Podcasts about judas

On today's episode, Johnnette asks the question of which three people were born without original sin! Listeners call in weighing in on the question and asking whether Judas had free will when he betrayed Jesus.

Matt Shiles hosts Pastor Josh in the studio to talk about the third installment of the series, Under Pressure & Stressed Out. In this episode, Matt walks Pastor Josh through exploring the differences between stress and pressure. Pastor Josh includes some personal stories about his dealing with this in the past. Join us for this newest installment in this hard-hitting series!

The Bible forgot to tell us what Jesus actually looked like, so ye olde artists just went with: really, really, really ridiculously good-looking. And almost always naked for some reason?Christianity somehow ended up with a silky-haired, muscular, half-naked thirst trap Jesus who has been turning church pews into awkward puberty chambers for centuries. We follow handsome Jesus from the supposedly ugly Suffering Servant of Isaiah through Renaissance abs, transparent loincloths, exposed genitals and Michelangelo's beefcake Messiah — all the way to the 2024 “Sexy Jesus” poster that sent conservative Christians into an outrage spiral. Along the way we investigate Jesus' alleged beard, the theological importance of his junk, and Christianity's deeply weird relationship with sex, nudity and homosexuality. Fully scripted. Heavily produced. Featuring the two best Ninja Turtles and Lexi repeatedly discovering that Italian and Latin are apparently not pronounced the way they look.  Patreon -Join us on Patreon for unsolicited Jesus dikpix! (Maybe.) But you definitely get 2 bonus episodes a month, early ad-free listening, and exclusive extras — no homosexuality-as-a-weapon required.

In this episode of Beloved & Blessed's women's Bible study, Kimberly Hahn unpacks the Third Sorrowful Mystery—Jesus's Crowning with Thorns. Taking up the story immediately after Jesus's scourging, Kimberly walks us through His crowning with thorns, Pilate's remark “Ecce Homo,” and the Jewish leaders' demand for crucifixion. In this episode you'll discover what happened to Judas, the religious leaders' true attitude toward Jesus, and why the crown of thorns hearkens back to Genesis Rich with Old Testament background, this episode will deepen your meditations on the Third Sorrowful Mystery and help you discover why “bearing wrongs patiently” is this mystery's fruit.

In John 18, the quiet of the garden is interrupted as Judas arrives with soldiers to arrest Jesus. But what unfolds is not the story of a helpless man overtaken by circumstances. Jesus knows exactly what is coming, steps forward willingly, and demonstrates that He remains completely in control. He is not coerced toward the cross—He willingly moves toward the very purpose for which He came.Even in the moments leading to His arrest, we see the character of Christ on display. He protects His disciples, shows mercy to His enemies, and willingly accepts the cup the Father has given Him. Jesus stands in the place of sinners, bearing the wrath they deserve so that those who believe in Him can receive grace, life, and joy.Key Points: 1. Judas' Betrayal 2. Jesus' Power 3. Jesus' Protection 4. Jesus' Mercy 5. Jesus' Mission

En Judas 1–2, antes de advertirnos sobre la apostasía y llamarnos a contender por la fe, Judas nos recuerda quiénes somos en Cristo: llamados, amados, guardados y bendecidos. Este mensaje nos invita a enfrentar las voces, presiones y engaños de nuestro tiempo no desde el temor, sino desde la seguridad de una identidad que Dios mismo nos ha dado.

What if the most important question we could ask about the crucifixion is not a historical one, but a deeply personal one? This message takes us on a journey through the events surrounding the death of Jesus, examining the roles of Satan, Judas, the religious leaders, the crowds, and the Roman authorities. One by one, we consider each candidate, and one by one, we discover that the answer runs deeper than any of them. Drawing from Isaiah 53, where the prophet declares that the God laid all our sins on Jesus, and from 1 Peter 2:24, which reminds us that Jesus bore our sins on the cross, we are brought to a stunning and humbling conclusion. It was not a particular group or a specific historical villain who is ultimately responsible. It is us. Our pride, our rebellion, our turning away from God sent Jesus to the cross. And yet the message does not leave us in guilt. It lifts us into wonder, because Jesus was not a victim. He laid down his life willingly, declaring in John 10 that no one took it from him. His love held him there. Understanding this changes everything about how we relate to sin, to Christ, and to one another.

What does love actually look like when it’s difficult, uncomfortable, or undeserved? In this episode of Perspectives, Revs. Trudy and Brittany explore what we really mean when we talk about love through the story of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet in John 13:3–9. And there's a particularly difficult question at the heart of the story: Why would Jesus wash Judas’s feet—even knowing Judas would betray him? Together, the female pastors of First United Methodist Church of San Diego discuss: How Jesus turned an ordinary act of hospitality into something radical Why love can feel uncomfortable and vulnerable The challenge of both giving and receiving love Why unconditional love is so difficult for us What it means to love someone who may hurt or betray us The difference between love, grace, and forgiveness How vulnerability and community shape the way we experience love What it means to follow Jesus on a journey to a more open and expansive heart Reflection Questions When has love called you to do something that seemed ridiculous or unreasonable to others? What makes it difficult/uncomfortable for you to let others love and care for you? Who has shown you a kind of love that changed the way you understand love? Continue the conversation: This episode is part of our five-week series exploring “What We Really Mean When We Talk About…” – giving us the opportunity to reflect upon and explore tricky theological concepts. Next week, we'll explore what we really mean when we talk about peace. Whether you're deconstructing your faith, exploring progressive Christianity, pursuing justice, or simply asking honest questions about Scripture, we hope you'll join the conversation. Convergence discussion group (Sundays at 12 PM) Join our Patreon community Time Stamps 00:00 Love Is More Than What You Say 01:47 Why Would Jesus Wash His Disciples’ Feet? 04:00 Why Love Can Be Radical, Ridiculous & Uncomfortable 06:15 Why Receiving Love Can Be So Difficult 08:32 Love Requires Vulnerability 09:41 Why Did Jesus Wash Judas’s Feet? 12:25 Why Is Unconditional Love So Hard? 13:53 Love, Grace & Forgiveness: What’s the Difference? 20:44 Love Isn’t a One-Way Street 22:54 Are You Better at Giving or Receiving Love?

Be Careful When You Share The Truth, Your Tone Or Attitude Can Close The Ears Who Néed To Hear Acts 15:22-29 22Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, men who were leaders among the believers. 23With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings. 24We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— 26men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.

Ashe in America and Ghost call Season 5, Episode 4 of The Chosen, "The Same Coin," a real turning point, and they mean it. This episode zeroes in on two men chasing the same broken idea of righteousness from opposite sides, as Judas continues to unravel and Shmuel crosses a line of his own that changes everything for him. The hosts spend real time on the Last Supper dialogue between Jesus and Judas, breaking down just how close the show sticks to the Gospel accounts while still finding room for gut wrenching original material. Expect a close look at betrayal, self deception, and what happens when someone convinces themselves that compromise is really conviction. They also talk through where Shmuel's arc is headed and why his storyline mirrors Judas more than either character would probably admit. As always there is warm banter, some sponsor reads, and genuine reverence for how the show keeps raising the emotional stakes. Ashe promises no spoilers too soon, so settle in.

What does the gospel say about entitlement in a culture that believes it deserves everything? John Harris joins Ray, E.Z., Mark, and Oscar for a conversation about entitlement, gratitude, and the humility that flows from understanding God's grace. The discussion begins by examining how a growing sense of entitlement has shaped modern culture, reminding listenersthat this struggle is not unique to society but is rooted in every human heart. While it is easy to recognize entitlement in others, the guys challenge believers first to examine themselves, remembering that Christians are called to respond to a changing culture with the same love, service, and faithfulness that marked the early church.The guys explain that every person bears God's image and should be treated with dignity and respect, even when they are difficult or demanding. Looking to the life of Christ, they show that people often seek temporary solutions, even though their greatest need is the gospel. As believers grow in their understanding of God's grace, they realize that everything they have is a gift rather than something they have earned. Humility flourishes when Christians remember that God owes them nothing yet has freely given them everything they need in Christ.From there, the discussion turns to practical ways believers can combat entitlement in everyday life. The guys encourage listeners to cultivate gratitude, renew their minds with Scripture, and view every circumstance through the lens of God's sovereignty. Rather than focusing on what ishappening to them, Christians are called to consider what God is accomplishing through them. They remind listeners that trials are opportunities for spiritual growth and that thankfulness is one of the most powerful weapons against pride. As believers learn to treasure Christ aboveearthly comforts, they become increasingly content with whatever the Lord has ordained.Finally, the conversation points to Jesus as the ultimate example of humility and servanthood. Though He alone was truly entitled to glory and honor, Christ willingly humbled Himself, served others, and even washed Judas's feet before going to the cross. The guys challenge listeners to follow their Savior by embracing repentance, practicing daily faithfulness, and serving otherswithout seeking recognition. Ultimately, this episode reminds believers that the evidence of a heart transformed by the gospel is not demanding to be served but joyfully becoming a servant for the glory of God.Send us Fan MailThanks for listening! If you've been helped by this podcast, we'd be grateful if you'd consider subscribing, sharing, and leaving us a comment and 5-star rating! Visit the Living Waters website to learn more and to access helpful resources!You can find helpful counseling resources at biblicalcounseling.com.Check out The Evidence Study Bible and the Basic Training Course.You can connect with us at podcast@livingwaters.com. We're thankful for your input!Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.Ray ComfortEmeal (“E.Z.”) ZwayneMark SpenceOscar Navarro

Everyone makes mistakes, but how we respond to those mistakes can shape our faith, leadership, and relationships. In this episode of Truth Talk Live, Ryan, John, and Dr. Abidan Shah discuss the difference between ordinary mistakes and serious infractions, and why humility is essential when we get things wrong. Through the examples of Peter, Judas, and Billy Graham, they explore how God can use failure, correction, and difficult experiences to refine us and prepare us for what comes next. The conversation also highlights the importance of godly mentors who are willing to speak truth into our lives and help us grow. Above all, listeners are reminded that God's grace is greater than our mistakes and that, with humility and faith, there is always hope for restoration and a better tomorrow.

Send us Fan MailGod could end evil in an instant, so why doesn't He? We start with Israel watching the Red Sea open, then doubting almost immediately, and we follow that same human pattern into one of the hardest themes in Christian theology: God's long suffering. We talk about why divine patience should never be mistaken for approval, weakness, or indifference, and why the delay of judgment is part of a deliberate purpose that's unfolding across history. From Pharaoh and the plagues to Romans 9, we explore how God patiently endures rebellion while still directing outcomes, and how that patience leaves the final judgment unmistakably just. Then we tackle the “same lump of clay” argument head-on by bringing Judas into the picture: we're not saved because we're better, and the lost aren't condemned because they're made from different material. The difference is mercy and grace, not superior clay. We also debate whether God's sovereignty and human responsibility run like parallel train tracks or whether they truly intersect, using Proverbs, God's decree, and the idea of God employing real human desires as real means. Along the way, we touch on election language from Romans 11 and keep returning to the central thread: God's glory. Salvation isn't only rescue; it's God making known the riches of His glory on vessels of mercy prepared beforehand for glory. If you've ever wondered how patience, justice, sovereignty, and human accountability fit together, this conversation will stretch you in the best way. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves deep Bible study, and leave a review. Where do you land on the “parallel vs intersecting” question?Support the showBE PROVOKED AND BE PERSUADED!

In this powerful message from The Follow Me Series, Pastor Putnam explores the story of Matthias in Acts 1 and the importance of trusting God's timing. When the disciples faced an empty place after Judas' departure, they moved to fill the vacancy—but Jesus had instructed them to wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit. This message challenges us to consider how often we try to solve problems simply because waiting makes us uncomfortable. God's plan may be preparing something—or someone—we cannot yet see. Through the contrast between Matthias and Saul of Tarsus, we are reminded that God's choices can look very different from our own. Discover why waiting is not doing nothing—it is active trust and obedience. When the answer hasn't come, the door hasn't opened, or the path isn't clear, we can trust that God is still working. God's will is worth the wait. To hear more about what God is doing in Sheboygan County and beyond, visit us at posc.church!

What do you do when your sins feel too heavy to carry, when your closest friends turn against you, or when you look at the world and wonder why the wicked seem to prosper while the faithful suffer? In Psalms 49–101, the psalmists give voice to our rawest cries, leading us from the depths of personal brokenness straight into the healing sanctuary of God. Summary: In this moving exploration of Psalms 49–101, we walk through the second major collection of the Hebrew Psalter. Moving between searing prayers of confession and breathtaking anthems of praise, these chapters provide an emotional and spiritual compass for every trial of mortality. The Agony of Confession: We dissect Psalm 51, David's brokenhearted plea after Nathan confronted him regarding Bathsheba. We examine what it means to offer a "broken and a contrite heart," asking God not just for a pardon, but to "create in me a clean heart". The Sting of Betrayal: In Psalm 55, we explore David's lament over being betrayed not by an open enemy, but by an equal and trusted companion—a passage that powerfully foreshadows Judas's betrayal of Jesus Christ. Envy and the Sanctuary Perspective: We study Asaph's crisis of faith in Psalm 73, where his feet almost slipped while envying the ease of the worldly—until he entered the sanctuary of God and understood their end. Tears in a Bottle & God's Memory: We dive into Psalm 56, discovering the tender truth that God numbers our wanderings, stores our tears in His bottle, and never leaves us to face mortality alone. Divine Potential and Council: We analyze Psalm 82, exploring the divine council and the Savior's quotation of verse 6 ("Ye are gods") to understand the balance between human humility and divine heritage. Entering His Gates with Praise: We conclude with the exuberant joy of Psalm 100, examining the seven invitations to worship and the remarkable story of how the Spirit prompted B. H. Roberts to read this exact psalm in a moment of public trial. Call-to-Action: When your heart feels overwhelmed, David pleads: "Lead me to the rock that is higher than I" (Psalm 61:2). What verse or phrase from Psalms 49–101 has served as your anchor during seasons of spiritual disorientation? Share your favorite psalm and personal insights in the comments below. To keep your gospel foundation anchored and "Unshaken," please like, subscribe, and share this video! Chapter Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction 5:09 Worldly Wealth (49) 12:41 Covenant Renewal (50) 26:12 A Plea for Forgiveness (51) 48:58 Wickedness, Doubt, & Disloyalty (52-55) 1:05:41 Pleas for Help, Mercy, & Vengeance (56-58) 1:14:16 Innocent Suffering, and a Call to Arms (59-60) 1:22:33 Rocks, Wings, Walls, Water, & Weapons (61-64) 1:37:20 Thanksgiving, Finding Family, & the House of the Lord (65-68) 2:01:25 Messianic Psalms & Deep Waters (69-72) 2:18:38 Envying the Wicked, Apostasy, & the Bitter Cup (73-76) 2:29:43 Dealing with Depression (77) 2:40:28 Learning from the Past (78) 2:52:25 Planting & Renewing (79-81) 3:00:07 Gods in Embryo (82) 3:07:24 Redemptive Turbulence & the Temple (83-84) 3:15:40 Mercy & Truth's Kiss (85-87) 3:26:00 Work for the Dead & Wayward Children (88-89) 3:40:20 Long Life, Safety, & Sanctuaries in Time & Space (90-94) 3:57:05 Enthronement Hymns & Psalms of Celebration (95-99) 4:10:51 The Thanksgiving Psalm (100) 4:16:16 Conclusion

Ian Cassel, founder of MicroCapClub and author of Stock Picker, joins Matt Zeigler to break down the mindset, temperament and core skills required to outperform as an active stock picker. They discuss microcap investing, position sizing, active patience, valuation, management quality, portfolio survival, benchmarking against the S&P 500 and how great investors evolve their edge over decades.Stock Picker: How to Develop the Mindset, Temperament, and Strategy to Outperform Wall Streethttps://amzn.to/4hU28ImTopics coveredHow an investor's motivations change as ambition gives way to family, legacy and the scarcity of timeHow Ian turned $20,000 into $120,000, then watched it fall to $8,000, and why that early win permanently shaped his risk toleranceIan's four-part survival framework: recession-resistant growth, strong balance sheets, conservative valuation and signs of intelligent fanaticismWhy balance-sheet strength is not just defensive and can let great companies act aggressively when competitors are forced to retreatWhy Ian targets roughly a 25 percent CAGR without relying on multiple expansionThe Judas goat lesson, talking your book on social media and why investors still have to do their own workWhy comparing short-term returns can corrupt an investing process and why Ian measures himself against the S&P 500 over a 10-year horizonThe five core stock-picking skills: identifying, analyzing, buying, selling and holding, plus why selling matters especially in microcapsWhy position sizing should account for initial excitement, and why Ian now starts much smaller than he did earlier in his careerActive patience, expanding your circle of competence and the difference between good, great and GOAT stock pickersWhy temperament evolves with experience, why leverage can destroy otherwise good investing, and why the best investors keep sharpening their edgeWhy Ian is willing to back repeat-winner management teams before every piece of the business is fully in placeTimestamps00:00 Intro06:58 The $20,000 to $120,000 win and 90 percent loss11:02 Ian Cassel's four-part survival framework15:02 Why strong balance sheets create offensive optionality19:03 The Judas goat and social media stock promotion23:18 Why comparison is the enemy for stock pickers29:39 The five core stock-picking skills34:43 Active patience and knowing what you are looking for39:28 Good, great and GOAT stock pickers47:02 How investor temperament evolves over time52:03 Leverage, situational awareness and surviving to compound57:24 Betting on repeat-winner management before the numbers arriveLearn more about the Excess Returns podcast network:https://excessreturns.coNo information discussed in this podcast should be construed as investment advice. Securities discussed may be held by the hosts and guests, their firms or their clients.

