Podcasts about in luke

We're looking at people who have had close encounters with God. Of course, Mary's experience is often read at Christmastime. In Luke 1, Mary sings the very first Christmas carol. It's the first Christmas song, and I'd say it's the best.  Let's look at 1) what leads her to sing, 2) what she sings a little about, and 3) what she sings a lot about.  This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on December 8, 1996. Series: Daring to Draw Near. Scripture: Luke 1:39-55. Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.

Imagine this! God promises stability, fruitfulness, and prosperity for memorizing and meditating on the Word of God. Here's why.  Scripture memorization keeps our hearts and minds set on God. When we are daily memorizing and meditating on scripture, our thoughts are on God. God's Word transforms our thought process and as a result we make God honoring decisions with our lives. Main Points:1. Scripture memorization gives us the tools we need to fight temptation. In Luke chapter four, Jesus quoted scripture three times as he resisted Satan's temptations. You and I can do the same thing.2. When the topic of scripture memorization comes up, often people will tell me, “Loren, I just can't memorize scripture. My memory isn't what it used to be.” Some people are good at it, others are not.”  But think about this. God will not ask us to do something that he will not also empower us to do. I believe the Holy Spirit will give us the strength and ability to memorize Bible verses, one at a time. 3. You can begin memorizing scripture right now.  Select a verse that you find helpful and meaningful and begin to read it aloud, write it down, and quote it.  Imagine memorizing a verse each week. In one year you would have 52 verses in your heart. I believe it would be life-changing.Today's Scripture Verses:Psalm 1:2-3 - “blessed is the person whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.”Joshua 1:8 - “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”Colossians 3:16 - "...let the word of Christ dwell in us richly.”Quick Links:Subscribe to The 5 Minute Discipleship NewsletterDonate to support this podcastLeave a review on Apple PodcastsGet a copy of The 5 Minute Discipleship JournalConnect on SocialJoin The 5 Minute Discipleship Facebook Group5 Minute Discipleship on Instagram

When I was thirteen, I attended my first church camp. I experienced life-changing things, like when I encountered 1 Peter 5:7, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” I'd never noticed this verse before, but that week 1 Peter 5:7 sank into my soul. Because, like most teens, I had worries and cares! Problem was—exactly HOW do you give them to God?.Well, over time I learned that giving our cares to God isn't an event—it's a process..First, I remember who I am coming to: Jesus—God in flesh—who also suffered. In fact, Hebrews 5:8 tells us that Jesus “learned obedience from the things he suffered.” Hmmm... that's mind-boggling. Even though Jesus's suffering and obedience are different from ours, it's incredible to ponder Jesus learning obedience from His suffering..Then, I think about why Jesus suffered on the cross and rose again—out of His great love for me, He chose to personally redeem me, both from sin and (when He returns) from suffering (Revelation 21:3-4)..Lastly, I remember even Jesus agonized over His suffering. In Luke 22, we see Jesus face the cross, fervently praying for deliverance from His “cup of suffering” (verses 42-44). Since Jesus truly empathizes with us in our weaknesses, we know we can boldly come to Him..And so... how do we boldly come to Jesus? Simple—we follow the instructions in Philippians 4:6-8. In this passage, we see what to pray about: everything! And we see how to pray: “Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done” (verse 6). And that's it! We are giving our cares to Jesus. And, as we continue to bring our requests to God (notice the word "continue"), we can experience God's peace (verse 7). In this way, we can come to Christ whenever we are weary—and find true rest in Him (Matthew 11:28-30). • G. Kam Congleton.• In the book of Psalms, we see God's people giving their cares to Him—often with strong words, even accusing God of being distant, hurtful, and uncaring (Psalms 6, 10, 88). In times of pain and suffering, God invites us to come to Him honestly, telling Him just how hurt, angry, or sad we feel. He isn't afraid or ashamed of our emotions, even if we are. And it's only in being honest with God that we can truly experience His comfort. We can tell God what we actually want from Him, not just what we think He wants to hear. How could this truth affect the way you give your cares to God? Consider taking a moment to talk to Him about these things now. .Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (NLT)

In Luke chapter 4, God exposes a few myths that we might be caught up in. Here's one: Satan isn't real. The Bible teaches us not only that he is but that he is the great tempter. So, how do we handle temptation? We do it just like Jesus did when he faced Satan in the desert. Message by Mike Van Rees Scripture referenced: Luke 4 Read the Beyond the Sermon devotionals. Get the devotional each week! Sign up to receive the Beyond the Sermon blog in your inbox. 

In Luke 13 Jesus enters a synagogue where we see a healing and hardening which calls us to examine our own hopes and expectations.

Hansle Parchment was in a predicament. He caught the bus to the wrong place for his semifinal in the Tokyo Olympics and was left stranded with little hope of getting to the stadium on time. But thankfully he met Trijana Stojkovic, a volunteer helping out at the games. She gave him some money to take a taxi. Parchment made it to the semifinal on time and eventually clinched the gold medal in the 110-meter hurdle. Later, he went back to find Stojkovic and thanked her for her kindness. In Luke 17 we read of the Samaritan leper who came back to thank Jesus for healing him (vv. 15–16). Jesus had entered a village where He met ten lepers. All of them asked Jesus for healing, and all of them experienced His grace and power. Ten were happy that they’d been healed, but only one returned to express his gratitude. He “came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him” (vv. 15–16). Every day, we experience God’s blessings in multiple ways. It could be as dramatic as an answered prayer to an extended time of suffering or receiving timely help from a stranger. Sometimes, His blessings can come in ordinary ways too, such as good weather to accomplish an outdoor task. Like the Samaritan leper, let’s remember to thank God for His kindness toward us.

This title was hard to come up with.   Essentially, I want you to have the tools and mindset to figure out how to set boundaries with yourself and with others when needed. Jesus was the servant of all.  He came to serve not to be served.  He was the most humble and meek.  And yet, Jesus set boundaries. A lot.  Here are a couple, but once you read this, you'll probably not be able to read a parable or look at the life of Jesus without noticing His leaning into boundaries over and over again.  Jesus disappointed people because his priority was God over people In Mark 1:35-39, Jesus wakes up early to pray, but his disciples come looking for him, saying that "everyone is looking for you." In Matthew 16:21-23,  Jesus tells his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes. Peter rebukes him, saying that this should never happen to him. Jesus responds by telling Peter that he is setting his mind on human things rather than God's things and calls him a hindrance. In Luke 14:25-33, Jesus sets the boundary of the cost of discipleship. He says anyone who wants to follow him, essentially compared to their love for Jesus, must hate their family and even their own life. They must carry their own cross, and give up all their possessions. If they're not willing to pay this price, they can't follow him. In John 2:13-17, Jesus clears the temple of the money changers and merchants, telling them to stop making his Father's house a marketplace. He shows anger and uses physical force to set this boundary. Jesus was the servant of all but did not allow anyone to trod on boundaries.  So, what if you are trodding on God's boundaries? What if your spouse wants to trod on the boundaries set by God? Sexual boundaries?  Disrespect boundaries?  Other boundaries? Should you set boundaries with yourself?  Should you set boundareis with your spouse? If so, how?  Is there a way to have a generous heart and a kind spirit and yet set a firm boundary?    This conversation goes into these things that are HARD to tease through.  I don't think I have it all right. This is a topic that I feel a bit reticent to release. And I think it will require prayer as you discern how it applies to you. And what your next steps are.   Love & Blessings, Belah   PS - Let us know if this topic spoke to you and if we can help, email us at belah at delightyourmarriage.com   PPS - Quote from a program graduate: “I have become a delighted, playful wife that enjoys and desires sex. My relationship to the Lord, my husband and our daughter has become more intimate.”

In Luke 4, Jesus made his hometown debut as a preacher. How was his sermon received?

One of the greatest barriers to salvation itself can be mistakenly believing that we are somehow better than others, and that somehow guarantees Heaven. How many times have we heard someone say, “Well, I'm a good person”? But even after salvation, comparison to others and placing confidence in our ability to do good works can quickly get us off-track in our faith. In Luke 18, Jesus used a parable to show us how God feels about confidence in our own righteousness. Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I'm certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.' “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.' I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (vv. 9-14 NLT) The Pharisees were considered the mega-church pastors of the day, looked up to and revered for their spirituality. Tax collectors were looked at like we view sleazy, ambulance-chasing attorneys. For Jesus to flip this paradigm on its head was very controversial. Both men prayed but one focused on others' sin, while the other man focused on his own sin. One didn't think he needed God and the other desperately did. Being honest, don't many of us go back and forth between feeling really good about ourselves and flirting with the thinking of the Pharisee or being very convicted and relating to the tax collector? One of the many paradoxes of the Gospel is that true confidence can only be found in humility. In knowing God, we discover who we are and find our identity in surrender to Him. Let's pray together: “Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus' teaching, as controversial as it was then and now. Thank You that Your truth is a paradox to this world. Help me to discover my confidence as I humble myself before You. As above, so below.”

In Luke seventeen the Lord compares the days of Lot to the world just before Jesus returns. Pastor Jeff says we see a pattern emerge in our study of the Scriptures as well. Before God judges He delivers the righteous. That's seen in the story of Lot and the same holds true at the Tribulation. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/621/29

