Podcasts about Lazarus

 The Bible records three occasions when Jesus wept. He shed quiet tears of sympathy with the family of Lazarus who died; He cried tears of agony and dread while deep in the garden before His passion on the cross, and He sobbed with tears of grief and sorrow over fallen Jerusalem as He made […]

In this passage, we find Jesus in the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Verse 40 tells us, "But Martha was distracted with much serving." Serving is important, but not if it distracts us from "The One Thing." Jesus told her "...one thing is necessary..." (v. 42), and Mary discovered it when... 1. She Sat at the Lord's Feet 2. She Hung on to His Words

If you wanna be somebody, if you wanna go somewhere... you better wake up and pay attention! In this month's episode, we're breaking down Black education—from a teacher and student perspective. First, we discuss our experiences as Black students and how we were taught Black history (if we were taught it at all). Later, we speak with academic scholar Laz Letcher on the intersectional challenges of teaching curriculum that doesn't center whiteness or heteronormativity. Then we wrap things up by dissecting The Chair, to see how a Black professor worthy of tenure was portrayed in the Netflix series.Notes:To Get To College, It Helps Black Students To Have A Black Teacher Early Onhttps://www.npr.org/2019/01/11/682194015/-black-teachers-helps-black-students-get-to-college College faculty have become more racially and ethnically diverse, but remain far less so than studentshttps://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/07/31/us-college-faculty-student-diversity/ School Suspension Data Shows Glaring Disparities in Discipline by Racehttps://www.usnews.com/news/education-news/articles/2020-10-13/school-suspension-data-shows-glaring-disparities-in-discipline-by-raceThe Chair Is Netflix's Best Drama in Years - The Atlantichttps://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/08/the-chair-netflix-review/619855/The Chair Is a Pretty Accurate Portrayal of What It's Like to Be a Woman Professor of Color. That's Why It Can Be Painful to Watchhttps://time.com/6092072/the-chair-netflix-academia/ Where to find Laz Letcher:https://www.lazarusletcher.comhttps://www.instagram.com/l.nuzzles/Laz Letcher's Recommendations:Black Shoals by Tiffany Lethabohttps://www.dukeupress.edu/the-black-shoalsEzili's Mirrors: Imagining Black Queer Genders by Omise'eke Natasha Tinsleyhttps://muse.jhu.edu/book/70042One-Dimensional Queer by Roderick A. Fergusonhttps://www.wiley.com/en-us/One+Dimensional+Queer-p-9781509523566

In this episode, Clement and Carolyn conclude the discussion on the topic of Death.  Join us for this healthful discussion.  Music: “Happy”- Music by Aden.  Music:  https://www.purple-planet.com  “Folksy Days”Timestamps:·         Introduction (01:37)·         Spiritualism (02:11)·         Fallen Angels (12:33)·         The rich man and Lazarus (13:15)·         Conclusion (19:06)  These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. See Disclaimer. ·       Support Us On Patreon:   www.patreon.com  ·         Leave a voicemail comment:  Veganemagination.com·         Subscribe to our email list:  Veganemagination.com·         Listen on   Spotify                    iTunes                                  iHeart                                    Stitcher                    Buzzsprout               Apple Podcast                    Podbay.fm               Google Podcast

Ryan, Betsy, and Chelsea talk about Jesus's miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead, grief, and how the plots against Jesus's life intensify.

In John 11, after the death of Lazarus, Jesus grieves alongside Martha and Mary. Then Jesus comforts them with the truth of who He is. He tells them He is the resurrection and the life and they express faith in who He says He is. Do we believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life? Who we believe Jesus to be changes everything!

Jesus is addressing His disciples about the Christian life. Now that the account of the Rich Man and Lazarus has debunked the idea of material wealth as the mark of what makes someone right with God, He fills that void with reality. Without mercy, we're toast. Without the ability to show mercy, no one will see Jesus in us. Without faith, receiving or relating the mercy of God is impossible for us. By receiving even the smallest portion of faith from its source, that trust will equip us for even the unimaginable in the Christian life. That includes making us more like Jesus in our character. 1. Faith is a gift from God. 2. We don't have faith unless we receive it from God. 3. Faith is what separates the bitter and proud from the loving and gracious.

Introduction John 11-12 Now today we are studying what is traditionally known as the triumphal entry. But its not triumphant at all. It's actually tragic. It's depressing. It's grossly carnal. That may surprise you. Maybe you've only thought of this event as a high point, a ministry mountaintop for Jesus. Why are we using words like tragedy, depressing and carnal to describe an event in which the nation of Israel pours out of the city to welcome Jesus as King. Well, let's take a closer look. Now there's no way to appreciate this passage unless we go back and build the drama leading up to this point. And what we need to do in particular is rehearse the ways in which the threat to Jesus' life had been steadily growing over the past few months. This thread is very easy to trace in the book of John. Now let's just rehearse what's happened so far. In John chapter 8, Jesus makes some very clear statements about who he was. Do you remember, “Before Abraham was, I am” and the Jews correctly hear that statement as blaspheme; Jesus, claiming to be God; so they pick up stones to stone him. Death threat #1 Then in John chapter 10, just a couple months later he preaches the good shepherd sermon during the feast of dedication. The religious leaders approach him and say, “Tell us plainly who you are.” I and the Father are one and they pick up stones to stone him. Death threat #2 Now Jesus is in danger, no doubt, but I want to make an observation about the type of danger. What was going in both of these passages was a reaction. In both these passages, a small group of religious leaders would have been on the scene. Their sentiments certainly would have been reflective of a much larger group but the larger group was not present. Had they succeeded in stoning Jesus, they almost certainly would themselves have been thrown in prison. There would have been consequences. The Jews were not given liberty to carry out capital punishment. That was a job reserved for Rome. John 8 and 10 was Pharisaical vigilante justice. Now what happens after that second stoning attempt. Do you remember? Jesus flees to Perea to escape the area ruled by Pontius Pilate, to that area beyond the Jordan that was under the jurisdiction of Herod Antipas. And I want to take you back there just for a moment to remind you of that event. The Pharisee approach Jesus while in that area and they are trying to lure him back into the domain of Pilate. Jesus isn't buying it. And then he makes this startling prediction. Do you remember this? Luke 13 That's Psalm 118. This is a Messianic Psalm given to Israel to prepare Israel to welcome her Messiah. So essentially what Jesus tells these guys is you won't see me again until the city welcomes me as Messiah. Now the point is, if you had been standing there that day, you would have said, “There's no way that is going to happen!” There is just too much hostility up there. The religious leaders rule that hill with an iron fist. They would never let that happen. Let me give you an analogy. After 9/11, Osama Bin Laden was the most wanted man on earth. George Bush, our president at the time, was trying to destroy him. Can you imagine Osama Bin Laden sending George Bush a message, “You won't see me until I walk into the whitehouse as president.” That's overstated a bit, but you get the point. How in the world did this happen? Now, it actually gets even worse. What happens next? While in Perea, Jesus gets word that Lazarus is sick. And do you remember what the disciples say when Jesus says, “We are going to Jerusalem to wake him?” Do you hear the fear? After their complaints are ignored, they agree to go and we read of Thomas' remark. Let us go with him that we may die to. In other words, its really dangerous. It's deadly. But it gets worse still. Now he never actually visits Jerusalem. Lazarus lived in Bethany which is just on the outskirts. And Jesus never actually sees the religious leader while he is there. He manages to avoid them. But word gets to the religious leaders that he has raised Lazarus and do you remember their response when heard of this indisputable proof had been performed? There's death threat #3. Now, you are starting to pick up on a theme. But its important to understand that this death threat #3 at the end of John 11 is of a different species than we have seen thus far. This is almost certainly a reference to the Sanhedrin, that Jewish supreme court composed of 70 men. You had 35 on each side and then the high priest in the middle. *So when we read of Caiaphas saying, “You know nothing at all.* It's better that one man should die for the people than everyone die.” That's Caiphas sitting in this seat addressing the Sanhedrin. Now here's the point: the key distinction is this official determination to try Jesus according to the legal processes available to them, legal processes that were of course highly greased. We need to try him in our courts. We need to drag him into Rome's courts. And we need to convince Rome to nail him to the cross. That's a much different animal than the reactionary rage we see in chapters 8 and 10. The point is to illustrate the increasing seriousness of the situation. There is an escalation in the resolve to destroy. From Jesus' perspective, it's one thing to be in danger of death knowing that the law protects you. It's another thing to be in danger of death knowing the law itself is after you. Jesus is not merely an unliked person. He's now a criminal target. They've stapled up wanted posters. To put it in modern terms, everyone's phones go off in unison and there's an Amber alert with a description of Jesus. So Jesus gets word of this and he flees this time to a city to the North called Ephraim. Politically, everything is charged. Everyone knows he's in deep trouble. And you feel that tension, so-thick-you-could-cut-it-with-a-knife tension in the next three verses. Do you see the suspense? Everybody is so intrigued by Jesus. Word is circulating like crazy that this miracle worker raised Lazarus from the dead and Lazarus is walking around (go talk to him yourself). And there's frenzy and excitement and curiosity. But the politics are clearly felt by everyone. For some reason the religious leaders hate this guy and want him dead. And if your an average Joe, you say, "This is going to be interesting. Passover is the most important pilgrimage feast and we've never seen Jesus miss one? But man, he is not liked by these guys. Do you think he'll risk his neck and come up to Jerusalem at all? If he does, there's going to be fireworks. So that was all setting the stage. Do you see the problem. How is Jesus going to ride into Jerusalem to the shouts of the people, to the wide-eyed amazement of the crowds when he's the most wanted man in Jerusalem? You ready for this? We are going to turn to Luke 17:11 and I'm going to show you something. Now this verse you might just blaze right over in your Bible reading. It seems nearly inconsequential on the surface. This verse describes Jesus going up to Jerusalem for passover to see Mary, Martha and Lazarus for the meal we talked about last week. Now we would think nothing of that whatsoever except for the fact that we were told from John's gospel that prior to making that journey Jesus was in Ephriam. Let's get our bearings. Now if Jesus was in Ephraim and his destination was Jerusalem Why in the world would Jesus choose a route that goes north through Samaria and Galilee? That the opposite direction. Well, there's a reason and it's really interesting. Most of the population of Israel in Jesus' day was in Galilee, by far. The reason is obvious. Galilee was pleasant. Galilee is well-watered. It's flat. Easy to plant crops. Compare that to Judea. It's hilly. It's rocky. It's harder to find water. The only reason to live in Judea is because that's where the temple was. So three times a year for the pilgrimge feasts you'd have these migrations from Galilee to Jerusalem. And they would meet up in this valley here. Now there were two routes. By far the easiest and most direct route would have been on what's called the ridge route. Back to our map here But the problem is it goes through Samaritan territory. And because Jews either didn't want to defile themselves by going through Samaritan soil or because they wanted to avoid any danger or conflict, they would opt to go this other way via the rift route that follows this syro-african rift. It's way, way harder because you have descend deep into this rift and then haul yourself out of it. And let me show you with a topigraphical map what I mean by much more difficult. This is what Jesus was doing. He was going up and joining these bands of traveling pilgrims. And the record is really detailed at that point. Jesus is not sneaking into Jerusalem. He's charging. He's leading a band of pilgrims boiling over with excitement. All along the way he's healing people. He's teaching. This is where he cleanses the ten lepers and only one of them comes back. When he gets to the city of Jericho we are told that he heals the blind Bartameus. He's teaching on divorce. So the journey would have taken around a week. And you can imagine that with all this excitement, the commotion is building. The traveling band of pilgrims is growing as word spreads. Now this basically brings us up to last week. Jesus is heading up to Jerusalem but where does he stop first? This is what we preached on last week. First he's going to stop in at Lazarus' house in Bethany. And when did he get there? Six days before the passover. Now if you put that time, together with that place, the drama of the narrative jumps to life. Why? Because Bethany was just outside the Sabbath zone. Do you remember, one of the stipulations of the Sabbath is that you couldn't walk more than a Sabbath days journey. A Sabbath's day's journey was something like 1.2 miles. And it wasn't like you only had 3000 steps that day and then you had to sit down. It was a zone. So the rabbis would go out all the major gates and put these markers on the road to let you know you had reached the Sabbath zone for that city. Here's an example of one of those markers found in a city in Galilee. It's three Hebrew letters that spells Shabbat or Sabbath. So Bethany was just outside that Sabbath zone. So if you are traveling with Jesus and you are hoofing it into Jerusalem Friday night because as soon as it's sundown Sabbath begins and you see Jesus peel off into to Bethany and he's waving at you. And on the way into the city you see the Sabbath marker. Put all that together in your mind. What is everyone in the city asking? Jesus is a wanted man. Do you think he will come to Jerusalem at all? You are traveling into the city and you have an answer that comes in two parts. Jesus is coming. And He'll be here Sunday morning. Now this isn't conjecture. We know this frenzy was happening based on the record. Remember how last week ended. After Mary anointed Jesus' feet with oil. When the large crowd learned that Jesus was there. Learned that Jesus was there? How did they learn? That traveling band of pilgrims that came in with Jesus spread through the city like spilled ink on a map. And the news leaks into every home into every ear. And whether your destination was Bethany or Jerusalem or Bethlehem which is just a short distance away, the news is spreading. And so everyone is waiting for Sunday morning when they know he will come into the city. And look at what the text says! Now first off, when the Bible says large crowd, it's not kidding around. Josephus was a historian and he records the number of lambs slain during the passover of 66AD as being 256,500 lambs. And the minimum number of people you could have per lamb was 10 so that would be 2.5 million people. Maybe those numbers are exaggerated. Maybe they are accurate. Either way we are talking just throngs and throngs of people shoulder to shoulder spilling out into the city. And these are all Jews. Like all 2.5 million of them. And what are all 2.5 million Jews shouting. Hossana, which is Hebrew for, “Save Us!” Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel. KING. Are you hearing this correctly. These are words of sedition. Guys, there is so much drama here. What did Passover celebrate? It celebrated God raising up a deliverer Moses who, through miraculous signs and wonders, overthrew their Gentile overlord in Egypt. Well, there's a Gentile overlord they'd like to overthrow, Rome. And who is Jesus? Well, he's a miraculous deliver. His name is Jesus which in Hebrew is Joshua which means Savior. He's here to save us. If that's not enough, you have the Daniel 9 prophesy which is ticking. Daniel 9 prophesy. That clock had been ticking. So all this commotion. People are laying down Palm branches. Let's talk about these palm branches for a moment. Remember back in John chapter 10 we learned about the origins of the feast of dedication. If you attended Benj Foreman's NT backgrounds class you learned all about this along with Judas Maccabeus. The quick version, is that about a 150 years before Jesus' day, the Syrian ruler, Antiochus, had stormed into Jerusalem and killed thousands of Jews and desecrated the temple by sacrificing a pig on the altar, forcing the priests to eat its flesh. Talk about seething with anger. Talk about just pure hatred for your Gentile overlords. The Jews needed a Savior. They needed a deliver. And Judas Maccabee was their man. His nickname was the hammer. He led them in a successful revolt and they were able to reclaim the temple. And get this, the crowds celebrated his victory by waving palm branches. They stamped the image of palm branches into coins to commemorate the victory. And what is everyone shouting. Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. What did Jesus tell the Pharisees 3 months previous while he was in Perea. You will not see me again until the city of Jerusalem welcomes me with the chant, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” What they are doing? They are quoting Psalm 118. So put it all together: It's passover which commemorates Moses and deliverance from Egypt. They are quoting Psalm 118 which is a Messianic Psalm that anticipates the coming Messiah. They are laying down palm branches which remembers Judas Maccabees. They are calling him KING (there's only one king). They are shouting out SAVE US. You have revolutionary energy on your hands here. Now stop RIGHT THERE. Remember we said that John chapter 12 is written to show us this massive divide between who people perceive him to be and who he really is. Remember last week. To Mary Jesus was worth Everything all the way to Judas who believed Jesus was worth nothing. How much more opposite can you get. And here we have that same phenomena played out in dramatic 3D color. We call this TRIUMPHAL entry. What did Jesus want? He wanted repentance. Wasn't that the message of John the Baptist? Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. But that's not what he got. He got the rock star adulation of a crowd that really wanted to use him. Think about rock star. He's got 100,000 fans but they are all there using him. Entertain me. And the second they can't do that, they kick him to the curb. That's what's going on here. And it breaks the heart of Jesus. It just absolutely crushes him. Because he can see what's going on. What is their solution to the problem. War. Insurrection. Military action. Luke 19 Now in rides Jesus. Not on a stallion but on donkey. Jesus has was the Pharisees want (the admiration of men). And yet it's the possession of that very thing the Pharisees want that causes Jesus to weep.

