Podcasts about Pharisees

In this Bible Story, Jesus calls the twelve disciples. They are not chosen because of their skills or accomplishments, wisdom or prowess. Jesus chooses a ragtag group of misfits and outcasts. Through them, the kingdom of God spreads across the entire world. This story is inspired by Matthew 10:1-4, 16, 28-32, 37-39; Matthew 12:9-15; Mark 3:14-19; Luke 6:6-16. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.Today's Bible verse is Matthew 10:1 from the King James Version.Episode 184: As another Sabbath approached, Jesus went into the synagogue to worship. As He entered He saw a man with a withered hand. The Pharisees were eager to catch Him in a trap on the Sabbath, but Jesus knew this and would not be stopped from doing good to a man in need. After this, Jesus and His followers went over to a mountain where He spoke words of encouragement to them and chose twelve of them to become His disciples. These twelve men would follow Him everywhere and learn what it truly meant to live a life that is honorable to God.Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham.Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living.Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max BardProducer: Ben GammonHosted by: Pastor Jack GrahamMusic by: Andrew Morgan SmithBible Story narration by: Todd HaberkornSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to this week's sermon: “The Joy of Heaven” for the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 19, Series C). In this powerful message, Pastor Balla unpacks Luke 15:1–10, where Jesus shares the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin. Discover how these parables reveal the heart of God toward sinners, the saving mission of Christ, and the heavenly joy that bursts forth when even one sinner repents.This sermon reminds us of our need for repentance, the danger of pride like the Pharisees, and the true joy found in the forgiveness of sins through Christ alone. Learn how the Good Shepherd seeks the lost, carries them home, and welcomes them to His Table—where heaven itself rejoices and joins us in the feast of His body and blood.If you long to understand repentance, grace, and the joy of heaven more deeply, this sermon will strengthen your faith and point you to Christ's unshakable promises.Support my ministry here: https://buymeacoffee.com/whitegandalphHashtags#Sermon #Luke15 #JoyOfHeaven #ChristianPreaching #LCMS

