Podcasts about Pharisees

Send us a textGood morning! Thank you for taking a few minutes to listen. If you are interested in the Daily Bible Devotional, you can find it at the links below:Amazon - (paperback, hardcover, and Kindle)Spiritbuilding.com - (premium quality paperback)Youtube Video Introducing the ContentFeel free to reach out with any questions: emersonk78@me.comActs 26 Paul defends himself before King Agrippa by recalling his life, his conversion to Christ, and his mission for God. He begins with his strict upbringing as a Pharisee and his zealous persecution of Christians. Paul then describes his dramatic encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, where he was blinded and chosen to become a witness to both Jews and Gentiles. He explains how Jesus commissioned him to open the eyes of others, converting them from darkness to light and from Satan to God. Paul's message from Jesus emphasizes the forgiveness of sins for those who repent and turn to God. Festus interrupts, accusing Paul of madness, but Paul remains composed and appeals to Agrippa's understanding of the prophets. Agrippa is impressed but chooses not to respond to the gospel.  Paul's defense starts with a recounting of his past before Christ redirected him. This illustrates his humility, as he acknowledges that he believed he knew what was right but was mistaken and needed to repent. We should share aspects of our journey before coming to Christ when possible. This is a wonderful way to give all glory to the grace of Christ, who redirects and redeems us. Paul further explains that Jesus has given him a mission, which is why he risks his life and remains tireless in his teaching. Like Paul, we should be honest and bold about our mission of service to Christ, living with integrity, and challenging others with scripture in a wise and hopeful manner.  Great God of kindness and grace, thank You for bringing us through our sinful past and to a place of hope and faith. Please help us to always give glory to You for who we are in Christ Jesus. Open doors today to share our story with others, to praise the name of Jesus, and invite others to repent and turn to the Lord so that times of refreshing will come. Will You please soften the hearts of people like Agrippa, who are so close to committing their lives to Christ? How can we help? Use us for Your redemptive work today. Thought Questions: -       How was God patient with you in the years before you became a Christian? Is that a story that can help someone believe in God's grace? -       Do you believe God has a mission for your life? From what you know today, what is that mission? Are you passionately engaged in it? -       Agrippa was almost persuaded, but something held him back. Who can you pray for today who has that mindset and needs encouragement?

Gospel Matthew 5:20-26 Jesus said to his disciples: "I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven. "You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.” Reflection One of the ways in which I love to talk about the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, is that it is a kind of resonance, a kind of energy that flows out of us. And nothing is more clear in terms of the intention of Jesus that we enter into a kingdom called the kingdom of understanding and compassion and forgiveness. That we recognize one another as partners in this work, and that we all fail. And how wrong it is to start picking at each other and blaming each other for mistakes that are made and not understanding we all share the same human nature and the same struggles. Why call a brother a fool when all of us are at times foolish? Closing Prayer Father, you tell us over and over again that you can awaken in us an intention. And it overrides the common experience we have with one another when we are critical and judgmental and demeaning to one another because of weaknesses. Just give us the strength we need to be more honest and more real. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thinking eternally- Many of the Pharisees were consumed with following every part of the law because of the fear of man. They were not thinking about the eternal consequences of their actions. Jesus challenged that thinking by telling the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.

Reading Luke 14:12-24 where Jesus, still as a guest in the house of a Pharisee, tells them a parable about a great banquet at which the most unexpected people will be invited. Visit wwutt.com for all our videos!

Even wind, waves, and rocks obey the Lord! -------- Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible.     Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org   Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

Divine love from above affected a woman with compassion and a Pharisee that needed compassion. This is part two of a study from Luke 7.

This week we continue with Mark Chapter 13. We find ourselves right in the middle of Holy week. Jesus has made his way to Jerusalem for the Passover and has been spending the days leading up to the feast speaking in the temple being challenged by Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians and an many others trying to get him to slip up so that they can arrest him. Now as he and his disciples make their way out of the city, Jesus takes the opportunity in private to reveal to his followers things that are yet to come.

Send us a textGood morning! Thank you for taking a few minutes to listen. If you are interested in the Daily Bible Devotional, you can find it at the links below:Amazon - (paperback, hardcover, and Kindle)Spiritbuilding.com - (premium quality paperback)Youtube Video Introducing the ContentFeel free to reach out with any questions: emersonk78@me.comActs 23 Paul defends himself before the Jewish Council after his arrest. He proclaims his clear conscience and sparks a dispute between the Pharisees and Sadducees when he mentions his belief in the resurrection. The argument escalates, leading Roman soldiers to remove Paul for his safety. That night, the Lord appears to Paul, encouraging him to take heart and assuring him that he will testify in Rome. Meanwhile, a group of over forty Jews plot to kill him, vowing to fast until they succeed. Paul's nephew learns of the scheme and informs the Roman commander, who arranges for Paul to be escorted to Caesarea under heavy guard. This chapter emphasizes God's protection, His sovereign plan for Paul, and the courage required to stand for the gospel in the face of opposition.  God's sovereign power and protection are ever-present, even in the face of faithless opposition. Trusting in God's presence is crucial for standing up for the truth about Jesus. Just as Paul faced the Council, even religious people and parties can be aggressive and threatening. But the resurrection of the dead transforms us, offering hope and promises that transcend this world. While Paul's journey was not always pleasant, the challenges he faced led him to share Jesus with unexpected people, such as Felix, the Governor. We should seek ways to discern how God is guiding us into new environments and unplanned places, creating significant opportunities to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and the impact He has on our lives.  Wonderful Father, thank You for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. His victory over death has completely transformed our lives, hopes, and purpose. We live for eternal life, which guides everything we do. Help us to live by faith and maintain a good conscience in all our actions. We have so much to learn, but You call us to live with conviction to the best of our knowledge and ability. Use us to demonstrate the peace that comes from giving our hearts to You. Lead us to new and necessary places where we can testify to the love of Christ.  Thought Questions: -       What does it mean to live with a good conscience? How important is it to continue shaping your conscience with the word of God? -       Has God protected and spared you at times in your life? For what spiritual purpose has God preserved you up to this present time? -       The plot of the forty men failed. Do you believe God stops evil plans as He wills? How does that belief seed peace within your heart?

Reading Luke 14:1-11 when Jesus visits a Pharisees home and heals a man on the Sabbath, then He teaches the guests a lesson in humility, before God and others. Visit wwutt.com for all our videos!

The Gate | June 8, 2025Pastor Wes Morris John 10:1-10 (NIV) Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them.I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.✓ OFTENTIMES WE CONFUSE GOD'S PROTECTION WITH RESTRICTION.  ✓ WE LIKE THE IDEA OF CONTROL MORE THAN THE POWER OF SURRENDER. ✓ WE ALLOW GATES FROM OUR PAST TO REMAIN OPEN. I Peter 5:8 (NLT) Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. John 10:10 (NIV) The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. THE GATE I. KNOW HIS VOICE.John 10:3-4 (MSG) The shepherd walks right up to the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice.Isaiah 43:1 (NLT) Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.John 20:14-16 (NIV) She turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”Jesus said to her, “Mary.”She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” II. TRUST HIS PROTECTION.Psalm 91:1-2 (NLT) Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.Psalm 23:4 (GNT) Even if I go through the deepest darkness, I will not be afraid, Lord, for you are with me. Your shepherd's rod and staff protect me. III. WALK IN HIS FREEDOM.John 10:9 (NIV) I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. Proverbs 18:10 (NIV) The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

Reading Luke 13:31-35 where some Pharisees confront Jesus with a threat from Herod, and Jesus expresses that He cannot be stopped but will accomplish what He came to do. Visit wwutt.com for all our videos!

In this kickoff episode of the Galatians Challenge for Mormons, we dive into chapter 1 of Paul's letter to the Galatians—a bold defense of the one true gospel. Paul says even if an angel preaches another message, let him be cursed. Sound familiar? We explore the striking parallels between Paul's warning and Joseph Smith's claims about receiving the “fullness of the gospel” from the angel Moroni.We also examine Paul's background as a Pharisee, how the early church responded to his conversion, and why that response stands in stark contrast to Joseph Smith's rejection of all existing churches. This episode challenges listeners to consider: Are you following the gospel revealed by Jesus—or a different one?

Many expected the Messiah to come as an all-conquering king, yet Jesus came eating and drinking. Throughout the gospel, he was always going to, at, or coming from, a meal, and would even eat together with sinners and tax collectors. This highlights a critical part of Jesus's ministry, that of fellowship, or “koinonia” in Greek. By spending time with people, he allowed them to feel a sense of attachment and belonging, which is a far more powerful and genuine motivator than threat or force. Similarly, we should also embrace fellowship, and through "koinonia" bring light to the darkness in people's lives. --- Scripture: Luke 5: 27-33 Jesus Calls Levi and Eats With Sinners 27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, 28 and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. 29 Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. 30 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Jesus Questioned About Fasting 33 They said to him, “John's disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.” Luke 7:33-35 33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.' 34 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' 35 But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”

Jesus is not interested in outward performative actions. This is the righteousness of the Pharisees, but has little to do with the kingdom of God. Instead Jesus calls his people to a much deeper, more fundamental level of heart righteousness. Lust is the root cause of adultery, and it has no place in those who take their inclusion in the kingdom of God seriously. At its heart, lust is a misdirected, misaligned, corrupted desire. When desire rules us, as opposed to us it, we degrade the image of God in other people, and in turn ourselves. Instead Jesus calls us to redirect our desire, a holy gift from God, to where it is supposed to point: firstly to Him, and then appropriately and with godly boundaries to other people, in whom we see the image of God. This is where freedom from being bullied by our desire lies. Jesus is looking for men and women He can trust, so that He can empower them to do whatever they want, knowing that whatever they want is whatever He wants. By Ed Flint