This week, we look at Judas and Peter. Two men. Two very different walks with Jesus. Only one of these two men called Him Lord. Only one of these two men called Him the Messiah. Only one of these two men was covered by the Blood in the end. The question is whether we have truly made Jesus our Lord and surrendered our lives to Him. This sermon explores the difference between those who were never truly saved and those who belong to Christ.

What Is Christian Warfare? Jonathan Parnell Download Psalm 109,Be not silent, O God of my praise!2 For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues.3 They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause.4 In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer.5 So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love.6 Appoint a wicked man againsthim; letan accuser stand at his right hand.7 When he is tried, let him come forth guilty; let his prayer be counted as sin!8 May his days be few; may another take his office!9 May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow!10 May his children wander about and beg, seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit!11 May the creditor seize all that he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil!12 Let there be none to extend kindness to him, nor any to pity his fatherless children!13 May his posterity be cut off; may his name be blotted out in the second generation!14 May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out!15 Let them be before the Lord continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth!16 For he did not remember to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and the brokenhearted, to put them to death.17 He loved to curse; let curses come upon him! He did not delight in blessing; may it be far from him!18 He clothed himself with cursing as his coat; may it soak into his body like water, like oil into his bones!19 May it be like a garment that he wraps around him, like a belt that he puts on every day!20 May this be the reward of my accusers from the Lord, of those who speak evil against my life!21 But you, O God myLord,deal on my behalf for your name's sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me!22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is stricken within me.23 I am gone like a shadow at evening; I am shaken off like a locust.24 My knees are weak through fasting; my body has become gaunt, with no fat.25 I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they wag their heads.26 Help me, O Lord my God!Save me according to your steadfast love!27 Let them know that this is your hand; you, O Lord, have done it!28 Let them curse, but you will bless! They arise and are put to shame, but your servant will be glad!29 May my accusers be clothed with dishonor; may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a cloak!30 With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord; I will praise him in the midst of the throng.31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.In 1657, an English Puritan named John Arrowsmith wrote a book describing the Christian life as warfare. He says this warfare is not something that happens every now and then, but it's constant: To be a Christian is to be at war, period. Sometimes we can have moments of respite — which are gifts — but the baseline reality of the Christian life is that we actually live behind enemy lines.Arrowsmith writes: [quote] “Christians dwell in enemy territory so long as they [are in this] world.” Everyday we fight against the world, the flesh, and the devil, but he explains the real enemy is Satan himself. The Book of Revelation calls Satan “that ancient serpent” (going back to Genesis Chapter 3)…This means we're in an ancient war, against an ancient enemy, and therefore Christians should understand themselves as spiritual warriors.That's Arrowsmith's main point, and it's a good one. And what I find fascinating about it is that in 17th century Europe nobody heard him explain this and thought he was being too intense. Nobody thought he was forcing the framework. And so if we hear it and we think he's being too extreme, it's probably because we're the ones living in the bubble … Understand most of human history has been marked by suffering and violence …And it's not just that life itself is hard, but it's that for most humans throughout history, they've understood what it means to have enemies— I don't mean metaphorical enemies; not merely ideological enemies. But I'm talking about real, physical enemies who are active threats.That category has been normal for most people historically, and so the concept of the Christian life as warfare makes sense to them. … And I believe it'll make more sense to us the more we are shaped by the Bible. That's what we're gonna see this morning. Looking at Psalm 109, I want to show you four facts about Christian warfare. These facts were true when David wrote this psalm; they were true in the 17th century when Arrowsmith wrote his book; and they're true right now — so we can't afford not to know these things. The first fact is this:1. There are enemies of Christ. Right away we see that Psalm 109 is about enemies. Verse 1 opens: “Be not silent, O God of my praise! For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues …”This is obvious opposition. Then in verse 6, there's still plural enemies, but a singular enemy comes into view and verse 8 says:“May his days be few; may another take his office!”“May his days be few; may another take his office!”Now if you've recently read the Book of Acts in the New Testament, that might sound familiar to you. That's because in Acts Chapter 1, one of the first things Peter does after Jesus's resurrection, is he tells the other disciples that they need to replace Judas (remember Jesus had twelve disciples, but Judas betrayed Jesus and hung himself, so they were down to eleven disciples). And the reason Peter gives for replacing Judas is Psalm 109, verse 8. This is Acts 1:15 — there were 120 brand-new Christians altogether, and Peter says:Hey, everyone, we need to replace Judas because the Holy Spirit spoke by the mouth of David concerning Judas that another should take his office.Peter quotes Psalm 109:8, which means that Peter (and the other early Christians), who had been trained by Jesus how to read the Old Testament, they interpreted the enemy in Psalm 109 to be Judas. This is amazing! Now I wanna show you how they get there …Psalm 109 is a Psalm of David, and as we've seen many times before, David writes the psalms as a type of Christ. He writes from own situations, but he also looks forward in time, and the Holy Spirit, through David's original voice, speaks as the voice of the Messiah.That's what's happening in Psalm 109. So we should read this psalm as prayed ultimately by Jesus himself.The enemies described here are not just enemies of David, the Anointed One, but they're enemies of David's Son, the ultimate Anointed One. Psalm 109 is about the enemies of the true Messiah. It's about the enemies of Christ. Archetypal Enemy And focus is on Judas as the singular enemy because Judas became the ringleader of those who crucified Jesus. Peter says in Acts 1:16 that Judas was their guide. Judas became the lead human instrument of Satan's schemes — we know from the Gospel accounts! They tell us that Satan entered Judas (Luke 22:3; John 13:2, 27). And so to this day, Judas is an archetype of an enemy of Christ. He's the head representative. Every enemy of Christ ever since has been cut from that same cloth. So, like Judas, enemies of Christ become people in whom Satan has his way. They oppose the message of Christ and the people of Christ, and they distort the truth of Christ. And we see this already throughout the New Testament. The apostle John calls this the “spirit of antichrist” (1 John 4:3) — it's the ongoing satanic pattern of hatred for Jesus. There are people in this world who hate Jesus and hate his people. And of course we know this because Jesus has told us this in the Gospel of John.So it's first fact we gotta nail down: there are enemies of Christ.Second fact about our warfare is …2. The enemies of Christ speak evil. Now when you think of the enemies of Christ, you might imagine all kinds of terrible things these enemies do, but it's important to see in Psalm 109 that the main evil of these enemies has to do with what they say. Ten different times we read that the enemies of Christ have: Deceitful mouths, lying tongues, they speak words of hate, they accuse, they curse, they speak evil.We see this actively in the Gospels, in the trial of Jesus; we see this in those who reviled Jesus when he was on the cross; we see this in Judas when he conspired against Jesus — he used words. We also see this today in how the enemies of Christ oppose his people.Now none of this should surprise us because Jesus called Satan “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). That was Satan's way from the start in the Garden of Eden, and it's happening now. The enemies of Christ — those in whom Satan has his way — they most resemble Satan with their words. Their messaging. They are liars.Falsehood. Deception. Half-truths. Spinning truths. Full-out distortions. Blatant contradictions. Or as they say in Australia, bull-DUST — all of that is speaking evil. And there is something especially Satanic about it … And in this country, you're technically free to do it. Just understand that freedom of speech doesn't mean that the words you speak are harmless to your soul. Words have consequences. And every word ever spoken against Jesus Christ will be punished.I remember as a kid something Jesus said really got my attention. It's Matthew 12:36. Jesus says, “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak…”Jesus said that. And if people will be held accountable for their careless words, how much more the enemies of Christ for their words against Christ?That's the third fact.3. God will curse the enemies of Christ.The bulk of Psalm 109 is an imprecatory prayer. An imprecatory prayer is when you ask God to curse someone. I counted 23 curses (or imprecations) in this psalm — that's 23 petitions where David, in the voice of Messiah, is asking God to curse his enemies. Now we'd be sidetracked if all of a sudden we make the topic here about whether or not we can pray imprecatory prayers. (Of course we can. They're in the Bible! And if you want to read more about it, I encourage you to go check out a sermon I preached a few years ago on Psalm 58 titled, “How to Pray Imprecations.”)But for this morning, there's something more important for us to see. Most of the curses are in verses 6–20, but the direct center of the psalm is verse 17. Here's verse 17: He [the enemy of Christ] … He loved to curse; let curses come upon him! He did not delight in blessing; may it be far from him!So the Messiah is asking God the Father to curse his enemies who tried to curse him. And if you're a reader of Scripture, this makes total sense — Jesus is just asking God to do what God already promised. Because way back in the Book of Genesis, God promised Abraham, Genesis 12:3, I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you [or curses you] I will curse …God said that! And this promise becomes a covenantal thread that runs all the way through the Old Testament and finally reaches its fulfillment in Jesus. Jesus becomes the ultimate dividing line between blessing and curse — are you with him or against him? That's the question. And if you're against him, God will curse you.And then the apostle Paul applies this same logic to the church.Applied to the ChurchPaul tells the church in Thessalonica that “God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you” (2 Thessalonians 1:6). God the Father says it is right to curse those who curse the church. This is a big deal.And I can't help but imagine that when Paul wrote those words, he remembered the very first thing Jesus ever said to him. This in Acts Chapter 9, on the road to Damascus, when the old Paul was on his way to persecute Christians. Remember Jesus appeared to him and said:“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”Paul said, “Who are you?”Jesus said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting?”You get that? Jesus identifies himself so completely with his church that the persecution of them is persecution of him.So for the enemies of Christ who afflict his church, God the Father will afflict them. And Jesus prays for that. Look, the main thing we need to know about these curses in Psalm 109 is that they will happen whether we pray for them or not. Psalm 109 is about what will be.The Father has promised it. The Son has requested it. God will curse the enemies of Christ. That is a fact about Christian warfare. Here's the last one. In this warfare …4. God will magnify his glory by saving his people. In the midst of this opposition, as these enemies are set against him, the Messiah prays for God to deliver him. We read this in verse 21, and this a verse that you gotta see. So y'all help me out. Find Psalm 109, verse 21:But you, O God my Lord, deal on my behalf for your name's sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me!Now skip down to verse 26: Help me, O Lord my God! Save me according to your steadfast love! Let them know that this is your hand; you, O Lord, have done it!I want you to see here that the Messiah's not just asking for God to save him, he's asking for God to be glorified. He's saying: Save me because of who you are! Save me for your name's sake!Save me because of your steadfast love!And save me in such a way that my enemies know it's you!Make it clear that my salvation is from your hand!Now, how might God do that?What kind of salvation would require God to do what nobody else can do?What kind of enemy could God defeat that makes people say … “wow!”?If there's one place where we know for sure “vain is the salvation of man” it's the grave. Death is the enemy that no man can outrun, no army can defeat, no power on earth can reverse. Nobody raises themselves from the dead.But do you know what God can do?On the third day, God the Father raised Jesus from the dead. It was only by his hand. God did that! We see this confidence all throughout the Psalms in the voice of the Messiah:O Yahweh, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit. (30:3)You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption! (16:10) You, God, will ransom my soul from the power of the grave! (49:15)God is the one who resurrects. God alone! It's true of physical resurrection, and it's true of spiritual resurrection … I hope you know that if you're a Christian it's because God did that. The Bible tells us that spiritually speaking, left to ourselves, we're all in graves. Ephesians 2:1, “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins…” Dead! — Therefore, God has to be the one to spiritually resurrect us, and he did! That's why God gets the glory! “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9)Christian, don't pat yourself on the back for being a Christian, but thank God he made you alive! Thank God that he has worked a miracle in you! God did that!Be humbled and happy! That's how we live as Christians for the glory of God.God magnifies his glory by saving his people … he raised Jesus from the dead, he raises his church from spiritual death, and one day he will raise our bodies from the grave and make us like Jesus, with him, forever.But until then, church, it's warfare. We are, for now, the church militant.In this life we cling to Jesus by faith behind enemy lines, and we fight everyday against the world, the flesh, and the devil. Why did God do it this way? You ever think about this?What if God had made it so that at our conversion, we get instant, complete triumph? No more struggle. No more enemies. Just instant heaven. Wouldn't that be nice! Why does God leave us here to fight?John Arrowsmith asked that question. This is what he said: [In our fight,] God directs and ordains the wickedness of Satan and the unrighteous such that they result in His glory, [and his glory is manifest in] the advantage of His church, and the destruction of the wicked at the day of the Lord. (120)That's not an easy answer, but it's true. That's how we should think about the enemies of Christ: God has ordained it all for the maximum display of his glory, which is the maximum joy of his people. Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. This is what brings us to the TableThe TableWe come here each week to remember the death of Jesus. By the death of Jesus, God's love was poured out for us. By his resurrection, although we're at war, our victory is secured. And we come here to thank him. We thank Jesus for his death; we thank him that he's alive; and we thank him for making us alive. And hey, if you're here this morning and you're not a Christian … if you've not put your faith in Jesus, God can make you alive right now. Turn to Jesus and be spiritually resurrected.If that is your story, if you are a Christian, we invite you to eat and drink with us…

In this message, Pastor Josh continues Discourse, our journey through Jesus' final teaching with His disciples in John 13–17.In John 13:18–38, three men at the table reveal three very different postures toward Jesus: John leans close, Peter struggles with self-confidence, and Judas walks the road of betrayal. Through Judas' story, we see how unbelief, greed, compromise, and giving the enemy a foothold can slowly erode our loyalty to Jesus.Broken Loyalty challenges us not simply to ask, “How could Judas betray Jesus?” but to pray, “Search me, God. Is there anything growing in my heart that is weakening my loyalty to You?”Scripture: John 13:18–38Series: Discourse | The Beloved GospelSupport the show

The sermon examines John chapter 6 to illustrate three distinct human responses to Jesus' challenging doctrine: defection, deterioration, and determination. While many disciples abandoned Jesus because His teachings on election and spiritual sustenance were too difficult to accept, Peter remained steadfast, declaring that Jesus alone has the words of eternal life. The preacher contrasts the false faith of Judas with the genuine belief of Peter, emphasizing that true salvation is a sovereign work of God rather than a result of human effort or opportunity. Believers are encouraged to endure through hardship and hold fast to Christ, recognizing that partial obedience is equivalent to disobedience. Ultimately, the message calls listeners to examine their own hearts to ensure they possess a living faith rooted in Jesus alone.

Join us today as we study the lives of two men - Judas and Peter. Even though both had serious failures in life, only one made it out! We will learn today how to end our lives well, even if we have turned our backs and denied Jesus, and He will tell us how to move past our failures!