A call to set our hope fully on the future Kingdom of Christ, desiring deeply the honors and rewards He will give at that time. - SERMON TRANSCRIPT - I. “What’s In It For Me?” Turn in your Bibles to Mark 10: 280-31. You might also want to refer over to Matthew 19: 27-30, the parallel passage. This is a very unusual week for me. Yesterday as I was thinking about the sermon, I felt that I had swung and missed the text, so I did what a lot of pastors do, but I never want to do, which is write Sunday’s sermon on Saturday. I know that that's a common thing, but it's just not... So I don't work well under that kind of stress, but I wanted to go a different direction, but some of the points would be similar. A week ago, my daughter Jenny sent me a text. She asked if I'd be willing to bring a pack and play to church. That's a portable crib so that they could use it this week. So I texted her and said, "What's in it for me?” Now, my kids know I do this kind of thing from time to time, my wife will ask me a favor and I'll say that, "What's in it for me?" I just like playing with that a little bit. She texted back something like this, "Not much. I'll owe you a small favor within reason." So she gave me a kind of a coupon I can turn in, but nothing big. That's how that went. If you look at Matthew's version of Peter's question, you can hear a kind of an echo there. In Matthew 19:27, Peter answered Jesus, "We have left everything to follow you. What then will there be for us?" Or putting it more personally, “what's in it for me?” That's the name of my new sermon, “What's in it for me?” It is a little bit shocking because it seems so selfish, so worldly, so mercenary. We feel like we should be at a higher moral level doing everything we do for Jesus without any thought whatsoever of personal benefit, without any thoughts of rewards. Soldiers who fight ardently for love of country are patriots, but soldiers who fight for money are mercenaries. We feel like we're called to a higher level in terms of virtue in our service to Christ, a more perfect standard. As I was reflecting on this, it brought me strongly back into one of the most significant insights of the Christian life I've ever had, that I've ever received from another teacher, another pastor in the word of God or a book that I've ever read. The kind of insight that has the power to change your entire ethic, your entire approach to life. It has been for me that insight has to do with the combination of my desire, my relentless desire for personal blessedness, personal happiness, something to come to me to make me happy and, as clearly revealed in the scripture, God's relentless desire to be glorified, to be central, to be above all things. The author of this insight, of course, is John Piper book, Desiring God. Peter's desire for reward and Jesus' response in Mark 10 and in Matthew 19 for me was, I don't mean to be facetious, but kind of a portal into Piper. It kind of went through a warm hole as I was riding my bike yesterday back into those themes and what Piper calls Christian hedonism. Let me walk through the calculus of Christian hedonism. “What's in it for me” reminds me of things I've said often about the flesh, the essence of the flesh, which begins from infancy. Some of you have newborns. I've heard how it's going for you and you are well aware of what I've called that fanatical commitment to self-interest that we see at 3:00 in the morning in an infant that isn't really used to being alive yet and isn't enjoying it. It’s a fanatical commitment to self-interest, and that seems directly contrasted with the call of Christian discipleship. Christianity seems at least at one level to be all about self-denial. We follow a savior who left the comforts of heaven to come to a cursed planet, to live a life of poverty and sorrow. Who lived every moment to bless other people, then willingly lay down his life even on a cross, even with that exquisite physical suffering and the infinite eternal spiritual suffering of being our substitute, continually saying no to himself. Did He ever ask in any sense “what's in it for me?”? No. In fact, He called on his disciples, as we've already seen in Mark's gospel, to a life of self denial. Mark 8:34, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross. Follow me for whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life from me and the gospel will save it." At the end of this same chapter, Mark 10, Jesus says, "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. Whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the son of man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." That doesn't seem like a life of “what's in it for me”, but Jesus gives a rather perplexing answer. It is perplexing at a lot of levels, but right away just the fact that He doesn't rebuke Peter at all. I mean, you think it'd be an opportunity to say “you're thinking all wrong here. What kind of question is that? You shouldn't be thinking about rewards. You should be willing to serve. Leave everything for me and not worry about what's in it for you.” Actually He goes into detail about what the apostles will get having left everything both in this age and in the age to come. Mark 10: 29-30, “'I tell you the truth,’ Jesus replied, ‘no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields from me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age, homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children in fields, with them persecutions and in the age to come eternal, life.’" It's even more developed in Matthew's account. Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel and everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or mother or father, children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life." How do we harmonize this? How can we understand this yearning for rewards? What's in it for me? What do I get? A desire, a strong desire for personal blessedness, something to come back to us in the Christian life. John Piper has sought to harmonize these things in Desiring God, indeed in his whole ministry. He puts it this way. There are two irrepressible forces in the universe as we study scripture. First, God's desire for his own glory in all of his creation and in all of his creatures. Second, our desire to be happy. The standard evangelical appeal pits the one against the other as if only one of those two can be fulfilled. It's either we're going to live for the glory of God or we will live for our own happiness, our own blessedness, and we have to make a choice., and pray God, it's the right choice. Either God gets the glory or I get the joy. Not both. The normal evangelical appeal is will you surrender to God's will for your life? Are you going to keep pursuing your own personal happiness? Then there are subthemes in the same kind of approach like Christian worship, like we should all come here on Sunday and say, “Lord, we want you to know this is all about you today. We're here for you. We want to make you central. We want to put you first. It's not about us. We want you to be glorified in my worship today, I don't want anything out of this.” It seems so holy and then also Christian service. When you serve other people, don't ever think what's in it for you. The point is their happiness not yours. You are not the point. Their needs are the point. Our selfish joy and service should never be our goal. Rather, it's an accidental byproduct of a life well lived for Christ. Kind of bump into happiness along the way as you're serving others. Piper exposed the fundamental flaw in this. It's deeply flawed actually, and he drew out quotes to help establish it. First of all, on the second desire, the repressible force that we all have to be happy. It's just a fact. We're wired this way. Blase Pascal put it this way, "All men see seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend toward this end. The cause of some going to war and of others avoiding it is the same desire in both attended with different views. The will never takes the least step, but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even those who hang themselves." He's not saying it’s good or bad, he's just saying it is. It just is what is. CS Lewis in his powerful sermon, “The Weight of Glory” said, "If you asked 20 good men today what they thought the highest of the virtues, 19 of them would reply unselfishness. But if you ask almost any of the great Christians of old, well, he would've replied love." You see what's happened, a negative term has been substituted for a positive. The negative ideal of unselfishness carries with it the suggestion not primarily of securing good things for others, but of going without them ourselves as if our abstinence and not their happiness is the important point. If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit this notion has crept in from Kant in the stoics which is no part of the Christian religion. In other words, it's like true virtue is making sure you personally derive no pleasure whatsoever from an act. An action is moral only if it's done from effectively sheer duty, disinterested benevolence, disinterest meaning I don't get anything out of it. Benevolence is something good done not for you, but he other person. If you seek, if you desire, or if you should happen to receive any blessing from it, it's actually morally ruined to some degree. Rubbish says John Piper, that's complete rubbish. It's not Christianity. Yes, it is true that God has a relentless desire to be glorified in all his creation and by all his creatures. God created all things for the praise of his glory, and when redemption is finished, the entire universe, the new heaven, new earth, the new Jerusalem are going to be radiating with the glory of God. But our desire for personal delight and happiness is not an enemy to that. Not at all. Actually God created it for that. He created that drive for personal fulfillment and pleasure and happiness and satisfaction to find its residence in God. So Piper adjusted the Westminster Shorter Catechism in “What is the chief end of man?” The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying him forever. God is most glorified in us when we're most satisfied in him. That's his well-known slogan. The more we say to God, I want you, I want as much of you as I can get. I'm hungry for you. The more God's glorified, especially in worship, the better. I know that sounds all holy and all that, but imagine coming to God and saying, “God, I want you to know I don't really personally have any needs today, but you apparently are kind of needy. You need my worship, so I'm here to give you my worship. Hope you're satisfied with it.” I can see God saying, “Can I just tell you something about what's going on up here in heaven? First of all, before anything was made, I was fine, perfectly blessed within the Trinity. Secondly, I'm made out of fullness, not out of emptiness. I don't need any of my angels or people that praise me, but I just want you to know I got 100 million angels up here who doing a phenomenal job. You guys are pathetic. I don't need you to worship me. You need me and you need to worship me, so come hungry and I'll feed you.” That's what true worship is. It's seeking our pleasure vertically in worship is what it's all about. It's saying to God, “You are what I want. You're what I need.” Then horizontally the same thing. It's like, can you imagine serving another person and saying, “I want you to know I get nothing out of this exchange. Hope you're blessed by it.” Piper likens it to an anniversary, like giving your wife flowers and saying that to her, “I want you to know I'm not enjoying this moment at all. I'm not getting anything out of this horizontally. I hope you enjoy the flowers I bought you.” What he calls dutiful roses. That's corrupt. Love is where I find my blessedness in your blessedness, right? I find my happiness in making you happy. It makes me happy to make you happy. It makes me blessed to bless you. That's why I'm a cheerful giver, because I'm excited about blessing you. Vertical and horizontal. That's what we're talking about here. Rather than being shocked by Peter's question- “We've left everything to follow you. What then will there be for us?” - we should delight in Christ's stunning promises or rewards, both in this life and in eternity. We should yearn for him. We should be yearning for him. We should want as much as He wants to give us in that next world. C.S. Lewis put it this way, “the New Testament does have lots to say about self-denial but not self-denial as an end to itself. We are told to deny ourselves and take up our crosses in order that we may follow Christ and find our lives in him.” It says it right there in that passage and nearly every description of what we shall ultimately find if we do so contains an appeal to desire for us. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered to us like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We're far too easily pleased with what? What are we far too easily pleased with? The answer in the Bible is always the same, idols, creatures, created things going after them as our ultimate purpose in life. That does not satisfy. That's what the rich young ruler was doing. So that's the context. II. Peter’s Question In Context Let's look at Peter’s question in context. Remember last week, the rich young ruler, seemingly the perfect seeker coming, but he was fundamentally a flawed man. “As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him, fell on his knees before him and said, good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good except God alone." Then Jesus uses the law of God to expose his need for a savior. “You know the commandments. Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not give false testimony. Do not defraud. Honor your father mother.”Unfortunately, the man thinks he passed all that test. He's basically a good person just needing a little bit more to get him over the hump. "Teacher," he declared, "All these I have kept since I was a boy." Then Jesus probes his soul, searches him. “Jesus looked at him and loved him. ‘One things you lacked, he said. ’Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’" Based on my introduction of the sermon, that's an appeal to what Piper called Christian hedonism. Give up what cannot satisfy you. Give up what you cannot hold onto to gain something that will bring you eternal happiness. That's the invitation here, but the man can't take it. He's shattered. He leaves. “His face fell. He went away sad because he had great wealth.” Jesus then seizes the opportunity to teach about the eternal dangers of wealth. Jesus looked around, said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God.” The disciples are amazed at his words, but Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God. It is easier for camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." The disciples are doubly stunned by this. They're wiped out by this. It goes against their theology of wealth and blessedness. They wonder about salvation. The disciples were even more amazed and said to each other, “Who then can be saved? Jesus looked at them and said with man, this is impossible, but not with God. All things are possible with God.” Now Peter steps up and connects the dots. I think he's picking up on the treasure in heaven phrase, the treasure in heaven. He says, "Well, what about us? We've left everything to follow you." Mark just has that simple statement, he doesn't have the rest. “We have left everything to follow,” but there's an implied question, “are we in on that treasure in heaven thing?” Matthew's version is broader. He openly says it. "We have left everything to follow you. What then will there be for us?" Let's remember how the apostles had in fact left everything for Jesus. He doesn't deny that at all and how significant it was. Remember back in Mark chapter 1, “As Jesus walked beside the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake for their fishermen. ‘Come follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘And I'll make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him. When He had gone a little farther, He saw James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John in a boat preparing their nets. Without delay, he called them and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him." It's a big deal walking away from your livelihood, stepping out in faith to follow Jesus like that. And Matthew, the tax collector in Matthew 9:9, "As Jesus just went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. 'Follow me,' he told him. And Matthew got up and followed him.” Matthew walked away from his lucrative tax booth. That took courage and sacrifice. Matthew 8, "A teacher of the law came up to him and said, ‘Teacher, I'll follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus said, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nest. The Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” “I don't know where I'm going to sleep tonight. I don't know how we're going to eat." Remember how his disciples were walking through the grain fields on the Sabbath and picking heads of grain and rubbing them together in their hands to eat them? Why? Because they were poor. It was a big deal what they did. III. Jesus’ Promise of Earthly Rewards . . and Earthly Suffering All right, so we've left everything to follow you. What then will there be for us? Jesus promises earthly rewards first, and He asserts this with a solemn oath. "Truly, truly. I say to you." He says this a lot, but whenever he says this, it's serious. It's a very serious statement. I'm making a vow to you. Or you can take this to the bank, heaven and earth will pass away, but this promise will never pass away. You can take this to the heavenly bank promising this to you. Think of an illustration. Imagine the royal prince during a war. He's captured, but he manages to escape and he's being chased. He's a fugitive, making his way through a territory. He comes to a farmhouse where there's a simple peasant who lives with his family. He reveals who he is and asks if he can borrow the family's one horse to ride on and get away from his pursuers. Then he writes the man a note and he signs it and he seals it with his signet ring using wax from the candle on the man's table. He promises not only the return of the family horse, but 20 gold pieces, a change of clothing for everyone in the family, and the permanent status as friend to the royal household. All of that written out, signed with a signet. Jesus also in his humiliation is speaking of a future time when He will sit on a throne of glory. “I won't look then what like I look now and I'm promising you, and you can take it to the bank.” Mark focuses on earthly rewards initially. "I tell you the truth, no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields from me in the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age." In this present age, homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and fields. Why does He list that? He’s telling them that what they give up, they’re going to get back and 100 fold. This is a promise made to the apostles who have left their home base and have ventured out in faith to serve Jesus and the gospel. And not just them, but 20 centuries of missionaries, of traveling evangelists and servants of the gospel who have physically left places to go. There's a spiritual leaving that I want to talk about at the end of the sermon, but they physically left. I read years ago about John Patton, the missionary from Scotland to the New Hebrides Islands in the South Pacific. In my opinion, he traveled oversea farther than any missionaries ever traveled from his home to his mission site, 13,000 nautical miles. It was a long journey. The parting scene between him and his father is just gut wrenching. His father was an incredibly godly man who deeply loved his children, and his children deeply loved him, and his father walked with him to a point where they had to part and say goodbye. This is the account. It says, "My dear father walked with me the first six miles of the way. His counsels and tears and heavenly conversation on that parting journey are still fresh in my heart as if they had been but yesterday. But tears are on my cheeks as freely now as they were then. Whenever memory steals me away to that scene. For the last half mile or so, we walked together in almost unbroken silence. My father as often was his custom as carrying his hat in his hand while his