theme throughout this book is not that Joshua was a mighty leader, but that God is mighty and able to defeat all of Israel's enemies. Joshua 23:9--10 (ESV) --- 9 For the Lord has driven out before you great and strong nations. And as for you, no man has been able to stand before you to this day. 10 One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the Lord your God who fights for you, just as he promised you. The main lesson that Israel is supposed to learn from this book is that God is fighting for them as long as they are focused on keeping a relationship with the Lord. We have come a long way since Genesis, but notice how much God has done over hundreds of years. He has made many promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and now he is perfectly able to accomplish them. He can create a nation of people from one man and give them the land he wants to provide them with. Then, he can give them rest from their enemies. This is not the end of the story, though. These Israelites are only faithful for a little while. Joshua foretells God destroying his people from the land, so this is not the final solution to the Genesis 3 problem. Joshua represents one who would come and bring the final solution. The great commander of the Lord's army, Jesus, will take on human form and defeat the ultimate enemy of God's people, Satan. So the book of Joshua is giving us a picture of our final victory over sin and death. Application If we learn anything from this book, it should be that God can fight our battles for us when we put our trust and faith in him. We arm ourselves with the armor of God Ephesians 6:13--18 (ESV) --- 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, Then, we will find that God can do exceedingly, abundantly beyond all that we ask or think. Our enemies will be defeated before us, and we will enter the promised land. Think about your enemies. Satan and guilt don't stand a chance against God's forgiveness. The endless temptation to find satisfaction and pleasure in this world doesn't stand a chance against God's rest. Trials don't stand a chance against God's peace and joy. The goods of this world don't stand a chance against God's eternal wealth. The false feeling of security and endless life doesn't stand a chance against our immortal body. Loneliness and feelings of abandonment don't stand a chance against God's presence and God's family. Whatever is plaguing you can be defeated by God's promises. Even if we suffer in this life, we will come out on the other side as conquerors if we do not shrink back. All we need to do is keep putting our trust in our God, and he guarantees that we will gain a million times more than we ever lose. Conclusion Ultimately, this book is about faith. The people had faith in God, so God conquered the land for Israel and set them up to have peace and prosperity forever. This peace is contingent on their obedience to his commands and their trust in him. How do we think that will work out? In Exodus, we saw that giving the people the law did not help them obey God. In Numbers, we noticed that giving Israel a close relationship with God through sacrifices did not help them remain faithful. Will full access to the promised land create a faithful heart? Stay tuned to find out. We know that the only thing that can create a faithful heart is the giving of Jesus on the cross for our sins. This one event demonstrates the love of God so that we know he will be with us and fight our enemies on our behalf.

June 7, 2020 Does anyone know every code in the state of Alabama? Our laws are so complex, and the law books are so thick. Ordinances cover every facet of life. Is anyone interested in learning these laws? We pretty much follow the flow of society and don't worry about them. Do we think that will work for Israel? Last time, we saw how the people were always rebelling against the Lord and trying to go back to Egypt in the book of Numbers. As a result, they were not allowed to enter into the promised land. All of those over twenty years old died after wandering in the wilderness for forty years. Now we have a new generation that has been living in the wilderness for forty years. This new generation is about to have new leaders taking them into a land flowing with milk and honey. But before they go, a 120-year-old Moses gives them a series of sermons to prepare them to enter. What does he want to tell them? Deuteronomy 1:5--8 (ESV) --- 5 Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses undertook to explain this law, saying, 6 “The Lord our God said to us in Horeb, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain. 7 Turn and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country and in the lowland and in the Negeb and by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. 8 See, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession of the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their offspring after them.’ Moses is going to try to explain the Law to the people before they go into the promised land. That's what this whole book is about. One man is trying to explain the Law for future generations. Remember The first thing Moses does is remind the people of what has happened in the last forty years in Chapter 1. In Numbers, we saw that they rebelled against the Lord over and over again. They came right up to the southern border of the promised land and refused to go in. As a result, their fathers all died in the wilderness. In Chapters 2-3, he tells them not to fight with Edom, Moab, or Ammon because they are relatives. Then, he reminds them of two great kings that God has defeated for them east of the Jordan River. At the end of Chapter 3, we see Moses pleading with the Lord to let him go into the promised land. He has looked forward to this for eighty years. He has suffered for it in dealing with a stubborn and rebellious people, but he will not enter into the promised land with the people. God will take him to be with him instead. Listen and Go In (4) Chapter 4 is kind of like a purpose statement for the whole book. In this chapter, he tells the people to listen to all the laws that Moses is teaching them so that they may live and find the blessings God promises. This is the main idea of the book. He really wants this generation to be obedient and find the blessing of God. He repeatedly tells them to "take care," "watch yourselves very carefully," and "beware" throughout this chapter as he will in the rest of the book. Why does he say this? God will destroy them if they rebel against him. This seems like pretty severe punishment for sin, but we will see that God expects his people to keep the covenant. In verses 32-40, Moses points out that God has done something no one has ever seen for Israel by saving them from Egypt. Then, he brought them to Mount Sinai to show himself to them. Deuteronomy 4:36--40 (ESV) --- 36 Out of heaven he let you hear his voice, that he might discipline you. And on earth he let you see his great fire, and you heard his words out of the midst of the fire. 37 And because he loved your fathers and chose their offspring after them and brought you out of Egypt with his own presence, by his great power, 38 driving out before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in, to give you their land for an inheritance, as it is this day, 39 know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. 40 Therefore you shall keep his statutes and his commandments, which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for all time.” Now, he wants them to obey God's rules and statutes so that God can continue to care for them in this promised land and bless them abundantly. They need to lay this on their heart, "The Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath." Remember Meeting God? (5) In Chapter 5, Moses brings up the ten commandments that God spoke to them out of the fiery mountain. This is the covenant that they were to keep. In verses 24-27, he reminds them that the people were terrified at the sound of God's voice on the mountain. God spoke to them the Ten Commandments and they were terrified! They told Moses to go and speak with God for them. They were willing to submit to whatever God would have them do. Listen to what God said in response to that. Deuteronomy 5:28--29 (ESV) --- 28 “And the Lord heard your words, when you spoke to me. And the Lord said to me, ‘I have heard the words of this people, which they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken. 29 Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever! God wants his people to have this kind of heart always. He wants them to know how great and powerful he is so that they might fear him and to keep all of his commandments. Deuteronomy 5:32--6:3 (ESV) --- 32 You shall be careful therefore to do as the Lord your God has commanded you. You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 33 You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess. 1 “Now this is the commandment---the statutes and the rules---that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, 2 that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey. This is God's desire for his people: keep the commandments and receive the blessings! Explaining The Commands Now we move into the next section of the book. From 6:4 through Chapter 26, Moses explains the ten commandments in detail along with different temptations the people will have to overcome. The first five commands are very clearly laid out. Love God (6) Chapter 6 is about the first command to have no other gods before God. In this chapter, he makes it clear that God wants to be everything to us. He wants to always be on our minds and in our hearts as we make every decision in life. He also wants us to teach our children everything he has done for us, and he wants us to train them so that they love him. The worst thing that can happen is to forget the Lord (12). Destroy Idols (7-11) Chapters 7-11 discuss the second commandment not to make or bow down to serve any carved image. The people will be entering into a land that is full of carved images and idolatry. Instead of embracing it, they are commanded to destroy the images. These images do not represent God. They represent self-reliance and a desire to rebel against the commands of God. This is the largest section discussing a commandment, and it is full of explanation about how idolatry is corrupting the heart of God's people. This is my favorite section of the book, and I wish we had more time to explore it. The main point can be found in 11:8-17 when he tells them that they will need to be wholly reliant on God to prosper in this land. The land of Egypt required them to irrigate and plant seeds, but this land is dependent on rain from heaven. Deuteronomy 11:16--17 (ESV) --- 16 Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them; 17 then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and he will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit, and you will perish quickly off the good land that the Lord is giving you. Take the Lord's Name (12-14) Chapters 12-14 discuss the third commandment to take the Lord's name. As I was studying this, it became clear to me that this commandment is not against "using the Lord's name in vain." The commandment is against "taking the Lord's name in vain." Deuteronomy 12:5 (ESV) --- 5 But you shall seek the place that the Lord your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name and make his habitation there. There you shall go, Taking the Lord's name is like what happens when we get married, and the wife takes her husband's name. God is commanding his people not to forget the God they are named after. Repeatedly in the prophets, we will see that they profane the name of the Lord. They have taken his name and run it through the mud. Deuteronomy 14:1--2 (ESV) --- 1 “You are the sons of the Lord your God. You shall not cut yourselves or make any baldness on your foreheads for the dead. 2 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. God sees them as his sons and his treasured possession. He plans to bring them into the land and bless them abundantly beyond what they would ever imagine if they will remain holy and upright for him. Rest (15-16:17) In Chapters 15 through most of 16, he does not discuss the fourth command (Sabbath day's command), but he does discuss Sabbath years and Sabbaths during festivals. In the seventh year, debtors go free. During the different feasts throughout the year, they would rest, feast, and rejoice together over all that God has done for them. Lead With Justice (16:18-18:22) At the end of Chapter 16, we expect to see the command to obey your parents (fifth command), but instead, we see rules for judges, priests, and kings to do justice in the land. He explains how those in authority are to rule while remembering God. He also explains how those in power are responsible for punishing the evildoer to keep the land clean from evil. He ends this section by discussing a future prophet that will come. Deuteronomy 18:15--19 (ESV) --- 15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers---it is to him you shall listen--- 16 just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ 17 And the Lord said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. 19 And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him. Then, he discusses false prophets. Love Your Neighbor (19-26) In Chapters 19-26, Moses discusses murder, stealing, sexual immorality, coveting, as well as many other commands. The point of all these commands is to see the people have a love for their neighbor. God does not want his people to deal cruelly with one another. Deuteronomy 22:1--4 (ESV) --- 1 “You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep going astray and ignore them. You shall take them back to your brother. 2 And if he does not live near you and you do not know who he is, you shall bring it home to your house, and it shall stay with you until your brother seeks it. Then you shall restore it to him. 3 And you shall do the same with his donkey or with his garment, or with any lost thing of your brother’s, which he loses and you find; you may not ignore it. 4 You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and ignore them. You shall help him to lift them up again. Deuteronomy 23:24--25 (ESV) --- 24 “If you go into your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, as many as you wish, but you shall not put any in your bag. 25 If you go into your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck the ears with your hand, but you shall not put a sickle to your neighbor’s standing grain. At the end of this section, we see a reiteration of the people's purpose statement. Deuteronomy 26:18--19 (ESV) --- 18 And the Lord has declared today that you are a people for his treasured possession, as he has promised you, and that you are to keep all his commandments, 19 and that he will set you in praise and in fame and in honor high above all nations that he has made, and that you shall be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he promised.” The goal of this whole section is to help the people see how they can be holy to the Lord. As God's treasured possession, he calls them to a higher form of living, a lifestyle that sets them apart from all the other nations of the world. This concludes the entire section of explaining God's commands. Blessings And Curses (27-28) In Chapter 27, Moses assembles all the people and commands them to keep the covenant that they are in. He has the people condemn all who rebel against the commands of the Lord. He has them verbally commit to the commandments of the Lord, lest they be cursed. In Chapter 28, we have a listing of all kinds of blessings that God wants to bless his people. Then, there is a listing of all types of curses that God will curse his people if they fail to obey. Stubbornness Or Repentance (29-30) In Chapter 29, Moses points out that God has not given the people a heart to understand (29:4). He wants them to beware of their tendency to turn away from the Lord. They will tend to have stubbornness in their heart. Deuteronomy 29:18--20 (ESV) --- 18 Beware lest there be among you a man or woman or clan or tribe whose heart is turning away today from the Lord our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit, 19 one who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.’ This will lead to the sweeping away of moist and dry alike. 20 The Lord will not be willing to forgive him, but rather the anger of the Lord and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and the curses written in this book will settle upon him, and the Lord will blot out his name from under heaven. In Chapter 30, Moses points out that those who have been cursed can return to him and find restoration. God foretells the time when people will learn from their sins and see the restoration of the relationship. Their hearts and minds will be open to understanding God's will and desire to do God's will. Deuteronomy 30:6--20 (ESV) --- 6 And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. 7 And the Lord your God will put all these curses on your foes and enemies who persecuted you. 8 And you shall again obey the voice of the Lord and keep all his commandments that I command you today. 9 The Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers, 10 when you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that are written in this Book of the Law, when you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 11 “For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 14 But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it. 15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. 16 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 17 But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, 20 loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” Moses' Last Words (31-34) The final section of the book tells us that Joshua will take the people into the land. It then tells us the last words of Moses in the form of a song and a blessing on the people of Israel. The last words of the book are vital as we remember the words from Chapter 18 about a prophet like Moses coming. Deuteronomy 34:10--12 (ESV) --- 10 And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, 11 none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, 12 and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel. Why Is This Important In Deuteronomy, Moses has given his commentary on the commands of the Lord. He has encouraged the people to stay faithful to the Lord with hearts that love him more than anything else. But he also recognizes that the people will be as stubborn and rebellious as they always have. What makes this such a critical book in Old Testament history? This explanation of the covenant shows that God has always desired his people to love him. He has always wanted them to have a heart that would obey his commands, and he has always wanted to bless them. But this book also foretells the curses that will come upon Israel as they continually rebel against the Lord. He promised them blessings for obedience and curses for rebellion. The rest of the Old Testament watches all of that play out. We are not in the same covenant with God. Our lands go through drought, pestilence, and war at the hand of God. However, our kingdom is not a kingdom distinguishable by physical boundaries. The whole world suffers these things because the world as a whole has been rebellious from the beginning. So why is this important for us? This book outlines God's desire to bless his people, and we are his people. He wants to bless us. Jesus is the prophet like Moses, who has delivered the Law for us to obey God from the heart. He has brought us out of slavery, through the sea, and into the wilderness. He has delivered us a better understanding of the Law. But unlike Moses, he leads the way into the promised land, as the author and pioneer of our faith. Application As we think about the life of a child of God, we must understand God's desire for us. We are not here to do what is right in our own eyes. We are here to love God with all of our heart, to lay down our idols, to take up God's name in holiness, to submit to our authority, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. We are here to follow God's commandments with our hearts Do we hear Jesus and submit to the commandments of God with our heart, or are we stubbornly refusing to listen? Only one way leads to life and blessings. It's our choice.