Join us today as we study the lives of two men - Judas and Peter. Even though both had serious failures in life, only one made it out! We will learn today how to end our lives well, even if we have turned our backs and denied Jesus, and He will tell us how to move past our failures!

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Charles Cumming talks to Paul Burke about his new novel Icarus 17, latest in the Box 88 series, The Day of the Jackal, A Spy by Nature, Thomas Kell, Geopolitics in the novel, post-Cold War spy fiction dip, touring Eastern Europe before The Wall fell, Plane and not meeting Jason Statham. Icarus 17: As director of covert intelligence agency Box 88, Lachlan Kite is at the apex of his espionage career. But when Martha Raine – a woman he hasn't seen in twenty years – begs for his help, Kite finds himself back in the game, racing to avert disaster. Kite must find Martha's son, Max, who vanished in Athens with his girlfriend, Yasmine. But the couple aren't just missing, they're running for their lives. Two rival agencies are hunting them, both with orders to kill on sight. Max and Yasmine are carrying a dizzying secret, one which could pull apart the foundations of the Middle East for a generation. If Kite fails to save them, the costs – both personal and professional – will be catastrophic.   Charles Cumming is a British writer of spy fiction. Educated at Eton and the University of Edinburgh where he graduatednwith 1st Class Honours in English Literature. The Observer has described him as "the best of the new generation of British spy writers who are taking over where John le Carré and Len Deighton left off". In 1995, Charles Cumming was approached for recruitment by the United Kingdom's Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). A Spy By Nature, a novel partly based on his experiences with MI6, was published in 2001. The novel's hero, Alec Milius, is a flawed loner in his early 20s who is recruited by MI6 to sell doctored research data on oil exploration in the Caspian Sea to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). In 2001, Charles Cumming moved to Madrid. His second novel, The Hidden Man, came out in 2003. The Spanish Game, 2006, Typhoon, 2008, The Trinity Six, 2011. A Foreign Country, 2012, was named the first Scottish Crime Book of the Year at the inaugural Bloody Scotland Festival in Stirling in September 2012. It also won the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for the best thriller of 2012. A Colder War, 2014. A Divided Spy, 2016. The Man Between (published in the US as 'The Moroccan Girl') was published in 2018. In 2020 Cumming released BOX 88, followed by JUDAS 62 (2021), KENNEDY 35 (2023) and ICARUS 17 (2026). Charles Cumming was also the screenwriter of the Gerard Butler action movie 'Plane' and was part of the writing team responsible for the first season of the hit TV series 'The Day of the Jackal. Recommended: Bruce Chatwin, Martin Amis, John Cheever, Philip Roth, Henry Porter, David McCloskey. Ian Fleming and Frame 37 both by Nicholas Shakespeare, The Peacock and the Sparrow IS Berry, The Bureau, The Agency. Paul Burke is the editor of Aspects of Crime and the presenter of Spymasters. His first book Spies on Screen will be published this year.     Icarus 17: Lachlan Kite should have left fieldwork behind by now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Broken and Repentant (1) (audio) David Eells, 8/19/26 The Broken Bus Wayne Harmon (David's notes in red) Once upon a time, there was a King who extended an open invitation to all his subjects to visit him at any time. Some people traveled alone to see the King. (Personal relationship is best) Most preferred to travel in groups of two or three. (Many prefer small group prayers) The reason for traveling with others was to share with each other what the King meant to them and had done for them. They also shared in their provisions so that none lacked for anything on the journey. The King welcomed all who came to see him, regardless of how they got there. One day, a group of people who traveled together decided the trip would be more comfortable if they bought a bus. This was not a problem for the King himself. He wasn't concerned with how people made the trip. His only concern was that they took the time to visit him. So the people bought a bus. At first, they took turns driving the bus. Some of them were competent mechanics; others helped keep it clean, and all shared in the expenses. (Church busses, camp meetings, etc) On these trips to see the King, they also took turns telling about the wonderful things the King had done for them and what he meant to them in their lives. They sang songs praising him. (Going to see the Lord on the bus singing songs of praise.) They also continued to share their resources with each other so that no one had any unmet material needs. (Like in the Book of Acts) One day, someone said that it would be a good idea if they hired a permanent driver for the bus. (A professional to steer the bus.) All they would have to do is get on the bus and let the driver do the work of getting them to the King. (Pastor takes over. The Nicolaitan error.) This seemed like a good idea, so they all pitched in to pay the driver. (The 5 fold ministers must walk by faith not salaries. Freely you have received freely give.) They gave the driver the money to keep the bus fueled and in good running condition. For a while, all went smoothly. The driver did a good job taking them to visit the King, and they continued to share in both their experiences and resources. There were other buses on the road to the King's palace, too. Some were bigger and shinier than theirs. (Some of steel, some of brick and mortar.) Others were smaller and had faded paint. The people on the bus began to feel superior when they saw a smaller bus and inferior when they saw one of the larger ones. (with a steeple) They began to blame the driver for not making their bus better. They fired him and hired a driver who had gone to a special school just for bus drivers. (Bible College like the Pharisees had.) The new driver demanded a new bus. At great expense, the people bought it for him, little realizing that the new bus could be driven only by someone with a special license given to graduates of the special bus driving school. (Bible College graduates) They were excited and proud of their new bus. The smaller buses looked even more inferior to them now. They told all their non-bus-riding friends about their new bus and invited them to ride with them on their next trip to visit the King. (I.e., Come to “our Church”) Visitors were very impressed with the plush seats, the climate control, the smooth power of the engine, and the comfort of the ride as the bus sailed down the highway. (This is no brush arbor revival!) Little by little, the people stopped sharing their material resources with each other, because having a bus and a driver was expensive. (What about when you see your brother in need?) They also stopped talking to each other, because the bus had a state-of-the-art sound system, and the driver began lecturing them on various topics during the trip. (A spectator sport) At first, he told them what he had learned about the King in bus driving school. He spoke about what his professors had taught him when he was working on his Master's of ‘Drivinity' degree. Then he spent a lot of time talking about the dissertation he wrote for his Doctor of ‘Drivinity'. He was currently working on a Ph.D. in ‘Drivology', so he had plenty of new material to talk about during the trips. No one seemed to notice that he never talked about the King personally, but rather spoke about the opinions and experiences of others. (Signs and wonders and prophecies not allowed.) Whenever they visited the King, the driver stayed with the bus. While the riders were with the King, he met with other drivers in the parking lot. They compared buses, numbers of passengers, how long it took them to make the trip, fuel mileage, operating costs, etc. (How tall their steeple was.) They began sharing tips with each other on how to deal with passengers who defied a driver's authority. The buses had become the most important things in the drivers' lives. Eventually, instead of entering the palace to visit the King, many of the people walked around the parking lot with the driver, comparing other buses to theirs. Some of the younger people decided that they wanted to go to bus driver school and one day have buses of their own. (And an income like the Pastors) Each was determined to have the biggest, shiniest, best bus possible. The few who still took time to visit the King became concerned that the bus had replaced the King in the people's affections. When they dared to voice these concerns, they were labeled rebellious and accused of refusing to submit to the driver's authority. Even though they had contributed to the purchase of the bus, its maintenance, and the driver's salary, they were forced to leave the bus. (Uh, oh, Excommunicated and nonrefundable) The driver convinced the people that their bus needed to be the biggest and finest bus it could possibly be. After all, he argued, were they not subjects of the King? Did not the King deserve to be represented with Excellence? (All He had was a rock and the sky, which He built, and not even a pulpit) So they bought an even bigger and more beautiful bus. It was truly breathtaking in its magnificence. Surely all who saw this bus would know that those who rode within were very special subjects of the King! (The begins the pecking order) The driver called for a special dedication ceremony for the bus. The people gathered and congratulated each other, and especially the driver, on the splendor of the new bus. They all boarded the bus as the driver slipped behind the wheel, settling himself in the seat that had been especially built just for him. He gave a long speech congratulating the people on their hard work and sacrificial giving that made such a wonderful bus possible. He spoke of how this new bus would be a beacon of hope for generations to come. The people cheered and applauded; they were certain that they had the best driver and the best bus in the whole Kingdom. Surely the King must be pleased that they had honored him with such a bus! Then the driver began to give a series of lectures from his studies in bus driving school. He gave them all notebooks with outlines. He gave them daily reading assignments from the latest book on buses. He made them feel that they were an active, vital part of the bus. The people thought that certainly they must have the most gifted and eloquent driver of them all. (And he wears a suit with a tie!) But no one noticed that the bus hadn't gone anywhere. This went on for many years. In all that time, the bus never moved. It just sat there, filled from time to time with people who were excited about nothing. (And they shared “testiphonies!”) The air slowly leaked from the tires. The battery died. The engine rusted. The only things that were kept in good working order were the bus's appearance and the generators that ran the climate control and sound systems. The bus still looked beautiful, but it was no longer a bus. It was just a barn. Occasionally, an individual or two would walk to visit the King, or maybe even ride on another bus that still made the trip to the palace. These individuals would sometimes try to talk to their friends on the bus about the King, but they did so fearfully, lest they, too, be labeled rebels and troublemakers (and church-hoppers) and be kicked off the bus into which they had put so much of their lives. (Being excommunicated.) The bus no longer took anyone to visit the King. It was broken, and so was the King's heart.   A Visit with the Harlot John Taylor - 01/12/2009 (David's notes in red) Background: The Lord moved me to the east-central portion of Alabama to take a job over the state line in Georgia. I have been visiting a Southern Baptist church. Since I live in the boonies, there are not many opportunities for fellowship. The pastor asked me about joining, and I explained that I was baptized into the body of Christ and have no need to be a member of anything else. Well, I have been praying to see if I should continue to visit this church. They teach unconditional eternal security and a pre-tribulation rapture (I did have a meeting with the preacher, and he finally admitted that he does believe that if a born-again Christian goes on in willful sin, they can be reprobated - praise the Lord ... but he needs to let it come out in the sermons). The other night (Saturday), I prayed and asked the Lord to use the next morning as a sign for me. If He did not want me to continue to visit this church, He would cause something to prevent me from going that Sunday morning. I woke up the next morning, and the Lord allowed me to go to service and Sunday School. The message was watered down (as many sermons are), reduced to the least common denominator so any “Christian” could accept it with little chance for offense. In Sunday School, there was a young couple visiting. The man was unemployed, and they were living for free at a trailer park down the road owned by a member of the church. They have two young children, and number three is due next month. The man is scheduled to join the Army in a matter of weeks. (Note: I met this man and his wife a couple of months ago and shared the gospel with them down the street from my house but didn't realize it was them.) He said he and his wife had been staying up late, concerned over him getting deployed and what consequences he might face from the Lord if he took another person's life. The teacher immediately brought up King David, saying King David took lives in war and that it was okay, that he would be covered by the blood. Now, I had also prayed that the Lord would speak for me this Sunday morning and that anything that came out of my mouth would be from Him. I spoke up and quickly said, “No, this is not right”. I shared that the Word says if we “live by the sword we die by the sword; we are to turn the other cheek; repay not evil for evil, etc”. The young man listened carefully to what I said and was really seeking to know what the Bible said about the matter. The teacher again pointed out that King David took lives in war and did not obey these scriptures. I stated that King David was not under our Covenant but the Old Covenant. Then the teacher said, “Well then, he (this young man) will be covered by the Old Covenant”. I corrected him again with the Word and stated that no one will be justified by the letter of the law and that it is called a curse. Well, the class ended with many having turned on me (however, they were very gracious to me overall; this fellowship has a sweet spirit). This church is right outside the back gate of an Army base, and many of its members are or have been in the armed services. As we were dismissing, I told the young man that I wasn't disagreeing with them for my own benefit but because I knew what the Word said about such things and that they were giving him unbiblical advice. He seemed to accept this. I felt the Lord lead me to go speak further with John and his wife, Elizabeth. I ran a quick errand after church and then stopped by the young couple's trailer park to wait for them (since I had gone to early service, and they went to the late service). I got out of my car and walked around for a moment. The Lord had me look at their house (an old, small double-wide in much disrepair), and He showed me the numeric address on the home. It was “91”. I immediately thought of 911. I felt the Lord was showing me that they were only one step or one character away from disaster. (I later told John that I think his disaster could be joining the Army.) The young couple came home and seemed surprised but happy to see me. I explained that I stopped by to share some more with them. He invited me inside. He and his wife were not officially married and were going to be married after two days. I said that the Lord would be pleased with this. They shared that they didn't own a Bible (I have since given them one). The one they used to read belonged to a grandparent whose house had burned down, and nothing was spared except that Bible. Its front cover was burned off, except for the words “Holy Bible”, and none of its pages were scorched. But the grandparent was very religious and wanted to keep the Bible. I told them the Lord was telling them to uncover God's Word and read the Bible. The young man further explained to me that they had tried to make it to church every Sunday morning for the last three weeks, but each week they had car troubles, and this had been their first Sunday in attendance (I had been back home in Pensacola for exactly the preceding three Sundays). This, of course, was a sign that the Lord had ordained us to meet. I have been thanking the Lord for this experience to be used by Him in this small way. Footnote: I had spoken to the preacher of the church that morning and asked for a time to sit down with him to discuss some things that he was preaching that I don't think are Biblical. We have since had this meeting, and he was very gracious. That night (Sunday), I had the following dream. In my dream, I was in a novelty/amusement park. (Many churches, instead of abiding in Christ, are abiding in a place which is designed to feed their flesh and satisfy the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life. For many people, going to church is just a novelty or something fun to do for entertainment.) As I reflect on this dream, I was the only full-grown male in the place (only a mature male has the ability to sow seed). The park was full of beautiful, young women who were dressed in a very provocative manner (representing bodies of individual harlot churches). Some groups of young women were walking around the park together and were dressed in similar-looking costumes, while others didn't like each other and didn't want to be around each other (As young, worldly women can be, churches get along with some of the other bodies and not others -- they can be very catty or self-willed). Their eyes were full of pride, and they spoke of very worldly things. I found myself standing behind one of these young women and her children in a line for ice cream. (In the Word, milk represents the elementary teachings. Ice cream is altered milk with artificial things added, like sugar to make it more pleasing to the flesh.) This ice cream booth was the only place to eat in the whole park (There was no place to order solid meat or teachings for the more mature). In my dream, I wasn't going to order anything or partake. (I had been going to this church to get some fellowship and was not intending to learn from them since the teachings I can get through UBM are for the more mature.) The woman in front of me in line (representing the church I am visiting) leaned back on my chest and made a comment about how strong and muscular I was. She was being very flirtatious (Harlot churches are very good at making you want to become part of their body -- the preacher had already asked me about joining their church.) After she and her children got their ice cream, I followed them to their table to be with them as they ate. After a few moments, a male midget who must have worked at the ice cream store preparing the ice cream came over to me. (He represents the preacher -- the one preparing the spiritual food for the people to eat. He can reproduce but is not usually full-grown unless they are studying on their own. Sometimes midgets' children mature normally, and sometimes they end up like the parent.) Although I wasn't going to order any of their flesh-pleasing treat, somehow I didn't have a choice and knew I had to. (I think this is God saying that if we sit under the teachings of apostate Christianity, we are still consuming, even if we are really there for another reason.) (We shouldn't eat the king's dainties). I told him I wanted a large. He told me the price would be $6 (number of man). I was shocked. I said, “I can buy a whole gallon of ice cream for $6.” I paid him, and he walked off to prepare my order. As we sat, I hoped that the woman across the table would see my wedding ring (symbol of my unity with my spouse and know that I was married. (I pray this harlot body I am sharing with will see Jesus in me and want to come out of their apostasy.) She spoke of worldly things, one time mentioning that her sister (an unidentified sister-church body) was or is Nicole Kidman's roommate. (Nicole Kidman is a Scientologist; her roommate/husband used to be Tom Cruise. A lot of New Age / Eastern teaching is finding its way into some churches. Those in, and associated with, Hollywood are sometimes into satanism and pedophilia.) The little man from the ice cream shop brought me my order, and it was a very large chocolate milkshake. Then, all of a sudden, the table we were sitting at just started to move. It would move 10 or 20 feet away, then stop for a moment. Then it would move again. The ones sitting at the table did not have to move themselves, but just moved with the table. (Our table represents what we spiritually eat. Like the Sunday School teacher who said King David didn't obey the New Covenant laws on non-violence and tried to put them under the OT law. Their doctrine shifts to whatever seems to make them okay or whatever satisfies their flesh at the moment.) I remember drinking the milkshake and remembering that my body did not handle sugar well before the Lord healed me of diabetes. I confessed that I was healed, thanked the Lord, and drank the milkshake with no ill effects. (The Lord was saying that the apostate/elementary teachings won't harm me.) I am taking this as a confirmation to continue to visit this church until the Lord moves me on. That was the end of the dream. Comments: It is not a good idea for any disciple whom the Lord has brought out of the harlot church system to go back into it in this manner unless the Lord has called you to do that. As we are taught at UBM, once the Lord matures us to the point that we won't fall for the seduction of, or be harmed by the teachings of the harlot church system, and if He calls us to it, we may go back in for the purpose of bringing others out. If He sends you back in for this purpose, He will protect and defend you. (Because you can be seduced by their religious spirits again.)   Broken Vessels David Eells - 10/05/2014 (My notes in red) S.P. wrote - 9/29/14: Last Friday night. My wife and I were both awakened by a loud noise like a crash. She said it sounded like breaking glass. (Clay or ceramic could sound similar.) We got up and looked all through the house for anything that might have fallen and/or broken, and we found nothing. So in the morning, we asked the Lord what it was about and got Ezekiel 36:22. (Which is about repairing a broken vessel, as we shall see. Then he asked me-) Have you heard of anybody else getting anything at that time or about that same passage? (We had a similar experience, which I will share in a moment.) According to The Karaite-Korner, the new moon for Rosh Hashanah this year was sighted on September 26, the night we heard the noise. Let's discuss this broken vessel on Rosh Hashanah. Rosh Hashanah, meaning “head of the year”, is the Jewish New Year but not the Biblical New Year. It seems to be a product of their Babylonian captivity. Could this new Babylonish year be the year symbolizing the breaking of the vessels? A broken vessel identifies a person or a nation who is spiritually dead to God or righteousness because they are fallen in their sins. Psa.31:12 I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel. (That cannot hold the water of the Word) Isa.30:14 And he shall break it as a potter's vessel is broken, breaking it in pieces without sparing; so that there shall not be found among the pieces thereof a sherd wherewith to take fire from the hearth, or to dip up water out of the cistern. Jer.22:28 Is this man Coniah a despised broken vessel? Is he a vessel wherein none delighteth? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into the land which they know not? Jer.48:38 On all the housetops of Moab and in the streets thereof there is lamentation every where; for I have broken Moab like a vessel wherein none delighteth, saith Jehovah. If a person literally dies in this state, they are reprobated, meaning rejected by God. As in the text given to S.P., which we will show in a moment, some are delivered from this fallen state to follow God in much appreciation and humility. However, not every vessel will be saved from this fallen condition. Some are reprobated forever, never to return to God. For instance, we received a dream that a man was dying. Then, in another dream, he was “plucked up by the roots” as a tree. Jud.12 These are they who are hidden rocks in your love-feasts when they feast with you, shepherds that without fear feed themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn leaves without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots. The potter's field was bought with Judas' ill-gotten gain. With the price he was paid for Jesus' life, he sold his soul and was reprobated. This field likely had many broken vessels rejected by the Potter. Mat.27:1 Now when morning was come, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death: 2 and they bound him, and led him away, and delivered him up to Pilate the governor. 3 Then Judas, who betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, I have sinned in that I betrayed innocent blood. But they said, What is that to us? see thou [to it]. 5 And he cast down the pieces of silver into the sanctuary, and departed; and he went away and hanged himself. 6 And the chief priests took the pieces of silver, and said, It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is the price of blood. 7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in. 8 Wherefore that field was called, the field of blood, unto this day. 9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was priced, whom [certain] of the children of Israel did price; 10 and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me. Here is his text, which describes God's chosen people being spiritually resurrected from a broken vessel state, which is seen in the text directly following this in the next chapter, 37. Eze.36:22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I do not [this] for your sake, O house of Israel, but for my holy name, which ye have profaned among the nations, whither ye went. 23 And I will sanctify my great name, which hath been profaned among the nations, which ye have profaned in the midst of them [I.e., not representing the truth and holiness a Christian is supposed to demonstrate.]; and the nations shall know that I am Jehovah, saith the Lord Jehovah, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. (When God's people do not represent Him to the world by living in agreement with His word, they profane His name and they deny Him.) 24 For I will take you from among the nations, and gather you out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land. (God will deliver His people from having more in common with the nation they live in than the holy nation we are supposed to belong to -- our heavenly land.) 25 And I will sprinkle clean water (the true Word) upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep mine ordinances, and do them. 28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. 29 And I will save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the grain, and will multiply it, and lay no famine upon you. 30 And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye may receive no more the reproach of famine among the nations. 31 Then shall ye remember your evil ways, and your doings that were not good; and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations. 32 Nor for your sake do I [this], saith the Lord Jehovah, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel. (This shame is necessary for true and lasting repentance.) 33 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: In the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be builded. 34 And the land that was desolate shall be tilled, whereas it was a desolation in the sight of all that passed by. (Their lives will be capable of receiving the seed of the Kingdom.) 35 And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited. 36 Then the nations that are left round about you shall know that I, Jehovah, have builded the ruined places, and planted that which was desolate: I, Jehovah, have spoken it, and I will do it. 37 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: For this, moreover, will I be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them: I will increase them with men like a flock. (I.e. Revival.) 38 As the flock for sacrifice, as the flock of Jerusalem in her appointed feasts, so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men; and they shall know that I am Jehovah. Rejoice for this “restoration of all things” for God's fallen people, which was also spoken of by the prophet Joel. Just after this, God told how this filling with His Spirit and return to their land of promise would happen. Ezekiel, who was called “son of man”, was a Man-child type and prophesied to a spiritual bone ‘junkyard' of Israel, and the broken vessels were resurrected. We have received this text many times concerning the fallen, and we are very encouraged. 37:1 The hand of Jehovah was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of Jehovah, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. 2 And he caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. 3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord Jehovah, thou knowest. 4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy over these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of Jehovah. 5 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah unto these bones: Behold, I will cause breath (Heb: Spirit, which many of God's people are taught to reject) to enter into you, and ye shall live. 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah. 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and, behold, an earthquake (earthquakes will bring the latter rain Manchild body and cause a tremendous revival); and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 And I beheld, and, lo, there were sinews upon them, and flesh came up, and skin covered them above; but there was no breath in them. (Revival is coming with spiritual and physical earthquakes, i.e., shifting of the land or peoples.) 9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. 11 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel (a type of the Church): behold, they say, Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off. (In the wilderness created by the eathquakes many will feel their lack of God and read the Bible for themselves.) 12 Therefore prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, O my people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. (They realized they were broken vessels.) 13 And ye shall know that I am Jehovah, when I have opened your graves, and caused you to come up out of your graves (Out of dead churches too), O my people. 14 And I will put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I will place you in your own land: (Promised Land of milk and honey) and ye shall know that I, Jehovah, have spoken it and performed it, saith Jehovah. How is it that people end up as broken vessels, sometimes eternally? On Monday, before we received this revelation from him, Michael Hare and I went to a junkyard of broken vessels to look for a part. We were standing in the parking lot when we sighted a piece of paper floating down from pretty high up in the sky. It was about 5 inches by 11.2 inches. It was corkscrewing and rolling sideways as it came down. There was no wind, and the sky was clear. We wondered and spoke to each other about where this could be falling from. We thought of the possibility that it was in a dust devil, but it wasn't circling parallel to the earth like it would in a dust devil. It came down almost to head level in front of us as it fell, and then it stopped for a moment and hovered and then turned around and went back up, tumbling in the same manner, until it was out of sight. It was not a dust devil. There was no dust or debris with it, just clear sky, and it didn't stir up any dust on the ground when it came close. We knew this wasn't naturally possible and asked the Lord what this meant. I thought a message of warning and exhortation was sent from Heaven, but was not received, and the opportunity to receive it was taken back. Some texts came to me like “He that receiveth you, receiveth me” or “Who hath received our report”, etc. The Lord impressed me that the junkyard represented the broken cars, or mobile vessels representing humans. I believe we have spoken God's Word, which has not been received by some, so the messages as warnings and promises to those who repent are not being received by them. And the result will be many more broken vessels. I asked the Lord if we were missing something He was trying to tell us, and got a “no”, which He confirmed with two tails. I asked the Lord if this was a rebuke to those who have not received His Word through us, and got a “yes”, which He confirmed with two heads. I believe our words of reconciliation and warning have not been received by some who have lost their chance to repent and receive God's restoration. 