Why would Jesus wait before going to see Lazarus? Pastor Dave explores Jesus' answers to Martha and to Mary in John chapter 11.

1 Cor 12:8-10 NIV 8.To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9.to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10.to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues (languages) and to still another the interpretation of tongues (languages).  Old Testament  Samson's supernatural strength   Judges 14:5-6 NIV 'Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him. 6 The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done'. Elisha and the widow's oil and grain  2 Ki 4:1-7 NIV 'The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.”2 Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?”“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.”3 Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don't ask for just a few. 4 Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”5 She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. 6 When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.”But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing.7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.” Jesus  multiplying Loaves and fishes  Mat 14:15-21 NIV  As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” 16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” 17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. 18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. Raising Lazarus  John 11:38-44 NIV Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said.“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” 40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” Resurrection!  Mat 28:1-10 NIV   After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord Support this podcast

Episode 145More bad news from the Vatican. This week we're going to talk about a new explosive and very well documented report from the Lepanto Institute about Vatican and USCCB ties to Communism, the culture of death, and even witchcraft. ResourcesIn an effort to provide you with the best, most helpful experience we can, any resource mentioned in The Cantankerous Catholic podcast will always be listed in this section. Register for our next free Sharing the Catholic Faith webinar: https://webinar.getresponse.com/BhGUM/the-resurrection-the-four-last-things--the-holy-spirit (The Resurrection, the Four Last Things & the Holy Spirit). (There will be a video recording for those who can't attend the live event, but you must register to get the link.) https://app.getresponse.com/survey.html?u=BhGUM&survey_id=1647905 (PODCAST SURVEY) https://wwb.gr8.com/ (Sixpack System Bulletin Inserts) Lepanto Institute https://lepantoin.org/ (Lepanto Institute site) https://lepantoin.org/subscribe/ (Lepanto Institute newsletter) Lepanto Institute Report: https://lepantoin.org/vatican-agency-directly-tied-to-communism-abortion-and-witchcraft/ (Vatican Agency Directly Tied to Communism, Abortion, and Idolatry) https://cantankerouscatholic.com/evil-bishops/ (Catholic Bogus Bucks) They're free! The Wanderer Catholic Newspaper. Get one month for one dollar by texting the word “news” to 830-331-5729. https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=85YEDSUJHVN42&source=url (Help Keep the Joe Sixpack—The Every Catholic Guy Apostolate Alive) FOR CHECKS: make checks payable to Cassock Media, P.O. Box 41, Villa Ridge, Missouri 63089 https://app.getresponse.com/site2/joe_sixpack_answers/?u=BhGUM&webforms_id=YZQe (I Want To Learn More About The Catholic Church!) https://mariancatechist.com/product/basic-catholic-catechism-course/ (Marian Catechist Apostolate Basic Course) https://www.avoicelikebutter.com/ (Rick Stender)—Official Voice of The Cantankerous Catholic SubscribeMake sure you never miss an episode of The Cantankerous Catholic by subscribing through one of these links, or wherever else you get your podcasts. https://thecantankerouscatholic.captivate.fm/listen (Subscribe to The Cantankerous Catholic here) Catholic News Notes#5 https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/southwest-cancels-more-than-a-thousand-flights-cites-air-traffic-control-issues (Southwest cancels more than a thousand flights, cites air-traffic control issues) #4 https://www.dailywire.com/news/fauci-on-airline-vaccine-mandates-not-immediately-but-everything-on-the-table (Fauci On Airline Vaccine Mandates: Not ‘Immediately,' But ‘Everything On The Table') #3 https://www.theblaze.com/news/mark-robinson-takes-stand-lgbt-comments (NC Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson takes defiant stand as he faces calls to resign after calling homosexuality 'filth': 'I will not back down') #2 https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-admin-cancels-numerous-border-wall-contracts-as-u-s-faces-historic-illegal-immigration-surge (Biden Admin Cancels Numerous Border Wall Contracts As U.S. Faces Historic Illegal Immigration Surge) #1 https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/249244/nancy-pelosi-leaves-mass-in-rome-due-to-security-concerns (Nancy Pelosi leaves Mass in Rome due to security concerns) Catholic BootcampThis week Joe Sixpack—The Every Catholic Guy's Catholic Bootcamp is titled Lazarus. Catholic QuotesThis week's quote is from St. Anthony of Padua. Catholic StoriesThis episode features a story about a monk's dream. Joe Sixpack's Stuffhttps://www.joesixpackanswers.com/ (JoeSixpackAnswers.com) https://cantankerouscatholic.com/product/secrets-of-the-catholic-faith/ (Secrets of the Catholic Faith) by Joe Sixpack—The Every Catholic Guy https://cantankerouscatholic.com/product/the-lay-evangelists-handbook-how-any-catholic-can-evangelize-anyone/ (The Lay Evangelist's Handbook) by Joe Sixpack—The Every Catholic Guy... Support this podcast

