Podcasts about Kidron

“The king also himself passed over the brook Kidron.” — 2 Samuel 15:23 David passed that gloomy brook when flying with his mourning company from his traitor son. The man after God's own heart was not exempt from trouble, nay, his life was full of it. He was both the Lord's Anointed, and the Lord's […]

Charity, Kevin, Randy, and Kristen share trip reports from the most recent WDW trips. Randy blows everyone's minds. And a new cast member, Kidron, joins the gang.

John 18–19Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus[1] When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. [2] Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. [3] So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. [4] Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” [5] They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. [6] When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. [7] So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” [8] Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.” [9] This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.” [10] Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) [11] So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”Jesus Faces Annas and Caiaphas[12] So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him. [13] First they led him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. [14] It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.Peter Denies Jesus[15] Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, [16] but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in. [17] The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man's disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” [18] Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.[19] The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. [20] Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. [21] Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said.” [22] When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” [23] Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?” [24] Annas then sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.Jesus Before Pilate[28] Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor's headquarters. It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor's headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover. [29] So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” [30] They answered him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.” [31] Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.” [32] This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die.

Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valleyto where there was a garden,into which he and his disciples entered.Judas his betrayer also knew the place,because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.So Judas got a band of soldiers and guardsfrom the chief priests and the Phariseesand went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him,went out and said to them, “Whom are you looking for?”They answered him, “Jesus the Nazorean.”He said to them, “I AM.”Judas his betrayer was also with them.When he said to them, “I AM, “they turned away and fell to the ground.So he again asked them,“Whom are you looking for?”They said, “Jesus the Nazorean.”Jesus answered,“I told you that I AM.So if you are looking for me, let these men go.”This was to fulfill what he had said,“I have not lost any of those you gave me.”Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it,struck the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear.The slave's name was Malchus.Jesus said to Peter,“Put your sword into its scabbard.Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?”So the band of soldiers, the tribune, and the Jewish guards seized Jesus,bound him, and brought him to Annas first.He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas,who was high priest that year.It was Caiaphas who had counseled the Jewsthat it was better that one man should die rather than the people.Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus.Now the other disciple was known to the high priest,and he entered the courtyard of the high priest with Jesus.But Peter stood at the gate outside.So the other disciple, the acquaintance of the high priest,went out and spoke to the gatekeeper and brought Peter in.Then the maid who was the gatekeeper said to Peter,“You are not one of this man's disciples, are you?”He said, “I am not.”Now the slaves and the guards were standing around a charcoal firethat they had made, because it was cold,and were warming themselves.Peter was also standing there keeping warm.The high priest questioned Jesusabout his disciples and about his doctrine.Jesus answered him,“I have spoken publicly to the world.I have always taught in a synagogueor in the temple area where all the Jews gather,and in secret I have said nothing.  Why ask me?Ask those who heard me what I said to them.They know what I said.”When he had said this,one of the temple guards standing there struck Jesus and said,“Is this the way you answer the high priest?”Jesus answered him,“If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong;but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?”Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.Now Simon Peter was standing there keeping warm.And they said to him,“You are not one of his disciples, are you?”He denied it and said,“I am not.”One of the slaves of the high priest,a relative of the one whose ear Peter had cut off, said,“Didn't I see you in the garden with him?”Again Peter denied it.And immediately the cock crowed.Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium.It was morning.And they themselves did not enter the praetorium,in order not to be defiled so that they could eat the Passover.So Pilate came out to them and said,“What charge do you bring against this man?”They answered and said to him,“If he were not a criminal,we would not have handed him over to you.”At this, Pilate said to them,“Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law.”The Jews answered him,“We do not have the right to execute anyone, “in order that the word of Jesus might be fulfilledthat he said indicating the kind of death he would die.

Good Friday Old Testament Isaiah 52:13-53:12 See, my servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. Just as there were many who were astonished at him --so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of mortals-- so he shall startle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which had not been told them they shall see, and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate.   Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; and as one from whom others hide their faces he was despised, and we held him of no account.   Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.   He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By a perversion of justice he was taken away. Who could have imagined his future? For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people. They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.   Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain. When you make his life an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days; through him the will of the Lord shall prosper. Out of his anguish he shall see light; he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge. The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. The Response Psalm 22 Deus, Deus meus 1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? * and are so far from my cry and from the words of my distress? 2 O my God, I cry in the daytime, but you do not answer; * by night as well, but I find no rest. 3 Yet you are the Holy One, * enthroned upon the praises of Israel. 4 Our forefathers put their trust in you; * they trusted, and you delivered them. 5 They cried out to you and were delivered; * they trusted in you and were not put to shame. 6 But as for me, I am a worm and no man, * scorned by all and despised by the people. 7 All who see me laugh me to scorn; * they curl their lips and wag their heads, saying, 8 "He trusted in the Lord; let him deliver him; * let him rescue him, if he delights in him." 9 Yet you are he who took me out of the womb, * and kept me safe upon my mother's breast. 10 I have been entrusted to you ever since I was born; * you were my God when I was still in my mother's womb. 11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near, * and there is none to help. 12 Many young bulls encircle me; * strong bulls of Bashan surround me. 13 They open wide their jaws at me, * like a ravening and a roaring lion. 14 I am poured out like water; all my bones are out of joint; * my heart within my breast is melting wax. 15 My mouth is dried out like a pot-sherd; my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; * and you have laid me in the dust of the grave. 16 Packs of dogs close me in, and gangs of evildoers circle around me; * they pierce my hands and my feet; I can count all my bones. 17 They stare and gloat over me; * they divide my garments among them; they cast lots for my clothing. 18 Be not far away, O Lord; * you are my strength; hasten to help me. 19 Save me from the sword, * my life from the power of the dog. 20 Save me from the lion's mouth, * my wretched body from the horns of wild bulls. 21 I will declare your Name to my brethren; * in the midst of the congregation I will praise you. 22 Praise the Lord, you that fear him; * stand in awe of him, O offspring of Israel; all you of Jacob's line, give glory. 23 For he does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty; neither does he hide his face from them; * but when they cry to him he hears them. 24 My praise is of him in the great assembly; * I will perform my vows in the presence of those who worship him. 25 The poor shall eat and be satisfied, and those who seek the Lord shall praise him: * "May your heart live for ever!" 26 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, * and all the families of the nations shall bow before him. 27 For kingship belongs to the Lord; * he rules over the nations. 28 To him alone all who sleep in the earth bow down in worship; * all who go down to the dust fall before him. 29 My soul shall live for him; my descendants shall serve him; * they shall be known as the Lord's for ever. 30 They shall come and make known to a people yet unborn * the saving deeds that he has done. The Epistle Hebrews 10:16-25 The Holy Spirit testifies saying, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds," he also adds, "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more." Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. or Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. The Gospel John 18:1-19:42 Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them, "Whom are you looking for?" They answered, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus replied, "I am he." Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, "I am he," they stepped back and fell to the ground. Again he asked them, "Whom are you looking for?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus answered, "I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go." This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken, "I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me." Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave's name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?" So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him. First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one person die for the people. Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in. The woman said to Peter, "You are not also one of this man's disciples, are you?" He said, "I am not." Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself. Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. Jesus answered, "I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said." When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, "Is that how you answer the high priest?" Jesus answered, "If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?" Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him, "You are not also one of his disciples, are you?" He denied it and said, "I am not." One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, "Did I not see you in the garden with him?" Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed. Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate's headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this man?" They answered, "If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you." Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law." The Jews replied, "We are not permitted to put anyone to death." (This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.) Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?" Pilate replied, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?" Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here." Pilate asked him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." Pilate asked him, "What is truth?" After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, "I find no case against him. But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?" They shouted in reply, "Not this man, but Barabbas!" Now Barabbas was a bandit. Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. They kept coming up to him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and striking him on the face. Pilate went out again and said to them, "Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him." So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!" When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him." The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God." Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus, "Where are you from?" But Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate therefore said to him, "Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?" Jesus answered him, "You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin." From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, "If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor." When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge's bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, "Here is your King!" They cried out, "Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!" Pilate asked them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but the emperor." Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but, 'This man said, I am King of the Jews.'" Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written." When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it." This was to fulfill what the scripture says, "They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots." And that is what the soldiers did. Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, "Woman, here is your son." Then he said to the disciple, "Here is your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), "I am thirsty." A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, "It is finished." Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, "None of his bones shall be broken." And again another passage of scripture says, "They will look on the one whom they have pierced." After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Daily Anglican Prayer – Good Friday Passion Prayer – 18th April 2025 Readings NRSV: Psalm 22; Isaiah 52.13-53.12; Hebrews 10.16 – 25; 5.7-9; John 18.1- 19.42. Led by Felicity Scott, an Anglican prayer minister in Queensland, Australia. The full prayer transcript is available by going to this episode on the Podcast website. https://dailyprayeranglicanprayerbookforaustralia.podbean.com Today we commemorate the Good Friday solemn liturgy of the passion and death of our lord. Prayer for the Day (as provided in APBA pages 494-499). Almighty God, look with mercy on this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed and to be given into the hands of sinners and to suffer death upon the cross, who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.   THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 52.13 – 53.12 52.13 See, my servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. 14 Just as there were many who were astonished at him —so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of mortals— 15 so he shall startle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which had not been told them they shall see, and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate. 53.1 Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; and as one from whom others hide their faces he was despised, and we held him of no account. 4 Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By a perversion of justice he was taken away. Who could have imagined his future? For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people. 9 They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain. When you make his life an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days; through him the will of the Lord shall prosper. 11 Out of his anguish he shall see light; he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge. The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.   Psalm Reading:   Psalm 22   New Testament Reading: Hebrews 10.16 – 25 10.16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds,” 17 he also adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” 18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. A Call to Persevere 19 Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.           The Gospel Passion Reading from the book of   John 18.1 – 19.42 –   The humble reading of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John beginning at chapter 18 verse 1. Glory to you Lord Jesus Christ   John 18.1 After Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. 2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” 5 They answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus replied, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6 When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they stepped back and fell to the ground. 7 Again he asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.” 9 This was to fulfil the word that he had spoken, “I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me.” 10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave's name was Malchus. 11 Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?” Jesus before the High Priest 12 So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him. 13 First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14 Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one person die for the people. Peter Denies Jesus 15 Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, 16 but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in. 17 The woman said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man's disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” 18 Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself. The High Priest Questions Jesus 19 Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. 20 Jesus answered, “I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. 21 Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said.” 22 When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” 23 Jesus answered, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?” 24 Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. Peter Denies Jesus Again 25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him, “You are not also one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” 26 One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” 27 Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed. 28 Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate's headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” 30 They answered, “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” 31 Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.” The Jews replied, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death.” 32 (This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.) 33 Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” 35 Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” 37 Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate asked him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no case against him. 39 But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” 40 They shouted in reply, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a bandit. John 19.1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. 3 They kept coming up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and striking him on the face. 4 Pilate went out again and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.” 5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” 6 When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.” 7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.” 8 Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. 9 He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 Pilate therefore said to him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?” 11  Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” 12 From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.” 13 When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge's bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, “Here is your King!” 15 They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but the emperor.” 16 Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. The Crucifixion of Jesus So they took Jesus; 17 and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. 19 Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20 Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. 21 Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,' but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.' ” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” 23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each /soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. 24 So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill what the scripture says, “They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.” 25 And that is what the soldiers did. Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. 28 After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfil the scripture), “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Jesus' Side Is Pierced 31 Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. 32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. 35 (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) 36 These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, “None of his bones shall be broken.” 37 And again another passage of scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.” The Burial of Jesus 38 After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. 39 Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. 40 They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. 42 And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.   Silence is kept.   We acknowledge the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ.   Silence is kept.   God shows great love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for our forgiveness.   Let us confess our sins.   O Christ, we are stripped bare by your suffering. You see our dreams, our demons, and the secrets we keep even from ourselves. Forgive all that needs to be forgiven, healed all that needs to be healed, awaken all the good that sleeps in us, banish all the fears that paralyse us. Put the power of your cross into our lives for ever, and clothe us with hope and love.   The absolution   We have turned our hearts to God in repentance and our sins are laid bare before the cross of Jesus Christ. In the name of the living God, your sins are forgiven. Amen.   A hymn may be sung. THE SOLEMN PRAYERS   The Solemn Prayers may follow the Proclamation of the Cross.   The presider says God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through him. So let us bring the needs of the whole world to the foot of the cross of Christ. We pray for the Church of God throughout the world, that God the Almighty, eternal One will guide it, and gather it in unity and peace. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer.   Holy God, you have shown your glory to all nations in Christ your Son: guide the work of your Church, help it to keep the faith, proclaim your Name, and bring your salvation to all people. We pray for all God's people in their vocation and ministry, for all bishops, priests and deacons and Primates across all religions, and for all Christians and those who are preparing for baptism and confirmation into the Christian faith. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer.   Holy God, by your Spirit you teach your Church and make us holy: help each of us to do your work more faithfully. We pray for all who confess Christ crucified, that God will heal our divisions. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer.   Holy God, in baptism you make us one in Christ: help us to persevere in faith, and make us one in love and service. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and for the Jewish people, the first to hear the word of God. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer.   Holy God, long ago you gave your promise to Abraham and Sarah. Bless the people you first made your own: keep them in the love of your Name, and in faithfulness to your covenant. We pray for all who do not look to Christ as Saviour, and all who do not believe in God. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer.   Holy God, you created man and woman in your image: draw all people to yourself, that they may acknowledge you as the maker and redeemer of all, and know Christ's mercy and grace. We pray for the peace of the world, for those in authority, and for all who shape our common life. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer.   Holy God, you desire justice for all the earth: guide our leaders and guard all peoples in the way of righteousness, freedom and peace. We pray for the sick, the dying and all in need; for the homeless, the hungry and the oppressed, for those in darkness and despair. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer.   Holy God, all tenderness and healing flow from you: give strength to the weary and courage to the downhearted, and show mercy to all who are in trouble. We pray you remember us. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer.     The presider says,   Most merciful God, we commit ourselves to you and pray for the grace of a holy life, that, with all who have died and are alive in Christ, we may come to the fullness of eternal life, and the joy of the resurrection in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.   The PROCLAMATION OF THE CROSS A cross is laid nearby: As we focus and acknowledge your cross of salvation, we say: We adore you; O Christ and we bless you, because, by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.   As we focus and acknowledge your cross of salvation, again we say: We adore you; O Christ and we bless you, because, by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.   As we focus and acknowledge your cross of salvation, again we say: We adore you; O Christ and we bless you, because, by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.   Following: Behold the wood of the cross of salvation on which the Saviour of the world was hung. Come, let us adore him.   The conclusion, O Saviour of the world, By your cross and precious blood, you have redeemed us. Save us, and help us, we humbly beseech you, O Lord.   The Lord's Prayer As our Saviour Christ has taught us, we are confident to pray Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen.   Final prayer. Lord Jesus Christ, the story of your suffering is written on our hearts, and the salvation of the world is in your outstretched hands. Keep your victory always before our eyes, your praise on our lips, your peace in our lives. Amen. A hymn is played amazing grace.   © Anglican Church of Australia Trust Corporation. Used by permission This text may be reproduced for use in worship in the Anglican Church of Australia Music by Rosemary Siemens. A reminder disclaimer to the listener. The readings in the podcast may include ancient and old-fashioned sayings and instructions that we do not in any way condone as in use or to be used in today's modern world. The readings have not been modernised to reflect todays thinking, instead the readings remain from the old version of the NRSV bible. The podcast owners explicitly declare that each listener is responsible for their own actions in response to the bible readings and the podcast owners bare no responsibility in this sense.

Jn 18:1-19:42Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valleyto where there was a garden,into which he and his disciples entered.Judas his betrayer also knew the place,because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.So Judas got a band of soldiers and guardsfrom the chief priests and the Phariseesand went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him,went out and said to them, “Whom are you looking for?”They answered him, “Jesus the Nazorean.”He said to them, “I AM.”Judas his betrayer was also with them.When he said to them, “I AM, “they turned away and fell to the ground.So he again asked them,“Whom are you looking for?”They said, “Jesus the Nazorean.”Jesus answered,“I told you that I AM.So if you are looking for me, let these men go.”This was to fulfill what he had said,“I have not lost any of those you gave me.”Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it,struck the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear.The slave's name was Malchus.Jesus said to Peter,“Put your sword into its scabbard.Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?”So the band of soldiers, the tribune, and the Jewish guards seized Jesus,bound him, and brought him to Annas first.He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas,who was high priest that year.It was Caiaphas who had counseled the Jewsthat it was better that one man should die rather than the people.Music track: PureDream by KashiaSource:https://freetouse.com/musicFree Music NoCopyright (Safe)

Habitual Pt. 4: Solitude By Louie Marsh, 2- 9-2025   Intro. Last slide T-Shirt.   1) The difference between solitude & loneliness is CHOICE.   “18Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”” (Genesis 2:18, ESV)   · All spiritual disciplines are personal DECISIONS.   “15But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. 16But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.” (Luke 5:15–16, ESV)   2) Solitude helps me restore my…   ·  PEACE   “3You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” (Isaiah 26:3, ESV)   ·  OBJECTIVITY   “17But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” (James 3:17, ESV)   · sense of SCALE.   “6I am like a desert owl of the wilderness, like an owl of the waste places; 7I lie awake; I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop.” (Psalm 102:6–7, ESV)   ·  ENERGY   “29He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.” (Isaiah 40:29, ESV)   ·  PRIORITIES   “12So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12, ESV)   3) Solitude is an indicator of my spiritual HEALTH.    “39And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. 40And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” 43And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 45And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow,” (Luke 22:39–45, ESV)   Slides of garden   The area it encompasses is flat and measures less than 57 square yards (47 1/2 square meters). The garden is located on the western foot of the Mount of Olives, beyond the brook Kidron, and is only a short distance from Jerusalem. The villages of Bethany and Bethphage are also located very near it.   “35And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” (Mark 1:35, ESV)

église AB Lausanne ; KJV 2 Kings (4 Kings) 23 And the king sent, and they gathered unto him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem. And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the LORD. And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant. And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the host of heaven: and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Bethel. And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven. And he brought out the grove from the house of the LORD, without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and stamped it small to powder, and cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the children of the people. And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove. And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beer-sheba, and brake down the high places of the gates that were in the entering in of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on a man's left hand at the gate of the city. Nevertheless the priests of the high places came not up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, but they did eat of the unleavened bread among their brethren. And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech. ...

Regardless of our circumstances, we should submit ourselves to God's will and plan. #daybydaylw Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ King David in the first stanza in Psalm 3 gave expression to the great crisis we find him in in 2 Samuel 15. His enemies have risen up against him. “O LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me? Many are saying of me, ‘God will not deliver him'” (vv. 1-2). I am not sure we understand how life-shaking a statement like that is, which is coming from thousands of people—“God will not save you!” I have had just one person say to me that I preach a false gospel, and it unnerves you! It keeps you up at night. It upsets you. It makes you question everything. And that was just one person. I can't imagine what it might do to me if thousands of men are saying that about me. Men I know. Men I have led. Men who were my friends. And now men who say, “God has abandoned him. God will not deliver him. God will not save him.” This is the atmosphere of David's life at this time. And it is this aspect that makes the passage before us so inspiring…helpful…encouraging…challenging. We catch up with David in 2 Samuel 15: 24, having passed over the Kidron brook, headed toward the wilderness. It wouldn't be the first time the people of God had been in the wilderness. The wilderness represents times of trial and testing. It is the place of discipline. The wilderness is not pleasant. Nothing comes easy in the wilderness. Survival is day by day. And many of you HAVE BEEN there? Many of you ARE there? OR will SOON be there. Wilderness experiences in our day do not usually include traipsing around the desert all alone with the wild animals. I suppose it could include that, but that is not the normal wilderness. Today's wilderness experience could be lonesomeness brought on by your sin, relational burdens, physical hardships, emotional struggles, financial uncertainties, spiritual letdowns. And those burdens press hard upon you. Your flesh cries out for some type of relief, and yet we are often times forced to wait…wait…wait upon God. So David is heading out to the wilderness, and he notices that two priests, Zadock and Abiathar, and the Levites had come to the edge of the city with the ark of the covenant. They were expressing their loyalty to David. David had always been loyal to the priests of Israel, and now they wanted to show their loyalty back to him by bringing the ark of God to be with David. It was a visual symbol for all of Israel to see and understand that, in fact, God had not abandoned David. God was on David's side. These men wanted to honor David, encourage David. Show their support of David. And this is what is so special about David's words in this scene. He will not use the ark like it was used by Hophni and Phineas, as a token, as a good luck charm. As Dale Ralph Davis wrote, “David is not so much interested in Yahweh's furniture, as much as he is in Yahweh's favor.” Appearances will not suffice, only grace or discipline. David submits himself to God's will and plan, come what may. If it be His grace and favor to bring him back to Jerusalem as the king over Israel, so be it and bless him for it. If it be more discipline or death, so be it and bless him for it.

Jeremiah 31:31–40 (ESV): 31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” 35 Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the LORD of hosts is his name: 36 “If this fixed order departs from before me, declares the LORD, then shall the offspring of Israel cease from being a nation before me forever.” 37 Thus says the LORD: “If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth below can be explored, then I will cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done, declares the LORD.” 38 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when the city shall be rebuilt for the LORD from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39 And the measuring line shall go out farther, straight to the hill Gareb, and shall then turn to Goah. 40 The whole valley of the dead bodies and the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be sacred to the LORD. It shall not be plucked up or overthrown anymore forever.”