Title: Practicing the Way — The Practice of Sabbath & RestMain Texts: Genesis 1:1, 31; Genesis 2:1–3; Mark 2:23–28Big Idea: True rest isn't just about taking time off—it's about transforming both how we work and how we rest by aligning with God's rhythm for life.Key Points:God's Rhythm of CreationGenesis 1:1 — God worked.Genesis 2:1–3 — And then God rested—not because He was tired, but because He was satisfied.Rest is holy. The very first thing God called “holy” was time, not a place or person.If God rests, who are we to think rest is for the weak or lazy? It's a part of the divine pattern.We Live in a Hustle CultureIn today's culture, busy is worn as a badge of honor.But endless busyness produces burnout, anxiety, and disconnection from self, others, and God.A connected soul, a family at peace—these are far more impressive than flashy schedules or name brands.Rest Is More Than Time OffMany think “I just need a vacation”—but no amount of time off will heal you if you don't change how you spend your time on.Sabbath is an intentional rhythm of work and rest:Work like God works.Rest like God rests.Two Modern Enemies of RestBurnoutSome are addicted to hustle and performance.Jobs, money, and accolades become identity. This is a recipe for collapse.Others are addicted to mindless “breaks” that actually exhaust them—social media, screens, shallow entertainment.Constant screen time keeps the body in fight-or-flight, blocking true rest and recovery.How do you get your dopamine? If the answer is screens and noise, you aren't truly resting.The Sabbath Was Made for YouMark 2:27 — “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”The Pharisees overcomplicated the Sabbath. Our culture ignores it entirely.The solution is neither legalism nor neglect—it's joyful practice.Sabbath should be a gift, not a guilt trip.Practical InvitationSabbath isn't about strict rules—start simple:Shut down the phone.Disconnect from “work” for a full day.Engage in life-giving relationships, hobbies, meals, and worship.Practice what it looks like for your soul to say: God is enough. I can stop.Final Challenge:Fasting trains us to say “no.” Sabbath trains us to say “enough.”Start where you are. You won't master rest overnight—but embracing Sabbath as a rhythm will realign your heart with God's design for your life.

Send us a textIn this episode, Pastor Dom teaches on the the impact of Jesus' tomb and how it relates to communion. Luke 23:48-5148 And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done, beat their breasts and returned. 49 But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things. 50 Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man. 51 He had not consented to their decision and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God.Luke 23:53 Then he took it down,…Luke 23:54-5554 That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near. 55 And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils and they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.Matthew 27:5757 Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. Matthew 27:6060 and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock;…Matthew 27:60…and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.Matthew 27:6262 The next day, on the Sabbath, the leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate.Luke 11:99 “…seek, and you will find;…John 19:38-4138 …Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus;… 39 And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. 40 Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. 41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden,…John 19:38…and Pilate gave him permission….Isaiah 52:1414 Just as there were many who were appalled at him his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness,John 3:1-1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.' Matthew 23:2727 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.Matthew 27:63-6663 saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.' 64 Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.' So the last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.Mark 16:1-31 Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother o