May 31, 2020 If you have kids or have been around kids for any length of time, you will probably be aware of the whiney tone. This is the tone they get when they don't receive what they want. It is a manipulation tool and a sign that they are struggling to be content with what they have. They also cry and whine when they are scared of irrational things. I remember dropping Jenna off at a store one time and hearing one of my children whine and cry because we left mommy. My child was inconsolable at two years old because they didn't understand, and they were terrified that I would abandon their mother. There is nothing rational about these thoughts. But where do our children get this whiny tone and this irrational fear? The book of Numbers reveals that these selfish, disrespectful, and untrusting ways are prevalent in full-grown adults. The Book of Numbers The people of Israel have been called out of Egypt to Mount Sinai. They have been there for two years, setting up the Tabernacle and learning how to worship God according to Exodus and Leviticus. Numbers is a continuation of that story. The first ten chapters prepare Israel to leave Mount Sinai. The Good Part (1-10) The book is called Numbers because there are multiple censuses taken. In Chapter 1, God has his people take a census of the men above 20 years of age, except the Levites. In Chapters 3-4, he also takes two censuses of the Levites. One was for all the men, and the other for the men between age 30-50. He gives these men the work of carrying all the Tabernacle items and serving Aaron and his sons, the priests. In Chapter 2, we get a picture of the camp of Israel with all twelve tribes stationed around the tabernacle. Do you see the beauty of that picture? God is at the center of the nation. He is what their existence is all about. Chapters 5-6 reiterate the primary message of Leviticus, God's desire for Israel to be holy. He discusses the need to remain clean, to make restitution for sins, a test for a woman who is suspected of committing adultery, and a Nazirite vow that a man can take to show his devotion to the Lord. In Chapter 7, there are 12 days of sacrifices to the Lord to dedicate the altar of God. The people of each tribe offer a grain offering, a burnt offering, a sin offering, and a peace offering to the Lord. In Chapter 8, Aaron sets up seven lamps in the Tabernacle. Then, the priests are instructed to cleanse the Levites for their work. In Chapter 9, the people were once again commanded to keep the Passover, and provisions were made for those who are unclean to eat the Passover at another time. Then, at the end of Chapter 9, God makes a statement about people's faithfulness. Numbers 9:18--23 (ESV) --- 18 At the command of the Lord the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the Lord they camped. As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. 19 Even when the cloud continued over the tabernacle many days, the people of Israel kept the charge of the Lord and did not set out. 20 Sometimes the cloud was a few days over the tabernacle, and according to the command of the Lord they remained in camp; then according to the command of the Lord they set out. 21 And sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning. And when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out, or if it continued for a day and a night, when the cloud lifted they set out. 22 Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, abiding there, the people of Israel remained in camp and did not set out, but when it lifted they set out. 23 At the command of the Lord they camped, and at the command of the Lord they set out. They kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by Moses. In Chapter 10, we see that Israel sets out from Sinai following the pillar, and Moses would say this. Numbers 10:35--36 (ESV) --- 35 And whenever the ark set out, Moses said, “Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you.” 36 And when it rested, he said, “Return, O Lord, to the ten thousand thousands of Israel.” The Ten Rebellions 1. No Meat (11) The next section of the book is full of events that show how evil and rebellious the people still were. In Chapter 11, people complain about not having meat, so God sends them more quail than they could ever eat. Quail were everywhere. Numbers 11:19--20 (ESV) --- 19 You shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, 20 but a whole month, until it comes out at your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before him, saying, “Why did we come out of Egypt?” ’ ” As a result, we start to see Moses cracking as he deals with the discouragement of leading a faithless people. 2. Opposing Moses’ Marriage (12) In Chapter 12, Miriam and Aaron, Moses' own brother and sister speak out against Moses for marrying a Cushite woman. God speaks on Moses’ behalf and makes it clear that Moses knows God and God knows him. In the end, Moses has to intercede to keep Miriam from dying of leprosy. 3. Refusing To Enter (13-14:38) Chapters 13-14 are a tremendous letdown. Israel has come so far and seen so much. God has been so patient and faithfully provided them with all that they need. In Chapter 13, they reach the southern border of the promised land and decide to send twelve spies into the land to prepare them for what was ahead. When they go in, they see how the land is everything God promised them it would be. But they also see giants and fortified cities. Ten of the twelve spies returned with a terrible report and frightened the people from entering the land. But Caleb and Joshua are encouraged Israel to put their trust in God. The response of Israel is sad. Numbers 14:1--4 (ESV) --- 1 Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night. 2 And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” 4 And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.” Caleb and Joshua continued to encourage the people, but they would not listen and decided to stone all of the leaders. Interestingly, fear has led the people to murder those who are trying to help them. Before they could stone anyone, the glory of the Lord appeared, and he tells Moses that he will strike them down and make a new nation out of Moses' line. But Moses again appeals to the Lord and makes intercession for the people. Just like the golden calf incident, Moses points to God's glory and God's character in his request for forgiveness. God again pardons, but he also brings about consequences for their sins. No one over the age of twenty will enter the promised land, except Caleb and Joshua. All of the people will be forced to wander in the wilderness for forty years until the older generation dies off. 4. Going In Anyways (14:39-45) In response to this, some Israelites changed their minds and tried to go out and fight the Canaanites. God was not with them. They didn't have faith in God's word. They presumed that God would fight for them because of their great faith, but that only made matters worse! 5. Sabbath Rebellion (15) Chapter 15 returns to a discussion of laws about sacrifices and explains the difference between unintentional sins and sins of rebellion. In verses 32-36, we have an example of rebellion as a man decided to pick up sticks on the Sabbath day. 6. Korah’s Rebellion (16:1-40) In Chapter 16, we have another story of rebellion, but this is a much bigger story than a man picking up sticks. Under the leadership of a man named Korah, a group of Levites wanted to be priests. They joined with a group of Reubenites to take over the priesthood. They did not like the way God set things up. They didn't understand why God gave them a different role than all the rest of Israel. Nor did they understand why Moses and Aaron were so special. They even persuaded many of the leading officials to join them. But, at Moses' command, the earth opened up, and fire came out to consume 250 of them. 7. You Killed Them! (16:41-49) The next day, all the congregation of Israel was upset and grumbled against Moses and Aaron. God wanted to destroy them, but Moses told Aaron to take a censer and stop the plague from killing everyone who rose up. In Chapter 17, God makes Aaron's staff bud with flowers so that everyone knows he is the one God has chosen. Then, he gives laws to priests and Levites in 18-19. 8. Rebellion Brings Down Moses (20) In Chapter 20, we have another story of rebellion. This time they have finally gotten under the skin of Moses. He is told by the Lord to speak to the rock, but he does not talk to it. Numbers 20:10--12 (ESV) --- 10 Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. 12 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” This is a significant blow. Moses is the most righteous man in Israel, but he will not go into the promised land with them because he failed to honor God as holy. Also, in this chapter, Miriam and Aaron die. The sin of the people has taken its toll. They were all supposed to be enjoying the promised land, but their sin would not allow that to happen. 9. The Serpent Is Lifted Up (21) In Chapter 21, the people show signs of hope by defeating Canaanites and relying on the Lord. But they soon return to complaining and speaking against God. So God sends serpents to bite them. But something interesting happens when they are bitten. They confess their sins, turn to Moses, and ask him to pray to God on their behalf. In response to this, God has Moses lift up a bronze serpent to give life to those who were about to die. If they refused to look at the bronze snake, they would die. The rest of this chapter finds Israel defeating two great kings and taking over their land, east of the promised land. 10. Balaam Blesses Israel, Then Causes Stumbling (22-25) Chapters 22-24 give us a side story about a prophet named Balaam. The king of Moab, Balak, tries to hire Balaam to curse Israel, but he ends up blessing Israel instead. However, we find out later that Balaam does harm Israel. He tells the king of Moab to send their daughters to marry Israelites. Then, they can make Israel abandon their God, and their own God will defeat them. That is precisely what Balak does, and Israel falls for it! One Israelite walks his Moabite wife right in front of the congregation to show her off, and Phinehas drives a spear through both of them. A New Generation (26-36) The final section of the book has much less rebellion in it. It seems like the older generation has taught the younger generation what not to do. This section begins with another census, and this section is full of instructions about offerings and directions about women. This section also shows us that Joshua will be replacing Moses after he dies. Israel will take vengeance on the Moabites through God's help, and two and a half clans decide to settle east of the promised land after defeating the Canaanites and Amorites. One statement in this section stands out to me. As Moses is telling Israel about God's laws for murder or manslaughter in the land, this is what he says. Numbers 35:34 (ESV) --- 34 You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell, for I the Lord dwell in the midst of the people of Israel.” Time and time again, God points to the fact that he is dwelling with Israel and must remain holy. They have to deal justly with those who are evil so that God's people and God's land is holy. God cannot dwell among people and in a land that is full of murder. Why Is This Important? Numbers is a book full of twists and turns that we don't see coming. I wonder how many of us have felt aggravated when we read this book. The people start out great, but then they make so many mistakes. They can't wrap their mind around trusting in God when times get tough. It alternates between stories of rebellion and God giving them more laws. These rebellious acts start out bad, but they seem to somehow get worse over time. At the end God has them lift up a serpent and stare at it to find healing, but they still don’t get it. They can look right at the root of their problem and still completely miss the point. But God is patient and willing to bless sinful people if they would only turn and trust him. He purges all of the evil from them and raises up a generation that ought to know better. The book ends with a new generation poised to go into the promised land. It ends with us hoping in God's patience and faithfulness, not in Israel's ability to get it right. They have shown that they are hopelessly sinful. Before we go into the promised land (with Joshua), Moses has a few sermons to give Israel in Deuteronomy. Application The primary lesson we learn from Numbers is that God expects his people to have faith in him. He wants them to stand firm when he makes promises. Shrinking back is not an option. This whole book is an illustration of what we will tend to do after entering into a covenant relationship with God. 1 Corinthians 10:1--14 (ESV) --- 1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. This text uses the events of Numbers to encourage Christians to learn the lesson they did not learn before it's too late. We are in the wilderness, enduring various trials and temptations. If we fail to put our trust in God, we can lose everything God promises us. Faith in God's goodness and God's ability is the single most crucial aspect of our relationship with Him. Paul tells the Corinthian Christians that these things were written down for us to learn their lessons. If we are tempted to grumble about what God gives us in life, rebel against God's word, or engage in some form of sin like the world around us, we can expect God's judgment. They were blessed like we are, but they still failed to honor God as holy or follow his commands. I have tended in the past to look at them in disgust or with disbelief, but how easy is it for us to fall into the same traps that they fell into? How often have we seen people around us grumbling or complaining over the trial that they have to go through? How often do we grumble against our leadership or desire to usurp authority? We do the same things they were doing! We had better take care, lest we fall as they did. For those who believe in the notion of "once saved, always saved," you might want to rethink that. We can fall from grace and lose the sacrifice God has provided us. More on this tonight as we pick up our study of Hebrews. But Paul reminds us that God is faithful. He is not removing the temptation, but he is restricting the amount of temptation so that we can escape without shrinking back to the ways of this world. If we do fall, we must confess our sins and look to our mediator and high priest, who will plead with God on our behalf. He might not save us from the consequences of our sin, but he will bring us the reconciliation we need with our creator. We can still have hope of obtaining the promises and living with God forever. Conclusion Numbers shows us that adults can be, and often are, just as unreasonable as children. We are selfish, disrespectful, and untrusting of our Heavenly Father. He has everything under his control, yet we struggle to submit to his will with all our heart. The amazing thing is that through all of this rebellion, God still wants to have a people who are holy and faithful. He wants us to have the opposite heart of those in the wilderness. He wants us to be devoted to God when our trials come. What testing have we gone through lately? Have we shown trust and faith in God, or have we complained? How easy was it to complain! Have we stood firm, or have we shrunk back? How will we handle our wilderness journey to the promised land? Will we enter in by God's grace, or will we rebel and fall as they did? God gave us Jesus to reassure us that he will always love us and provide what we need to serve him faithfully. All we need to do is put our trust in his will and his ways.

