Podcasts about since jesus

God shows us in the bible that the relationship between husband and wife is like the relationship between Jesus and the church. Since Jesus valued the church, we should value our spouses.  If you desire a happy marriage, then you must value your spouse.  __________ Ephesians 5:25–28 KJV, John 3:16 KJV, Ephesians 5:28,33 KJV, 1 Peter 3:7 KJV, 1 Corinthians 7:33–34 KJV, 1 Corinthians 6:20 KJV, Revelation 12:10 KJV, 2 Corinthians 10:5 KJV, Proverbs 15:1 KJV, Proverbs 23:7 KJV, Ephesians 5:26 KJV __________ Partner with Us: https://churchforentrepreneurs.com/partner Connect with Us: https://churchforentrepreneurs.com Leave a Comment: https://churchforentrepreneurs.com/comments __________    

Watch the Devotion Based on Matthew 3:13-17 Baptismal Identity In November 2024, a young high school graduate shipped off to boot camp, full of promise, and excited to serve in our nation's military. This was his dream. In mid-December, just a few weeks ago, a family member emailed me saying, “My grandson is being medically discharged. You can remove him from your mailing list.” My heart broke. I said a quick prayer, texted the young man and asked him, “I heard what happened. This must be hard for you. How can I pray for you today?” I'm guessing that you have faced disappointments like this. You planned the mission, anticipated every possible deviation, but when it came time to execute the mission was called off, or it went horribly wrong. You were on track to achieve rank, but it didn't happen. You set goals for your squadron but fell far short. You entered a marriage that was to be for life, but it hasn't. Maybe you were expecting a child who was to fill your house with joy, but that child is no longer with you. When the unexpected derails life, it's hard to see yourself as you once were. When you're no longer carrying out that vocation, or when you've failed horribly at that vocation, or have had a series of unfortunate events that no longer allow you to carry out that vocation, you might be asking yourself, “Who am I? What's my purpose anymore if I am not what I used to be?” My friends, Christ Jesus came to give you identity and purpose and meaning and worth. When he was about 30 years old Jesus went to the Jordan River to be baptized by the prophet John. John knew Jesus was the Son of God, so he tried to stop Jesus. “But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, ‘Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.' Then John consented” (Matthew 3:14-15). Jesus had no sin. He was completely righteous in his living. The righteous thing his Father sent him to do was to completely identify with our sin, our failures, our brokenness, our disappointments. And at his baptism, he became them, took them upon himself as if they were his own. Since Jesus has completely identified himself with your sin he has given you his righteousness – his right living – as if it were your own. His gift comes to you through the hearing of these words. His gift comes to you through the waters of your baptism. In your baptism he puts his name on you, calls you his brother, his sister, sons and daughters of the Father, heirs of a resurrection from the dead and eternal life in heaven. In your baptism he gives you his righteous life which covers over your failures. He gives you his righteous life so that you might know you are not a failure but forgiven, redeemed and restored. Whatever disappointments, failures, heartaches, regrettable decisions you've made in your life, take them to Jesus. Take them to the waters of your baptism and wash them clean. See yourself the way your God sees you; baptized, forgiven, brother or sister of Jesus, dressed in the robe of Christ's righteousness forever. And then go and live that baptismal life. Every morning wake up and say, “I am a baptized child of God. I will live that way today.” Every evening before you lay your head on your pillow say, “Despite what happened today, I am still a baptized child of God, forgiven by my Father in heaven, because he loves me.” That's who you are and who you will be because Jesus says so in your baptism. Prayer: Father in heaven, at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan, you proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit. Keep us who are baptized into Christ faithful in our calling as your children, and make us heirs with him of everlasting life. As we remember in our prayers those who are deployed, keep them faithful to their marriages, pure in their thoughts and intentions. Keep them content and may they find joy in their work. Amen. Written and recorded by Rev. Paul Horn, WELS National Civilian Chaplain to the Military, San Diego, California. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Note: Scripture reading footnotes are clickable only in the web version.

1) Since Jesus is the only one with a glorified body, what kind of bodies do Enoch and Elijah have?2) Is the raising of the dead saints in Matthew 27:52-53 a resurrection or resuscitation?3) Where is the Ark of the Covenant?4) Does my past life of two divorces prohibit me from participating in the Lord's Supper or becoming an active member?5) Could you explain “abstain…from blood” in Acts 15:20?6) Dr. McGee explains 1 Corinthians 15:28 in light of the resurrection.7) What does the expression "hating even the garment spotted by the flesh" in Jude 23 mean?

Before creation, God knew that there would need to be a plan for salvation and He incorporated that plan in every aspect of His handiwork. Since Jesus' life, death and resurrection, we are now offered the gift of salvation entirely free. We must lay aside our attempts at payment and simply receive this gift.

Before creation, God knew that there would need to be a plan for salvation and He incorporated that plan in every aspect of His handiwork. Since Jesus' life, death and resurrection, we are now offered the gift of salvation entirely free. We must lay aside our attempts at payment and simply receive this gift. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/640/29?v=20251111

Our text tells us that "Jesus grew in wisdom, and in stature, and in favor with God and man."Since Jesus is God in human flesh, why would it be said of him that he "grew in wisdom and favor with God?"What are the means which God used in the life of Jesus to cause him to grow in wisdom and favor with God?

On today's Bible Answer Man broadcast, Hank shares his thoughts on the coming of Christ in flesh. The reason we rejoice at Christmas is because the baby born to Mary and Joseph was no ordinary child. This baby was the ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy of Immanuel: “God with us.” Although John's Gospel does not include a narrative of Jesus' birth, the doctrine of the Incarnation is beautifully summed up in his introduction: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” The clear testimony of Scripture is that, in the Incarnation, Christ was one person with two natures; fully God and fully man. As Theanthropos, the God-Man, Jesus lived a perfectly sinless life and died a sinner's death to atone, once for all, for the sins of humanity.Hank also answers the following questions:What happens to our soul when we die? What about the spirit? Frank - El Paso, TX (5:28)Can you explain what it means when Jesus says the days will be shortened in Matthew 24:22? Kyle - St. Louis, MO (7:29)Does Isaiah 9:6 teach modalism? Is Jesus the Father as well as the Son? Vick - MO (15:59)How should we respond to people who mock us for believing in God? Dan - Bentonville, AR (19:18)Since Jesus knew what would happen before it happened, how do we reconcile this with Him saying, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Tiffany - Windsor, IL (23:10)

1 John 4 We've seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God's Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we've embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God. God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love. We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first. We love because we are loved. The kind of Love that this passage is about is exemplified by Jesus sacrificially becoming one of us. Since Jesus was born, a fearful life, a fear of death, a fear of judgment is banished — because well-formed Love vanishes fear.  The Love we have on our own for one another is fragile and transactional. The kind of Love that this passage is talking about goes beyond any kind of love we can have on our own. But it's a Love that is available. Not only for us but through us to others. A kind of intimacy, acceptance, and without limitation because of the one who first loved us and sacrificially came for us. This kind of Love is a power that wipes out fear. We can know this Love and give this Love because we were shown this Love first. As the scripture says — First we were loved, now we love. Let's pray: God of Love, Your son, Jesus, is your greatest gift to us. Love incarnate. Help us walk in that Love during the weeks of Advent, as we wait and prepare for his coming again. Thank You for Your unfailing, sacrificial and redeeming Love for me. Immanuel, God with us.

Christians who wish to live a godly life and maintain a clear witness in this world will be persecuted. While the pursuit of comfort and safety is wholly incompatible with the righteous suffering exemplified for us by Jesus Christ, the perseverance of believers under persecution has an enormous impact on a watching world.Earthly safety and comfort are not Christ's goals for your life, they are Satan's.The suffering of Christians for their righteous life and uncompromising witness is the most powerful testimony to the truth of the Gospel.Questions:1. Have you ever been persecuted for your faith in Christ? If not, why do you suppose that is?2. Since Jesus suffered for us on the cross, why is it also necessary for us to suffer in faithfulness to his example?3. Believers and unbelievers alike may face unjust suffering. How should the Christian response to suffering differ from that of the non-Christian?4. How is it possible for us to ‘die to sin and live to righteousness?'5. How can you demonstrate from Scripture that Jesus is the Shepherd of our souls? What other Bible passages would you consult?

Title: “Not An Empty Visit” Part 3 Text: 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16 FCF: We often struggle identifying true faith in contrast to non-saving faith. Prop: Because only true faith saves, we must ensure we have received Jesus Christ in true faith. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. In a moment we'll read from the Legacy Standard Bible starting in verse 1. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. Today we will conclude the thought that Paul began with in chapter 2. However, keen observers might have noticed that there is a significant amount of overlap between chapter 1 and what we've discussed in chapter 2 so far. Indeed, if you took it upon yourself to set the two chapters side by side and drew lines or highlighted with different colors themes that are saying the same things with different words – you could illustrate this quite clearly. I won't impose that upon you – but if you are up for the challenge, I'm sure it would be profitable to you. Chapter 2 has largely been put to the Thessalonians in order to prove to them that the mission to their city was one that proved to be fruitless. Paul began by stating that they know it was not in vain because it was God's Gospel at work. He continued by saying that they know it was not in vain because they conducted themselves like a family. Today, Paul will conclude his assurance to them, in that they know it was not in vain because it rendered familiar results both positively and negatively. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: Holy Father, You have revealed Yourself to us Your people through the Word, our Lord Jesus Christ. He has come to us, as God With Us. He has come to us to save us from sin, death, hell, the devil, and the kingdom of darkness. You have freed us from the tyranny of our own wisdom and enabled us to believe in You the giver of life. God give us eyes to behold the truth of Your word this morning as we see what makes true faith and what awaits us if we are without it. May we take the words of hope and warning today in faith, and may it have the effect upon us You desire. We pray this in Jesus' name – Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] “Faith that saves has one distinguishing quality; saving faith is a faith that produces obedience, it is a faith that brings about a way of life.” Billy Graham “A man at his wit's end is not at his faith's end.” Matthew Henry “The function of faith is to turn God's promises into facts.” J. Oswald Chambers Let these thoughts wash over you as we embark on the truth of the passage this morning. I.) True faith produces belief in God's Word and suffering for Christ, so we must ensure we have received Jesus Christ in true faith. (13-14) a. [Slide 3] 13 - And for this reason we also thank God without ceasing that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also is at work in you who believe. i. It takes two sides to make a visit profitable. ii. Paul has, in the first twelve verses, explained how he and his companions did their part to produce a successful and fruitful mission among them. iii. They took God's gospel and gave it to them without unseemly methods or greedy motives. iv. They adopted them as family and loved them accordingly. They cared for them like parents, both supplying what they needed to grow and thrive and teaching them to live a life worthy of God's Kingdom. v. But all of this would have been for nothing if the message was ineffective to produce any kind of spiritual change in them. vi. In fact, without God's empowering the message of His gospel, the Thessalonians would never have heard it as His Word. vii. So Paul gives thanks once again, without ceasing, to God, that the Thessalonians responded to the message the way they did. viii. Going back to chapter 1 verse 4-5, we see that Paul expresses similar thoughts. ix. He is thanking God because he is confident that the Thessalonian believers were elect of God. x. Why? xi. Primarily because of how the gospel came to them. xii. Not in word only (ie words of men only) but in the power of the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. xiii. Paul's thanksgiving here is expressed in more detail. xiv. What does it mean that the gospel came in power, in the Spirit, and with full conviction? xv. It means they responded in true faith. Well, how do they know they have true faith? There are two examples in this text. xvi. First, that they believed the content of the message as though it were from God and second, that they received the power of the message. 1. The content of the message, if received in true faith, must be from God. a. The evangelists were demonstrating holy, righteous, and blameless lifestyles and exhorting, encouraging and insisting that the Thessalonians do the same. b. All of this is couched in the idea that a Kingdom is coming where Christ reigns over all, and demands purest devotion and worship. c. The same Lord who died to save them from their sins, will one day return to judge the living and the dead. He will restore His people and make them to rule with Him in that Kingdom. d. If someone receives this in true faith – they must conclude it is from God. e. Paul reveals in a later letter that the Word of God is hidden from those who are without God's Spirit. God's Spirit must do a work in an unbeliever in order to enable them to understand and believe what the Word of God teaches. f. So, we say that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God… which is true. But hearing the Word of God to the point of understanding that it is from God and even what that message means – all comes through the power of the Holy Spirit. g. We call this step in the salvation process – regeneration. And although the bible does not explicitly teach that it precedes faith, the scriptures clearly teach that God must do something to enable a person to believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. And He must do this to bring them out of their spiritually dead state. Since this is what regeneration is, it is safe for us to conclude that it must precede faith. h. Paul alludes to this here – in that the Thessalonians did not perceive this as a message from men – but they took what the evangelists said as the very words of God. A conclusion they could not have arrived at without the power of the Holy Spirit – which Paul said in chapter 1, did happen when the gospel came to them. 2. The second way we know they responded in true faith, is by the powerful result of that message being received. a. To those who truly believe, the Word of God produces an effect. b. We should expect the Word of God, preached, taught, read, heard, studied, mediated on, memorized, and illustrated to have a powerful effect upon those who are truly God's people. c. Warnings about sin and falling away, and pursuing righteousness, and loving God and others – should have a distinct influence over the hearts of those who are God's people. d. It is a predictable outcome that if absent calls into question the very legitimacy of our faith. xvii. So how specifically were the Thessalonians powerfully affected by the Word they received from God? b. [Slide 4] 14 - For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also suffered the same things at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews, i. Paul calls out their suffering in the same way that the first members of the church suffered. ii. In fact, he uses the word – imitate again. iii. This also goes back to chapter 1 verse 6. iv. They became imitators of Christ and the evangelists by receiving the word with affliction. v. Paul again denotes that Christians are the same no matter where they are. Whether in Judea or Macedonia. They are also the same no matter WHEN they are. Whether at Pentecost in the formation of the church or now. vi. There are general markers that are common among all those who receive true faith. vii. In this example, Paul points to how on the day of Pentecost, believers on Christ suffered great persecution at the hands of fellow countrymen who rejected the gospel. viii. In a similar way, the Thessalonians are being treated quite poorly by their neighbors, family, friends, and others in the city who rejected the gospel message. ix. Being persecuted by unbelievers who are among those closest to you is one way that the legitimacy of your faith is demonstrated. c. [Slide 5] Summary of the Point: Paul's primary point in this chapter so far has been to verify that the mission they had among the Thessalonians only a few months previous, was not an empty and fruitless mission. Countering the claims of their fellow residents of Thessalonica, Paul knows it wasn't fruitless because they spoke God's gospel with confidence and for His approval. He also knows it wasn't fruitless because they felt a familial connection to the Thessalonians. And finally, they know it wasn't a fruitless mission because it produced predictable results in the city. The first result is regarding those who received the gospel message. Because they received this message in true faith, they were convinced it was a message from God and were changed by this message to the extent that they endured suffering for Christ's name. True faith produces belief in God's Word and a willingness, and even a joy to endure suffering for Christ's sake. This would be very encouraging to the Thessalonians, to know that these seasoned believers were confident in their faith. But our application must cautiously approach this. We must begin rather with a need for us to make sure that we have received true faith in Jesus Christ. Then and only then can we be assured and take comfort in the apostle's words. Transition: [Slide 6 (blank)] But what other predictable result comes when the gospel of Jesus Christ is truly received by a group of people? In what else does Paul draw confidence that the Thessalonian mission was not fruitless? II.) Without true faith it is impossible to please God or be at peace with Him or mankind, so we must ensure we have received Jesus Christ in true faith. (15-16) a. [Slide 7] 15 - who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, i. Paul now embarks upon what seems like a rabbit trail. ii. He seeks to expand upon the behavior of the Jewish people who have so opposed the gospel message and have had a history of opposing God's word in general. iii. Here he says that these same Jews who persecuted their own countrymen for believing on Jesus, are the ones who killed the Lord Jesus and their own prophets. iv. Paul again uses familial or collective language. Obviously, the same people who killed Jesus could not be the ones who killed all the prophets down through their history. And most likely they are not the same ones who drove Paul or the apostles out of Judea. v. Instead, Paul refers to a branch of Israel that has been cut off. vi. Paul is not being antisemitic here. He is merely pointing out a group of people who although having the racial privilege of being God's portion, have continued to reject Him as their King and Lord. vii. They are following in an unfortunate history of the Jewish people who strayed from Yahweh both in worship and in conduct to kill their own prophets and those God has sent to speak the truth to them. viii. The crown jewel in this ungodly behavior is, of course, the murder of their own Messiah and God – Jesus of Nazareth. ix. They continued their work of unbelief with Paul and his companions. b. [Slide 8] and drove us out, i. This could be referring to several instances where the Jews drove Paul or Christ's other servants out of certain places. ii. The “us” here could simply refer to Jewish believers, or may even refer to the evangelists themselves. iii. In any case – he points to the majority opposition of the Jewish people to receive their own Messiah or any who preach in His name. c. [Slide 9] and do not please God, i. Since Jesus is God's Messiah, His Servant, the Son of Man that the Ancient of Days will lift up to occupy the same throne as Yahweh… ii. You cannot oppose Christ or Christ's followers without also opposing God. iii. It is impossible for any to please God without first believing on Jesus Christ. iv. All the effort put in keeping the law, even if it were successful, would fail to please God if the person did not put their faith in Christ alone. v. And so, these Jews, in spite of being God's portion and part of Abraham's line, cannot please God and oppose His Son or His Son's Bride, at the same time. vi. But not only are they opposed to God… d. [Slide 10] and are hostile to all men, i. In opposing Christ, the Savior of the world, it is also impossible to love others. ii. To reject Christ is to render yourself unable to truly love other human beings. iii. Why? iv. Because Christ is the hope of the nations. Christ is the King of Kings. Christ is the Bright and Morning Star. Christ is the Lord of Light. v. As Psalm 2 says, we must kiss the Son lest He be angry. vi. All nations must bow to His rule. All nations have hope only in His rule. vii. All nations who do not hope in Him, will cease to exist. viii. And so, to oppose Christ is to oppose the only hope the nations have. ix. The most hateful thing you can do to humanity is to reject His Messiah and harm His Son's Bride. x. Our culture says the most loving thing you can do is to be tolerant and accepting to all faiths. xi. The truth could not be more opposed to this thought. xii. The exclusivity of Christ as Savior and Lord of all, is the way we establish peace with all men. Peace only comes by the Exclusive rule of Christ alone. xiii. Next, Paul specifically calls out in what way the Jews were hostile to all men… e. [Slide 11] 16 - hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved; i. To hinder the gospel message from going out to the nations is to hate the nations. ii. To stop the message of Christ crucified for sinners is to hate sinners and desire their eternal judgment. iii. The salvation of every man's soul rests in the work of Christ, alone. iv. And to prevent this message from going to all men – is to hate all men. v. No, telling people they are sinners and they need a Savior is not hateful, or unkind. It is the most loving thing we could do. But do you know what is truly hateful and hostile? Doing what you can to prevent others hearing the exclusive gospel of Jesus Christ. vi. Suggesting there are many paths to God through many religions, is the most hateful and hostile thing you could ever tell someone. vii. Since the Jews have opposed God, and man in this way… what is the result? f. [Slide 12] with the result that they always fill up the measure of their sins. i. Their sins have come to completion. ii. There is a call back here to the ban God put on the Canaanite nations before Israel entered into the promised land. iii. God speaks of the sins of the people who lived in the land as filling up a cup. Or coming to completion. iv. Jesus spoke to the Pharisees in a similar way, telling them that they are filling up the cup of their judgment. v. Like when you cook rice on a stove top… vi. The starches in the rice react to the boiling water and produce bubbles. And those bubbles if not kept in check with rise to the top and overflow. vii. Burnt rice water on a glass stove top is one mess you don't want to have to clean up – Not that I know from experience

