Podcasts about jesus then

Message by Rev. Tim Barton, recorded live February 16, 2025 at First Presbyterian Church of Bellingham. Tim is part of our congregation, and a long time pastor from the Portland area. He is also currently participating as a Spiritual Director in Rhythms of Grace. Today's scripture is read by Brad Day.Matthew 26:14-16 (Judas betrays Jesus) – Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.Matthew 26:36-40 (the disciples slept) – Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn't you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. Matthew 26:55-56 (The disciples fled) – In that hour Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.Matthew 26:73-75 (Peter's denial) – After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.” Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don't know the man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. 75 Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly. Matthew 27:50, 55 (the women watched Jesus) – And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.Matthew 28:1, 5-8 (the women proclaimed Jesus) – After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you.” 8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Red Letters of Jesus: Forgiving with Christ. Pastor Randy Schlak's sermon: "The Red Letters of Jesus: Then neither do I condemn you"

In Revelation 19:11-18 is a description of Jesus that proceeds His reign on earth as promised King who will bring peace on earth. In our passage there are eight descriptions of King Jesus that highlight His authority and character as the Only One who is able to make what is wrong in our world right. Jesus is coming and will come to make peace in our world by waging war on the antichrist who is to come and all the peoples who will align themselves with Him. It will be the realization that perhaps there was some truth that all roads do in fact lead to God, with the major clarification that many lead to Him as judge and only one leads to Him as savior. All I want to do with the time that we have this morning is to show you who He really is. Jesus is a triumphant King. The color white does not symbolize purity here as it does when used to describe garments. The white war horse that Jesus descends from heaven on symbolizes His role as a conquering King, and what is impressive is that, in Revelation 19:1, the battle has not yet begun. Jesus is coming back. You dont have to believe it and you dont even have to live like it, but the fact of the matter is this: Jesus is coming again, and He is not coming to die like He did the first time He came, He is coming to judge! The Bible says, at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:10-11; see also Isa. 45:22-23). The Roman Senate had to give Julius Caesar permission to drive a chariot drawn by white horses through Rome to celebrate his victory in North Africa, but only after he defeated North Africa. When Jesus comes, He comes as a victorious King whose power will be demonstrated in such a way that every living creature will have no alternative but to bow before Him as the Lord. He rides a white horse signifying His victory because none can stay His hand. Jesus is a Faithful and True King (v. 11a). The second characteristic of Jesus is that He is faithful and true. When King Jesus comes to set up His kingdom, He will have no need to boast in a facade of faithfulness and truth because He is the very embodiment of faithfulness and truth. There is a lot of suffering in the world today. Every time there is a catastrophe in the world, governments rush with promises of help and often those who are left in the wake of tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, ethnic genocide, and the like, are left with empty promises of deliverance. Not so with Jesus! My dear brothers and sisters, many of you have been touched by divorce. Some of you have grown up with one broken promise after another. Some of you have been disappointed, have been hurt, have been mistreated, or perhaps taken advantage of. Take a look at verse 11 again, and permit me to ask you, Who is sitting on the white horse? Jesus is planning an eternity with His Bride, and He means to make a home for her that is characterized by holiness and righteousness. Jesus is a righteous King (v. 11b). When Jesus comes, He will come in righteousness to judge the nations. There will be no room to accuse Him as being harsh, rash, or unjust in the execution of His judgment. For many of you, the idea of righteousness and justice is something you have been thinking a lot about because of the politicking we are seeing on television. An election will be coming soon in the United States; promises will be made, and every candidate will claim some measure of integrity while maligning the other candidates. The wars we read about in our history books and the ones we hear on the news often leave a wake of injustice and suffering. Books have been written about The Just War. Whatever your views are concerning war and the one we may find ourselves in the future, one thing is sure: When Jesus comes to wage war on the nations, it will be completely and categorically just, for the Bible says of Jesus: Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And He will delight in the fear of the Lord, and He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make decisions by what His ears hear; but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and decide with fairness for the humble of the earth; and He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. Also righteousness will be the belt around His hips, and faithfulness the belt around His waist. (Isaiah 11:15) Jesus is an all-seeing King (v. 12a). This is the third time in Revelation that Jesus is described as having eyes like fire (see 1:14; 2:18); every time He is characterized this way, it is metaphorical of His ability to see all things, including the human heart. As King, Jesus will execute justice on all those who have rejected Him as the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus does not have to pretend at being able to see all things; He is able to see all things; He is all knowing, and the entire world will be held accountable for what they do and think, both in public and private. When He comes to judge the nations, He will do so intelligently, there will be no civilian casualties. Jesus is the King of kings (v. 12b). In verse 12b, John notices something on Jesus head: many crowns. The Greek word for crown is also diadēma (we get the word diadem from it), it also means rulers crown. It is used only three times in Revelation. It is used to describe the crown worn by the dragon (12:3), the beast (13:1), and Jesus Christ. The point that is being made here is that the dragon (Lucifer) and the beast pretend to be what Jesus is. Their authority is temporary and given by God, Jesus authority is absolute and universal (This is why John records that Jesus had many crowns. The use of many is one way of saying innumerable). When Jesus comes, not only does John see many crowns on His head, but John also sees the title King of kings and Lord of lords on His robe and thigh. Every king or ruler that had been born into this world has had a temporal reign limited by age and mortality. When it comes to our lifespan, we are all like blips on a radar flashing on the screen of life and fading out just as quickly as we came in; James 4:14 asks, You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away. Jesus reign and authority is eternal and genuine, He does not need to pretend. Jesus is a One-of-a-kind King (v. 12c) There is a lot of debate and theologizing over what name Jesus has that no one knows. There are two things we know about the ancient world of Johns day that may help us understand why Jesus has a name that no one knows. First, it was common in the world of Johns day to believe that both the gods and humans had a hidden name that contained their true essence, that defined their fundamental nature. Second, it was believed that to know a persons name was to exercise some level of control over that person. What is revealed of the Rider on the white horse is that His revealed name is called, The Word of God and what is tattooed on His thigh is the title: King of kings and Lord of lords. What we see in Revelation 19:11-18, Paul described in Philippians 2:9-11, which I believe helps us understand the unknown name that only He knows: For this reason also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. What Paul wrote in Philippians 2:9-11 would have given his readers goosebumps because of what is written in Isaiah 45:22-23, Declare and present your case; Indeed, let them consult together. Who has announced this long ago? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none except Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out from My mouth in righteousness And will not turn back, That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance. (Isa. 45:2123) According to Isaiah, only Yahweh has the right to judge the nations, and it is to Yahweh that every knee will bow, and every tongue will swear allegiance. Yet, Paul tells us that it will be before and to Jesus that, every tongue will swear allegiance and every knee will bow. Revelation 19:11-18 described the day when that will happen. The name that Jesus has that no one knows is reveals his absolute authority as God in the flesh who will not nor cannot be manipulated. Jesus is a just and holy King (v 13a). Why is Jesus robe dipped in blood? Is His robe dipped in blood to symbolize what He did at Calvary? I do not think so. I think Isaiah 63:2-3 gives us a clue to the meaning behind what John sees, Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments like one who treads in the wine press? I have trodden the wine trough alone, and from the peoples there was no one with Me. I also trod them in My anger and trampled them in My wrath; and their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments, And I stained all My clothes (Isa. 63:13). Jesus robe is dipped in blood to indicate how He intends to deal with the nations that conspire against Him. How will He accomplish this? Look at verse 15, From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron The justice Jesus will execute will flow out of His perfect holiness; it is the kind of judgment described in Psalm 2 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers conspire together against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, Lets tear their shackles apart And throw their ropes away from us! He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger and terrify them in His fury, saying, But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain. I will announce the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, You are My Son, Today I have fathered You. Ask it of Me, and I will certainly give the nations as Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth as Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware. (Psalm 2:29) Jesus, as the Word of God, is the Promised King. Jesus is the Word of God, a title that is not unfamiliar in the New Testament. It is fitting that John closes his description of Jesus with this title because it gets at the reason why Jesus is qualified to come and judge the nations: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of mankind. And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it (John 1:15). However, while on earth, even with all the miracles that include His power over demons, disease, and even death (see Mark 5:1-43) the feeding of thousands with some kids five barley loaves and two fish (John 6:1-14), walking on water (6:15-25), and even His power over storms (Matt. 8::18-27), there were people who still refused to believe that He was the promised Messiah. This is why John continued in the opening statements of his Gospel account something to consider against the backdrop of what you have seen in Revelation 19:11-18, He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him, and yet the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own people did not accept Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of a man, but of God (John 1:1013). Conclusion As I consider this sermon series for Adventespecially what we have reflected on in Revelation 19, I am reminded of the conversation Lucy had with Mr. Beaver in C.S. Lewis The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when Mr. and Mrs. Beaver tried to help Lucy understand who Aslan was (Aslan is Narnias Christ figure): "Is - is he a man?" asked Lucy "Aslan a man!" said Mr. Beaver sternly. "Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. Don't you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion, the Lion, the great Lion." "Ooh," said Susan, "I thought he was a man. Is he - quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion." "That you will, dearie, and make no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver; "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly." "Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy. "Safe?" said Mr. Beaver; "don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the king I tell you." The Lion of Judah is not safe, but He is good. Hes the king I tell you, and His name is Jesus Christ. The question I ask of you is simply this: Who do you say Jesus is and do you really believe it? Have you come to know Him? Do you really believe in His name? Is Jesus a religious icon to you, is He only a baby in a manger, or is He the King? Wherever you are in your thoughts and convictions about Jesus, I leave you with the last two verses of Psalm 2, Serve the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, that He not be angry and you perish on the way, For His wrath may be kindled quickly. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him" (vv. 11-12).

