Podcasts about lord jeremiah

Text me a message! I would love to hear from you!When your story doesn't look like everyone else's, it can be hard to trust that God is still leading. Today's episode is a gentle reminder that God's plan for your life is beautifully unique. Key verse: “For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord… (Jeremiah 29:11, NASV Get a free copy of The Grace-Filled Home: 5 Essentials to Creating a Home Where Faith Can Grow Get your free copy of: 7 Powerful Prayers to Pray Over Your Husband Get the List! Our 35 Favorite Family Read-Alouds Purchase a copy of my latest book! Covered in Prayer: 31 Prayers to Cover You and Your Children in God's GraceIf you enjoy this episode and want to buy Audrey a coffee, please click here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ajmccrac73dFor more mom encouragement visit graceformyhome.comJoin My Email List!Follow me on ...

Sabbath School panel discussion and insight by 3ABN pastors and teachers. This podcast episode follows 2025 quarter 2, lesson 1 of the adult Bible study guide book. This quarter's book topic is “Some Principles of Prophecy” and this week's Sabbath School lesson is titled “Allusions, Images, Symbols: How to Study Bible Prophecy”. Join us every week for a fresh and relevant study of the word of God. Reading: Jer. 29:23, 24 | Ps. 139:1-6 | Dan. 12:4 | Rev. 22:10 | 2 Tim. 3:15-17 | Heb. 4:12. Memory Text: " 'But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising loving­kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,' says the LORD” (Jeremiah 9:24, NKJV). (March 29 - April 4) Sunday (John Dinzey) - “Whoever Reads, Let Him Understand”Monday (Jill Morikone) - “God Wants to Be Understood”Tuesday (Daniel Perrin) - “Daniel–Shut Up the Words”Wednesday (Shelley Quinn) - “Studying the Word”Thursday (James Rafferty) - “Figurative or Literal?” Want the Panelists' notes? You can sign up here: https://3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com/notes/ Questions or Comments? Email us at mail@3abn.org Donate: https://3abn.org/donate-quick.html

"Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock" Matthew 7:24  In the tapestry of life, where storms may rage and shadows loom, we find our refuge in faith—our unshakeable base. As the Psalmist declares, "When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles" (Psalm 34:17). Just as a house built upon rock withstands the fiercest winds, so too does our faith fortify us against adversity. With Christ as our cornerstone, we rise above the chaos, unyielding and resolute. Let's consider a story of a humble carpenter who built his home upon the shifting sands of despair. Each wave that crashed threatened to swallow him whole. Yet, when he turned to the Word of God, he found strength in His promises. Like the wise builder in Matthew 7:24-25, he learned that only through faith in Jesus—his sure foundation—could he weather any storm. "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord (Jeremiah 29:11), plans not to harm but to give hope and a future. Ephesians 6:16 says, “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Jesus is my sure foundation; is He yours? In moments of doubt, remember the words of Isaiah: "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God" (Isaiah 41:10). This divine assurance is a beacon, illuminating our path even in the darkest nights. Lean into Him; let His strength uphold you when your own feels frail.  As you walk this journey of faith, know that every trial shapes your character and draws you closer to the heart of God. “But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:13). Hold fast to this promise, dear friend, and let hope anchor your soul. Your struggles do not define you; rather, they are stepping stones leading you to greater faith and understanding. Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Amen. Prayer for the Day!Heavenly Father, we thank You for being our sure foundation amidst life's uncertainties. Help us to build our lives on Your Word and trust in Your unfailing love. May we stand firm in faith, knowing that with Christ as our unshakeable base, we can face any storm. Strengthen us and guide us as we walk this path together. In Jesus' name, Amen. 

Pastor Dan Bodin  ~  6th Sunday after the Epiphany   Old Testament:  Jeremiah 17:5-8 Epistle:  1 Corinthians 15:12-20 Gospel: Luke 6:17-26 The post February 16, 2025 ~ “Trust in the Lord” ~ Jeremiah 17:5-8 appeared first on Beautiful Savior Fargo.

Let us fix our hearts and minds on the grandeur of God's righteous judgment, a truth proclaimed from the pages of His eternal Word. As we delve into the mystery of divine justice upon Babylon, that city of ancient pride and rebellion, we are drawn to the sovereign orchestration of God in the affairs of nations, “For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will” (Revelation 17:17). Babylon—first among the Gentile kingdoms to subdue God's chosen people, Israel—was not merely a tool of conquest but an instrument of divine discipline. Thus saith the Lord through His prophet, "And I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight, saith the Lord" (Jeremiah 51:24). How sobering is this truth: God, who raises up rulers and nations, also casts them down for their pride and iniquity. Babylon, far more than an ancient empire, stands as a symbol of every false system of worship and rebellion against the Most High. From her idolatrous foundations to her end-time personification as the harlot of Revelation 17, she epitomizes humanity's defiance against the holy God. As we contemplate this, let us marvel at the divine paradox: God's sovereign use of evil to accomplish His purposes while rendering just recompense to wickedness. Babylon's rise and fall unveil both the holiness of God and the rebellious heart of man. Yet, in these judgments, we see the gospel's shadow—pointing to the ultimate victory of Christ, the Lamb who was slain, who will one day cause every knee to bow and every tongue to confess His Lordship. Visit our website for more resources and teachings: faithfoundations.church

Reading Jeremiah 5:10-19, continuing to read this rebuke God makes of Jerusalem who has gone after false gods, but though they will be punished God will not make a full end of them. Visit wwutt.com for all our videos!

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January 01, 2025 Daily Devotion: "A Heart to Know the Lord" Jeremiah 24:7 New Living Translation 7 I will give them hearts that recognize me as the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me wholeheartedly. In Jeremiah 24:7, God expresses His promise to His people: “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.” This verse is a powerful reminder of God's desire for a genuine relationship with His people, emphasizing His initiative in drawing us near to Him. In the context of Jeremiah's time, the Israelites were facing exile, a direct consequence of their disobedience. Yet, in this moment of crisis, God reassures them of His unwavering commitment to restore them. This is a beautiful illustration of grace and redemption, showing that even in our darkest moments, God is ready to lead us back to Him if we earnestly seek Him. A heart that knows the Lord is a heart transformed. It is crucial for believers today to cultivate such a heart through prayer, studying the Scriptures, and engaging in community with other believers. When we seek God wholeheartedly, we will experience His presence and guidance in our lives. As we reflect on Jeremiah 24:7, let us ask ourselves: Are we pursuing a deeper relationship with God? Are we willing to return to Him with our whole hearts?

"For everything, there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1 There is a profound beauty in blooming late. Just like the lotus rising from muddy waters or the rose that blossom after the frost, late bloomers hold a unique power and purpose in their journey. Embracing this path can be incredibly rewarding, allowing you to gather wisdom and strength. Consider the parable of a tree planted by the stream of water (Psalm 1:3). Though perhaps slow to grow at first, this tree eventually bears fruit in due season. It stays green and resilient through life's seasons because it draws consistently from its rich foundation. Psalm 92:12-14 says, "The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age, full of sap and green." Reflect on Moses, who was called to lead his people out of Egypt well into adulthood, or Abraham, who embarked on his most significant journeys later in life. Their stories remind us that age or timing are not barriers but gateways to new chapters where one's experiences serve as invaluable tools for success and leadership. Ephesians 3:20 says, "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us." As you nurture your ministry, business, marriage, or talents, remember this enduring truth: For I know my plans for you, declares the Lord (Jeremiah 29:11). Your timeline is unique and divinely orchestrated. Do not bury your potential; nourish it patiently with faith that God's plan unfolds perfectly in His time. Give yourself the grace and courage to flourish when it's finally time to blossom fully. Job 8:7 says, "And though your beginning was small, your latter days will be very great." Prayer for the Day! With a heart overflowing with faith in God's boundless presence, I lift you in prayer today. May the Lord, in His infinite wisdom and mercy, grant you the grace and courage needed to step into your destiny when the appointed time arrives. Like a seed nurtured by gentle rains and warm sun, may you be surrounded by divine favor that encourages your soul to blossom fully. Remember that God's promises are steadfast and sure; He who started a good work in you will complete it in due time. In Jesus' name. Amen. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pastor-divineo/support

Hello, Kindly listen to the teaching titled: A NATION JOINED TO THE LORD (Jeremiah 50:4-5) by Rev. Ben Tumuheirwe from the Mid-Week Service of Wednesday, 9th October 2024

Send us a textMorning by Morning, October 4, 2024 - Days of Awe Good morning, Lord Jesus. I look up to You, my Redeemer and Redemption, who is always near. ... “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him” (Psalm 33:8).During these Ten Days of Awe on the Biblical Calendar -- from the Feast of Trumpets until the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:24-34) -- I stand in awe of You, I bow low in humility before You, I lift up my praises in worship of You -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. These are days intended to honor You and humble our hearts before You, in both the love of God and the fear of the Lord.  These are days of repentance and return, introspection and intimacy, solemnity in the searching of our souls to surrender to You all that is not yet like You: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24). Thank You that when we seek You in humility and search for You in faith, You promise that we will find You, that we will be embraced by You. “You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord” (Jeremiah 29:13-14). “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4:10). In these Days of Awe, help me embrace a living lifestyle of humility before You, dependence upon You, passionate persuit of You, in both the love of God and the fear of the Lord. This day and every day, I stand in awe of You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.Written and sent out from the morning prayer time of Tommy Hays each day.God bless you and may you have a great day!—Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministrieshttp://messiah-ministries.org

In this episode of Pray the Word on Jeremiah 42:5–6, David Platt exhorts us to align our plans with God's will instead of making our plans on our own.From unexpected olympic champion to martyr in China. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Eric Liddell's win in the 1924 games.In Glory Road, Radical's new narrative podcast, we'll follow Liddell's remarkable journey, and discover the current state of the gospel in the countries he knew best.Start listening to this 6 part series now everywhere you listen to podcasts or find out more at radical.net/gloryroadExplore more content from Radical.