Notes - https://www.generationword.com/notes/End_Times_Review/bozrah-to-jerusalem.pdf

John 18:1-27   18:1 When Jesus had spoken these words, He went away with His disciples across the ravine of the Kidron, where there was a garden which He entered with His disciples. 2 Now Judas, who was betraying Him, also knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with His disciples. 3 So Judas, having obtained the Romancohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, *came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. 4 Jesus therefore, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, came out into the open and *said to them, “Whom are you seeking?” 5 They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He *said to them, “I am He.”And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them.6 Now then, when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 He then asked them again, “Whom are you seeking?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” 8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you are seeking Me, let these men go on their way.” 9 This took place so that the word which He spoke would be fulfilled: “Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one.” 10 Then Simon Peter, since he had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave's name was Malchus. 11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, am I not to drink it?” 12 So the Roman cohort, the commander, and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him, 13 and brought Him to Annas first; for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. 14 Now Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was in their best interest for one man to die in behalf of the people. 15 Simon Peter was following Jesus, and so was another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, 16 but Peter was standing at the door outside. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in. 17 Then the slave woman who was the doorkeeper *said to Peter, “You are not also one of this Man's disciples, are you?” He *said, “I am not.” 18 Now the slaves and the officers were standing there, having made a charcoal fire, for it was cold and they were warming themselves; and Peter was also with them, standing and warming himself. 19 The high priest then questioned Jesus about His disciples, and about His teaching. 20 Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world; I always taught in synagogues and in the temple area, where all the Jews congregate; and I said nothing in secret. 21 Why are you asking Me? Ask those who have heard what I spoke to them. Look: these people know what I said.” 22 But when He said this, one of the officers, who was standing nearby, struck Jesus, saying, “Is that the way You answer the high priest?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify of the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike Me?” 24 So Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. 25 Now Simon Peter was still standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You are not one of His disciples as well, are you?” He denied it, and said, “I am not.” 26 One of the slaves of the high priest, who was related to the one whose ear Peter cut off, *said, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?” 27 Peter then denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed.     BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well: https://www.listenerscommentary.com     GIVE -  The Listener's Commentary is a listener supported Bible teaching ministry made possible by the generosity of people like you. Thank you! Give here:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com/give     STUDY HUB - Want more than the audio? Join the study hub to access articles, maps, charts, pictures, and links to other resources to help you study the Bible for yourself. https://www.listenerscommentary.com/members-sign-up   MORE TEACHING - For more resources and Bible teaching from John visit https://www.johnwhittaker.net    

Escaping Apostate Church Judgments (3) (audio) David Eells – 11/24/24 I'm going begin today by reading Hannah's prayer in 1Sa 2:1 And Hannah prayed, and said: My heart exulteth in Jehovah; My horn is exalted in Jehovah; My mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; Because I rejoice in thy salvation. 2 There is none holy as Jehovah; For there is none besides thee, Neither is there any rock like our God. 3 Talk no more so exceeding proudly; Let not arrogancy come out of your mouth; For Jehovah is a God of knowledge, And by him actions are weighed. 4 The bows of the mighty men are broken; And they that stumbled are girded with strength. 5 They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; And they that were hungry have ceased to hunger: Yea, the barren hath borne seven; And she that hath many children languisheth. So what did she mean, she had born seven? We know that Hannah had been barren. Well, we're talking about a Man-child here, but the Man-child is not an individual, is he? And why seven? When we read Mic 5:5 …When the Assyrian shall come into our land, and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. So we see that Micah prophesied that when the Lord returned to his people that He would raise up seven princes, “seven shepherds, and eight principal men,” or eight princes among men, to defend God's people from the Beast. It's seven because there are seven churches and God is raising up the leadership to go to the seven churches. The eighth is mentioned separately because He is the prince of Peace Jesus who is in the midst of the seven. 6 Jehovah killeth, and maketh alive: He bringeth down to Sheol, and bringeth up. 7 Jehovah maketh poor, and maketh rich: He bringeth low, he also lifteth up. 8 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, He lifteth up the needy from the dunghill, To make them sit with princes, And inherit the throne of glory: (This is her Man-child, that she brought forth to inherit the throne of glory.) For the pillars of the earth are Jehovah's, And he hath set the world upon them. 9 He will keep the feet of his holy ones; But the wicked shall be put to silence in darkness; For by strength shall no man prevail. 10 They that strive with Jehovah shall be broken to pieces; Against them will he thunder in heaven: Jehovah will judge the ends of the earth; And he will give strength unto his king, And exalt the horn of his anointed. I believe this is talking about the Eli, Pharisee and Saul ministries, and a lot of ministers in our day who are going to resist and fight against the truth, as they have throughout history. In Jesus' day, the leadership over God's people fought with Jesus; they accused Jesus; they crucified Jesus. They did the same with His disciples, also. They strove with the Lord and He destroyed them. 1Sa 2:10 … And he will give strength unto his king, And exalt the horn of his anointed. Oh, praise God! Who is this king and His anointed? Well, in this case it was Samuel, but it was also Joseph, Moses, David and Jesus, all those good types. He will exalt the horn, the strength of His anointed. 11 And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto the Lord before Eli the priest. 12 Now the sons of Eli were base men; they knew not the Lord. How could they have been the priests of Israel and not know the Lord? Well, honestly, it doesn't take very long to read the Word of God to find out that a lot of ministers nowadays don't know the Lord. They don't know the Lord but do they have some kind of association with religion? Yes. When you come into the Kingdom and you get a born-again spirit, you have a consciousness of God, but, quite frankly, if you don't obey that born-again spirit, it soon dies and you become what the Bible calls twice dead, plucked up by the roots (Jud.12). Who was Jude speaking about when he said that? The apostate ministers and many they train. And so you can be in the pulpit and be dead as a doornail. Saul died at the hands of the Philistines and I believe that it's talking about being dead in the spirit while he lived. We know that many of you have come out of churches after you realized they were dead. They were really not walking in the spirit; they were really not sharing the living Word of God. They were dead and you came out because of that. Praise God! 1Sa 2:13 And the custom of the priests with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was boiling, with a flesh-hook of three teeth in his hand; 14 and he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or cauldron, or pot; all that the flesh-hook brought up the priest took therewith. So they did in Shiloh unto all Israel that came thither. Shiloh, of course, was the house of God in those days, so this is basically the ministers gathering up their tithe, but these people were abusing it. And it's a very good type of exactly what's happening today. They were abusing their position as priests of the Lord, as ministers of God's house, by plundering God's people. Now he's going to point out two main things here about the sons of Eli that are exactly the problems with the leadership of the church in our day and how they are plundering God's people. 1Sa 2:15 Yea, before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have boiled flesh of thee, but raw. Of course, that wasn't according to their custom. 16 And if the man said unto him, They will surely burn the fat first, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would say, Nay, but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force. So here you have some ministers taking what they feel belonged to them, by force. The only thing was, this was a sacrifice. This was a sacrifice made by the person who was freely giving it, but they were taking it by force. That's an abuse of a sacrifice. Do you know that in the New Testament God has a sacrifice? It's a freewill offering. There is nothing in the New Testament about taking something by Law. Who is it who takes by Law? Well, you're looking at it right here. It's the apostate Eli ministry which is robbing and plundering God's people and taking from them by Law, taking from them because of their position. We don't have any such custom in the New Testament of demanding a tithe. Jesus said, So therefore whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple (Luk 14:33). He didn't say 10%; He said everything you have. And Jesus said in Mat 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye tithe mint and anise and cummin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, Jesus said tithing was of the Law, not of grace. There's no commandment in the New Testament whatsoever for you to do this. Not one. And the rest of the verse says, justice, and mercy, and faith: but these ye ought to have done, and not to have left the other undone. Notice that Jesus spoke to the Jews of their Law as being in the past, Meaning the Old Covenant. He never commanded it in the New Covenant because it was “a shadow of the good things to come.” But here is what's commanded: 2Co 9:6 But this [I say,] He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. So it's just according to how much you give and that's really not according to the Law. The Law was 10% -- bring into the storehouse 10%. But now He's saying very plainly, “No, the more you give, the more you'll receive.” 2Co 9:7 [Let] each man [do] according as he hath purposed in his heart…. Well, that's certainly not the Law at all. That's not demanding it; that's a freewill offering. Do as you feel in your heart. This is a man's personal sacrifice to God and to the ministry, and, of course, the ministry today is abusing that because they are dragging people back under the Law, which is forbidden. The Law separates from Christ; it separates from grace and, if you seek to be justified by the Law, you have to keep the whole Law. Gal 5:3 … He is a debtor to do the whole law. 4 Ye are severed from Christ, ye who would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace. So it's not good for ministers to say you have to keep the tithe because you can't be saved that way. If you're seeking to be justified by the Law, then you have to keep the whole Law in order to be justified, but we're justified by grace and God says this is what God wants from His New Testament, born-again people. These are not people who are lost people, who are just following rules and regulations. These are people who have the grace of God in their heart. God expects more as He says in Luk 12:48 And to whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required…. Now, in the New Testament, when you're born again and you receive the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in your newborn temple; therefore He expects more because you have God in you and you are the temple. You don't go to the temple, you are the temple of God. God's in us. Col 1:27 … Christ in you, the hope of glory. God is the One Who is living the Christian life in us, you see. That's the whole point. So you would expect more from someone like that. You don't have to force somebody like that to do something and, if you had to, they obviously don't have God in their heart. So what does the Lord say? 2Co 9:7 Let each man [do] according as he hath purposed in his heart: not grudgingly, or of necessity … It's not even necessary as a law would be. Well, it's not going to be edifying to a person to not give because giving is the heart of God and giving is how, of course, God multiplies it back to us. 2Co 9:6 But this [I say,] He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. In other words, God wants to bless us and He's telling us that if it's in our heart to give, then good, do it. But He's not putting you under Law. It's not of necessity. Anybody who does put you under the Law is departing from the New Testament and they're doing exactly like Eli's sons, who were using the Law to force the giving. So he says, 2Co 9:7 … For God loveth a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound unto you; that ye, having always all sufficiency in everything, may abound unto every good work…. That's a powerful promise that covers everything, doesn't it? And it's just because a person gives out of the heart, not because they're under the Law. You know, sure, if you give under the Law, God will give back. When I first learned that the Lord wanted me to give, I did, and for a short time I went under the Law. But when I realized that it wasn't Scriptural, I started to give according to the Spirit because now I had the Holy Spirit to speak in my heart and tell me what to do. In the New Testament, that's why the Holy Spirit is given. You don't need a law because now we have …the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:2). You don't have need to have anybody to tell you, “You must do this.” Instead, you want to do it because God is working in you to will and to do of His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). That's what New Testament salvation is all about. God is putting it in your heart. That's the kind of person God wants. He doesn't want a person who has to be forced or they won't do it. What kind of a son is that? That's a servant, but it's not a son and God is creating sons. So if we look back in 1 Samuel 2, we see a problem with the overwhelming majority of apostate ministries nowadays. They want to force the people to give something that should be a sacrifice on the part of the giver. They should just want to give it out of their own heart. In other words, give them the freedom to make the sacrifice the way they see that they want to do it. But, in the apostate ministries, the giving is being forced and that's exactly what we're seeing here in 1 Samuel. But the priest's servant said, 1Sa 2:16 Nay, but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force. 17 And the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord; for the men despised the offering of the Lord. See, the offering of the Lord is holy because it comes out of holy hearts, people who want to give. They see a need and they are meeting that need. And it may be the need of their brother. Jesus said, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, [even] these least, ye did it unto me (Mat.25:40). It may be a need of the brethren. It may not be bringing it into the storehouse, which is a church building or an organization, because the storehouse was not in the church. In the Old Testament, it was in the Temple and we are the Temple. God is going to judge His people by the way they treat His Temple, by what you do to the “least of these my brethren.” Did you feed them? Did you clothe them? Did you visit them in prison? See, that's how He judged the nations when He returned because that's His Temple. So it's very important that the sacrifice be a willing sacrifice in our covenant and not be demanded by Law. The people in ministry who force the giving are despising the offering of the Lord. Going on in 1Sa 2:27 And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Did I reveal myself unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt [in bondage] to Pharaoh's house? 28 and did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up unto mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all of the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire? 29 Wherefore kick ye at mine sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in [my] habitation, and honorest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people? An Eli ministry gets fat from the offerings of God's people because they have departed from the Word of God; they are plundering God's people. It's not permitted and they will be judged for it, exactly like Eli's sons were being judged for it. You know, we are warned over and over in the Scriptures: Isa 56:9 All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, [yea,] all ye beasts in the forest. 10 His watchmen are blind … Did you know, by the way, that Eli was blind? He became blind. 10 His watchmen are blind, they are all without knowledge; they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark (In other words, they do not know when the enemy's coming. They don't know how to warn God's people. They don't know that they are the enemy.); dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber. 11 Yea, the dogs are greedy, they can never have enough; and these are shepherds that cannot understand: they have all turned to their own way, each one to his gain, from every quarter. How many of God's people are supporting this debauchery in God's church? See, it's totally contrary to the Word of God. What you are supporting when you're doing that, is an Eli ministry. It's going down the drain fast at this particular moment. They're all dyeing. I'm not talking physically, I'm talking spiritually. If they're not dead already, they're going to die. They'd have to repent and come out of plundering God's people. There's nothing in the New Testament about being under the Law for giving. We are, of course, stewards of what belongs to God in the New Testament. Luk 14:33 So therefore whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. We are stewards; we're not owners. So, therefore, a person who tithes is a thief because he thinks the 90% belongs to him and the 10% belongs to God. Well, you just stole 90% because Jesus said the rest of that belongs to Him, too. So, if we're not a thief, then we listen to the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit tells you what to do with your house, what to do with your car, and what to do with your money. He tells you not only what to give and how much, but where to give it and to whom to give it. He is the One. He is the Lord since you have the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, they did not have the Holy Spirit commonly, so they needed a rule and regulation to tell them what to do. It's not so now. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made you free from the law of sin and death, so you're free from that law and now you're under the law of the Spirit. And the Spirit is the One Who knows your brethren, He knows the needs; He knows exactly what He wants to do and how much He wants to do, so we have to follow the Holy Spirit with everything. The Sabbath is no longer one day; it's every day. We cease from our works and enter into His rest every day. Now, what about the tithe? It's the same thing. See, when Jesus came, He multiplied the Law. Did you notice that in Matthew 5? Everything about the Law He multiplied, He made it bigger, because now God works in us from the inside out to do His Will. He works a desire in us to do what before we were fighting against with our carnal nature. It's a wonderful thing. But the Eli ministries are greedy dogs; they can never have enough. It is astounding how they can see so many people in need, even in their own assemblies, and yet don't lift a finger to help them. Meanwhile, they're flying their personal jet planes and doing all these things. Going on again in 1Sa 2:29 … Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in [my] habitation, and honorest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people? 30 Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me forever: but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me…. Wow! Did you know God could do that? Have you ever heard that doctrine of unconditional eternal security? Look at that big “but now” in the middle of that verse. Because God's promises are conditional and we have to have faith in Him. Our part is faith; His part is to supply the power. God can drop us like a rock any time. He can empower you to walk in His steps or He can give you up to this world and I'll tell you what: there is no promise for those who don't bear fruit. God is looking for the fruit of Jesus Christ. 1Sa 2:30 … But now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. Obviously, He's talking about these preachers who were plundering His people and abusing them, and taking an offering from them. You don't “take” an “offering.” That's an oxymoron. 1Sa 2:31 Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thy house. 32 And thou shalt behold the affliction of [my] habitation, in all the wealth which [God] shall give Israel; and there shall not be an old man in thy house for ever. 33 And the man of thine, [whom] I shall not cut off from mine altar, [shall be] to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thy heart; and all the increase of thy house shall die in the flower of their age. 34 And this shall be the sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas…. Do you know what “Hophni” and “Phinehas” mean? “Hophni” means “stiff-necked, self-willed,” and “Phinehas,” I understand, means “a trustworthy face, but the mouth of a serpent.” Isn't that interesting? You know, a lot of people see what they see standing in their pulpit, but that's all they see. They see what they're supposed to see and they see what they are permitted to see, but they don't know what's really going on there. You may remember how I shared with you about one of the first churches I was invited to preach in Pensacola, while I was there I did a lot of teaching. The pastor of that particular church was an Eli pastor and, no doubt about it, he was doing everything that these guys were doing and more. There was a man who came in and he got saved; he came in totally drunk and he got sobered up. Shortly after that, God gave him a vision of the pastor as a serpent standing up behind the pulpit, speaking through a microphone. He did not understand it and he brought it to me and I told him, “Well, it means just what it says, you know.” And that pastor's last name meant “dragon.” He was the dragon, the old serpent. Well, “Phinehas” means “a trustworthy face, but the mouth of a serpent.” 1Sa 2:34 And this shall be the sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall die both of them. I'm going to back up a little bit here. 1Sa 2:22 Now, Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons did unto Israel, and how that they lay with the women that did service at the door of the tent of meeting. Do we ever hear of that happening nowadays? Yes, quite often, don't we? Evidently, sex and money seem to get hold of an awful lot of people who put themselves in a position of ultimate power over God's people. It seems like men who are not full of God cannot stand too much power, too much authority, too much money, too much esteem of the people, before they begin to take advantage of it. What it's saying is that a person shouldn't seek a position in God's Kingdom unless God puts them there. You know how God puts them there? He prepares them first. They are overcomers. Rev 2:26 And he that overcometh, and he that keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give authority over the nations. Nowadays, “You can just go to Bible school and you pay for that certificate and now you're a preacher.” You can do this, but you're in trouble because there is not the nature of Jesus Christ there. After all, you have not overcome by going through trials yourself. And so what happens when you get out there and you get all this temptation? Because the Nicolaitan error is a great temptation. Putting a man in a position that is not Biblical is a great temptation that most people cannot stand. And the proof is showing up. I mean, they are lying with the women who do the service of the door of the Tent of Meeting. They're doing it now. The money, the women, the power, the abuse of their power, it's still the problem. We know God never designed a Nicolaitan ministry, anyway. He called for a five-fold ministry. That's what He called for. He distributed the authority among the five-fold ministry. That's His way of doing things. God's going to raise up the five-fold ministry. Remember, Jesus the Man-child raised up the apostles who raised up the five-fold ministry. The apostles ordained the five-fold ministers. They are the ones who started that. Once again, history is going to repeat in these days because the Man-child is going to raise up apostles who are going to raise up the five-fold ministry. He is going to restore the real five-fold ministry this time. I'm talking about people who have overcome, who are given a position by God, who were ordained to that position by God. In the Bible, it was apostles who ordained the five-fold ministry, but nowadays Bible schools can do it, so we have gone astray. We've fallen into what the Bible calls the “Nicolaitan error” (Revelation 2:6). We've gone far, far astray, and the ministers who put themselves in that position, and the people who put the ministers in that position, are not doing them a favor because they really can't hold up to that. God has to do this. God is the One Who ordains ministers, not men, not organizations and not religions. And so we've ended up with quite a lot of the Eli ministry out there. In Jesus' day, how many of the Pharisees, who were Eli ministers, how many of them recognized Him and obeyed Him when God sent His Son? Well, God is doing it again and they're going to do the same thing. The Lord told me that this is where we are right now, in the midst of a Pharisee, Saul and Eli ministry. But coming right down the road is this Man-child reformer ministry led by the Holy Spirit. Looking at the news concerning the church and the pastors and teachers and prophets and so on, we can see the great falling away going on around us. We know that it's happening again and we can tell where we are. God has pronounced judgment upon the Eli ministry and what's going to happen to it. 1Sa 2:31 Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm (this is speaking of Eli and his household), and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thy house. 32 And thou shalt behold the affliction of [my] habitation, in all the wealth which [God] shall give Israel; and there shall not be an old man in thy house for ever. 33 And the man of thine, [whom] I shall not cut off from mine altar, [shall be] to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thy heart; and all the increase of thy house shall die in the flower of their age. 34 And this shall be the sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall die both of them. 35 And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in my heart and in my mind…. Oh, praise the Lord! This is what we have coming, folks: faithful priests “that shall do according to that which is in my heart and in my mind.” That's not a small statement there. God will give grace. He will send new leadership. Of course, we know that this priest represents a corporate body in our day, spread throughout the earth, that God is sending to restore His people. 1Sa 2:35 … And I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed forever. Oh, praise the Lord! What do you think that means? Well, most people think it means he'll walk before the Lord. I think that's true, no doubt that this new, faithful ministry will walk before the Lord, but I believe that there's something deeper than that here. Let's turn to the New Testament. 2Co 1:21 Now he that establisheth us with you in Christ, and anointed us, is God. Stop and think about that. God establishes us in Christ and anoints us. You know, the word “Christ” means “the anointed.” And Christ was the anointed, but Jesus left an individual body to come back in a corporate body in order to be able to do all over the world what He did in that first body, so the body of Christ is to be anointed. 2Co 1:22 Who also sealed us, and gave [us] the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. The “anointing” is “to be filled with the Holy Spirit.” I dare say most of the church is not filled with the Spirit but, then, most of the church is not anointed. The Lord told me years ago that if we get what the apostles got, we'll do what they did. Read the book of Acts and find out what they had. When Jesus was ministering to the disciples, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit (Joh 20:22) and there came from heaven a sound as of the rushing of a mighty wind Act 2:2 and… they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues 4, etc. Now, if you get that, you'll do what they did. Most of the church today is very dead because they feel that they have been anointed but they haven't. It's just words, you know. So, if you don't want what they have, you won't do what they did. So “he … establisheth us with you in Christ, and anointed us.” Why does God anoint us? It's so that we can walk in the steps of Christ, so that Christ can live through us to the world. We need to be anointed. We have to have this anointing, you see. What it said about Samuel was that, “He shall walk before mine anointed forever.” In other words, in this case we're talking about him being the leadership of God's anointed body that God is sending in the earth. He's walking before them as the leader of His anointed body to do His works. The Man-child, in whom Jesus lives, will be a leader of the anointed body of Christ in our day, just as Jesus was in His day. 1Sa 2:36 And it shall come to pass, that everyone that is left in thy house…. What does “left in” mean? Well, we haven't gotten that far yet, but his house was wiped out and the people who followed his house were wiped out, at the hand of the Philistines. We know the Philistine represents the old man who lives in the land. There's a war going on between our spiritual man, who is an Israelite and the old man, who is a Philistine, and the war is for the land, which Hebrews 6 tells us is this physical life; this life is that land. Now when he says here, “everyone that is left in thy house,” it means, in other words, there are some people who are going to repent of the Saul ministry and not only of the ministry, but of following the Saul ministry. They're no longer going to be a part of that house and they're going to survive because their old man is not going to conquer them. 1Sa 2:36 And it shall come to pass, that everyone that is left in thy house shall come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests' offices, that I may eat a morsel of bread. We are the priests of God. As we sacrifice unto the Lord, as we make this burnt offering of flesh to the Lord, each one of us presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice, we are the priests of God. You're not sacrificing your life unto the Saul ministry. That's the whole problem; the Saul ministry refused to sacrifice the old man and, therefore, died at the hands of the old man. Now we're seeing the same thing about Eli. And so if we want to be priests, we have to be following the Samuels. There are people who are going to come out from under the Eli and Saul ministries and follow the David and Samuel ministry, and they will be priests of the Lord. Notice how this sounds very much like Joseph. Remember how, after selling Joseph into bondage, his own brothers came into the kingdom and it was he who kept them alive during the seven years of famine? He fed them. They came to him. All Israel, as a matter of fact, came to Joseph because the sons of Jacob, or Israel, all came to him in Egypt and Joseph served them; he met their needs. And we saw, also, that as soon as Saul died on Gilboa, along with the part of Israel that followed him, all the rest of Israel followed David. 1Ch 11:1 Then all Israel gathered themselves to David unto Hebron, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh. Wow, they're actually saying they're the body of David! And so we see that this is about to repeat, folks. These people are dying; not physically, but spiritually they are dying. They're dying at the hands of the old man because they've refused to make war against the old man. 1Sa 3:1 And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious (or “rare”) in those days; there was no frequent vision. It's the same today. There is “no frequent vision” from the Lord. Yes, many people have visions and the frequency of the vision of the Lord is something that the prophetic office is supposed to be sending forth, but it's all been polluted. 2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place (now his eyes had begun to wax dim, so that he could not see). Notice that when Samuel arrives, the Word begins to speak about Eli's eyesight being poor and it seems to get worse and worse the longer that Samuel is on the scene. There's a reason for that and we'll look at it. But what does it mean for his eyes to begin “to wax dim, so that he could not see”? Well, I think this is talking about a lack of perception, a lack of discernment. As Jesus said, Therefore speak I to them in parables; because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand (Mat.13:13). They lost their eyesight in the days of the coming of Jesus and now it's speaking about the Eli ministry losing their spiritual eyesight. 1Sa 3:3 And the lamp of God was not yet gone out, and Samuel was laid down [to sleep,] in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. So here's Samuel in the presence of the Lord and here's Eli losing his spiritual eyesight, meaning his prophetic gift. Now if we go back to one of the verses we read earlier, it says, and the man of thine, [whom] I shall not cut off from mine altar (1Sa 2:33). We see that there are some people who are “under” the Saul ministry who are not going to be “of” the Saul ministry because they're going to repent. There's a multitude of God's people who are going to come out of these apostate churches and follow the David ministry, follow the Samuel ministry, and we praise God for that. This is going to be a reformation that's coming. Those who stay will die. There's no doubt about it. If they continue to follow that which is not the leading of the Holy Spirit, not ordained of God, not the Word of God, they will die. 1Sa 2:33 And the man of thine, [whom] I shall not cut off from mine altar, [shall be] to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thy heart; and all the increase of thy house shall die in the flower of their age. Remember, David was raised up under the Saul ministry, but he was David; he continued to grow. And here Samuel is raised up under the Eli ministry. This seems to be a parallel all the way through the Scriptures. So he's saying that there are people who are of that house, who will not be cut off from God's altar, but they will be “to consume thine eyes.” Why is this? How could it be that somebody who is righteous and who is going to outgrow that ministry, and who is going to repent, how could it be that these people will consume the eyes of the Eli ministry? Well, believe it or not, Jesus made a statement like that. Of course, we know Jesus was the Samuel, was the man-child of His day. Joh 9:39 And Jesus said, For judgment came I into this world, that they that see not may see; and they that see may become blind. So here's the Samuel ministry coming upon the scene and suddenly somebody's becoming blind. Joh 9:40 Those of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things, and said unto him, Are we also blind? 41 And Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye would have no sin: but now ye say, We see: your sin remaineth. In our day, those people who say they see are becoming blind, but the people who don't claim to have the understanding, the perception, or the discernment, they're the ones like the kind of people whom Jesus gathered around Him. It was those fishermen, those tax collectors, those harlots, those sinners, it was they who became His staunch disciples and they didn't say that they could see. They didn't claim to be theologians, they didn't claim to know everything about God, but the people who did were becoming blind. In John 9 there's a really neat story about a blind man who's blind from birth and whom Jesus healed of his blindness. Jesus made mud, He smeared it on his eyes, sent him into the pool of Siloam and the blind man came back seeing. When the Pharisees heard of this, they basically called the healed man on the carpet and wanted to know who it was who had done this. So he said it was the one called Jesus. Then they wanted to know how it was that he was healed, so he related the whole story. Of course, they were just trying to pick holes in the story because these were the jealous Eli ministry that really didn't want anybody coming in and taking away their position, their kingdom. Jesus spoke of their ministry in Matthew 21 through the parable of God sending His Son and then those people who wanted the vineyard for themselves killing the Son. Well, it's pretty neat how this man rebuked those Pharisees. After they asked him a couple of times in a row, “How did he do this?” he said, “I told you already. You weren't listening. Why didn't you hear?” And they said, “We know this man's a sinner, that he couldn't possibly be from God.” To which the healed man replied, Joh 9:30 Why, herein is the marvel, that ye know not whence he is, and [yet] he opened mine eyes. 31 We know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and do his will, him he heareth. 32 Since the world began it was never heard that any one opened the eyes of a man born blind. And how is it that these people didn't know that this man was from God? The healed man told them, “We know that God doesn't hear sinners, but he opened my eyes.” So this man, who didn't say he was a theologian, didn't say he knew everything about God, had a lot more wisdom than these people who were going against the Word of God in trying to justify themselves. This man who was under their ministry, under this Saul-Pharisee-Eli ministry, was now being delivered and it was making them angry. Actually, they excommunicated him; they threw him out of the church, basically because he told the truth, but they didn't want to hear the truth. There are some of you today who are coming out from among them. Like the Shulamite in the Song of Solomon, you have tried to bring this Jesus Whom you've found back to your “mother” and some of them really don't want to hear about it (Song of Solomon 3:4). You know what I'm talking about, right? Well, every time that you come out from under those ministries and you bring back the truth to them and they reject that truth, they become a little bit more blind, a little bit more blind. Jesus the Man-child came so that these people would become blind. When Samuel came on the scene, the anointed of God, the Man-child of that day, born of Hannah, then we begin reading over and over that the Eli ministry's becoming blind. You see, in this day, folks, notice that God says, 1Sa 2:33 and the man of thine, [whom] I shall not cut off from mine altar, [shall be] to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thy heart. You know how grieving it is to those ministries when you go back and try to share truth with them, simple truth from the Word of God, and they don't want to hear it? And when they deny the Word that you bring to them they become more blind every time. It's interesting, you know, when the man who was healed mildly rebuked the Pharisees, they answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out (Joh.9:34). Who's not born in sin, right? But they're obviously pointing out that if he was blind from birth, his blindness was because of sin. Blindness from birth was quite common in those days. But they wouldn't let anybody teach them, they didn't want to hear from somebody who was not educated, not puffed up because of their religious system, or not somebody who went through their theological training. They don't want to hear anything from those people. You can bring them simple, simple truth; every time they deny it, they get more and more blind. They lose perception and discernment, just as this verse says: 1Sa 3:2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place (now his eyes had begun to wax dim, so that he could not see), 3 and the lamp of God was not yet gone out. Now the “lamp of God” here, in a sense, means his prophetic ministry to the people of God, or it could also be talking about the lamp of the eye, as Jesus spoke about it (Matthew 6:22). But, either way, we know, for instance, in Zechariah, that God is going to raise up a foolish shepherd in the land Zec 11:15, 16. God has done it in every generation and in every cycle. Zec 11:15 And the Lord said unto me, Take unto thee yet again the instruments of a foolish shepherd. 16 For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, who will not visit those that are cut off, neither will seek those that are scattered, nor heal that which is broken, nor feed that which is sound…. Of course, we need to be fed the unleavened bread because that's the Seed of God that brings forth Christ in us, which is the only kind of fruit that God is interested in. 16 … Nor feed that which is sound; but he will eat the flesh of the fat [sheep]…. Once again, we see the plundering of the sheep, living off the sheep, getting fat off the sheep. 16 … And will tear their hoofs in pieces. The Lord pointed out to me one time so eloquently that hooves are what separate sheep from the world. This represents sanctification, which means separation from the world, and separation unto God. God wants us separate from the world, but connected to Him. When Moses went up on the mountain to meet God, He told him, “Hey, take your shoes off, Moses. You're standing on holy ground” (Exodus 3:2). In other words, God didn't want Moses separated from that holy ground. “Holy” and “sanctified” is the same word, right? God did not want Moses separate from holy ground, but out there in the world, God wanted Moses to keep his shoes on because we want to be separate from the world, we want to be sanctified. Well, when you take the foolish shepherd who is breaking the hooves off of the sheep, that means they're doing anything but sanctifying them from this world. Instead, they're making them worldly. Now, I'd like to share a few revelations with you.     The Church Emerging from Religion Servant - 12/30/2010 I see a huge iron structure --mountain-like. It is smooth and brown with bronze tones; smooth, glossy, shiny. It is warm and strong in appearance. Underneath and in the ground a little shoot cries, “Oh, Father, we desire Your presence!” Over and over the little shoot cries, “Oh, Father, we desire Your presence!” SUDDENLY their cry is heard of the Father. He sits forward on the throne. His eyebrows are shaped in a “V” as He looks at the mountain of religion preventing the little shoot. All the balconies of Heaven stand at attention. The earth begins to move to and fro. The mountain begins to sway as the shoot emerges from under the mountain by the power of God. GOD STANDS UP! Shaking, reeling such as never seen before! Then, with a mighty noise, the mountain reels, rips in half and falls in two pieces. The earth shakes: Destruction! Shaking! Such loud noise! Darkness; then all is still. The shoot, the true Church, emerges from the ground. God's glory -- bright, white, brilliant -- covers the shoot and the true refreshing begins. Joy! Strength! Power! The shoot rapidly grows in strength and power. Arms form, much like a mustard tree. This is the true refreshing; this is the power, glory, joy of the Lord. The earth will see and the earth will marvel at the strength, power and glory of the end-time Church. All this must be fulfilled. The Church is arrayed and ready for Jesus. Amen.   Destruction Comes for Apostate Leadership B.A. - 06/23/2015 (David's notes in red) I dreamed that I found myself in Jerusalem, back in Jesus' day, and I was looking up at the temple (a temple made by man's hands which God does not inhabit). Act 17:24 The God that made the world and all things therein, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25 neither is he served by men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 26 and he made of one every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed seasons, and the bounds of their habitation; 27 that they should seek God, if haply they might feel after him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us: 28 for in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain even of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. 29 Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and device of man. 30 The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he commanded men that they should all everywhere repent: 31 inasmuch as he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. There were stone steps leading down from the temple and the steps were being occupied by Pharisees and Sadducees. I was standing with a crowd of people in an open area a little ways from the temple and the stone steps, and just as I was looking around me in this crowd of people, I saw a man come forward out of the crowd who began to sternly address the men who were standing up (or exalting themselves) on the stone steps of the temple. I knew that the man speaking was Jesus. Pro 25:6 Put not thyself forward in the presence of the king, And stand not in the place of great men: 7 For better is it that it be said unto thee, Come up hither, Than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince, Whom thine eyes have seen. And Mat 23:12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled; and whosoever shall humble himself shall be exalted. As Jesus began to speak, I began to recognize the “Word” He was speaking to these men, since I had heard these same words before. Here is what I heard: Mat 23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he is become so, ye make him twofold more a son of hell than yourselves. When Jesus spoke the first “Woe”, I heard a loud pop-like sound and what sounded like a crackling sound. I looked down upon the stone steps of the temple that these Pharisees and Sadducees were standing on and I noticed a large, deep crack had gone right up through the middle of those stone steps, and they were beginning to crack and crumble. I noticed that the deep crack was between the feet of a rather large and extremely overweight man. (This is the apostate leadership overcome by their flesh.) 16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, that say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor. Then, when Jesus spoke the second “Woe”, I heard another much louder pop-like sound and more of the crackling sound. I looked around to see where this sound was coming from and I saw that a large, deep crack had gone all around the temple foundation and it was cracking up and crumbling as well. 17 Ye fools and blind: for which is greater, the gold, or the temple that hath sanctified the gold? 18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it, he is a debtor. 19 Ye blind: for which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? 20 He therefore that sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. 21 And he that sweareth by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. 22 And he that sweareth by the heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. 23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye tithe mint and anise and cummin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, justice, and mercy, and faith: but these ye ought to have done, and not to have left the other undone. 24 Ye blind guides, that strain out the gnat, and swallow the camel! 25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full from extortion and excess. 26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter, that the outside thereof may become clean also. 27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but inwardly ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye build the sepulchers of the prophets, and garnish the tombs of the righteous, 30 and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we should not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 31 Wherefore ye witness to yourselves, that ye are sons of them that slew the prophets. 32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 33 Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how shall ye escape the judgment of hell? 34 Therefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: some of them shall ye kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city: 35 that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of Abel the righteous unto the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom ye slew between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. 37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her! how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Just as Jesus had finished His Words to these men, the stone steps gave way and all of those men standing on the crumbling stone steps fell down into a deep pit that had opened up under the stone steps. And just after that happened, the entire temple came crashing down on top of them and covered them up. I noticed that from Matthew 23:15 through verse 39, there are “six” woes – “six” being the number of man. Also, I found it interesting that there is a “Woe” in Mathew 23:23 and the date of this dream is the 23rd and 23 means “death.” (This is clearly a reprobation of the apostate leadership and their fake temples, as Jesus pronounced in His day, and now we see a repeat of history in our day.)     Apostate Leaders Fleecing the Sheep B.A.- 04/01/2012 (David's notes in red) I dreamed I was in some type of city. It was strange because there were no people on the sidewalks or cars on the streets. There were these strange-looking brick buildings (buildings made by the flesh) everywhere I looked. (Sounds like the people of God slaving to make bricks for Pharaoh's buildings.) I decided to go inside one of these buildings. Once inside, I saw a familiar female TV preacher who was hosting an event. I also recognized several other female preachers as well, and others whose faces I recognized but could not remember their names. (Father said, 1Ti 2:12 But I permit not a woman to teach, nor to have dominion over a man, but to be in quietness. Read Word, Women and Authority.) There were elaborate tables set up with all kinds of party food and they were all playing games. Each time the hostess presented a new game, she would have on a different outfit. I watched this for a while, then I decided to leave and go see what was going on inside one of the other buildings. Once back out on the street, I saw a long, rectangular, brick building so I decided to go check it out. It was very dimly lit; I could barely see where I was going. This building was huge inside and it appeared to be some kind of art gallery. There were statues on the floor and statues mounted on the walls. Further on up ahead, I saw some people standing around a picture on the wall, so I went to see what they were looking at. As I got closer, all of these people were dressed up like pilots and they were looking and admiring a picture of various airplanes. Some were elaborate jets and some were small Cessna-type planes. I recognized some of these people to be leaders in the apostate church. (Big time prosperity preachers can't fly with us common folks. They have to have at least one private jet. Poor Jesus, He walked or rode a donkey.) Further on up ahead, I saw another group of people standing around a picture on the wall. As I got closer to these people, they were all dressed up like gladiators and they were looking at a picture of a large coliseum (I believe this to be representative of megachurches) and bragging about their own personal coliseum. (The competitive spirit is always trying to best those who are also a part of the body to see who is the greatest, as Jesus rebuked the disciples for.) Then, all the way to the back of the art gallery, I saw several rows of people seated and listening to a man standing at a podium. Behind this man was a large mural of TV and radio stations (the apostate leadership use the media to steal from God's people). He was teaching these people how to successfully get more money from their viewers and God's people in general. (Representing, using mass media to make mass money and live in luxury while not doing the works of the kingdom. Jesus said, Mat 10:8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons: freely ye received, freely give.) As I stood there listening to this, I cried out to the Lord, “Do you see what they are doing? They are scheming and preparing a plan on how they are going to fleece your sheep during tough economic times!” Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Don't be concerned; their days are numbered.” Then I woke up. (Their greed, debt and sins against God's people will take them out.)     Last House Cleaning Shelly Lynch - 06/23/2013 (David's notes in red) I had a short dream this morning. I saw myself taking a speck out of the corner of my eye. Mat 7:5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. Then I saw myself cleaning the corners of a building (Representing cleaning up the last hidden places of leaven), removing the last scraps of spoiled dog food (leaven of false teaching) from the building with a white paper towel (representing the pure Word). Php 3:2 Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the concision: (This could be the Bride's last cleansing before the anointing! And the Bride's ministry of removing the speck out of their brother's eye (which can only happen when she has the speck out of her own). Hallelujah!) (However, for Israel, which is a type of the Church and is not cleaned up at the beginning of the tribulation but through the tribulation, this text was given as a warning of coming tribulation.) Eze 7:1-10 Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me saying, And you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD to the land of Israel, 'An end! The end is coming on the four corners of the land. 'Now the end is upon you, and I will send My anger against you; I will judge you according to your ways and bring all your abominations upon you. For My eye will have no pity on you, nor will I spare you, but I will bring your ways upon you, and your abominations will be among you; then you will know that I am the LORD!' Thus says the Lord GOD, 'A disaster, unique disaster, behold it is coming! 'An end is coming; the end has come! It has awakened against you; behold, it has come! Your doom has come to you, O inhabitant of the land. The time has come, the day is near-tumult rather than joyful shouting on the mountains. Now I will shortly pour out My wrath on you and spend My anger against you; judge you according to your ways and bring on you all your abominations. 'My eye will show no pity nor will I spare. I will repay you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst; then you will know that I, the LORD, do the smiting. Behold, the day! Behold, it is coming! Your doom has gone forth; the rod has budded, arrogance has blossomed. (Chastening will bring the elect to righteousness. Isa 26:10-11  Let favor be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness will he deal wrongfully, and will not behold the majesty of Jehovah.  11  Jehovah, thy hand is lifted up, yet they see not: but they shall see thy zeal for the people, and be put to shame; yea, fire shall devour thine adversaries. Including their flesh. (The persecution from the apostate Church toward the faithful in the Lord can be seen here.) Act 5:28-29 Saying Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, 'We ought to obey God rather than men'. And verses 40-42 And to him (Gamaliel) they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. (Considering these two paths, it would be good for the disciples of Jesus to heed our instructions to be spotless and blemishless in the Bride company.) 2Pe 3:14 Wherefore, beloved seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. 1Th 3:13 To the end He may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. Eph 5:27 that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing (speck); but that it should be holy and without blemish. And 2Co 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Sandy Shaw shared at this same time while in prayer she heard, “This is the last cleaning”, and we all believed this would be the cleaning of the Bride of the Lord before the tribulation. She then asked for a word and got by random: 2Ch 29:15 And they gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and went in, according to the commandment of the king by the words of Jehovah, to cleanse the house of Jehovah. 16 And the priests went in unto the inner part of the house of Jehovah, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of Jehovah into the court of the house of Jehovah. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad to the brook Kidron. 17 Now they began on the first [day] of the first month to sanctify, and on the eighth day of the month came they to the porch of Jehovah; and they sanctified the house of Jehovah in eight days: and on the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end. 18 Then they went in to Hezekiah the king within [the palace], and said, We have cleansed all the house of Jehovah, and the altar of burnt-offering, with all the vessels thereof, and the table of showbread, with all the vessels thereof. 19 Moreover all the vessels, which king Ahaz in his reign did cast away when he trespassed, have we prepared and sanctified; and, behold, they are before the altar of Jehovah. 20 Then Hezekiah the king arose early, and gathered the princes of the city, and went up to the house of Jehovah. Hezekiah, as a type of the Man-child, “went up to the house of the Lord on the third day” and this was after the failed Senacherib Beast attack on the Bride when they were smitten. She then got by random, “into the ark” in Gen 7:13 In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark; and we read back in verse 9 there went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, male and female, as God commanded Noah. 10 And it came to pass after the seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.

