Podcasts about Pharisees

Old Testament: 2 Samuel 1–2 2 Samuel 1–2 (Listen) David Hears of Saul's Death 1 After the death of Saul, when David had returned from striking down the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag. 2 And on the third day, behold, a man came from Saul's camp, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. And when he came to David, he fell to the ground and paid homage. 3 David said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” 4 And David said to him, “How did it go? Tell me.” And he answered, “The people fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead, and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.” 5 Then David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” 6 And the young man who told him said, “By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him. 7 And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.' 8 And he said to me, ‘Who are you?' I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.' 9 And he said to me, ‘Stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers.' 10 So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.” 11 Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. 12 And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the LORD and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. 13 And David said to the young man who told him, “Where do you come from?” And he answered, “I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.” 14 David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the LORD's anointed?” 15 Then David called one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him.” And he struck him down so that he died. 16 And David said to him, “Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the LORD's anointed.'” David's Lament for Saul and Jonathan 17 And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son, 18 and he said it1 should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar.2 He said: 19   “Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places!    How the mighty have fallen!20   Tell it not in Gath,    publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon,  lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,    lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult. 21   “You mountains of Gilboa,    let there be no dew or rain upon you,    nor fields of offerings!3  For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,    the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil. 22   “From the blood of the slain,    from the fat of the mighty,  the bow of Jonathan turned not back,    and the sword of Saul returned not empty. 23   “Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely!    In life and in death they were not divided;  they were swifter than eagles;    they were stronger than lions. 24   “You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,    who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet,    who put ornaments of gold on your apparel. 25   “How the mighty have fallen    in the midst of the battle!   “Jonathan lies slain on your high places.26     I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;  very pleasant have you been to me;    your love to me was extraordinary,    surpassing the love of women. 27   “How the mighty have fallen,    and the weapons of war perished!” David Anointed King of Judah 2 After this David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?” And the LORD said to him, “Go up.” David said, “To which shall I go up?” And he said, “To Hebron.” 2 So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 3 And David brought up his men who were with him, everyone with his household, and they lived in the towns of Hebron. 4 And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. When they told David, “It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul,” 5 David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead and said to them, “May you be blessed by the LORD, because you showed this loyalty to Saul your lord and buried him. 6 Now may the LORD show steadfast love and faithfulness to you. And I will do good to you because you have done this thing. 7 Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant, for Saul your lord is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.” Ish-bosheth Made King of Israel 8 But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, took Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim, 9 and he made him king over Gilead and the Ashurites and Jezreel and Ephraim and Benjamin and all Israel. 10 Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David. 11 And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months. The Battle of Gibeon 12 Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 13 And Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. And they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool. 14 And Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men arise and compete before us.” And Joab said, “Let them arise.” 15 Then they arose and passed over by number, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. 16 And each caught his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent's side, so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim,4 which is at Gibeon. 17 And the battle was very fierce that day. And Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David. 18 And the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was as swift of foot as a wild gazelle. 19 And Asahel pursued Abner, and as he went, he turned neither to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner. 20 Then Abner looked behind him and said, “Is it you, Asahel?” And he answered, “It is I.” 21 Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and seize one of the young men and take his spoil.” But Asahel would not turn aside from following him. 22 And Abner said again to Asahel, “Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I lift up my face to your brother Joab?” 23 But he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck him in the stomach with the butt of his spear, so that the spear came out at his back. And he fell there and died where he was. And all who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stood still. 24 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. And as the sun was going down they came to the hill of Ammah, which lies before Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon. 25 And the people of Benjamin gathered themselves together behind Abner and became one group and took their stand on the top of a hill. 26 Then Abner called to Joab, “Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that the end will be bitter? How long will it be before you tell your people to turn from the pursuit of their brothers?” 27 And Joab said, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely the men would not have given up the pursuit of their brothers until the morning.” 28 So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the men stopped and pursued Israel no more, nor did they fight anymore. 29 And Abner and his men went all that night through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, and marching the whole morning, they came to Mahanaim. 30 Joab returned from the pursuit of Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing from David's servants nineteen men besides Asahel. 31 But the servants of David had struck down of Benjamin 360 of Abner's men. 32 And they took up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was at Bethlehem. And Joab and his men marched all night, and the day broke upon them at Hebron. Footnotes [1] 1:18 Septuagint; Hebrew the Bow, which may be the name of the lament's tune [2] 1:18 Or of the upright [3] 1:21 Septuagint firstfruits [4] 2:16 Helkath-hazzurim means the field of sword-edges (ESV) New Testament: Acts 15:1–35 Acts 15:1–35 (Listen) The Jerusalem Council 15 But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. 3 So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers.1 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. 5 But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.” 6 The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. 7 And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. 10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” 12 And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. 13 After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, 16   “‘After this I will return,  and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen;  I will rebuild its ruins,     and I will restore it,17   that the remnant2 of mankind may seek the Lord,    and all the Gentiles who are called by my name,    says the Lord, who makes these things 18 known from of old.' 19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 20 but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. 21 For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.” The Council's Letter to Gentile Believers 22 Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers, 23 with the following letter: “The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers3 who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. 24 Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you4 with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, 25 it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: 29 that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.” 30 So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. 31 And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. 32 And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words. 33 And after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them.5 35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also. Footnotes [1] 15:3 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 22 [2] 15:17 Or rest [3] 15:23 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 32, 33, 36 [4] 15:24 Some manuscripts some persons from us have troubled you [5] 15:33 Some manuscripts insert verse 34: But it seemed good to Silas to remain there (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 119:105–112 Psalm 119:105–112 (Listen) Nun 105   Your word is a lamp to my feet    and a light to my path.106   I have sworn an oath and confirmed it,    to keep your righteous rules.107   I am severely afflicted;    give me life, O LORD, according to your word!108   Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O LORD,    and teach me your rules.109   I hold my life in my hand continually,    but I do not forget your law.110   The wicked have laid a snare for me,    but I do not stray from your precepts.111   Your testimonies are my heritage forever,    for they are the joy of my heart.112   I incline my heart to perform your statutes    forever, to the end.1 Footnotes [1] 119:112 Or statutes; the reward is eternal (ESV) Proverb: Proverbs 16:12–13 Proverbs 16:12–13 (Listen) 12   It is an abomination to kings to do evil,    for the throne is established by righteousness.13   Righteous lips are the delight of a king,    and he loves him who speaks what is right. (ESV)

Acts 23:6-10 6 But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees: touching the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question. 7 And when he had so said, there arose a […]