In this introductory episode to their new series on the Parables of Jesus, Tony Arsenal and Jesse Schwamb explore the profound theological significance of Christ's parables. Far from being mere teaching tools to simplify complex ideas, parables serve a dual purpose in God's redemptive plan: revealing spiritual truth to those with "ears to hear" while concealing these same truths from those without spiritual illumination. This episode lays the groundwork for understanding how parables function as divine teaching devices that embody core Reformed doctrines like election and illumination. As the hosts prepare to journey through all the parables in the Gospels, they invite listeners to consider the blessing of being granted spiritual understanding and the privilege of receiving the "secrets of the kingdom" through Christ's distinctive teaching method. Key Takeaways Parables are more than illustrations—they are comparisons that reveal kingdom truths to those with spiritual ears to hear while concealing truth from those without spiritual illumination. Jesus intentionally taught in parables not to simplify his teaching but partly to fulfill Isaiah's prophecy about those who hear but do not understand, confirming the spiritual condition of his hearers. The ability to understand parables is itself evidence of God's sovereign grace and election, as Jesus states in Matthew 13:16: "Blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear." Parables vary in form and function—some are clearly allegorical while others make a single point, requiring each to be approached on its own terms. Proper interpretation requires context—understanding both the original audience and the question or situation that prompted Jesus to use a particular parable. Parables function like Nathan's confrontation of David—they draw hearers in through narrative before revealing uncomfortable truths about themselves. Studying parables requires spiritual humility—recognizing that our understanding comes not from intellectual capacity but from the Spirit's illumination. Understanding Parables as Revelation, Not Just Illustration The hosts emphasize that parables are fundamentally different from mere illustrations or fables. While modern readers often assume Jesus used parables to simplify complex spiritual truths, the opposite is frequently true. As Tony explains, "A parable fundamentally is a comparison between two things... The word parable comes from the Greek of casting alongside." This distinction is crucial because it changes how we approach interpretation. Rather than breaking down each element as an allegorical component, we should first understand what reality Jesus is comparing the parable to. The parables function as a form of divine revelation—showing us kingdom realities through narrative comparison, but only those with spiritual insight can truly grasp their meaning. This is why Jesus quotes Isaiah and explains that he speaks in parables partly because "seeing they do not see and hearing they do not hear nor do they understand" (Matthew 13:13). The Doctrine of Election Embedded in Parabolic Teaching Perhaps the most profound insight from this episode is how the very form of Jesus' teaching—not just its content—embodies the doctrine of election. Jesse notes that "every parable then implicitly teaches a doctrine of election," because they reveal spiritual truth to some while concealing it from others. This isn't arbitrary but reflects spiritual realities. The hosts connect this to Jesus' words in Matthew 13:16: "Blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear." This blessing comes not from intellectual capacity or moral superiority but from God's sovereign grace. Tony describes this as "the blessing in our salvation and in our election that we are enabled to hear and perceive and receive the very voice and word of God into our spirit unto our salvation." The parables thus become a "microcosm" of Reformed doctrines like election, regeneration, and illumination. When believers understand Jesus' parables, they're experiencing the practical outworking of these doctrines in real time. Memorable Quotes "The parables are not just to illustrate a point, they're to reveal a spiritual point or spiritual points to those who have ears to hear, to those who've been illuminated by the spirit." - Tony Arsenal "Jesus is giving this message essentially to all who will listen to him... And so this is like, I love the way that he uses that quote in a slightly different way, but still to express the same root cause, which is some of you here because of your depravity will not be able to hear what I'm saying. But for those to whom it has been granted to come in who are ushered into the kingdom, this kingdom language will make sense." - Jesse Schwamb "But blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear. There's a blessing in our salvation and in our election that we are enabled to hear and perceive and receive the very voice and word of God into our spirit unto our salvation." - Tony Arsenal About the Hosts Tony Arsenal and Jesse Schwamb are the regular hosts of The Reformed Brotherhood podcast, where they explore Reformed theology and its application to Christian living. With a conversational style that balances depth and accessibility, they seek to make complex theological concepts understandable without sacrificing nuance or biblical fidelity. Transcript [00:00:45] Introduction and New Series Announcement [00:00:45] Jesse Schwamb: Welcome to episode 460 of The Reformed Brotherhood. I'm Jesse. [00:00:54] Tony Arsenal: And I'm Tony. And this is the podcast with ears to hear. Hey brother. [00:00:59] Jesse Schwamb: Hey brother. New series Time, new series. Time for the next seven years that, that's probably correct. It's gonna be a long one. New beginnings are so great, aren't they? And it is. [00:01:10] Jesse Schwamb: We've been hopefully this, well, it's definitely gonna live up to all the hype that we've been presenting about this. It's gonna be good. Everybody's gonna love it. And like I said, it's a topic we haven't done before. It's certainly not in this format. [00:01:23] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And you know what, just, um, as a side note, if you are a listener, which you must be, if you're hearing this, uh, this is a great time to introduce someone to the podcast. [00:01:33] Tony Arsenal: True. Uh, one, because this series is gonna be lit as the kids say, and, uh, it's a new series, so you don't have to have any background. You don't have to have any previous knowledge of the show or of who these two weird guys are to jump in and we're gonna. [00:01:53] Tony Arsenal: Talk about the Bible, which is amazing and awesome. And who doesn't love to talk about the Bible. [00:01:58] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, that's correct. That's what makes these so good. That's how I know, and I could say confidently that this is gonna be all the hype and more. All right, so before we get to affirmations and denials, all the good ProGo, that's part and parcel of our normal episode content. [00:02:12] Jesse Schwamb: Do you want to tell everybody what we're gonna be talking about? [00:02:16] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, I'm excited. [00:02:17] Introducing the Parables Series [00:02:17] Tony Arsenal: So we are gonna work our way through, and this is why I say it's gonna take seven years. We are gonna work our way through all of the parables. Parables, [00:02:25] Jesse Schwamb: the [00:02:25] Tony Arsenal: gospels and just so, um, the Gospel of John doesn't feel left out. [00:02:30] Tony Arsenal: We're gonna talk through some of the I am statements and some of that stuff when we get to John. 'cause John doesn't have a lot of parables. Uh, so we're gonna spend time in the synoptic gospels. We're gonna just walk through the parables one by one. We're taking an episode, sometimes maybe two, sometimes 10, depending on how long the parable is and how deep we get into it. [00:02:47] Tony Arsenal: We're just gonna work our way through. We're gonna take our time. We're gonna enjoy it. So again, this is a great time to start. It's kinda the ground floor on this and you thing. This could really be its own podcast all by itself, right? Uh, so invite a friend, invite some whole bunch of friends. Start a Sunday school class listening to this. [00:03:04] Tony Arsenal: No, don't do that. But people have done that before. But, uh, grab your bibles, get a decent commentary to help prep for the next episode, and, uh, let's, let's do it. I'm super excited. [00:03:14] Jesse Schwamb: When I say para, you say Abel Para, is that how it works? Para? Yeah. I don't know. You can't really divide it. Pairable. If you jam it together, yes. [00:03:24] Jesse Schwamb: You get some of that. You can say, when I say pair, you say Abel p [00:03:27] Tony Arsenal: Abel. [00:03:31] Jesse Schwamb: And you can expect a lot more of that in this series. But before we get into all this good juicy stuff about parables, and by the way, this is like an introductory episode, that doesn't mean that you can just skip it, doesn't mean it's not gonna be good. We gotta set some things up. We wanna talk about parables general generally, but before we have that good general conversation, let's get into our own tradition, which is either affirming with something or denying against something. [00:03:54] Affirmations and Denials [00:03:54] Jesse Schwamb: And so, Tony, what do you got for all of us? [00:03:58] Tony Arsenal: Mine is kind of a, an ecclesial, ecclesiastical denial. Mm-hmm. Um, this is sort of niche, but I feel like our audience may have heard about it. And there's this dust up that I, I noticed online, uh, really just this last week. Um, it's kind of a specific thing. There is a church, uh, I'm not sure where the church is. [00:04:18] Tony Arsenal: It's a PCA church, I believe it's called Mosaic. The pastor of the church, the teaching elder, one of the teaching elders just announced that he was, uh, leaving his ministry to, uh, join the Roman Catholic Church, which, yes, there's its own denial built into that. We are good old Protestant reformed folks, and I personally would, would stick with the original Westminster on the, the Pope being antichrist. [00:04:45] Tony Arsenal: But, um, that's not the denial. The denial is that in this particular church. For some unknown reason. Uh, the pastor who has now since a announced that he was leaving to, uh, to convert to Roman Catholicism, continued to preach the sermon and then administered the Lord's supper, even though he in the eyes, I think of most. [00:05:08] Tony Arsenal: Reformed folk and certainly historically in the eyes of the reformed position was basically apostate, uh, right in front of the congregation's eyes. Now, I don't know that I would necessarily put it that strongly. I think there are plenty of genuine born again Christians who find themselves in, in the Roman Catholic, uh, church. [00:05:27] Tony Arsenal: Uh, but to allow someone who is one resigning the ministry right in front of your eyes. Um, and then resigning to basically leave for another tradition that, that the PCA would not recognize, would not share ecclesiastical, uh, credentials with or accept their ordination or any of those things. Um, to then just allow him to admit, you know, to administer the Lord's Supper, I think is just a drastic miscarriage of, uh, ecclesiastical justice. [00:05:54] Tony Arsenal: I dunno if that's the right word. So I'm just denying this like. It shows that on a couple things like this, this. Church this session, who obviously knew this was coming. Um, this session does either, does not take seriously the differences between Roman Catholic theology and Protestant theology, particularly reformed theology, or they don't take seriously the, the gravity of the Lord's supper and who should and shouldn't be administering it. [00:06:22] Tony Arsenal: They can't take both of those things seriously and have a fully or biblical position on it. So there's a good opportunity for us to think through our ecclesiology, to think through our sacrament and how this applies. It just really doesn't sit well and it's not sitting well with a lot of people online, obviously. [00:06:37] Tony Arsenal: Um, and I'm sure there'll be all sorts of, like letters of concern sent to presbytery and, and all that stuff, and, and it'll all shake out in the wash eventually, but just, it just wasn't good. Just doesn't sit right. [00:06:48] Jesse Schwamb: You know, it strikes me of all the denominations. I'm not saying this pejoratively. I just think it is kind of interesting and funny to me that the Presbyterians love a letter writing campaign. [00:06:56] Jesse Schwamb: Like that's kind of the jam, the love, a good letter writing campaign. [00:07:00] Tony Arsenal: It's true, although it's, it's actually functional in Presbyterianism because That's right. That's how you voice your concern. It's not a, not a, a rage letter into the void. It actually goes somewhere and gets recorded and has to be addressed at presbytery if you have standing. [00:07:17] Tony Arsenal: So there's, there's a good reason to do that, and I'm sure that that will be done. I'm sure there are many. Probably ministers in the PCA who are aware of this, who are either actually considering filing charges or um, or writing such letters of complaints. And there's all sorts of mechanisms in the PCA to, to adjudicate and resolve and to investigate these kinds of things. [00:07:37] Jesse Schwamb: And I'd like to, if you're, if you're a true Presbyterian and, and in this instance, I'm not making light of this instance, but this instance are others, you. Feel compelled by a strong conviction to write such a letter that really you should do it with a quill, an ink. Like that's the ultimate way. I think handwritten with like a nice fountain pen. [00:07:54] Jesse Schwamb: There's not, yeah. I mean, you know what I'm saying? Like that's, that is a weighty letter right there. Like it's cut to Paul being like, I write this postscript in my own hand with these big letters. Yeah, it's like, you know, some original Presbyterian letter writing right there. [00:08:07] Tony Arsenal: And then you gotta seal it with wax with your signe ring. [00:08:10] Tony Arsenal: So, and send it by a carrier, by a messenger series of me messengers. [00:08:14] Jesse Schwamb: Think if you receive any letter in the mail, handwritten to you. Like for real, somebody painstakingly going through in script like spencerian script, you know, if you're using English characters writing up and then sealing that bad boy with wax, you're gonna be like, this is important. [00:08:30] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, this, even if it's just like, Hey, what's up? Yeah, you're gonna be like, look at this incredible, weighty document I've received. [00:08:36] Tony Arsenal: It's true. It's very true. I love it. Well, that's all I have to say about that to channel a little Forrest Gump there. Uh, Jesse, what are you affirming or denying tonight? [00:08:44] Jesse Schwamb: I'm also going to deny against, so this denial is like classic. [00:08:49] Jesse Schwamb: It's routine, but I got a different spin on it this time, so I'm denying against. The full corruption of sin, how it appears everywhere, how even unbelievers speak of it, almost unwittingly, but very commonly with great acceptance. And the particularity of this denial comes in the form of allergies, which you and I are talking about a lot of times. [00:09:09] Jesse Schwamb: But I was just thinking about this week because I had to do some allergy testing, which is a, a super fun experience. But it just got me think again, like very plainly about what allergies are. And how an allergy occurs when your immune system, like the part of your body responsible for protecting your body that God has made when your immune system mistakes like a non-harmful substance like pollen or a food or some kind of animal dander for a threat, and then reacts by producing these antibodies like primarily the immunoglobulin E. [00:09:36] Jesse Schwamb: So here's what strikes me as so funny about this in a, in a way that we must laugh. Because of our, our parents, our first parents who made a horrible decision and we like them, would make the same decision every day and twice in the Lord's day. And that is that this seems like, of course, such a clear sign of the corruption of sin impounded in our created order because it seems a really distasteful and suboptimal for human beings to have this kind of response to pollen. [00:10:03] Jesse Schwamb: When they were intended to work and care in a garden. So obviously I think we can say, Hey, like the fact that allergies exist and that it's your body making a mistake. [00:10:13] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. [00:10:13] Jesse Schwamb: It's like the ultimate, like cellular level of the ubiquity of sin. And so as I was speaking with my doctor and going through the, the testing, it's just so funny how like we all talk about this. [00:10:25] Jesse Schwamb: It's like, yeah, it's, it's a really over-indexed reaction. It doesn't make any sense. It's not the way the world is supposed to be, but nobody's saying how is the world supposed to be? Do you know what I mean? Like, but we just take it for granted that that kind of inflammation that comes from like your dog or like these particles in the air of plants, just trying to do a plant stew and reproduce and pollinate that, that could cause like really dramatic and debilitating. [00:10:49] Jesse Schwamb: Responses is just exceptional to me, and I think it's exceptional and exceptional to all of us because at some deep level we recognize that, as Paul says, like the earth, the entire world is groaning. It's groaning for that eschatological release and redemption that can only come from Christ. And our runny noses in our hay fever all prove that to some degree. [00:11:09] Jesse Schwamb: So denying against allergies, but denying against as well that ubiquity of corruption and sin in our world. [00:11:15] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, I just have this image in my head of Adam and Eve, you know, they're expelled outta the garden and they, they're working the ground. And then Adam sneezes. Yes. And Eve is like, did your head just explode? [00:11:28] Tony Arsenal: And he's like, I don't know. That would've been a, probably a pretty terrifying experience actually. [00:11:33] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, that's that's true. So imagine like you and I have talked about this before, because you have young children, adorable. Young children, and we've talked about like the first of everything, like when you're a child, you get sick for the first time, or you get the flu or you vomit for the first time. [00:11:45] Jesse Schwamb: Like you have no idea what's going on in your body, but imagine that. But being an adult. [00:11:49] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, where you can process what's going on, but don't have a framework for it. [00:11:52] Jesse Schwamb: Yes, exactly. So like [00:11:54] Tony Arsenal: that's like, that's like my worst nightmare I think. [00:11:55] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. It's like, to your point, 'cause there, there are a lot of experiences you have as an adults, even health wise that are still super strange and weird. [00:12:01] Jesse Schwamb: But [00:12:02] Tony Arsenal: yeah, [00:12:02] Jesse Schwamb: you have some rubric for them, but that's kind of exactly what I was thinking. What if this toiling over your labor is partly because it's horrible now because you have itchy, watery eyes or you get hives. Yeah. And before you were like, I could just lay in the grass and be totally fine. And now I can't even walk by ragweed without getting a headache or having some kind of weird fatigue. [00:12:23] Jesse Schwamb: Like I have to believe that that was, that part of this transition was all of these things. Like, now your body's gonna overreact to stuff where I, I, God put us in a place where that wouldn't be the case at all. [00:12:35] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Sometimes I think about like the first. Time that Adam was like sore or like hurt himself. [00:12:42] Tony Arsenal: True. Like the, just the, just the terror and fear that must have come with it. And sin is serious stuff. Like it's serious effects and sad, sad, sad stuff. But yeah, allergies are the worst. I, uh, I suffered really badly with, uh, seasonal allergies. When I was a a kid I had to do allergy shots and everything and it's makes no sense. [00:13:03] Tony Arsenal: There's no rhyme or reason to it, and your allergies change. So like you could be going your whole life, being able to eat strawberries and then all of a sudden you can't. Right? And it's, and you don't know until it happens. So [00:13:14] Jesse Schwamb: what's up with that? [00:13:15] Tony Arsenal: No good. [00:13:16] Jesse Schwamb: What's up with that? So again, imagine that little experience is a microcosmic example of what happens to Adam and Eve. [00:13:24] Jesse Schwamb: You know, like all these things change. Like you're, you're right. Suddenly your body isn't the same. It's not just because you're growing older, but because guess what? Sins everywhere. And guess what, where sin is, even in the midst of who you are as physically constructed and the environment in which you live, all, all totally change. [00:13:40] Jesse Schwamb: So that, that's enough of my rants on allergies. I know the, I know the loved ones out there hear me. It's also remarkable to me that almost everybody has an allergy of some kind. It's very, it's very rare if you don't have any allergies whatsoever. And probably those times when you think you're sick and you don't have allergies could be that you actually have them. [00:13:57] Jesse Schwamb: So it's just wild. Wild. [00:14:02] Tony Arsenal: Agreed. Agreed. [00:14:03] Theological Discussion on Parables [00:14:03] Tony Arsenal: Well, Jesse, without further ado, I'm not, I, maybe we should have further ado, but let's get into it. Let's talk about some parable stuff. [00:14:13] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, let's do it again. When I say pair, you say able pair. [00:14:17] Tony Arsenal: Able. [00:14:20] Jesse Schwamb: When I say [00:14:21] Tony Arsenal: para you say bowl. [00:14:24] Jesse Schwamb: That's what I was trying to go with before. [00:14:26] Jesse Schwamb: It's a little bit more, yeah, but you gotta like cross over like we both gotta say like that middle syllable kind of. Otherwise it's, it sounds like I'm just saying bowl. And [00:14:34] Tony Arsenal: yeah, there's no good way to chant that. Yeah, we're work. This is why Jesse and I are not cheerleaders. [00:14:39] Jesse Schwamb: We're, we're work shopping everybody. [00:14:40] Jesse Schwamb: But I agree with you. Enough of us talking about affirmations, the denials in this case, the double double denial. Let's talk about parables. So the beauty of this whole series is there's gonna be so much great stuff to talk about, and I think this is a decent topic for us to cover because. Really, if you think about it, the parables of Jesus have captivated people for the entirety of the scriptures. [00:15:06] Jesse Schwamb: As long, as long as they were recorded and have been read and processed and studied together. And, uh, you know, there's stuff I'm sure that we will just gloss over. We don't need to get into in terms of like, is it pure allegory? Is it always allegory? Is it, there's lots of interpretation here. I think this is gonna be our way of processing together and moving through some of these and speaking them out and trying to learn principally. [00:15:28] Jesse Schwamb: Predominantly what they're teaching us. But I say all that because characters like the prodigal son, like Good Samaritan, Pharisees, and tax collector, those actually have become well known even outside the church. [00:15:40] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. And [00:15:40] Jesse Schwamb: then sometimes inside the church there's over familiarity with all of these, and that leads to its own kind of misunderstanding. [00:15:46] Jesse Schwamb: So, and I think as well. I'm hoping that myself, you and our listeners will be able to hear them in a new way, and maybe if we can try to do this without again, being parabolic, is that we can kind of recreate some of the trauma. In these stories. 'cause Jesus is, is pressing upon very certain things and there's certainly a lot of trauma that his original audiences would've taken away from what he was saying here. [00:16:13] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. Even just starting with what is a parable and why is Jesus telling them? So I presume that's actually the best place for us to begin is what's the deal with the parables and why is this? Is this Jesus preferred way of teaching about the kingdom of God. [00:16:30] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, and I think, you know, it bears saying too that like not all the parables are alike. [00:16:35] Tony Arsenal: Like true. We can't, this is why I'm excited about this series. You know, it's always good to talk through the bible and, and or to talk through systematic theology, but what really excites me is when we do a series like this, kind of like the Scott's Confession series, like it gives us a reason. To think through a lot of different disciplines and flex like exercise and stretch and flex a lot of different kinds of intellectual muscles. [00:17:00] Tony Arsenal: So there's gonna be some exegetical work we have to do. There's gonna be some hermeneutical work we're gonna have to do, probably have to do some historical work about how the parables have been interpreted in different ways. Yes, and and I think, so, I think it's important to say like, not every parable is exactly the same. [00:17:14] Tony Arsenal: And this is where I think like when you read, sometimes you read books about the, the parables of Christ. Like you, you'll hear one guy say. Well, a parable is not an allegory. Then you'll hear another guy say like, well, parables might have allegorical elements to it. Right. Now if one guy say like, well, a parable has one main point, and you'll have another guy say like, well, no, actually, like parables can have multiple points and multiple shades of meaning. [00:17:37] Tony Arsenal: And I think the answer to why you have this variance in the commentaries is 'cause sometimes the parables are alleg. [00:17:44] Jesse Schwamb: Right. And [00:17:44] Tony Arsenal: sometimes they're not allegorical. Sometimes they have one main point. Sometimes there's multiple points. So I think it's important for us to just acknowledge like we're gonna have to come to each parable, um, on its own and on its own terms. [00:17:57] Tony Arsenal: But there are some general principles that I think we can talk about what parables are. So parables in general are. Figurative stories or figurative accounts that are used to illustrate, I think primarily used to illustrate a single main point. And there may be some subpoints, but they, they're generally intended to, uh, to illustrate something by way of a, of a narrative, a fictional narrative that, uh, helps the reader. [00:18:27] Tony Arsenal: Uh, or the hearer is just, it's also important that these were primarily heard, these are heard parables, so there are even times where the phrasing of the language is important in the parable. Um, they're helping the, the hearer to understand spiritual truth. And this is where I think it's it's key, is that this is not just. [00:18:48] Tony Arsenal: When we're talking about the parables of Christ, right? There's people tell parables, there's all sorts of different teachers that have used parables. Um, I, I do parables on the show from time to time where I'll tell like a little made up story about a, you know, a situation. I'll say like, pretend, you know, let's imagine you have this guy and he's doing this thing that's a form of a parable when I'm using. [00:19:08] Tony Arsenal: I'm not, it's not like a makeup made up story. It's not asaps fables. We're not talking about like talking foxes and hens and stuff, but it's illustrating a point. But the parables of Christ are not just to illustrate a point, they're to reveal a spiritual point or spiritual points to those who have ears to hear, to those who've been illuminated by the spirit. [00:19:29] Tony Arsenal: And I just wanna read this. Uh, this is just God's providence, um, in action. I, um, I've fallen behind on my reading in The Daily Dad, which is a Ryan Holiday book. This was the reading that came up today, even though it's not the correct reading for the day. Uh, it's, it's for September 2nd. We're recording this on September, uh, sixth. [00:19:48] Tony Arsenal: Uh, and the title is, this is How You Teach Them. And the first line says, if the Bible has any indication, Jesus rarely seemed to come out and say what he meant. He preferred instead to employ parables and stories and little anecdotes that make you think. He tells stories of the servants and the talents. [00:20:03] Tony Arsenal: He tells stories of the prodigal son and the Good Samaritan. Turns out it's pretty effective to get a point across and make it stick. What what we're gonna learn. Actually that Jesus tells these stories in parables, in part to teach those who have spiritual ears to hear, but in part to mask the truth That's right. [00:20:24] Tony Arsenal: From those who don't have spiritual ears to hear, oh, online [00:20:26] Jesse Schwamb: holiday. [00:20:27] Tony Arsenal: So it's not as simple as like Jesus, using illustration to help make something complicated, clearer, right? Yes. But also, no. So I'm super excited to kind of get into this stuff and talk through it and to, to really dig into the parables themselves. [00:20:42] Tony Arsenal: It's just gonna be a really good exercise at sort of sitting at the feet of our master in his really, his preferred mode of teaching. Um, you know, other than the sermon on the Mount. There's not a lot of like long form, straightforward, didactic teaching like that most of Christ's teaching as recorded in the gospels, comes in the form of these parables in one way or another. [00:21:03] Tony Arsenal: Right. And that's pretty exciting to me. [00:21:05] Jesse Schwamb: Right. And there's so many more parables I think, than we often understand there to be, or at least then that we see in like the headings are Bible, which of course have been put there by our own construction. So anytime you get that. Nice short, metaphorical narrative is really Jesus speaking in a kind of parable form, and I think you're right on. [00:21:25] Jesse Schwamb: For me, it's always highlighting some kind of aspect of the kingdom of God. And I'd say there is generally a hierarchy. There doesn't have to be like a single point, like you said. There could be other points around that. But if you get into this place where like everything has some kind of allegory representation, then the parable seems to die of the death of like a million paper cuts, right? [00:21:40] Jesse Schwamb: Because you're trying to figure out all the things and if you have to represent something, everything he says with some kind of. Heavy spiritual principle gets kind of weird very quickly. But in each of these, as you said, what's common in my understanding is it's presenting like a series of events involving like a small number of characters. [00:21:57] Jesse Schwamb: It is bite-sized and sometimes those are people or plants or even like inanimate objects. So like the, yeah, like you said, the breadth and scope of how Jesus uses the metaphor is brilliant teaching, and it's even more brilliant when you get to that level, like you're saying, where it's meant both to illuminate. [00:22:13] Jesse Schwamb: To obfuscate. That is like, to me, the parable is a manifestation of election because it's clear that Jesus is using this. Those who have the ears to hear are the ones whom the Holy Spirit has unstopped, has opened the eyes, has illuminated the hearts and the mind to such a degree that can receive these, and that now these words are resonant. [00:22:32] Jesse Schwamb: So like what a blessing that we can understand them, that God has essentially. Use this parabolic teaching in such a way to bring forward his concept of election in the minds and the hearts of those who are his children. And it's kind of a way, this is kind of like the secret Christian handshake. It's the speakeasy of salvation. [00:22:52] Jesse Schwamb: It's, it's coming into the fold because God has invited you in and given you. The knowledge and ability of which to really understand these things. And so most of these little characters seemed realistic and resonant in Jesus' world, and that's why sometimes we do need a little bit of studying and understanding the proper context for all those things. [00:23:12] Jesse Schwamb: I would say as well, like at least one element in those parables is a push. It's in, it's kind of taking it and hyping it up. It's pushing the boundaries of what's plausible, and so you'll find that all of this is made again to illuminate some principle of the kingdom of God. And we should probably go to the thing that you intimated, because when you read that quote from, from Ryan Holiday, I was like, yes, my man. [00:23:34] Jesse Schwamb: Like he's on the right track. Right? There's something about what he's saying that is partially correct, but like you said, a lot of times people mistake the fact that, well, Jesus. Is using this language and these metaphors, these similes, he speaks in parables because they were the best way to get like these uneducated people to understand him. [00:23:57] Jesse Schwamb: Right? But it's actually the exact opposite. And we know this because of perhaps the most famous dialogue and expression and explanation of parables, which comes to us in Matthew 13, 10 through 17, where Jesus explains to his disciples exactly why he uses this mode of teaching. And what he says is. This is why I speak to them of parables because seeing they do not see and hearing, they do not hear they nor do they understand. [00:24:24] Jesse Schwamb: So, so that's perplexing. We should probably camp there for just a second and talk about that. Right, and, and like really unpack like, what is Jesus after here? Then if, like, before we get into like, what do all these things mean, it's almost like saying. We need to understand why they're even set before us and why these in some ways are like a kind of a small stumbling block to others, but then this great stone of appreciation and one to stand on for for others. [00:24:47] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, and I think you know, before we, before we cover that, which I think is a good next spot. A parable is not just an illustration. Like I think that's where a lot of people go a little bit sideways, is they think that this is effectively, like it's a fable. It's like a made up story primarily to like illustrate a point right. [00:25:09] Tony Arsenal: Or an allegory where you know, you're taking individual components and they represent something else. A parable fundamentally is a, is a, a comparison between two things, right? The word parable comes from the Greek of casting alongside, and so the idea is like you're, you're taking. The reality that you're trying to articulate and you're setting up this parable next to it and you're comparing them to it. [00:25:33] Tony Arsenal: And so I like to use the word simile, like that's why Christ says like the kingdom of God is like this. Yes. It's not like I'm gonna explain the kingdom of God to you by using this made up story. Right on. It's I'm gonna compare the kingdom of God to this thing or this story that I'm having, and so we should be. [00:25:49] Tony Arsenal: Rather than trying to like find the principles of the parable, we should be looking at it and going, how does this parable reflect? Or how is this a, um, how is this an explanation? Not in the, like, I, I'm struggling to even explain this here. It's not that the cer, the parable is just illustrating a principle. [00:26:10] Tony Arsenal: It's that the kingdom of God is one thing and the parable reveals that same one thing by way of comparison. Yes. So like. Uh, we'll get into the specifics, obviously, but when the, when the, um, lawyer says, who is my neighbor? Well, it's not just like, well, let's look at the Good Samaritan. And the Good Samaritan represents this, and the Levite represents this, and the priest represents this. [00:26:32] Tony Arsenal: It's a good neighbor, is this thing. It's this story. Compared to whatever you have in your mind of what a good neighbor is. And we're gonna bounce those things up against each other, and that's gonna somehow show us what the, what the reality is. And that's why I think to get back to where we were, that's why I think sometimes the parables actually obscure the truth. [00:26:53] Tony Arsenal: Because if we're not comparing the parable to the reality of something, then we're gonna get the parable wrong. So if we think that, um, the Good Samaritan. Is a parable about social justice and we're, we're looking at it to try to understand how do we treat, you know, the, the poor people in Africa who don't have food or the war torn refugees, you know, coming out of Ukraine. [00:27:19] Tony Arsenal: If we're looking at it primarily as like, I need to learn to be a good neighbor to those who are destitute. Uh, we're not comparing it against what Jesus was comparing it against, right? So, so we have to understand, we have to start in a lot of cases with the question that the parable is a response to, which oftentimes the parable is a response to a question or it's a, it's a principle that's being, um, compare it against if we get that first step wrong, uh, or if we start with our own presuppositions, which is why. [00:27:50] Tony Arsenal: Partially why I think Christ is saying like, the only those who have ears to hear. Like if you don't have a spiritual presupposition, I, I mean that, that might not be the right word, but like if you're not starting from the place of spiritual illumination, not in the weird gnostic sense, but in the, the. [00:28:07] Tony Arsenal: Genuinely Christian illumination of the Holy Spirit and inward testimony of the Holy Spirit. If you're not starting from that perspective, you almost can't get the parables right. So that's why we see like the opponents of Christ in the Bible, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, constantly. They're constantly confused and they're getting it wrong. [00:28:26] Tony Arsenal: And, and even sometimes the disciples, they have to go and ask sometimes too, what is this parable? Wow, that's right. What is, what does this mean? So it's never as simple as, as what's directly on the surface, but it's also not usually as complicated as we would make it be if we were trying to over-interpret the parable, which I think is another risk. [00:28:44] Jesse Schwamb: That's the genius, isn't it? Is that I I like what you're saying. It's that spiritual predisposition that allows us to receive the word and, and when we receive that word, it is a simple word. It's not as if like, we have to elevate ourselves in place of this high learning or education or philosophizing, and that's the beauty of it. [00:29:03] Jesse Schwamb: So it is, again, God's setting apart for himself A, a people a teaching. So. But I think this is, it is a little bit perplexing at first, like that statement from Jesus because it's a bit like somebody coming to you, like your place of work or anywhere else in your family life and asking you explicitly for instruction and, and then you saying something like, listen, I, I'm gonna show you, but you're not gonna be able to see it. [00:29:22] Jesse Schwamb: And you're gonna, I'm gonna tell you, but you're not gonna be able to hear it, and I'm gonna explain it to you, but you're not gonna be able to understand. And you're like, okay. So yeah, what's the point of you talking to me then? So it's clear, like you said that Jesus. Is teaching that the secrets, and that's really, really what these are. [00:29:37] The Secrets of the Kingdom of God [00:29:37] Jesse Schwamb: It's brilliant and beautiful that Jesus would, that the, the son of God and God himself would tell us the secrets of his kingdom. But that again, first of all by saying it's a secret, means it's, it's for somebody to guard and to hold knowledge closely and that it is protected. So he says, teaching like the secrets of the kingdom of God are unknowable through mere human reasoning and intuition. [00:29:56] Jesse Schwamb: Interestingly here though, Jesus is also saying that. He's, it's not like he's saying no one can ever understand the parables, right, or that he intends to hide their truth from all people. [00:30:07] Understanding Parables and God's Sovereign Grace [00:30:07] Jesse Schwamb: Instead, he just explains that in order to highlight God's sovereign grace, God in his mercy has enlightened some to whom it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. [00:30:17] Jesse Schwamb: That's verse 11. So. All of us as his children who have been illuminated can understand the truth of God's kingdom. That is wild and and that is amazing. So that this knowledge goes out and just like we talk about the scripture going out and never returning void, here's a prime example of that very thing that there is a condemnation and not being able to understand. [00:30:37] Jesse Schwamb: That condemnation comes not because you're not intelligent enough, but because as you said, you do not have that predisposition. You do not have that changed heart into the ability to understand these things. [00:30:47] Doctrine of Election and Spiritual Insight [00:30:47] Jesse Schwamb: This is what leads me here to say like every parable then implicitly teaches a doctrine of election. [00:30:53] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, because all people are outside the kingdom until they enter the Lord's teaching. How do we enter the Lord's teaching by being given ears to hear. How are we understanding that? We have been given ears to hear when these parables speak to us in the spiritual reality as well as in just like you said, like this general kind of like in the way that I presume Ryan Holiday means it. [00:31:12] Jesse Schwamb: The, this is like, he might be exemplifying the fact that these stories. Are a really great form of the ability to communicate complex information or to make you think. [00:31:21] The Power and Purpose of Parables [00:31:21] Jesse Schwamb: So when Jesus says something like The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, wow, we, you and I will probably spend like two episodes just unpacking that, or we could spend a lot more, that's beautiful that that's how his teaching takes place. [00:31:34] Jesse Schwamb: But of course it's, it's so much. More than that, that those in whom the teaching is effective on a salvation somehow understand it, and their understanding of it becomes first because Christ is implanted within them. Salvation. [00:31:46] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. [00:31:48] Parables as More Than Simple Teaching Tools [00:31:48] Tony Arsenal: I think people, and this is what I think like Ryan Holiday's statement reflects, is people think of the parables as a simple teaching tool to break down a complicated subject. [00:32:00] Tony Arsenal: Yes. And so, like if I was trying to explain podcasting to a, like a five-year-old, I would say something like, well, you know. You know how your teacher teaches you during class while a podcast is like if your teacher lived on the internet and you could access your teacher anytime. Like, that might be a weird explanation, but like that's taking a very complicated thing about recording and and RSS feeds and you know, all of these different elements that go into what podcasting is and breaking it down to a simple sub that is not what a parable is. [00:32:30] Tony Arsenal: Right? Right. A parable is not. Just breaking a simple subject down and illustrating it by way of like a, a clever comparison. Um, you know, it's not like someone trying to explain the doctrine of, of the Trinity by using clever analogies or something like that. Even if that were reasonable and impossible. [00:32:50] Tony Arsenal: It's, it's not like that a parable. I like what you're saying about it being kind of like a mini doctrine of election. It's also a mini doctrine of the Bible. Yes. Right. It, it's right on. [00:33:00] The Doctrine of Illumination [00:33:00] Tony Arsenal: It's, it's the doctrine of revelation. In. Preached form in the Ministry of Christ, right? As Christians, we have this text and we affirm that at the same time, uh, what can be known of it and what is necessary for salvation can be known. [00:33:19] Tony Arsenal: By ordinary means like Bart Iman, an avowed atheist who I, I think like all atheists, whether they recognize it or not, hates God. He can read the Bible and understand that what it means is that if you trust Jesus, you'll be saved. You don't need special spiritual insight to understand that that is what the Bible teaches, where the special spiritual. [00:33:42] Tony Arsenal: Insight might not be the right word, but the special spiritual appropriation is that the spirit enables you to receive that unto your salvation. Right? To put your trust in. The reality of that, and we call that doctrine, the doctrine of illumination. And so in, in the sense of parables in Christ's ministry, and this is, this is if you, you know, like what do I always say is just read a little bit more, um, the portion Jesse read it leads way into this prophecy or in this comment, Christ. [00:34:10] Tony Arsenal: Saying he teaches in parable in order to fulfill this prophecy of Isaiah. Basically that like those who are, uh, ate and are apart from God and are resistant to God, these parables there are there in order to confirm that they are. And then it says in verse 16, and this is, this is. [00:34:27] The Blessing of Spiritual Understanding [00:34:27] Tony Arsenal: It always seems like the series that we do ends up with like a theme verse, and this is probably the one verse 16 here, Matthew 1316 says, but blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear. [00:34:40] Tony Arsenal: And so like there's a blessing. In our salvation and in our election that we are enabled to hear and perceive and re receive the very voice and word of God into our spirit unto our salvation. That is the doctrine of of election. It's also the doctrine of regeneration, the doctrine of sanctification, the doctrine. [00:35:03] Tony Arsenal: I mean, there's all of these different classic reformed doctrines that the parables really are these mic this microcosm of that. Almost like applied in the Ministry of Christ. Right. Which I, I, you know, I've, I've never really thought of it in depth in that way before, but it's absolutely true and it's super exciting to be able to sort of embark on this, uh, on this series journey with, with this group. [00:35:28] Tony Arsenal: I think it's gonna be so good to just dig into these and really, really hear the gospel preached to ourselves through these parables. That's what I'm looking forward to. [00:35:38] Jesse Schwamb: And we're used to being very. Close with the idea that like the message contains the doctrine, the message contains the power. Here we're saying, I think it's both. [00:35:47] Jesse Schwamb: And the mode of that message also contains, the doctrine also contains the power. And I like where you're going with this because I think what we should be reminding ourselves. Is what a blessing it is to have this kind of information conferred to us. [00:36:01] The Role of Parables in Revealing and Concealing Truth [00:36:01] Jesse Schwamb: That again, God has taken, what is the secrets that is his to disclose and his to keep and his to hold, and he's made it available to his children. [00:36:08] Jesse Schwamb: And part of that is for, as you said, like the strengthening of our own faith. It's also for condemnation. So notice that. The hiding of the kingdom through parables is not a consequence of the teaching itself. Again, this goes back to like the mode being as equally important here as the message itself that Christ's teaching is not too difficult to comprehend as an intellectual matter. [00:36:27] Jesse Schwamb: The thing is, like even today, many unbelievers read the gospels and they technically understand what Jesus means in his teaching, especially these parables. The problem is. I would say like moral hardness. It's that lack of spiritual predilection or predisposition. They know what Jesus teaches, but they do not believe. [00:36:47] Jesse Schwamb: And so the challenge before us is as all scripture reading, that we would go before the Holy Spirit and say, holy Spirit, help me to believe. Help me to understand what to believe. And it so doing, do the work of God, which is to believe in him and to believe in His son Jesus Christ and what he's accomplished. [00:37:02] Jesse Schwamb: So the parables are not like creating. Fresh unbelief and sinners instead, like they're confirming the opposition that's already present and apart from Grace, unregenerate perversely use our Lord's teaching to increase their resistance. That's how it's set up. That's how it works. That's why to be on the inside, as it were, not again, because like we've done the right handshake or met all the right standards, but because of the blood of Christ means that the disciples, the first disciples and all the disciples who will follow after them on the other hand. [00:37:33] The Complexity and Nuances of Parables [00:37:33] Jesse Schwamb: We've been granted these eyes to see, and ears to hear Jesus. And then we've been given the secrets of the kingdom. I mean, that's literally what we've been given. And God's mercy has been extended to the disciples who like many in the crowds, once ignorantly and stubbornly rejected God and us just like them as well in both accounts. [00:37:49] Jesse Schwamb: So this is, I think we need to settle on that. You're right, throughout this series, what a blessing. It's not meant to be a great labor or an effort for the child of God. Instead, it's meant to be a way of exploring these fe. Fantastic truths of who God is and what he's done in such a way that draw us in. [00:38:07] Jesse Schwamb: So that whether we're analyzing again, like the the lost coin or the lost sheep, or. Any number of these amazing parables, you'll notice that they draw us in because they don't give us answers in the explicit sense that we're used to. Like didactically instead. Yeah. They cause us to consider, as you've already said, Tony, like what does it mean to be lost? [00:38:26] Jesse Schwamb: What does it mean that the father comes running for this prodigal son? What does it mean that the older brother has a beef with the whole situation? What does it mean when Jesus says that the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed? How much do we know about mustard seeds? And why would he say that? Again, this is a kind of interesting teaching, but that illumination in the midst of it being, I don't wanna say ambiguous, but open-ended to a degree means that the Holy Spirit must come in and give us that kind of grand knowledge. [00:38:55] Jesse Schwamb: But more than that, believe upon what Jesus is saying. I think that's the critical thing, is somebody will say, well, aren't the teaching simple and therefore easy to understand. In a sense, yes. Like factually yes, but in a much greater sense. Absolutely not. And that's why I think it's so beautiful that he quotes Isaiah there because in that original context, you the, you know, you have God delivering a message through Isaiah. [00:39:17] Jesse Schwamb: Uh. The people are very clear. Like, we just don't believe you're a prophet of God. And like what you're saying is ridiculous, right? And we just don't wanna hear you. This is very different than that. This is, Jesus is giving this message essentially to all who will listen to him, not necessarily hear, but all, all who are hear Him, I guess rather, but not necessarily all who are listening with those spiritual ears. [00:39:33] Jesse Schwamb: And so this is like, I love the way that he, he uses that quote in a slightly different way, but still to express the same root cause, which is some of you here. Because of your depravity will not be able to hear what I'm saying. But for those to whom it has been granted to come in who are ushered into the kingdom, this kingdom language will make sense. [00:39:54] Jesse Schwamb: It's like, I'm going to be speaking to you in code and half of you have the key for all the code because the Holy Spirit is your cipher and half of you don't. And you're gonna, you're gonna listen to the same thing, but you will hear very different things. [00:40:06] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And you know, the other thing I think is, is interesting to ponder on this, um. [00:40:12] The Importance of Context in Interpreting Parables [00:40:12] Tony Arsenal: God always accommodates his revelation to his people. And the parables are, are, are like the. Accommodated accommodation. Yeah. Like God accommodates himself to those he chooses to reveal himself to. And in some ways this is, this is, um, the human ministry of Christ is him accommodating himself to those. [00:40:38] Tony Arsenal: What I mean is in the human ministry of the Son, the parables are a way of the son accommodating himself to those he chooses to reveal himself to. So there, there are instances. Where the parable is said, and it is, uh, it's seems to be more or less understood by everybody. Nobody asks the question about like, what does this mean? [00:40:57] Tony Arsenal: Right? And then there are instances where the parable is said, and even the apostles are, or the disciples are like, what does this parable mean? And then there's some interesting ones where like. Christ's enemies understand the parable and, and can understand that the parable is told against them. About them. [00:41:13] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. So there, there's all these different nuances to why Christ used these parables, how simple they were, how complicated they were. Yes. And again, I think that underscores what I said at the top of the show here. It's like you can't treat every parable exactly the same. And that's where you run into trouble. [00:41:28] Tony Arsenal: Like if you're, if you're coming at them, like they're all just simple allegory. Again, like some of them have allegorical elements. I think it's fair to look at the, the prodigal son or the, the prodigal father, however you want to title that. And remember, the titles are not, generally, the titles are not, um, baked into the text itself. [00:41:46] Tony Arsenal: I think it's fair to come to that and look at and go, okay, well, who's the father in this? Who's the son? You know, what does it mean that the older son is this? Is, is there relevance to the fact that there's a party and that the, you know, the older, older, uh, son is not a part of it? There's, there's some legitimacy to that. [00:42:02] Tony Arsenal: And when we look at Christ's own explanation of some of his parables, he uses those kinds, right? The, the good seed is this, the, the seed that fell on the, the side of the road is this, right? The seed that got choked out by the, the, um, thorns is this, but then there are others where it doesn't make sense to pull it apart, element by element. [00:42:21] Tony Arsenal: Mm-hmm. Um, and, and the other thing is there are some things that we're gonna look at that are, um. We're gonna treat as parables that the text doesn't call a parable. And then there are some that you might even look at that sometimes the text calls a parable that we might not even think of as a normal parable, right? [00:42:38] Tony Arsenal: So there's lots of elements. This is gonna be really fun to just dig stuff in and, and sort of pick it, like pull it apart and look at its component parts and constituent parts. Um, so I really do mean it if you, if you're the kind of person who has never picked up a Bible commentary. This would be a good time to, to start because these can get difficult. [00:42:59] Tony Arsenal: They can get complicated. You want to have a trusted guide, and Jesse and I are gonna do our, our work and our research on this. Um, but you want someone who's more of a trusted guide than us. This is gonna be the one time that I might actually say Calvin's commentaries are not the most helpful. And the reason for that is not because Calvin's not clear on this stuff. [00:43:17] Tony Arsenal: Calvin Calvin's commentaries on the gospel is, is a harmony of the gospels, right? So sometimes it's tricky when you're reading it to try to find like a specific, uh, passage in Matthew because you're, you, everything's interwoven. So something like Matthew Henry, um, or something like, um, Matthew Poole. Uh, might be helpful if you're willing to spend a little bit of money. [00:43:38] Tony Arsenal: The ESV expository commentary that I've referenced before is a good option. Um, but try to find something that's approachable and usable that is reasonable for you to work through the commentary alongside of us, because you are gonna want to spend time reading these on your own, and you're gonna want to, like I said, you're gonna want to have a trust guide with you. [00:43:55] Tony Arsenal: Even just a good study bible, something like. The Reformation Study Bible or something along those lines would help you work your way through these parables, and I think it's valuable to do that. [00:44:06] Jesse Schwamb: Something you just said sparked this idea in me that the power, or one of the powers maybe of good fiction is that it grabs your attention. [00:44:15] The Impact of Parables on Listeners [00:44:15] Jesse Schwamb: It like brings you into the plot maybe even more than just what I said before about it being resonant, that it actually pulls you into the storyline and it makes you think that it's about other people until it's too late. Yeah. And Jesus has a way of doing this that really only maybe the parable can allow. [00:44:30] Jesse Schwamb: So like in other words, by the time you realize. A parable is like metaphorical, or even in a limited case, it's allegorical form you've already identified with one or more of the characters and you're caught in the trap. So what comes to my mind there is like the one Old Testament narrative, virtually identical, informed to those Jesus told is Nathan's parable of the You lamb. [00:44:52] Jesse Schwamb: So that's in like second Samuel 12, and I was just looking this up as you were, as you were speaking. So in this potentially life and death move for the prophet Nathan confronts King David. Over his adultery with, or depending on how you see it, rape of Bathsheba, and then his subsequent murder of her husband Uriah, by sending him to the front lines of battle. [00:45:10] Jesse Schwamb: So he's killed. And so in this parable that Nathan tells Uriah is like the poor man. Bathsheba is like the Yu a and the rich man obviously represents David. If you, you know what I'm talking about, go back and look at second Samuel 12. And so what's interesting is once David is hooked into that story, he cannot deny that his behavior was unjust as that of the rich man in the story who takes this UAM for himself and he, which he openly. [00:45:38] Jesse Schwamb: Then David openly condemns of course, like the amazing climax of this. And as the reader who has. Of course, like omniscient knowledge in the story, you know, the plot of things, right? You're, you're already crying out, like you're throwing something, you know, across the room saying like, how can you not see this about you? [00:45:53] Jesse Schwamb: And of course the climax comes in when Nathan points the finger at David and declares, you are the man. And that's kind of what. The parables due to us. Yes. They're not always like the same in accusatory toward us, but they do call us out. This is where, again, when we talk about like the scripture reading us, the parable is particularly good at that because sometimes we tend to identify, you know, again, with like one of the particular characters whom we probably shouldn't identify with, or like you said, the parable, the sower. [00:46:22] Jesse Schwamb: Isn't the Christian always quick to be like, I am the virtual grounds? Yeah. You still have to ask like, you know, there is not like a Paul washer way of doing this, but there is like a way of saying like, checking yourself before you wreck yourself there. And so when Jesus's parables have lost some of that shock value in today's world, we maybe need to contemporize them a little bit. [00:46:43] Jesse Schwamb: I, and I think we'll talk about that as we go through it. We're not rewriting them for any reason that that would be completely inappropriate. Think about this though. Like the Jew robbed and left for dead. And you know the story of the Grace Samaritan may need to become like the white evangelical man who is helped by like the black Muslim woman after the senior pastor and the worship leader from the local reformed church passed by like that. [00:47:05] Jesse Schwamb: That might be the frame, which we should put it to try to understand it whenever we face a hostile audience that this indirect rhetoric of compelling stories may help at least some people hear God's world more favorably, and I think that's why you get both like a soft. And a sharp edge with these stories. [00:47:20] Jesse Schwamb: But it's the ability to, to kind of come in on the sneak attack. It's to make you feel welcomed in and to identify with somebody. And then sometimes to find that you're identifying entirely with a character whom Jesus is gonna say, listen, don't be this way, or This is what the kingdom of God is, is not like this. [00:47:35] Jesse Schwamb: Or again, to give you shock value, not for the sake of telling like a good tale that somehow has a twist where it's like everybody was actually. All Dead at the end. Another movie, by the way, I have not seen, but I just know that that's like, I'll never see that movie because, can we say it that the spoiler is, is out on that, right? [00:47:54] Tony Arsenal: Are we, what are we talking about? What movie are we talking about? [00:47:56] Jesse Schwamb: Well, I don't, I don't wanna say it. I didn't [00:47:57] Tony Arsenal: even get it from your description. Oh. [00:47:59] Jesse Schwamb: Like that, that movie where like, he was dead the whole time. [00:48:02] Tony Arsenal: Oh, this, that, that, that movie came out like 30 years ago, Jesse. Oh, seriously? [00:48:06] Jesse Schwamb: Okay. All right. [00:48:06] Tony Arsenal: So Six Sense. [00:48:07] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. That movie came out a long time ago. [00:48:10] Jesse Schwamb: So it's not like the parables are the sixth sense, and it's like, let me get you like a really cool twist. Right. Or like hook at the end. I, and I think in part it is to disarm you and to draw you in in such a way that we might honestly consider what's happening there. [00:48:22] Jesse Schwamb: And that's how it reads us. [00:48:24] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And I, I think that's a good point. And, and. It bears saying there are all sorts of parables all throughout the Bible. It's not just Jesus that teaches these, and they do have this similar effect that they, they draw you in. Um, oftentimes you identify it preliminarily, you identify with the wrong person, and it's not until you. [00:48:45] Tony Arsenal: Or you don't identify with anyone when you should. Right. Right. And it's not until the sort of punchline or I think that account with Nathan is so spot on because it's the same kind of thing. David did not have ears to hear. [00:48:58] Jesse Schwamb: Right. Until he had That's good point. Ears [00:49:00] Tony Arsenal: to hear. [00:49:00] Jesse Schwamb: Good point. [00:49:01] Tony Arsenal: And he heard the point of the parable. [00:49:03] Tony Arsenal: He understood the point of the parable and he didn't understand that the parable was about him, right? It's like the ultimate, I don't know why you're clapping David, I'm talking about you moment. Um, I'm just have this picture of Paul washer in like a biblical era robe. Um, so I think that's a enough progam to the series. [00:49:20] Preparing for the Series on Parables [00:49:20] Tony Arsenal: We're super excited we're, we'll cover some of these principles again, because again, different parables have to be interpreted different ways, and some of these principles apply to one and don't to others, and so we'll, we'll tease that out when we get there next week. We're gonna just jump right in. [00:49:34] Tony Arsenal: We're gonna get started with, I think, um, I actually think, you know, in the, the providence of, of the Holy Spirit and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and then obviously the providence of God in Christ's ministry, the, the parable that kind of like frames all of the other parables,