long flowing yellow hair was yellow then, but later years white as snow streamed like a girl's down his shoulders. His lips kept moving in silent prayers for me and his tears fell fast, when our eyes met each other in looks for which all speech was vain. We halted on reaching the appointed parting place. He grasped my hand firmly for a minute in silence and then solemnly and affectionately said, 'God bless you, my son, your father's God prosper you and keep you from all evil.' Unable to say anymore, his lips kept moving in silent prayer, as tears flowing. We embraced and parted. I ran off as fast as I could and when about to turn a corner in the road where he would lose sight of me, I looked back and saw him still standing with head uncovered where I had left him gazing after me, waving my hat in a due. I was around the corner and out of sight in an instant, but my heart was too full and too sore to carry me further. So I darted to the side of the road and wept for a time. Then rising up cautiously, I climbed the to dike if he yet stood where I'd left him. Just at that moment, I caught a glimpse of him climbing the dike looking out for me, but he did not see me. And after he had gazed eagerly in my direction for a while, he got down and then set his face toward home and began to return there. His head's still uncovered and his heart I felt sure still rising in prayers for me. I watched through blinding tears till his form faded from my gaze, then hastening on my way, vowed deeply and offed by the help of my God to live and act, so I was never to grieve or dishonor such a father and mother as he had given me.” I mean, how do you say goodbye like that to go to a mission site? He never saw his father again. That was like a funeral. So what then will there be for us if we do that? If we leave, what will there be for us? If you look at Jesus's promise for the earthly part, it's you will get what you need to do your mission. I think that's what He's saying. You'll get what you need. This is not prosperity gospel stuff. This is not health and wealth, this is not Joel Osteen's Your Best Life Now. We're not going that direction. He's not saying you'll permanently own other people's homes. Instead, it's Hudson Taylor's spiritual secret. God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply. That's what it is. God's going to give you what you need and He's going to give you encouragement along the way that you're part of a vast family of God and that family is going to take you in and care for you and meet your needs and you will not be at a loss. That's what He's promising. No one who has left homes or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age, homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, fields, He says. This relates I think to the practical promises and preparations made in Matthew 10 when Jesus first sent the apostles out on the first missionary journey. Remember how He said, “Don't take any bag for your journey. Take no tunic or extra sandals or a staff or any bag of gold or silver because the worker's worth is keep. And whenever you go to someplace, find some home there and stay there at that home until you leave. And then at the end of that, he promises rewards for the host family. “Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a profit's reward. Anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones, because he is my disciple, he'll never lose his reward.” So any help given to the traveling missionary and the traveling servant of God gets eternally rewarded. We have clear examples of this in the Book of Acts. Think about Peter. Remember how Peter had that vision of a sheet let down with all kinds of animals when the messengers were going from Cornelius's house and that was the beginning of the ministry to the Gentiles. Well, he was staying at somebody else's house. Simon the Tanner at Joppa, that wasn't his home. He was up on the roof and he got hungry and they were making him lunch. That was really nice of Simon, the Tanner's wife, to make Peter lunch. That's an example of the very thing we're talking about here, isn't it? Or about Paul? How many times has it happened with Paul, the resources for the ongoing mission are in the mission field itself. Paul goes over to Philippi and there's a rich woman there named Lydia. She hears the gospel. The Lord opens her heart, she comes to faith, and then she invites Paul and his missionary team to stay with her at her estate. Acts 16:15, "When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. If you consider me a believer in the Lord, please come and stay at my home. And she persuaded us, stay there." That's one of the hundred homes or more, right? It's provision for those that are traveling out doing the gospel work. Or again, Paul in Romans 16:23 says, “Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy sends, you his greetings." Who's Gaius? I don't know, a host person. It also extends to family relationship. You leave your mother, you'll get a hundred mothers. You're like, I don't know if I want a hundred mothers or a hundred fathers or a hundred brothers. It doesn't matter. You're going to get them. He says here, Romans 16:13, "Greet Rufus chosen in the Lord and his mother, who's been a mother to me too." So Rufus' mother, Paul's adopted mother. I just picture her making him chicken soup. Rufus' mother, Jesus said, "You'll get a hundred times as much in this present age." I've seen this in my life. My wife and I sold almost everything we owned and went to Japan. And when we got there, we were greeted by Japanese Christians and host people who cared for us. I've seen it in China, I've seen it in Kenya, South Africa, Germany, Poland, Macedonia, Greece, England. That's my story. I've been in so many host families. They've fed me. They've given me their guest room. They've let me use their car. I've seen the promises. In India I stayed at the home of dear Christian family there. Now this is general benefit for all Christians. We're part of a universal church, aren't we? We're part of a big family of God. We've got brothers and sisters all over the world. You haven't even met them yet. As soon as you meet them, you're going to find out that they love the same Jesus you do. They read the same Bible you do. You're part of a vast family of God. That's what he's talking about here. Now he also added, and with them persecutions, let's be honest, it's not going to be easy for you as you travel around. With them persecutions, you're going to suffer. You're going to go through very, very difficult times. IV. Jesus’ Promise of Eternal Rewards In Matthew’s Gospel, He promises more clearly eternal rewards. In Mark’s gospel He says, “and in the age to come, eternal life.” Let's not minimize that. How could we? What is eternal life? “This is eternal life,” said Jesus, “that they may know you the only true God in Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” You're going to be lavishly blessed in your relationship with God for all eternity. That's what you get. But what else? Stop right there. That's enough. That's God. Remember what God said to Abraham in Genesis 15:1, "Fear not Abraham. I am your shield and your very great reward.” What do I get, God? You get me." Oh, that's enough. And I'll give you some other things too. But the other things aren't the point. You get me in the age to come, eternal life.” He does get specific in Matthew's Gospel, in some interesting ways. He says there will be the renewal of all things when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne. The renewal of all things, it's an interesting Greek word, only used twice. A new genesis, a new creation, a new heaven, a new earth. He talks about it in terms of the soul. He washed us with the rebirth and regeneration by the Holy Spirit. That's the conversion [Titus 3]. But here we've got this. "And at the renewal of all things, when the new heaven and new earth comes in and I sit on my glorious throne, then you who have followed me, the twelve apostles will sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." What does that mean? I don't know. I'm not preaching on Matthew; I'm just alluding to Matthew today. But I don't know, it's just some kind of... Some people think it's millennial kingdom, some people, it's just positions of honor, positions of authority, positions of glory. That's what you get far beyond anything you ever gave up. This is part of Jesus's regular pattern of promising rewards. He doesn't just do it once or twice. He does it again and again and again. "Blessed are you, when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad." Why? "Because great is your reward in heaven." Wow. I mean, He goes down to our personal disciplines and our benevolence. When you give to the needy, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Don't announce it with trumpets. Don't seek horizontal acknowledgement in this world. Don't go after that. But your father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. And when you pray, don't announce it and make everyone see how holy you are. Go into your room, close the door and pray to your father's unseen, and your father sees what is done in secret. What does He say? He'll reward you. The same thing with fasting. He'll reward you. He talks about rewards all the time. He says at the end of the Bible, Revelation 22:12, "Behold, I'm coming soon. My reward is with me and I will give to everyone according to what he has done." If we're not supposed to think about rewards, why does He talk about them so much? He talks about them a lot. He says, "I am coming soon and I'm bringing a huge bag of eternal rewards and I'm going to reward each of you according to how you've lived your life according to your service to me." V. Earnestly Desire All Rewards I think we should earnestly desire them. You should say, well, I don't know. Should I be saying what's in it for me? I'm not recommending that you say that, except as a joke, but there's nothing wrong with thinking I am interested, Jesus, in what you have to give me for my life of service. I'm interested in it. Actually, I don't just think it's not like some guilty pleasure. I think it's actually imperative to the way we think about God. Hebrews 11:6 says so. "Without faith, it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that He exists, and that He rewards those who diligently seek him or earnestly seek him.” So you have to believe in a rewarding God. But look at the verse in Hebrews 11:6. "He rewards those who seek him." He doesn't reward them with something other than himself. He rewards them with himself. We must believe that. Therefore, desiring rewards is only mercenary if it's somehow disconnected from the thing itself. C.S. Lewis put it this way, "A woman who marries for money is mercenary because money is not the natural reward of love. But a woman who marries because she expects that the man who will become her husband will make her happy and bring her lasting joy in multiple experiences of love is not mercenary. That's the essence of why you get married." In fact, it is actually wrong to serve Christ and say, “I don't care what you give me" when He has made these promises of lavish reward, that's actually wrong. Just as it is wrong for a person about to get married to say to their prospective spouse, I want you to know I don't care if you make me happy in our future marriage. That doesn't matter to me. Even if I knew that our marriage would make me miserable for the rest of my life, I would go ahead and marry you. I'd be like, what's wrong with you? That's twisted. I'm not going to say that to Jesus. “I don't care, Jesus, if you make me happy, if I follow you, I don't care if I'm eternally unhappy. I'm still going to follow you.” That doesn't make any sense. It's not the way the New Testament's written. Not at all. So we therefore should want the reward. We should actually store up as much of the reward as we possibly can. “Do not store up treasure on earth where moth and rust destroy and thieve break in and steal, but store up treasure in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and thieves do not break in steal. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” You're supposed to store up treasure and you're supposed to have your heart there and think about it. What are the rewards? There are three Cs - crowns, commendation, and capacity. I’m just going to go over this quickly. First of all, crowns. It's like you’re getting a crown? Maybe, I don't know. I don't know about each of you individually. If any of you individually comes to me and says, “Do you think I'm getting a crown?” I will say, I don't know. But there are crowns and what are they? Emblems of honor for faithful and courageous service to Christ. Like in Revelation 4:4, "Surrounding the throne were 24 other thrones and seated on them were 24 elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their head." So there they are, crowns, emblems of honor, connected in some way to them, to their person. Or again, Paul in First Thessalonians 2 said, "For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? You are my crown,” he said to the Thessalonians. He led them to Christ. He planted that church. "You are my glory and my joy." He said the same thing to the Philippians. "Therefore my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown." That is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends. The people you lead to Christ, they are your crown. The people you serve. You help plant a church, that's a crown. Pastors, elders. Peter says, who've served faithfully as under shepherds, under the good shepherd, the chief shepherd. It says, when the chief shepherd appears, First Peter 5:4, "You'll receive a crown of glory that will never fade away." "What are the rewards? There are three Cs, crowns, commendation, and capacity." Peter wrote that to motivate elders and pastors to serve faithfully because they're going to get a crown of glory that'll never fade away if they do. I know that those 24 elders were casting their crowns down constantly before the throne of God and of Christ. That's their way of saying, everything I have received and achieved came ultimately from you and by your grace for your glory. All of my crowns are a subset of your glory. That's how it's married together. It's not a separate thing, but crowns. And then commendation. What's that? Praise from God that God would speak well of what you did in your life. Most famously, in Matthew 25, his master replied, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You've been faithful with a few things. I'll put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master. Well done, good and faithful servant." That's commendation from almighty God. Or 1 Corinthians 4:5, says, "Judge nothing before the appointed time. Wait till the Lord comes. At that time, the secret motives of men's hearts. All of that will be revealed and at that time, each will receive his praise from God." Those three words, “praise from God.” I know heaven's all about praise for God. And well it should be. We're going to praise God, but there is praise from God should you want that. I'm asking brothers and sisters, should you want God to praise you? You actually should. You should want him to say, well done, good and faithful servant. You should want him to honor you. You should want him to praise you because He won't do it amiss. He won't do it lightly. It will be so meaningful to you to have your Father express pleasure in how you lived your life. Praise from God. That's commendation. "Should you want God to praise you? You actually should. You should want him to say, well done, good and faithful servant." Then finally, capacity. This is the hardest to understand, but I think it's true. God is infinitely glorious. No creature can fully take him in. But the more faithful you serve in this life, the more of his heavenly glory you will be able to understand and take in. How do I think this way? I think of God's glory as an infinite ocean. All of us are like vessels or various volumes, like a thimble, a cup, a bowl, a bucket, a vat, a super oil tanker, different volumes, but the ocean's infinitely greater than any of them. All of them 100% full, But they just have different capacities. So when He says, “Well done, good and faithful servant, you've been faithful with a few things. Now I'm going to put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.” What He's saying is, “share my joy together. I want you to feel my joy of the service you've rendered. I want you to come into me and experience my joy and my delight." In Luke 6:38 it says, "Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, press down, shaken together, running overly poured into your lap. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you."That's where I get the different volumes. What's poured into our lap? What is the reward? It's God. You get more of God and He always has more to give you. So how much of God do you want in heaven? That's the question. There's going to be some judgment day surprises. Look at verse 31, "Many who are first will be last and last, first." People we thought were great, maybe weren't as great as we thought they were, and some obscure brothers and sisters are going to be elevated like the widow that gave the copper coins. Jesus said what? She put in more than anyone. Many who are first will be last and last, first. Therefore, Paul says in First Corinthians 4:5, "Judge nothing until the appointed time.” Wait till the day, and at that point, we'll find out. George Whitfield, one of the greatest preachers of all time, wanted this to be his epitaph on his tomb. He said, "Here lies George Whitfield. What sort of man he was the great day will discover." That's pretty simple. In other words, here lies George Whitfield, what he was like you'll find out on Judgment Day. That's the point, the final day will reveal how we actually serve the Lord. VI. Lessons First and foremost, if you're an unbeliever, you walked in here as an unbeliever, it's not for you to be storing up treasure. The Bible actually reveals if you're not yet a Christian, you're storing up wrath every day, so come to Christ, trust in him. Trust in his precious blood. This is what He says to you in John 6. When you come and ask him, what must we do to work the works of God? This is the work of God: to believe in the One He has sent. Believe in Jesus. Then you can start storing up treasure in heaven. For you Christians, I would just say in your own way, say “what's in it for me? Help me to understand heavenly rewards and store them up. Help me to store up as many as possibly can.” I want to speak specifically about the dynamic here of leaving things for Jesus. Some of you will be called, and you don't even know it right now, to leave your home, your country, your family, your friends, and go somewhere overseas, some other place to serve Christ. You're going to be called to do something you never thought you could do. Drink in the promises here. God will take care of you. He will meet your needs. Do not be afraid, but step out in faith to go do great things for God. He will provide for you. God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply. He will take care of you. Most of us are not going to be called on to leave our familiar surroundings, but we are to live lives of aliens and strangers in this world, to venture out by faith in serving him. Some of us, some in this church are going to leave this church in the next year to go church-plant. You're going to join our church-planting effort. You're going to stop coming here on Sunday mornings and go to another place. It's not because I hope you don't like us, it's because God's calling you to do a work, to venture out. Be willing to do hard things, be willing to venture out, be willing to risk things in your service to Christ. Close with me in prayer. Father, thank you for the time we've had to walk through this deep, powerful, complex topic. I thank you for the truth of the word of God. Help us, Lord, to seek your glory, to seek you as hungry and thirsty. You are our God. Earnestly, we seek you. We desire you as in a dry and weary land. You are all we need, all we want, and that we would go after you. Fill us, oh Lord, with a yearning to store up treasure in heaven. Treasure being intimacy and closeness with God and with Christ. Help us to be willing to risk things or be willing to go places we never thought we could go and do things we never thought we could do to serve you. In Jesus name. Amen.