“They will expel you from the synagogues; in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God. They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me. I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you.”  John 16:2–4Most likely, as the disciples listened to Jesus tell them they would be expelled from the synagogues and even killed, it went in one ear and out the other.  Sure, it may have disturbed them a bit, but they most likely moved on rather quickly not worrying too much about it.  But this is why Jesus said, “I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you.”  And you can be certain that when the disciples were persecuted by the scribes and Pharisees, they did remember these words of Jesus.  It must have been a heavy cross for them to receive such persecution from their religious leaders.  Here, the people who were supposed to point them to God, were wreaking havoc in their lives.  They would have been tempted to despair and lose their faith.  But Jesus anticipated this heavy trial and, for that reason, warned them that it would come.  But what's interesting is what Jesus did not say.  He did not tell them they should fight back, start a riot, form a revolution, etc.  Rather, if you read the context to this statement, we see Jesus telling them that the Holy Spirit will take care of all things, will lead them and will enable them to testify to Jesus.  To testify to Jesus is to be His witness.  And to be a witness to Jesus is to be a martyr.  Thus, Jesus prepared His disciples for their heavy cross of persecution by the religious leaders by letting them know that they would be strengthened by the Holy Spirit to give witness and testimony to Him.  And once this began to take place, the disciples began to recall all that Jesus had told them.You, too, must realize that being a Christian means persecution.  We see this persecution in our world today through various terrorist attacks upon Christians.  Some see it also, at times, within the “Domestic Church,” the family, when they experience ridicule and harsh treatment for trying to live out their faith.  And, sadly, it's even found within the Church itself when we see fighting, anger, disagreement and judgment.  The key is the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit plays a significant role right now in our world.  That role is to strengthen us in our witness to Christ and to ignore any way the evil one would attack.  So if you feel the pressure of persecution in any way, realize that Jesus spoke these words not only for His first disciples, but also for you.Reflect, today, upon any way that you experience persecution in your life.  Allow it to become an opportunity for hope and trust in the Lord through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  He will never leave your side if you trust in Him.Lord, when I feel the weight of the world or persecution, give me peace of mind and heart.  Help strengthen me by the Holy Spirit that I may give joyful witness to You.  Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2022 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Bible Reading: Exodus 20:8; Mark 2:27–3:6Charlotte's family had just finished Sunday dinner at Grandma's. "Charlotte, would you help me with the dishes, please?" asked Grandma, handing Charlotte a dish towel. "I'll wash, you dry! Now, what did you learn in Sunday school today?" "We've been learning about the Ten Commandments, and today was about keeping the Sabbath day holy. Some kids started arguing about what you should or shouldn't do on Sunday. Heather said her family doesn't do any work or chores around the house, but Jason said his dad takes Sunday to do odd jobs he hasn't had time to do during the week. I was a little confused about it all. What do you think, Grandma?"Grandma thought for a moment. "That can be a touchy subject for believers. In fact, people were disagreeing about the Sabbath in Jesus's day. One Sabbath day, Jesus and His disciples were picking some heads of grain because they were hungry. The Pharisees, who had set up strict rules about what you could and couldn't do on the Sabbath, accused Him of breaking the law because He was doing work by picking grain. Another time those same Pharisees were upset that Jesus healed a crippled man on the Sabbath.""You mean Jesus got in trouble?" Charlotte asked in surprise."With the Pharisees, yes! They were more focused on following rules than following Jesus." Grandma rinsed a soapy dish and handed it to Charlotte. "I think God intended the Sabbath to be a time of rest and refreshment from our daily work and routines," Grandma said. "It refreshes us to remember what Jesus did to save us and to worship Him with other Christians. But the Sabbath can look different for different people. Our family likes to spend time doing things together. Some people enjoy hobbies on Sunday, while others just like to take a nap!""Like Grandpa!" Charlotte laughed. "A couple of Sundays ago, Dad helped our neighbor fix his flat tire. Do you think that was okay?""That sounds like Jesus! The Bible tells us Jesus healed people on the Sabbath. He was more concerned about loving others than following the list of rules made by the religious leaders of the day. I think your dad showed Jesus's love to your neighbor and that was his way of keeping the Sabbath holy." -Kendra AngleHow About You?Does your family take a break from the normal routine of work and school on Sundays? Keeping the Sabbath day holy means taking time to honor Jesus by going to church, relaxing with your family, and even helping others. We can rest because we don't have to do anything to earn God's favor--Jesus earned it for us! God made the Sabbath day for our benefit, and each family has a different way of keeping it special. Today's Key Verse:Then [Jesus] said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." (NIV) (Mark 2:27)Today's Key Thought:Honor Jesus on the Sabbath