Psalm 26; Obadiah 1:17-21; Luke 16:19-31 Psalm 26 A psalm of David. 1 Declare me innocent, O Lord,     for I have acted with integrity;     I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. 2 Put me on trial, Lord, and cross-examine me.     Test my motives and my heart. 3 For I am always aware of your unfailing love,     and I have lived according to your truth. 4 I do not spend time with liars     or go along with hypocrites. 5 I hate the gatherings of those who do evil,     and I refuse to join in with the wicked. 6 I wash my hands to declare my innocence.     I come to your altar, O Lord, 7 singing a song of thanksgiving     and telling of all your wonders. 8 I love your sanctuary, Lord,     the place where your glorious presence dwells. 9 Don't let me suffer the fate of sinners.     Don't condemn me along with murderers. 10 Their hands are dirty with evil schemes,     and they constantly take bribes. 11 But I am not like that; I live with integrity.     So redeem me and show me mercy. 12 Now I stand on solid ground,     and I will publicly praise the Lord.   Obadiah 17-21   New Living Translation     17 “But Jerusalem[a] will become a refuge for those who escape;     it will be a holy place. And the people of Israel[b] will come back     to reclaim their inheritance. 18 The people of Israel will be a raging fire,     and Edom a field of dry stubble. The descendants of Joseph will be a flame     roaring across the field, devouring everything. There will be no survivors in Edom.     I, the Lord, have spoken! 19 “Then my people living in the Negev     will occupy the mountains of Edom. Those living in the foothills of Judah[c]     will possess the Philistine plains     and take over the fields of Ephraim and Samaria. And the people of Benjamin     will occupy the land of Gilead. 20 The exiles of Israel will return to their land     and occupy the Phoenician coast as far north as Zarephath. The captives from Jerusalem exiled in the north[d]     will return home and resettle the towns of the Negev. 21 Those who have been rescued[e] will go up to[f] Mount Zion in Jerusalem     to rule over the mountains of Edom. And the Lord himself will be king!” Read full chapter Footnotes 17a Hebrew Mount Zion. 17b Hebrew house of Jacob; also in 18. See note on 10. 19 Hebrew the Shephelah. 20 Hebrew in Sepharad. 21a As in Greek and Syriac versions; Hebrew reads Rescuers. 21b Or from.   Luke 16:19-31   New Living Translation     Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus 19 Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. 20 At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. 21 As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man's table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores. 22 “Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet.[a] The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and he went to the place of the dead.[b] There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side. 24 “The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.' 25 “But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.' 27 “Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father's home. 28 For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don't end up in this place of torment.' 29 “But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.' 30 “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.' 31 “But Abraham said, ‘If they won't listen to Moses and the prophets, they won't be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'”

Today we are doing something a little different in order to raise an Ebenezer because of what God has done over the last 100 episodes. One of my dearest friends and I sat down at her kitchen table and just… talked. As someone who has walked with me through all of the life that's happened since we began the podcast, April McKinney was the perfect person to talk about where we've been and where we're going.   We talk about things like the effect of covid on us personally, the world, our communities, the Church, and what that has taught us, and I answer some questions friends and listeners have sent in, and man, they did not hold back! All of the stories we've encountered on the podcast have revealed in some measure how the stories of those around us can inform our compassion, broaden our perspective, and give us a more intentional glimpse into God's vision of His upside down Kingdom if we let them.  Our longing for resolution, the need for perseverance, and living in a season where we are all desperately seeking hope has postured us to either give into the fight or flight that wrecks our struggle for control or it helps us see how much we need to surrender to the One that holds all things together. The digging deeper into our faith, into the Word, seeking repentance, holding on to a teachable spirit, and learning more about who God is so we can trust Him more is hard, holy, and necessary work. Thank you for all the time you've spent with me over the last 3 seasons and all the episodes that have led us here, friend. I'm excited about what's coming next and where God is leading, and how He's growing me as well. If there's an episode you've really liked or maybe learned something from the guest, I'd love to hear about it! Feel free to send me a message any time, or share about it through a review! I'm grateful for all of these stories and I want you to know you matter, friend. Your story matters. References: -my Dad on the podcast episode 12 -”The Morning Show”  -Ashley Abercrombie - episode 2 and episode 96 The Promised Land The Babylonian Captivity  The last time April was on the podcast episode 49 Jackie Hill Perry “Is He Worthy” - Andrew Peterson  “No One's Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus” -  What is an “Ebenezer” “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” Dorena Williamson - Episodes 10 and 11  Dr. Michael Heiser - Episode 41 Todd Nettleton- VOM Radio- Episode 71 Tessa Afshar - Episode 94 Marian Jordan Ellis -  Episode 100  Kayla Craig aka Liturgies for Parents (episode coming soon!) - her amazing new book “To Light Their Way” Jennifer Greenberg (abuse survivor)- Episode 4  20,000 Words with April McKinney  “Colorfull” by Dorena Williamson Dr. Chris Williamson- Episode 64 Lindsey Krinks- Episode 87  / IGTV Discussion Kristi McLelland Rachelle Dekker - Episode 56 Sarah and Beth of Pantsuit Politics-  Episode 6 “Every story whispers His name” - Jesus Storybook Bible - Sally Lloyd Jones   Scripture References: The Book of Ruth The Book of Esther Hebrews 4:12- The Bible is alive and active  Philippians 4:8- Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is lovely Romans 5:3-5-Perseverance that produces hope  John 11- Jesus wept outside of Lazarus' tomb Hebrews 4:15- High Priest who can sympathize  Matthew 27:46- Jesus feeling Fatherless on the cross Matthew 12:22-32, Luke 11:14-23, Mark 11:27-12:17, John 8:1-11 (just to name a few)- Jesus knows what it looks like for people to struggle with religious leaders Mark 12:13-17- Jesus knows what it looks like for people to struggle with the government (also, GREAT article here) John 3:1-9, Matthew 11, Mark 4:35-41 , Mark 10:17-27,  Jesus knows what it looks like for people to question everything  Matthew 8, Matthew 9:36, Matthew 9:20-22,Mark 5:25-34,Luke 8:43-48 -Jesus knows what it looks like for people to long for resolution to their pain  Isaiah 53- Jesus wasn't the type of Messiah people were looking for  1 Samuel 2:2 (to start, and then here's a whole list!) God is holy  2 Corinthians 5:21- There is no sin in God (great article here) Psalm 34:18 - God is close to the brokenhearted  Genesis 35, 1 Samuel 7:12, Joshua 4- Ebenezer examples Joel 2:25-32, Isaiah 30:18-26, Romans 8:18-24- God's longing to restore  Matthew 11:28-30 /  1 Peter 5:7- God cares about what hurts us Romans 12:15- Mourn with those who mourn  Revelation 21:4- Heaven is the place that does not have pain  John 2:23-25- Jesus doesn't reveal who He is bc He knew their hearts  Luke 2:21-38- Simeon coming to the Temple (not when he was born but when he came to be circumcised- sorry!)  Deuteronomy 18:11 / Numbers 18:21- The Levites were not given land, their inheritance was serving the Lord. Their provision came from the offerings of the people Exodus 16- The manna that each family receives is unique Matthew 25:14-30- The Parable of the Talents   Connecting with Emily and Simply Stories Podcast:Instagram (Em life // Podcast Life)FacebookTwitterBlog  *Intro and Outro music is from audionautix.com

The Rich Man and Lazarus. 10/10/21. Landis Elder

Today, Melissa Chang brought explains that when Jesus heals Lazarus, He doesn't just save a friend, He shows us that our story isn't over, even when death is present. Because when you have eternal life, death becomes the beginning. This is a sermon out of John chapter 11.

In John's Gospel we hear that Jesus told the disciples, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” John then tells us, “Jesus had been speaking of his death, but His disciples thought He meant natural sleep. So then He told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead.'” So why would Jesus use this picture of Lazarus 'sleeping' when in fact He knew that His friend had died?

Hey you wild women!  My next guests are sister-preneurs and co-founders of The Presentation Company. Lee Lazarus and Janine Kurnoff have spent the past 20 years helping the world's top brands—including Facebook, Nestle, Marriott, and McDonald's—become more strategic, influential communicators through visual storytelling. They've bottled up their award-winning training into a new book called Everyday Business Storytelling, which is an Amazon #1 best seller and has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Fast Company, and Business Insider. Join us in this episode to hear how you can mix data with storytelling to bring something new to the table and captivate your audience.    In this episode you will learn about: The inspiration behind the Presentation Company  Some of the best tips from Everyday Business Storytelling  The importance of storytelling in business How to avoid some of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to present ideas How to turn data insights into sales Why your audience needs a “why” when you're presenting a story Why you need a mentor or a network in business The importance of focusing on your mental health and self-care What it means to be a wild woman:   “Being grounded and feeling power in that grounding” Janine Kurnoff   “Showing up as your best self. Authenticity, speaking truth and not hiding behind anybody in order to be heard or seen.” Lee Lazarus   Public Shoutouts: Innovation Hub Podcast- Our Digital Dilemma Episode with Cal Newport   Resources: Website: https://www.presentation-company.com/ Book: Everyday Business Storytelling ---- Renée Warren is an award-winning entrepreneur, a 7-figure business starter, and the founder of We Wild Women, a business dedicated to helping women launch their dream business. She previously founded an industry-recognized PR agency that worked with funded technology startups from South Africa to San Diego. She's a mom to Irish Twins (not planned), a published author, and a drummer. Rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcast "I love Into The Wild, and think it's the best thing since sliced bread."

In this Sermon Pastor Jason leads us through the story of the rich man in Hell. Through the rich man's conversation with Lazarus we can begin to comprehend the profound impact our life on Earth will have on our eternal life. Thanks for listening!

The raising of Lazarus is the seventh and greatest sign in John's Gospel. It points to Jesus' resurrection, our resurrection, and the restoration of all things. In the raising of Lazarus, every Lazarus—every hopeless case—finds hope. But if this is...

Mary at the feet of Jesus was offering her perfume in worship to Jesus. She was giving herself in service to the Lord. It is easy for her to question and doubt the Lord when faced with why didn't raise Lazarus, but in response she worshiped. Do you worship like Mary or judge like Judas? This message is powerful, we are all called to surrender and follow!

Mary at the feet of Jesus was offering her perfume in worship to Jesus. She was giving herself in service to the Lord. It is easy for her to question and doubt the Lord when faced with why didn't raise Lazarus, but in response she worshiped. Do you worship like Mary or judge like Judas? This message is powerful, we are all called to surrender and follow!

Sin as self-deception and God's solution to our self-deception.

In Episode "Not 300 Part 2," Pastor Corey and Tim discuss this week's sermon from John 11, which covers an encounter between Jesus and Mary, and the raising of Lazarus from the dead.