How often do we ask for all we want? t's ok, the Word says ask and we shall receive. Yet how often are we thankful for exactly where we are and all we have at the moment. Could God be using every moment we are given to grow us, strengthen us, make us more like his Son, Jesus?  Keeping our focus on Him and being thankful is key! Join Rusanne Carole as she talks about being thankful no matter what!  ***  Welcome to Celebrating God's Grace, a Women World Leader's Podcast, where each Friday we talk about God's grace and share how good He is and how we can encourage each other. Don't forget to join us each Monday where our founder & Co-CEO, Kimberly Hobbs, interviews women from all over the world – women of God who have a story to share – and how God has shown up in their life. And Wednesdays, where our Co-CEO and Bible Teacher, Julie Jenkins, brings us a study of God's Word and its application to our lives. How many times have we gone to the Lord to cast our burdens? How many times have we gone asking the Lord for something – Lord, help me, help my children, help my husband, help my family. We ask for peace in our homes, We ask for healing in our bodies. We go to the Lord FOR so many things! WE ASK. And this is fine. The Word says Ask. In Matthew 7:7 Jesus told His disciples, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened for you.” This should encourage us to ask for whatever is on our heart, talk to God and in faith believe that God hears us and will grant His blessings upon us, trusting He knows best. Our heavenly Father graciously offers us freedom to ask for things! Matthew 6:8 tells us “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” But in the next verse he tells us to pray for our needs. I personally don't think that's for us to ASK, I think it's to prompt us to talk to Him, be in relationship with Him, open our heart to Him and spend the time with Him that He so deeply loves. His children choosing to spend the time with HIM. I know I have four boys and when they want to spend time with me it makes me feel so very special. My eldest son asked me out to go to the movies and when he picked me up he actually changed his mind saying, “hey mom, let's skip the movie and go somewhere where we can talk. We haven't talked, really talked in a while.” My heart skipped a beat, knowing he wanted to talk and share with me, hear from me, maybe ask me some questions, or just listen – even possibly asking my opinion on something that was on his mind. I imagine God may feel that way. He just wants us to want to talk to Him throughout our day. But how many times do we go to God to simply say THANK YOU! How often do we take the time out to pray and say Lord, I am grateful? If you go and speak to Christians who live in some of the poorest parts of the world, you would be amazed at how thankful they are for the LITTLE that they have, despite their lack, despite being uncomfortable – they are RICH in FAITH! They are ever so grateful to GOD because they can still see the GOODNESS of GOD – even in the middle of their problems, their challenges. Psalm 34:8 tells us, “taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” How many of us can be grateful in the midst of a storm? How many of us can be THANKFUL TO GOD even when things seem to be falling apart? How could we be grateful to GOD knowing that no matter what we go through or face that He will never harm us or forsake us? Could it all be for our teaching, our good, to make us stronger in Him, closer to Him, more Christ-like. It is good to remember just how good God has been to you? For the believers I would encourage you to meditate on this. Remember this! How has God revealed Himself to you? Ask God to bring all He has done to your remembrance, even write it down. Ponder and meditate on this – how good He has been and thank HIM! For those of you who have not yet met Jesus I pray you will. I pray you will meet Him in a mighty way – Know Him and  His goodness, know all He has done for you! Jesus died just for you – yes, to have eternal life but to have abundant life here with the days we are given. Thank you Jesus. The Bible tells us an interesting story about thankfulness. In Luke 17:11-19 (NIV) Jesus Heals Ten Men with Leprosy 11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus travelled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy[a] met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” Only one leper remembered to say thank you. Had a heart filled with gratitude. Friends, I encourage you to go to Lord every day and thank Him. Let us pray (prayer) Thank you for listening to WWL's podcast. Join us each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as we explore together God's extravagant love & your courageous purpose. Visit our website at www.womenworldleaders.com to submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event, and support the ministry.  From His heart to yours, we are WWL. All content is copyrighted by WWL and cannot be used without written consent.  