Morning: 1 Chronicles 3–5 1 Chronicles 3–5 (Listen) Descendants of David 3 These are the sons of David who were born to him in Hebron: the firstborn, Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelite; the second, Daniel, by Abigail the Carmelite, 2 the third, Absalom, whose mother was Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith; 3 the fifth, Shephatiah, by Abital; the sixth, Ithream, by his wife Eglah; 4 six were born to him in Hebron, where he reigned for seven years and six months. And he reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 5 These were born to him in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan and Solomon, four by Bath-shua, the daughter of Ammiel; 6 then Ibhar, Elishama, Eliphelet, 7 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 8 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet, nine. 9 All these were David's sons, besides the sons of the concubines, and Tamar was their sister. 10 The son of Solomon was Rehoboam, Abijah his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son, 11 Joram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son, 12 Amaziah his son, Azariah his son, Jotham his son, 13 Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son, 14 Amon his son, Josiah his son. 15 The sons of Josiah: Johanan the firstborn, the second Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah, the fourth Shallum. 16 The descendants of Jehoiakim: Jeconiah his son, Zedekiah his son; 17 and the sons of Jeconiah, the captive: Shealtiel his son, 18 Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama and Nedabiah; 19 and the sons of Pedaiah: Zerubbabel and Shimei; and the sons of Zerubbabel: Meshullam and Hananiah, and Shelomith was their sister; 20 and Hashubah, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, and Jushab-hesed, five. 21 The sons of Hananiah: Pelatiah and Jeshaiah, his son1 Rephaiah, his son Arnan, his son Obadiah, his son Shecaniah. 22 The son2 of Shecaniah: Shemaiah. And the sons of Shemaiah: Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat, six. 23 The sons of Neariah: Elioenai, Hizkiah, and Azrikam, three. 24 The sons of Elioenai: Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, and Anani, seven. Descendants of Judah 4 The sons of Judah: Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal. 2 Reaiah the son of Shobal fathered Jahath, and Jahath fathered Ahumai and Lahad. These were the clans of the Zorathites. 3 These were the sons3 of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash; and the name of their sister was Hazzelelponi, 4 and Penuel fathered Gedor, and Ezer fathered Hushah. These were the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah, the father of Bethlehem. 5 Ashhur, the father of Tekoa, had two wives, Helah and Naarah; 6 Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah. 7 The sons of Helah: Zereth, Izhar, and Ethnan. 8 Koz fathered Anub, Zobebah, and the clans of Aharhel, the son of Harum. 9 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.”4 10 Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm5 so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked. 11 Chelub, the brother of Shuhah, fathered Mehir, who fathered Eshton. 12 Eshton fathered Beth-rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah, the father of Ir-nahash. These are the men of Recah. 13 The sons of Kenaz: Othniel and Seraiah; and the sons of Othniel: Hathath and Meonothai.6 14 Meonothai fathered Ophrah; and Seraiah fathered Joab, the father of Ge-harashim,7 so-called because they were craftsmen. 15 The sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh: Iru, Elah, and Naam; and the son8 of Elah: Kenaz. 16 The sons of Jehallelel: Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel. 17 The sons of Ezrah: Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. These are the sons of Bithiah, the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered married;9 and she conceived and bore10 Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah, the father of Eshtemoa. 18 And his Judahite wife bore Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Soco, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah. 19 The sons of the wife of Hodiah, the sister of Naham, were the fathers of Keilah the Garmite and Eshtemoa the Maacathite. 20 The sons of Shimon: Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-hanan, and Tilon. The sons of Ishi: Zoheth and Ben-zoheth. 21 The sons of Shelah the son of Judah: Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the clans of the house of linen workers at Beth-ashbea; 22 and Jokim, and the men of Cozeba, and Joash, and Saraph, who ruled in Moab and returned to Lehem11 (now the records12 are ancient). 23 These were the potters who were inhabitants of Netaim and Gederah. They lived there in the king's service. Descendants of Simeon 24 The sons of Simeon: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, Shaul; 25 Shallum was his son, Mibsam his son, Mishma his son. 26 The sons of Mishma: Hammuel his son, Zaccur his son, Shimei his son. 27 Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters; but his brothers did not have many children, nor did all their clan multiply like the men of Judah. 28 They lived in Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar-shual, 29 Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, 30 Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, 31 Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susim, Beth-biri, and Shaaraim. These were their cities until David reigned. 32 And their villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan, five cities, 33 along with all their villages that were around these cities as far as Baal. These were their settlements, and they kept a genealogical record. 34 Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah the son of Amaziah, 35 Joel, Jehu the son of Joshibiah, son of Seraiah, son of Asiel, 36 Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah, 37 Ziza the son of Shiphi, son of Allon, son of Jedaiah, son of Shimri, son of Shemaiah—38 these mentioned by name were princes in their clans, and their fathers' houses increased greatly. 39 They journeyed to the entrance of Gedor, to the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks, 40 where they found rich, good pasture, and the land was very broad, quiet, and peaceful, for the former inhabitants there belonged to Ham. 41 These, registered by name, came in the days of Hezekiah, king of Judah, and destroyed their tents and the Meunites who were found there, and marked them for destruction to this day, and settled in their place, because there was pasture there for their flocks. 42 And some of them, five hundred men of the Simeonites, went to Mount Seir, having as their leaders Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi. 43 And they defeated the remnant of the Amalekites who had escaped, and they have lived there to this day. Descendants of Reuben 5 The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father's couch, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel, so that he could not be enrolled as the oldest son; 2 though Judah became strong among his brothers and a chief came from him, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph), 3 the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. 4 The sons of Joel: Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son, 5 Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son, 6 Beerah his son, whom Tiglath-pileser13 king of Assyria carried away into exile; he was a chief of the Reubenites. 7 And his kinsmen by their clans, when the genealogy of their generations was recorded: the chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah, 8 and Bela the son of Azaz, son of Shema, son of Joel, who lived in Aroer, as far as Nebo and Baal-meon. 9 He also lived to the east as far as the entrance of the desert this side of the Euphrates, because their livestock had multiplied in the land of Gilead. 10 And in the days of Saul they waged war against the Hagrites, who fell into their hand. And they lived in their tents throughout all the region east of Gilead. Descendants of Gad 11 The sons of Gad lived over against them in the land of Bashan as far as Salecah: 12 Joel the chief, Shapham the second, Janai, and Shaphat in Bashan. 13 And their kinsmen according to their fathers' houses: Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia and Eber, seven. 14 These were the sons of Abihail the son of Huri, son of Jaroah, son of Gilead, son of Michael, son of Jeshishai, son of Jahdo, son of Buz. 15 Ahi the son of Abdiel, son of Guni, was chief in their fathers' houses, 16 and they lived in Gilead, in Bashan and in its towns, and in all the pasturelands of Sharon to their limits. 17 All of these were recorded in genealogies in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel. 18 The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had valiant men who carried shield and sword, and drew the bow, expert in war, 44,760, able to go to war. 19 They waged war against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab. 20 And when they prevailed14 over them, the Hagrites and all who were with them were given into their hands, for they cried out to God in the battle, and he granted their urgent plea because they trusted in him. 21 They carried off their livestock: 50,000 of their camels, 250,000 sheep, 2,000 donkeys, and 100,000 men alive. 22 For many fell, because the war was of God. And they lived in their place until the exile. The Half-Tribe of Manasseh 23 The members of the half-tribe of Manasseh lived in the land. They were very numerous from Bashan to Baal-hermon, Senir, and Mount Hermon. 24 These were the heads of their fathers' houses: Epher,15 Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, mighty warriors, famous men, heads of their fathers' houses. 25 But they broke faith with the God of their fathers, and whored after the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them. 26 So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, the spirit of Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and he took them into exile, namely, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river Gozan, to this day. Footnotes [1] 3:21 Septuagint (compare Syriac, Vulgate); Hebrew sons of; four times in this verse [2] 3:22 Hebrew sons [3] 4:3 Septuagint (compare Vulgate); Hebrew father [4] 4:9 Jabez sounds like the Hebrew for pain [5] 4:10 Or evil [6] 4:13 Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew lacks Meonothai [7] 4:14 Ge-harashim means valley of craftsmen [8] 4:15 Hebrew sons [9] 4:17 The clause These are . . . married is transposed from verse 18 [10] 4:17 Hebrew lacks and bore [11] 4:22 Vulgate (compare Septuagint); Hebrew and Jashubi-lahem [12] 4:22 Or matters [13] 5:6 Hebrew Tilgath-pilneser; also verse 26 [14] 5:20 Or they were helped to prevail [15] 5:24 Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew and Epher (ESV) Evening: John 8:1–20 John 8:1–20 (Listen) 8 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”]] I Am the Light of the World 12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” 14 Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father1 who sent me. 17 In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. 18 I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” 19 They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” 20 These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come. Footnotes [1] 8:16 Some manuscripts he (ESV)

Heart of a Man is men's community based our Carmel, IN. We exist to deeply connect men with a brotherhood equally committed to learning, growing, walking through life together and deepening in faith. Our mission is to build men into character-driven, committed disciples of Jesus, equipped to forge healthy, life-giving relationships at home, at work, and in their communities. Today's lesson is from Kyle Moore, our Director of Operations. Kyle takes us through John 10 where we look at Jesus' interaction with the Pharisees and challenges us with the question "Do you know the voice of God?". Please visit us at www.heartofaman.org to learn more, to contact us, to purchase merchandise, or to join us in-person for one of our many Bible studies and classes!