In Revelation 19:11-18 is a description of Jesus that proceeds His reign on earth as promised King who will bring peace on earth. In our passage there are eight descriptions of King Jesus that highlight His authority and character as the Only One who is able to make what is wrong in our world right. Jesus is coming and will come to make peace in our world by waging war on the antichrist who is to come and all the peoples who will align themselves with Him. It will be the realization that perhaps there was some truth that all roads do in fact lead to God, with the major clarification that many lead to Him as judge and only one leads to Him as savior. All I want to do with the time that we have this morning is to show you who He really is. Jesus is a triumphant King. The color white does not symbolize purity here as it does when used to describe garments. The white war horse that Jesus descends from heaven on symbolizes His role as a conquering King, and what is impressive is that, in Revelation 19:1, the battle has not yet begun. Jesus is coming back. You dont have to believe it and you dont even have to live like it, but the fact of the matter is this: Jesus is coming again, and He is not coming to die like He did the first time He came, He is coming to judge! The Bible says, at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:10-11; see also Isa. 45:22-23). The Roman Senate had to give Julius Caesar permission to drive a chariot drawn by white horses through Rome to celebrate his victory in North Africa, but only after he defeated North Africa. When Jesus comes, He comes as a victorious King whose power will be demonstrated in such a way that every living creature will have no alternative but to bow before Him as the Lord. He rides a white horse signifying His victory because none can stay His hand. Jesus is a Faithful and True King (v. 11a). The second characteristic of Jesus is that He is faithful and true. When King Jesus comes to set up His kingdom, He will have no need to boast in a facade of faithfulness and truth because He is the very embodiment of faithfulness and truth. There is a lot of suffering in the world today. Every time there is a catastrophe in the world, governments rush with promises of help and often those who are left in the wake of tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, ethnic genocide, and the like, are left with empty promises of deliverance. Not so with Jesus! My dear brothers and sisters, many of you have been touched by divorce. Some of you have grown up with one broken promise after another. Some of you have been disappointed, have been hurt, have been mistreated, or perhaps taken advantage of. Take a look at verse 11 again, and permit me to ask you, Who is sitting on the white horse? Jesus is planning an eternity with His Bride, and He means to make a home for her that is characterized by holiness and righteousness. Jesus is a righteous King (v. 11b). When Jesus comes, He will come in righteousness to judge the nations. There will be no room to accuse Him as being harsh, rash, or unjust in the execution of His judgment. For many of you, the idea of righteousness and justice is something you have been thinking a lot about because of the politicking we are seeing on television. An election will be coming soon in the United States; promises will be made, and every candidate will claim some measure of integrity while maligning the other candidates. The wars we read about in our history books and the ones we hear on the news often leave a wake of injustice and suffering. Books have been written about The Just War. Whatever your views are concerning war and the one we may find ourselves in the future, one thing is sure: When Jesus comes to wage war on the nations, it will be completely and categorically just, for the Bible says of Jesus: Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And He will delight in the fear of the Lord, and He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make decisions by what His ears hear; but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and decide with fairness for the humble of the earth; and He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. Also righteousness will be the belt around His hips, and faithfulness the belt around His waist. (Isaiah 11:15) Jesus is an all-seeing King (v. 12a). This is the third time in Revelation that Jesus is described as having eyes like fire (see 1:14; 2:18); every time He is characterized this way, it is metaphorical of His ability to see all things, including the human heart. As King, Jesus will execute justice on all those who have rejected Him as the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus does not have to pretend at being able to see all things; He is able to see all things; He is all knowing, and the entire world will be held accountable for what they do and think, both in public and private. When He comes to judge the nations, He will do so intelligently, there will be no civilian casualties. Jesus is the King of kings (v. 12b). In verse 12b, John notices something on Jesus head: many crowns. The Greek word for crown is also diadēma (we get the word diadem from it), it also means rulers crown. It is used only three times in Revelation. It is used to describe the crown worn by the dragon (12:3), the beast (13:1), and Jesus Christ. The point that is being made here is that the dragon (Lucifer) and the beast pretend to be what Jesus is. Their authority is temporary and given by God, Jesus authority is absolute and universal (This is why John records that Jesus had many crowns. The use of many is one way of saying innumerable). When Jesus comes, not only does John see many crowns on His head, but John also sees the title King of kings and Lord of lords on His robe and thigh. Every king or ruler that had been born into this world has had a temporal reign limited by age and mortality. When it comes to our lifespan, we are all like blips on a radar flashing on the screen of life and fading out just as quickly as we came in; James 4:14 asks, You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away. Jesus reign and authority is eternal and genuine, He does not need to pretend. Jesus is a One-of-a-kind King (v. 12c) There is a lot of debate and theologizing over what name Jesus has that no one knows. There are two things we know about the ancient world of Johns day that may help us understand why Jesus has a name that no one knows. First, it was common in the world of Johns day to believe that both the gods and humans had a hidden name that contained their true essence, that defined their fundamental nature. Second, it was believed that to know a persons name was to exercise some level of control over that person. What is revealed of the Rider on the white horse is that His revealed name is called, The Word of God and what is tattooed on His thigh is the title: King of kings and Lord of lords. What we see in Revelation 19:11-18, Paul described in Philippians 2:9-11, which I believe helps us understand the unknown name that only He knows: For this reason also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. What Paul wrote in Philippians 2:9-11 would have given his readers goosebumps because of what is written in Isaiah 45:22-23, Declare and present your case; Indeed, let them consult together. Who has announced this long ago? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none except Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out from My mouth in righteousness And will not turn back, That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance. (Isa. 45:2123) According to Isaiah, only Yahweh has the right to judge the nations, and it is to Yahweh that every knee will bow, and every tongue will swear allegiance. Yet, Paul tells us that it will be before and to Jesus that, every tongue will swear allegiance and every knee will bow. Revelation 19:11-18 described the day when that will happen. The name that Jesus has that no one knows is reveals his absolute authority as God in the flesh who will not nor cannot be manipulated. Jesus is a just and holy King (v 13a). Why is Jesus robe dipped in blood? Is His robe dipped in blood to symbolize what He did at Calvary? I do not think so. I think Isaiah 63:2-3 gives us a clue to the meaning behind what John sees, Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments like one who treads in the wine press? I have trodden the wine trough alone, and from the peoples there was no one with Me. I also trod them in My anger and trampled them in My wrath; and their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments, And I stained all My clothes (Isa. 63:13). Jesus robe is dipped in blood to indicate how He intends to deal with the nations that conspire against Him. How will He accomplish this? Look at verse 15, From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron The justice Jesus will execute will flow out of His perfect holiness; it is the kind of judgment described in Psalm 2 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers conspire together against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, Lets tear their shackles apart And throw their ropes away from us! He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger and terrify them in His fury, saying, But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain. I will announce the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, You are My Son, Today I have fathered You. Ask it of Me, and I will certainly give the nations as Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth as Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware. (Psalm 2:29) Jesus, as the Word of God, is the Promised King. Jesus is the Word of God, a title that is not unfamiliar in the New Testament. It is fitting that John closes his description of Jesus with this title because it gets at the reason why Jesus is qualified to come and judge the nations: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of mankind. And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it (John 1:15). However, while on earth, even with all the miracles that include His power over demons, disease, and even death (see Mark 5:1-43) the feeding of thousands with some kids five barley loaves and two fish (John 6:1-14), walking on water (6:15-25), and even His power over storms (Matt. 8::18-27), there were people who still refused to believe that He was the promised Messiah. This is why John continued in the opening statements of his Gospel account something to consider against the backdrop of what you have seen in Revelation 19:11-18, He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him, and yet the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own people did not accept Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of a man, but of God (John 1:1013). Conclusion As I consider this sermon series for Adventespecially what we have reflected on in Revelation 19, I am reminded of the conversation Lucy had with Mr. Beaver in C.S. Lewis The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when Mr. and Mrs. Beaver tried to help Lucy understand who Aslan was (Aslan is Narnias Christ figure): "Is - is he a man?" asked Lucy "Aslan a man!" said Mr. Beaver sternly. "Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. Don't you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion, the Lion, the great Lion." "Ooh," said Susan, "I thought he was a man. Is he - quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion." "That you will, dearie, and make no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver; "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly." "Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy. "Safe?" said Mr. Beaver; "don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the king I tell you." The Lion of Judah is not safe, but He is good. Hes the king I tell you, and His name is Jesus Christ. The question I ask of you is simply this: Who do you say Jesus is and do you really believe it? Have you come to know Him? Do you really believe in His name? Is Jesus a religious icon to you, is He only a baby in a manger, or is He the King? Wherever you are in your thoughts and convictions about Jesus, I leave you with the last two verses of Psalm 2, Serve the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, that He not be angry and you perish on the way, For His wrath may be kindled quickly. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him" (vv. 11-12).

Disagree, agree, or have a question: Contact us through the contact page on our website; http://www.biblebulldog.com IV.REBEKAH A TYPE OF THE “BRIDE OF CHRIST.” 1. THE CONCERN OF THE FATHER Provide a bride V 4 go and bring back a bride. Matt 2:22 The Father is seeking a bride for His Son. Eph 1:22 - 23 the fullness of Him that filleth all in all The church completes the Lord Jesus. As Rebekah believed and yielded to the pleadings of Eliezer, so the Church believes and yields to the pleadings of the HOLY SPIRIT. As Rebekah was willing to separate herself from her kinsfolk for Isaac's sake, so the Believer is willing to separate himself from his kinsfolk for JESUS' SAKE. 2. THE COMMISSION OF THE SPIRIT A servant, a helper of God. As Eliezer on the way to Isaac told Rebekah all about his Master Isaac, and what was in store for her, so the Holy Spirit as we journey on our earthly pilgrimage tells us what is in store for us when we shall meet our Isaac-JESUS. 3. THE COURTSHIP OF THE BRIDE Chosen us before the foundation of the world. God takes the initiative and sends the Holy Spirit V35 Brags on Abraham and Isaac, The father is rich as the son John 15 V58 I will go. The Holy Spirit convinces us. 1 Peter 1:8 Companion - He stayed by her side. V53 riches of the Father, resources of the Son - comforter. 4. THE COMING OF THE GROOM V63 - waiting for the bride. V7 - the wife is to be presented to the Groom 5. THE CONSUMATION OF THE MARRIAGE V64 - It is my Master. Eliezer says that's Him. She runs to meet him. The symbolism is so rich in the story. Think about it: how long was it between when God announced that Isaac was to die until he was symbolically resurrected? It was a three-day journey from where God gave the command to where Isaac was to be sacrificed. So 3 days later he was resurrected and got up from the altar that he was to be sacrificed on. It's also rich and amazing. Think about it: Abraham said to Isaac when Isaac asked where the lamb was, God will provide himself a lamb. First of all it says that God will provide himself. Then notice it says that God would provide himself a lamb. But what was it that was provided in the thicket when the angel of the Lord stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac? It was a ram! This should leave you asking the question at the end of the story, where is the lamb? where is the lamb? That's the cliff hanger that nags at the Israelites for over 2000 years before Jesus… Then boom! John the Baptist comes along and John chapter 1 verse 29 and says behold the Lamb of God! Jacobs Dream The Stairway To Heaven Jacob's ladder is an Old Testament prophecy of a New Testament Savior. A PICTURE OF THE SINNER V11 - Shrouded in darkness, Surrounded by desert, rock for a pillow. Alone, without God, hope, joy, peace. “The way of the transgressor is hard”. Sentenced by death. 27:41 Esau was going to kill him A PICTURE OF THE SAVIOR V12 - The Lord was at the top of the ladder. John 1:47-51 - An OT prophecy of a NT savior. Jesus is the ladder. REACH OF THE LADDER - reaches to heaven. Only one ladder, Jesus. RELIABILITY OF IT - v13, the Lord stood above it. RESOURCE OF IT - v 12 Angels are ministering spirits. Heb. 1:13-14 Jesus is the way we go to God, and Jesus is the way that God comes to us. Promise Presence v13-14 Protection Only one ladder, Jesus is the only way to heaven. A PICTURE OF SALVATION V16- CONSCIENCENESS OF GOD - surely the Lord is in this place. The reality of God brings a reverence of God. Romans 10, Jacob had an awareness of the presence of God. CONVERSION TO GOD - v18 made an altar, named place Bethel. Bethel means the house of God. Vowed a vow, my God. Not only was it a new morning, he was a new man. COMMITMENT Through GOD - v22 give a tithe. Spirit of giving. Do you have a Bethel, I do. JESUS IS THE STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN! Genesis 28:10-16  Jesus Calls Philip and Nathaniel John 1:43-51 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/biblebulldog/message

