Podcasts about Herod

October 5, 2025 - Sunday AM Bible Class   In this episode Phil leads a focused, fast-paced study through the “hidden highlights” of John chapters 4–7. With limited time the teacher intentionally touches key episodes and themes: the woman at the well, Jesus' miracles in Cana, the royal official's distant-healing, the Bethesda pool miracle, the feeding and Bread of Life discourse, the loss of disciples, and Jesus' teaching style and authority. Chapter 4 revisited: after the Samaritan encounter the message moves to Cana and Capernaum. The royal official from Herod's household brings a desperate faith—his son healed from sixteen miles away—illustrating that Jesus' word is sufficient and that faith can overcome distance. Cross-references (Luke 8:3) and the way news of Jesus spread are noted as factors that moved people to seek him. Chapter 5 highlights the pool of Bethesda and a man who had lain there thirty-eight years. The speaker explores the man's faith and fading hope, the curious tradition of the angel-troubled waters, and Jesus' vital question, “Do you want to be made whole?” The three action verbs Jesus uses—rise, take, walk—become a practical motif for spiritual response, while the ensuing Sabbath controversy exposes how law-focused leaders missed the miracle of mercy. Chapter 6 touches on the feeding of the 5,000 and then centers on the Bread of Life discourse. The episode contrasts the crowd's physical expectations (food, a political king) with Jesus' spiritual offer—food that endures to eternal life. The controversial language about eating Christ's flesh and drinking his blood is examined as a turning point that split casual followers from committed disciples; many left when they could not reconcile a spiritual message with physical expectations. Chapter 7 draws attention to the manner and matter of Jesus' teaching: he spoke with unique authority and drew crowds because his teaching came from the Sender, not from rabbinical training. The speaker reflects on internal and external verification of truth, warns preachers against seeking human praise, and emphasizes the responsibility of listeners to work on their faith. Key takeaways and applications: true faith is more than a desire for signs and material benefits; it is rooted in Christ's word and requires wholehearted commitment. Practical themes—faith that trusts a word at a distance, the renewing power of hope, and the call to “rise, take, walk”—invite listeners to examine motives for following Jesus. The episode closes with the classic challenge: when confused or disappointed, will you abandon Christ, or will you echo Peter's question, “To whom shall we go?” Format: the episode blends biblical exposition, practical illustration, and application aimed at encouraging deeper faith and a renewed commitment to following Jesus wherever he leads.   Duration 43:19

In 1947, with the dissolution of the British Indian Empire, more than 15 million people migrated for religious reasons. The upheaval was worsened by monsoon flooding and the spread of disease. More than a million refugees died. Throughout history, people have migrated—seeking freedom, safety, or a better life. The urge to move is ingrained in the human experience. The most famous example in Scripture is the exodus story of the Jews to the promised land. This experience wasn’t foreign to Jesus either. As a young baby, His parents fled to Egypt to protect His life from the murderous Herod. It’s ironic that as the Israelites fled to the promised land (Exodus 3:17) to get away from a king who killed young boys (Exodus 1:16), Joseph is told to take Jesus “and his mother and escape to Egypt” to flee a tyrant who did the same (Matthew 2:13, 17). Matthew tells us this journey was to fulfill the prophecy in Hosea 11:1 that “out of Egypt I called my son” (Matthew 2:15). But it’s also a reminder that Christ understands the human experience (Hebrews 4:15). We have a Savior who knows us and has experienced the same trials and tribulations we have. We can seek Him in our difficult moments. He listens and intercedes on our behalf (Hebrews 4:14-16).