Liam Lawson wasn't the only Kiwi ripping it up at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Synthony - an orchestra which reimagines some of the biggest dance hits of all time - was there as well. The group stems from New Zealand and is increasingly going global. Singer-songwriter Ilan Kidron – who's teamed up with Synthony – joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this lively cross-border episode, Bernie and Gil huddle up in Barcelona, while Dan joins from Sweden, to explore an ancient meeting of minds in 525 BC. As the Persian empire expanded into Egypt, Jewish communities from different lands converged, sharing stories and traditions that would become the foundation for parts of the Old Testament. Join us for a journey back to a pivotal moment where worlds—and minds—collided, leaving a lasting mark on history.Link to Gil's Podcasthttps://podcastofbiblicalproportions.com/This is a podcast by Dan Hörning and Bernie Maopolski.If you like what we do you can support the Fan of History project on https://www.patreon.com/fanofhistoryContact information:E-mail: zimwaupodcast@gmail.comhttp://facebook.com/fanofhistoryhttps://twitter.com/danhorninghttps://www.instagram.com/dan_horning/Music: “Tudor Theme” by urmymuse.Used here under a commercial Creative Commons license. Find out more at http://ccmixter.org/files/urmymuse/40020 Support the show and listen ad-free to all of the episodes, including episode 1-87. Click here: https://plus.acast.com/s/history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Support Common Prayer Daily @ PatreonVisit our Website for more www.commonprayerdaily.com_______________Opening Words:“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”Psalm 19:14 (ESV) Confession:Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God. Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen. Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen. The InvitatoryLord, open our lips.And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Venite (Psalm 95:1-7)Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: Come let us adore him. Come, let us sing to the Lord; * let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving * and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.For the Lord is a great God, * and a great King above all gods.In his hand are the caverns of the earth, * and the heights of the hills are his also.The sea is his, for he made it, * and his hands have molded the dry land.Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, * and kneel before the Lord our Maker.For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. *Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice! Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: Come let us adore him. The PsalterPsalm 131Domine, non est1O Lord, I am not proud; *I have no haughty looks.2I do not occupy myself with great matters, *or with things that are too hard for me.3But I still my soul and make it quiet,like a child upon its mother's breast; *my soul is quieted within me.4O Israel, wait upon the Lord, *from this time forth for evermore.Psalm 132Memento, Domine1Lord, remember David, *and all the hardships he endured;2How he swore an oath to the Lord *and vowed a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:3“I will not come under the roof of my house,” *nor climb up into my bed;4I will not allow my eyes to sleep, *nor let my eyelids slumber;5Until I find a place for the Lord, *a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”6“The ark! We heard it was in Ephratah; *we found it in the fields of Jearim.7Let us go to God's dwelling place; *let us fall upon our knees before his footstool.”8Arise, O Lord, into your resting-place, *you and the ark of your strength.9Let your priests be clothed with righteousness; *let your faithful people sing with joy.10For your servant David's sake, *do not turn away the face of your Anointed.11The Lord has sworn an oath to David; *in truth, he will not break it:12“A son, the fruit of your body *will I set upon your throne.13If your children keep my covenantand my testimonies that I shall teach them, *their children will sit upon your throne for evermore.”14For the Lord has chosen Zion; *he has desired her for his habitation:15“This shall be my resting-place for ever; *here will I dwell, for I delight in her.16I will surely bless her provisions, *and satisfy her poor with bread.17I will clothe her priests with salvation, *and her faithful people will rejoice and sing.18There will I make the horn of David flourish; *I have prepared a lamp for my Anointed.19As for his enemies, I will clothe them with shame; *but as for him, his crown will shine.” Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Lessons2 Kings 23:4-25English Standard Version4 And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second order and the keepers of the threshold to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5 And he deposed the priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to make offerings in the high places at the cities of Judah and around Jerusalem; those also who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and the moon and the constellations and all the host of the heavens. 6 And he brought out the Asherah from the house of the Lord, outside Jerusalem, to the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron and beat it to dust and cast the dust of it upon the graves of the common people. 7 And he broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes who were in the house of the Lord, where the women wove hangings for the Asherah. 8 And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had made offerings, from Geba to Beersheba. And he broke down the high places of the gates that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on one's left at the gate of the city. 9 However, the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brothers. 10 And he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, that no one might burn his son or his daughter as an offering to Molech. 11 And he removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of the Lord, by the chamber of Nathan-melech the chamberlain, which was in the precincts. And he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. 12 And the altars on the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars that Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the Lord, he pulled down and broke in pieces and cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron. 13 And the king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, to the south of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 14 And he broke in pieces the pillars and cut down the Asherim and filled their places with the bones of men.15 Moreover, the altar at Bethel, the high place erected by Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, that altar with the high place he pulled down and burned, reducing it to dust. He also burned the Asherah. 16 And as Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the mount. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar and defiled it, according to the word of the Lord that the man of God proclaimed, who had predicted these things. 17 Then he said, “What is that monument that I see?” And the men of the city told him, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and predicted these things that you have done against the altar at Bethel.” 18 And he said, “Let him be; let no man move his bones.” So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came out of Samaria. 19 And Josiah removed all the shrines also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which kings of Israel had made, provoking the Lord to anger. He did to them according to all that he had done at Bethel. 20 And he sacrificed all the priests of the high places who were there, on the altars, and burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem.21 And the king commanded all the people, “Keep the Passover to the Lord your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” 22 For no such Passover had been kept since the days of the judges who judged Israel, or during all the days of the kings of Israel or of the kings of Judah. 23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was kept to the Lord in Jerusalem.24 Moreover, Josiah put away the mediums and the necromancers and the household gods and the idols and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might establish the words of the law that were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord. 25 Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him.1 Corinthians 12:1-11English Standard Version12 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. The Word of the Lord.Thanks Be To God. Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; * he has come to his people and set them free.He has raised up for us a mighty savior, * born of the house of his servant David.Through his holy prophets he promised of old, that he would save us from our enemies, * from the hands of all who hate us. He promised to show mercy to our fathers * and to remember his holy covenant. This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, * to set us free from the hands of our enemies, Free to worship him without fear, * holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, * for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, To give his people knowledge of salvation * by the forgiveness of their sins.In the tender compassion of our God * the dawn from on high shall break upon us, To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, * and to guide our feet into the way of peace.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. The Apostles CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. The PrayersLord, have mercy.Christ, have mercyLord, have mercyOur Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. The SuffragesO Lord, show your mercy upon us;And grant us your salvation.O Lord, guide those who govern usAnd lead us in the way of justice and truth.Clothe your ministers with righteousnessAnd let your people sing with joy.O Lord, save your peopleAnd bless your inheritance.Give peace in our time, O LordAnd defend us by your mighty power.Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgottenNor the hope of the poor be taken away.Create in us clean hearts, O GodAnd take not your Holy Spirit from us. Take a moment of silence at this time to reflect and pray for others. The CollectsProper 22Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Daily Collects:A Collect for PeaceO God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries, through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.A Collect for GraceO Lord, our heavenly Father, almighty and everlasting God, you have brought us safely to the beginning of this day: Defend us by your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin nor run into any danger; and that, guided by your Spirit, we may do what is righteous in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Collect of Saint BasilO Christ God, Who art worshipped and glorified at every place and time; Who art long-suffering, most merciful and compassionate; Who lovest the righteous and art merciful to sinners; Who callest all to salvation with the promise of good things to come: receive, Lord, the prayers we now offer, and direct our lives in the way of Thy commandments. Sanctify our souls, cleanse our bodies, correct our thoughts, purify our minds and deliver us from all affliction, evil and illness. Surround us with Thy holy angels, that guarded and instructed by their forces, we may reach unity of faith and the understanding of Thine unapproachable glory: for blessed art Thou unto ages of ages. Amen. General ThanksgivingAlmighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; Through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen. A Prayer of St. John ChrysostomAlmighty God, you have given us grace at this time, with one accord to make our common supplications to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will grant their requests: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen. DismissalLet us bless the LordThanks be to God!Alleluia, Alleluia! BenedictionThe grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen

Support Common Prayer Daily @ PatreonVisit our Website for more www.commonprayerdaily.com_______________Opening Words:“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”Psalm 19:14 (ESV) Confession:Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God. Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen. Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen. The InvitatoryLord, open our lips.And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Venite (Psalm 95:1-7)Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: Come let us adore him. Come, let us sing to the Lord; * let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving * and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.For the Lord is a great God, * and a great King above all gods.In his hand are the caverns of the earth, * and the heights of the hills are his also.The sea is his, for he made it, * and his hands have molded the dry land.Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, * and kneel before the Lord our Maker.For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. *Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice! Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: Come let us adore him. The PsalterPsalm 97Dominus regnavit1The Lord is King;let the earth rejoice; *let the multitude of the isles be glad.2Clouds and darkness are round about him, *righteousness and justice are the foundations of his throne.3A fire goes before him *and burns up his enemies on every side.4His lightnings light up the world; *the earth sees it and is afraid.5The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord, *at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.6The heavens declare his righteousness, *and all the peoples see his glory.7Confounded be all who worship carved imagesand delight in false gods! *Bow down before him, all you gods.8Zion hears and is glad, and the cities of Judah rejoice, *because of your judgments, O Lord.9For you are the Lord,most high over all the earth; *you are exalted far above all gods.10The Lord loves those who hate evil; *he preserves the lives of his saintsand delivers them from the hand of the wicked.11Light has sprung up for the righteous, *and joyful gladness for those who are truehearted.12Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, *and give thanks to his holy Name.Psalm 99Dominus regnavit1The Lord is King;let the people tremble; *he is enthroned upon the cherubim;let the earth shake.2The Lord is great in Zion; *he is high above all peoples.3Let them confess his Name, which is great and awesome; *he is the Holy One.4“O mighty King, lover of justice,you have established equity; *you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.”5Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our Godand fall down before his footstool; *he is the Holy One.6Moses and Aaron among his priests,and Samuel among those who call upon his Name, *they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.7He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud; *they kept his testimonies and the decree that he gave them.8“O Lord our God, you answered them indeed; *you were a God who forgave them,yet punished them for their evil deeds.”9Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our Godand worship him upon his holy hill; *for the Lord our God is the Holy One.Psalm 100Jubilate Deo1Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands; *serve the Lord with gladnessand come before his presence with a song.2Know this: The Lord himself is God; *he himself has made us, and we are his;we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.3Enter his gates with thanksgiving;go into his courts with praise; *give thanks to him and call upon his Name.4For the Lord is good;his mercy is everlasting; *and his faithfulness endures from age to age. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Lessons2 Chronicles 29:1-3English Standard Version29 Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah the daughter of Zechariah. 2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done.3 In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them.2 Chronicles 30English Standard Version30 Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem to keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel. 2 For the king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had taken counsel to keep the Passover in the second month— 3 for they could not keep it at that time because the priests had not consecrated themselves in sufficient number, nor had the people assembled in Jerusalem— 4 and the plan seemed right to the king and all the assembly. 5 So they decreed to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that the people should come and keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem, for they had not kept it as often as prescribed. 6 So couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his princes, as the king had commanded, saying, “O people of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may turn again to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7 Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were faithless to the Lord God of their fathers, so that he made them a desolation, as you see. 8 Do not now be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the Lord and come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever, and serve the Lord your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you. 9 For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.”10 So the couriers went from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them. 11 However, some men of Asher, of Manasseh, and of Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 12 The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the Lord.13 And many people came together in Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month, a very great assembly. 14 They set to work and removed the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for burning incense they took away and threw into the brook Kidron. 15 And they slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. And the priests and the Levites were ashamed, so that they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings into the house of the Lord. 16 They took their accustomed posts according to the Law of Moses the man of God. The priests threw the blood that they received from the hand of the Levites. 17 For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves. Therefore the Levites had to slaughter the Passover lamb for everyone who was not clean, to consecrate it to the Lord. 18 For a majority of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than as prescribed. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord pardon everyone 19 who sets his heart to seek God, the Lord, the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary's rules of cleanness.” 20 And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people. 21 And the people of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great gladness, and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day by day, singing with all their might to the Lord. 22 And Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good skill in the service of the Lord. So they ate the food of the festival for seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to the Lord, the God of their fathers.23 Then the whole assembly agreed together to keep the feast for another seven days. So they kept it for another seven days with gladness. 24 For Hezekiah king of Judah gave the assembly 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep for offerings, and the princes gave the assembly 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. And the priests consecrated themselves in great numbers. 25 The whole assembly of Judah, and the priests and the Levites, and the whole assembly that came out of Israel, and the sojourners who came out of the land of Israel, and the sojourners who lived in Judah, rejoiced. 26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. 27 Then the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy habitation in heaven.1 Corinthians 7:32-40English Standard Version32 I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. 33 But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, 34 and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. 35 I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.36 If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry—it is no sin. 37 But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well. 38 So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better.39 A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. 40 Yet in my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God. The Word of the Lord.Thanks Be To God. Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; * he has come to his people and set them free.He has raised up for us a mighty savior, * born of the house of his servant David.Through his holy prophets he promised of old, that he would save us from our enemies, * from the hands of all who hate us. He promised to show mercy to our fathers * and to remember his holy covenant. This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, * to set us free from the hands of our enemies, Free to worship him without fear, * holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, * for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, To give his people knowledge of salvation * by the forgiveness of their sins.In the tender compassion of our God * the dawn from on high shall break upon us, To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, * and to guide our feet into the way of peace.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. The Apostles CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. The PrayersLord, have mercy.Christ, have mercyLord, have mercyOur Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. The SuffragesO Lord, show your mercy upon us;And grant us your salvation.O Lord, guide those who govern usAnd lead us in the way of justice and truth.Clothe your ministers with righteousnessAnd let your people sing with joy.O Lord, save your peopleAnd bless your inheritance.Give peace in our time, O LordAnd defend us by your mighty power.Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgottenNor the hope of the poor be taken away.Create in us clean hearts, O GodAnd take not your Holy Spirit from us. Take a moment of silence at this time to reflect and pray for others. The CollectsProper 21O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Daily Collects:A Collect for PeaceO God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries, through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.A Collect for GraceO Lord, our heavenly Father, almighty and everlasting God, you have brought us safely to the beginning of this day: Defend us by your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin nor run into any danger; and that, guided by your Spirit, we may do what is righteous in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Collect of Saint BasilO Christ God, Who art worshipped and glorified at every place and time; Who art long-suffering, most merciful and compassionate; Who lovest the righteous and art merciful to sinners; Who callest all to salvation with the promise of good things to come: receive, Lord, the prayers we now offer, and direct our lives in the way of Thy commandments. Sanctify our souls, cleanse our bodies, correct our thoughts, purify our minds and deliver us from all affliction, evil and illness. Surround us with Thy holy angels, that guarded and instructed by their forces, we may reach unity of faith and the understanding of Thine unapproachable glory: for blessed art Thou unto ages of ages. Amen. General ThanksgivingAlmighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; Through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen. A Prayer of St. John ChrysostomAlmighty God, you have given us grace at this time, with one accord to make our common supplications to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will grant their requests: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen. DismissalLet us bless the LordThanks be to God!Alleluia, Alleluia! BenedictionThe grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen

Welcome to a new series of Changes Focus where we focus on a specific area of change and hear multiple perspectives from some of our incredible guests. In this episode the focus is on Changemakers - people who are working hard to drive meaningful, positive change in the world.In this powerful episode, Annie revisits her conversation with poet and advocate for prison reform Lady Unchained. She talks about her own experience within the criminal justice system and how this led her to work with other ex offenders. We hear from Baroness Beeban Kidron - documentary filmmaker turned member of the House of Lords - who talks about her tireless efforts to change and update the laws around child safety online. Ex right wing group leader Nigel Bromage shares his story of life after leaving the far right and how this inspired him to help others to do the same. And finally we've got actor Rose Ayling Ellis, who's memorable appearance on Strictly Come Dancing in 2021 paid tribute to the deaf community and was responsible for a huge rise of interest in British Sign Language. Rose talks to us about how important being a part of this community is for her. You can find all the featured episodes in full wherever you get your podcasts. Vote for Changes at the British Podcast Awards! Voting is open until 29th August. Just click this link and search for Changes. https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/votingGET IN TOUCHContact us at changespod@gmail.com with your emails and voice notes.Changes is a deaf friendly podcast, transcripts can be accessed here: https://www.anniemacmanus.com/changesPlease Note: The transcript is automatically generated in case you come across any typos or misquotes during your reading. Enjoy the episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John 18:1–11 [1] When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. [2] Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. [3] So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. [4] Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” [5] They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. [6] When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. [7] So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” [8] Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.” [9] This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.” [10] Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) [11] So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

In a very special episode of Film Stories, Baroness Beeban Kidron joins Simon for a chat about her career, her films, and her move to politics. They go from her early film Carry Greenham Home, from being one of the first British women to direct a movie with Vroom. Then a big turning point: Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, an acclaimed adaptation of Jeanette Winterson's book. The chat covers Kidron's move to Hollywood, and then the documentary that launched what effectively became her second career... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View the Bulletin for Wednesday, June 19, 2024Worship Service: 2:00 p.m.Bible Study: 2:30 p.m.All are welcome, bring a friend, neighbor or relativeVisit our YouTube channel — Click the red “subscribe” box, and then click on the “bell” next to that box to receive Live Streaming notifications. You must be logged into YouTube to activate these features.Archive of AUDIO “Readings & Sermons”Archive of VIDEO “Complete Service”Archive of BULLETINS2 Samuel 11:26-12:15 When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she lamented over her husband. And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD. And the LORD sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.” Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. And I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.'” David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the child who is born to you shall die.” Then Nathan went to his house. And the LORD afflicted the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and he became sick. John 18:1-14 When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.” This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.” Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?” So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him. First they led him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people. Confession What is Confession?Confession has two parts. First, that we confess our sins, and second, that we receive absolution, that is, forgiveness, from the pastor as from God Himself, not doubting, but firmly believing that by it our sins are forgiven before God in heaven.

For a brief moment in the history of Acre, there was a Hebrew community that linked old and new settlements. It had a national-Zionist orientation and consisted of Jews of local and Mizrachic origin. This community is no longer visible in the cityscape, and its history has disappeared from the collective Zionist memory - but it played a role in building the Jewish national community in Palestine. The unusual history of Acre shows how it succeeded in attracting new, nationalist settlers. Anat Kidron and Shuli Linder Yarkony's book The Jewish Community of Acre in Mandatory Palestine: The Story of a Forgotten Community (de Gruyter, 2024) seeks to illuminate the complexity and diversity of the Zionist enterprise in relation to the Arab and mixed towns of Mandatory Palestine by raising questions about the relationship between the "history of a place" and "national history." By describing the failure of the Hebrew settlement in the Mandate territory of Acre, the book views the Zionist project as a fascinating intersection between the dreams of those who created the leading narratives and between local interests and the unique geographical conditions of the region. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

For a brief moment in the history of Acre, there was a Hebrew community that linked old and new settlements. It had a national-Zionist orientation and consisted of Jews of local and Mizrachic origin. This community is no longer visible in the cityscape, and its history has disappeared from the collective Zionist memory - but it played a role in building the Jewish national community in Palestine. The unusual history of Acre shows how it succeeded in attracting new, nationalist settlers. Anat Kidron and Shuli Linder Yarkony's book The Jewish Community of Acre in Mandatory Palestine: The Story of a Forgotten Community (de Gruyter, 2024) seeks to illuminate the complexity and diversity of the Zionist enterprise in relation to the Arab and mixed towns of Mandatory Palestine by raising questions about the relationship between the "history of a place" and "national history." By describing the failure of the Hebrew settlement in the Mandate territory of Acre, the book views the Zionist project as a fascinating intersection between the dreams of those who created the leading narratives and between local interests and the unique geographical conditions of the region. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

For a brief moment in the history of Acre, there was a Hebrew community that linked old and new settlements. It had a national-Zionist orientation and consisted of Jews of local and Mizrachic origin. This community is no longer visible in the cityscape, and its history has disappeared from the collective Zionist memory - but it played a role in building the Jewish national community in Palestine. The unusual history of Acre shows how it succeeded in attracting new, nationalist settlers. Anat Kidron and Shuli Linder Yarkony's book The Jewish Community of Acre in Mandatory Palestine: The Story of a Forgotten Community (de Gruyter, 2024) seeks to illuminate the complexity and diversity of the Zionist enterprise in relation to the Arab and mixed towns of Mandatory Palestine by raising questions about the relationship between the "history of a place" and "national history." By describing the failure of the Hebrew settlement in the Mandate territory of Acre, the book views the Zionist project as a fascinating intersection between the dreams of those who created the leading narratives and between local interests and the unique geographical conditions of the region. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies

For a brief moment in the history of Acre, there was a Hebrew community that linked old and new settlements. It had a national-Zionist orientation and consisted of Jews of local and Mizrachic origin. This community is no longer visible in the cityscape, and its history has disappeared from the collective Zionist memory - but it played a role in building the Jewish national community in Palestine. The unusual history of Acre shows how it succeeded in attracting new, nationalist settlers. Anat Kidron and Shuli Linder Yarkony's book The Jewish Community of Acre in Mandatory Palestine: The Story of a Forgotten Community (de Gruyter, 2024) seeks to illuminate the complexity and diversity of the Zionist enterprise in relation to the Arab and mixed towns of Mandatory Palestine by raising questions about the relationship between the "history of a place" and "national history." By describing the failure of the Hebrew settlement in the Mandate territory of Acre, the book views the Zionist project as a fascinating intersection between the dreams of those who created the leading narratives and between local interests and the unique geographical conditions of the region. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies

For a brief moment in the history of Acre, there was a Hebrew community that linked old and new settlements. It had a national-Zionist orientation and consisted of Jews of local and Mizrachic origin. This community is no longer visible in the cityscape, and its history has disappeared from the collective Zionist memory - but it played a role in building the Jewish national community in Palestine. The unusual history of Acre shows how it succeeded in attracting new, nationalist settlers. Anat Kidron and Shuli Linder Yarkony's book The Jewish Community of Acre in Mandatory Palestine: The Story of a Forgotten Community (de Gruyter, 2024) seeks to illuminate the complexity and diversity of the Zionist enterprise in relation to the Arab and mixed towns of Mandatory Palestine by raising questions about the relationship between the "history of a place" and "national history." By describing the failure of the Hebrew settlement in the Mandate territory of Acre, the book views the Zionist project as a fascinating intersection between the dreams of those who created the leading narratives and between local interests and the unique geographical conditions of the region. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/israel-studies

Another week of 24 action is here as we recap the seventh episode of season seven with 2pm-3pm coming down your speakers! How good is this episode? Will this be the best episode of the season? Why do we love angry Larry? Why do we love random honey guy? How great is all the action in this episode? What does lactation and chicken eggs have to do with anything? Why does getting shot in the neck now mean nothing? Do we like Bill yelling? What do we think of diner lasagna? And how sad are we for the dear residents of Kidron in Ohio? Tick it up and tick it down for another ticking good time in your ears! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

“The king also himself passed over the brook Kidron.” — 2 Samuel 15:23 David passed that gloomy brook when flying with his mourning company from his traitor son. The man after God's own heart was not exempt from trouble, nay, his life was full of it. He was both the Lord's Anointed, and the Lord's […]

April 21, 2024 - Sunday 10:30AM Auditorium Speaker   Speaker: Scott Cain   John 18-19 - Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus 18 When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. 2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” 5 They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6 When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.” 9 This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.” 10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) 11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?” Jesus Faces Annas and Caiaphas 12 So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him. 13 First they led him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. 14 It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people. Peter Denies Jesus 15 Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, 16 but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in. 17 The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man's disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” 18 Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself. The High Priest Questions Jesus 19 The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. 20 Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. 21 Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said.” 22 When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?” 24 Annas then sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. Peter Denies Jesus Again 25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” 26 One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” 27 Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed. Jesus Before Pilate 28 Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor's headquarters. It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor's headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” 30 They answered him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.” 31 Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.” 32 This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die. My Kingdom Is Not of This World 33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. 39 But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” 40 They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber. Jesus Delivered to Be Crucified 19 Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. 2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. 3 They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. 4 Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” 5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” 6 When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.” 7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.” 8 When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. 9 He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.” 12 From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” 13 So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” 15 They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” 16 So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. The Crucifixion So they took Jesus, 17 and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. 19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20 Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. 21 So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,' but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.'” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” 23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, 24 so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, “They divided my garments among them,     and for my clothing they cast lots.” So the soldiers did these things, 25 but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. The Death of Jesus 28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Jesus' Side Is Pierced 31 Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. 35 He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe. 36 For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.” Jesus Is Buried 38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. 39 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. 40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.   "Behold the Man" 3 Perspectives Those immediately involved The hasty heresy The aged apostle - John writes from an older man's perspective. Behold the man bound - (John 18:1-12) John recorded eyewitness evidence. Jesus was betrayed by one of his own. Jesus was bold - He didn't run and hide. Jesus was benevolent. Behold the man blamed - (John 18:13-27) Jesus was unfairly scrutinized. Jesus was shunned by Peter. Jesus was sound - maintained presence of mind through it all. Behold the man blameless - (John 18:28-40) Jesus was accused Jesus has authority Jesus was acquitted - He was declared innocent but this was all about politics. Behold the man beaten - (John 19:1-16) Humiliation Humanity Humiltiy Behold the man bleeding - (John 19:1-16) He was loathed. He was learing He was loved. - John 15:13. Behold the man buried - (John 19:1-16) Murdered Mortality Momentary - John 22 - He was risen.   Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUGHlFvRa18   Duration 45:57

Jesus and His disciples cross the Kidron valley and enter an olive grove. Thus begins Jesus last moments with his disciples as He is arrested, taken before Annas, the High Priest Caiaphas, and finally He stands before the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. As you read through John's account of these moments, take note of how Jesus interacts with the various groups he encounters and what that reveals to us about our King.  Prepare for this week's message by reading John chapter 18.

Friday Bible Study (4/5/24) // 1 Kings 15 // Visit our website: https://mbchicago.orgFollow us to remain connected: Facebook:   / mbc.chicago   Instagram:   / mbc.chicago   TikTok:   / mbc.chicago   Podcasts: Listen on Apple, Spotify & others To support this ministry, you can donate via: Zelle to: info@mbchicago.org Website: https://mbchicago.org/give Venmo: https://venmo.com/mbchurch PayPal: https://paypal.com/donate/?hosted_but...#1kings | #BibleStudy | #DanielBatarseh | #mbchicago | #mbcchicago | #Bible | #livechurch | #churchlive | #chicagochurch | #chicagochurches | #versebyverse | #church | #chicago | #sermon1 Kings 15 (ESV) Abijam Reigns in Judah 15 Now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah. 2 He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. 3 And he walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father. 4 Nevertheless, for David's sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him, and establishing Jerusalem, 5 because David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. 6 Now there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life. 7 The rest of the acts of Abijam and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. 8 And Abijam slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place. Asa Reigns in Judah 9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah, 10 and he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. 11 And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as David his father had done. 12 He put away the male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. 13 He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her image and burned it at the brook Kidron. 14 But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true to the Lord all his days. 15 And he brought into the house of the Lord the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels. 16 And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 17 Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 18 Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king's house and gave them into the hands of his servants. And King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying, 19 “Let there be a covenant[a] between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you a present of silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.” 20 And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel and conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and all Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. 21 And when Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah, and he lived in Tirzah. 22 Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah, none was exempt, and