This week the guys discuss Lehner's comments from over the weekend on the NHL & Eichel, breakdown the roster cuts and who is likely to make the team and have a bit of a backup goalie debate. Then Jonny Lazarus of Bleav in Rangers Podcast joins the Breakaway to chat about season predictions, hockey culture & good bets Finally the guys return late in the show to discuss some post season baseball and the upcoming Mets offseason because we are a Mets podcast

Monday, 4 October 2021   Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. Acts 1:9   With His instruction and commission to His apostles stated in the previous words, Luke next says, “Now when He had spoken these things.” Luke makes a point of repeating that Jesus had spoken the words of the previous verses –   1:4 – remain in Jerusalem and wait for the Promise of the Father 1:5 – you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit 1:6 – questioned by the apostles concerning the restoration of the kingdom to Israel 1:7 – it is not for you to know the times and the seasons reserved by the Father 1:8 – you shall receive power and you shall be witnesses to Me   The Holy Spirit (the Promise of the Father) would be given. Despite this, with the giving of the Spirit, we do not have a direct connection to all of the infinite knowledge of God. Certain things are withheld at the Father's prerogative. However, the Holy Spirit will endow the Lord's people with everything needed to accomplish His purposes with the main point being to witness to the Person of Jesus Christ.   With this focused on by Luke, meaning it is what is of primary importance (even if the Lord spoke with them for an hour about a hundred other subjects), Luke next says, “while they watched.”   In his gospel, Luke notes the following at this time –   “And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. 51 Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.” Luke 24:50-53   The Lord spoke to the apostles (and any others who may have accompanied them), He blessed them, and then “while they watched, He was taken up.” It is of note that none of the apostles “watched” as Jesus was resurrected. The fact that He appeared to them was sufficient evidence that the resurrection had occurred. The four gospels then relay the events surrounding that event in various ways, each highlighting certain aspects of the event.   It is also of note that only Luke especially highlights the timing and events surrounding this ascension. Mark's gospel simply refers to it as if it were commonly known –   “So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.” Mark 16:19, 20   After the ascension, it was spoken of, or written about, by the apostles at various times and in various ways. A couple of them are –   “This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.” Acts 2:32, 33   “God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.” 1 Timothy 3:16   The fact that the ascension is simply referred to as an actual occurrence, without any notable highlight apart from Luke's words, adds a level of credibility that would otherwise not exist. The event happened, it was documented, and then it is taken as an axiom that it occurred.   The taking up of Christ is of the highest importance. Charles Ellicott gives his thoughts on possibilities that may have arisen if Christ did not ascend –   “We may add that there was something like a moral necessity, assuming the Resurrection as a fact, for such a conclusion to our Lord's work on earth. Two other alternatives may, perhaps, be just imagined as possible: He might, like Lazarus, have lived out His restored life to its appointed term, and then died the common death of all men; but in that case where would have been the victory over death, and the witness that He was the Son of Man? He might have lived on an endless life on earth; but in this case, being such as He was, conflict, persecution, and suffering would have come again and again at every stage, and in each instance a miracle would have been needed to save the suffering from passing on to death, or many deaths must have been followed by many resurrections.”   Ellicott's thoughts are well stated and what Peter says to Israel in Acts 3 explains Ellicott's final point quite well –   “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” Acts 3:19-21   The redemptive narrative must take its course. There is no need to endlessly speculate on what it would be like if Christ remained, although there is no harm in doing so. God saw the ascension as an integral part of what is necessary for His plans to come about, and so Christ was taken up.   In this, sin is allowed to run its course, faith – rather than sight – is an essential part of the reception of the gospel, the kingdom promised to Israel is not denied them, but it is withheld until they (as a nation) receive Jesus as their Messiah, and so on. But importantly, Christ gave a personal reason for His going away –   “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.” John 16:7   In order for one thin g to occur, another must take place. What is promised to come upon the believers cannot happen until Christ ascends. Hence, the ascension of the Lord to the Right hand of God is a fundamental part of the workings of the Triune God. While the Holy Spirit is accomplishing His role at this time, Christ is in heaven performing His many roles before the Father – mediation, advocacy, and so on. With these things considered, the verse finishes with, “and a cloud received Him out of their sight.”   The symbolism goes back to the Old Testament where the Lord is repeatedly said to dwell in a cloud, or even to be taken up in a cloud –   “Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 36 Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys. 37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey till the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of the Lord was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was over it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.” Exodus 40:34-38   “The Lord reigns; Let the earth rejoice; Let the multitude of isles be glad! 2 Clouds and darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.” Psalm 97:1, 2   The ascension of Christ was bodily, and it was visible. At some point, he was taken into the clouds, and He was no longer seen by those who beheld this. But it was another confirmation to them that Jesus is, in fact, the Lord (Yehovah) incarnate. As Paul said to Timothy (see above), He was “Received up in glory.”   Life application: The Lord's words to the apostles before He was taken up were His final instructions of what was to be known and also accomplished by them. The same instructions applied to Paul as applied to those who stood watching. And from there, the same message is now carried on by those who have their testimony. There is one Lord and one gospel that is to be carried to the world. There is one church in which this is to occur, despite the countless denominations that divide that church.   The content of Acts, the epistles that are set forth after Acts, and the seven letters to the seven churches in Revelation confirm this. The Lord ascended and during the time until He returns, we have a commission to perform. Let us be about the Lord's business, conveying this message that cannot be believed unless it is first conveyed –   “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent?” Romans 10:14, 15   Heavenly Father, thank You for the surety we possess in Christ. We have the written testimony of who He is and what He did. The eyewitnesses who recorded those things provide us with the certainty we need to live by faith and not by sight. But, Lord, when our faith is challenged, help us through such times. Help us in our weakness and be with us as we wait for the glory to come. Amen.    

Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”  Luke 10:40–42In many ways, this statement of our Lord summarizes the most important and central message of the Gospel. We are all called to choose “the better part” every day.Jesus was close friends with Martha, Mary and Lazarus. He frequently visited their home, which was only a short distance from Jerusalem. On this occasion, when Jesus was visiting their home, one of these siblings, Mary, had placed herself at Jesus' feet, listening to Him and conversing with Him. Martha was busy with the important details of hospitality and appeared to be upset with Mary, so she confronted Jesus, asking Him to tell Mary to help her. But in so doing, she was also unknowingly trying to dissuade Mary from the most important purpose of her life.As Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, she gave us an example of the most important focus we must have in life. Though our days will be filled with many necessary duties, such as cooking, cleaning, working, entertainment, and caring for others, we must never forget that which we were made for and that which we will be doing for all eternity: adoration of our glorious God.Consider all that occupies your day. Though most of what you do may be important, do you daily take time out to adore our Lord, listen to Him and glorify Him through your prayer? We can often make time for many other important duties in life, as well as those that are not so important. We may spend hours on chores, immerse ourselves in movies, devote whole evenings to reading, fulfill our duties in the workplace, but only devote a minute or two each day, if even that, to silent prayer and adoration of our God!What would happen to your life if you chose “the better part” for a full hour every day? What if you decided that the first hour of your day would be dedicated to an imitation of Mary in the Gospel passage and that you would do nothing but adore Jesus through silent prayer and meditation? At first, you may think of the many other tasks you could be doing at that moment. You may decide that you do not have the time for extended prayer every day. But is that true? Perhaps you are actually being Martha to yourself, saying to yourself that you should do more important things with your time and that Jesus will understand if you do not spend time with Him alone in adoration and prayer every day. If that is you, then be very attentive to this Gospel passage. In many ways, Jesus deeply desires to say this about you. He wants to say of you that you have chosen the better part for an extended period of time every day and that this will not be taken from you.Reflect, today, upon that which is most important in life. Dispel excuses and temptations to simply fulfill all the other important duties of life, neglecting that which is most important. Reflect upon the simple truth that Jesus does want you to devote much time to Him every day for silent prayer and adoration. Do not give into excuses and distractions. Commit yourself to remain at the feet of Jesus, adoring Him, listening to Him and loving Him. If you do, you will find that your life is more ordered and that the time you spend in prayer bears more good fruit than every other important duty you fulfill every day.My inviting Lord, I do believe that adoration of You in silent and devout prayer is the most important duty I have to fulfill every day. May I never be deterred from adoring You every day, devoting as much time as You desire to silent and loving prayer. May I discover this gift of prayer, dear Lord, and sit at Your feet with Mary and with all the glorious saints. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2021 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Monday, 4 October 2021   Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. Acts 1:9   With His instruction and commission to His apostles stated in the previous words, Luke next says, “Now when He had spoken these things.” Luke makes a point of repeating that Jesus had spoken the words of the previous verses –   1:4 – remain in Jerusalem and wait for the Promise of the Father 1:5 – you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit 1:6 – questioned by the apostles concerning the restoration of the kingdom to Israel 1:7 – it is not for you to know the times and the seasons reserved by the Father 1:8 – you shall receive power and you shall be witnesses to Me   The Holy Spirit (the Promise of the Father) would be given. Despite this, with the giving of the Spirit, we do not have a direct connection to all of the infinite knowledge of God. Certain things are withheld at the Father's prerogative. However, the Holy Spirit will endow the Lord's people with everything needed to accomplish His purposes with the main point being to witness to the Person of Jesus Christ.   With this focused on by Luke, meaning it is what is of primary importance (even if the Lord spoke with them for an hour about a hundred other subjects), Luke next says, “while they watched.”   In his gospel, Luke notes the following at this time –   “And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. 51 Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.” Luke 24:50-53   The Lord spoke to the apostles (and any others who may have accompanied them), He blessed them, and then “while they watched, He was taken up.” It is of note that none of the apostles “watched” as Jesus was resurrected. The fact that He appeared to them was sufficient evidence that the resurrection had occurred. The four gospels then relay the events surrounding that event in various ways, each highlighting certain aspects of the event.   It is also of note that only Luke especially highlights the timing and events surrounding this ascension. Mark's gospel simply refers to it as if it were commonly known –   “So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.” Mark 16:19, 20   After the ascension, it was spoken of, or written about, by the apostles at various times and in various ways. A couple of them are –   “This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.” Acts 2:32, 33   “God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.” 1 Timothy 3:16   The fact that the ascension is simply referred to as an actual occurrence, without any notable highlight apart from Luke's words, adds a level of credibility that would otherwise not exist. The event happened, it was documented, and then it is taken as an axiom that it occurred.   The taking up of Christ is of the highest importance. Charles Ellicott gives his thoughts on possibilities that may have arisen if Christ did not ascend –   “We may add that there was something like a moral necessity, assuming the Resurrection as a fact, for such a conclusion to our Lord's work on earth. Two other alternatives may, perhaps, be just imagined as possible: He might, like Lazarus, have lived out His restored life to its appointed term, and then died the common death of all men; but in that case where would have been the victory over death, and the witness that He was the Son of Man? He might have lived on an endless life on earth; but in this case, being such as He was, conflict, persecution, and suffering would have come again and again at every stage, and in each instance a miracle would have been needed to save the suffering from passing on to death, or many deaths must have been followed by many resurrections.”   Ellicott's thoughts are well stated and what Peter says to Israel in Acts 3 explains Ellicott's final point quite well –   “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” Acts 3:19-21   The redemptive narrative must take its course. There is no need to endlessly speculate on what it would be like if Christ remained, although there is no harm in doing so. God saw the ascension as an integral part of what is necessary for His plans to come about, and so Christ was taken up.   In this, sin is allowed to run its course, faith – rather than sight – is an essential part of the reception of the gospel, the kingdom promised to Israel is not denied them, but it is withheld until they (as a nation) receive Jesus as their Messiah, and so on. But importantly, Christ gave a personal reason for His going away –   “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.” John 16:7   In order for one thing to occur, another must take place. What is promised to come upon the believers cannot happen until Christ ascends. Hence, the ascension of the Lord to the Right hand of God is a fundamental part of the workings of the Triune God. While the Holy Spirit is accomplishing His role at this time, Christ is in heaven performing His many roles before the Father – mediation, advocacy, and so on. With these things considered, the verse finishes with, “and a cloud received Him out of their sight.”   The symbolism goes back to the Old Testament where the Lord is repeatedly said to dwell in a cloud, or even to be taken up in a cloud –   “Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 36 Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys. 37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey till the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of the Lord was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was over it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.” Exodus 40:34-38   “The Lord reigns; Let the earth rejoice; Let the multitude of isles be glad! 2 Clouds and darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.” Psalm 97:1, 2   The ascension of Christ was bodily, and it was visible. At some point, he was taken into the clouds, and He was no longer seen by those who beheld this. But it was another confirmation to them that Jesus is, in fact, the Lord (Yehovah) incarnate. As Paul said to Timothy (see above), He was “Received up in glory.”   Life application: The Lord's words to the apostles before He was taken up were His final instructions of what was to be known and also accomplished by them. The same instructions applied to Paul as applied to those who stood watching. And from there, the same message is now carried on by those who have their testimony. There is one Lord and one gospel that is to be carried to the world. There is one church in which this is to occur, despite the countless denominations that divide that church.   The content of Acts, the epistles that are set forth after Acts, and the seven letters to the seven churches in Revelation confirm this. The Lord ascended and during the time until He returns, we have a commission to perform. Let us be about the Lord's business, conveying this message that cannot be believed unless it is first conveyed –   “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent?” Romans 10:14, 15   Heavenly Father, thank You for the surety we possess in Christ. We have the written testimony of who He is and what He did. The eyewitnesses who recorded those things provide us with the certainty we need to live by faith and not by sight. But, Lord, when our faith is challenged, help us through such times. Help us in our weakness and be with us as we wait for the glory to come. Amen.    