Morning: 1 Chronicles 1–2 1 Chronicles 1–2 (Listen) From Adam to Abraham 1 Adam, Seth, Enosh; 2 Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared; 3 Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech; 4 Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 5 The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 6 The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath,1 and Togarmah. 7 The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim. 8 The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. 9 The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. 10 Cush fathered Nimrod. He was the first on earth to be a mighty man.2 11 Egypt fathered Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, 12 Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom the Philistines came), and Caphtorim. 13 Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn and Heth, 14 and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, 15 the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, 16 the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. 17 The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. And the sons of Aram:3 Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech. 18 Arpachshad fathered Shelah, and Shelah fathered Eber. 19 To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg4 (for in his days the earth was divided), and his brother's name was Joktan. 20 Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 21 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 22 Obal,5 Abimael, Sheba, 23 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan. 24 Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah; 25 Eber, Peleg, Reu; 26 Serug, Nahor, Terah; 27 Abram, that is, Abraham. From Abraham to Jacob 28 The sons of Abraham: Isaac and Ishmael. 29 These are their genealogies: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth, and Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 30 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, 31 Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael. 32 The sons of Keturah, Abraham's concubine: she bore Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. The sons of Jokshan: Sheba and Dedan. 33 The sons of Midian: Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the descendants of Keturah. 34 Abraham fathered Isaac. The sons of Isaac: Esau and Israel. 35 The sons of Esau: Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. 36 The sons of Eliphaz: Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, Kenaz, and of Timna,6 Amalek. 37 The sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. 38 The sons of Seir: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. 39 The sons of Lotan: Hori and Hemam;7 and Lotan's sister was Timna. 40 The sons of Shobal: Alvan,8 Manahath, Ebal, Shepho,9 and Onam. The sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah. 41 The son10 of Anah: Dishon. The sons of Dishon: Hemdan,11 Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. 42 The sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.12 The sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran. 43 These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the people of Israel: Bela the son of Beor, the name of his city being Dinhabah. 44 Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place. 45 Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place. 46 Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, reigned in his place, the name of his city being Avith. 47 Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place. 48 Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth on the Euphrates13 reigned in his place. 49 Shaul died, and Baal-hanan, the son of Achbor, reigned in his place. 50 Baal-hanan died, and Hadad reigned in his place, the name of his city being Pai; and his wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab. 51 And Hadad died. The chiefs of Edom were: chiefs Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, 52 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 53 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, 54 Magdiel, and Iram; these are the chiefs of Edom. A Genealogy of David 2 These are the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, 2 Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. 3 The sons of Judah: Er, Onan and Shelah; these three Bath-shua the Canaanite bore to him. Now Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the sight of the LORD, and he put him to death. 4 His daughter-in-law Tamar also bore him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all. 5 The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul. 6 The sons of Zerah: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara, five in all. 7 The son14 of Carmi: Achan, the troubler of Israel, who broke faith in the matter of the devoted thing; 8 and Ethan's son was Azariah. 9 The sons of Hezron that were born to him: Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai. 10 Ram fathered Amminadab, and Amminadab fathered Nahshon, prince of the sons of Judah. 11 Nahshon fathered Salmon,15 Salmon fathered Boaz, 12 Boaz fathered Obed, Obed fathered Jesse. 13 Jesse fathered Eliab his firstborn, Abinadab the second, Shimea the third, 14 Nethanel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, 15 Ozem the sixth, David the seventh. 16 And their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. The sons of Zeruiah: Abishai, Joab, and Asahel, three. 17 Abigail bore Amasa, and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmaelite. 18 Caleb the son of Hezron fathered children by his wife Azubah, and by Jerioth; and these were her sons: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. 19 When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath, who bore him Hur. 20 Hur fathered Uri, and Uri fathered Bezalel. 21 Afterward Hezron went in to the daughter of Machir the father of Gilead, whom he married when he was sixty years old, and she bore him Segub. 22 And Segub fathered Jair, who had twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead. 23 But Geshur and Aram took from them Havvoth-jair, Kenath, and its villages, sixty towns. All these were descendants of Machir, the father of Gilead. 24 After the death of Hezron, Caleb went in to Ephrathah,16 the wife of Hezron his father, and she bore him Ashhur, the father of Tekoa. 25 The sons of Jerahmeel, the firstborn of Hezron: Ram, his firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. 26 Jerahmeel also had another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam. 27 The sons of Ram, the firstborn of Jerahmeel: Maaz, Jamin, and Eker. 28 The sons of Onam: Shammai and Jada. The sons of Shammai: Nadab and Abishur. 29 The name of Abishur's wife was Abihail, and she bore him Ahban and Molid. 30 The sons of Nadab: Seled and Appaim; and Seled died childless. 31 The son17 of Appaim: Ishi. The son of Ishi: Sheshan. The son of Sheshan: Ahlai. 32 The sons of Jada, Shammai's brother: Jether and Jonathan; and Jether died childless. 33 The sons of Jonathan: Peleth and Zaza. These were the descendants of Jerahmeel. 34 Now Sheshan had no sons, only daughters, but Sheshan had an Egyptian slave whose name was Jarha. 35 So Sheshan gave his daughter in marriage to Jarha his slave, and she bore him Attai. 36 Attai fathered Nathan, and Nathan fathered Zabad. 37 Zabad fathered Ephlal, and Ephlal fathered Obed. 38 Obed fathered Jehu, and Jehu fathered Azariah. 39 Azariah fathered Helez, and Helez fathered Eleasah. 40 Eleasah fathered Sismai, and Sismai fathered Shallum. 41 Shallum fathered Jekamiah, and Jekamiah fathered Elishama. 42 The sons of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel: Mareshah18 his firstborn, who fathered Ziph. The son19 of Mareshah: Hebron.20 43 The sons of Hebron: Korah, Tappuah, Rekem and Shema. 44 Shema fathered Raham, the father of Jorkeam; and Rekem fathered Shammai. 45 The son of Shammai: Maon; and Maon fathered Beth-zur. 46 Ephah also, Caleb's concubine, bore Haran, Moza, and Gazez; and Haran fathered Gazez. 47 The sons of Jahdai: Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph. 48 Maacah, Caleb's concubine, bore Sheber and Tirhanah. 49 She also bore Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbenah and the father of Gibea; and the daughter of Caleb was Achsah. 50 These were the descendants of Caleb. The sons21 of Hur the firstborn of Ephrathah: Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim, 51 Salma, the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph the father of Beth-gader. 52 Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim had other sons: Haroeh, half of the Menuhoth. 53 And the clans of Kiriath-jearim: the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites; from these came the Zorathites and the Eshtaolites. 54 The sons of Salma: Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth-beth-joab and half of the Manahathites, the Zorites. 55 The clans also of the scribes who lived at Jabez: the Tirathites, the Shimeathites and the Sucathites. These are the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab. Footnotes [1] 1:6 Septuagint; Hebrew Diphath [2] 1:10 Or He began to be a mighty man on the earth [3] 1:17 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks And the sons of Aram [4] 1:19 Peleg means division [5] 1:22 Septuagint, Syriac (compare Genesis 10:28); Hebrew Ebal [6] 1:36 Septuagint (compare Genesis 36:12); Hebrew lacks and of [7] 1:39 Septuagint (compare Genesis 36:22); Hebrew Homam [8] 1:40 Septuagint (compare Genesis 36:23); Hebrew Alian [9] 1:40 Septuagint (compare Genesis 36:23); Hebrew Shephi [10] 1:41 Hebrew sons [11] 1:41 Septuagint (compare Genesis 36:26); Hebrew Hamran [12] 1:42 Septuagint (compare Genesis 36:27); Hebrew Jaakan [13] 1:48 Hebrew the River [14] 2:7 Hebrew sons [15] 2:11 Septuagint (compare Ruth 4:21); Hebrew Salma [16] 2:24 Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew in Caleb Ephrathah [17] 2:31 Hebrew sons; three times in this verse [18] 2:42 Septuagint; Hebrew Mesha [19] 2:42 Hebrew sons [20] 2:42 Hebrew the father of Hebron [21] 2:50 Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew son (ESV) Evening: John 7:32–53 John 7:32–53 (Listen) Officers Sent to Arrest Jesus 32 The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. 33 Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. 34 You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” 35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,' and, ‘Where I am you cannot come'?” Rivers of Living Water 37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as1 the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. Division Among the People 40 When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” 43 So there was a division among the people over him. 44 Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. 45 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46 The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” 47 The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? 48 Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? 49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” 50 Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, 51 “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” 52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.” [The earliest manuscripts do not include 7:53–8:11.]2 The Woman Caught in Adultery 53 [[They went each to his own house, Footnotes [1] 7:38 Or let him come to me, and let him who believes in me drink. As [2] 7:53 Some manuscripts do not include 7:53–8:11; others add the passage here or after 7:36 or after 21:25 or after Luke 21:38, with variations in the text (ESV)