Introduction: Leviticus 19:18 – You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. Leviticus 19:34 – You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. I Love My Enemies... (Matthew 5:43–48) ...because of WHO I AM. (Matt 5:45a) ...by WHAT I DO. (Matt 5:45b) ...because I Am CALLED TO BE DIFFERENT. (Matt 5:46–47) Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Small Group DiscussionRead Matthew 5:43-48What was your big take-away from this passage / message?What does it mean to be persecuted? When Jesus said we must pray for those who persecute us, what / how exactly should we pray?Can you genuinely love your enemy if you don't really feel like it? Why or why not?Explain Romans 12:20. How exactly does loving your enemy lead him to repentance? See also Romans 2:4.What did Jesus mean in verse 48 when He said we “must be perfect”?BreakoutPray for one another. AUDIO TRANSCRIPT Open up those Bibles to Matthew chapter 5.As we go through our series, the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew chapter 5 verse 43, Jesussaid, "You have heard that it was said."Stop there for a second.This whole section that we're in right now, if you've been following this series at all,I'm sure you've noticed that that has come up.What is it like?Six total times pastor?Like, "You have heard that it was said, but I say to you."What Jesus is dealing with here is correcting some garbage beliefs.And I've shared with you before, that's my biggest concern for this church is the areaof discernment.We live in a day that there is so much bad teaching out there.And thanks to the Internet, we have access, right?And look, I'm not saying it's all bad, but I'm saying probably for every good teachingyou can find online, you can probably find ten other garbage teaching online.And my concern for the church is people not knowing the difference.And it gets back to what did Jesus actually say?It's the issue that He was dealing with in His day, lack of discernment.Last week we saw Jesus said, "You've heard that it was said, and I for an eye."And Jesus said, "No, no, no, no, no, no."Jesus, as I say to you, I'm paraphrasing, He says, "Do not retaliate."You can walk away from last week's message and say, "Got it.Don't retaliate."So I'm just going to ignore the people that I can't stand.Well, let's keep reading.Verse 43, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate yourenemy.'But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."Oh, no, no, don't ignore your enemies.You have to look for ways to be good to them.You're like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.You're saying that I not only don't get to get even with them, but I have to proactivelylove them?Yeah, that's what He said.All right?It's a hard word.So I think we should just stop and pray right now, shouldn't we?I'm going to ask that you would pray for me to be faithful to communicate God's word,accurately and clearly, and I will pray for you to have a heart open to receive what ourLord is teaching us in this part of His Sermon.All right?So let's pray.Father in heaven, as we go through this sermon from our Lord, it's just wave after wave ofthings that really confront our selfish, sinful, fleshly tendencies.And I don't know of one that's bigger than this one.I'm asking, please God, please, by the power of Your Word, Father, by the power of YourSpirit that You would change our minds today, Father, change our hearts and that we wouldn'tjust leave here knowing some things, but we leave here deeply convicted and moved to dosome things.For Your glory and honor, Father.We pray in Jesus' name.And all of God's people said, Amen.All right, let's break this down here.Jesus says in verse 43, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighborand hate your enemy.'"You have heard.You have heard.That's what we've seen in this series.The scribes and the Pharisees in Jesus' day did what's still happening today.They twist verses in the Word of God to justify whatever it is they want to justify.For them, Jesus called them out.They were justifying their lust.They were justifying their hatred.They were justifying their getting even with people.He calls them out again.You've heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy."That's what the scribes and the Pharisees said.And you're like, "Well, was that in the Old Testament?"Well, the first part was, kind of.Here's what I mean.Here's what's actually in the Scripture.Leviticus 19-18.Look at this."You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but youshall love your neighbor as yourself.I am the Lord."So you see, with the way that they sort of restated that, they ran into four problems.Four problems.The first problem is the scribes and the Pharisees left out the "as yourself" part.Did you notice that?Well, I love my neighbor, but as myself, that's a bit too much.Let's keep it vague.Because if we keep love vague, then whatever we do, we can just say it was love, right?So keep it vague.God never kept it vague.That was their first problem.Second problem is the scribes and the Pharisees redefined neighbor.And their definition of neighbor was, "Those I choose to love."That was their definition.So do you realize...the reason I'm laughing is, do you realize what that made the command?God's command is, "Love those you choose to love."That's convenient.Third problem, the scribes and the Pharisees totally added the "hate your enemy" part,right?Totally added that.You're not going to find that anywhere in the Old Testament.My vague love is for my Jewish neighbors.What about the foreigners?Hate them.And that leads us actually to the fourth problem.Because that whole love your neighbor as yourself, that was in Leviticus 19, 18.But if you go down a few verses to verse 34, it says, "You shall treat the stranger whosojourns with you as the native among you.And you shall love him as yourself."For you are strangers in the land of Egypt.I am the Lord your God.See the scribes and the Pharisees, they thought that they were honoring God by hating foreigners.And we get asked this question a lot."Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait."In the Old Testament, didn't God tell the Israelites to exterminate the nations thatwere living in the Promised Land?And don't we have all these imprecatory psalms?Like what's up with that, huh?Well, it's like the eye for an eye thing that we talked about last week.The scribes and the Pharisees took a thing that was designed for Israel as a nation andthey turned it into a personal thing.So the whole exterminate the enemies in the Promised Land.Yeah, absolutely.Israel's wars weren't personal vendettas.They were commanded by God to wipe out those nations because those nations did horriblethings.And God says, "You are not going to pollute my nation Israel."So Israel, you're going to wipe them out.And if you have a hard time with that, I would just like to lovingly remind you that Godis allowed to make those calls because vengeance belongs to Him.Okay?And God's whole purpose in that was to protect Israel as a nation in that land.That's why when you turn to your New Testament, you don't see any imprecatory language inthe New Testament.It's for Israel.And individually, we're talking about personally now, what about the people that hate me?What about the people that are my enemies?Love them.Love them.Look at verse 44, Jesus says, "But I say to you," pretty clear, isn't it?Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.You see the whole loving your neighbor command includes everyone around you, including yourenemy.Now breaking this down, when He talks about enemy, He's talking about your personal enemy.Okay?It's not this collective group idea.It's somebody who personally hates me.And Jesus says our response is to love them.That's the word agape.That is the highest form of love.That's self-sacrificing love.That's the kind of love that we should have for our enemy.And the verb tense here is constant.It's continually.You need to continually love your enemies.And you're like, well, who is my enemy?Who is it that hates you?Who is it that you know that if you tried to call them, they wouldn't answer the phone?If you sent them a text, they wouldn't reply.Or vice versa?Who is it that has been slandering you, making accusations against you?Jesus says we not only love our enemies, but you notice He ratchets it up even more whenHe says pray for those who persecute you.Those who persecute you.Those are your worst enemies.Where Jesus is speaking about your enemies who they don't just hate you.They actively hate you.These are the people that make an effort to show you how much they hate you.And as we've been going through the Sermon on the Mount, we see that a true believerin Jesus Christ is someone who is defined by the Beatitudes.And if you were here for the Beatitudes here, do you remember what the last one was?The highest rung on the ladder of following Jesus Christ is when we're persecuted.And here's the part where we stop and ask, are we persecuted?Are we really persecuted?Because here's the thing.I think for a lot of us our knee-jerk reaction to that would be I'm not persecuted, but thereality is you probably are.But you just haven't realized it.Here's what I mean by that.Here's what I mean.Persecute doesn't just mean somebody physically attacks you.Somebody murders you.Somebody gets you arrested, thrown in jail.Yes, that is persecution, but those are the most graphic manifestations of persecution.The word "persecute" literally means to pursue.That's what it means.And listen, listen to this.Persecute means somebody is chasing after you to constantly criticize and condemn you.So I imagine most of you are being persecuted right now according to the true definitionof persecution.Think about it this way.Was Jesus persecuted?If you're like, "Oh yeah, when He was crucified."Of course!But He was persecuted His entire ministry because what were they constantly doing?The proper definition.They were constantly - read the Gospels.They were constantly pursuing Jesus.They were - how would we say it?They were out to get Him.That's what persecution means.I mean, read your Gospels.They were constantly looking to criticize Jesus and assaulting Jesus, accusing Jesus."You did this in the Sabbath and you shouldn't be doing healing this way and your disciplesdidn't wash your hands and what's up with the fasting?"They were constantly, constantly, constantly after Him.That's what persecution means.And if you really follow Jesus, you have people pursuing you in that way too.Don't shout out any names.But do you have somebody at your workplace, for example, that's always watching you,always looking to get their little remarks in, get their little digs in,always looking to criticize anything you say or anything you do.That's persecution according to the proper definition.They're pursuing you.Maybe you have that family member.Never approves of a thing you do.The bum just can't do anything right and they're always vocal about it.Getting their little shots in, their little passive aggressive comments, they're alwaysout to get you.That's persecution.Maybe it's on social media.You know anything you post.You know that person is going to show up with their snarky little comment.That's pursuing.That's persecution.Jesus says we need to pray for the people to do that to us.The people that are out to get you.Jesus said pray for them.So when was the last time you did that?I don't know about you but I have a list of people that I regularly pray for.When was the last time that you loved your enemy?And you're like, why in the world would I do that?Well let's keep reading.Jesus says in verse 45, "So that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven."Why would you love your enemy?Why would you pray for people that are constantly out to get you?It's not because of who they are.It's because of who you are.That's the sermon that our Lord gives.That you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.It's not because of who they are.It's because of who you are.We just confess that so much of our lives, our attitudes, our moods are determined byother people, good or bad.People have a way of just like governing our lives.Here's what I mean.Your service, you go over to a giant eagle and you run into an old friend that you haven'tseen in years."Oh, that puts you in a good mood.Oh, it was so great catching up."That's going to put you in a good mood for the rest of the day, right?Or somebody makes a really jerky comment to you at work intentionally wanting to getunder your skin.Then that's just like wreck your day and you're in a bad mood for days over one jerky comment.And I would bet if you had a bad day last week, if you could point to a day last weekor like, "Oh, that was a bad day," I would be willing to bet that it had something todo with people.You're laughing because it's true.And Jesus here is saying, "My people don't react to people.My people act according to the Word of God."So let's unpack this for a few moments, shall we?When you're outlining, I want you to jot some things down.I love my enemies.Can you say that?You're like, "Not now."You will in a few minutes.I love my enemies.Number one, we already touched on this.We're going to drill a little deeper here.Number one, I love my enemies because of who I am.Look at this again.This is Jesus' whole rationale.Why would I love my enemies, Jesus?Lord, why would I pray for the people that are constantly out to get me?So that You may be sons of Your Father who is in heaven.This is where Jesus starts Your identity.You love Your enemies not because of who they are, but because of who You are.Jesus is in essence saying, "You love Your enemies because..."It's a family tradition in our family.You have family traditions.You have family traditions.You know what I mean?Every family has on brand things that they do, right?Like some families, they're like, "We're campers.We go camping."Yes, we have a house, but for a while we like to pretend that we don't.That's just what we do in our family.We live in a canvas enclosure in the wildlife.Okay, but that's your family thing.For some families, it's like, "We're beach people.We love the beach."Our family loves the beach.We love the beach.That's our family thing, right?Some families are sports families like, "Oh, we're baseball.We're a baseball family.We love the box and we're on the church softball team."And we're like, "We love baseball."Every family's got their thing, right?I mean, I remember growing up, our family.Our family had our thing.I remember when we were teenagers, Aaron actually came over to our house for Thanksgiving.And they had the stuffing out and the turkey and all the dressing and all that stuff.And I just remember our family was passing around the table a bag of funyons.And I just remember Aaron sitting there going, she looked like she saw a ghost.I'm like, "What's the matter?"She goes, "Why are you passing around a bag of funyons?It's Thanksgiving."And I'm just like, "What's Thanksgiving without funyons?"Like, "We're not the weird ones here."And then I got older and realized that we were.Every family's got their thing.That's what Jesus is saying here.Like, "Hey, hey, hey, we're in God's family."He said, "You know what we do in God's family?Do you know what we do?We love like God."And God loves His enemies.You're like, "Who are God's enemies?"Everyone.Do you realize that?Literally every single person on the planet is an enemy of God until they are reconciledto God in Jesus Christ.That's what Paul said in Romans 5, right?"If while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son."See that's the glorious reality of the gospel of Jesus Christ.When you receive Jesus Christ by faith, when you believe that He died to take away yoursin, when you believe that He rose from the dead to give you eternal life, when you turnfrom your sin and receive Him, God changes you from an enemy of God to a child of God.And now we are a child still living among enemies of God, child of God.Ephesians 4, spilling over to Ephesians 5, says, "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted,forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you.Therefore be imitators of God as beloved children."This is what we do in our family.We love like God.And as His children, we imitate our dad.Do you ever notice that kids love to imitate?Do you ever notice that?Kids loved to imitate adults.It was made painfully aware to me, oh, many, many years ago, a couple decades ago at thispoint we had foster kids.Before we had any of our own kids, we had foster kids.And I remember, one little boy, he was five years old, his name was Walter, and we'd beplaying the PlayStation.We were sitting there, playing the PlayStation, and look, I was a perfect gamer back in theday.But sometimes the stupid game would glitch or something, and my guy would get killed.And when that happened, I remember I'd put the controller down, and I'd be like, "Oh,for Pete's sake!"Well Walter would be playing video games with me, and I remember he'd be playing a videogame, and he'd just randomly throw his controller down and go, "Your pee stinks!"Like no, no, no, no, no, no.No, it's for Pete's sake.But he was...It never clicked with him.He was constantly commenting on the smell of urine.Your pee stinks.Why did he do that?He was just imitating me.Right?Kids love to do that.And as a child of God, we naturally, we supernaturally want to imitate him.So when that guy at work is constantly out to get you, and you love him, and you repayhis nastiness with kindness, and then somebody else comes in and says, "Well, what are youdoing?You love that guy?That guy's a real jerk to you!"And your response says, "Yeah, I get that from my dad."You see, I see people as dad-season.Lost.Blind.Slave to sin.Heading to hell.You know what my heavenly dad taught me?He taught me that I don't need to retaliate.And my heavenly father taught me I don't need to ignore them.My heavenly father taught me that people like that need compassion.And I know right now somebody's thinking, "Yeah, I love your enemies.I see it.I hear it.Pastor Jeff, you don't know what this person said to me.You don't know the horrible things that they said to my face.You don't know the horrible things they said behind my back.Pastor Jeff, you don't know this person for years has been just out to get me."Look.You're right.They don't deserve it.You're right.They've been miserable.But you, you love them not because of who they are, but because of who you are.You're a child of God.And your heavenly father, he loves his enemies.Right?So I love my enemies because of who I am.Secondly, number two, write this one down.I love my enemies by what I do.I love my enemies by what I do.And you might be sitting here going, "Ah, yeah, this love your enemy thing.I ain't feeling it.I ain't feeling it."And I would say, "That's okay.You don't have to feel it."But you do have to do it.Because look, when the Bible talks about love, agape love, it's not an emotion.Listen, you don't have to like them.But you do have to love them.And biblically, love is an action.Here's what I mean.Love is an action.First, John 5.3 says, "For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments."Jesus said the same thing.What is it?John 14, 15.Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."John 15, Jesus said, "Abiding in Him is keeping His commandments."Notice the Bible never calls us to stir up some kind of emotion.Loving God is a choice.And yes, we worship God with our emotions in song and worship, yes, but that is thefruit of a choice to love God.The proof that you love God isn't based on your feelings.The proof that you love God according to our Lord is based on your actions.And listen, church, love works the same way with your enemies.You are not called to love your enemies by conjuring up gushy feelings.You're called to love them by your actions.You're called to love them by actively blessing them.Why?Because that's what God does.Look at verse 45, the rest of it.He says, "For He makes His Son rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on thejust and on the unjust."God is so kind to sinners.Did you ever stop and think about that?Have you ever stopped to just marvel at the glorious truth that somebody can live theirentire life and completely ignore God?And they can still have a pretty good life on the earth.Isn't that astounding?Isn't it amazing that somebody can live their entire life hating God, speaking against God,speaking against God's people, speaking against God's truth.They can live their whole life and do that, and they can still have a good life on theearth.In God's kindness, He still lets them have sun and rain and a million other good things.You can hate God, still have food and friends and laughter and family and health.And yeah, the heart hearted may refuse to be thankful or acknowledge this, but regardless,God does it anyways.God's kindness says little about them, but it says much about Him.And Jesus says, "Take note, children of God, you show love for your enemies by what youdo for them.You show love for enemies by actively seeking their good."Like, well, what does that look like, Pastor Jeff?What does that look like?Okay, so you've got a nasty, older family member who's always hated you.Go do your yard work.You got a jerk co-worker always looking to get their little shots in on you?Look for ways to sincerely and genuinely compliment their work.You got a nasty neighbor?Find out what they like and treat them.Hey, I saw your garden, and the other day I was at the store and I saw that there wasthis magazine about gardening, and I picked it up for you.I thought you might be interested.I don't know.Just get on your face and ask God to show you how you can show kindness to your enemy.Romans 12.20, Paul quotes from Proverbs 25.He says if your enemy is hungry, feed them.If he is thirsty, give him something to drink.For by so doing, you will heat burning coals on his head.When I was a young Christian, when I read this, I had this idea that if you do goodto people that aren't good to you, like if you meet their needs, they're going to havethis like mini Sodom and Gomorrah experience on their head.Like I'm going to be nice to you, and it's going to rain lava on your head.I'm burning!Like that will show them.And then I learned that that's not what that means at all.It was actually an Egyptian symbol that they would put hot coals in an insulated pot andcarried around on their head.It was a sign of repentance.See, Israel had the sackcloth and ashes.Israel had the pot of coals on their head.And that's what God's Word is driving us to.Because no one's ever been one to Jesus because a Christian matched their pettiness.No one's ever been one to Jesus because a Christian just flat-out ignored them.It's kindness that leads to repentance according to Romans 2-4.Show love to them.Actively show love to them.Why would I do that?Because it's not about who they are.It's about who you are.And one more.I love my enemies because of who I am by what I do.In Romans 2-3 we get to another because I love my enemies because I'm called to be different.Look at verses 46 and 47.Jesus says, "For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?Do not even the tax collectors do the same?And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doingthan others?Do not even the Gentiles do the same?Stop there.If you're like, "You know what?I love the people that I like.I love the people that I like."Well, then you do what people who don't even know Jesus do.And our Lord here is saying, "What's so special about that?"Oh, so you think you're great because you do what's normal.Well hang on a second.Let me shine up your participation trophy.Why is it that we want applause for doing what's expected?Here's an example.Well Aaron and I, we always look at each other and kind of laugh.When we hear a dad say, "Yeah, I had a baby sit my kids last Monday."Do you hear somebody say that?You're not going to say it anymore.I had a baby sit my kids last Monday.I believe that's called being a father.You didn't baby sit your kids.What did your wife pay you $10 an hour?Like look, I'm not giving you a cookie because you did what was expected.That's what our Lord is saying here.You're expected to be different because Christians have something that no one else in the worldhas.Do you know what that is?Like the Bible?Not everybody has that.Like compassion?No, a lot of people have that.Christians have something that nobody else in the world has.You know what that is?God living in them.In other words, you should be different.I mean, anybody can go one mile.That was the law.That's expected.Anyone can give up a shirt that they lost legally in a lawsuit.That's expected.And here our Lord is saying, "Anybody can say hi to their friends."That's expected.But God expects and empowers us to do more, to be like Him.So do you do what the world expects?Or do you do what God expects because God's called you to be different than the world?Do you have a heart like God?We'll find out.We'll find out because it's revealed not in how you treat your friends, it's revealedin how you treat your enemies.You love them.Not because of who they are, but because of who you are.Oh yeah, there's one more verse.One of the most deeply convicting and challenging verses in the whole Bible.Jesus says, "You therefore must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect."In the context of this teaching, obviously, he's talking about the way we love, right?You must love perfectly the way your heavenly Father loves perfectly.That's what Jesus is saying here.And look, you and I, we look at that verse and we say, "I failed.I failed."We all have.And actually, remembering the beatitudes, step one and two of the beatitudes was recognizingthat you failed.And you're like, "Man, I'll never be perfect."But God says you must be perfect.You know what that means?It means I always have room to grow.And today we're talking about loving your enemies.And maybe right now you're saying, "You know, I knew that.I knew that, but today I'm encountered by this calling in a fresh way and I realizenow I need to grow.I want to grow in this area."It's grace.It's grace.God has made us perfectly righteous in Jesus Christ.God has adopted us as His children, and He is constantly changing us.We don't deserve anything, but God has given us everything, even though we were His enemies.It's grace.You get that?Then like your Father, give it.In just a moment, we're going to be gathering around the Lord's table as a church.And it is the Lord's table that reminds us that we are grace people.Because in essence, what we are remembering, what we are celebrating, what we are declaringwhen we take the Lord's supper together is the Lord is saying, "I saved you."Not because of who you are, but because of who I am.