The Gospel of John Week 11 Scripture: John 7:22-59. Pastor opens by sharing details of the Feast of Tabernacles and the scriptures of the Living Water that were read during this 8 day festival. Festival readings included: Ezekiel 47:1-12, Zechariah 14:8 and Jeremiah 17:13b.  As our story opens, it is the Feast of Tabernacles and these scriptures would have been read. Pastor goes on to share that there has been much learned over the last 100 years and especially in the last 15 or so that helps to bring this text and the story alive. As we look at what we know about the time of Jesus and what we are discovering, they are changing our understanding of the Bible, bringing a new sense of significance and even urgency as what we are discovering is a testimony that says, “This is real!” Some recent archeological work has found what is believed to be the City of David - but not at all where it was thought to be, and the discovery of the Hezekiah Tunnel, and more recently the Pool of Siloam show us a different location than originally thought for the Pool and also that it was a very large pool, not a small one. Also that it was filled with fresh water by the Han Spring flowing through the Hezekiah Tunnel into the Pool. The Pool of Siloam was the only fresh - or living water in the city of Jerusalem. Pastor shares the events of Tabernacles and the pouring out of water into the Temple by the priests carrying it from the Pool of Siloam for the first 7 days of the festival.  On the 7th Day they carried and poured water 7 times in the Temple.  So as our story continues, it's either Day 7 (7 times the priests poured water in the Temple) or it's Day 8 (the day of rejoicing, and celebration) when we read verse 37-38, “On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” He is essentially telling them that what you've been doing for the last week with the pouring of water, point to Me and it's what the prophets said would happen when Messiah comes, that living water would pour out of the Temple. And then it goes on in verse 39, “By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.and that the Living Water is the Holy Spirit.”  Jesus is saying that He is the fulfillment of what the prophets have declared and that everyone who believes on Him will receive the Holy Spirit.  Jesus is calling us to a new day - the fulfillment of what the prophets have said - Messiah-  is here!  And He, the Messiah, gives the Holy Spirit. Jesus is claiming to be God. At this some called Him prophet, others called Him Messiah and others were in disbelief and angry. The crowd became divided with many wanting to seize Jesus.  The temple guard go and report back to the chief priests. The chief priests were Sadducees and they united with the Pharisees, a group that they did not get along with but they did unite together over their desire to do away with Jesus.  The very ones who should have embraced Jesus as the Messiah, instead say, “Let's kill Him.” Pastor concludes by saying in 6 months from this event  of Tabernacles, the Passover will be celebrated and we will see Jesus dead, and raised during another important festival and how this festival too, finds its fulfillment in Jesus.      Our website – https://www.awakeusnow.com Watch the video from our website! https://www.awakeusnow.com/2-year-study-of-the-gospels-upper Watch the video from our YouTube Channel!! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTaaqrC3dMOzMkhPyiNWwlJRpV6Bwpu01     ⁃    The Gospel of John study is part five of five of our Two Year Study of the Gospels.      ⁃    The Gospel of John may be one of the most powerful books ever written. Many people have come to faith after reading only this book of the Bible.  Scholarly and archeological discoveries in recent decades give us new insight on details in the Gospel of John. We can now understand it as the most Jewish rather than the most “Gentile/Greek” of the Gospels, and when we do that we see many things that we missed before. Our 2 year study of the gospels is great for large group, small group or home group study and can be started at any time!

The Pharisees tried to trap Jesus by bringing him into the battle against Rome. He wasn't having any of their foolishness. In today's society, both the Republicans and Democrats want you to think Jesus was one of them. What do you think? 

Daily Dose of Hope September 11, 2025   Scripture – Luke 18:1-17   Prayer:  Almighty God, We come before you with awe and humility.  Help us remember all you have done for us.  We are nothing without you.  We need you desperately, Lord.  Help us gather our scattered thoughts today as we focus on you.  In these next few moments of silence, help us remember that we belong to you.  Help us lay our worries and cares on the throne of your grace...We pray this in the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we begin to dive into Luke 18.   We begin with the parable of the persistent widow.  I've always found this to be a fascinating parable. Jesus uses two opposing characters to make an important point about prayer. First, we have a judge who is arrogant and without integrity. Then, we have a widow, who continues to go to the judge for help from her adversary. A widow at the time would have represented helplessness and vulnerability. She must not have had money to bribe the judge so she does the only thing she can–she pesters him! She will not leave him alone until he gives her justice.   Since even an unjust judge can do justice, how much more should we expect from a loving, righteous God. God wants his people to be persistent in prayer. Don't give up! God will answer, although it may not be in our timing or in the way we desire. But God always answers.   Is there some situation or person for which you have stopped praying? Be like the persistent widow. Continue to plead before a loving and just God.   And then we have the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector.  Both go to the Temple to pray.  The Pharisee prays loudly, thanking God that he isn't like the other sinners around him.  He lists his “religious activity.”  The tax collector, recognizing his sinfulness, stands back and prays humbly.  Jesus says that it is in the tax collector who is justified.  Why?   Jesus was speaking to a group of people who saw themselves as righteous before God because of their actions.  They kept the law, they fasted, they were religious in every sense of the word.  But their hearts were far from God.  They trusted in themselves, rather than God.  Their righteousness was something to be grasped and attained.    The tax collector, on the other hand, is totally different.  His head is bowed.  He asks God for mercy rather than pointing out the sins of others.  He is quick to call himself a sinner.  And he certainly could have been; tax collectors were known for manipulation and thievery.  But he goes home justified because he recognizes the pain he has caused others.  He is repentant.  He recognizes what he has done and it appears he seeks some form of transformation.   Recognizing that all of our hearts have strayed from God is key.  Each of us are sinners.  The more mature we are as Christians, the more we realize our own sinfulness and the less we are inclined to point out the sinfulness of others.    How have you experienced this?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Today we have the Parable of the Pharisee & the Tax Collector. The Pharisee trusted in himself. The tax collector threw himself at the feet of God and cried out to God that he might receive mercy. Jesus said it is the tax collector who went home justified; a word that communicates sins being covered, being made right in the eyes of God, and the blessed experience of the return of innocence to the soul. In the telling of this parable, Jesus gives us the very framework for a life lived in the constant experience of God's mercy and healing.

1 And when great multitudes stood about him, so that they trod one upon another, he began to say to his disciples: Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.Multis autem turbis circumstantibus, ita ut se invicem conculcarent, coepit dicere ad discipulos suos : Attendite a fermento pharisaeorum, quod est hypocrisis. 2 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed: nor hidden, that shall not be known.Nihil autem opertum est, quod non reveletur : neque absconditum, quod non sciatur. 3 For whatsoever things you have spoken in darkness, shall be published in the light: and that which you have spoken in the ear in the chambers, shall be preached on the housetops.Quoniam quae in tenebris dixistis, in lumine dicentur : et quod in aurem locuti estis in cubiculis, praedicabitur in tectis. 4 And I say to you, my friends: Be not afraid of them who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.Dico autem vobis amicis meis : Ne terreamini ab his qui occidunt corpus, et post haec non habent amplius quid faciant. 5 But I will shew you whom you shall fear: fear ye him, who after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell. Yea, I say to you, fear him.Ostendam autem vobis quem timeatis : timete eum qui, postquam occiderit, habet potestatem mittere in gehennam : ita dico vobis, hunc timete. 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?Nonne quinque passeres veneunt dipondio, et unus ex illis non est in oblivione coram Deo? 7 Yea, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: you are of more value than many sparrows.sed et capilli capitis vestri omnes numerati sunt. Nolite ergo timere : multis passeribus pluris estis vos. 8 And I say to you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God.Dico autem vobis : Omnis quicumque confessus fuerit me coram hominibus, et Filius hominis confitebitur illum coram angelis Dei These two brothers were scourged and beheaded at Rome in the persecution of Valerian and Gallian A.D. 262.

JOHN 8:1-11 - ADULTEROUS WOMAN - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025"But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.7 So when they continued asking Him, He]raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”11 She said, “No one, Lord.”And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”To support this channel and partner with Brian in Ministryhttps://www.briansumner.net/support/For more on Brianhttp://www.briansumner.nethttps://www.instagram.com/BRIANSUMNER/https://www.facebook.com/BRIANSUMNEROFFICIALTo listen to Brians Podcast, click below.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...Purchase Brians Marriage book at https://www.amazon.com/Never-Fails-Da...Brian is a full time "Urban Missionary" both locally and internationally with a focus on MISSIONS - MARRIAGES - MINISTRY. Since coming to faith in 2004 doors continued opening locally and internationally to do more and more ministry with a focus on Evangelism, Outreach Missions, Marriage, Counsel, Schools, Festivals, Conferences and the like.  Everything about this ministry is made possible because of people personally partnering through the non profit. God Bless and thank you. †Support the showSUPPORT THE SHOW

By William Bradford - This is the second part of a mid-week Bible study series covering Christ's fifth discourse in the book of Matthew. Continuing in the section about woes to the scribes and Pharisees.