Are you feeling worn out from constantly overthinking, trying to fix the people around you, or attempting to figure out every detail of your future? In this episode, hosts Kaley Olson and Cailah Garcia sit down with Proverbs 31 Ministries President Lysa TerKeurst for an exclusive preview of her book Making Peace with What I Can't Control. Together, they unpack an unexpected aspect in the story of Judas in Matthew 26, revealing how a subtle desire to force immediate relief can lead us to take control into our own hands rather than trust God. Listen in to discover how making one foundational shift in perspective can help you release the weight you were never meant to carry and bring true rest to your heart today.You'll learn:How Judas' story highlights our own tendency to try to control the details when God doesn't move on our timeline.Practical ways to stop wasting mental energy on managing other people's choices and circumstances that are out of your hands.How to shift from a high-pressure control mindset to a healthy stewardship mindset that surrenders ultimate outcomes to God.Resources From This Episode:Preorder Lysa TerKeurst's new book, Making Peace with What I Can't Control, download a free resource on control, and more here!Listen to the Therapy & Theology podcast with Lysa TerKeurst, Jim Cress, and Dr. Joel Muddamalle on all podcast platforms, or watch on the Proverbs 31 Ministries YouTube Channel.Capstone Wellness provides residential treatment and custom therapy intensives that retrace hurt to the roots in a Christ-centered environment. Learn more at Capstonewellness.com/proverbs31Download a copy of the transcript here. Want More on This Topic? Watch this clip from Therapy & Theology where Lysa TerKeurst unpacks why we have the urge to solve someone else's problem.

He sat in the place of honor. He preached the gospel. He cast out demons. And Judas Iscariot still walked straight into the darkest corner of hell — without ever seeing it coming.In this episode, we dig into John 13 and Matthew 26–27 to answer a question every believer should wrestle with: what actually went wrong with Judas? It wasn't a single dramatic moment of rebellion — it was a slow, quiet hardening that looked a lot like normal Christian life right up until it didn't.We walk through four warning signs from Judas's life that show up in ours too:Loving money — how a small compromise (pilfering the money box) became a 30-piece-of-silver betrayalA seared conscience — why sin that once kept you up at night can eventually let you sleep like a babyRejecting the Savior's love — Jesus washed his feet and fed him bread, and Judas still walked out into the nightRemorse without repentance — the crucial, often-missed difference between feeling guilty and actually turning to Christ (2 Corinthians 7:9-10)We also contrast Judas's despair with Peter's repentance — two disciples, two failures, two radically different endings — and talk honestly about what it looks like to examine your own heart instead of pointing at someone else's.

First Jesus was betrayed by Judas, and then denied by Peter. What could cause them to do such a horrible thing? To learn about the situation surrounding the Peters denial, tune in this week to Every Last Word. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/581/29?v=20251111

What happens when a man who walked with Jesus ends up becoming a warning about the devastating power of sin?Today, we continue our year-long Bible study in the book of Acts. In this episode, Paul looks at Judas's tragic death in Acts 1, showing us why we must take temptation incredibly seriously.To hear more studies from the book of Acts, visit PaulTripp.com/Acts.

Mary's humble act of devotion and Judas' questioning of this act reveal the complex nature of our motivations and our actions. Do our actions shape our loves or do our loves shape our actions?   Taught by Ryan Doucet.

In this sermon, Pastor Dave explores Mary's extravagant act of generosity toward Jesus and what it reveals about a community shaped by the gospel. Through the contrast between Mary and Judas, we see that true generosity gives freely without expecting anything in return and flows from recognizing the generosity we have first received from God. As a community on mission, we are called to make generosity a way of life—giving to God, meeting the needs of others, and developing a habit of open-handed living.

What does it actually look like to follow Jesus in everyday life? Pastor Cooper Hartwick talks on John 13, which gives one of the clearest and most challenging answers in all of Scripture. On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus gathered with His disciples for a final meal. Knowing He was about to be arrested and killed, He got up from the table, wrapped a towel around His waist, and washed His disciples' feet one by one, including the feet of Judas, the man who would betray Him.To learn more about Cross Points, check out our website:http://crosspointschurch.comTo stay up to date, check out our social media:Instagram: @crosspointskcFacebook: Cross Points ChurchYoutube: CrossPointsKC

MILES MORALES TAKES ON THE ENTIRE SPIDER-SOCIETY! Paige Kimsey & Jackie Bonsignore return to the multiverse for their first-time Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse reaction and review on the Road to Beyond the Spider-Verse. After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Miles encounters an elite society of Spider-People led by Miguel O'Hara—but their opposing beliefs about destiny, sacrifice, and what makes someone Spider-Man place Miles at the center of a multiversal conflict. From Gwen's breathtaking watercolor opening and The Spot's hilarious convenience-store fight to the Mumbattan rescue, Spider-Punk's introduction, the Spider-Society headquarters, and Miles' spectacular chase against Spider-Man 2099, Paige & Jackie experience Sony Animation's ambitious sequel! Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Full Movie Reaction Watch Along:   / thereelrejects   Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos (Voltron: Legendary Defender), Kemp Powers (Soul, One Night in Miami), and Justin K. Thompson, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse stars Shameik Moore as Miles Morales (Dope, Wu-Tang: An American Saga), Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacy / Spider-Woman (Hawkeye, Bumblebee), Oscar Isaac as Miguel O'Hara / Spider-Man 2099 (Moon Knight, Dune), Daniel Kaluuya as Hobie Brown / Spider-Punk (Get Out, Judas and the Black Messiah), Jason Schwartzman as The Spot (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Grand Budapest Hotel), Issa Rae as Jessica Drew / Spider-Woman (Insecure, Barbie), Jake Johnson as Peter B. Parker (New Girl, Jurassic World), and Karan Soni as Pavitr Prabhakar / Spider-Man India (Deadpool, Miracle Workers). Paige & Jackie discuss Miles and Gwen's evolving relationship, Miguel O'Hara's canon-event philosophy, Hobie Brown stealing every scene, The Spot's transformation, Daniel Pemberton's score, the constantly changing animation styles, and how Across the Spider-Verse prepares audiences for Beyond the Spider-Verse. Follow Jackie Bonsignore: https://www.instagram.com/jackiebonsignore/ Follow Paige Kimsey https://www.instagram.com/paige.popcorn?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D Intense Suspense by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Support The Channel By Getting Some REEL REJECTS Apparel! https://www.rejectnationshop.com/ Follow Us On Socials:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/  Tik-Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@reelrejects?lang=en Twitter: https://x.com/reelrejects Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ Music Used In Ad:  Hat the Jazz by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Happy Alley by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... POWERED BY @GFUEL Visit https://gfuel.ly/3wD5Ygo and use code REJECTNATION for 20% off select tubs!! Head Editor: https://www.instagram.com/praperhq/?hl=en Co-Editor: Greg Alba Co-Editor: John Humphrey Music In Video: Airport Lounge - Disco Ultralounge by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Ask Us A QUESTION On CAMEO: https://www.cameo.com/thereelrejects Follow TheReelRejects On FACEBOOK, TWITTER, & INSTAGRAM:  FB:  https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thereelrejects Follow GREG ON INSTAGRAM & TWITTER: INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/thegregalba/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thegregalba Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Title: On the Summit in the PitSpeaker: Nate HoldridgeOverview: In this weekend's sermon on Psalm 41, "Blessed Are The Merciful, Right?," Pastor Nate Holdridge brings us to the close of Book I of the Psalter. David sings of a merciful God and his merciful people—but then asks what happens when those who extend mercy receive anything but mercy in return. Pastor Nate walks through the psalm's three movements: the call to strategically consider the poor (Ps. 41:1-3), the pain of a merciless world of sickness, slander, and betrayal (Ps. 41:4-9), and the response that refuses vengeance and rests in God's delight (Ps. 41:10-13). At the center stands Jesus, who took this psalm onto his lips about Judas at the Last Supper (John 13:18), yet absorbed the ultimate betrayal at the cross so that mercy might flow forever. Join us at Calvary Church to see how the only truly merciful man let the world's mercilessness fall on him—so that we might both receive and extend the mercy of God.Link to Sermon Notes