Second Sunday after Pentecost June 11, 2023 Faith, Okemos Hosea 5:15-6:6, Psalm 50:7-15, Romans 4:13-35. Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26 Grace to you and peace… It was Friday morning.  Lola lay in her bed at Independence Village in Grand Ledge crying out, “Help me! Help me! Help me!”  Lola, now in her mid-90's, is dying. Author Anne Lamott has written, “Here are the two best prayers I know:  ‘Help me, help me, help me' and ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you.'” When I read the scriptures to Lola like the 23rd Psalm and Psalm 46 and Matthew 11 in which Jesus says,  “Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest…”  she both haltingly and forcefully said them with me, totally by memory.  I don't know that I've ever heard those passages spoken more powerfully. Then seemingly out of the blue she began to speak the words of an old hymn, “I Need Thee Every Hour.” I need Thee every hour Most gracious Lord No tender voice like Thine Can peace afford.     I need Thee, O I need Thee Every hour I need Thee O bless me now, my Savior I come to Thee.   That was the beginning of our little concert together which also included “What A Friend We Have in Jesus.”  In the midst of this, Bruce, one of Lola's children arrived, together with a granddaughter Jennifer, her husband Tom, and their little son.  Amidst abundant tears and hugs, a trio was formed, Jennifer joining Lola and me in “Jesus Loves Me” and “You are My Sunshine.”  Then with hands joined we prayed the Lord's Prayer. Over and over, Lola said, “Thank You.”  She said that to us, but I thought in my heart that in those moments we got to be Jesus for her and with her. I think both Anne Lamott and Lola capture the essence of prayer.  It is “help me” and “thank you.” Five years ago I was with my sister, Jean, when she died.  We were together in the ICU  in Cleveland Clinic much of the last two weeks of her life.  I know we both talked a lot and were silent a lot.  We prayed together.  But in hindsight I wished I'd have thought to sing with her.  Jean had a beautiful voice and was an accomplished pianist and organist. I just didn't think of doing that. Mindful of that regret again, I returned to visit Lola Friday afternoon with an old Service Book and Hymnal.  We sang hymns ‘til I sensed that maybe now this was more for me than for Lola. Amidst a coughing spelling she said “this has been so fun” …and we sang one more hymn.  I asked if she was ready to sleep.  And after quiet prayers for help and words of gratitude, she closed her eyes in sleep. Afterword, I thought about Lola and her family and about the gospel reading for today.   I think Lola's repeated cry for help was also the cry in the hearts of the hated tax collectors who collected money for the Roman Empire and often kept more than was legal for themselves.  I think her cry for help was in the hearts of the morally despicable, the sinners, who together with the tax collectors sat with Jesus and his disciples for dinner at Matthew's home.  Unlike the Pharisees, a spiritually elite group living always on the edge of self-righteousness (They may have often thought and sometimes said “We are the good, law-bidding people”)…Unlike the Pharisees the tax collectors and sinners they knew they were corrupt and immoral.  But as Anne Lamott also writes, with God there are sometimes experience beyond the fervent, anguished need for help and sometimes another experiences beyond our expressions of thanksgiving for the grace Jesus so freely gives.  Anne calls those experiences moments of “wow.”  My “wow” on Friday was when Lola kept amazing me with her vivid memory.  When I told Lola how amazing she was, she quietly responded, “Well, not that good.”  But for me it was a ‘wow.” “Wow” must have been felt in the hearts and minds of those dining with Jesus at Matthew's home…wonderful, liberating feelings and thoughts like “With him we are not despised. We are not being judged.  We are not excluded but fully accepted.  Wow, this is wonderful.  This must be what true love looks like. This is a mercy we never experienced before.”  [I could imagine Matthew now posting on his door in Aramaic the words on the banner we dedicated this morning: All Are Welcome!] Clearly the cry for help was in the heart of the rabbi of a local synagogue who came to Jesus, knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her and she will live.”   The text continues:  “And Jesus got up and followed him, with his disciples.” For both the rabbi and Lola, their cries were cries of faith.  As St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans, it is the cry of faith, however anguished, this precious gift and promise of God given to people like Abraham who at 100 years of age, as good as dead, believed that God would enable him and Sarah to have a son, that Abraham would truly be “the father of many nations.”  This gift of faith that God could still do this, all the evidence to the contrary, was expressed by Lola when she uttered the words of a hymn she probably learned 80 or more years ago:  “I need thee every hour most gracious Lord.  No tender voice like thine can peace afford.”   This was her faith in the grace and mercy of her Lord. And then there was the longsuffering woman in Matthew's story of Jesus: Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind [Jesus] and touched the fringe of his cloak, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.”  Jesus turned, and seeing her, he said, “Take heart, daughter, your faith had made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. Surely her flow of blood made her “unclean” as indicated in the very words of scripture (Leviticus 15:19).  She would have been very much alone, not welcomed, not loved by virtually anyone.  But God loved her and God placed in her desolate heart the faith that by merely touching the fringe of Jesus' cloak, she would be made well.  (Notice her respect for Jesus, touching his cloak, not his skin, lest, according to the law, he be made unclean.)  Her unspoken cry for help, borne of the gift of faith, was met with mercy.  She was made well.  The instantaneous nature of her healing was surely a “wow” moment in her life and perhaps for those who witnessed this power of God's love. This past Wednesday I presided at a graveside service which followed a heart attack and the resulting death of Bryan, a son whose much beloved mother had died just over a week before his own death.  Needless to say, his family and caregivers who supported Bryan in his lifelong journey with cerebral palsy were devastated.  Yet in the scriptures read at this service, we were all reminded of God's promise given to him in Holy Baptism, reminded that God was and would be with him always, that Bryan would suffer always with Jesus, die always with Jesus, and always rise to new life with Jesus.  His sister, Susan, his devoted brother-in-law, John, and Bryan's nephew, Nathan, all spoke eloquently of his compassion, his empathy, his tenderness, his sensitivity as expressions of God's mercy and grace in Bryan's life. John, a jazz musician, asked me if he could play a recording of “Downtown”, one of Bryan's favorite songs, at the conclusion of the service.  As I prepared for the service, I had wondered, in vain, how I might include that song in my sermon, but now I said “yes” to John.  As we listened and then one by one joined in singing “downtown”, I thought in a new way about what heaven would be like with words like “The light's so much brighter there.  You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares…Things will be great when you're downtown.  No finer place for sure Downtown.  Everything's waiting for you downtown, downtown.”  Yes, it was a bit of a stretch, but for us it was a “wow” moment, God lifting our spirits in a day of sadness as together we had shoveled earth over the urn of Bryan's ashes, lifting us through a very secular song, now for us a song portraying a new way of thinking about heaven, about what the “downtown new Jerusalem” will be like for Bryan…and for us. Following the story about a lonely woman, so long ill, now healed, now no longer needing to be alone, we hear these bold and strong but also immensely comforting words; When Jesus came to the leader's house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion.  He said, “Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.”  And they laughed at him.  But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. Though he was probably wealthy and highly respected, this little girl's father humbled himself before Jesus.  He recognized that he had no power of his own, no amount of money, no noble reputation powerful enough to bring his daughter back to life.  But as with Lola and with Bryan's loved ones, he humbled himself and believed that if Jesus could come, would come, his sorrow would yield to joy. He believed that by Jesus' hand in his daughter's hand, she would live. And Jesus did come and Jesus did take her by the hand and she got up. So for Bryan who sleeps now, so soon also for Lola, what Jesus, the Son of God, has done, living as one of us, suffering and dying and rising for them and for all of us, when we sleep, even in death as earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, when Jesus takes our hand, we will live. One more hymn Lola knew by heart (though not with exactly the version I'm reading now):   Lord, take thou my hand and lead me Unto the end; In life and death I need thee, O blessed Friend; I cannot live without thee For one brief day; Lord, be thou ever near me, And lead the way.   Lord, grant us, like the despised tax collectors and sinners, like the chronically ill woman, like the distraught father whose daughter had died, grant us the faith to receive your steadfast love, your amazing grace, and your boundless mercy for us and for all members of the human family. Amen. JDS

Unity is a non-denominational Spiritual Community in Central Oregon. Join us each week for some great music, a little bit of silliness, and a lot of inspirational soul food. All are welcome! This week: Rev. Jane Hiatt shares, “Rome vs Jesus: Then and Now”. Rev. Jane will talk about the historical situation Jesus faced and the parallels to present times, as well as the metaphysics. What is our Rome? Our Jesus? Our choice? ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ Submit your prayer claims online!: [http://bit.ly/prayerclaim](http://bit.ly/prayerclaim) Please TXT donations to: (833) 455-1960 or Donate on our website: [https://unitycentraloregon.org/donate/](https://unitycentraloregon.org/donate/) Donate via Paypal: [http://bit.ly/donateunitybend](http://bit.ly/donateunitybend) More goodness on our website: [www.UnityCentralOregon.org](http://www.unitycentraloregon.org/)

SERMON | Ezekiel 37:1-14 & John 11:1-45 | LENT - LEARNING TO LIVE INSIDE OUT - 5. "Who Could Stand" by Rev. Joseph Sanford at Sellersburg United Methodist Church in Sellersburg, Indiana Learning to Live Inside Out — a Lenten journey with Jesus… toward the cross… toward the death of sin and self… following Jesus… until what we KNOW in our hearts becomes the REALITY we live in the world. We've focused on the importance of fasting and testing… moving from the familiar comforts in the uncomfortable unknown… confronting our thirst… and seeing the presence of God among us… Today we come to a deep question of whether we believe all of this and what it means. WHO COULD STAND? The opening Psalm asked this important question focusing on the choice we have to be weighed down with anxiety scanning the horizon for our enemies… or standing in the hope and trust in God and finding joy in the midst of struggle. We have a choice. We have the POWER to choose: How will we respond? ______________________________________________ Similar to Ezekiel in the valley of dry bones who is asked, “Can these bones live?” Can they live, Ezekiel? Can they stand up and carry on once more? Can they find life and joy and hope and trust? Or is God's promise just a let-down…a pipe dream? Ezekiel knows the answer…but he won't say it. He knows better. What is our answer to this question? Let's look at the bones of today and decide. We've heard the statistics for years now… the church is in decline. less and less people are worshiping God on Sunday mornings less and less people are saying they have faith at all We've felt the pain of the valley and the bones around us… this church and many others are not what they once were things used to be easier people came to church this room was too full some days…many days… Have we messed it up? Did we mishandle what God gave us? I'm certain we haven't been perfect…but have we ceased to love our church? Have we ceased to love God? Look at the bones, friends. Can these bones live? Is there a thriving life ahead of us? Our heads have an response…and we know it well. We are all tempted to scan the horizon for the next bit of bad news about our church…about our world… about our own lives. Who could stand in the midst of our reality today in 2023? You might bite our tongue and follow our hearts just the tiniest bit and say in response to the question: “You know, Lord.” Perhaps that response is something like, “Please don't make me say it. Don't make me have to offer my breath and effort to utter my hopelessness into existence.” Or maybe the response contains a seed of hope. After all, it's God we're talking with, right? Aren't ALL THINGS possible? This brings us to our scene in John when Jesus is standing in front of Martha. Her brother had died. She had sent word of his illness to Jesus, but never asked him to come directly. She ALMOST implied the question by giving the word of Lazarus's illness, but she never asked Jesus to come and do anything about it. Was she shy? Was she being respectful? Did she think that Lazarus's situation didn't deserve to interrupt Jesus' mission? When Jesus does arrive, she can't help but say to him, “If only you'd been here…” Maybe that's how we feel in our 2023 reality. If only… If only we'd opened our doors wider… If only we'd played our music louder… If only people didn't focus on working… If only extracurricular sports didn't have activities on Sundays… If only we'd stayed more traditional with our style… If only we'd gone more contemporary… If only… If only… And now we sit in a pile of bones… The stench of what was having long past… The stillness of death where the bustle of life once was. Jesus prods at Martha's faith. “Your brother will rise, Martha.” “Sure, sure, Jesus…one day he will…” “I am the resurrection and the life. Even amid death, there is life in me. Do you believe this?” “Yes, of course, you are the Messiah…” Then she walks away to get Mary—it's Mary who is the good student, after all. Even Mary says, “If only you had been here, Jesus…” Then she wept. She has lost all hope. She doesn't believe in the power and presence standing right in front of her. It's over… Lazarus is lost… Death has won the day… Jesus wept. and NOT because he felt sorry for Mary and Martha… NOT because of the death of his friend. Jesus wept because they didn't understand who he was and what he was. They stood before the very power that could once again make Lazarus stand into life, but they didn't see it. They only saw bones… What once was… And a pile of “If onlys…” Jesus is disturbed in his spirit and deeply moved to see the pain and despair of his friends. Jesus will weep again as he takes in the sight of Jerusalem on the day he triumphantly enters…because of their shortsightedness…because of their blindness. Lack of belief and faith and joy and hope tears at Jesus' heart. So here we are… In the valley of bones ourselves: Our individual lives… Our families and friends… Our church… Our community… Our nation… Our world… Who could stand? Are our best days behind us? Has the stench of death overtaken us? Can we not see the future for the stone which lies before us…sealing us into our fate? Hear the voice of Jesus! Take away the stone. Believe and see the glory of God. Lazarus, come out! Unbind him, and let him go. Notice that Lazarus is freed to life by two things: the power and presence of Jesus the faith and obedience of Lazarus' community to follow Christ's instructions The community of Lazarus rolls away the stone… They boldly face the stench of death and open themselves to possibilities beyond their comprehension. They are the ones to unbind him and set him free. This is our calling, friends. Living inside out means we keep our hearts and minds and souls and strength fixed on Jesus Christ because he is the source of life and the resurrection. NOTHING is beyond hope with Jesus our Lord! Let us stop scanning the horizon in search of the next threat or bad news… and, instead, let us find the opportunity for joy, wonder, and love right here and now. Let us realize that we have been placed here in 2023…just like Ezekiel was placed in the valley of bones. The word for “placed” is the same word used for the first human beings when they were “placed” in the garden. Ezekiel is there intentionally and with purpose; and so are we! We are placed HERE…now. Do you believe? Let us place our faith in Jesus Christ even when our vision goes no further than the stone in front of us… Even when our movement is limited by the wrappings we have been bound in… How we became bound no longer matters. How long we've been limited doesn't matter either. What matters is our response to the question: who could stand? Who could stand, friends? Do you know? If the whole house of Israel could stand and receive the breath of life once again, then so can we? If Lazarus could be raised up and unbound to walk and live and thrive again, then so can we? Let us continue our journey toward the cross not ignoring the calamity and chaos around us in this world, but also not letting it determine our response to the opportunities before us. We have been freed from many stones before…and there are many stones before us still. But we will press on…together—living inside out for Christ We will press on following our Savior trusting that each and every stone that stand in our way will be removed through the power of life in him. We will witness the power of God drawing us together and standing us up HERE, NOW…and FOREVEMORE.