In Luke 8:1-3, we see that women were important in supporting Jesus.

Psalm 49 is a sermon. It is a message warning us about the futility and vanity of thinking that wealth can buy you happiness or even life itself. There are several lessons we should learn from Psalm 49. The second lesson we should learn is that wealth does not determine our destiny (vv. 13-15). When Jesus told His disciples that it was hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven, they were astonished; for most Jews believed that the possession of wealth was a mark of God's blessing (Matt. 19:23-30). The disciples wondered if wealthy people have a hard time getting into the kingdom, what hope is there for the rest of us? Jesus reminded them that what is impossible with man is possible with God. But people with wealth tend to trust themselves and their money and to believe the nice things people say about them (v. 13). Wealthy people can get saved and born again if they humble themselves and repent of their sins and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior!  There are many wealthy people in the people who got saved such as Zacchaeus in Luke 19, Joseph of Arimathea in Matthew 27:57-60, and Nicodemus in John 3 and John 19:39. The writer in Psalm 49 pictured wealthy lost people as dumb sheep being led to the slaughterhouse by Death, the shepherd, who would devour them. In Luke 16 Jesus told the story about a rich man who forgot to prepare for eternity. This is what Jesus said about him: "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.' (Luke 16:19-24). He didn't go to hell because he was rich or because he didn't give to the poor.  He went to hell because he didn't prepare to go to heaven by accepting the only ransom that could save him and that was the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. He did not have a Redeemer for his soul. For the believer, death is only a valley of temporary shadows, and Jesus is the Shepherd (23:4). There is coming a "morning" when the dead in Christ will be raised and share the glory of the Lord (1 Thess. 4:13-18; see Ps. 16:10-11; Isa. 26:19; Dan. 12:3). We can't ransom someone who is about to die (vv. 7-8), but the Lord has already ransomed us from sin and the power of the grave (v. 15; 1 Cor. 15:20ff). When we die, God will receive us to Himself (Psalm 73:24; 2 Cor. 5:1-8; Gen. 5:24), and when Jesus returns, He will raise our bodies from the grave. 1 Corinthians 15:51-57 assures us of this: “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed--in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." "O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?" The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Our decision for Christ, not the possession of great wealth, determines our eternal destiny. God bless!

“And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Covetousness doesn't get enough pulpit time these days. Pastors would do well to preach more about this sin that infects today's society. Rob talks about how you combat covetousness with God's wisdom.First a definition - Covetousness is a sinful desire for things. It's often confused with envy, which is actually directed toward another person and leads to covetousness when you want what they have.We make this distinction because the Bible makes it — by giving covetousness a SPECIAL place — forbidding it in the 10th Commandment.Envy is bad; it's a sin, but covetousness is even more dangerous to your soul.Paul answers why in Colossians 3:5 - “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.When you covet something, you make it an idol, putting it BEFORE God. This points back to the first two commandments. “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me."Followed by, “You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.”Now you see the danger. Covetousness is an emotion that drives idolatry and it's nothing short of a plague in today's society. Through the media and advertising, we're bombarded daily with images of things, many of which we can't afford — a bigger house, a newer car, or a skiing vacation in Vail.Covetousness is sometimes called “the mother of sin” because it leads to so many others, like greed, envy, hate and even murder. And there are special warnings when money itself becomes an idol.Jesus says in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”In 1 Timothy 6:10, Paul writes, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”God gave the sin of covetousness a special place in the 10 Commandments because He had to. As Paul relates in Romans 7 that without the law, he wouldn't have known that he was covetous. That's because our sin nature prevents us from seeing our greed, lust and materialism.How do you know if you've fallen victim to covetousness?First, by praying that God would reveal this sin in your heart. James 1:5 tells us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”Second, by searching God's Word for the truth about covetousness and how it may be affecting your life. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 reads, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”Third, by asking yourself some difficult questions and answering them HONESTLY. Does God hold preeminence in your life? Have you placed other gods before him? You would never worship a golden calf, but what about your favorite sports team, or your TV, or even your spouse or children? Have you placed those things before God?Have you sought after earthly things instead of the Kingdom of Heaven? Jesus says in Matthew 6:10, “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” In Luke 12:15, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”So, pray for wisdom, study God's Word, and guard your heart— that's how you combat covetousness. But as you do those things, keep in mind that money and possessions themselves are not evil. It's not a sin to have wealth, nor is it more holy to be poor. It's only when we put possessions above the God that gives them to us …  that we fall into the trap of covetousness.Next, Rob answers these questions at 800-525-7000 or via email at askrob@FaithFi.com:Since it's often recommended to have 3-6 months living expenses as a personal emergency fund, what is recommended for an organization like a church?If you're a 2nd-career-minister, you don't have children so you're not looking to leave an inheritance for anyone, how should you essentially efficiently distribute your assets to yourself?Is it still a good time to buy I Bonds?Can you use a self-directed IRA to invest in real estate?If you're 30 years old, don't have much savings yet, have an emergency fund in place, just started a retirement plan with matching, how do you get started in saving for your future?External Links:ECFA, Evangelical Council for Financial AccountabilityOpen an I-BondBe sure to check out the rest of FaithFi.com to access our books and our many free helpful resources. You can also find us on Facebook Faith and Finance (Live) and join the conversation. Thanks for your prayerful and financial support that helps keep Faith and Finance (Live) on the air. And if you'd like to help, just click the Give button.

Apr 23, 2023Title: The Church That BlessesText: Acts 2:42-47 CSB“That evening I recognized the importance of blessing and being blessed...We all need ongoing blessings that allow us to hear in an ever-new way that we belong to a loving God who will never leave us alone, but will always remind that we are guided by his love on every step of our lives.”Henri Nouwen, Life of the Beloved (New York: Crossroad, 1992), 69-72.Bless RhythmsB. begin in prayerL. listen and engage E. eatS. serveS. share your storyLoneliness1. In 2003, UCLA researchers studied the physical effects of loneliness on the brain and they discovered being excluded proved the same sort of reaction in the brain that physical pain might cause.2. Time Magazine recently called loneliness the next great health epidemic on par with obesity and substance abuse.3. In a recent study sponsored by an insurance company Cigna, they realized being lonely caused more inflammation and higher levels of stress. Loneliness increases the risk of premature death by 30%, making it as dangerous as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. People without meaningful connections experience disrupted sleep patterns, altered immune systems. Do you know who they discovered experiences the highest levels of loneliness? 18-24 year olds. They concluded that loneliness is making us sick.Meal Sharing-Sixty years ago the average dinnertime was 90 minutes; today it is less than twelve minutes.-The #1 factor for parents raising kids who drug-free, healthy, intelligent, and kind human beings?-The #1 shaper of vocabulary in younger children?-The #1 predictor of future academic success for elementary school children?-One of the best safeguards against obesity, eating disorders? -The variable most associated with lower incidence of depressive and suicidal thought among 11-18 year old's? *(Maral Eisenberg, “Correlations Between Family Meals and Psychological Well-Being,” JAMA Pediatrics)● In Luke 5, Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners at the home of Levi (5:29-32).● In Luke 7, Jesus is anointed by a woman in the home of Simon the Pharisee during a meal (7:36-50).● In Luke 9, Jesus feeds the five thousand (9:10-36).● In Luke 10, Jesus eats in the home of Mary and Martha (10:25-42).● In Luke 14, Jesus shares about the parable of the large banquet in whichHe urges people to invite the poor rather than their friends (14:7-24).● In Luke 22, we read the account of the Last Supper (22:14-23). “Sharing meals together is one of the most sacred practices we can engage in as believers...If every Christian family regularly invited a stranger or a poor person into the home for a meal once a week, we would literally change the world by eating.” —Alan Hirsch and Lance Ford, Right Here, Right Now  Serve“'Atheism [I.e. the Christian faith!] has been specially advancedthrough the loving service rendered to strangers, and through their care for the burial of the dead. It is a scandal that there is not a single Jew who is a beggar, and that the godless Galileans care not only for their own poor but for ours as well; while those who belong to us look in vain for the help that we should render them.”*The Roman Emperor Julian, fourth cent

In Part Two of our Matter of Honor series, we take a look at the marks of a faithful financial steward. In Luke 12, Jesus shares the parable of the faithful and unfaithful steward. We want to manage our finances well, in part, to prepare for the Lord's return. Part Two Matter of Honor Series “A Parable on Stewardship” (Luke 12:39-48) Pastor Josh Whitney April 22 & 23, 2023 Draper

Transcript Today’s Bible Translation Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 21 NET, Ch. 22 HCSB Associate Producer Anonymous, Michael Haner Podcast Introduction Today is Gospels Saturday. We'll read Luke 21-22. I'm calling this episode “Any Time Now?” Comments on Luke 21 In Luke 21, Jesus makes the statement concerning the Temple, that not one... The post Luke 21-22: Any Time Now? first appeared on Lifespring! Media.

Does God care about America today?  Justin is host on Glenn Beck's show.  The U.S. ranks last in 46 countries that don't trust media.  Justin's back story.  2020 was tough but still good things happening.  We can look back now and see why that happened.  Justin has a bent for good news. In Luke 4:43 Jesus said, “I must preach the Good News.”  Where do we find good news in media today?  And we need to be informed.  Are we becoming a Banana Republic where dictators are dictating the outcome of elections?  The truth is what people are starving for.  Justin said, “We have authority!  We have to occupy!”  This is such a great podcast!!  Don't miss it!

If you enjoy the content of these podcasts/interviews, would you prayerfully consider supporting the ministry of Serpents & Doves® with a one time donation or a recurring monthly donation. Your donations help tremendously! DONATE HERE: ⁠⁠https://www.serpentsndoves.com/donate⁠⁠ _____________________________________________________________ Did you ever stop and think about how important the resurrection of our Lord and Savior is? I've been pondering this question for quite some time now and I always come to the same conclusion. As I run through who Jesus was, the life He led, His attributes and characteristics, I want you to think about the fact that Jesus DID live, He DID suffer for us, and He WAS buried. But is that what makes Christianity so special and unique? What is about the third day that is so pivotal and foundational to our faith? Join me as I talk about these things as we near the celebration of the most important aspect of our faith. It is the bedrock of why we hope the way we do, why we believe the way we do, why we spend time studying the Bible and longing for His return! In Luke 24:44 we read "Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” Maranatha! _______________________________________________ SHOP/BROWSE THE SERPENTS & DOVES® SITE: ⁠⁠https://www.SerpentsNDoves.com⁠⁠ ______________________________________________ • SOCIAL MEDIA • TELEGRAM CHANNEL: ⁠⁠https://t.me/OfficialSerpentsNDoves⁠⁠  INSTAGRAM: ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/31r0QN8⁠⁠  TWITTER: ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/34zsLMM⁠⁠  FACEBOOK: ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/2Eqf5cs⁠⁠⁠⁠  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/serpentsndoves/support

In Luke 8:1-21, Jesus teaches the parable of the sower, illustrating the different responses people have to the message of the kingdom of God. He emphasizes the importance of having receptive hearts that bear fruit, rather than being choked by weeds. This passage challenges us to reflect on our own lives and consider whether we are growing weeds or bearing fruit in our spiritual journey. Jesus highlights that the condition of our hearts determines how we receive and respond to God's word. He describes different types of soil that represent the various states of our hearts - the hard path, the rocky ground, the thorny soil, and the good soil. He encourages us to cultivate hearts that are like the good soil, receptive to the word of God, and bearing fruit in our lives. In today's episode, Pastor David Maestas challenges us to examine our hearts and identify any weeds - such as worldly distractions, worries, and anxieties - that may hinder our spiritual growth and fruitfulness. Follow along with us on Instagram @pastordavidmaestas and @livingitoutpodcast for more like this!     