Title: “Not An Empty Visit” Part 3 Text: 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16 FCF: We often struggle identifying true faith in contrast to non-saving faith. Prop: Because only true faith saves, we must ensure we have received Jesus Christ in true faith. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. In a moment we'll read from the Legacy Standard Bible starting in verse 1. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. Today we will conclude the thought that Paul began with in chapter 2. However, keen observers might have noticed that there is a significant amount of overlap between chapter 1 and what we've discussed in chapter 2 so far. Indeed, if you took it upon yourself to set the two chapters side by side and drew lines or highlighted with different colors themes that are saying the same things with different words – you could illustrate this quite clearly. I won't impose that upon you – but if you are up for the challenge, I'm sure it would be profitable to you. Chapter 2 has largely been put to the Thessalonians in order to prove to them that the mission to their city was one that proved to be fruitless. Paul began by stating that they know it was not in vain because it was God's Gospel at work. He continued by saying that they know it was not in vain because they conducted themselves like a family. Today, Paul will conclude his assurance to them, in that they know it was not in vain because it rendered familiar results both positively and negatively. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: Holy Father, You have revealed Yourself to us Your people through the Word, our Lord Jesus Christ. He has come to us, as God With Us. He has come to us to save us from sin, death, hell, the devil, and the kingdom of darkness. You have freed us from the tyranny of our own wisdom and enabled us to believe in You the giver of life. God give us eyes to behold the truth of Your word this morning as we see what makes true faith and what awaits us if we are without it. May we take the words of hope and warning today in faith, and may it have the effect upon us You desire. We pray this in Jesus' name – Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] “Faith that saves has one distinguishing quality; saving faith is a faith that produces obedience, it is a faith that brings about a way of life.” Billy Graham “A man at his wit's end is not at his faith's end.” Matthew Henry “The function of faith is to turn God's promises into facts.” J. Oswald Chambers Let these thoughts wash over you as we embark on the truth of the passage this morning. I.) True faith produces belief in God's Word and suffering for Christ, so we must ensure we have received Jesus Christ in true faith. (13-14) a. [Slide 3] 13 - And for this reason we also thank God without ceasing that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also is at work in you who believe. i. It takes two sides to make a visit profitable. ii. Paul has, in the first twelve verses, explained how he and his companions did their part to produce a successful and fruitful mission among them. iii. They took God's gospel and gave it to them without unseemly methods or greedy motives. iv. They adopted them as family and loved them accordingly. They cared for them like parents, both supplying what they needed to grow and thrive and teaching them to live a life worthy of God's Kingdom. v. But all of this would have been for nothing if the message was ineffective to produce any kind of spiritual change in them. vi. In fact, without God's empowering the message of His gospel, the Thessalonians would never have heard it as His Word. vii. So Paul gives thanks once again, without ceasing, to God, that the Thessalonians responded to the message the way they did. viii. Going back to chapter 1 verse 4-5, we see that Paul expresses similar thoughts. ix. He is thanking God because he is confident that the Thessalonian believers were elect of God. x. Why? xi. Primarily because of how the gospel came to them. xii. Not in word only (ie words of men only) but in the power of the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. xiii. Paul's thanksgiving here is expressed in more detail. xiv. What does it mean that the gospel came in power, in the Spirit, and with full conviction? xv. It means they responded in true faith. Well, how do they know they have true faith? There are two examples in this text. xvi. First, that they believed the content of the message as though it were from God and second, that they received the power of the message. 1. The content of the message, if received in true faith, must be from God. a. The evangelists were demonstrating holy, righteous, and blameless lifestyles and exhorting, encouraging and insisting that the Thessalonians do the same. b. All of this is couched in the idea that a Kingdom is coming where Christ reigns over all, and demands purest devotion and worship. c. The same Lord who died to save them from their sins, will one day return to judge the living and the dead. He will restore His people and make them to rule with Him in that Kingdom. d. If someone receives this in true faith – they must conclude it is from God. e. Paul reveals in a later letter that the Word of God is hidden from those who are without God's Spirit. God's Spirit must do a work in an unbeliever in order to enable them to understand and believe what the Word of God teaches. f. So, we say that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God… which is true. But hearing the Word of God to the point of understanding that it is from God and even what that message means – all comes through the power of the Holy Spirit. g. We call this step in the salvation process – regeneration. And although the bible does not explicitly teach that it precedes faith, the scriptures clearly teach that God must do something to enable a person to believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. And He must do this to bring them out of their spiritually dead state. Since this is what regeneration is, it is safe for us to conclude that it must precede faith. h. Paul alludes to this here – in that the Thessalonians did not perceive this as a message from men – but they took what the evangelists said as the very words of God. A conclusion they could not have arrived at without the power of the Holy Spirit – which Paul said in chapter 1, did happen when the gospel came to them. 2. The second way we know they responded in true faith, is by the powerful result of that message being received. a. To those who truly believe, the Word of God produces an effect. b. We should expect the Word of God, preached, taught, read, heard, studied, mediated on, memorized, and illustrated to have a powerful effect upon those who are truly God's people. c. Warnings about sin and falling away, and pursuing righteousness, and loving God and others – should have a distinct influence over the hearts of those who are God's people. d. It is a predictable outcome that if absent calls into question the very legitimacy of our faith. xvii. So how specifically were the Thessalonians powerfully affected by the Word they received from God? b. [Slide 4] 14 - For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also suffered the same things at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews, i. Paul calls out their suffering in the same way that the first members of the church suffered. ii. In fact, he uses the word – imitate again. iii. This also goes back to chapter 1 verse 6. iv. They became imitators of Christ and the evangelists by receiving the word with affliction. v. Paul again denotes that Christians are the same no matter where they are. Whether in Judea or Macedonia. They are also the same no matter WHEN they are. Whether at Pentecost in the formation of the church or now. vi. There are general markers that are common among all those who receive true faith. vii. In this example, Paul points to how on the day of Pentecost, believers on Christ suffered great persecution at the hands of fellow countrymen who rejected the gospel. viii. In a similar way, the Thessalonians are being treated quite poorly by their neighbors, family, friends, and others in the city who rejected the gospel message. ix. Being persecuted by unbelievers who are among those closest to you is one way that the legitimacy of your faith is demonstrated. c. [Slide 5] Summary of the Point: Paul's primary point in this chapter so far has been to verify that the mission they had among the Thessalonians only a few months previous, was not an empty and fruitless mission. Countering the claims of their fellow residents of Thessalonica, Paul knows it wasn't fruitless because they spoke God's gospel with confidence and for His approval. He also knows it wasn't fruitless because they felt a familial connection to the Thessalonians. And finally, they know it wasn't a fruitless mission because it produced predictable results in the city. The first result is regarding those who received the gospel message. Because they received this message in true faith, they were convinced it was a message from God and were changed by this message to the extent that they endured suffering for Christ's name. True faith produces belief in God's Word and a willingness, and even a joy to endure suffering for Christ's sake. This would be very encouraging to the Thessalonians, to know that these seasoned believers were confident in their faith. But our application must cautiously approach this. We must begin rather with a need for us to make sure that we have received true faith in Jesus Christ. Then and only then can we be assured and take comfort in the apostle's words. Transition: [Slide 6 (blank)] But what other predictable result comes when the gospel of Jesus Christ is truly received by a group of people? In what else does Paul draw confidence that the Thessalonian mission was not fruitless? II.) Without true faith it is impossible to please God or be at peace with Him or mankind, so we must ensure we have received Jesus Christ in true faith. (15-16) a. [Slide 7] 15 - who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, i. Paul now embarks upon what seems like a rabbit trail. ii. He seeks to expand upon the behavior of the Jewish people who have so opposed the gospel message and have had a history of opposing God's word in general. iii. Here he says that these same Jews who persecuted their own countrymen for believing on Jesus, are the ones who killed the Lord Jesus and their own prophets. iv. Paul again uses familial or collective language. Obviously, the same people who killed Jesus could not be the ones who killed all the prophets down through their history. And most likely they are not the same ones who drove Paul or the apostles out of Judea. v. Instead, Paul refers to a branch of Israel that has been cut off. vi. Paul is not being antisemitic here. He is merely pointing out a group of people who although having the racial privilege of being God's portion, have continued to reject Him as their King and Lord. vii. They are following in an unfortunate history of the Jewish people who strayed from Yahweh both in worship and in conduct to kill their own prophets and those God has sent to speak the truth to them. viii. The crown jewel in this ungodly behavior is, of course, the murder of their own Messiah and God – Jesus of Nazareth. ix. They continued their work of unbelief with Paul and his companions. b. [Slide 8] and drove us out, i. This could be referring to several instances where the Jews drove Paul or Christ's other servants out of certain places. ii. The “us” here could simply refer to Jewish believers, or may even refer to the evangelists themselves. iii. In any case – he points to the majority opposition of the Jewish people to receive their own Messiah or any who preach in His name. c. [Slide 9] and do not please God, i. Since Jesus is God's Messiah, His Servant, the Son of Man that the Ancient of Days will lift up to occupy the same throne as Yahweh… ii. You cannot oppose Christ or Christ's followers without also opposing God. iii. It is impossible for any to please God without first believing on Jesus Christ. iv. All the effort put in keeping the law, even if it were successful, would fail to please God if the person did not put their faith in Christ alone. v. And so, these Jews, in spite of being God's portion and part of Abraham's line, cannot please God and oppose His Son or His Son's Bride, at the same time. vi. But not only are they opposed to God… d. [Slide 10] and are hostile to all men, i. In opposing Christ, the Savior of the world, it is also impossible to love others. ii. To reject Christ is to render yourself unable to truly love other human beings. iii. Why? iv. Because Christ is the hope of the nations. Christ is the King of Kings. Christ is the Bright and Morning Star. Christ is the Lord of Light. v. As Psalm 2 says, we must kiss the Son lest He be angry. vi. All nations must bow to His rule. All nations have hope only in His rule. vii. All nations who do not hope in Him, will cease to exist. viii. And so, to oppose Christ is to oppose the only hope the nations have. ix. The most hateful thing you can do to humanity is to reject His Messiah and harm His Son's Bride. x. Our culture says the most loving thing you can do is to be tolerant and accepting to all faiths. xi. The truth could not be more opposed to this thought. xii. The exclusivity of Christ as Savior and Lord of all, is the way we establish peace with all men. Peace only comes by the Exclusive rule of Christ alone. xiii. Next, Paul specifically calls out in what way the Jews were hostile to all men… e. [Slide 11] 16 - hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved; i. To hinder the gospel message from going out to the nations is to hate the nations. ii. To stop the message of Christ crucified for sinners is to hate sinners and desire their eternal judgment. iii. The salvation of every man's soul rests in the work of Christ, alone. iv. And to prevent this message from going to all men – is to hate all men. v. No, telling people they are sinners and they need a Savior is not hateful, or unkind. It is the most loving thing we could do. But do you know what is truly hateful and hostile? Doing what you can to prevent others hearing the exclusive gospel of Jesus Christ. vi. Suggesting there are many paths to God through many religions, is the most hateful and hostile thing you could ever tell someone. vii. Since the Jews have opposed God, and man in this way… what is the result? f. [Slide 12] with the result that they always fill up the measure of their sins. i. Their sins have come to completion. ii. There is a call back here to the ban God put on the Canaanite nations before Israel entered into the promised land. iii. God speaks of the sins of the people who lived in the land as filling up a cup. Or coming to completion. iv. Jesus spoke to the Pharisees in a similar way, telling them that they are filling up the cup of their judgment. v. Like when you cook rice on a stove top… vi. The starches in the rice react to the boiling water and produce bubbles. And those bubbles if not kept in check with rise to the top and overflow. vii. Burnt rice water on a glass stove top is one mess you don't want to have to clean up – Not that I know from experience

On today's Bible Answer Man broadcast (12/08/25), Hank comments on the fact that there are many stars, but only one Superstar. He spoke, and the universe leapt into existence. The morning stars together proclaimed His holy birth. He is the root and offspring of David, the bright and Morning Star. It's no wonder that the prophecies concerning Him outnumber all the others. Only Jesus of Nazareth—the unique Superstar—could emerge through the doorway of Old Testament prophecy.Hank also answers the following questions:Can a pastor be divorced according to 1 Timothy 3:2? David - MO (3:31)Were there incestuous relations between Adam and Eve's children? Annette - St. Louis, MO (5:58)What arguments would you give to prove that Jesus knew He was God? Josh - Nashville, TN (8:05)Does Isaiah 9:6 teach modalism? Is Jesus the Father as well as the Son? Vick - MO (15:59)How should we respond to people who mock us for believing in God? Dan - Bentonville, AR (19:18)Since Jesus knew what would happen before it happened, how do we reconcile this with Him saying, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Tiffany - Windsor, IL (23:10)

FINDING HER VOICE Set in the volatile early days of Christianity, this sweeping historical novel centers on three fearless women determined to claim their place in a faith that keeps trying to shut them down. Junia fights for acceptance in a divided church while protecting her biracial son and facing the possibility of new love, Susannah wrestles with the pull between motherhood and ministry as danger and expectations collide, and Mariamne challenges rigid gender roles as she confronts what true authority demands. Against a backdrop of real biblical events and rising tension, their stories intertwine in a bold exploration of faith, identity, equality, and resistance, delivering a powerful, feminist, LGBTQ+-affirming tale of courage and conviction. Finding Her Voice is Book Three of the From Broken to Bold trilogy, bringing the series to a defiant, unforgettable conclusion that proves silence was never an option. Consider this your official invitation to holy troublemaking. Learn more about Elaine Ricker Kelly and her work at www.elainekelly.ca  TOPICS OF CONVERSATION Spotlight on early female apostles and the overlooked leadership roles of women in the first-century church Junia and Susanna as powerful yet imperfect figures pushing back against religious and societal silencing Parallels between ancient gender oppression and modern struggles around women's rights and equality Faith, identity, and inclusion, including challenges to traditional Christian views on women and LGBTQ+ individuals Emotional themes surrounding motherhood, worth, infertility, and how women's value has been historically measured The author's personal journey of reclaiming voice and confronting ingrained beliefs within Christianity ABOUT THE AUTHOR Elaine Ricker Kelly is an award-winning author writing about women in the Bible and the early church. As a mother of three daughters, Elaine knew the harm of being considered secondary. She thought fiction would help others see how Jesus equipped women as disciples and empowered women to speak and lead. Her research-based approach and empathetic tone were developed during thirty years as a financial advisor. Since Jesus engaged women as financial advisors, Kelly felt betrayed as a Christian when she saw the church speaking against women leaders, and she felt it was important to show how the Bible empowers women and endorses equality for all. She hopes to bring healing and hope to those sidelined or silenced by the church by writing blogs on biblical equality, church history, and affirming LGBTQ+ people. She and her husband live near Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and worship in the mainline Protestant Christian tradition. They have three adult daughters and enjoy hiking, nature, tennis, pickleball, music, history, and travel.  Learn more about Elaine Ricker Kelly and her work at www.elainekelly.ca  CONNECT WITH ELAINE RICKER KELLY! Instagram: @elaine_kelly_author Facebook: elainekellyauthor Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/ERK4Canada/playlists TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@elaine.kelly.author  

Since Jesus has secured our adoption, Christians can approach God as His children and address Him as Father. Today, R.C. Sproul investigates what Christ's model prayer teaches us about our relationship with God. With your donation of an amount, request The Valley of Vision, a book of Puritan prayers to help enrich your own prayer life. You'll also get digital access to R.C. Sproul's video teaching series Prayer and the accompanying study guide: https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/4406/donate Live outside the U.S. and Canada? Request the digital teaching series and study guide with your donation: https://www.renewingyourmind.org/global Meet Today's Teacher:   R.C. Sproul (1939–2017) was founder of Ligonier Ministries, first minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew's Chapel, first president of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine.   Meet the Host:   Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of media for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, and host of the Ask Ligonier podcast. Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

This episode is a sister to Episode 126: Israel and Palestine. Many depictions of Muslims in the West picture Islam as a religion of violence, and in a post-9/11 world, it's certainly not difficult to believe that this is true. But while there is certainly violence in its past, the vast majority of Muslims share with other humans a deep desire for peace and safety. For Christians, being on guard against this false narrative is absolutely essential. St. Paul says in 2 Timothy 1 that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of self-control. Fear is what holds us back from loving each other and living out the Gospel for our neighbors. Specifically, fear saps the three gifts Paul identifies: Power: Fear keeps us from the strength it takes to live with selflessness and love in a broken world. Love: Fear keeps us from the love that's needed to serve those who disagree with and maybe even dislike us. Self-Control: Fear prevents the kind of self-control needed to proactively, instead of reactively, respond to others with love. Since Jesus has risen from the dead and won the victory over the world, we don't need to be afraid of or angry with anyone. Hosts: Aaron Mueller and Chuck Rathert Subscribe to the show at https://cacg.saintjamesglencarbon.org. To comment on this episode, visit https://saintjamesglencarbon.org/cacg-ep131.

John 11:1-7,Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”With John 10 behind us, we enter now into a new phase of Jesus' ministry. Phase one opened with John the Baptist baptizing in the wilderness east of the Jordan. That was back in chapter one. Nine chapters later — following a variety of Jesus' miracles and Jesus' teachings, crowds coming and crowds going, Pharisees questioning and Pharisees condemning — we ended up back in the very same place it all began. John 10:40,“Jesus went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first.” So, phase one has come full circle. Jesus' public ministry has all about concluded. And at this point, life actually looks pretty good for Jesus. John 10:41 says of Jesus, having returned to this region of the Jordan,“And many came to him [so, he's got the crowds]. And many said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true [he's got public testimony]. And many believed in him there [he's got ministry success].”Sounds pretty good, right? Jesus is at last away from the tension and death-threats he'd been experiencing in Jerusalem. He's not having to walk mile-after-mile from town-to-town like he did in Galilee. He's east of the Jordan. He's got his disciples all round him. He's got the crowds coming to him and believing him. Life, right now, looks pretty good for Jesus. Then, like a fly in the ointment, John 11 begins,“Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.”Hmm, now what might that mean for Jesus? What might that news of one, relatively unimportant person's illness, mean for Jesus — especially in light of crowd-sized, relatively comfortable success? In this morning's text, we're going to see Jesus' response to this one, relatively unimportant person's illness. It's a response that's going to give us a window into three truths about the heart and character of Jesus:Jesus personally loves his people.Jesus prizes his Father's glory.Jesus pursues our very best.Let's pray …. 1. Jesus Personally Loves His PeopleJesus personally loves his people. Let's begin at John 11:1.“Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. [and then there's little this parenthesis…] It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill.”Now, this is foreshadowing. We've not read about this event just yet, but we will see it in chapter 12. For now, John's just flagging it — saying, “Hey, keep your eye on this family; make note of the connection here: Lazarus, Mary, Martha — they're siblings. Siblings who are going to have some significant interaction with Jesus in the next few days.”So, imagine it with me, Mary and Martha are in their home. Their brother Lazarus gets sick. And sickness is a dangerous thing in the ancient world. Not many options for medicine or doctors. Then, the sickness worsens. Things are beginning to look bad. The sisters think: Let's send for Jesus. Verse 3:“So the sisters sent to him, saying, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.'” Again, remember where Jesus was at this time. This message concerning Lazarus gets delivered to Jesus at a time when he's living in relative security. In it comes — the message that Lazarus of Bethany is ill. And, you just gotta think, I mean — “Lazarus, I'm sorry, but the timing's just not great right now. Your location, a bit too close for comfort to Jerusalem. And you're just one person compared to the many who are coming my way.”And, look, let's get real, I mean: how many people had Jesus' interacted with throughout his three years of public ministry? We know he fed the 4,000. We know he fed the 5,000. We know, at times, he had crowds so large he had to get into a boat so as to not be trampled by them. Even now, he's got waves of people coming toward him. You think he even remembers Lazarus? You think he really has capacity — with all the other things he's doing and all the other people he's caring for — to show concern for this one single, relatively unimportant individual?Well, the sisters sure seem to think so. Just look how they describe their brother to Jesus. The message is not, “Lord, he whom you appreciate; he whom you might remember; nor is it even he who loves you. The message from the sisters is, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.”Now, why is it that these sisters believe Jesus loves their brother? Well, I imagine Jesus told them he did. And Jesus showed them he did. That his previous posture toward Lazarus had not been one of cold, detached indifference. Like, when Jesus had been around Lazarus, he had not been checking his watch, or rolling his eyes, or day-dreaming about all the other places he'd rather be. No, no, no, Jesus loved Lazarus and it showed. The sisters knew, Jesus loves our brother. And this, is stunning. Earlier in John — 3:16 — we read that God loves the world. It's an amazing truth, yes? It's also a broad truth — gloriously broad, but broad nonetheless. After all, you've gotta zoom out quite a bit to see the whole world, right? And when you zoom out, what happens to you? What happens to the individual? They fade into the crowd. That is, when humans who are merely humans look at the world. But see, here is where God is different. Here is where Jesus, the Son of God, is different. Jesus has capacity, boundless capacity, to love the world and love individuals within the world. It is not an either/or for Jesus. “Either, I'm a big, distant God. Or, I'm a small, personally involved God.” No, no, no — God loves the world, and God loves his people — collectively, and individually. Calls them by name, counts the number of hairs upon their heads, knows the exact number of days he's given them. Jesus did not love Lazarus generally. Jesus knew Lazarus: Knew what he looked like, knew what he sounded like, knew — even as we'll see in a moment — the details concerning Lazarus' sickness and where it was headed. Jesus knew Lazarus — and his sisters by the way (see that in verse 5) — he knew them personally, and loved them personally. How would you, this morning, describe Jesus' love for you? Do you believe Jesus knows what you look like? What you sound like? What difficulties and sorrows have befallen you? Do you believe that if you, like Lazarus, were to get sick. Get hurt. Need help, and send for Jesus — Do you think Jesus would need a reminder of who you were? Need to jog his memory: “now how exactly is it again that I know this person?” Do you think he'd not be the first to pause the messenger: “wait, wait, wait — I don't need you to describe who she is. I don't need you to tell me who he is. I love that man. I love that woman. And I have since before the foundation of the world.” Look, Jesus' just got done telling us:John 10:14,“I am the good shepherd. I know my own.”John 10:27,“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them.” Jesus, my brothers and sisters, personally loves his people. That's the first truth about Jesus: Jesus personally loves his people. 2. Jesus Prizes His Father's GloryVerse 4:“But when Jesus heard it [that is, heard that Lazarus was sick] he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.'”Now, we've got to ask: what, exactly, is Jesus getting at here. He says, “This illness does not lead to death.” But, I mean, doesn't it? Lazarus does, in fact, end up dying, right? I mean, he'll be four days in the tomb by the time Jesus finally arrives in Bethany. Four days without a heart beating. Four days without lungs breathing. Four days without any activity in the brain. He dies. And so, when Jesus says, “This illness does not lead to death.” What's he mean? I think there's layers of meaning here, but at the top, is purpose. That is, the purpose of the illness is not death. Yes, his illness will lead to his death, but its purpose is “for the glory of God.”And now, we've seen something like this before in John already. Just two chapters earlier, John 9, the disciples ask Jesus concerning the blind man, “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered in terms of purpose: “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”There's purpose to the suffering. Purpose to the plight. That blind man was not blind for nothing. Lazarus is not sick for nothing. The purpose of God is to display the glory of God through the blindness and the illness. So, that's shared ground between John 9 and John 11. Now, what's relatively new here, not only in John 11 but the book of John as a whole, is the complementary dynamic between the Father's glory and the Son's. And, you gotta see this with me. This is an amazing claim being made here by Jesus in verse 4. So, look there with me. Verse 4: Jesus does not just say: “It is for the glory of God.” But, “It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” The Son is clearly after the Father's glory, yes? And, the way that glory is revealed to the world is through him, through the Son. They are respective, in other words, function in tandem. Jesus magnifies the Father through his obedience to him. The Father magnifies Jesus through his honoring of him. Jesus goes to the cross, it glorifies the Father. The Father raises him from the grave to restore honor to the Son. The Father and the Son's relationship is one of mutual glorification.Now, remember, all of this is under the banner of “Jesus prizes his Father's glory.” Point one: Jesus personally loves his people. Point two: Jesus prizes his Father's Glory. And the fact that the second point follows the first is so important, so helpful, especially in our particular cultural moment. For we live in an age where it is common not just for the world, but for churches, ministries, writers of worship lyrics, to tout a view of Jesus that suggests we are supreme in his mind. We rank highest in his sight. We (and I want to say this as graciously as I can) are almost like God to him. The message is that he needs us, he's incomplete without us, he is unhappy unless we're with him — it's like we're god to Jesus.Now, look, church, Jesus loves us. Point one — he loves you personally. But he does not worship you or me. Jesus loves us, but he does not need us. Jesus loves us, and he's for us, but he's not only for us, as if we are the only thing in all of life that matters to Jesus. Listen, Jesus prizes his Father's glory, and does so supremely. His highest allegiance is not to us, but to his Father. And that is really, really good news, because if that were not true of Jesus, then he'd be a sinner in need of a Savior just like you and me. Jesus prizes his Father's glory, and, he loves us personally.So, Jesus personally loves his people. And Jesus prizes his Father's glory. Finally: Jesus pursues our very best.3. Jesus Pursues Our Very BestVerse 5:“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.”Read that again. When he heard that Lazarus was ill — he'd become aware of the need, aware of Lazarus' suffering, aware of the sisters' anxiety concerning their brother, and then, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.It's a contradiction, isn't it? Seems it should either read, “Since Jesus hadn't yet heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer.” Or, “When he heard that Lazarus was ill, he decided not to stay two days longer, but to race on over to Bethany instead.” But, as it is, the text reads: So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.” What do we make of this? What's Jesus after? Well, that's precisely the point. What Jesus is after is our very best. See it with me. Watch how this thing unfolds. Verse 7:Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again. The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?Simple question, right? Jesus, you mean to go right back to where there's a mob seeking to kill you? It's a simple question. But watch Jesus' answer. Verse 9:“Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.” Who's the subject of that answer? Jesus had been the subject of the disciples' question, right? “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” Who's the subject of Jesus' answer? Who is it that's walking in the day, seeing the light of the world (not being, but seeing the light of the world), and thereby not stumbling? It's not Jesus. Jesus is the light of the world. Who is it that's seeing the light of the world? It's the disciples. Jesus' answer is about them. Jesus is after what's best for them. And he knows they're frightened by the mob in Judea. Frightened by the danger awaiting them there. And so, he's telling them, “So long as you follow me there, keep me, the light of the world, in front of you, you're not going to stumble.” He's saying, “stay with me. You've got nothing to fear so long as you stay with me.” And now here's the warning. Verse 10:“But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”This is the alternative for the disciples. Rather than love the light, and follow Jesus into Judea, they could love the world instead. They could remain in the comfort and safety offered them east of the Jordan. But since Jesus would then be gone, so too would the light. And there, cloaked in darkness, that's when their stumbling would occur. Those are the two options on the table: Light with Jesus as they head into danger. Or comfort without Jesus as they stumble in the dark. And Thomas is the first to get it. Verse 16, skip down there with me for a moment. Verse 16:“So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him.'”Thomas gets it. He gets it. “Brothers, it is better, better to go with Jesus to our deaths than live here in the dark. Let us go with him, lest we stumble.”Jesus is after our best, brothers and sisters. Not our convenience, not our safety, but our best. And he's willing to delay the miracle, willing to allow Lazarus to die, willing to have sorrow fill the hearts of Mary and Martha. He's willing to bring his disciples away from comfort east of the Jordan. He's willing to lead them right on into the danger of Judea.He's willing to do all this because he does not simply want what's good for Mary, Martha, and his disciples. But he wants what's very best. And what's very best is awaiting them in Judea — waiting for them at the tomb of Lazarus. Verse 14: “Then Jesus told them plainly, Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe.” Jesus could have gone to Lazarus sooner. Had he, he would have kept Lazarus from dying. Would've healed him. Would've restored him back to full health. And, oh, how glad that would have made the disciples. How relieved that would have made Lazarus' sisters. But it would have been a gladness and relief with a cost. Their reception of that good gift from Jesus would've meant their missing out on the greatest gift. And Jesus would not have that. Jesus aims to give us what's not merely good, but best — the gift of faith in him. “…for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe.” What if suffering was a necessary ingredient for you to maintain your faith in Jesus? Discomfort? Loss and pain? What if, in order to keep you, Jesus needed to delay his help, let the bad news come, allow the tears to fall, and the sorrow to descend, and even stay for days?Could you trust in such a moment:“Jesus is after my best?”“Jesus is giving me what I most need?”“Jesus is taking care of me?”How do we hold onto our trust in Jesus when he's yet to stop the sorrow?We follow him.We follow him from the Jordan, to Bethany, to Judea, to Jerusalem, and up the hill of Golgotha to see him there hanging suffering there for you and for me. Can we trust the man upon the cross? Can we trust the man with scars in his hands? Can we trust the shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. Jesus died to give us his very best. The TableNow, what leads us to the table this morning, is that death which Jesus willingly went toward, that he might purchase for you and for me a seat at his table. Forgiven by him, washed pure by his blood, restored to fellowship — this table is a foretaste of our future — sitting down at the table of fellowship with Jesus forever.