“WorkmanShip”Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) For we are God's workmanship. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus,  so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. A disciple is one who finds, follows and becomes fully formed to be like Jesus.Jesus was a difference maker.Matthew 5:13-16 Let me tell you why you are here.  You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage. 14-16 “Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God.God Needs Me To Make A DifferenceGod Always Works With Human ParticipationGod does the miracle but you play a part. John 11:34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.John 11:39 “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”Expose itJohn 11:41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them,  “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”#1 Give Permission#2 Play Your PartNobody has everything but everybody has something. 1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." #1 We listenJeremiah 33:3 ‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you [and even show you] great and mighty things, [things which have been confined and hidden], which you do not know and understand and cannot distinguish.'#2. We find people.Luke 19:10 The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.Found people, find people. #3.  We serve peopleSaved people serve people!Matthew 9:37 (NIV) "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 

Bill Magsig | When intense suffering hits we can find ourselves asking, “If God really loves me, why is my life like this?” The account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead reveals a lot about God's love for us in our suffering.

He's a rich man with no name. This story puts him in the place of the dead, a place of torment. The next character that Jesus describes is given a name. He's Lazarus. Lazarus is seated next to Abraham, another named man, Lazarus and Abraham are sitting together at the heavenly banquet, free from suffering free from want entirely content, fully satisfied. And the nameless rich man wants Lazarus to come and serve him. That's the way he remembers things. The rich man shouts, Father, Abraham, have some pity, send Lazarus over there. to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, I'm hearing anguish in these flames. There's a hardening of heart that we must guard ourselves against. We can get to the place where we're unable to see who we really are and what we've become. We can get to the place where we can't remember our name, or we can't see our need for God, we can get to the point where our position, our power, our riches, they they blind us to the message of Abraham, and the other named ones. The ultimate message of the named ones is the resurrection. God's going to raise the dead to life, and it will begin with his son. That's what the prophets foretold. That's what Moses foretold. This message of resurrection can be missed by a heart that is blinded by riches, the blindness creates a heart that refuses to see its own souls need its own souls poverty before God. Our riches can blind us to the words of Abraham and the prophets. It can blind us to the message that God alone can raise us to new life, Lazarus believed that God could, even in his poverty, he believed that God would raise him up, and God honored him in the end, and seated him at the table with Abraham. That's what God does. He demonstrates over and over again, resurrection, and offers all the honor of sitting at the table with the named ones. This is a gift that we must receive by faith, the righteous, the named ones, they live by faith. They don't trust in their riches, they don't trust in their reputation, they don't trust in anything other than the God who raises from the dead. And they, they will know their name, and they will know the name of their God. So today, you can find yourself sitting at the table with the named ones. feasting on the word that God has for you, seeing who you really are. And that's the prayer that I have for my own soul. That's the prayer that I have for my family for my wife, my daughters, my son. And that's a prayer that I have for you may be so

Pastor Rob Ketterling

Pastor Rob Ketterling

‘ “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, […] The post A Crossroad To Choose – September 19, 2021 first appeared on Meadowood Baptist Church.

“And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation.” (John 11:51) Even after seeing the miracle of Lazarus restored to life, ... More...