"If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land." Isaiah 1:19  Choosing obedience over convenience is a powerful decision that can lead to extraordinary outcomes. Often, we find ourselves at a crossroads where the easy route beckons us with its familiar comforts. However, it is in the moments we step outside our comfort zones that we truly grow. Embracing obedience may be challenging, but it opens doors to incredible opportunities and strengthens our character.  I remember a story of a young woman named Larita who felt called to start a nonprofit for underprivileged children. The idea seemed daunting, and she was tempted to stick with her stable job—an easy choice for sure. Yet, after much prayer and reflection, she chose to obey that calling despite the uncertainties. Over time, her organization blossomed and changed countless lives, proving that obedience leads to blessings beyond imagination. Exodus 23:22 says, “But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. As you navigate your own journey, remember the words of renowned author C.S. Lewis: You can make anything by writing. While this quote speaks specifically about creativity, it also reminds us that our actions write the story of our lives. When we choose courage over complacency and obedience over convenience, we become co-authors of an extraordinary narrative. In times of doubt or fear as you strive for obedience, hold on to these verses from scripture: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord (Jeremiah 29:11). This promise reassures us that God's purpose surpasses our understanding of convenience. Allow that assurance to guide you; take steps into the unknown with faith and conviction! Amen. Psalm 112:1 says, "Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments!"  Prayer for the Day! Dear Lord Jesus, as I come before You today, I humbly ask for the courage to step out of my comfort zone. Like a seed buried in the ground, I know that growth requires breaking through the barriers of what is familiar and safe. Help me choose obedience over convenience, recognizing that You're calling often leads to unknown places filled with purpose and divine encounters. May Your Holy Spirit guide my every step as I learn to trust in Your perfect plan. In Jesus' name. Amen. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pastor-divineo/support

Jeremiah 46:10 For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates. 46:11 Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt: in vain shalt thou use many medicines; for thou shalt not be cured. 46:12 The nations have heard of thy shame, and thy cry hath filled the land: for the mighty man hath stumbled against the mighty, and they are fallen both together. 46:13 The word that the LORD spake to Jeremiah the prophet, how Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon should come and smite the land of Egypt. 46:14 Declare ye in Egypt, and publish in Migdol, and publish in Noph and in Tahpanhes: say ye, Stand fast, and prepare thee; for the sword shall devour round about thee.Shared via Bible KJVFAITHBUCKS.COM

Jeremiah 46:10 For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates. 46:11 Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt: in vain shalt thou use many medicines; for thou shalt not be cured. 46:12 The nations have heard of thy shame, and thy cry hath filled the land: for the mighty man hath stumbled against the mighty, and they are fallen both together. 46:13 The word that the LORD spake to Jeremiah the prophet, how Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon should come and smite the land of Egypt. 46:14 Declare ye in Egypt, and publish in Migdol, and publish in Noph and in Tahpanhes: say ye, Stand fast, and prepare thee; for the sword shall devour round about thee.Shared via Bible KJV

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In this episode of Pray the Word on Jeremiah 3:12–13, David Platt encourages us to be quick to confess our sins so we can receive God's mercy.