TIME TO STRETCH Mark 2.13-27 Mark 2.15 (NLT) …Many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. Mark 2.16-17 (NLT) When the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, "Why does he eat with such scum?" When Jesus heard this, he told them, "Healthy people don't need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners." Jesus calls us to be stretchy. To be learners. To stay soft. To grow. Matthew 4.18-22 (ESV) While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. 1 Peter 2.2 (NLT) Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment… Jesus didn't come to build a fan club. He came to build a movement. Am I willing to be stretched? Am I open to change? Am I open to growth? Am I open to seeing the world—and myself—through God's eyes? The Gospel doesn't require us to be perfect. It does require us to stretch.Subscribe to PRESTONCREST - with Gordon Dabbs on Soundwise

In Matthew 23, Jesus delivers a series of sharp rebukes—woes—against the scribes and Pharisees, condemning their hypocrisy and the spiritual harm they cause by leading others astray.In this message, we explore Christ's warning and consider how it speaks to us today, urging us to guard against false religion and ensure we are eager to draw others to the truth.This sermon was preached at Legacy Reformed Baptist Church in East Grand Forks, MN. For more information, visit LegacyRBC.org.

Worship led by Jose Murillo

Mark 12:13-17Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren't swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn't we?”But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”“Caesar's,” they replied.Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's.”And they were amazed at him.

In this sermon, Pastor Kevin looks at Luke 6:1-11. Jesus confronts the Pharisees' legalism by asserting His lordship over the Sabbath, exposing how their man-made rules miss the heart of God's law. While the Pharisees are fixated on outward obedience, their hearts are withered—unable to rejoice in mercy, healing, or grace. In contrast, the gospel invites us to a transformed heart shaped by the gospel, where delight in His lordship leads to compassion, humility, and true rest.

* You can get the sermon note sheet at: http://family-bible-church.org/2025Messages/25Jun08.pdf * Over the past several weeks we have been considering the examination of Jesus by the Scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees, who were looking for a way to accuse Him. As we began this consideration, we briefly examined the timing of the Passover tradition to see how Jesus' examination paralleled that of the choosing of the Passover Lamb. We mentioned at that time that we would look at the fulfillment of the feasts later. Today, we have that opportunity. * Today, we turn to the events of the final day prior to His crucifixion. Our text states that it was the time of the Feast of Unleavened Bread which was also referred to as Passover. It is important for us to understand the Old Testament timing and significance of this event. * For though the primary focus of this passage is upon Judas' betrayal of Jesus, there is baked within it the Jewish leaders' betrayal of YHWH at the time of a Feast which set to remind them of their redemption by YHWH. * This message was presented by Bob Corbin on June 8, 2025 at Family Bible Church in Martinez, Georgia.

Sunday, 8 June 2025   “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. Matthew 10:32   “All, therefore, whoever he will assent in Me before men, I will assent – I also – in him before My Father, the ‘in the heavens.'” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus reassured His apostles that they were of more value than many sparrows. He next turns to words which have to be considered in their intended context.   Jesus is still speaking to His apostles (disciples as recorded in Luke 10). He is doing so while they go out into the cities of Israel to proclaim the good news of the kingdom. He has not yet been crucified for the sins of the world. Thus, His words speak solely of the relationship between Israel and Jesus.   Understanding this, He begins the first of two verses which must be considered with those points in mind, saying, “All, therefore, whoever he will assent in Me before men.”   The first thing to understand is that not every “every” means “every” and not every “all” means “all.”   Mark 1:5 says, “Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.” However, Luke 7:30 says, “But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.”   This is not a contradiction. Rather, the word “all” as used by Mark, as is often the case, is given as a general statement concerning who went to be baptized.   Jesus is making a broad statement concerning those who are going forth and those who will hear and attend to their message. Those who hear the message and assent in Him, acknowledging the word, will be in one category. That category is defined by His next words, “I will assent – I also – in him before My Father, the ‘in the heavens.'”   Jesus emphatically declares that He will then confess such a person before His Father. The proposition depends on the free will assertion of the individual hearing the good news. In response to that free will assertion, Jesus Himself will likewise assent concerning that person.   The expression en emoi, in Me, demonstrates a uniting of the confession with the individual. Despite this, these words are spoken prior to the giving of the Spirit, which first occurs in Acts 2 and which is spoken of in the epistles as a guarantee of eternal salvation, such as in Ephesians 1:13, 14.   Therefore, that process of salvation cannot be what Jesus is referring to here. Rather, He is speaking of a general confession of Him and not necessarily the uniting of an individual with the Spirit. That will become clear through analyzing the next verse.   Life application: The words of this verse and the next are constantly quoted by Christians concerning other Christians who then make claims of salvation or condemnation based on what Jesus is saying here. As an example –   “It means to acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ, and our dependence on him for salvation, and our attachment to him, in every proper manner. This profession may be made in uniting with a church, at the communion, in conversation, and in conduct. The Scriptures mean, by a profession of religion, an exhibition of it in every circumstance of the life and before all people. It is not merely in one act that we must do it, but in every act. We must be ashamed neither of the person, the character, the doctrines, nor the requirements of Christ. If we are; if we deny him in these things before people; if we are unwilling to express our attachment to him in every way possible, then it is right that he should ‘disown all connection with us,' or deny us before God, and he will do it.” Albert Barnes   That is not the gospel. In fact, what Barnes says is in complete contrast to the gospel, which says one is saved by grace through faith and that when one believes, he is sealed with the Holy Spirit for the day of redemption.   If what Barnes (et al) says is true, then it means that salvation is not of Christ but of our own efforts. Mixing the words of Jesus in the dispensation of the law with the words of Paul in the dispensation of grace will inevitably lead to confusion of thought and a contradiction in one's theology.   Lord God, help us to walk with You all our days, living in a manner that is pleasing to You and in the joy of the salvation which You have given to us. When we fail in this, we know that You will still be with us, but it is we who will suffer the lack of fellowship as we do things our own way. May it not be so! Help us to hold fast to You always. Amen.