In Luke 9:23–25, Jesus says, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?” Notice that Jesus doesn't just tell us to deny ourselves for no reason – He ties it directly to our own good. God wants you to deny yourself because, ultimately, that's the best thing for you. It's the only way for you to be truly free. If you follow the world's advice and “just do you, follow your own truth,” it will not ultimately lead to satisfaction but to suffering. You'll become a slave to sin, bound to your own selfish desires. But when you deny yourself and put your life – and your wants – into God's hands, you'll be set free.Support the show: https://marclucasradio.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spring has sprung in my neighborhood. Flowers are blooming, grass growing and leaves sprouting on the trees. I've already spent some time pulling weeds and planting things in my garden. Plants are amazing things. Cover a seed with good soil and watch it grow. Their roots run deep as the plant gains strength. Have you ever pulled up a plant and examined the network of roots that spread through and clutch the dirt? They are amazing structures that provide water and nutrients to the plant as well as anchor it against the wind. They also anchor weeds against my effort to uproot them. Roots can also be an example of perseverance. In Luke 8:15 Jesus describes the meaning of good soil in his parable. He said, “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” (NIV 1984) The word persevere carries the nuance of holding fast to something. Plants that hold fast to the soil will produce a crop, whether they be a tomato, okra, zucchini, wheat or corn. Pull up the plant, and no crop develops. In the same way, we must hold fast to God to produce fruit for him. We must entwine our lives with Jesus and abide in him. Don't let go of your trust in God. Hold fast to Jesus. How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/ Visit Elmer Fuller's author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/ Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.

There is so much around us to distract us! How do we deal with that in our lives? Lindsay Mawhorr and Grant Gaines join Joe and Shay to talk about being distracted. In Luke 10 Martha is distracted by preparations, but Mary was sitting at Jesus' feet listening to His words. It doesn't say Martha was wrong for preparing, but that Martha was distracted. Today we take look into the pitfalls of distraction, and how to ultimately not be distracted away from hearing Jesus and turning our affection toward Him.   Click HERE to listen on Spotify! Click HERE to listen on Apple Podcasts!

Everything worth doing comes at a cost. In Luke 14.25-35, Jesus wants to make sure that those who truly follow Him understand the implications of the mission. Unlike our culture that favors loose adhesion and half-hearted commitments, Jesus speaks plainly about the cost of discipleship. As we follow Christ together, are we prepared for the mission?

Jesus Appears Again MESSAGE SUMMARY: Repentance is a turning away from evil. In Luke 24:15, Jesus appeared again after His resurrection: “While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them.". Most Christians around the world see Easter not as one day but as the Season of Easter, lasting fifty days. During this Season of Easter, Jesus appeared many times to many people, including several encounters with His disciples and the Apostles along with an appearance to a group of more than five hundred people. On the fortieth day, Jesus ascended into Heaven. After Jesus Ascension, He appeared to Saul, who became the Apostle Saul, on Saul's trip to Damascus. Beginning in Luke 24:36 (“Luke's Great Commission”), Jesus opened the Apostles minds spiritually to the Gospel; and the Gospel is summarized in “five truths” – the Gospel is a: 1) “double historical event” – Jesus death and His Resurrection, which really happened; 2) “double proclamation” – repentance (the Gospel demand) and forgiveness (the Gospel offer) of sins will be preached in His name; 3) “double reach or focus” – the preaching of the Gospel was to begin in Jerusalem with the Jews, but it was to be extended to all nations; 4) “double validation” – validated by the prophecies of the Old Testament and the Apostles' witness through their writing of the New Testament; and 5) “double sending” – Jesus promised the sending of the Holy Spirit to His Apostles, and the sending of the Apostles to the nations of the world in the power of the Holy Spirit..   If Jesus was speaking to His Apostles in Luke 24, what is He saying to us, His modern-day disciples, about two thousand years later? Jesus is telling us, today, the same thing that He told His Apostles in Luke 24!   TODAY'S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Luke 24:36-49; Psalms 119:18-20; Romans 1:16; Acts 1:8. SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/ A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers Have Eternal Life, Even Before their Earthly Death, Because Whoever “believes him {God} who sent me {Jesus}””: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

In Luke 22, Jesus establishes something new. He shares a vision of a world that starts with Him now and goes on for all eternity. His promise of a relationship with Him doesn't begin “someday” - we can be in a relationship with Him now. Jesus is saying during The Last Supper, “I'm the one. You can find forgiveness, grace, and rest in me and it's for all of you.”

Clay Clark joins Liberty Monks to discuss the intentional collapse of the world wide economy and the US dollar to usher in a Central Bank Digital Currency and Quantum Dot technology. This is a timely issue, as the US dollar is currently in a state of decline and there are plans for the introduction of a new reserve currency in digital form. President Donald J. Trump has even commented on the issue, noting that the US currency is “crashing and will soon no longer be the world's standard”. This has caused many to worry about the potential for nationwide poverty if the dollar collapses and what will happen to our remaining freedom if paper money is replaced by a fully trackable, fully traceable and fully controllable form of digital money that is directly linked to technology called The Quantum Dot. This technology is funded by Bill Gates and Jeffrey Epstein, and it has the potential to store a patient's medical and financial records under the skin. This could lead to a loss of privacy and control over personal data, as well as a form of control over people's lives. In addition, the fact that the Quantum Dot Network is powered by the Google Quantum Computer, which is located on the former temple of Apollo, has raised concerns about the potential for sinister forces to be at play. It is also important to remember that God's word is a source of hope for those facing difficult times. In the Bible, we can find encouragement and solace in times of trouble. In Luke 21, we read, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” This verse reminds us that even in the midst of chaos and uncertainty, our redemption is near. In Matthew 24, we read, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” This is a reminder that God is in control and that He will protect us in times of trouble. In Daniel 7, we read, “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.” This verse is a reminder that God is sovereign and that He will protect us in times of trouble. Finally, in Revelation 6, we read, “And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.” This verse is a reminder that God will protect us in times of trouble and that He will provide us with the strength and courage to face whatever lies ahead. The Reawaken America Tour is ready for Miami.  Clay is the founder of The Reawaken American Tour and a successful marketing firm, a world-class entertainment company, a successful chain of men's grooming businesses, a party rental company, a video production company, a real estate company, an advertising firm, and the massively successful online business school and business coach platform, ThriveTimeShow.com. Tickets to The Reawaken America Tour are available at www.timetofreeamerica.com Please subscribe at www.libertymonks.com to get up to date info on all of our latest episodes! Follow us on our Facebook page Follow us on: Twitter and Gettr See Select Videos on: YouTube Rumble Brighteon Listen on iTunes, Spotify and Anchor Show Notes: [00:02:11] Massive event coming up. [00:06:27] Knowledge bombs and clarity. [00:08:29] Dollar is collapsing. [00:13:51] Quantum Dot technology. [00:14:56] Quantum Dot Network. [00:19:06] Discovering unknown scientific phenomena. [00:23:12] Nanobots in the bloodstream. [00:26:18] Foreign bribery and corruption. [00:29:25] The Petrodollar and Chinese tyranny. [00:32:32] Central Bank Digital Currency. [00:35:47] World Events and Biblical Fulfillment. [00:38:55] Turn off TV news.

On Easter Sunday, Lead Pastor Erwin McManus brought a riveting message on Jesus' ability to bring life out of death. This transforming message is now available for you to watch! Have you ever felt as though you lack the capacity to handle the challenges that life throws at you? Pastor Erwin points out that as children, we are consistently reminded of our smallness and inadequacy. We struggle to feel as though we were built to scale for the largeness of the world around us.  Though we grow in size, we never outgrow this question: "Am I big enough to deal with the reality of being alive?" Pastor Erwin reminds us that our biggest struggles come from the sobering reality of our temporary nature.  In Luke 24, Jesus' followers look for him in the tomb but are surprised to find that he has been raised from the dead. Jesus faced death head-on and miraculously experienced a resurrection.  This message reminds us that when we stop trying to escape our temporary nature and embrace the death of the life we have without Jesus, only then can we can fully experience the life he freely offers us. Are you ready to move from death to life and experience the power of Jesus' resurrection in your life? Tune into this message now!

Have you ever faced a time where things didn't go how you expected? Have you ever had a plan, but nothing went how you planned it? In those moments, it's difficult to see how our wrecked plans could ever be a good thing. In Luke 24, Mary and Mary expected to pay their respects to Jesus in the tomb where He had been laid. They expected Jesus to still be dead. They expected the tomb to be closed. Instead — the tomb was open, and Jesus was gone. But as they found out — when Jesus is involved, what looks bad becomes good.

In Luke 9:23 and 14:25-27, Jesus talks about carrying your cross. That, in order to be his disciple, we must deny ourself, carry our cross and follow Him. Jesus must be Lord of all in our life. Today, Brett shares about what it means to carry your cross. Share your stories, prayer requests, or your response to this devotional in the comments below. If you would like to know more about who we are, what we believe, or when we meet, visit http://newlife.church. Or you can fill out a digital connection card at http://newlife.church/connect - we would love to get to know you better!

In Luke 5:32 (KJV) “ I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”   In this message Reverend Lindsay continues the series on “Others”. He preaches about the “7 Things Jesus did for Others that we must do”. Jesus lived for others, his sole purpose on this earth was for others.  Jesus loved others, he came to serve others and not to be served as it says in Mark 10:45. He died for us all and thus we have hope in salvation and eternity with God our father. Let all that we do point to all that God has done for us. When we speak to others, let us speak for Christ.    So let's listen to the powerful message and ask ourselves with Jesus Christ as our example “What can I do that I am not doing for others?”

It's difficult to have faith when we're surrounded by a faithless world, and yet that's not uncommon for God's people. Today we're looking at 1 Kings 17 and the account of Elijah and Ahab. We'll see how Elijah stands for the Lord and how the Lord blesses him and those around him. Join us!  DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS: 1.    According to the podcast, what happened to the nation of Israel 55 years earlier? Which kingdom did Elijah preach to? 2.    Although King Ahab was a king over the northern kingdom, by his mode of life, which God did He really worship? How did this come about? 3.    The podcast mentions that the name “Baal” meant “master”. How might this have been a temptation for God's people who often referred to the Lord as “Adonai” which also meant “Lord, master”?  4.    The podcast mentions that “Baal” was the god of nature and fertility and rain. How important were these elements to the Jewish agrarian economy? Why might this have been tempting for the Jewish people to worship Baal instead of the Lord? 5.    Into this scene came Elijah. Elijah's name meant “The Lord is God”. Why was this message so radical in Elijah's day and age? 6.    What does the Lord tell King Ahab in verse 1? What kind of intestinal fortitude did this take, given the situation of the Northern Kingdom at this time? How was this taking on the false god Baal?  7.    What does the Lord have Elijah do after this, in verses 3-7? How does the Lord provide for Elijah in these verses? How do you think that would have strengthened his faith? 8.    Where does the Lord send Elijah in verse 9? Was this a region inhabited by Jews? Whose hometown was this? Why would that have been a problem for Elijah? 9.    What does the widow say to Elijah about the Lord in verse 12? What does this indicate about her faith in the Lord? What miracle does the Lord provide for her an answer to her faith? 10.    What happens to her son in verse 17? What does the Lord do through Elijah in verses 19 to 22? What did the podcast say about why this is a “resuscitation” rather than a “resurrection”? 11.    Look up Malachi 4:5. What does this verse say about Elijah? How did this verse factor into Jesus's ministry in the New Testament? 12.    What does Elijah's life show the people of the Northern Kingdom regarding God's covenant with them during this time? Why is this surprising given the spiritual climate of Elijah's day? 13.    In Luke 4, verses 26 and 27, Jesus refers to the events of this chapter. What was His point in saying what He says about what happened here? 14.    Finally, James 5:17 refers to these events as an example of prayer. What was James's point about Elijah? How does that relate to us today? Check out our new Bible Study Guide on the Key Chapters of Genesis! Available on Amazon just in time for the Genesis relaunch in January! To see our dedicated podcast website with access to all our episodes and other resources, visit us at: www.keychapters.org. Find us on all major platforms, or use these direct links: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6OqbnDRrfuyHRmkpUSyoHv Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/366-key-chapters-in-the-bible/id1493571819 YouTube: Key Chapters of the Bible on YouTube. As always, we are grateful to be included in the "Top 100 Bible Podcasts to Follow" from Feedspot.com. Also for regularly being awarded "Podcast of the Day" from PlayerFM. Special thanks to Joseph McDade for providing our theme music.   

How great is your love for Jesus? In Luke 14:25, Jesus makes the point that our love for Him must be greater than our love for anything or anyone else, including our own family. Then, in Luke 14:27-33, Jesus talks about the sacrifices disciples of Christ make. Do you love Jesus more than anyone or anything else? Are you willing to make sacrifices for Christ? These are 2 questions you need to answer as a follower of Christ today. How would you answer them? Share your stories, prayer requests, or your response to this devotional in the comments below. If you would like to know more about who we are, what we believe, or when we meet, visit http://newlife.church. Or you can fill out a digital connection card at http://newlife.church/connect - we would love to get to know you better!