On today's Bible Answer Man broadcast (10/23/25), Hank shares on the meaning of Jesus' ascension into heaven.Hank also answers the following questions:Since Jesus' resurrected body is physical, does that require a location with respect to where He ascended to in heaven? Ron - Austin, TX (3:19)In Ezekiel 1:4-14, is Ezekiel seeing a UFO? Jerry - Calgary, AB (8:12)How should I respond to Christians who are judgmental? Didn't Jesus say that we should not judge? Angie - St. Claire, MO (15:11)Will Christians who smoke go to hell? Angie - St. Claire, MO (16:29)Is it bad to stop going to church and worship at home instead to avoid judgmental people? Angie - St. Claire, MO (19:51)

Read OnlineJesus journeyed to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him. As he drew near to the gate of the city, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was with her. Luke 7:11–12Try to imagine this mother. She had been married, she and her husband had a child, they raised their child, she and her son watched her husband die, and then she watched her son die and was participating in his funeral. Since he was her only son, she was now alone.When we think about this woman, it is easy to feel compassion for her. Her heart would have been filled with a sorrow that is tangible to anyone with empathy. Her heart might also have been filled with fear. At that time, a widow would have had a very difficult time taking care of herself in a rural village. With her husband gone, she would have had to rely upon her son to provide for her as she aged. But now that he was gone, her heart would have not only felt the pain of his loss, but also fear for her future. What would become of her? Who would provide food for her year after year? Would she be reduced to begging and poverty?It is in the context of this very real sorrow and fear that Jesus enters her life. We do not know if she knew anything about Jesus. It appears she was not one of His followers and might not have even heard about Jesus since He had not been ministering publicly for very long. Jesus' encounter with her and her dead son appears to be unplanned and unexpected. What is it that moves Jesus to raise this man from the dead? It does not appear to be a response to anyone's faith within the village. It is not even done at anyone's request. Instead, it appears to be done purely out of Jesus' compassion for this mother. At least that's how it seems at first read. And though Jesus clearly acted out of compassion for her, if we consider the entire context, there might also be a secondary motive.Jesus, his disciples and a large crowd were all walking together through this village. Since Jesus' miracles were normally performed in response to people's faith, it is most likely that faith was a contributing factor to this miracle. The faith that called forth this miracle, however, could only have come from the crowds of people who were walking with Jesus from Capernaum. The day prior, these same crowds witnessed Jesus heal the servant of a centurion. They clearly believed in Jesus. As they walked with Him and encountered this funeral procession, it was not only Jesus' heart that was moved with compassion, it was also the hearts of His followers. Therefore, as Jesus' followers witnessed this mother's sorrow and then witnessed Jesus' own human sorrow and compassion for her, they would have had hope that He would do something. Their hope would have been supernatural in origin, which means that it was also united with faith. By faith, they knew Jesus would act. Thus, in a very real way, the compassion, hope and faith of the people traveling with Jesus would have called forth His almighty power to heal, and Jesus responded.There are many ways to act as mediators of God's grace. One way to do so is by growing in compassion for others and hope in God. When we witness the sufferings of others, allow ourselves to feel compassion for them, manifest hope in the power of God to heal, and then stand there, in faith, waiting for God to act, God will be compelled to act. Our holy compassion, hope and faith act as a prayer to which God always responds. The crowds accompanying Jesus through the Village of Nain appear to have acted in this manner and, inspired by their witness, we, too, must act as intercessors for others in the same way.Reflect, today, upon anyone in your life who resembles this widow of Nain. Who is it that God wants you to notice and to feel compassion for? As your empathetic heart notices those who need your compassion, open yourself, also, to the supernatural gift of hope. Have divine hope that God will heal them. As you do, allow that hope to manifest faith in God and offer that compassion, hope and faith to God as your prayer for those who are in need.Most compassionate Lord, You are always attentive to our needs and our sorrows. Your Heart is filled with compassion for all. Please give me a truly empathetic heart so that I will see those in need. As I do, fill me with hope and faith that You will pour forth Your mercy upon them so that I will become an intercessor for all. Jesus, I trust in You.  Image: Andreas F. Borchert, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE, via Wikimedia CommonsSource of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Send us a textFor our last 5AM Sampler episode, we chose one from the fall of 2023. Many of us are familiar with Matthew 4:1 - 11 - a tired and hungry Jesus who has just spent 40 days in the wilderness – which was more like a dessert than a forest – and He hasn't eaten anything. And during those 40 days, He is tempted by Satan. But there's a few questions that this passage raises. Since Jesus is fully God and since He has complete dominion over Satan, why did He allow Satan to tempt Him? Why didn't He command Satan to stop? And maybe the bigger question, can God be tempted? Join us as we dig in!Thanks for tuning in! Be sure to check out everything Proverbs 9:10 on our website, www.proverbs910ministries.com! You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Rumble, YouTube, Twitter, Truth Social, and Gettr!

The believer's union with Christ includes union with him in his ascension - this is accomplished by work of the Holy Spirit - it is a mystery, but it is also reality. Four key words will be used to describe this great union of the believer with their Lord in his ascension: 1) "glory" - the fundamental meaning of "glory" as seen in the Old Testament is something of great heaviness or weight, such as gold. Christ has always shared in glory with the Father and Spirit in eternity but when he was incarnated and suffered for sins at the cross his glory was manifested in a powerful way. In John 17:24 Jesus prayed to the Father that his people would be able to be with him and see his glory. 2) "home" - salvation fundamentally involves placing us in union with his Son. Since Jesus' home is with the Father, it is the home of his people also! Christ is in the home and we are in him, so it is our home also. 3) "victory" - we see in Colossians 2:15 that at the cross Christ disarmed rulers and authorities and in his resurrection and ascension he defeated these enemies so that he now brings his redeemed people with him into the Father's presence by the ministry of the Holy Spirit. 4) "seated" - the New Testament states that Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father and therefore the believer's life "is hidden with Christ in God" (Col. 3:3). By the Spirit we are also seated with him there, though we still live on earth. Union with Christ involves these four great realities: glory, home, victory, and seated.

This is part 16 of "The After Party," our series at Fusion Christian Church on the book of Acts. Follow along as we explore what happened to the church after Jesus ascended to heaven. In this sermon, Pastor Zac begins a two-part series within the series about what makes a Christian stand out.You believe in the good news of Jesus Christ.The most basic marker of a Christian is that Christians believe in the gospel. Everything in the Christian life begins with faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ in accordance with the scriptures. If someone does not believe in this, they are not a Christian. This is a very simple mark of a Christian.You take Jesus with you everywhere.In Acts 11, the followers of Jesus took their beliefs to Antioch, where they were first called Christians. No matter where his followers went, Jesus went right along with them and became known to the people in that new place.You tell other people about Jesus.Just as Christians take Jesus with us everywhere, we also should talk about him all the time. Christianity is not a private faith, and it is the duty of Christians to share our faith with the world. Your trials make you stronger.Christians are not like the world when we suffer, but rather we are to consider it a joy when we face trials for Jesus. Jesus promised his followers that we would face persecution, but also that he would be with us through it. Since Jesus suffered for us, we should consider it a great honor to suffer for him in turn.You earn a good reputation because of your godly life.We, Christians, are called to be like Christ. As we grow to be more like him, the world should see our godly character and recognize the change that comes from God. Godly character is one of the best markers of a Christian, because without Christ there is no hope at living a life that pleases God.

Entrusting Your Life to Jesus - Matthew 17:14-27All Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. - 2 Tim. 3:16-17All the Scriptures were perfectly written between 1500 BC & 100 A.D. But the printing press wasn't created until A.D. 1455. That means every fragment and copy of the Bible was hand-copied before the printing press.Why we can fully trust that the Bible we have from copies is TRUE:Tens of thousands of copied manuscripts, unlike any ancient document.Remarkable consistency across 2 MILLION pages of biblical text.Understandable differences as copies were made over centuries.Earliest texts to help clarify what the original text said.In today's text we are going to see Jesus interact with people during some very frustrating moments in life. We will see Him exhort us all with words and deeds that show we can entrust our lives to Him.Matthew 17:14-27Disciples have to entrust family member's health to Jesus - V. 14-18Jesus' words in verse 17 seem harsh at first, but remember that He had just been up on the mountain and got to interact with ancient saints known for great faith and focused living for God. But now he's back with disciples caught up in unbelief and petty arguing.Mark 9:21-24 lets us know that Jesus can do anything we ask Him to do. We can approach Him with full confidence that if healing now is His will, it will happen. But if you struggle to believe that, use this father's words to voice your prayer to Jesus – “Lord I believe; help my unbelief.”Disciples have to entrust their frustrations to Jesus - V. 19-21When you are frustrated and ‘in the flesh' sin blocks you from focused prayers and successful ministry to others. You are blocked from trusting God and entrusting your situation to God.“If I regard iniquity (sin) in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” - Ps. 66:18The key to faith is not the amount of it but the object of it. What confidence our faith in Jesus brings! If it is His will for the mountain of our circumstance to move, He will say ‘Yes' to our prayer. If He says ‘No' or ‘Wait,' we can be confident the no will be for a greater ‘Yes.'“Even a small amount of faith can move a mountain, assuming that the move is in God's will.” - David JeremiahDisciples have to entrust what distresses them to Jesus - V. 22-23Suffering and death are not the worst things that will happen to a believer – failure to live by faith in the midst of our circumstances is. Prosperous circumstances and things going our way often keep us from growing faith.Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. - 1 Peter 4:1-2Disciples have to entrust their finances to Jesus - V. 24-27With all the travel and experiences Peter must have been physically and emotionally exhausted when he got home to Capernaum. And what does he encounter there? The tax man!This tax was the Temple tax going all the way back to Exodus 30. Men over 20 years of age were to pay this tax every year for the upkeep of God's house in Jerusalem.Knowing all things, including what Peter was feeling, verse 25 says Jesus spoke to him first. Jesus knew Peter needed encouragement in this time of distress, and He gave it to Peter. He knows you and I need it too!Jesus is saying He is the Son of God here. Prince's don't have to be taxes in their father's house. Since Jesus is the Son of God, He doesn't need to pay taxes to support His Father's house!A stader was worth 4 drachma, enough to pay off their tax bill and model good citizenship.