In Chapters 6 - 10 we meet the intriguing pianist Kirana and internationally renowned couturier, Henri. This box set is all about Flora, though, and we discover the lengths a business man has to go to in order to keep his customers satisfied. FEATURING: Jaq Avery, April Garreffa, Justin Groves, Axle Gunn, Scott Knight, Imbi Leili Ling, Jaclyn Lombardo, Maree Shefford, and [Damian Vuleta]http://damianvuleta.com.au/()samsaradunston.blogspot.comSupport Samsara's Dramas by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/samsaras-dramasFind out more at https://samsaras-dramas.pinecast.coThis podcast is powered by Pinecast.

A Homily for Quinquagesima February 23, 2020 All Saints Anglican Church, Prescott, AZ   Text: John 15:1-17   Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our heart be always acceptable in thy sight, O Lord our strength and our redeemer. Amen.               It’s late at night now and twelve men walk through the normally crowded streets of Jerusalem. They whisper together, and suddenly the teacher speaks “I am the true vine,” he says and their mumbling is hushed. Somehow they know that the night air is pregnant with suspense, this trip to Jerusalem had been weird, or at least weirder than some of their others. Their teacher had come into the city with songs of praise from the people, but he had spared no time in criticizing the elite, he had spared no time in upsetting those who lived as hypocrites or abused their of power.             Then tonight, one of their numbers had run out of their Passover feast, and John was saying that their leader had said this one would betray him. They may have wondered why they weren’t hiding, they may have wondered what that even meant. Some thought, maybe Judas had stolen money from their small treasury. But none the less, now they walked to the garden where the teacher liked to go to pray, spending late night hours there talking to the Father, talking to God.             Little did they know in less than 24 hours He would be hung upon a cross, naked and full of shame, little did they know in just moments a crowd of religious leaders would meet them in that peaceful garden and arrest him. Little did they know that he would be lead away like a sheep to the slaughter, and they would scatter. Little did they know that their hearts would faint, while their world was turned upside down.             They thought they were strong, they thought they were ready for everything, and looking back, surely they saw then, what they couldn’t have seen in that moment. He had warned us, he had prepared us for what was coming, how could our hearts have been so hard? They must have pondered.               We need this backdrop to understand the staggering thing that is happening in our gospel lesson this morning – we find ourselves dab-smack in the middle of what is commonly called the Upper Room discourse, but I think that’s a misnomer. In Chapters 13 and 14, we get a description of the Last Supper, or the first, which we recall on Maundy Thursday, and then Jesus starts to teach.             Then at the end of chapter 14 Jesus says “Rise, let us go from here.” And we see a transition, it seems Jesus and his disciples then leave and make their way to the garden where he is betrayed in chapter 18. Ultimately, whether they are walking through the city streets of Jerusalem with purpose, or still in the upper room, talking, does not matter as much as understanding, that in less than 24 hours Jesus will be dead, and the disciples would be scared and scattered.               And he proclaims “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”             This past week a politician was found out to have made a strange remark about farming. He claimed “I could teach anybody… to be a farmer. It’s a process: you dig a hole, you put a seed in, you put dirt on top, add water, and up comes corn.” You may have heard about this and know what I’m talking about. It was simplistic and rather condescending and untrue statement, as anyone who has tried to keep even houseplants alive knows. It takes effort and intentionality.             Last week we talked about the simple act of sowing seeds – and if we live our lives with congruency to the gospel of Jesus Christ which we claim to believe, we will naturally go about our lives sowing seeds – sowing seeds with friends, sowing seeds with neighbors, and co-workers and family members but even that takes work, even that is not so simple. But we must also remember that it is God who is doing the work of tilling the soil, assuring there is someone to water, someone to clear, someone to prune and tend to. To farm, to care for plants is not so simple as this politician made it out to be and to grow in Christ – in one sense is tremendously simple, and in another – a challenge.             This week, when we read this chapter we start to get a picture of what it means to be tended to, to be a part of Christ’s family. Here we start to get the picture of the need for community within the church, to abide in Christ is not merely to be me and my Bible, which of course is important, but we need each other. We need each other to be  Christ to one another, we need to abide in the vine.                        The season of Lent which we are about to embark upon, is a season of self-reflection, a season of letting God reveal to us where our hearts have failed and faltered, and it would be tempting to not walk with others through that time in introspection. Yet, Christ remind us – that we are bound together – not by our hobbies or our interests, not by our demographics or educational levels – no we are bound together by Him. For he is the vine in which we abide, and in that vine we find life, we produce fruit.             And what of those branches that he cares for – he tends to them so that they are healthy. The first clause can be read in two ways “every branch in me that does not bear fruit” can either be “he takes away” or “he lifts up.” It is a bit ambiguous, but both are possible. In vineyards, it is not uncommon to lift up the vines so that they are healthier, but it is equally common to discard of the unhealthy branches. So regardless, there is a care for the health of the vine, and God does the work of pruning us so that we would be spiritually healthy.             Do all of you who were here last year remember when someone pruned the rosebushes out back? I lived at the church I served at before I came here and it had a beautiful garden that was tended to by a master gardener. I loved to watch him work. He tended with care, and love for each plant, he made beauty in the form of the gardens, so that others would be able to enjoy it, and delight in that which he so tenderly cared for. Had I not seen him cut back the roses bushes when I lived there, I would have panicked when these bushes were cut back, but I knew that roses like to be aggressively cut back, so that they will flourish in the season to come, and sure enough this past summer, our roses were big and beautiful yet again. It is the same with our hearts – they need nearly constant pruning in order to continue to bear fruit. I’ve had this conversation with several friends – where we seem to find ourselves free from one overt sin, finally plucked away only to find deeper a more dreadful sickness in our hearts. We cut back the bramble and wash away the mire, to discover that which needs to be carefully tended to. We may no longer get visibly angry with someone – but we find our hearts rife with jealousy. It is no surprise that as we draw closer to Christ that the nature of our heart is slowly revealed – that at each step we find there is more dross to be burned away, more dead branches to be pruned off, more brokenness to be healed. This is a part of the process of Lent, this is a part of why Lent is so hard, because we intentionally ask God to reveal to us how we need to grow. To be pruned is a hard but good thing. To allow God to explore our heart and be receptive to that which he reveals may bring momentary pain – but it brings us into health. This is ultimately what our Lenten disciplines are about – not about self-righteous proving that we can do some mighty spiritual act – not about proving ourselves to God – but about being brought low, so that God may rise us up, about allowing God to prune our hearts so that we may bear more fruit, that we may be remade all the more in His image. Then Christ declares that his disciples have already been made clean because of the words spoken to them. My friends – in this passage we find that tension between the reality that we are made clean when we meet Christ and are brought into his family, and the reality that we still sin, we still find the mire of sin all over us. When we come to Christ we are made clean, made new – and then we are called to remain in Him, to abide in Him and in His Holy Word. That that word may do a transforming work in our heart. We like to complicate things – but these are the simplest instructions – abide in Christ through knowing His word, by being in fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, by breaking His bread and drinking from His cup at His table. To abide in Him means that we will bear fruit – what is this fruit? It is the fruit of the spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These fruits – if truly born, make all the difference, make all the difference in our lives and in the lives of those around us, they bring glory to God, and let his light shine before others. I was talking with someone about one of my favorite verses – Matthew 5:16 – “let your light shine before others, so they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”  The person I was talking to pointed out – that perhaps good should really be read “beautiful works.” Our good works, or beautiful works are those works that come from us abiding in the vine, and in abiding in the Holy Spirit. They are the works that come from being in Christ, they are the works that are endued with the spiritual fruit of knowing God. But now, comes a hard warning – “if anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.” First – we are called to abide in Christ – if we are not abiding in Him we will dry up, our hearts will become hard. As I read this, this past week, I couldn’t help but think of the branches you find while out in the woods, they’ve sat on the forest floor for a week, or a month, or a year. If you pick it up they snap without so much as an effort. I know in times I’ve wandered from God – at times, when I grew discouraged, or sin seemed more tantalizing than walking with Christ – that I was fine at first. At first, I was happy and nothing really changed, but a week or a month went by and soon my heart felt dry, soon, it the fruit of the spirit started to dry up and die. Soon, I was brittle and dry, ripe for the fire. If we do not abide in Christ – if we do not attend to being in the word daily, if we do not give up our lives in prayer, if we do not join in fellowship with the rest of the vine, soon our hearts will be hard, soon we will bear no fruit but jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, licentiousness, and things like these. Christ brings life in a dying world and outside of him is pain and angst. But friends – there is a second warning here – as we gather together – we are not playing around, this is not a social club, but we are called to something incredibly holy, we are called to a mighty thing – in worship we are called into the presence of the glory of God and in fellowship we are called to share in His love for one another.   An author once said when we gather together to worship God, we shouldn’t hand out bulletins and hymnals but crash helmets and life preservers. As a body we enter into the presence of the Holy, as a body, we enter into a Holy task and this should give us pause, this should humble us. So, let us renew our desire to abide in Him for Christ is our only security, Christ is our only hope in this world. My friends – let us abide in Christ day in and day out, renewing our commitment to grow in Him, let us submit ourselves to His tender care. But now we need to clarify verse 7 – “if you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” This is one of those verses that are so often abused by those in the health and wealth movement, but here’s the kicker. If we are abiding in Christ, the more spiritually healthy we get, the closer we come to the heart of Christ, the more our prayer shifts from “I want this, I want that,” to “not my will, but your will be done O Lord.” The more intimately we come to know Christ, the more we delight in His will being done in our hearts. So, if we abide in Christ, what we will want more than anything is that the Father’s will would be done with our lives, the more we abide in Christ, the more the Lord’s prayer becomes our prayer, and the more we delight in knowing that the Father’s will would be done. And now we come to this beautiful passage “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love just as I have kept my Father’s commandment and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” Remember the point I made at the beginning of this sermon? That Christ is knowingly walking to his crucifixion? That soon the disciples’ world would be turned upside down? We can easily reduce these three verses to empty sentimentality but Chris is preparing his disciples, his students, his friends for the horrible thing that is about to happen. I want to suggest that we should not read “abide” here, for I’m not sure we really grasp what that means – but rather we should read it “remain in my love.” Christ is saying to them “you are about to see something awful, you are about to experience the darkest day in human history – you are about to watch me die – remain in my love – I promise you my friends! It is going to seem dark, it is going to seem terrible – but remain… remain… remain. For – I am going to remain in the love of the Father. The crucifixion is an act of love. I mentioned this a long time ago – but atheists often criticize the crucifixion and say “If Jesus really was God – then he could of ripped himself off of the cross.” To which we rightly respond “yes, of course he could have, but because he is God, His love for us kept him upon the cross.” The cross is an act of love – and Christ makes that perfectly clear. And what is more amazing – Christ knows he is about to take the cup of the wrath of the father, he is about to drink the dregs of it, he is about to take every last ounce of what we so rightly deserve, and he is going to drink every drop for us, but even in this he does not doubt the love of the Father. The crucifixion is an act of God’s love for humanity and there we see our invitation into the loving community of the Trinity, in Christ’s loving submission to the Father, we are called to abide in the love of Christ, we are called to remain in that love, we are assured – no matter where the path brings us – Christ remains with us. Just as Christ has experienced the worst – he can guide us through the worst we might experience and just as Christ has experienced the most intimate love – he is bringing us into that love – that our joy may be complete. In a world that hurts, in a broken world, in a world where backbiting, nitpicking, and cruelty persists so clearly – Christ’s love brings us into complete joy – heals our broken hearts – and says “rejoice, again I say rejoice always.” For God’s love has redeemed our brokenness and in that our joy is complete.   And then – he flat out tells his disciples what is about to happen – he is about the give up His life for them, he is about to give up His life for us, that we might have true life and true joy. Next, Christ says something amazing – “no longer do I call you servants,” or slaves, “but I have called you friends.” Think for a moment about those sins that have dogged you for too long. (pause) Think, if you can remember it, about the time before you came to Christ or a time you wandered from His love and how you lived. (pause) Think for a moment about the effects of sin in your heart, and where you would be without Christ. (pause) In sin, we are slaves – in sin we are like a leaf on the wind, blown about not by our own will but by the will of the flesh, chasing the next high – whether it be a literal high, whether it be fulfilling our desires of lust, whether it be chasing after power, whether it be gluttony, whether it be lust – do not be deceived – to be in sin – is to be a slave to your flesh and your passions. And we are freed from that slavery – we are freed to become servants of the father – but Christ says something here – something incredibly beautiful – we are no longer called servants or slaves, we are no longer slaves to sin, nor are we merely servants in the house of God, though that would be enough, we are called friends of Christ, we are friends of God. And this friendship, isn’t simply as one who we see on occasion and our spouse, or companion asks “who is this person you just said hi to?” and we flippantly say “oh, that’s my friend,” when we really mean that he is an acquaintance. No – our friendship with Christ is a call to be on intimate terms with Him. It is to be known and to know Him. We are invited into intimacy with Christ. Can you imagine anything better? Can you imagine anything more beautiful to be known intimately by the one who created the heavens and the earth? This is what Christ has invited us to – intimate friendship. How good and beautiful that is. And what does Christ ask of us? That we obey his commandments. And what are these commandments? At the center of the commandment is this – that we will love one another. At the center of the Christian community is that we live out the love that Christ displays on the cross, we live out an active obedience to God the Father, we live out an active obedience to the guiding of the Holy Spirit, we live out a self-giving, tender affection to our brothers ands sister in Christ. It is that we bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit that in our beautiful work – we would glorify the Father.   Wednesday marks the start of Lent, again this week I have provided you with a sheet for reflection for this week. Too often, I sort of stumble into Lent, and by the grace of God, I wanted to be more intentional this year. Lent is a great time of introspection, and renewed intimacy with Christ – but let us also remember Christ’s commandment – that we would love one another, let us remember too what St. Paul has said – that without love we are nothing but a clanging gong. As we enter this season of repentance, season of self-reflection – let all that we do be done in love for God and love for our neighbors. As we wrap up our service this morning – I will read the second long exhortation starting on page 86 of the Book of Common Prayer. I would invite you to read along, and take some time to reflect on the words that are being said. This was more typically used in parishes that did not have regular communion. But it provides a good outline for reflection in the week preceding our entrance into the season of Lent. Let us not miss this good opportunity to flee from the slavery of sin, and into the arms of Christ. Let us rather learn to abide and remain in the Love of Christ. Let us take the opportunity to dwell richly in Him, and He in us. That all that we do would glorify the Father. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen.   Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works… your beautiful works and glorify your father which is in heaven.  

