Podcasts about Pharisees

This week's passage from Luke 20v1-8 shows how Jesus uses his authority differently than the Pharisees, demonstrating the priorities of the kingdom of heaven. Out of fear, the Pharisees use their authority to control people. Out of love, Jesus uses his authority to invite people back into relationship with the Father. God always wanted relationship, and when we accept His love we are able to love Him back. From this place of relationship we are able to exercise our authority towards love, obedience and service.   Link to Sermon Guide & Activation: 07.27.25 Sermon Guide

"Standing Firm Under Pressure"Acts 26:4-8Live from Cloverhill ChurchPastor Nate ClarkeJuly 27, 2025Have you heard the NEWS about the future of Oasis Church?https://www.oasischurch.online/futureKIDS SPACE with EXPANDED MOTHER'S ROOM!Along with over 2000 sq ft of dedicated play and classroom spaces for babies, kids, and youth, we just expanded our Mother's Room — a quiet, private space for Mother's to care for their babies and still be able to watch the worship and sermon on Sunday mornings. https://www.instagram.com/oasischurchva/reel/C8FqHIipr3u/WHY DID WE CHANGE OUR VISION STATEMENT? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0WFhtL7h3IHow should Christians think about voting and politics? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak82aD16r04SERMON NOTES:- Acts 26:4-8 (NLT translation)- Standing Firm Under Pressure - Where Paul faced pressure from in Acts 23-26:    - Ananias the high priest    - Pharisees & Sadducees     - Crowds of people    - Jews    - Laywer Tertullus    - Governor Felix    - Festus    - King Agrippa- Pressure = the external conflict you face because the message of the cross runs contrary to the message of the world.- John 15:20- Matthew 5:10-11- 2 Corinthians 12:10- 2 Timothy 3:12- You should not look to be in conflict, but you must be willing to be in conflict- If you're facing conflict, make sure it's from faithfulness, not your foolishness.- 1 Corinthians 1:18- When facing pressure, stand firm on your story (Acts 26:9-18)- Acts 4:20- When facing pressure, stand firm on God's story (Acts 26:8)- Acts 26:8- “Does not our preaching contain too much of our own opinions and convictions and too little of Jesus Christ?” Dietrich Bonhoeffer- When facing pressure, stand firm on God's words (Acts 26:22)- Acts 26:22- “Scripture is like a lion. Who ever heard of defending a lion? Just turn it loose; it will defend itself.” Charles SpurgeonOasis Church exists to Worship God, Equip the believers, and Reach the lost.We are led by Pastor Nate Clarke and are located in Richmond, VA.Stay Connected:Website: https://oasischurch.online Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oasischurchva/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OasisChurchRVA/

At this point in the narrative, Jesus is confronted by a mob comprised largely of chief priests and Pharisees who wish to have Jesus killed for blasphemy. They arrest him, tie him up, and take him Annas, a man of considerable influence who was a former high priest and the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was serving as high priest that year. They press Jesus for information on his teachings, but he simply responds that he's been teaching in public for all to hear, so there shouldn't be any confusion about what he's said. It is during this exchange that Peter denies Jesus three times as waits in the wings for a result. Later, the Jews take Jesus to Caiaphas, then to Pilate the roman governor over Judea. :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

Wednesday, 30 July 2025   Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Matthew 12:12   “Therefore, how much man – he excels a sheep! So too, it permits – the Sabbaths – to do good” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus asked the Pharisees what a man would do if he had one sheep that fell into a pit on a Sabbath. Wouldn't he lay hold of it and draw it out? The question demanded a positive answer. As such, He continues with, “Therefore, how much man – he excels a sheep!”   Certainly coming at this from both angles, Jesus notes the intrinsic value of a man over a sheep. The sheep could be rescued on a Sabbath, and so how much more should a man be rescued?   At the same time, a man would profane the Sabbath to rescue a sheep on the Sabbath, meaning he had the inherent right to do this good deed on the Sabbath by rescuing it, but the man with the withered hand was denied this ability to rescue his one lamb (supposing he had one that fell into a pit).   As this was a right man should be able to exercise, then it is fitting that he should be healed so that he, too, could follow through with such a necessity. Either way, the answer to healing on a Sabbath, according to Jesus' logic, is, “So too, it permits – the Sabbaths – to do good.”   Jesus calls this good. In other words, His example is clearly one of someone doing something that others could consider work. Going down into a pit and pulling out a lamb is a physically demanding proposition. Despite this, there is a benefit that results from it, for the lamb as well as for the owner of the lamb.   But this is only a proposition that may be played out in innumerable ways. The man has a withered hand, and he may need it for any imaginable thing that could arise on the Sabbath.   Likewise, he had a withered hand that needed rescue, simply out of human compassion. Therefore, the action of healing him, from both angles, serves a good purpose, despite the day of the week. As such, doing good on the Sabbath, including the healing of another, is an acceptable allowance for profaning the day.   Life application: In John 5, it says –   “For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, ‘My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.'” John 5:16, 17   There is no potential in God. He doesn't change in any way. He is not bound by time or space. However, creation came from Him. When Jesus says that the Father has been working until now, it is because God is outside of time. In His creative effort, a creation which has existed and continues to exist, there must be something sustaining that creation.   This is God. It is explained in Colossians 1:17 where it says of the Son, “...in Him all things consist.” Again, in Hebrews 1:3, also referring to the Son, that He is “upholding all things by the word of His power.” These things can be said of the Son because He is a member of the Godhead. He is the One through whom these things come about.   For God to create, it signifies an eternal act. This doesn't mean creation is eternal, but because what God does is from the eternal realm, as long as the creation exists, it is only so because God continues to sustain it.   The Sabbath was given based on creation –   “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:11   Later, it notes the Sabbath was given based on redemption –   “And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.” Deuteronomy 5:15   However, the Sabbath observance was mandated after both of these things. Thus, the Sabbath was given as a commemorative act. As the creation fell and had to be restored through the work of Jesus, and as the redemption of Israel from Egypt only anticipated the greater work of redemption of man through the work of Jesus, then the Sabbath was also anticipatory of these works of Christ. Thus, it both commemorated and anticipated.   In His coming, we now have the substance rather than the shadow. Jesus is the Creator and Sustainer, and He is our Sabbath rest. Let us remember this and find our peace with God through what Jesus has done.   Because Jesus is God, what He has done is eternal in nature. God the Father is working through Him to this day, forever sustaining us and leading us back to Himself. In time, everything anticipated in Scripture will come to its fulfillment. Until then, let us rest in the full, final, finished, and forever work of Jesus Christ our Lord.   Lord God, may we not fret about the future. The book is written, and for those who have come to You through Jesus, we have the certainty that everything will come out as it should. As this is so, may we find our rest in Jesus now, content that what is coming will come in its due time. Amen.  

This morning's reading from Luke 6:1–11 shows us that faithfulness to God can sometimes challenge our routines and religious structures. The Pharisees had good intentions—they wanted to honor God by protecting the Sabbath—but over time, their focus on rules caused them to miss the heart of the Sabbath itself. Jesus reminds us that the Sabbath is a gift meant for rest, worship, and doing good. When He heals a man on the Sabbath, the religious leaders get angry—not because He did wrong, but because He didn't follow their rules. It's a warning for us: we can be religious without being faithful. Jesus calls us to something deeper—not just rule-following, but lives marked by compassion, grace, and Spirit-led obedience.Shameless plug: here's a link to Method(ist) to the Madness, our new, hopefully entertaining podcast about church history. - https://methodisttothemadness.buzzsprout.com/Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he'll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God's Word.You can read today's passage here - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%206%3A%201-11&version=NRSVUEClick here if you'd like to join our GroupMe and receive this each morning at 7:00 a.m. CST. - https://groupme.com/join_group/107837407/vtYqtb6CYou can watch this in video form here - https://revandy.org/blog/

Sermon: Hypocrites and Sinners Series: God's Perfect Servant Speaker: Ptr. Isaac Cheung Scripture: Mark 7:1-23 Is a holy life achieved by attending church and following Christian customs? This Sunday, Ptr. Isaac Cheung uses the debate over traditions between Jesus and the Pharisees to help us grasp the Lord's definition of holiness and how we should embody it. Sermon Notes: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Jh-r5U7GO41T37zK6pYAC2ODLQBk4Kv8/view?usp=drive_link On our website: https://cbcp.org/blog/2025/07/27/hypocrites-and-sinners/ Join a Life Group: https://cbcp.org/lifegroups Find an event: https://cbcp.org/events Learn how to give: https://cbcp.org/giving Website: https://cbcp.org Facebook: https://facebook.com/cbcponline YouTube: https://youtube.com/cbcponline Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/cbcponline Instagram: https://instagram.com/cbcponline

This is Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life – a time for you to relax your body and refocus your mind to experience the reality of God's presence. I'm Dave Cover. I want to help you with Christian meditation where you can break through all the distractions and experience God's presence through biblically guided imagination.  *Note: We will release just one episode per week on Tuesdays during the summer. Matthew 10:29-31 NIV 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Jesus taught that the Psalms of the Bible were directly inspired by God's Spirit… Matthew 22:41-44 NIV 41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” “The son of David,” they replied. 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord'? For he says, 44 “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”' (quoting Ps 110:1) So this is a truth directly inspired by God's Spirit… Psalm 139:16-18 NIV 16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. 17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it. Follow Dave Cover on X (Twitter) @davecover Follow A Bigger Life on X @ABiggerLifePod Our audio engineer is Matthew Matlack. This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located. 

Full Text of ReadingsMemorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus Lectionary: 402/607The Saint of the day is Saints Martha, Mary, and LazarusSaints Martha, Mary and Lazarus’ story Martha, Mary, and their brother Lazarus were evidently close friends of Jesus. He came to their home simply as a welcomed guest, rather than as one celebrating the conversion of a sinner like Zacchaeus or one unceremoniously received by a suspicious Pharisee. The sisters felt free to call on Jesus at their brother's death, even though a return to Judea at that time seemed to spell almost certain death. Martha's great glory is her simple and strong statement of faith in Jesus after her brother's death. “Jesus told her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?' She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world'” (John 11:25-27). No doubt Martha was an active sort of person. On one occasion, she prepares the meal for Jesus and possibly his fellow guests and forthrightly states the obvious: All hands should pitch in to help with the dinner. The Lord recognizes that Martha is “worried about many things,” also noting that Mary, who has spent the preparation time at Jesus' feet listening to his words “has chosen the better part.” John 12:1-8 describes Mary's anointing of Jesus' feet at Bethany, an act which he praised highly. Immediately after we are told that the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus “because many of the Jews were turning away and believing in Jesus because of him.” Lazarus was the one of whom the Jews said, “See how much he loved him.” In their sight Jesus raised his friend Lazarus from the dead. Legends abound about the life of Lazarus after the death and resurrection of Jesus. He is supposed to have left a written account of what he saw in the next world before he was called back to life. Some say he followed Peter into Syria. Another story is that despite being put into a leaking boat by the Jews at Jaffa, he, his sisters, and others landed safely in Cyprus. There he died peacefully after serving as bishop for 30 years. It is certain there was early devotion to the saint. Around the year 390, the pilgrim lady Etheria talks of the procession that took place on the Saturday before Palm Sunday at the tomb where Lazarus had been raised from the dead. In the West, Passion Sunday was called Dominica de Lazaro, and Augustine tells us that in Africa the Gospel of the raising of Lazarus was read at the office of Palm Sunday. Reflection In its 2021 decree on combining veneration of Mary and Lazarus with Martha, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments said, “In the household of Bethany, the Lord Jesus experienced the family spirit and friendship of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, and for this reason the Gospel of John states that he loved them. Martha generously offered him hospitality, Mary listened attentively to his words and Lazarus promptly emerged from the tomb at the command of the one who humiliated death.” Saint Martha is a Patron Saint of: CooksHomemakersRestaurant servers Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus are Patron Saints of: Siblings Click here for more on Mary and Martha! Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Jesus is walking with his disciples and teaching them about his relationship with the Father, with the Holy Spirit, and with his disciples. In today's reading, we'll hear Jesus pray for himself, for his disciples, and for all those believers who come after them. This section is often called “the high priestly prayer,” as Jesus is interceding for those whom he loves based on his status before the Father. Directly following this prayer, Jesus will be betrayed by Judas Iscariot into the hands of the Jews who wished to put him to death, including the chief priests, Pharisees, and a company of soldiers. As such, this prayer serves as a kind of parting of ways, as Jesus will now face the cross. :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