Wednesday, 25 January 2023   But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul.  Acts 13:45   The previous verse noted that almost the whole city had come together to hear the word of God. With that remembered, it now says, “But when the Jews saw the multitudes.” There are two points to consider here. The first is obviously the sheer number of people who have gathered. What a difference this would have been to the few proselytes who had come to the synagogue to learn of their legalistic rituals and consider placing themselves under the bondage of the law.   The second point is that the word translated as “multitudes” is ochlos. It refers not only to the great number, but the implication is a great number of common people. As Strong's says, “by implication, the rabble.”   The Jews had a few proselytes that were interested in their legalistic instructions and who were probably wealthy enough to buy favor. On the other hand, Paul and Barnabas had an immense crowd of common rabble who came to hear about the gift of God, His grace that could not be purchased.   What would have been the most galling of all to them is that their message then meant that this throng of people was on the same standing as the Jews. And yet, they had done nothing to merit it. They had not suffered through the history the Jews had endured, they had not been kept from delightful foods such as bacon or pork chops, they had not ever observed a Passover or a Day of Atonement, and yet Paul and Barnabas were saying that Jesus was their Passover, and He was their atoning sacrifice. It would be infuriating to them to hear such things. Therefore, “they were filled with envy.”   The word is zelos. Probably a better translation of it would be “jealousy” or even “indignation.” The word signifies burning emotion as if boiling over. Like the Pharisees who dealt with Jesus, they would have indignantly thought that they alone merited God's favor –   “Then the Pharisees answered them, ‘Are you also deceived? 48 Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? 49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.'” Luke 7:47-49   Those in the synagogue looked at the law as a means to an end. They were the stewards of that law, and they were also its teachers. And more, they were “Jews by nature,” God's chosen and set apart people. They were not “sinners of the Gentiles” (Galatians 2:15). As such, they were surely filled with their own prideful and selfish indignation. Because of this, Luke continues to refer to them, saying, “and contradicting.”   The word is antilegó. It is formed from anti, against, and legó, to say. Thus, this means that they were actively speaking against the words of Paul and Barnabas in a contradictory manner. When Paul spoke of grace, they would have spoken of their works. When Paul spoke of salvation in Jesus, they would say, “But the law demands condemnation for those who don't obey.” And more, Luke next says, “and blaspheming.”   The word signifies to speak lightly or profanely about sacred things. Their words spoke against Jesus, and Luke calls this blasphemy. They refused to respect the name of Jesus who was clearly shown by Paul one week earlier to be Israel's Messiah. The Scriptures testified to it, and they refused to accept what Paul said concerning Jesus' fulfillment of the Scriptures. Thus, their words are to be considered blasphemy. Therefore, “they opposed the things spoken by Paul.”   Not only had Paul provided his evidence on the previous Sabbath within the walls of the synagogue, but he now openly proclaimed them to those outside of it. This was too much for the Jews to bear. If what Paul said was true, it would mean their traditions and religion were no longer acceptable to God. It is reminiscent of the words of the Jews when contemplating how to deal with Jesus –   “Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, ‘What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. 48 If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.'” John 11:47, 48   And like those Jews at Jesus' time who then said that it was expedient for one man to die, these Jews wanted to again crucify the name of Jesus before these Gentiles.   Life application: To this day, the majority of the Jews in the world have rejected Jesus. Many of them don't care about religious matters at all. Their lives are based on their Jewish nature, not on a relationship with God in some formal manner. However, most of those who go beyond the secular and involve themselves in the religious life of their people have an attitude just like those of the synagogue in Antioch of Pisidia.   They feel that they merit God's favor because of who they are as a people (His chosen), for what they do to please Him (such as being circumcised in the flesh), and for what they don't do (“Pork chops, heaven forbid!”). Their religion is not one of grace but of works. And yet, the first father that they look to, Abraham, neither had the law, nor did he do anything to receive God's declaration of righteousness. He simply believed the word of the Lord.   As this is so, and as the law came after Abraham's justification, the law cannot be what pleases God, even if it is His personal standard of holiness. David understood this. Despite being a man under the law, a law that demanded the imputation of sin for a violation of it, he also understood that there was a state of blessing that could be obtained apart from the law –   “But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, 6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: 7 ‘Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; 8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.'” Romans 4:5-8   The lesson of the Bible is that only when one trusts in the Lord and accepts His word at face value by believing what He says can he be pleasing to God. And the Lord has shown that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes (Romans 10:4). If one cannot accept that, then he cannot be pleasing to God.   The gospel is so simple. Let us not add to it. Jesus has pleased God on our behalf. By faith in His work, we are reconciled to God. What can we add to that? Nothing! Only after that are our deeds considered acceptable to Him. Let us maintain the purity of the gospel when conveying it to others.   O God, thank You for Jesus our Lord. He has done all that is necessary to satisfy You. Now, we can trust in His merits and also be pleasing to You. May we never try to diminish the glorious work He has done by telling others that they need to “do” to be pleasing to You. Rather, they need to simply believe in His doing! Amen.  

What happens in this episode? We meet a man as he stands holding the coats of men who are stoning the first Christian martyr to death He actively pursues and persecutes anyone who follows after Jesus Then, he meets Jesus in an amazing way Having met Jesus, he turns his life around – from persecution to proclamation He meets his own persecution because of his life change This persecution results in his death at the hands of Emperor Nero I reveal this man's identity at the end of the episode Scriptures found in this episode: Philippians 3:5 Acts 22:3 Acts 26:5 Acts 26:9 Acts 7:58 Galatians 1:13-14 Philippians 3:6 This story of our man's encounter with Jesus is told in three instances in the book of Acts; Acts 9, 22, 26. I am combining the events of this telling into one narrative. Galatians 1:15b-19 Acts 9:22-30 Acts 24:25 Acts 28:30-31 2 Timothy 4:6-8 Other references: https://rsc.byu.edu/new-testament-history-culture-society/life-apostle-paul   Do you have a Jesus Story to share? I'm collecting current day Jesus Stories (testimonies) for the third season of the Jesus Stories Podcast. If you've got a Jesus Story from your life, I'd love to hear from you. You can tell the story through an interview, or I'll tell your story for you. And, you may remain anonymous, if needed. Contact me via the website, JesusStories.info, click on the “Talk to Us” tab. Follow Us Follow Jesus Stories on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Rejection of Jesus - Then and Now (Mark 11:27-33) by Sun Valley Church

Do you want to reach people with the good news of Jesus- Then we must get ourselves out of the way and put the cross of Jesus on display. Paul encourages us that it's not about our clever words that will convince people to follow Jesus, its having the approach to point them to the cross, to depend on God and to see others depend on God. Join us today as we consider 3 fundamentals to being an effective witness for Christ-