February 2, 2020 Our goal is to understand the book of James better. This is one of the most debated books in Christianity because the purpose of James is different from the purpose of most New Testament writers. However, when we look at this book carefully, we find that it lines up perfectly with the words of Christ in the Sermon on the Mount. Some phrases seem to be pulled directly out of Jesus’ mouth. Of course, we know that everything James says is consistent with Paul and all of the other apostles. Most assume that James is the Lord’s brother, who became a leader in the Lord’s church in Jerusalem. If this is true, the words of this man should be precious to us. They could be seen as providing us with an inside view of the life of Jesus. Who knows our Lord better than his relatives? It should come as no surprise to us that James is often referred to as the wisdom literature of the New Testament. He seems to create many sayings in his letter that are easy for us to hold onto: “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only,” “Every good and perfect gift is from above,” “Faith without works is dead,” “Be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.” It also contains many pictures that are intended to blow our minds: “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness,” “The one who doubts is like the waves of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” The book has many themes throughout it. It discusses speech, money, and double-mindedness repeatedly in the text to hit on some major flaws in our lives today. What Is James About? How many of us go through trials in our lives? Think about how many different trials we go through. There are trials at the beginning of our life for understanding the way things work, not getting what we want when we want it, getting through school, trying to fit in with people, trying to find a purpose, and overcoming the hormonal changes that we all go through. There are trials in the middle of life that include broken relationships, figuring out who is trying to take advantage of you, losing people we care about, failure, and trying to have a family. Then there are trials in the later years of maintaining relationships, struggling with pain and health problems as the body breaks down, and trying to keep up or deal with the ever-changing society. These trials will impact us all, and there are many more trials that I’m sure we could add to this list. All of the trials I listed are associated with living on this earth as a human being. But as Christians, we face a different set of trials. Why? Because we are living our lives with a higher purpose. We want to become like God, glorify his name, and bring others to him. Our goal is perfection. How do we deal with the trials that bring us closer to perfection? This is what James writes to us about. He wants us to grow through our trials to be consistent with the life of Christ in our everyday walk. James 1:1--5 (ESV) --- 1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. At the beginning of this letter, James tells his readers to count trials to be a joy. From the outside, this seems ridiculous, but he tells us that the testing of our faith produces steadfastness, which eventually leads us to perfection. This is a big idea for the book. We need to have a new perspective on trials to be sure that we are growing properly toward perfection. A Christian’s life is to be spent pursuing Christ-likeness in every test. Then, he points out how hard this is by saying, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God.” James is telling us that if we don’t understand why this trial is happening, we can ask God, and he will help us gain wisdom through trial. Every testing of our faith is intended to make us more steadfast. The rest of the book discusses different temptations that we face in our tests. Temptations At first, it seems unfortunate that God would let our faith be tested. We don’t particularly enjoy the process of being tested. We would much rather enjoy the benefits of the trial without the pain and suffering that goes into it. However, if we want to reach perfection, this is the only way to get there. Jesus himself had to learn obedience through what he suffered. But our suffering will look much different than his. Remember how Jesus was tested in the wilderness, and he passed every test. That is not what we do. We aren’t even close to that. Twenty plus years of rebellious living makes it hard to change over to a sin-free life. As we go through trials, we will inevitably face temptations. James addresses the different temptations we will meet in the body of his letter. Doubting God’s Goodness (1:6-18) The first temptation we face is how we look at God during the trials. James 1:13--15 (ESV) --- 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. If I sin, it is not because God tempted me. It is not anyone else’s fault but my own. We may be tempted to question God’s goodness for letting us go through the trial. But we need to grow and understand that our hearts want something that they should not. My heart needs to be transformed by the love of God as I understand what sin does to our relationship with him. This is a principle that James wants us to carry through the letter. All of our temptations are the result of our desires. Ignoring God’s Word (1:19-27) The second temptation we face is to see our failures and mistakes as we study God’s word and decide to do nothing to change. James 1:21--25 (ESV) --- 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. The word of God is supposed to provoke a change of who we are. As we study God’s word, we are looking into a mirror and finding out what is wrong with us. This tests our faith to see if we love ourselves more than we love who God wants us to become. Notice the words in verse 25, “The one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres.” Is this the way we think of study? There are typically two responses when we see something we are doing wrong in the word of God. 1) Ignoring the mistakes I am making in my life. 2) Consider what we can do to grow out of making those mistakes. James calls this doing the word instead of just hearing the word. If we only hear the word, we are failing to be consistent with the religion we profess to have. Deceiving Ourselves About Sin (1:26-5:6) The last two verses of Chapter 1 launch us into the third section of the letter that touches deep inside our hearts. He says that we are deceiving ourselves and making our religion worthless. How? We keep on sinning with no regard to the two greatest commandments. These two commandments are equivalent to the whole law. All of these sins have to do with the two great commands of the Law and Jesus, to love God and our neighbor. Hating Our Neighbor (2:1-5:6) In Chapter 2, James starts giving us specific, practical examples of sins that are against our neighbor. We ignore the needs of others and the will of God as we focus on ourselves. James points us to the sin of partiality to show us how easy it is to have the wrong heart. We can do something as small as paying extra attention to those who will benefit us and paying no attention to those who give us no benefit. This is what a dead faith looks like. This should terrify us. Something as small as loving ourselves and pursuing our benefit can put us in the wrong if it leads us to mistreat the poor and lowly around us. In Chapter 3, James speaks against our speech. In verse 2, he says, “We all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.” Then, he lays out all of the problems we face with our tongue. We simultaneously bless the Lord and curse our neighbor, who was made in God’s image with it. This reveals that we still have wickedness inside of us, and we need to learn to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. We need wisdom from above to be pure and produce good fruits with our tongues. We need to overcome selfish ambition, bitter jealousy, and proud boasting so that we can love our neighbor as we should. In Chapters 4 and 5, he mentions other sins that we commit against our neighbors. We fight and quarrel with them, judge them as though we have a right to speak against anyone, and take advantage of people for financial gain. But the main focus of these chapters is on our failure to keep the first and greatest command. Loving This World (4:1-5:6) In Chapter 4, he transitions to talk about our love for this world. James 4:2--5 (ESV) --- 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? Again, James says that the significant problem is inside of us; our own desires are leading us away from God’s desires. We have a passion and drive for things that satisfy us in this life instead of the things that satisfy our creator. God has done and is doing everything for us to love him more than this world. Yet, we struggle to accept the things of God. What is the solution? Submission. James 4:6--10 (ESV) --- 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. We need to let go of ourselves and focus our lives around God. We must be a friend of God with faith in him, and reject the idea of being a friend of the world. Our love for this world blinds us to two very important truths. 1) We can die at any time. 2) Our treasures on earth will perish with us. We deceive ourselves into forgetting these truths, and we get so focused on this life that we willingly sin against our neighbors and God while deceiving ourselves to believe that everything is okay. Patience, Prayer, and Praise After James tells us about all of these trials, tests, and temptations that we go through, he transitions in 5:7 to talk about two solutions to all of our problems. We need to have the patience of a farmer who works and endures patiently with trust in God until he can enjoy the fruit of his labor. He also points to Job to remind us of the trials of Job’s life. Job endured so much pain and suffering to help him overcome his pride and to help him grow toward perfection. This is what we need in our lives. We need to grow toward the image of God so that we glorify his name. In verse 12, he points out what we might be tempted to do in our impatience. James 5:12 (ESV) --- 12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation. These are the words of Christ that we just studied last week. James wants us to focus on the purpose that God has in our lives and press on through the struggle and suffering with faithfulness. We don’t need to swear to God to get out of the pain. We need to learn patience. All of the pain and suffering will be taken away for all eternity if we remain faithful to the end. While we wait, we need to pray to God for help or sing his praise as we understand his grace toward us in helping us grow. God hears the prayers of the humble. If we confess our sins and strive to be like God, he will listen to our prayers and help us get through the trials of life with wisdom and understanding. James 5:16--18 (ESV) --- 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. The book ends with an encouragement to confess our sins to one another and to pray for one another like Elijah. He started the book with a focus on prayer for wisdom to understand our trials, and he ends the book with a focus on prayer. But this prayer is for help as we try to lift one another up. He ends with a focus on loving our brothers and helping each other grow toward perfection. The letter ends abruptly with this final appeal. James 5:19--20 (ESV) --- 19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. Conclusion James is a terrific book for understanding what Christianity is really all about. We are choosing the more difficult path in life. It is the path of fulfilling the word of God by loving God more than anything else and loving our neighbor as ourselves. This is the path of Christ. If we have a living faith, this is the path we want to take, no matter how difficult the trial is. We want to overcome temptations and desires to sin so that we can glorify God because we love him more than sin.