Seth begins a review of the Matthew 12, examining the Pharisees and the Sabbath.Seth answers a question in the inbox about SBC reform.Seth further discusses anti-abortion apologetics. Become a Patron! Donate on PayPal. Check out all the BTWN podcasts.

Is Jesus even trying to be nice? We might call the ministry of Christ "disruptive" - in both the bad and good senses of that word: He was certainly shaking things up among the religious elite. And He introduced something better, something greater than the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees. It turns out that, when Truth and man-made Religion collide, there's an explosion! Here's Pastor Jim with the second installment of his message, The Constitution of the Kingdom. Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand. You can purchase a copy of this message, unsegmented for broadcasting and in its entirety, for $7 on a single CD by calling +1 (800) 984-2313, and of course you can always listen online or download the message for free. RS05192022_0.mp3Scripture References: Matthew 4-7, 10, 12 & 13

​Mary Kay Yu, from Katy, Texas, shares her journey of walking from religion to relationship and how the sweetness of God's provision can show up in some of the most unexpected places.   IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: The difference between the faith of a Pharisee and the faith of a daughter of the King. Our physical health can be closely connected to our spiritual health. Life is not about seeing what you have done for God - life is about seeing what God has done for you.   ON PATREON THIS FRIDAY: Mary Kay is featured as our  "Story Within the Story" ​for the month of May.  Amy speaks to Mary Kay more about her struggles with trying to earn her way to God and how God's tender mercy allowed her to face one of the toughest years of her life. You'll love this conversation!     JOIN US TODAY - Go to www.patreon.com/STLcommunity and help support the STL ministry today!   FOLLOW US - let's get social - at @storytellerslivepodcast Sign up for our once a week newsletter and podcast post at storytellerslive.org

We continue our series on Jesus and Compassion, looking at the story of Jesus and the dinner at the home of Simon the Pharisee in Luke 7. "What's so striking is Jesus' silence. It's not unlike multiple other scenes in Jesus' life where He does something that has the effect of creating space that other people fill. I think it's so striking for me, because I tend to fill space! Just this morning at a prayer meeting, I wanted to say something funny, but I remember thinking ‘what will happen if I tell this joke?' It would mess up the gentle storyline that was going on. Sure – there's a sense in which everybody would have enjoyed it, but it would have suddenly put me in the center. I was struck by how it would mess with the Holy Spirit's narrative." "Jesus is showing us what it's like to be a human in step with the Spirit." "I believe that as we mature as believers we become more Jesus-like, we broaden our range of love, our ability to balance these opposites. So instead of getting stuck in a rut where we kind of rely on our core personality, who we are as a person broadens out. You're able to move back and forth between compassion and honesty. Sometimes I need to be listening, sometimes I need to be disrupting. Maturity is learning that balance, developing a praying spirit submitted to your heavenly father, just like Jesus."