Jesus Delivered Us (4) (audio) David Eells – 7/13/25 Saints, I'm going to continue speaking about how Jesus has delivered us and begin by talking about the spirit of fear. The great shakings coming across the world in these days, including America, are being used by the devil to try to bring fear upon God's people. He likes to use things that we see and hear to bring fear upon us. It's as if the devil or demons of fear stand right there until something happens, then immediately pounce on us. Have you ever felt the spirit of fear come over you just like a blanket? Don't pacify it. You are meant to make war against that. Fear is another one of the devil's big guns. We previously studied skorpizo spirits, the “scorpion” spirits whose job it is to penetrate and to put to flight. Scorpion spirits cause a person to be fearful or anxious and to flee from the devil. And we know that when this happens, that person is no threat against his kingdom, but the Bible says, (2Ti.1:7) For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and discipline. (The Greek word there is sophron, meaning “sober-minded, self-controlled.”) God did not give us a spirit of fearfulness, however, if a person is walking in willful disobedience, it is hard to fight off fear because (1Jn.3:21) … if our heart condemn us not, we have boldness toward God. The only righteous fear is the fear of the Lord. But, if a spirit of fear comes upon you, you know that you are not to accept it. You should not give in to it, or pacify it, or even think about it. If you do, it's going to conquer you by penetrating your “armor” and putting you to flight. (Eph.6:16) Withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil [one]. God describes it in so many different ways. Let me share now a portion of “The Testimony of John G. Lake During the Bubonic Plague.” Now watch the action of the law of life. Faith belongs to the law of life. Faith is the very opposite of fear. Faith has the opposite effect in spirit, and soul, and body. Faith causes the spirit of man to become confident. It causes the mind of man to become restful, and positive. A positive mind repels disease. Consequently, the emanation of the Spirit destroys disease germs. And because we were in contact with the Spirit of life, I and a little Dutch fellow with me went out and buried many of the people who had died from the bubonic plague. We went into the homes and carried them out, dug the graves and put them in. Sometimes we would put three or four in one grave. We never took the disease. Why? Because of the knowledge that the law of life in Christ Jesus protects us. That law was working. Because of the fact that a man by that action of his will, puts himself purposely in contact with God, faith takes possession of his heart, and the condition of his nature is changed. Instead of being fearful, he is full of faith. Instead of being absorbent and drawing everything to himself, his spirit repels sickness and disease. The Spirit of Christ Jesus flows through the whole being, and emanates through the hands, the heart, and from every pore of the body.  During that great plague that I mentioned, they sent a government ship with supplies and corps of doctors. One of the doctors sent for me, and said, “What have you been using to protect yourself? Our corps has this preventative and that, which we use as protection, but we concluded that if a man could stay on the ground, as you have, and keep ministering to the sick and burying the dead, you must have a secret. What is it?” I answered, “Brother, that is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. I believe that just as long as I keep my soul in contact with the living God so that His Spirit is flowing into my soul and body, that no germ will ever attach itself to me, for the Spirit of God will kill it.” He asked, “Don't you think that you had better use our preventatives?” I replied, “No, but doctor, I think that you would like to experiment with me. If you will go over to one of these dead people and take the foam that comes out of their lungs after death, then put it under the microscope, you will see masses of living germs. You will find they are alive until a reasonable time after a man is dead. You can fill my hand with them and I will keep it under the microscope, and instead of these germs remaining alive, they will die instantly.” They tried it and found it was true. They questioned, “What is that?” I replied, “That is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. When a man's spirit and a man's body are filled with the blessed presence of God, it oozes out of the pores of your flesh and kills the germs.” Suppose, on the other hand, my soul had been under the law of death, and I were in fear and darkness? The very opposite would have been the result. The result would have been that my body would have absorbed the germs, these would have generated disease and I would have died. You who are sick, put yourself in contact with God's law of life. Read His Word with the view of enlightening your heart so that you will be able to look up with more confidence and believe Him. Pray that the Spirit of God will come into your soul, take possession of your body, and its power will make you well. That is the exercise of the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Amen! Saints, the only fear we should have is the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10), and if we fear the Lord, we will depart from unrighteousness. (2Ti.2:19) Howbeit the firm foundation of God standeth, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his: and, Let every one that nameth the name of the Lord depart from unrighteousness. Any other fear, including the fear of man, brings a snare. Our Lord Jesus said in (Mat.9:29) … According to your faith be it done unto you. Fear is negative faith. Fear is faith in the curse, faith in the devil, faith in failure. Look what Job said in (Job 3:25) For the thing which I fear cometh upon me, And that which I am afraid of cometh unto me. Our fears come to pass just like our faiths come to pass, but the Bible tells us in (Rev.21:7) He that overcometh shall inherit these things… The Lord is speaking of the new heaven and the new earth and all the great blessings that He has provided for His people, and He's implying here that if you don't overcome, you are not going to inherit these things. Some people don't think we have anything to overcome. They say, “Jesus overcame it all,” which is true, but Jesus overcame so that we could overcome as we learn to abide in Him by faith. And as we abide in Him, we'll see our works of faith manifested because, according to the Bible (Jas.2:26) … faith apart from works is dead. Overcomers are sons of God; they will inherit the Kingdom. (Rev.21:7) He that overcometh shall inherit these things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. (8) But for the fearful, and unbelieving (The words “fearful” and “unbelieving” are related to each other, because if you are fearful, you are unbelieving. Notice also that you are not an overcomer unless you have overcome these very opposite things.) and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part [shall be] in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death. Fearfulness and unbelief are grouped right in there with really abhorrent sins. Many people consider fear to be just a weakness and so they pacify it, but as we've seen, (2Ti.1:7) … God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness… Fear is more than a weakness; it's a sin. It's called (Heb.3:12) … an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God. Fear is something all of God's people need to learn to make war against whenever we feel its presence or have those thoughts. Fear will cause us to give up the fight of faith and run from the devil. It causes us to lose ground. We just read that the fearful and the unbelieving are listed among the wicked. There's a part in every one of us that's wicked; it's that “old man” that we want to overcome (Romans 6:6; Colossians 3:9; Ephesians 4:22-24). The Bible says in (Gal.5:17) For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary the one to the other; that ye may not do the things that ye would. The flesh and spirit war against one another. This is a war that's going on in every one of us, and we can win the war through faith in the overcoming victory that Jesus had at the Cross. (1Co.15:22) For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. When Christ was resurrected, we received His resurrection life. And when He overcame, we also overcame. We were crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20), and even the old man was put to death with Christ (Romans 6:6), but we have to hold on to our faith to see it manifested in the physical realm. It has been given unto us and we can overcome to receive. In Job 15 we see this awesome revelation again; he says the man who is fearful is being wicked. We should know that we need to fight against this spirit. (Job 15:20) The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, Even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor. (21) A sound of terrors is in his ears; In prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him. What are the words we hear the most nowadays? They are “terror” and “terrorist.” It's interesting that in these last days, these are very common words. Terror is coming upon the prosperous. (Job 15:22) He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, And he is waited for of the sword. The wicked are in terror, not believing that they will return out of darkness. The Gospel, the Good News, is that we are delivered out of the power of darkness and into the Kingdom of the Son of His love (Colossians 1:13). That's the Good News that we're supposed to believe, but the wicked don't believe this. They live in terror. (Job 15:23) He wandereth abroad for bread, [saying,] Where is it? He knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand. (24) Distress and anguish make him afraid; They prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle. The wicked are conquered by fear. The devil conquers and rules them. If you are ruled by fear, if you act according to your fear, then you're submitting to the devil's kingdom. You are not submitting to God because He has not given us a spirit of fearfulness (2 Timothy 1:7). If you are ruled by fear, you are not ruled by God and you are in idolatry because you are having faith in the devil. Why does fear come upon the wicked? (Job 15:25) Because he hath stretched out his hand against God, And behaveth himself proudly against the Almighty. Fear comes because they are acting against God, and so He has delivered them over to this fear. It's part of the judgment that comes upon them. God turns over to the devil those who walk in sin, even Kingdom people. We discovered earlier that Jesus said (Mat.18:35) … if ye forgive not every one his brother from your hearts, … His Father would deliver you over to the tormentors (Matthew 18:34). The wicked world is already delivered over to the devil and they live in fear and anxiety under the tormentors, but the righteous are supposed to be coming out of darkness. They are believing God to come out of the kingdom of darkness. The wicked do not believe this, so they live under the tormentors. We are told in (1Jn.3:21) Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, we have boldness toward God; (22) and whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight. If we have a clear conscience with God, we are bold; we don't have fear. God is not going to permit fear to come upon a person who has a clear conscience. If it does come, it comes to be a trial unto you, and your boldness is the very thing that will vanquish it. (Pro.28:1) The wicked flee when no man pursueth; But the righteous are bold as a lion. Fear is natural and normal to the wicked. Who are the wicked? They are those people, Christians or not, who sin. If a person is walking in sin, they are wicked, and they will not have any boldness toward God and His benefits because their conscience condemns them. If you want a defense against fear in the days to come, you must have a clear conscience. When you see or hear things that are fearful, that's usually when the devil pounces. He wants to overcome you so that all you can do is keep running from him. Jesus told us that if we are not plundering the devil's kingdom, we are going to be running from him. Guilt is also a demon, and guilt can deliver you over to fear. That's what happened to Adam. (Gen.2:16) And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: (17) but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Adam had only one commandment to keep but he broke it, and then what happened? (Gen.3:7) And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. “Naked” here represents the guilt of sin. They did not know they were naked until they partook of the knowledge of good and evil, but now they were made sinners because they knew they had broken God's law, so guilt was the first thing they received here. (Gen.3:7) And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig-leaves together, and made themselves aprons. They were attempting to cover their guilt with self-works, yet, as we know, without the shedding of blood, there is no covering for our sins (Hebrews 9:22). (Gen.3:21) And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife coats of skins, and clothed them. So God slew animals for their covering. He didn't accept their works to alleviate their guilt. (Gen.3:8) And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. Many people are hiding because of their guilt. They don't want to face God. They don't like to read the Word because it condemns them. They don't know the great sacrifice the Lord has made for them in order for them to be given grace to overcome. Without this knowledge, they feel bad when they face themselves. They feel bad when they face the Word. They're hiding from God because of their guilt, and even many Christians are doing the same thing. (Gen.3:9) And the Lord God called unto the man, and said unto him, Where art thou? (10) And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. Guilt brings fear. If you don't want to be overcome by fear, you need to confess your sins. (1Jn.1:9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We need to repent and confess our sins. We need to have faith that Jesus has given us authority over this old flesh. I'd like to point out here that if you don't know what the Gospel says, you can have what I call “false” guilt. For instance, if you don't know that your sins are covered, you may feel guilty about something from your past, from before you were saved. Of course, the devil will try to use that false guilt against you, but he will fail if you get in the Word and stand in faith on the promises. This is another one of his tactics to keep you from God and finding out the truth about your salvation and the authority you've been given over the devil. The real Good News is that the Lord wants to live the Christian life in us. Many people are living under the bondage of guilt, although there's no reason to do so because the real Good News is that He has already set us free. But if you have guilt, the devil can use that. He can bring fear upon you to conquer you because you don't have that boldness toward God. Sometimes the Lord just lets the devil take advantage of us until we're so far down that we're finally willing to look up, until we're finally willing to get our eyes on Him and to have faith in what He has accomplished at the Cross. Faith that brings obedience gives us victory over fear. Here's a good example: (Lev.26:13) I am the Lord your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt (Spiritually speaking, “Egypt” represents the world. As Christians, we've been delivered from bondage to the world and from bondage to the “old man,” who is the Egyptian.) that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bars of your yoke, and made you go upright. This is basically the Gospel, isn't it? We have been delivered from bondage; we have been made free from sin (Romans 8:2-3). We are no longer in bondage to the old man, but so many people are constantly plundered by the devil because they are rebellious against God's Word. (Lev.26:14) But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments (Now notice how many times He repeats the same thing.); (15) and if ye shall reject my statutes, and if your soul abhor mine ordinances, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant; (16) I also will do this unto you: I will appoint terror over you (God delivers people who are rebellious against His Word over to fear.), even consumption and fever, that shall consume the eyes, and make the soul to pine away; and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. (When people are delivered over to fear, they have no boldness to come against the devil. They don't understand why they are devoured by the devourer, as Malachi 3 talks about.) (17) And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be smitten before your enemies: they that hate you shall rule over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you. Also, (Pro.28:1) The wicked flee when no man pursueth; But the righteous are bold as a lion. God appoints terror over the rebellious, both His rebellious people and those of the world. They are ripe for it. Terror happening in these days is something that God has loosed through the devil to motivate people to run to Him. He wants us to run to repentance and faith in boldness, so that we may be delivered of these things. Fear brings us back into bondage. Fear is bondage to the devil. Fear will bring us right back to bondage in Egypt. The Bible speaks of this. (Deu.28:64) And the Lord will scatter thee among all peoples, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth… Many people don't realize that everything that happened to Israel in the natural happens to the Church in a spiritual way. The Church was called to be one holy nation. (1Pe.2:9) But ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for [God's] own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: (10) who in time past were no people, but now are the people of God: who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. We were grafted into the olive tree called “all Israel” (Romans 11:17-26). We are one people, but we have been divided and scattered. The Lord speaks against the shepherds who scatter the flock (Jeremiah 23:1-4; Ezekiel 34:1-10). We've been brought into bondage to the nations of the world and now God is calling us out of those nations to our one holy nation of spiritual Israel. We have been called out from among them (Isaiah 52:11; Jeremiah 51:45; John 10:3; etc.), but when we rebel against God, He brings us under the spirit of fear and we go back into bondage. (Deu.28:64) And the Lord will scatter thee among all peoples, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou nor thy fathers, even wood and stone. The root word there for “gods” means “mighty” or “mighty ones.” Who are the Church's “mighty” ones? If you want to know what “gods” a church is serving, stop and think about it. Much of the Church, by their own actions, prove that they trust in their government, they trust in their military, in their doctors, and in their bank accounts. The churches trust in these “mighty ones” because they are in bondage to the nations of the world, instead of being the nation of spiritual Israel. God has called us out of that bondage. He delivered us out of Egypt that we might be His holy nation. (Deu.28:65) And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, and there shall be no rest for the sole of thy foot: but the Lord will give thee there a trembling heart (When you're living in the world, He's going to give you fear. God says this over and over. We need to fear “living in the world” and “living like the world” because there is no eternal life there. We are not of this world and we've been chosen out of the world (John 15:19). Nothing but the curse is there.), and failing of eyes, and pining of soul; (66) and thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear night and day (It's obvious this is coming to pass in these days.), and shalt have no assurance of thy life. (There is nothing but fear, just fear.) (67) In the morning thou shalt say, Would it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would it were morning! for the fear of thy heart which thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. (Deu.28:68) And the Lord will bring thee into Egypt again… Do you know what brought God's people into Egypt the first time? It was because most of Jacob's sons were not obedient to their father. They didn't like that Joseph was sent to watch over them (Gen.37:2) … and Joseph brought the evil report of them unto their father. They also persecuted the righteous Joseph (Genesis 37:4,14). So God sent them into Egypt where they spent four hundred years in bondage. (Deu.28:68) And the Lord will bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I said unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again (God's command is that we never go back to Egypt, never go back into bondage to the old man {Deuteronomy 17:16}.): and there ye shall sell yourselves unto your enemies for bondmen and for bondwomen, and no man shall buy you. He sends fear when men go back into bondage to the old man and then instead of trusting in God, they take control themselves. Who is “self”? It's the old man. When “self” is ruling, the old man is ruling and you are back into bondage once again. The Egyptian who once ruled over the Israelite is now ruling over him again. Fear is one of the devil's big guns in order to bring you into bondage. People will do many things when they fear. Even Christians can be brought to killing their fellow man because they have a fear of death, so they do what is totally contrary to the Word of God. We are to rest, to trust, in God. We are to believe that He has healed and delivered us. Fear causes people to go back into bondage where they have no strength to stand and so they run from their enemies, but God delivered us from this. We are not in bondage anymore. We believe the Gospel and we need to believe it in order to come out of darkness, as we just read here. Somebody who has fear doesn't believe that they can come out of darkness because they don't believe the Gospel. Somebody who has fear believes the devil's lies; they believe the curse. We believe that God has separated us unto Himself to protect, heal, deliver, and provide for us, contrary to the rest of the world. The devil is making war on the people of God by using the things that they see and hear in order to bring them into bondage, but the devil cannot get a foothold if we walk by faith in obedience. That's our greatest strength. The Lord asks, (Pro.1:22) How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? (He's talking negatively here about being simple in the knowledge of God, simple in the knowledge of the Word.) And scoffers delight them in scoffing, And fools hate knowledge? (This is the simplicity part; they hate knowledge.) (23) Turn you at my reproof: Behold, I will pour out my spirit upon you; I will make known my words unto you. The two things we desperately need are the Word of God sown in our heart, which brings forth the fruit of Christ, and the Power of God's Spirit. He's offering us tremendous gifts here, yet sometimes we're not interested and sometimes we wait too long. (Pro.1:24) Because I have called, and ye have refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man hath regarded; (25) But ye have set at nought all my counsel, And would none of my reproof: (26) I also will laugh in [the day of] your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh (He didn't say “if your fear cometh,”; He said, “when your fear cometh.” If you continue to reject His Word and Spirit beyond the time of God's patience, this fear will come upon you.); (Pro.1:27) When your fear cometh as a storm (We are going to see this in days to come. Multitudes of people of the earth are going to be swayed this way and that way because of fear, and they will be moved to do terrible things because of fear.), And your calamity cometh on as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish come upon you. (28) Then will they call upon me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they shall not find me: (29) For that they hated knowledge, And did not choose the fear of the Lord. The Bible teaches us in (Pro.16:6) … And by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil. You cannot have fear of the Lord and fear of the devil at the same time. If you fear the Lord, that's a good fear because if we fear the Lord, we will serve Him. If we fear the devil, we cannot serve God because we're too busy serving the devil and that's why fear is part of the devil's plan. God says, (Pro.1:30) They would none of my counsel; They despised all my reproof. (31) Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, And be filled with their own devices. (32) For the backsliding of the simple shall slay them (Notice that no man slays him. His own backsliding slays him.), And the careless ease of fools shall destroy them. (Pro.1:33) But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell securely (If we are seeking to be obedient to the Lord with our faith in Him, trusting in His grace, He empowers us to obey. That's a place of security.), And shall be quiet without fear of evil. The Lord promises this to those who are obedient because of their faith, and obedience is the fruit of faith. (Jas.2:17) Even so faith, if it have not works, is dead in itself. These are not our works; these are God's works in us and they are the fruit of faith. He says, (Pro.1:33) But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell securely, And shall be quiet without fear of evil. Those who are obedient because of their faith will be without fear. This is because they have received grace through their faith to be so, but the rest will go under a spirit of bondage. Fear is a spirit of bondage. Let's look now at (Rom.8:12) So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh: (13) for if ye live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (15) For ye received not the spirit of bondage again unto fear; but ye received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Jews railed at Jesus for calling God His Father. Jewish scholars say that no servant would dare call the head of a household “Abba,” or “Father.” This is the cry of somebody who has a father-child relationship, and so He says, (Rom.8:14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (15) For ye received not the spirit of bondage again unto fear; but ye received the spirit of adoption. The word “adoption” here is huiothesias, and it means “son-placing.” When we are adopted, we are “placed” as sons. God adopts children who are servants. Apostle Paul told us in (Gal.4:7) … thou art no longer a bondservant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God. A child is a servant, but God adopts them as sons. We are growing into sonship. We are bearing the fruit of the Son, Jesus Christ, and as the Son, Jesus Christ, comes to live in us, we progressively manifest our sonship. You are either submitted to the Spirit of God as a son, or you are under the spirit of bondage unto fear. Fear is bondage. Fear rules and reigns in people who have it. They cannot get control of themselves; terror causes them to run mindlessly before the devil, who is ruling over them. We are going to see very crazy things happen in this world because of fear, and that includes seeing Christians not behaving as Christians because of fear, yet all that God asks us to do is a minor thing. He wants us to walk by faith. It is something that has already been paid for by the Lord; in (Col.1:13) who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love. And if we walk by faith in Him, we will be able to cast down fear. Faith gives us the power to walk the walk. The Lord came to deliver us from the power of death. (Heb.2:14) Since then the children are sharers in flesh and blood, he also himself in like manner partook of the same; that through death he might bring to nought him that had the power of death, that is, the devil (There it is; we've been delivered.); (15) and might deliver all them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. Worldly people do the things they do because of bondage to the fear of death, but Christians are not supposed to be in that bondage. Read that verse again. (Heb.2:14) Since then the children are sharers in flesh and blood, he also himself in like manner partook of the same; that through death he might bring to nought him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; (15) and might deliver all them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. Jesus came to deliver us from the fear of death, so that we wouldn't be subject to bondage all of our life. He came to deliver us from the fear of death and He accomplished that deliverance when He bore our sins upon Himself. Years ago I was on my roof, working on the second story of my house when it started to rain and I started to get down and stepped on the ladder, which was now resting on the wet deck. I fell sideways so fast and hit the deck. I immediately reached for my right shoulder, which felt like a limp bag of broken bones. I had a terrible pain in my side. An angel told me later that I had injured three internal organs. Michael heard me and came out and prayed for me. I was due to preach a broadcast. I believe it was adrenalin that caused me to get up and go do it. I didn't know at that time how bad I was hurt. I had broken three ribs, which caused great pain when I moved my rib cage and muscles. The saints came and prayed for me. My heart began to do strange things and skipping beats. When I realized I was dying, the thought of meeting the Lord gave me great joy and expectation. By the grace of God I never had fear. I joked with the saints who were looking at me wide-eyed.  I cried, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!” 2Ki. 2:12, as though I could see them coming to get me and take me to heaven. When I saw they were taking me seriously, I laughed.  Long story short, they prayed me through and I had to stay. I raised my arms in praise when I knew my crushed shoulder would not permit this and it began to come together with everything else. God's grace is wonderful. We've seen from Revelation 21 that fear is sin. He bore the sin of fear and now you don't have to put up with fear anymore because He delivered you from that darkness. He bore upon Himself that curse. We have authority over fear because of what Jesus did at the Cross. We can say, “No!” to fear. Many of you have experienced this. You have rebuked fear. You have denied, and have refused to listen to fear. We have total authority over fear. When fear comes upon us, it is to bring us into bondage and cause us to serve it. Many times the fear of death causes us to do things we would not normally do. When my oldest son was being born at home, and it came time for birth, we discovered that he was breech, one foot was coming out first. When I saw that little toe come out first, it was like the devil was just waiting for me to see it and to jump on me with the spirit of fear. You know, the devil tells you everything bad that's going to happen unless you go back to trusting in man or doing it the way of the world, but the Lord wanted me to have a lesson of trusting in Him. So when I saw that little toe and felt the spirit of fear come in that room, I said, “No! We are going to stop right here and we are going to pray. We bind you spirit of fear and cast you out.” We commanded that demon to “Go, in the Name of Jesus Christ!” and it did. Then we were no longer in bondage because of this fear of death. And so our son was born. The fear of death can be more than just the fear of physical death. Many people fear death to self. They fear giving up their old life, so the devil is able to keep them in bondage. Through the fear of death, he keeps us running to the world and its ways and methods. Jesus came to set us free from fear of death, and since we know that He did set us free from fear of death, now we have authority over fear. That's not the case if you're walking in sin, because then you have no boldness. You won't be able to deny fear; it will overcome you. If you're walking by faith in God, you have authority over fear and you can cast it down. It will have to submit to you because of what Jesus did. He gave you authority over all the power of the enemy. (Luk.10:19) Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you. One thing we do to conquer fear is refuse to listen to it. Returning to when our first son was born, he was born a footling breech, the doctors do not believe God can deliver a baby that has one foot up and one down and wrong side up. Some people don't even know it's possible because they always do a Caesarean section in these cases. After we ran off the spirit of fear, I commanded that baby to “Come out in the Name of Jesus!” and that baby was born a footling breech. God can do anything! Glory be to God! His Power is awesome, but if you have fear, you don't have faith in God. Instead, your faith is in the devil. You have faith in the curse and God's power is not going to be manifested for you. We have to learn not to listen to the voice of the devil. (Psa.55:3) Because of the voice of the enemy, Because of the oppression of the wicked; For they cast iniquity upon me, And in anger they persecute me. (4) My heart is sore pained within me: And the terrors of death are fallen upon me. (All these things are true.) (5) Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, And horror hath overwhelmed me. These awful things had happened because he listened to the voice of the enemy. Just don't listen! We should pray that God will always bring to our remembrance the things that He has said unto us (John 14:26). (Isa.26:3) Thou wilt keep [him] in perfect peace, [whose] mind [is] stayed [on thee;] because he trusteth in thee. We hold fast to the Word so that when fear comes, we recognize that it's a spirit because it says in (2Ti.1:7) for God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness… We can say, “God has not given me a spirit of fear; this is the devil. I can stop this. I can take authority. I can have victory over this. I do not need to listen to this, as though it were me, because it is not me.” We cast down these thoughts. The Bible tells us that we can fill ourselves with thoughts that give us peace. (Php.4:8) Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true (When the spirit of fear comes, we know it's the devil's telling us a lie, something contrary to Scriptures. We're not supposed to listen to it.), whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Remember what happened when 10 of the 12 men who were sent to spy out the Promised Land brought back a bad report (Numbers 13:1-24). Their report caused the people to fear the giants and made the people's hearts to melt (Numbers 13:25-33; 14:1-4). Well-meaning people can bring us a bad report, but if something is contrary to God's Word, we need to cast it out and cast it down. Be wary if you've made somebody your god. Be wary if you've made medicine or doctors your god. Be wary when they bring you the bad report. Remember, (1Pe.2:24) … by whose stripes ye were healed. How can you be sick? You can't be sick because you were healed, so cast that thought down. Cast that bad report down, because if fear causes you to accept that, then that's what you'll have. Jesus said, (Mat.9:29) … According to your faith be it done unto you. When they bring that bad report, what happens is that fear comes into your being. The devil is sitting there, just waiting for you to hear what this guy has to say, and when you accept it, fear jumps on you. The devil knows that you're going to have a testimony if you stand fast in your faith. He's attacking you to keep you from being delivered from this curse, from being delivered out of this darkness. He's attacking you to keep you from walking by faith in the Lord. What does the Word tell us to do instead? (Php.4:8) … If there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (In other words, take account of these things.) (9) The things which ye both learned and received and heard and saw in me, these things do: and the God of peace shall be with you. He's the God of peace. Scripture talks about our warfare. It tells us to cast down (2Co.10:5) … imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Bring every thought into captivity to Christ, because if we will learn to do this and be consistent, fear will never have a foothold. We will conquer it. God is omnipotent. (Php.2:13) For it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. We do not have to give in to the thoughts of the devil. We can cast them down. Remember what God said about the voice of the enemy. (Psa.55:3) Because of the voice of the enemy … (4) … the terrors of death are fallen upon me. That is the devil when he comes to you. We do not have to put up with this. Some of you have listened to things and read things that are bringing fear into your life. They're not building faith in you for the days to come. You should not read or listen to the voice of the devil. He'll use people to give you things that put fear into your heart, but don't listen to or look at the devil's lies. (Isa.8:9) Make an uproar, O ye peoples, and be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and be broken in pieces. A great tumult is coming over the world in these days, saints. (10) Take counsel together, and it shall be brought to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us. Immanuel is with us. It's not our power; it's His Power in us! (Col.1:27) which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Let's go now to (Isa.8:11) For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying, (12) Say ye not, A conspiracy, concerning all whereof this people shall say, A conspiracy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be in dread [thereof]. I know Christians who study conspiracies all the time and it's filling their hearts with fear. They don't have any faith or boldness toward God. Why? They are afraid of the things that are coming upon the world because they are being disobedient. It doesn't matter who's behind the things that are coming upon the world. Ultimately, the Lord is behind it all. The Bible says God is the One (Eph.1:11) … who worketh all things after the counsel of his will. God was behind what came to Job. Looking at Job's situation, we see that we should not fear because God Almighty is in control. If you study these conspiracies and conclude that men or the devil are out to do you in, you're wasting your time. It's God Almighty Who is behind everything, and His purpose for you is good. His purpose is to bring you to repentance and to faith in Him. So if you're studying men, worried about what they might be doing, and thinking that you have to do something, you can get into works of the flesh. And it's all because you studied the conspiracies. Well, here's God's Word on conspiracies: (Isa.8:12) Say ye not, A conspiracy, concerning all whereof this people shall say, A conspiracy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be in dread [thereof]. (13) The Lord of hosts, him shall ye sanctify; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. We should fear the Lord because, as we read, He is the One, ultimately, Who is in control and not the world, not the wicked, not the Illuminati, or anybody else. Don't study the conspiracies. God is in control and remember that (Pro.16:7) When a man's ways please the Lord, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. The Lord has absolute control over our enemies. He has absolute control over our lives and He said we would be in safety and He said we would not fear. We need to put our trust in God. We need to cast down these things when our sight is on men. The Bible says, (Pro.29:25) The fear of man bringeth a snare, But whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe. (26) Many seek the ruler's favor; But a man's judgment [cometh] from the Lord. If you are afraid of man, you are going to be back in bondage again and be trapped again. “The fear of man bringeth a snare, but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.” Study what God has to say. Study what He will do to provide for you in the days to come, and don't fear the things that are coming upon the world. Fear is for the devil's children, but it's also for the wayward people of God to bring them to repentance and trust in God. Now let me share this testimony:   Cast Out Fear by J.R.T. Our son, Caleb, has always been a fearful child. He was scared of loud noises, deep water, the drive-through car wash, thunderstorms, etc. He would cry uncontrollably whenever we went through the car wash or when thunder would strike during a storm. Recently, when storms popped up and he would become afraid, my wife would sing this song with him: “I am your God. I am your God, who holds your right hand, who holds your right hand. And I say to you, ‘Do not be afraid, for I will help you.'” One day I came home from work and my wife told me there had been a thunderstorm earlier and that she and Caleb had sung this song. I started to sing the song, thinking he would like it. But just the association of the song with the storms caused Caleb to cry and appear upset. Without even thinking, I picked him up and prayed, “Spirit of fear, I rebuke you in Jesus' Name and command you to leave Caleb. The Lord has not given us a spirit of fear. We do not want you here.” There was no immediate change. But the Lord impressed me not to dwell on the fact that I saw no change; rather, just believe His Word. The next weekend we were in Pensacola for Mother's Day. Once we got back to Georgia, we realized several things had changed. The whole family rode through the car wash over the holiday weekend. Caleb hadn't fussed a bit. He even later commented that the “wind” (noisiest part) was his favorite part of the car wash. Normally, as soon as he sees that we are at the car wash, he starts talking about wanting to get out of the vehicle. When lightning and thunder started during a storm over the weekend, Caleb didn't cry or run to mommy or daddy; rather, he walked right to the front glass door to look outside. We spent part of the weekend with my wife's family on the beach. Caleb went out farther than normal. He even fell in the water a few times, and breathed in a little water. But he did not get upset – he kept playing. I praise the Lord for putting in me what was needed to deliver Caleb from fear…Thank you, Lord. Amen! Awesome testimony. We have this authority, too, saints. Now, are there times when God's people cannot be released from demons? Paul, by the Spirit, turned a man over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, and he did that for a good reason. (1Cor.5:3) For I verily, being absent in body but present in spirit, have already as though I were present judged him that hath so wrought this thing, (4) in the name of our Lord Jesus, ye being gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, (5) to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Our carnal minds think it's always good for people to get delivered of demons, but no, it's not always good. You see, God has a purpose for demons. If not, He would have wiped them out a long time ago, but He has a good purpose for them. The Bible says that God has vessels of honor and vessels of dishonor. (Rom.9:21) Or hath not the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor? The demons are His chief vessels of dishonor and He uses them to chasten and teach. Paul turned a man over for a chastening “that his spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus”, but there's another example where Paul delivered Hymenaeus and Alexander over to Satan that “they might be taught not to blaspheme” (1 Timothy 1:18-20). The devil is God's messenger to chasten and teach people. When you get out from under the Blood, the devil jumps on you like a mad dog. It doesn't matter whether or not you are a Christian. The people who are not Christian are already under bondage to the devil, and so sometimes, the devil does not want to “rock the boat” for them. There is no advantage for him in revealing himself to them because they're already caught, but for you, it's a different story. When you step out from under the Blood, he is waiting for you. He is waiting to “chew” on you a little bit until you'll say, “Hey, it's a lot safer back there under the Blood! I repent, Lord! I obey!” But until you get back under the Blood, the devil is there to motivate you to live in obedience as a disciple of Jesus Christ. We have examples all through the Bible where God turned over His people to the devil and there was no one who could cast the demons out of them. If you won't repent, don't ask for deliverance. If you are not willing to confess your sins and repent of them, do not ask for deliverance from the demon who preys upon the sin. He is there for a purpose; he is there to make your life miserable until you repent. I am speaking from experience. I've tried casting demons out of people, yet the demons would come back. Finally, I figured out what the problem was. I was out there doing my own thing and so I was getting out of God's Will. A good example of that from the Old Testament is where God ordained Saul (1 Samuel 10:1). He filled him with the Spirit and even had him prophesy (1 Samuel 10:6), but when Saul rebelled against God and did his own thing, then (1Sa.16:14) … the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him. (15) And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee. A lot of people think this is false doctrine, but it's truth. As the Lord pointed out to me one time, (Php.2:13) … it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. Salvation is so great! The way God saves you is that He puts in you a desire to do what is right. It's so simple and it's so easy. Through repentance and through faith, you receive the desire to do what is right. This is what salvation is all about. Did you know that God uses vessels of dishonor to work in you, just as He uses vessels of honor? God did this with the devil, who didn't have any interest in Job until God brought him to the devil's attention. (Job 2:3) And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and turneth away from evil… That was like dangling a carrot before a donkey. The devil was ready to jump on Job, but God put strict conditions on what he could do in (Job 1:12, 2:6). (Job 2:4) And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. (5) But put forth thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce thee to thy face. (6) And The Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thy hand; only spare his life. Many times the devil is being used as the “left hand” of God when he brings a curse or a chastening. (Job 2:9) Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still hold fast thine integrity? renounce God, and die. (10) But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips. Job did speak the truth there because God cannot be Sovereign if He controls only good and doesn't control evil. The devil is here to be one of God's “hands” or else he would have been wiped out back there at the Garden of Eden. Since Jesus was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8), why did we need a Savior before Adam ever fell? God is not making any mistakes here; what we are going through is creation and the devil is a part of this. It was God Who turned Abimelech and the men of Shechem over to devils in (Judges 9:23). They got in there and divided the men because they killed the sons of Gideon in (Judges 9:5). God sent those evil spirits between the Israelites to divide them, just as God turned Saul over to a demon spirit because he was in rebellion. God did this quite often in the Old Testament, and another example is when Samuel was rebuking Saul for not obeying God. (1Sa.15:23) For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft… The Hebrew word translated as “witchcraft” there is qesem, and it means “divination.” A spirit of divination is a spirit of false prophecy. It prophesies for the devil, and so Saul had a demon spirit because he had a spirit of divination. (1Sa.18:10) And it came to pass on the morrow, that an evil spirit from God came mightily upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as he did day by day. And Saul had his spear in his hand; (11) and Saul cast the spear; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall. And David avoided out of his presence twice. (12) And Saul was afraid of David, because The Lord was with him, and was departed from Saul. I don't know what spirit, divination or otherwise, God was talking about when He said (1Sa.16:14) … an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him, but I do know that Saul had a spirit of divination because he became a false prophet. Whether this “evil spirit from the Lord” was the spirit of divination, I don't know and Scripture does not say, but it was tormenting him. Here was a man who at one time had the Holy Spirit in (1 Samuel 10:6) and yet still became tormented by a demon spirit, and as we see here, possibly two demon spirits. The apostle Paul also had a demon tormentor. He said in (2Co.12:7) And by reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted overmuch, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, that I should not be exalted overmuch. I am not stating that there was a demon inside of Paul, but an angel of Satan was tormenting him. The word “messenger” in the Scriptures, 181 of 183 times, is translated as “angel,” so an angel of Satan was sent to buffet him, and the word “buffet” means “to beat or strike repeatedly.” Paul was not talking here about an infirmity or sickness; only the KJV says that Paul's “thorn in the flesh” was an “infirmity.” No Bible derived from the ancient manuscripts has this translation because that's not the word “infirmity”; it is the word “weakness.” Scripture says that Christ was crucified through weakness. (2Co.13:3) Seeing that ye seek a proof of Christ that speaketh in me; who to youward is not weak, but is powerful in you: (4) for he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth through the power of God. This same Greek word asthenes translated as “weakness” in 2 Corinthians 13:3 by the King James, is what the King James in 2 Corinthians 12:9 claims is “infirmity.” Paul did not have an infirmity; this is a lie because the Bible says, (Psa.103:2) Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all his benefits: (3) Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; Who healeth all thy diseases. God does not change His Word and say, “No, Paul, you keep this disease. It's good for you.” This is not our God. What you have there is a schizophrenic “god.” A messenger of Satan is the one who was bringing all of these troubles against Paul, and he made a list of all the places where he said he was “weak.” The word is the same word, asthenes, as used in Chapter 12. (2Co.11:23) Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as one beside himself) I more; in labors more abundantly, in prisons more abundantly, in stripes above measure, in deaths oft. (24) Of the Jews five times received I forty [stripes] save one. (25) Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day have I been in the deep; (26) [in] journeyings often, [in] perils of rivers, [in] perils of robbers, [in] perils from [my] countrymen, [in] perils from the Gentiles, [in] perils in the city, [in] perils in the wilderness, [in] perils in the sea, [in] perils among false brethren; (27) [in] labor and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. (29) Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is caused to stumble, and I burn not? Who was “buffeting” Paul in all of these ways? A messenger of Satan was bringing Paul through all these tribulations. When Jesus was led of the Spirit into the wilderness in (Matthew 4:1; Luke 4:2), it was the devil who tempted Him, so don't think that you are not going to be faced with demons. If you are in the wilderness, you are going to be faced with demons, but you have every right and every power from God to overcome them. When Paul was faced with demons, God did not say that He was going to take away that angel from Satan. It says (2Co.12:9) And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for [my] power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. God said, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” He did not say, “My grace is this infirmity that I am putting on you, and you're going to have to keep it.” That's crazy; it's not what the Bible says. It says, (1Pe.2:24) … by whose stripes ye were healed. You were healed. There is no condition put on this except you repent and believe. As we just read, Paul professed that those things listed in 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 were his “weaknesses.” A demon was bringing Paul into positions of weakness. And when he got into these positions of weakness, Paul put his trust in the Lord, and in every instance, the Lord saved him. (Psa.34:19) Many are the afflictions of the righteous (In most cases, these afflictions come from the devil.); But the Lord delivereth him out of them all. This is what you have to believe. This is the Gospel, and if you do not believe it, you do not get it. The devil has a purpose in all of this. He is used by God to chasten and to bring under curses those who are in rebellion against God. He is used by God to give you teaching and understanding (1Ti.1:20) … that they might be taught not to blaspheme God. The devil is used by God to humble you, and he is used to help you see the power of God. When the devil puts you into a situation where you are weak, this is where you get to see the miracle. You do not get to see the miracle when you have all you need, or when all your problems are solved, and you are walking in the anointing and power. The power of God comes when you are in a position where you cannot do anything. The power of God comes sometimes when you refuse to do anything about a weakness, and you just put your trust in God and His Word. The power of God comes when you believe what the Bible says. When the children of Israel rebelled, God sent demons to them. (Psa.78:49) He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, Wrath, and indignation, and trouble, A band of angels of evil. Wrath, indignation, and trouble are demon spirits. It was God's purpose to deliver the Israelites over to these demons for torment because they were in rebellion. God is the One Who delivers a person over to demons, and God is the One Who turns people over to a “reprobate mind,” too (Romans 1:28; 2 Timothy 3:8). The Bible talks about “doctrines of demons.” (1Ti.4:1) But the Spirit saith expressly, that in later times some shall fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons, (2) through the hypocrisy of men that speak lies, branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron. I was once delivered from a doctrine of demons and I was shocked, not knowing it was a demon at all. At the time, I had a real gift to speak the Oneness doctrine, but it was not the truth. It was a demon spirit and when it left, it went straight out of the top of my head. I'd had to humble myself to what the Lord said. What delivered me was when I decided, “I am going to put my doctrine down for just a minute, and humble myself to this Word, and see what It says.” When I did that, “Poof!” The demon went out from the top of my head and was gone because Oneness is a doctrine of demons. There are demons whose job it is to bring people into bondage to false doctrines, and they actually do enter your body. I am living proof of this, delivered from that doctrine quite some years ago. Sometimes you can't recognize when people are demon-possessed because they're being ruled by that spirit. You understand that something is wrong with them, but you may not recognize it in their flesh. Most often though, people are oppressed, rather than possessed. If a demon is in your flesh, just abiding in the flesh and not reaching into the soul, he can oppress you from the flesh, but when he reaches into your soul, which is your mind, will, and emotions, then this is what the Bible calls being “possessed.” We've been taught wrongly that when demons are on the outside, it is oppression, but when they are on the inside, that is possession. No, the demons can be in your flesh and never leave your flesh, so then they can oppress you from the flesh. Or they can reach into the soul and possess you, while at other times, they will back off into the flesh and be dormant. When they do that, you will not even know they're in there until they're faced with some stimulus from the outside that causes them to come up and manifest themselves. And when that stimulus or that temptation is gone, the demons draw back into the flesh, becoming dormant once again. For instance, people with a spirit of anger (a demon) are not angry all the time. They are only angry when they're tempted, but if you try to deal with it as though it were only a lust of the flesh, you're going to fail because it's more than that. Many people, possibly all people, have demons when they come to Christ, but God doesn't drive them all out all at once according to (Exodus 23:29-30; Judges 2:22-23). I've heard people say that it's okay to be angry as long as you don't sin, but this is a false doctrine, and they get it from a false interpretation of Scripture. The Bible says, (Ecc.7:9) Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry; for anger resteth in the bosom of fools. If you have anger in your heart, it is going to make you a fool. If you say, “Wait a minute...I thought I could be angry, but just not sin?” Anger is wrong because anger is unforgiveness and anger is bitterness. I admit the Holy Spirit can be angry; the Holy Spirit can even manifest anger through you. I have felt the anger of the Lord move through me, but He can do this legally. The Holy Spirit can speak through you and judge, but you cannot judge. If you judge, you are going to be judged, as it says in (Mat.7:1) Judge not, that ye be not judged. (2) For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you. You must know the difference between the Holy Spirit moving through you for the sake of God and when you are being tempted by the lusts of your flesh. (Eph.4:25) Wherefore, putting away falsehood, speak ye truth each one with his neighbor: for we are members one of another. (26) Be ye angry, and sin not… Originally, there was no punctuation in this verse, because in the ancient Greek they did not have punctuation or capital letters. The punctuation was added in later by theologians, but the Lord told me there is supposed to be a question mark after the word “not.” Can you be angry and not sin? No, and I can prove this to you, because the rest of the verse says, (Eph.4:26) Let not the sun go down upon your wrath (In other words, “Do not let that stuff stick around.”): (27) neither give place to the devil. If you are angry, you are “giving place to the devil.” When you are angry, it's because you're in unforgiveness, but we have to forgive everybody, all the time, forever. The very foundation of salvation is forgiveness, and so if you don't forgive, then God doesn't forgive you. Truly “anger resteth in the bosom of fools.” (Eph. 4:31) Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and railing, be put away from you, with all malice (He's not saying, “It's okay to be angry, just do not sin.” He's saying, “Get rid of it!” And if you're having trouble doing this, sometimes it is a demon.): (32) and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, even as God also in Christ forgave you. Let's go now to (Pro.4:7) Wisdom [is] the principal thing; [therefore] get wisdom; Yea, with all thy getting get understanding. The more understanding you get, the less anger you are going to have. (Rom.8:28) And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, [even] to them that are called according to [his] purpose. If you believe that all things work together for good to those who love God, then you're not going to be angry at situations, you're not going to be angry at your circumstances. If my dog came into this room right now and did something that dogs do, it would be foolish for me to become angry at that dog, because he's a dog and he's not going to do anything different. He is a dog; he can't be anything different. When your children are toddlers and they stumble and fall, you don't become angry with them, because that's what children do. Children stumble and fall. Life is this way, so would it make sense for you to get angry at the devil for doing what he normally does? That would be a waste of time. He is the devil; he does what he was created to do, and his demons do what they were created to do. Everything that happens around us has a purpose because God is Sovereign. Do not become angry about anything that happens around you, because if you're angry at the circumstances around you, you are angry at God. He is the One who ordained the circumstances around you. He is the Sovereign God (Eph.1:11) … who worketh all things after the counsel of His will. And we read that (Joh.3:27) … A man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven. Do you believe this? If it comes from heaven and you become angry, then you are being angry at God. Don't claim that anger from your lusts of the flesh is righteous indignation; that's just bologna! Be at peace! God doesn't want you to have anger; He wants you to be at peace. So, what about the anger of the Lord? If the Lord moves through you in anger, it is not a personal thing because it is not your anger. The Bible says in (Mar. 3:5) And when He had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved at the hardening of t