In this solo episode of The Reformed Brotherhood, Jesse Schwamb explores the profound depths of Jesus' Parable of the Sower from Matthew 13. While this parable might seem unassuming compared to others, Jesse reveals how it serves as the "granddaddy" of all parables—offering a God's-eye view of salvation through the ordinary imagery of farming. The episode examines why different people respond differently to the same gospel message, and challenges listeners to consider what kind of soil their own hearts represent. Through historical context and theological reflection, Jesse unpacks how this parable prepares believers for the mixed responses they'll encounter when sharing the gospel and reminds us that the efficacy of salvation depends not on the sower's skill, but on God's sovereign work in preparing hearts to receive His Word. Key Takeaways The Parable of the Sower provides a framework for understanding the various responses to the gospel message, serving as preparation for disciples who would face both acceptance and rejection. Jesus' parables, particularly the Sower, demonstrate how God uses ordinary, mundane things to express profound spiritual truths about His kingdom. The efficacy of salvation doesn't depend on the skill of the sower but on God's sovereign work in preparing the soil of human hearts. God's Word never returns void but always comes back "full" of either acceptance or rejection—it accomplishes exactly what God intends. Historical context matters: Jesus' audience had high expectations for a Messiah who would establish an earthly kingdom, but Jesus was revealing a different kind of kingdom. The Parable of the Sower shows that the kingdom of God isn't received equally by all—some receive it with joy while others reject it outright. Having "ears to hear" is a gift from God through the Holy Spirit, not merely intellectual understanding but spiritual receptivity. The Word That Never Returns Void The power of God's Word stands at the center of the Parable of the Sower. Jesse highlights Isaiah 55, where God declares that His word "shall not return empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose." Unlike human words that often fall flat, God's Word always achieves its intended effect. This doesn't mean universal salvation, but rather that God's purposes are never thwarted. When the gospel is proclaimed, it always returns to God "full" of something—either acceptance or rejection. The parable illustrates this reality by showing the various responses to the same seed. This should encourage believers in evangelism: we are simply called to faithfully sow the seed, while God determines the harvest according to His sovereign purposes. Our success is not measured by conversions but by faithfulness in proclamation. Kingdom Expectations vs. Kingdom Reality The historical context of Jesus' ministry reveals a profound disconnect between what people expected from the Messiah and what Jesus actually delivered. Jesse explains how the Jewish people anticipated a conquering king who would overthrow Roman oppression and establish a visible earthly kingdom. Instead, Jesus announced a kingdom that begins in the heart, dividing even families according to their response to Him. The Parable of the Sower anticipates this mixed response, preparing disciples for both acceptance and rejection. This teaches modern believers an important lesson: the gospel will not be universally embraced, even when perfectly presented. Some hearts are like paths, others rocky ground, others thorny soil. Yet we continue sowing because God has appointed some to be good soil—hearts prepared by the Holy Spirit to receive the Word and bear fruit. This reality should both humble us and embolden our witness. Quotes "The power of this message is in the message itself, but the medium by which it is delivered... it does pierce the heart. It does pierce through bone and marrow. It does divide because it always returns full of either acceptance or full of rebellion and denial." - Jesse Schwamb "We find ourselves humbled. We find ourselves rushing in, coming into the kingdom, fighting to come into it because God has impassioned us with that same zeal that has accomplished this very thing. He implants it in our hearts, in our minds, in our guts, so that we would come before him and worship him." - Jesse Schwamb "Consider what it means that this good news... that God's word is his deed. This is why... it's such a blessing to live in this period of time where we have such easy access for most of us to the word of God, and that we ought to be zealous about getting that word out to all people because behind it and within it and around it is the full power of the Holy Spirit." - Jesse Schwamb Full Transcript Welcome to episode 463 of The Reformed Brotherhood. I'm Jesse, and this is the podcast for those with ears to hear. Hey, brothers and sisters, so I am just one half. Of the Reform Brotherhood squad. Tony, of course, wanted to join us on this episode, but it sometimes happens in life. Our schedules were a little bit crazy this week, and God gave us responsibilities that put us in opposite directions for part of the time. And so that means that today on this episode, I thought. You and I, we could just hang out and Tony will be back to join us in the next episode. [00:01:20] Solo Episode and Parable Series Overview But for now, this is one of those solo or formed brotherhood episodes. And if you have been tracking with us, we just started this great and amazing journey on going through all the parables that our Lord and Savior gives to us in teaching us about the kingdom of God and its power. And we just started by talking about the parable of the sower, in fact. In the last episode, we just covered basically the first two soils, the first half of that amazing little story, and I thought it would be really, really great to camp out in that for just a little bit more because even though Tony's not here, the podcast goes on and we, Tony and I never really. Thinking about these things and when we start a series in particular, we always find that we just gotta keep going back on it in our minds ruminating on what we said and what God was teaching us and the conversations like all good conversations that draw your mind back to the things that you talked about, which I should say maybe before I begin in earnest, that is also my denial, which is saying things like, let's camp out in this text now to be. Sure. There's no wrong reason why, or there's no bad reason to say words like that. It's just when I hear myself say them, I think about all the things that Christians say, like saying like, we should camp out in this text, or Let's