We each have ultimate control of our destiny. God has given us that gift through His son Jesus Christ. So how do we seize control and end up on the right path? Listen as Julie Jenkins unfolds this important teaching from Matthew 15:1-20 and Mark 7:1-23. ***** Welcome to Walking in the Word, the biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leaders' podcast. I'm you host, Julie Jenkins. I'm so happy you have joined us today as we study scripture together. If you are new to our podcast, besides this, our Wednesday Bible teaching, we have two other weekly offerings for you. On Mondays, Kimberly Hobbs hosts Empowering Lives with Purpose – a 30-minute interview with a different woman of faith who boldly shares her story with the hope of empowering you to live as God has called you.  And on Fridays, we have a team of leaders who share their wisdom and joy from a life spent in pursuit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in Celebrating God's Grace. If you are new to Women World Leaders' ministry, our podcast is just a small part of what we do. We also offer prayer for the ups and downs of life, support through social media, fellowship through events, growth through daily devotions, empowerment through leadership development, encouragement through Voice of Truth – our free quarterly magazine, and creative growth and healing through coaching and writing. At Women World Leaders we offer a place to be served and to serve others. We believe that all Christians make up the body of Christ, and together, we can do what God has called us to today. We walk in faith knowing that God will guide us into projects of His creating and bring us the people He has called to grow together as we take on those projects. If you would like to join us, we would love to have you – and we know that God has a place waiting just for you. We are a 501c3 ministry, and as such we are sustained by donations from all over the world. If you would like to find out more about Women World Leaders or to help support the ministry financially, please visit womenworldleaders.com But, before you do, you have something more important to do than going to a website. God has called you to this podcast for a purpose. There is something He wants to teach you – so please don't put Him off. Allow me to pray before we begin that He will guide our learning… Dear Most Holy God…we give you this time and we thank you for walking with us as we open the Bible together. Father, we know that every time we open the Bible you have something more to reveal to us, and today is no exception. You have called us together for this time because there is something you want us to know – so I ask that you allow our hearts to be teachable. Holy Spirit, cleanse us of any sin and of any strongholds or beliefs that are not from you, shine a light on YOUR meaning, and let us each leave this teaching with the clarity that we have heard directly from you. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.   We are currently walking through the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John chronologically. As we view Jesus' words, actions, and life, we are asking God to show us what He wants us to learn today. Today's teaching comes from Matthew chapter 15, verses 1-20 and Mark, chapter 7, verses 1-23. When we see Jesus in today's passage, He is in the throes of ministry. He has gathered His disciples, and as they travel together, He teaches the crowds, the twelve disciples themselves, and groups or individuals that He encounters. We've seen people amazed and awed by His teaching, and we've seen them turn away. In today's passage, we see the Pharisees and the teachers of the law band together to come against Jesus as they travel to Him from their home base in Jerusalem. They are on a mission to discredit Jesus. But what they accuse Him of this time, might make us scratch our heads. Let's begin with Matthew 15:1 from the New Living Translation. 15 Some Pharisees and teachers of religious law now arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They asked him, 2 “Why do your disciples disobey our age-old tradition? For they ignore our tradition of ceremonial hand washing before they eat.” Unlike during covid times – the lack of handwashing that they were complaining about had nothing to do with hygiene. Mark chapter 7 verses 3 and 4 explains a little more in depth… 3 (The Jews, especially the Pharisees, do not eat until they have poured water over their cupped hands,[a] as required by their ancient traditions. 4 Similarly, they don't eat anything from the market until they immerse their hands[b] in water. This is but one of many traditions they have clung to—such as their ceremonial washing of cups, pitchers, and kettles.[c]) To give you some background, the Israelites were God's holy people, and were set apart for purity. The problem was, they couldn't be pure of their own volition any more than you and I can. So they set about making rules, or traditions, and these ideas became more and more entrenched in society. In Exodus, we can read God's law, which included water purification for the priests before they offered a sacrifice in the temple. It is VERY clearly laid out. But the religious rulers extended these teachings saying that any time any Jew ate, they needed to follow the ritualistic hand washing that was, by God's law, given for only the priest to follow. This was just one of MANY man-created rules that the religious leaders enforced, and, for the most part, the Jews followed without question. In that time, it was considered the teacher's responsibility to make sure his disciples were doing the right thing, so the Pharisees accused Jesus on account of the disciples' actions – or inactions in this case. They didn't pour water over their hands before they ate. But Jesus KNEW the law. And what's more, He knew the difference between God's law and man-made law, and He knew which one was more important. So He used this as a teaching moment for all those listening, saying in Matthew 15:3 “And why do you, by your traditions, violate the DIRECT commandments of GOD? That question must have caused a stir. Jesus called out the leaders for violating God's commandments. And before there was an uprising, He explained further…  4 For instance, GOD says, ‘Honor your father and mother,'[a] and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.'[b] 5 But YOU say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can't help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.' 6 In this way, YOU say they don't NEED to honor their parents.[c] And so you cancel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition. Jesus was referring to a well-know practice of formally vowing one's wealth for spiritual purposes alone. When an individual made this vow, his money would be dedicated to the temple, and he would no longer be bound by the fifth commandment – Honor your father and mother – which carried with it the responsibility to care for one's aging parents. So the individual could neglect God's commandment in lieu of a man-made vow, and in fact, would be, according to the religious leaders, bound to that man-made vow OVER God's commandment. This is an example of living life by the standards of the world instead of by God's standards. Of mindlessly bowing to human authority over godly authority. Of crying innocence due to ignorance of the law. I can remember studying for my drivers test MANY years ago, and asking my mom, what if I get stopped for breaking a law and just say I didn't know it was a law? She quickly and forcefully responded that if I was going to drive, it was my responsibility to know the law. You cannot claim innocence due to ignorance of the law when it comes to driving, or when it comes to God's laws. It is OUR responsibility to know God's laws. We do that by reading the Bible for OURSELVES and asking God to reveal His teaching to us. Going to a Bible-teaching church is important, listening to sermons and podcasts is helpful, but we each must control our own destiny by going to God ourselves. By going to the Bible ourselves. And by not taking someone else's word about what God teaches. Our God is personal! He wants to speak directly to YOU. He made sure that the Bible was written in YOUR language. He gave you wisdom and the ability to think, reason, understand, and choose which path you will follow. God wants YOU to choose YOUR destiny. Oh, He has a path for you to follow. One that's better than you or I could dream up. But He wants us to choose the path that HE has for us, not the path that any pastor, teacher, mentor, or best-selling author tells you to take. Many of the Jews were obediently washing their hands, and many were obediently pledging their money to the temple while neglecting God's TRUE law of taking care of their parents. Our job is to know and follow God's true law. Jesus continues emphatically in verse 7, evoking the law and the prophets…  7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, 8 ‘These people honor me with their lips,     but their hearts are far from me. 9 Their worship is a farce,     for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.'[d]”   Mark 7:8-9 puts it bluntly… 8 For you ignore God's law and substitute your own tradition.” …“You skillfully sidestep God's law in order to hold on to your own tradition.  This was such an important point, that Jesus moves from speaking to the pharisees and addresses the crowd, Matthew 15:10… 10 Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “Listen,” he said, “and try to understand. 11 It's not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.” Those man-made laws that required handwashing also regulated what could and could not be eaten. Jesus was teaching that God's ways overrule man's ways…and He was teaching the people to think for themselves. He wanted them to understand that what we say and how we act, the attitude of our hearts, is far more important than following the regulations of eating given to us by someone who is not even following God's leading. I think this was a pointed attack at the religious leaders as nothing but nonsense was coming out of their mouths and their allegiance was clearly to their own self-made rules and regulations and not to God. I'm thinking the Pharisees must have reacted visibly, because next we see the disciples caution Jesus. But Jesus was fully aware of the Pharisee's response, and He did not shy away from speaking truth to them…verse 12… 12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you just said?” 13 Jesus replied, “Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be uprooted, 14 so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch.” Jesus wants us to open our eyes, and to be careful to not allow ourselves to be led by those whose eyes are closed. Next, PETER asks for further explanation, and Jesus turns to Peter…to the one…because Jesus will ALWAYS answer every individual directly…and responds…  “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. This is about as direct as I've ever heard Jesus speak! Even so-called holy food becomes waste. God has more important fish to fry. He cares that our hearts are pure! Not that we follow some man-made law…especially not one that goes AGAINST God's own law and desire! …verse 18…  18 But the words you speak come from the heart—that's what defiles you. 19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. 20 These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.” First, the pharisees approached Jesus about hand washing. Jesus discussed honoring your parents, and now He is talking about what we eat verses what comes out of our heart. The common thread is that Jesus is extoling the fact that God's laws, God's desires, will always trump man-made laws. We, as Christians, are always to put God first. And to put God first, we have to know what He says. The Jewish leaders had made laws about washing, and working, and giving, and eating…there isn't much they didn't make laws about. They were trying to build their staircase to heaven – one law at a time. And should an individual miss a single step, they would fall headfirst into the abyss. But Jesus is teaching that ONLY God can show us the way to the kingdom. God's way is to have our hearts right. And how do we have our hearts right? By entering into a relationship with Jesus Himself. When we do, we will feel the pull of the Holy Spirit and we will understand where He is calling us to walk and what He is calling us to do. We CAN control our own destiny, by giving God the reins of our life instead of blindly following someone else, who may be leading us in the complete wrong direction. Dear Most Holy God – YOU know the way. Open our eyes that we might follow you. Give us a will to open your Word daily so that we will never be ignorant of what you want us to know. Give us the desire to meet with you individually. Give us the wisdom to listen for your voice in all that we do. Help us always remember that Your heart is for the one, and that you love us each as if no one else exists in the world. God, we claim control of our destiny by giving the reins of our life to only you, and never placing them in the hands of a someone who may be leading us blindly. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Mark 2:13-22   GIVE - The Listener's Commentary is a CROWDFUNDED Bible teaching ministry made possible by the generosity of people like you. Thank you! Give here:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com/give     TEXT    Mark 2:13-22   13 And He went out again by the seashore; and all the people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them. 14 As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting in the tax office, and He *said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him. 15 And it *happened that He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners were dining with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many of them, and they were following Him. 16 When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, “Why is He eating with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 And hearing this, Jesus *said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” 18 John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and they *came and *said to Him, “Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” 19 And Jesus said to them, “While the groom is with them, the attendants of the groom cannot fast, can they? As long as they have the groom with them, they cannot fast. 20 But the days will come when the groom is taken away from them, and then they will fast, on that day. 21 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear results. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins as well; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.”   STUDY HUB - Want more than the audio? Join the study hub to access articles, maps, charts, pictures, and links to other resources to help you study the Bible for yourself. https://www.listenerscommentary.com/members-sign-up   SUBSCRIBE - to receive updates and resources sent to your inbox, subscribe at https://www.listenerscommentary.com     MORE TEACHING - For more resources and Bible teaching from John visit https://www.johnwhittaker.net  