Daily Dose of Hope September 10, 2025   Scripture – Luke 17:20-37   Prayer:  Almighty God, we start by pausing before you.  Help us set aside the distractions of the morning or the day and focus on you.  In these next few moments of silence, help us gather our scattered thoughts and think only of you...Help us be still and know you are God.  God, we rejoice that we can freely read your Word and we are grateful that you speak to It's truly a miracle.  Holy Spirit, we also invite you to join us as we seek to grow deeper in relationship with you.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  This is the podcast and devotional that goes along with the Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.    It's Wednesday so that means Recharge day.  If you are local, I hope to see you tonight at New Hope, on the Moon Ave. side of campus, for worship, fellowship, prayer, and small groups.   Today, we are finishing up Luke 17.  Jesus is initially asked by a Pharisee about the Kingdom of God.  Keep in mind, the Pharisees expected God's Kingdom to be an earthly one, a Kingdom that would overthrow the Romans and allow the Jews to govern themselves, as they once did.  But when Jesus speaks of God's Kingdom, he is talking about something quite different.    We've discussed the Kingdom of God quite a bit in the Daily Dose of Hope, but let's do a little review.  God's Kingdom exists anywhere that God reigns as king and his values are at work, where the world is working in the way that God always intended it to work. The kingdom of God was central to the message of Jesus and wherever he traveled, he proclaimed its coming. Jesus truly lived out the Kingdom in all he did, in all he taught, and in the way he did life. In God's Kingdom, there is no sickness, so Jesus healed the sick. In God's Kingdom, there is no discrimination, so Jesus elevated the oppressed, he ate with tax collectors and prostitutes. In God's Kingdom, there is justice, there is mercy, there is love. So Jesus offered forgiveness, he offered acceptance, he offered LOVE in all he did, ultimately giving up his life in the greatest act of love in the history of the world.    Thus, it makes sense that Jesus says to the Pharisee that the Kingdom is not something that can be observed, but rather it is something that is in your midst.  Jesus ushered in the Kingdom of God.  The disciples and the early church continued Jesus' mission of growing the Kingdom.  Even we are part of expanding the boundaries of God's Kingdom today.  It is here in our midst.  But at the same time, there are elements of God's Kingdom that will not be fully realized until Jesus returns in final victory.  The Kingdom has a NOW and a NOT YET quality about it.  It's possible that Jesus is alluding to this.  And then, Jesus not so subtly steers the conversation to the last days.  He speaks of how people in the time of Noah and with the destruction of Sodom were caught off guard by the judgement.  They should not have been, as there were warnings, but they were.  And people will also be caught off guard when Jesus comes to judge the living and the dead.    We get this warning once again – be ready.  Be watchful and be prepared because Jesus will return again and it will be at a time that is most unexpected.  When the disciples ask Jesus where this will happen, he responds with a proverb, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”  Basically, the location is not the point.  Rather, the fact that judgment will occur is the point and it will occur wherever there is sin and spiritual death.  The vultures gathering gives us a word picture for what's going to happen --- they will gather around the spiritual “carcass” or dead body.    What are your thoughts about the end times?  Media and Hollywood have given us a lot of bad information about what will happen when Jesus returns.  The Left Behind series, while entertaining, is not very scriptural accurate.  As believers, we really don't have a lot to fear.  In fact, we have nothing to fear, we simply need to be ready.  Are you ready?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Mark 2:23-28 23 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?" 25 He answered, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? 26 In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions." 27 Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." NIV 84 Lesson Notes God Designed Us for Rest From creation, God modeled rest by ceasing from His work on the seventh day (Genesis 2:3). The Sabbath was meant as a gift, not a burden—a rhythm of rest that restores both body and soul. The Sabbath Is a Provision, Not a Prohibition Jesus reminds us that God's commands are intended for our good. Just as the showbread was given to David as provision, the Sabbath is meant to care for us, not restrict us. Religion Can Complicate What God Made Simple The Pharisees burdened the Sabbath with rules, missing the heart of God's intention. Jesus simplified it: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." Relationship Over Religion True obedience flows out of relationship with God, not rigid rule-keeping. Religion says, “Obey so that God will love me.” Relationship says, “God loves me, therefore I obey.” Jesus Is Our True Rest As “Lord of the Sabbath,” Jesus is more than a teacher of rest—He is our rest. Vacations, sleep, and downtime are good, but only in Christ do we find the kind of rest that nothing else can satisfy. Discussion Questions 1 In what ways have you experienced the effects of being physically, emotionally, or spiritually tired? What are some intentional ways you could practice a "rhythm of rest" each week without turning it into a legalistic checklist? 2 Can you think of areas in your life where you've turned God's good gift into a burden (like the Pharisees did with the Sabbath)? How can you shift your perspective to see God's commands as provision? 3 How does focusing on God's love and relationship with Him transform the way you approach obedience compared to a rule-focused mindset? 4 Jesus offers deep soul-rest beyond sleep or vacations. What would it look like for you to experience that rest in Him this week? What does it practically look like for you to find your true rest in Jesus during a busy week?

In this sermon, we explore the story of Jesus and his interaction with Simon the Pharisee and the 'sinful woman'. We see that all debtors have one thing in common when it comes to God; NONE OF THEM CAN PAY THEIR DEBT whether it be BIG or small. We also learn that Jesus never turns down an invitation, and just how good and gracious our Heavenly Father really is!

How do you know if what you're chasing is your own ambition or God's actual call for your life? We all struggle with discerning our true purpose amidst the noise of the world and the desires of our own hearts. If you've ever felt restless or unsure about your path, this episode is for you. After a period of personal reflection on the future of this podcast, this episode dives deep into the true nature of vocation. We explore how easily our good intentions can be compromised by pride and self-interest, using the powerful parable of the Pharisee to examine how "gratitude" can sometimes serve as a mask for spiritual ambition. This conversation is about refocusing our hearts, understanding that our primary call is to seek the Kingdom of God right where we are, in every present moment. In this episode, you will learn: The crucial difference between a God-given vocation and a self-driven ambition.How to identify the subtle ways pride can poison your spiritual life and distort your understanding of God's will.Why a heart that isn't focused solely on God is the root of feeling restless and without purpose.That true holiness is found not in abstract ideas, but in the practical, daily circumstances of your life. This episode explores what vocation is, but the real journey is in learning how to discern it in your own life. How do you distinguish between selfish desires and God's actual call? What is the first practical step you can take to move from wandering to walking with purpose? Do you sit down to pray and feel lost, distracted, and unsure where to begin? There is a simple way to rediscover calm and connection, and it only takes five minutes. Join our free community to get instant access to my guide, "The 5-Minute Prayer Reset," right here: https://midnightcarmelite.com/reset Connect with Midnight Carmelite at https://midnightcarmelite.com

"The Pharisees and the Scribes here represent the established order...which had become empty externalism." S.K. Matthew 15: 1-12

John 8:21-24 Then He said again to them, "I go away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come." So the Jews were saying, "Surely He will not kill Himself, will He, since He says, 'Where I am going, you cannot come'?" And He was saying to them, "You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. Therefore, I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." Nothing could be more tragic than to die in your sin—to breathe your last breath united to sin. Jesus was raised to heaven, and no one can go there if they are still united with sin—the weight of which sinks one into hell forever. In stark contrast, how beautiful and humbling it is to breathe one's last breath united to Jesus Christ! His death removed the curse and weight of sin, and His resurrection raised us up to be seated with Christ in heaven. Rejoice, if you are united with Christ! How do sinners get free from their sin? Only by believing and trusting in the testimony of God—that Jesus is His son, sent to be united with our sins and give His life to break the power of sin and death by His righteousness. To repent and believe, we break off from our love for self and trust in our own righteousness, and surrender our lives completely to Him, trusting in His sacrifice, righteousness, and love. The Pharisees would not do that because they did not believe the Father's testimony about His son—Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. We live to love with Jesus because we have been united with Him by God's doing. It is important to note that the topic is death and note who is in on the discussion: Jesus, the Pharisees, and the Jews. Jesus addressed both groups, and their thinking is recorded. The setting is the temple, and it's a week of feasting and rejoicing in God's deliverance and provision in the wilderness. The Jews were looking for Jesus (7:11). Jesus taught and identified Himself with the water God provided in the wilderness. He is the actual satisfying water of life (7:37-38). Many of the Jews believed Jesus (7:31). Others wanted to seize Him but didn't (7:30). Feel the conflict among the crowd and between Jesus and the unbelieving Jews. There stood Jesus, the Light, and those in darkness could not see the glory of God in the face of Christ. Today we can celebrate again God giving us the Light. We are from below and are of this world. He is not of this world, which is why He can save us. No man from this world would say, “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” I hope to encourage all who hear my voice to believe that Jesus is the Light of the world and the Light of Life (8:12) come from above to save us from our sins and from this world of darkness. Believe that Jesus is the Light of the world so that you won't die in your sins. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

This sermon reflects on how modern wealth, convenience, and independence have shaped us to expect comfort and repayment, leaving little room for humility or mercy. Jesus' teaching in Luke 14 exposes our “Pharisee problem”: we grasp for the best seats and avoid the poor, crippled, lame, and blind because they cannot repay us—and because they remind us of our own dependence. Pride blinds us to God's generosity, but the truth is that we are the broken ones who cannot repay. The good news is that Jesus Himself took the lowest seat on the cross—mocked, beaten, and cast out—so that we might be raised up and seated at His eternal banquet. At His table, honor is given not to the proud but to the humble and dependent. Because we have been welcomed by sheer grace, we are freed to welcome others with the same mercy, especially the overlooked and outcast. Our acts of hospitality become a living picture of God's hospitality to us in Christ. In the end, the joy is not in repayment but in hearing the Host's words: “Friend, move up higher.”August 31, 2025