In the Brazilian state of Bahia, St. Lazarus day is a celebration that blends European and African heritages.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/pulseoftheplanet. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Slideshow for this message is available Introduction Two weeks ago we looked at the miraculous resurrection of Lazarus. This is one of the few miracles in the Bible that is recorded where God intentionally contrives to make the miracle itself more dramatic. You will recall that Jesus had fled to Perea and he gets word that Lazarus was sick. And Jesus says, "This is not a sickness that leads to death." And that runner presumably carries that message back to Mary and Martha. Your brother, even though he looks terribly ill has a sickness that does not lead to death. Then we have the strange words. Jesus loved Mary, Martha and Lazarus; therefore, he stayed in the place where he was two additional days. And sometime during those intervening days Lazarus dies. And for Mary and Martha, this death represents an incredible faith crisis. They have built their entire lives upon the understanding that whatever Jesus says is true. The WORDS of Jesus are the WORDS of God and therefore can always be counted on. Jesus said very clearly, “This is not a sickness that leads to death.” And yet here I am staring at a dead body. All five senses confirm that Lazarus is dead. I see the drooping face indicating that the link between the brain and the involuntary muscles of the face are no longer activated. I see the change in skin color from rosy red to gray which indicates that the blood has stopped circulating. I feel his cold body. I feel the stiffening of his body as rigamortis sets in. I smell his bowels. I smell the beginning phases of decomposition. I cannot hear a single noise that indicates life. No breath. No heart. Just silence. Not the slightest movement. You have this horrific collision of realities. Which is more real? Which is more true? Either the words of Jesus are true - that this is not a sickness that leads to death. Or The information reported by my senses is true - Lazarus is dead? Both cannot be true. One of these trusted anchors in my life has betrayed me. Either it's my eyes or its Jesus. Given these two options which would you choose? How often do our eyes, ears, nose, touch betray us? Those have come to be pretty trusted companions. They rarely fail us. They rarely report incorrectly. On the other hand, how frequently do people let us down. How often have you leaned heavily on a person only to have them disappoint? What's the more likely explanation of what I'm experiencing? And this produces a crisis of faith. A crisis of faith is defined as a person moving from a place of belief and faith to a place of doubt. If this Word of Jesus isn't true, then what else is also not true? But everything resolves when Jesus commands the stone to be rolled away and speaks, “Lazarus, come forth!” and the decomposition process reverses itself and out hops Lazarus wrapped in cloths. Mary, Martha, what's the lesson? BELIEVE! Believe Jesus no matter what your eyes tell you. Believe Jesus no matter how confusing your interpretation of events are. Jesus can be trusted. - Jesus will never leave you or forsake you. Believe it. - All of Jesus' Words are yes and amen. Believe it. The Lesson is clear: Whatever Jesus says: Believe it. It almost makes you want to break out in spontaneous round of applause. The Response. This miracle is one of 8 signs that John gives us. We are told that the reason we are given these 8 signs is so that by observing them you will believe. But here's what's interesting: one of the central features of each of these signs is how it created unbelief in those who witnessed them. Last week we ended on a comma. John 11 In other words, some, instead of believing, ran to the Pharisees and ratted him out. They knew the Pharisees wouldn't like what just went down and they wanted to be the first to be congratulated in delivering the news. Now how can it be that some believed, but others went and betrayed him to the Pharisees? How can it be that some fall on their faces and worship and others pick up pitch forks? How can you have such violently different reactions to an indisputable demonstration of a divinity? This is all perfectly explainable if you understand one key thing: To illustrate this interpretive key, let me give you an analogy from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the rings. In you've read the novel, Gollum is this creature who has owned this powerful ring for thousands of years and he has been utterly destroyed by it. It is all he cares about it. He talks to it. He calls it his precious. He strokes it in the dark. His single goal in life is to protect it so that nothing can threaten it and nothing can ever take it from him. And his love of the ring creates all these paradoxes. For example, Even though the ring gives him power, his obsession with it causes him to become weak. The more he stares at its beauty the more ugly he becomes. - The more he believes that possessing it will give him freedom, the more it enslaves him. - He's totally, utterly, completely destroyed by his 'savior.' Now you wouldn't immediately know this by looking at him. Gollum appears to be a pretty innocent little creature, you might even say playful and cute until his ring is taken away. And then all of the sudden this hideous dark shadow emerges from within. The fangs come out. The blood-thirsty eyes narrow. And he's willing to destroy anything that threatens his precious. The Bible calls this sort of thing an idol. God is supposed to be in that ultimate place and if you put something else there, both God and it will destroy you. Here's the one key thing that unlocks the whole passage: The Pharisees had an idol. The Pharisees were guarding their precious. Everything is fine as long as they have what they want but then Jesus comes along. And Jesus always threatens idols. Jesus' mere existence threatens anything we dare to call precious. Jesus sees that idol and stares us down and says, that thing is killing you. It's sucking away your joy. He says, "Here's what I'd like to do. I'd like to take the place of that inferior god but in order to do so, I have to break the neck of that thing that is sucking the life out of you. And what we will discover in this passage is a SEVERE warning. Don't be threatened by Jesus' attack on your idols. Confess your sin before its too late. Confess your idolatry before you are destroyed.If we refuse to heed that warning there are two things that will happen and one thing that will not happen. Here are the two things that will happen. You will destroy others and you will destroy yourself. And here's the one thing that will not happen. You will not destroy God's plan. So that's our outline for today. Let's look at each of these points in turn. Now let's jump back to the narrative to the point where the Pharisees and Sadducees first hear the news of Lazarus' resurrection. You could imagine the Pharisees and Sadducees sitting around large tables with their Torah scrolls sprawled out debating some nuanced, esoteric point. *And in comes this messenger panting, his hand on the door frame steadying himself as he catches his breath, “Guys, you are not going to believe this but you know Jesus, the troublemaker?* He just raised a guy named Lazarus from the dead. And get this: Lazarus was four days dead and was in the tomb. He rolled away the stone and said Lazarus come forth and out comes the hopping body. I saw it with my own eyes. I smelled it. You guys need to do something. Word is spreading like wildfire.” The irony here is so thick. Imagine you were a scout for the Chicago Bulls. “This man is the best basketball player we've ever seen. He performs many miraculous moves.” What's the obvious next step? Recruit him. That's what a scout does. He looks for talent. The Pharisees are religious scouts looking for Messiah. This man performs many indisputable signs. What are we to do? Believe. But instead they say. Ah, we've found the precious. We've discovered the idol. Instead of belief we see fangs and claws. Why, because their place and their nation are being threatened. There's the idol. Now it all makes sense. The source code has been cracked. It's interesting how this is worded because there is a meaning and then there is a meaning behind the meaning. John is a master at the double meaning: “The Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” So on the surface, there's one meaning. It was the job of the local prefect, in this case Pilate, to keep the peace. If the Jews are making trouble, Rome will descend with merciless force and eliminate the trouble. Jesus' miracle working (whether he intends it or not) is going to arouse the attention of Rome. So on the surface this is a political statement, “The Romans will come and take away our place and our nation.” The Romans will come and take away our place (the temple) and our nation (the people)." But a layer beneath is the more sinister meaning. We claim to care about the people but what we really care about is our power over the people. If Rome comes sweeping in, they will take away our place (meaning our political/religious position of power) and our nation (the people our position allows us to control). They love the control they exercise over the massess. They love the adulation of the crowds and respect. They love the lucrative salary that attends that position. They love their precious This is one of the key signs of idolatry, where we hide behind the respectable to protect that which is not respectable. So for example, A man who idolizes his image on Social media will say, “I'm just catching up on the news.” A person who idolizes money will say, “Just making some wise investments for my kids future.” A person who idolizes leisure will say, “Just taking some time off to be with the family.” The Pharisees idolize their position of power but hide beneath, "We need to eliminate Jesus because the Romans will come and destroy God's temple and God's people. Power and control is the idol. Jesus threatens that idol. Solution: destroy Jesus. That's our first point. “Guarding your precious will destroy others.” They are willing to destroy Messiah in order to keep their precious. Presiding over the Sanhedrin was Caiaphas. Now again, the double meaning is so masterful. Let's start with Caiphas' meaning. One man needs to die for the people. In other words, "Either Jesus dies and we save Judea from the wrath of Rome or the whole nation dies." This is a purely POLITICAL STATEMENT. You have to understand that in recent years, they have experienced legitimate wrath from Rome. Let me give you just one case in point. Remember in the Christmas story, Joseph flees to Egypt because Herod was trying to kill baby Jesus. Well it says that when he heard that Herod had died he came home but then he heard that Archeleaus had been installed in his place he feared, and being warned in a dream he went to Nazareth. Why was Joseph afraid of Archelaus? You know what's behind that? Archeleus, in a demonstration of force, had killed 3000 animated Jewish demonstrators and in so doing cancelled passover. They are legitimately fearful of Rome. And Jesus is legitimately causing a stir making this a very real possibility. If that's the case, let me ask you a question, "Why didn't the Pharisees and Sadducees destroy Jesus a long time ago?" For chapters and chapters they have expressed their abject hatred of him. If they hate him and he's a political liability why not lynch him? They have wanted him dead since chapter 8. Why are they dragging their feet? Answer the crowds love him. The crowds adore Jesus and the religious leaders know that if they destroy Jesus, that will massively destroy their credibility. So you see Ciaphas is solving the dilemma. The question on the floor is this: If we kill Jesus, the crowds will hate us. If we let Jesus live, then Rome will hate us. Which is worse? Ciaphas breaks in, "You guys are idiots. This is a no brainer. If the crowds hate us, we suffer a PR setback. If Rome hates us we are all dead. There is a clear winner here: Kill Jesus. Of course we are not going to be popular, but let's rip the band-aid off and get this over with. “it is better for you that one man should die for the people, than the whole nation should perish.” Caiaphas spoke in defense of his idol. If we are to keep our place, our power, our position, Jesus needs to die. That's what Ciaphas meant. Destroy Jesus to save our power - save our precious. But that's not what God meant. Ciaphas assumed that by destroying Jesus that would spell the end of the Jesus threat. FAR FROM IT! This is our second point. Let's see what God meant by the phrase, “it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish” Ciaphas inadvertently uttered truth quite different from the message he intended. Had Ciaphas known what he had uttered he would have involuntarily shuddered. Ciaphas, an unbeliever who hates Jesus, utters the first and most profound theological treatise concerning the atonement. It's staggering how God conscripts the mouth of an unbeliever for his purposes. Here everyone is working their hardest to carry out the high priest's plans against Messiah. The last verse of John 11 says they resolved to put Jesus on the cross. In other words the decision has now been made; it remains only to carry it out, as efficiently as is compatible with political expediency. So into the think tank they go. Let concoct a plan, think it through to make sure it is air tight. Jesus is threatening us. All we need to do is eliminate him and we have won. So they wring their hands in a dimly lit room writing out decrees and declarations beneath the flickering candlelight. The smell of wax is heavy in the room as they press their signets into edicts and send runners here and there. We need to arrange these spies. We need to start greasing the wheels of Rome. Let's get a gift up to Pilate to start bribing him and warming him up. All these plans. They review their work and smile. Airtight. Jesus will end up crucified. Every escape blocked. Every door is closed. Every door that is, except the door to heaven. Listen to Psalm 2 describe God's perspective when men try to conspire against him. Psalm 2 What is this saying? God will do what he wants. And if you are not on his side, you will lose. Everyone is working completely of their own volition to try to destroy Messiah and they are actually carrying out the plan of God! God is laughing. Oh do you see it church? God cannot be stopped. You submit to God or be run over by him. Ciaphas tries to abuse God and God just laughes and uses him. And in so doing Ciaphas enters the long list of people who are used by God despite their best efforts. Jonah from last week, Cyrus, Nebuchadnezzar, Balaam. Oh how foolish we are? To think that we can use our minds to outwit the maker of minds? To think we can use our legs to run from the maker of legs? To think we can use our lips and lungs to speak words that would threaten the maker of lips and lungs? I know of unbelivers who have led people to Christ. Corrupt pastors preach the Word of God. They are like Balaam's ass, unthinking creatures uttering mysteries they know nothing about. It's such a rebuke to a rebel but such an encouragement to saint. Because you want to what else is true if God is sovereign? If you are a parent and you are screwing things up like crazy, guess what. God overrides that screw-up. If you are leading a ministry and you are thinking, man I am so inadequate. True. You say one thing and God does another. What's the principle? God's message is not bound to the performance of his pathetic messengers. God's message transcends the messengers. The power is in the WORD. The power is in this book which contains power unto salvation. You cannot stop God's plan. Your rebellion will only be used to further it. Your obedience will only be used to further it. Three warnings about what happens if we guard our precious. It will destroy others. It will not destroy God's plan. Here's perhaps the most frightening of all, it will destroy you. Do you hear that? Their entire goal in life is to murder Messiah. Let that land and cause you to shudder. Think about it: they had personally witnessed a man born blind healed in chapter 9. Now they hear of the public raising of a man four days dead. What does all this point to? What does the most elementry logic in the world conclude based off this indisputable evidence? Here's their conclusion: he must be from the devil. Kill him. All to guard their precious. What I want you to notice here is how stupid since makes you. Do you see the blinders? Do you see the lenses that they are looking through that create utter distortion? Think about it. They wanted to destroy Jesus but what they didn't realize was that it would utterly destroy them. Ciaphas assumed that by destroying Jesus it would spell the end of the Jesus threat. But in point of fact, it would be that act ‘destroying' Jesus that would elevate Jesus to the right hand of the throne of God and would utterly destroy his soul. Here we have a little Gollum, a sick creatures possessed by his idol. These religious men are literally hell-bent on destroying Jesus. It's so scary. How did they get there? Think about it. These guys were kids who grew up in Sunday School classes. They went to the Cole Valley's and Ambroses of the 1st century. They never missed a Sunday service. They went to all the Thirst Winter Camps. They went to the best Biola's and Talbots and Master's Seminaries of the 1st Century. They got hired on as pastors in respecible churches. And they are trying to murder Jesus. How does this happen? We have totally wasted our time here today if you can't answer that question. How does this sort of thing happen where you can walk around and talk Christianeze and fit into Christian circles and even be leading Christian ministries and be a conspirator in the murder of Jesus? Here's the answer: unconfessed sin. Harboring and coddeling unconfessed sin will blind you to the point where you will destroy your family, destroy the church, destroy your community, your friends so that you can have your precious. Having idols in your life will absolutely destroy you. How does something become an idol? Let me say this. In a very subtle, very inconspicuous, very innocent sort of way. It creeps in slowly, concealed in the ordinary. It slips in clothed in camouflage. And then suddenly, surprisingly you are in tremendous danger. A few years ago, we were waterskiing on cascade lake and a storm rolled in and lighting was just pounding the mountains around us. And the lighting was getting closer and the thunder louder. And my arms started tingling a bit and I looked at my wife and the two other girls on the boat and all of their hair was standing straight up. The static in the air was literally just crackling all around us. And so what did we do? We started laughing. It was so funny looking. It felt funny. It was entertaining. I went home and googled the phenomena and saw multiple articles that were entitled "Selfies taken seconds before being struck by lighting." We had no business being there. That's the DANGER ZONE. We were in a spot where we were literally flirting with life and death. And I think it appropriate to allow this passage to scare us in an that sort of way. Caiaphas, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, none of them thought they were being rebellious. They had logical reasons for the steps they were taking. They religious reasons. They could back up their moves from Torah. They felt fortified in every way and somehow they crucified Messiah. How does that happen? Nobody thinks they have an idol. Oh sure, I'm not perfect, but who is. But when you can't admit it, your in the most dangerous place of all. The longer that sin goes unconfessed the greater the grip that sin has on your life. What are you hiding? Sin of jealousy? Sin of pornography? Substance abuse? Are you bitter and unable to forgive someone who has hurt you? Are you angry and refuse to soften? Are you too prideful to admit you are wrong? Are your finances a total disaster because of your mismangement and your too embarased to admit it? So often we feel we can harbor and hide our sin and play the Christian game too. And when we do that successfully for a while we feel like we are getting away with something. But we are not. When you read the OT you see God acting in what seems like such severe ways. God opens up the ground and swallows a bunch of people for complaining. You were to stone people for what seem to us like minor offenses. Why? And the accusation rises: God is a monster. No. God is merciful. Because that sin is serious. That sin unaddressed will turn into an idol and destroy your soul. And God wants us to be freaked out. Every one of us can look at the pastor who committed adultery, or the poster child that walked away from the faith or the elder that was caught up in a pornagraphic addiction and wonder how did they get there? I would never go down that path. But if there is sin in your life and you are not dealing with it, if there is an idol you are unwilling to abandon, the lesson to be learned from today's text is simply this: you are on your way there. The one who falls into sin doesn't fall very far. If you are coddling your precious (which means if you have unconfessed sin in your life), you are in that DANGER ZONE. You might be having a great time. You might be having the time of your life. But your flirting with Spiritual death. I've watched several people in this church torch themselves in this way. How can you tell if I am in the danger zone. How can I tell if I have an idol? Ask yourself two questions. Will I sin to get it? And will I sin if I don't get it? If the answer is yes to either of those questions, congratulations, you have yourself an idol. Nobody pictures themselves as a Caiphas. Caiphas didn't grow up in Sunday school vowing to one day kill Messiah. But sin makes you blind. Sin make you stupid. At some point, sin left unconfessed long enough turns you into a Ciaphas. Of course, everyone wants to ask the question: how long does it take for a normal sin to turn into a soul destroying idol? There's no answer to that question. Have you ever heard of the fallacy of the beard? The fallacy of the beard says if one hair doesn't make a beard and neither does 2,3,4,5 then there is no such thing as a beard. We all know at some point it becomes a beard. And there is some point at which sin will plunge people into a spiral from which they cannot recover but that point is unknowable. Sin will bring you to the place where you make decisions that look to everyone around you like bottomless foolishness. But you are blinded. Sin becomes more and more thoroughly enslaving until one day you find yourself throwing off all restraints and surrendering all that's important to you so you can have your precious. That's what has happened in this passage. So what do you do? Here's the admonition: there is no moral faculty that God has given more important that you than your conscience. The Bible teaches that it is the standard by which you will be judged. Your conscience is like a fire alarm. When you start sinning, that thing goes off. God gave every one of us the gift of a spiritual fire alarm. Paul describes false teachers in 1 Tim 4:2 as those who have consciences that are seered. The greek word is cauterizomi from which we get our word cauterized and the picture is of a man in battle who gets his wound cauterized. What happens when you touch a cauterized part of your body? You can no longer feel. So to cauterize your conscience is to render your conscience unable to feel. There is only one way to do that. Sin against it. We've got a little alarm panel in our building that notifies us of a malfunctioning sensor. And every since we bought this building, it's been throwing false alarms. Originally it was super, super loud and so we couldn't listen to that all day long so we put a layer of tape over it. That helped a ton. If one layer, helps why not two. And now there's this giant wad of tape and you can barely hear it. I'm half tempted to go in their and snip the speaker wire. Every time you sin against your conscience you are putting a piece of tape over that warning signal and it's getting quieter and quieter and at some point, a point you don't know, that speaker wire is going to get snipped. You won't even recognize it as sin any longer. You will have no moral faculties left to warn you that you have become a Caiaphas. But here's the good news. If you sense that his applies to you, there's still time left. At any time you can repent. Don't leave here today and put another piece of tape over the alarm. It may be the last one. Don't sear your conscience further. Nourish it back to help through confession. I hope the elders and life group leaders and trusted counselors and all the pastors here get flooded with emails this week that say, “I've been harboring this sin and it's time to do business with God. Would you help me.” Yes! Yes, we will. You will be in good company. Welcome to the community of sinners. The feast of grace is only available to those who confess. So confess and feast. How do I confess? Use Psalm 51 as a template. Why? Because Psalm 51 is David pulling out of a spiritual death spiral. 1000's before him never did. But in God's grace, David confesses and was restored. Psalm 51 Let's do business with God this week. For David, that confession was hell. But it resulted in the epitaph, a man after God's own heart. Don't you want that?