Blessings Follow Sanctification (6)  (audio)  David Eells (7/7/24)  We've been studying sanctification and its resulting blessing, and we've seen that the Church and the Bride are coming to such great maturity in their sanctification that they are as (Isa.62:1) … as a lamp that burneth. All of the true Church is going to grow 30-, 60- and 100-fold in the fruit of Jesus Christ, and the Bride gloriously comes into His image, as we studied in Isaiah 62. But Isaiah 63 is a different story because it tells you about those who are not sanctified.   I'd like to back up a little bit first and review what I shared about last time. (Isa.63:1) Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. (2) Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winevat? (3) I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the peoples there was no man with me: yea, I trod them in mine anger, and trampled them in my wrath; and their lifeblood is sprinkled upon my garments, and I have stained all my raiment. We noticed in Revelation 19 that the Lord does come back with a garment that is sprinkled with blood and it is the blood of His enemies.   The enemy that He is speaking about in this chapter is Edom. He is coming from Bozrah of Edom and bozrah means “sheepfold.” We saw in our previous study that the Lord Jesus came to the sheepfold in a time when the Old Testament Church was very apostate and He called His sheep by name and led them out of the sheepfold. Shortly after that, those people who refused to come out of their apostate sheepfold were hardened and rejected, and then the Beast came and devoured the Harlot. We know that same history is going to repeat in our day and this is who Isaiah 63 is talking about; it's talking about the Harlot. We also learned that Edom, or the seed of Esau, represents the opposite of Jacob. (Gen.25:29) And Jacob boiled pottage: and Esau came in from the field, and he was faint:   (30) and Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red [pottage]; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. (31) And Jacob said, Sell me first thy birthright. (32) And Esau said, Behold, I am about to die: and what profit shall the birthright do to me? (33) And Jacob said, Swear to me first; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. (34) And Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: so Esau despised his birthright. At the time when Esau decided to sell his birthright, he was called “Edom,” which means “red,” and “red” is the color of sin. As it says in (Isa.1:18) Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.   Remember what it says in Hebrews. (Heb.12:14) Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord (When Jacob was sanctified, or separated, from Esau, he bore so much fruit that it shocked his brother.): (Heb.12:15) looking carefully lest [there be] any man that falleth short of the grace of God (Many people fall short of the grace of God for the same reason that Esau fell short of the grace of God.); lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble [you,] and thereby the many be defiled.... A root of bitterness will defile many people because a person who has it will export it and Esau certainly did. If nothing else, he exported it to all of his seed because the sins of the parents are passed on to the children to the third and fourth generation (Deuteronomy 5:9).   When a person sins by allowing a demonic spirit of bitterness, or criticism, or unforgiveness toward their brother, which was Esau's problem, then that sin is passed on to their seed. The sin of Esau is the sin of the Edomites, whom the Lord says He will destroy, He will trample (Isaiah 63:3). “The many be defiled” is what happened from Esau's sin and even today there are Esaus, so Paul warns us that we need to make sure that no one falls after that same example of disobedience. Esau was the brother of Jacob and he was a son of Abraham, and he represented a son of God, but still he sold his birthright because of this root of bitterness. (Heb.12:16) Lest [there be] any fornicator, or profane person (We discovered that “profane” here means “permitted to be trodden.” In other words, this is someone who was “trampled underfoot,” someone who was conquered by his spiritual enemies.), as Esau, who for one mess of meat (I liken that to “flesh” because I don't think it was an accident that they used the word “meat” there.) sold his own birthright.   Because he walked after the flesh, because he submitted to these spirits of criticism, anger and bitterness against his brother, Esau sold his own birthright. (Heb.12:17) For ye know that even when he afterward desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place for a change of mind [in his father] (Literally, it doesn't say “in his father,” but “found no place for a change of mind.” The phrase “change of mind” is the Greek word metanoia and it means “repentance.” Esau could not repent and we saw in 2 Peter 2 that unrepentant people can't cease from sin.), though he sought it diligently with tears.   He found no forgiveness in himself, he found no repentance in his life and he could not cease from sinning because he was bitter. He was turned over to the tormentors and the tormentors made him what he was. Jesus told us in, (Mat.18:32) Then his lord called him unto him, and saith to him, Thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou besoughtest me: (33) shouldest not thou also have had mercy on thy fellow-servant, even as I had mercy on thee? (34) And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due. (35) So shall also my heavenly Father do unto you, if ye forgive not every one his brother from your hearts.   When we see that the people whom the Lord is judging here is Edom, we are not seeing the whole story. Edom specifically represents those who are brothers of Jacob and sons of Abraham, whether physical or spiritual, but who sell their birthright through walking after the flesh and go on to persecute their brother. In the case of Edom, they sell their birthright because of bitterness. The whole story is found in Revelation 19, where He is judging all of the nations at the time of the wrath of God. (Rev.19:11) And I saw the heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and he that sat thereon called Faithful and True; and in righteous he doth judge and make war. (12) And his eyes [are] a flame of fire, and upon his head [are] many diadems; and he hath a name written which no one knoweth but he himself. (13) And he is arrayed in a garment sprinkled with blood: and his name is called The Word of God.   (14) And the armies which are in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white [and] pure. (15) And out of his mouth proceedeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty. (16) And he hath on his garment and on his thigh a name written, KINGS OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. Also, notice how He uses the same language in Isaiah. (Isa.63:3) I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the peoples there was no man with me: yea, I trod them in mine anger, and trampled them in my wrath; and their lifeblood is sprinkled upon my garments, and I have stained all my raiment. (4) For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.   What is this “day of vengeance”? What is this “day of wrath”? And what is the “year of my redeemed”? Well, the “day of vengeance” and the “day of wrath” are the same day. They are a day that we're told is a year; they are the “year of my redeemed,” when God is judging all those who have persecuted His people. (Isa.34:8) For the Lord hath a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion. (9) And the streams of [Edom] shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. In the days of Noah, God brought His wrath upon the earth and this “day of wrath” was the year in which the flood waters were upon the earth to destroy lost mankind (Genesis 6-8).   God told Noah, (Gen.7:4) For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living thing that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the ground. So after seven days the flood waters came. In type, the flood represents the “great and terrible day of the Lord” (Joel 2:31 KJV) that comes after seven years of the Tribulation. And we can see this again in Daniel's 70th week where each day is a year. (Dan.9:27) And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; and upon the wing of abominations [shall come] one that maketh desolate; and even unto the full end, and that determined, shall [wrath] be poured out upon the desolate.   There was a continual wrath from the Edomites against Israel and here we see in Isaiah 63 that God is judging this. The spiritual Edomites today cannot stand holiness, they cannot stand purity, they cannot stand truth and they are just like Esau, who continually persecuted his brother. A great persecution is coming from the religious Harlot against the true Church and the Lord is going to deal with that in the “day of vengeance” or “day of wrath.” It will be the “great and terrible day of the Lord” (Jeremiah 46:10; Joel 2:11,31; Acts 2:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10).   Another thing that's going to happen before this “day of vengeance” is that there's going to be a great “falling way” (John 16:1; 2 Thessalonians 2:3; Hebrews 3:12) and, as a matter of fact, in Revelation 6 it is very plain. (Rev.6:12) And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole moon became as blood. We know that the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the “great and terrible day of the Lord,” which is a year, as we've seen in Isaiah 34:8.   The Bible also says that the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood after the Tribulation period. (Mat.24:29) But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. (Act.2:20) The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the day of the Lord come, That great and notable [day]. In other words, after the seven days, which is exactly what God told Noah, there would be another year. Between the seventh and eighth year, the sun is turned into darkness and the moon into blood, but at the beginning of the eighth year is when the ark lifted off and the floods came down and judged the world.   So when the sun and the moon are darkened, which is the beginning of the great and terrible Day of the Lord, what happens? (Rev.6:13) And the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind. That's when the “stars” of heaven fall to the earth and we're told Abraham's seed are as the stars of heaven. (Gen.15:5) And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and number the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And Scripture also likens God's people to a fig tree (Jeremiah 29:17; Matthew 24:1-10; Isaiah 28:4; Nahum 3:12; etc.)   Also in (Hos.9:10) I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the first ripe in the fig-tree at its first season: but they came to Baal-peor, and consecrated themselves unto the shameful thing, and became abominable like that which they loved. So then, who is this who's falling away? As a type and shadow, these are the Edomites. Even though they are as the stars in heaven, they still will fall away. (Rev.6:13) And the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind. You see, we have only a certain amount of time to become mature, to bear fruit, to be ripe figs.   What is it that's going to cause this great falling away? We read in (Rev.6:13) And the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind. God said that He would “shake” the heavens and the earth. (Heb.12:26) Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more will I make to tremble not the earth only, but also the heaven. This shaking is the one that is coming and it both causes the falling away and brings in the Kingdom. (Rev.6:14) And the heaven was removed as a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.   (15) And the kings of the earth, and the princes, and the chief captains, and the rich, and the strong, and every bondman and freeman, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains; (16) and they say to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: (17) for the great day of their wrath is come; and who is able to stand? So, again, when the sun and moon are darkened, we know that this is before the great and terrible Day of the Lord. (Mat.24:29) But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.   Then the Lord sends forth His angels and gathers together His elect as it says in, (Mat.13:24) Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man that sowed good seed in his field: (25) but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away. (26) But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. (27) And the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it tares? (28) And he said unto them, An enemy hath done this. And the servants say unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? (29) But he saith, Nay; lest haply while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat with them.   (30) Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn. (36) Then he left the multitudes, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Explain unto us the parable of the tares of the field. (37) And he answered and said, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; (38) and the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil [one]; (39) and the enemy that sowed them is the devil: and the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are angels.   (40) As therefore the tares are gathered up and burned with fire; so shall it be in the end of the world. (41) The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity, (42) and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. (43) Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears, let him hear. The Lord sends forth His angels and gathers together His elect, just like with Noah. Noah lifted off at the beginning of the “great and terrible day of the Lord,” which was the year when the water came down and put to death the wicked.   Obadiah has something to say about this Day of the Lord concerning the Edomites, but first I want to point out that he is talking about the time of the Day of the Lord. (Oba.15) For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee; thy dealing shall return upon thine own head. The Lord Jesus said when He came back, He was going to render to every man according to his works. (Mat.16:27) For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then shall he render unto every man according to his deeds. He said, “every man”! Some people think, “Well, that's not necessarily speaking about God's children,” but the Edomites sold their birthright as sons of God. I'm talking more specifically about the spiritual Edomites, those who are speaking against their brothers, those who are persecuting them as the Harlot persecutes the true Church.   