Notas en Español e inglés

Born From Above John 3Neville GoddardJune 24 1968 Tonight, we will take the chapter, the 3rd chapter of the Book of John. Now, John is anonymous as the other evangelists are anonymous. No one knows who they really are. They were not writing history as you and I understand it, not secular history; they were writing salvation history. So they introduce characters that may never have walked the face of the earth…but their names are significant.   In the Book of John, Nicodemus is introduced. He's not mentioned in any other part of the Bible, just in the Book of John. Well, really if his part was so great surely any historian would have mentioned him, but he's not mentioned in any part of the Bible save in the Book of John. So you can see he's not introduced for some historical purpose. His name means “conqueror of the people; all victorious.” He is the one who is victorious. Well, we read about him…first of all, he's a Pharisee, very learned, a member of the Sanhedrin. That would be like being a member of our Supreme Court. They interpret the law—in his case the law would be scripture—and then they pass judgment on all. He found in someone called Jesus something that was different. He couldn't find it in the law as he understood it, so he searched the law but couldn't find it. But he was a very learned man. Biblical or rabbinical tradition has it that he was the third richest man in the age in which he lived, so he was not only learned but very, very rich. The New Earth Activation trainings - Immerse yourself in 12 hours of content focused on the new earth with channelings, meditations, advanced training and access to the new earth https://realityrevolutioncon.com/newearth Alternate Universe Reality Activation  get full access to new meditations, new lectures, recordings from the reality con and the 90 day AURA meditation schedulehttps://realityrevolutionlive.com/aura45338118 BUY A COPY OF MY BOOKhttps://www.amazon.com/Reality-Revolution-Mind-Blowing-Movement-Hack/dp/154450618X/ Listen to my book on audible https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Reality-Revolution-Audiobook/B087LV1R5V  Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/The-Reality-Revolution-Podcast-Hosted-By-Brian-Scott-102555575116999 Join our Facebook group The Reality Revolution https://www.facebook.com/groups/523814491927119 Subscribe to my Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOgXHr5S3oF0qetPfqxJfSw   Contact us at media@advancedsuccessinstitute.com For coaching – https://www.advancedsuccessinstitute.com For all episodes of the Reality Revolution – https://www.therealityrevolution.com Follow Us on Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/TheRealityRevolution/ Follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/the_reality_revolution/ Follow me on Twitter https://twitter.com/mediaprime Follow me on MeWe https://mewe.com/i/brianscott71  Music By Mettaverseinner worlds  

The Pharisee and the Woman | Neal Rich | 5.15.22 by Cedar Valley Church

A reminder: A parable is a story that tells us a spiritual truth.The blessings of the kingdom are available to all who will come to Christ by faith. We have a part in accepting that invitation.1. WHAT DOES IT SAY?The question asked of Jesus: What does it mean to be righteous? What behaviors make you righteous? Jesus shocked them with a different way to see the kingdom.The man preparing the banquet – God. This is God's story. Think about the excuses that were given – are they “good excuses”?Jesus makes it clear that the kingdom of heaven is open for people who would not normally get an invitation. 2. WHAT'S THE BACKSTORY?Who was “one of those” – a prominent PhariseeWhere was the table? – the Pharisee's house3. WHAT DOES IT MEAN?It's not about what you have to get invited, it's about whether you say yes. The only ones left out are the ones who choose to be left out. The blessings of the kingdom are available by faith.The inclusion of the Gentiles is a fulfillment of Hosea 2:23, “I will say to those called ‘Not my people,' ‘You are my people'; and they will say, ‘You are my God.'” God is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9), and “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).4. WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?We need to realize that as we become comfortable in our faith, as we are more and more surrounded by those who are also Christians, the edge of self-righteousness can creep in. Let's not lose the spirit of the invitation! God is seeking people intentionally and intensely seeking people for his kingdom. The people in Jesus' time who wanted to put restrictions around who was invited were the ones Jesus directed these parables to.QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER THIS WEEK:Are we inadvertently putting up barriers between ourselves and other people, to say someone is in or out of the kingdom?Am I more concerned with naming behaviors that help me know who is in or out of the kingdom? Or, am I more concerned with the heart of God, a God who is extending an intense and urgent invitation out into the world?***Check out Nicole's book on this topic: Help! My Bible Is Alive: 30 Days of Learning to Love and Understand God's Word - https://www.amazon.com/Help-My-Bible-Alive-Understand/dp/1641580216Follow Nicole:Website: https://nicoleunice.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleuniceInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleunice/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicole.unice/

Matthew 11:28-30 MSG // “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly.” Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out? God's plan for supernatural rest is sabbath. Sabbath means to cease. Exodus 16:23-30 NIV  //  23 He said to them, “This is what the Lord commanded: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of sabbath rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.'” 24 So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. 25 “Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a sabbath to the Lord. You will not find any of it on the ground today. 26 Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.” 27 Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. 28 Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions? 29 Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where they are on the seventh day; no one is to go out.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day. Sabbath is a commandment. Exodus 20:8-11  //  “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” We don't obey the commandments to be saved, we obey them to be blessed. Sabbath is a witness. Exodus 31:14-17 NIV  //  14 “‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death; those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people. 15 For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day is to be put to death. 16 The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. 17 It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.'” Sabbath is a blessing. Mark 2:23-28 NIV  //  23 Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25 But He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him: 26 how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?” 27 And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. 28 Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” Sabbath is a gift for you, not another rule to follow. Sabbath is a blessing, not a burden.

Legalism, moralism, or externalism - whatever you want to call the mindset ruling the Pharisees - is not unique to the Pharisees.Today we're going to continue through Paul's sermon series in the book of Mark, and in this message, Paul teaches from Mark 7, the most theologically heavy chapter in the gospel of Mark, and examines the emphasis that Christ puts on the heart.If you've been enjoying The Paul Tripp Podcast, would you consider leaving a review? Each review helps us reach more people with the transforming power of Jesus Christ.