Faith for the Coming Wilderness (2) (audio) David Eells – 9/7/25 We need to understand that the natural has to bow to the spiritual; it's not the natural that runs this world. Presidents think they run this world, but the truth is God runs this world. This world bows to Him. And nothing can stop a person who believes in the living God and believes in His promises! We have an Almighty God Who loves us. He's made these promises and He's not a liar (Num.23:19). He will take care of us. He will provide for our needs. I know there is a big emphasis on getting prepared because many people realize that we are headed for trouble and lack, including some of the churches out there. Those churches are preparing their people, but they're doing it mostly in the natural, in the flesh. And, of course, those churches that teach and believe that they're going to fly away are not getting prepared for anything, but they're going to have a sudden shock. The Church is going through the wilderness, just like the Israelites did in type and shadow. (Ecc.1:9) That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. There is nothing in the Bible about the Church escaping that wilderness. The best thing you can do is to be like Moses and like Jesus, and go through it first. Then, when you get out there with the Israelites, it won't be a problem. You've already been there, and you'll be calm and peaceful, since you know that God is faithful. Most of the church leaders are men who have never been through the wilderness, and they are teaching a lot of fear because they are fearful themselves. Those men whom God chose to bring His people through the wilderness had already been there themselves. Like Jesus, like Moses, they weren't afraid of anything. The church leaders in our day are like the Pharisees and the Sadducees, who have never been in the wilderness and don't know how to go there. They are teaching people to store up their treasures on the earth. What did Jesus say about storing up treasures on the earth? (Mat.6:19) Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal: (20) but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth consume, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: (21) for where thy treasure is, there will thy heart be also. Jesus said, “Don't do it!” So, who are you going to obey? What happens if you don't store up provision for yourself and you go into a wilderness? I'll tell you what happens: you are suddenly being thrust into a place of weakness because of your obedience to the Word! Now you won't be able to save yourself, but God will never ever fail you. If you put your faith in Him, your weakness is a place of power to God. (2Co.12:9) … For my power is made perfect in weakness.... You see, “Man's extremity is God's opportunity” (English Clergyman John Flavel, 1627-1691). God waits until you give up trying to save yourself before His power is made manifest. Israel always seemed to be in the minority when they won a war, and if they weren't, God would make sure they were in the minority, as with Gideon's army. (Jdg.7:2) And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. (3) Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and depart from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. I.e., Get the unbelief out of the way. (4) And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. (5) So he brought down the people unto the water: and the Lord said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. (6) And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. (7) And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thy hand ... Its not numbers but faith that is needed. (16) And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put into the hands of all of them trumpets, and empty pitchers, with torches within the pitchers ... (19) So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outermost part of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch, when they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake in pieces the pitchers that were in their hands. (20) And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the torches in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands wherewith to blow; and they cried, The sword of the Lord and of Gideon. (21) And they stood every man in his place round about the camp; and all the host ran; and they shouted, and put them to flight.  Now that's the weakness and faith needed. (22) And they blew the three hundred trumpets, and the Lord set every man's sword against his fellow, and against all the host; and the host fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath. God said, “You have too many men. You'll brag on what you've done.” He whittled them down to 300 and sent them out with trumpets, not swords. Trumpets! The Hebrew word for “breath” is ruwach, and it is also translated “spirit,” so a trumpet represents making the Spirit's Word audible. Well, they blew those trumpets and the enemy stumbled all over each other and killed one another. Gideon probably didn't even need 300 men. God's awesome! He wants to prove to us His mighty power in our weakness, and that's why He says, “Don't store up your treasures on earth. You just go out there and I'll take care of you.” When the Israelites went into the wilderness, they took everything they could with them, including the gold and silver and precious jewels that they plundered from the Egyptians (Exo.12:31-39), but then they made a golden calf out of it, an idol (Exo.32:1-5). They thought it would save them. That's what a lot of apostates are teaching today. Do you think your gold and silver will save you in the days to come? No, the Israelites started running out of their own supply in only three days (Exo.15:22). Their golden calf was just an idol, which God proved wasn't going to save them. (Exo.32:19) And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. (20) And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it with fire, and ground it to powder, and strewed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it. You ask me, “David, if we don't store up our treasures on earth, how do we store them up in Heaven?” Well, the Bible is very plain about that: (Luk.12:15) And he said unto them, Take heed, and keep yourselves from all covetousness (or “desiring more”): for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. (16) And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: (17) and he reasoned within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have not where to bestow my fruits? He meant upon himself. (18) And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my grain and my goods. (19) And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, be merry. In other words, if you have all of this supply, you are trusting in it; you are resting in it. You have peace because of what you've stored up, instead of trusting in God. God doesn't want that. He doesn't want idols. (20) But God said unto him, Thou foolish one, this night is thy soul required of thee; and the things which thou hast prepared, whose shall they be? (21) So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. Now I've had some people say, “Well, David, storing up food is not treasure.” I beg your pardon? In verse 18, it reads, “and there will I bestow all my grain and my goods.” God called food “treasure.” What God wants of us is our weakness and faith. He's going to bring us to a place where there will be no visible, worldly means of support, but He's Almighty God, and believers will have no difficulty whatsoever in the place where He is bringing them. He's doing this to prove to them how great He is and how great His provision is. (22) And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for [your] life, what ye shall eat; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. We are to be anxious for nothing. Paul said, (Php.4:6) In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Don't worry about what you are going to need in the wilderness, because God is going to be there when you get there. (Luk.12:23) For the life is more than the food, and the body than the raiment. (24) Consider the ravens, that they sow not, neither reap (In a wilderness, you may not even have anything to sow or you may have 3 mites; if so sow it.); which have no store-chamber nor barn; and God feedeth them: of how much more value are ye than the birds! Listen, if God feeds the birds and they don't store up, won't He do it for you? Yes, He will. (25) And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit unto the measure of his life? (26) If then ye are not able to do even that which is least, why are ye anxious concerning the rest? Isn't that awesome? We really can't save ourselves and He's trying to convince us of that. He's trying to convince us to put our trust in God Almighty. (27) Consider the lilies, how they grow: they toil not, neither do they spin; yet I say unto you, Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. The Israelites were well-dressed in their wilderness (Deu.8:4; 29:5; Neh.9:21). (28) But if God doth so clothe the grass in the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven; how much more [shall he clothe] you, O ye of little faith? Yes, He will take care of you. He will feed you. He will clothe you. (29) And seek not ye what ye shall eat, and what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. An unbeliever, a doubter, is somebody who's worried about these things. (30) For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: but your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. That's all you need. God knows about it, and He will take care of you. (31) Yet seek ye his kingdom, and these things shall be added unto you. He's telling us to seek first His Kingdom. (Mat.6:33) But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. If you do that, then everything you need will be given to you. That is the truth and I have proven it! Many years ago, I had a ministry and I worked. I told the Lord, “Lord, I don't have time to work anymore. I'm asking You to make a way.” He did and He's provided ever since. (Luk.12:32) Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (33) Sell that which ye have, and give alms.... He didn't say to store it up for a rainy day. I learned that if you store up something for a rainy day, the rainy day always comes. But if you don't have it stored up, that rainy day never comes, or if it does, God has to do a miracle because He is contracted with you to be your supplier in all things. (Php.4:19) And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. He's your Jehovah-jireh, your provider. So it really doesn't make any difference whether a rainy day comes or not. (Luk.12:33) Sell that which ye have, and give alms; make for yourselves purses which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not.... If you have anything extra, do what they did on the day of Pentecost and shortly thereafter: (Act.4:34) For neither was there among them any that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, (35) and laid them at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto each, according as any one had need. (2Co.8:13) For I say not this that others may be eased and ye distressed; (14) but by equality: your abundance being a supply at this present time for their want, that their abundance also may become a supply for your want; that there may be equality. Anything extra was used to meet the needs of the rest of the body so that there would be equality. That's what He preached in the New Testament. He said it was like the Israelites who gathered the manna. (15) As it is written, He that gathered much had nothing over; and he that gathered little had no lack. Some gathered more than they needed, some gathered less, and whoever had extra met the needs of those who didn't. It was equality. God loves that! (Luk.12:33) Sell that which ye have, and give alms; make for yourselves purses which wax not old (Meaning you're not storing it up or keeping it for a long time.), a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief draweth near, neither moth destroyeth. Give alms. Meet the needs of people around you. That's what He calls “a treasure in the heavens that faileth not.” Any treasure you store up on earth is going to fail. The world is going to plunder you, and if not the world, the devil will plunder you by the curse, but you're going to be plundered. Let me tell you how not to get plundered: Give! Meet the needs of the brethren around you. Give and then it will be coming the other way because (Luk.6:38) Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they give into your bosom. For with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again. That's how it works. You can make a living by giving. It works. (Luk.12:34) For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Some people tell me, “It's okay to have it. Just don't set your heart on it.” That's not what Jesus said. He said, if you have it, your heart will be on it. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” If you store up on this earth, you are disobeying Jesus. It's only good for spending, and then you learn to walk by faith. (Jas.2:5) Hearken, my beloved brethren; did not God choose them that are poor as to the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him? God chose those who are the poor of the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom. A person who is rich in faith will never go without. God always provides for them. How do you store up your treasures in Heaven? You do that by giving alms, by making yourselves purses that wax not old, by meeting the needs of the brethren. You give and it will be given unto you. When you get out in that wilderness, don't you want to have something stored up in the Bank of Heaven? He said, “A treasure in the heavens that faileth not.” If you pack food out there into that wilderness, it will fail you. If you pack gold out into that wilderness, the world will plunder you. But if you store it up by giving, God said He will give unto you. The way of God is to give what you have, and then God will multiply it back. It's happened to me many, many times that when I did not have enough money to take care of my needs, I would just take what I had and give it. And God has never failed me, not once. I walked by faith and raised five children, and God always met our needs. Now, one time we were forced into a fast as a trial of our faith, and that's the only time we were ever put in that position, but we got in a position many times where God literally multiplied food, multiplied money, and even multiplied gas in our tank. We got to see wondrous miracles from God, and we're still seeing them today! Now I'm not asking for anything; I'm just sharing with you how to get prepared for what's coming. And we give: nobody charges anybody for anything from our ministry. The volunteers who supply the materials on our site are people of faith. They supply those materials as their ministry, and other people bless those volunteers because the volunteers are giving. God sees to it that His Word is fulfilled. (Jer.1:12) Then said the Lord unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I watch over my word to perform it. He stands behind His Word, and He will never fail you. He cannot fail. One thing I've learned about God is that He can do everything but fail. He will supply your every need according to His riches in glory. Don't fear the wilderness. God designed and ordained this wilderness. He's even ordained the Beast that's going to cause this wilderness. He's ordained Pharaoh's army to get behind God's people and force them out there into that wilderness. God is not going to fail you. Learn to walk by faith because the wilderness will be nothing for the people who walk by faith. In fact it can be joyful. But for those who are fearful and murmur and complain and walk by sight, they are not going to make it through (Num.11:1; 1Co.10:10, etc.). God is doing all this because He's raising up believers. (Heb.10:38) But my righteous one shall live by faith: And if he shrink back, my soul hath no pleasure in him. Listen, we are children of the last Adam, Jesus Christ. We are a new-creation man, meant to live above this world, meant to walk in His ways and His steps, and that includes going into the “wilderness” as He did. (Mat.4:1) Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. (2) And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he afterward hungered. (3) And the tempter came and said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, command that these stones become bread. (4) But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (5) Then the devil taketh him into the holy city; and he set him on the pinnacle of the temple, (6) and saith unto him, If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and, On their hands they shall bear thee up, Lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone. (7) Jesus said unto him, Again it is written, Thou shalt not make trial of the Lord thy God. (8) Again, the devil taketh him unto an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; (9) and he said unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. (10) Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. (11) Then the devil leaveth him; and behold, angels came and ministered unto him. Jesus went through a 40-day wilderness trial before He overcame and then He brought God's people in His day through their wilderness. In our day, those who are in the First-fruits corporate body each go through their individual wilderness first. There, they learn to walk in the principles of the Kingdom, which is the purpose of the wilderness. Moses was a First-fruits. He went through a 40-year wilderness before he overcame (Act.7:30-34) and then he went on to bring God's people through their own wilderness (Num.14:34). Many people don't understand that the wilderness is available to every Christian worldwide because the wilderness is not some physical location to which we go; it's a place in the Spirit. It's a place where we no longer depend upon the world and the principles of the world. It's a place where we are, instead, ruled by the principles of the Kingdom. We no longer trust in the world for our sustenance, our salvation, our healing, our deliverance, and so on. Scripture tells us that most of the Israelites who left Egypt never learned that lesson: (Psa.78:19) Yea, they spake against God; They said, Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? When they could no longer depend upon the flesh-pots of Egypt, they murmured continually. They found it hard to trust in the living God. The Israelites are just a type and a shadow for us. They went into a literal wilderness, but our wilderness is spiritual. Everybody who walks by faith goes into the wilderness. Everybody who walks by faith in the commands and principles and promises of God automatically gives up salvation by works. The promises of God are for the whole man. They are meant to save us completely in spirit, soul, body, and circumstances, and they are meant to do that totally outside the principles of this world. As a matter of fact, He even gave us all-inclusive promises: (Mar.11:24) Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received them (The original Greek word there is past tense.), and ye shall have them. Why does Jesus tell us to believe we have already received them? It's because everything that has to do with the salvation that the Lord gave us has already been accomplished. (1Pe.2:24) Who his own self bare our sins (that's past tense because it happened behind us) in his body upon the tree, that we, having died (that's past tense) unto sins, might live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed. Again, the word there is past tense. All of the promises that have to do with the sacrifice of Christ on the cross are past tense. (Eph.2:8) For by grace have ye been saved (That's what it says in the original; it's past tense.) through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; (9) not of works, that no man should glory. You have been saved! (Col.1:13) Who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the son of his love. You have been delivered out of the power of darkness. (Rom.6:18) And being made free from sin, ye became servants of righteousness. (11) Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. You were made free from sin! You see, when you realize that the Lord has already done all this, there is nothing you can do of yourself to bring it to pass. You have to walk by faith in the fact that it is already accomplished. You are already healed, you are already delivered, you are already blessed, you are already provided for and so on because all these things were accomplished at the cross. We enter into the New Testament “rest,” which many Christians erroneously think is a Saturday or a Sunday, but let's take a close look at what Scripture says about this “rest.” (Heb.4:1) Let us fear therefore, lest haply, a promise being left of entering into his rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it. You see, the promises cause us to enter the rest because the promises are past tense, and when you believe them you have to stop your own works to try to bring them to pass. (3) For we who have believed do enter into that rest; even as he hath said.... When you believe these promises, you enter into the rest. For instance, you cannot do anything to get healed if you believe you were healed. The reason men run to man to get healing is because they don't believe Jesus has already healed them, but I'm telling you something that I know. For the past 55-plus years, I've been receiving healing because I realize that I don't have to do anything to bring it to pass. All I have to do is thank God for it. (Heb.13:8) Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday and to-day, [yea] and for ever. He still heals everyone who comes to Him by faith (Mat.4:24; 6:19; 12:15; 14:36; Mar.3:10; Luk.4:40; etc.) If you accept that you were healed at the cross and you are not harboring unforgiveness or in any willful sin, then there's nothing that can keep you from receiving your healing. Hold fast to the confession of your hope that it waver not, for He is faithful that promised. (Heb.4:9) There remaineth therefore a sabbath rest for the people of God. The word “sabbath” there is the Greek word sabbatismos and it doesn't mean “a day of rest.” It means “a continual keeping of rest.” This is the true Sabbath that remains for the people of God. We have to cease from our own works every day. (10) For he that is entered into his rest hath himself also rested from his works, as God did from his. God doesn't want our works; He doesn't believe in salvation by works. Whether you are talking about your spirit, your soul, your body or your circumstances, salvation is not by self-effort. As the apostle Paul taught us, (2Co.12:9) And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for [my] power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. You see, when we stop trying to save ourselves, God's very powerful to do it for us, just as He did for Paul, who went through a lot of trials because of the “thorn in the flesh” that was given to him. (7) And by reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted overmuch, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, that I should not be exalted overmuch. People like to say that the “thorn in the flesh” was a disease of the eyes or some other disability, but the Scripture plainly tells us that it was “a messenger of Satan to buffet” him. Paul lists for us these “buffetings”: (2Co.11:23) Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as one beside himself) I more; in labors more abundantly, in prisons more abundantly, in stripes above measure, in deaths oft. (24) Of the Jews five times received I forty [stripes] save one. (25) Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day have I been in the deep; (26) [in] journeyings often, [in] perils of rivers, [in] perils of robbers, [in] perils from [my] countrymen, [in] perils from the Gentiles, [in] perils in the city, [in] perils in the wilderness, [in] perils in the sea, [in] perils among false brethren; (27) [in] labor and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. (28) Besides those things that are without, there is that which presseth upon me daily, anxiety for all the churches. He was brought into all those situations through weakness, and in Paul's weakness God was made powerful. (29) Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is caused to stumble, and I burn not? (30) If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things that concern my weakness. We need to do the same thing; we need to be weak to save ourselves. Many Christians today don't receive the deliverance they need because they keep trying to save themselves by their own efforts. Yet, what did Paul say? (2Ti.3:10) But thou didst follow my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, patience, (11) persecutions, sufferings. What things befell me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. God delivered Paul because he was weak to save himself. He gave himself into the hands of God because he believed the promises of God; he believed the Lord would always deliver him. (2Ti.4:17) But the Lord stood by me, and strengthened me; that through me the message might be fully proclaimed, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. (18) The Lord will deliver me from every evil work, and will save me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom [be] the glory forever and ever. Amen. And when Paul said the Lord would “save” him, he meant he would be saved like the Bible uses the word for “saved,” which is the Greek sozo. The word sozo is used for every manner of salvation of spirit, soul, body and circumstances. Sozo is used for deliverance from demons, for healing the body, for salvation of the soul, provision for the body, and so on. It's the same word the disciples used when they cried out to Jesus as their boat was sinking: (Mat.8:23) And when he was entered into a boat, his disciples followed him. (24) And behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the boat was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. (25) And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Save (that's the word sozo), Lord; we perish. (26) And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. (27) And the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him? They said, “Save, Lord,” and He saved them. “The Lord will deliver me from every evil work.” Do you believe that? We're supposed to be going into a wilderness now, saints. You can choose to enter into it by faith, by trusting in the promises of God, because God cannot fail you if you believe in His promises. Or you can be forced into it, along with the Church, in the coming Tribulation. If you walk by faith now, then you are walking into that spiritual wilderness, and I want to tell you that the wilderness is not as bad as you've heard. The Lord told me many years ago, “I'm sending you through a wilderness, so that you can tell My people that I still supply there,” and He has proven that to me over and over by putting me in a position of weakness. For instance, the disciples never took up offerings for themselves; they only took up offerings for other people, so the Lord wouldn't let me take up offerings. He wouldn't let me tell anybody my personal needs. He wouldn't let me store up my treasures on earth. He wouldn't let me borrow money. He wouldn't let me sell things. He wouldn't let me take any government benefits. When after many years, just recently, I received Social Security I have given it all away. And through all of that, I haven't worked for man, and I haven't taken any worldly benefits. God has faithfully sustained me; He's paid for everything all along the way. He put me in a wilderness, but it has nothing to do with a physical wilderness, and He's never failed to meet our needs. I shared with you previously how I raised five children: they didn't know doctors, they didn't know medicine, they didn't know anything but the power of God. And God always fed them, except for one time when the Lord put the trial of a fast on them. For all of these years, God has faithfully fed us, paid our bills, made sure our lights stayed on, made sure our gas stayed on and so on. He's been totally, 100% faithful. I was made capable to do this by His grace of unmerited favor. Even faith is a gift of God; ask for it. Yes, we are all going into a wilderness, but it's one that God made, and He made it for our good. You will see the world economy crash to create for God's chosen a wilderness. He is separating us from the world. He is behind the Beast kingdom and He is bringing the mark of the Beast (Rev.3:17) to force us into this coming wilderness. The whole world is going to hate us. We won't have the help of “Egypt,” just as Israel didn't have the help of Egypt. We are going to be thrust upon the mercy and grace of God, and the only thing we really need to be sustained is to repent of our sins and believe His Word. And when we do that, we also should expect that we will be tried. Even Apostle Paul talked about hungering and thirsting, but notice, he didn't starve to death. He overcame in the trial. God did the same thing with the Israelites. He brought them to one place of lack after another, to see if they were going to walk by faith or if they were going to complain. Sadly, they failed God, as the natural man always does, but we have something new in the New Testament. We have a born-again experience; we have the power of the Holy Spirit. Some people are going to go through the wilderness just like Joshua and Caleb. They are going to be walking in the steps of Jesus Christ and they are going to be victorious. When you are tried over and over, and you see each time that God is faithful, you enter into the rest. You just hold fast to your confession and hold fast to the Word. You don't even worry about your trial anymore. You just rest in Him because you become hardened to your flesh, you become hardened to the world, you become hardened to temptation. (Rom.5:3) And not only so, but we also rejoice in our tribulations: knowing that tribulation worketh stedfastness (“patience”). As a matter of fact, I've enjoyed the tribulation. The tribulation is a trial on the flesh, but it's so neat to see God being a personal God and loving you enough to look after everything. That's what He really wants to do. He doesn't want to share His glory with man, which He's been having to do because His people always run to the world. They run to Egypt and its methods and its ways. Well, the Lord put me and my family in the wilderness, and I'd like to share some testimonies of how the Lord has been faithful to sustain us. One time in particular, the Lord actually multiplied food for us. We had run out of everything in the house, except for some spaghetti, so my wife cooked up a pot of spaghetti and we prayed over that pot because we didn't have anything else. But I want you to know that we weren't even considering that God wasn't going to bring any more for us to eat because He had been doing this for us for quite some time. Anyway, my wife cooked up this fairly big pot of spaghetti, and it was about three-quarters full when we blessed it, and we started eating. We probably ate that pot down to lower than halfway, and when we were done, we didn't think about it; we just shoved that pot into the refrigerator. The next day, when we took it back out and my wife lifted the lid, we saw that God had refilled the pot! She said, “David, do you remember that the spaghetti was down to here?” And she made a mark on the side. I said, “Yes, I remember.” Saints, the Lord had replaced everything we had eaten. God is awesome! You can't get anywhere where He can't supply. Think about those Israelites. He brought those Israelites water out of a rock. God can bring you water in the middle of a wilderness (Exo.17:1-7; Num.20:2-13), He can pay your taxes out of a fish's mouth (Mat.17:24-27), He can bring you flesh out of the sky (Exo.16:1-13; Num.11:18-20; 31-34) and bread out of the sky (Exo.16:14-36; Num.11:7-9). Now, if our God can bring several million Israelites through a wilderness like that and feed them, just think what He can do with us, who are actually filled with His Spirit! Another experience we had, which I thought was even more awesome, made me realize that you really cannot get anywhere God can't feed you. (Php.4:19) And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. If our God will supply our every need according to His riches in glory, then it has nothing to do with the economy and nothing to do with our surroundings. Even if you're in a desert, it has nothing to do with any of that. God made the promise; He's the One Who stands behind it and He will take care of you. On one occasion, we came to another situation where we had run out of everything in the house to eat and my wife asked, “What are we going to do?” I said, “Well, the Lord sent us here,” and she agreed. She said, “Yes.” So I told her, “You set the table and we'll go sit down at the table, and we'll eat.” So she did that, and then she and I and our five children sat down around the table with these empty plates in front of us. Next, I prayed a simple prayer, really the only kind I know. I prayed, “Father, You sent us here and we're asking You to please fill these plates or fill our tummies.” That's just the way it came out of my mind and I'm sure the Lord put it in there because He wanted to show us something. (Php.2:13) For it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. And so the prayer had no sooner come out of my mouth when my oldest son said, “Dad, I'm full. I don't need to eat.” It wasn't long before another one said it, then another, then another one, and then I realized I was full, too. I thought, “Isn't that something!” You know, the Lord didn't have to multiply anything. If He multiplied anything, He multiplied it in our stomachs. He filled all of us while we were just sitting there at the table. Then there was one time I decided I wanted to grow tomatoes. It wasn't the Lord; I made that decision on my own. God didn't call me to grow tomatoes; He called me to study the Word of God and and share it with His people. But I just decided, “Well, I'll take on this hobby. I'll plant some tomatoes.” Now, the house we lived in at that time was under big oak trees and we had very little sunshine in my yard, except for one place, so I planted the tomatoes in five-gallon buckets. That way, I could move them to keep them in the sun as the season went on. Soon, lots of little tomatoes popped out, but they hardly got to be any size at all before the birds came and took them all away. And I asked, “Lord, why did You let that happen?” The Lord answered, “I didn't call you to plant tomatoes; that was your idea. I have other things for you to do. Now get about what I told you to do.” So, of course, I told Him, “Yes, Sir!” and I never said anything to anybody about trying to grow my own tomatoes. Well, the very next day, a lady who was acquainted with us was going to a local tomato farm to get tomatoes for her family, and while she was out there picking these monster tomatoes, the Lord spoke to her and said, “I want you to pick a bag of these for David Eells.” She said, “Okay.” And she brought me a big bag of the largest, most luscious-looking tomatoes I'd seen in a very long time. You know, the Lord was kind of rubbing my nose in it when the lady brought me those tomatoes the next day and I thought to myself, “I really couldn't have grown anything like those, Lord.” I had to come to that place of weakness before He would do this miracle. We've also often prayed for very specific things, and the Lord has always done miracles for us. One morning, we prayed for Him to send us poultry, mayonnaise, and cheese. We asked Him for those three things and we didn't tell anybody, not a soul. This is the way God gets the glory. I remember a brother many years ago, who was an elder in the Church with me. He used to be a part of the prosperity movement, where the people would brag out in public about what God was going to do. They would tell everybody, “I'm believing God for this,” or, “I'm believing God for that,” so eventually someone else in the congregation would feel like they had to have compassion on their brother in “need” and they would bring it to them. God doesn't get any glory from that. When you ask God for something, just believe Him. Then, when it comes, He gets the credit. So we didn't tell anybody about our needs, but that day and the next day, all three of those things came. We had a friend who was going out of town, and she had this large jar of mayonnaise that she didn't want to leave in her refrigerator until she came back, so she brought it over to us. And then another person brought us a turkey and the cheese. It was exactly what we asked from God. You may wonder, “Would God do that for me, David?” I guarantee you He would. God is no respecter of persons. (Act.10:34) And Peter opened his mouth and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: (35) but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is acceptable to him. God is a respecter of faith, but He's no respecter of persons. He won't do anything for me that He won't do for you. I'm just trying to teach you how to be weak and to exercise faith at the same time, so that you are in this ideal position in the wilderness to see miracles from God. We've received so many over the years, I've forgotten most of them, but I can tell you that He consistently met our needs and we saw many, many miracles. Sometimes, even if we had money, we would believe God for clothes and shoes and toys for our children and they would come. I like to share this next story because it tickles me. My children all wanted to go camping one day, but when I was a kid, I did so much camping, I've had enough of it. I like my bed and I was making excuses. Well, I'd been back there before, walking through the woods where they wanted to go, and finally I told them, “There's nothing there to start a fire with and, really, we don't have any permission to cut down any of those trees back there,” but they were begging me, “Awww, Daddy, please.” So I gave in and we packed up our tents and other gear, and we took off into the woods. Now, there was a downed tree in the little opening in the woods that we picked for our campsite, and I want you to know that downed trees were hard to find in those woods. We set up our tents and I sent the kids out to gather firewood, but everything they dragged back was either rotten, or little twigs and branches, or pieces of tree bark. I told them, “That stuff just makes smoke; it doesn't really make fire.” And I sent them out again, and while I was waiting, I walked about 20 feet away from the tent but still in the clearing. I was kind of praying, asking the Lord to provide for us, and I had told them earlier that there was nothing to use for a fire, and we couldn't cut down other people's trees. Well, I had walked maybe 20 or so feet away from the tent when I came across this little lump on the ground. The floor of those woods was completely covered with leaves, and this was just a lump in the leaves, but when I kicked it as I walked through it, I hit something solid. So I backed up and raked all the leaves off, and there was a pillowcase on the ground. I pulled the pillowcase back, and there was a Poulan chainsaw on the ground. I thought, “Wow! Wouldn't it be something if this would crank?” because we had a downed tree right there by the campsite. Sure enough, it cranked. I cut up enough wood to have a really good fire the whole time we were there. I tell you, when that chainsaw cranked and I cut up that wood, I was thinking, “I'm sorry, Lord! Forgive me! I repent, because I said You couldn't supply us with wood back here.” My boys said they probably knew the kid that had that saw and that it probably was stolen so we gave it to the police who said if no one claimed it within 90 days we could have it. Well they called us to come get it. I didn't need it so I sold it to a Poulan dealer. And I ended up paying a bill with the money. Father has it all figured out. God had somebody plant a chainsaw out in the middle of the woods so it would be there waiting for us because God sees the end from the beginning. He doesn't dwell in time; He has no problem meeting your needs. He will have it there when you get there. (Isa.65:24) And it shall come to pass that, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. See, He answers before we call, and He can have our provision already there, or He can manufacture it. It makes no difference to Him. When Jesus brought the disciples into the wilderness, He multiplied the food there. (Mat.14:15) And when even was come, the disciples came to him, saying, The place is desert (The Greek word there is eremia and it can be translated as “desert,” “wilderness” or “uninhabited place.”), and the time is already past; send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves food. (16) But Jesus said unto them, They have no need to go away; give ye them to eat. (17) And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. (18) And he said, Bring them hither to me. (19) And he commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass; and he took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitudes. (20) And they all ate, and were filled: and they took up that which remained over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. (21) And they that did eat were about five thousand men, besides women and children. Jesus was raising up disciples. He was their teacher and He was showing them, “This is how you do it.” Then they went off into their tribulation, the Book of Acts, and they repeated what they saw. The Man-child, Who was Jesus, was God's provision in the wilderness, and nothing has changed. God's going to do it again; He's just going to repeat it with a larger group of people. Since we didn't have a big worldly income, we prayed for everything and God brought it. Back before I started full-time in ministry, we decided we were going to stop using money for the things that we needed. Instead, we started praying for what we needed, and we saw God just do miracles. Things we would normally buy with money, we prayed, and God would bring them. Any money we had, we would use for His Kingdom. There are different ways you can enter into the wilderness, but all of them give you confidence. You'll find that God's going to be there and He's going to supply your needs. If you need something, pray for it. Put faith in God. It honors Him, and it builds your faith. My youngest daughter came to me one day with a Sears catalog and she said, “Daddy, I need a swimming pool.” Her small wading pool would not hold water anymore because the vinyl was cracked from the sun. She started looking in the catalog, and I said, “Well, baby, you know where we get everything like that, don't you?” She answered, “Yep! Will you pray for me for one like this?” So we looked at the one from the catalog and we prayed and agreed in faith that God was going to bring that swimming pool. Well, you know God can give you something better than what you pray for, can't He? I think it was only about a week or so later that we were all in the house when there came a knock on the door, and when my wife went and answered the door, I heard a lady's voice. She said, “I'm looking for two little boys who came down and cut my grass. I live about five blocks from here, on the other end of the golf course, and I'm looking for those boys who cut my grass.” Then she happened to look past my wife. She saw one of my boys, and she said, “Oh, I see I've found the right place.” It's actually amazing she found us because the boys didn't give her a good description of where we lived, but the Lord led her right to our door. She went on, “I'd like to make a proposition with you boys. I have this 3-1/2 foot, above-ground swimming pool that's still in the box. It has a filter, ladder and pump. Everything that goes with it is still there. I was going to set it up in my garage and exercise in it, but I've decided I'm not going to do that. So if you'll cut my grass a couple of times, I'll give that pool to you.” And they were just so happy to cut the grass for her. Then they set up the pool and had a good time in that thing for several years. Of course, Jennifer, my daughter, was just overjoyed to see God answer her prayer that quickly. Children remember that, even if they go out into the world, they remember that God is real. They remember that He keeps His Word, and one day God will use that to bring them back. We had a tremendous life like this. We didn't have a lot of money, but the very fact that we didn't have a lot of money made us depend upon God. And in depending upon God, we got to see these awesome miracles. Another thing God did to put us into a position of weakness was we never borrowed money because the Bible promises, (Deu.28:12) The Lord will open unto thee his good treasure the heavens, to give the rain of thy land in its season, and to bless all the work of thy hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. And Paul said, (Rom.13:8) Owe no man anything, save to love one another: for he that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law. So we took God at His Word. We figured if we didn't borrow, we would be weak, but God would be strong on our behalf, and I have some tremendous miracles to share with you later concerning not borrowing and seeing God answer. The Bible teaches against “suretyship.” (Pro.11:15) He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it; But he that hateth suretyship is secure. The Hebrew word there actually means “to be a guarantor of an agreement; to give or to be security”; in other words, “to mortgage.” It means guaranteeing to pay back what has been borrowed, but we can't even guarantee that we're going to be here tomorrow. And the Bible warns us against making promises, pledges or guarantees of any sort. (Mat.5:33) Again, ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: (34) but I say unto you, swear not at all; neither by the heaven, for it is the throne of God; (35) nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. (36) Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, for thou canst not make one hair white or black. (37) But let your speech be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: and whatsoever is more than these is of the evil [one]. (Jas.5:12) But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by the heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath: but let your yea be yea, and your nay, nay; that ye fall not under judgment. Who do we think we are to promise or pledge anything? (Pro.17:18) A man void of understanding striketh hands (That's the way an agreement was legally sealed.), And becometh surety in the presence of his neighbor. “A man void of understanding” is someone who does this; in other words, it's not a wise thing to do. I know it's a principle of the world, but the economies of the world are all going to crumble because they are not obeying God's principles. How much faith God's people would have if they were put into the position where they couldn't run to the world to borrow money. They would see miracles, but most people don't want to wait on God to see a miracle; they're too quick to run back to Egypt. You're probably wondering, “How could it be that we would not mortgage and God will answer? How would we receive homes?” Well, the home I had, God gave to me because I believed Him and I refused to borrow money. That's why I have it and it didn't cost me a thing. God is sovereign! Amen. (Pro.22:7) The rich ruleth over the poor; And the borrower is servant to the lender. When you borrow money, you're no longer a steward of what you have because what you have actually belongs to someone else. Jesus said, (Luk.14:33) So therefore whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. We renounce ownership; we are only stewards. But a steward who belongs to a bank is not a steward for the Lord. The borrower is a servant to the lender and the rich rule over the poor. The rich are running this world, folks, because they have everybody's money. (Pro.22:26) Be thou not one of them that strike hands, Or of them that are sureties for debts. (27) If thou hast not wherewith to pay, Why should he take away thy bed from under thee? A poor person's bed or outer clothing was commonly used as their collateral of last resort (Exo.22:27; Deu.24:13). Proverbs has a lot to say against suretyship and it's ignored by a lot of people, but I never would have seen the miracles that I have seen if I had borrowed the money instead of learning to just ask God. (Mar.11:24) Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received them, and ye shall have them. When God gives us such awesome promises, why would we borrow money and have to pay it back with interest for years and years in bondage? The Israelites were forbidden by God to participate in usury (interest), or in suretyship (mortgaging), or in any such things, but when they went into bondage in Babylon, they were caught up back into it. We only need to ask God and wait on Him. He said, “Believe you have received.” If you think, “Well, God might not answer,” that's not faith! The Bible doesn't teach borrowing to get money; it teaches giving to get money. (Luk.6:38) Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they give into your bosom. For with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again. I've proven that many, many times. When you give, God will give it back to you multiplied, just as the Scripture teaches, but notice it doesn't teach going under the Law. (2Co.9:6) But this [I say], He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. People want to reap but they don't want to sow. The Bible teaches that first you have to sow! You “give and it will be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they give into your bosom.” (7) [Let] each man [do] according as he hath purposed in his heart: not grudgingly, or of necessity (not under law): for God loveth a cheerful giver. (8) And God is able to make all grace abound unto you (That's awesome!); that ye, having always all sufficiency in everything, may abound unto every good work (Isn't that something? Just for giving bountifully, God will make sure that you will always have all sufficiency in everything and will abound in every good work.): (9) as it is written, He hath scattered abroad, he hath given to the poor; His righteousness abideth for ever. (10) And he that supplieth seed to the sower and bread for food, shall supply and multiply your seed for sowing, and increase the fruits of your righteousness. People who don't really believe this are stingy and they hoard, but that's not the way for God to multiply. You need to sow. Think about sowing one little seed and how it brings forth. It brings forth multiplied, and even if you are poor in the eyes of the world, you will have all of your needs met. In the eyes of the world, Jesus was poor, but according to the Kingdom, Jesus was rich because He had His needs met everywhere He went. It was the same for His disciples, too. Their needs were met wherever they went. The riches of the world were just distractions to them, but their needs were met wherever they went because they were givers. Borrowing just puts you deeper in debt; giving gets you out of debt. From my own experience, there have been many times when I saw that what I had would not meet my need, and the money that I had would not cover my bills. And I would just take the money that I did have, and I would give it, and in giving it, it would come back multiplied. People worry, “Well, if I give it, maybe it won't come back in time!” God doesn't dwell in time; He answers before we call. (Isa.65:24) And it shall come to pass that, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. When you ask Him to do something, He's going to do it, so don't worry about it. For instance, many times I have put what money I did have into the mailbox to send to somebody in need, and then gone to the same mailbox only to find that what I sent out had been multiplied back to me. You might think, “But, David, we don't give in order to receive.” That's a moot point. That has nothing to do with what I'm talking about. If you do give, you will receive because that's God's promise. God will see to our needs if we meet the needs of the brethren to the best of our ability, even if we don't have a lot of money. I've taught before how the Egyptians stored up under Joseph in the seven years of plenty for the seven years of famine (Genesis 41). In type, Joseph was Jesus. Both were sold out by their brethren, lied about by the harlot, and turned over to the Beast, etc,. Jesus said we should store up our riches in Heaven, and He told us how to do that. (Luk.12:33) Sell that which ye have, and give alms; make for yourselves purses which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief draweth near, neither moth destroyeth. (34) For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. He said, “Give alms, meet the needs of the brethren,” and you will have “a treasure in the heavens that faileth not.” So, give and God will give to you. You can't out-give God, folks. You just cannot do it.