And when the Lord comes back, He is going to render to those Edomites according to their works. (Oba.8) Shall I not in that day, saith the Lord, destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau? The mount of Esau is Mount Seir, just as Mount Zion is the Mount of Israel, and it represents a kingdom, the kingdom of Esau. (Oba.9) And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one may be cut off from the mount of Esau by slaughter. Everyone! How is it possible that every Edomite could be cut off? It's possible when we understand that these Edomites are a type and shadow. (1Co.10:11) Now these things happened unto them by way of example (The Greek word for “example” here is “type” or “figure.”); and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come.   “To the end that every one may be cut off from the mount of Esau by slaughter” is a type or figure; it's a parable. It was in the “letter” according to natural Israel, but is to be understood in the Spirit according to spiritual New Testament Israel. We also have our brothers who are persecuting, critical, unforgiving, bitter, railing against the truth and fighting against those who walk in holiness and sanctification. God is going to deal with them when He is through using them to bring His people to their cross and this is what He is talking about when He says He's going to cut off every one of them. If you're saying, “That will be a real slaughter against an awful lot of humans,” that's true, naturally speaking. Of course, that slaughter is coming in the great and terrible Day of the Lord, too. It's coming in the “flood” of judgment that is going to destroy multitudes of people. And that flood is also going to destroy these spiritual Edomites, those who have persecuted their brothers.   Going on in (Oba.10) For the violence done to thy brother Jacob, shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off forever. (11) In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that strangers carried away his substance, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them. In other words, the Edomites sided with the Beast kingdoms that came against Israel; this is a historic fact. They did this constantly. Herod was an Edomite who was put there by the Romans to rule over Israel and they called it “Palestine” to insult the Israelites because there wasn't really a Palestine; the land belonged to Israel. “Palestine” is the Latin version of the name “Philistine.”   Once again, in our day, brethren from our midst will side with the Beast kingdom against us, just as Judas did from the midst of the disciples. He sided with the Beast and betrayed the body of Christ. (Oba.12) But look not thou on the day of thy brother in the day of his disaster, and rejoice not over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither speak proudly in the day of distress. (13) Enter not into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, look not thou on their affliction in the day of their calamity, neither lay ye hands on their substance in the day of their calamity. (14) And stand thou not in the crossway, to cut off those of his that escape; and deliver not up those of his that remain in the day of distress. That's exactly what Judas did; he delivered up Christ to the Beast.   In the previous teaching, I shared a dream concerning soldiers dressed in red uniforms, who parachuted down from heaven and were trying to block God's people from escaping into the wilderness. It was very interesting and that is actually what Obadiah is saying here. Those soldiers dressed in red are Edomites because, as we saw, “Edom” means “red.” And they were parachuting down because they were like those figs being cast down when a fig tree is shaken of a great wind and like the stars of heaven falling to the earth. This is a great falling away about which the Bible speaks and it will come through deception and delusion. And who can fall away, except a people who have known the Lord? Here was Esau, a son of Abraham, a son of God, who was in the position of the firstborn and yet he fell away.   We see this again in Ezekiel concerning the Edomites being betrayers of their brethren and it also appears very much like the destruction of the Harlot. Let's read that in (Eze.35:1) Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, (2) Son of man, set thy face against mount Seir (Again, that represents Esau's kingdom.), and prophesy against it, (3) and say unto it, Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I am against thee, O mount Seir, and I will stretch out my hand against thee, and I will make thee a desolation and an astonishment. (4) I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. (5) Because thou hast had a perpetual enmity, and hast given over the children of Israel (who was Jacob, his brother) to the power of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time of the iniquity of the end....    We know that at the end of the Roman Beast kingdom, the Edomites sided with the Romans against their brother Jacob and they are going to do it in these days, too. America, the “great eagle” at the very top of the image of the Beast (Daniel 3), is ultimately going to side with the Edomites against Israel. We know that from Jeremiah, where he speaks about Babylon, the great eagle, conquering all of the nations. First, all the nations drank of the cup of wrath that came from Babylon and then, ultimately, at the end, Babylon itself drank of the cup of wrath (Jeremiah 25:1-33). So the Lord said, “Those of you who side with the world against your brothers in the day of their calamity, you are going to be judged in the time of the iniquity of the end.”  Going on in (Eze.35:6) Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee: since thou hast not hated blood, therefore blood shall pursue thee. (7) Thus will I make mount Seir an astonishment and a desolation; and I will cut off from it him that passeth through and him that returneth. (8) And I will fill its mountains with its slain: in thy hills and in thy valleys and in all thy watercourses shall they fall that are slain with the sword. (9) I will make thee a perpetual desolation, and thy cities shall not be inhabited; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. This is the iniquity of the end! (Eze.35:10) Because thou hast said, These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess it (Even today, the natural Edomites are claiming those two nations and yet the land doesn't belong to them.); whereas the Lord was there:   (Eze.35:11) therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, I will do according to thine anger, and according to thine envy which thou hast showed out of thy hatred against them; and I will make myself known among them, when I shall judge thee. (12) And thou shalt know that I, the Lord, have heard all thy revilings which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to devour. This is what's going to happen to natural Israel and, of course, the Church. The Church, being spiritual Jacob or spiritual Israel, is going to become desolate. War is going to be made against the saints and the Church, as we have known it, a prosperous, somewhat respected entity in the world, is going to go by the wayside.   The whole world is going to be against the Church and the Harlot, the Edomites, are going to side with the world. The Edomites will do this for the sake of advantage and because of their hatred of their brother. (Eze.35:13) And ye have magnified yourselves against me with your mouth, and have multiplied your words against me: I have heard it. (14) Thus saith the Lord God: When the whole earth rejoiceth, I will make thee desolate.   When the whole world comes against natural and spiritual Israel, and think that they have finally done away with their voice when the Two Witnesses are killed, the Bible says they will be rejoicing. As it says in (Rev.11:7) And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that cometh up out of the abyss shall make war with them, and overcome them, and kill them. (8) And their dead bodies lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. (9) And from among the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations do men look upon their dead bodies three days and a half, and suffer not their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. (10) And they that dwell on the earth rejoice over them, and make merry; and they shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwell on the earth.   And yet God says at that time, “I will make thee desolate,” because that is what the great and terrible Day of the Lord is; it is the time for Him to render the “day of vengeance.” (Eze.35:15) As thou didst rejoice over the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do unto thee: thou shalt be desolate, O mount Seir, and all Edom, even all of it; and they shall know that I am the Lord. All of it! All of Mount Seir! How is that possible, except that God is almighty and He will do according to His Own will? (Dan.4:35) And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?   Nothing can restrain His hand and one thing He has determined is to destroy the Edomites, both the spiritual and the physical Edomites. Back in (Oba.15) For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee (He will render to every man according to his works.); thy dealing shall return upon thine own head. (Oba.16) For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the nations drink continually; yea, they shall drink, and swallow down, and shall be as though they had not been. This is speaking about the Jeremiah 25 scenario, where God offered this cup of wrath to all the nations and made them drink it.   The last one to drink it was Babylon, the “great eagle,” which was God's vessel to bring this judgment to those nations, and yet it is all going to be turned around in the end. (Oba.17) But in mount Zion there shall be those that escape.... Again, we're seeing that there are going to be certain people who are going to escape. And in the dream that I shared last time, the brother saw that I and the others with me had all escaped. (Oba.17) But in mount Zion there shall be those that escape, and it shall be holy.... Notice this. The reason that people are going to escape is because they are holy; they don't need any more sanctification and they don't need any more crucifixion. Crucifixion is for the purpose of putting to death the old man to bring forth a people who will walk holy before the Lord.   In other words, crucifixion is so they will sanctify themselves from the world and repent of their sins, and turn to God. This is the place of safety and the people who will do this are the people who will escape. (Oba.17) But in mount Zion there shall be those that escape, and it shall be holy; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. Yes! God's New Testament spiritual Jacob, or Israel, the true born-again Church, and especially the Bride who has been sanctified and is holy, will “possess their possessions.” We have been without our possessions for a long time now and the Lord has promised through Joel to restore everything that has been taken from us. He says, Joe 2:25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the canker-worm, and the caterpillar, and the palmer-worm, my great army which I sent among you. Praise be to God for that!   (Oba.18) And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble.... God's people are going to have something to do with the destruction of Esau, or the Edomites, in the great and terrible Day of the Lord. Remember that for the first 40 days the ark set on the earth in that Day of the Lord, which was a year. Then, after 40 days, it lifted off. That represents the Lord coming for His people and He isn't coming back alone. At that time, when He returns to gather the saints and to bring judgment upon the earth, He has the armies of Heaven behind Him. (Rev.19:15) And the armies which are in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and pure.   This is when He tramples the “winepress of the wrath of God.” In (Rev.14:18) And another angel came out from the altar, he that hath power over fire; and he called with a great voice to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Send forth thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. (19) And the angel cast his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vintage of the earth, and cast it into the winepress, the great [winepress], of the wrath of God. (20) And the winepress was trodden without the city, and there came out blood from the winepress, even unto the bridles of the horses, as far as a thousand and six hundred furlongs. The Lord and the armies of Heaven with Him are bringing judgment to destroy the flesh of men.   (Rev.19:17) And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in mid heaven, Come and be gathered together unto the great supper of God; (18) that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of them that sit thereon, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, and small and great. One group in that list of the unregenerate nations is the Edomites, who had the birthright but sold it and they should not have been there in the first place.   Do you remember what the Lord said about the lukewarm? (Rev.3:16) So because thou art lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth. When does that happen? Here in (Rev.12:3) And there was seen another sign in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his heads seven diadems. (4) And his tail draweth the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon standeth before the woman that is about to be delivered, that when she is delivered he may devour her child. The lukewarm are spewed out when the stars fall from heaven.   Some people think that the “stars” are angels, but, (Isa.9:15) The elder and the honorable man, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. (16) For they that lead this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed. “The prophet that teacheth lies ... is the tail.” And the Bible also says that the “stars” of heaven are Abraham's seed (Genesis 15:5). So one-third of the “stars” of heaven are going to fall away. The dragon Beast is going to deceive and conquer them, and the spewing-out from the body of Christ of the lukewarm is that falling away.  Back to (Oba.18) And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall burn among them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining to the house of Esau; for the Lord hath spoken it. Some people have the idea that this is all natural. They don't understand that it's a parable because they don't see anything in the spirit, but those who go up in the great and terrible Day of the Lord are not a physical people anymore. God is giving them the power to destroy the Harlot, the Edomites, but they are no longer in the flesh.   