“Can we take Jesus literally as the Bread of Life?” This episode explores the nuances of interpreting Jesus’ words, addressing the Protestant claim about literalism and metaphor. Additionally, we delve into the nature of hell and God’s mercy, and discuss how to approach conversations with Protestants regarding the intercession of saints. Tune in for a thoughtful exploration of these important topics. Join The CA Live Club Newsletter: Click Here Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit Catholicanswersspeakers.com Questions Covered: 07:29 – Protestant claim we shouldn’t take Jesus literally when he says that he is the bread of life because he also says he is a door. What is the best response to this? 15:37 – How do we know that hell is forever and how do we justify God being merciful with that reality being taken into consideration? 23:26 – What angle can we use when talking to protestants when discussing the intercession of the saints. It seems like they get hung up on the ‘praying to' wording. 35:21 – Since Jesus is omniscient and omnipotent, did that take away from his suffering? 43:46 – Why is it uncommon to pray to Old Testament saints? 47:16 – I've heard it said that the reason Satan fell was because he knew God would become man. Wouldn’t this imply that Satan has some kind of foreknowledge?

Series: Undivided AttentionIn recent weeks we learned that everyone who has seen the grace of God will, whenever the opportunity arises, serve as a witness for Christ. However, Scripture teaches that there is also a need for individuals for whom gospel proclamation is their full-time focus. There are many different terms for these workers: shepherds, pastors, teachers, ministers, missionaries, etc. These workers are called by God himself through the Church to proclaim law and gospel in some public capacity. Called workers carry out their calling, not because of what they might gain from the flock, but because of what the flock might gain from Jesus through public ministry. Since Jesus taught there will always be a need for the privilege of such work, we want to give this matter our undivided attention.

Since Jesus is the One who builds His church, what role do Christians play in this work? Today, several theologians answer questions about the church, discerning God's will, and bearing witness to Christ. Request The Power of the Gospel, R.C. Sproul's yearlong devotional through the book of Romans, with your donation of any amount: https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/4162/donate   Live outside the U.S. and Canada? Get the ebook edition of The Power of the Gospel for your gift of any amount: https://www.renewingyourmind.org/global   Meet Today's Speakers:   Sinclair Ferguson is a Ligonier Ministries teaching fellow, vice-chairman of Ligonier Ministries, and Chancellor's Professor of Systematic Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary.   W. Robert Godfrey is a Ligonier Ministries teaching fellow, chairman of Ligonier Ministries, and president emeritus and professor emeritus of church history at Westminster Seminary California.   Stephen Nichols is president of Reformation Bible College, chief academic officer for Ligonier Ministries, and a Ligonier Ministries teaching fellow.   Derek Thomas is a Ligonier Ministries teaching fellow and Chancellor's Professor of Systematic and Pastoral Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary.   Meet the Host:   Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of ministry engagement for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, and host of the Ask Ligonier podcast. Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

John 5:30 "I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. When I read a verse like this which reveals the heart and attitude of Jesus, I am encouraged because Jesus lives in me. Since Jesus hasn't changed, I gain helpful insight in my relationship with Him and how to live with Him. The context of this and the previous verses is judgment. In verse 27, Jesus declared that the Father gave Him authority to execute judgment, and that He will execute that judgment at the final resurrection. This verse reveals the reason Jesus has that authority. He lives in total submission to the will of God. Here are my takeaways from this verse. First, Jesus said that when it comes to judging, He can do nothing on His own initiative. As He hears, He judges accordingly. This gives us great confidence that Jesus isn't judging out of His own feelings in the moment. He doesn't judge until He hears from His Father because He seeks the will of His Father in every judgment. The Father's judgment and the Son's judgment are one. Can we say that we can do nothing on our own initiative? No we can't. When we are not abiding in Jesus, we can and do act on our own initiative. Why do we act on our own initiative? If I stick with Jesus' reasoning, we do so because we are seeking our own wills. When that occurs, we nor anyone can trust our judgment. I'm convicted by my tendency to seek my own will, but encouraged to abide in Jesus. If we want His will above our own, we must wait on the Holy Spirit to reveal God's will before we act. Like Jesus, we must hear from the Father before doing anything. Love flows out of such submission and devotion to God being glorified and His will being done. This is the first practical insight into how to abide in Jesus and live to love with Him: don't act on your own initiative. Wait on the Lord for His will to be revealed. Second, we learn that Jesus loves and therefore seeks His Father's will in all of His judgments. This encourages us to selfless humility and surrender of our own wills to God. I conclude that it is impossible to abide in Jesus if we are not surrendered to His will. For Jesus, He could do nothing to glorify His Father apart from His Father. For us, we can do nothing glorifying to God apart from Jesus. To abide in Jesus, we must identify with His heart to love and seek God's will. We have this attitude in us if Jesus dwells in us. As we abandon our own personal, earthly desires and embrace Jesus' heart to know and do God's will, we can then abide in Him. There's no other way. Jesus is the way to the Father's heart because He loves the Father with all His heart. Jesus lives to love with His Father—still. Our purpose then, today is to live to love with Jesus. That is the Father's will—that He be glorified as we carry the fruit of the life of His Son. You'll notice there is in all of us a strong ambition and desire for self-satisfaction and accomplishment. As long as self-will rules, our judgment will be flawed, sinful, and destructive. We cannot trust ourselves, nor should anyone else, when we pursue such self-fulfilling purposes. With the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I'm calling you to surrender your will to God, abide in Christ, don't act on your own initiative, and wait on the Spirit of Christ to reveal and express the Father's will on a moment by moment, situation by situation, basis for the rest of your life. 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.