January 19, 2020 Being a Christian for a long time is difficult. I have faced several obstacles that I never knew I would face. It’s hard to deal with the temptations and sins all around us. It’s hard to accept the fact that Christians don’t always act like Christians, people around us will refuse to see things that the Bible teaches, and we have no control over the will of another person. I’m sure there are other things that we could add to that list. Why would anyone choose a life like this? It would be easy for us to let our love grow cold and love this world. Maybe some of us have already done that. If you have, you are not alone. I have spoken to many Christians who struggle to persevere through the trials of this life. Hebrews is a book for you. This is a book like no other in the Bible. It doesn’t start like the other epistles because it does not seem like a letter until the end. To understand the book of Hebrews, let’s start at the end and see what the writer says about his book. Hebrews 13:22--25 (ESV) --- 22 I appeal to you, brothers, bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. 23 You should know that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom I shall see you if he comes soon. 24 Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who come from Italy send you greetings. 25 Grace be with all of you. This book is described as a word of exhortation. An exhortation is an emphatic urging of someone to do something. It is like a sermon. Paul is asked at a synagogue in Antioch of Pisidia to give a word of exhortation to the Jews. It is a sermon. This is the lens we must use as we look at this book. When we look at it through this lens we see seven exhortations. Hold On To Truth (1:1-2:18) What is he urging the people to do? He wants them to endure different trials and temptations. First, he wants them to endure a temptation to drift away from the truth. Hebrews 2:1 (ESV) --- 1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. What does that look like? When I was younger, I would go bodyboarding. I remember one time having a blast with my cousin. We would be right next to each other, and we were having a blast for like an hour. Then, we got tired and wanted to take a break. But when we looked for our parents, we realized that we were like a quarter-mile down away. How did that happen? We were drifting. We weren’t drifting away from each other, but we were drifting away from where we were supposed to be. The Hebrew writer wants to urge us to keep looking at the truth we have been given. If we aren’t careful, we can get so focused on the thoughts and opinions of people that we lose track of the words we have been given in the Bible. Do we realize how important these words are? Don’t drift away from the truth. Hold on to it. Keep Growing (3:1-7:10) The next exhortation is to continue to learn and grow. How many of us have stalled out in our spiritual growth? Once we get to a certain level of understanding, there is a temptation to feel accomplished and to stop trying to know more. We might think that we know enough to get to heaven, but we are wrong. We don’t earn heaven by knowing the right things. This is a relationship. Heaven is a gift for those who love the Lord and who love their neighbor. If we want to be in heaven with God for eternity, it must be because we love him, not for selfish reasons. We must learn more and more about him. We have to keep striving to know more about him and to love him. Hebrews 4:11--13 (ESV) --- 11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Our mission is to know more about him and to let his word transform us. We see the Hebrew writer throughout this second section trying to get the people to dig deeper into the word and understand these blessings on a deeper level. Hebrews 5:11--12 (ESV) --- 11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, We see that they have become dull of hearing instead of striving to know more and grow spiritually. How easy is this for us to do? We must never be content with the things we have learned or with the growth we have already obtained. We want to be a little better person, but God wants us to be like him. Draw Near To God (7:11-10:39) The third section has the phrase “draw near” repeated throughout it. That is his exhortation. He hints to this in Chapter 4, and then he mentions it five times in Chapters 7 and 10. Hebrews 4:16 (ESV) --- 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. In Chapters 7-10, he emphasizes our need for this. We need to draw near for help as trials come into our lives. My favorite section in this book is found in Chapter 10:19-25 Hebrews 10:19--25 (ESV) --- 19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. This is summarizing all that he has said thus far in the book. What is he trying to fight against when he encourages people to draw near to the throne of God with confidence or with a true heart in full assurance of faith? He is calling for God’s people to endure feelings that we are not good enough. Have you ever felt like you weren’t good enough to deserve the love that God offers? This book helps us understand why we don’t have to shrink back in fear of God. If our heart is true, we can have full assurance that he loves us and wants us to come into his throne room. He is more like a loving father than an evil dictator. If we have a wicked heart that wants to sin deliberately after all that he has done for us, we will be afraid and shrink back. But if we want to love him, he wants to love us. “We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.” (10:31) Follow The Faithful (11) In Chapter 11, he gives us many examples of men and women who held on to their faith until the end. They endured various trials with less understanding than we have, and they will be rewarded just like we will if we remain faithful. We need faith in the things we do not see. Hebrews 11:1--3 (ESV) --- 1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. Hebrews 11:39--40 (ESV) --- 39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. They did not see the fruit of their faith. They are waiting for the final day when God will reveal it to all of his children. He wants us to follow them. Stay Strong (12:1-17) In Chapter 12, he explains why life has to be so difficult for us right now. He compares what we are going through to the struggles of childhood. This entire life is essentially our childhood. We are being disciplined, and God is giving us instruction so that we can understand more. Hebrews 12:7--9 (ESV) --- 7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? This life is not going to be easy, but it is preparing us for something much greater in the life to come. Hebrews 12:11--17 (ESV) --- 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. 12 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. He is encouraging his readers to press on. Life is difficult, but it is so worth it. The inheritance that is promised to us is better than anything this world could ever offer. God wants us to have it if we will just remain faithful. If we give this up, we will miss out on the greatest blessing we could ever know. When this life is over, we will regret giving up. Fear The Lord (12:18-29) One thing that is amazing throughout this book is that he provides warnings. This is not just a book with a bunch of fluffy words about God’s love and grace. He gives warnings over and over again. These warnings are intended to terrify us, and they should make us straighten up. We need these warnings to think soberly about this. There is punishment if we understand the love of God and reject it. Hebrews 12:25 (ESV) --- 25 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. He has shown us in the Old Testament that he can destroy those who refuse to listen and obey. He is a loving and merciful God, but he cannot allow his people to rebel. He expects us to live with reverence and awe. Hebrews 12:28--29 (ESV) --- 28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire. Worship Acceptably (13:1-18) The last section of the book explains what acceptable worship looks like. Hebrews 13:1--6 (ESV) --- 1 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 3 Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. 4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. 5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” Our worship consists of sacrificial living for those around us. It’s not about giving God our bulls and goats as much as it is about living for the people around us. This is what acceptable worship looks like to God. Hebrews 13:16 (ESV) --- 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. Why We Endure Looking at this book in light of his exhortations helps me to see the message of the book. But I imagine that if anyone here has studied this book, they have seen a lot more than these exhortations. The writer of this book gives us reasons why we must endure. We must hold on to the truth because Jesus’ words are greater than the words of angels that brought us the Old Testament. We must continue to learn and grow because Jesus brings us all the promises of Moses, Joshua, and Abraham. He is greater than these men because he delivers what God promised them. We must draw near because Jesus has given us a greater covenant with the great sacrifice that enters heaven and removes our sins. We must follow the faithful because Jesus has pioneered the way for us by enduring the same trials we go through. We must be strong because Jesus was strong in the face of the Lord’s discipline (5:8). We must fear and obey because Jesus feared God and obeyed him. We must sacrificially love each other because he offered to God acceptable worship by sacrificing himself for us. Conclusion There are so many more things to see in this book. I cannot cover it all in one hour, but I hope you can see the purpose behind it and the message of it.