I am not saying that natural Israel won't be upon this earth fighting against the nations that are brought against her. I believe that is absolutely true and Zechariah 12-14 speak of that. (Zec.12:6) In that day will I make the chieftains of Judah like a pan of fire among wood, and like a flaming torch among sheaves; and they shall devour all the peoples round about, on the right hand and on the left; and they of Jerusalem shall yet again dwell in their own place, even in Jerusalem. This has both a spiritual and natural meaning. When the Lord returns with all of His saints at the end of the great and terrible Day of the Lord, it will be to defend and preserve a remnant of natural Israel, and destroy the nations that come against it, including Edomites.   (Zec.14:5) And ye shall flee by the valley of my mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azel; yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah; and the Lord my God shall come, and all the holy ones with thee. Notice it says “all the holy (or ‘sanctified') ones with thee.” Obviously, the unsanctified are on the earth and going through the great and terrible Day of the Lord. (Zec.14:12) And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the peoples that have warred against Jerusalem: their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their sockets, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. I know that in the natural this could be speaking about nuclear weapons, but also it's like the “pan of fire” (Zechariah 12:6).   It's like the fire that is coming out of the mouth of the Lord and out of the mouth of the saints to destroy the wicked. (Zec.14:13) And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbor, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbor. (14) And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the nations round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. The Lord is going to bring an end to the Edomites joining with the Beast entity to fight against their brothers, who are God's true people.   Let's go back to Obadiah and read a little bit more of this. (Oba.18) And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall burn among them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining to the house of Esau; for the Lord hath spoken it. (19) And they of the South shall possess the mount of Esau, and they of the lowland the Philistines; and they shall possess the field of Ephraim, and the field of Samaria; and Benjamin [shall possess] Gilead. (20) And the captives of this host of the children of Israel, that are [among] the Canaanites, [shall possess] even unto Zarephath; and the captives of Jerusalem, that are in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the South. (21) And saviors shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord's. This is the time when the kingdom of this world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.   God's people are going to be on Mount Zion; they are going to be in Heavenly Jerusalem and they are going to bring judgment against the wicked. Revelation tells us when the Kingdom is the Lord's: (Rev.11:15) And the seventh angel sounded (or, the “last trump”); and there followed great voices in heaven (speaking that the ark has lifted off), and they said, The kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ: and he shall reign for ever and ever. So we do not have to guess about the timing that he is talking about here when he says, (Oba.21) And saviors shall come up on mount Zion.... God's people will totally overcome!   They will come to their Heavenly city, just as Paul spoke about them coming to their city back in his day. (Heb.12:22) But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels, (23) to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, (24) and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better than [that of] Abel.   And so we read, (Oba.21) Saviors shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau and the kingdom shall be the Lord's. Praise be to God! Are these “saviors” doing this judging in their new bodies? Yes, that is exactly right! As we saw earlier, they are no longer a physical people and they, with the Lord, are bringing this judgment. By the way, in the Book of Daniel, God gives credit to the saints for destroying this kingdom of the Beast. (Dan.7:23) Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all the kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. (24) And as for the ten horns, out of this kingdom shall ten kings arise: and another shall arise after them; and he shall be diverse from the former, and he shall put down three kings.   (25) And he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High; and he shall think to change the times and the law; and they (the saints) shall be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time. (26) But the judgment shall be set, and they (the saints) shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. (27) And the kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High: his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. So the “saints,” meaning the “sanctified ones,” have returned with the Lord to bring this judgment upon the earth. God has given it unto them to do this and the Lord on His white horse is guiding His people. Praise be to God!   Back in (Oba.19) And they of the South shall possess the mount of Esau, and they of the lowland the Philistines; and they shall possess the field of Ephraim (This is speaking of the northern 10 tribes; that was the name that was used for them at one time.), and the field of Samaria.... In the time of Jesus, the Samaritans were not considered by the Jews to be true believers because they were not of the seed of the Jews. After the Assyrian Empire had conquered Samaria, they carried away the 10 tribes and replaced them with other conquered tribes from various pagan nations, who eventually ended up with the religion of the Jews, along with their own religions.   This is a kind of parallel with the Edomite situation and Ezra has something to say about it. In (Ezr.4:1) Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity (These were the people who were returning from captivity in order to rebuild the Temple, which is what is happening today.) were building a temple unto the Lord, the God of Israel; (2) then they drew near to Zerubbabel (His name means “born from Babylon” and he represents the Man-child here.), and to the heads of fathers' houses, and said unto them, Let us build with you; for we seek your God, as ye do; and we sacrifice unto him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assyria, who brought us up hither. They're talking about having been relocated from other nations to Samaria after Samaria was conquered by the Assyrians.   (Ezr.4:3) But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us in building a house unto our God (The Edomites, just like these Samaritans who represent false Christians, have nothing to do with building this house of God. Only the true holy people are the ones who are building the house of God and I'm going to explain that a little bit better further on.); but we ourselves together will build unto the Lord, the God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us. (Ezr.4:4) Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building. So these people wanted to join with the true holy people of God, but Jacob only bore fruit when he separated from Esau. And today, the Edomites want to join the true people of God, as though they are Christians, but they're not because they are defiled with that root of bitterness.   (Ezr.4:5) And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. The Edomites sided with the Beast every time, as did these Samaritans. (Ezr.4:6) And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. Throughout history, the Harlot has always accused God's people and the Edomites are always accusing God's people.   (Ezr.4:7) And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian character, and set forth in the Syrian tongue. (12) Be it known unto the king, that the Jews that came up from thee are come to us unto Jerusalem; they are building the rebellious and the bad city, and have finished the walls, and repaired the foundations. (13) Be it known now unto the king, that, if this city be builded, and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and in the end it will be hurtful unto the kings. This is what the Samaritans threatened, which caused the king to order a stop to the building of the Temple.   Let me go back to who these people actually were and look at who the Samaritans are in our day. In (2Ki.17:24) And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Avva, and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof. (25) And so it was, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the Lord: therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them.   (26) Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast carried away, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the law of the god of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the law of the god of the land. Well, they were living in Samaria, but they were not Israelites, were they? They called themselves Samaritans, but these were pagans who were brought in to take the place of the true Samaritans and it was the Beast that did this. The Beast entity, which is the world, which is the flesh, which is all those who don't walk according to the Spirit of God, has infiltrated the Church. These are people who talk like Christians but they don't fear God. If they feared God, they would be convicted with the Word of God to change their ways, but they just want to play “country club” religion.   Continuing in (2Ki.17:27) Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the law of the god of the land. You can teach a pagan all about Christianity and you can send them to Sunday School, but they will still be a pagan. That's the problem. (2Ki.17:28) So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Beth-el (“Beth-el” means “the house of God.” Who are they teaching in this house of God? They're teaching people who are not Israelites; they're not Christians but they like going to church.), and taught them how they should fear the Lord. (2Ki.17:29) Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt. So they studied the God of the land, they studied the Lord, but they worshipped their own gods and, of course, it's that way in much of Christianity today.   People have a “Jesus” of their own making who's not the Jesus of the Bible. (2Ki.17:30) And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima, (31) and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. These were the actual “gods” these people worshipped. (1Co.10:20) But [I say], that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have communion with demons. According to Apostle Paul, these are demons impersonating God. Is it the same today? Yes! It's the same today; there are demons who impersonate the true God. There are people who claim to be God's people, but they are merely studying God and not really fearing Him. They're not really submitting to Him. These people are not Christians and will never be converted.   Continuing in (2Ki.17:32) So they feared the Lord, and made unto them from among themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places. Notice that these are not ordained priests; they are not Levites. These priests came from among their pagan people. (2Ki.17:33) They feared the Lord, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away. They called Him “Lord,” but it was really their own god that they were serving. (2Ki.17:34) Unto this day they do after the former manner: they fear not the Lord, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law or after the commandment which the Lord commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel. This is the problem: dispersed among the people of God are people who don't walk as Christians.   The Lord said He would judge every man according to his own works, yet people think that God is going to judge them as to whether or not they have had the Christian experience of a new spirit. But that is not what the Word tells us. Paul writes in (Rom.2:5) But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up for thyself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; (6) who will render to every man according to his works: (7) to them that by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and incorruption, eternal life: (8) but unto them that are factious, and obey not the truth, but obey unrighteousness, [shall be] wrath and indignation, (9) tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that worketh evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Greek;   (10) but glory and honor and peace to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek: (11) for there is no respect of persons with God. The Lord says it will be according to your works. Your nature is what proves who you really are. If you walk after the regenerate spirit that God gave you, you will become regenerate. Your soul, which is your mind, will and emotions, will be renewed, but if you walk after the flesh, you must die. (Rom.8:12) So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh: (13) for if ye live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. It all has to do with your works. God will judge these Judases who are among His people and who mistreat their brethren.  Back to (2Ki.17:35) With whom the Lord had made a covenant (this is speaking of Israel), and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them: (41) So these nations feared the Lord, and served their graven images; their children likewise, and their children's children, as did their fathers, so do they unto this day. And I might say, “So do they unto this day.” This is still going on because this is all a type and shadow of God separating the wheat from the tares. The tares are sown among the wheat but they do not bear fruit. These are people who claim to be Christians. They have invaded the Church just to do their own will.   They submit to their false gods, who are actually demons, and their works are going to prove who they are. They are not sanctified, therefore they don't take part in the Bride's blessing, but instead they take part in the great and terrible Day of the Lord. Everyone who is not sanctified will go through the great and terrible Day of the Lord, the day of God's wrath upon the wicked, the day of God's judgment upon the Harlot. God will use the Beast to devour the Harlot with fire. And it will be God's people who are exercising the authority of God's judgment. It will be God's people who are the fire in the midst of the Judases.   God bless you to follow the God of the Bible.