TIME TO STRETCH Mark 2.13-27 Mark 2.15 (NLT) …Many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. Mark 2.16-17 (NLT) When the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, "Why does he eat with such scum?" When Jesus heard this, he told them, "Healthy people don't need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners." Jesus calls us to be stretchy. To be learners. To stay soft. To grow. Matthew 4.18-22 (ESV) While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. 1 Peter 2.2 (NLT) Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment… Jesus didn't come to build a fan club. He came to build a movement. Am I willing to be stretched? Am I open to change? Am I open to growth? Am I open to seeing the world—and myself—through God's eyes? The Gospel doesn't require us to be perfect. It does require us to stretch.Subscribe to PRESTONCREST - with Gordon Dabbs on Soundwise

Jesus came to make us new, not patch us up. 06/08/25 18 Once when John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, some people came to Jesus and asked, “Why don't your disciples fast like John's disciples and the Pharisees do?” 19 Jesus replied, “Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. They […]

Caleb Drahosh In a similar fashion to the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus feeds four thousand. Afterwards, the Pharisees come seeking a sign, but Jesus refuses. He then offers His disciples a warning concerning the Pharisees and Herod, but the disciples are just looking to eat some food. Jesus' compassion for people doesn't dry up; we're given many chances to see and understand. Our needs –– as individuals and as a church –– are met in, through, and by Christ. But Jesus rarely meets our needs in the same way as He meets the needs of others.

Jesus taught His disciples about faith, trust, and the dangers of spiritual pride. Reflecting on the miracles of feeding the multitudes, and the disciples' struggle to understand. Jesus' warning to beware the influence of the Pharisees and Herod. Sermon Notes Mark 8:1 – 3 Jesus wants to feed the crowd before He sends them home, so they don't faint Mark 8:4 Disciples say no one could find enough bread in this desolate place Mark 8:5 Jesus asks how many loves? 7 Mark 8:6 & 7 Jesus had the people sit down, He gives the disciples the bread and some fish, and they distribute it to the people Mark 8:8 & 9 4,000 people ate and were satisfied and yet 7 large baskets were left Mark 8:10 Jesus and disciples enter a boat and left Mark 8:11 - 13 Pharisees challenge Jesus and demand a sign, but Jesus refuses Mark 8:14 Disciples take only 1 loaf with them on the boat Mark 8:15 Jesus orders them to watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod Mark 8:16 Disciples speak to one another about having no bread Mark 8:17 – 21 Jesus rebukes them for understanding what had been happening

In this episode, we explore two powerful and contrasting encounters with Jesus: the Pharisee who prided himself on his righteousness and the Samaritan woman at the well who yearned for truth. How do these stories relate to us today?

We are concluding this Men's Series on Jesus Christ our Lord's Sermon on the Mount. We will begin again in Matthew 8In His sermon, which is very powerful, He is correcting the poor, conclusive teachings of the Pharisees, which helped misguide the Jews to false conclusions about the law, AND AWAY FROM THE LORD.  Instead of teaching the law of Moses (the first five books of the Bible), they taught their interpretation of the Bible; as such, they teach commentary! They called this the "traditions of the fathers". Not the tradition of their Father in Heaven.  So John the Baptist was sent to get the Jews back on track because they knew what sin was, and keeping man's traditions is not a biblical approach, nor does it lend change in the person's heart for the Holy Spirit and to please God. They needed to repent of their sin to God, not the breaking of Jewish laws vs God's laws. We need to be aware of this in our own lives today. What laws are we following...Sadly, we often do this in church. We put our programs and traditions ahead and want people to conform to those to fit in. It is powerful and subtle. We need to ensure that we submit ourselves to the word of God as our source, and this is the focus of our study today.  Learn about the laws in the book of Moses, 613, and how to love God through Christ Jesus by obeying His commandments through His disciples in our new covenant. There are 1642 laws!  The law of God is to convict us of sin and show that we need a Savior. We must be born again to follow God into Eternity.  Youtube video is here:https://youtu.be/dHIXqr_sj2sto be born again: https://biblestudycompany.com/blog/article/81

When we grasp the measure of grace we've received, we'll greet each day with fresh gratitude.

Why was Jesus so upset with the most religious people of his day? Leah and Tati dive into their own struggles with Phariseeism and how to keep it in check.Tati's Worship Playlist!Leah's Worship Playlist!Book mentioned in episode: The Age Of AbidingClothed In Praise - Humanely Made Christian Apparel

Daily Dose of Hope June 6, 2025   Scripture - Matthew 9:1-17   Prayer: Abba Father, Prepare our hearts for your Word today.  Help us approach this Scripture with an openness to learning something new from you.  Jesus, thank you for your perfect example of mercy and love.  More of you and less of me.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we start Matthew 9.   We start with Jesus heading back across the lake into Capernaum, as the scripture refers to his own town.  It seems in no time at all, a paralyzed man is placed before him.  While Matthew does not give the details about the man's friends digging a hole in the roof and lowering him down, this is most likely the same story we find in Mark 2.  Notice how he sees the faith of the friends and heals the man.    But what does Jesus say to the man?  Jesus tells the man that his sins are forgiven.  This stirs things up.  Of course, the teachers of the law speak among themselves, thinking this is blasphemy.  But it's Jesus and he is God so he knows exactly what they are thinking and he calls them out.  What the teachers of the law cannot see is that Jesus is authorized to speak and act on God's behalf. He is God's anointed, the Messiah. As a demonstration of his authority to forgive sins, Jesus tells the paralyzed man to stand up, take his mat and return home, which the man promptly does. Jesus boldly demonstrates his power to bring both spiritual and physical healing, and the crowds respond by being amazed and glorifying God.   We go right from this healing to the calling of Matthew.  I love how Matthew writes about his own conversion.  He doesn't give a lot of details.  It is most likely that he has seen and heard Jesus before.  After all, tax collectors were usually set up in visible places in town.   By the way, the phrase “sitting at the tax collector's booth” is filled with meaning.  At the time, tax collectors were hated.  The Roman Empire took bids for the right to collect taxes.  These tax agents paid a set amount to Rome, and could keep all the rest that they collected.  Thus, tax collectors were quite wealthy.  But they enriched themselves by preying on the poor, stifling trade, and operating kind of like a local mafia.  They were also despised for how they collaborated with the oppressive Romans.   One thing that is interesting about this whole situation to me is that Matthew did not choose Jesus, but rather Jesus chose Matthew.  In the Greek, the word “follow” is in the imperative.  It was a command.  Jesus isn't giving Matthew a choice.  And Matthew got up and followed him.    What would you have done?  Jesus' call is always action-oriented.  When we follow Jesus, it is a call to do something for his Kingdom.  It is also a call to leave the past behind.  How many of us try to follow Jesus without fully leaving our past commitments and issues behind?   Later on, at Matthew's house, Jesus is dining with some of the less desirable folks in town.  Scripture says he ate with tax collectors and sinners and those two groups were seen as pretty synonymous.  This very much perturbs the religious people.  How dare he cavort with such scum?  But Jesus says that it is the sick people who need a physician, not the well.  He came to call sinners.    My guess is that part of the Pharisees' frustration is that Jesus seems to be simply be eating and drinking with the sinners, not providing treatment.  But Jesus was all about relationship.  I think we can learn a lot here.  There were times in which Jesus preached and called for people to repent.  There were times when Jesus performed miracles to demonstrate his power and authority.  But much of the time, Jesus simply sat at the table with people and built relationships.  It is through relationship that life change is most likely to happen.    Think about your own life.  How have your grown the most in your spiritual walk?  Was it through a sermon?  Probably not.  Was it through a Bible study?  Again, maybe not.  Was it through relationship with other Godly people who taught you, poured into you, and showed you the life of Christ?  Most likely.    To effectively point people to Jesus, we have to first get to know them.  Especially for those who have been hurt by the church or just by life, we have to earn the right to speak into their lives.  Jesus did just that.  And he was genuine and loving at the same time.  My guess is there was no condemnation at that dinner table with Matthew and his friends.  They were talking and getting to know one another.  Maybe Jesus did a little teaching at times, but it was probably subtle.  He was giving them the opportunity to get to know him, as he listened to them.    Who sits around your table?  When is the last time you invited some people “on the fringe” to dine with you?  How about unbelievers?  How are you intentionally building relationships with those who don't yet know Jesus?    Our text for today ends with a discussion on fasting.  John's disciples ask why Jesus' disciples don't fast like them.  We don't know if this is a dig but it kind of feels like one.  Jesus responds with an analogy to a wedding feast.  Fasting might be appropriate on some occasions, but certainly not at a wedding feast when the groom is right there. Right now, Jesus is with them.  Thus, this isn't the right time for fasting.  It is time for feasting and enjoying his presence. The point is that Jesus is with his disciples just as the wedding guests are with the groom. It is a time for celebration—not deprivation. It is a time to enjoy the relationship and absorb his teaching and example while they can. When the bridegroom is taken from them, there will be a time for fasting.  As we know, that's going to happen pretty soon. Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Luke 20 ends with Jesusgiving a scathing rebuke to the Pharisees, scribes, Sadducees, elders, andleaders of Israel about their religious hypocrisy. Matthew 23 gives thismessage of “Woes” that Jesus pronounced upon them in greater detail. Now inLuke 21, Jesus notices the poor widow giving her offering of two mites andcompares her sacrificial heart to their greedy and selfish ones. Compared tothe gifts of the rich men, her two copper coins seemed insignificant, but Jesussaid that she gave more than all the others combined.  Now it was thedisciples' turn to ask the questions! Their attention was on the temple infront of them which was a beautiful structure, embellished with many costlydecorations that a poor widow could never give, and the disciples mentionedthis to Jesus. But our Lord was not impressed, and He responds by telling themthat the day would come when the beautiful Jewish temple would be demolished(Luke 21:5-6). Remember Jesus had already announced that the city would bedestroyed in Luke 19:41-44, but now He specifically mentioned the destructionof the temple. Jesus left the templeand went to the Mount of Olives, and it was there that Peter, James, John, and Andrew(Mark 13:3) asked Him three questions: (1) When would the temple be destroyed?(2) What would be the sign of His coming? (3) What would be the sign of the endof the age? (see Mark 13:3-4; Matt. 24:3) The disciples thought that thesethree events would occur at the same time, but Jesus explained thingsdifferently. Actually, the temple would be destroyed first, and then therewould be a long period of time before He would return and establish His kingdomon earth (see Luke 19:11-27). Our Lord's replycomprises what we call "The Mt. Olivet Discourse," the greatestprophetic sermon He ever preached. It is recorded in greater detail in Matthew24-25 and Mark 13, and you will want to compare the three passages. Weespecially need to remember that since Luke wrote with the Gentile reader inmind, he omitted some of the strong Jewish elements of the sermon whileretaining the essential truths that we must consider and apply. We also need to keep inmind that this was a message given to Jews by a Jew about the future of theJewish nation. Though there are definite applications to God's people today,the emphasis is on Jerusalem, the Jews, and the temple. Our Lord was notdiscussing His coming for the church, for that can occur at any time and nosigns need precede it (1 Corinthians 15:51-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Webelieve in the “imminent return of Jesus” when we are speaking of the “raptureof the church”.  We read in 1 Corinthians1:22 that: "…the Jews require a sign"; while the church looks for a Savior.In Philippians 3:20-21 we read: “For our citizenship is in heaven, fromwhich we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who willtransform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body,according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things toHimself.” This “Mt. OlivetDiscourse” focuses on a period in God's program called "theTribulation" when God will pour out His wrath on the nations of the world.Many Bible students believe that the Tribulation will begin after the Lordcomes in the air and takes His church to heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11). Timewise, the seven-year tribulation actually begins when the Anti-christ makes hispeace treaty with Israel (Daniel 9:24-27). It will climax with the return ofJesus Christ to the earth, at which time He will defeat His foes and establishHis kingdom (Rev. 19:1-20:6). As we study Luke 21over the next few days, we will find that Jesus answered the disciples'questions by discussing four topics relating to the future of the nation ofIsrael. Today, as believers weshould be looking up and at the same time doing all we can to prepare othersfor the Lord's return!