Isaiah 61 told of the coming Messiah. In Luke 4, Jesus read this passage in His hometown, and announced that the prophecy had been fulfilled, and He was the One they had been waiting for. And it didn't go so well. The end of the Old was the beginning of the New. But Jesus wasn't exactly what they were expecting.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-3/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-3/support

In Luke 22 Jesus prays a powerful prayer before facing the hardest challenge of his life.  Pastor Ian Wilson shows us 3 principals out of these scriptures that we can apply to our life. When we are facing challenging or difficult times we find peace and wisdom when we Relinquish to Gods will, He meets us in resurrection and resolve.  

The power of Christ in Christian marriage allows husband and wife to reject divorce categorically and to defeat it with God’s vision of oneness in marriage. - SERMON TRANSCRIPT - This morning I'm going to preach on the same topic as I did last week. I'm going to be working through Matthew 19 more than Mark 10. On December 21st, 1988, a timer activated bomb exploded on PanAm flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 individuals on board and 11 individuals on the ground. Since the massive Boeing 747 airplane had reached an altitude of 31,000 feet, the explosion created what some called the largest crime scene in history. The wreck had spread over more than 1,200 square miles. Investigators painstakingly collected the fragments in order to determine the cause of the explosion. Eventually, these amazingly skilled people identified trace amounts of explosives to help confirm that this incident was not an accident, but indeed caused by an act of terrorism deliberately planned and executed with murderous intent. The stunning level of meticulous and far-reaching collection of fragments from an explosion, and the subsequent analysis of these fragments to deduce the cause and then bring to justice to criminals was unprecedented at the time and has never been equaled since. As I was reading about this effort, my mind went to the phrase, “the largest crime scene in history.” Sometime ago I began to meditate on the theology of original sin in Adam, the effect of Adam's sin in the world and on every generation that followed. A particular passage in Ephesians 1:9-10 has come to my mind as being very significant in understanding not just sin but redemption and the work of Christ in redemption. It gave me an image years ago of sin having had the effect on the universe like a fragmentation grenade, a phrase I used years ago. It came from Ephesians 1:9-10, “God made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.” Think about that. God's ultimate purpose, which He will fulfill at the end of all things, is to gather, to bring together all things in heaven and on earth, to bring them all together and make them perfectly one in Christ. This was a powerful insight in helping understand the effect that sin has had on the universe visible and invisible, how it has blown apart things that are meant to be together. What God has done with his work of redemption through the cross of Jesus Christ and through his resurrection, He will bring all things in the universe together into perfect oneness. Isn't that something to look forward to, brother and sisters? He will reverse the explosive effects of sin which ripped apart things that were meant to be together. "What God has done with his work of redemption through the cross of Jesus Christ and through his resurrection, He will bring all things in the universe together into perfect oneness." In light of that concept of sin as the ultimate fragmentation grenade or explosive device, I came to realize that this suffering planet Earth and actually all of human history itself is the largest crime scene in history and the Lockerbie explosion, just a subset of that larger crime scene. We see the effects of that explosion, that divisiveness of sin all over the world, everywhere we look in disunity, fragmentation, brokenness in all human relationships. But especially I want to zero in this morning on the topic of marriage and divorce. My purpose is to point with great hope to the power of Christ in marriage, to reject as we did last week, divorce categorically as Jesus does, and to defeat it with God's vision of oneness. I want to zero in on that concept of oneness in marriage today. I. Review: Jesus on Marriage and Divorce Let's do some review from last week on Jesus’ view of marriage and divorce. The Pharisees came to Jesus with a vicious test asking, is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife, in Matthew 19:3, for any and every cause, any and every reason, whatever reason He wants? Walking through Jesus's answer from Matthew 19, haven't you read as we said last time in Jesus' mind, that the answer for all marital issues, all marital problems is in the Bible? The Bible is sufficient, completely sufficient to define marriage, to heal it, to empower it, make it fruitful. Haven't you read that Jesus went back to God's original intention in marriage, asserting that the paradigm God set up at the beginning of human history is permanent for all of human history? In the account you heard in Mark, Jesus begins right away with “What did Moses command you?” They went barking up the wrong tree. Moses permitted a divorce. Jesus was saying, “No, I'm talking about Moses, I’m talking about earlier than that. I'm talking about Genesis 1 and 2. What did Moses command you?” That was Jesus' mindset. The paradigm at the beginning, the creator said, is good for all time. I said last week, God made marriage originally and God makes marriages specifically, God is active in bringing a couple together. God made the ultimate, the original paradigm and lays it on all cultures, all marriage for all time. We'll never change on that. Haven't you read that in the beginning the creator made them male and female, God spoke through biology and He spoke also through scripture. The nature of things, the reality, the significance of gender will never go away. Jesus is not confused about it. We shouldn't be confused either. One man, one woman, covenant union for life, that's marriage. He said for this reason, “a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and the two will become one flesh” [Genesis 2:24]. God said it. It doesn't matter that Moses wrote it ultimately. What matters is God said this is the paradigm He gave us. A man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, “cleave” in the KJV very famously, like they're glued together, a picture of oneness. The two will become one flesh, the adding of the word “flesh” clearly implying that the sexual union that is unique to the marriage relationship, the one flesh union through which children are procreated. But then Jesus doubles down, He circles back on that saying, so they are no longer two but one in case you missed it, he adds that extra phrase; they are no longer two but one. That is the foundational truth. The two become one is the reason why divorce is wrong. Then his final legal binding pronouncement, therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate. That's the ruling by the judge of all the earth. John 5, “all judgment has been entrusted to the Son.” He is the judge of all human beings and this is his verdict on this matter. This is his command, his prohibition. Let man not separate. So no, it is not lawful. No, it is not right for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason. Then in Matthew 19, the question, why then did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away? Jesus replied that Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard, but it was not this way from the beginning. He walks through the Moses statement and law concerning divorce. Then the clear prohibition [Matthew 19:9], “I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife except for marital unfaithfulness, “porneia”, and marries another woman commits adultery.” In Mark 10:11-12, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her and if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.” So not dealing with the exception clause, which I dealt with last week, in general, divorce is forbidden. I ended last week with an illustration from that photographer turned family minister, Reb Bradley. You remember how he had photographed their wedding and some of you maybe weren't here last week, but this photographer had photographed a wedding, but later in his ministry he saw this man who said, "I think you photographed our wedding." "Yeah, I remember. How's it going?" The man said, "I think we're going to get a divorce." Then there was this awkward pause; but it's important, you need to know when to do an awkward pause. Crickets. "You can't," he said, "I beg your pardon." "You heard me? You can't. I was there as a photographer, but I was also there as a witness and I heard what you said and this is the very thing you promised you wouldn't do and I'm holding you to it." He said, "What do you want me to do?" "Work it out." I didn't tell you the rest of the story. He met with the couple and they did work it out and they didn't get a divorce, a happy ending. Now this is my effort to help you all work it out. That's what this sermon is. It's like, okay pastor, we can't get a divorce, so help us, help us to work it out. That's what we're going to do. There are a lot of approaches I could take on this sermon today. I've already walked through what I did last week. This is meant to be helpful to marriages. First of all, I'm very aware that not everyone I'm talking to is married right now. I'm aware that some were married. You're either divorced in the past or are a widow/widower. I understand that. Others of you will be married in the future, but you're not married now. Others of you, I am very aware, have the gift of singleness, but I am coming from the basic concept of us as a local church we should care about each other. We should care about others who are not in the exact condition we're in. We should care about their situations. I would hope that every member of this church and indeed every visitor would care about the health of the marriages in this church and marriage in general, so I'm going forward in that conception. What I'm going to do, I decided I'm going to stay in my lane here on this because I could go anywhere. There are hundreds of sermons I could preach on marriage, lot of different passages I could go to, but I want to stick to Matthew 19 and Mark 10, and stick to two issues. Above all, above all, oneness. That's going to be my answer, that we would understand it. What is attacking oneness? Jesus said hardness of heart. I'm going to start with hardness of heart to try to understand it and how it creates divorce and then go from that to a discussion of oneness. Then I'm going to speak toward a more perfect oneness that can happen, toward more perfect oneness in marriage. II. The Problem: Hardness of Heart Let's start with the problem. The problem is hardness of heart. Jesus said, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard.” What does this mean? “Hardness of heart”, biblically, the phrase refers to resistance or rebellion against the Word of God, a resistance to a rebellion against the Word of God. That's hardness of heart. The first time we see the phrase famously is with the condition of Pharaoh. You remember at the time of the Exodus [Exodus 5], God commanded Pharaoh, “Let my people go.” Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.” That's hardness of heart right there. Later in Exodus 7:13-14, “so Pharaoh's heart became hard and he would not listen to them just as the Lord had said.” So hardness of heart means I'm not listening to what God is saying. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh's heart is unyielding”, so it's an unyieldedness to God. You're not yielding to God. Pharaoh refuses to let the people go, so hardness of heart is rebellion against God. Sadly, tragically, it was later clearly displayed in the people of Israel themselves again and again and again this hardness of heart toward God. So much so that David writing centuries later in Psalm 95:7-10 said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did at Mariba, as you did that day at Masa in the desert where your father's tested and tried me though they had seen what I did. For forty years I was angry with that generation and I said, they are a people whose hearts go astray and they have not known my ways.” That's hardness of heart, going astray from God, not knowing his ways. A hard heart then is one that is stubborn toward God. It's not soft, it's not yielded, it's not obedient. I believe biblically a synonym for a hard heart in the case of Israel was “stiff neck”. Again and again you see that that statement, they are a “stiff neck” people. [Exodus 32:9]. The Lord said it to Moses, and they are a stiff neck people. I think it's a synonym, it's just a different image for the same thing. It means to be rebellious, not soft, not yielded to God. You're fighting him, pushing back. The author of the Hebrews picks up on Psalm 95 and applies it to all Christians for all time. “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” It's a fundamental command to all people apart from marriage on any topic. If you hear God speak to you from his Word, don't harden your hearts as they did in the rebellion. It comes from Romans 8:7, “the mind of the flesh is hostile to God.” It does not submit to God's law. Indeed, it cannot. That is a hostility toward God that does not submit to God and to his law. The hardness aspect implies that God wants softness when it comes to his Word, a yieldedness, compliance, obedience. Divorce comes about when people harden their hearts toward God above all. They will not obey his rules. They break rules within the marriage, such as adultery. They'll break God's law within the marriage and destroy it, or in their relationships with each other and divorce comes as a result. But beyond that vertical nature of hardness of heart, there's a hardness of a heart that happens horizontally within the marriage, the couple. A hard heart horizontally is one that's not moved with compassion or love toward the circumstances of another. We are supposed to love our neighbor as ourself. Martin Luther said, "Your nearest neighbor is your wife.” Hardness of heart 95% of the time in the Bible is vertical, but there are sometimes that it's used horizontally as in Zechariah 7:9-12, “this is what the Lord Almighty says, administer true justice, show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other. But they refuse to pay attention stubbornly, they turn their backs and stop their ears. They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit.” So even those verses, though there's a horizontal aspect, it's really vertical, but it plays out horizontally. They are oppressing or closing up their hearts toward the needs of others, as in the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Remember the priest sees the man bleeding by the side of the road and just walks on by. The Levite, sees the man bleeding by the side of the road and just walks on by. They have hard hearts. "Divorce comes about when people harden their hearts toward God above all." Now, Christian marriage is based on love, a genuine affection that the two have for each other; an attraction of the two hearts together. They're drawn in tenderness and affection toward one another. That means they have compassion toward one another and a commitment toward the issues of each other's lives. Rejoicing when your spouse rejoices, mourning when your spouse mourns; what happens to your spouse happens to you. You share everything. Your hearts are bound together. But when hardness of heart comes in, the couple is no longer sensitive toward the feelings of the other. Divorces can often display a tragic, a terrifying viciousness between two people who used to love each other, and God likens divorce to violence. He actually likens it directly to violence. It's a form of violence. Malachi 2:16, “I hate divorce,” says the Lord God of Israel. “I hate a man's covering himself with violence as well as with his garment, says the Lord Almighty. So guard yourself in your spirit and do not break faith with the wife of your youth.” It's a violent thing to say to someone that you used to love, "I don't love you anymore. I don't want to live my life with you anymore." It rips that person apart. You can imagine the cleaving, the gluing together. There's no way to get those two pieces of wood that are glued together, apart cleanly. It doesn't come apart cleanly. It's incredibly damaging. To combat divorce, we have to start with this topic of hardness of heart. How do we solve that? Is that not the question of all of redemptive history? How do we solve this problem of hardness of heart? There is one and only one answer. And that is Jesus Christ, his saving work on the cross and the empty tomb. It is sufficient. It is sufficient. I would just say to you couples and indeed to everyone who hears me? Begin with letting your heart be convicted of your own sin. Be broken about your own sin. In Luke 18:13, the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven but beat his breast and said, “God, have mercy on me a sinner.” How can you say that to God in truth and then be hard in your heart toward your spouse? Start there and then think of the demeanor that Jesus zeroes in on it, the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount. What kind of demeanor is seen in a saved person? What does it look like to be saved? He says, “blessed are the spiritual beggars, poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Someone who knows they have nothing to offer for their own souls, “blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.” There's a grieving over our sins, blessed are the meek. There's a basic humility to someone that is being saved by the spirit through faith in Christ. They are meek toward others for they'll inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for a righteousness.” They don't have and they still know they don't have it. We want perfect righteousness. We're hungry and thirsty for it, “for they will be filled.” “Blessed are the merciful for they will receive mercy.” You walk through those beatitudes. Do you not see the power that has to solve whatever problem you're having with your spouse? Then let your heart be soft toward Christ. We're in Holy Week this week. Picture him screaming in agony while He's being flagellated by the Romans. Omnipotent God in the flesh could have stopped that flagellation, but He was laying down his life for us sinners. By his stripes, we are healed and you need to say, my sin did that to Jesus. Look at him suffering there on the cross. Look at him. See him with eyes of faith before your eyes. Christ Jesus was portrayed as crucified. See him bleeding, crying out, “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Why? Because He's our substitute, He's the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Zechariah 12:10, “They will look on me, the one they appease and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child and grieve bitterly for me as one grieves for a firstborn son.” You're grieving for Jesus's suffering on your behalf. Then understand the good news of the gospel is not just justification by faith alone as the thief on the cross, but it's also a transformation of your basic nature, your core nature by the grace of God as described in Ezekiel 36:26-27, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove from you your heart of stone and I'll give you a heart of flesh and I'll put my spirit in you and I'll move you. Follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” That's salvation. That's the remedy to the hardness of heart. God takes out that heart of stone and gives you a living heart that can respond to his laws and his rules, and you see them as beautiful and delightful and the Spirit moves you to do them. Then repent of the specific sins that are damaging your marriage. Start with pride, just a thought. Start with pride. “God, show me how I have been prideful toward my spouse.” Go from that quickly to sinful anger. They're linked. Almost all anger in marriage is based on pride. Go to lust. How have you violated your marital commitments in that area? Selfishness, coldness, worldliness, arguments, complaining, thanklessness, all manner of sins that damage the marriage bond. Repent of them, name them and then let God do a deep work in you to soften your own heart first and then save your marriage next. III. The Solution: Oneness Now let's talk about the solution, oneness. The foundation of Jesus's conception of marriage and his prohibition against divorce is oneness. The two will become one flesh, so they're no longer two but one. “Therefore, what God has joined together, let man not separate.” How can we understand the mystery, this mystery of oneness? It is a much deeper, broader, more significant topic than we ever could have imagined; this oneness. The whole goal, as I've said of God's work in redemption [Ephesians 1], the mystery of his will. He made known to us the mystery of his will. So now we know it. We understand what God's doing in the universe. According to his good pleasure, He's pleased to do this. It brings God pleasure to do this, which He purposed in Christ, not apart from Christ; it couldn't be done apart from Christ but in Christ only. To be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment. It's not happened yet. We can see just by current events we're not there yet, but when the times will have reached their fulfillment to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ, that's his purpose. Oneness. The ultimate picture pattern of oneness is God himself, the Trinity. We're going into the glowing core of Christian theology. The deepest mystery of our faith, the doctrine of the Trinity. The Doctrine of the Trinity means that we believe there is one God and only one God who has eternally existed as three distinct persons, The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is one in essence and three in person. So three truths. Number one, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are distinct persons. Each of those persons is fully God and there is only one God. That's the doctrine of the Trinity, but it's mysterious. The mystery is the oneness, not the three. The threeness is not mysterious. Cultures all over the world are polytheistic. It's not hard for us to imagine three gods or a pantheon of God's. Mystery is Deuteronomy 6:4, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.” There is one God and only one God. Then Jesus elucidates. It was in the incarnation that then we started to expand and could more fully understand the doctrine of the Trinity because of Jesus' claims about himself. He said in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one. Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father, but I'm not the father.” Or as prayer in John 17, which is vital to my whole presentation to you right now, John 17:11, “Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me so that they may be one as we are one.” Again later in that same prayer, John 17:20-21, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message that all of them may be one father just as you are in me and I am in you.” So bringing it to marriage, all unity in a Christian marriage is based on the unity of the Trinity. It's a picture of the unity of the Trinity, separate persons, but one as the Father and the Son are one. But what does that mean? Different centers of personality of being, but a shared essence. I want to commend to you Philippians 2:1-11, as the best kind of descriptive passages to explain how I conceive the oneness of the Father and the Son and the Spirit. We don't have time to walk through it. I just want to commend to you Philippians 2:1-11, but especially starting at Philippians 2:2 where he's commending this for the Philippian church. "All unity in a Christian marriage is based on the unity of the Trinity." I want you to think about the Trinity in this sense, having the same mind, having the same love, being one in spirit, one in mind. It's one translation of Philippians 2:2. The Father, the Son and the Spirit have the same mind. There's a factual kind of scientific aspect to the oneness that they think the same way about every topic. They understand everything the same way. They have the same facts and agree that those are the facts. There is not the slightest shadow of a shade of disagreement between the Father, Son and the Spirit about any topic, ever. They're of one mind with each other and they have the same love. It's not just an intellectual, but there's an affection side like a magnet attracted. That's what love is. Their hearts are attracted to the same things or repulsed from the same things to the same degree. They love each other with the same love. There's no unrequited love within the Trinity. They love the same things. They love righteousness, they hate wickedness. They love the people of God. They love the plans that they have, they have that same affection, the same love, and they are of the same spirit and most translate that in sense of the same purpose or direction or plan. They know what they're about, they're going in the same direction. They agree. They agreed before the foundation of the world about redemptive history. They agreed about every aspect of redemptive history, Father, Son, and Spirit. That is the unity that Christian couples should strive for. You may ask, is that even possible here on earth? No, not perfectly, but it is the goal. That's what we're striving for in Christian unity. Unity here is in a local church that's Philippians, but in marriage it also applies. How do you do that? He goes negative to say what is it that damages the unity of the Christian fellowship? Now we're going to go over into marriage? “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility, consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interest but also the interests of others.” Can I just say, husbands and wives, if you did that, you wouldn't have any problems. But like, "Pastor, that's hard." You're going right at your pride at that point. Pride is the greatest enemy to harmonious marriage. So don't do anything out of selfish ambition or vain glory vaunting yourself. But in humility, consider your spouse better than you. Consider them at a higher level than you. In that sense, you're going to honor them ahead of yourself and consider your spouse's needs like you consider your own. Husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. So that's similar. The idea is we're I'm going to consider your needs the way I consider my own. Then he gives us this beautiful example of Christ as the ultimate picture of humility. Have this mind in you which is also in Christ Jesus. Let me pause and say, Corinthians tells us we have the mind of Christ. In conversion you've been given through the Holy Spirit, the mind of Christ, use it. Think like Jesus, “who being in very nature, did not consider equality with God, something to be grasped but made himself nothing. Taking the very nature of a servant being made in human likeness and being found in appearance as a man he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on the cross.” Spouses that have that kind of servant attitude will have rich, full unity in marriage. Paul, commonly urged this of Christians; he does it again and again. Philippians 4:2 is an interesting case study. “I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of one mind with each other or agree with each other in the Lord.” Then he asks maybe a pastor, one of the elder there, Sysagist or loyal yokefellow, “help these women”. Help them what? Help them agree. I picture the three of them in a room and they're not coming out till they all agree. Is that even feasible? Doesn't matter whether it's feasible, Paul's saying, “Do it. Get in the room, two ladies and agree with each other, and pastor help him.” It's almost like Reb Bradley and the couple. We're not coming out till we agree. That's amazing. Think alike [First Corinthians 1:10]. He does that with the Corinthian church. “I appeal to you brothers in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.” That's to the faction-ridden divided church of Corinth. A married couple can do this. A married couple can be of one mind together and to agree with each other. Again, Second Corinthians 13:11, “Finally, brothers, goodbye. Aim for perfection. Listen to my appeal. Be of one mind, live in peace and the God of love and peace will be with you.” That's sounds like you could say that to a married couple. Think of the beautiful example of the early churchman. Now think of it in terms of a Christian marriage, a Christian family, [Acts 4:32], “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.” How beautiful is that? Or again, Romans 15:5-6, “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Now, that's a beautiful marriage. He's talking to a church there, but it could be done in a Christian marriage. You're praising Jesus together for his death and his resurrection. That's a picture of what oneness in marriage can look like. I think that's what the Lord meant, what our Lord meant when He said so they are no longer two but one. Sounds good. Why is it so hard? I'm going through this on Wednesday nights. Those of you that are with us on Wednesday nights know exactly where I'm at, I'm at Roman 7. That's why it's hard. Listen to this Roman 7:15-17, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do. I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.” Let me pause. You may be saying, “I just can't do it. We just can't do it.” As it is, Paul says, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. Because of indwelling sin we can't do this, it seems. Later in that same chapter, “I find this law at work when I want to do good evil is right there with me. For in my inner being, I delight in God's law, but I see another law at work in the members of my body waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.” It's like there's this law in my flesh that makes it hard for me to be a good husband. I want to be loving. I want to be kind. I want to listen. I want to be humble. I want to think that my wife has better ideas than I do. I'm sure she wants all the same thing too. Knowing, I mean, that she would think that I have good ideas too. But you know what happens? As soon as something comes up, we immediately bump into our prideful sin nature and it rises up. It's hard. Everything in the Christian life is made hard by this. But I would say perhaps, especially marriage. You may say this sounds kind of hopeless. You're giving us this beautiful pure picture, but it just cannot be. Paul says, “What a wretched man I am. Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Let me tell you something. If you're a Christian, you have been rescued. If you're a Christian, you are being rescued. If you're a Christian, someday you will be finally rescued from this body of sin and death. In heaven, we will all be in Christ perfectly one as the Father and the Son. Ponder that, think about that. That's where we're heading. We're heading to a world of perfect unity. Why is that? Because Jesus prayed for it, and Jesus isn't just anybody. He prayed for it. I'll say it again, John 17:22-23, “I have given them the glory you gave me, that they may be one as we are one. I in them, and you in me. May they be brought to complete perfect unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” In heaven, we will be as one, as the Father and Son are one. We're going to agree about everything. And you wives are saying right now, "Finally, he'll see it the right way." It's going to happen, ladies. It's going to happen. He's finally going to see it the right way and so will you. Perfect oneness. You know what that means? You Christian couples, you're heading toward a world of super marriage in heaven without actually having a one flesh union. One flesh union won't be needed anymore, you will not be married. We'd be like the angels in heaven, but you'll have a superior unity in Christ than you ever had here on earth. That's something to look forward to, isn't it? Why? Because Jesus prayed for it. It says in First John 5, “This is the confidence we have. If we ask anything according to God's will, He hears us. And we know that if He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have what we ask of him.” That's true of Jesus. Does Jesus ask according to the will of God? Friends, that's an easy theology question. Do you think that Jesus asks God for things that God wants to give Jesus? Yes. Jesus bats a thousand on his prayer request. That means everything He prays for in John 17, He's going to get. This is Jesus interceding at the right hand of God that will end up as one, as the Father and Son are one and we will. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective [James 5:16]. Is Jesus a righteous man? Oh, perfectly righteous. Does He pray according to the will of the Father? Yes, He does. He's going to get it. So we're going to be one. His prayer in John 17 is us being brought to complete unity to let the onlooking world see it and want to come to Christ. The more that husbands and wives in this world can work out a beautiful unity, a heavenly unity, the better it'll be for their children who watch them, their friends who know them, the church who knows them, the better it is for everybody. So that we can be one in Christ. IV. Moving Toward Oneness in Marriage How to move toward oneness? Draw close to Christ. John 15, “I am the vine you are the branches.” If you remain in Jesus, if his words remain in you, you saturate yourself in his word. Ask whatever you wish. Pray together. You have an issue that's dividing you, could be finances, could be parenting, could be where to go on vacation, could be in-law issues, it could be whether to buy that house or not. It could be job related issues. All kinds of manners of things big and small. Draw together, pray together. Let his word abide in you, dwell in you richly. Search the scriptures to see what God's Word says about that topic. And let the Lord draw you together and not let the issue divide you. “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind [Romans 12:2], then you'll be able to test and approve what God's will is, his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Let that be the pattern. Ask God for wisdom. And if you're struggling in your marriage, I would just commend James 4:8-10, “Come near to God and He'll come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners. Purify your hearts you double minded; grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up.” Hold hands together, confess your sins to each other. Freely give forgiveness to each other because you've been forgiven 10,000 talents. And then communicate, listen to each other. Talk about the issue, work it through. Ask God for wisdom. Search the scriptures and walk together in oneness. There's like three or four other pages of stuff, but we don't have time. We're going to turn now to a time of the Lord's Supper. This is a beautiful picture of our heavenly unity that we're going to have. I'm going to close the sermon time and pray. Father, we thank you for the truths you've given us today for oneness in marriage, concerning hardness of heart and oneness. I pray that you take these lessons and press them on deeply into our hearts. And now as we turn to celebration of the Lord's Supper, be with us in the center of this time. In Jesus name, Amen.