“They did not say, ‘Where is the Lord who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us in the wilderness, in a land of deserts and pits, in a land of drought and deep darkness, in a land that none passes through, where no man dwells?'” Jeremiah 2:6

Jesus is the ONE June 2, 2024 Elwyn Johnston John 1:7 & 8 1. Know who you are in Christ “Who are you?” John 1:19 “I am a voice” John 1:23 2. Life is full of stressors “As long as you live, you will have to struggle to grow food….By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat” Genesis 3:17 & 19 “John was in prison and he heard of the works of Christ. He sent his disciples to ask Jesus, ‘Are you the One, or should we keep looking for someone else?'” Matthew 11:2 & 3 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Jonn 14:27 “Peace be with you.” John 20:19 Give God control over your problems “cast all of your anxiety on God” 1 Peter 5:7 Pray about everything and give thanks “Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything with thanksgiving.” Philippians 4:6 Think on good things “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.” Philippians 4:8 3. Jesus is the ONE “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen — the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” Matthew 11:4 & 5 He is the Answer “Salvation is found in no one else.” Acts 4:12 He is the Miracle worker “Nothing is too hard for the Lord” Jeremiah 32:17

Boasting In God How to boast in God 1. Know the Lord (Jeremiah 9:23-24) -You can't pray to a God you do not know. 2. Keep your mind fixed on God (Genesis 12: 1-5) -Don't let your prayer life be determined by your problems, they should be ignored. - Boasting in God is not just a speech, it is a lifestyle. - Do not focus your understanding of God to other people's experiences. - Our primary way of discovering God is through the scriptures.

Basic Bible Study | 2 Kings: Chapters 21-23 (Part 2) This is part 2 of 7 In today's podcast, join Amy and Robyn as they continue their discussion in 2 Kings: Chapters 21-23. Here is a breakdown of what was discussed: - Josiah became king of Judah when he was 8 years old - he reigned obediently to the Lord - Jeremiah was a prophet to Judah - God has always thought of you as valuable & he has a purpose in mind for you “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ABOUT Opening a Bible for the first time can be intimidating. Join Amy & Robyn in an easy-to-follow discussion. This Basic Bible Study is perfect for beginners & those who have never read the Bible. Look for new podcasts every Tuesday & Friday! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BIBLE RESOURCES https://biblehub.com/ https://www.bible.com/ http://betterdaysarecoming.com/bible/pronunciation.html https://biblespeak.org/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/mybasicbiblestudy WEBSITE http://www.mybasicbiblestudy.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You can contact us through e-mail or regular old snail-mail: Basic Bible Study 7797 N. 1st St. #34 Fresno, CA 93720 basicbiblestudy19@gmail.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the new year begins, let's talk about effective strategies for reflecting and intention setting. To give you some inspiration, I will share some of my own reflections from the past year, as well as my goals for the next! I hope you enjoy the episode and happy new year!References:Our plans should be aligned with the great will of the Lord | Jeremiah 29:11The Lord is our sustainer | Hebrews 13:20-21The Word of God reveals the right path | Psalms 119:105The importance of prayer | John 14:13-14Listen to the Holy Spirit | John 16:13Write down your goals | Habakkuk 2:2Wait on the Lord | Isaiah 40:31Instagram @holygirlhotline

Behind every scripture is the passion of God to include you in the fellowship of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God uses scripture so that we can personally understand His true nature, our identity in Christ, and who we are called to be on earth as we are known in heaven. Key Scriptures: + Luke 1:11-17. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord… + Jeremiah 29:11. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. To join us on Brilliant TV, CLICK HERE. To stay connected with Graham Cooke and Team Brilliant, CLICK HERE. As always, thanks for listening! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brilliant-persepctives/message

Our Confidence Is the Lord - Jeremiah 50:11-20, 33-34 (August 20, 2023) by Michael B. Linton

The Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity: New Creation! Galatians 6:11-18 by William Klock We all know the experience of working hard to make something nice.  Maybe it was all the time you invested in it.  Maybe it was all the money you invested in it.  Maybe it was all the emotion you invested in it.  But it was so nice.  And you were so happy about it.  Maybe you were even proud of it.  And all it takes is thirty seonds for someone else to come along, undo all your hard work, and to make a mess of it all.  My parents painted the house and before the paint was even dry, my sister and I ran down the hallway with crayons on the wall.  You pour your heart and your expertise into building a business, then you retire and the people who take over run it into the ground.  It's even harder when we're talking about people.  A few months ago I was talking with a pastor friend.  Decades ago he worked with a group of people to plant a church.  He loved those people and faithfully shepherded them for years and they were a thriving gospel-centred church.  I know he was happy to see them thriving in the gospel from afar in the years after he left them.  But the last couple of years were painful.  The church got a new pastor who did not have the same gospel commitments.  He had capitulated to the culture, especially on issues of sexuality.  People left.  Earlier this year he tried to take what was left of the church into a more liberal jurisdiction and the whole thing imploded and the church is gone.  I think my pastor friend has shed many tears over the situation. Paul was in that sort of position when he wrote his letter to the churches in Galatia.  He had travelled through Galatia, proclaiming the good news about Jesus in A.D. 47 or 48.  People there, both Jews and gentiles, heard and believed, they were baptised in Jesus, and pretty soon Paul was helping them to establish churches.  He spent time with them, he preached the good news, he discipled, he helped them find leaders for the churches.  Now it's about a year later.  He's back in Antioch or maybe on his way to Jerusalem, and he starts hearing reports of what's going on in the Galatian churches.  It wasn't good.  Some other people had come to them in those intervening months.  We have to read between the lines a bit to figure out who those people were, but it sounds like missionaries, probably from Jerusalem.  And those missionaries had led the Galatian Christians to compromise the gospel.  Faith in Jesus wasn't enough, they claimed.  Faith wasn't, for them, the key thing that marks out the people of God.  Obedience to torah, to the Jewish law, that, they said, is what marks out the people of God—so, yes, believe in Jesus, but if you're a gentile, you'll also have to be circumcised.  I fully expect that Paul wept when he heard this.  And he tried to correct them, but they wouldn't listen.  And so, in his letter to them that we have in the New Testament, we get a real sense of the tension as he writes.  He was hurt.  He didn't know how they would respond.  It doesn't have the usual friendly greetings that are in his other letters.  It's very to-the-point and it gives us a sense of his frustration.  And this really comes through in his closing words, which we read for our Epistle this morning: Galatians 6:11-18. It starts in verse 11 with with what might seem like an odd thing to say: See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand.   In the First Century most people were illiterate, or at best, barely literate.  If you wanted to send someone a letter, you hired a scribe to write it down for you.  But even a literate person like Paul would use a scribe to write his letters.  It's a bit like being able to hand-write a letter today, but typing it instead to ensure it looks neat and professional.  The scribe would write down the letter in his impeccable script, then Paul would write a personal bit at the very end in his own hand.  And that's what he does here, but instead of the usual personal greetings, he summarises and reiterates his gospel message to them again, this time in his own imperfect hand-writing.  It was that important.  Even as he's made his argument through the letter, he can't just leave it at that.  What matters above all—and it's the heart of his argument, but just in case they missed it—what matters above all is the cross of Jesus. There are all sorts of things in the world that differentiate and divide us.  We divide the world up into nationalities.  We divide the world up by ethnicity and race and language.  We divide the world up by our politics.  We divide ourselves up by our economics…by status, by colour, by culture, by language, by our likes and by our dislikes, by what we eat and what we don't eat, by whether you're a man or a woman—and now even by what we think a man or a woman is.  Paul grew up in and was steep in a culture where the vital distinction was whether you were a Jew or a gentile, but after his encounter with the risen Jesus, Paul realised that the great division—the one thing that not only divides the Church from the world, but that divides those who are willing to count the cost of following Jesus and those who are not, what marks out that great divide is the cross of Jesus.  Some of those other things that divide us matter, some don't, some are just plain silly, but at the end of the day the one thing that really does matter, the one thing that divides the human race into two distinct groups is the cross of Jesus.  Look at what Paul writes in those big, clumsy letters of his in verse 12: It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.    What was going on?  And what did whether or not these gentile believers in Galatia were circumcised have to do with whether or not these “missionaries” were persecuted?  This was before the time of Roman persecution.  The problem was the Jews.  Paul writes earlier in the letter about his own past as a persecutor of the Church and he has implied that the present problem is similar.  Again, we have to do a little bit of historic research to get behind all of this, but what was most likely happening was that the predominantly Jewish Church in Jerusalem was coming under pressure from a rising tide of Jewish nationalism.  The Zealots were on the rise.  Eventually they'd revolt against the Romans and trigger the judgement that Jesus had prophesied.  In the meantime, the Jewish Christians were coming under fire for associating with uncircumcised gentiles.  There probably wasn't much of that going on in Judea, but word was getting back about these churches popping up around the empire, many of them full of gentiles and this didn't make the Jesus movement look good in the eyes of unbelieving Jews.  So “missionaries” were being sent out from Jerusalem to get these gentile believers straightened out—which meant getting them circumcised and, therefore, basically making them Jewish converts—so that they would look more respectable to people like the Zealots back in Judea. It was dumb.  The problem for people like the Zealots wasn't really the gentiles, it was the gospel.  But when trouble, persecution, and opposition face the Church, there are, sadly, always some folks who think that if we compromise on whatever the problem issue is, we can placate our enemies.  In this case, unbelieving Jews were upset at the inclusion of unclean gentiles in the mostly Jewish church, so they thought they could solve the problem by, even if only superficially, they first made those gentiles into Jewish converts.  But this undermines the gospel, because the gospel isn't just good news for Jews.  It's good news that by its very nature makes the distinction between Jews and gentiles obsolete.  In trying to placate non-believers, these folks were losing that good news, that gospel. If anyone understood the awfulness of persecution for the sake of the cross of Jesus, Paul understood it.  Think of the list he would go on to write in 2 Corinthians 11: Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one.  Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.  And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. (2 Corinthians 11:24-28) Plenty of that lay in his future, but already, Paul knew what it meant to count the cost of discipleship and when we read that list written a few years later we see that he was no hypocrite when he called the Galatians to count the cost.  He also knew how foolish this insistence on circumcision was.  After all, Paul had been a Pharisee—and not just any Pharisee, but one of the greatest and a member of the Sanhedrin.  Paul knew what it meant to keep the law.  As he'd write years later to the Philippian Church, when he was a Pharisee, he had been blameless before the law.  And that's just it.  Circumcision makes sense—at least after a fashion—if you intend to keep the whole law.  But that's not what these Judaising missionaries were demanding the gentiles do.  They didn't expect these gentiles to actually keep the law.  It was all for show.  And it wasn't even for the benefit of these gentile brothers.  It was for their own benefit.  “We need you Greeks to cut off your foreskins so that our own skins will be safe back in Jerusalem.”  And so Paul rebukes them: For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh.   And that's the other thing.  It's not just the hypocrisy involved, but that these folks will go back to Jerusalem and boast about the converts they've made.  They'll try to make the Zealots think that Church is really all about making Jewish converts of the gentiles.  The Zealots would never have believed it, but these folks were willing to try in the hopes of avoiding persecution.  And where is faith in that?  I think Paul makes a subtle but important point here.  He writes about keeping the law, which he wrote earlier is and always has been about faith.  And he knows that these folks are going to end up boasting about all the guys they got circumcised amongst the gentiles…but boasting always stands opposed to faith.  Boasting is about what we've done.  Faith is about what God has done through Jesus and the cross.  He goes on in verse 14: But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.  For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.  (Galatians 6:14-15) Paul had been captivated by the gospel.  Here was a man who could boast about his accomplishments.  A Hebrew of Hebrews and a Pharisee of Pharisees.  But in light of the cross, it was all nothing.  No Jew had ever had any reason to boast.  The Lord's covenant had always been about mercy and grace and it was there in the scriptures all along.  Jeremiah had written centuries before, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (Jeremiah 9:24).  But the cross drew this truth out for Paul.  The cross is God's work, not ours, and to boast in the cross of Jesus is to acknowledge that nothing we can do will ever lead anywhere but death.  Our faith, our confidence can only ever rest in the grace of God who gave himself for the life of the world.  And, of course, the cross where Jesus gave his life for the sake of his sinful and rebellious people, for the very people crying out for his death, that cross is the central act of God's grace. Paul wrote earlier in the letter that if we are in Jesus—if we have identified with him by faith—we have been crucified with him.  So not only has Jesus been crucified.  And not only have we been crucified with him.  But now Paul goes so far as to say that the world—the kosmos—has been crucified with him.  Jesus took this fallen, broken, sin- and death-filled world to the cross.  It was crucified with him.  Pontius Pilate thought he was sentencing Jesus of Nazareth to death that first Good Friday, but in fact it was sin and death that stood under that sentence.  The old cosmos died that day and when Jesus rose from the grave, God's new creation was born.  It's not done yet.  It's not consummated.  But it's been inaugurated and like yeast, it is making its way through this world and bringing transformation as the gospel spreads and as God's Spirit works in his people.  And so Paul can boast that his old self died with Jesus on the cross along with the rest of the world, not because of anything he had done, but despite him and only because of the glorious grace of God.  Those old division—like the Jew-gentile divide that so concerned those Jewish believers in Jerusalem—those old divisions no longer matter in light of the cross, because the old world has been crucified with Jesus and God's new creation has begun.  The sentence structure in Paul's Greek—which our translations smooths over—is telling.  He writes that “neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision”…and then he just breaks off and blurts out “new creation!”  He does the same thing in 2 Corinthians 5:17.  “So if anyone is in the Messiah—new creation!  Everything old has passed away, everything has become new.”  He lays out the old divisions and distinctions and then just sort of shouts over the top of them “New creation!”  Those things just don't matter any more. Brothers and Sisters, new creation!  Remember that.  These folks were getting bogged down in something that no longer mattered—and it was undermining the cross, the very thing, the most important thing!, that does matter and it's like Paul just shouts over the top of their argument: new creation!  It's his way of sort of dramatically reminding them (and us) what matters and what doesn't.  God's new creation was born that first Easter morning and it continues in every one of Jesus' people through the life that God's own Spirit gives us, and it will go on—Paul stresses this in Romans 8—it will go on until the whole creation is one day set free from its bondage to share in the freedom of God's children.  The life of the Spirit is the down payment, the earnest, the foretaste today of that future day and that future day will come as Jesus' people go out into the world to proclaim the cross and its transforming and life-giving power—God's new creation. That—at least in part—is why this was such a big issue for Paul.  It wasn't just that the cross is the most important thing ever; it's that the message of the cross as the most important thing ever and its power to transform the world is dependent on us living the life of the Spirit in faith and proclaiming to the world that the cross of Jesus is the most important thing ever.  Brothers and Sisters, if we let other things get in the way of that—the way these folks let their fear of the Jews and this irrelevant matter of circumcision take centre stage—if we do that, it undermines our very ability to be the people God has made us in Jesus and it undermines our gospel mission.  This is why those churches that capitulate to the culture around them always and inevitably become irrelevant, dwindle, and eventually die. This is why Paul is always taking his readers back to Jesus and the cross.  This is why we need always to be brought back to Jesus and the cross.  This is why our liturgy brings us back to Jesus and the cross.  This is why we celebrate and eat the Lord's Supper every Sunday.  Because Jesus and his cross are everything.  It's how the world is set to rights and how each of us is born anew.  New creation!  And yet somehow we forget.  And so we need Jesus and his cross always before us, because you just can't see Jesus and his cross and at the same time hold onto the things of the world that were crucified with him at the cross.  Years later Paul would write to the Ephesians: He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it.  (Ephesians 2:15-16) What sets apart the Jew from the gentile and the gentile from the Jew no longer matters.  What matters is the cross, by which God has unleashed his mercy and grace into the world and through which he invites us all to share in his promise of forgiveness and of being set to rights and of living in his presence. Then he writes in verse 17: And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.   Paul closes with a very Jewish benediction for those who have been listening and who take all of this to heart.  Peace and mercy.  Hebrew blessings announced shalom and chesed.  One later synagogue benediction goes this way, “Bestow peace, happiness and blessing, grace and loving-kindness and mercy upon us and upon all Israel, your people.”  Paul's not-so-subtly saying, “If you want to be part of the people of Israel, if you want to know the Lord's blessings—his peace and mercy—keep your eyes on the cross of Jesus the Messiah.  It's not about circumcision or Sabbath or any of those other things.  By Jesus, his death and resurrection, God has created a new people for himself. Brothers and Sisters, keep Jesus and the cross before your eyes, at the centre of your faith, and let him be the hope you proclaim.  Nothing else ultimately matters.  Do not be distracted and do not be tempted to compromise the message.  Circumcision is no longer an issue for us, but there are plenty of others.  We're tempted to water down or to compromise the gospel in other ways.  Our culture likes to think that it's not what you believe that matters, but simply that you're sincere.  The gospel confronts that with the exclusivity of Jesus and reminds us that he is what matters.  Our culture tells us that we are what's important and that we are enough in and of ourselves, but the gospel confronts that and reminds us that nothing we can be or do is ever enough and it's Jesus who matters above all else.  Our culture calls us to invest in a million things, and the gospel confronts us with the fact that Jesus is what matters and that God has given our time and our talent and our treasure for his glory.  Our culture insists that we can do whatever we want, but the gospel confronts us with a call to holiness and purity, reminding us that in Jesus and the Spirit we are part of God's new creation.  And that may be the best way to look at all of this: new creation.  The gospel is God's promise to set this broken world to rights and by the gospel he makes us part of that new creation—and it's his new creation, it exists on his terms, he defines what is good and true and beautiful, not the world and not the people who stand opposed to Jesus and his cross and who sneer at the promises of the gospel. And that brings us to Paul's final note.  He writes: From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.   Let “no one”, not meaning the world, but these people who claim to belong to Jesus.  Paul knew that the world would be out to get him, because he would never compromise his proclamation of the good news of Jesus and the cross.  That was to be expected, because he knew he was challenging the systems and the values, the kings and the gods of the old world, and he knew they would fight back.  Paul was martyred some fifteen years later at Rome.  He knew first-hand the cost of discipleship and his body showed it.  Scars from stoning and beating and all the other abuse he took for the sake of the gospel.  He new the cost of discipleship.  He never compromised.  He knew that to domesticate the gospel to the culture was to lose its power to give life, was to strip it of it's promise of hope.  He never watered down the message, because he knew that above all things, what really matters, the one thing that is the only hope this world has, is the cross of Jesus the Messiah.  Brothers and Sisters, may the same always be true of us. Let's pray: Keep, O Lord, your Church, with your perpetual mercy; and, because without you our human frailty cannot but fall, keep us ever by your help from all things hurtful, and lead us to all things profitable to our salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