Mary at the feet of Jesus was offering her perfume in worship to Jesus. She was giving herself in service to the Lord. It is easy for her to question and doubt the Lord when faced with why didn't raise Lazarus, but in response she worshiped. Do you worship like mary or judge like judas- This message is powerful, we are all called to surrender and follow-

  Using the account of the rich man and Lazarus, Brother Aaron Studdard expounds some very frightening truths to remember about a place called Hell. Aaron Studdard – What A Lost Soul Learned In Hell MP3 Link  

Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 53 Psalm 53 (Listen) There Is None Who Does Good To the choirmaster: according to Mahalath. A Maskil1 of David. 53   The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”    They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity;    there is none who does good. 2   God looks down from heaven    on the children of man  to see if there are any who understand,2    who seek after God. 3   They have all fallen away;    together they have become corrupt;  there is none who does good,    not even one. 4   Have those who work evil no knowledge,    who eat up my people as they eat bread,    and do not call upon God? 5   There they are, in great terror,    where there is no terror!  For God scatters the bones of him who encamps against you;    you put them to shame, for God has rejected them. 6   Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!    When God restores the fortunes of his people,    let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad. Footnotes [1] 53:1 Probably musical or liturgical terms [2] 53:2 Or who act wisely (ESV) Pentateuch and History: 2 Samuel 13 2 Samuel 13 (Listen) Amnon and Tamar 13 Now Absalom, David's son, had a beautiful sister, whose name was Tamar. And after a time Amnon, David's son, loved her. 2 And Amnon was so tormented that he made himself ill because of his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed impossible to Amnon to do anything to her. 3 But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother. And Jonadab was a very crafty man. 4 And he said to him, “O son of the king, why are you so haggard morning after morning? Will you not tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.” 5 Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. And when your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Let my sister Tamar come and give me bread to eat, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat it from her hand.'” 6 So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. And when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let my sister Tamar come and make a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.” 7 Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, “Go to your brother Amnon's house and prepare food for him.” 8 So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house, where he was lying down. And she took dough and kneaded it and made cakes in his sight and baked the cakes. 9 And she took the pan and emptied it out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, “Send out everyone from me.” So everyone went out from him. 10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the chamber, that I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother. 11 But when she brought them near him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister.” 12 She answered him, “No, my brother, do not violate1 me, for such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this outrageous thing. 13 As for me, where could I carry my shame? And as for you, you would be as one of the outrageous fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.” 14 But he would not listen to her, and being stronger than she, he violated her and lay with her. 15 Then Amnon hated her with very great hatred, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Get up! Go!” 16 But she said to him, “No, my brother, for this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you did to me.”2 But he would not listen to her. 17 He called the young man who served him and said, “Put this woman out of my presence and bolt the door after her.” 18 Now she was wearing a long robe with sleeves,3 for thus were the virgin daughters of the king dressed. So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. 19 And Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the long robe that she wore. And she laid her hand on her head and went away, crying aloud as she went. 20 And her brother Absalom said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? Now hold your peace, my sister. He is your brother; do not take this to heart.” So Tamar lived, a desolate woman, in her brother Absalom's house. 21 When King David heard of all these things, he was very angry.4 22 But Absalom spoke to Amnon neither good nor bad, for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had violated his sister Tamar. Absalom Murders Amnon 23 After two full years Absalom had sheepshearers at Baal-hazor, which is near Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king's sons. 24 And Absalom came to the king and said, “Behold, your servant has sheepshearers. Please let the king and his servants go with your servant.” 25 But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son, let us not all go, lest we be burdensome to you.” He pressed him, but he would not go but gave him his blessing. 26 Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us.” And the king said to him, “Why should he go with you?” 27 But Absalom pressed him until he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him. 28 Then Absalom commanded his servants, “Mark when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon,' then kill him. Do not fear; have I not commanded you? Be courageous and be valiant.” 29 So the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's sons arose, and each mounted his mule and fled. 30 While they were on the way, news came to David, “Absalom has struck down all the king's sons, and not one of them is left.” 31 Then the king arose and tore his garments and lay on the earth. And all his servants who were standing by tore their garments. 32 But Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David's brother, said, “Let not my lord suppose that they have killed all the young men, the king's sons, for Amnon alone is dead. For by the command of Absalom this has been determined from the day he violated his sister Tamar. 33 Now therefore let not my lord the king so take it to heart as to suppose that all the king's sons are dead, for Amnon alone is dead.” Absalom Flees to Geshur 34 But Absalom fled. And the young man who kept the watch lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, many people were coming from the road behind him5 by the side of the mountain. 35 And Jonadab said to the king, “Behold, the king's sons have come; as your servant said, so it has come about.” 36 And as soon as he had finished speaking, behold, the king's sons came and lifted up their voice and wept. And the king also and all his servants wept very bitterly. 37 But Absalom fled and went to Talmai the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son day after day. 38 So Absalom fled and went to Geshur, and was there three years. 39 And the spirit of the king6 longed to go out7 to Absalom, because he was comforted about Amnon, since he was dead. Footnotes [1] 13:12 Or humiliate; also verses 14, 22, 32 [2] 13:16 Compare Septuagint, Vulgate; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain [3] 13:18 Or a robe of many colors (compare Genesis 37:3); compare long robe, verse 19 [4] 13:21 Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint add But he would not punish his son Amnon, because he loved him, since he was his firstborn [5] 13:34 Septuagint the Horonaim Road [6] 13:39 Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint; Hebrew David [7] 13:39 Compare Vulgate ceased to go out (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Ezekiel 13 Ezekiel 13 (Listen) False Prophets Condemned 13 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel, who are prophesying, and say to those who prophesy from their own hearts: ‘Hear the word of the LORD!' 3 Thus says the Lord GOD, Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing! 4 Your prophets have been like jackals among ruins, O Israel. 5 You have not gone up into the breaches, or built up a wall for the house of Israel, that it might stand in battle in the day of the LORD. 6 They have seen false visions and lying divinations. They say, ‘Declares the LORD,' when the LORD has not sent them, and yet they expect him to fulfill their word. 7 Have you not seen a false vision and uttered a lying divination, whenever you have said, ‘Declares the LORD,' although I have not spoken?” 8 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Because you have uttered falsehood and seen lying visions, therefore behold, I am against you, declares the Lord GOD. 9 My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and who give lying divinations. They shall not be in the council of my people, nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord GOD. 10 Precisely because they have misled my people, saying, ‘Peace,' when there is no peace, and because, when the people build a wall, these prophets smear it with whitewash,1 11 say to those who smear it with whitewash that it shall fall! There will be a deluge of rain, and you, O great hailstones, will fall, and a stormy wind break out. 12 And when the wall falls, will it not be said to you, ‘Where is the coating with which you smeared it?' 13 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: I will make a stormy wind break out in my wrath, and there shall be a deluge of rain in my anger, and great hailstones in wrath to make a full end. 14 And I will break down the wall that you have smeared with whitewash, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be laid bare. When it falls, you shall perish in the midst of it, and you shall know that I am the LORD. 15 Thus will I spend my wrath upon the wall and upon those who have smeared it with whitewash, and I will say to you, The wall is no more, nor those who smeared it, 16 the prophets of Israel who prophesied concerning Jerusalem and saw visions of peace for her, when there was no peace, declares the Lord GOD. 17 “And you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people, who prophesy out of their own hearts. Prophesy against them 18 and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Woe to the women who sew magic bands upon all wrists, and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature, in the hunt for souls! Will you hunt down souls belonging to my people and keep your own souls alive? 19 You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, putting to death souls who should not die and keeping alive souls who should not live, by your lying to my people, who listen to lies. 20 “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against your magic bands with which you hunt the souls like birds, and I will tear them from your arms, and I will let the souls whom you hunt go free, the souls like birds. 21 Your veils also I will tear off and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand as prey, and you shall know that I am the LORD. 22 Because you have disheartened the righteous falsely, although I have not grieved him, and you have encouraged the wicked, that he should not turn from his evil way to save his life, 23 therefore you shall no more see false visions nor practice divination. I will deliver my people out of your hand. And you shall know that I am the LORD.” Footnotes [1] 13:10 Or plaster; also verses 11, 14, 15 (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: Luke 16–17:10 Luke 16–17:10 (Listen) The Parable of the Dishonest Manager 16 He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. 2 And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.' 3 And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.' 5 So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?' 6 He said, ‘A hundred measures1 of oil.' He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.' 7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?' He said, ‘A hundred measures2 of wheat.' He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.' 8 The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world3 are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth,4 so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. 10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” The Law and the Kingdom of God 14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. 15 And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God. 16 “The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it.5 17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void. Divorce and Remarriage 18 “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery. The Rich Man and Lazarus 19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side.6 The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.' 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.' 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house—28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.' 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.' 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'” Temptations to Sin 17 And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin7 are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.8 3 Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, 4 and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,' you must forgive him.” Increase Our Faith 5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you. Unworthy Servants 7 “Will any one of you who has a servant9 plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table'? 8 Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly,10 and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink'? 9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants;11 we have only done what was our duty.'” Footnotes [1] 16:6 About 875 gallons or 3,200 liters [2] 16:7 Between 1,000 and 1,200 bushels or 37,000 to 45,000 liters [3] 16:8 Greek age [4] 16:9 Greek mammon, a Semitic word for money or possessions; also verse 11; rendered money in verse 13 [5] 16:16 Or everyone is forcefully urged into it [6] 16:22 Greek bosom; also verse 23 [7] 17:1 Greek Stumbling blocks [8] 17:2 Greek stumble [9] 17:7 Or bondservant; also verse 9 [10] 17:8 Greek gird yourself [11] 17:10 Or bondservants (ESV)