13. Study the ContextAs you read, seek to understand who wrote a book, when it was written, to whom it was written, and why it was written. That is the historical context, and the book introductions will cover such significant details. Also, use the study notes when you need light shed on people, places, and events far removed from our day. For example, when the Gospels talk about “lawyers,” they are referencing “experts in the Law of Moses” (the first five books of the Bible). The literary context is important as well. Literary context simply refers to what surrounds a text (what is said or happens in the verses before and after) and where the text is found in the whole of the book.For example, Jesus told the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31), in part, as a rebuke and warning to the Pharisees, who Luke informs us “were lovers of money” and who “ridiculed” Jesus (Luke 16:14) after he taught the parable of the dishonest manager (Luke 16:1–13), which concludes: “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”In sum, if you know the historical and literary context of the passage, you will have a better understanding of its meaning.For more information about this group, please visit their website at reformationboise.com. Every weekday at 3:30 am and 7:30 am you can listen to The Gospel for Life on 94.5 FM and 790 AM Boise's Solid Talk in the Treasure Valley, Idaho, USA. If you have a question, comment, or even a topic suggestion for the Pastors, you can email them. Phone: (208) 991-3526E-mail: thegospelforlifeidaho@gmail.comPodcast website: https://www.790kspd.com/gospel-for-life/

The sinners flock to listen to Jesus. Why do the Pharisees grumble about this? Dr. Chris Croghan teaches us that what they hold important is the law, and it isn't working the way they want it to work. You grumble because you're not getting your way. Then Jesus tells a parable about the shepherd leaving the 99 to find the one lost sheep and the woman searching for her lost coin. Dr. Croghan explains how this is a depiction of how God tracks down those who he calls his own. CARE OF SOULS - ADDICTIONIn Care of Souls, a special mini-series podcast from Luther House of Study, Lutheran pastors and theologians come together to explore the deeply personal and pastoral task of preaching to and caring for those struggling with life's challenging situations: addiction, death, family disharmony, and more. Rooted in the theology of the cross and the Lutheran tradition of radical grace, this series offers both theological depth and practical guidance for pastors, church workers, and lay leaders.With conversations, real-life stories, and reflections from the front lines of ministry, Care of Souls equips listeners to enter the broken places of addiction not with easy answers, but with the crucified and risen Christ.Because in the end, it's not about fixing people—it's about preaching the Gospel.Listen to Care of Souls wherever you listen to podcasts or on the Luther House website: Care of Souls - AddictionSING TO THE LORD Martin Luther said, "Next to the word of God, the art of music is the greatest treasure in the world." To understand the importance of hymnody in the Lutheran church, Lars Olson and Mason Van Essen sit down with Zachary Brockhoff to discuss the lectionary's hymns, their meaning and history, and how the music preaches the Gospel. 

Acts 21:27-30 When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him,  28 shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.”  29 (They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple.) 30 The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut.    From All Directions   Acts 22:1-10 “Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense.” 2 When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet. Then Paul said: 3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.  4 I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison,  5 as the high priest and all the Council can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished. 6 “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?' 8 “‘Who are you, Lord?' I asked.  “ ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,' he replied. 9 My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me. 10 “‘What shall I do, Lord?' I asked.  “ ‘Get up,' the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.'    Don't forget where you came from. Don't forget where GOD brought you from.     Acts 23:1-11 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.”  2 At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth.  3 Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!” 4 Those who were standing near Paul said, “How dare you insult God's high priest!” 5 Paul replied, “Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.'” 6 Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead.” Don't miss the moment. Don't miss GOD IN the moment.    7 When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.  8 (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these things.) 9 There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. “We find nothing wrong with this man,” they said. “What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” 10 The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks. 11 The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”   Don't underestimate where you might go. Don't underestimate where GOD might take you.        

Luke 18:9-14 The post The Pharisee and the Tax Collector appeared first on Pillar Baptist Church.

In Mark 3:1-6, Jesus displays righteous anger when confronting religious leaders who valued rigid Sabbath rules over human compassion. When Jesus heals a man with a shriveled hand on the Sabbath, he challenges the Pharisees' legalistic interpretation that had transformed God's gift of rest into a burden. His anger wasn't a brief outburst but a deep, controlled passion against the hardened hearts of those using God's law to trap others and maintain social hierarchies. Unlike selfish anger that dominates our world today, Jesus demonstrates holy anger that leads to healing and liberation, though it often provokes opposition from those who value control over compassion.

Jesus consistently broke social norms to reveal God's heart, as seen in Luke 7:36-50 when He welcomed a 'sinful woman' who anointed His feet with perfume and tears. While Simon the Pharisee judged both Jesus and the woman, Jesus used this moment to teach about forgiveness and true worship. He highlighted how the woman's extravagant display of love demonstrated her faith in His grace, contrasting with Simon's prideful restraint. This story challenges us to examine whether our own worship reflects the magnitude of forgiveness we've received and calls us to welcome the broken with the same scandalous grace Jesus offers.

Send us a textWhen they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” So there was a division among the people over Him. John 7:40-43In the Book of John, we see a growing division occurring surrounding Jesus as we come to chapter 7.  There are the Pharisees on one hand; bitterly opposed and against any claims that He is the Messiah.  There are the adherents to His ministry; His disciples and other followers.  But in the middle of both camps there is a third group:  those who are in the middle ground and undecided about Jesus.  They are compelled by His words.  They know there is something about Him.  But the naysayers are speaking loudly; trying to drown out Jesus' voice.  As we look at this passage today, we must admit not much has changed in our world.  There is still a middle ground group that is somewhere between belief and unbelief, faith and doubt.  It is this group we must pray for and minister to.  We are at the edge of great revival as many are turning to Jesus right now.  

Come As You Are Series: Paul (God Wants You!)1 Timothy 1:12-16 “I am grateful to him who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he considered me trustworthy in appointing me to the ministry. I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and an arrogant man, but I have been mercifully treated because I acted out of ignorance in my unbelief. Indeed, the grace of our Lord has been abundant, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Of these, I am the foremost. But for that reason I was mercifully treated, so that in me, as the foremost, Christ Jesus might display all his patience as an example for those who would come to believe in him for everlasting life.”Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.  This is something that the Pharisees and Sadducees could not understand.  Actually, many people couldn't understand this.  Jesus was the savior; the Jewish people thought He was coming to save them from the Roman Army.  They did not know that He was coming to save them from something much more important.  He was coming so that we would have eternal salvation.  He came to walk among us so He could save us from ourselves.  God had a perfect plan, and Adam and Eve, being human and not perfect, messed up that plan.  God sent His son to us so that He could set things right again.  The beginning of this verse talks about “him who strengthened me.”  This sounds an awful lot like Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  It is true that we get our strength through Jesus Christ.  Paul is thankful in this verse because Jesus considered him trustworthy in appointing him to the ministry.  He talks about how he was once a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man.  If you were designing this world, if you got to choose who was going to lead God's people, is this the type of man you would choose?  Does Paul sound like the ideal candidate?  He was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man.  He is not who I would pick.  And yet He is exactly who God chose.  Why do you think He does this?  Why do you think God chooses to use less-than-perfect people for his ministry?  I believe He does it because of exactly what He says to us in Isaiah 55:8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  God knows us better than we know ourselves.  He knows that if he only uses "perfect people,” we won't listen to them.  It is tough to connect with someone that you can't relate to.  Also, we tend to believe what we see more than what we hear.  It is one thing to have someone who has never struggled with an addiction come and tell you that Jesus can heal your addictions.  It is quite another to see someone that you know had an addiction problem and is now cured of it.  Which would you rather, someone to tell you that Jesus can forgive your sins, or to see Jesus sitting with those who have sinned?  As people, we don't like listening as much as we enjoy seeing.  Jesus took a man who was not a very good person, someone who didn't even believe that Jesus was who He said He was, and used him to do extraordinary things.  This is because of God's mercy.  I bet that every time Paul told the story of his conversion, he won over more people than the leaders in the church preaching about God's mercy without ever having experienced it.  It even says in the last sentence of this verse why Jesus chose Paul.  He said, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Of these, I am the foremost. But for that reason I was mercifully treated, so that in me, as the foremost, Christ Jesus might display all his patience as an example for those who would come to believe in him for everlasting life.” Paul was chosen, not despite his past sins, but because of them.  He was selected to be an example of Jesus' patience to all those who would come to believe.  Don't you find it easier to believe that God will forgive your sins when you know that He forgave Paul's sins?   If the Lord can use Paul, who was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man, don't you think He can use you?  Sometimes we count ourselves out, and we don't listen when God calls us because we don't believe we are good enough to serve the Lord.  He is almighty and powerful, and we are tiny and useless.  He is perfect, and we are full of sin.  How could He possibly use us when there are others out there that are so much better than we are at everything?  God doesn't want better, God wants you.  If you are willing, God wants to use you.  He is calling every single one of us to serve Him.  Are we worthy of serving Him? Nope, and yet He still calls us to serve Him.  He does not call us despite our past sins; He calls us because of our past sins.  He calls us because His ways are higher than our ways.  He knows that there is someone out there who needs to hear our witness about how God saved us.  He knows that we are good examples of His love and mercy.  Others need to hear about all the graces that we have received, even though we didn't deserve to receive anything.So many people think miracles only happen for those who are really faithful.  God only forgives sins for other people, but not for them. They find it easy to believe God forgives minor sins, but surely He won't forgive their sins, they are too great.  This is why God needs us. God wants us to be living examples of all He can do with those who are willing. If you need further examples of when God has used people that you would never have chosen, all you have to do is look in the Bible; there are so many examples. God doesn't use perfect people to carry out His mission. He came to save the sinners, and He uses us sinners to do that. I want to leave you with a word of prophecy that was received at my prayer group because it shows that the Lord understands that we question our calling and our usefulness, and like a good Father, he reassures us of His love.  “My children, you are an integral part of my plan. Yes, you, you may see yourself as little, and that is good, you are little, but my grace is strong and powerful within you. I have placed you where you are, in the times that you are, in the circumstances that you are. And I am with you. I am with you to use you to spread the joy of knowing me. To spread my word, to spread knowledge of my goodness. I love you. You are an essential part of my plan. Please work with me, for I am working with you. “Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you bless all those listening to this episode today.  Lord, help us to answer your call. Please help us to see that you know we are not worthy, you know of all of our sins, and yet you call us anyway.  Remind us often that your ways are higher than our ways, and we don't have to understand why you do the things you do. They don't have to make sense to us because our thoughts are not your thoughts.  Please help us to trust you.  Please help us to see in us what you see in us.  Help us to take that step forward, even if we don't know why we are doing it.  Lord, we say yes to serving you, yes to all you want us to do; we just need your help, your grace, your strength.  We love you, Lord. You are so amazing, and we are so grateful that you accept us exactly as we are, that you love us exactly as we are.  We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus' holy name, Amen.Thank you for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I look forward to spending time with you tomorrow.  Have a blessed day! www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

Flashback Episode: Year in Luke – Episode 36: When some Pharisees ask Jesus about the coming of God’s kingdom, discover what we can learn about when God’s kingdom arrives, and about Jesus’ second coming as well! Join the discussion on the original episode's page: Click Here.Listen to this episode and/or subscribe on ReflectiveBibleStudy.com...

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 Let me know what you think of this weeks topic?  The Tightrope Walk: Christian Masculinity in 2025 As a Christian man in 2025, navigating masculinity can feel like walking a tightrope between cultural pressures and biblical truth. Society's expectations and changing norms create unique stigmas, challenging how men express strength, manage emotions, and live out their faith. The real struggle lies in defining a "strong man"—is it the stoic image promoted by culture, or the Christ-like example of servant leadership?   Breaking the "Man Code" Modern culture often prescribes a restrictive "man code" that demands emotional suppression and self-sufficiency. Being a Christian man can clash with this code, leading to stigmatizing judgments from both inside and outside the church.   "Too soft": The biblical call to be gentle, compassionate, and loving can be mislabeled as "soft" or weak by a culture that equates masculinity with aggression and dominance. Christian men can face pressure to be "harder" in their interactions, conflicting with Christ's example of humility and grace. Stoicism vs. emotion: Stoicism, with its emphasis on emotional control, can be an attractive but unbiblical model for men pressured to hide their feelings. However, biblical examples show that genuine strength includes vulnerability and righteous emotion. Jesus, for instance, wept openly and expressed deep sorrow. True strength is found not in suppressing emotions, but in engaging with them in a godly way.   The embarrassment of being counter-cultural As society becomes increasingly secular, Christian men may feel embarrassed or hesitant to openly share their faith. Growing secularism: The pressure to conform to secular values can make Christian beliefs seem outdated or irrelevant. Topics like traditional marriage, gender roles, and biblical authority are often viewed as controversial, making open discussion challenging.   Standing firm vs. fitting in: This tension can lead to a quiet, private faith rather than a bold public witness. The Bible, however, warns against being ashamed of Christ's testimony. Courage is needed to be counter-cultural while remaining gracious and loving. The evolving landscape of roles   Changing cultural norms regarding gender roles also impact how Christian men are perceived in the family, church, and workplace. Balancing roles: Christian men must balance traditional biblical commands with modern societal shifts. For example, a man might need to support his wife's career while still serving as the spiritual leader in the home—a collaborative effort grounded in love and biblical principles.   Leadership and servanthood: The biblical model of leadership is not dominance, but Christ-like servanthood. A Christian man is called to protect, provide, and guide his family with humility, mirroring Christ's sacrificial love for the church.   What is a strong Christian man? Ultimately, a strong Christian man isn't defined by cultural "man codes" but by his commitment to biblical principles. Rooted in Christ: True strength comes from relying on God's power, not one's own. Biblical manhood is Christ-likeness, not a human-made ideal. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14: The Apostle Paul's words offer a powerful summary of biblical masculinity: "Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love". This call is not to cultural machismo, but to a courageous faith lived out with integrity and love.   Servanthood and humility: A strong Christian man rejects worldly measures of success and instead prioritizes serving others with humility, just as Jesus did. In 2025, Christian men are called to reject cultural distortions of manhood and embrace the biblical vision: a masculinity defined by Christ, marked by humility, and expressed through courageous, loving action.     would Jesus be considered soft today?   That's a complex question because "soft" is a culturally loaded term that has changed over time. While Jesus's gentle and compassionate nature might be labeled "soft" by some today, the full picture of his ministry shows a powerful, assertive, and challenging figure who would not neatly fit modern categories of masculinity.   Here's a breakdown of how different aspects of Jesus's character would be perceived in today's world: Aspects that might be perceived as "soft"   Compassion for the outcast: Jesus consistently associated with those on the margins of society—tax collectors, prostitutes, the sick, and the poor. In a world that often prizes social status and separates people, this counter-cultural acceptance could be perceived as weak by those who favor exclusivity.   Emotional vulnerability: The Gospels describe Jesus weeping, such as at the death of Lazarus (John 11:35). In some modern contexts, where men are pressured to suppress emotion, this vulnerability might be misunderstood as "soft" or unmanly.   Teachings on humility and non-retaliation: Jesus's sermon on the mount, which teaches turning the other cheek and being meek, directly opposes worldly aggression and pride.   This would clash with modern "man codes" that emphasize a dominant, "alpha male" persona. Servant leadership: By washing his disciples' feet (John 13:1-17), Jesus demonstrated that true leadership is rooted in service and humility. A society that rewards and idolizes power might find this model of leadership to be "soft" or naive.         Confronting hypocrisy: Jesus was not afraid to call out the religious and political leaders of his day for their hypocrisy, pride, and greed. His public rebukes of the Pharisees would still be seen as a bold and unsparing challenge to authority today.   Cleansing the Temple: This is one of the most famously assertive moments in Jesus's ministry. He physically drove out merchants and money changers who were exploiting the faithful. His anger, often called "righteous indignation," was a fierce defense of God's house and an act of holy confrontation.   Authority over spiritual forces: The Gospels describe Jesus casting out demons and commanding unclean spirits with a power that left people amazed. In any era, this kind of supernatural authority would be seen as a display of immense strength, not weakness.   Clear and uncompromising message: Jesus was unwavering in his message about repentance, salvation, and the Kingdom of God. He wasn't a people-pleaser, and his "hard sayings" often caused followers to turn away. His uncompromising nature would be seen as rigid and polarizing in a modern culture that prioritizes relativism and tolerance above all else.   Ultimately, the idea of Jesus being "soft" is a fallacy rooted in a limited or sanitized view of his life. His character was a dynamic blend of radical compassion and unwavering strength. He was gentle and humble, but also fierce and challenging. He was a paradoxical figure who defies simple labels, especially a superficial one like "soft".   what is alpha male The term "alpha male" describes a man who is traditionally viewed as dominant, confident, and a natural leader. However, the concept is highly controversial and is not based on sound scientific or psychological principles. Characteristics associated with the "alpha male" Historically, the alpha male archetype draws on simplistic ideas of animal pack hierarchies and includes traits such as: Dominance: Taking charge in social situations and having a commanding presence. Confidence: Possessing high self-assurance and not being easily swayed by others. Assertiveness: Clearly expressing one's opinions and standing firm in arguments. Competitiveness: Being driven to win and succeed in both personal and professional contexts. Traditional masculinity: Prioritizing traits like physical strength, emotional control, and career ambition. The problematic origins and critiques of the term The entire concept of the "alpha male" is largely debunked and criticized for its flawed origins and harmful impact. Flawed animal research: The term originated from an outdated and mistaken mid-20th-century study of captive wolves. The researcher who coined the term, L. David Mech, later recanted his findings, explaining that the aggressive dominance hierarchy observed was a result of housing unrelated wolves together in an artificial environment, not natural behavior. Wild wolf packs are led by a breeding pair, which are simply the parents of the other wolves in a family unit. Oversimplifies human behavior: Applying this concept to humans forces complex human personalities into rigid, oversimplified boxes like "alpha" and "beta." In reality, people's traits and social positions vary based on context and individual personalities, not a fixed hierarchy. Promotes toxic masculinity: The stereotype encourages men to suppress emotions, avoid vulnerability, and prioritize dominance over empathy. This can lead to anxiety, stress, and relationship issues, while discouraging qualities like emotional intelligence, kindness, and collaboration. Reinforces harmful stereotypes: The idea can be used to excuse negative behavior, such as controlling, aggressive, or dismissive attitudes. It creates a false hierarchy that makes men who don't fit the mold feel inadequate, even though qualities like empathy and kindness are highly valued in both personal and professional settings. The modern perspective Many contemporary discussions of masculinity aim to move beyond the simplistic "alpha male" archetype. Modern leadership and personal development trends emphasize a more balanced approach that combines traditional strengths with a high degree of emotional intelligence, empathy, and humility. A truly effective and respectable leader is often characterized by their integrity, respect for others, and genuine self-worth, rather than their ability to dominate.   what is toxic mascalinity "Toxic masculinity" refers to a set of traditional attitudes and behaviors associated with manhood that are harmful to men themselves, to women, and to society in general. The term does not suggest that all masculinity is inherently bad, but rather that certain narrow, regressive, and extreme aspects of it can be dangerous. Core traits and behaviors Common traits and behaviors associated with toxic masculinity include: Emotional suppression: The belief that men should be stoic and not show emotions like sadness, fear, or vulnerability. The only emotion typically deemed acceptable is anger. Aggression and dominance: Valuing physical aggression, dominance, and a controlling nature as essential indicators of power. Anti-femininity: Rejecting anything perceived as feminine, including certain hobbies, behaviors, or even acknowledging the value of women. This often leads to misogyny and the devaluation of women. Hyper-independence: A refusal to accept help or seek support, viewing reliance on others as a sign of weakness. Sexual aggression and entitlement: Viewing women as sexual conquests and promoting objectification, which can contribute to harassment, sexual assault, and rape culture. Risk-taking behavior: Taking unnecessary risks, often to prove one's toughness or masculinity, which can lead to substance abuse, reckless driving, or dangerous physical activities. The harm of toxic masculinity Toxic masculinity has significant negative effects on everyone it touches, both directly and indirectly. Harm to men Mental and physical health: The suppression of emotions and reluctance to seek help for issues like depression, anxiety, or illness can lead to serious health problems and even contribute to higher rates of suicide among men. Unhealthy relationships: A focus on dominance and emotional insensitivity can prevent men from forming deep, meaningful relationships with partners, friends, and family. Limited personal growth: Adherence to rigid gender roles can hold men back from exploring interests, hobbies, or career paths that are not traditionally masculine. Harm to others Violence: The connection between toxic masculinity and aggression is well-documented, contributing to interpersonal violence, domestic abuse, and broader societal issues of violence. Gender inequality: By valuing dominance and devaluing femininity, toxic masculinity reinforces a patriarchal system that disadvantages women and perpetuates harmful stereotypes. Reinforcing prejudice: It promotes homophobia and discrimination against anyone who doesn't conform to rigid gender norms, creating a hostile environment for LGBTQ+ people. Distinguishing toxic masculinity from healthy masculinity It's crucial to understand that toxic masculinity is not the same as masculinity itself. Positive, healthy masculine traits are often the opposite of toxic ones and can include: Leadership Courage Compassion Integrity A strong work ethic Taking responsibility The concept of toxic masculinity encourages people to acknowledge and address the harmful behaviors that stem from a restrictive and unhealthy view of what it means to be a man, while still celebrating positive masculine attributes.     Redefining Strength: Biblical Manhood in a Shifting Cultural Landscape Navigating the tightrope of Christian masculinity in 2025 As a Christian man, it often feels like you're walking a tightrope. On one side are the expectations of modern culture—the shifting social norms, the pressure to conform, and the constant redefinition of what it means to be a man. On the other side is biblical truth—a timeless vision of manhood that is often misunderstood or outright rejected today. The real struggle is in defining what a "strong man" truly is. Is he the stoic, emotionally repressed image promoted by cultural "man codes"? Or is he a humble, compassionate, and courageous servant leader, modeled after Christ? Breaking the unwritten "man code" Today's culture often pushes a rigid "man code" that demands emotional suppression and self-sufficiency. For a Christian man, this creates an uncomfortable and often painful clash. "Too soft": The biblical call to be gentle, compassionate, and loving is often mislabeled as weak. In a culture that equates masculinity with aggression and dominance, living out Christ's humility and grace can leave a man feeling judged as "soft." Stoicism vs. Godly emotion: The stoic ideal of emotional control is an unbiblical one. The Bible shows that genuine strength includes vulnerability and righteous emotion. Jesus, for instance, wept openly and expressed deep sorrow. True strength isn't found in suppressing emotions, but in engaging with them in a way that honors God. The pressure to be counter-cultural As society becomes more secular, Christian men can feel a growing sense of embarrassment or hesitation when it comes to openly living out their faith. Fitting in vs. standing firm: The pressure to conform to secular values can make Christian beliefs feel outdated. Issues like traditional marriage or biblical authority are often viewed as controversial, and this can push men to a quiet, private faith rather than a bold public witness. Courage in love: However, the Bible warns against being ashamed of Christ's testimony. It takes courage to be counter-cultural while remaining gracious and loving, but that is precisely the calling. Would Jesus be considered "soft" today? To understand biblical manhood, we must look to the ultimate example: Jesus. Would the world today call him "soft"? The answer is complex, because Jesus defies simplistic labels. Aspects that might be perceived as "soft": Compassion for the outcast: Jesus consistently associated with those on the margins of society—tax collectors, the sick, the poor—a counter-cultural acceptance that some might perceive as weak. Emotional vulnerability: He wept at the death of Lazarus (John 11:35), displaying a vulnerability that clashes with the modern standard of emotional suppression. Servant leadership: By washing his disciples' feet (John 13:1-17), Jesus demonstrated that true leadership is rooted in service and humility, a model a power-hungry society might call naive. Aspects that would be perceived as powerful: Confronting hypocrisy: Jesus boldly and unapologetically called out the hypocrisy of religious leaders. Cleansing the Temple: This assertive moment shows his righteous indignation and fierce defense of God's honor. Authority over spiritual forces: He cast out demons and commanded spiritual forces, demonstrating immense strength. An uncompromising message: Jesus was unwavering in his message about repentance and the Kingdom of God, an uncompromising stance that would be seen as rigid and polarizing today. Ultimately, Jesus was a paradoxical figure who combined radical compassion with unwavering strength. He was gentle and humble, yet fierce and challenging. He defies the superficial label of "soft." A vision beyond the "alpha male" The concept of the "alpha male" is a highly flawed and damaging model. Rooted in flawed animal research and oversimplified human behavior, it promotes aggression, dominance, and emotional suppression. This is not the standard for Christian men. Instead, a strong Christian man isn't defined by worldly codes but by his commitment to biblical principles: Rooted in Christ: True strength comes from relying on God's power, not one's own. Biblical manhood is not a human ideal; it is Christ-likeness. A balanced perspective: A Christian man leads with Christ-like servanthood, protecting and guiding his family with humility. He rejects the toxic parts of masculinity while embracing positive traits like courage, integrity, and responsibility. Courage and love: The Apostle Paul's words offer a powerful guide: “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love" (1 Corinthians 16:13-14). This is a call to a courageous faith lived out with love. A call to courageous servanthood In 2025, Christian men are called to reject the cultural distortions of manhood and embrace the biblical vision: a masculinity defined by Christ, marked by humility, and expressed through courageous, loving action. This is not the easiest path, but it is the one that leads to true strength and a life that honors God.