Tuesday, 29 July 2025   Then He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Matthew 12:11   “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?'” (CG).   In the previous verse, Matthew noted a man with a withered hand in the synagogue and that the Pharisees asked Jesus if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath. He now records, “And He said to them, ‘What man, he will be from you, who he will have one sheep.'”   In the original, the word sheep is singular, followed by the definitive word “one.” The meaning is clear. The man possesses a single sheep, not a few or many. As such, it is more precious to him than if he had a whole flock where one could be overlooked. In such a case, it may be that this sheep was specifically kept for the Passover.   Because of the nature of the situation, the sheep would be carefully tended to. However, things happen, even to well-tended sheep. Therefore, Jesus continues, saying, “and if this, it should fall into a pit.”   The word empiptó, to fall in, is introduced. Thus, it signifies being entrapped or overwhelmed with. The idea is that the sheep has fallen into a bothunos, a hole. It is another new word, signifying a hole in the ground.   The word is connected to the verb bathunó, to be deep, and the adjective bathus, deep. As such, this isn't just a shallow hole, but a pit or cistern. It is a hole that has overwhelmed the sheep so that it cannot get out of it. With that understood, Jesus adds to the dilemma, saying it was “on the Sabbaths.”   The subject of the conversation is that of healing on the Sabbaths. There is a man right there among the Pharisees and Jesus who has a withered hand. Jesus is making a direct connection between the two.   It is true that the man has only one sheep, but the value of a sheep cannot be compared to a usable hand. And more, without a usable hand, the man probably could not lift the sheep out of the pit. Thus, there is a double dilemma, at least for him.   However, for anyone else, there is still the question concerning the sheep. What will the man do? Jesus says, “not he will seize it and he will raise it?”   The answer begs a positive response. Regardless of what is later recorded in the Talmud, and which very well may have been because of Jesus' words here concerning this matter, His very wording indicates that the answer would be positive. Yes, they would seize it and raise it.   As this is true, Jesus will make a point concerning the man that will fully answer their question.   Life application: The comparison of Jesus' words to Himself should not be overlooked. Jesus is called the Amnos tou Theou, the Lamb of God, in John 1:29. The word signifies a young sheep. Jesus was tried and crucified on a Friday, dying in the afternoon. The Bible specifically speaks of Him being interred quickly, before the Sabbath (such as in John 19:31).   Thus, He was essentially in a pit on the Sabbath. The common thinking at the time of Jesus was that someone with a sheep in a pit on the Sabbath would take hold of it and retrieve it, particularly if it was his one sheep. How much more if he needed it for the annual Passover!   This man, however, had a hand that would have precluded him from helping his sheep. Jesus, therefore, stands as a Substitute for man who cannot retrieve the sacrificial lamb. God the Father did not raise Jesus on the Sabbath. Instead, it says in Mark 16:9, “Now when He rose early on the first day of the week.”   All four gospels indicate this. The healing of the human condition, being lost in sin, was being dealt with by God through Jesus' interment over the Sabbath, He being our Passover Lamb. The irony of Jesus' words in Matthew concerning the raising of a lamb and its being connected to the healing of a man would be handled by God in the most magnificent way.   “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” Romans 5:6-11   Lord God, You gave Your only begotten Son for us. When we could not save ourselves, You sent Him to save us, not sparing Him who is of the greatest value of all. Thank You for Your goodness to us in the giving of Your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

As Christ approaches Jerusalem, expectations are high among the people, who anticipate the visible and immediate arrival of God's kingdom. Christ is presenting a tone of a peace transition even while bringing judgment. The approach through the Mount of Olives carries deep prophetic significance, connecting to Zechariah's vision of both judgment and deliverance at the Mount of Olives using language like the Red Sea parting. The humble entry on a colt rather than on foot or a war horse signals a fulfillment of prophecy and communicates a kingdom rooted in peace and humility, contrary to popular hopes for a triumphant, earthly ruler. The full physical judgment is delayed.The act of sending disciples to secure the colt is not only an example of Christ's divine foreknowledge but also links back to covenant history and the promises of Genesis and Zechariah. This colt, unbroken and pure, underscores Christ's consecrated purpose and fulfills the imagery of the coming king arriving in humility, not as a conquering hero as the crowd expects. The crowd responds by laying down cloaks and shouting praise, echoing Psalm 118 and Psalm 148. These are Psalms that echo God's saving power, and ultimately the Lord building his city despite his people rejecting his chosen stone. Christ is going to the vision of peace, but it will not be peaceful. However, his heavenly kingdom will be established; he does not ride on a war horse to establish his kingdom, but on a donkey symbolizing his peaceful laying down his life.Some of the Pharisees are not impressed with Christ's seizing power. Their words expose a conviction that Christ is not the messiah. They tell the teacher to command his disciples to be silent. It is true that if Christ is not the God-man, then the crowds are out of line. They are committing blasphemy by making a mere mortal into God. However, if Christ really is the God-man, then the Pharisees need to repent. Their demand to silence the crowds shows their inability to see Christ as the promised Messiah and God incarnate, reflected in their outrage that divinely reserved praise is being offered to Jesus.What is the right profession? Christ's reply that even the stones would cry out if the people were silent highlights both the inevitability of his recognition and the spiritual blindness of the religious leaders, who see themselves as guardians of truth but stand outside the true kingdom. You see, this is an echo back to John the Baptist warning Israel that they better not find their comfort in their covenant lineage. They need to embrace the Messiah because God could raise up children of Abraham from these very stones.Despite outward celebration, Christ weeps over the city, revealing the depth of his compassion and the divine sorrow at Jerusalem's failure to apprehend the true peace he offers. His lament is not a sign of defeat or doubt but underscores the tragic reality that many will reject the path of suffering and redemption he embodies. The passage concludes with a call to recognize Christ's unique mission: to embrace his version of peace, compassion, and justice, living as people marked by humility and readiness to discern the truth of the gospel in the shadow of the cross. This only comes as one bows the knee to Christ, one is born by the Spirit,and one is united to Christ. We are called to continually adopt that cross-like posture of wanting to be informed and instructed by our savior.

Text: Proverbs 28:9 (ESV) 9 If one turns away his ear from hearing the law,even his prayer is an abomination. PRAYER AND THE LAW One of the more common wrong view of God is that He is as a vending machine, or a genie. They will ignore His laws and commands but He is still expected to hear and grant their prayer requests. God despises this attitude, both when attached to prayer and to sacrifice. “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him. The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but he loves him who pursues righteousness.” (Prov 15:8,9).  The term used for His reaction comes from the Hebrew word which implies deep disgust and loathing. When someone has no concern for God's will, or obedience, or repentance, their attempts to "play religious" are met with the equivalent of divine nausea. Even a "good deed" is a sin when it's done out of insincere motives. God is sovereign. He has the right to respond to anyone's prayer in any way He chooses. He may respond to an appeal from a non-believer as a means of calling or His working for them to faith. However, those who reject God have no valid reason to expect positive answers to their prayers. Scripture makes it clear that sin and disbelief are barriers to His cooperation.[Isa 59:2] The psalmist understood that sin builds a barrier between prayer and a positive response from God. Psalm 66:18 says, "If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened." The man born blind who was healed by Jesus told the Pharisees, "We know that God does not listen to sinners" (John 9:31). Jesus strongly denounced the Pharisees because of their hypocrisy. He told the story of a Pharisee and a tax collector. Both entered the temple to pray. The tax collector who humbly admitted he was a sinner and asked God to be merciful to him went home justified by God. But, the self-righteous Pharisee who saw others as sinful but himself as righteous was not heard by God. (see Luke 18:9–14).Listen and FOLLOW us on our podcast -------------------------Visit and FOLLOW Gospel Light Filipino on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram

Finding Jesus in Unexpected Places  //The Woman Caught in Adultery  John 8:1-11 (NLT)“Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. ‘Teacher,' they said to Jesus, ‘this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?' They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, ‘All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!' Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, ‘Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?' ‘No, Lord,' she said. And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I. Go and sin no more.'” Matthew 7:3-5 (NLT)"And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,' when you can't see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye."  Ephesians 4:32 (NLT)“Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” Colossians 3:12-17 (NLT)“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  Make allowance for each other's faults and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”

Mark chapter ten is about as contemporary as this morning's headlines, as it deals with a problem that is commonplace in the year 2025 - divorce.  Back in the first century, men were divorcing their wives left and right, and the Pharisees asked Jesus if that was lawful.  We'll see what our Lord had to say on the matter on this edition of Bridging the Gap

Monday, 28 July 2025   And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—that they might accuse Him. Matthew 12:10   “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” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus was said to have gone into the synagogue where the Pharisees met. Now, while there, it says, “And, you behold! Man, he is, having a withered hand.”   Here is a new word, xéros. It is an adjective signifying arid. Thus, it can extend to earth, as opposed to water, dry land, a state of being withered, etc. In this case, the man's hand was withered from some malady like muscle atrophy, nerve damage, or various genetic conditions or diseases. With his hand in this withered state, Matthew notes, “And they queried Him.”   Another new word is introduced, eperótaó, to inquire, seek after in questions, demand, desire (to know), etc. They are looking for an opportunity to determine His doctrine, probably having heard about His healings elsewhere. Therefore, they propose to Him a question, “saying, ‘If it permits, the Sabbaths, to cure?'”   The question is a general one that was probably brought up from time to time. Someone might get hurt, have an affliction or a disease that is flaring up, catch a cold, etc. The natural question might be, “Can we go to the doctor today?” or “Can we ask the neighbor for a bottle of Robitussin?”   That may seem silly to us, but there was always the constant fear of doing something that might violate the law or even violate someone's interpretation of the law who had the authority to act against you. As in Islam today, one can see the “religious police” out looking for offenders of any supposed infraction.   Saying “Sabbaths” in the plural is a way of saying “on any Sabbath.” There were the weekly Sabbaths, but there were also other times when partial or total rest was expected of the people. They were to be aware of these things and act properly according to the set standards of law and culture. Understanding this, Matthew next notes, “That they should accuse Him.”   Another new word, katégoreó, is seen here. It signifies “to be a plaintiff.” As such, it would signify to charge some offense, accuse, object, etc. He had already silenced them on the matter of plucking grains and removing the kernel for eating.   This would have embarrassed them, and they are obviously looking for some other way to make an accusation against Him.   Life application: There are various groups of people who mandate Sabbath observance. This includes the Jews, Seventh Day Adventists, Hebrew Roots adherents, and others. Some base this on it being a point in the Law of Moses, and so it is a requirement for people today.   This is nonsense. The Law of Moses was only given to Israel. No other group of people was ever obligated to it. But even then, Jesus' ministry included His fulfilling the Law of Moses. It is now obsolete (say it with me ob-so-lete). It is no longer binding on anyone who comes to Christ. They have entered into the New Covenant.   One of the claims by some is that the seventh day Sabbath is an eternal requirement, mandated by God at the beginning, and must always be required.   This is nonsense as well. There is no such prescription found in Scripture. All it says is –   “Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.” Genesis 2:1-3.   That is a statement of fact, but it prescribes nothing. If one reviews the wording of Exodus 16 as given in the Hebrew, it is apparent that before the law was given, the Sabbath was not observed. Only after the exodus from Egypt did it become a prescription for the people of Israel.   There is not a single word to indicate that anyone, from the time of Adam until after the exodus, ever observed a Sabbath. If it was something required for the people, that would be (and is) a glaring omission that should have been included for our understanding.   There is nothing to even suggest that the Sabbath applies to believers today. In fact, exactly the opposite is the case. The book of Hebrews speaks in detail about the Sabbath. It sums up the matter in Hebrews 4:3, saying, “For we who have believed do enter that rest.”   In other words, what the Sabbath day only anticipated is realized in Jesus Christ. When one believes in His completed work, he enters into what the Sabbath only pictured. This is made clear in Colossians 2:16, 17 –   “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.”   All of these things, and so many more, were merely types and shadows of what Christ would come and do for us. Let us not get caught up in fanciful legalism that has no basis in reality. Rather, come to Christ, rest in Christ, and find your blessed state of contentment in Him alone.   “One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.” Romans 14:5, 6   Lord God, how grateful we are to You that we don't have to worry about the religious police telling us our salvation is in question because we didn't do this or that. What we did, meaning trusting in Jesus' completed work, is sufficient to reconcile us to You, once and forever. Thank You for Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