Jesus is the Way. As the Way, Jesus provides exclusive access to our true home with the Father. He opens up the avenue for sinful people to dwell with the holy God through his work on the cross. Since Jesus is the Way, we should know the Way, trust the Way, and walk the Way.

When Facing Difficult Circumstances, Look to Jesus as Our Great High Priest MESSAGE SUMMARY: Introduction – Why don't we go to God when things get difficult? Jesus is Our Great High Priest; and we have access to Him, at any time, through prayer. Today's Message – In the Jewish Temple Worship, the Great High Priest was called by God from the Jewish Tribe of Levi; and he represented the people before God, and he represented God to the people. However, the Great High Priest of the Temple was human and a sinner, thereby, requiring sacrifices to God daily to atone for his own sin as well as the sins of the people of the Temple. Jesus, like the Temple's Great High Priest, was appointed by God; but Jesus represented all humanity before God through His prayers. Also, Jesus represented God, His Father, to the people through His preaching and teaching. Additionally, and like the Temple's Great high Priest, Jesus provided a sacrifice to God for the sins of the people. However, Jesus sacrifice was permanent and “once offered for the sins of the whole world” and forever. In Hebrews 5:9-10, the author of Hebrews tells us that: “{Jesus} And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.". Jesus priesthood, unlike the Temple's Great High Priest, was a “permanent Priesthood” with limitless power. Therefore, Jesus is able offer complete Salvation to all that come to Him. Again, the author of Hebrews, in Hebrews 7:26-27, presents how Jesus, is Our Great High Priest and how Jesus differs from the Temple's Great Hight Priest: “For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He {Jesus} has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.". Since Jesus is Our great High Priest, the author of Hebrews admonishes us, in Hebrews 4:16, to hold fast to Jesus as Our great High Priest and to not let go. In Hebrews 4:15-16, we are told why we are so privileged with Jesus as Our Great High Priest: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.". Since Jesus has been designated by God as Our Great High Priest for our intercessions with God, we have Jesus, as Our Great High Priest in our times off difficulties and needs. Therefore, when times get difficult for us, we have no excuse for not going Our Great High Priest, Jesus, with troubles. Through Our great High Priest, God is merciful and full of grace; and God will meet our needs.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, Sabbath rest is truly an unbelievable gift! Thank you that there is nothing I can do to earn your love; it comes without any strings attached. As I close my eyes for these few minutes before you, all I can say is, thank you! In Jesus' name, amen.    Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 133). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! Luke 11:13 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Hebrews 5:1-10 ; Psalms 2:7; Psalms 110:4; Genesis 14:18-20; Hebrews 7:1-26: Romans 8:35; Hebrews 4:15-16;  (Click the Bible References, in blue, below to read the full Bible text for these Scripture References.). A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers Have Eternal Life, Even Before their Earthly Death, Because Whoever “believes him {God} who sent me {Jesus}””: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Saint Tamika and Josh: Jamaica and the African SafariInterview with Bidenia HudsonIn this Faith and Family Fellowship episode, Dallas interviews Bidenia Hudson.About the Book:In Saint Tamika and Josh Jamaica and the African Safari, the peace and love of the millennium reign continues as Josh discovers more adventures. First Saint Tamika takes him on a Caribbean adventure to Dunn's River Falls, Jamaica, and later they explore the beauty of Africa. Since Jesus has returned, nature is tamed, and Josh experiences the joy of the playful wildlife.Buy Your Copy of the Book: https://a.co/d/40pGbNRhttps://bideniahudson.com/Thank you for listening and supporting the 'Faith and Family Fellowship PODCAST SHOW'. We are excited to connect with our listeners on our various platforms. Below are just some of the ways you can connect with us and support our various Christian Ministry projects worldwide.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support the Show⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://cash.app/$laymedownministry)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect with us on Various Platforms⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://linktr.ee/faithandfamilyfellowship)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect with Lay Me Down Ministries ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(https://www.facebook.com/LayMeDownMinistries)For Marketing and Publishing needs, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buscher's Social Media Marketing LLC⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.facebook.com/buscherssmm)

On today's show, we chat with two time guest, Ben Fuller!Music has taken Ben Fuller's life and made it into something he never would have dreamed. Ben grew up in Southern Vermont on his family dairy farm working along-side his father. He'd pass the time by singing classic country tunes as he witnessed first-hand the hard work and dedication it took to run a farm.  After generations of hurt in his family, Ben turned to cocaine and alcohol at a young age. Motivated to change, he moved to Nashville to pursue a career as a country singer in late 2018. A family friend invited Ben over for a meal and then to church the next morning, where he was radically transformed by the power of God. Today, Ben lives completely sober, while sharing his story of hope, redemption, and healing in Jesus' Name through his songs. Ben was nominated for the 2023 K-LOVE Fan Awards (Breakout Single of The Year - “Who I Am”) and the 2023 Dove Awards (New Artist of the Year). In 2024, he was nominated for the Dove Award for Bluegrass/Country/Roots Recorded Song of the Year (“If I Got Jesus”). His debut single, “Who I Am” went #1 on multiple Christian radio charts, while “If I Got Jesus” has amassed over 48M streams as well as 1.4B short form views and 2.1M creations on TikTok.  Additionally, Ben has performed at the Grand Ole Opry and the CMA Festival, and has toured with Casting Crowns, Zach Williams, Big Daddy Weave, CAIN, We Are Messengers, and others.Provident Entertainment and chart-topping singer-songwriter Ben Fuller are excited to announce the release of his highly anticipated new album, Walk ThroughFire, available worldwide on June 6. The new project features Fuller's most personal and powerful music to date, including the brand-new single, “Since Jesus, ” out today and availableon all streaming platforms.  Written by Ben Fuller, Ethan Hulse, and Sam Martinez, and produced by Martinez, “Since Jesus” is a bold declaration of transformation and faith. Following the success of his previoussingle “If It Was Up To Me” featuring multi-platinum country icon Carrie Underwood, Fuller's latest release showcases his signature blend of vulnerability, authenticity, and soul-stirring conviction.  'Since Jesus' is my favorite track on the album, ” says Fuller,“ and the message is simple: my life has dramatically changed since I met Jesus and the journey He has taken” me on.  Walk Through Firemarks a milestone moment in Fuller's journey, both musically and spiritually.  The record blends elements of rock, classical, and country, and represents Fuller at his most honest and unfiltered. From the first prayer to the final production, he played a hands-on role in every step of the process.  “God walked everywhere when He was on this earth. He was never in a hurry, ” Fuller shares about the album's theme.  “He meets you where you are—whether at your highest high or your lowest low. I'm thankful that I had to walk through fire to get to where I am today. It was time to throw out my old boots, the ones covered in sin and shame, and put on new ones as I started my walk with God."@bendfullerchristianmusicguys.com@christianmusicguys

We all know God IS love, and that because He loves His human creation, He sent Jesus to redeem us all from sin and death. We also know Jesus taught us to love our enemies and to pray for those people who despitefully take advantage of us. So, according to the gospel, love is a clear centerpiece of how God's plan works and how we are to emulate Jesus in relation to our enemies. But what about those people we just may not like? You know, those individuals who are just irritating, who might see the world differently than we do and who always seem to be on the other side of issues. Can we just tolerate them - just "go along to get along" - or do we have to “love” them? If we do have to love them, what does that even look like? The first step towards understanding and applying this concept is recognizing that love is absolutely central to God's plan. 1 Corinthians 13 is known as “the love chapter," as it gives several pointed descriptions of how the benevolent and selfless kind of agape love behaves. The fact that most of us don't have what we would consider to be mortal enemies doesn't mean we don't struggle with loving individuals who irritate us or hold opposing views. Positive traits and negative traits This chapter on selfless love distinguishes between positive traits (patience, kindness, rejoicing in truth) and negative traits (jealousy, arrogance, selfishness and keeping score of wrongs). It highlights that patience involves self-restraint and forbearance, allowing us to respect others even when differences arise. Kindness, beyond simple niceness, is described as "active" generosity, encouraging us to be useful to those we struggle with. We need to think about the challenges we may have applying these very positive traits to those we may not really like. What selfless love is NOT It does NOT express jealousy, which can manifest as resentment or unhealthy competition. Love does NOT boast, which elevates oneself at the expense of others. It is NOT arrogant, having an internal sense of self-centered superiority. Selfless love does NOT provoke, keep score, or act in any inappropriate way. As Christians, we really need to rethink how we view difficult people, recognizing that every life matters. Since Jesus died for all, we are called to reflect his love - even toward those we find difficult. Our practical challenge is to actively demonstrate patience, kindness and humility every day with everyone.

1) Jesus said, "Keep my commandments." What are the commandments of Jesus?2) After we're saved do we have to keep asking the Lord for forgiveness for the sins we commit?3) How do Christians know they have been filled by the Holy Spirit?4) Does the need for the city of Babylon to be rebuilt take away our hope for a soon rapture of the church?5) What is the difference between the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God?6) Since Jesus quoted the Law to the rich young ruler, does this mean salvation can be earned through following the Law?7) Can you speak on the issue of child evangelism?8) What is the carnal nature and will we ever get rid of it?

If you read the Bible and you are ONLY discouraged, ONLY ashamed, ONLY guilt-ridden, ONLY embarrassed and disgusted... keep reading!Christian - if you have accepted Jesus as your LORD and Savior - your sin nature does not define you. Since Jesus said, "It is finished," your in no longer changes your standing before God. #grace #holyhypocrites

This week, we are contemplating the role of God's Holy Spirit when it comes to transforming and using our lives. As creations of God, we are fearfully and wonderfully made. But without power, we cannot function. Early Christians witnessed what Jesus could do and how He could change their life. Our witness is not to be narrow, but it's got to be wide. Since Jesus promised us power when we're witnessing for the right thing, the power will be there when we do. 

Forgiven People Forgive PeopleWe often hear "hurt people hurt people", but this weekend Pastor Bob continued Stories as Told by Jesus with a message of how "forgiven people forgive people". Since Jesus has forgiven us, he teaches us to forgive limitlessly. Listen now to learn from Matthew that forgiveness from the heart is an act of obedience that is healing!

Many of the disciples of Jesus who were listening said,“This saying is hard; who can accept it?”Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this,he said to them, “Does this shock you?What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?It is the Spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail.The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.But there are some of you who do not believe.”Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believeand the one who would betray him.And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to meunless it is granted him by my Father.”As a result of this,many of his disciples returned to their former way of lifeand no longer walked with him.Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go?You have the words of eternal life.We have come to believeand are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

Today's Topics: 1, 2, 3, 4) Gospel - John 6:1-15 - Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee. A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs He was performing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples. The Jewish feast of Passover was near. When Jesus raised His Eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to Him, He said to Philip, "Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?" He said this to test him, because He Himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered Him, "Two hundred days' wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little." One of His disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to Him, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?" Jesus said, "Have the people recline." Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted. When they had had their fill, He said to His disciples, "Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted." So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat. When the people saw the sign He had done, they said, "This is truly the Prophet, the One Who is to come into the world." Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry Him off to make Him king, He withdrew again to the mountain alone. Special Edition with Bishop Strickland on the upcoming Papal Conclave