Good Friday The Collect: Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Old Testament: Isaiah 52:13-53:12 13See, my servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. 14Just as there were many who were astonished at him—so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of mortals— 15so he shall startle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which had not been told them they shall see, and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate. 1Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; and as one from whom others hide their faces he was despised, and we held him of no account. 4Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. 5But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.6All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8By a perversion of justice he was taken away. Who could have imagined his future? For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people. 9They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. 10Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain. When you make his life an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days; through him the will of the Lord shall prosper. 11Out of his anguish he shall see light; he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge. The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Psalm: Psalm 22 1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? *        and are so far from my cry        and from the words of my distress? 2 O my God, I cry in the daytime, but you do not answer; *        by night as well, but I find no rest. 3 Yet you are the Holy One, *        enthroned upon the praises of Israel. 4 Our forefathers put their trust in you; *        they trusted, and you delivered them. 5 They cried out to you and were delivered; *        they trusted in you and were not put to shame. 6 But as for me, I am a worm and no man, *        scorned by all and despised by the people. 7 All who see me laugh me to scorn; *        they curl their lips and wag their heads, saying, 8 “He trusted in the Lord; let him deliver him; *        let him rescue him, if he delights in him.” 9 Yet you are he who took me out of the womb, *        and kept me safe upon my mother's breast. 10 I have been entrusted to you ever since I was born; *        you were my God when I was still in my mother's womb. 11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near, *        and there is none to help. 12 Many young bulls encircle me; *        strong bulls of Bashan surround me. 13 They open wide their jaws at me, *        like a ravening and a roaring lion. 14 I am poured out like water;    all my bones are out of joint; *        my heart within my breast is melting wax. 15 My mouth is dried out like a pot-sherd;    my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; *        and you have laid me in the dust of the grave. 16 Packs of dogs close me in,    and gangs of evildoers circle around me; *        they pierce my hands and my feet;        I can count all my bones. 17 They stare and gloat over me; *        they divide my garments among them;        they cast lots for my clothing. 18 Be not far away, O Lord; *        you are my strength; hasten to help me. 19 Save me from the sword, *        my life from the power of the dog. 20 Save me from the lion's mouth, *        my wretched body from the horns of wild bulls. 21 I will declare your Name to my brethren; *        in the midst of the congregation I will praise you. 22 Praise the Lord, you that fear him; *        stand in awe of him, O offspring of Israel;        all you of Jacob's line, give glory. 23 For he does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty;    neither does he hide his face from them; *        but when they cry to him he hears them. 24 My praise is of him in the great assembly; *        I will perform my vows in the presence of those who worship him. 25 The poor shall eat and be satisfied,    and those who seek the Lord shall praise him: *       “May your heart live for ever!” 26 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, *        and all the families of the nations shall bow before him. 27 For kingship belongs to the Lord; *        he rules over the nations. 28 To him alone all who sleep in the earth bow down in worship; *        all who go down to the dust fall before him. 29 My soul shall live for him;    my descendants shall serve him; *        they shall be known as the Lord's for ever. 30 They shall come and make known to a people yet unborn *        the saving deeds that he has done. Epistle: Hebrews 10:16-25 or 4:14-16; 5:7-9 16“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds,” 17he also adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” 18Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. 19Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, 20by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), 21and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, 25not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. or 14Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. 16Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 7In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.8Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered;9and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, Gospel: John 18:1-19:42 1After Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. 2Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. 3So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” 5They answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus replied, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they stepped back and fell to the ground. 7Again he asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 8Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.”9This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken, “I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me.” 10Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave's name was Malchus. 11Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?” 12So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him. 13First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one person die for the people. 15Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, 16but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in. 17The woman said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man's disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.”18Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself. 19Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. 20Jesus answered, “I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. 21Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said.” 22When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” 23Jesus answered, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?” 24Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.25Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him, “You are not also one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” 26One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” 27Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed. 28Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate's headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. 29So Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” 30They answered, “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” 31Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.” The Jews replied, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death.” 32(This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.)33Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” 35Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” 36Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” 37Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” 38Pilate asked him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no case against him. 39But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” 40They shouted in reply, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a bandit. 1Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. 3They kept coming up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and striking him on the face. 4Pilate went out again and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.” 5So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” 6When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.” 7The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.”8Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. 9He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10Pilate therefore said to him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?” 11Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” 12From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.” 13When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge's bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. 14Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, “Here is your King!” 15They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but the emperor.” 16Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus;17and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. 18There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. 19Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. 21Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,' but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.'” 22Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” 23When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. 24So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill what the scripture says, “They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.” 25And that is what the soldiers did. Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” 27Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. 28After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.” 29A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. 30When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. 31Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. 32Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. 35(He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) 36These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, “None of his bones shall be broken.” 37And again another passage of scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.” 38After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. 39Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. 40They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. 41Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. 42And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valleyto where there was a garden,into which he and his disciples entered.Judas his betrayer also knew the place,because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.So Judas got a band of soldiers and guardsfrom the chief priests and the Phariseesand went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him,went out and said to them, “Whom are you looking for?”They answered him, “Jesus the Nazorean.”He said to them, “I AM.”Judas his betrayer was also with them.When he said to them, “I AM, “they turned away and fell to the ground.So he again asked them,“Whom are you looking for?”They said, “Jesus the Nazorean.”Jesus answered,“I told you that I AM.So if you are looking for me, let these men go.”This was to fulfill what he had said,“I have not lost any of those you gave me.”Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it,struck the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear.The slave's name was Malchus.Jesus said to Peter,“Put your sword into its scabbard.Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?”So the band of soldiers, the tribune, and the Jewish guards seized Jesus,bound him, and brought him to Annas first.He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas,who was high priest that year.It was Caiaphas who had counseled the Jewsthat it was better that one man should die rather than the people.Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus.Now the other disciple was known to the high priest,and he entered the courtyard of the high priest with Jesus.But Peter stood at the gate outside.So the other disciple, the acquaintance of the high priest,went out and spoke to the gatekeeper and brought Peter in.Then the maid who was the gatekeeper said to Peter,“You are not one of this man's disciples, are you?”He said, “I am not.”Now the slaves and the guards were standing around a charcoal firethat they had made, because it was cold,and were warming themselves.Peter was also standing there keeping warm.The high priest questioned Jesusabout his disciples and about his doctrine.Jesus answered him,“I have spoken publicly to the world.I have always taught in a synagogueor in the temple area where all the Jews gather,and in secret I have said nothing.  Why ask me?Ask those who heard me what I said to them.They know what I said.”When he had said this,one of the temple guards standing there struck Jesus and said,“Is this the way you answer the high priest?”Jesus answered him,“If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong;but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?”Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.Now Simon Peter was standing there keeping warm.And they said to him,“You are not one of his disciples, are you?”He denied it and said,“I am not.”One of the slaves of the high priest,a relative of the one whose ear Peter had cut off, said,“Didn't I see you in the garden with him?”Again Peter denied it.And immediately the cock crowed.Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium.It was morning.And they themselves did not enter the praetorium,in order not to be defiled so that they could eat the Passover.So Pilate came out to them and said,“What charge do you bring against this man?”They answered and said to him,“If he were not a criminal,we would not have handed him over to you.”At this, Pilate said to them,“Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law.”The Jews answered him,“We do not have the right to execute anyone, “in order that the word of Jesus might be fulfilledthat he said indicating the kind of death he would die.So Pilate went back into the praetoriumand summoned Jesus and said to him,“Are you the King of the Jews?”Jesus answered,“Do you say this on your ownor have others told you about me?”Pilate answered,“I am not a Jew, am I?Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me.What have you done?”Jesus answered,“My kingdom does not belong to this world.If my kingdom did belong to this world,my attendants would be fightingto keep me from being handed over to the Jews.But as it is, my kingdom is not here.”So Pilate said to him,“Then you are a king?”Jesus answered,“You say I am a king.For this I was born and for this I came into the world,to testify to the truth.Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”When he had said this,he again went out to the Jews and said to them,“I find no guilt in him.But you have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at Passover.Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”They cried out again,“Not this one but Barabbas!”Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged.And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head,and clothed him in a purple cloak,and they came to him and said,“Hail, King of the Jews!”And they struck him repeatedly.Once more Pilate went out and said to them,“Look, I am bringing him out to you,so that you may know that I find no guilt in him.”So Jesus came out,wearing the crown of thorns and the purple cloak.And he said to them, “Behold, the man!”When the chief priests and the guards saw him they cried out,“Crucify him, crucify him!”Pilate said to them,“Take him yourselves and crucify him.I find no guilt in him.”The Jews answered,“We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die,because he made himself the Son of God.”Now when Pilate heard this statement,he became even more afraid,and went back into the praetorium and said to Jesus,“Where are you from?”Jesus did not answer him.So Pilate said to him,“Do you not speak to me?Do you not know that I have power to release youand I have power to crucify you?”Jesus answered him,“You would have no power over meif it had not been given to you from above.For this reason the one who handed me over to youhas the greater sin.”Consequently, Pilate tried to release him; but the Jews cried out,“If you release him, you are not a Friend of Caesar.Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.”When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus outand seated him on the judge's benchin the place called Stone Pavement, in Hebrew, Gabbatha.It was preparation day for Passover, and it was about noon.And he said to the Jews,“Behold, your king!”They cried out,“Take him away, take him away!  Crucify him!”Pilate said to them,“Shall I crucify your king?”The chief priests answered,“We have no king but Caesar.”Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.So they took Jesus, and, carrying the cross himself,he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull,in Hebrew, Golgotha.There they crucified him, and with him two others,one on either side, with Jesus in the middle.Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross.It read,“Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews.”Now many of the Jews read this inscription,because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city;and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,'but that he said, ‘I am the King of the Jews'.”Pilate answered,“What I have written, I have written.”When the soldiers had crucified Jesus,they took his clothes and divided them into four shares,a share for each soldier.They also took his tunic, but the tunic was seamless,woven in one piece from the top down.So they said to one another,“Let's not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be, “in order that the passage of Scripture might be fulfilled that says:            They divided my garments among them,                        and for my vesture they cast lots.This is what the soldiers did.Standing by the cross of Jesus were his motherand his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,and Mary of Magdala.When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he lovedhe said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”Then he said to the disciple,“Behold, your mother.”And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.After this, aware that everything was now finished,in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,Jesus said, “I thirst.”There was a vessel filled with common wine.So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssopand put it up to his mouth.When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,“It is finished.”And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.Here all kneel and pause for a short time.Now since it was preparation day,in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be brokenand that they be taken down.So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the firstand then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,they did not break his legs,but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,and immediately blood and water flowed out.An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true;he knows that he is speaking the truth,so that you also may come to believe.For this happened so that the Scripture passage might be fulfilled:            Not a bone of it will be broken.And again another passage says:            They will look upon him whom they have pierced.After this, Joseph of Arimathea,secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews,asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus.And Pilate permitted it.So he came and took his body.Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night,also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloesweighing about one hundred pounds.They took the body of Jesusand bound it with burial cloths along with the spices,according to the Jewish burial custom.Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden,and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried.So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day;for the tomb was close by.

When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples over the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, into which he and his disciples entered. Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. Judas then, having taken a detachment of soldiers and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all the things that were happening to him, went out, and said to them, “Who are you looking for?” They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas also, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When therefore he said to them, “I am he,” they went backward, and fell to the ground. Again therefore he asked them, “Who are you looking for?” They said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If therefore you seek me, let these go their way,” that the word might be fulfilled which he spoke, “Of those whom you have given me, I have lost none.” Simon Peter therefore, having a sword, drew it, struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. Jesus therefore said to Peter, “Put the sword into its sheath. The cup which the Father has given me, shall I not surely drink it?” So the detachment, the commanding officer, and the officers of the Jews seized Jesus and bound him, and led him to Annas first, for he was father-in-law to Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. Now it was Caiaphas who advised the Jews that it was expedient that one man should perish for the people. Simon Peter followed Jesus, as did another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and entered in with Jesus into the court of the high priest; but Peter was standing at the door outside. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought in Peter. Then the maid who kept the door said to Peter, “Are you also one of this man's disciples?” He said, “I am not.” Now the servants and the officers were standing there, having made a fire of coals, for it was cold. They were warming themselves. Peter was with them, standing and warming himself. The high priest therefore asked Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. Jesus answered him, “I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues, and in the temple, where the Jews always meet. I said nothing in secret. Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them. Behold, they know the things which I said.” When he had said this, one of the officers standing by slapped Jesus with his hand, saying, “Do you answer the high priest like that?” Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken evil, testify of the evil; but if well, why do you beat me?” Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas, the high priest.

Today's Bible Verse: "When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it." (John 18:1) Want to listen without ads? Become a BibleStudyTools.com PLUS Member today: https://www.biblestudytools.com/subscribe/   MEET OUR HOSTS at https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-bible-verse/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Ilan Kidron an award-winning singer-songwriter. He is best known for his role as frontman for multi-Platinum, multi-APRA winning electronic group 'The Potbelleez'. Behind the scenes Ilan has evolved into one of Australia's most successful and in demand songwriters. With The Potbelleez, Ilan has enjoyed a golden run of hits in Australia and also tasted chart and radio success throughout Europe. He co-penned anthems 'Don't Hold Back', 'Are You With Me' and 'From The Music' which have featured prominently across major advertising and television campaigns for Jeep, The Apprentice and Samsung amongst many other notable synch uses. Ilan is not only a versatile entertainer but also an in-demand co-writer and producer. As a songwriter, he has over one billion combined streams and Billboard Number 1s, having written for Rita Ora, Ricky Martin, Jessica Mauboy, Chance The Rapper, Chris Brown, Sesame Street, Tina Arena, Timmy Trumpet, Kygo, Hayden James, Ricki Lee Coulter, Eurovision and many others...   He also fronts the band, Glassbreakers which has become a tight, energetic powerhouse of party brilliance, performing breathtaking new takes on old world classics and wicked twists. They are the perfect wedding and corporate event band to keep your guests entertained from start to finish. We chat about flow, grief and death, music, the Potbelleez, joy and passion, challenges with touring, collaboration, ego, right and wrong, going solo, mental health and more!   The video footage of this entire chat is now out as well (one day after release)! So check them out on YouTube under Michael Kahan Check Ilan out on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ilan_kidron/ Website: https://www.ilankidron.com/ Ilan is also available for weddings/ corporate events etc at the Glassbreakers: https://www.glassbreakers.com.au/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl98l9dSxwd5EKvk_r5EG5g spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2h4XAkDeP79wkwWE4eXzTT The Potbelleez: https://www.facebook.com/thepotbelleezmusic https://newworldartists.net/the-potbelleez/ ------------------------------------------- Follow @Funny in Failure on Instagram and Facebook https://www.instagram.com/funnyinfailure/ https://www.facebook.com/funnyinfailure/ and @Michael_Kahan on Insta & Twitter to keep up to date with the latest info. https://www.instagram.com/michael_kahan/ https://twitter.com/Michael_Kahan

Jeremiah 31:27-40 27 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast. 28 As I have watched over them to pluck up, to break down, to overthrow, to destroy and to bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant,” declares the Lord. 29 “In those days they will not say again,‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes,And the children's teeth are set on edge.' 30 But everyone will die for his own iniquity; each man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be set on edge. 31 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. 33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,' for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” 35 Thus says the Lord,Who gives the sun for light by dayAnd the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night,Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar;The Lord of hosts is His name:36 “If this fixed order departsFrom before Me,” declares the Lord,“Then the offspring of Israel also will ceaseFrom being a nation before Me forever.” 37 Thus says the Lord, “If the heavens above can be measuredAnd the foundations of the earth searched out below,Then I will also cast off all the offspring of IsraelFor all that they have done,” declares the Lord. 38 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the city will be rebuilt for the Lord from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39 The measuring line will go out farther straight ahead to the hill Gareb; then it will turn to Goah. 40 And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be holy to the Lord; it will not be plucked up or overthrown anymore forever.” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/maranatha-ministries/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/maranatha-ministries/support

With family: 2 Chronicles 33; Revelation 19 2 Chronicles 33 (Listen) Manasseh Reigns in Judah 33 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 2 And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel. 3 For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had broken down, and he erected altars to the Baals, and made Asheroth, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. 4 And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “In Jerusalem shall my name be forever.” 5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. 6 And he burned his sons as an offering in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and used fortune-telling and omens and sorcery, and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger. 7 And the carved image of the idol that he had made he set in the house of God, of which God said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever, 8 and I will no more remove the foot of Israel from the land that I appointed for your fathers, if only they will be careful to do all that I have commanded them, all the law, the statutes, and the rules given through Moses.” 9 Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray, to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the people of Israel. Manasseh's Repentance 10 The LORD spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they paid no attention. 11 Therefore the LORD brought upon them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh with hooks and bound him with chains of bronze and brought him to Babylon. 12 And when he was in distress, he entreated the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. 13 He prayed to him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God. 14 Afterward he built an outer wall for the city of David west of Gihon, in the valley, and for the entrance into the Fish Gate, and carried it around Ophel, and raised it to a very great height. He also put commanders of the army in all the fortified cities in Judah. 15 And he took away the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the LORD, and all the altars that he had built on the mountain of the house of the LORD and in Jerusalem, and he threw them outside of the city. 16 He also restored the altar of the LORD and offered on it sacrifices of peace offerings and of thanksgiving, and he commanded Judah to serve the LORD, the God of Israel. 17 Nevertheless, the people still sacrificed at the high places, but only to the LORD their God. 18 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the LORD, the God of Israel, behold, they are in the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 19 And his prayer, and how God was moved by his entreaty, and all his sin and his faithlessness, and the sites on which he built high places and set up the Asherim and the images, before he humbled himself, behold, they are written in the Chronicles of the Seers.1 20 So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his house, and Amon his son reigned in his place. Amon's Reign and Death 21 Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. 22 And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, as Manasseh his father had done. Amon sacrificed to all the images that Manasseh his father had made, and served them. 23 And he did not humble himself before the LORD, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself, but this Amon incurred guilt more and more. 24 And his servants conspired against him and put him to death in his house. 25 But the people of the land struck down all those who had conspired against King Amon. And the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place. Footnotes [1] 33:19 One Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts of Hozai (ESV) Revelation 19 (Listen) Rejoicing in Heaven 19 After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out,   “Hallelujah!  Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,2     for his judgments are true and just;  for he has judged the great prostitute    who corrupted the earth with her immorality,  and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.” 3 Once more they cried out,   “Hallelujah!  The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.” 4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” 5 And from the throne came a voice saying,   “Praise our God,    all you his servants,  you who fear him,    small and great.” The Marriage Supper of the Lamb 6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,   “Hallelujah!  For the Lord our God    the Almighty reigns.7   Let us rejoice and exult    and give him the glory,  for the marriage of the Lamb has come,    and his Bride has made herself ready;8   it was granted her to clothe herself    with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. 9 And the angel said1 to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” 10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. The Rider on a White Horse 11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in2 blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule3 them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. 17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, 18 to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave,4 both small and great.” 19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. 20 And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence5 had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 21 And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh. Footnotes [1] 19:9 Greek he said [2] 19:13 Some manuscripts sprinkled with [3] 19:15 Greek shepherd [4] 19:18 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface [5] 19:20 Or on its behalf (ESV) In private: Malachi 1; John 18 Malachi 1 (Listen) 1 The oracle of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.1 The Lord's Love for Israel 2 “I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you say, “How have you loved us?” “Is not Esau Jacob's brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet I have loved Jacob 3 but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert.” 4 If Edom says, “We are shattered but we will rebuild the ruins,” the LORD of hosts says, “They may build, but I will tear down, and they will be called ‘the wicked country,' and ‘the people with whom the LORD is angry forever.'” 5 Your own eyes shall see this, and you shall say, “Great is the LORD beyond the border of Israel!” The Priests' Polluted Offerings 6 “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?' 7 By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?' By saying that the LORD's table may be despised. 8 When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the LORD of hosts. 9 And now entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand, will he show favor to any of you? says the LORD of hosts. 10 Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the LORD of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand. 11 For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be2 great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts. 12 But you profane it when you say that the Lord's table is polluted, and its fruit, that is, its food may be despised. 13 But you say, ‘What a weariness this is,' and you snort at it, says the LORD of hosts. You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I accept that from your hand? says the LORD. 14 Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock, and vows it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great King, says the LORD of hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations. Footnotes [1] 1:1 Malachi means my messenger [2] 1:11 Or is (three times in verse 11; also verse 14) (ESV) John 18 (Listen) Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus 18 When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. 2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” 5 They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.”1 Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6 When Jesus2 said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.” 9 This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.” 10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant3 and cut off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) 11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?” Jesus Faces Annas and Caiaphas 12 So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews4 arrested Jesus and bound him. 13 First they led him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. 14 It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people. Peter Denies Jesus 15 Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, 16 but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in. 17 The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man's disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” 18 Now the servants5 and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself. The High Priest Questions Jesus 19 The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. 20 Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. 21 Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said.” 22 When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?” 24 Annas then sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. Peter Denies Jesus Again 25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” 26 One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” 27 Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed. Jesus Before Pilate 28 Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor's headquarters.6 It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor's headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” 30 They answered him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.” 31 Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.” 32 This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die. My Kingdom Is Not of This World 33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. 39 But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” 40 They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.7 Footnotes [1] 18:5 Greek I am; also verses 6, 8 [2] 18:6 Greek he [3] 18:10 Or bondservant; twice in this verse [4] 18:12 Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time; also verses 14, 31, 36, 38 [5] 18:18 Or bondservants; also verse 26 [6] 18:28 Greek the praetorium [7] 18:40 Or an insurrectionist (ESV)

With family: 2 Chronicles 30; Revelation 16 2 Chronicles 30 (Listen) Passover Celebrated 30 Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem to keep the Passover to the LORD, the God of Israel. 2 For the king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had taken counsel to keep the Passover in the second month—3 for they could not keep it at that time because the priests had not consecrated themselves in sufficient number, nor had the people assembled in Jerusalem—4 and the plan seemed right to the king and all the assembly. 5 So they decreed to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that the people should come and keep the Passover to the LORD, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem, for they had not kept it as often as prescribed. 6 So couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his princes, as the king had commanded, saying, “O people of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may turn again to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7 Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were faithless to the LORD God of their fathers, so that he made them a desolation, as you see. 8 Do not now be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD and come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever, and serve the LORD your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you. 9 For if you return to the LORD, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the LORD your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.” 10 So the couriers went from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them. 11 However, some men of Asher, of Manasseh, and of Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 12 The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the LORD. 13 And many people came together in Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month, a very great assembly. 14 They set to work and removed the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for burning incense they took away and threw into the brook Kidron. 15 And they slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. And the priests and the Levites were ashamed, so that they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings into the house of the LORD. 16 They took their accustomed posts according to the Law of Moses the man of God. The priests threw the blood that they received from the hand of the Levites. 17 For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves. Therefore the Levites had to slaughter the Passover lamb for everyone who was not clean, to consecrate it to the LORD. 18 For a majority of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than as prescribed. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, “May the good LORD pardon everyone 19 who sets his heart to seek God, the LORD, the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary's rules of cleanness.”1 20 And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people. 21 And the people of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great gladness, and the Levites and the priests praised the LORD day by day, singing with all their might2 to the LORD. 22 And Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good skill in the service of the LORD. So they ate the food of the festival for seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to the LORD, the God of their fathers. 23 Then the whole assembly agreed together to keep the feast for another seven days. So they kept it for another seven days with gladness. 24 For Hezekiah king of Judah gave the assembly 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep for offerings, and the princes gave the assembly 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. And the priests consecrated themselves in great numbers. 25 The whole assembly of Judah, and the priests and the Levites, and the whole assembly that came out of Israel, and the sojourners who came out of the land of Israel, and the sojourners who lived in Judah, rejoiced. 26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. 27 Then the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy habitation in heaven. Footnotes [1] 30:19 Hebrew not according to the cleanness of holiness [2] 30:21 Compare 1 Chronicles 13:8; Hebrew with instruments of might (ESV) Revelation 16 (Listen) The Seven Bowls of God's Wrath 16 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.” 2 So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. 3 The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing died that was in the sea. 4 The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. 5 And I heard the angel in charge of the waters1 say,   “Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was,    for you brought these judgments.6   For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets,    and you have given them blood to drink.  It is what they deserve!” 7 And I heard the altar saying,   “Yes, Lord God the Almighty,    true and just are your judgments!” 8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. 9 They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed2 the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory. 10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish 11 and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds. 12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. 13 And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. 14 For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. 15 (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”) 16 And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. The Seventh Bowl 17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings,3 peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. 19 The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. 20 And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found. 21 And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds4 each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe. Footnotes [1] 16:5 Greek angel of the waters [2] 16:9 Greek blasphemed; also verses 11, 21 [3] 16:18 Or voices, or sounds [4] 16:21 Greek a talent in weight (ESV) In private: Zechariah 12–13:1; John 15 Zechariah 12–13:1 (Listen) The Lord Will Give Salvation 12 The oracle of the word of the LORD concerning Israel: Thus declares the LORD, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him: 2 “Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah. 3 On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it. 4 On that day, declares the LORD, I will strike every horse with panic, and its rider with madness. But for the sake of the house of Judah I will keep my eyes open, when I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. 5 Then the clans of Judah shall say to themselves, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through the LORD of hosts, their God.' 6 “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a blazing pot in the midst of wood, like a flaming torch among sheaves. And they shall devour to the right and to the left all the surrounding peoples, while Jerusalem shall again be inhabited in its place, in Jerusalem. 7 “And the LORD will give salvation to the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not surpass that of Judah. 8 On that day the LORD will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the LORD, going before them. 9 And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. Him Whom They Have Pierced 10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. 11 On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 The land shall mourn, each family1 by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself, and their wives by themselves; 14 and all the families that are left, each by itself, and their wives by themselves. 13 “On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness. Footnotes [1] 12:12 Or clan; throughout verses 12–14 (ESV) John 15 (Listen) I Am the True Vine 15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants,1 for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another. The Hatred of the World 18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin,2 but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.' 26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning. Footnotes [1] 15:15 Or bondservants, or slaves (for the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface); likewise for servant later in this verse and in verse 20 [2] 15:22 Greek they would not have sin; also verse 24 (ESV)