27.07.25 Pharisees encounter Jesus by King's Church

Why Bring a Casserole to a Catered Feast? Discussion Questions: Why do you think the original invitees rejected the banquet? What does this tell us about how some people respond to God's grace? How does this parable challenge the idea that God's invitation is only for the “qualified”? What does it say about who is welcome? If grace is truly a “banquet” already prepared, why do people still try to bring something to the table? React to this statement: Drop your excuses and enjoy what God has freely given you! Which debtor do you most identify with right now—the one forgiven little or the one forgiven much? How does your awareness of God's forgiveness affect your love for Him and others? Why do you think the Pharisee was so cold toward Jesus, while the woman was so expressive and emotional? React to this statement: Those who are forgiven much, love much. What meant the most to you from this message? Why?

Dr. Crane shares from Mark 10 a story of when some Pharisees hoped to trap Jesus with a question about marriage, and he turned it around on them with a reminder of God's original intent for marriage.

Subscribe and Follow. Thanks! - Notes available at: https://www.gracereach.org/luke - In PART FIVE, Brad continues to teach on the redemption of Jerusalem/Israel. In this teaching, Brad explains that the "days of these kings" in Daniel 2:44 were the latter days of old testament Israel that took place during the life of Jesus. Brad shows the corruption among the leaders of Israel as prophesied in Deuteronomy 31:29 and 32:5, which were in the latter days of Israel. These latter days took place in the life of Jesus and were on full display as the corrupt leadership of the Pharisees, scribes, chief priests, and teachers of the law publicly opposed Jesus and secretly worked to have him arrested and crucified on false charges. Brad brings this corruption, prophesied by Moses, into plain view in this study.For more of Brad's resources, see below.Brad's books are all available on Amazon in Paperback.Revelation Volume 1: Volume 1: Judgment On First-Century Israelhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F7GBG42C490 Years Determined: The Seventy Years of Daniel Explainedhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DPX7VZY5Nebuchadnezzar's Dream and the Kingdom of Grace -https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D9YFCXC8/Toxic Discipleship: Restoring the Gospel - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNN8PB7LAddicted To Grace: A New Life Awaits - https://www.amazon.com/Addicted-Grace-New-Life-Awaits/dp/0578407760Forgiven and Cleansed: 1 John 1:9 In Context - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08N3NBPPRReturn to Grace: A Commentary on Galatians - https://www.amazon.com/Return-Grace-Commentary-Brad-Robertson/dp/B08HV8HRTCStrategic Church: Reaching The World With Grace - https://www.amazon.com/Strategic-Church-Strategy-Reach-World/dp/B08733MRWWThe Story of Grace: Your Life Will Never Be The Same - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692084940Website: https://www.gracereach.orgFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bradr1966YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClip-czxRgZbxtWg-w2YL7APodcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-gracereach-podcast-with-brad-robertson/id1503583444 (You may listen to Brad's podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Anchor, Google Podcasts, and most all podcast platforms.)If you would like to donate to Brad's ministry, Gracereach, to help reach more and more people with the good news of God's grace. click here:https://www.gracereach.org/donatetogracereachThank you!

The message focuses on the concept of time and priorities, emphasizing that time is a gift from God and should be used to align with His kingdom and righteousness. ​ Pastor Brad challenges the idea of controlling or managing time, instead urging listeners to live in the present moment, imitating Jesus in their everyday lives. ​ He critiques the Pharisees for missing the purpose of God's law by focusing on rules rather than transformation of the heart. ​ Using the principle "garbage in, garbage out," he highlights the importance of filling oneself with things that reflect God's holiness rather than negativity or division. ​ The message concludes with a call to seize every opportunity to live like Jesus in ordinary, daily moments, recognizing that all time belongs to God. ​Questions for Reflection:• What are you filling your time with, and how is it shaping your heart?• What would it look like to fully entrust your time to God?

Sunday, 27 July 2025   Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue. Matthew 12:9   “And having departed thence, He went into their synagogue” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus told the Pharisees that the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. Next, it says, “And having departed thence.”   There is no indication of time here. Jesus is in the fields with His disciples, and some Pharisees accosted Him over the supposed profaning of the Sabbath by the disciples. Jesus corrected their thinking, and now it says, using an aorist participle, that He departed thence, meaning from the grainfield. Without regard to time, it next says, “He went into their synagogue.”   The immediate assumption might be that He went into the synagogue of the Pharisees right after leaving the field. That is how both Matthew and Mark seem to present it. Mark says, “And again He entered into the synagogue...” Mark 3:1.   However, Mark doesn't say He was in the synagogue earlier. So “again” could mean at any point without regard to time. Likewise, Matthew merely makes the point that He departed that area and, at some point, He entered their synagogue.   The reason for the analysis is that Luke says after the account in the grainfield, “Now it happened on another Sabbath...” when dealing with the same account to be addressed now.   Liberal scholars have a field day over this as if it is a contradiction. But neither Matthew nor Mark says it was the same day. That has to be assumed by the reader. For all we know, the Pharisees were from the next town north or from Jerusalem.   They watched Jesus, noted the disciples supposedly profaning the Sabbath, had their back and forth with Jesus, and left. Jesus then left. On another Sabbath, Jesus, wanting to continue to highlight their incorrect thinking, decided to go to their synagogue, knowing He would have an opportunity to interact with them.   Just because someone claims there is a contradiction in the narrative, it doesn't mean there is.   Life application: The gospels are written at times in a topical fashion. At other times, there are chronological indicators that tell what happened in a particular sequence. This is common to innumerable accounts that have been recorded in human history.   And yet, quite often, people who claim to be Christian will spend an inordinate amount of time trying to prove the Bible is inaccurate or contradictory. If they would spend as much time trying to think through why things are the way they are instead of picking apart what is recorded, they would look a lot less foolish on the day they stand before the Lord.   It's a lesson for all of us. Not understanding something doesn't mean it is wrong. A bit more humility and a lot less arrogance is always a good thing as we live our lives before God. Let each of us endeavor to exalt the word, speak of its power and ability to convert the soul, and share its good news with others.   “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12   Lord God, what a precious word You have given us. Give us wisdom in understanding its contents, and give us the desire and ability to share what it says with others. Help us to exalt Your word because it is from You. May we never treat it with anything but the highest esteem. Thank You for Your word, which reveals Your heart to us. Amen.

How can I be more righteousness than the Pharisees? Is Jesus just making the 10 commandments harder?Exodus 20:1–17; Romans 6:1–11; Matthew 5:17–266th Sixth Sunday after Trinity

Marveling at Jesus, the people asked, "Can this be the Son of David?"  The answer should be evident.  And yet, the Pharisees respond by attributing His power not to the Spirit of God but to Beelzebul.  No matter what Jesus had done, the Pharisees reject Him because their hearts were hard.  This demonstrates what it means to blaspheme the Spirit of God.  This is the unforgivable sin.  

The Pharisees and Jesus' have a discussion about the law. Jesus informs them that the law goes beyond the letter of the law to address the hardness of man's hearts. Sermon Notes Mark 10:1 As Jesus' custom, He teaches the crowd Mark 10:2 The Pharisees testing Jesus asks Him about divorce Mark 10:3 – 9 Jesus answers their test Mark 10:10 Jesus' disciples question Him about divorce Mark 10:11 & 12 Jesus answers their questions Mark 10:13 People bring children to Jesus so He might touch them, but the disciples try to prevent them from coming Mark 10:14 – 16 Jesus is indignant with them and says the kingdom of God belongs to those like them

Welcome! At Victory Church in Troy, PA living for Jesus is about is much more than getting ready for the last day of you life, it's about making the most of everyday of your life! God has prepared a future for you that is bigger, brighter, and better than you can even imagine! If you are new to Victory we just want to say, Welcome to the Family!Thanks for sharing your time with us. We promise to never waste it.Did you accept Jesus as Lord of your life? We'd LOVE to hear about it, click here! https://victoryconnect.churchcenter.com/people/forms/134006  Had a GREAT experience? CONNECT with Victory Church today!https://victoryconnect.churchcenter.com/people/forms/197253 email: info@voiceofvictory.comInstagram: @VCNowVictory Church is here for you.Your life matters to God and to us!#JESUS​​ #HOPE​​ #VICTORY​​ #JESUSISCOMING​