Law and the Real Sabbath (1) (audio) David Eells – 5/4/25 First, let me say that we do have a Sabbath to keep in the New Covenant. If you, who have eyes to see, will be patient and hear me out, I will show you that it is the best news you have ever heard. The Sunday Sabbath folks want to bring us under the law of man, and the Saturday Sabbath folks want to bring us under the Law of the Old Covenant, which God refused to make with the Gentiles (Psa.147:19,20; Deu.7:6,11). If you hold either one of these positions, do not be afraid to examine this subject for the truth will hold up to scriptural scrutiny. The early church kept neither Sunday nor Saturday as the New Testament Sabbath until a great falling away in the third century. The Old Covenant Saturday Sabbath was a type and shadow of what is promised in the New Covenant, but as we will see, Sunday is not the fulfillment of it. (Col.2:16) Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a feast day or a new moon or a Sabbath day: (17) which are a shadow of the things to come; but the body is Christ's. As anyone knows, a shadow is not real; it is only darkness. It is created because what is real is in the light. When Christians try to keep the Old Covenant Sabbath, they are in darkness and have not yet come into the light of the real Sabbath. The Jews never knew what the real Sabbath was, only the shadow or type of the New Testament Sabbath. God never made the Law covenant with the Gentiles. For a Christian to come under part of the Law, like the old Sabbath, is to come under a curse for not keeping the whole Law. (Gal.3:10) For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one who continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them. Christ delivered us from the curse of failing to keep any part of God's Law. (13) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: (14) that upon the Gentiles might come the blessing of Abraham in Christ Jesus; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. We are now justified by faith, not by keeping any part of the Law. Paul then warned the Christians not to go back under the Law in observing feast days and Sabbath days. (Gal.4:9) but now that ye have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how turn ye back again to the weak and beggarly rudiments, whereunto ye desire to be in bondage over again? (10) Ye observe days, and months, and seasons, and years. (11) I am afraid of you, lest by any means I have bestowed labor upon you in vain. Paul warned by the Spirit that these believers could not be Christ-like under the Law. (19) My little children, of whom I am again in travail until Christ be formed in you. Paul then warned that the Christians who go back under the Law are sons of the bondwoman Hagar and not the freewoman Sarah. (21) Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? (22) For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, one by the handmaid, and one by the freewoman. (23) Howbeit the [son] by the handmaid is born after the flesh; but the [son] by the freewoman [is born] through promise. Here we come to a stern warning for those seeking to be justified by keeping the Old Covenant Sabbath or any other part of the shadow of the Law. (30) Howbeit what saith the scripture? Cast out the handmaid and her son: for the son of the handmaid shall not inherit with the son of the freewoman. For a Christian to go under any part of the Law is for him to go into bondage and be cut off from the benefits of Christ. (5:1) For freedom did Christ set us free: stand fast therefore, and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage. (2) Behold, I Paul say unto you, that, if ye receive circumcision (Or any other part of the Law), Christ will profit you nothing. (3) Yea, I testify again to every man that receiveth circumcision (Or any other part of the Law), that he is a debtor to do the whole law. (4) Ye are severed from Christ, ye would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace. We are “severed from Christ” when we do not follow or abide in Him, but the Law. Only under grace through faith are we united with Christ through justification and delivered from the curse. Neither Jesus nor the Apostles told us to keep the Old Covenant Sabbath. Jesus always appeared to the disciples and taught on the Lord's day after His resurrection because it was His resurrection day, the first day of the week (Luk.24:1,13; Luk.27-32; Joh.20:1,17,19, 26; Rev.1:10-13). The disciples gathered on the first day of the week (Act.20:7; 1Co.16:1,2). However, they did not make the Lord's Day into a command or law, but a custom; and they never claimed it was the Sabbath. Apostate men did that. Jesus and the disciples went to the Jews on their Sabbath to evangelize them and bring them into the New Covenant Sabbath rest through the promises. Jesus was constantly accused of breaking their shadow Sabbath (Mat.12:2; Joh.5:16-19; 9:16) because He was not under the Law. We will also be accused of this if we follow in His steps instead of being “severed from Christ” by keeping a Law that was never given to us. The Apostles and elders in Acts 15 were gathered together to see whether to bring the Gentiles under the Law. They came to a conclusion that those under the Sabbath Law need to understand. (Act.15:19) Wherefore my judgment is, that we trouble not them that from among the Gentiles turn to God; (20) but that we write unto them, that they abstain from the pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from what is strangled, and from blood. These few things he commanded so that the Jews would not consider them anathema. This was important for the Jews' sake so that they could be evangelized. (21) For Moses from generations of old hath in every city them that preach him (Law), being read in the synagogues every Sabbath. (28) For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things.... Notice that the Sabbath was not commanded of the Gentiles. Neither were a lot of other things that the legalists bring the ignorant Christians under. The Law passed away and was fulfilled in Christ, except for those whose hearts are blinded by the veil. (2Co.3:12) Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness of speech, (13) and [are] not as Moses, [who] put a veil upon his face, that the children of Israel should not look steadfastly on the end of that which was passing away: (14) but their minds were hardened: for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remaineth, it not being revealed [to them] that it is done away in Christ. (15) But unto this day, whensoever Moses is read, a veil lieth upon their heart. (16) But whensoever it shall turn to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Don't go into bondage with the veil of Old Covenant Laws, which are just shadows or parables of what was to come. Now we, with an unveiled face see the New Covenant in Christ. (17) Now the Lord is the Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, [there] is liberty. (18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. The Law was cancelled because it could not complete or make perfect, because it was only a shadow of the good things to come in the New Covenant. (Heb.7:18) For there is a disannulling (Greek: Annulled or cancelled) of a foregoing commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness (19) (for the law made nothing perfect), and a bringing in thereupon of a better hope (The New covenant through grace), through which we draw nigh unto God. The purpose of those under the Law was to give us a shadow or parable of the great things to come. (Heb.8:5) who serve [that which is] a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, even as Moses is warned [of God] when he is about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern that was showed thee in the mount. (6) But now hath he obtained a ministry the more excellent, by so much as he is also the mediator of a better covenant, which hath been enacted upon better promises. (7) For if that first [covenant] had been faultless, then would no place have been sought for a second. (8) For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, That I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; (9) Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers ... (13) In that he saith, A new [covenant] he hath made the first old. But that which is becoming old and waxeth aged is nigh unto vanishing away. (10:1) For the law having a shadow of the good [things] to come, not the very image of the things, can never with the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make perfect them that draw nigh. The Law was always planned to be a temporary shadow. (Gal.3:19) What then is the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise hath been made... So there was an end of the Olde Covenant law. The Sabbath was eternal as the legalists will tell you (Exo.31:16). So how could it be eternal and still pass away? What they do not understand is that it changed from letter to spirit in the New Covenant (2Co.3:2-11). The letter of the type, shadow, or parable as taught in the Old Covenant is now fulfilled in the spirit of the New Covenant. Jesus said in (Mat.5:17) Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I came not to destroy, but to fulfill. (18) For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law, till all things be accomplished. So now we must fulfill the parable. Fulfilling or accomplishing the Law is not the same as being under the Old Covenant Law as Jesus went on to demonstrate. (21) Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time (Notice that the Law was spoken unto them, not us.), Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: (22) but I say unto you, that every one who is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment. Notice that Jesus changed the Law from regulations of our actions to regulations of our heart, as the prophets said would come (Jer.31:33) But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith Jehovah: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Those who do not permit anger in their heart will fulfill the Law and not kill. (27) Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt not commit adultery: (28) but I say unto you, that every one that looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. Jesus interpreted the Law again. If we do what He says and avoid lust, we will fulfill the Law by not committing adultery. Jesus continued to demonstrate how changing the Law from outer actions to inner nature will fulfill it (Mat.5:33, 43). If God changed all these Laws in order to fulfill them, then He did the same with the Sabbath. The Sabbath was meant to be a change in our nature rather than a regulation of our actions, one day a week. If a person rests from his own works every day by believing in Christ's finished work, he will certainly fulfill the Law of resting for one day. The Law will be fulfilled in us, but not by keeping the letter, “For the letter kills but the spirit gives life”. It will be fulfilled through us as we walk in and by the Spirit. (Gal.5:16) But I say, walk by the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. (18) But if ye are led by the Spirit, ye are not under the law. When you see what's written in the shadow of the Law, you must look in the New Covenant to find out what the fulfillment is. Circumcision was necessary under penalty of death, but Paul, by the Spirit, changed it from a carnal shadow to the spiritual fulfillment of baptism. (Col.2:11) ... in the circumcision of Christ; (12) having been buried with him in baptism. Under the Old Covenant, we were 90% owners and 10% stewards but according to Jesus, we are now 100% stewards, or we are not really disciples. (Luk.14:33) So therefore whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. To Peter, it was revealed that the Old Covenant carnal restriction on eating unclean beasts was spiritually a restriction of partaking of unclean people, which Solomon called beasts (Ecc.3:18), and the gospel solves that problem. (Act.10:11) and he beholdeth the heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending, as it were a great sheet, let down by four corners upon the earth: 12 wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts and creeping things of the earth and birds of the heaven. 13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill and eat. 14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common and unclean. 15 And a voice [came] unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, make not thou common. Then Peter was sent with the gospel to the Gentiles and got the revelation that they were the unclean beasts that God had cleansed. (28) and he said unto them, Ye yourselves know how it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to join himself or come unto one of another nation; and [yet] unto me hath God showed that I should not call any man common or unclean. As you can see, it was the habit of Jesus and the disciples to translate the shadow to the spiritual reality. It is a violation of the Spirit to bring old Covenant ceremonial laws into the New Covenant without translating them. Since this is so, we must find out what the Sabbath translates to. Let me explain the New Testament Sabbath rest. The Sabbath shadow was to cease from man's works one day a week. But we are commanded to do this every day.  We can cease from works of religious self-justification, works of the flesh, and various forms of salvation by man's works, through faith in the work that Christ has already accomplished. Jesus said, “All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive (Greek: received) them, and ye shall have them (Mar.11:24). Why believe that we have received everything? Notice in the following verses that all things have been received by us and that the only thing left is for us to believe it. Also note the past-tense of our sacrificial provision in the following verses: (Eph.2:8) For by grace have ye been saved through faith; (1Pe.2:24) Who his own self bare our sins in his body ...by whose stripes ye were healed; (Col.1:13) Who delivered us out of the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love; (2Co.5:18) ...who reconciled us to himself; (Gal.2:20) I have been crucified with Christ, and its no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me; (Gal.3:13) Christ redeemed us from the curse; (1Pe.1:3) ...the Father ...begat us again ...by the resurrection of Jesus Christ; (Heb.10:10) We ...have been sanctified ...; (14) He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified; (Eph.1:3) ...who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing, and God (2Pe.1:3) hath granted unto us all things .... Jesus told us in His day which, of course, is also in the past that “Now shall the prince of this world be cast out” (Joh.12:31); “But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (Joh.16:33); “It is finished” (Joh.19:30). This is why we are to believe we have received. The devil and the curse were conquered. We were saved, healed, delivered, and provided for. We can rest from our own works to accomplish this when we truly believe. Let me give you an example. (1Pe.2:24) who his own self bare our sins in his body upon the tree, that we, having died unto sins, might live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed. The one who believes that Jesus already “bare our sins” considers himself delivered and can rest. He no longer has to worry about how to be delivered because he reckons himself to be “dead unto sin but alive unto God” (Rom.6:11). He reckons within himself, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me” (Gal.2:20). He can rest. Notice that the one who believes that “by whose stripes ye were healed” never has to resort to his own works to get healed. All he has to do is rest and receive it by faith. If a man continues to try to get healed when the Word says he was healed, he shows he does not believe the Word. He has not ceased from his own works to enter the rest by believing 1 Peter 2:24. All the sacrificial promises are past-tense to cause us to rest from our works every day. Redemption from the curse is truly finished! In fact, God's “works were finished from the foundation of the world” (Heb.4:3) when He spoke the plan into existence. The only thing left is for the true sons of God to enter into those works by faith, believing they have received. Since the works are finished, we should believe and rest from our own works to save, heal, and deliver ourselves. (3) For we who have believed do enter into that rest. Notice it is not the one who ceases from works on Saturday or Sunday but the one who believes who enters the New Covenant Sabbath rest every day. (9) There remaineth therefore a Sabbath rest (Greek: sabbatismos, “keeping of rest”) for the people of God. This constant “keeping of rest” every day, not one day a week, through the past-tense promises, is our spiritual Sabbath. (10) For he that is entered into his rest hath himself also rested from his works, as God did from his. This rest is to believe these past-tense promises and rest from our own works or man's works to save ourselves. Our faith in each of these promises brings us into more of the rest. We should be diligent not to leave out even one of these promises for our own good. (Heb.4:1) Let us fear therefore, lest haply, a promise being left of entering into his rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it. (2) For indeed we have had good tidings preached unto us, even as also they: but the word of hearing did not profit them, because it was not united by faith with them that heard. This is true faith and always brings the answer. Through believing the promises, we enter into rest from our own works. For a child of God to say that they believe they have received and yet continue seeking to receive, usually through worldly methods, is to be double-minded. (Jas.1:6) But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. (7) For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord; (8) a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways. Those who continue to work for what God has freely given believe in salvation by works. (Heb.4:10) For he that is entered into his rest, hath himself also rested from his works. (Jas.3:19) And we see that they were not able to enter in because of unbelief. Since the promises of deliverance from the curse are past-tense, when we believe them, we must stop working. It is an evil heart of unbelief to not rest. God was angry with Israel because they would not believe His Word in their trial in the wilderness (Heb.3:8-10). (Heb.3:11) As I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest (the Sabbath!). (12) Take heed, brethren, lest haply there shall be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God .... (14) We are become partakers of Christ (His health, holiness, and blessing) if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end. When we believe we have received, we are put in a position of weakness because we cannot do anything to bring the desired result to pass. This weakness is rest in our wilderness experiences because there is no help from Egypt or the world there. Only God's power saves in the wilderness. God says, “My power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor.12:9). If we refuse to be weak, God refuses to be strong on our behalf. Our weapon against our enemies who try to talk us out of our covenant rights is the two-edged sword of these past-tense promises (Heb.4:11,12). Let me share with you a good example of the power of the true gospel through faith in our past provision. Several years ago, I ran across a lady who had two large, inoperable tumors. She listed for me several famous preachers she had been to, who had prayed for her to be healed. She said to me, “David, I just don't understand why I have not been healed”. I said, “You just told me why you have not been healed. You are looking in the wrong direction. Turn around and look behind you for 'by whose stripes ye were healed' (1Pe.2:24). You are looking forward to a healing that happened behind you. You have a little hope, but no faith. Faith 'calls the things that be not (in this case, healing) as though they were' (Rom.4:17). Faith looks back at what was accomplished at the cross, but hope looks forward to what will be accomplished. Jesus said, 'All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for believe that ye receive (Greek: “received”) them, and ye shall have them' (Mar.11:24). That is the gospel, sister, that you must believe”. With these few words, I saw the light come on in her eyes; and her face brighten up. I said, “Now we are going to pray one more time; but this time believe the Scriptures, and believe you have received whether you see an instant manifestation, or not”. She agreed, so I rebuked the infirmity and commanded her to be healed in Jesus' name. She instantly felt the tumors leave. We rejoiced and thanked God together. I said, “Sister, that is the first time you believed the true gospel concerning your healing. If you had done that when those other preachers prayed, you would have been healed.” Because she, through faith, entered into rest from her own works to save herself, she saw the works of Jesus. Many do not receive from God because they do not keep our Sabbath through faith. Many years ago, I had a dream about resting from my works in order to be caught up by the power of God to do His works. In scene one, my wife and I were resting in lawn chairs in front of our house. Our gaze was riveted on the power line that crossed our property because it was sagging between the power poles so much that it almost touched the ground. As we watched and rested, a tornado came over that power line and picked us up out of our chairs and carried us away. Interpretation: God helped me to understand this prophetic dream. As we cease from our works and enter into the rest (the lawn chairs), the power of man (power line) comes to an end, and the power of God (tornado or whirlwind) takes over. God only gives this power to those who cease from their own works, even religious works, to follow His Spirit because they believe the promises. In scene two, I found myself in front of a large church. I walked through the front door and standing in the foyer was an “old man” in a suit. I avoided this old man as if he were a rattlesnake and went into the sanctuary, so-called. I saw there a large double sink, full of water. In the water were babies; they were faced down and most were dead. I quickly went to the sink, picked up a baby, and held him in the air. He spoke to me saying, “Thank God, I knew he was going to send someone”. Interpretation: I was made to know that there are many carnal ministers (old man - Eph.4:22; Col.3:9,10) who are trying to wash up the people of God (babies in the sink) by using the word as the letter of the Law (which is the water in Eph.5:26) and they're killing them instead. (2Co.3:6) who also made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. The letter of the Law that is taught by the Pharisees of today only gets our eyes on our own earthly ability or inability, like being face down in the water, which kills. Many are they that sit under the condemnation of the Law, which is a powerless false gospel, only to give up in their failure to please God and go back into the world or die on a church pew. We cannot pick ourselves up by our bootstraps or be saved by our own self-will. This is an understanding that is from the earth, and is face down. Seeking this is to be “ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2Ti.3:7) that sets free. Jesus purposely spoke in parables so that only those who have eyes and ears for heavenly things would understand (Mat.13:10-14). These seek a knowledge that is born from above, I.e., face up. (Mat.16:17) And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father who is in heaven. As always, those whose understanding is “face up” will be fought by those whose understanding is “face down”. The good news of the promises is the power of God given freely to save the one who believes (Rom.1:16). These promises get our eyes on God's ability and provision or face up. These promises give faith (Rom.10:17) to get grace (Eph.2:8) in order to have the power to live the Christian life and cease from our works. The Jews complained that Jesus' disciples were breaking the Sabbath by harvesting grain to eat (Mat.12:1,2), which was true according to the Law (Exo.31:14-17). Jesus replied to them; (Mat.12:5) Or have ye not read in the law, that on the Sabbath day the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are guiltless? Notice that He was proclaiming that His disciples were guiltless for profaning the old Sabbath. The priests, in order to fulfill the Sabbath, had to work in the temple. They did the work of God as we should also. Jesus was rebuked for healing on the Sabbath. Those outside the temple had to cease from their own works. (6) But I say unto you, that one greater than the temple is here. Jesus is our New Testament temple. We who abide in Him must work His works in order to fulfill the Sabbath. We must work the works of our Father, for we are the priests of God. (Rev.1:6) and he made us [to be] a kingdom, [to be] priests unto his God and Father .... Those who do not abide in Him have not ceased from their own works and are breaking the real Sabbath. Those who follow Christ as Lord are keeping the Sabbath, for He is Lord of the Sabbath. (Mat.12:8) For the Son of man is Lord of the sabbath. If we follow the Lord, then we have rested from our works to do His works. (Joh.14:12) ... he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go unto the Father. If we follow the Law, we are cut off from Christ and grace and cannot be keeping the real Sabbath (Gal.5:4). Those seeking to keep the Law of the Sabbath are instead breaking it because they are not resting from the works of the Law. Those under the Law, who condemn us for following Christ on Saturday or Sunday, condemn the guiltless. (Mat.12:7) But if ye had known what this meaneth, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice; ye would not have condemned the guiltless. We are to work and do good on our Sabbath. All good is legal on our Sabbath, every day, but our old works are not. (12) ...Wherefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath day. Good, of course, is God's works. (Joh.5:16) And for this cause the Jews persecuted Jesus, because he did these things on the sabbath. (17) But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh even until now, and I work. Notice that Jesus worked His Father's works even on their shadow Sabbath. Then Jesus specified what works are legal on our Sabbath. (19) ...The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father doing: for what things soever he doeth, these the Son also doeth in like manner. We see here that works that come from self are illegal on our Sabbath, but works that our Father does through us are not. (30) I can of myself do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is righteous; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. As sons seeking the will of God, we also may work the works of God on our spiritual Sabbath but not the works of self. Even the Old Covenant gives us clues to this principle. (Isa.58:13) If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, [and] the holy of Jehovah honorable; and shalt honor it, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking [thine own] words: (14) then shalt thou delight thyself in Jehovah; and I will make thee to ride upon the high places of the earth; and I will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it. Jesus said that He always did the will of His Father. Therefore He always rested from His own works, and those who follow Him do also. God gives the same Spirit that Jesus had to those who wish to be empowered to follow Him and so keep the real Sabbath. (Isa.28:11) Nay, but by [men of] strange lips and with another tongue will he speak to this people; (12) to whom he said, This is the rest, give ye rest to him that is weary; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. Paul declared this verse to be a promise to those who are filled with the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues in the New Covenant (1 Cor.14:21). Jews and Christians who refuse this Spirit to rest from the works of the Law, including the old Sabbath, are said to be those who “would not hear”. If we receive and follow the Spirit, we are not under the Sabbath or any of the Law. (Gal.5:18) But if ye are led by the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Those who receive the Spirit are empowered to live in Christ, which is the rest from the works and curse of the old Law. (Rom.8:2) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death. We are under the Law of the Spirit. Except for prophets and kings, Israel did not have this Spirit to guide and empower them, and therefore needed rules and regulations on their external conduct. Those who live by the Spirit of life in Christ naturally fulfill the Law, which has been written in their hearts. Those who live in Christ by the Spirit cease from their own works every day. (Gal.5:16) But I say, walk by the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Jesus said that those who received the Spirit would be witnesses of Him to the world (Acts 1:8). Jesus and His apostles never commanded to cease from work on a day. (Mat.11:28) Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden (with the Law [Mat.23:4]), and I will give you rest. The problem is that we are in and out of the rest like we are in and out of Christ. Abiding in Christ is resting in our promised benefits. Some say God gave us the gift of eternal life so he can't take it back. In Gal.3:16 we are told “to Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many, but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ”. You see, the promises were given to Christ, not to you. The only way the promises are yours is if you abide in Christ. Abiding in Christ is: bearing His fruit (Joh.15:1-6), walking as he walked (1Jn.2:3-6), believing the same teachings given by Jesus and the apostles without adding or subtracting (1Jn.2:24 / Jude 3 / Mat.28:20 / Rev.22,18,19), not walking in willful sin (1Jn.3:5,6), keeping his commandments (1Jn.3:24). 1Jn.5:11 says that “God gave unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” and that is the only place we can claim this gift. God doesn't have to take it back, his people walk out of it. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body (1Co.6:18). If we walk in willful sin, we are not abiding in his body, for there is “no sin in him” (1Jn.3:5,6). Sins of ignorance or failure are covered by the blood (Rom.7:15-8:2) but willful sin is always judged. (Heb.10:26) For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins, (27) but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which shall devour the adversaries. The Spirit of life in Christ empowers us to walk in Him by faith in His promises. (Heb.4:9) There remaineth therefore a Sabbath rest (Greek: sabbatismos, “keeping of rest”) for the people of God. This constant “keeping of rest” is every day, not one day a week. Paul, comparing the weak in faith with those who are mature, said, (Rom.14:5) One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day [alike]. In our Covenant, every day is the Sabbath rest. As he said in Gal.4:9,10, “how turn ye back again to the weak and beggarly rudiments, whereunto ye desire to be in bondage over again? Ye observe days”. Our Sabbath is freedom from bondage to the works of the Law. Since Jesus took away our sins, it is freedom from fleshly works too. (Psa.118:24) This is the day which Jehovah hath made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Old Jerusalem ruled over God's physical Old Testament people just as New Jerusalem rules over God's spiritual New Testament people. Paul declared that we have come to this spiritual city. He showed us that it is not a physical city that can be touched. (Heb.12:18) For ye are not come unto [a mount] that might be touched ... (22) but ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem ... (23) to the general assembly and church of the firstborn.... Jesus' called-out ones come to this mountain. This is the place of God's continual rest. (Psa.132:13) For Jehovah hath chosen Zion... (14) This is my resting-place for ever: Here will I dwell; for I have desired it. Unlike those under the Law, we are not to dwell outside the temple and go there occasionally, nor are we to dwell outside the rest six days and only dwell in it one. Those who dwell in this spiritual Jerusalem remain in God's resting place. There is only one day in the New Testament Jerusalem, the spiritual city of God. That day is the real Sabbath. (Rev.21:25) And the gates thereof shall in no wise be shut by day (for there shall be no night there). Notice that there is one day and no night in the city of God where the Lamb is the light (23). There is no darkness to break up the one day of God's work for those who abide in Christ. (1Jn.1:5) And this is the message which we have heard from him and announce unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. Those who abide in God continue in the light of day doing His works. (6) If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: (7) but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin. Those who walk in the light of our day are always in the presence of the sun (Son). Night is to have the earth between you and the sun (Son). Our flesh came from the earth (Gen.2:7) and symbolizes the earth. When the works of our flesh come between us and the Son, we are living in the darkness of night. If we are in this idolatry with the world, whether this means our flesh or the things of the world (1Jn.2:15,16), we live in the night. Walking in the light of our one Sabbath day, the works of man are destroyed. I want to remind you that the Law is a shadow, and if you are under a shadow you are not in the light. The saints live in the lighted day of ceasing from their own works, especially the works of the Law, while the wicked live in the dark night of their own works. (1Th.5:5) For ye are all sons of light, and sons of the day (the Sabbath): we are not of the night, nor of darkness; (6) so then let us not sleep (Having their eyes closed to the light of the Son), as do the rest, but let us watch and be sober. (7) For they that sleep sleep in the night: and they that are drunken are drunken in the night. (8) But let us, since we are of the day (the Sabbath), be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. As long as Jesus has been in this world, either in His first body or His second corporate body, it has been day. (Joh.9:5) When I am in the world, I am the light of the world. (Mat.5:14) Ye are the light of the world. That only makes one day as long as the saints are here. (Joh.9:4) We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day (When we are ceasing from our works to do His, it is the Sabbath day.): the night cometh, when no man can work. Our works in Christ for this world are over when the Lord comes for us and then night comes for the judgment of the world. (1Th.5:2) For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. (3) When they are saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them... After the tribulation, the light of the world will be gone! (Mat.24:29) But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven (This is the falling away and reprobation of 1/3 of the stars, representing the spiritual seed of Abraham [Rev.6:12-14; Gen.22:17]). The darkening of the light of this world here is physical as well as spiritual. Joseph shared a dream that clearly showed that the people of God spiritually are the sun, moon, and stars, “the light of this world”. (Gen.37:9) ...behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars made obeisance to me. (10) And he told it to his father, and to his brethren; and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? Starting as a star glory, Joseph went to his cross in Egypt and was promoted in glory above his brethren, the children of Israel. We grow from star glory to moon glory and then to sun glory as we continue to walk in the light that God gives us (2Co.3:18). Paul agreed that the saints manifest these three glories in 1Co.15:41,42. Now we can see that when the Lord comes and takes His sun, moon, and star glory saints, the world will be left in the darkness of night. (Mat.24:29) But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven. (30) ...and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (31) And he shall send forth his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect...Glory to God! Jesus taught that the whole Christian New Covenant era on earth is only one day. (Joh.11:9) Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If a man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. (10) But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because the light is not in him. Those who walk in this continual Sabbath day walk in the light. This spiritual day lasts until the judgment. (Mat.20:1) For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that was a householder, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. Jesus started hiring laborers for His vineyard first thing in the morning, which was almost 2000 years ago. Then He gives examples of going out to hire all during the day, the third hour (verse 6), the sixth and ninth hour (verse 5), and the eleventh hour (verses 6-9). Of the eleventh hour people it was said, “These last have spent [but] one hour” (12). Then at the twelfth hour He called in all of His servants to give them their reward. (8) And when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the laborers, and pay them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. Jesus calls in all of His servants to face Him and receive their reward at His coming. (Rev.22:12) Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to render to each man according as his work is. Midnight is the twelfth hour when the Lord comes for the virgins (Mat.25:6) and also the time when the saints leave the Egypt of this world (Exo.29:12-31). At this time, even though it is midnight for the world, the saints are walking with lamps full of Holy Spirit light (Mat.25:4). From Jesus' first coming to His second coming is one day. This one day incorporates the whole Christian New Covenant era on earth. It should not surprise us that God could change something as important as the Sabbath from many carnal days to one spiritual day. He changed something much more important, our sacrifice, from many carnal sacrifices to one spiritual sacrifice, our Lord Jesus. The Lord again defines our rest as a corporate day that covers every day. (Heb.4:6) Seeing therefore it remaineth that some should enter thereinto, and they to whom the good tidings (the promises) were before preached failed to enter in (Even though they kept the Saturday Sabbath) because of disobedience (Greek: “apeitheia” also means unbelief), (7) he again defineth a certain day, To-day, saying in David so long a time afterward (even as hath been said before), To-day if ye shall hear his voice (the promises), Harden not your hearts. (Today is any day that you are presently in. Since this verse was written to all saints throughout the New Covenant, then “today” is every day that they live in. God was telling us that when you hear His promises, do not harden your heart as Israel did, but believe to enter the rest in the day that you live in.) (8) For if Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken afterward of another day. Today is that day saints, not Saturday or Sunday. Five times in this text, God uses the term “To-day” to define the rest. (3:13) but exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called To-day; lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. “Day by day” it has been “called To-day” for almost 2000 years. (4:9) There remaineth therefore a Sabbath rest (Greek: sabbatismos, “keeping of rest”) for the people of God. God has been merciful to our ignorance of this true Sabbath, but judgment will now be seen the world over because we have come to a second spiritual type of the Sabbath. (2Pe.3:8) But forget not this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. Having read the writings of the early church fathers, I can tell you that they commonly believed in the one thousand-year prophetic day and that after six of these days from the beginning, the end time judgment would come. The Hindus, Muslims, and the Jews also believed this. Gibbon in The Rise And Fall of The Roman Empire said that the early Christians believed this. The Bible is laid out in seven prophetic one-thousand-year days. These days are numbered from the creation of Adam. There were four thousand years or four days between Adam and Jesus. Since the days of Jesus, the calendar has been tampered with extensively, but most researchers believe we are close to traversing two more days and coming to the beginning of the seventh, thousand-year period from Adam. Besides the regular spiritual Sabbath that we have already spoken of, this seventh, thousand-year day is a second spiritual Sabbath. When the body of Christ was crucified, it was a high Sabbath (Joh.19:31). That means it was a regular Sabbath and a second Passover Sabbath. This second spiritual Sabbath will also be a Passover Sabbath for those who have eaten the Lamb and are about to leave the Egypt of this world. This will also be a crucifixion to the fleshly works of the body of Christ. According to the shadow, when this end-time second spiritual Sabbath begins, God will judge those who go on in their own works. (Exo.31:12) And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, 13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily ye shall keep my sabbaths: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am Jehovah who sanctifieth you. Christians who try to keep the Sabbath in the “letter” don't understand this because they don't see that this is a “sign”. (15) Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to Jehovah: whosoever doeth any work on the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. This is also the time when He finishes His creative work. (Gen.2:2) And on the seventh day God finished his work, which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work, which he had made. According to this type, God is about to finish His new creation work during this morning of the seventh day and rest. Every man's work will be proven by the fiery trial on the one day Sabbath. (1Co.3:12) But if any man buildeth on the foundation (of Christ) gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble; (13) each man's work shall be made manifest: for the day (one Sabbath) shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself shall prove each man's work of what sort it is. The wood, hay, and stubble of man's works will burn up on God's Sabbath day because, according to the shadow, there is judgment against man's work on the Sabbath. (Exo.31:14) Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that profaneth it shall surely be put to death; for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Since there is only one Sabbath day, we have to rest every day from our own works, as the rest of the New Testament also teaches. (Rev.2:23) ... I am he that searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto each one of you according to your works. (25) And he that overcometh, and he that keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give authority over the nations. (Exo.31:15) Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to Jehovah: whosoever doeth any work on the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. 16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days Jehovah made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. Let's look again at this verse about the refreshing in Isa 28:11 Nay, but by men of strange lips and with another tongue will he speak to this people; 12 to whom he said, This is the rest, give ye rest to him that is weary; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. This refreshing is coming again on the morning of the 3rd day (which is the Sabbath). There's going to be a change in the way God will deal with man when this millennium begins. There must be a ceasing from a Christian's own works and enter into the rest. Man's works have been going on in the church for six days (six thousand years). The church has been falling away from keeping the true Sabbath and we're coming to a time where if you don't cease from your own works, you will be cut off from the Body of Christ. There are many Sabbaths. There's the 7th day Sabbath, the 49th year Sabbath, there's the 50th year Sabbath, and there's the 7th millennium Sabbath. There's a Sabbath called the Jubilee. A Jubilee is a year. There are 120 Jubilees every 50 years. 120 Jubilees till Noah and another 120 till the next Noah. Noah means rest. So, 120 Jubilee years until the beginning of the Sabbath. 120 Jubilee Sabbaths bring us to the actual year 6000. We are entering into the prophetic Sabbath or the millennial Sabbath.   Reconciled to God Php 4:19  And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.  (“Every need”, not greed. “Every” would include Spiritual, physical, emotional needs.)   What is faith? Heb 11:1  Now faith is assurance [substance?] of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen. When you believe for something that is not yet seen, that is faith. How do we have God's faith to receive every need? Mar 11:22  And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have God's faith. (This is according to the numeric pattern proof.)  23  Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he saith cometh to pass; he shall have it. 24  Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received (Numeric) them, and ye shall have them. (This is exactly what Quantum Physics, or Quantum Mechanics has proven, Jesus said it first. And here is an important condition to receiving. 25  And whensoever ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any one; that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.  Col 1:19  For it was the good pleasure of the Father that in him should all the fulness dwell; 20  and through him to reconcile (The Greek: kattallasso means “exchange” of Jesus' life for ours) all things(not Numeric) unto himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross; through him, I say, whether things upon the earth, or things those (Numeric) in the heavens. (Notice: He is not speaking of things but His people) 21  And you, being in time past alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil works, 22  yet now hath he reconciled (exchanged) in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without blemish and unreproveable before him: 23  if so be that ye continue in the faith, grounded and stedfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel which ye heard, which was preached in all creation under heaven; whereof I Paul was made a minister.  First the sons and daughters of God are exchanged and then Christ in them can deliver the creation. Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God. 20  For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but by reason of him who subjected it, in hope 21  that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. 22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. The Lord told me that he bore the symbol of the cursed creation upon the cross. It was the crown of thorns. As we manifest our sonship we have authority over the cursed creation. We can pray for our grass, dogs, cows, bugs, trees, neighbors, etc.  Gal 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:.. 2Co 5:14  For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15  and he died for all, that they that live should no longer live unto themselves, but unto him who for their sakes died and rose again. 16  Wherefore we henceforth know no man after the flesh: even though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now we know him so no more. 17  Wherefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: the old things (not Numeric) are passed away; behold, they are become new. 18  But all things (not Numeric) are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and gave unto us the ministry of reconciliation; 19  to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not reckoning unto them their trespasses, and having committed unto us the word of reconciliation. (We reconcile others by showing them the exchange.) 20  We are ambassadors therefore on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us: we beseech you on behalf of Christ, be ye reconciled to God. 21  Him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him.    Believe You Received and Rest Suani Guzman - 01/09/2010 I want to share a quick dream that helped me a lot. We all know that we must abide in the Sabbath Rest and boldly speak the good confession, but we don't always do it. So the Lord has to remind us sometimes. I have been going through some hard trials with caring for my elderly parents. I don't want to impose my faith on them but at the same time I'm trying to stand for their spiritual and physical salvation. The Lord impressed upon me that I must abide in the rest or the enormity of the problem will overwhelm me. In the dream, my husband and I had a truck in which we went sightseeing. We parked it and left for a walk. When we came back, the truck was a wreck -- another car had hit it really badly, and it was ruined. My husband, Raul, and another man tried to fix it. I went to help. I stood there and said something like, “Jesus had fixed it”. When those words left my mouth, the truck was immediately transformed into being whole again. I was so on fire and praised God and started to witness boldly to everyone about what Jesus had just done. We then left and, as we went, the truck started to stall and I said, “Oh no, it's healed”, and immediately it got power again. That happened twice. Then we got on a freeway full of cars. We were on the outer lane and struggling up a very, very steep hill. We were driving with two tires on the road and two in a ditch. The car couldn't go up like that, so it flipped over about two times and landed away from the road. So we stopped to consider the hill. By sight, it looked almost impossible to climb. We tried to figure out another way, but could see no other way. I thought that it was going to take all my strength to do it, and still it would not be enough. End of dream. (What is impossible with men is possible with God. We must trust His promises not our works.) Mar.11:24 Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received (Greek) them, and ye shall have them. Heb.4:2 For indeed we have had good tidings preached unto us, even as also they: but the word of hearing did not profit them, because it was not united by faith with them that heard. (3) For we who have believed do enter into that rest; even as he hath said, As I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. (9) There remaineth therefore a sabbath (Greek: Sabatismos -- a continual rest) rest for the people of God. (10) For he that is entered into his rest hath himself also rested from his works, as God did from his. (11) Let us therefore give diligence to enter into that rest, that no man fall after the same example of disobedience. Building the “Resting” Church  Eve Brast - 08/11/2012 (David's notes in red) | (Deb Horton's notes in green)  I dreamed I was driving east (faceing toward the coming of the Son) toward Dallas on a large highway with very sparse traffic on it. (The highway of holiness going to Dallas, which means “meadow dwelling”.) (A place of feeding with the flock.) It was dark but I could see a little light on the horizon in the east. (Near to the coming of the Lord in the Man-child on the morning of the seventh thousand year-day.) I was going to an eight-story hospital building that was under construction (the true Church of the called-out ones is being built), where my husband (representing Jesus) had instructed me to meet him. The building was oval-shaped and not square. (The building was eternal without beginning or end because of its shape and eight floors. (An “8” lying down is the sign for infinity or eternity and “8” is the number of Jesus. Since it's lying down, it could mean resting in Jesus. A hospital is a place for healing the sick, spiritually and physically, which the Church is supposed to be.)  I pulled into the parking garage and parked my old, gray (indicating mixture of good and evil, white and black), five-speed (grace received to get to this point) manual (not automatic, works by self), 1980 Toyota Corolla that had been my first car when I learned to drive. (Our first car represents our first ways of rest in the Lord. To park is a sign of coming into maturity through rest.) I went inside the building with my son's blue backpack containing surgical instruments and food my husband had asked me to bring to him. (Man's burdens and works we bear until we reach the seventh floor of rest and give them over to Jesus. Mat.11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.) I went into the ground floor lobby with a recently laid, highly polished wood floor (the human nature is under our feet to serve the spiritual man).   I waited at the only elevator (there's only one Way to God) to go up to the seventh floor (entering into the rest) (The first six floors represent the first six days of the different levels of man's works we do until we rest on the seventh spiritual day). I had to wait a bit because it was the only elevator. I was the only one waiting to go up. (The Bride will be the first to fully enter into the seventh-day rest.)  When the door opened, A black sister from UBM was the elevator attendant, but she was white and looked like me. (The white represents holiness.) She greeted me and began telling me how old the elevator was. (2000 years) She was an expert on this elevator. It was her assigned job in the building, and she knew everything about it. She told me that currently, the elevator only reaches the seventh floor, but when the construction is complete, it will go all the way up to the top, which is the eighth floor. (The eighth floor is Jesus and Heaven and new beginnings. When the building representing the Church is finished, we will go to the top, the eighth, heavenly floor.)  When I got off the elevator on the seventh floor, my husband passed by me wearing metal leg braces supported by a blue, padded waistband that girded his waist and metal crutches that braced around his forearms. (Our husband Jesus was strengthened by the Father to finish His pilgrimage as a type of the body.) (This reminds me of the command in Deuteronomy to bind the phylacteries, which are Scripture verses, on the forehead and hand, because the phylacteries are bound on the hand and are laced on from the forearm.) (David had a similar revelation where he was wearing leg braces. They strengthened his walk and helped him to stand.) (God's power is made perfect in our weakness.) He looked at me as he passed by with a knowing look (seeing eye to eye) and a smile, as if we shared a common understanding of something. (A common understanding of faith in the same promises brings people to the seventh floor of rest.) (Amo.3:3) Shall two walk together, except they have agreed?  Suddenly, I realized that I left my backpack on the elevator, or I thought I had, but it wasn't over my shoulder anymore. (We can't take our own provision or burdens to the seventh floor of the rest but we can give it all to Jesus there.) I became concerned (we will lose the rest if we think on our burdens) and turned around to push the button to go back down (A warning not to fall away from the rest).   While waiting for the elevator doors to open, I overheard an accountant from the hospital discussing a debt of $20 that they said I owed with another employee. (A warning that If we leave the rest of faith, we begin to bear the debt of sin again. The first mention of 20 in the Bible is Gen.6:3 And Jehovah said, My spirit shall not strive with man for ever, for that he also is flesh: yet shall his days be a hundred and twenty years.) They said they had tried to call my cell phone to give me this report, but I wouldn't answer because I knew it was not really my debt and that I wasn't required to pay it. (The accuser will always try to convince you that you still owe the debt that Christ already paid for you.) (If one leaves the rest, they will be tempted even more so.)  When the elevator doors finally opened, a horde of people out of nowhere rushed into the elevator, as if desperate to get out of the building. (They were in their flesh and leaving the rest.) I calmly walked in but there was barely enough room. When the doors shut, we were warned that the ride down was much scarier than the ride up because the elevator went down really fast, and it did (Because this represents the falling away. We have seen people lose all the gain of years in moments.). But it slowed down midway for safety precautions (this could represent those who are neither hot nor cold -- the fence-sitters in the middle) (also, God makes a way for His people to change their mind and Return unto thy rest, O my soul Psa.116:7) and then it sped back up until it reached the ground floor.  As I got off the elevator, the morning sunshine streamed through the lobby windows (Jesus in the Man-child is manifesting). A surgeon from the hospital who was going up said, “Isn't it exciting that the building construction will be completed in a week?!” (After the seven years of the 70th week of the tribulation, the Church will be complete, and I believe this week will start very soon.) I turned around and said, “Yeah”. But the importance of what he had just announced didn't register with me. I was concerned about finding the backpack because my husband needed me to bring it to the hospital (to give that burden to him).  I hoped I would find the backpack in my car in the parking garage, since it had not been left in the elevator. I ran out to the car and found it (the burden was in the car, representing immaturity) and brought it back into the lobby and pushed the elevator button again.   When the doors opened, my sons Noah and Elijah came out of the elevator and passed me as I went in. They were eight-foot-tall, grown men! (Their “8” size indicates they have grown up in Jesus.) They gave me the same knowing look of common understanding and smile that my husband had given me. (The faith that brings relief from our burdens and works.) They said, “Don't worry, Mom. We have everything under control”. (Jesus in the Man-child ministry beginning to reign [having given their burdens to God].) Then I woke up.  Why would we bear the burdens of the curse if we believe what Jesus said? Mar.11:23 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he saith cometh to pass; he shall have it. 24 Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Mat.18:18 Verily I say unto you, what things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and what things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father who is in heaven.  When we pray and believe, we rest from all the curse. Gal.3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14 that upon the Gentiles might come the blessing of Abraham in Christ Jesus; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Abraham was blessed in all things. Not entering the rest or keeping the spiritual Sabbath is because of unbelief. Heb.3:11 As I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest. 12 Take heed, brethren, lest haply there shall be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God: 13 but exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called To-day; lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin: 14 for we are become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end:...  18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that were disobedient? 19 And we see that they were not able to enter in because of unbelief.

Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee.A large crowd followed him,because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick.Jesus went up on the mountain,and there he sat down with his disciples.The Jewish feast of Passover was near.When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him,he said to Philip, "Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?"He said this to test him,because he himself knew what he was going to do.Philip answered him,"Two hundred days' wages worth of food would not be enoughfor each of them to have a little."One of his disciples,Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him,"There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish;but what good are these for so many?"Jesus said, "Have the people recline."Now there was a great deal of grass in that place.So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks,and distributed them to those who were reclining,and also as much of the fish as they wanted.When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples,"Gather the fragments left over,so that nothing will be wasted."So they collected them,and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragmentsfrom the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat.When the people saw the sign he had done, they said,"This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world."Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him offto make him king,he withdrew again to the mountain alone.

Ever feel like you’ve only scratched the surface of what God’s doing in your life? In today’s devotional, Whitney Hopler reflects on John 21:25 and reminds us that Jesus is constantly at work — in ways we can see and in countless ways we can’t. The beauty of following Christ is that the story isn’t finished, and there’s always more to discover, learn, and experience with Him. ✨ Key Takeaways

Since Jesus is alive, new life is possible for anyone and everyone who puts their trust in Him.  Taught by Jose Zayas

Today’s devotional reminds us of a liberating truth: shame was never meant to be part of a believer’s identity. While guilt can lead us to repentance, shame clings like a heavy weight, making us believe we’re unworthy of God’s love. But the Word of God is clear — what Jesus has forgiven, He has forgiven forever. Isaiah 50:7 says, “Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.” You are not your past. You are not your mistakes. You are not the voice of the enemy whispering old regrets into your mind. You are a new creation, loved and accepted by your Savior. As followers of Christ, we can boldly trade shame for grace, heaviness for hope, and regret for peace. Jesus has given us the freedom to move forward unburdened — we just have to hand over the weight. Join the Conversation:What is one burden of shame you’ve surrendered to Jesus? How has God reminded you of His grace and freedom? Share your story — we’d love to hear from you. Connect with us on social media @LifeAudioNetwork or leave a message on Crosswalk.com. Let’s encourage one another with the hope and mercy we’ve found in Christ.

Read OnlineStanding by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. John 19:25–27If you spent time this Lent pondering the beautiful image of Jesus' mother standing by the foot of the Cross, then you have some insight into her motherly love and experience on Good Friday. She was faithful to the end. She would have been no other place than at the foot of the Cross, gazing upon the sacrificial death of her own divine Son for the salvation of the world.From all the perspectives that we can use to gaze upon the Cross, the perspective of Jesus' own mother is the best. The soldiers stood there mocking our Lord, perhaps some confused and perhaps some even feeling pity for Jesus. The scribes and Pharisees looked on with contempt and self righteousness, doubling down on their hatred and jealousy. Most of the Apostles had fled, one of them betraying Jesus and another denying that he even knew our Lord. But Jesus' own mother, accompanied by some other holy women and the beloved disciple, John, stood there with love, offering consolation to the Heart of Jesus.The love shared between mother and Son at the foot of the Cross was twofold in the heart of Mary. Her love for her Son expressed her unwavering fidelity to Him. It dispelled all fear. It was singularly focused. It was all-consuming. As she shared this love for her Son, she truly consoled Him. This is a significant fact to ponder. Since Jesus was the Son of God, He didn't need the human consolation of His mother's love at that moment. But by becoming human, Jesus chose to accept her love. In that act of acceptance, He allowed her human love to console His human heart. This consoling and steadfast love expressed the perfection of human love.The second form of love shared between mother and Son at the foot of the Cross was the love given by Jesus to His mother. At its core, this love was the gift of salvation. For her, the grace of His Cross transcended time to the moment of her conception, freeing her from Original Sin. Jesus' love on the Cross transformed her, retroactively, into the Immaculate Conception and enabled her to know Jesus not only as her Son but also as her Savior. Jesus' love in that moment on the Cross is also expressed in His unwavering commitment to care for her in her human state. He gave her to John to care for her as his own mother and, in so doing, He gave her to all of us who stand at the foot of the Cross with her as our own spiritual mother.If you want to understand the love of God, look no further than this immaculate and perfect love shared between mother and Son at the foot of the Cross. Today, especially, you are invited to stand with the Apostle John and gaze upon this shared love of mother and Son. John is there as an invitation to you to stand with them and to share in this holy exchange of love.As you witness this love, think about your own life and what it would take for you to participate in such love. Consider the courage and strength you need. The ability to forgive all who harmed you. Freedom from all bitterness. Unwavering commitment. Perfect affection. These, and many other qualities that were present in the hearts of mother and Son at the Cross are all qualities that God wants to bestow upon you. He wants you to bring them into every relationship in your life. He wants the perfection of this love to come upon you and for you to  express this love always.Reflect, today, on this Good Friday, upon this most holy scene of the love of this mother and this Son. As you do, try to examine your own life. As you look at this mother and Son's many virtues, allow that gaze to reveal to you the ways you need to grow in virtue. The Mother of God is now your mother, and the Son of God is now your Savior. Speak to them, listen to them, love them and allow the love that flows from their hearts to penetrate your own so that you can receive their love and share it with others. My dying Lord, You freely embraced human death for the salvation of the World. It was the greatest act of love ever known. As You hung upon the Cross in agony, Your own dear mother, the Immaculate Conception, stood by You, receiving Your love in its fullness and offering her love to console Your suffering soul. Please draw me into that love and help me to not only receive it but also to offer it to all in need. Jesus, I trust in You.  Image via Adobe StockSource of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Since Jesus is the Prince of Peace, why did He say He came to bring division? From his sermon series in the gospel of Matthew, today R.C. Sproul calls us to stand firm for the gospel, the truth that unites all who receive it, yet draws hostility from those who prefer falsehood. Get R.C. Sproul's commentary on the gospel of Matthew for your donation of any amount: https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/3939/donate   Meet Today's Teacher:   R.C. Sproul (1939–2017) was known for his ability to winsomely and clearly communicate deep, practical truths from God's Word. He was founder of Ligonier Ministries, first minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew's Chapel, first president of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine.   Meet the Host:   Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of ministry engagement for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, host of the Ask Ligonier podcast, and a graduate of Presbyterian Theological College in Melbourne, Australia. Nathan joined Ligonier in 2012 and lives in Central Florida with his wife and four children. Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

Bible Reading: Isaiah 64:5-6; 2 Corinthians 5:15-21"We're freezing!" Cyrus announced as he and his brothers burst through the door. "The three of you are covered in slush!" said Mom."Did you see the snowman we made?" Elim asked. "Ranny wanted to eat the carrot nose, but we wouldn't let him. We had to come inside early because he's hungry again." Elim grinned at his two-year-old brother. "Snack?" Ransom squeaked.Mom handed the boys bowls of apple slices. "The bath is ready! I'll wash Ranny first."After snacks and baths, Mom hauled a bag to the living room. "What's in there?" Cyrus asked. "Open it and see." Mom winked. "Robes!" Elim yelled. The boys wiggled into their cozy robes, then handed Mom hers and Ransom's. "I love robe season," said Elim. "I was just reading about robes during Bible time!" Cyrus pulled his Bible off the couch and opened it to the bookmarked page. "It's from Isaiah 61, verse 10: 'I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness.'" "What does righteousness mean again?" Elim asked. "It means being right with God and free from guilt in His eyes," Mom answered. "Remember what people had to do in the Old Testament to be righteous before God?" "Make sacrifices," Elim responded solemnly. "But it wasn't good enough! All the good things we do are like filthy rags compared to God's goodness." Cyrus picked up his soaked-through dirty sock with a wrinkled nose. "Then God sent Jesus to die for us! He sacrificed His own Son to save us. So, that verse in Isaiah I read was talking about God's promise to be fulfilled in Jesus," Cyrus mused. "Exactly." Mom nodded. "Since Jesus is perfect, He became the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. When we put our trust in Him, He takes our sins away and covers us with His robe of righteousness. What do we become in Jesus?" "A new creation." Elim flapped his robe sleeves. "Ranny needs his robe, Mom!" Mom laughed as Ransom started running around the living room in circles. "The first one who catches him gets to put his robe on him!" –Savannah Coleman How About You?Has Jesus covered you in His robe of righteousness? The Bible says that all the things we do to try to make ourselves good in God's eyes are like filthy rags. The only way we can become righteous is through Jesus. When we trust in Him, God no longer sees our sins when He looks at us, but the perfect sacrifice of His Son. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page or go to www.keysforkids.org/goodnews.)Today's Key Verse:God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (NIV) (2 Corinthians 5:21)Today's Key Thought:Jesus clothes us in robes of righteousness

Welcome to Day 2546 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Born Again...and Again and Again – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2546 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2546 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the thirty-ninth lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today's lesson is: “Born Again…and Again and Again.” Was Jesus open to the idea of reincarnation? The question may seem odd, but it's one that many people, even biblical scholars, contend has a positive answer.- The idea comes from a passage you've likely read dozens of times. As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but in order that the works of God might be made manifest in him (he was born blind). We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work” (John 9:1-4). Notice the disciples' question: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Many presume the question indicates that the disciples believed the man born blind really could have sinned before he was born, and that his pre-birth sins caused his congenital blindness. This presumption is followed by another: that Jesus' answer wasn't a categorical denial. Since Jesus doesn't come out and say, “What a silly idea, don't be ridiculous!” Some have argued that His response means that in this case the man born blind didn't sin in a previous life, but perhaps that could have happened in another case. Could this interpretation be correct? Reincarnation is the belief that the soul migrates from one body to another, different body, in a long (possibly endless) succession. The idea of the “migration of the soul” cannot be found in the Bible, or in other Jewish writers of antiquity,- which indicates the disciples were likely presuming something different: People can do good and evil while still in the womb. Paul addresses this misconception in Romans 9:9-13 when dealing with the case of Jacob and Esau. Even if a pre-born person could sin in the womb, this does not involve the migration of a soul. For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated”...