With family: 2 Chronicles 29; Revelation 15 2 Chronicles 29 (Listen) Hezekiah Reigns in Judah 29 Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah1 the daughter of Zechariah. 2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done. Hezekiah Cleanses the Temple 3 In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the LORD and repaired them. 4 He brought in the priests and the Levites and assembled them in the square on the east 5 and said to them, “Hear me, Levites! Now consecrate yourselves, and consecrate the house of the LORD, the God of your fathers, and carry out the filth2 from the Holy Place. 6 For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done what was evil in the sight of the LORD our God. They have forsaken him and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD and turned their backs. 7 They also shut the doors of the vestibule and put out the lamps and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the Holy Place to the God of Israel. 8 Therefore the wrath of the LORD came on Judah and Jerusalem, and he has made them an object of horror, of astonishment, and of hissing, as you see with your own eyes. 9 For behold, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this. 10 Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD, the God of Israel, in order that his fierce anger may turn away from us. 11 My sons, do not now be negligent, for the LORD has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to him and to be his ministers and make offerings to him.” 12 Then the Levites arose, Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites; and of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; and of the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah; 13 and of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel; and of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah; 14 and of the sons of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel. 15 They gathered their brothers and consecrated themselves and went in as the king had commanded, by the words of the LORD, to cleanse the house of the LORD. 16 The priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD to cleanse it, and they brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the LORD into the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took it and carried it out to the brook Kidron. 17 They began to consecrate on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the vestibule of the LORD. Then for eight days they consecrated the house of the LORD, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished. 18 Then they went in to Hezekiah the king and said, “We have cleansed all the house of the LORD, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the table for the showbread and all its utensils. 19 All the utensils that King Ahaz discarded in his reign when he was faithless, we have made ready and consecrated, and behold, they are before the altar of the LORD.” Hezekiah Restores Temple Worship 20 Then Hezekiah the king rose early and gathered the officials of the city and went up to the house of the LORD. 21 And they brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats for a sin offering for the kingdom and for the sanctuary and for Judah. And he commanded the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the LORD. 22 So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests received the blood and threw it against the altar. And they slaughtered the rams, and their blood was thrown against the altar. And they slaughtered the lambs, and their blood was thrown against the altar. 23 Then the goats for the sin offering were brought to the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands on them, 24 and the priests slaughtered them and made a sin offering with their blood on the altar, to make atonement for all Israel. For the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel. 25 And he stationed the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres, according to the commandment of David and of Gad the king's seer and of Nathan the prophet, for the commandment was from the LORD through his prophets. 26 The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. 27 Then Hezekiah commanded that the burnt offering be offered on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song to the LORD began also, and the trumpets, accompanied by the instruments of David king of Israel. 28 The whole assembly worshiped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded. All this continued until the burnt offering was finished. 29 When the offering was finished, the king and all who were present with him bowed themselves and worshiped. 30 And Hezekiah the king and the officials commanded the Levites to sing praises to the LORD with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed down and worshiped. 31 Then Hezekiah said, “You have now consecrated yourselves to3 the LORD. Come near; bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of the LORD.” And the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all who were of a willing heart brought burnt offerings. 32 The number of the burnt offerings that the assembly brought was 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs; all these were for a burnt offering to the LORD. 33 And the consecrated offerings were 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep. 34 But the priests were too few and could not flay all the burnt offerings, so until other priests had consecrated themselves, their brothers the Levites helped them, until the work was finished—for the Levites were more upright in heart than the priests in consecrating themselves. 35 Besides the great number of burnt offerings, there was the fat of the peace offerings, and there were the drink offerings for the burnt offerings. Thus the service of the house of the LORD was restored. 36 And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced because God had provided for the people, for the thing came about suddenly. Footnotes [1] 29:1 Spelled Abi in 2 Kings 18:2 [2] 29:5 Hebrew impurity [3] 29:31 Hebrew filled your hand for (ESV) Revelation 15 (Listen) The Seven Angels with Seven Plagues 15 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished. 2 And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. 3 And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,   “Great and amazing are your deeds,    O Lord God the Almighty!  Just and true are your ways,    O King of the nations!14   Who will not fear, O Lord,    and glorify your name?  For you alone are holy.    All nations will come    and worship you,  for your righteous acts have been revealed.” 5 After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent2 of witness in heaven was opened, 6 and out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes around their chests. 7 And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever, 8 and the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished. Footnotes [1] 15:3 Some manuscripts the ages [2] 15:5 Or tabernacle (ESV) In private: Zechariah 11; John 14 Zechariah 11 (Listen) The Flock Doomed to Slaughter 11   Open your doors, O Lebanon,    that the fire may devour your cedars!2   Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen,    for the glorious trees are ruined!  Wail, oaks of Bashan,    for the thick forest has been felled!3   The sound of the wail of the shepherds,    for their glory is ruined!  The sound of the roar of the lions,    for the thicket of the Jordan is ruined! 4 Thus said the LORD my God: “Become shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter. 5 Those who buy them slaughter them and go unpunished, and those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the LORD, I have become rich,' and their own shepherds have no pity on them. 6 For I will no longer have pity on the inhabitants of this land, declares the LORD. Behold, I will cause each of them to fall into the hand of his neighbor, and each into the hand of his king, and they shall crush the land, and I will deliver none from their hand.” 7 So I became the shepherd of the flock doomed to be slaughtered by the sheep traders. And I took two staffs, one I named Favor, the other I named Union. And I tended the sheep. 8 In one month I destroyed the three shepherds. But I became impatient with them, and they also detested me. 9 So I said, “I will not be your shepherd. What is to die, let it die. What is to be destroyed, let it be destroyed. And let those who are left devour the flesh of one another.” 10 And I took my staff Favor, and I broke it, annulling the covenant that I had made with all the peoples. 11 So it was annulled on that day, and the sheep traders, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the LORD. 12 Then I said to them, “If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver. 13 Then the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the lordly price at which I was priced by them. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD, to the potter. 14 Then I broke my second staff Union, annulling the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. 15 Then the LORD said to me, “Take once more the equipment of a foolish shepherd. 16 For behold, I am raising up in the land a shepherd who does not care for those being destroyed, or seek the young or heal the maimed or nourish the healthy, but devours the flesh of the fat ones, tearing off even their hoofs. 17   “Woe to my worthless shepherd,    who deserts the flock!  May the sword strike his arm    and his right eye!  Let his arm be wholly withered,    his right eye utterly blinded!” (ESV) John 14 (Listen) I Am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life 14 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God;1 believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?2 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”3 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also.4 From now on you do know him and have seen him.” 8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father'? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. 12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me5 anything in my name, I will do it. Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper,6 to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be7 in you. 18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me. 25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.' If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here. Footnotes [1] 14:1 Or You believe in God [2] 14:2 Or In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you [3] 14:4 Some manuscripts Where I am going you know, and the way you know [4] 14:7 Or If you know me, you will know my Father also, or If you have known me, you will know my Father also [5] 14:14 Some manuscripts omit me [6] 14:16 Or Advocate, or Counselor; also 14:26; 15:26; 16:7 [7] 14:17 Some manuscripts and is (ESV)

Speaker 1:This media has been made available by Mosaic Boston Church. If you'd like to check out more resources, learn about Mosaic Boston, or donate to this ministry, please visit mosaicboston.com.Speaker 2:Heavenly Father, we thank You that, in this Christmas season, we can meditate upon what it means that God is with us, that Jesus is Emmanuel. That Jesus, You, the great I am, Yahweh of the Hebrew scriptures, You came to be with us. We thank You, Lord Jesus, that You call us to be Your disciples, Your followers. And that doesn't mean that You call us to an easy life, often it means that You do call us to seasons of trials and testing and I pray, Lord, fill our hearts with joy when we encounter the trials, when we encounter the tests. As James tells us, count in all joy, my brothers and, when you meet trials of various kinds, knowing that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness and let steadfastness have its full effect so that you may be complete and perfect, lacking in nothing. Lord, You do test us in order to equip us, in order to empower us, in order to use us and You do it in order to deepen our revelation of You and deepen our faith in You.And Lord, I pray from the holy scriptures today, encourage us, show us that, when Jesus Christ became man, when God took on flesh, You came into our struggles, You came into our trials in the same way that You came to the disciples walking on the water, You came into the boat and You saved them from the storm, You welcome that same salvation and You offer it to each one of us. I pray, if there's anyone here today who's not sure where they stand before the God of the universe, I pray that they meet Jesus Christ, I pray that You give them the gift of repentance so they do repent of their sins and leave them and I pray that You save them from their sin and give them power over sin to walk in ways of righteousness. Holy Spirit, we love You and we pray that You come and minister to us, encourage us, edify us and continue to work out Your will in our lives. We pray this, in Jesus Christ's name, amen.We're continuing our sermon series through the Gospel of Mark called Kingdom Come and the idea is that Jesus has come to inaugurate the Lord's kingdom. He said the kingdom of God is at hand, therefore, repent and believe and then He calls us, as His followers, to establish His kingdom and that starts with praying. And in the Lord's prayer, He teaches us to pray, Lord, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done. The title of the sermon today is Take Heart, I am with You. A famous phrase in combat sports is there's levels to this and the idea can be applied to just about any sphere of life but it's made famous in combat sports because, whenever the winner at the end of the match, when he's interviewed, the microphone, post-victory, is put in front of his face or her face and they say, "How did you win?"And usually, the answer is something like, "There's levels to this," meaning I reached a level that my opponent has not. And there's levels in striking, footwork, defense, strength, speed, conditioning but the level that must be reached if victory is to be tasted on a regular basis is can you remain calm in the face of adversity. As the great philosopher, Mike Tyson, famously put it, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. And often, in following Jesus Christ, we get punched in the mouth and it's the punch that you don't see coming that knocks you out. Therefore, we, as followers of Christ, we should be ready, we should be ready for whatever the life throws at us.Can you calm your nerves when the pressure is the highest? Well, same goes for faith. Can we keep trusting in the Lord, trusting in His sovereignty when it feels like we're in the middle of a storm rowing in place because the winds are so strong and our strength is so minuscule in comparison? And then can we remain sensitive to the Lord? Can we remain tender-hearted when frustration begins to creep in? Lord, this is not what I signed up for. Lord, this is not what I've been asking for. The text before us today seems so similar to the episode where Jesus was in the boat with the disciples, they're caught in the storm and Jesus was sleeping in the stern, His head on a cushion. And in that text, it's similar to our text, there is a storm and it almost seems like the text is redundant but, in this episode, Jesus is not physically in the boat with the disciples.He isn't in the boat in our lives physically, He's not here physically but His physical presence isn't necessary for His sovereign rule to continue reigning because He is the great I am. That's His name, Jesus says, "I am," unchangeable, unflappable, immutable. He's as much with His disciples overseeing their struggles and suffering, superintending their pain from a distant mountain in our text as if He were in the boat with them. The context is the disciples had returned from a short-term missionary trip where they were preaching the word of the kingdom, they were exorcizing demons, they were healing many in the name of Christ and they were accepted by many, rejected by more. And then they come back and Jesus sees that they're absolutely exhausted and He says, "Let's go to a desolate place so that you can rest."As they're going to their vacation destination, so to speak, 5,000 men find out that they're coming and then Jesus and the disciples end up teaching for another full day and then the crowds are hungry. The disciples say, "Jesus, send them away so they can get some food," and Jesus tells them, "You feed them." And then Jesus takes the five loaves and the two fish and multiplies them exponentially, feeds the thousands and the disciples spend hours more, they were already exhausted, hours more carrying food back and forth to the groups of 50s and a hundred. So, the disciples are bone tired and now Jesus, in our text, commands them to get into the boat and, unbeknownst to them, He's sending them into another storm, this time by themselves.They spend hours in the storm rowing in the darkness against the thick of the stormy winds. And the question is how will they respond this time? Will they level up their faith? Will they take the lessons they've learned and apply them in the new test or will they remain hardened and frustrated by the pain that Jesus has allowed? In Mark 6:45 through 56, that's where we find ourselves. Would you please look at the text with me?Immediately, He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the crowd and, after He had taken leave of them, He went up on the mountain to pray. And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea and He was alone on the land and He saw that they were making headway painfully for the wind was against them and, about the fourth watch of the night, He came to them walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them but, when they saw Him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out for they all saw Him and were terrified but immediately He spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I, do not be afraid."And He got into the boat with them and the wind ceased and they were utterly astounded for they did not understand about the loaves but their hearts were hardened. When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore and, when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized Him and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard He was. And wherever He came, in villages, cities or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored Him that they might touch even the fringe of His garment and, as many as touched, it were made.Well, this is the reading of God's holy, inerrant, fallible, authoritative word, may He write these eternal truths upon our hearts. Three points to frame up our time. First, when life gets overwhelming, keep praying. Second, when life gets overwhelming, keep rowing. And third, when life gets overwhelming, keep believing. First, when life gets overwhelming, keep praying. Jesus had just ministered to thousands, preaching God's word to them and we see in this text that Jesus just needs to pause. You see this often in the Gospel of Mark where He serves, serves, serves, serves and then, all of a sudden, He's just out. He's like, "Okay, I'm going to a mountain. I need to pray." Jesus as God did not need to pray but Jesus the man certainly did.And Jesus is the divine Son without beginning of life or end of days who was dwelt in the glory and the blessedness of the Trinity in perfect fellowship with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever but here, in our text, we see that Christ is human. He is a man and, as a man, Mark highlights for us Christ need to pray. As God, He doesn't need to pray but, as man, He could not neglect to pray so He sends His disciples off to give them a breather from the crowd, leaves the crowd with a last sermon, a benediction, if you will, and now Jesus needs to go and restore the ammunition, so to speak, the spiritual resources that He needs to continue. He understands that what He's doing is waging spiritual warfare and, in warfare, you need ammunition and where does Jesus get the resources, where do we get the resources, the power to and the strength? We get it from prayer.And it seems that the disciples didn't want to leave, they saw Jesus perform this incredible miracle and perhaps they wanted to go and pray to the Lord with Jesus but the text tells us in verse 45 that Jesus makes them get into the boat. Immediately, He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the crowd. We're not sure why Jesus does this but He abruptly sends them out and He Himself goes to pray. The parallel passage in the Gospel of John gives us a hint as to why, abruptly, He goes to pray to the Father. Perhaps He is wrestling with the same temptation that Satan came to Him with in Matthew 4.But in John 6, the parallel passage, it says, "When the people saw the sign that He had done, they said, 'This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world,' perceiving then that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king. Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by Himself." Jesus had just spent all day teaching them what His kingdom is like, that His kingdom is an inside-out kingdom, that He has come to save people from their sins, give them new hearts so they want to submit to God from the inside out, it's an inside out kingdom but that's not what they wanted. They didn't want this talk of repentance, of submission to God, of submission to His word and His law. No, they wanted an outside in kingdom, a king that would force people into submission, force the enemies of Israel into submission.A change of heart? No, they wanted a change in politics. They didn't care about a new heart, all they cared about was that their stomachs were filled. And who wouldn't want a king who can provide an endless supply of food? Forget Herod, forget Pontius Pilate, forget Caesar, we have someone who can always feed us. Philippians 3:18, Saint Paul writes for many of whom I've often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly and they glory in their shame with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven and, from it, we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to himself.Jesus knew that these crowds were not followers, they were just fans. They were consumers and seekers, not subjects and servants. These are the same people who will turn on Jesus in just a couple of years when He fails to give them what they want. They demand a political king, they demand someone who can meet their physical needs. Spirituality, the kingdom of heaven, repenting, believing the word of God meant nothing to them and that's why, when they were given the choice, "Do you want Barabbas or do you want Jesus? Which one do you want free?" They said, "Give us Barabbas the thief. Jesus, crucify Him." Their sin, which is the root cause of all their suffering, blinded them to see what they needed most which is forgiveness from the Lord and a new heart.The heavenly Father sent Jesus to conquer humanity's greatest enemy. Our greatest enemy is sin, not the Roman Empire, not big religious establishment. He came as Israel's messianic king but not just Israel's and we have all sinned and we are all under condemnation and we all desperately need the Lord to fill our souls with His presence. Also, becoming an earthly king the first time around must have been a temptation for Jesus. Jesus, in the human form, was tempted as we are. He was tempted with taking the crown without enduring the cross and that's what Satan tempted Jesus with in the desert when Christ was fasting in Matthew 4:8.Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory and he said to Him, "All these I will give You if You will fall down and worship me." Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan. For it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve." Jesus said, "I've come to make people worshipers of God, the Father seek those who worship Him in spirit and in truth." So, Jesus dismisses the crowds, dismisses the disciples and He goes to pray. He goes to spend time with the Heavenly Father, this is how He fought temptation, this is how He gained perspective, this is how He was reminded of his mission. That's verse 46. After He had taken leave of them, He went up on the mountain to pray.The Lord taught us in the Sermon on the Mount how to pray. In Matthew 6:5, when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward but, when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to the Father who is in secret and Your father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them for your father knows what you need before you ask Him. Pray then like this, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil."He says, "Your heavenly Father knows what you need even before you ask. And sometimes the Lord provides even before we ask, He loves to meet our needs." But what needs does Jesus have? He multiplied five loaves and two fishes and feed thousands, His need wasn't for bread, His need was for the presence of God the Father. He wanted proximity to the Father, He wanted a visitation with the Father, that's why He prays. And this is also how Jesus waged spiritual warfare. Ephesians 6 tells us that there is a spiritual war happening all around us, therefore, we are to stand firm in the Lord in the strength of his might. And in the text later it says praying at all times in the spirit, with all prayer and supplication to the end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.And that's what Jesus was doing, He's praying in the spirit and who's He praying for? He's praying for the saints, He's praying for the disciples. He went to the mountain, not just to rest, not just to sleep, but to wage spiritual war in prayer. He was interceding for the disciples as He currently is interceding for us. He is the one mediator, as 1 Timothy 2:5, for there is one God and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus who gave Himself as a ransom for all which is the testimony given at the proper time. Satan wants to destroy every single human being, he wants to destroy every single soul and he even wanted to destroy the disciples. Scripture says that he wants to deceive even the elect, if he could.Jesus, in one time, in Luke 22 says this to Peter, He says, "Simon, Simon, behold Satan demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." This is Jesus praying for His disciples, He's praying for their faith so it does not fail as they are in a great storm. This kind of prayer is work, it's labor, it's struggle. You should pray so hard sometimes that you break a sweat and you're even surprised by it. At community group recently, we have community group at my place and, at the end, we break up, the sisters stay in the living room and the brothers go into the kitchen and I always say, "Men in the kitchen, where they belong," and everyone laughs and they belong eating the snacks.And we were praying and there were just immediate needs and we felt the heaviness of the Holy Spirit and we're praying, we're praying and we're praying, we're done praying. And I look at the brother's foreheads, they're all drenched, I needed a change of shirt, I just sweat a lot. Sometimes, prayer is work, it's labor. We have to pray fervently, fiery prayers, zealous prayers. In Colossians 4:12, St. Paul says, "Epaphras, who was one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God." Do you emulate Christ with your prayer? Do you pray for the saints as He did? Do you pray for the conversion of the lost? Do you pray for revival? Have you ever spent hours in prayer? Have you continued all night in prayer even once?And if you want more power to get through the storms of life when life gets overwhelming, pray. If you want more power to see the power of God in your life doing the impossible, pray. And if you want to be used mightily by God, pray even as our Lord did. So, Jesus up on the mountain praying for His disciples so, when life gets overwhelming, pray and, second, when life gets overwhelming, keep rowing. This is verse 47. And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea and He was alone on the land and He saw that they were making headway painfully for the wind was against them. So, Jesus is up on the mountain, I love this image, perhaps He sees by moonlight, He sees them struggling, He sees them striving but His eye is upon Him. And this is assuring that, even when we're going through trials of life, the Lord, His eye is upon us.Psalm 32:8, I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule without understanding which must be curbed with bit and brittle or it will not stay near you. It seems like, whenever Jesus leaves the disciples alone, they're in trouble but Jesus' eye is upon them, He's watching over them. They're experiencing the contrary wind, there's darkness, perhaps the boat is filling up as in the previous story and it says that they were making headway painfully, making tortuous progress. So, the wind is against them, the sails are down, you can't use the sails when the wind is against you. So, the oars are out, they're rowing, they're being tormented in their rowing as one translation says. They were not making any progress, rowing was a struggle.Verse 48 says, "About the fourth watch of the night, He came to them walking on the sea, He meant to pass by them." So, if they left that dusk, I don't know, 7:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m. and now Jesus comes to them walking in the water in the fourth watch of the night, that's between 3:00 and 6:00 a.m. So, you're talking about they're rowing against the wind six to eight to nine hours and the storm wasn't just a sudden squall as in the previous text, this is a continuous headwind necessitating heavy back-breaking rowing. Have you ever rowed? Is there a rowing machine in your gym? Five minutes on that thing, you're like, "I'm done. I got my workout for the week."I rowed for a season in college on the crew team and there's a reason why I did it for a season, it is awful, it was so bad. But the workouts were an hour on this erg, an hour, you're going at heavy pace and painful, painful. You're exhausted by the end and famished. And this is why I wonder, Jesus fed the 5,000 and how many baskets were left over? Twelve baskets. Remember that? One basket for each disciple. He's like, "Here you go, gentlemen. Here's some bread and carbs for the storm that I'm sending you into." And even in that, we see the Lord's incredible provision that He provided for them, provided energies for them, food for them as they're rowing. And this whole episode is a tremendous illustration of the life of a disciple, the life of following Jesus Christ. It really is a life of testing and then deliverance.The Lord allows a test in your life, gets you to the point where you're out of energy and that's when you ask for the Lord's deliverance and that's when He shows up. And I do want to point out that the storm here isn't them deviating from God's plan, the Lord didn't send the storm as punishment for their disobedience, no, they did exactly what Jesus said. They end up in the boat because Jesus made them get in the boat and, at this point, they could have become frustrated. Jesus, why'd You allow this again? We would much rather be on the mountain with You praying and snacking on our bread and fish. But now, we're in this boat rowing nine hours into the wind. And what's the lesson here?Well, if you're doing the Lord's work, if you're in the middle of the Lord's will and it feels like everyone and everything is against you, you just keep going, you keep rowing. He will supply you with strength even as He supplied the disciples with food. And then, at the darkest hour of the night, in their time, their moment of greatest need, in a totally unexpected way, Jesus comes to the rescue. In both of the storms at sea, it must have seemed to the disciples that Jesus doesn't care and that's what they said the first time, "Jesus, don't you care? We're perishing." And here, it seems like Jesus doesn't care, allowed us to go into the storm and He's up on the mountain but, in both occasions, the Lord strengthened them with deeper revelations of who He is.There He showed that He is God over creation and here He's going to show that He is the God of the Old Testament, He is Yahweh. And the Lord often allows hardships in our life of all kinds, loneliness, persecution, afflictions of the body, disappointments and frustrations of life and then death itself. But how many of the Lord's choice saints would say, "Even when I'm battered in the storms of life, that's when the Lord was closest, that's when the Lord came to the rescue."? Here, Jesus meets them by walking on the sea, this shows His divinity but it's also reminiscent of Israel. Israel fled Egypt and they walked across the sea, the sea was parted. Jesus is using these themes from the Old Testament as He's creating a new Israel.And Israel, if you remember, they didn't enter the promised land because of their bickering and complaining against God. God had them, for 40 years, walk around in circles in the wilderness because they didn't trust God, they didn't believe Him and they complained about the circumstances they found themselves in. And this is what's happening here, Jesus is testing the new Israel. Are you going to complain? Are you going to grumble or are you going to learn the lessons that would have you to learn to do all things without grumbling and complaining? It says He meant to pass by them, what does this mean? Well, perhaps it was to test their faith. Just as He was sleeping in the stern of the boat on the previous occasion, if they had sufficient faith, they would be content even without His presence with them. Smallness of faith is a failure to remember God's work in the past and apply that knowledge to present problems.But I think this phrase to pass by is an allusion to the Old Testament and on two occasions where God revealed himself to Moses and God revealed himself to Elijah, the preeminent prophets of the Old Testament. It says, at both times, when they asked for theophany, asked for the glory of God, asked to see Him, it says He passed by them. Meaning He's like, "I want to give you a deeper revelation but, if I show you all of myself, you're going to die because of your sin." So, even these great, great preeminent prophets, they're only given a glimpse of the Lord and the glimpse of His glory because Christ had not yet come.For example, in Exodus 33:17, and the Lord said to Moses, "This very thing that you have spoken I will do for you have found favor in my sight and I know you by name." Moses said, "Please show me your glory," and He said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you My name, the Lord," and here the Lord is Yahweh, I am that I am, "And I will be gracious to whom I'll be gracious and I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy." But he said, "You cannot see My face for man shall not see me and live." And the Lord said, "Behold, there is a place by Me where you shall stand on the rock and, while My glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock and I'll cover you with My hand until I've passed by. And then I will take away My hand and you shall see My back but My face shall not be seen."So, in this text where God says, "Here's My name, I am, I am Yahweh," that's what Yahweh means, I am that I am, "I'm going to reveal to you My name, I'm going to reveal to you My glory. But only just a glimpse, I have to pass by," because of the sin nature of each one of us even Moses. Same thing happened with Elijah, 1 Kings 19:9. And there he came to a cave and lodged in it and behold the word of the Lord came to him and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He said, "I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts for the people of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, thrown down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword and, I, even I only am left and they seek my life to take it away."And He said, "Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord." And behold, the Lord passed by and the great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord but the Lord was in the wind. And after the wind, an earthquake, but the Lord was a not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake, a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, the sound of a low whisper. When God reveals Himself in a whisper to Elijah as He passed by, the Lord passed by in order to reveal Himself on a deeper level but, before Christ had come, they weren't ready for the full revelation, the full effulgence of His glory.And that's what's happening here and that's what Jesus is doing, He's revealing to His disciples, He's trying to take them to the next level of their faith, show them that He is the God of the Hebrew scriptures, He is Yahweh, He is the great I am. Point three is, when life gets overwhelming, keep believing. Verse 49, and when they saw Him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out for they all saw Him and were terrified. But immediately He spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I, do not be afraid." The disciples, all they could see was the wind, the storm, all they could see was the oars, all they could feel was the exhaustion, they weren't expecting the Lord, therefore, they're shocked. They were perhaps crying out in their heart of hearts but they didn't ... How could you even imagine something like this, Jesus walking on the water?And it says that they were terrified and who can blame them? They're exhausted, cold from the rain and the spray and then, all of a sudden, Jesus is here and He says, "Take heart," be encouraged, "It is I." And it is I in the Greek, it's ego eimi, it's I am. Not just I, it's I am. And He uses the same exact name as God of the Hebrew scriptures uses to define Himself. You see this all throughout the Hebrew scriptures, all throughout the Old Testament but in particular in Exodus 3:13 through 15 when God reveals Himself to Moses at the burning bush and Moses asks God for His name. Verse 13 of Exodus 3, then Moses said to God, "If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, the God of your fathers has sent me to you and they ask me what is his name, what shall I say to them?"And God said to Moses, "I am who I am." And He said, "Say this to the people of Israel. I am has sent Me to you." God also said to Moses, say this to the people of Israel, "The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob has sent me to you. This is My name forever and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations." Every Jew knew from memory these famous words in Exodus 3:14 that Yahweh spoke to Moses in the burning bush I am that I am. And these are the words that Jesus applied to Himself in John chapter 8 and His religious audience, the Pharisees, knew exactly what He was saying that's why, immediately after He says I am, they picked up stones to execute Him for blasphemy because, if He wasn't God, if He wasn't the great I am, then He deserved to be executed.This is John 8:56. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see My day, he saw it and was glad. So, the Jews said to him, "You are not yet 50 years old and have you seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was I am." So, they picked up stones to throw at Him but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple. And these texts are all based on Exodus 3:14 in which God reveals His name is ego eimi, I am the one who is. It denotes that He is everlasting presence. There was never a moment that God was not, there will never be a moment that God will not be. Same thing with Christ, there was never a moment that Christ did not exist. Yes, he took on human form, yes, He was born but he preceded that with His existence.In John 18 where Jesus is being arrested, betrayed by Judas, one of His disciples, in the garden of Gethsemane, there's a little detail that ... It's never included in any of the Jesus movies. It's a detail where Jesus says I am and, all of the soldiers, they fall. I love that because Jesus is saying I could kill all of you, I choose not to. This is a John 18. When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples across the brook Kidron where there was a garden which He and His disciples entered. Now, Judas who betrayed Him also knew the place where Jesus often met there with His disciples. So, Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons.Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to Him, came forward and said to them, "Whom do you seek?" They answered Him, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said to them, "I am He." Judas who betrayed Him was standing with them and Jesus said to them, "I am He," they drew back and fell to the ground. Jesus' self-identification here as I am He connects to the Hebrew scriptures. I am was also part of the 10 Commandments that He gave Moses and, all throughout the Hebrew scriptures, I am was the name of God that Jesus attributes to Himself. Deion Sanders, the formerly glorious, in human terms, football player, he started coaching college football in Colorado and his son was a quarterback and they won the first game and it was apparently a big deal and then that's where they lost their momentum.Right after, he was being interviewed and they said, "Tell us about your son. Why is he so good?" And he said, Deion Sanders said, "He is him." And as soon as he said that, I'm like, "No, he's not." That only applies to Jesus. Jesus, He is Him because He is the great I am. And they're season tanked after that, God doesn't like blasphemy. So, Jesus is calling Himself the great I am, He's calling Himself that's who He is. In verse 51, He got into the boat with them and the wind ceased and they were utterly astounded for they did not understand about the loaves but their hearts were hardened. And how is this the punchline? How is this the end of this text? You see the miraculous Jesus walking on the water saving His disciples and the text ends with a rebuke. Rebuke that's incomprehensible. It's incomprehensible that the disciples do not comprehend who Jesus is.This is the most astonishing part of the text especially if you realize where we are in the Gospel of Mark and what they have witnessed. They have been privileged to see miracle upon miracle. Simon Peter's mother-in-law gets healed, a leper is cleansed, the paralytic is given the power to walk, a man with a withered hand is restored to wholeness, Jesus casts out a legion of demons, a woman with the flow of blood is healed in a moment and then Jesus raises Jairus' daughter from the dead. He calms the sea, he feeds the 5,000 and they still, it says, they did not get what was happening, their hearts were hardened. And here you got to pause and say where have we seen this phrase of hard hearts?We saw that phrase in the Old Testament with Pharaoh, Pharaoh hardened his heart. We saw that phrase with the people of Israel. When things would get difficult, they hardened their hearts against the Lord. Even to the point where they said, "Lord, we want to go back to Egypt. We'd rather be in chains eating meat than here out in freedom eating manna." Meaning that, the times of suffering, that's when our faith is tested, will we remain tender-hearted recognizing that God has sovereignly orchestrated this trial in our life, it's going to test us, it's going to produce steadfastness that's going to lead to completion and perfection or are we going to say I'm not counting this as joy, this is not joy to me.And here are the disciples, they saw the miracle of the loaves and the fish but their hearts were hardened even back then. Perhaps it's because they were exhausted, they wanted rest, Jesus promised them rest and then, all of a sudden, there's more ministry and it's like they're saying, "It's not worth the sacrifice, Lord." And here I just want to pause and say that, in this text, there is a warning for us, there's a warning for those who profess to be disciples of Jesus Christ and it's a warning that we ought not to pass over. It is possible to be a true believer in Jesus Christ, a disciple in reality, not just in profession, and still experience a hard heart for a season. Why do they experience the hard heart? Perhaps it was the frustration, perhaps the suffering, we're not told, but it's probably because they forgot what Jesus called them to, a life of faith.He said, "Repent and believe." And those two commandments, we never grow past them. On a daily basis, we need to repent and believe. Maybe they were so focused on their obedience, so focused on their works for the Lord, so focused on their sacrifice for the Lord that they forgot to trust in the Lord, that they forgot that the one who commands them to do this is also the one who loves them so, if He commands them, it's always for their good. And what do we need in moments of hardheartedness? Well, we need a fresh encounter with Jesus Christ. We need Jesus to bring us back to tenderness of heart, receptivity to His word, we need further revelation. That's what He gives them, I am, this is who I am. The disciples had every privilege imaginable, they saw the son of God himself and still their hearts were hardened.So, be careful, watch your own heart, see that your own heart does not get hardened toward the Lord, that's what the enemy wants. Along with the rebuke, we see a word of rescue, we see the marvelous grace of Jesus Christ in this story. He saw their hardheartedness and He meant to pass by and He should have passed by. They did not deserve Him getting in the boat and calming the storm, they did not deserve that at all. They were bickering, they were grumbling, they were hardened toward Him and still the Lord gets in the boat. They believed in Him but not enough to keep trusting Him and He got into the boat with them, it shows His incredible grace toward us. Sometimes we need a word of rebuke from the Lord and sometimes we need more grace to melt our hearts and grace is the great thawing agent of our hard cold hearts.Is a sacrifice worth it, friends? Is the sacrifice of following Jesus Christ worth it? For the disciples, they had their questions, they had their doubts. Lord, is it worth it? It's too painful, it seems, to follow You. Yes, You seem to be God, yes, You teach but it seems like taking up my cross daily is a lot of work. And so, where do we get the power to take up our cross daily and follow Jesus Christ? We get it by looking to the cross on a daily basis. Jesus Christ endured the most excruciating physical and spiritual torment of any human being that has ever lived as He bore the penalty for our sins, He bore the wrath of God for us. By taking our sins upon Himself, He even became our sin and said He who knew no sin became sin so that we might become the righteousness of God.He experienced the full gamut of suffering on the cross and why was he willing to do it? Hebrews tells us, for the joy that was set before Him. He knew that the joy was coming, the joy of saving, the joy of sanctifying, the joy of redeeming Christians, saints, His church. And so, we look to the cross and we see Him enduring these trials, enduring that suffering for us and you say, "Jesus, was that worth it?" And He said, "Yes, it was worth it. That sacrifice was worth it," and whatever sacrifice He calls us to is definitely worth it. So, now, with softened hearts, Jesus is in the boat and the disciples are back to serving people. Did they get the rest that they were promised? They got a deeper rest, they got the rest of the presence of Jesus Christ. It's a rest that's promised to us when we trust in Him.In Mark 6:53, when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized Him and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard He was. And wherever He came, in villages, cities or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored Him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment and, as many as touched it, were made well. I don't know where you are in your faith journey but, if you're not sure where you stand before God today, we had a bomb threat, I found out. Whenever I see people moving around briskly around the room and then talking to each other, I'm like, "Oh, what's going on?"The Brookline Police here with a big German shepherd and there's a bomb threat in synagogues nationwide and I was thinking, "You know what? Any moment, it could be our moment. Any moment." And by the way, this is a tremendous way to go because we go as a church together to heaven, no one's left behind and ... You got to be ready, you got to be ready and the way that you know that you are ready to meet your maker, to meet God is if you trust in Jesus Christ. And like these people, they believed, You have the power to heal me, I just need to reach out and touch.Just reach out with faith in prayer to Jesus Christ and say, "Lord Jesus, have mercy on me as a sinner. And Lord, I repent of my sin. Lord, it breaks my heart that I broke Your commandment and my commandment breaking broke your Son and, Jesus, you were willing to do that for me. So, of course, if You forgive me, when You forgive me, I'm going to follow You the rest of my days." And then the Lord saves you and all your sins are forgiven and you're indwelled with the power of the Holy Spirit and the Lord will encourage you no matter the tests that He throws at us.I'll close at Hebrews 4:1-11 which promises this rest that is beyond works, beyond self-righteousness, beyond works, righteousness, a rest that God offers each one of us. Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them but the message they heard did not benefit them because they were not united by faith with those who listened. For we who have believed enter that rest as He has said, as I swore My wrath, they shall not enter My rest. Although His works were finished from the foundation of the world for He has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way and God rested on the seventh day from all His works and, again, in this passage He said, "They shall not enter My rest."Since, therefore, it remains for some to enter it and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience. Again, He appoints a certain day, today, saying, through David so long afterward in the words already quoted, today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts. For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So, then there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from His works as God did from His. Let us, therefore, strive to enter that rest so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. When life gets overwhelming, keep praying, keep rowing, keep believing and keep striving to enter that rest. Let us pray.Lord God, we thank You for the rest that You offer us in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Jesus, we thank You that You did all of the heavy lifting, You did all of the work by living a perfect life on our behalf. And instead of us, You took our penalty for our law-breaking upon Yourself. And Lord Jesus, we thank You that You offer us rest, You offer us rest for our souls and, Lord, You offer us the presence of God. And Jesus, in the same way that You went and You sought the Father's face, Lord, we seek the Father's face. And Lord, we thank You that You provided a way even for Moses and even for Elijah to see the face of God and they saw the face of God in your face in the mountain of transfiguration, You revealed your glory to them.And why is that text there? It's to show us, that apart from Jesus Christ, we can't experience the presence of God because of our sin. It's Jesus, the new Moses, the new Elijah, it's Jesus who came to save us from our sin, to save us from the very presence of it, from the penalty of it, from the power of it and, Jesus, You did that in order to offer us the presence of God. And Lord, I pray that You continue to empower us as a church to go out and proclaim the gospel. And we do pray for the lost all around us, we pray for those who are still in darkness, for those who still have not seen the light and I pray, Lord, use us powerfully to get that message across. Prepare hearts and give us opportunities to preach Your word, to proclaim Your gospel and we pray this, in Jesus' name, amen.