When Jesus spoke to the people, he used language and illustrations they could understand. One of his parable stories was about an importunate widow.In Luke 18, Jesus told a parable to encourage his followers to pray continually and not lose heart. He shared about a widow who kept coming to a godless judge, begging for justice against her adversary. All God's Women is a daily devotional women's Bible study podcast and internationally syndicated radio show where we journey through the Bible one woman's story at a time. If you enjoy learning about women in the Bible, tune in each weekday for 2-minute Bible stories about Bible women.Take your study further with the Women of Prayer BIBLE STUDY Be a part of the Women of Prayer SIMULSTUDYLearn more at the All God's Women WEBSITEJoin the All God's Women FACEBOOK GROUPPin All God's Women on PINTERESTFollow Sharon Wilharm on FACEBOOK

When Jesus spoke to the people, he used language and illustrations they could understand. One of his parable stories was about an importunate widow. In Luke 18, Jesus told a parable to encourage his followers to pray continually and not lose heart. He shared about a widow who kept coming to a godless judge, begging for justice against her adversary. All God's Women is a daily devotional women's Bible study podcast and internationally syndicated radio show where we journey through the Bible one woman's story at a time. If you enjoy learning about women in the Bible, tune in each weekday for 2-minute Bible stories about Bible women. Take your study further with the Women of Prayer BIBLE STUDY Be a part of the Women of Prayer SIMULSTUDYLearn more at the All God's Women WEBSITEJoin the All God's Women FACEBOOK GROUPPin All God's Women on PINTERESTFollow Sharon Wilharm on FACEBOOK

Jesus told stories known as parables to illustrate spiritual lessons. Many of those parables featured women such as woman who lost a coin. In Luke 15 Jesus tells the story of a woman who had ten silver coins, but then lost one of the coins. He pointed out that the woman would get out a light, sweep the house, and search diligently until she found the coin. All God's Women is a daily devotional women's Bible study podcast and internationally syndicated radio show where we journey through the Bible one woman's story at a time. If you enjoy learning about women in the Bible, tune in each weekday for 2-minute Bible stories about Bible women.Take your study further with the Women of Prayer BIBLE STUDY Be a part of the Women of Prayer SIMULSTUDYLearn more at the All God's Women WEBSITEJoin the All God's Women FACEBOOK GROUPPin All God's Women on PINTERESTFollow Sharon Wilharm on FACEBOOK

In Luke 18:9-14, we read the parable of the two men who went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. Verse 9 states that Jesus told this parable “To some who were confident of their own righteousness and who looked down on everybody else.” The parable is among the many passages in the Bible that address humility which is not a popular topic these days. This ancient virtue clashes with current cultural values of self-worth and self-realization and accompanying narcissism. A Christian view of humility over the centuries has not always offered what would be seen today as an emotionally healthy attitude toward the self or way of functioning in the world. Being weak and self-effacing, demonstrating a low opinion of oneself, having low self-esteem and lack of self-confidence are not appealing to our modern sensibilities. Foster sites a document titled “The Litany of Humility”, written in the early 20th century, much of which is disturbing to me and evokes ambivalence in Foster! By contrast, we are coming to realize that current narcissistic attitudes and behaviors of specialness, entitlement and individualism so prevalent in our culture are not healthy. Self-aggrandizement in any form does not fit with a humble way of being. We are realizing that much of our present societal, cultural and environmental problems stem from our lack of humility, from our unwillingness to share the spotlight, to live cooperatively in community and to honor and cherish the natural world and its wisdom. So what is humility? It's the ability to view yourself accurately as an individual with talents as well as flaws while being void of arrogance and low self-esteem. This is being really honest with oneself. We accept and are comfortable with who we are, as we are. We don't see ourselves as better than or less than anyone or anything else. We are not to think less of ourselves, we are to think of ourselves less. Humility makes us less self-centered. We assess ourselves honestly and accurately, not denying the good and beautiful people we are, nor denying our mistakes, flaws and weaknesses. We are openly happy for and compliment others for their accomplishments. We are able to receive compliments graciously, without deflecting or downplaying. We are all beloved children of God, “fearfully and wonderfully” made. We are all unique, unrepeatable and loved as we are. We need not deny or downplay our gifts nor inflate or exaggerate them in order to be enough and acceptable. We know our place in the universe. We are a part of creation, just like all other creatures and living things. Humility is an ongoing practice of self-awareness and vigilance. ·       Place yourself in God's presence. Give thanks for God's great love for you. ·       Pray for the grace to understand how God is acting in your life. ·       Review your day — recall specific moments and your feelings at the time. ·       Reflect on what you did, said, or thought in those instances. Were you drawing closer to God, or further away? ·       Look toward tomorrow — think of how you might collaborate more effectively with Spirit. Be specific. Be strong enough to learn humility. Be courageous enough to learn humility and be compassionate enough to learn humility.Support the showSupport us here:https://www.bpcusa.org/financial-ministry/ BPC Youtube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/BrentwoodPresbyterianChurch

Jesus told stories known as parables to illustrate spiritual lessons. Many of those parables featured women such as woman who lost a coin.  In Luke 15 Jesus tells the story of a woman who had ten silver coins, but then lost one of the coins. He pointed out that the woman would get out a light, sweep the house, and search diligently until she found the coin. All God's Women is a daily devotional women's Bible study podcast and internationally syndicated radio show where we journey through the Bible one woman's story at a time. If you enjoy learning about women in the Bible, tune in each weekday for 2-minute Bible stories about Bible women. Take your study further with the Women of Prayer BIBLE STUDY Be a part of the Women of Prayer SIMULSTUDYLearn more at the All God's Women WEBSITEJoin the All God's Women FACEBOOK GROUPPin All God's Women on PINTERESTFollow Sharon Wilharm on FACEBOOK

In Luke 22:1-38 we read about Jesus' final opportunity to celebrate the Passover with his disciples before his eventual arrest, death, and resurrection. What can we learn from this moment? How does it apply to us? Join us as Dallas and Carlos sit down to walk through this passage together. Follow Midweek move on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/midweekmove If you have any questions or comments about this passage, feel free to reach out to us via our social media or email us at mediahub@thpshreveport.com The Midweek Move is an extension of the ministry of The Healing Place in Shreveport, Louisiana. For more information about The Healing Place, visit our website https://thpshreveport.com/ Intro and Outro music was Produced by and given permission to be used by John Harju. Connect with Carlos Renfroe: https://www.instagram.com/HealingTruthOrg/ Connect with Dallas Mora: https://www.instagram.com/geekdevotions/ Leave a review on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/midweekmove 

————   TDAgiantslayer@gmail.com    Brought to you by wellbuiltbody.com    97X     PODBEAN   Apple Podcast    Do you want a Doctor or a plastic surgeon… Oh I know they are technically the same… but technically they are not. And if I am sick… hands down I want a doctor not a plastic surgeon…   But this begs the question… do you want a church or do you want to be the church. I don't know how to say it any better without explaining it. There are lots of churches out there that are led by one single thought… how do we grow, how do we attract, how do we reach out city… That's a church… but its not being the church.  Are you a part of a church that expects you to BE the church. Do they preach the gospel, Do they preach against sin? Do they preach holiness? Do they preach the word of God without watering it down? Do they mix psychology with scripture for a cool insight, Do they preach a cliche or a hype quote… you know like WWJD, or He's the fire, do they preach the manifestations more then the man… Jesus Christ? Look, none of these are essentially wrong… but scripture is clear in the end times people will yearn for soundbites, they will have itching ears wanting to hear about the attributes of Jesus, about the influence of Jesus, but not actually about Jesus. Not about repentance of sin, and holiness.  What is the church supposed to be about… ok, teach, preach, perform the ordinances like baptism, the sacraments, weddings, Prayer and fellowship and worship etc… But it's main purpose is to preach and teach you to reach the lost. AND NOT ONLY THAT BUT TO PUT A HEAVY EXPECTATION ON YOU TO DO JUST THAT!  In Luke 19:10 it says that Jesus came to seek and save the lost… you say, well Im not Jesus… but thats not the point we are to be jesus, we are to follow him and his example, we are to  be ye holy as Christ was holy… that means set a part by our actions according to his word. I KNOW A LOT OF CHURCHES THAT ARE FILLED WITH PASTORS WHO ARE SIMPLY PLASTIC SURGEONS. They want you to look better, and to feel better by how you look. But they do not want to call you out on your cancer, your sickness, your eating habits… gotta double chin, well don't stop eating crap, just let me snip, clip and suck some fat out and you will be fine.  If you feel uncomfortable on Sundays… well it might be that your pastor is a doctor and not a plastic surgeon… and if he is, thank god for that. I have had a few cancers in my life, a broken neck, paralysis, a brain tumor… and guess what - I never went to a plastic surgeon… I didn't care how I looked, I cared wether I lived or died. Maybe when it comes to church shopping you should do the same! 

If the firstborn in a family is a girl, the younger children often end up with a bonus feature; they get two mothers instead of one! Big sisters are often happy to be another mother for her younger siblings, whether they're happy about it or not! But the instinctive motherly concern of a big sister came out loud and clear. It was in our three-year-old granddaughter some years ago. She had gotten a brand new baby brother whose life was pretty much eating and sleeping; mostly sleeping...until he needed something. And some friends were visiting our son and daughter-in-law, and there was a lot of talking and laughing going on. Suddenly, our little granddaughter said, "Shhhh. Shhhh, hear my brother crying." He was. And she was the only one who heard it. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How to Make the World a Little Less Lonely." How our world needs people with their ears tuned to those who need help and attention! You and I who belong to Jesus Christ need to be that person in our personal world. The one who says, "I hear my brother crying." Unfortunately, so many of us are so busy and so preoccupied with our own agenda-so self-absorbed-we run right by many people who are crying, at least inside. The life of Jesus leaves us an unmistakable example of living with your "need-ometer" always on, looking for the needs around us. In Luke 18, beginning with verse 35, our word for today from the Word of God, the Bible says: "As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging (of course, he's used to being ignored, no doubt). When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, 'Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.' He called out, 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!'" I love these next two words. "Jesus stopped." For the need that no one else had time for. For the man everyone else treated like a nuisance, but not Jesus. He hears a brother crying and He stops, and He heals that man. When He's surrounded by a crushing crowd, Jesus stops to meet the need of one woman who, in desperate faith, has touched the hem of His robe. With hundreds pushing on Him, He responds to one woman who needed Him. Even on the cross, when His own agony gave Him every reason to just be thinking about His own need, Jesus responds to the need of His mother, His friend John, and the thief on the cross next to Him. If you're going to follow Jesus, if you're going to be like Jesus, you can't be so busy that you can't stop for someone in need. That need might be physical, financial or emotional. It may surface through an email you get, or a letter, a text, a call, or just by the Holy Spirit laying someone on your heart that He knows needs you. Don't shrug that off. Don't just keep running your marathon. Do what your Savior did. Stop for that person who needs help or attention, who needs a hug, a prayer, some praise, some encouragement. While others are walking by or walking away, you be the one who walks in. Proverbs 17:17 says, "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." Often the key to being the conduit for Jesus' love is what I call the second question. Everybody asks the first question, "How are you doing?" And we robotically answer, "Fine." But the second question asks, "Really?" You'll be amazed how that simple demonstration that you really care about how they're doing will often open up a heart-cry that's been buried just beneath the surface. And you get to experience the love of Jesus reaching into their life through you. And remember, the greatest gift you can give that person is to pray with them right there; asking God to show you how to pray for a need that He fully understands. It's nice to let them know you'll pray for them. It's powerful to pray with them. So in the midst of the clamor, in the midst of all the noise of all you have to do, keep your ears tuned to hear the needs around you at home, at work, at school, as you run your errands. So many people are crying, unheard and unhelped. Be the one who hears your brother or sister crying.

In Luke we find that Jesus encountered lepers and brought healing on two occasions.  We explore how Christ extends healing to the lonely, outcast, and downtrodden, offering them a place in his church. Further, we see the importance of gratitude in our relationship to God.

Jesus and His Final Words: Lived Out - It Is Finished (John 19:28-30) Throughout the life of Jesus, he is all about the work to be done. In Luke 2:49, he declares as a child on the cusp of growing up, that he has to be about his Father's business. Jesus told us that he can do nothing on his own (John 5:30) - he works the will of the Father. He does only the will of the Father (John 6:38). He told the disciples that he and the Father are ALWAYS at work. Jesus was careful to give to God the Father exactly what was demanded. Isn't that what he taught? Give to God what is God's (Mark 12:13-17)? So, what is it precisely, this work that is finished? It is the work that began in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3:9). It is the work that was finished on the cross (John 19:30). But it is the work that will not be culminated in conclusion until we are in heaven (Revelation 21:5-7). There in Heaven, seated on the throne, we hear the echo from the cross, "It is Finished!" Jesus has done what we could not do for ourselves. He declares it is "paid in full." Are you trying to pay for the debt that He's already paid?

Thursday March 23, 2023 Reading through the NT in 2023 Luke 18 If Jesus asked you What do you want me to do for you? what would you say? In Luke 18, a man pleaded with Jesus, Have mercy on me, a sinner. When Jesus asked him what he wanted, the man simply replied, Lord, I want to see. Sometimes, we need to ask for help and have faith that it will be given to us.

Winter SWO | Spencer Davis | Saturday MorningWho do you say that Jesus is? He was more than just a man, he was and is God. Jesus taught that he was the promised Messiah and that his hearers were in need of salvation. In Luke 4, we see that those who heard this message responded in anger. When our sin is exposed we tend to deny and rebel.Let's see Jesus for who He really is and see ourselves for who we really are. We are sinners in need of a Savior. RESOURCES: Luke 4:14-30Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters exists to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the exposition of Scripture and personal relationships in order to equip the Church to impact this generation.Learn more about our student and adult conferences at https://www.swoutfitters.com/Please leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help others grow in their faith. Click here to get our Colossians Bible study.

What does it mean to follow Jesus and apply the gospel to every single area of life? In Luke 6, we look to an area of life that's covered in the fourth commandment: sabbath rest. We all have somewhat different relationships to work. There are people, for example, who are out of work and would love to have more work. But by and large, one of the biggest problems we have is the discipline of getting sabbath rest.  As we look at sabbath rest, we're going to ask 1) Why do we need it? 2) Where do we get it? And 3) How do we do it?  This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on March 23, 2003. Series: The Meaning of Jesus Part 2: Following Him. Scripture: Luke 6:1-11. Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.