     Those who are positive to God desire to know Him, His Word, and to pursue His will.[1] Jesus said to fellow Jews, “If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself” (John 7:17). Jesus explained that knowing God's Word is predicated on a desire to do (ποιέω poieo) His will. But some hearts are negative to God. And when the heart is negative, no amount of divine revelation will prove persuasive. For example, Noah preached to his generation for one hundred and twenty years, but they refused to listen (Gen 6:3; 2 Pet 2:5). Jeremiah spoke to the leaders of Israel, saying, “these twenty-three years the word of the LORD has come to me, and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened” (Jer 25:3). Preachers are responsible for the accurate output of the message, not the outcome of response. Jesus spoke to the hard-hearted Pharisees and said, “Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word” (John 8:43). Jesus then gave the answer, saying, “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father” (John 8:44). They could not hear His words because they were unsaved and negative to God. These were men who “loved the darkness rather than the Light” (John 3:19). Paul described them as ones “who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom 1:18). Paul also spoke about the unsaved person, saying, “But an unbeliever does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised” (1 Cor 2:14).      Of the one with positive volition it is said, “his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night” (Psa 1:2). The benefit of such a lifelong meditation is that “He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers” (Psa 1:3). The godly person is positive to the Lord and welcomes His Word. David said, “I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart” (Psa 40:8). The word delight (חָפֵץ chaphets) means, “to take pleasure in, desire…to delight in…to be willing…to feel inclined.”[2] This speaks of positive volition. God's will (רָצוֹן ratson) refers to what pleases Him. And the word Law (תּוֹרָה torah) means teaching, direction, or instruction. Jeremiah said, “Your words were found and I ate them, and Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I have been called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts” (Jer 15:16). To eat God's Word is a picture of positive volition, as Jeremiah welcomed the divine revelation into himself. Once received, it delighted (שִׂמְחָה simchah – delight, joy, gladness, mirth) his heart (לֵבָב lebab – inner person, mind, will). When the human heart is receptive to God's Word, it transforms that person from the inside out, and this is both cognitive and experiential. David and Jeremiah wanted to know and walk with God, and His divine revelation, properly understood and applied, was the means to know and do it.      God will open His Word to the believer who dedicates his/her life to Him. Paul wrote, “I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom 12:1-2). A surrendered life to God makes the Christian sensitive to the illuminating ministry of the Holy Spirit, who aids the believer to know God's will. Concerning this passage, Arnold Fruchtenbaum states: "It is hard to understand what the will of God is without this act of dedication because the believer does not have the Spirit's illumination, which is needed to determine God's will from His Word. Dedication brings knowledge of the will of God. Having the knowledge, the logical outworking of the dedicated life is that the believer now does the will of God."[3]      God's Word is powerful and accomplishes what He desires (Isa 55:10-11; Heb 4:12), and it lights a fire in the heart of those who welcome it. For example, Jesus, after his resurrection, walked for several miles with two disciples and gave them a Bible lesson which lasted for several hours as they traveled “to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:13). Luke records what Jesus taught them, saying, “beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures” (Luke 24:27). After His Bible lesson, the two disciples said, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32). The heart that is positive to God receives His Word and is excited by what is learned.  Theological Categories of God's Will      The will of God can be divided between His secret will and revealed will. Moses wrote, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law” (Deut 29:29). What God has revealed in Scripture is what He deems important for us to know. But there are secret things that belong to the Lord, and on these matters, He remains silent. To spend our days pursuing what God has sovereignly chosen to keep hidden will only lead to unending frustration. If we have prayed and studied God's Word thoroughly yet received no clear answer, it may be because God does not want us to know—or not to know at this time. Though we may seek to discern God's will through daily experiences, such providential insight must always remain subordinate to His written revelation. Though we don't know many particulars about what God is doing, we know He is in control and directing history to the return of Christ and the eternal state, and we are part of that grand plan. Concerning God's revealed will, Scripture presents several classifications. Steven R. Cook, D.Min., M.Div.   [1] For the Christian, this does not mean our sin nature is removed, nor that we are free from the sinful pressures of living in a fallen world. Paul said, “I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members” (Rom 7:21-23). This struggle with sin continues until we leave this world and enter into heaven. Until then, it is God's will that we remain in this world (John 17:15) as His ambassadors (2 Cor 5:20). [2] Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 340. [3] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Faith Alone: The Condition of Our Salvation: An Exposition of the Book of Galatians and Other Relevant Topics, ed. Christiane Jurik, Second Edition. (San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries, 2016), 120.

A Sermon for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity St. Matthew 5:20-26 by William Klock In last Sunday's Gospel we were with Jesus and Peter in that fishing boat as Jesus preached to the crowd on the shore.  I said that I had a pretty good ides the sorts of things Jesus was preaching, because both Matthew and Luke preserve versions of his favourite sermon about the kingdom.  Today's Gospel gives us a snippet of Matthew's version of that sermon.  In Matthew 5:20 Jesus says to the gathered crowd, “I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”  In the words leading up to this, Jesus was preparing the people to hear this.  He talks about being the salt of the earth and the light of the world and a city set on hill and a light held high on a lampstand for everyone to see.  “That's how you must shine your light in front of people!” he says, “Then they'll see what wonderful things you do, and they'll give glory to your father in heaven.”  Do your works, does you the way you live make people take notice and give glory to God?  That's a tough one, isn't it?  And then, just in case people might be thinking that Jesus came to do away with the law and the prophets: “Don't suppose that I came to destroy the law or the prophets,” Jesus said, “I didn't come to destroy them.  I came to fulfil them!  I'm telling you the truth: until heaven and earth disappear—and since that won't happen this just means never—not one stroke, not one dot, is going to disappear from the law until it's all come true.  So anyone who relaxes a single one of these commandments, even the little ones, and teaches that to people, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.  And anyone who does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”  And this is where Jesus says those words, “Yes, let me tell you: unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.”   Because Jesus was doing and saying so many things that a lot of people thought weren't right, I suspect some people thought that Jesus was teaching an easier way to the kingdom.  The Pharisees were mad because he didn't seem to keep the law with the same zeal that they thought everyone should, but I suspect there were others who thought Jesus was offering them a way to God without all the spiritual rigor and rules.  Just this week I found myself talking to someone who had left an orthodox, biblical church a few years ago and is now worshipping at a United Church.  The reason: “They aren't so strict.  They let people be themselves.  They aren't so bound to the Bible.”  In other words: The United Church offers a way to God that you can follow on your own terms.  I suspect some people thought Jesus was doing a sort of First Century Jewish version of that.  And so Jesus makes it clear that this is not the case.  No, just the opposite in fact.  Not even the Pharisees with all their zeal for torah, not even they meet the standard.  Later in the sermon he'll go on to talk about the wide and narrow way that will lead Israel to destruction and the narrow gate that few can find and the narrow and difficult way beyond that leads to the kingdom.  No, Jesus hasn't come to relax the standard.  Not at all. But before we can go on we need to ask a couple of questions.  When Jesus talks about “righteousness”, what does he mean?  Well, for the Jews “righteousness” was bound up with torah, with the law and with God's covenant.  A righteous person was someone who was faithful to God and to the covenant and that meant, fundamentally, that he was faithful in living the law that God had given his people. The name “Pharisee” means “separated one”.  That's what Israel was supposed to be.  The Lord had delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt to be his people and he gave them a law, he gave them torah, as a way of life that would separate them and that would make them distinct from every other people on earth.  When the nations looked at Israel they were supposed to be moved to give glory to God.  But for most of their history, the Israelites didn't do a very good job of being that separate and distinct people.  They were selective in their obedience.  They worshipped idols.  And so just as he cast Adam and Eve out of the garden and out of his holy presence, the Lord cast out Israel and sent her in exile to Babylon.  Righteousness means “covenant faithfulness” and if Israel wasn't going to be faithful to the covenant, then in order to be faithful himself to the covenant, the Lord would have enact the covenant curses that he promised would befall his people if they didn't keep their end of the covenant—if they were unrighteous. As I've said before fairly recently, the Pharisees knew all of this.  More than that, they believed that the exile was, after a fashion, still ongoing.  Because Israel was still ruled by pagans and because the Lord's presence had never returned to the temple.  They desperately wanted an end to Roman rule and even more than that, they prayed for the Lord's return.  But that wasn't going to happen as long as Israel was still unfaithful—still lacking in righteousness.  So the Pharisees decided to set an example.  They weren't just going to obey the law as best they could; they were going to live their whole lives as if they were priests in the temple.  They wouldn't just keep themselves from sin.  They'd keep themselves ritually pure at all times.  They were ready for the Lord to return.  If only they could get everyone in Israel just as ready!  But not everyone in Israel was as interested in righteousness as they were.  There were a lot of people who just weren't as serious about God's law as they were.  But worse were the compromisers—the Jews who gradually assimilated to the pagan ways of the Greeks and Romans and the people who willingly and knowingly became traitors to the covenant: tax collectors and sinners. Think of it this way: The Pharisees saw themselves in the midst of a culture war.  And they knew it wasn't the first time Israel had faced a culture war.  And so their heroes were the righteous men of Israel's past culture wars.  One of those heroes was Phinehas, one of Aaron's grandsons.  In the book of Numbers we read how Balak, the King of Moab, had hired a prophet to curse the Israelites.  But the prophet, Balaam couldn't do it.  Every time he opened his mouth to curse the Israelites, the Lord caused blessings to spill out.  So Balak, instead, sent a bunch of beautiful Moabite women to infiltrate the Israelite camp and to entice the men of Israel to worship the Canaanite god Baal with them.  Isreal's first culture war.  The men were enticed into sexual immorality and then into idolatry—those two always go hand-in-hand.  But Phinehas, came upon one of the Israelite men in flagrante delicto with one of these women.  Filled with holy zeal, Phinehas grabbed a spear and ran them both through together.  That was the end of Israel's first culture war and Phinehas became a hero for his righteous zeal. But much more recently, the Pharisees looked back on the heroes of the Maccabean Revolt—about 160 years before.  In those days Judah was ruled by Greeks.  And the Greeks just sort of thought that because their culture was so superior to everyone else's, everyone would just assimilate given the chance.  Think of Gus in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  “There are two kinds of people: Greeks and everyone who wish they was Greek.”  But no matter how many temples or gymnasiums the Greeks built, the Jews wouldn't assimilate.  Antiochus IV Epiphanes had enough of it and finally outlawed the law.  If you circumcised your son, you and he would be executed.  He defiled the Lord's altar by sacrificing a pig on it.  In Second Maccabees we read a horrific story of seven brothers and their mother who were tortured and gruesomely martyred when they refused to eat pork.  Jews were forced to offer sacrifices to Zeus.  Mattathias Maccabeus was watching as one Jewish man caved into that pressure.  The writer of First Maccabees tells us how Mattathias burned with zeal for the law, just like Phinehas had.  He ran forward and killed the man at the altar, then turned and killed the King's soldier.  That would kick off a revolt against the pagan Greeks.  But the Maccabean revolutionaries didn't just go after their foreign rulers; like Mattathias they went after compromising Jews as well. They were the inspiration for the Pharisees.  The Pharisees didn't have that kind of power.  They couldn't force anyone to keep the law or to keep it better.  But they had the same kind of zeal.  They desperately wanted, they prayed for the Lord to return to Zion to destroy the Romans and all the other unrighteous pagans—and all the compromisers like the tax collectors and sinners in Israel, too. And—getting back to Jesus peaching on the hillside—and Jesus now says that even that kind of zeal, that kind of righteousness isn't enough to get folks into the kingdom.  In other words, to the people who were coming to Jesus thinking he was making it easier—kind of like some modern liberal spirituality that you can shape to your own liking—Jesus says, “No.  I didn't come to make it easier.”  But then he condemns even the Pharisees.  They were the most righteous people around and even they weren't going to make the cut.  So what now?  Imagine all the people holding their breath to hear what Jesus is going to say next.  They really, really want to know.  Before he ever started preaching, they'd seen him doing all the Messiah things: casting out demons, healing the sick and the blind and the deaf.  They knew without a doubt that the God of Israel was somehow acting in and through Jesus, so they had to think that when he preached, he preached with authority and he spoke for God.  He's got their attention now.  Now they want to know what it means to be more righteous than even the Pharisees. So Jesus goes on and says, “You have heard it said to the people of old, ‘You shall not murder'; and anyone who commits murder shall be liable to judgement.  But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgement; anyone who insults his brother with foul and abusive language will be liable to the lawcourt; and anyone who says, ‘You fool,' will be liable to the fires of Gehenna.”   And Jesus keeps going on like this.  If we skip down to 5:27—picking up just were today's Gospel ends—Jesus says something similar about adultery.  “You have heard it said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.'  But I say to you: everyone who gazes at a woman in order to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”  On and on.  Divorce falls in Jesus sites too: Divorce is wrong.  Marriage is a life-long covenant.  Tell the truth, he says, and you won't need to make oaths for people to believe you.  The law commanded justice and put limits on retaliation, but Jesus says, “Don't resist evil with violence”, “turn the other cheek”.  “When someone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat, too.  When someone forces you to go one mile, go a second one with him.”  And in verse 43 Jesus puts a cherry on top of all this.  They knew that the law was about loving your neighbour, but then they got the idea that the only people who were their neighbours were their fellow Jews.  Love your neighbours, yes, but hate your enemies—people like the Romans, the tax collectors, and the sinners who openly rejected God's law and covenant.  Love your neighbours.  Pray for God to smite your enemies.  And Jesus says, “No!  I tell you: love your enemies!  Pray for people who persecute you!”  Why?  “So that you may be sons [and daughters] of your Father in heaven.”   Do you want to have a share in the kingdom?  Do you want to be a child of the Father?  Do you want to know how to have a righteousness—a covenant faithfulness—greater than even the Pharisees?  Do want people to glorify God when they see how you live?  Then love the way that God loves.  That's what righteousness has always been about: it's been about a people that conforms to the heart of God.  Righteousness is about sinlessness, but it goes deeper than that and that's what the Pharisees and so many others in Israel had forgotten even though it was there all along: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and your neighbour as yourself.” Brothers and Sisters, this is what kingdom people look like in a culture war.  They love the way God loves.  This is the narrow gate, this is the difficult path that leads to the kingdom and life with God.  It's hard.  All we have to do is look around us.  Things haven't changed much since Jesus preached this two thousand years ago.  We're in the middle of a war ourselves and it seems like Christians are prone to the same two failures.  There's a ditch on either side of the road.  You fall into the ditch on this side when you give in and compromise.  Whether it's the Judeans who went along with the Greeks, leaving their sons uncircumcised, eating pork, and making offerings to Zeus or the Christians today who give up and buy into the pagan world's notion that love is whatever you make it, anything goes, and we can all live and fellowship with God on our own terms.  Brothers and Sisters, compromise with a godless and anti-gospel culture isn't the way.  Jesus didn't come to make it easier to get into the kingdom, but there are a lot of people and churches today who think that the answer to the culture and to dwindling interest in the gospel is to lower the bar and to make it easier to think of yourself as a Christian.  Appealing to the cultural moment might get you a few followers in the short term, but it will land you in the outer darkness, weeping and gnashing your teeth just as surely as the opposite error will. The opposite error—the ditch on the other side of the road—is Phariseeism.  And that happens when we forget that the gospel wins not through violence and force but when Christians love the way that God loves.  Brothers and Sisters, no amount of compelling, force, violence, or political power will ever move the heart of an unbeliever to give glory to God because of what they see in us.  But in the midst of a culture war it's very easy for God's people to think that seizing the reigns of power is the answer.  We'll do anything, compromise just about anything, team up with just about anyone no matter how ungodly they are, to get our hands on that power.  And we can do it all with a zealousness like that of Phinehas or Mattathias that feels so right.  We try to meld Caesar and Jesus together, forgetting that Caesars bloody and violent way is the opposite of the gospel, which conquers through love.  You can't trust in Jesus and at the same trust in horses and chariots.  You can't trust in Jesus and at the same time trust in political power.  Jesus demands our allegiance and our trust—all of it and without compromise.  And it's when we give him that full allegiance that we have the loving heart of God.  It's when we're willing to follow Jesus as we turn the other cheek, as we give both our shirt and our coat, as we go the extra mile, even as we go to our own deaths, it's then that world takes notice and give glory to God.  That's how the gospel captivates hearts and transforms the world. Brothers and Sisters, that's the narrow gate and the difficult path.  Don't give up on righteousness when the going gets tough.  And never forget that law is ultimately about loving God and loving our neighbours—everyone—the way God loves them—enough to give his own son.  Love them as God does—even your worst enemy—even to point of sacrifice.  That's how God once captivated your heart and it's how he will captivate theirs. Jesus stresses just how important this is.  Going back to the end of our Gospel in Matthew 5:23 he says, “So, if you are coming to the altar with your gift and there you remember that your brother has a grievance against you, leave your gift right there in front of the altar, and go first and be reconciled to your brother.  Then come back and offer your gift.”   We probably miss the significance of this.  To go to the temple in Jerusalem to make an offering to God was the peak of righteousness, of covenant faithfulness.  This took precedence over everything else.  No one.  No. one.  Would go to Jerusalem.  And remember, Jesus is preaching in Galilee, a three day's journey from Jerusalem.  No one would trek all that way, carrying their animal for sacrifice or buying one at an exorbitant price at the temple, wait their turn, and then standing there with the priest ready to make the sacrifice, suddenly realise they needed to go all the way back home to make something right with a brother or a sister.  Yes, I think Jesus is using a bit of hyperbole here, but he wants to drive his point home, because this is how people—especially the Pharisees thought.  If you were doing it for God, nothing else mattered.  Think of the priest and the Levite in Jesus' parable, leaving a man for dead on the side of the road lest they become ritually impure.  For all their talk of loving God, they'd forgotten just how much God loves us and they'd failed to live it out.  That's why they grumbled when Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners.  They'd forgotten that all of heaven rejoices over a sinner who repents. No, says Jesus.  Never think that you're honouring God if, at the same time, you're failing to love your neighbour the way God loves him.  Never think you're doing God's work if, at the same time, you've compromised his call to faith and to faithfulness.  Never think you're building the kingdom if, at the same time, you're compromising its principles.  Instead, stop what you're doing and make things right.  Go back and love your neighbour.  Reconcile and make things right with him.  Remember that you serve the God who gave his son out of love in order to reconcile sinful you to himself.  Have that kind of love in your heart and let it shape every thing you do. Brothers and Sisters, every Sunday we recite those words of Jesus: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”  Don't just mindlessly say those words.  Be shaped by them.  Love God and love your neighbour with everything you've got and then you will have that righteousness greater even than that of the scribes and the Pharisees. Let's pray: O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Matt finishes our Summer Stories series with the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in Luke 18:9-14. How often do we glance at God while we contemplate ourselves? What would it look like to truly humble ourselves before Him?