First Jesus was betrayed by Judas, and then denied by Peter. What could cause them to do such a horrible thing? To learn about the situation surrounding the Peters denial, tune in this week to Every Last Word. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/790/29?v=20251111

Hours before his death, Jesus experiences the painful wound from his inner circle: Judas & Peter. Yet their two stories have very different endings. One ends tragically and one ends with redemption. When you fail Jesus, where will you turn? From John 18

What if the thoughts that have been defining your life—the ones whispering you're not enough, unloved, or stuck forever—were never actually yours to begin with? Pastor Dave opened week two of the *MINDFULL* series by anchoring the church in Romans 12:2: *"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."* With disarming creativity—planting the image of a dog, throwing foam balls into the congregation—Pastor Dave made the invisible viscerally real: the enemy doesn't need to physically attack you when he can simply lob thoughts from the outside and watch you catch them, own them, and speak them into existence over your life. His unique insight cut deep—the devil isn't creative, he's a perverter, and we've been drinking the same Kool-Aid since the Garden. But here's the hope that changes everything: while the devil speaks *I'm* from the outside, God speaks *you are* from within—chosen, redeemed, beloved, more than a conqueror. Church, stop prophesying your prison. You have a hope with a name—Jesus—and He's already paid for your freedom. Come receive it.Romans 12:2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.Acts 5:3Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy SpiritJohn 13:2 "The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus"Nehemiah 7:55 So my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the common people for registration by families. I found the genealogical record of those who had been the first to return. This is what I found written there:1 Thessalonians 5:8 NIV8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmetRomans 15:13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

What if the thoughts that have been defining your life—the ones whispering you're not enough, unloved, or stuck forever—were never actually yours to begin with? Pastor Dave opened week two of the *MINDFULL* series by anchoring the church in Romans 12:2: *"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."* With disarming creativity—planting the image of a dog, throwing foam balls into the congregation—Pastor Dave made the invisible viscerally real: the enemy doesn't need to physically attack you when he can simply lob thoughts from the outside and watch you catch them, own them, and speak them into existence over your life. His unique insight cut deep—the devil isn't creative, he's a perverter, and we've been drinking the same Kool-Aid since the Garden. But here's the hope that changes everything: while the devil speaks *I'm* from the outside, God speaks *you are* from within—chosen, redeemed, beloved, more than a conqueror. Church, stop prophesying your prison. You have a hope with a name—Jesus—and He's already paid for your freedom. Come receive it.Romans 12:2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.Acts 5:3Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy SpiritJohn 13:2 "The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus"Nehemiah 7:55 So my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials and the common people for registration by families. I found the genealogical record of those who had been the first to return. This is what I found written there:1 Thessalonians 5:8 NIV8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmetRomans 15:13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Scripture Reading: Luke 2:22-35 How refreshing it is to have the gospels deliver to us the accounts of the life of Christ in all His excellencies.   Here, in Luke 2, we have another scene of the birth of our Savior.  The whole meaning of Christ, in concise form, is found in the declarations of Simeon, an old man in the temple. He took Jesus in his arms and declared, "Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace . . . for my eyes have seen your salvation" (Luke 2:29,30). Simeon's remarks precisely bring into focus the purpose of Jesus' coming.  Though there are many wonderful emotions surrounding the birth of Jesus, Simeon's declarations keep us from undefined sentimentalism.  Jesus came to be a light shining in the darkness (Lk 2:32) and this light brings a sharp division, separating all people into two groups.  On one hand, there are those who rise in Christ's redemption, and on the other hand, there are those who fall under His judgment (Lk 2:34).  Every person either embraces the King or rejects Him.  Judas rejects and Peter repents ... one thief blasphemes and the other confesses his sins.  There is no middle ground. Because of Christ's coming, the heart of every person will ultimately be revealed.  The response, deep in the soul, to the Son of God is the fundamental question of life.  No other question even comes close.

Send us Fan MailJude 6 drops a line that should stop every Bible reader cold: angels who abandoned their proper place are “reserved in everlasting chains under darkness” until judgment. So what does that mean right now? Are those fallen angels locked away with zero activity, or does “chains” describe a real restriction that still allows temptation, influence, and pressure in the world we live in every day?We walk through the tension without dodging the hard questions. If demonic powers are restricted, why does the New Testament still call us to watchfulness, endurance, and spiritual warfare? We connect Jude 6 to key Christian theology themes: Jesus binding the strong man, the defeat of a “defeated foe,” and the practical command of James 4:7 that when we resist the devil, he must flee. That distinction matters: harassment can be real, but for those in Christ, overthrowing faith is not on the table.We also talk about how Jesus himself named satanic influence with unsettling clarity. “Get behind me, Satan” to Peter. “One of you is a devil” about Judas. Those moments force us to think carefully about language, discernment, and what it means to be children of light while darkness remains present. We close with encouragement and assurance, including why salvation is offered to fallen humanity through Jesus Christ, while fallen angels are not given redemption.If this kind of Scripture-first conversation helps you think, share the episode with a friend, subscribe so you don't miss the next live-style breakdown, and leave a review with the verse you want us to tackle next.Support the showBE PROVOKED AND BE PERSUADED!