What if I told you that giving money to good causes won't necessarily change your heart?Many assume that if they invest their finances in the right places, their affections will follow. But what if the real issue isn't where our money goes, but what we treasure most?The Words of Jesus: Treasure and the HeartIn His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus offers one of the most profound insights into money and the human heart:"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21)Many interpret this to mean that if we direct our money toward good causes, such as ministries or charities, our hearts will naturally follow. And often, generosity does strengthen our connection to what we support. However, if money itself remains our treasure, even generous giving can leave our hearts tied to wealth rather than to God.What if Jesus wasn't just telling us to redirect our money but inviting us to reexamine what we treasure most? The real challenge isn't simply choosing better causes; it's choosing a better treasure. If our hearts cling to money, even when giving it away, we remain captive. But if we treasure God above all, our money will naturally reflect that devotion.The Widow's Offering: A Heart Aligned with GodConsider Jesus' observation of the widow's offering in Mark 12:"And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny." (Mark 12:41–42)The wealthy gave much more than the widow, but their giving didn't free them from money's grip. Their treasure was still rooted in their wealth.Jesus exposes a similar heart issue when He rebukes the Pharisees in Matthew 23:"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness." (Matthew 23:23)The Pharisees gave meticulously, yet their hearts were enslaved to pride and status. Their giving wasn't born from a love for God, but from a desire to maintain religious appearances.True Freedom in Treasuring GodIn contrast, the widow's tiny offering flowed from deep trust and surrender to God. She gave not to be seen, but because her greatest treasure was the One standing before her. Jesus praised her, not for the amount she gave, but because her heart fully belonged to Him.If giving alone could free us from money's hold, the Pharisees would have been the most spiritually free people of their day. But they weren't. True freedom comes not from giving more but from treasuring God most.As Pastor John Piper puts it:“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”How Do We Shift Our Hearts?So, if the issue isn't where we put our money but what we treasure, how do we shift our hearts?Recognize God as Your Greatest Treasure - Until God is our highest joy, we will always cling to lesser things.Seek First His Kingdom - When God's Kingdom is our priority, everything else—including money—falls into place.View Money As A Tool, Not A Treasure - If we treasure God, we will steward it wisely without being controlled by it.Store Up Treasures in Heaven - This means prioritizing what truly lasts—growing in Christ, loving others, and living generously.When our treasure is in God, our relationship with money changes. We give not to force our hearts to care, but because our desires are already aligned with what God cares about. We are freed from financial anxiety because our security is in God, not wealth (Matthew 6:25–34).If money is our treasure, our hearts will forever remain enslaved to it, no matter how generously we give. But if we treasure God, our hearts will be free, and our relationship with money will reflect that reality.The real question isn't, “Where is my money going?” but “What do I treasure most?” Because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.Partner with FaithFiThat's the heart behind everything we do at FaithFi. We're here to help people not just manage money wisely, but treasure God above all else—because when He's our greatest treasure, everything changes.If you believe in that mission, would you consider becoming a FaithFi partner?With a gift of $35 a month or more or $400 a year, you'll help more Christians find freedom in Christ through biblical financial wisdom. As a thank you, you'll receive:Early access to all our studies and devotionalsA subscription to our quarterly Faithful Steward magazineAccess to the Pro Version of the FaithFi appYou can learn more and become a FaithFi Partner today at FaithFi.com/Partner.On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:I would like to know if I can cash in a CD and gift the money to a family member without incurring a penalty. Also, would you feel guilty about drawing out some money from my 401(k) to buy myself a little gift instead of going into debt?I've paid tithe on the gross amount my whole life. Now that I'm retired and drawing Social Security, pension, and business income, I'm wondering if I should continue to tithe. Some people say it's already been tithed, so why tithe it again?I want to sell my almost 70-year-old home and move into a senior residence that's handicap accessible. I'm on Social Security Disability, and I was told that selling a home is considered income and will stop my disability benefits. Is this true? I heard you talk about the $19,000 gift limit per person per year. I want to know if the same limitations apply if I give to a 501(c)(3) organization and I'm not planning to claim it on my taxes.I would like to leave our paid-off house to my children if both my wife and I have passed. Should I get a will, put them on the deed, or establish a trust and incur the associated expense? Can I just put them on a deed, and when we pass, it goes to them?Resources Mentioned:Faithful Steward: FaithFi's New Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner)Wisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on Money (Pre-Order)Look At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and AnxietyRich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich FoolFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA) or Certified Christian Financial Counselor (CertCFC)FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on the Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. Visit our website at FaithFi.com where you can join the FaithFi Community and give as we expand our outreach.

Jesus is not here to fix your habits — He's here to change your heart. Join us as we talk Pharisees, miracles, and how Jesus flips religion upside down to make room at the table for everyone.

SHOW NOTES: How many roles does Jesus take on in this episode? He moves from teaching and story-telling to action. At the request of a leader of a synagogue, he heals her daughter. But, not before healing a woman whom he calls “my daughter” from a disease which has ostracized her from society for 12 years. He helps two blind me to see because of their faith. And he throws out another demon. But, opposition is beginning to build against his healing. The Pharisees think that he is throwing out demons by the power of Satan. And, when Jesus goes back to his home town of Nazareth, he is rejected and not believed. “Where did he get all this wisdom and power to perform such miracles.” He's just a carpenter and the son of Mary. Traveling around with a great crowd following, Jesus sees a massive work-load. So, he commissions his apostles to go – teach, heal, and throw out demons. He gives them specific instructions for their task ahead. Some of those instructions apply to us as well. Finally, we learn of the fate of John the Baptist at the hands of King Herod. SCRIPTURE REFERENCES: Mark 5:21-43 Matthew 9:27-38 Mark 6:1-6 Psalm 23:1 Isaiah 53:6 Matthew 10:1-11:1 Mark 6:14-33 FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JesusStoriesThePodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jesus_stories_the_podcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JesusStoriesPod YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgJ3Tf0R_aiF-uxG-G97ortxPZMFC7kPu SUPPORT US: We exist because you support our efforts with prayers and monies. Find out how to do that by visiting https://jesusstories.info/support-this-podcast TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: Subscribe to us on your podcast player. Then leave us a note about your thoughts on this podcast. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Today, we're looking at Luke chapter 21, but we need toremember how chapter 20 ends. Jesus had just asked the Pharisees and scribesabout who is the son of David in Psalm 110, and they refused to answer becausethey would have had to acknowledge that Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is indeedthe son of David. The people had already recognized that. Then he gave ascathing rebuke to the disciples in front of these Pharisees, scribes,Sadducees, elders, and leaders of Israel about their religious hypocrisy. Hefinished chapter 20 by saying, "Beware of the scribes who desire to goaround in long robes, love the greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats inthe synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses andfor a pretense make long prayers. These will receive the greatercondemnation." Thenchapter 21 starts. As he makes this statement about the scribes and Phariseesbeing devourers of widows' tables, he looks up and sees the rich putting theirgifts into the treasury. Here are the elite, the people with money who ownvineyards, orchards, and businesses, sometimes even the tax collectors, tryingto be religious now, putting their money and gifts into the treasury. At thesame time, Jesus saw a certain poor widow putting in two mites, hardly anythingat all, a couple of pennies. He said, "Truly I say to you, this poorwidow has put in more than all, for all these out of their abundance have putin their offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all thelivelihood that she had." Jesus is making the statement that sheoutgave them all because God is not looking at the portion, how much we give,but the proportion, not only how much we give but how much we keep forourselves. He'salso teaching that everything is the Lord's. The earth is the Lord's and thefullness thereof. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, the wealth in everymine, and we are his stewards of his resources that he has given us. He givesus the breath we breathe. The book of Deuteronomy says it is God who gives uspower to get wealth. In the book of Malachi, the last book of the OldTestament, there's a stinging rebuke of the people of God who were back in theland, yet they were bringing offerings that were not the kind God wantedbecause they were just practicing outward religion while inwardly robbing God.He says, "You have robbed God." They respond, "Well, where havewe robbed you?" In Malachi 3:7-12, God says, "You've robbed me inyour tithes and in your offerings." Again, he's teaching that he owns itall, and your offerings are beyond the tenth, the tithe, that you give off thetop as an act of worship to remind yourself, as the Old Testament teaches, thatGod gave you everything you have, and the least you can give is a tenth back tohim. Somepeople say, "Well, the tithe is under the law, we're under grace, we don'thave to tithe." But I remind you that Abraham paid tithes before the lawwas given, and Jacob said, "I'll give you a tenth," before the lawwas given. Tithing is a spiritual principle in the scripture that teaches us weare worshiping God when we recognize and set aside the first fruits at thebeginning of every week of all that God has given us the previous week, showinghim that we honor him.  Jesussaid of this widow, "She gave more than them all because they gave out oftheir abundance, but she gave all her living." God doesn't want just apart of our lives; he wants 100% of our lives. Men see what is given, but Godsees what is left, and by that He measures the gift and the condition of ourhearts. Winston Churchill said, "We make a living by what we get, but wemake a life by what we give." He may have learned that from Jesus (Luke6:38) or perhaps from Paul in 2 Corinthians 8:1-15.  Let'sstart off chapter 21 of Luke by knowing God is the Lord, it's all his, andlet's keep him first in every area of our life.  Godbless.