Gospel Reading: Matthew 9:27-35At that time, as Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, "Have mercy on us, Son of David." When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to him, "Yes, Lord." Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith be it done to you." And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly charged them, "See that no one knows it." But they went away and spread his fame through all that district.As they were going away, behold, a dumb demoniac was brought to him. And when the demon had been cast out, the dumb man spoke; and the crowds marveled, saying, "Never was anything like this seen in Israel." But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the prince of demons."And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people.

Personal Reflections and Spiritual Drought Feeling of spiritual drought and unmet expectations. Experiencing a period where things are not going as desired. Feeling "down and out" about recent events. Scriptural Reading: John 4:1-26 Jesus' Journey to Samaria Jesus left Judea after the Pharisees heard He was baptizing more disciples than John. Jesus went to Galilee, passing through Samaria. He arrived at Sychar, near Jacob's well, around the sixth hour and rested. Encounter with the Samaritan Woman A woman came to draw water, and Jesus asked her for a drink. The woman questioned Jesus because Jews typically do not associate with Samaritans. Jesus told her that if she knew who He was, she would ask Him for living water. Discussion about Living Water The woman questioned how Jesus could provide water since He had nothing to draw with and the well was deep. Jesus explained that whoever drinks the water He gives will never thirst again; it will become a spring of everlasting life. The woman asked for this water so she wouldn't have to keep coming to the well. Revelation of the Woman's Past Jesus told her to call her husband, and she admitted she had no husband. Jesus revealed that she had five husbands, and the man she was currently with was not her husband. The woman recognized Jesus as a prophet. Debate on Worship The woman mentioned that her ancestors worshiped on a mountain, while Jews worshiped in Jerusalem. Jesus said that the time was coming when people would worship the Father neither on the mountain nor in Jerusalem. True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such worshipers. Identification as the Messiah The woman stated that she knew the Messiah was coming and would explain everything. Jesus declared, "I that speak unto thee am He." Impact on the Disciples and the City The disciples were surprised to see Jesus talking with a woman. The woman left her water pot and went into the city, telling the men to come and see a man who knew everything she had ever done, suggesting He might be the Christ. The people left the city to see Jesus. Going to the Source The woman at the well encountered more than she expected. She found Jesus resting at the well. Jesus asked her for a drink, despite the social norms. God's Awareness and Intervention Just as God saw Brother Briley as a "lost boy" in church, He saw the woman's need. Brother Briley felt destined for hell despite not having committed significant sins. God saved Brother Briley in a church in Campbell, North Carolina. The woman was not looking for Jesus, but He found her at the well. Jesus offered her living water, highlighting the gift of God. Understanding the Samaritans The Samaritans were idolaters who did not serve the living Father. The woman did not initially recognize Jesus as anything more than an ordinary man. If she had known who He was, she would have asked for living water. Personal Struggles and Divine Purpose Feeling like giving up and questioning God's purpose. The "fountain of living water" springing up from within. Saved and transformed, with a desire to thank God eternally. Actions and expressions are driven by God's presence within. The Gift of Living Water Experiencing a taste of living water at a young age. Coming to the source (Jesus) is all that is needed. A burden for lost people, whether nearby or elsewhere. The Sprinkling of Living Water The living water within should be shared with others. Like a sprinkler, the water should be planted around others. Others may notice and ask about the source of happiness. Inner Happiness Despite Circumstances Not always outwardly happy, but possessing an inner joy. Something inside that motivates to press on and continue traditions.

In this episode, from a chapel service held on Tuesday 3 June 2025, Lionel Windsor, Lecturer in the New Testament Department at Moore Theological College, speaks on Luke 18:9-14 and the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector.He reminds us that the tax collector's prayer is the foundational prayer of the Christian life, and that when we look for righteousness in Jesus, not ourselves, he grants it to us.For more audio resources, visit the Moore College website. There, you can also make a donation to support the work of the College.Contact us and find us on socials.Donald Robinson Library event: The Huguenots and the French Reformation (Wed 8 Oct)Please note: The episode transcript provided is AI-generated and has not been checked for accuracy. If quoting, please check against the audio.