December 1, 2019 Job Is A Righteous Man Probably, around the time of Abraham, we read of a man named Job. This man was very wealthy, and he had seven sons and three daughters. Job was a very righteous man. He fears God and lives his life trying to please God and do good for others. In Chapter 1 of the book of Job, we read that God recognized Job’s righteousness. He is the most upright man on the earth. He tells Satan about him, and Satan says, “You have put a hedge around him... You have blessed the work of his hands... touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” So God lets Satan touch all that he has. Satan Destroys Job’s Possessions In one day, Job loses all of his possessions and all of his children. Job responded by saying, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job did not sin when Satan attacked him and took away all of his possessions. This is an amazing testimony to Job’s love for God and his perspective on the things of this world. Satan Covers Job With Pain Satan returned to God again and told God that Job would curse God to his face if he touched his bone and flesh. God allowed Job to be covered with boils from head to toe. To make matters worse, Job’s wife, seeing his torment and agony, tells Job to curse God and die. But Job resists this temptation and says, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” The text says, “In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” The temptation was even greater with his own wife tempting him to curse God, but he remains steadfast and faithful. Three Friends “Comfort” Job However, time is the ultimate test of one’s faithfulness. If we were to skip ahead, we would find in Chapter 7:3 that months have passed by, and Job is still in misery. Three of his closest friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, come to comfort him. When they show up, they didn’t even recognize the man they once knew. Immediately, they begin to weep and wail. They tear their clothes and sprinkle dust on their heads. Then, they sit in silence for seven days. Finally, Job speaks up and tells them that he wishes that he had never been born. He wishes that he had died at birth and that he could die right now so that the misery would be over. Satan accused God of hedging Job in blessings, and in 3:23, Job accuses God of hedging him in suffering. This does not sit well with the three friends. Job’s words of distress begin a series of discourses where the friends try to find Job’s problems and solve them. People take these discourses in many different directions, but I will try to summarize my understanding of them. Discourse 1 Eliphaz The first discourse begins with Eliphaz pointing out the only cause that he can find for suffering like this. Surely, God has decided to punish Job for the sins he has committed (4:7-9). This is a common idea to us today. We all sin, and it is evident that the worst sinners will suffer as a result of their sins. Proverbs writes much about that. There is a lot of truth to what Eliphaz is saying. The wicked do suffer, but we know that Job is not wicked. We know that can’t be the reason behind his suffering because we have the first two chapters of this book. Eliphaz is convinced, so he tells Job to call out for God and see that he won’t answer because Job has sinned (5:1). Then, he self righteously tells Job that he should do like Eliphaz would do and seek God (5:8, 17-20). Again, these would be valid words if Job’s sin was the reason he suffers. Job Job responds to Eliphaz by saying that he wishes God would crush him (6:8-10). Eliphaz has not comforted Job at all. Job points out in verse 21 that everyone sees his fall and is afraid because the righteous aren’t supposed to suffer like this. In 6:24-26, Job says that Eliphaz should tell him what to repent of. He feels like life is hopeless, so he decides to speak without restraining what is on his mind (7:11). This is never a good idea. James tells us that the tongue is a fire that destroys. Opening his mouth like that is asking for trouble. He then accuses God of continually attacking him and wants to know why (7:19-21). This will only fuel the friends because they do not understand what Job is feeling. Bildad Bildad tells Job that God does not pervert justice. If Job will repent and seek God, he will be blessed again. Essentially, he believes Eliphaz over Job, and he attempts to encourage Job to repent. Job Job knows that God can see his sin, and he wishes God would wipe him out for it. Again he states that he is blameless, and he accuses God of destroying the innocent. In 9:32-35, Job says that he wants to argue his case before God, but he needs someone to stand as an arbiter between him and God. In Chapter 10, he starts to argue against God, saying that God does not understand what he is going through (10:4-5). At the end of this response, he asks God to leave him alone so he can die. He feels like God is keeping him alive to punish him (10:20-22). Zophar Zophar cannot take these words from Job. He claims to have the truth as he says, “God exacts of you less than your guilt deserves.” He claims that Job is a great sinner who deserves worse than all of this calamity. He needs to repent and find God’s blessings. At this point, these guys sound like a broken record player. They keep saying the same thing over and over. Job Job says that he knows all of these things are true. But he has not rebelled against God to provoke God to wrath. As he answers Zophar, we start to see Job slip off into faithlessness. He starts to point out the difficulty of this life beyond himself in an attempt to argue against his friends, and in the midst of this, we see that he is swelling up with pride as he accuses God of being unjust. Job 12:1--6 (ESV) --- 1 Then Job answered and said: 2 “No doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you. 3 But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Who does not know such things as these? 4 I am a laughingstock to my friends; I, who called to God and he answered me, a just and blameless man, am a laughingstock. 5 In the thought of one who is at ease there is contempt for misfortune; it is ready for those whose feet slip. 6 The tents of robbers are at peace, and those who provoke God are secure, who bring their god in their hand. This shows how Job is struggling to understand what God is doing. Apparently, he feels like God has been slipping and not protecting the blameless. From this point, he will continually wonder why the wicked are getting away with everything, and he suffers what they should receive. Discourses 2 & 3 In Chapter 13, Job begins the second round of discourses. The second and third rounds sound a lot like the first, but we start to see a progression in Job and his friends. As the friends hear Job, they become more and more convinced that he is wicked. They double down on their accusations, saying that Job has “crushed and abandoned the poor; he has seized a house that he did not build” (20:19). They say all of the horrible judgments God will give to the wicked. Then, they conclude by saying, “So you better repent Job!” Job Quiets His Friends Job still feels like there is no hope, and he wishes that he could die, but eventually, he starts to get angry (18:4). He presses his friends more and more about why the wicked are blessed while the righteous suffer. He pushes them and pushes them, but they cannot answer him. Job 21:23--26 (ESV) --- 23 One dies in his full vigor, being wholly at ease and secure, 24 his pails full of milk and the marrow of his bones moist. 25 Another dies in bitterness of soul, never having tasted of prosperity. 26 They lie down alike in the dust, and the worms cover them. Job also accuses his friends of trying to defame him so that they can take his property legally. It certainly seems that way as they keep bringing up how God takes from the wicked and gives to the righteous. (20:10, 18, 29, 21:27-29). Job has no one to give his inheritance to, so he thinks they have come to take his land on top of everything else. Apparently, all of this argument by Job has had its effect. Bildad only gives a few short words in his defense, and this shames Zophar so much that he doesn’t even speak when it is his turn. Job Wonders, “Can Man Live Again?” One interesting thing does happen in the second discourse. Job starts to wonder about whether something could be possible. In 14:7, he says that a tree has more hope than he does because after it is cut down, it can sprout again at the scent of water. This seems like Job understands how God could renew him, but he ends up saying, “Man lies down and rises not again.” He even asks the question, “If a man dies, shall he live again?” If he knew this was true, he would wait for that time of renewal. He says that if that were true, then surely, God would cover his iniquity. But in the end, he concludes that God destroys man’s hope. There is no hope for Job until Chapter 19. Job 19:25--27 (ESV) --- 25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. 26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, 27 whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me! Job is begging for someone to come and plead his case before God. He feels that even though he has suffered as a wicked person, he is not evil. He keeps asking for the court scene with God (23:3-7). At the end of Job’s final rant, he lays out his understanding that the wicked ought to suffer, and the righteous ought to be well off. But that is not the case with him. In Chapters 29 and 30, Job describes his greatness, his fall, and he tells of all the sins he has not committed. This section ends with Job once again calling for God to hear his case and give him an understanding of his sin. Elihu’s Words of Wisdom His three friends have nothing to say to Job. But then a new Character arrives on the scene. This character has been there all along and heard all of the conversations. The first thing that we read about Elihu is that he is burning with anger. He is angry with Job because Job was constantly justifying himself, and he was angry with Job’s friends because they have done all of this talking without answering Job’s questions. The first thing Elihu does is explain his silence up until this point. Elihu is a young guy who wanted to be respectful of his elders. He wanted to let them have time to work it all out, but they have gone nowhere, and the conversation has gone from bad to worse with no comfort for Job. In Chapter 33, he commends himself as being on the side of God, and he states that he believes Job is as well (33:6-7). Even so, he points out Job’s failures. Job 33:9--13 (ESV) --- 9 You say, ‘I am pure, without transgression; I am clean, and there is no iniquity in me. 10 Behold, he finds occasions against me, he counts me as his enemy, 11 he puts my feet in the stocks and watches all my paths.’ 12 “Behold, in this you are not right. I will answer you, for God is greater than man. 13 Why do you contend against him, saying, ‘He will answer none of man’s words’? The next words out of Elihu’s mouth explain why Job has been suffering. He tells Job that there are two ways that God speaks to man. He speaks to man through visions (33:14-18), and he speaks through pain and suffering (33:19-22). Then, he says that the man who is in pain needs someone to come and show him what he is to learn from his suffering. He needs a mediator to tell him what is right. God provides this mediator so that man can live again and have the “light of life.” Then, Elihu says, “I desire to justify you.” He wants to be the man who helps him address God in a way that will profit him. The next two chapters point out how Job has failed by claiming to be righteous and simultaneously falling into the sin of pride. In Chapter 36, Elihu wants Job to understand that the righteous and the wicked suffer differently. The wicked perish, but the righteous learn how they are failing. In verse 8-9, he says that they learn their transgressions. In verses 10 and 15, he says that their ears are opened to instruction. Elihu wants Job to learn that he thinks too much of himself and too little of God. God Speaks As Elihu is finishing his words, a storm is coming. In the midst of the storm, he tells Job that he has no idea what purpose God has in giving this storm. It could be for correction, or for his land, or for love (37:13). He says that men have no idea why God is doing what he is doing in the weather. Like the weather, thinking that we understand the purpose God has in suffering is arrogant and foolish. Job 37:23--24 (ESV) --- 23 “The Almighty---we cannot find him; he is great in power; justice and abundant righteousness he will not violate. 24 Therefore men fear him; he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit.” As it turns out, this storm has come in to correct Job. The Lord speaks to him through the tornado that the storm produces. Can you imagine the fear that this would create? The first words from God Job 38:2--5 (ESV) --- 2 “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 3 Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. 4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements---surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? God goes on to ask Job what he knows about making this world work. He basically restates the words of Elihu. But God uses his infinite wisdom and knowledge to talk about how he created the world, how he maintains the universe, and how he created every living creature on earth. When he speaks about the creatures, he mentions explicitly the animals that Job and his friends have been talking about. He is trying to help them understand that they don’t know the first thing about these animals. Then, in Chapter 40, he asks Job, what fault he finds with God since he is so wise. Job says, “I am of small account, what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further.” God is not done yet. He tells Job to dress for action like a man and put up a fight. If Job can bring down the proud as God does, then maybe he will stand a chance. If he can conquer Behemoth or Leviathan, perhaps then he can stand a chance. Job repents saying, “I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” Then, the book ends with God rebuking Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar and restoring the fortunes of Job’s by doubling his wealth and giving him the same number of sons and daughters. Job would go on to live another 140 years. The Message I think the message of this book is unmistakable. We cannot stand against God. His righteousness will always be beyond us. We cannot trust in our own wisdom and knowledge to comfort us when times get hard and when we suffer. We must humbly admit that we have no clue what God is doing. But as we look at this story, with the information of chapters 1 and 2, we see that God allows his righteous one to suffer so that he has an opportunity to receive glory. Satan sees through Job that God is worthy of praise and honor just for being God. It’s not about the blessings Job receives. It’s about honoring God for who he is and the mere fact that God has given us life on earth. We also see that as our suffering goes on, it becomes hard to focus on God and give him the honor he deserves. Job’s righteous response to his suffering was only foiled when his friends tried to help him. His friends put him through a third test, which revealed his pride and arrogance. Fortunately, Elihu stepped in to serve as a mediator for him. This became a learning experience, and he humbled himself. What About Us? We all go through a lot in life. We all need someone to help us understand what God is doing and why this life is so hard. Jesus is our mediator. He is the one who steps in to help us approach the throne of God with humility and find acceptance with him. Whatever our suffering and whatever our trial, we can trust in Jesus to bring us out of it, and through his word, we can come to know how we ought to live and find God to be our Heavenly Father. This is a great book to help us deal with the difficult stages of life and overcome feelings of doubting God’s righteousness or of pride and self-reliance. We all need someone to justify us, to help set us on the path to glorifying God, and to receive his blessings.