With family: 2 Chronicles 14–15; Revelation 4 2 Chronicles 14–15 (Listen) Asa Reigns in Judah 14 Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land had rest for ten years. 2 1 And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God. 3 He took away the foreign altars and the high places and broke down the pillars and cut down the Asherim 4 and commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment. 5 He also took out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars. And the kingdom had rest under him. 6 He built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest. He had no war in those years, for the LORD gave him peace. 7 And he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the LORD our God. We have sought him, and he has given us peace on every side.” So they built and prospered. 8 And Asa had an army of 300,000 from Judah, armed with large shields and spears, and 280,000 men from Benjamin that carried shields and drew bows. All these were mighty men of valor. 9 Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and came as far as Mareshah. 10 And Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up their lines of battle in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. 11 And Asa cried to the LORD his God, “O LORD, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.” 12 So the LORD defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. 13 Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar, and the Ethiopians fell until none remained alive, for they were broken before the LORD and his army. The men of Judah2 carried away very much spoil. 14 And they attacked all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the LORD was upon them. They plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them. 15 And they struck down the tents of those who had livestock and carried away sheep in abundance and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem. Asa's Religious Reforms 15 The Spirit of God came3 upon Azariah the son of Oded, 2 and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The LORD is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. 3 For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law, 4 but when in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. 5 In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. 6 They were broken in pieces. Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress. 7 But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.” 8 As soon as Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Azariah the son of Oded, he took courage and put away the detestable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities that he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim, and he repaired the altar of the LORD that was in front of the vestibule of the house of the LORD.4 9 And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were residing with them, for great numbers had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him. 10 They were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. 11 They sacrificed to the LORD on that day from the spoil that they had brought 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep. 12 And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul, 13 but that whoever would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman. 14 They swore an oath to the LORD with a loud voice and with shouting and with trumpets and with horns. 15 And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and the LORD gave them rest all around. 16 Even Maacah, his mother, King Asa removed from being queen mother because she had made a detestable image for Asherah. Asa cut down her image, crushed it, and burned it at the brook Kidron. 17 But the high places were not taken out of Israel. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true all his days. 18 And he brought into the house of God the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels. 19 And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa. Footnotes [1] 14:2 Ch 14:1 in Hebrew [2] 14:13 Hebrew They [3] 15:1 Or was [4] 15:8 Hebrew the vestibule of the Lord (ESV) Revelation 4 (Listen) The Throne in Heaven 4 After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. 3 And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings1 and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, 6 and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: 7 the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. 8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,   “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,    who was and is and is to come!” 9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11   “Worthy are you, our Lord and God,    to receive glory and honor and power,  for you created all things,    and by your will they existed and were created.” Footnotes [1] 4:5 Or voices, or sounds (ESV) In private: Haggai 2; John 3 Haggai 2 (Listen) The Coming Glory of the Temple 2 In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet: 2 “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, 3 ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes? 4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. Work, for I am with you, declares the LORD of hosts, 5 according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. 6 For thus says the LORD of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. 7 And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of hosts. 9 The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD of hosts.'” Blessings for a Defiled People 10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, 11 “Thus says the LORD of hosts: Ask the priests about the law: 12 ‘If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become holy?'” The priests answered and said, “No.” 13 Then Haggai said, “If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?” The priests answered and said, “It does become unclean.” 14 Then Haggai answered and said, “So is it with this people, and with this nation before me, declares the LORD, and so with every work of their hands. And what they offer there is unclean. 15 Now then, consider from this day onward.1 Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of the LORD, 16 how did you fare? When2 one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were but twenty. 17 I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and with mildew and with hail, yet you did not turn to me, declares the LORD. 18 Consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since the day that the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid, consider: 19 Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. But from this day on I will bless you.” Zerubbabel Chosen as a Signet 20 The word of the LORD came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, 21 “Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I am about to shake the heavens and the earth, 22 and to overthrow the throne of kingdoms. I am about to destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations, and overthrow the chariots and their riders. And the horses and their riders shall go down, every one by the sword of his brother. 23 On that day, declares the LORD of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the LORD, and make you like a3 signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the LORD of hosts.” Footnotes [1] 2:15 Or backward; also verse 18 [2] 2:16 Probable reading (compare Septuagint); Hebrew Lord, since they were. When [3] 2:23 Hebrew the (ESV) John 3 (Listen) You Must Be Born Again 3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus1 by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again2 he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.3 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You4 must be born again.' 8 The wind5 blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you6 do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.7 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.8 For God So Loved the World 16 “For God so loved the world,9 that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” John the Baptist Exalts Christ 22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24 (for John had not yet been put in prison). 25 Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” 27 John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.' 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”10 31 He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. 33 Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. 34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. Footnotes [1] 3:2 Greek him [2] 3:3 Or from above; the Greek is purposely ambiguous and can mean both again and from above; also verse 7 [3] 3:6 The same Greek word means both wind and spirit [4] 3:7 The Greek for you is plural here [5] 3:8 The same Greek word means both wind and spirit [6] 3:11 The Greek for you is plural here; also four times in verse 12 [7] 3:13 Some manuscripts add who is in heaven [8] 3:15 Some interpreters hold that the quotation ends at verse 15 [9] 3:16 Or For this is how God loved the world [10] 3:30 Some interpreters hold that the quotation continues through verse 36 (ESV)

Originally recorded and released on November 27, 2023.Join Amanda on this exciting exploration on the Kidron Valley and how it connects to Jesus, insurrection and what's going on in our nation. Pay close attention to numbers and patterns in this teaching for their significance! Tune in Nov. 27 at 5pm ET.Music Copyright References:-21981893-Corporate And Inspirational Cinematic Background Music (1.00 Minutes Version) by StockAudios/Pond 5-151471022-Uplifting Inspirational Corporate by Patrick_Schlebes/Pond5-154756307-Magic Fireflies Loop Version2(Modern And Relaxing Background) by Lesya_NZ-123859534-Successful Product Presentation 60S - P5 by wolfgangwoehrleMusic License: https://www.pond5.com/legal/license/20230221Purchase ID/Date: 7365245 / 9-29-2023Website: https://arkofgrace.orgPrayer Requests: https://arkofgrace.org/prayer-requestsDonate: https://arkofgrace.org/donatePartners: https://arkofgrace.org/ministry-partners

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Gil Kidron and I announce a brief course about the prophet Isaiah. This will be conducted in two sessions in January 2024. Emnail me for more information.

With family: 2 Kings 23; Hebrews 5 2 Kings 23 (Listen) Josiah's Reforms 23 Then the king sent, and all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem were gathered to him. 2 And the king went up to the house of the LORD, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the prophets, all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD. 3 And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people joined in the covenant. 4 And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second order and the keepers of the threshold to bring out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5 And he deposed the priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to make offerings in the high places at the cities of Judah and around Jerusalem; those also who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and the moon and the constellations and all the host of the heavens. 6 And he brought out the Asherah from the house of the LORD, outside Jerusalem, to the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron and beat it to dust and cast the dust of it upon the graves of the common people. 7 And he broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes who were in the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the Asherah. 8 And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had made offerings, from Geba to Beersheba. And he broke down the high places of the gates that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on one's left at the gate of the city. 9 However, the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brothers. 10 And he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, that no one might burn his son or his daughter as an offering to Molech.1 11 And he removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of the LORD, by the chamber of Nathan-melech the chamberlain, which was in the precincts.2 And he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. 12 And the altars on the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars that Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the LORD, he pulled down and broke in pieces3 and cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron. 13 And the king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, to the south of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 14 And he broke in pieces the pillars and cut down the Asherim and filled their places with the bones of men. 15 Moreover, the altar at Bethel, the high place erected by Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, that altar with the high place he pulled down and burned,4 reducing it to dust. He also burned the Asherah. 16 And as Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the mount. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar and defiled it, according to the word of the LORD that the man of God proclaimed, who had predicted these things. 17 Then he said, “What is that monument that I see?” And the men of the city told him, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and predicted5 these things that you have done against the altar at Bethel.” 18 And he said, “Let him be; let no man move his bones.” So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came out of Samaria. 19 And Josiah removed all the shrines also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which kings of Israel had made, provoking the LORD to anger. He did to them according to all that he had done at Bethel. 20 And he sacrificed all the priests of the high places who were there, on the altars, and burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem. Josiah Restores the Passover 21 And the king commanded all the people, “Keep the Passover to the LORD your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” 22 For no such Passover had been kept since the days of the judges who judged Israel, or during all the days of the kings of Israel or of the kings of Judah. 23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was kept to the LORD in Jerusalem. 24 Moreover, Josiah put away the mediums and the necromancers and the household gods and the idols and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might establish the words of the law that were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD. 25 Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him. 26 Still the LORD did not turn from the burning of his great wrath, by which his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked him. 27 And the LORD said, “I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.” Josiah's Death in Battle 28 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 29 In his days Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates. King Josiah went to meet him, and Pharaoh Neco killed him at Megiddo, as soon as he saw him. 30 And his servants carried him dead in a chariot from Megiddo and brought him to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father's place. Jehoahaz's Reign and Captivity 31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done. 33 And Pharaoh Neco put him in bonds at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem, and laid on the land a tribute of a hundred talents6 of silver and a talent of gold. 34 And Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz away, and he came to Egypt and died there. 35 And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land to give the money according to the command of Pharaoh. He exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, from everyone according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Neco. Jehoiakim Reigns in Judah 36 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. 37 And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done. Footnotes [1] 23:10 Hebrew might cause his son or daughter to pass through the fire for Molech [2] 23:11 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain [3] 23:12 Hebrew pieces from there [4] 23:15 Septuagint broke in pieces its stones [5] 23:17 Hebrew called [6] 23:33 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms (ESV) Hebrews 5 (Listen) 5 For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. 3 Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people. 4 And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. 5 So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him,   “You are my Son,    today I have begotten you”; 6 as he says also in another place,   “You are a priest forever,    after the order of Melchizedek.” 7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus1 offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. Warning Against Apostasy 11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Footnotes [1] 5:7 Greek he (ESV) In private: Psalm 142; Joel 2 Psalm 142 (Listen) You Are My Refuge A Maskil1 of David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer. 142   With my voice I cry out to the LORD;    with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD.2   I pour out my complaint before him;    I tell my trouble before him. 3   When my spirit faints within me,    you know my way!  In the path where I walk    they have hidden a trap for me.4   Look to the right and see:    there is none who takes notice of me;  no refuge remains to me;    no one cares for my soul. 5   I cry to you, O LORD;    I say, “You are my refuge,    my portion in the land of the living.”6   Attend to my cry,    for I am brought very low!  Deliver me from my persecutors,    for they are too strong for me!7   Bring me out of prison,    that I may give thanks to your name!  The righteous will surround me,    for you will deal bountifully with me. Footnotes [1] 142:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term (ESV) Joel 2 (Listen) The Day of the Lord 2   Blow a trumpet in Zion;    sound an alarm on my holy mountain!  Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,    for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near,2   a day of darkness and gloom,    a day of clouds and thick darkness!  Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains    a great and powerful people;  their like has never been before,    nor will be again after them    through the years of all generations. 3   Fire devours before them,    and behind them a flame burns.  The land is like the garden of Eden before them,    but behind them a desolate wilderness,    and nothing escapes them. 4   Their appearance is like the appearance of horses,    and like war horses they run.5   As with the rumbling of chariots,    they leap on the tops of the mountains,  like the crackling of a flame of fire    devouring the stubble,  like a powerful army    drawn up for battle. 6   Before them peoples are in anguish;    all faces grow pale.7   Like warriors they charge;    like soldiers they scale the wall.  They march each on his way;    they do not swerve from their paths.8   They do not jostle one another;    each marches in his path;  they burst through the weapons    and are not halted.9   They leap upon the city,    they run upon the walls,  they climb up into the houses,    they enter through the windows like a thief. 10   The earth quakes before them;    the heavens tremble.  The sun and the moon are darkened,    and the stars withdraw their shining.11   The LORD utters his voice    before his army,  for his camp is exceedingly great;    he who executes his word is powerful.  For the day of the LORD is great and very awesome;    who can endure it? Return to the Lord 12   “Yet even now,” declares the LORD,    “return to me with all your heart,  with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;13     and rend your hearts and not your garments.”  Return to the LORD your God,    for he is gracious and merciful,  slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;    and he relents over disaster.14   Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,    and leave a blessing behind him,  a grain offering and a drink offering    for the LORD your God? 15   Blow the trumpet in Zion;    consecrate a fast;  call a solemn assembly;16     gather the people.  Consecrate the congregation;    assemble the elders;  gather the children,    even nursing infants.  Let the bridegroom leave his room,    and the bride her chamber. 17   Between the vestibule and the altar    let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep  and say, “Spare your people, O LORD,    and make not your heritage a reproach,    a byword among the nations.1  Why should they say among the peoples,    ‘Where is their God?'” The Lord Had Pity 18   Then the LORD became jealous for his land    and had pity on his people.19   The LORD answered and said to his people,  “Behold, I am sending to you    grain, wine, and oil,    and you will be satisfied;  and I will no more make you    a reproach among the nations. 20   “I will remove the northerner far from you,    and drive him into a parched and desolate land,  his vanguard2 into the eastern sea,    and his rear guard3 into the western sea;  the stench and foul smell of him will rise,    for he has done great things. 21   “Fear not, O land;    be glad and rejoice,    for the LORD has done great things!22   Fear not, you beasts of the field,    for the pastures of the wilderness are green;  the tree bears its fruit;    the fig tree and vine give their full yield. 23   “Be glad, O children of Zion,    and rejoice in the LORD your God,  for he has given the early rain for your vindication;    he has poured down for you abundant rain,    the early and the latter rain, as before. 24   “The threshing floors shall be full of grain;    the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.25   I will restore4 to you the years    that the swarming locust has eaten,  the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,    my great army, which I sent among you. 26   “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,    and praise the name of the LORD your God,    who has dealt wondrously with you.  And my people shall never again be put to shame.27   You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,    and that I am the LORD your God and there is none else.  And my people shall never again be put to shame. The Lord Will Pour Out His Spirit 28   5 “And it shall come to pass afterward,    that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;  your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,    your old men shall dream dreams,    and your young men shall see visions.29   Even on the male and female servants    in those days I will pour out my Spirit. 30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. 32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls. Footnotes [1] 2:17 Or reproach, that the nations should rule over them [2] 2:20 Hebrew face [3] 2:20 Hebrew his end [4] 2:25 Or pay back [5] 2:28 Ch 3:1 in Hebrew (ESV)