Casting Down the Dragon (5) (Audio) David Eells - 6/8/22 Massive Upheavals Coming to Cast Down Idols Eve Brast - 6/4/22 (David's notes in red) I dreamed that I was in my maternal grandmother's house, only it was much larger than in real life. (Representing the ancient,  original, and only Church) My grandmother's name was Sally which is a nickname for Sarah and means, “princess”. Sally also means, “A military action, a sudden charge in the direction of the enemy.” (Those who are in the house the original Church are descendants of Sarah who brought forth the promised seed, Isaac, for our Father Abraham who's seed we are by faith. Gal. 3:16-18,26,29 Now to Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. 17 Now this I say: A covenant confirmed beforehand by God, the law, which came four hundred and thirty years after, doth not dis-annul, so as to make the promise of none effect. 18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no more of promise: but God hath granted it to Abraham by promise… 26 For ye are all sons of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus… 29 And if ye are Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, heirs according to promise. And 1 Pe. 3:5-6  For after this manner aforetime the holy women also, who hoped in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection to their own husbands: 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose children ye now are, if ye do well, and are not put in fear by any terror. I was in the living room over near the window in the wall that looked out onto the sunroom and separated it from the living room. (As we will see, the living room represents this current life, living in this world. We are able to look out into the sun/Son room but we see through a glass darkly and there are different degrees of separation from Christ, the Son, that we experience in the flesh represented by the wall and the window.)   The fireplace was over to my right. (The fireplace to my right represents that Father's righteous judgment through tribulation will come to strip his people of their idolatry with the world.) The breakfast bar and kitchen area were behind me. (This represents the food of the Kingdom which is the Word. It's behind me because of leaving the Way by getting caught up in distractions and idolatry with things of the world or preoccupied with family and loved ones. Isa. 30:21 and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it; when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.) I had a table set up near the window where my leopard gecko, Arnold, and his terrarium were. (This represents little idolatrous alters in our lives where we sacrifice to little dragons that we don't recognize as dragons because they are camouflaged by their spots.)  The red nighttime heat lamp was turned on in the terrarium. (This represents “STOP”, warning and danger.) I was going around the living room trying to gather together fragments of my past life, memories and keepsakes from when my boys were little; All the little things that had sentimental value or importance to me. I was placing all these things around the terrarium. (The dragon can't be the center of our lives; only Christ can.) (It felt like I was trying to desperately salvage the past and my former life or hold together everything or everyone that I held dear to my heart. Php. 3:13-14 Brethren, I count not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, 14 I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.) My son Josiah who had blonde hair in the dream was behind me off to the side. (Josiah was a Man-child reformer that forced the people to get rid of their idols and outlawed idolatry among the people. He broke down all their idols and destroyed all the groves and put the idolatrous priests to death. 2 Ki. 23:4-20 And the king (Josiah) commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the threshold, to bring forth out of the temple of Jehovah all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the Asherah, and for all the host of heaven, and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Beth-el.   5 And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven… 13 And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king defile.  14 And he brake in pieces the pillars, and cut down the Asherim, and filled their places with the bones of men. …20 And he slew all the priests of the high places that were there, upon the altars, and burned men's bones upon them; and he returned to Jerusalem.) My ex husband (Representing my old man) was over near the fireplace saying things to discourage me and telling me that I'll never succeed in my efforts, because he had all the control over these things that I was trying to hang on to. (If you're playing in the devil's territory, he has the right to persecute and tribulate you. You will be playing a game you can't win.) Suddenly, the floor of the house began to form a long, deep crack that ran the length of the living room. Then a portion of the ground behind me, that the breakfast bar and kitchen were on, jutted up about 6 inches above revealing a red, sandy loam dirt. (Meaning that the life that comes from the Word conquers the flesh.) As I looked down at the dirt, I realized that instead of carpet there was short green grass. (1 Pe. 1:24  For, All flesh is as grass, And all the glory thereof as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower falleth.) I turned away from the table and looked over towards the kitchen area where I saw David standing next to one of the breakfast bar stools beckoning me to come over to safety where he was. (Many will turn away from their idolatry and toward the spiritual food of the original gospel during the initial upheavals. David represents the Man-child David reformers who will provide the spiritual food for the woman in the wilderness. Rev. 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that there they may nourish her a thousand two hundred and threescore days.)  I realized that I needed to make a decision quickly because all the past things that I was trying to cling to or salvage were about to be taken down. The ground that they were on was about to crumble and give way. (Many are in this position. We are about to be called to forsake all of Egypt to partake of the Manna in the wilderness.) So, I jumped up to the higher ground that had jutted up 6 inches above and behind me and as soon as I did, it violently jutted up out of the ground into a boat shape, 8 feet high. (We have many dreams of a boat shape formed by fault lines in the earth where a refuge in the shape of an Ark for God's elect will be.) (Abiding in Jesus, the Word, is the Ark and 888 is the gematria of Jesus Christ in the Greek. The name "Jesus" is unique, because it means “Yah, short for Yahweh, means, "God is salvation" and this is additionally strengthened by the numerical value 888. This important number symbolizes eternity and perfection. It also symbolizes the victory over evil. We do not know of any other person's name that also gives the value 888 in the Greek language. "Iesous" consists of 6 letters. The 6 is the number of man, because Jesus was the Son of Man.) I turned to look back at all the things that I held important and dear to me and watched as they crumbled along with the ground underneath them and everything from the past was swallowed up into darkness by the earth. (We must be willing to forsake these things in order to be in the Ark of safety.) (The Lord is going to strip His people of all that they value above Him in order to cause them to finally quit straddling the fence and wavering back and forth. We must whole heartedly commit to walking by faith and trusting Him for everything to be true disciples for His Kingdom just like the first disciples did.)  David and I were standing near the breakfast bar and kitchen of my grandmother's house which was now located on the bow of this new boat that had been formed out of the land. (The original gospel will be shared to many people coming out of the world and apostasy onto the refuges during the first 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation.) I felt to go and explore the land that was lower down in front of the bow of the boat, so I jumped down onto the ground in front of the boat. (Representing going to share the gospel with the rest of the woman's seed that the dragon will go and make war with after the Man-child is caught up to the throne and anointed.) I came up to a small hole in the ground, about 6 feet from the bow, that was plugged up by a small, green, glass, flower vase that had no water in it. There was a bouquet of 3 helium balloons tied to ribbons coming up out of the dry vase. (As we will see, the apostate Churches have no water of the Word to produce fruit because they are too busy partying with the world and its ways.) I called over to David to come and look at what I had found and when he came over, I pulled the balloons out of the vase and handed them to him. (Dwelling in heavenly places? The anointing; caught up to the throne of authority.) We both bent forward looking more closely at the vase and the hole and I said, “Look how deep this hole is. It goes down a long way!” (Representing the underworld of deception and apostasy that God's people are captured by.) Then I pulled the vase out of the hole in the ground to have a better look down the hole and I had an open vision of a cave underneath. (Isa 42:22  But this is a people robbed and plundered; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison-houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore. The people of God are captured by factious apostate Church leadership.) I saw a father dressed in a tan suit. He was sitting on a dining room chair. (This represents the false doctrine food that the false shepherds feed to their followers.) He was holding a 5 year old blonde girl on his left knee. She was dressed in a white, frilly, party dress with black patent leather shoes. I thought, “The party is over.” (meaning for them). (This 5 year old girl represents all those immature but elect of God who are currently walking in darkness and will come out from among the apostate church holes by grace because the Lord is going to end their party with apostasy.) The vision ended as the ground around the hole began to also crumble and fall away to reveal the cave and a red dragon that had been curled around the father and the little girl for centuries, but the father and the girl were not there. I knew in the dream that they lived but at the same time they had been dead a long time. (The dragon has infiltrated and wrapped itself around the apostate Church since the first century. (A woman I knew, who was in the false revival movement, looked up and saw a dragon over the assembly that was hosting it. This dragon is a part of the same one in Rev. 12 who is attempting to devour the true leadership, the Man-child.)  Rev. 3:1-5 And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars: I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and thou art dead. 2 Be thou watchful, and establish the things that remain, which were ready to die: for I have found no works of thine perfected before my God. 3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and didst hear; and keep it , and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.  4 But thou hast a few names in Sardis that did not defile their garments: and they shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy. (The little blonde girl is this remnant who will leave the father in the tan suit and will walk in white.) 5 He that overcometh shall thus be arrayed in white garments; and I will in no wise blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.) The dragon had been content and at rest guarding the father and the girl but when I had unplugged the hole and pulled out the balloons and the vase. (Representing exposure for the apostate leadership and deliverance from the trap of apostasy.) This angered the dragon and stirred him up into a rage. He began stomping around in the cave causing the ground to breakup all around the rest of the boat that had formed in the earth. (We were shown by the Lord that the fault lines that shape the boat would separate after the New Madrid quake and bring water around the boat.) I had never felt or experienced such rage in my life. (The dragon will make war on the rest of the woman's seed, representing the ground around the boat, and break up their fallow ground. Rev. 12:17 And the dragon waxed wroth with the woman, and went away to make war with the rest of her seed, that keep the commandments of God, and hold the testimony of Jesus:) Then the dragon sent out a massive, raging flood of sea water towards me. The waters were so stirred up that the entire surface of the waters were covered with 2 feet of white frothy sea foam. (The sea waters represent not only the nations being stirred up against the people God, but also the river of lies that the dragon spews out of his mouth against the woman. Rev. 12:13-17 And when the dragon saw that he was cast down to the earth, he persecuted the woman that brought forth the man child. 14 And there were given to the woman the two wings of the great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness unto her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.  15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth after the woman water as a river, that he might cause her to be carried away by the stream. (Lies about the vaccines, the plagues, the aliens, their thousand years of peace etc.) 16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth. (The world and the worldly Church will swallow the lies.) 17 And the dragon waxed wroth with the woman, and went away to make war with the rest of her seed, that keep the commandments of God, and hold the testimony of Jesus:) In 6/5/2011 I had a vision of the dragon and his lies... I saw myself as a normal person in a cartoon. I was in a long, log cabin cartoon house. I heard a voice warning, "David, the dragon has sent the ink-lies against you". I opened the door on one end of the cartoon cabin and looked to my left. I saw a dragon with his head all the way up to his shoulders, stuck into a window in the back of the cabin. Most of what I saw outside was the tail of the dragon. As I saw this, the dragon pulled his head out and faced me. I then saw cartoon black letters, black characters, sneaking through the house from the back. As I came out of it, the Lord gave me the interpretation. The long, log cabin house is UBM in the wilderness. The dragon is the corporate beast inhabited by Satan, as in Revelation 12. The prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail (Isa.9:15) and the mouth was in the house speaking lies, which were turning into black text, also. He who does not come through the door, which is Jesus, "climbeth up some other way" coming into the back of the house, as Jesus said in John 10:1. He was coming through the window in the back as a thief who comes to steal, as Jesus also said: (10:10) The thief cometh not, but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy: I came that they may have life, and may have [it] abundantly.  These factious thieves, of course, are the ones who are not sent by the Lord, who speak lies to seek to steal a position of leadership and the people's hearts away from those who come through the door of Jesus. How do they sneak in the back way? Matthew 18:15 tells them to first face the person they are accusing but they go first to the saints, which is the third step in verse 17. They are as a thief going to the saints first. "Backstabbers" they are called. We have had a parade of these people the last few years. It is a cartoon because it is not a thing to be feared. I know it is God cleansing the church for the wicked in heart listen to these people and separate from the righteous, for "an evil doer giveth heed to lying lips". It is also for the purpose of crucifying the true leaders, as was done with Jesus and the apostles, and throughout history. Back to Eve's dream: I and a few women that were with me, were supernaturally preserved through this turbulent flood of waters and were partially suspended above the sea foam. We came out into a broad place where the flood waters were calm and there was no sea foam and we climbed up onto a flotilla of wreckage and were safe. (The wreckage is Zion that the previous administration had destroyed through their sin and was now to be restored.)  The water now seemed to be fresh water like in a lake. (Isa 33:21  But there Jehovah will be with us in majesty, a place of broad rivers and streams, wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.) (Psa 18:15-19 Then the channels of waters appeared, And the foundations of the world were laid bare, At thy rebuke, O Jehovah, At the blast of the breath of thy nostrils. 16 He sent from on high, he took me; He drew me out of many waters. 17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, And from them that hated me; for they were too mighty for me. 18 They came upon me in the day of my calamity; But Jehovah was my stay. 19 He brought me forth also into a large place; He delivered me, because he delighted in me.) I looked back where the foamy, turbulent waters were still raging and saw a white, leviathan sea dragon breach the waters and then dive back under. I understood that there was still danger in these waters and that this dragon hated me and those standing with me on the wreckage as much as the red dragon had. (The red dragon DS satanists and the white dragon New Age Earth Alliance that are warring in the earth right now for dominion over the earth and its people.) (For the moment, Christians find more in common with the white dragon and have great hopes it will conquer the DS. For now, the enemy of our satanic enemy is our friend.) One of the women with me on the wreckage was worried about a little boy that had been with us in the turbulent, foamy, sea waters and suddenly, we saw a little dark haired boy about 6 years old come up out of the water and stand on the edge of flotilla. (This little boy looked like a mini version of Hitler but without the mustache. He represents the factious Nazi leaders in the Church and state are part of the river of lies that the dragon spews out of his mouth at the righteous. They are part of the white dragon because they appear righteous but are not born from above. The dark hair represents that they are submitted to darkness.  They work for the white dragon and they represent a corporate body of spiritually stunted and immature factious leaders around the world. They have been among us for a long time for in 1Jn 2:19  They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they all are not of us.) I knew that the white dragon had sent him to come against us on the wreckage. He was menacing and we were very concerned about him but then his pants fell down around his ankles exposing his very small and immature private area. (This is the factious leadership in the Church and state. (They are too immature to sow the seed of the Word but they make themselves leaders.) They will all be exposed for their sexual depravity and their evil abominations.) He became enraged by this exposure and held out both arms at his sides with clenched fists and let out a roar of rage that was much bigger than he was. (Because he represents the Nazi factious leaders who think they are bigger than they are.)  After he was exposed, the white dragon snatched him backwards into the water. (Those who sow deception and lies must also reap it.) He sank, feet first, down into the depths with the dragon to be punished for his failures in service to him. (They will fail to deceive and destroy the righteous.)(God is using these people as vessels of dishonor but judgment will be turned back upon their own heads as the word says over and over. Psa. 7:11-16  God is a righteous judge, Yea, a God that hath indignation every day. 12 If a man turn not, he will whet his sword; He hath bent his bow, and made it ready. 13 He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; He maketh his arrows fiery shafts . 14 Behold, he travaileth with iniquity; Yea, he hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood. 15 He hath made a pit, and digged it, And is fallen into the ditch which he made. 16 His mischief shall return upon his own head, And his violence shall come down upon his own pate.) Then I woke up.   Flood Waters Rising; Factious Exposed Joe Brits - 6/3/22  (David's notes in red) In this dream as I was walking downhill and I saw in front of me stones in the water. I could see the water rise very fast. I turned around, to go tell about the water rising so fast! (The waters are the lies and destruction that the dragon spews out of his mouth to deceive the Woman Church.)  I then see a hole in the ground that has been sealed, I know it covers a cave that nobody can see or enter. (Just like in Eve's dream above and a perfect confirmation.)   The next moment I'm in the cave, and I saw my sister Annemarie (meaning "He (God) has favored me") in the cave, and in front of her on a flat surface I see a naked young male child lying. (The factious leaders exposed as in Eve's dream.) And I know there was someone else in the cave that I could not see. (The Dragon, also from Eve's dream) I moved the child a little forward so he could not fall off the flat surface. (We tried very hard to save him from falling but his lusts took him away.) End of dream. I asked the Lord for a word by faith at random and received: Exo 10:27, But Jehovah hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go. (But the Man-child Moses prophesied his fall and the Red Sea removed Pharaoh and his army as in our day.)     Select LanguageAfrikaansAlbanianAmharicArabicArmenianAzerbaijaniBasqueBelarusianBengaliBosnianBulgarianCatalanCebuanoChichewaChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)CorsicanCroatianCzechDanishDutchEsperantoEstonianFilipinoFinnishFrenchFrisianGalicianGeorgianGermanGreekGujaratiHaitian CreoleHausaHawaiianHebrewHindiHmongHungarianIcelandicIgboIndonesianIrishItalianJapaneseJavaneseKannadaKazakhKhmerKinyarwandaKoreanKurdish (Kurmanji)KyrgyzLaoLatinLatvianLithuanianLuxembourgishMacedonianMalagasyMalayMalayalamMalteseMaoriMarathiMongolianMyanmar (Burmese)NepaliNorwegianOdia (Oriya)PashtoPersianPolishPortuguesePunjabiRomanianRussianSamoanScots GaelicSerbianSesothoShonaSindhiSinhalaSlovakSlovenianSomaliSpanishSundaneseSwahiliSwedishTajikTamilTatarTeluguThaiTurkishTurkmenUkrainianUrduUyghurUzbekVietnameseWelshXhosaYiddishYorubaZulu Powered by Translate Printer-friendly version  