In episode 501, Tony Arsenal and Jesse Schwamb dig into the parable of the watchful doorkeeper in Mark 13:32–37 — four tightly packed verses that Jesus uses to call his servants to alertness before his return. But this isn't a passage about spiritual caffeine and white-knuckling your way through the Christian life. Tony and Jesse unpack what "stay awake" actually means through the lens of Reformed theology: active, differentiated stewardship in the ordinary means of grace, faithful vocation in every sphere of life, and a corporate ecclesial readiness that belongs to the whole church, not just the individual. This episode reorients the familiar language of watchfulness away from anxiety and date-setting toward the sturdy, quiet confidence of a believer who knows who they are, whose house they serve in, and why that identity drives everything. Key Takeaways "Stay awake" is a command about identity, not performance. The doorkeeper doesn't do what he does to become the doorkeeper — he's already the doorkeeper. Christians are watchful because of who they already are in Christ, not to earn or secure that status. Vocation is not optional waiting — it's active, differentiated stewardship. Christ's ascension corresponds to the master's departure, and the interim period is characterized by each servant being given his own work, reflecting Calvin's doctrine of vocation and the Reformed insistence that the Christian life between the ascension and the Parousia is not passive. Watchfulness is corporate, not merely individual. The church, as the pillar and buttress of truth, is called to a collective readiness. In Presbyterian polity, every act of a valid church jurisdiction is an act of the whole church — meaning each member has a genuine stake in the faithfulness of the whole body. The ordinary means of grace are the means of watchfulness. Prayer, the Word, the sacraments, fellowship, and sitting under preaching are not supplementary to vigilance — they are the very instruments by which God preserves and prepares his people. Two errors must be avoided: speculative date-setting and practical indifference. Uncertainty about the hour of Christ's return is neither an invitation to calculate nor an excuse for carelessness. It is the very grounds for sustained, ordinary faithfulness. The warnings of Scripture are themselves a means of grace. Following Westminster Confession of Faith 17, the sobering warning of verse 36 is not a threat to the elect's final security but a pastoral instrument by which God preserves his people in living, active faith. The rooster-crowing language of Mark 13 anticipates the Passion narrative. The clustering of watchfulness, the night watches, and the crowing rooster in this chapter echoes the Garden of Gethsemane and Peter's denial — a connection particularly resonant given Mark's traditional association with Peter's testimony. Explanatory Paragraphs Vocation and the Active Interim One of the most theologically rich observations in this episode is the way Jesse frames the master's departure as corresponding directly to the ascension of Christ. The key phrase in verse 34 — "each one his task" — is not incidental detail. It reflects the Reformed doctrine of vocation at full strength: every believer, in every sphere of influence, has been given particular work to do on behalf of the Lord during Christ's bodily absence. This is not a passive waiting room existence. It is an active, differentiated stewardship that is deeply personal and yet accountable to the master who owns the whole house. The ascension does not mean abandonment, and the parable makes that clear by the fact that the servants are left in charge — trusted, commissioned, and expected to be about their work when the master returns. The Church's Corporate Readiness A standout contribution of this episode is Tony's move from the individual to the ecclesial. Drawing directly from OPC Book of Church Order, Chapter 3, he argues that church power is not vested in officers alone but in the whole body of believers. This means that when any legitimate church jurisdiction acts — whether in discipline, instruction, or governance — it is the whole church acting. The parable's doorkeeper is therefore not just a figure for personal piety; he is a figure for the corporate watchfulness that belongs to every member of the household. Tony's point is that a Christian who is disconnected from his local church, indifferent to what is being taught and decided elsewhere in the visible church, is not simply failing at individual holiness — he is failing to be awake in the fullest sense the parable intends. The Ordinary Means of Grace as Watchfulness Itself Perhaps the most pastorally stabilizing insight of the episode is Jesse's observation that watchfulness is not some extraordinary spiritual heroism layered on top of normal Christian life — it is normal Christian life. The ordinary means of grace are ordinary precisely because they are the regular, appointed instruments through which God delivers his grace to his people. Prayer, the Word, the sacraments, and fellowship are not preparatory disciplines that get you ready for the real work of being watchful. They are the work. Tony reinforces this by noting that a person who persistently refuses the ordinary means of grace is not simply being unwise — they are declining the offer of God's grace, which is a far more serious matter than mere spiritual lethargy. Memorable Quotes The doorkeeper doesn't do what he does to become the doorkeeper in this parable. He's already the doorkeeper, and the fact that he's the doorkeeper explains why he's given certain responsibilities and certain commands. That's the way it is for us as Christians. - Tony Arsenal The warnings of Scripture are themselves among the ordinary means by which God preserves His people... the sobering possibility of being found asleep functions pastorally not to threaten the loss of the elect, but to press home the seriousness of watchfulness as the fruit and evidence of genuine faith." - Jesse Schwamb When I go into a patient encounter at the hospital, or when I pull up to a red light, or when I order a sandwich at McDonald's and they get it wrong — I bring with me the fact that I am a Christian, the fact that I am a servant of Christ, that I am a doorkeeper in the house of the living God. - Tony Arsenal Full Transcript Jesse Schwamb: [00:01:00] Welcome to episode 501 of The Reformed Brotherhood. I'm Jesse.  Tony Arsenal: And I'm Tony, and this is the podcast with ears to hear. Hey, brother.  Jesse Schwamb: Hey, brother. Well, we've got some more kingdom teaching on tap right from the mouth of Jesus. We're going through all the parables, if you haven't been tracking with us so far, and we're finding ourselves in Mark chapter 13. And as J- only Jesus can do, packs four verses with all kinds of rich, robust theology, and it's all in this kind of strange setting, actually. A guy heads out of town. He hands his servants the keys. He tells the doorman, "Hey, watch the place," with the same kind of e- enigmatic and vague energy that I imagine, like, your cable internet provider gives you when they give you an arrival time between now and Friday. And then Jesus lists literally, like, every possible hour He might show up, evening, midnight, rooster clock, dawn. And all of this is for His glory and for our benefits. [00:02:00] And we're gonna somehow try to see if we can take all of these four verses, which are so jam-packed, and fit them into our conversation. That's our challenge, and it's gonna be yours to listen to. So welcome to this episode.  Affirm or Deny Segment Jesse Schwamb: But before we do all of that, it is everybody's favorite time. Well, except for Wicked Scriptures. That is really everybody's favorite time. Second favorite time is where we find something in our lives, Tony, that we either affirm with because it's awesome, it's exciting, want everybody to know about it, or conversely, we deny against something because it's just not that great. We don't like it. Don't waste your time with it. So everybody longs to know, in this conversation, are you affirming with or denying against?  Tony Affirms Psalm Music Tony Arsenal: I'm affirming something tonight. Uh, the listener might remember, I don't know, maybe a month and a half back, I affirmed a particular setting of Psalm 63 in the Trinity Psalter Hymnal. And as I was kind of, you know, looking around for, I wanted to find a track to sort of maybe add to the end of the episode just to sort of, [00:03:00] like, put a point on that. I stumbled on, um, a song, singer, I don't know if you'd call him a songwriter, 'cause he's mostly just writing song- psalms. But he's, he's arranging them. He's, you know, writing the guitar line for it or whatever. Uh, his name is Matthew David Montgomery. Uh, I don't know that you would know him from anywhere, but he's on, um- Apple Music, YouTube, Spotify, wherever. Uh, he does an arrangement of O God Show Mercy to Us, which is Psalm 63, uh, setting A, I believe, in the Trinity Psalter hymnal. But, um, it's, it's in other hymnals, other psalters, uh, under the same name with the same tune. Uh, he has a beautiful singing voice. He does a lot of, uh, what's typically called, like, finger style, uh, guitar picking, uh, which is just very melodious and very gentle and soft. Um, it would be a great addition to, like, your morning devotional time to just, like, pick a psalm that he sings, that he's, he's recorded. Um, you can get most of his stuff for free on, uh, YouTube, or again, if you have Apple [00:04:00] Music or Spotify, it's available there. Uh, again, his name is Matthew David Montgomery, and he's got several, uh, several albums. He has ones that specifically is psalms called Psalms for Singing. Um, and then he has a couple finger style hymn songs, uh, hymn albums that are like, you know, like I don't know, more modern hymns, He Will Hold Me Fast, Only Holy God- Right kinda like Getty, um, Getty-style and City Alight songs, those kinds of sort of that complex of modern hymnody. Um, but he's excellent, and it's excellent theologically rich sound music. Um, I haven't listened to everything, but he seems like he's in kind of that, uh, sort of vein of worship music production producer peoples, um, that are just putting out good, accessible music. I know, like, a lot of small churches, uh, have in the past have had to resort to using tracks like this actually to sort of lead their vocal music. Um, that would be something to think [00:05:00] about. It's simple. It's arranged in a straightforward fashion. Many times it's arranged according to the psalters, which are by, almost by definition are designed for congregational singing. So it's good. It's great. Use it for family worship, listen to in your car. I don't know, workout music. I don't know if you would work out to this, but I guess you could try. Um- I love it ... but yeah, I usually, I usually listen to, um, Oh God, Show Mercy To Us probably, like, once a day. I listen to it usually in the morning to kinda center my day and get my head in the right space. Um, but yeah, it's just good stuff. David, um, Mi- Matthew David Montgomery, uh, the specific one was Psalms for Singing, but, um, all of his stuff is really great.  Jesse Schwamb: All right.  Jesse Affirms Hymn Devotional Jesse Schwamb: People are gonna think we're totally conspiring now, but I promise we're not. This is just how our minds work in collective fashion, that we never speak about stuff together. So my affirmation is right in the same vein. So I'm actually excited about this one because it might just be the golden age of daily books about, like, theological meditation. It might be. And [00:06:00] so this one is really good, and I'm super stoked because I'm kind of on the cusp of this one because I got an advance copy of this book, and it's just out now. It's called Awake My Soul, and it's daily readings, 365 hymn texts taken throughout church history from the Middle Ages to 1900. And each hymn for the day includes s- a suggested tune and then, like, a short historical slash, like, theological meditation. The beauty of this- Wow One, I'm learning all kinds of new hymns that are not my favorite. Two, you can either read them or... There's no music included in this, except that in the back there's an index that will give you... There's, like, a little code every day. This is like a s- it's your own treasure hunt. There's a little code on each day, and if you take that code and go back to the end of the book, what you'll find there is names of popular hymns or songs that you do know the, the tune to, and then you can take that same tune and use the same poetic meter that the hymn is in that you don't know, and guess what? You can actually sing it. So you're prepared every day to sing [00:07:00] music and to sing brand-new music with great confidence and high conviction. So this is, like, the bridge here. Go listen to some good music. And I would say if you wanna buy this, because it is brand new, go to hymnworks.com. It's by P&R Publishing. That's where you'll find the best price. It's, like, 25 bucks. It's a beautiful clothbound, like, handsome two-color printing with a ribbon. And also Passion Week and Advent are clearly marked and can be adapted for use in any calendar year. So there you go. Like, it's the double-barreled affirmation for good singing, good hymns. By the way, for all the brothers and sisters of exclusive psalmody, we see you raising your hands in the back. Actually, if you're doing exclusive psalmody, you're in the front. So we see you in the front, and this- And you're  Tony Arsenal: probably not raising your hands.  Jesse Schwamb: You're definitely not raising your hand. We see your hands  Tony Arsenal: in your pockets. Jesse Schwamb: We see you standing there  Tony Arsenal: stoically.  Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. We see your hands in your pockets, never coming out. That's fine. Yeah. Uh, this book also is for you because so much of it is actually just, uh, the psalms adapted for kind of [00:08:00] more, when I say contemporary, between the Middle Ages and 1900 worship. So, uh, there you go. I think this is lovely. Uh, we didn't plan it, but you've got two great resources for daily living and daily singing.  Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  Building Daily Liturgy Tony Arsenal: And, you know, I think, um, there is sort of an element, and I'll be quick about this, where we are set up... We have such a, like, a dearth of riches in terms of accessibility to musical worship. And y- you know, used to think of it as, like, daily devotions, but I think the more, I think the more accurate and I think a, a more theologically rich term is a daily liturgy. Right. Um, you know, with books like Be Thou My Vision, um, by I think it's David Gibson, or, you know, he has, like, the Christmas version and the, um, I think there's an Easter version of it where it really walks you through a, a full daily liturg- liturgy with, like, a call to worship and a, a confession of sin. And, [00:09:00] um, and you could take these resources, whether it's an album like David, uh, or, like, um, David Michael Montgomery. That's a country singer, I think. Whatever the guy is that I recommend. I don't have his name in front of me. Uh, whether it's an album like that or whether it's- Right ... this resource Jesse's talking about, or like I've said before, like, just the trendy Psalter Hymnal app on your phone which will play the music for you and display the words. You can take this and there... I, I hate to say it this way because I know there's a lot of people that, that make good profitable use of sort of like evangelical, I would call it, like, fluffy devo kinda stuff. Uh, which ironically on my list of affirmations of things that are in the queue, there's, there's a devotional resource that even kinda falls into this category. Yeah, there is. But, um, there really is no good excuse for not having some sort of robust daily worship pattern. Right. Um, because you can, you can really make use of these resources to create a pretty cohesive, well put-together, pleasurable kind of [00:10:00] daily worship set or liturgy or experience, I don't know, whatever word you wanna slot in there. Um, a- and really get... Like, really just have an excellent experience out of it, really have good resources. So yeah, I'm, I'm on board. I think it's great. I would love to, I would love to be able to, uh, to take a look at that. So maybe next time we're in the same geographical location you'll have to show me. Jesse Schwamb: Oh, I'll bring it. We'll, we'll do it. It actually doubles as a hymnal because it's all indexed, so you can actually- Yeah ... just use it as a hymnal. I love books that give you two purposes. Oh, that's a double threat book right there. And that means, like, for the spaces taken up in your life and on your shelf it can do more than one thing. That's like having a kitchen appliance that, like, I don't know, is like an air fryer and it brews beer. Like, that's worth- Yeah ... the space all the time  Tony Arsenal: Yeah, I, I just recently found out that they make washers that are also dryers, and they're in the same machine, and- Wow.  Jesse Schwamb: That's transformative ... I  Tony Arsenal: would feel like a millionaire if I had one of those- Reading Mark 13 Parable Jesse Schwamb: 'cause- Well, speaking of [00:11:00] feeling like a millionaire, and I think what you challenge us with is settling in some patterns of daily worship and living for God, it just so happens that Jesus has some instruction for us in that same way- Nice ... in Mark chapter 13. So let me start beginning in verse 32. And if you're tracking along or keeping score at home and you've gone to this chapter, what you're probably gonna find is we're actually in the, the parable of the fig tree, or just at the end. But w- we're not gonna touch that one, not yet, so don't get too excited. We're actually coming right at the end of that. So picking up in verse 32: "But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone." Now, this is Jesus speaking: "See to it, keep on the alert, for you do not know when the appointed time will come. It's like a man away on a journey who, leaving his house and giving authority to his slaves, each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake – for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the [00:12:00] evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning – lest he come suddenly and find you sleeping. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake." Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  What Stay Awake Means Tony Arsenal: Yeah, it's a good, uh, it's a good parable. And, you know, this is covering a lot of the same ground as other parables that we've, uh, approached. I think what's a little bit, uh, unique or different about this one is that some of the, some of the cautions that we, um, brought out with the other parables, because they were actually longer and had more details, um, some of those cautions don't necessarily apply the same way here. Jesse Schwamb: Right.  Tony Arsenal: Right? We, we talked about the parable of the 10, of the 10 virgins, or the wise and foolish virgins, whatever you wanna call it, and we talked a lot about how this language of, like, stay awake seemed to be misapplied, uh, as, like, falling asleep is foolish. Because in that para- that particular parable, [00:13:00] um, both the wise and the foolish virgins fall asleep. It's not the falling asleep that was the problem, it was the being prepared, um, for the master's return. Uh, in that case, having the proper equipment, having your, you know, your lamps trimmed, your oil ready, all that stuff. In this parable, um, it really is about being awake. Like, being awake is the task. Yes. It's the specific command. That's right. And so our task tonight is to unpack a little bit about what it even means to be awake, what does this parable say to us about that. Um, but I, I think this one falls a little bit more in line with kind of what we maybe... I know this is weird to say. It falls a little bit more in line with what we've been talking about as a, sort of like a little bit of a legalistic approach to some of the parables. This one really does have, I th- I think, has more to do with, uh, the, the sort of production that Christians are expected to have.  Jesse Schwamb: Right.  Tony Arsenal: The, the, the holiness, the good works we're expected to have, and how [00:14:00] that plays into kind of our alertness, our, our fittedness for service, uh, and, and maybe ultimately even the way that we're rewarded in the last, the last times or in, in heaven. All of that kinda plays in here, and this is kind of like Mark's equivalent to sort of like the eschatological parables that we talked about at, at the end of Matthew in, you know, Matthew 25 and, and sort of that area  Jesse Schwamb: I totally agree.  Vocation and Stewardship Jesse Schwamb: I think this bad boy, even just the first verse, it's like a compact statement of the doctrine of vocation and providence all wrapped into one. And it's easy to read it and just kind of fly by that stuff and say, "Of course, I need to be aware of what's going on. I need to be aware of God's presence or seek Him in worship." All that's true, but there's a lot in this because, of course, the master's departure here corresponds clearly to Christ's ascension. There's like a real bodily absence that nonetheless does not amount to like abandonment. And then to your point, what I think starts to differentiate us from some of like the [00:15:00] other parables where we've been very careful about parsing this, has been this assignment, each his own work. It's reflecting like a really traditional like Reformed, I think, emphasis, even from like Calvin's doctrine of vocation, that the Christian life between the ascension and the Parousia is not one of like passive waiting, but there is like an active differentiated stewardship, and it's every believer. And even though it's just a sentence, there's like a lot of particularity in this to remind us that each one has a task, and that task is something that you should undertake on behalf and for the Lord  Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah, and this, um, the other element of this, um, that I think is interesting is, you know, we don't wanna, um We wanna be careful not to try to build entire theological, like edifices, edifices. I'm not sure which word is right. Edifice. We don't wanna build huge theological structures on top of like slight variations in words. And, and I know that, um, that can [00:16:00] sometimes be very popular in our circles and, and I'm, I s- absolutely support the grammatical historical interpretive method. I don't think it's the only el- only, you know, hermeneutic we should think about. But I definitely agree with the words matter and the meanings of the words matter. Right. But we can also go too far in, like, making an entire theological point hang on the particular choice of a verb pars- like a verb tense or mood or whatever. But I think it's interesting, um, w- the sort of what we might call the parable proper starts in verse 34, but in verse 33 it says, "Be on guard, keep awake, for you do not know when the time will come." That's not the parable. That's Christ giving a command to his immediate audience, and then I think vicariously therefore for us. When we get into the parable and it, and it says, uh, that the command for the doorkeeper, right? So the, he, he takes his servants, he puts his servants in charge, and I s- I take that to mean, [00:17:00] like, he leaves the house to them. Like, he leaves them to their task. They're, they're not, they're not having to report to anybody. They just manage the household- Right ... autonomously or independently. Um, each with his work, so there's this idea that, like, each of the servant has their own proper sort of realm of the house that they manage, right? The gardener's managing the garden, the, the house, you know, the, the, um, the, the person who's in charge of the money is managing that. And the doorkeeper, which is a particular role, his task, his charge, his, he is commanded to stay awake. Now, the phrase, the word for stay awake in verse 30, uh, 34 is not the same word that's used in verse 33. Now, I, I have not done the word study on this or, or the c- commentary work to know how significant that is, but we do affirm that the Holy Spirit inspires each individual word.  Jesse Schwamb: That's right.  Tony Arsenal: And I think we could make an argument that sometimes a word is just used, um, at least on a, on a [00:18:00] human level. It, it's just you don't wanna use the same word multiple times. Like, just like anyone writing any sort of pi- piece of work, you don't use the same word repetitively. You vary the words. You use, use synonyms to, to spice it up and to give it some variety. But also, I think there may be some significance in the fact that within the story, within the parable, the command to stay awake is a particular word, and then a different word to stay awake and to be watchful, and there's this repetition, "Be on guard. Keep awake." Like, those are parallel statements. Um, those, that's a significant thing that that word is different  Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. It's a huge, I think, reminder that there's all... The- even, again, I can't believe how much is packed. Now that I think about this, we start talking about it into, like, a single sentence. But every believer, like every servant in this house, has been given some kind of task suited to his place. I believe that's what Jesus is trying to impress us with. And that idleness is not an option countenanced by the text because the doorkeeper's [00:19:00] particular charge to watch, like you were saying, functions to me, I think, almost like a synecdoche. Like, it's f- for the whole- Yeah ... household's duty. His vigilance stands for what is in fact required of every servant, since verse 37 will then extend this command to, like, everybody. So just- Yeah ... within, like, this little space of writing or this little space of teaching, I think what we have here is, like, it's realistic for us to say we've got the twin realities that ground really biblical ecclesiology in the interim period. We have Christ's real absence, but that's, like, against, I would say, any collapsing of the already into a fully realized eschatology. And then you have Christ's ongoing ownership and authority over his house, which is the church, against any notion that the church is left to autonomous self-governance. So the house, in other words, re- remains Christ's, and the servants remain accountable to him, not to themselves, like you've just said, and each one is accountable to God in a unique way according to the task that he's given them. So again, this beautiful marriage of [00:20:00] both the responsibility, the providence, and the responsibility that we have before God in being responsible to him, but also that he is governing all things for his good and for his glory.  Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  Doorkeeper Role Explained Tony Arsenal: And you know, I think, um, the word doorkeeper here too, uh, you know, as I peek at the Greek a little bit, the word doorkeeper is also a much broader term than, uh, it might seem. You know, like I think, you know, one of my kid's favorite shows is like Curious George, and there's a character in the, the story that's literally named Doorman, and he's just the guy that like opens the door in the apartment that- Right ... Curious George and the Man in the Yellow Hat. But the word doorkeeper in, uh, in the Greek here, when applied to a, a female, is understood to be like the janitor. So the doorkeeper might even be considered something more like the master of the house. Like think of like, um-  Jesse Schwamb: Lady's ...  Tony Arsenal: uh, like the, the head butler, right? In like if you think of like Downton Abbey, right? Right. The, the guy who actually like takes care of and like [00:21:00] runs, the house manager or something like that might be a better way to look at it. And I think you're right that his charge to stay awake, to keep alert, it does extend to the entire household, but it also is a particular command for that figure.  Jesse Schwamb: Right.  Tony Arsenal: Right? So yes, everybody is given their task. This, this person, this doorkeeper, he is, um, called out specifically, individually, right? It's not as though he's the only servant in the house. There's all these other servants, they each have their task, and they're all commanded to keep about their business. The doorkeeper, the master of the house, the, I don't know, head butler, the head ch- the chief janitor, I don't know what you would want, the head custodian of the house, um, and don't think of custodian or janitor in terms of like- Like the school janitor who like cleans the toilets and mops up after the kids throwing up and stuff. The, the janitor or the custodian of the house is really the person who kind of like runs the household, the sort of like head servant of the house. [00:22:00] His command to keep watchful, to be on guard or to be alert is because, um, the, the master's return is sudden and unexpected. Right. And so if the doorkeeper doesn't keep up with things, if he's not awake, if he's not running things, if he's not managing things, if he's not alert and awake, then not only does his task get, get, um, undone... And I think like we think of it like, "Oh yeah, be on guard." You sometimes hear this parable or, or variations of this parable taught as like you gotta keep the wolves out, like he's the guard at the door. Right. I don't think that's what this is getting at. It's really more like if this, if the doorkeeper s- falls asleep on the job, then the entire house falls into disarray, and you can't recover that when the master all of a sudden is at the gate. If you're just the guard, I guess you might be able to snap to attention and like, you know, pull your pole arm or whatever it is up. Like you might be able to snap to attention and kind of fake it. But if you're the guy who manages the entire household and the [00:23:00] whole household is in disarray because you've fallen asleep on the job, there's no recovering from that when the master taps you on the shoulder and says, "Please wake up, I'm home." You just can't recover from that. And so I think that's, that's the element of the story, the element of the parable that we probably need to think about a little bit more is, all right, w- no one of us is the doorkeeper of the church.  Jesse Schwamb: That's right.  Tony Arsenal: But also none of us are not the doorkeeper of the church. So like we all have a role and a responsibility in, in the church to sort of like be a part of, an active part of the church, an active part of God's kingdom, which is not, I'm not trying to say we're all gatekeepers, right? We're not all called to be r- to rule over the church. Like there's a particular office of ruling elder that I would say exists, uh, you know, that's codified in the OPC. But even within other kinds of s- setups, there's usually some sort of elder, you know, setup where there's elders that are not teaching elders. They're not there to like teach and minister and, and preach. They're there to [00:24:00] like govern the church and support the needs of the body spiritually. That's really, uh, you know, like a particular office, but that's also a task and a role that we all share as Christians is to, to sh- sort of, I almost said shepherd, but that doesn't feel right, but it also doesn't feel wrong. To sort of like manage the business of the congregation and the church- That's right ... and the, the invisible church as a whole. That's the task of every Christian, and that's really what this parable's getting at, I think.  