Old Testament: Jeremiah 30–31 Jeremiah 30–31 (Listen) Restoration for Israel and Judah 30 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2 “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you. 3 For behold, days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the LORD, and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall take possession of it.” 4 These are the words that the LORD spoke concerning Israel and Judah: 5   “Thus says the LORD:  We have heard a cry of panic,    of terror, and no peace.6   Ask now, and see,    can a man bear a child?  Why then do I see every man    with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor?    Why has every face turned pale?7   Alas! That day is so great    there is none like it;  it is a time of distress for Jacob;    yet he shall be saved out of it. 8 “And it shall come to pass in that day, declares the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off your neck, and I will burst your bonds, and foreigners shall no more make a servant of him.1 9 But they shall serve the LORD their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them. 10   “Then fear not, O Jacob my servant, declares the LORD,    nor be dismayed, O Israel;  for behold, I will save you from far away,    and your offspring from the land of their captivity.  Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease,    and none shall make him afraid.11   For I am with you to save you,      declares the LORD;  I will make a full end of all the nations    among whom I scattered you,    but of you I will not make a full end.  I will discipline you in just measure,    and I will by no means leave you unpunished. 12   “For thus says the LORD:  Your hurt is incurable,    and your wound is grievous.13   There is none to uphold your cause,    no medicine for your wound,    no healing for you.14   All your lovers have forgotten you;    they care nothing for you;  for I have dealt you the blow of an enemy,    the punishment of a merciless foe,  because your guilt is great,    because your sins are flagrant.15   Why do you cry out over your hurt?    Your pain is incurable.  Because your guilt is great,    because your sins are flagrant,    I have done these things to you.16   Therefore all who devour you shall be devoured,    and all your foes, every one of them, shall go into captivity;  those who plunder you shall be plundered,    and all who prey on you I will make a prey.17   For I will restore health to you,    and your wounds I will heal,      declares the LORD,  because they have called you an outcast:    ‘It is Zion, for whom no one cares!' 18   “Thus says the LORD:  Behold, I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob    and have compassion on his dwellings;  the city shall be rebuilt on its mound,    and the palace shall stand where it used to be.19   Out of them shall come songs of thanksgiving,    and the voices of those who celebrate.  I will multiply them, and they shall not be few;    I will make them honored, and they shall not be small.20   Their children shall be as they were of old,    and their congregation shall be established before me,    and I will punish all who oppress them.21   Their prince shall be one of themselves;    their ruler shall come out from their midst;  I will make him draw near, and he shall approach me,    for who would dare of himself to approach me?      declares the LORD.22   And you shall be my people,    and I will be your God.” 23   Behold the storm of the LORD!    Wrath has gone forth,  a whirling tempest;    it will burst upon the head of the wicked.24   The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn back    until he has executed and accomplished    the intentions of his mind.  In the latter days you will understand this. The Lord Will Turn Mourning to Joy 31 “At that time, declares the LORD, I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they shall be my people.” 2   Thus says the LORD:  “The people who survived the sword    found grace in the wilderness;  when Israel sought for rest,3     the LORD appeared to him2 from far away.  I have loved you with an everlasting love;    therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.4   Again I will build you, and you shall be built,    O virgin Israel!  Again you shall adorn yourself with tambourines    and shall go forth in the dance of the merrymakers.5   Again you shall plant vineyards    on the mountains of Samaria;  the planters shall plant    and shall enjoy the fruit.6   For there shall be a day when watchmen will call    in the hill country of Ephraim:  ‘Arise, and let us go up to Zion,    to the LORD our God.'” 7   For thus says the LORD:  “Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,    and raise shouts for the chief of the nations;  proclaim, give praise, and say,    ‘O LORD, save your people,    the remnant of Israel.'8   Behold, I will bring them from the north country    and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth,  among them the blind and the lame,    the pregnant woman and she who is in labor, together;    a great company, they shall return here.9   With weeping they shall come,    and with pleas for mercy I will lead them back,  I will make them walk by brooks of water,    in a straight path in which they shall not stumble,  for I am a father to Israel,    and Ephraim is my firstborn. 10   “Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,    and declare it in the coastlands far away;  say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him,    and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.'11   For the LORD has ransomed Jacob    and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.12   They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion,    and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the LORD,  over the grain, the wine, and the oil,    and over the young of the flock and the herd;  their life shall be like a watered garden,    and they shall languish no more.13   Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance,    and the young men and the old shall be merry.  I will turn their mourning into joy;    I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.14   I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance,    and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness,      declares the LORD.” 15   Thus says the LORD:  “A voice is heard in Ramah,    lamentation and bitter weeping.  Rachel is weeping for her children;    she refuses to be comforted for her children,    because they are no more.” 16   Thus says the LORD:  “Keep your voice from weeping,    and your eyes from tears,  for there is a reward for your work,      declares the LORD,    and they shall come back from the land of the enemy.17   There is hope for your future,      declares the LORD,    and your children shall come back to their own country.18   I have heard Ephraim grieving,  ‘You have disciplined me, and I was disciplined,    like an untrained calf;  bring me back that I may be restored,    for you are the LORD my God.19   For after I had turned away, I relented,    and after I was instructed, I struck my thigh;  I was ashamed, and I was confounded,    because I bore the disgrace of my youth.'20   Is Ephraim my dear son?    Is he my darling child?  For as often as I speak against him,    I do remember him still.  Therefore my heart3 yearns for him;    I will surely have mercy on him,      declares the LORD. 21   “Set up road markers for yourself;    make yourself guideposts;  consider well the highway,    the road by which you went.  Return, O virgin Israel,    return to these your cities.22   How long will you waver,    O faithless daughter?  For the LORD has created a new thing on the earth:    a woman encircles a man.” 23 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Once more they shall use these words in the land of Judah and in its cities, when I restore their fortunes:   “‘The LORD bless you, O habitation of righteousness,    O holy hill!' 24 And Judah and all its cities shall dwell there together, and the farmers and those who wander with their flocks. 25 For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.” 26 At this I awoke and looked, and my sleep was pleasant to me. 27 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast. 28 And it shall come to pass that as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring harm, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, declares the LORD. 29 In those days they shall no longer say:   “‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes,    and the children's teeth are set on edge.' 30 But everyone shall die for his own iniquity. Each man who eats sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge. The New Covenant 31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” 35   Thus says the LORD,  who gives the sun for light by day    and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night,  who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—    the LORD of hosts is his name:36   “If this fixed order departs    from before me, declares the LORD,  then shall the offspring of Israel cease    from being a nation before me forever.” 37   Thus says the LORD:  “If the heavens above can be measured,    and the foundations of the earth below can be explored,  then I will cast off all the offspring of Israel    for all that they have done,      declares the LORD.” 38 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when the city shall be rebuilt for the LORD from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39 And the measuring line shall go out farther, straight to the hill Gareb, and shall then turn to Goah. 40 The whole valley of the dead bodies and the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be sacred to the LORD. It shall not be plucked up or overthrown anymore forever.” Footnotes [1] 30:8 Or serve him [2] 31:3 Septuagint; Hebrew me [3] 31:20 Hebrew bowels (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 113 Psalm 113 (Listen) Who Is like the Lord Our God? 113   Praise the LORD!  Praise, O servants of the LORD,    praise the name of the LORD! 2   Blessed be the name of the LORD    from this time forth and forevermore!3   From the rising of the sun to its setting,    the name of the LORD is to be praised! 4   The LORD is high above all nations,    and his glory above the heavens!5   Who is like the LORD our God,    who is seated on high,6   who looks far down    on the heavens and the earth?7   He raises the poor from the dust    and lifts the needy from the ash heap,8   to make them sit with princes,    with the princes of his people.9   He gives the barren woman a home,    making her the joyous mother of children.  Praise the LORD! (ESV) New Testament: 1 Corinthians 4–5 1 Corinthians 4–5 (Listen) The Ministry of Apostles 4 This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4 For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. 5 Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God. 6 I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers,1 that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. 7 For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? 8 Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you! 9 For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. 11 To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, 12 and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; 13 when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things. 14 I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. 15 For though you have countless2 guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 16 I urge you, then, be imitators of me. 17 That is why I sent3 you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ,4 as I teach them everywhere in every church. 18&nb

With family: 1 Kings 15; Colossians 2 1 Kings 15 (Listen) Abijam Reigns in Judah 15 Now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah. 2 He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. 3 And he walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father. 4 Nevertheless, for David's sake the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him, and establishing Jerusalem, 5 because David did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. 6 Now there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life. 7 The rest of the acts of Abijam and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. 8 And Abijam slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place. Asa Reigns in Judah 9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah, 10 and he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. 11 And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as David his father had done. 12 He put away the male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. 13 He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her image and burned it at the brook Kidron. 14 But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true to the LORD all his days. 15 And he brought into the house of the LORD the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels. 16 And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 17 Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 18 Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king's house and gave them into the hands of his servants. And King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying, 19 “Let there be a covenant1 between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you a present of silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.” 20 And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel and conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and all Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. 21 And when Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah, and he lived in Tirzah. 22 Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah, none was exempt, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and with them King Asa built Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah. 23 Now the rest of all the acts of Asa, all his might, and all that he did, and the cities that he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? But in his old age he was diseased in his feet. 24 And Asa slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father, and Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place. Nadab Reigns in Israel 25 Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. 26 He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin which he made Israel to sin. 27 Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him. And Baasha struck him down at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, for Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon. 28 So Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa king of Judah and reigned in his place. 29 And as soon as he was king, he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He left to the house of Jeroboam not one that breathed, until he had destroyed it, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite. 30 It was for the sins of Jeroboam that he sinned and that he made Israel to sin, and because of the anger to which he provoked the LORD, the God of Israel. 31 Now the rest of the acts of Nadab and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 32 And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. Baasha Reigns in Israel 33 In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah began to reign over all Israel at Tirzah, and he reigned twenty-four years. 34 He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he made Israel to sin. Footnotes [1] 15:19 Or treaty; twice in this verse (ESV) Colossians 2 (Listen) 2 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. 5 For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. Alive in Christ 6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits1 of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities2 and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.3 Let No One Disqualify You 16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions,4 puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. 20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations—21 “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. Footnotes [1] 2:8 Or elementary principles; also verse 20 [2] 2:15 Probably demonic rulers and authorities [3] 2:15 Or in it (that is, the cross) [4] 2:18 Or about the things he has seen (ESV) In private: Psalms 99–101; Ezekiel 45 Psalms 99–101 (Listen) The Lord Our God Is Holy 99   The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble!    He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!2   The LORD is great in Zion;    he is exalted over all the peoples.3   Let them praise your great and awesome name!    Holy is he!4   The King in his might loves justice.1    You have established equity;  you have executed justice    and righteousness in Jacob.5   Exalt the LORD our God;    worship at his footstool!    Holy is he! 6   Moses and Aaron were among his priests,    Samuel also was among those who called upon his name.    They called to the LORD, and he answered them.7   In the pillar of the cloud he spoke to them;    they kept his testimonies    and the statute that he gave them. 8   O LORD our God, you answered them;    you were a forgiving God to them,    but an avenger of their wrongdoings.9   Exalt the LORD our God,    and worship at his holy mountain;    for the LORD our God is holy! His Steadfast Love Endures Forever A Psalm for giving thanks. 100   Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!2     Serve the LORD with gladness!    Come into his presence with singing! 3   Know that the LORD, he is God!    It is he who made us, and we are his;2    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4   Enter his gates with thanksgiving,    and his courts with praise!    Give thanks to him; bless his name! 5   For the LORD is good;    his steadfast love endures forever,    and his faithfulness to all generations. I Will Walk with Integrity A Psalm of David. 101   I will sing of steadfast love and justice;    to you, O LORD, I will make music.2   I will ponder the way that is blameless.    Oh when will you come to me?  I will walk with integrity of heart    within my house;3   I will not set before my eyes    anything that is worthless.  I hate the work of those who fall away;    it shall not cling to me.4   A perverse heart shall be far from me;    I will know nothing of evil. 5   Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly    I will destroy.  Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart    I will not endure. 6   I will look with favor on the faithful in the land,    that they may dwell with me;  he who walks in the way that is blameless    shall minister to me. 7   No one who practices deceit    shall dwell in my house;  no one who utters lies    shall continue before my eyes. 8   Morning by morning I will destroy    all the wicked in the land,  cutting off all the evildoers    from the city of the LORD. Footnotes [1] 99:4 Or The might of the King loves justice [2] 100:3 Or and not we ourselves (ESV) Ezekiel 45 (Listen) The Holy District 45 “When you allot the land as an inheritance, you shall set apart for the LORD a portion of the land as a holy district, 25,000 cubits1 long and 20,0002 cubits broad. It shall be holy throughout its whole extent. 2 Of this a square plot of 500 by 500 cubits shall be for the sanctuary, with fifty cubits for an open space around it. 3 And from this measured district you shall measure off a section 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 broad, in which shall be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. 4 It shall be the holy portion of the land. It shall be for the priests, who minister in the sanctuary and approach the LORD to minister to him, and it shall be a place for their houses and a holy place for the sanctuary. 5 Another section, 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits broad, shall be for the Levites who minister at the temple, as their possession for cities to live in.3 6 “Alongside the portion set apart as the holy district you shall assign for the property of the city an area 5,000 cubits broad and 25,000 cubits long. It shall belong to the whole house of Israel. The Portion for the Prince 7 “And to the prince shall belong the land on both sides of the holy district and the property of the city, alongside the holy district and the property of the city, on the west and on the east, corresponding in length to one of the tribal portions, and extending from the western to the eastern boundary 8 of the land. It is to be his property in Israel. And my princes shall no more oppress my people, but they shall let the house of Israel have the land according to their tribes. 9 “Thus says the Lord GOD: Enough, O princes of Israel! Put away violence and oppression, and execute justice and righteousness. Cease your evictions of my people, declares the Lord GOD. 10 “You shall have just balances, a just ephah, and a just bath.4 11 The ephah and the bath shall be of the same measure, the bath containing one tenth of a homer,5 and the ephah one tenth of a homer; the homer shall be the standard measure. 12 The shekel shall be twenty gerahs;6 twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels shall be your mina.7 13 “This is the offering that you shall make: one sixth of an ephah from each homer of wheat, and one sixth of an ephah from each homer of barley, 14 and as the fixed portion of oil, measured in baths, one tenth of a bath from each cor8 (the cor, like the homer, contains ten baths).9 15 And one sheep from every flock of two hundred, from the watering places of Israel for grain offering, burnt offering, and peace offerings, to make atonement for them, declares the Lord GOD. 16 All the people of the land shall be obliged to give this offering to the prince in Israel. 17 It shall be the prince's duty to furnish the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings, at the feasts, the new moons, and the Sabbaths, all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel: he shall provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, to make atonement on behalf of the house of Israel. 18 “Thus says the Lord GOD: In the first month, on the first day of the month, you shall take a bull from the herd without blemish, and purify the sanctuary. 19 The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the temple, the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and the posts of the gate of the inner court. 20 You shall do the same on the seventh day of the month for anyone who has sinned through error or ignorance; so you shall make atonement for the temple. 21 “In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you shall celebrate the Feast of the Passover, and for seven days unleavened bread shall be eaten. 22 On that day the prince shall provide for himself and all the people of the land a young bull for a sin offering. 23 And on the seven days of the festival he shall provide as a burnt offering to the LORD seven young bulls and seven rams without blemish, on each of the seven days; and a male goat daily for a sin offering. 24 And he shall provide as a grain offering an ephah for each bull, an ephah for each ram, and a hin10 of oil to each ephah. 25 In the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month and for the seven days of the feast, he shall make the same provision for sin offerings, burnt offerings, and grain offerings, and for the oil. Footnotes [1] 45:1 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters [2] 45:1 Septuagint; Hebrew 10,000 [3] 45:5 Septuagint; Hebrew as their possession, twenty chambers [4] 45:10 An ephah was about 3/5 of a bushel or 22 liters; a bath was about 6 gallons or 22 liters [5] 45:11 A homer was about 6 bushels or 220 liters [6] 45:12 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams; a gerah was about 1/50 ounce or 0.6 gram [7] 45:12 A mina was about 1 1/4 pounds or 0.6 kilogram [8] 45:14 A cor was about 6 bushels or 220 liters [9] 45:14 See Vulgate; Hebrew (ten baths are a homer, for ten baths are a homer) [10] 45:24 A hin was about 4 quarts or 3.5 liters (ESV)

Old Testament: Ecclesiastes 1–3 Ecclesiastes 1–3 (Listen) All Is Vanity 1 The words of the Preacher,1 the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 2   Vanity2 of vanities, says the Preacher,    vanity of vanities! All is vanity.3   What does man gain by all the toil    at which he toils under the sun?4   A generation goes, and a generation comes,    but the earth remains forever.5   The sun rises, and the sun goes down,    and hastens3 to the place where it rises.6   The wind blows to the south    and goes around to the north;  around and around goes the wind,    and on its circuits the wind returns.7   All streams run to the sea,    but the sea is not full;  to the place where the streams flow,    there they flow again.8   All things are full of weariness;    a man cannot utter it;  the eye is not satisfied with seeing,    nor the ear filled with hearing.9   What has been is what will be,    and what has been done is what will be done,    and there is nothing new under the sun.10   Is there a thing of which it is said,    “See, this is new”?  It has been already    in the ages before us.11   There is no remembrance of former things,4    nor will there be any remembrance  of later things5 yet to be    among those who come after. The Vanity of Wisdom 12 I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I applied my heart6 to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity7 and a striving after wind.8 15   What is crooked cannot be made straight,    and what is lacking cannot be counted. 16 I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind. 18   For in much wisdom is much vexation,    and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow. The Vanity of Self-Indulgence 2 I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity.9 2 I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” 3 I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life. 4 I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. 5 I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. 6 I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. 8 I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines,10 the delight of the sons of man. 9 So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. 10 And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. 11 Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun. The Vanity of Living Wisely 12 So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly. For what can the man do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done. 13 Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness. 14 The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them. 15 Then I said in my heart, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?” And I said in my heart that this also is vanity. 16 For of the wise as of the fool there is no enduring remembrance, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How the wise dies just like the fool! 17 So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind. The Vanity of Toil 18 I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, 19 and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. 20 So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, 21 because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. 22 What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? 23 For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity. 24 There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment11 in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, 25 for apart from him12 who can eat or who can have enjoyment? 26 For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. A Time for Everything 3 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 2   a time to be born, and a time to die;  a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;3   a time to kill, and a time to heal;  a time to break down, and a time to build up;4   a time to weep, and a time to laugh;  a time to mourn, and a time to dance;5   a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;  a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;6   a time to seek, and a time to lose;  a time to keep, and a time to cast away;7   a time to tear, and a time to sew;  a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;8   a time to love, and a time to hate;  a time for war, and a time for peace. The God-Given Task 9 What gain has the worker from his toil? 10 I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 12 I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; 13 also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God's gift to man. 14 I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. 15 That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away.13 From Dust to Dust 16 Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. 17 I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work. 18 I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts. 19 For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity.14 20 All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. 21 Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth? 22 So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. Who can bring him to see what will be after him? Footnotes [1] 1:1 Or Convener, or Collector; Hebrew Qoheleth (so throughout Ecclesiastes) [2] 1:2 The Hebrew term hebel, translated vanity or vain, refers concretely to a “mist,” “vapor,” or “mere breath,” and metaphorically to something that is fleeting or elusive (with different nuances depending on the context). It appears five times in this verse and in 29 other verses in Ecclesiastes [3] 1:5 Or and returns panting [4] 1:11 Or former people [5] 1:11 Or later people [6] 1:13 The Hebrew term denotes the center of one's inner life, including mind, will, and emotions [7] 1:14 The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath” (see note on 1:2) [8] 1:14 Or a feeding on wind; compare Hosea 12:1 (also in Ecclesiastes 1:17; 2:11, 17, 26; 4:4, 6, 16; 6:9) [9] 2:1 The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath”; also verses 11, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 26 (see note on 1:2) [10] 2:8 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain [11] 2:24 Or and make his soul see good [12] 2:25 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts apart from me [13] 3:15 Hebrew what has been pursued [14] 3:19 The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath” (see note on 1:2) (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 76 Psalm 76 (Listen) Who Can Stand Before You? To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song. 76   In Judah God is known;    his name is great in Israel.2   His abode has been established in Salem,    his dwelling place in Zion.3   There he broke the flashing arrows,    the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah 4   Glorious are you, more majestic    than the mountains full of prey.5   The stouthearted were stripped of their spoil;    they sank into sleep;  all the men of war    were unable to use their hands.6   At your rebuke, O God of Jacob,    both rider and horse lay stunned. 7   But you, you are to be feared!    Who can stand before you    when once your anger is roused?8   From the heavens you uttered judgment;    the earth feared and was still,9   when God arose to establish judgment,    to save all the humble of the earth. Selah 10   Surely the wrath of man shall praise you;    the remnant1 of wrath you will put on like a belt.11   Make your vows to the LORD your God and perform them;    let all around him bring gifts    to him who is to be feared,12   who cuts off the spirit of princes,    who is to be feared by the kings of the earth. Footnotes [1] 76:10 Or extremity (ESV) New Testament: John 18 John 18 (Listen) Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus 18 When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. 2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” 5 They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.”1 Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6 When Jesus2 said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.” 9 This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.” 10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant3 and cut off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) 11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?” Jesus Faces Annas and Caiaphas 12 So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews4 arrested Jesus and bound him. 13 First they led him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. 14 It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people. Peter Denies Jesus 15 Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, 16 but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in. 17 The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man's disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” 18 Now the servants5 and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself. The High Priest Questions Jesus 19 The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. 20 Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. 21 Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said.” 22 When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?” 24 Annas then sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. Peter Denies Jesus Again 25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” 26 One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” 27 Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed. Jesus Before Pilate 28 Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor's headquarters.6 It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor's headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” 30 They answered him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.” 31 Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.” 32 This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die. My Kingdom Is Not of This World 33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. 39 But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” 40 They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.7 Footnotes [1] 18:5 Greek I am; also verses 6, 8 [2] 18:6 Greek he [3] 18:10 Or bondservant; twice in this verse [4] 18:12 Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time; also verses 14, 31, 36, 38 [5] 18:18 Or bondservants; also verse 26 [6] 18:28 Greek the praetorium [7] 18:40 Or an insurrectionist (ESV)