Acts 3:19–21 (NKJV) Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. • Peter had just been used by God to work a miracle of healing a lame man who was begging at the temple gate• A crowd began to gather because of the miracle that just happened• Peter began to preach to those present about the resurrection of Jesus• Then he called on everyone to repent and be converted• He continued saying (if you do), your sins will be blotted out• Then he prophesied about future events:o Times of refreshing will come from the presence of Godo And, God will send Jesus Christ (2nd Coming of Christ)• Jesus Christ had only just ascended to heaven a short while ago• And as prophesied, He will return to earth to set up His 1,000 year reignActs 3:19 (WUESTNT) Therefore repent at once, instantly changing your attitude, and perform a right-about-face in order that your sins may be obliterated, in order that there may come epoch-making periods of spiritual revival and refreshment from the presence of the Lord … • Peter prophesied times (plural) of spiritual revival and refreshing• Right throughout the church age, there have been periods of spiritual revival and refreshing “from the presence of the Lord”• We call these times:o Revivalso Outpourings of the Spirit of Godo The former and the latter rain of the Spirit The former rain of the Spirit took place on the Day of Pentecost The latter rain is taking place in these last day before the rapture There were periods of intermittent rain for the last 2000 years• When God's people repent of their sins, it always brings times of spiritual revival and refreshing• When times of spiritual revival take place, more people will repent of their sins and get converted • It is interesting, but many Christians are waiting for god to send revival• But God is waiting for His people to repent of their sins• Revivals and times of refreshing are never random acts of God• Revivals and times of refreshing are always in response to God's people repenting of their sins and seeking God for His will for their lives• When John the Baptist came he preached “repentance”• When Jesus first came, He preached “repentance”• When Peter first preached, He preached “repentance” (Acts 2:38, 3:19)• All revival preachers throughout the church age preached “repentance”o John & Charley Wesley – the Great Awakening (AD. 1700's)o Charles Finney - the Second Great Awakening (1800's)2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV) If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. • God says: If My people – those called by My name (Christians)o Will humble themselveso Prayo Seek my face (for His will for their lives)o Turn from their wicked ways (repentance!)• I (God) will:o Hear from heaveno Forgive their sinso Heal their land 1 Peter 4:17 (NKJV) For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?• Jesus Christ wants to cleanse His church of all stains & wrinkles• He is leading His church into new levels of holiness Five sins that prevented Israel from entering the Promised Land1 Corinthians 10:1–11 (NLT) I don't want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. 2 In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. 3 All of them ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. 6 These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, 7 or worship idols as some of them did. As the Scriptures say, “The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.” 8 And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day. 9 Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites. 10 And don't grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death. 11 These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.The five sins were: • Craving evil things (lusting after evil things)• Worship of idols (anything that draws our love away from God)• Engaging in sexual immorality (all sexual activity outside of marriage)• Putting Christ to the test (contention about water. Is God among us?)• Grumbling (murmuring & complaining)Hebrews 12:14 (AMP) Strive to live in peace with everybody and pursue that consecration and holiness without which no one will [ever] see the Lord. Practical things to do: • Cleanse our lives of all things that displease the Lord• Cleanse our homes of all things that displease the Lord• Forgive everyone who has ever hurt or offended us• Choose to walk in love towards everyone• Put God first in our lives (time, talent, treasure)Hebrews 12:1–3 (NKJV) Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. • lay aside every weight• and the sin which so easily ensnares us• run with endurance the race that is set before us• look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith• consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself• lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls

"As we look at the account of the resurrection from John’s gospel, we see three people named in this version of the story… four, if you count Jesus… Then there were the angels. This morning I would like to look at those who experienced the empty tomb and explore what the resurrection meant to each."Originally presented Easter Day, April 5, 2021St Timothy Cumberland Presbyterian Church 

Hello, I am Fr. Karl Esker from the Basilica of our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, NY. Today is the twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time. In the gospel we hear the well-worn words of Jesus: “Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” This saying has been

Into the BookLearn from Jesus’ SermonsRead or WatchIn Ferris Bueller's Day Off, a high school senior skips school, reasoning that, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it" I may not let my kids use that line to ditch school, but he has a point. As we race through our days, we lose sight of the forest when we fixate on the trees. Likewise, a through-the-Bible reading plan can keep us zooming through chapters without realizing how it fits together. So before we wrap up the book, let's "stop and look around" at Matthew's gospel, noticing how five of Christ's sermons take center stage in this book. Each sermon’s design lends itself to teaching and memorization. And each ends by saying what happened "when he had finished" speaking (Matt. 7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1). Let's look at how these sermons have fit into the story of Jesus in Matthew.The Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7)After Matthew's introduction took us from Christ's birth to his early ministry (Matt. 1-4), we got a window into the kind of teaching that grabbed people's attention. "And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes. When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him" (Matt. 7:28-8:1). The Missionary Sermon (Matt. 10)After Jesus chose his apostles, he sent them with a warning of persecutions (Matt. 10:16-25), a promise of providence (Matt. 10:26-32), and a sense of authority (Matt. 10:40). "When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples" he continued preaching throughout Galilee (Matt. 11:1). But controversy grew in the next set of stories, fulfilling the sermon's foreboding tone. The Parable Sermon (Matt. 13)Christ's parables painted earthly pictures to illustrate the kingdom of God. They hid the truth from some but illuminated it for others, and the difference between these two groups becomes even clearer in the next stories. "And when Jesus had finished these parables" he faced rejection in his hometown (Matt. 13:53-58) before turning to others, including Gentiles (Matt. 15:21-39). The Church Sermon (Matt. 18)Here, Jesus directed congregational life, prompted by a question about "Who is the greatest in the kingdom" (Matt. 18:1). "Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan" (Matt. 19:1), transitioning from Galilee to his Judean ministry.The Sermon of Predictions (Matt. 24 & 25)On Monday and Tuesday (Matt. 24 & 25), Jesus predicts the fall of Jerusalem and the temple (Matt. 24:1-34), then explains his final coming in judgment (Matt. 24:35-25:46). "_When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said … "the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”" (Matt. 26:1–2). So the final chapters of the book will lead us through the betrayal night (Matt. 26), crucifixion (Matt. 27), and resurrection of the Lord (Matt. 28).All of these sermons share an underlying theme: separation. The Lord's trial gives us a final, literal example of what we've seen throughout the book — people deciding what they think about this figure. As a familiar hymn says, "What will you do with Jesus?"Then at the end of the book, the disciples receive a commission to instill all of the Lord's teaching in new disciples throughout the world (Matt. 28:19-20). How fitting that this book of Christ's sermons closes with a command for us to continue Jesus' ministry of teaching!Support the Show

Yes! You're here. Question for you? You ever feel like you were judged for not following the rules? Ever been frustrated with the moral police? Has it kept you from church or avoiding certain family members? This is your episode. Here you go...Rules. Okay, rule followers, yes, we do need structure. Structure does help. Society and order are nice to have. You know who else has a lot of rules and order? North Korea, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia. Do you want more rules or do you want more heart? Do you enjoy being married to an a-hole that needs to be right all the time? Who in the right mind wants to go to a church or family where they feel belittled? Are you really passionate about Jesus? Then you will love like Jesus. You will follow his most two important commands: Love God, Love Others. All the other rules that you may be passionate about mean nothing if you don't get those first two right. So religious elite, put that in your spiritual pipe and smoke it. And for those that feel/felt belittled, you are now empowered with Truth. Strange Love works. Love is greatest of all. If you are versed, you know that. Let us all, including myself, practice that more. For those confused, here's a prayer for you. God, I may not get all of this. I do know I want and need more love. Can you open my eyes to this Jesus love you promised me. I choose to accept. And for those that chose to accept it already, will you show me them how to better love and less judge. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.Ending on a song note, HotRod suggested 'All you Need is Love', fitting. Yes the Beatles are flawed. We are flawed. I'm getting the pull to another song that you have never heard before. Another secular? Rule alert, rule alert. Some of your rules say we should end on a Christian song. We don't. In fact, I love to find and connect God's Light via secular sources. Case in point. I'm certain most of you have never heard this song. And if you just heard it without context you would ask, what is up with that song and how does it fit? In fact she uses the f word! Rule alert. Rule alert! Here is the context. Listening to this song it reminded me of Gomer, the former prostitute that married Hosea. It made me think of what she could have been telling herself before Hosea forgave and rescued her back. She screwed so up many times. She f'd up. She feels likes a loser. Doesn't feel worthy. Now feeling lonely. This is Supalonely by Benee. Please give her some love and add it to your playlist. BTW, shout out to NZ! Benee is from NZ. I bet she never thought her song would be promoted via a Christian men's group. Shout out to NZ Emily! One of our favorite listeners and authors of one of the nicest reviews written about us on Apple Podcasts. Extra challenge, when you hear this song, Google or get yourself a Bible and actually open the book of Hosea and read about Gomer. Or if you feel like you have been judging too much lately. Go back to the Strange Love episode on July 4th. No matter how much you have screwed up, God loves you. You don't have to be lonely. You don't have to feel like a loser. God will have mercy on you just like God did with Gomer and even Hosea. Love works. Jesus works. Now go, serve, forgive, judge less and love more...