Jesse Schwamb: I think so too. And I, I don't wanna, like, build too far a bridge away from that point. I think it's worth sitting there for a second because what occurs to me as you were saying that is I just happened to be reading Calvin's commentary this morning in 1 Corinthians 5, and he builds this whole theological argument around this idea that he, he basically is saying, "Why should the Corinthians mourn over one man's sin?" And he gives two reasons. First, as a consequence of the communion that exists among the members of the church, it's becoming that all should feel hurt at or so it's deadly if one of their members should fall. And the second is when such an erroneous sin is [00:25:00] perpetrated in a particular church, the perpetrator is an offender in such a manner that he pollutes the whole society. That is to say, I think it's kind of in line with what you're saying, that corruption in one place will affect the entire body. That is like falling asleep, pulling away from the mission Being found outside of the mission of God's, uh, for God's glory is something that hurts the church body. And we might ask, like if there is in our own lives a persistent sin, some kind of corruption, then we ought to ask, is there any form of corruption that we're contributing to the body of God? And I think those, these like real consequences of what it means to live in a way where we find ourselves, again, outside of what it means to worship whole heartedly, to worship with heart, soul, and mind, all of which we do imperfectly. Yet at the same time- Yeah ... are we being awake? Are we being made aware? Watchfulness and Rest Jesse Schwamb: I, I wonder if part of what's envisioned here and in view with Jesus' teaching is not just this idea... Almost like I think sometimes we, we say stay awake or we say be [00:26:00] watchful, and of course like I love that Jesus mentions like the four watches. Like that's, I think, like a distinctly kind of Roman division of the night into four three-hour segments. And of course it's gonna suggest to Mark's gentile audience that, and, and underscore this point, that it's not which watch, but that no watch may be presumed safe from the master's arrival. And so I think when we hear that stuff we think, "Well, this means like don't fall asleep." In other words, like there's going to be a test somewhere in your life or all of your life where you're going to be legitimately tempted to take a rest, and you can't take a rest. You gotta keep like just going thrust or no th- you, there's no other choice- Right ... but to give it your all. I think what's better here and what's in view is in all areas of life, are you awake to the reality that God has given you work to do in the spheres of influence that you have, in the particular place in which you live, among the church people whom He has given you to worship with? Are you aware that at all times you ought to be moving and working and for His glory, [00:27:00] even while you are literally sleeping in rest so that you might do those things for the next day? So I- Yeah ... I don't wanna get too hyped up on it's kind of like, again, what's the spiritual equivalent of always drinking Celsius and Red Bull and just like toughing it out- Yeah like with your eyes wide open. It's, it's way more than that.  Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah, uh, this is gonna seem like a weird transition, but it's, it is but also isn't. Um, I, I saw an interesting video the other... I'm getting super nerdy here right now. But, um, I saw an interesting video on YouTube the other day that was talking about how strange it was that there is like a night shift on the Starship Enterprise on Star Trek Next Generation. But, but actually like- It, it demonstrated something to me that, like, even on a, you know, this is obviously a fictional television show, but, like, even on a spaceship where there is no sun, there is no actual reference- Right ... for what a day is, right? We think of a day, and, and rightfully so, it's locked into a 24-hour cycle because of the [00:28:00] way God has created the Earth to spin, and the sun, and the sunrise, sunset, et cetera. But in this fictionalized universe, in this fictionalized world, there's no sunset. There's no, uh, chronology, yet they still divide on, on this, they still divide the day into these three watches. And it's funny, 'cause they talk about how, like, well, there's, there's the day shift, there's the sort of like second shift, and there's the night shift. And they actually even, like, turn the lights down on the ship to simulate a day-night cycle. And, and what it got me thinking about, and I think in the parable, obviously, like, it's the four watches of the night. Um, I play a lot of Dungeons & Dragons, and, like, when you're gonna do what's called a long rest, you have to determine who's gonna set a watch. If you don't set a proper watch, then the dungeon master may make it so monsters show up and you don't get your long rest. This idea that- Even resting is an appropriate and necessary execution of- Right ... the task to be watchful. That's right. Like, I think that's important. If you are, um, i- if you think of like, uh, Lord of the [00:29:00] Rings, right? And they set a watch. Uh, the responsibility of the people who aren't on watch is to make every, every use of that time to sleep so that if something happens, they're alert. And then when also when it's time for them to take watch, they're able to be watchful. And, uh, the other thing I wanna, wanna just comment really quickly on, because I, I, I didn't do a lot of prep for this episode. Big shocker. We don't prep a lot for these episodes. And this is another Markan parable that I'm not super familiar with.  Church Alertness and Power Tony Arsenal: But one of the things that as we're talking through it I'm, I'm becoming more convinced of, is this really is about not just any one individual being alert, although there is implications for us. It's really about the whole church being alert.  Jesse Schwamb: That's  Tony Arsenal: right. Like, the church is the, uh... I, I think it's in, I wanna say it's in Timothy, I don't know where, but the Church is the buttress and pillar of truth, right? So that's not to say we're the, we're the arbiter of truth, but I wanna read this. The... I don't know any other podcasts, although in our circles there [00:30:00] probably are other podcasts that you might hear someone reading out of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church book of Church Order, Form of Government, chapter three, verse, uh, passage one here. Uh, but this is, this is, as I said, uh, BCO chapter three, Form of Government. Uh, and this is, the chapter is titled The Nature and Exercise of Church Power. And when I was coming into the OPC, I don't think I was surprised, uh, in terms of like I thought the theology was different. I was pleasantly surprised to see that this was articulated and how clearly it was articulated. So I'm just gonna read the whole section here. It says, "The power which Christ has committed to His Church is not vested in special officers alone, but in the whole body. All believers are endued with the Spirit & called of Christ to join in the worship, edification, and the witness of the Church which grows as the body of Christ, fitly framed and knit together through, uh, that which every joint supplies according to the working and due measure of each part." Sidebar commentary. The BCO doesn't [00:31:00] have proof text, but if they did, they would just be citing to Ephesians 5 here. Um, back to what the text says. "The power of believers in their general office includes the right to acknowledge and desire the exercise of the gifts and calling of the special officers. The regular exercise of oversight in a particular congregation is discharged by those who have been called to such work by the vote of the people." So just to summarize that, officers, at least in the OPC Um, ruling elders are nominated and voted into, into office and essentially, uh, given their powers, their official powers, their official responsibilities, not by the presbytery, uh, and not by some hierarchy, but by the congregation. They call from within.  Church Authority From Congregation Tony Arsenal: But that, that means that the power of the ruling elders, the, the authority of the ruling elders, is not derived from some hierarchy. It's derived from the [00:32:00] authority and the exercise of power of the whole church. And the other thing, I won't read this, but the other thing that I found, um, really interesting that I really like is in Presbyterianism, and, and I, I believe Presbyterianism is what the Bible teaches positively as a command. I know there are other church polities, and I know everybody is trying to figure it out, and we don't all agree. I think Presbyterianism is the right way.  Jurisdictions And Whole Church Acts Tony Arsenal: But either way, um Presbyterianism works on a s- sort of an idea of, uh, jurisdictions, right? And they're kinda concentric circles. They're not necessarily hierarchical, but it's, it's narrow jurisdictions and then broader jurisdictions. And the most narrow jurisdiction is the session of a local church over that congregation. But what's really interesting is that the, the Book of Church Order calls out that when any valid jurisdiction of the church is exercising its authority, it's not just that jurisdiction that's [00:33:00] acting. That's an act of the whole church, the entire Orthodox Presbyterian Church. So in a congregation where someone is in unrepentant sin and that, uh, session makes a decision, votes a decision to excommunicate that person, to remove them from the rolls, consider them to be an unbeliever, that's not just an act of that jurisdiction. I- i- as a member of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, when some church in Sacramento, California, I don't know if there's an OPC in Sacramento, I assume there probably is, but some church in Sacramento, California, the presbytery or the session excommunicates someone, I am e- I'm engaged in that act. That's an act of the whole church.  Watchfulness Beyond Personal Piety Tony Arsenal: And this, the, the only reason I go there and I bring, I kind of dive into that level of granularity is I actually think that this is kind of what this parable is teaching, is that as individuals, we need to be alert because the whole church acting is the whole church acting. So whether this takes the [00:34:00] form of me just being really un- un- like, locked into my local church and making sure that I'm active in my local church, or whether... And I think there are some of us who are called to this, um, and I think our, our podcast in some levels sort of takes this shape a little bit, are watching what other people in the church are doing and sometimes are offering corrections, right? It is not the case that an average blogger has ecclesiastical authority in the strictest sense, but when I see, or, or anyone who is sort of involved in online commentary, podcast, blogging or otherwise, I see someone in the church teaching something elsewhere and I call that out, that's me sort of fulfilling this command of Mark 13. I'm being watchful Because what that Christian says or does, if they're truly a Christian, actually does have something to do with what I believe. It actually does have something to do with me as a believer. That doesn't mean that you should get up in everybody else's business. That's not what I'm saying. Like, sometimes- Right ... the thing [00:35:00] that's going on in the church over there is just that thing that's going on over at the church there. But for example, there was a pretty high-profile, um, uh, ecclesiastical, I don't know if it was a trial, but like an ecclesiastical deposition, I guess, um, for a presbytery down in the Southwest, um, about some pretty gnarly things that were being said by an elder in the OPC church, and I wrote to that presbytery. They haven't sent it to me yet, but I wrote to that presbytery and said, "Hey, what you did at that meeting is an act of the whole church that I'm a part of. Can you send me the minutes?" And I have a right to do that, because I wanna see what's going on. I wanna understand what statements they're making on behalf of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church of America. Or, I just combined like 1,000 different denominations- Yes, you did. ... into one sentence. But I, I think the point is clear, like the, the parable of the watchful doorkeeper or the porter is not about exclusively, I do think there's an element of it, but it's not about our individual piety. It's about the sort of readiness state of the entire church for [00:36:00] Christ's return, if you really boil it all down  Avoid Date Setting And Indifference Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, so we, I think before we leave verse 35, we, we are at least contractually obligated to say, though we've said it before, that there are two errors here that we should definitely seek to avoid. And because we're talking about, again, this idea that we do not know when the master of the house will come, that is the reason why we wait, and we are watchful, like you just said. But it means that the first is any kind of, like, speculative date setting, which is a fool's errand. We've talked about that at length. Yeah. The second one, again, I think we're contractually obligated to say, is a practical indifference, maybe sometimes dressed as, like, pious agnosticism, like treating the uncertainty of that hour as grounds for some kind of spiritual carelessness rather than heightened attentiveness. So I think where all this wraps up with what you said about one representing all, that, that is the church's responsibility. Yes, you're right. In Timothy we get the command that this is the center and the pillar. So I... That obviously all this coheres with just straight-up biblical [00:37:00] doctrine of assurance and perseverance, because the elect are kept by God's power through faith. So what that means is watchfulness is not some kind of, like, anxious uncertainty about final salvation, but instead it is, like, this disciplined fidelity in the means God has appointed. Ordinary Means Of Grace Jesse Schwamb: And what are those means? Like, I feel like this is where everybody just shouts back, "Ordinary means." You know what I mean? When I say means- ... you say ordinary. Means- Or I should, I should say it the other way around. Ordinary. But this idea that, like, what are those things God has put into our lives, has appointed for us to use, has commanded us to up- obtain for ourselves by his power? It's prayer, it's the word, it's the sacraments. It's a mutual watchfulness within that visible church like you were just describing, and it's precisely because the timing of Christ's return has been sovereignly withheld from creaturely knowledge. So there's actually a lot in this that I think assuages that, that really sensitive Christian conscience, which is like, "Well, are you telling me I have to do more?" That's not what we're saying at all. We're, we're saying, "Do the things which God has empowered you to do." And guess what? Those things [00:38:00] are just very chill, very ordinary things that take on extraordinary influence and power in our lives by the work of the Holy Spirit. So again, it's like this whole thing of saying, like, when we work, we work. When we pray, God works. It's the same kind of thing here. There is work to be done. There is a watchfulness to undertake in all the activities of our lives. But it is not like whatever the, again, the equivalent, like, is of, like, spiritual, I don't know, like shots of espresso and, and Celsius to just try to, like, by all accounts, by your own power, somehow just not sleep. Uh- Yeah ... not sleeping is not what this text is about. It's actually about being aware, worshiping in awareness around all the things, and then devoting ourselves to all the stuff that we keep talking about, to praying, to studies in the scripture, to having family devotions and time of worship, to baptism, and to the Lord's Supper. That's what watchfulness is all about.  Tony Arsenal: Yeah. [00:39:00] Yeah, and I, I think, um, you know, this is again I do think this parable has more to do with the idea of kinda getting after it. I, I think that's how we usually talk about it, like getting after holiness. Yeah, it is. Um, I, I think this parable has more to do with that than some of the other parables with similar language that we've talked about. But I, I also think, um, as Reformed Christians, uh, we get the, we get the cart before the horse if we think that even though that's what it's about, that that somehow places the onus on us to do the good works, right? Right. The good works are prepared for us in advance that we might walk in them. And, uh, i- it's not even right to say, like, our responsibility is to walk in them. That's not even quite right theologically. Like, we are going to walk in them. Like, that's, that's the thing, is the doorkeeper is given this charge. He's commanded to stay awake, and in good Augustinian fashion, it's really more along the [00:40:00] lines es- of the doorkeeper is made to stay awake because he's been commanded to. Jesse Schwamb: Yes, that's right.  Tony Arsenal: And I think that's, that's really key.  Fruit Checking And Assurance Tony Arsenal: And yes, there is some- something to say for, uh, fruit checking. And I, I know that there are probably some in our audience that just, like, threw up in their mouth a little bit when I said that. Um, but the, the reality is, a lack of fruit, uh, i- in our life, and by fruit I'm talking about good works. Primarily I'm talking about the ordinary means of grace, like you said. A, a person who is refusing to avail themselves of the ordinary means of grace, right? Right on. Regular church attendance, prayer- Right ... the sacraments, Bible reading, um, sitting under the preaching of the Word, fellowship with other believers. Um, I would even say to some extent regular s- regular financial support of the Church. Mm-hmm. Um, and, and I... There, there are times where that may not be, uh, the most feasible thing, and so that's a decision between you and the Holy Spirit and for you to discuss with your pastor. [00:41:00] But, but the reality is God has given us these ordinary means of grace as a gift and as a way to nourish and support us. When we refuse to take part in those, and I use the word refuse intentionally, when a person refuses to attend church, for the most part most of us who have had a season where we don't, don't attend church, and I, I had a long season when I was in college where I just didn't attend church. There was no good reason for it. I just didn't do it. And if I'm being really honest, it was 'cause at that time in my life I had some sinful patterns that I didn't wanna face up to, right? That's usually what it boils down to.  Jesse Schwamb: Right.  Tony Arsenal: Um, but for those of us who d- who refuse to, uh, take part and to avail ourselves of the ordinary means of grace, that should really cause us to question our salvation. Not because the ordinary means of grace cause our salvation, but because the ordinary means of grace are exactly as they're called. Exactly. They're the ordinary means by which God delivers His grace to us. So if we're refusing to receive God's grace, it means we're refusing to receive God's grace. And the only people ultimately who are not forgiven are [00:42:00] those who receive to ref- you know, refuse to receive God's grace. So I think this, this passage has more to do with us in an indi- sort of on the individual level, us being actively engaged and partaking in the, uh, the administration of the covenant of grace, to use a more technical term, right? The administration of the covenant of the grace are the visible means of grace. If we refuse to be baptized, if we refuse to partake of the Lord's supper, if we refuse to attend church and to sit under the preaching of the word and to pray, then we are, we are turning down God's offer of grace. That's right. We're taking the gift that He desires to give us, and we're saying, "No thank you." Well, when we phrase it that way, it's a flat rejection of God's grace that we're engaged in.  Church Mission And Readiness Tony Arsenal: But on a, on a sort of like big picture scale I think it has to do also along with these lines that I'm talking about of the Church itself being ready. Well, how does the Church prepare itself for Christ's [00:43:00] return? Again, the ordinary means of grace, right? We prepare ourselves by teaching and ministering, right? C- I think it's Colossians 1:28. If I was on Reformed Forum, I'd have this memorized 'cause it's their, like, theme verse. But, like, equipping every person for the ministry of Christ, equipping every person, making sure every person is, uh, mature and ready. Like, all of those things come together as the primary mission of the Church. And I know this is gonna trigger some people, but, like, evangelism is not the primary mission of the Church. The primary mission of the Church is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, which takes place mostly on the Lord's day. I think all of that, the personal dimension, the corporate dimension, all of that coalesces in this command to be watchful, to stay awake, to be on guard, to s- be about the task, to be in charge of the commands you've been given. All of those different concepts come together in what Christ is talking about here in verse 37 when He says, "I say to you, I say to all, [00:44:00] stay awake." Like- Right ... that's what we're talking about. So it's not as simple as personal piety. It's probably not as complicated as some sort of, like, I don't know, least of these, feed-the-poor schema that happens sometimes. All of that happens. It really is just about the Church being the Church and doing the things the Church does, both on the individual level, but also on the corporate level. Perseverance And Scriptural Warnings Jesse Schwamb: And that's why, as loved ones of God, then we can come to verse 36, which is the full warning, and we actually read it as a great comfort. So it says, "Lest he come suddenly and find you asleep." And after all we're talking about here, the way I read this warning against complacency is entirely consistent with, instead of being contradictory to, the doctrine of perseverance of the saints. Because perseverance is not fatalism, and I'm just... I'm still learning this, loved ones. Like, and even here, what I marvel at is the warnings of scripture are themselves among the ordinary means by which God preserves His people. So I go back to the Westminster [00:45:00] Confession of Faith chapter 17, which notes that, "Believers may, through the temptations of Satan and of the world, fall into grievous sins, and so incur God's displeasure, even while never finally falling from grace." So that sobering possibility of, of quote-unquote being found asleep I think functions pastorally not to threaten the loss of the election, of the elect, but to press home I think, like, the seriousness of watchfulness as the fruit and evidence of genuine faith, which is what you're talking about. That, that's kind of like the Reformed theological jam in a sense, and that's why, where I think we'd anchor like James 2, Hebrews 3 and 4. There is, like, a call of the necessity of perseverance in the means as the mark of the true as opposed to be merely, of course, like some kind of profession of discipleship. The visible church, and we talked about this too, mixed as it is, is here warned that the formal membership in the household is no substitute for actual wakefulness. And so I hope we see that warning as not something [00:46:00] that's like, "Well, you gotta, you gotta check yourself every day 'cause if you just step out of line once, if you fall asleep at any little thing, then it just goes to show you that you weren't serious enough." Instead, it's like you said, Tony, like even the warning itself is proof positive that God will save, that He arrests, that He holds everything firm and secure, and that even the setting of the table or the preparing of the good works and then the way in which you walk in them, we might ask, how is it that you are even walking? Yeah. And so even this is all an act of God, whether we speak about that, uh, that justification, that initial positional sanctification, and even the progressive frame as well is all f- happens here because God is in fact doing that good work. So it's a good warning because it reminds us that what's, I think, the particular and special dispensation of the Christian is that in this falling asleep, as the Westminster Confession says, it may mean that we fall even into grievous sins. We're incurring God's displeasure. We're not disrupting our [00:47:00] identity in Christ, but we are disrupting our harmony with Christ. Yes. And so we always want to seek and to live in that kind of beautiful harmony where there is, I think, obedience for a word. There is a special fellowship that comes from being close to God in this way. We should always strive after that and want that very thing, but at no point does the Christian who even falls into grievous sins, as the Confession reminds us, fall outside of God's mercy and grace. Merely we fall outside of God's pleasure, and we r- we're finally returned to grace by His power in our lives, whi- which He Himself affects so that even in our fall, even in our death every day, there is a little bit of resurrection that restores us. Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  Rapture Ready Misreadings Tony Arsenal: Yeah, another way, um, another way to put this, um, and I, I don't mean to trugger, trig- to trigger, uh, our dispensationalist friends and family who are listening to the show, um, there are I will speak from my own experience coming out of a dispensationalist framework when I was in [00:48:00] high school and early college. Um, there was a lot of focus on being, quote, "Rapture ready." And I, I think sometimes we can read parables like this to think that stay awake means be Rapture ready. And what that means is, like, in some forms of dispensationalism, and I think probably many forms of dispensationalism, there's this idea that, like, if you're not right with God in, in this sense you're talking about, if, like, you're in disharmony with God when the Rapture comes, you may ultimately be saved, but you're not gonna be saved by the Rapture, which means you're gonna have to deal with the tribulation, and that's no good. So, like, if your piety's not on point when the Rapture happens, all your friends are gonna be taken away, and you're gonna be left behind, right? I don't think it's too much of a characteristic- a caricature to talk about Left Behind when there's an entire dispensational book series about this, right? Right. The whole concept behind the Left Behind novel is that it's populated by people who thought they were Christians who weren't. Uh, and some of [00:49:00] those are because they had a false profession of faith. Some of them were just back- what, what a lot of people would just call backslidden Baptists or backslidden Christians who, who had a genuine profession of faith but just weren't living in a holy fashion. I think we can sometimes read this, whether we're dispensationalists or not, we can read these kinds of parables in light of Rapture readiness. I think it's, it's both more assuring and also infinitely more severe than that. Right. It's not about Rapture ready. It's about whether you're saved or not. Right. Whether you are in the kingdom of God, whether you are among the household of believers. All of the people in view in this parable are members of the master's household, right? Uh, they're all his servants. So it's not as though there are some who are, um, outside of his family that are be given, being given a command to be watchful. There's also no consequence implied for the doorkeeper if somehow he's not watchful. It's more along the lines of if you're in the faith, if you are the doorkeeper or a [00:50:00] doorkeeper in the g- in the king's house, then you ought to be watchful because that's what you do. And so there's no, like, implied consequence. There's no assumption that the doorkeeper somehow won't be watchful. So I think if there's any sort of, like, gut check, status check that needs to happen, it's really more along the lines of are we in the Lord's household or are we not? That's right. That's right. And I think that's, that's what you're getting at. If we're in the Lord's household, if we're members of his house, if we're servants in his kingdom, then we will be awake when the time comes. We will be awake when he returns.  Rooster Crow And Passion Echoes Tony Arsenal: And the other thing, and I'll just throw this out there maybe as a tease. I don't, I don't think there's enough here for us to come back to it next week, uh, although I've been wrong before, and sometimes Jesse and I have conversations right after that turn into the next episode. I think it's really interesting- I don't know if you ran into this when you were reading it, but- Yeah ... verse 35: "Therefore stay awake, for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening or at [00:51:00] midnight or when the rooster crows," that's a very interesting phrase to me- It is, yeah ... "or in the morning." It's just another chapter or two when- Yeah ... we see the disciples fall asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane, right? Gethsemane. Um, the disciples fall asleep. We see language of the watches, right? The, the hours that Christ is alive and dies on the cross are associated with the watches. Right. And then of course the rooster crowing. And it's a very well-known, um, uh, I, I don't wanna call it a fact 'cause that might be too strong, but it's a pretty accepted, uh, theory in, in the sort of, uh, academic understanding of the, the authors of the Gospels that Mark, uh, Mark actually represents Peter's testimony. That the sort of a- apostolic imprimatur of the Gospel of Mark is actually that M- John Mark, probably while he was ministering with Peter, was being told these, this account, and he's collecting Peter's, Peter's [00:52:00] statements on the events of the Gospel It is very interesting to me that this phrase about the rooster crowing associated with being watchful and ready in the service of the master- Yep would appear particularly in the gospel that's asso- associated with Peter. Right. And I'll throw that out there just as maybe food for a discussion- ... in our Telegram chat, but I do think e- even that is sort of for our benefit, right? Right. We're not talking about, uh, this isn't a parable about what happens when you betray Jesus and hang yourself with a rope, right? This isn't, this isn't Judas who never was a believer. If we're drawing this peril- parallel, this is a parable about Peter, or related to Peter's experience, uh, who was restored, who ultimately had a moment of sleepiness, I guess, both physically and, you know, spiritually here. Had a moment of, of sleepiness, but ultimately was awake when the master came. That's right. And I think, like, there's something there for us to tease out, and, and again, [00:53:00] maybe we'll leave that for the Telegram chat. Maybe that's just for your own personal study. I've done zero commentary work, so maybe this is a connection that I feel- ... is super novel, but actually everyone else makes. Um, but I just thought it was really interesting how closely that language, that sequence of the watchfulness, the watch, sleepiness, awakefulness, and the rooster crows, how closely that lines up to the events that w- would be if we were going through Mark sequentially- Yep ... we would be encountering in just a couple chapters, right? In just chapter 15. They're coming up. Um, we're talking about this exact thing. So it's very interesting to me, is it... The Holy Spirit is amazing in how He has put together this. Yes. Even if, even if that is a super tenuous connection, it's still a connection. And- Agreed ... I have a tough time thinking anyone who's familiar with the, the passion accounts would read this and not go, "Woo." That's a lot of language from the passion account. It's a lot of- Yes ... language related to what happened in just a few chapters.  Jesse Schwamb: Yes. I'm with you. Like we said, there's so much that's within these couple of verses, and you'd have to think if you were reading this with brand-new eyes, [00:54:00] with eyes that never seen this text before, and you were just going straight through, you'd come in just a few short chapters to that whole narrative in Gethsemane and be like, "What? Did he, didn't he just, didn't this guy Jesus just say to them- Like be watchful, stay awake. And here they're... Isn't that ironic? Here they are in the garden, and he said- Yeah ... to them again, "Stay awake." They fall asleep. He comes back, he's like, "Could you not watch for one