It's a momentous day. Somehow, on Matthew and Diana's wedding anniversary (four hundred and something years later), Cait and Jen have made their way to the climax of the Book of Life. In Chapters 37-39, they're talking about rescuing Matthew, James Bond, Peak Diana, moral authority, and the difference between justice and vengeance. It's a fitting end to a momentous, exciting story and C&C is so glad you're a part of it. If you have THOUGHTS, IDEAS, QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, or POLL IDEAS for the book and trilogy wrap episodes, now is the time! Get in touch via Twitter @chamomilenclove, by e-mail at chamomileandclovecast@gmail.com, or through our Facebook page. If you like what we do, consider supporting us by leaving a review on iTunes, buying some merch on Redbubble, or by becoming a patron. Ak9oDXPRyrxXqXmOvVlz

This week we shift into a new section of Romans. In Chapters 1-4, we saw what the gospel IS. In Chapters 5-8, we see what the gospel GIVES. And what the gospel gives is hope. Today we answer two questions: (1) what is the Christian hope? and (2) what are the reasons we can be certain of our hope?

In Chapters 17 - 21, Toledo completes his journey through the Stages of Grief that started on November 11, 2016. He has a big decision to make; one that will determine the fate of the free world for the next 4 years!

In Chapters 8 - 12, Toledo attends his first meeting in a process that starts his indoctrination. He is shocked by what he finds and tries to escape, but the leader of the group proves very persuasive.

In Chapters 13 - 16, Toledo becomes a full fledged spy. He is tasked with infiltrating a rival group. He also begins recruiting more people for his cause, as their movement grows. Toledo also flies from San Francisco to his old home in Ohio.

In Chapters 5 - 7, we see actors in Hell target Toledo to do their biding. Toledo has grown distant and jaded. Succumbing to his anger, he finds a fringe online group with a radical mission.

In Chapters 3 & 4, we visit Hell, literally. We go down to the fiery depths and see how they receive the news of Trump's Presidency. Also, we see "Toledo" enter the second stage of grief: Anger.

In Chapters 4-6 terror strikes the Benbow Inn as a near-blind old pirate named Pew brings his crew of cutthroats to the Benbow Inn, and Jim and his mother narrowly escape. Later, Jim shows a treasure map to Dr. Trelawny and a plan is hatched to go in search of it. YOUR REVIEWS  AND SUBSCRIPTIONS AT APPLE/ITUNES AND ALL ANDROID HOSTS ARE NEEDED AND APPRECIATED! LINKS BELOW...   Copy and Paste the highlighted links to your Apple or Android Devices for free listening:  APPLE USERS   Catch 1001 RADIO DAYS now at Apple  iTunes!   https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-radio-days/id1405045413?mt=2 Catch 1001 HEROES now at Apple iTunesPodcast App:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-heroes-legends-histories-mysteries-podcast/id956154836?mt=2 Catch 1001 CLASSIC SHORT STORIES at iTunes/apple Podcast App Now:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-classic-short-stories-tales/id1078098622?mt=2 Catch 1001 Stories for the Road at iTunes/Apple Podcast now:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-stories-for-the-road/id1227478901?mt=2 ANDROID USERS- 1001 Radio Days right here at Player.fm FREE:  https://player.fm/series/1001-radio-days 1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales: https://castbox.fm/channel/1001-Classic-Short-Stories-%26-Tales-id381734?country=us 1001 Heroes, Legends, Histories & Mysteries:  https://castbox.fm/channel/1001-Heroes%2C-Legends%2C-Histories-%26-Mysteries-Podcast-id1114843?country=us 1001 Stories for the Road: https://castbox.fm/channel/1001-Stories-For-The-Road-id1324757?country=us Catch ALL of our shows at one place by going to www.1001storiesnetwork.com- our home website with Megaphone.

In Chapters 11 and 12  Ignosi claims his right to the throne and war is declared between forces loyal to Infadoos & Ignosi and those loyal to the cruel King Twala. SUPPORT OUR SHOW MONTHLY AT PATREON Become an Assistant Producer at 1001 Stories Network ( a great resume enhancement) and support us at Patreon today! Here;s the link:  https://www.patreon.com/1001storiesnetwork YOUR REVIEWS AT APPLE/ITUNES ARE NEEDED AND APPRECIATED! Catch RADIO DAYS now at Apple  iTunes!   https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-radio-days/id1405045413?mt=2 Catch 1001 HEROES now at Apple iTunes Podcast App:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-heroes-legends-histories-mysteries-podcast/id956154836?mt=2 Catch 1001 CLASSIC SHORT STORIES at iTunes/apple Podcast App Now:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-classic-short-stories-tales/id1078098622?mt=2 Catch 1001 Stories for the Road at iTunes/Apple Podcast now:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-stories-for-the-road/id1227478901?mt=2 ANDROID USERS- CATCH OUR SHOWS AT WWW.CASTBOX.FM  SUBSCRIBE FREE  THEN SHARE  THANK YOU 1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales:  https://castbox.fm/channel/1001-Classic-Short-Stories-%26-Tales-id381734?country=us 1001 Heroes, Legends, Histories & Mysteries:  https://castbox.fm/channel/1001-Heroes%2C-Legends%2C-Histories-%26-Mysteries-Podcast-id1114843?country=us 1001 Stories for the Road: https://castbox.fm/channel/1001-Stories-For-The-Road-id1324757?country=us Catch ALL of our shows at one place by going to www.1001storiesnetwork.com- our home website with Megaphone. Website For  1001 Heroes is still www.1001storiespodcast.com  (we redirected that one to www.1001storiesnetwork.com) Website For 1001 Classic Short Stories is still www.1001classicshortstories.com ( we redirected that as well) Website for 1001 Stories For The Road is still www.1001storiesfortheroad  (we redirected that one, too) Website for 1001 Radio Days is www.1001radiodays.com

Dave Schneider wraps up our summer study of the book of Ezra in this message. In Chapters 9 and 10, Ezra must lead the returned exiles in confession and repentance because they have strayed from God's plan as a community set apart. We too need to have a healthy understanding and practice of Biblical confession and repentance. 8/5/18

As we continue our summer series on the voice of creation, we turn to Job’s encounter with the created world. In Chapters 38-42, we watch as Job is transformed by opening his eyes to the creatures as they really are, not as Job and his friends have imagined them. They have a dignity that is completely unrelated to their domination of animals. As Job opens his mind and heart to the world around him, we watch him turn from despair to hope and from anxious patriarch to a warm father.

In Chapters 1 and 2, Jen and Manoush decide to gamble their future on new technology that hasn’t been proven and a virtual currency that doesn’t exist yet. In this chapter, they meet up with another pair of female co-founders to confide their fears about joining the experimental journalism platform called Civil. Alyson Martin and Nushin Rashidian cover the burgeoning marijuana industry in the U.S. and are about to publish Cannabis Wire on Civil. They believe it’s their best shot at growing Cannabis Wire into a hardy, sustainable publication (pun intended). But all four women are holding their breath until Civil’s token launch because, as they discover, the stakes are higher than they knew. Who you’ll hear: Manoush (@manoushZ) Jen (@jpoyant) Nushin Rashidian (@NushinRashidian) Alyson Martin (@alysonrmartin) Cannabis Wire (@cannabiswire) Matthew Iles (@matthewiles) — Support our work: Here at Civil and Here at Radiotopia too! — Produced by Stable Genius Productions Follow ZigZag on Instagram and Twitter: @ZigZagpod ZigZag is the business show about being human. Join a community of listeners riding the twists and turns of late-capitalism, searching for a kinder, more sustainable way. Manoush Zomorodi and Jen Poyant investigate how work and business impact our wellbeing and the planet we live on. On Seasons 4 and 5, hear from rebels and visionaries with radical ideas on how we can build stable lives, careers, and companies. If you’re also interested in Jen and Manoush’s personal story and their adventures in starting their own business with a little help from blockchain technology, listen to the first three seasons, starting with Season 1, Chapter 1.

In Chapters 1 and 2, Jen and Manoush decide to gamble their future on new technology that hasn’t been proven and a virtual currency that doesn’t exist yet. In this chapter, they meet up with another pair of female co-founders to confide their fears about joining the experimental journalism platform called Civil. Alyson Martin and Nushin Rashidian cover the burgeoning marijuana industry in the U.S. and are about to publish Cannabis Wire on Civil. They believe it’s their best shot at growing Cannabis Wire into a hardy, sustainable publication (pun intended). But all four women are holding their breath until Civil’s token launch because, as they discover, the stakes are higher than they knew. Who you’ll hear: Manoush (@manoushZ) Jen (@jpoyant) Nushin Rashidian (@NushinRashidian) Alyson Martin (@alysonrmartin) Cannabis Wire (@cannabiswire) Matthew Iles (@matthewiles) — Support our work: Here at Civil and Here at Radiotopia too! — Produced by Stable Genius Productions Follow ZigZag on Instagram and Twitter: @ZigZagpod ZigZag is the business show about being human. Join a community of listeners riding the twists and turns of late-capitalism, searching for a kinder, more sustainable way. Manoush Zomorodi and Jen Poyant investigate how work and business impact our wellbeing and the planet we live on. On Seasons 4 and 5, hear from rebels and visionaries with radical ideas on how we can build stable lives, careers, and companies. If you’re also interested in Jen and Manoush’s personal story and their adventures in starting their own business with a little help from blockchain technology, listen to the first three seasons, starting with Season 1, Chapter 1.

Isaiah lives in light of the tension of what is to come and what is currently going on. In Chapters 2-4 he bookends this passage with a vision of what the world will be once God makes all things right. In the middle, however, he reminds us of the harsh reality of where we currently stand. Human pride is the barrier to heaven. Therefore, humility is necessary for us to be ready for the ultimate hope of the world to come.

In Chapters 16 and 17 of My Youth Is Yours, Kara and Lena come into conflict when Jeremiah returns, and Lena has doubts about the fortunate circumstances of Jeremiah's rescue. Lena soon finds herself in CADMUS's cross hairs, and she decides to confront her mother with Alex. Kris and Stephanie talk about recent updates to this Supercorp fanfic by lynnearlington. Find shownotes for Supergirl: ‘My Youth Is Yours’ Ch. 16&17 (Supercorp Fanfiction) — Episode 49 and check out our other podcasts at ASK Genre TV.

We have all experienced entropy. Order naturally devolves into disorder. It happens all around us every day. Rooms don’t stay clean. Gardens don’t stay maintained. Laundry never comes out of the dryer folded. When we leave things to themselves they quickly fall into chaos. In Chapters 1-4 of Numbers, the Lord has taken great pains to ensure that the people of Israel are ordered properly for their journey to the land of Canaan. However, He knows that the chaos of sin will quickly enter into the order He has established among His people. This week, we will continue our study of Numbers picking up in chapter 5. Here we will find that the Lord has established not only the initial order of Israel, but also laws that will correct the chaos introduced by sin. Reading: Numbers 5, Luke 8:43-48, 1 John 2:2, and Westminster Confession of Faith 6.3-6.

Is religion, in itself, a harmful force? In Chapters 8 and 9 of "The God Delusion," Dawkins argues that it is, and that raising children in a religious tradition is abuse. This episode counters Dawkins' understanding of faith and considers his other arguments against religion.

In Chapters 4 and 5 of The Silmarillion, one Telerin lord settles down with a lady way out of his league while the rest of the Eldar migrate across the Great Sea to Aman. We see the founding of the great cities of Eldamar - Tirion upon Túna and Alqualondë - and meet the family of Finwë, King of the Noldor. And Ulmo actually does what the Valar tell him to, until he doesn't.