John 4:37-38 For in this case the saying is true, ‘One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labor. The food the disciples brought was the fruit of someone else's labor. Jesus pointed out that fact, so He wanted them to notice that they were entering or coming into their labor. The same thing was about to happen. Arriving at the same time as the crowd from the city was also arriving, they were coming into the labors of Jesus and the woman. His food, doing the will of His Father, was going to become their food. They would reap where they had not labored. As we live to love with Jesus, we will often enter into the work of others who have gone before us. Jesus has already been working in the hearts of people, and He brings them into our paths. They are ripe for the picking, so to speak. They have heard about Jesus. They are looking for someone to tell them more about Him and how they may be saved. God sends us to harvest the fruit for which we have not labored. We simply enter into it, by the grace and sovereign will of God. What a joy that is when that happens! That's what happened to the disciples that afternoon at the well. More than likely, the disciples baptized them. I get that from 4:1-2. “Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were)…” They now, ever since they began to follow Him, were living to love with Jesus. They lived to enter into His work. That's what we do every day, as we live to love with Jesus. We live to enter into His work. I love the way Paul put it to the Ephesians. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” As we go through our days, we are coming into His work, being brought into them by the Father, and we work through His life dwelling within us. What a joy it is to enter into the work of God. Sometimes we sow or water or reap. Whatever we do, we do it by the grace of God that He gives us. That's how the Father glorifies the Son in our lives. We reap the fruit of His labor as we live to love with Him. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of “giving it forward,” so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

To become a follower of Jesus, visit: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/MeetJesus (NOT a Morning Mindset resource) ⇒ BECOME A MONTHLY PARTNER: (not tax-deductible) You can find out how to become a monthly partner including how to receive your "thank you" gift - our bonus podcast called "Digging Deeper." God t: https://mm-gfk-partners.supercast.com/ ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Mark 8:14–21 - [14] Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. [15] And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” [16] And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. [17] And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? [18] Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? [19] When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” [20] “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” [21] And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?” (ESV) ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ FINANCIALLY SUPPORT THE MORNING MINDSET: (not tax-deductible) -- Become a monthly partner: https://mm-gfk-partners.supercast.com/ -- Support a daily episode: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/daily-sponsor/ -- Give one-time: https://give.cornerstone.cc/careygreen -- Venmo: @CareyNGreen ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ FOREIGN LANGUAGE VERSIONS OF THIS PODCAST: SPANISH version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Spanish HINDI version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Hindi CHINESE version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Chinese  ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ CONTACT: Carey@careygreen.com  ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ THEME MUSIC: “King’s Trailer” – Creative Commons 0 | Provided by https://freepd.com/ ***All NON-ENGLISH versions of the Morning Mindset are translated using A.I. Dubbing and Translation tools from DubFormer.ai ***All NON-ENGLISH text content (descriptions and titles) are translated using the A.I. functionality of Google Translate. To become a follower of Jesus, visit: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/MeetJesus (NOT a Morning Mindset resource) ⇒ BECOME A MONTHLY PARTNER: (not tax-deductible) You can find out how to become a monthly partner including how to receive your "thank you" gift - our bonus podcast called "Digging Deeper." God t: https://mm-gfk-partners.supercast.com/ ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Mark 8:14–21 - [14] Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. [15] And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” [16] And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. [17] And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? [18] Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? [19] When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” [20] “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” [21] And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?” (ESV) ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ FINANCIALLY SUPPORT THE MORNING MINDSET: (not tax-deductible) -- Become a monthly partner: https://mm-gfk-partners.supercast.com/ -- Support a daily episode: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/daily-sponsor/ -- Give one-time: https://give.cornerstone.cc/careygreen -- Venmo: @CareyNGreen ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ FOREIGN LANGUAGE VERSIONS OF THIS PODCAST: SPANISH version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Spanish HINDI version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Hindi CHINESE version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Chinese  ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ CONTACT: Carey@careygreen.com  ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ THEME MUSIC: “King’s Trailer” – Creative Commons 0 | Provided by https://freepd.com/ ***All NON-ENGLISH versions of the Morning Mindset are translated using A.I. Dubbing and Translation tools from DubFormer.ai ***All NON-ENGLISH text content (descriptions and titles) are translated using the A.I. functionality of Google Translate.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7–8 NLT) While reading the newspaper one morning, Alfred Nobel, the Swedish chemist and engineer, was shocked to find his name listed in the obituary column. It was a mistake, of course, but there it was. Nobel was dismayed to see that he was remembered primarily as the man who invented dynamite. At that point in history, dynamite was being used to great and devastating effect in warfare. Nobel was distressed to think that he would be known for creating an instrument of death and destruction. He was so distressed, in fact, that he decided to change the course of his life as a result of reading this mistaken obituary. He decided to commit himself to world peace. He established the Nobel Peace Prize. Today, most people who know the name Alfred Nobel associate him with that prize. Many know nothing about his invention of dynamite. That’s because Alfred Nobel had the chance to change the course of his life. What if you had the unsettling opportunity to read your own obituary? What do you think you’d be remembered for? What if you could write your own obituary? What would you like to be remembered for? It’s not too late to change the course of your life if you want to. In 2 Timothy 4:7–8, the apostle Paul offers an obituary of sorts for himself. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing” (NLT). Keep in mind that Paul transformed the world that he lived in. He was used mightily by God to establish churches throughout the Roman Empire and beyond. He left countless converts in his wake. He mentored young Christian leaders. He fearlessly proclaimed the gospel to philosophers, Pharisees, rulers, soldiers, sorcerers, slaves, and possibly even Caesar himself. In the end, though, he saw himself as a wrestler, someone who fought spiritual battles with all his might; a runner, someone who finished the race despite pain and exhaustion; and a soldier, someone who guarded the truth of the gospel with his life. If your life were to end today, would you be able to say that you’ve fought the good fight, finished the race, and guarded the faith in the way that you live? If so, then Paul’s reward—“the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return” (NLT)—will be yours as well. Reflection question: What would you like your obituary to read? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship! — Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our oldest son just celebrated his 37th birthday and told us over dinner what he considers the two most important and impactful things his dad and I did for him growing up, so I'm unpacking both this week's episode. I hope you'll listen in. Show Notes VERSES CITED James 1:23-25 -“For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who ....” Psalms 1:3 - “...his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” Matthew 5:20 - “Unless your righteousness surpasses the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees....” Matthew 23:27 - “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs....” Romans 8:26 - "...the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words." Deuteronomy 11:18-21 - “Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and....” Proverbs 22:6 - "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Psalm 51:10 - “Create in me a clean heart, O God!" Romans 8:28 - "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God...." 1 Corinthians 3:6 - "I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth." Matthew 25:23 - "Well done, my good and faithful servant… Enter into the joy of your Master.” RELATED LINKS: Lies Women Believe by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth EP 28: Bible Memory Tips & Tricks EP 85: Memorize Proverbs 3 with Me EP 55: Smoothing Your Child's Passage to Adulthood 31 Verses to Pray over Your Child Praying for Your Unborn Child Praying for Your Children from Head to Toe Our Teens Need Prayer Praying for Your Adult Child STAY CONNECTED: Subscribe: Flanders Family Freebies -weekly themed link lists of free resources Instagram: @flanders_family - follow for more great content Family Blog: Flanders Family Home Life - parenting tips, homeschool help, lprintables Marriage Blog: Loving Life at Home- encouragement for wives, mothers, believers

Daily Dose of Hope June 4, 2025 Day 3 of Week 9   Scripture – Matthew 8:1-17   Prayer:  Almighty Father, Thank you that your mercies are new every morning.  Thank you, that no matter what this week has held, we can come to you and start over.  We are grateful for your forgiveness.  We are so very grateful for your care and your love.  Help us, Lord, to set aside our distractions, to set aside our scattered thoughts and focus on you right now.  In these next few moments of silence, Lord, hear our prayers...  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, a Deep Dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today is Wednesday, which means it is Recharge Day.  Come join us at 6:30pm in the Garage for worship, prayer, fellowship, and small community.  It's one of my favorite times of the week!  If you haven't been, you are missing out.   Let's move on to today's Scripture.  Today, we read about a lot of healing.  Remember, Jesus is embodying what it means to live in the Kingdom of God.  In God's Kingdom, there is no sickness so Jesus heals.    We start our reading with this beautiful story of Jesus healing the man with leprosy.  One of the striking aspects of this healing is that Jesus reaches out and touches the man.  No one was allowed to touch someone with leprosy.  They were basically pariahs.  Jesus didn't have to touch the man to heal him; he had healed others without touch.  But Jesus chooses to touch him because Jesus' healings were not just physical but also emotional and spiritual.    The healing was obviously life-changing in many ways.  Even though Jesus asked him not to share, my guess is that he was overcome with how the power of God had worked in his life. Thus, he shared his story with all who would listen. "I was sick and my life was a mess. Then I met Jesus and he healed me. You need to meet him too!" How could he keep it to himself?   Next, we have the passage about the faith of the centurion.  This is such a great text!  One of the most interesting components of this story is that the centurion came up to Jesus at all.  There is no indication that he was Jewish or that his servant was Jewish.  Up until this point in Matthew, Jesus had only healed those of the Jewish faith.  It's also interesting that this Roman centurion cared so deeply for his servant.  After all, the Roman soldiers were not known for their compassion.  But this man traveled a long way to meet Jesus, humbly approach him, and ask for help.    When most of us approach this passage, our biggest takeaway is the faith of this man.  And it's impressive.  He tells Jesus that he understands authority and chain of command because of his military experience.  He knows that Jesus has authority enough to heal from afar.  That is pretty incredible.  The Jews don't understand Jesus' authority but this Roman soldier does.   But there is also the fact that this man does not feel worthy to have Jesus walk into his home.  He is a soldier and has probably done plenty of things he isn't proud of.  He sees Jesus' holiness and knows that he simply doesn't measure up.  His family doesn't measure up.  His sick servant doesn't measure up.  His self-awareness and humility are probably the most incredible part of the passage for me.    How many of us would feel worthy having Jesus in our home?  What would our hesitations be?    Jesus, of course, is amazed by his faith.  Jesus has all these Jewish disciples, Pharisees, and others around him.  It's the faith of the Roman centurion that he lifts up.  I wonder if the others feel a bit slighted.    Faith in Jesus can often come from unexpected places.  I remember when I worked more closely with homeless individuals that some of them had amazing, genuine, real faith.  When have you seen faith in Jesus come from unexpected places?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