010 Episode -- Toni Daniels shares the impact of vibrant families of Jesus and the new book she co-authored.Joy Fueled - Catalyzing A Revolution of Joyful CommunitiesToni Daniels - Training ChampionToni is passionate about seeing relational restoration in every level of society by awakening, inspiring and training emotional, spiritual ninja warriors.God-given Design: Toni takes risks and spearheads experiments to find and implement the best pathways to fuel Jesus’ revolution of Joy.TONI DANIELS Missionary for 18 years Uraguary - Social Entrepreneur / Relational training Mom of 4 (10-30) / Wife - 26 years Wrote a book Back To Joy: An Intimate Journey Into Emotional Health and MaturityPart of LK10 Ministries - https://lk10.com/The MissionTo start vibrant families of Jesus within reach of every person on the planet.Our 5 Core ValuesIn short, Lk10 is characterized by joy-fueled, Jesus-led communities of practice, training spiritual moms and dads to nurture ecosystems of grace. Here’s a closer look at each of these values:Joy-FueledJoy, that feeling you get when you are “glad to be together no matter what” is what fuels and motivates us within LK10 (John 14:10). Instead of living out of shame, guilt, or duty, we take time to connect heart to heart with each other. We also ask God, “how do you feel about being with us?” This question gets at our root motivations and consistently brings relational peace as it reveals God’s deep enjoyment of us fueling us to move into our world full of life and presence. Are you burned out? Tired of church as usual? Looking for deeper connection with others and with Jesus?Then you’re in the right place. Lk10 trains people like you to start Jesus-led, joy-fueled communities. We’re re-imagining church as a simple, organic, and participatory family.Visit us at https://www.presenceandpractice.com/If you are interested in Contemplative Marriage & Family therapy find out more here.https://www.loppnowrelationshipcenter.com/

Part 7 - You have Jesus? Then you have the touch that heals - share it!

How many of us want to see the whole world come to Jesus? Then, we must call people not only to believe in Jesus but to become worshipers! Gabriel states: "The gospel is a call to worship and the fruit of the gospel should be worshipers". We need to become worshipers so we can produce more. It starts with us, with our way of living. We need to have a life style that honors the Lord, then we will be able to go to the world to produce more worshipers. This is a message that will change your prospective on Worship and Evangelism!

This week, Kaitlyn lectures over the “connecting section” in Mark, Mark 8:27-10:52. She begins with a broad strokes look at what has happened in the first 8 chapters, and how Mark has answered the question “Who is Jesus?” Then, she teaches about Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ. Following Peter’s confession, Jesus foretells His own death and resurrection three different times, and Kaitlyn walks us through these three conversations as well as the discussions about the cost of discipleship that follow each one. She shows how the economy of the Kingdom of God is often upside-down and backward, and she discusses what it means to take up your cross, the deceptiveness of wealth, and the seriousness of sin. She ends with a look at who Jesus is and how we can respond to Him based on Mark 8:27-10:52.You can find the slides for Session 5 here.

On this episode of Speaking of Which we're asked the question of does Jurassic Park know more than Jesus? Then we discuss the all the new Pokémon that have graced us this past week. Then to wrap things up we discuss "Wisconsin racism." Make sure to check out the pictures that are referenced in this episode at www.facebook.com/speakingofwhichpodcast/ Also we have a patreon to fuel our addictions. You can find it here www.patreon.com/SpeakingofWhich Check out Rupel and Rose at www.twitch.tv/roselovesrupel Check out Rawrz McGee at www.twitch.tv/rawrzmcgee Check out Max on www.twitch.tv/purplesaber If you like what hear make sure to like us on soundcloud: @the-rupel And if you really like us subscribe to our Itunes and leave a review: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rupel/id1145072724 And if you enjoy the antics of The Rupel, make sure to check out the other podcast he's featured at www.talkingwithburritos.com/ Make sure to check out The Jasons, which their song Welcome Home(Camp Crystal Lake) is featured as an intro to this episode, and buy some sweet merch at www.thejasons.bigcartel.com/ and check them out on social media at www.facebook.com/thejasonsband/

Gretchen Foster discusses shame with Claudia and Allie. Talking through how Jesus engages with our shame. Bible verses we'll be in today: 2 Samuel 13:1-22 2 Samuel 19-20 John 8 Breaking Free - Beth Moore Application: Fill in the blank from last week. "I heard you and I was afraid because I __________; so I hid" Add Jesus' response as a conversation. Jesus = “Has no one judged you guilty, (your name here)?” You = “No one, Lord.” Jesus = “Then neither do I judge you guilty. Go now and leave your life of sin.” Do this as many times as you need to till it sticks and sinks in. Quiet yourself and listen. Listen to Jesus’ message. A message He wrote in His own blood: NOT GUILTY Please comment below and share your thoughts with us. Please like this video and subscribe to this channel, so you can watch the latest videos in this series. You can follow us on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/in.the.becoming/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inthebecoming/ Subscribe to us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/inthebecoming Subscribe to us on iTunes. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/in-the-becoming/id1449521760?mt=2 Subscribe to us on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/matt-foster/in-the-becoming We're also on Spotify podcast. Thank you so much for spending this time with us, we'll be praying for you. Have a great day! God bless you...

Do you want to be a follower of Jesus- Then you will have to ...follow...Jesus.

For Advent, we’re following the guide Celebrating Abundance by Walter Brueggemann. We want to create space to sit in the tension between our illusions of abundance and the abundance of newness. Or as Brueggemann says about Advent: "Advent is preparation for the demands of newness that will break the tired patterns of fear in our lives." Advent 2: Energy At Midpoint Song: Reckless Love by Bethel Recognition of Souls Prayer:  By your loving spirit, may Advent be a time of remembering and giving thanks, and also a time of renewing our energy and our resolve for mission. May we rest and obey. Amen. Song: Nothing I Hold On by United Pursuit Readings & Commentary: Isaiah 40:31   From Celebrating Abundance: The poem [in Isaiah 40] reflects a faith community in which the possibilities of the Gospel seem to have failed. We might call it burnout. They could not generate the old vitality. Nothing seemed to work. In this world, appeal to the power of God did not carry much weight. Song of Reflection: Scattered Stones by Young Oceans Reflection Prompts:  Song: O Come O Come Emmanuel Readings &Commentary:  From Celebrating Abundance: The news in this poem is for the faint in the church, those who have run out of steam, out of patience, out of courage, out of imagination, out of generosity. The reason we have run out is that we have believed the world too much. We have listened to the Babylonians. We have yearned too much for the American dream. And people who get caught in Babylonian dreams or American dreams wind up without energy for faith and mission. But as we focus on the God who is free and restless and at work, we break the spell of the empire, and we are free again. Song: Beautiful by Phil Wickham Song: King Of My Heart by John Mark McMillan Benediction: God, You are here God, You are good God, You are enough Amen Resources A Blessing For Longing by Jon O'Donohue Album: Advent by Young Oceans Practice In moments of longing this week, stop and pray: Come, thou long expected Jesus Then imagine the Holy Trinity turning to you and saying: Come, thou long expected Child  

People are bringing children to Jesus and He has to again explain to the disciples why this is not just ok but good. What does it tell us about children and Jesus? Then a young rich man asks Jesus what good thing he must do to get to heaven. This exchange ends sadly but there are words of hope in the aftermath. Daniel and Erick discuss all this and more in this episode. Check it out! Conference Info: www.herewestillstand.org 

Transformation Tuesdays was inspired by the CD "The Jesus Question" by Matthew Kelly. We recap the Gospel from the prior Sunday and give action steps and resources to transform our lives for that week every Tuesday at 2:10 p.m. at Morris Hall from Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Collinsville, IL…A Spiritual Home from Everyone… Deacon Jimmy Ghiglione: Hello, I’m Deacon Jimmy Ghiglione Aaron Emig: And I’m Aaron Emig We are celebrating the Resurrection of the Lord on Easter Day The Question for this week is… Do we live everyday of our lives as “Easter People?” The Gospel comes from: John 20:1-9 Deacon Jimmy Ghiglione: There is a story about Saint Francis of Assisi once had been asked for a coin by a beggar? Francis was coming from Easter services. He embraced the beggar warmly, called him "my brother," and gave him several coins. As Francis left the poor man, he turned back to wave. He saw Jesus Himself standing where the beggar had stood. He waved at Francis with a smile. Our belief is that Jesus did rise from the dead and that he appeared to the Apostles. And that by rising from the dead he broke through the barrier of death and opened up for us the way to eternal life with God in heaven. The resurrection is the sign that our sins can be forgiven and that God loves us and wants us to be with him in heaven forever. Aaron Emig: The great Resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday Jesus sacrificed His life so that we can all live eternal life in Heaven… He conquered death so that we can be forgiven our sins… His death brings us to eternal life with Him and the Father… His death also opened the Gates of Salvation for all that believe in Him… Deacon Jimmy Ghiglione: Today we experience the joy of the resurrection, the birth of new hope for the world. We experience the certainty that death has been destroyed once and for all and that for us death is not a tragedy but the gateway to everlasting life. Because we have been led by faith to this discovery we are called to live our lives differently than those who have no belief. Do we? Do we? Do we live everyday of our lives as “Easter People?” Proclaiming the good news by what we say and do. Do we thank the Lord for all the many blessings by a regular prayer life and attending Mass regularly? OR JUST ON EASTER. Do we put God first in our lives always? Watch for those opportunities to encounter the Love and mercy of God. Don’t forget about our loving Lord Jesus, He doesn’t forget about us. Aaron Emig: Again, we just need to have that belief and faith in Jesus that He is our Savior… God’s promise to us is…that if we believe in Jesus will have eternal life in Heaven… Once you totally sell out and have faith in Jesus… Then you can evangelize God’s mercy and promise to all…that you if you have faith in Jesus you will also receive eternal life… Aaron Emig: Wisdom Words for the Week Are… “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad.” Psalm 118:24 Aaron Emig: Transformation Tool… The Joy of the Gospel book by Pope Francis Our Papa basically tells us why the Gospel is the foundation of Christianity and how it helps us build that personal relationship with Jesus… We are giving free copies of the book at Morris Hall on each Tuesday at 2:10 p.m.… Again, on while supplies last… Aaron Emig: Transformation Tuesdays Prayer… “Jesus, how do You want me to transform my life today?” Deacon Jimmy Ghiglione: Easter Blessing… May God continue to bless each and every one of you, may He fill your lives with Easter joy today and every day. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Deacon Jimmy Ghiglione: God Bless from Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic Church…A Spiritual Home for Everyone

Do you believe in the healing of Jesus? Then this sermon is called "HEALING IS NOW!". Do you not believe? Then this sermon could be called "that can't happen". BIG DIFFERENCE. Listen and pray for the light of faith to believe in the healing that Jesus gives. HE HEALED A MAN BLIND FROM BIRTH - HE CAN HEAL YOU!