Erin is a cat lady and cats are my life. She also loves invertebrates and reptiles. She has 10 cats: Vesper, Prometheus, Athena, Lazarus (girl), Leviticus, Astraea, Icarus (girl), Pegasus, Obadiah (girl), and Herculaneum. I have a gecko named Edgar and a tarantula named Moses (girl). Erin loves take almost every day photo and create art. Learn more about how you can take stunning photos simply using your camera or your phone.Connect with Erin:IG: @prometheus_the_catFB group: Promo's Pride for animal lovers Pridehttps://www.facebook.com/groups/582193362945867EXCITING NEWS: SAVE THE DATE!! SEPTEMBER 28th⭐️GET OUR FREE PET PHOTOGRAPHY COURSE: www.petpixacademy.com

G-Eazy sits down with Kyle Meredith to talk about These Things Happen Too, an album that sequels his 2014 breakthrough. The rap artist talks about the 436 songs that were written for the project, E-40's influence, and his nostalgia for the past. He also tells us about befriending Cage The Elephant's Matthew Shultz, who guests on a track, covering David Bowie's "Lazarus" on last year's Everything's Strange Here, collaborating with Demi Lovato on Breakdown and their shared experience as artists, and teaming up with Diane Warren and Santana on "She's Fire." --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Lazarus has spent his life trying to figure out what class he is - ranger, cleric, bard?? But after a freak carnival accident leaves him several hundred feet in the air gripping onto a large balloon, it'll require every class feature he can summon to survive. Will he float back down to earth or fly up, up, and away? You'll have to listen to find out!Every episode of City of Town is made up on the spot. No pre-planning, no character sheets, just endless amounts of dragon slaying. If you have ideas for adventures you'd like to see, contact us (Casey and Michael) through Instagram @cityoftowndnd Edited by Ryan RiverosCover Art by Catherine Chooljian (@cooljeansart)

Clayton's clarifies the meaning of salvation by telling the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. He explains why Jesus waited several days to visit Lazarus after he discovered he was sick. The raising of Lazarus was the 7th miraculous sign recorded in John's gospel, and proves that Jesus was the Messiah. Hundreds responded to this message of salvation each week of summer camp. Find out more about Crossroads Summer Camps, Winter Conferences, and Clayton King Ministries at claytonking.com

Episode 403 - Show NotesGod has created us with emotions. You have emotions of joy which include happiness, contentment, peace, love, relief, and satisfaction. You also experience emotions of sadness, which may include feelings of disappointment, grief, heartbreak, loneliness, and misery. It's perfectly normal to feel and share our emotions.Throughout scripture we see people expressing the emotion of sadness through their tears. There are biblical examples of tears of grief, tears of repentance, tears of joy, tears of sympathy, tears disappointment and neglect, and tears of yearning and desire.John chapter 11 tells us that even Jesus wept when he saw the tomb of his friend Lazarus, who had recently died.Hebrews 4:15 tells us that God “sympathizes with our weaknesses.” Some translations say he is “touched with the feelings of our infirmities.”The ancient Greeks believed that one of the primary attributes of God was his inability to feel anything at all. Jesus isn't like that. He knows and He feels what we go through. The ancient Greek word translated sympathize literally means “to suffer along with.”What makes the difference is that Jesus added humanity to His deity, and lived among us. When you have been there, it makes all the difference.While we all have emotions and we all have tears of sorrow in this life, there is coming a day, as Revelation 21 says, when “God wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”We will be in God's presence forever. And because we will be with God, no harm or evil can ever touch us again. We will enter into a joy we have never experienced and cannot begin to imagine. There will be no tears.  No sorrow.  No pain.  No regret.  No remorse.  Bitterness is gone forever, failure left far behind, suffering is redeemed and rewarded. On that incredible day, God will wipe away our sadness, our sorrow, our grief, our mourning, and our heartache. He will replace it with gladness, celebration, delight, joy, and eternal contentment.Revelation 21:1-4 - "Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”5Minute Discipleship.com

When a man comes home from work to find his wife dead in their home, the scene is quickly passed off as a burglary gone wrong. As the case unfolds and more players are revealed, the murder of Sherri Rasmussen takes on a crazy twist that is hard to believe!   Episode Credits:  "Rasmussen Amended Complaint". Scribd. January 28, 2011. Retrieved December 14, 2013. ^ "Stephanie Lazarus found guilty in 26-year-old murder of ex-lover's wife". CBS News. Associated Press. March 8, 2012. Retrieved September 15, 2012. ^ "State of California Inmate Locator". California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Retrieved July 28, 2015. ^ "Stephanie Lazarus Criminal Appeal – Appellant's Opening Brief" (PDF). forensictranmissions.com. November 21, 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 3, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2013. ^ Jump up to:a b Jackson, Hillary (July 13, 2015). "Appeal by LAPD detective convicted of gunning down romantic rival fails". MyNewsLA.com. Retrieved December 21, 2015. ^ Jump up to:a b c Elias, Paul (February 24, 2013). "Parents of Sherri Rasmussen can't sue LAPD over her murder in Van Nuys at hands of detective Stephanie Lazarus, court rules". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved November 25, 2013. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g h i j k "Jennifer Francis Lawsuit". Scribd. October 30, 2013. Retrieved December 14, 2013. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g h i j k Mikulan, Stephen (September 1, 2012). "In Plain Sight". Los Angeles. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 30, 2013. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q McGough, Matthew (June 2011). "The Lazarus File". The Atlantic. Retrieved November 25, 2013. ^ Pelisek, Christine (March 8, 2012). "L.A. Policewoman on Trial for Murdering Her Ex's Wife". The Daily Beast. Retrieved January 5,2020. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Bowden, Mark (July 2012). "A Case so Cold it was Blue". Vanity Fair. Retrieved November 25, 2013. ^ Jump up to:a b c d Deutsch, Linda (February 15, 2012). "Stephanie Lazarus Murder Case: Weeping Widower Testifies". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on December 9, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2013. ^ Jump up to:a b c Blankstein, Andrew; Rubin, Joel (June 10, 2009). "Detective stalked slaying victim, father says". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 30, 2013. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g Romano, Tricia. "Stephanie Lazarus and the Murder of Sherri Rae Rasmussen". trutv.com. Archived from the originalon October 17, 2012. Retrieved September 15, 2012. ^ Jump up to:a b c Manella, Nora, People v. Lazarus Archived 2015-09-10 at the Wayback Machine, California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division Four; July 13, 2015; p. 3 ^ People v. Lazarus, 14–15. ^ Jump up to:a b Kandel, Jason (March 8, 2012). "Guilty Verdict in Murder Case Against Ex-LAPD Detective Lazarus". KNBC. Retrieved March 3,2019. ^ People v. Lazarus, 10 ^ Rubin, Joel; Blankstein, Andrew (June 13, 2009). "LAPD officer had said gun was stolen". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 1, 2013. ^ People v. Lazarus, 12–13. ^ Rubin, Joel (December 19, 2009). "Bail is set at $10 million for LAPD detective accused of murder". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 20, 2013. ^ Rubin, Joel; Andrew, Blankstein (March 12, 2010). "Brother of LAPD detective accused of murder criticizes judge". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 12, 2013. ^ Blankstein, Andrew; Rubin, Joel (October 20, 2009). "LAPD detective accused of 1986 slaying seeks dismissal of case". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 14, 2013. ^ Lazarus Appeal, 58–73. ^ Jump up to:a b Lazarus Appeal, 73–103. ^ Lazarus Appeal, 103–110. ^ Garrity v. New Jersey, 385 U.S. 493 (1967) ^ Lazarus Appeal, 110–128. ^ Frye v. United States, 293 F. 1913 (D.C. Cir. 1923). ^ Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 509 U.S. 579(1994) ^ Chang, Wendy; Ufkes, Frederick (January 2013). "Supreme Court clarifies role of trial judge in determining admissibility of expert testimony". California Bar Journal. ^ Lazarus Appeal, 128–153. ^ Breuer, Howard; Keating, Caitlin; Hanlon, Greg (December 4, 2017). "Scorned LAPD Detective Murdered Her Ex-Boyfriend's Wife – and Got Away With It for Decades". People. Retrieved January 30, 2018. ^ Jump up to:a b Associated Press (February 29, 2012). "Defense rests in cold-case murder trial of ex-cop". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on December 17, 2013. Retrieved December 12,2013. ^ Gray, Madison (February 8, 2012). "Trial Begins in Case of LAPD Vet Accused of Murder". Time. Retrieved September 15, 2012. ^ Deutsch, Linda (March 5, 2012). "Stephanie Lazarus Murder Trial: Lawyers Take Center Stage". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved December 13, 2013. ^ Lavietes, Bryan (May 11, 2012). "Former LAPD Detective Sentenced for 1986 Murder of Ex-Boyfriend's Wife". trutv.com. Archived from the original on September 20, 2012. Retrieved September 15, 2012. ^ Jump up to:a b Tchekmedyian, Alene (April 5, 2019). "Jury sides with city in retaliation lawsuit". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 21, 2019. ^ Jump up to:a b "Rasmussen Appellate Court Decision". Scribd. November 15, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2013. ^ "Judge sentences California serial killer Rodney Alcala to death". New York Daily News. March 30, 2010. Retrieved December 14, 2013. ^ "Judge limits psych. evidence in policewoman murder arrest trial". City News Service. September 8, 2015. Archived from the original on September 21, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2016. ^ Jump up to:a b Tickle, Donald (May 28, 2013). "Appellate brief of Stephanie Lazarus" (PDF). pp. 70–71. Archived from the original (PDF)on January 3, 2019. 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Thanks to everyone who supports TMBH at patreon.com/thetmbhpodcast You're the reason we can all do this together! Discuss the episode here Music written and performed by Jeff Foote.

You see a different side of someone when you see what makes him or her cry. Seeing a person weep, and knowing why—the thing he or she cares about so deeply as to be moved to tears—is a deep insight.   Lazarus. Jerusalem. Sin.   Jesus weeps at these.   That tells us something important, for a man who weeps in the face of suffering is a man who loves deeply, who is profoundly affected by what is happening. It's deeply personal. He's not far away or abstract.   He wants to cry with us. He wants to mingle his tears with us.   Think of your suffering; the situations that bring tears to your eyes for yourself or your loved ones or even for those you've never met. Now, if you need to, pray against any idea of a disinterested or stoic God. Accept permission to grieve. Let the Lord weep with you.   The Poco a Poco podcast happens because of generous donors like you. You can give at https://spiritjuice.org/supportpoco. Thank you!

Lazarus species were thought to be gone, but had something else in mind. Today we talk about 5 of them. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com