From Sunday 13 August 2023, Pastor Jason Clark CONTINUEs A SERMON SERIES TITLED “Jeremiah-A True Word for Tough Times”: “Neither he, his Servants, or the People Listened to the Words of the Lord”—Jeremiah 37.fbcmw.orgOriginally recorded on 08/13/23 at First Baptist Church in Mount Washington, KY.

Anticipating the Day of the Lord | Jeremiah 33 | New covenant

Kevin Bamber preaches about the New Covenant of Jesus and how it restores the people's desire for a close relationship with God. Kevin discusses about the reality of a waining desire for God, and what God does to help stir our desire for Him. Practices: Ask yourself, do I desire a close relationship with God? Draw close to Him through earnest and honest prayer. www.roanokevalleychurch.org www.facebook.com/roanokevalleychurch --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/roanokevalleychurch/support

Listen, ye peasants, as Lord Jeremiah of Bourbonton doth grace us with his Godly presence! The King has returned and dubbed thou worthy of a bounty of Stories From The Stack!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5185173/advertisement

Message from Bryan Blazosky on February 5, 2023

Pastor JD talks about the much-needed reminder that nothing is too hard for the Lord, especially during those times in our lives when the circumstances seem so impossible. The post Is There Anything Too Hard For The Lord? Jeremiah 32 – October 20th, 2022 appeared first on Calvary Chapel Kaneohe.

Pastor JD talks about the much-needed reminder that nothing is too hard for the Lord, especially during those times in our lives when the circumstances seem so impossible.  Social MediaProphecy Website:  http://jdfarag.orgMobile/TV Apps: https://subsplash.com/calvarychapelkaneohe/appChurch Website:  http://www.calvarychapelkaneohe.comTwitter:  https://twitter.com/JDFaragFacebook:  https://www.facebook.com/JDFaragInstagram:  https://www.instagram.com/JDFarag

Join us this week as we dive deep into the lone struggles that Jeremiah had to experience as the called prophet of his day.From Come Follow Me:At first, Jeremiah didn't think he would make a good prophet. “Behold, I cannot speak,” he protested when the Lord first called him (Jeremiah 1:6). The Lord reassured him, “I have put my words in thy mouth” (verse 9). Jeremiah felt that he was an inexperienced “child” (verse 6), but the Lord explained that he was actually more prepared than he realized—he had been ordained to this calling even before he was born (see verse 5). So Jeremiah set aside his fears and accepted the call. He warned Jerusalem's kings and priests that their pretended holiness would not save them from destruction. The “child” who thought he could not speak came to feel God's word “in [his] heart as a burning fire” and could not be silent (Jeremiah 20:9).Jeremiah's story is also our story. God knew us, too, before we were born and prepared us to do His work on the earth. Among other things, that work includes something Jeremiah foresaw: gathering God's people, one by one, to “bring [them] to Zion” (Jeremiah 3:14). And even if we don't know exactly what to do or say, we should “be not afraid … ; for I am with thee, saith the Lord” (Jeremiah 1:8, 19).#biblestudy #jeremiah #comefollowme  #oldtestament #religion #churchofjesuschrist #ldspodcast #christianpodcast #missionary #lds #biblestories #christ #faith #faithinchrist #scriptures #bookofmormon #doctrineandcovenants #pearlofgreatprice #temples #houseofthelord #mormon #mormonbeliefs #chritiansandmormons #god #endure #ironrod #faithineveryfootstep #generalconference #prophets #followtheprophet #commandments #love #service #charity #keepstriving #keeponstriving #gospelgrowthandgoodtimes #become #newtestamentSupport the show

In this episode of Pray the Word on Jeremiah 51:15–19, David Platt reminds us to give the Lord our affection and trust.

Here's a third danger that believers face in their walk with Christ. Self-Esteem That sounds very strange, doesn't it? How could self-esteem be a danger? After all, everywhere we turn we hear that we have to have good self-esteem and feel good about ourselves in order to have a good life. Well, there are two key problems with our search for self-esteem: We're looking for the wrong thing. We're looking in the wrong place. Self-esteem—feeling good about yourself—is a biblical oxymoron, a self-contradiction. The Bible tells us that our own natural selves are sin-infested and capable of nothing good. We learn that even the best things we can do look like filthy rags to God. So, feeling good about something that is inherently sinful and selfish is looking for the wrong thing. For ten long years I searched for self-esteem and tried so hard to feel good about myself. I thought a successful career would do it, but I achieved that and found it empty. I thought the right relationship with a man would give me those good feelings, but relationships came and went, and none of them brought me the fulfillment I wanted. I bought homes and clothes and accumulated things and recognition, but the more I piled on what was supposed to bring me good self-esteem, the emptier I became. If you're looking for self-esteem today, you're in the same danger I was in. It's a dead-end road taking you nowhere but to emptiness and disappointment. Let me encourage you to abort that fruitless search and instead, set your heart to know God. Jeremiah wrote: “'Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,' declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 9:23-24). Set out to know and understand God. The more you do, the better you will feel about yourself. I promise you—it's true. Good self-esteem comes as a by-product of knowing God better and better and appreciating who you are in God's eyes.

In this episode of Pray the Word on Jeremiah 33:3, David Platt encourages believers to call out to the Lord to learn more about his greatness and sovereignty.

In this episode of Pray the Word on Jeremiah 32:17, David Platt reminds God's people that our God is all-powerful and able to do what he pleases.

In this episode of Pray the Word on Jeremiah 17:7–8, David Platt reminds Christians to trust in the Lord with their hearts.

In this episode of Pray the Word on Jeremiah 15:16, David Platt calls believers to find their joy in the Lord.

In this world, how do we find hope and home in Jesus? YouVersion Live Event Link: http://bible.com/events/48921840 "Help Me Pray" is a sermon series delving into prayer in the teachings of Jesus.

Pastor JD talks about humbly clinging to the Lord, instead of refusing to hear the word of the Lord, because of our pride before the Lord. The post Humbly Clinging to the Lord, Jeremiah 13 – July 14th, 2022 appeared first on Calvary Chapel Kaneohe.

Pastor JD talks about humbly clinging to the Lord, instead of refusing to hear the word of the Lord, because of our pride before the Lord. Social MediaProphecy Website:  http://jdfarag.orgMobile/TV Apps: https://subsplash.com/calvarychapelkaneohe/appChurch Website:  http://www.calvarychapelkaneohe.comTwitter:  https://twitter.com/JDFaragFacebook:  https://www.facebook.com/JDFaragInstagram:  https://www.instagram.com/JDFarag

As you start a new month and new week, Allow me to speak God's prophetic promises over your life.Just relax and Receive the Word of the Lord:Jeremiah 29:11-14 AMP “For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,' says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12. Then you will call on Me and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear [your voice] and I will listen to you. 13. Then [with a deep longing] you will seek Me and require Me [as a vital necessity] and [you will] find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 14.I will be found by you,' says the Lord, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and I will [free you and] gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,' says the Lord, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.'Jeremiah 29:11-14 AMPReceive the WORD of the Lord for your life.

Pastor JD talks about how the Lord, through the prophet Jeremiah, is calling His people to repent and return to Him from their backsliding. The post Return to the Lord, Jeremiah 3 – April 14th, 2022 appeared first on Calvary Chapel Kaneohe.

Pastor JD talks about how the Lord, through the prophet Jeremiah, is calling His people to repent and return to Him from their backsliding. Social MediaProphecy Website:  http://jdfarag.orgMobile/TV Apps: https://subsplash.com/calvarychapelkaneohe/appChurch Website:  http://www.calvarychapelkaneohe.comTwitter:  https://twitter.com/JDFaragFacebook:  https://www.facebook.com/JDFaragInstagram:  https://www.instagram.com/JDFarag