Something we've seen over the last few weeks is that this original audience badly misunderstands Jesus.Going back to Chapter 7, we saw it first with the brothers of Jesus and then we saw it with the crowd in Jerusalem — The Jewish people, led by the Pharisees, are incredibly lost when it comes to who Jesus is; they're walking in darkness — the metaphor that will come up soon in Chapter 9 is blindness.But that's what's happening in Chapter 8! — the people are spiritually blind.And … at the same time … Jesus is different.It is the people's own problem that they can't see Jesus, but Jesus is also unlike any person they've ever met before. And that's what I want us to focus on today.We've talked enough about the Pharisees — this morning I want to show you in this passage three ways that Jesus is different. It has to do with his judgment, his origin, and his mission. And this matters for us because these three differences will guide us in our worship of Jesus and our devotion to him. Let's pray:Father in heaven, thank you for your Word, and for this moment. As best as we can, by your Spirit's help, we surrender our hearts to his work. Speak to us, in Jesus's name, amen.Three ways Jesus is different …1. His judgment is not like ours.To start, remember last week in verse 12 Jesus said that he's the light of the world, but then the Pharisees ignore what he says and try to make the whole thing a legal dispute.They said that Jesus was out of bounds to bear witness about himself, but Jesus says that's not really the case because he never does anything by himself — that's not how he works. And just like that, this dialogue presents an opportunity for Jesus to explain how different he is.So in verse 15 he says,“You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.”Now wait a minute: How can Jesus say that? We know he judges. He's gonna say in verse 26 (just a few verses away) that he has “much to judge.” He said back in Chapter 5 that the Father has given him authority to execute judgment (5:27); And he describes his judgment as just and right and true (5:30; 7:24; 8:16). So what does he mean when he says “I judge no one”? According to the FleshWell, he means it in contrast to how people judge “according to the flesh” — Jesus is saying “I judge no one like that.” Remember, we've already seen that wrong judgment is a problem for the people.This goes back to Chapter 5 when the Jews didn't like it that Jesus healed that man on the Sabbath. And in Chapter 7, Jesus refers back to that incident and he tells the people You're seeing it all wrong. Chapter 7, verse 24 …“Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”Judging by appearances (ch. 7), and judging according to the flesh (ch. 8), are basically the same thing. And that's the problem. This kind of judgment is judgment based on the limited perspective of fallible humans.So catch this. This human judgment has two things going against it: one is that the lens is limited; the other is that the eyes looking through the lens are fallible.I imagine this to be kind of like those mounted binoculars you find on a fishing pier. (Y'all have seen these before, either on piers at the ocean or somewhere else that has a scenic view.) You pop a quarter in and you can look through these binoculars, but they're limited. You're constricted in how far you can turn the thing. And you can see a part of the ocean, but not the whole ocean, and then the time runs out.Well, judgment according to the flesh is like that, except also the person looking through the binoculars is legally blind (we're all like Mr. Magoo…).This is judgment according to the flesh — it's limited and fallible — and the twist here is that Jesus is not addressing this problem of judgment because of how people treat other people, but this has to do with how they see him.It's About JesusI want to make sure you catch this …There are moral implications when it comes to human judgment and how we treat one another, but that is not Jesus's first concern here.The bigger problem with broken human judgment is that it's what's keeping people from recognizing who Jesus is!We see this problem all throughout the Gospel of John:“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (1:46)“Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?” (6:42)“How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” (7:15)“Is the Christ to come from Galilee?” (7:41)See, the people were spiritually blind to Jesus. Blindness TodayAnd it's not just a problem with this original audience, but this has been a problem throughout history. This is part of the Christian story — because, according to the flesh, the Christian message is not very impressive.We believe that the Savior of the world is a Jewish peasant who had a three-year teaching ministry in First Century Palestine until the Roman governor had him brutally murdered. No wonder why that at the time that John wrote this Gospel people called this silly! According to the flesh it is silly… by human appearances it's foolishness. But this just means that the only way we can recognize Jesus is if we start seeing beyond what's natural to us.John tells us from the start: We must be born again — not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:13).To see Jesus we have to start seeing the way he sees. His judgment is not like ours.2. His origin is not from here. We're going to pick this up in verse 23. But in verse 21, Jesus has acted as a prophet and pronounced a coming judgment, and the Jews are baffled by this. They mock Jesus in verse 22. Then, verse 23: He [Jesus] said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.”See how plainly he puts this? Jesus is saying I'm different.He's saying to this crowd: We are from and of different realms of reality — just wait and see what he says next week!Setting the SceneBut then Jesus says something here in verse 24 that gets their attention. He sobers ‘em up real quick, and it comes through in their question in verse 25.Everybody find verse 25. Y'all are gonna want to see this one. Verse 25. Chapter 8, verse 25:So they said to him, “Who are you?”Now, I want to back up for a minute and set this scene for you. I'm gonna describe how this might have looked (I need a little poetic license) …Verse 21 opens: Jesus is talking to a small crowd, and you gotta imagine they're basically heckling him. It's one of those group-think moments when people bond over their shared criticism. Y'all ever see that before?You can picture it — they're twisting his words and making their jokes. That's verse 22 — they say: Hey, what's this guy gonna do, kill himself? And the crowd busts out laughing, and as the laughter's dying down, Jesus says something that makes them instantly shut up and get serious. It's like the music just goes errrr — silence. And they say: “Who are you?”That's the scene.So I wanna know: What did Jesus say in verse 24 to cause that question? Let's look at verse 24:“I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”What part of these words stopped the crowd in their tracks? Face-to-Face with I AMNow, it could have been that Jesus told them they're gonna die in their sins. That's pretty serious, but it's not new. Jesus said that in verse 21, and he says it twice here. I think the bombshell in verse 24 is when Jesus says “unless you believe that I am he … you will die in your sins…”That's because the words here, “I am he,” in the Greek, is the ἐγώ εἰμι — which literally translates as I AM.And this crowd has heard those words before. They know about the I AM. They know the Book of Exodus, and the story of the burning bush. They've heard the Book of Isaiah, when God speaks and says:Isaiah 41:4,“Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord, the first, and with the last; I am.” Isaiah 43:13,“… from ancient days I am; No one can deliver out of my hand. When I act, who can reverse it?” (NIV)Isaiah 43:25,“I am, I am the one who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” Isaiah 48:12,“Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am! I am the first, and I am the last.”These people knew Who said these words in the Book of Isaiah. And here Jesus is saying unless you believe I am the I AM, you'll die in your sins. And they're floored. They take a big gulp, and they say:For real, who are you?And Jesus says: I've been trying to telling you. It's what I've been saying from the beginning.The Big BeginningAnd this first audience hears Jesus say “beginning” and they think he's talking about when their conversation started, but we as the readers, we see that word “beginning” and we think back to John 1:1, to how this Gospel started:“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”He was in the beginning with God.This is what Jesus meant in verse 23 when he said I am from above and I am not from this world. Jesus's origin is not like ours because he had no origin, not as the eternally begotten Son of God. He has always been … Ultimate Reality, the Great First Cause, the Unmoved Mover. He is from everlasting to everlasting … Of old he laid the foundations of the world, and the heavens are the work of his hands! They will perish, but he will remain! They will all wear out like a garment, he will change them like a robe and they will pass away! But he is the same and his years have no end! (see Psalm 102:25–27; Hebrews 1:10–12).Church, Jesus is different — if you can see him. Jesus is different. His origin is not from here.3. His mission is not by himself. This is verse 28: So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. There will come a moment when Jesus's identity as the I AM will be most manifest, and ironically, it'll be a moment that these unbelievers bring about. It'll be when they lift him up. To Be Lifted UpIn the Gospel of John, when Jesus talks this way, he's talking about the cross. To “be lifted up” has a double meaning — it's another example of the layers in John — Jesus will be “lifted up” literally on the cross, to die — And he'll also be lifted up as in he's exalted and glorified in the cross event which culminates in resurrection.Both are in view.And when Jesus is lifted up, literally, on the cross, that's a moment that by appearances — according to the flesh — it looks like the worst kind of defeat. He was crucified! But that was actually the moment when the I AM blots out the transgressions of his people! So, what is most atrocious to human eyes is the greatest divine miracle ever displayed. That is the mission of Jesus. That's why he came. And he came, Jesus tells us, in collaboration with his Father. Collaborating with the FatherThat's what he says in verse 28. His mission is not a solo endeavor, but the Father is involved. Jesus has talked this way before: John 4:34,“My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.”John 5:19,“Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing.”John 6:38,“For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.”So Jesus didn't come on a self-directed mission — he was not sent by himself — And he also didn't come by himself. Look at verse 29: “And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”Now, in what way is the Father with Jesus? How has the Father not left Jesus alone?Theologically, the right answer is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is how the Father was with Jesus in his earthly ministry. The Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, and he is the bond of love between them. But in verse 29, Jesus doesn't give us those theological details. He just tells us why the Father is with him. He says it's because“I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”Now in one sense, we could say that Jesus is just stressing again the unity he has with his Father, and that's true. But in another sense, if we're taking Jesus at his word, in verse 29 he grounds the “with-me-ness of God” in what he does. He's saying: I enjoy the blessing of the Father's nearness because of what I do.The Father is with me because I do what's pleasing to him!‘Don't Try This at Home'And this is one of those things that should come with a warning: “Don't try this at home.”Because we can't talk that way. I don't recommend it. That's because one of the facts of our fallen humanity is that we often to confuse the proper placement of our doing. And the simple name for this is called “works-righteousness.”But Chip Dodd calls this confusion the DO-HAVE-BECOME mindset.Many people live their life this way. They think: “If I only could DO (x) then I could HAVE (y), and finally BECOME (z).” Get it? DO … HAVE … BECOME. Look, I'll go ahead and tell you: that's a mess in the making. It will burn you out. Because all you can do in that mindset is keep chasing, always looking for that next milestone, that next thing just above the horizon. This is the path of so many people, and it just leaves you weary and empty.The right order, though, is not “Do-Have-Become” — but “Be-Have-Do!”“Because I AM (z) then I HAVE (y), and therefore I DO (x).”That's the Christian life:Because I AM (a child of God) then I HAVE (every spiritual blessing in Christ) and therefore I DO (a life of love and witness for his glory).We must constantly be reordering our lives this way. We often get it wrong. But we should realize that Jesus is different. Because Jesus was/is the perfect man … This means Jesus lived here with absolutely perfect harmony in his being, having, and doing. Theologians have talked about this as the harmony of his person and work. His Glorious CongruenceSee, Jesus never needed to reorder anything here because he never had a hiccup between who he is and what he does. Part of his holiness was his wholeness.He is the truth and he speaks the truth. He is light and he shines light. He is life and he gives life.This is glorious congruence! Everything that Jesus ever DID was impeccably aligned with his BEING as the Beloved Son of God with whom the Father is well-pleased.He was so aligned, so congruent — his activity was so perfectly an expression of his identity — that doesn't talk of one without including the other.That's why he can say I always DO the things that are pleasing to my Father and that's why he's with me. His mission was not by himself, and here, church, is glory!Behold Him!This is a closeness of relationship with the Father and a congruence of person that we can barely fathom, but certainly adore.Back in 1738, the pastor-theologian Jonathan Edwards meditated on the person of Jesus and focused on the union of his “diverse excellencies” — Jesus is the Lion and the Lamb; he is majestic and meek, just and merciful … Edwards said,“In him meet together infinite highness and infinite condescension; infinite justice and infinite grace; infinite glory and lowest humility.”And for this, he is worthy of our adoration. … And I want to add … Just like we adore Jesus for the “admirable conjunctions of his diverse excellencies,” we adore him for the simple harmony of his person and work. Who he is is how he lived.In the most profound way, What you see is what you get — if you can truly see. So that's where we end. Can you see him yet? Do you recognize who Jesus is?If you see him, you trust him. You put your faith in him, and maybe that's something you want to do today for the first time. You can do it right now — tell him: Jesus, I see you, I trust you. And for so many of us who have seen him, don't you want to see him more? Jesus is different … in his judgment, his origin, and his mission — and we just want to see more of him! More of his glory! We wanna behold him!That's the invitation now as we come to this Table. The TableFor all of us who trust in Jesus, if you see him, let's see him anew this morning as we receive the bread and cup. We are remembering Jesus's person and work, and together, church, we behold him.

Sunday, 7 September 2025   On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. Matthew 13:1   “And in that day, Jesus, having departed from the house, He sat by the sea” (CG).   In the previous verse, Chapter 12 finished with Jesus saying that whoever does the will of His Father in heaven is His brother and sister and mother. Chapter 13 now begins with, “And in that day.”   Such words as this will have various meanings based on the context. For example, the Lord may say, “In that day, I will rescue Israel.” Or we may read of the “Day of the Lord.” Such days actually reflect past or future events or extended periods of time. The same terminology is used in English as well.   However, there is no need to assume anything other than a literal rendering of the word here. Therefore, it is either referring to the previous verses or to something coming in the verses ahead. The most obvious and likely meaning is the day on which He had already been speaking. That this is likely is seen in the next words, where it says, “Jesus, having departed from the house.”   Jesus was specifically noted as being inside based on the words of Matthew 12:46 –   “While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.”   Noting His mother and brothers were outside means that He was inside. Now, having departed from that house, it next says, “He sat by the sea.”   This is the Sea of Galilee. The narrative is preparing to enter into more words from Jesus by introducing the location and circumstances.   Life application: Because Jesus was in a house, only a certain number of people could hear His words. That is clearly evidenced by the fact that His mother and brothers wanted to speak with Him. He was engaging the scribes and Pharisees in one setting. Even though His words are recorded now for all to know what went on in the house, at the time, what He said was not heard by the people.   However, Jesus' heading out and sitting by the sea is a purposeful decision to allow His coming words to be heard and considered by many more people. As you read the gospels, think about what is going on in the surrounding context.   Jesus walks in various locations at various times. If the name of the location is given, it is certain that particular information is being provided to understand a greater picture. It is as if His very movements are forming a picture for us to consider.   Likewise, when He says something, it is quite possible that His words are fulfilling other pictures from the Old Testament Scriptures. For example, Jesus said, “For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:33).   In that sentence, Jesus equates Himself to the manna given to Israel in the wilderness. That is explained more fully in the surrounding words. But Jesus also noted that He comes down from heaven. In Hebrew, the word yarad, to descend, is used. It is where the name Jordan, or in Hebrew yarden, is derived.   In studying the uses of yarden in the Old Testament, amazing pictures of Christ, the Descender, will be seen. The very topography of the land of Israel is noted in Scripture to tell us greater stories of Jesus, His work, and how it applies to His people.   But typology can be manipulated. It is easy to “make anything say anything” and claim that is what the Bible is saying. So be careful as you read the word and make conclusions about things you read. Also, be careful about how people present typology.   Something may sound right, but be completely wrong. There must be a reasonable connection to what is being said, and the typological representations must be consistently used. If they are properly searched out and presented, truly amazing stories of God's redemptive plans will shine through.   Consider what God is telling you, both on the surface and how it points to Jesus. This is what Jesus told us would be the case as we read this precious word –   “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” John 5:39   Lord God, what an intricate and amazing word You have given us. There are many levels of information being conveyed to us all at the same time. Your word is a marvel and a delight for our minds to consider, wonder at, and rejoice in. Thank You for this precious word. Amen.  

Welcome to Wellspring Church!This week, Pastor David Norris returned from sabbatical and preached on the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18.Jesus tells this story “to some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else.” The Pharisee prayed about himself, proud of his good deeds. The tax collector, however, stood at a distance, beat his chest, and pleaded, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Poem III from Charlotte Mason's “The Saviour of the World” Volume VII Book I, with the corresponding Scripture reading.

John 8:15-16, You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone. But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me. Amazing! In this case, Jesus was not judging anyone because the Father wasn't judging. That's what love looked like in that instance. How often do we judge according to the flesh when we should not be judging at all—as an act of love with Jesus? It seems, if anyone deserved judgment in this case, it was the Pharisees. If He isn't judging them because He's entrusting them to the Father, shouldn't we do the same with those who seem like our adversaries? Otherwise, we are "judging according to the flesh." The next time we feel compelled to judge someone, it might be wise to check to see if we are reacting in the flesh as the Pharisees were. It will free us to love with Jesus. What is truth? It is what God does, sees, judges, and testifies to with His Son. Individuality is the flesh and is what the world praises and worships. Union with God reveals the truth. Living to love with Jesus reveals not individual goodness or righteousness, but the truth that a person is no longer an individual, but is a life united with God. May we be filled with thanksgiving and praise for the miracle of new life in Christ, revealed as we love with Him. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

A Sinful Woman Forgiven 36 One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. 37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, 38 and standing […]

Romans 6:18 — What does it mean to be a “slave to righteousness”? Paul explains in Romans 6:18 that Christians are no longer slaves to sin and sin has power no longer. Instead, Christians are now slaves to righteousness. In this sermon on Romans 6:18 titled “Servants of Righteousness,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones details several truths that can be drawn from this one verse. He is clear to point out that he is not saying that there is no sin left in the Christian or that they are free from sinful nature or temptations. There is no choice in this matter of sanctification because it starts the moment that the Christian believes. Once they believe, the soul yearns with jealous envy for righteousness because they are drawn to the realm of God instead of the realm of sin. Dr. Lloyd-Jones also warns that many people can have qualities of a Christian but not hold the same doctrines. He mentions that the Pharisees were people like this, creating their own righteousness instead of submitting to God's righteousness. This practice is ignorant. One does not understand what morality is and needs to lean on the Lord for wisdom. Christians can rejoice that the Lord who began a good work in them will be faithful to complete this work.