In Luke 15, some of the Pharisees are criticizing Yeshua for eating with sinners. He responds with a story.  If you have 100 sheep, and only 99 are with you, you are not complete as a shepherd.  Like a woman would count her coins to make sure she had all ten, so too God counts us.  And so we too should look around our table and say, “Who is missing here? Whom do I need to invite to the table of the Lord?” God loves those sheep in his fold, and he loves those not yet in his fold, and it's not complete until everyone is home.  Who is missing that we need to fellowship with and worship with? How can the Lord make my heart more invitational and less judgmental?  This week, we remember that everyone counts.

I think it is interesting that thischapter begins with a question by the priests, the scribes, and the elders.They asked Jesus by what authority did He cleanse the Temple and was teachingthe people. Then the chapter ends in these last verses with Jesus asking them aquestion.  Whilethe priests, scribes, and elders were still gathered together, Jesus asked thema final question: "What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son isHe?" (Matt. 22:41-42, NKJV) This is the key question for everygeneration and each individual, for our salvation and eternal destiny aredependent on what we think about Christ and how we answer this question. (1John 2:21-25; 4:1-6; 5:1). Ofcourse, these religious leaders knew the expected reply: The Christ, theMessiah is "The Son of David." They based this on such verses as 2Samuel 7:13-14; Isaiah 11:1; and Jeremiah 23:5. God had ordained that theMessiah should come from the family of David and be born in David's city,Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).  Jesusthen referred them to Psalm 110, which is quoted in the New Testament more thanany other psalm. The Jewish religious leaders in that day identified Psalm 110as a prophetic psalm and said that David was speaking of the Messiah. But ifthe Messiah is David's Lord, how can He be David's son? The only explanation isthat Messiah must be both God and man. As eternal God, Messiah is David's Lord,but as man, He is David's son (Romans 1:3; 9:4-5; Acts 2:32-36; 13:22-23). OnPalm Sunday, the multitudes had acclaimed Jesus as the Son of David, and He hadnot rebuked them (Matt. 21:9; Mark 11:10). By applying Psalm 110:1 to Himself,Jesus claimed to be Israel's promised Messiah, the Son of God. Then why did thePharisees not believe in Him? Because their minds were made up, their heartswere hardened, and their eyes were blind (John 12:37-50). They did not have thecourage to confess the truth, and they persecuted those who did affirm faith inJesus Christ. And it was out of envy and jealousy that they delivered Jesus upto Pilate to be crucified (Matthew 27:18; Mark 15:10). Christ's questionsilenced His enemies (Matthew 22:46) and ended their public challenges, butthey would not admit defeat. Inthe last verses, 45-47, Jesus warned the people about the hypocrisy anddishonesty of the scribes and Pharisees (see Matthew 23). Men see the outside,but God sees the heart (1 Samuel 16:7; Hebrews 4:12). These religious leadersdid not desire personal holiness; they wanted public recognition. Therefore,they wore special garments, expected special titles and greetings, and lookedfor special seats at public gatherings. Thereis a double tragedy here. First of all, their deliberate hypocrisy was only acover-up that enabled them to fool people and exploit them. Of all rackets,religious rackets are the worst. The religious leaders had turned the temple ofGod into a den of thieves and religious devotion into playacting. The generalpublic actually thought that their leaders were godly men, when in reality theywere defiling and destroying souls (Matt. 23:13-36). Thesecond tragedy is that they rejected their own Messiah and voted to crucifyHim. They led the nation into ruin because they would not admit their sins andconfess Jesus Christ. Keep in mind that these men were "experts" inthe Bible, yet they did not apply its truths to their own lives. Their religionwas a matter of external observance, not internal transformation. How sad it isthat we see so much the same in many of our churches and religious institutionstoday. Atthis point, according to Matthew (Matthew 23:37-39), Jesus once again uttered alamentation over the blind unbelief of the nation and their unwillingness totrust in Him. He had given them many opportunities, but they had wasted them.Now it was too late.  Andone day it will be too late for us if we don't repent!

This week we continue with Mark Chapter 12. Jesus has made his way to Jerusalem for the big showdown with the those in positions of authority. And last week he made his presence felt as he rode into town on the back of a donkey fulfilling prophecy, cleared out the temple courts and challenged the Pharisees as they tried to test him on his authority. This week Jesus continues to be tested in a variety of ways as he takes on challenges from every direction during the Passover week.

Cody continues our journey through Matthew 21 this week as Jesus' authority is challenged in verses 23-32. Jesus answers this question posed by the Pharisees by giving them a parable of two sons: one who first denies his father's authority but then changes his mind and one who claims fealty but denies in action. Cody charges us to ask ourselves: which son are we most like? What does true repentance look like? Will we be relentless rebels or repentant ones?

Dying to self: Part 1- While eating a Sabbath meal in the home of one of the rulers of the Pharisees, Jesus exhorted His listeners to "take the lowest place." We should be willing to love and serve others without expecting anything in return, just as Jesus has done for us.

Angel Studios https://Angel.com/ToddBecome a Premium Angel Studios Guild member to watch The King of Kings, stream all fan-curated shows and movies, and get 2 free tickets to every Angel Studios theatrical release. Alan's Soaps https://www.AlansArtisanSoaps.comUse coupon code TODD to save an additional 10% off the bundle price.Bioptimizers https://Bioptimizers.com/toddEnter promo code TODD to get 10% off your order of MassZymes today.Bizable https://GoBizable.comUntie your business exposure from your personal exposure with BiZABLE.  Schedule your FREE consultation at GoBizAble.com today.  Bonefrog https://BonefrogCoffee.com/toddThe new GOLDEN AGE is here!  Use code TODD at checkout to receive 10% off your first purchase and 15% on subscriptions.Bulwark Capital https://KnowYourRiskPodcast.comBe confident in your portfolio with Bulwark! Schedule your free Know Your Risk Portfolio review. go to KnowYourRiskPodcast.com today.Renue Healthcare https://Renue.Healthcare/ToddYour journey to a better life starts at Renue Healthcare. Visit https://Renue.Healthcare/ToddLISTEN and SUBSCRIBE at:The Todd Herman Show - Podcast - Apple PodcastsThe Todd Herman Show | Podcast on SpotifyWATCH and SUBSCRIBE at: Todd Herman - The Todd Herman Show - YouTube Harvard Vs. National Security //  Seattle's Mayor Thinks He's Defying Jesus. // Can You Remain Saved while Defending Adultery and Fornication? Episode Links:Harvard sues Trump administration for right to admit foreign subversives…Federal Judge Blocks Trump Admin Deportation Flight—Even for Murderers With Orders Dating Back to 1999…Oregon police responded 17 times to home occupied by Tren de Aragua gang members charged with torture, kidnapping, attempted murder: charging documents…Wow. This lifelong Democrat and pro-migrant activist who was planning to vote for Kamala, says she switched to President Trump after her quiet town in Colorado was overrun by illegals committing violent crime.Trump just cleared violent illegals off Minnesota's streets–Tim Walz calls that ‘tyranny'…Illegal Migrant with a criminal record was driving 100 miles per hour, he was drunk, he was high, he drove right into American Trooper Christopher Gadd killing him instantly in his police car. Seattle, Washington attorney says “It is not a crime” (INSANE)Reporter: "Why do you not want the best and brightest from around the world to come to Harvard?" President Trump: "I do, but a lot of the people need remedial math. Did you see that? Where the students can't add 2 and 2, and they go to Harvard...And then you see those same people picketing and screaming at the United States … We don't want troublemakers here."Marco Rubio obliterates Rep. Pramila Jayapal over student visas: Jayapal: "Where in the Constitution does it say that the Secretary of State can override the First Amendment protections of free speech?" Rubio: "There's no constitutional right to a student visa. A student visa's a privilege."Rubio to Mayorkas: If you come from Cuba, you are presumed to be fleeing persecution. Which means you are automatically eligible got refugee cash. You're eligible for food stamps.   You're eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. Others who immigrate this country have to wait five years for that—and they don't get the refugee cash.Heartbreaking. 15 year old Irish girl and champion boxer Kaiden McKenna speaks about feeling unsafe in her own community because of strange foreign men.Video from the May 27 Seattle Trantifa and far-left violent direct action shows BLM race grifter Erica Williams @AExquisitePearl hitting Christians trying to attend the worship rally outside City Hall.Massive crowd of Christians gather to praise Jesus Christ—despite threats of political violence. The group says they will not be stopped from worshipping in the city of Seattle. This is powerfulWhat Does God's Word Say?John 11:47-5247 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”49 Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! 50 You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”51 He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, 52 and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. 53 So from that day on they plotted to take his life.1 Corinthians 10:6-136 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! 13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.