and other sects of the Jews

Why do the birds sing on a gray, cold day? Because no one or anything can hold back the pressure of praise that comes out of the God-created universe. The reservoir of glory placed into the creation hast to have an escape, and the vehicle used is praise to the most high God. Much of the Christian church has dumbed down praise and shaped it to fit into a convenient timeframe for our church services. The small amount of glory expressed through the general singing and music time is just a dribble of what is coming out of God's creation. In the book of Luke, when Jesus descended into the crowd, they began to worship and say glory to God in the highest. When the Pharisees criticized them, Jesus said if you stop those worshiping, worship will come out of the stones lying around on the ground.  Everything that God has created has his DNA impressed; whether it be the human, the animal, or the stone, it's all God.  God intended for humankind to release that worship into the atmosphere and fill the earth with his glory. Because the children he has created have not fulfilled that task, the birds sing to him on a cold gray day because they release the glory that God put in them. YOU CAN GIVE HERE=http://www.georgewatkinsministries.com/help-us.html WEBSITE= http://www.georgewatkinsministries.com/home-page.html FACEBOOK=https://www.facebook.com/FaithProducerstv/ Faith Producers address: PO Bx 1006 Mt Vernon, WA 98273 FAITH PRODUCES AN INTERNATIONAL PODCAST https://faithproducers.podbean.com/

Holiness, not Hypocrisy-Matthew 23-1-12- --Notes-- --1- ------------------------- - vv1-4.-- -- -- --2- Pursue spiritual disciplines to -----------, not to -------------------- - v5.-- -- -- --3- Do not exalt yourself, rather ------------------------------------ - vv6-12.-- -- --Digging Deeper--How does hypocrisy hurt others and revile the name of Christ--Contrast what the scribes and Pharisees do in v4 with Christ's invitation in Matt 11-28-30. -Where are you tempted to exalt yourself- What does it look like for you to change-- --Other passages to consider- -Prov 15-33- Matt 6-1-18- 15-7- 16-5-12- 20-25-28- James 4-6- 1 Pet 5-1-6.

Because Jesus welcomes sinners into this party, we must celebrate. Psalm 126:1–3 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,     we were like those who dream. 2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter,     and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations,     “The Lord has done great things for them.” 3 The Lord has done great things for us;     we are glad. Luke 5:27–32 27 After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And leaving everything, he rose and followed him. 29 And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. 30 And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Text:  Mark 11:1-11   The Savior-King's Providential Plan (11:1-7) The divine fulfillment of Scripture The divine authority of the Messiah   The Savior-King's Dramatic Entrance (11:8-10; Luke 19:39-40) Jesus receives the praise of the people who do not fully grasp His identity. Jesus receives criticism from the Pharisees who are bent on destroying Him (Luke 19:39-40).   The Savior-King's Temple Visit and Tears For the People (11:11; Luke 19:41-44) A silent survey of the temple A present cry of compassion A future scene of judgment

Pastor Marc Sharp continues with Part 11 of the current series that is an epic journey through the New Testament Gospel of Mark, verse by verse. The book of Mark was most likely the first one written, and is generally attributed to John Mark, a close associate of Peter, and also of Paul and Barnabas. The Gospel of Mark is all about Jesus and the good news (Gospel) of the kingdom of God. Who was Jesus really, and why exactly did he come? Why did the scribes (Pharisees) make a scandalous accusation against Jesus? What did Jesus’ own mother and his brothers think about this? If you would like to view the video of today's service, as well as previous videos, go to: https://www.facebook.com/northridgelife/videos/ (copy and paste into your web browser address bar). For additional information, you may also visit the church website, www.northridgelife.org, and Facebook page, www.facebook.com/northridgelife/.

In Matthew 12:30-32 Christ explains that there is a sin which God never forgives: blasphemy against the Spirit, a sin which some of the Pharisees had just committed. This is a sin that can be committed in this life. It is a great warning against the dangers of apostasy as this sin is the worst form of apostasy. Do not be hardened, but believe.

Jesus foils the plan of the Scribes and Pharisees to discredit Him by exploiting the woman caught in adultery. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)

Jesus foils the plan of the Scribes and Pharisees to discredit Him by exploiting the woman caught in adultery. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)

Acts 10:47-48 47 “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days. Galatians 3:28 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Acts 11:1-2 11 The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him Acts 15:1-11 15 Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. 3 The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoeniciaand Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them. 5 Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.” 6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9 He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yokethat neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? 11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.” Galatians 2:11-14 11 When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. 13 The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabaswas led astray. 14 When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs? Galatians 5:2-6 2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. Acts 11:3 3 and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.” Matthew 25:31-33 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Matthew 25:41-45 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' 44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' 45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' Galatians 3:26-28 26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Acts 11:4-18 4 Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story: 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. 6 I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and birds. 7 Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.' 8 “I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.' 9 “The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.' 10 This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again. 11 “Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesareastopped at the house where I was staying. 12 The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man's house. 13 He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. 14 He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.' 15 “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. 16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with[a] water, but you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit.' 17 So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God's way?” 18 When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

It drove the self-righteous Pharisees mad when Jesus spent time with “sinners.” Their false traditions taught that to remain clean you must separate yourself from the unclean. Under their Old Covenant the clean were defiled by the dirty. Yet in this New Covenant the clean (Jesus) now justifies the unclean!

Pastor Bryan preaches through Matthew 22:15-46, where the Pharisees and the Sadducees go on the offensive (with the first three questions) and try to trap Jesus in his words through his responses. When Jesus ends the questioning with his own (the fourth question), these leaders realize they will never win in a face-to-face confrontation with Christ. Come hear how the subtle yet powerful message within these passages show how to lose an argument with God (and those he sends in our life to tell the truth) and, yet actually win if we can accept the so-called "defeat". And, conversely, how once beaten we can really destroy ourselves through prideful defiance.

Big Ideas 1. Lies, lies, and more lies Paul had to deal with at least three false accusations made against him by Tertullus. First, he was accused of stirring up riots, which, in fact, were stirred up by the Jews, not Paul. Second, he was accused of leading an uprising against the Jews. Though there were a number of rebellions against the Jews, Paul had no interest in leading one. Third, he was accused of profaning the temple by bringing a Gentile into the inner court. Each accusation was an attempt to destroy Paul's reputation and undermine his ministry. 2. Paul's defense Each accusation leveled against Paul was patently false. He was guilty of nothing. But he was not content to simply argue his innocence. Paul argued the continuity between what he believed and what the Pharisees believed, identifying their shared faith in the God of Abraham, belief in the Law and the Prophets, and the resurrection of the dead. In making his case this way, Paul was not simply refuting their false accusations but was also exposing that they were out of step with their own Jewish faith. 3. Going there John the Baptist was a prisoner of Herod because he spoke out against Herod's immorality and adulterous marriage (Mark 6:18). As a result, he was imprisoned, and though Herod was curious about John, he ultimately beheaded him. Paul's story follows a very similar arc: imprisoned by an immoral, adulterous king who is intrigued by Paul's message and teaching. Luke shares that Paul spoke to Felix about righteousness and self-control, things Felix knew little about. Additionally, Paul spoke about the coming judgment, something that would have been deeply troubling to Felix, given his rampant immorality. It was clear that Paul cared more about the truth of God and the salvation of Felix than he did about his own freedom. Study Questions 1. Have you ever been the victim of false accusations? How did you respond? What did the accusations reveal about your accuser? 2. Throughout the book of Acts, Jesus is presented as the fulfillment of the Old Testament and the Jewish people, not a break from it. In what ways did Jesus fulfill the Old Covenant and the Old Testament story and expectations? 3. There are times when witnessing to the truth of Jesus will put you in very uncomfortable situations. How can Paul's bold witness to Felix encourage you in bold witness?