Confronted by the Pharisees, Jesus cites the example of King David and then proclaims that "the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath." (Lectionary #436) September 6, 2025 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com  

Today's Topics: 1) Gospel - Luke 5:33-39 - The scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, "The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same; but Yours eat and drink." Jesus answered them, "Can you make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days." And He also told them a parable. "No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one. Otherwise, he will tear the new and the piece from it will not match the old cloak. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined. Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins. And no one who has been drinking old wine desires new, for he says, 'The old is good.'" Memorial of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, Virgin Saint Teresa, pray for us! Bishop Sheen quote of the day 2, 3, 4) Taylor Marshall on why we are in dire need of Christian patriots

Romans 6:18 — What does it mean to be a “slave to righteousness”? Paul explains in Romans 6:18 that Christians are no longer slaves to sin and sin has power no longer. Instead, Christians are now slaves to righteousness. In this sermon on Romans 6:18 titled “Servants of Righteousness,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones details several truths that can be drawn from this one verse. He is clear to point out that he is not saying that there is no sin left in the Christian or that they are free from sinful nature or temptations. There is no choice in this matter of sanctification because it starts the moment that the Christian believes. Once they believe, the soul yearns with jealous envy for righteousness because they are drawn to the realm of God instead of the realm of sin. Dr. Lloyd-Jones also warns that many people can have qualities of a Christian but not hold the same doctrines. He mentions that the Pharisees were people like this, creating their own righteousness instead of submitting to God's righteousness. This practice is ignorant. One does not understand what morality is and needs to lean on the Lord for wisdom. Christians can rejoice that the Lord who began a good work in them will be faithful to complete this work. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/603/29

Gospel Luke 6:1-5 While Jesus was going through a field of grain on a sabbath, his disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them. Some Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?” Jesus said to them in reply, “Have you not read what David did when he and those who were with him were hungry? How he went into the house of God, took the bread of offering, which only the priests could lawfully eat, ate of it, and shared it with his companions?” Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.” Reflection Anyone who is focused on religion as a rigid obligation to follow every rule and every law should be threatened by this particular passage. Because what he's saying is that when you have the Spirit of God living in you, guiding you, you don't need the law anymore. And the law can't apply to everything that one encounters in this life. But God in us, God's Spirit can guide us with wisdom and direction and bring us to the place that God has called us to be. We need to trust in his spirit more than rules and regulations. Closing Prayer Father, we have opened our hearts to a new vision that you have brought into the world of who we are with you, instead of who we are under your law. Bless us in this transition. Help us achieve this goal. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While Jesus was going through a field of grain on a sabbath,his disciples were picking the heads of grain,rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.Some Pharisees said,“Why are you doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?”Jesus said to them in reply,“Have you not read what David didwhen he and those who were with him were hungry?How he went into the house of God, took the bread of offering,which only the priests could lawfully eat,ate of it, and shared it with his companions?”Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”

This week we looked at what happens when the Author of the Torah explains His own words. Standing where Moses first gave the Torah, Yeshua reveals God's heart behind it all. The Pharisees tested Him on divorce, but instead of choosing sides, Yeshua brought them back to the beginning—God's original design for faithfulness.The Torah made concessions because of human weakness, but Yeshua shows us the Author's intent: covenant love from creation. The question for us is the same—are we looking for loopholes, or are we trusting God's design?Watch “Authors Intent” to discover how Yeshua takes us from concession to creation, and what that means for our lives today. Link: https://restoration.subspla.sh/fx6bkkc#thehappyrabbi #restorationseattle #JewishinSeattle 

Jesus heals a man at a wedding banquet at the home of a Pharisee.

Saturday, 6 September 2025   For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.” Matthew 12:50   “For whoever, if he should do the determination of My Father, the ‘in heavens,' he – he is – My brother and sister and mother” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus extended His hand toward the disciples and exclaimed, “Here are My mother and My brothers!” In order to explain that, He next says, “For whoever, if he should do the determination of My Father, the ‘in heavens.'”   Jesus sets the parameters for whom He is referring from the previous verse, explaining what He meant. But what is the “determination of My Father” that He is referring to? The answer to the thought is found in John 6 –   “Then they said to Him, ‘What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?' 29 Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.'” John 6:26   This explains what Jesus is referring to. Jesus is not (by a long shot) telling His hearers that they must observe the Law of Moses. That is what Jesus came to fulfill. He is not telling us that He is kin to the stock of Israel and that we must bless them to receive a blessing, even if His literal descent is from Israel. He does not say that those who have big churches full of wealthy congregants are His family.   The famous, beautiful, athletic, politically connected, royalty, etc., are excluded without believing in Jesus. Cutting out all categories of people, Jesus identifies those whom He is referring to as those doing “the ‘determination of'” His Father. To exactingly identify them, He next closes out Matthew 12, emphatically saying, “he – he is – My brother and sister and mother.”   Genealogy is excluded. This is why Paul says –    “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:26-29   Paul further says –   “Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.” 1 Corinthians 1:20, 21   It is true that at the time of Jesus' ministry, those of Israel who were under the law were expected to observe the law. Nobody should dispute that. But Jesus' words in John 6, as explained by Paul and the other apostles in the epistles, tell us that we are to have faith in the works of the Son. His works include sinless perfection in His life before the law, His death in fulfillment of it, and His resurrection, which proved that it was so. Belief in this is what God expects of His people. This is the good news of Jesus Christ.   Life application: To cut out much of the theological error that rushes your way from the pulpit, computer, TV screen, etc., remember what God is doing in the world as explained in Scripture. God has a plan of redemption set forth to restore humanity to Himself.   That plan of redemption is based on the work of His Son, Jesus Christ. This plan, centered on His Son, is often co-opted by those who want to control others in various ways. At the time of the early church, it was Judaizers coming in and trusting in the flesh, boasting over those they circumcised.   As the church developed, various cults and sects have arisen to pull people away from the gospel. Eventually, the church became such a large and powerful entity that it exalted itself and its doctrines above the simple gospel. Because of this, the reformation occurred.   In America, a nation that allows freedom of religion, people took advantage of others by proclaiming aberrant ideas through a manipulation of Scripture. Sometimes, there is the exalting of a particular version of Scripture, not Jesus, who is the focus of that Scripture, as a supposed necessary condition for salvation.   Today, unconditionally supporting Israel, a nation that has rejected Jesus at this point, is said to be a necessary condition for receiving God's blessing. In fact, this false teaching is explicitly taught by many supposed Jesus-centered ministries. It is Jesus, not a person, Bible version, nation, or denomination, who brings salvation.   When should believers support a church? The answer is when that church proclaims the gospel. When should believers exalt a people group or nation? The answer is when that nation exalts Jesus Christ. Israel, as a nation, has not yet done this. But unlike other nations, they are explicitly prophesied as someday doing so. For this reason, prayers for them should be raised to God that His will be done in this rebellious group of people.   At the same time, we should be willing to evangelize and pray for all people, telling them about the saving message of Jesus Christ. This alone will bring people to a right relationship with God.   “So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, 9 and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. 10 Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? 11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.” Acts 15:8-11   Lord God, thank You for the simple gospel of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Help us to have our priorities right, clearly thinking through what it means to be in a right standing before You. Your word tells us what it is! It is through faith in Him and what He has done. Yes, thank You for this simple gospel. Amen. Matthew 12   12 In that time, Jesus, He went – the Sabbaths – through the grainfields, and His disciples, they hungered, and they began to pluck kernels and eat. 2 And the Pharisees, having seen, they said to Him, “You behold! Your disciples, they do what it permits not to do in Sabbath.” 3 And He said to them, “Not you read what he did, David, when he hungered, he and those with him? 4 How he entered into the house of God and the bread ‘the before-setting' they ate, which not it is being permitted him to eat, nor those with him, if not the priests only? 5 Or not you read in the law that, the Sabbaths, the priests in the temple the Sabbath profane, and they are guiltless? 6 And I say to you that the temple – greater, it is here. 7 And if you had known what it is, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' not you condemned the guiltless. 8 For Lord, He is – even of the Sabbath – the Son of Man.”   9 And having departed thence, He went into their synagogue. 10 And, you behold! Man, he is, having a withered hand. And they queried Him, saying, ‘If it permits, the Sabbaths, to cure?' That they should accuse Him.   11 And He said to them, “What man, he will be from you, who he will have one sheep, and if this, it should fall into a pit on the Sabbaths, not he will seize it and he will raise it? 12 Therefore, how much man – he excels a sheep! So too, it permits – the Sabbaths – to do good.” 13 Then He says to the man, ‘You outstretch your hand.' And he outstretched it, and it reconstituted, healthy as the other. 14 And the Pharisees, they took counsel against Him, having gone out, how they might kill Him.   15 And Jesus, having known, He withdrew thence. And they followed Him, great crowds. And He cured them all. 16 And He admonished them that not they should make Him apparent. 17 That it should be fulfilled, the ‘having been spoken' through Isaiah the prophet, saying:   18 “You behold! My Servant whom I chose, My beloved in whom it approved, My soul, I will place My Spirit upon Him, And judgment to the Gentiles, He will proclaim. 19 Not He will wrangle, nor He will clamor, Nor anyone – he will hear in the streets His voice. 20 A reed, being battered, not He will break, And flax being smoldered, not He will extinguish, Until if He ejects judgment into victory. 21 And in His name, Gentiles, they will hope.”   22 Then he was brought to Him ‘being demon possessed,' blind and mute, and He cured him, so the blind and mute speak and see. 23 And they were astounded, all the crowds. And they said, “Not any, this, He is the Son of David?”   24 And the Pharisees, having heard, they said, “This, not He ejects the demons if not in Beelzebul, prince of the demons.” 25 And Jesus, having known their thoughts, He said to them, “Every kingdom, having divided against itself, it desolates, and every city or house having divided against itself, not it will stand. 26 And if the Satan, he ejects the Satan, he divided upon himself. How then, it will stand, his kingdom? 27 And if I, I eject demons in Beelzebul, your sons – in whom do they eject? Through this they, they will be your judges. 28 And if in God's Spirit I, I eject the demons, then it preceded upon you, the ‘God's kingdom.' 29 Or how, any, he can enter into the house of the strong and his goods through-seize, if not first he should bind the strong? And then, his house he will through-seize. 30 The ‘not being with Me,' he is against me. And the ‘not gathering with Me,' he scatters.   31 Through this, I say to you, every sin and blasphemy, it will be forgiven men, but the ‘Spirit blasphemy' not it will be forgiven men. 32 And whoever if he should speak a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him. But whoever, if he should speak against the Holy Spirit, not it will be forgiven him, neither in this age, nor in the coming.   33 Either you make the tree good and the fruit of it good, or you make the tree rotten and the fruit of it rotten. For from the fruit, the tree – it is known. 34 Viper's offspring! You can, how, speak good – being evil? For from the surplus of the heart, the mouth, it speaks.  35 The good man, from the good treasure of the heart, he ejects good, and the evil man, from the evil treasure, he ejects evil. 36 And I say to you that every inactive utterance that if they will speak, men, they will render a word about it in judgment day. 37 For from your words, you will be justified, and from your words, you will be condemned.”   38 Then, they answered, some of the scribes and Pharisees, saying, “Teacher, we desire to see a sign from You.” 39 And having answered, He said to them, “Generation – evil and adulteress – it seeks a sign, and not it will be given it, if not the sign of Jonah the prophet. 40 For just as Jonah, he was in the lunker's belly three days and three nights, thus He will be, the Son of Man, in the earth's heart three days and three nights. 41 Men, Nineveh, they will arise in the judgment with this generation and they will sentence it, for they reconsidered at the proclamation of Jonah. And you behold! Jonah's greater is here! 42 Queen, south, she will arise in the judgment with this generation and she will sentence it, for she came from the extremities of the land to hear Solomon's wisdom. And you behold! Solomon's greater is here.   43 And when the unclean spirit, it departs from the man, it traverses through waterless spots seeking rest, and it finds not. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house whence I departed.' And having come, it finds ‘holidaying,' having been swept and having been arranged. 45 Then it traverses, and it takes with itself seven other spirits, itself eviler, and having entered, it dwells there. And the last of that man, it becomes worse than the first. Thus it will be also – this evil generation.”   46 And He yet speaking to the crowds, you behold, His mother and His brothers had stood without seeking to speak to Him. 47 And, he said, someone to Him, “You behold! Your mother and Your brothers, they have stood without seeking to speak to You.” 48 And answering, He said to the ‘telling Him', “Who, she is, My mother, and who, they are, My brothers?” 49 And having extended His hand to His disciples, He said, “You behold! My mother and My brothers. 50 For whoever, if he should do the determination of My Father, the ‘in heavens,' he – he is – My brother and sister and mother.”

499-Sinful v. Holy Fierce Intimacy I was confused. There I was a new bride, having saved myself for marriage… only to find out that my new husband wanted me to do SINFUL things. Where did he get all this “inspiration” anyway? Oh, I knew: sinful places. So, of course, I refused. And of course, it brought mutual anger (covering each of our hurt). What's your story? If it's even remotely like mine, I needed to change the lens in which I was viewing sex. I wasn't viewing sex from a biblical standpoint. I was viewing sex from a sexually perverted lens. (Even though I saved my sex for marriage, I certainly received messages from the world that perverted the purity and unashamedness that is meant to be in the bedroom.) I was thinking about a sinful visual I had, at some point, encountered that I knew was wrong. Instead of recognizing the COMPLETELY different and HOLY context of my marriage, I decided the act was associated with my experience that was not God's will. Maybe you've gone through something profoundly tragic, if so, my heart goes out to you. And now you're married and there are so many things that feel hard to move towards because of the past. There is hope. Hope for healing and even hope for desire. Be washed by truth. That's my aim in this conversation. That you will realize that our God is a God of intimacy and freedom in your marriage. When you wash your mind with the truth of His design within the marriage bed, may you slowly wade (or dive in) into the waters of marital intimacy and find out it's nice and warm (with your spouse

Read Online“The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.” Luke 6:5This short yet powerful statement by Jesus was spoken in response to the Pharisees who questioned Jesus as to why His disciples were apparently doing what was unlawful on the sabbath. They were walking through a field of grain, picking grain as they walked, and eating it for nourishment on their journey from one town to another.This challenge from the Pharisees highlights their scrupulous approach to the moral law. Recall the Third Commandment given through Moses: “Remember the sabbath day—keep it holy. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God. You shall not do any work…” (Exodus 20:8–10). From this Commandment, the Pharisees had developed a complex commentary which went into great detail about what kind of work was forbidden on the Sabbath in their view. One such regulation was to pick and mill grain. Thus, they judged that this was what the disciples were doing and were, therefore, violating the Third Commandment.The laws of God, as they are given by God, must be followed perfectly. His divine Law refreshes us, enlivens us and enables us to live in union with Him. The Pharisees, however, deeply struggled with a need to control the lives of the people through their human interpretation of the divine Law. By saying that “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath,” Jesus made it clear that this scrupulous interpretation of the Third Commandment taught by the Pharisees did not align with the truths of that divine Law.One lesson to learn from this encounter is that each one of us can easily fall into a similar trap. It's easy to replace God's true Law with our perception of faith and morality. We are weak human beings, and there are many things that affect our thinking and our convictions in life. Emotions, habits, family relationships, friendships, media and so many other things affect us in powerful ways. Sometimes for good and sometimes for ill. We can easily arrive at certain judgments of faith and morality that are slightly erroneous, being based on subtle errors. As a result, we can easily begin to get off track in our thinking and convictions and, over time, can find that we have deviated far from the truths of God. When this happens, it can be difficult to humbly admit it and change our convictions. Reflect, today, upon the humble truth that Jesus and Jesus alone is Lord of the divine Law. This means that we must perpetually remain open to changing our opinions when we hear our Lord speak to us. Ponder any way in which you have become overly attached to your own opinions. If they bring forth peace, joy, charity and the like, then they are most likely in union with God. If they are burdensome, a cause of confusion, contention or frustration, then you may need to step back and humbly reexamine the convictions you hold, so that He Who is Lord of all will be able to speak His divine Law to you more clearly. Lord of all Truth, You and You alone are the guide of my life. You and You alone are the Truth. Help me to be humble, dear Lord, so that I can recognize any error in my convictions and turn to You and Your divine Law as the one and only guide for my life. Jesus, I trust in You.Image: The story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsSource of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Gospel Luke 5:33-39 The scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, "The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same; but yours eat and drink." Jesus answered them, "Can you make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days." And he also told them a parable. "No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one. Otherwise, he will tear the new and the piece from it will not match the old cloak. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined. Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins. And no one who has been drinking old wine desires new, for he says, 'The old is good.'" Reflection What Jesus is revealing is the great mystery that the teaching that he's offering to those who will listen is not just inviting them to understand it, but to understand something much greater. What it means to be redeemed, what it means to be freed of evil in a way that was unthinkable before the coming of the Christ. It's a new world that Jesus came to establish. The old world was based on the law and performance, and the new law is based on openness to the presence of God. It takes grace not just understanding, but a change of heart that can only be accomplished by God in order to do the work of the New Covenant. Closing Prayer Father, bless us with a better understanding of the transformation that you've won for us. We are not the same people that were living before you came into the world and redeemed us. Help us to see and feel the power of your spirit within us. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus,"The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers,and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same;but yours eat and drink."Jesus answered them, "Can you make the wedding guests fastwhile the bridegroom is with them?But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them,then they will fast in those days."And he also told them a parable."No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one.Otherwise, he will tear the newand the piece from it will not match the old cloak.Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins.Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins,and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined.Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins.And no one who has been drinking old wine desires new,for he says, 'The old is good.'"

In this Bible Story, we witness the righteous anger of Jesus. During the Passover, corrupt money-changers and religious leaders exploit people’s desire to worship. So Jesus fashions a whip and drives them out. This story is inspired by John 2:13-23, John 3: 1-21, Numbers 21:4-9. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.Today's Bible verse is John 2:15 from the King James Version.Episode 178: As Jesus entered the temple gates during Passover, His eyes were open to the corruption of that sacred place. Where there should have been awe and a sense of holiness, a marketplace existed. Instead of forgiveness, the religious leaders were requiring fees. Jesus could not stand this happening in God’s temple, so He drove out the buyers, sellers, and the money changers! The temple priests challenged Him on this but Jesus did not falter. Later that evening though, one of the Pharisees came to Him to know more about who He was and what He came to do.Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world’s greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham.Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living.Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max BardProducer: Ben GammonHosted by: Pastor Jack GrahamMusic by: Andrew Morgan SmithBible Story narration by: Todd HaberkornSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Read Online“Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined. Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins. And no one who has been drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.'” Luke 5:37–39This short parable comes at the beginning of Jesus' public ministry. He just called Levi, the tax collector, to become one of His disciples, and then Levi invited Jesus to dine at his home with other tax collectors and sinners. When the scribes and Pharisees saw this, they objected and challenged our Lord. In response, Jesus tells this parable as a way of explaining that He came to call everyone to change and to experience a new transformation of their life.The “new wine” spoken of in this parable is the grace poured forth from the Cross. Remember that blood and water sprung forth from His side as He hung upon the Cross. This has been symbolically understood as the grace and mercy given to us from the Cross, which is transmitted today through the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion. Baptism transforms us into a new creation, and, as a new creation in Christ, we must desire the new wine of the Most Holy Eucharist so as to be daily transformed by our Lord.Many of the Church Fathers point out that the “old wine” that many prefer is a reference to those who wanted to continue living according to the old law. This is especially true of the scribes and Pharisees to whom Jesus was speaking this parable. Jesus was bringing them a new teaching and preparing them for a new grace. But they rejected it, preferring the old life they were living.One thing this tells us is that if we are to receive this new wine of the grace of God, we must be ready and willing to abandon our old selves and become new. Change can be hard. Even as evangelized Christians who are already living in the grace of Christ, we will be continually called to a deeper and deeper change in our lives. Too often we can easily become complacent and content with the life we are living. When that happens, it will hinder our Lord from pouring the new wine of His grace into our souls in ongoing superabundance.How do you deal with change in life? If you want to grow in holiness, you can be certain that change is the only constant in life. We must become new creations each and every day, growing, being more fully transformed, changing our ways, giving up the old and embracing that which is ever new. This requires a certain amount of courage as we come face-to-face with the daily need to be changed by grace. It means daily death to our old self and daily becoming a new creation in God.Reflect, today, upon the courage it takes to change. What is it in your life that you may be afraid to change? What “old wine” do you prefer over the “new wine” of God's grace? What old habits or attachments do you have that our Lord wants you to let go of? Face the changes God wants for you with courage and trust, and You will indeed become more fully the new creation in Christ you are meant to be.My most merciful Lord, I know You call me to continual change in my life. Please give me the courage I need to face all that I need to detach from in life and all that hinders me from becoming the glorious new creation You have called me to become. Pour forth Your abundant grace into my life, dear Lord, making me into Your new and glorious creation in grace. Jesus, I trust in You.  Image: Paolo Veronese, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsSource of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

In John 4 we read about an encounter that Jesus had with a lady at a well in Samaria.  Prior to this we learn that the religious elite wouldn't even enter into Samaria due to their prejudices.  The question we must ask ourselves is, are my prejudices limited my ability to live holy and to offer hope to the world?