Saturday, 26 July 2025   For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Matthew 12:8   “For Lord, He is – even of the Sabbath – the Son of Man” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus cited Hosea 6:6 to support His stand against the Pharisees. That verse said, “For mercy I inclined, and not sacrifice” (CG). With that in mind, He next says, “For Lord, He is.”   The reference is not yet stated, but the intent of the words is that the One spoken of is in a position of authority. As such, what He determines concerning the scope of His lordship is acceptable because it is at His disposal. In this case, the lordship extends to “even of the Sabbath.”   Some source texts omit the word kai, even. But based on His words of a previous verse, it seems the word is appropriate. This is because Jesus is referring to Himself. That is seen in the final words of the verse where He identifies the referent, saying, “the Son of Man.”   Some interpret this to mean man in general. Ezekiel was called the son of man numerous times in his book. If this were the case, it would make the Sabbath, one of the Ten Commandments, subservient to all men for any reason. If this were so, and because it is a part of the Decalogue, that authority would, by default, extend to all of the Ten Commandments.   Rather, Jesus repeatedly uses the term Son of Man when referring to Himself. It would be an outlier for Him to use it in a different manner here. Instead, He is referring to Himself and stating an a fortiori argument.   The showbread was reserved for the priests, but David's needs stood above the reserved use for the bread, demonstrating that the needs of the man prevailed. Likewise, the Sabbath was proclaimed as seemingly inviolable for the people, and yet some of the people profaned it and were not held guilty. Thus, the needs of the temple were greater than the prescription for the Sabbath.   But Jesus said in verse 12:6, “And I say to you that the temple – greater, it is here.” Therefore, if the needs of the temple were greater than the prescription set forth in the Sabbath, and Jesus' body was greater than the temple, then His needs, by default, were greater than the Sabbath, because He is Lord even of the Sabbath.   It is once again a claim to deity. The temple was set forth to serve the Lord. The priests were there to minister to the Lord. If Jesus is the Lord even of the Sabbath because He is greater than the temple, He must be God incarnate.   This is especially certain because of His citation of Hosea 6:6, “For mercy I inclined, and not sacrifice.” The words refer to interaction with the Lord, not with others. The word mercy refers to a state of “loyalty to God's covenant” (HELPS Word Studies).   Jesus placed Himself in the position of receiving this loyalty to the covenant. His Father was working (John 5:17) to maintain the covenant. Jesus, the Son of Man, is the instrument through whom this was being worked out. Israel should have seen this and responded with the covenant loyalty toward Him that He deserved. This extended to the fact that He is Lord, even of the Sabbath.   Jesus' claim to deity is on full display as He continues His ministry to Israel, fulfilling the covenant set forth by God and accepted by the people at the foot of Mount Sinai.   Life application: The Sabbath was a set standard of the Law of Moses. It was mandated for the people of Israel to observe as part of the covenant law. This covenant was cut with Israel alone. No other group of people was ever required to observe a Sabbath.   In Jesus' fulfillment of the law, the prescription no longer applies because the law is fulfilled and annulled. Hebrews 4:3 says to the people, “For we who have believed do enter that rest.” The state of rest that the Sabbath only anticipated is realized through belief in Christ.   To mandate a Sabbath day as a supposed requirement for salvation or continued salvation is thus heretical. Such a teaching anathematizes the Seventh Day Adventists, the Hebrew Roots adherents, and other sects and cults who hold to this view.   They have set aside grace. They are attempting to earn what God has already granted through the giving of His Son. Paul clearly defines this heretical thinking in Romans and Colossians –   “One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it.” Romans 14:5, 6   “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” Colossians 2:16, 17   If you want to observe a particular day to the Lord, that is up to you. If you are doing it because someone has told you your salvation is dependent on your observance of it, you have fallen from grace because you are trusting in your own merits for salvation. Think! Be wise and don't be pulled into the trap of legalism and supposed self-merit for salvation.   Lord God, thank You for the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. You have done it all through Him. We are the recipients of His wonderful workings. May we never set aside this blessing of grace. Rather, may we rest in it and be joyful for it all our days. Amen.

Church Birthday G'day and welcome to Partake! We are now on day 26 of our series "Glimpses", looking at the story of the Bible in 30 days - from the time of creation through to the time of the fullness of redemption! Jesus has died, rose again from the dead, ascended back to the right hand of the Father - all just as he said he would. The physical resurrection of Jesus Christ was the catalyst for the beginning of the church but the empowerment was to come, as promised by Jesus! Since his resurrection he has given his disciples instructions, including the command to go make disciples of all nations with the message he gave them! Then he told them to wait in Jerusalem! But for who? Remember they were still hopeful of Jesus returning to defeat the Roman Empire and install a political kingdom of God! But they were wrong and soon found out they were wrong! So they waited, but for what, or rather, who? Waiting! Acts1:12-14 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. When they had come in, they went up into the upper room, where they were staying; that is Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord continued steadfastly in prayer and supplication, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. Acts 2:1-2 Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all with one accord in one place. Suddenly there came from the sky a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. As we saw last time, Jesus has ascended back to the right hand of the Father. The 12 apostles are now back in Jerusalem and waiting for the Holy Spirit to come as promised by Jesus. More about Him later in this podcast! It was now the time of the Shavuot in the Jewish calendar - 50 days after Passover (remember that from Jesus' last night!) Pentecost derives itself from the Old Testament festival known as the Jewish Feast of Weeks or Shavuot. This feast consisted of the first-fruits of the wheat harvest and selected animals were sacrificed, all as an act of thanksgiving to God, according to the Law given to Moses (Leviticus 23:15-20). But it was soon to change its meaning under the New Covenant. It became Pentecost, the Greek word for ‘50 days', and marks the birthday of the church! What is the birthday of the church? That is the day when the Holy Spirit came down and empowered the disciples for service! The day now known as Pentecost celebrates the day when, as promised by Jesus, as part of the New Covenant (remember that), the Holy Spirit came down to live inside the disciples of Jesus Christ, and empower and transform them! Empowered! Take Peter for an example! Just a few days earlier he had rejected Jesus Christ and openly defied Him by trying to stop Jesus going to the cross. This Peter, who was dejected and defeated because he had put everything into following this Jesus. In the early chapters of the bible Book of Acts, we see all disciples being transformed. Some were affected in amazingly spectacular ways and others in more placid ways. Let us concentrate on Peter for a good example of this. This is now a new Peter, transformed by the indwelling Holy Spirit, who speaks with the authority Jesus gave the disciples. Peter, given impetus by the Holy Spirit, preaches a sermon and 3000 people are added to the church in one day (Acts 2v41). This Peter, who when passing by a man who couldn't walk, told him to get up and walk - and he did (Acts 3v1-11)! A WOW moment for sure! Peter was allowing himself to be controlled by the Holy Spirit and doing some of the things that were synonymous with Jesus' earthly ministry. Transformed! What is the difference between this Peter and the Peter before Jesus' resurrection? It was only the Holy Spirit, the empowerment and the difference He made to Peter. Peter, by submitting himself to the authority and power of the Holy Spirit, was allowing the Holy Spirit to control him and guide him. This Peter, who we know from the Gospel accounts, had no self-control, yet now had self-control because he submitted to the Holy Spirit. The greatest evidence of the Holy Spirit living inside of humans, is the transformation of the individual into the image of Jesus - as demonstrated by our example, Peter. This Peter who allowed the Holy Spirit's power to heal people also administered church discipline as in the case of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5v10). But it wasn't just Peter who was empowered. As Acts 5v12-16 shows us, all the followers of Jesus, not just the twelve apostles, filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit, were able to do healings and other miracles. Not just those more spectacular gifts of healing, miracles etc but also gifts such as mercy, generosity, helps and service. The Holy Spirit, living inside and empowering all believers, for service of Jesus Christ, not just the original 12 apostles or disciples. That is one of the reasons the early church grew phenomenally and more about that growth later on in this series! Who is the Holy Spirit? But who is the Holy Spirit? Good question! In the Old Testament the Spirit makes appearances but only comes on one person at a time during that time. David is a good example of that! There was to be a time when He would live inside all believers in God through the Messiah! That's under the terms of the New Covenant as This is part of the fulfilment of the New Covenant, where the Almighty and All-powerful God would indwell those who follow him. Throughout his ministry Jesus had often talked about how after he departed back to the Father, that the Holy Spirit would come. The Holy Spirit is spoken of as God (1 Corinthians 3v16). The attributes of God are ascribed to the Holy Spirit - life (Romans 8v2), truth (John 16v13) and love (Romans 15v30). The Holy Spirit is also a Person and is always referred to as ‘He' in the New Testament (John 16v14). He relates to humanity as a person for he lives inside the believer as comforter, guide and teacher (John 14). He can be blasphemed against and be grieved (Ephesians 4v30). Wherever the Holy Spirit is, the Father and Son are also present. (John 14v18-23). Throughout the Book of Acts and in the other New Testament writings we discover more about the Holy Spirit. We see His prime role to glorify Jesus Christ as the Son of God (John 16v13-14), to testify for Jesus Christ (John 15v26) and witness for Jesus Christ (Acts 1v8) to humans. The Holy Spirit is involved with ministering to members of the church, as Jesus would be if He were there physically. There is more about the Holy Spirit if you search on this website! With all this, the Holy Spirit also equipped all the followers of Jesus for service, to will and to act accordingly to those purposes. We see in the rest of the Book of Acts, how the Holy Spirit empowered the early church and gave them impetus. Transformation and service are the key working practises of the Holy Spirit and we will His handiwork in our next episode as we see the Church begin! The Pharisees and Sadducees are long gone. The Roman Empire collapsed. But... But... But... Jesus' church still stands, is still growing, and will one day be joined with Jesus in eternity, to the praise, honour and glory of Him who will return in majesty, just as He promised! More about that later on in this series! So that's the birthday of the church! What happened next is what we talk about tomorrow! Thank you! Tap or click here to download as a MP3 audio file

In this episode, the Pharisees are wondering why Jesus is associating with "disreputable" people and Jesus reminds them that he has come to bring healing and mercy!

Friday, 25 July 2025   But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless. Matthew 12:7   “And if you had known what it is, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' not you condemned the guiltless” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus noted that a greater than the temple was there. Based on that, He next says to the Pharisees, “And if you had known what it is.”   The Pharisees had spoken a word of implied condemnation toward Jesus because His disciples were eating. They brought in the precept of Sabbath observance to support their view. Jesus returned words from the same law, showing that there was a valid precedent both for the allowance for food, even if it was otherwise inappropriate to procure, and the allowance for some to profane the Sabbath and not be held guiltless.   Having stated these things, He prepares to now demonstrate that not only had they missed these points in their interpretation of the situation, but that they had overlooked the basis for such allowances in relation to what His disciples were doing. He does this with the words, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice.”   Here, He cites Hosea 6:6, “For mercy I inclined, and not sacrifice” (CG). In using the word khaphets, to incline, it is as if the Lord leans in favor of something, as if He is inclining in that direction. As such, it signifies He desires that in favor of something else.   Therefore, the Lord looks more favorably upon mercy than mere rote sacrifice. Even if the law demanded a sacrifice to be made, the action spoke nothing concerning the state of the heart. A person could go to the temple, perform the mandatory sacrifice, and walk away completely uncaring about the sin which the sacrifice was intended to cover. It is exactly this attitude that brought the Lord to say to the people –   “Hear the word of the Lord, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the law of our God, You people of Gomorrah: 11 ‘To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?' Says the Lord. ‘I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, Or of lambs or goats. 12 “When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, To trample My courts? 13 Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. 14 Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.”'” Isaiah 1:10-15   The people came to the Lord, doing the things required by the law, but they had no heart for the Lord or for doing what was morally right. It is this same attitude that these Pharisees were presenting toward Jesus and His disciples. Jesus, however, says that if they understood the words of the Lord through Hosea, then “not you condemned the guiltless.”   In verse 12:5, the word anaitios, guiltless, was introduced. This is now the second and last use of it in Scripture. It signifies one who is not causing guilt. The reason for this is that even if the law set forth a particular command, it had to be considered in the greater scope of the intent of the law.   In Isaiah, the people of Israel performed the things of the law in their sacrifices, offerings, and observances, but they failed to have a heart for what those things signified. Therefore, they were not at all in compliance with the law. Jesus and His disciples had needs. They met those needs in accordance with the implied allowances of the law. The Pharisees had not done so.   Life application: The problem with people who still demand law observance is the exact problem that Jesus addresses in this verse. They are sticklers about external conduct while not caring about the Lord who came and fulfilled the law for them. This is obviously so because they continue to demand that people do things that are no longer required.   In Israel, the people demanded that external observances be conducted, but they never took the time to consider why those things were to be conducted in the first place. With each passing funeral, they never stopped to consider the words of the law that say –   “You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.” Leviticus 18:5   They might stand around the grave and say, “We will miss Schlimy. He was truly a righteous man.” But this would be untrue. If Schlimy were truly righteous before the law, he would not be plopped into the grave. He would still be alive. The people never considered why Schlimy was dead.   They saw him making sacrifices and doing all the supposedly pious things that the law demanded. And yet, here they were at his graveside complimenting him for his righteously lived life, which was insufficient to keep him from dying.   When Jesus came, He did fulfill the things of the law. He was crucified for the sins of others, and He rose again in a demonstration that He was, in fact, righteous before the law. And yet, the people of Israel collectively rejected this and continued down the same path they had followed since their first national transgression at the foot of Mount Sinai.   Every person, Jew or Gentile, who demands that precepts of the law be fulfilled by us today is following in that same unrighteous path. They are placing shadow over substance while rejecting the work of Jesus, which culminated in the resurrection, the very proof that He is righteous because He is God.   Pay heed. Don't be like Schlimy and others who trust in deeds of the law to make God happy. Instead, trust in the merits of Jesus Christ. Only what He has done can deliver you safely into the wonderful promise of total restoration with God. Through Jesus, we have peace with Him once again.   Lord God, thank You for Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have total restoration with You. Great are You, O God. Amen.