A daily devotional through the recorded words Jesus spoke while He walked alongside us. Our website http://alittlewalkwithgod.com. Thanks for joining me today for "A Little Walk with God." I'm your host Richard Agee. Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. I'm sure you've heard that saying many times. That old piece of wisdom popped into my head as I read Jesus' words today. Let me tell you why. Scripture John 4:8-18 Jesus: Would you draw water, and give Me a drink? Woman: I cannot believe that You, a Jew, would associate with me, a Samaritan woman; much less ask me to give You a drink. Jews, you see, have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus: You don't know the gift of God or who is asking you for a drink of this water from Jacob's well. Because if you did, you would have asked Him for something greater; and He would have given you the living water. Woman: Sir, You sit by this deep well a thirsty man without a bucket in sight. Where does this living water come from? Are You claiming superiority to our father Jacob who labored long and hard to dig and maintain this well so that he could share clean water with his sons, grandchildren, and cattle? Jesus: Drink this water, and your thirst is quenched only for a moment. You must return to this well again and again. I offer water that will become a wellspring within you that gives life throughout eternity. You will never be thirsty again. Woman: Please, Sir, give me some of this water, so I'll never be thirsty and never again have to make the trip to this well. Jesus: Then bring your husband to Me. Woman: I do not have a husband. Jesus: Technically you are telling the truth. But you have had five husbands and are currently living with a man you are not married to. Devotional So, you've heard the old sage's wisdom many times in your lifetime, I'm sure. “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Simple logic when you think about it Fill his belly once yourself or teach him to fill it every day on his own Too many times we are satisfied with giving someone a fish instead of teaching him to fish Why is it so easy to feed instead of teach? Takes much more time Must invest yourself in the person's life Must understand their strengths and limitations You must know how to do it in the first place Why would Jesus' words bring me to these thoughts today? God-sized hole in each of us Easy to try to fill it with worldly pleasure; like giving a person a fish, it doesn't last Jesus wants us to dig deep into His word Study what He tells us Put it into practice Learning from God how to fill that God-sized hole His way satisfies for eternity If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don't, tell me. I hope you'll join me again tomorrow for "A Little Walk with God."  

My favorite color is blue. I like pralines ‘n’ cream ice cream. I’m on the church choir, but I really can’t sing. God bless my choir director and pastor. I was always a writer, but I wasn’t always into Christian Fiction. Poetry was actually my forte and my first love when it came to writing. I was born on a major holiday, which sucked as a kid, got progressively better as I grew up, and now it is just another day. I’ve always dreamed of becoming an author and now with confidence I can quote Matthew 6:33 which says that if we seek the kingdom of God first, and his righteousness, everything will be added unto us. If you want to know more about me send in your questions and if they’re not on the wild side I’ll certainly entertain you.  If you’re looking for the traditional author’s bio scroll way, way down on the bottom for the polished version. Want more of me, my antics, and my Jesus? Then join me on Facebook and on Instrgram at NewNigeria. See you in cyberspace and hopefully face-to-face someday soon. Nigeria Lockley possesses two Master’s degrees from the City College of New York, one in English Secondary Education, which she utilizes as an educator with the New York City Department of Education. Her second Master’s degree is in Creative Writing. Born at Dawn is Nigeria’s first published novel. Nigeria serves as the Vice President of Bridges Family Services a not-for-profit organization that assists student parents interested in pursuing a degree in higher education. She is also the deaconess and clerk for her spiritual home King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Church of God. Nigeria is a New York native who resides in Harlem with her husband and two daughters.  

The resurrection of Jesus THEN means new life for you NOW - ‘more and better’ life than you’ve ever dreamed of.

Sin is a personal violation of a personal God who is holy. Want to follow Jesus? Then we must gain an accurate understanding of who Jesus is AND what we are turning from so that we can live for Christ fully. Ephesians 4 guides us there...

APOSTLE TALK  -  Future News Now! WWW.REALMIRACLES.COM with Prince Handley SELF DELIVERANCE: HOW TO DELIVER YOURSELF You can listen to this message NOW. Click on the LIbSyn pod circle (top left). Listen NOW or download for later. Or, LISTEN HERE NOW >>> LISTEN NOW For INSTANT REPLAY, go to: www.blubrry.com/prophecy/ Please email this message to a friend. 24/7 release of Prince Handley blogs, teachings, and podcasts >>> STREAM    SELF DELIVERANCE: HOW TO DELIVER YOURSELF MUSIC / INTRO Through the years I have known cases of MIRACLES of deliverance which happened as a result of self deliverance. These were cases where the person suffered repeated defeat . . . as a Christian . . . in such areas as repeated sinful practice, lack of productivity, self depredation, or a false sense of inferiority. These were cases of sincere Christians who lived for the Lord, loved Him and feared Him, and who WANTED and KNEW they needed help. These were also cases where the person KNEW how to pray for the deliverance of others. One day, years ago, the Lord revealed to me how to share with people like this the principle of self deliverance. It was amazing. I trust this teaching will help you to help others achieve the COMPLETE FREEDOM the Master purchased with His BLOOD! This is a short, but very effective and useful, teaching. If the content of this message is not for you at this time, then save/file or print it out to have on hand so that you may access it in the future for someone who needs it. I have known cases where people have been "bogged down" in sin, poverty, or repeated defeat, and have been instantly delivered through using the information described in this teaching. You probably have never read the information contained in this teaching. The reason: lack of knowledge in this area. Other than the Lord Jesus Christ, WHAT PERSON can pray for someone with such compassion and determination - and intimate knowledge of the problem(s) involved - than one's self? Someone you know probably needs this message NOW. Think of someone you know who has had a repeated problem over a long period of time . . . or shorter, since having been born again . . . but has NOT received freedom from, or over, their problem. The content of this teaching may be the answer for them; however, there are CONDITIONS that apply:      1. They must be a born again believer;      2. They must believe in The Deliverer, Jesus: in His POWER and WILLINGNESS to deliver them;      3. They must know how to deliver others (even if they never have); and,      4. They must really want deliverance. MUSIC There are several examples of the practice of, and the provisionary promise for, deliverance in the Holy Bible, in the lives of Jesus, Paul and the apostles, and Christians today. Many of you are familiar with these, but for those people that aren't, I will describe some of them briefly here: JESUS "Then was brought unto Him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb [speechless]: and He healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both was then able to speak and see." [Matthew 12:22] In this case the combined conditions of being blind and dumb were probably the result of an evil spirit of affliction, as we know from this passage that the man had been possessed with a demon. Even in a Christian's life, although a demon is NOT possessing them - Christ is possessing them - their might be a case of a spirit of sickness afflicting them. Not in all cases, but in some cases! And the spirit can be dealt with successfully in the name of Jesus, thereby effecting their deliverance and resultant healing. "And Jesus rebuked the devil: and the demoniac being departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour." [Matthew 17:18] PAUL AND THE APOSTLES "And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: The same followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation. And this she did many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour." [Acts 16:16-18] "And God worked special miracles by the hands of Paul: so that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out from them." [Acts 19:11-12] NOTE: An afflicting spirit may be sent for other reasons than those examples above. It may have an assignment from the enemy to cause fear, a false sense of inferiority, or a lack of believing for success. It may be some SEEMINGLY SMALL stronghold that has kept the Christian from excelling, succeeding, or being productive over the years . . . or entrapped in a practice. MUSIC CHRISTIANS TODAY "And these signs shall follow THEM THAT BELIEVE, In My name shall they cast out demonic beings, they shall speak with new tongues . . ." [Mark 16:17] There are basically three (3) REASONS a person might want to utilize self deliverance.      1. They really want deliverance.      2. Nothing else has worked for them.      3. They keep having the same struggles and/or practicing the same unclean practices even though they INTENTLY REPENT after each instance. WHAT THEY NEED TO DO IN PREPARATION      1. Develop a REASON, a motive, for wanting deliverance. This is also something they can review, or reflect upon, from time to time to enforce the desire to remain free. Study "The Power of a Separated Life" by Apostle Handley. This may be obtained by going to the Archives in The Apostles Group and selecting this title dated February 14, 2004.      2. Know their deliverance is THE WILL of God and is part of Christ's ministry.      Jesus sent out his apostles to:           Preach and teach;           Heal; and,           Cast out demons. If a person knows Jesus Christ as their Lord, NO demon, NO evil spirit can have them! Jesus said, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed." The Greek word here used for "indeed" [ontos] means "really, actually."      3. Study "How To Be Delivered" by Apostle Handley. This teaching may be obtained at www.realmiracles.org. This may also be accessed by login to The Apostles Group and going to the Archives. There you may select the newsletter titled "How To Be Delivered" dated July 21, 2002. (Or, type in the words "How To Be Delivered" in the "Search" box at the top of the Archives.) Deliverance belongs to the born again believer! To "deliver" is to "set free." Jesus said, "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." [John 8:32] Some people are bound by demons (spirits) of infirmity, or sickness. Self deliverance may usually be effected in the same manner described below in the section "How To Minister Self Deliverance," especially with the "laying on of hands" being visualized in self deliverance. However, some cases are not resolved immediately because of "hindrances" to healing. These hindrances, as well as "gifts of healing" are covered fully in the unabridged book by Prince Handley titled: Health and Healing: Complete Guide to Wholeness. MUSIC There are also demon spirits which bind people financially, and in other areas of life. Good News: the BLOOD of Christ is effective in these areas - as in all areas - of life. In 2 Peter 1:4 we read that God has given to us "exceeding great and precious promises: that by these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." One other solution that I have seen successful in problems of uncleanness or immorality . . . the person has to really be serious and KNOW what they're doing . . . is for the person to PROMISE God they will never take part in that practice, or habit, again. "When thou make a vow to God, defer not [put off or postpone] to pay it; for He has no pleasure in fools: pay that which you have vowed." [Ecclesiastes 5:4] HOW TO MINISTER SELF DELIVERANCE      1. See yourself in the midst of that problem.      2. See yourself laying hands on yourself, exorcizing the demon spirit(s) that oppress you.      3. See yourself delivered [free] from that problem. SUGGESTION: You can also use the above to BLESS YOURSELF scripturally. That is, releasing the blessings of God in and upon yourself based upon scriptural truths and promises and with right motives: to build yourself up that you might serve the Lord more effectively, edify the Body of Christ, and reach the world for Christ! Also, to be a blessing to your loved ones. This is NOT a "mind game;" nor is it new age meditation or visualization. You are actually and literally ministering deliverance and blessing to yourself . . . IN FAITH . . . and through the power of the Holy Spirit. However, instead of praying for someone else, you're SEEING yourself in that place. It works! Real miracles result where Jesus the Messiah receives ALL the glory and His Kingdom is extended through holiness. What I have shared with you in this teaching is POWERFUL. I trust you will have many testimonies to share in the future of people who were helped with this. Let us know by email to: princehandley@gmail.com. Baruch haba b'Shem Adonai. Your friend, Prince Handley MUSIC Podcast time: 15 minutes, 04seconds OTHER HEALING RESOURCES: http://hmpodcast.wordpress.com/2009/05/07/healing-from-the-attacks-of-satan/ www.hmpodcast.wordpress.com www.healing.libsyn.com Watch this man with stomach cancer get off his death bed healed by the power of Messiah Yeshua. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsdV5s_r4YM ______________________________________________________________ Rabbinical & Biblical Studies The Believers’ Intelligentsia Prince Handley Portal (1,000’s of FREE resources) Prince Handley Books ______________________________________________________________    Scroll down for all previous messages (with Show Notes).Or, go to Apostle Talk - Future News Now.