In this episode, Jesus reveals that Judas is the one who would betray him, and we talk about the subtle things that lead us into temptation.

The Warden's Widow and Vic join host Hollie Nicole at Inkcarceration Festival for a spooky, playful interview exploring Blood Prison and the haunted history of the Ohio State Reformatory.The Warden's Widow shares the tragic true story that loosely inspired her character, along with the rumored ghost story that helped shape her delightfully sinister personality. Vic explains how Blood Prison uses immersive storytelling, dedicated scare actors, elaborate rooms, and movie-quality sets to make visitors feel like they have stepped inside a horror film.The conversation also uncovers the famous movies filmed at the reformatory, including The Shawshank Redemption, Tango & Cash, Judas and the Black Messiah, and Escape Plan. Plus, Vic discusses unexplained noises inside the historic prison, its reported one-dollar sale, and stories about overcrowded cells during its operating years.Hollie gives Blood Prison a terrifying 10 out of 10 before learning how horror fans can experience its Halloween season, Christmas haunt, convention appearances, and Inkcarceration attraction.Press play for ghost stories, horror history, rock festival energy, paranormal mysteries, and a wicked encounter with The Warden's Widow!

This episode covers three very different astronomy stories and then moves into a lively Q&A with listener questions. Andrew Dunkley and Professor Fred Watson discuss a possible sugary molecule in the center of the Milky Way, the risk lunar landers may contaminate ice that could preserve clues to life's origins, and a new way to track lost dogs using satellite connectivity. The second half of the episode answers questions about moons with atmospheres, secret astronomy, hot Jupiters, and black hole mergers.Key topicsIn this episode, Fred Watson explains an update from Peter Verweyen on MOND, now referred to as Aether Scalar Tensor Theory, and how it relates to dark matter and dark energy debates.We discuss the detection of erythrulose, a sugar molecule found in interstellar gas clouds near the center of the Milky Way, and why this matters for prebiotic chemistry.Fred describes how molecules like sugar can form in cold molecular clouds before stars and planets exist, making some ingredients for life surprisingly common.We discuss a new study warning that rocket exhaust from future lunar landings could contaminate ice in permanently shadowed craters at the Moon's south pole.The Moon's polar ice may contain ancient prebiotic molecules delivered by comets, asteroids, and dust, making it a possible time capsule for the chemistry that led to life.We discuss the practical and ethical problem that landers have to use rocket engines, and those exhaust plumes may spread methane and other organics across the lunar surface very quickly.Fred shares how satellite-based direct-to-cell or direct-to-mobile systems could help locate lost dogs in remote places without cell coverage.We discuss how this kind of tracking builds on existing GPS pet trackers, and how it could be useful in wilderness areas, while also noting the limits and concerns in national parks.Timestamps(00:00) Start of the episode and what's coming up(03:12) MOND update and the new AEST name(07:10) A sugary molecule in the center of our galaxy(09:51) Why sugar can form in deep space before stars exist(12:24) Why lunar landings could contaminate the Moon's ice(14:54) The Moon as a time capsule for prebiotic molecules(16:24) Methane exhaust and rapid contamination risk(18:37) Should the Moon be protected like a national park?(20:28) Satellite tracking for lost dogs in remote areas(24:52) Direct-to-mobile satellite technology explained(25:44) The Judas goat program and invasive species controlBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/space-nuts-astronomy-insights-cosmic-discoveries--2631155/support.

08.12.2026 | Part 22: Jesus Betrayed and Arrested | Pastor Jeff Wickwire What stands out to you most about Jesus’ final hours—His betrayal, the Last Supper, or His prayers in Gethsemane? In this week’s message, Pastor Jeff reminded us that Jesus was both fully God and fully human, experiencing real pain and sorrow so He could understand ours. We also saw how Mary’s costly worship stood in contrast to Judas’ betrayal, and how the Lord’s Supper calls us to remember Christ’s sacrifice.

Today's Scripture passages are 1 Kings 22:29-40 | 2 Chronicles 18:9 - 19 | 1 Kings 22:51-53 | Mark 14:10-16 | Matthew 26:14-19 | Luke 22:3-13.Read by Ekemini Uwan.Get in The Word with Truth's Table is a production of InterVarsity Press. For 75 years, IVP has published and created thoughtful Christian books for the university, church, and the world. Our Bible reading plan is adapted from Bible Study Together, and the Bible version is the New English Translation, used by permission.SPECIAL OFFER | As a listener of this podcast, use the code IVPWORD40 for 40% off and free shipping on any IVP resource mentioned in this episode at ivpress.com.Additional Credits:Song production: Seaux ChillSong lyrics written by: Seaux Chill, Ekemini Uwan, and Christina EdmondsonPodcast art: Kate LillardPhotography: Shelly EveBible consultant: JM SmithSound engineering: Podastery StudiosCreative producers: Ekemini Uwan and Christina EdmondsonAssistant producer: Christine Pelliccio MeloExecutive producer: Helen LeeTo reach the IVP podcast team, please use this form.Disclaimer: The comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and/or the guests featured on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of InterVarsity Press or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

En vez de preguntarnos ¿Por qué Jesús escogió a Judas? ¿Por qué Dios decide usarme a mí, aun con mis debilidades, inseguridades y errores?. Debemos reconocer que ser usados por Dios es un privilegio y no algo que merecemos por nuestra capacidad o perfección.

He was numbered among the Seventy. Then, when Judas who betrayed Christ had taken his own life, the disciples (120 men and women) convened to choose one who would take his place among the Twelve. They nominated two, Joseph (called Barsabas or Justus) and Matthias, then cast lots. The lot fell to Matthais, who henceforth was numbered among the Twelve (See Acts ch. 1). Accounts of his Apostolate after this vary. According to some, he preached the Gospel in Ethiopia and met his martyrdom there. According to others, after visiting Ethiopia he returned to Judea, where he was tried and condemned by Ananias the High Priest, and stoned to death, then beheaded.

Political betrayal, systemic erosion, and the systemic sacrifice of American citizens take center stage in today's episode. Joe opens with a blunt look at the establishment's fractures—from the quiet outrage surrounding the current administration to Aaron Rodgers calling out Anthony Fauci, alongside Donald Trump laying out the stark realities of post-Biden economic costs and escalating tension with Iran. Joined later by Casey Putsch, founder of the Genius Garage Educational Programs, Joe unpacks how modern leadership continually sells out its own people for personal gain, exemplified by Vivek Ramaswamy getting booed offstage as the political landscape continues to shift.The conversation turns sharp as we expose how America's historical "high-trust" foundation has been systematically dismantled from within. Between the military-industrial complex, compromised elections, and unchecked migration pipelines line-itemed by NGOs at taxpayer expense, native-born Americans are consistently pushed aside while foreign interests take priority. We contrast the establishment's narrative of opportunity with the stark reality on the ground, exposing how the Democratic machine uses "big tent" politics to shield radical agendas while actively undermining domestic stability.From calls to prosecute federal law enforcement to the absurd realities of life under elite progressive policies in California, this episode pulls no punches on the breakdown of common sense in modern leadership. Joe dismantles the hypocrisy line by line, showing exactly how institutional rot is driving the nation toward a tipping point—and why restoring accountability is no longer optional.