Thursday, 24 July 2025   Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. Matthew 12:6   “And I say to you that the temple – greater, it is here” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus provided the Pharisees with an example from the law concerning the priests profaning the Sabbath. Despite this, they were considered blameless. Now, based on His two examples of David and the priests, He says, “And I say to you that the temple – greater, it is here.   The adjective is neuter. Because of this, it is debated if Christ is speaking of His body as being greater than the temple in Jerusalem or the labors of His disciples as being more important than the labors of the priests at the temple. He referred to His body as a temple in John 2 –   “So the Jews answered and said to Him, ‘What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?' 19 Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.' 20 Then the Jews said, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?' 21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22 Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.” John 2:18-22   The same neuter adjective is used in verses 41 & 42 in comparison to Jonah (based on his proclamation) and Solomon (based on his wisdom).   As for the truth Jesus conveys, in His first example to the Pharisees, David's needs were greater than the rules for the temple. In the second example, the requirement to serve the Lord on the Sabbath was greater than the mandate to observe the Sabbath.   Jesus, claiming that His body is greater than the temple, thus allows the disciples to serve Him on the Sabbath. Further, in serving Him, their needs, like the priests at the temple, also need to be met.   Therefore, if His claim is true, then there has been no infraction. The precedent for the lesser has already been set in Scripture itself. Therefore, the allowance for the greater must be granted.   Life application: In the case of the temple, the superiority of Jesus' body then determines the superiority of the disciples' rights. In the case of Jonah, the superiority of who Jesus is determines that His proclamation is greater. In the case of Solomon, the superiority of Jesus' person determines that His wisdom is greater.   The greatness of Jesus means that what He does and says is greater than each of those things done or said by those He is contrasted with. The temple is the place for serving the Lord. Jonah's proclamation is a transmission of the word of the Lord. Solomon's wisdom was bestowed by the Lord (1 Kings 3:12).   Claiming to be greater than these things is thus an implicit claim to being the Lord. This is an undeniable point. There is no intermediate point between the Lord and any of these things. Therefore, it must be that Jesus is proclaiming He is the Lord from whom those things issue.   There are sects and cults that deny that Jesus is God. A proper evaluation of what Jesus claims and what is stated about Him, however, demonstrates that this view is not in accord with Scripture. In fact, Jesus' words concerning Himself would be the epitome of blasphemy if He were not the Lord.   Even if we don't fully grasp the deity of Jesus, we should accept that it is what the Bible proclaims. Be on the lookout for those who deny it. Jesus' dual nature is the key point upon which Scripture rests. God Himself united with human flesh. If this is not the case, there is no hope for humanity. Trust this fundamental point, believing that it is so.   O God, help us in our times of weakness or misunderstanding concerning the doctrines set forth in Scripture. May we be careful to accept them, even if we do not fully understand them. In time and through study, we can solidify our thinking in them. Until that happens, help us to trust, by faith, the things the Bible clearly proclaims. Amen.

Join Jimmy Jeffcoat in a thought-provoking sermon exploring the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 5:17-20. Delve into the necessity of a righteousness that surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees. Jeffcoat challenges modern Christians to embrace a deeper, more committed faith, highlighting the importance of love, faith, and a heart connection with God. Reflect on the balance between religious tradition and heartfelt devotion as you learn what it truly means to follow Jesus.

The gap between knowing and living, between religious performance and authentic faith—this is where many of us find ourselves today. In this challenging and heartfelt message, Stephen Feith opens a new six-week series with a question that hits close to home: "Have you ever done the right thing for the wrong reasons?"Drawing from Matthew 23, Stephen examines why the Pharisees—people who believed in Scripture, the Messiah, and resurrection—completely missed Jesus when he stood right in front of them. Their failure wasn't a lack of knowledge or even wrong practices; it was that they had substituted the appearance of righteousness for actual transformation.The parallels to our modern spiritual experience are striking. We live in an age saturated with biblical knowledge and spiritual content. We know how to look and sound spiritual. Yet as Stephen powerfully puts it, "We are educated beyond our obedience." We know far more about God than we're willing to live out.Jesus uses startling imagery like whitewashed tombs to illustrate this spiritual danger—appearing beautiful externally while harboring death within. This isn't just about personal hypocrisy; it's about how our focus on appearances rather than transformation can actually contaminate those closest to us.But this message isn't about condemnation. After his strong rebukes, Jesus shifts to a maternal image of longing: "How often I've wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks." His desire isn't to shame us but to free us, not to punish but to gather us in love.Whether you're exploring faith, returning to it, or consider yourself spiritually mature, this message offers a powerful invitation to move beyond spiritual performance to spiritual surrender. Because Jesus didn't die so we could learn the correct answers—he died to give us new hearts.Support the showIf you enjoyed this episode, consider subscribing to Madison Church on your favorite podcast platform. Your feedback means the world to us, so please take a moment to leave a review and share the podcast with your friends and family.For inquiries, suggestions, or collaboration opportunities, please reach out to us at help@madisonchurch.com. For the latest updates and behind-the-scenes content, follow us on social media: Facebook Instagram YouTube New episodes are released every Monday, so mark your calendars and join us weekly! If you'd like to support the show, you can make a donation here. Your generosity helps us continue to bring you meaningful content. This podcast is intended for general informational purposes only. The views expressed by the hosts or guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Madison Church. Any reliance you place on such information is strictly at your own risk. For detailed information regarding our terms of use and privacy policy, please visit our website.Thank you for being part of the Madison Church community! We appreciate your support.

Hello Friends! I love to hear from you! Please send me a text message by clicking on this link! Blessings to You!In this episode, Dr. Jori discusses with her listeners Jesus's question to the Pharisees about why they were angry with Him.Scripture References: John 7:23; John 1:1; John 1:14; John 20:30-31; 1 John 5:13; John 19:25-27; John 7:1-24; John 5:1-19; 2 Corinthians 5:17 Scripture translation used is the Legacy Standard Bible.  “Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.comFIND DR. JORI ON OTHER PLATFORMS https://linktr.ee/drjorishafferCHECK OUT THE DWELL AUDIO BIBLE APP:Click this link for my unique referral code.  I use this frequently. Such a wonderful audio bible app. https://dwellapp.io/aff?ref=jorishafferBIBLE STUDY TOOLS DR. JORI USES:Note: These contain  Amazon affiliate links, meaning I get a commission, at no extra cost to you,  if you decide to make a purchase through my links.Here is a link to some of my favorite bible study tools on Amazon:https://geni.us/cHtrfEMr. Pen Bible Journaling Kitshttps://lvnta.com/lv_PTrHSCogbRim4yhEDnhttps://lvnta.com/lv_mkaMOuGe6m4oHR88uqhttps://lvnta.com/lv_dgvsxOc99t663A628z  JOIN DR. JORI IN DEVOTIONAL JOURNALING IN 2025Check out this 9 min YouTube Video outlining her journaling strategy! Don't Forget to subscribe to the YouTube Channel! https://youtu.be/lqe9TO7RSz4 BOOKS OF BIBLE COLOR CHARTI made this chart as a helpful tool for grouping the collections of books or letters  in the Holy Bible.  The colors in the different sections are the ones that I use in my journals.  Books of Bible Chart (color) (4).pdf - Google Drive    LOOKING TO RETAIN MORE OF WHAT YOUR PASTOR IS TEACHING?              CHECK OUT DR. JORI'S SERMON REFLECTION JOURNALS! Sermon Notes, Reflections and Applications Journal/Notebooks by Dr. Jori. Click the links below to be directed to amazon.com for purchase. Or search “Dr. Jori Shaffer” on Amazon to bring these up.  https://amzn.to/418LfRshttps://amzn.to/41862EyHere is a brief YouTube video that tells about the Journal/Notebooks as well:https://youtu.be/aXpQNYUEzds   Email: awordforthisday@gmail.comPodcast website:  https://awordforthisday.buzzsprout.com  Support the show

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 6:1-8 SHOW NOTES: For encouragement on your spiritual journey, we invite you to visit our ministry website, Discover God's Truth, where you will find additional resources to enrich your Walk with God. We look for lessons and examples from Scripture to guide our walk with God. In the first part of this series, “The Power of Prayer,” we examined many examples from the Old Testament. Now, we turn to the pages of the New Testament. In today's lesson, we will explore Jesus' words in Matthew 6. Jesus warns the disciples about hypocrisy. Yes, we are to live righteous lives, but “Watch out!” “You are the light of the world … let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:14-16). We are to perform good deeds openly in front of a watching world, not for our praise, but to draw attention to our Heavenly Father and give Him glory!"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others." Matthew 6:5Again, “Do not be like the hypocrites.” He references the Pharisees and Sadducees, the two main religious groups. They are obsessed with what others think of them. They seek recognition for their “good and righteous acts.”We pray for the same reasons children talk to their parents. We share concerns. We have a relationship and seek fellowship. We want help when facing tough times and confusing situations in life. Children need the wisdom of a Father and Mother. "Lord, hear my prayer! Listen to my plea! Do not turn away from me in my time of distress. Bend down to listen and answer me quickly when I call to you." Psalm 102:1-2 SONG: "When We Pray" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DJ3NjA9ZjA&list=RD4DJ3NjA9ZjA&start_radio=1