Combining all knowledge we have gathered about the origin, evolution and current state of the universe it appears indisputable that 95% of the mass-energy density in today's universe is comprised of unknown substances called dark matter and dark energy. This thesis explores different aspects of and develops models for the formation of the largest structures we observe in the universe, because these structures -- the cosmic web made of dark matter halos, clusters of galaxies and galaxies -- sensitively depend on properties of dark matter and dark energy, in particular on their abundances, the equation of state of and possible new interactions mediated by dark energy. Current and upcoming surveys map the large scale structure (LSS) with increasingly higher precision and in larger volumes. In order to optimally extract cosmological parameters we need to build accurate models for LSS formation that also describe how LSS is perceived by real observers trough processes affecting light propagation. Only then can we reliably reconstruct the cosmological parameters and identify the models for dark matter and dark energy preferred by the data. Therefore this thesis contributes to the endeavor to ultimately uncover the nature of dark matter and dark energy. Chapter 2 studies a dark energy model which mediates a ``fifth force'' enhancing Newtonian gravity only on large scales due to the chameleon mechanism, but leads to an expansion history indistinguishable from the case where dark energy is a cosmological constant. Hence the only observables that can discriminate them are related to structure formation. We study the abundance of dark matter halos per halo mass with semi-analytical techniques to find a fit function depending on the model parameter responsible for the range and strength of the fifth force. We find good agreement with Monte-Carlo and N-body simulations of the mass function. Our result is a fit function for the halo mass function that can be used to constrain this model and to look for signatures of the chameleon effect in observations of galaxy of clusters. In Chapters 3 and 4 we show why it is justified to use Newtonian gravity instead of General Relativity on all scales to accurately describe LSS formation in a universe governed by a cosmological constant and cold dark matter. In Chapter 5 we show that a complex scalar field solving the Schrödinger-Poisson equation is able describe collisionless selfgravitating dark matter with the same number of degrees of freedom as the popular dust fluid. In contrast to the dust model it does not suffer from singularities and thus allows the analytical and numerical study of fully nonlinear effects like halo formation. In Chapter 6 we study the clustering of halos as observed in redshift space, by developing an improved model for the halo dynamics based on a coarse grained dust model and by extending the so called Gaussian streaming model to general phase space distribution functions. We compare our results to a N-body simulation halo catalog and find that the coarse grained dust model significantly improves the accuracy of theoretical redshift space correlation functions.

The chemical compositions of the stars and gas in galaxies play a significant role in all their key evolutionary processes, from gas cooling, through star formation, to the production of new heavy elements that are released back into the gas as stars die in supernova explosions. A theoretical explanation of the production of elements heavier than helium (known simply as `metals' in astrophysics) in stars and its distribution throughout galaxies has been developing since the first postulation of stellar nucleosynthesis in the 1920s. However, there are still a number of unanswered questions in the field of galactic chemical evolution (GCE). For example, what is the most accurate way to measure the metallicities in galaxies? What are the relative contributions to GCE from different types of stars? How is this metal-rich material circulated throughout the various components of a galaxy? And how can we explain the seemingly incompatible chemical properties observed in different galaxies in the local Universe? This thesis provides an investigation into the chemical enrichment of galaxies, by utilising both observations of nearby galaxies and sophisticated GCE models within a semi-analytic model of galaxy evolution. Its core aims are a) to better quantify the chemical properties seen in low-redshift galaxies and explain there likely causes, and b) to develop an improved GCE model that can simultaneously reproduce the diverse chemical properties seen in different types of galaxies in the local Universe. With these aims in mind, Chapter 1 outlines the key background knowledge required for such an investigation. It discusses the different methods used for measuring the metallicity of real galaxies, and their various shortcomings. It also describes simple, analytic GCE models, and the sophisticated semi-analytic model, L-Galaxies, that is used to simulate galaxy evolution in detail. In Chapters 2 and 3, I provide an investigation into the relation between stellar mass (M*), star formation rate (SFR), and gas-phase metallicity (Zg) in galaxies. It is shown that the L-Galaxies model reproduces the positive correlation between SFR and Zg in massive galaxies that is seen when using sophisticated, theoretical metallicity diagnostics. This lends support to the use of such diagnostics over simpler, emission-line ratios. It is further shown that, in the semi-analytic model, this SFR-Zg correlation is due to the gradual dilution of the gas in low-SFR, elliptical galaxies, after a gas-rich merger event. A number of signatures of this particular evolution can be seen in these model galaxies at redshift zero, including low gas fractions and low values of (Zg-Z*). Crucially, all of these properties are also seen in nearby elliptical galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), providing indirect evidence that such an evolutionary process is also occurring in the elliptical galaxy population in the real Universe. In Chapter 4, I present a new, sophisticated GCE model implemented into L-Galaxies, that significantly improves on the previous scheme. It does this by accounting for the delayed enrichment of many chemical elements from stars, of various initial masses and metallicities, via stellar winds and supernovae. This new scheme enables a much more detailed study of the chemical evolution of galaxies, and enables a comparison with a larger range of observational data. In Chapter 5, I demonstrate that this new model is able to simultaneously reproduce the chemical properties observed in a) the gas of local, star-forming galaxies, b) the photospheres of G dwarfs in the Milky Way disc, and c) the integrated stellar populations of nearby elliptical galaxies. Furthermore, the model is able to do this without any significant deviation from the standard framework of galaxy formation in the canonical paradigm of hierarchical structure formation. This can be seen as a significant achievement, which has allowed us to form a much more comprehensive view of GCE than was possible before.

The long-term success of an introduced population depends on the ecological conditions in its new environment, but is also influenced by stochasticity. This is particularly clear in the first stage of an invasion when the population is still small and either goes extinct quickly or establishes a self-sustaining population. Once established, some populations grow and spread spatially, with potential impacts on native communities and ecosystems. The role of stochasticity during these later invasion stages remains unclear. Furthermore, little is known about the population genetic and evolutionary consequences of stochastic invasion trajectories. With this dissertation, I would like to contribute to a stochastic eco-genetic theory of the entire invasion process—from the first introduction up to potential impacts. The overarching questions in this dissertation are: a) How does a population’s movement through the invasion process depend on ecological factors influencing its average growth rate? b) How does it depend on factors influencing the stochastic variability in the population dynamics? c) How much genetic diversity do introduced populations harbor on average upon reaching a certain point in the invasion process? d) To what extent can the population-genetic consequences of invasion trajectories feed back onto the population dynamics? Together with my advisors and coauthors, I have conducted four studies, each addressing two or more of these questions for specific ecological scenarios. We employ several types of stochastic models: Markov chains, Markov processes, their diffusion approximations, and coalescent-like genealogy simulations. In Chapter 1 (Wittmann et al., 2013a, appeared in Theoretical Population Biology), we focus on a factor influencing the introduced population’s average growth rate: the intensity of competition with an ecologically similar native species. Our results indicate that the expected time until the introduced species drives the native competitor to extinction is smallest for intermediate competition intensity. This phenomenon results from the opposing effects of competition intensity at different points of the invasion process: On the one hand, intense competition renders the establishment of the introduced population more difficult; on the other hand, it facilitates the later exclusion of the native species. In Chapter 1, we also investigate to what extent the native species’ extinction is accelerated if a reduction in population size entails a reduction in genetic diversity and thus a reduced ability to adapt to a changing environment. We find this eco-genetic feedback to be particularly strong at small competition intensities. In Chapter 2 (Wittmann et al., 2013b, in press at Oikos), we compare introduction regimes with the same average number of individuals introduced per time unit, but with a different temporal distribution. Relative to regimes with many small introduction events, regimes with few large introduction events generate more variability in population-size trajectories. We show that this variability helps introduced populations to overcome difficult stages in the invasion process (those with a negative average growth rate), but is disadvantageous during easy stages (those with a positive average growth rate). In the light of our results, we can reinterpret three published data sets on invasion success under different introduction regimes. In Chapters 3 and 4 (Wittmann et al., 2013c,d), we examine levels of genetic diversity in populations that have successfully overcome a strong demographic Allee effect. In this ecological scenario, the average population growth rate is negative below a certain critical population size and positive above, such that the first stage in the invasion process is difficult and the second one easy. In Chapter 3, we assume Poisson-distributed offspring numbers. We show that compared to successful populations without an Allee effect, successful Allee-effect populations are expected to harbor either more or less genetic diversity, depending on the magnitude of typical founder population sizes relative to the critical population size. Part of the explanation is that, counter-intuitively, successful Allee-effect populations escape particularly fast from the range of small population sizes where genetic drift is strongest. In Chapter 3, we also identify conditions under which the critical population size can be estimated from genetic data. In Chapter 4, we consider a range of offspring-number models leading to either more or less variability in population dynamics than the Poisson model. For a fixed founder population size, we observe that the Allee effect has a negative influence on genetic diversity for small amounts of variability, but a positive influence for large amounts of variability. We show that the differences between our various offspring-number models are so substantial that they cannot be resolved by rescaling the parameters of the Poisson model. Taken together, these results offer some general conclusions with respect to the four main questions raised above. a) How fast an introduced population completes the invasion process is mainly determined by the presence and severity of difficult stages. Therefore, an ecological change promotes invasion success if it lessens such difficult stages. b) From the perspective of the introduced population, variability is advantageous during difficult but not during easy stages of the invasion process. c) Because the strength of genetic drift depends on population size, a key to understanding the population genetic consequences of invasion trajectories is to consider how much time the population of interest spends in different population-size ranges. d) Feedbacks between a reduction in population size and a loss of genetic diversity are strongest in ecological scenarios where the population of interest spends considerable time at small population sizes. Some of the most striking results in this dissertation cannot be understood from a deterministic point of view, but only when considering stochasticity. Thus, stochasticity does not just add “noise” to some average outcome, but can qualitatively change the behavior of biological systems.

Welcome to my bedroom closet. Here's Chapter 15 of HEROES ARISE:  On This Mountain.  In Chapters 13 and 14, Gundack learned Rheemar had once visited The Mountain of the Dead with a member of Tarr's inner circle.  Where does Rheemar's loyalty lie?  And now, to make matters worse, the wounds inflicted upon Gundack by Tarr's krens make climbing the mountain a difficult and exhausting  task. HEROES ARISE is a parable about breaking the cycle of vengeance, about reaching into our own personal darkness and finding the light of reason.  I've set HEROES ARISE in the world of Thard.  HEROES ARISE is an adventure and love story, suitable for ages 9 - 90, and also is available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble, in hard cover, trade paper and as an ebook.  Jean M. Auel was kind enough to provide the following endorsement for HEROES ARISE. Heroes Arise by Laurel Anne Hill is a surprisingly exciting and moving story that gripped my attention from the first word and wouldn't let me put it down. This author's first work shows a strong talent and a remarkable future. — Jean M. Auel, author of The Clan of the Cave Bear I hope you enjoy my story, Warm wishes, Laurel Anne Hill  (http://www.laurelannehill.com)

This dissertation consists of four chapters, which are self-contained and can be read independently of each other. In Chapter 1, we analyse services trade liberalisation, which is a prerequisite for international production networks to arise. In particular, we study the determinants of services liberalisation undertaken by countries under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) of 1995. In Chapters 2-4, we analyse different aspects of the patterns of trade in intermediates. In Chapter 2, we assess the determinants of bilateral trade in intermediate goods and services. In Chapter 3, we investigate the role of institutions and transport infrastructure as sources of comparative advantage for intermediate goods. In Chapter 4, we study trade in intermediates in the context of the activities of multinational enterprises by assessing the determinants of the share of intra-firm trade in total trade of intermediates.

This sermon is the twelfth in the series in Nehemiah… in the continuation of the series, Kneeling with Nehemiah, we study this faithful man of prayer during the final narrative of Old Testament history. The decisive leader teaches us much about prayer and our relationship with God. In Chapters 11 and 12, the families settle […]