Wednesday, 23 July 2025   Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? Matthew 12:5   “Or not you read in the law that, the Sabbaths, the priests in the temple the Sabbath profane, and they are guiltless?” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus referred to the showbread being given to David though it was intended only for the priests. He now continues with the same general idea as He refutes the claims of the Pharisees, saying, “Or not you read.”   This contains a new word, anaginóskó, to read. It signifies “to know again.” In other words, when one reads, he is reminded of something that he may have forgotten. Thus, in reading, one refreshes his mind concerning what is written down.   In this case, it is something read, “in the law.” The Pharisees claimed Jesus did something unlawful in regard to eating on the Sabbath. He first addressed David's need to eat and how it had a priority that even transcended the intent of the law concerning the showbread.   He now returns to the law to specifically address the Pharisees' main issue with what the disciples (and thus by extension, He as well) were doing. In order to make His case complete, He continues, saying, “that, the Sabbaths.”   The plural is used to refer to the repetitive nature of the appointment, coming each week on the seventh day. On any and all Sabbaths, this point will hold true. His point is that “the priests in the temple the Sabbath profane.”   The profaning of the Sabbath by the priests is found on several occasions in the law. For example, sacrifices were to be presented every day of the week, one of several examples says –   “And on the Sabbath day two lambs in their first year, without blemish, and two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour as a grain offering, mixed with oil, with its drink offering— 10 this is the burnt offering for every Sabbath, besides the regular burnt offering with its drink offering.” Numbers 28:9, 10   The consecration of Aaron and his sons was held over at least one Sabbath as well –   “Thus you shall do to Aaron and his sons, according to all that I have commanded you. Seven days you shall consecrate them.” Exodus 29:35   Despite these things, Jesus says, “and they are guiltless?”   This is a second new word, anaitios. It is derived from the negative particle a (not) and aitios, an adjective signifying “causative.” As such, it signifies one who is not causing guilt. What can be inferred is that if a priest were not on duty, he would be required to observe the Sabbath, but if he was on duty, he would not be so required.   Further, if called to duty on the Sabbath, they would be held guiltless. This is seen in the record of the ill-fated end of the wicked queen Athaliah -   “‘This is what you shall do: One-third of you entering on the Sabbath, of the priests and the Levites, shall be keeping watch over the doors; 5 one-third shall be at the king's house; and one-third at the Gate of the Foundation. All the people shall be in the courts of the house of the Lord. 6 But let no one come into the house of the Lord except the priests and those of the Levites who serve. They may go in, for they are holy; but all the people shall keep the watch of the Lord. 7 And the Levites shall surround the king on all sides, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whoever comes into the house, let him be put to death. You are to be with the king when he comes in and when he goes out.' 8 So the Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And each man took his men who were to be on duty on the Sabbath, with those who were going off duty on the Sabbath; for Jehoiada the priest had not dismissed the divisions.” 2 Chronicles 23:4-8   The law says, “Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death” (Exodus 31:15). Despite this, profaning of the Sabbath by the priests in the course of their duties does not apply. As this is true, like the account with David and the bread, there is a greater standard that takes precedence over mandates of the law.   Life application: The word anaginóskó signifies “to know again.” Why do you suppose the Greek language uses such a word to describe the process of reading? The main reason is obvious. When we see, hear, or experience something, even when reading about it, we will eventually have the matter fade from our minds.   It may be that what we read will get confused with other things we have read, thus incorrect cross connections will result. Considering that the Bible is comprised of sixty-six books that are formed out of one thousand one hundred and eighty-nine chapters, it is a given that we will not be able to remember everything we have read.   But even if one is a savant who could somehow remember everything he read, there is no way he could make all of the necessary connections within the book that exist when attempting to understand how things fit together.   With our fading memories and with our inability to make all the connections we should on the first, fifth, tenth, or fiftieth time through, it becomes obvious why we need to constantly read the Bible. If we want to more fully understand what God is telling us and why, we must read and reread His word.   And because almost nobody is a savant who can remember everything he has ever read, it is a given that our memories will quickly fade concerning the content of the word. By the time we reach Revelation, we have jumbled up or forgotten the vast majority of what the previous sixty-five books have said.   If you want to have a right knowledge and clear remembrance of the word, you must continue to read it, all the days of your life. Please do this.   O God, help us to be responsible as we read Your word, reminding ourselves daily of what it records as we pick it up and read it. If we don't do this, the memory of its contents will fade, and our close connection to You will also begin to fade. May this never be so! May our hearts be constantly geared towards You as we enter into the pages of Your precious word. Amen.

When asked to give a sign to the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus cites the prophet Jonah and calls us to repent of our sins. (Lectionary #395) July 21, 2025 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com  

Today's Topics: 1) Gospel - Matthew 12:1-8 - Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, "See, Your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath." He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry, how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering, which neither he nor his companions but only the priests could lawfully eat? Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests serving in the temple violate the sabbath and are innocent? I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned these innocent men. For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath." Memorial of Saint Camillus de Lellis, Priest Saint Camillus, pray for us! Bishop Sheen quote of the day 2) Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen,'s powerful lecture on the Holy Eucharist 3, 4) What 10 Saints said before going to Heaven https://tfpstudentaction.org/blog/what-these-10-saints-said-before-death-will-inspire-you

Today's Topics: 1) Gospel - Matthew 12:38-42 - Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from You." He said to them in reply, "An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here. At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here." Memorial of Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest and Doctor of the Church Saint Lawrence, pray for us! Bishop Sheen quote of the day 2, 3, 4) Paul List on his book: Mount Doom, The Prophecy of Tolkien Revealed

Gospel Matthew 12:38-42 Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." He said to them in reply, "An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here. At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here.” Reflection Jesus' response to the Pharisees who ask for a sign is an indication of the disposition of the Pharisees. They didn't want to see what God really wanted to show them through Jesus, because it was too frightening to them. Because what Jesus is revealing is the power that he has is the transformation that he can affect within human beings. The transformation, say, of Jonah and that work of Jesus is the greatest of the miracles. Closing Prayer Father, there's a way in which we can expect a miracle in our life, where all of a sudden the thing that we can't do, is given to us the power to accomplish things. It's not that simple. We're not here to be powerful human beings, but to be ministers to one another and to be transformed into service, and not positions of authority. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’ve ever wrestled with how your personal faith connects with the pain and injustice in the world, this episode offers a path forward, not in politics or performance, but in deep spiritual formation. Alan sits down with transformation life coach and ministry leader Brenda Renderos for a tender, honest conversation at the intersection of soul care and justice, especially racial justice. Drawing from her years of experience walking with individuals toward greater wholeness, Brenda shares how a deeply rooted faith can lead to healing, redemptive engagement with our neighbors. Together, they explore: How inner transformation and outward justice are connected Why justice isn’t about guilt or shame but about love and presence What to do when justice work feels overwhelming or exhausting And how to take one Spirit-led step forward at a time This episode invites you to slow down, listen deeply, and consider how Christ might be forming you for justice that flows from the heart. Brenda’s Invitations to Dig Deeper: The prophets call out religious devotion that ignores justice (Isaiah 58, Amos 5). Jesus admonished the Pharisees for tithing religiously but neglecting 'justice, mercy, and faithfulness' (Matthew 23:23). Is my spiritual life making me more just? And is my work for justice making me more Christlike? What is shaping my view of justice? Am I looking at it through a cultural lens, a political lens, or a biblical lens? A great way to begin is by simply sitting with scripture. Read passages like Isaiah 1:17, Micah 6:8, or Luke 4:18-19, and ask: What does God say about justice? What does this reveal about his heart? What is his invitation for me in this season? What is one small way I can stay engaged this week, even if it feels slow? And trust that even the small things matter in God's bigger story. ______________________________________________________ Connect with Gem on Instagram and learn more on the Unhurried Living website and her new book, Hold That Thought: Sorting Through the Voices in Our Heads Learn about PACE: Certificate in Leadership and Soul Care Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

When I lived in the New York area, I occasionally spoke for the New York Giants, and the New York Jets, and the Yankees, and the Mets, and some of their visiting teams. Now, when people heard about that, guess what their first question usually was? Well, of course, they said, "Ron, what scripture verse did you speak on?" No! What they asked was, "Who was there? Who did you meet?" And they wanted to hear who attended and who I got to shake hands with. People got excited because I had been with some star they knew about. But much more frequently than those events, I've had the opportunity to be with some real VIPs, some real very important people. But you probably wouldn't recognize their names. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Why the Little People Are the Big People." Ok, here comes our word for today from the Word of God. It's in the 10th chapter of the gospel of Mark. "Some Pharisees came and tested Jesus by asking, 'Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?'" That's in verse 2, and this ongoing conversation continues with these very important people from Jerusalem. In the middle of all of that in verse 13 it says, "People were bringing little children to Jesus to have Him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them." I think in the Greek it says, "Go away, kid!" Well, "When Jesus saw this, He was indignant. He said to them, 'Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.' He took the children in His arms, put His hands on them and blessed them." Okay, here's the scene. Jesus is with the power brokers from Jerusalem, and then He's with these little kids crawling all over His lap. The question: when was Jesus with the VIPs? Not the big shots; not the power brokers. Oh, He was with the VIPs, He said, when He was with the children. The disciples got it wrong. Maybe they were running the nursery that day. Listen, have you ever been in the nursery when the pastor preached too long and the kids are going crazy? Well, the disciples are saying, "No, no, He's with important people now." Jesus said, "Uh-uh, these are the important people." You know, we have a tendency to really curry favor with the powerful, to oblige the rich, to try to get close to the stars in whatever our constellation is, whether it's business, or school, or church. But what Jesus models here is what I would call a VIP inversion. He says, "The little people are the big people to Him: children, the homeless, the hurting, the powerless, the misfit, the lonely, the excluded." Jesus gives prime time to those who can give Him nothing. He focuses on those who have no votes, no money, no favors to give. This must be a pretty important account, because it's recorded in three of the gospels. And we are told here that Jesus was indignant when the disciples made this values error. So, who do you think the VIPs are in your world? Well, if you see what Jesus sees, you'll know it's the little people. You'll know that you're becoming like Jesus when you start to lose your fascination with people who are powerful, or those who can do something for you. You're becoming like Jesus when you feel yourself wanting to be with the people He thinks are important, not the ones the world says are important. The ones the world sees as powerless and unimportant. See, when you get close to a little person, just ask Jesus, you are getting close to a real VIP.

Read OnlineAt the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here.” Matthew 12:42In this passage, Jesus refers to the Queen of Sheba who traveled about 1,400 miles from Southern Arabia, which was most likely located in either modern-day Yemen or Ethiopia, to meet King Solomon. The queen had heard much about Solomon, about his wealth and wisdom, and wanted to find out if all that she heard was true. So she made the long journey and stayed with him for about six months, according to tradition. After spending time with him, she was greatly impressed and bestowed upon him gifts of gold, spices and precious stones. She said to him, “I did not believe the report until I came and saw with my own eyes that not even the half had been told me. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report I heard” (1Kings 10:7).This foreign queen was deeply impressed with Solomon. Her journey, gifts and words illustrate her deep respect for him and her admiration. Jesus uses this story to illustrate the simple fact that Jesus Himself is much greater than Solomon and that He should be treated in a way that far surpasses the way the queen treated Solomon. But Jesus also makes it clear that, at the Final Judgment, this queen will rise and condemn the scribes and Pharisees because they failed to see the wisdom and kingship of Jesus. Instead, they came to Jesus, seeking signs and proof of Who He was.In our own lives, the witness of the Queen of Sheba should be a source of true inspiration. She was someone who was powerful and wealthy herself, and yet she wanted to learn from Solomon and to benefit from his great wisdom which was given him by God. She should inspire us to do all we can to daily turn to our Lord and to seek His wisdom.Jesus's wisdom flows to us in many ways. The Gospels are especially important as a source of the most important lessons for life. Personal prayer, reading about the lives of the saints, and study of the teachings of our Church are also essential ways in which we receive the wisdom given to us by God. As you think about the many ways that are available to you to grow in the wisdom of God, try to use the Queen of Sheba as an inspiration. Do you have her same zeal? Are you willing to devote much time and effort to the pursuit of holy learning? Do you desire to journey to Jesus in the way that she desired to journey to Solomon?One of the greatest hindrances to this pursuit of holy wisdom is sloth, or laziness. It is becoming increasingly easy to engage our minds in mindless pursuits. Many people can easily spend many hours in front of the television, computer or mobile devices and waste precious time and energy. Zeal for God and the pursuit of the many truths of faith must become the cure for sloth in our lives. We must want to know. And we must do all we can to increase that holy desire within us. Reflect, today, upon the long journey made by this queen in pursuit of the wisdom of Solomon. As you do, examine whether you exhibit the same zeal that she had and how devoted you are to the pursuit of the wisdom of God. Where you are lacking, let her witness inspire you. Jesus is infinitely greater and wiser than Solomon, and we have been given full access to Him through prayer and holy learning. If you will make that holy journey to our Lord, with much determination, then unlike the scribes and Pharisees, your day of judgment will be a glorious one. My Lord of all Wisdom, You are infinitely greater than the wisest of kings and more glorious than anything I can imagine. Please fill me with zeal, dear Lord, so that I will fervently pursue You and daily journey to You. Please guide my prayer and my study so that Your wisdom and Your very Self will be bestowed upon me. Jesus, I trust in You.Image: Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, 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.