sit in it for a while. And I think maybe it's because I'm just not into camping or maybe because I think most of the time when you use the phrase like, sit in, it's not. A happy or blessed or joyful thing that you're describing. So I always find that funny, and yet here I am saying it because I just couldn't think of anything better to say except, you know what? We should pause and maybe ruminate a little bit more. On all of this good stuff that's in Matthew chapter 13, where Jesus gives us the parable of the sower, so you can join me in sharing which little Christian phrases maybe you think you hear, we say too much or just become rote or part and parcel what it means to talk. The best way for you to do that is do me a. Go to your favorite internet device and in the browser, type T me slash reform brotherhood, that will just take you that little link to a part of the internet using an app called Telegram where a bunch of brothers and sisters who listen to the podcast are chatting about the podcast, their live sharing prayer requests, and there's even a place for you to share, Hey, what are the things that Christians say that you think. Why do we say that? Why are we always talking about hedges of protection? Why are we always talking about camping out in a text? So that's a place that you can come hang out. So go to t.me/reform brotherhood. [00:03:56] Deep Dive into the Parable of the Sower But enough of that, let's talk a little bit more about this incredible parable that our Lord and Savior gives us in Matthew chapter 13. It's so, so short in fact that I figured. The best parts of any conversation about the Bible is just hearing from God in his word. So let me read just those couple of verses. It's just eight verses beginning in Matthew chapter 13, the parable of the sower. That same day, Jesus went out from the house and sat beside the sea and great crowds gathered about him so that he got into a boat and sat down and the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables saying a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched. And since they had no roots, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seed fell on good soil and produced grain. Some a hundred fold, some 60, some 30. He who has ears let him hear. [00:05:09] Personal Reflections on the Parable I have to say that of all the parables, and we mentioned in the previous episode that this one is kind of the granddaddy of them all. It's a god's eye view on salvation told in this lovely kind of encased way about horticulture and farming and growing plants. But to be totally transparent, I never really got into this parable. It was never really my favorite one. Like of all the things that Jesus says, of all the creative and wonderful terms of phrase, this one for me always just seemed to be lacking That stuff. You know, it doesn't have really strong characters. It's about a sower, seed and soil, and compared to some other things that seems kind of unassuming and. Not very exciting, quite honestly, to me, and it's not as exciting, I think, as stories about, I don't know, losing something of value and then suddenly finding it and rejoicing and having the characters, feeling yourself in those characters as they go about experiencing all the emotions. That Jesus expresses and keyed in these lovely little riddles called parables. And so for this one, it's always been a little bit kind of like a, okay. It's interesting and the point seems fairly straightforward and it just doesn't captivate me as the others. And I've been thinking about about that, how even in this, it just seems like a really normal, mundane, kind of pedestrian expression of a life in that time. And it's all wrapped up in gardening. And throwing seeds into the ground, not even having control of their outcome. And then in this way, though, expressing and explaining this grand narrative and arc of salvation from God's perspective. So it is, again, another lesson in God using ordinary, normal, almost seemingly mundane things to express his power, to express our lack of control and to show so that he does. Did I just say so to, so that he does all things and certainly we get so much of that in this parable, and so it made me think this week after Tony and I talked about it a little bit. Just how it raises a question in this really normative, kind of unassuming, almost boring, if I can say way, this really profound question, which is, will we be this fruitful, fertile soil? Will we be fruitful followers? Of Jesus Christ. And it doesn't just raise this question, I suppose it also gives us some hope, but it also does so with a warning. It is a maybe a little bit of law and gospel even embedded in these simple means of, again, talking about what it means to plant something and to entrust the planting, the acy of the growth there to the soil and the seed, and there's hope. There's warning and there's so much of that that's in this context of the parable, and that's what's led me to wanna talk to you all a little bit about that as we kinda process together more of what this means. [00:08:00] Historical Context and Expectations of the Messiah I was thinking that when Jesus began his ministry, when he's coming forward, he's really announcing the arrival of the kingdom of God. And it's helpful, I think, to meditate as a second on how profound that is, that he comes again, not just as the message, but the messenger and the medium of that message. I was just kinda ruminating on the fact that. Everybody had high expectations. There was no one, I think, with kind of a low opinion of what was about to happen or of what the Messiah was going to bring or what he was going to do. And here you have like explicitly Jesus' hearers, their ancestors would've been taken into exile and captivity because they had broken the covenant with God. And the prophets had made this case for God's punishment because of their idolatry and their injustice. But that message, and you get this especially in in books like Isaiah. Where there's this mixture that's bittersweet. There is not only an exclusive message of woe for the people, but there is at the same time up against sick, almost running parallel. This promise of a day when God, by his own effort in Zeal, would bring about a restoration where he'd set up visibly an earthly reign through his anointed Wanda Messiah. And so I can only imagine if I could. Even partially put myself in the place of these people who are hearing this particular parable, that there is all this sense that we have strayed from God, that we're covenant breakers, but that he has promised to make a way and that his own zeal will very much accomplish this, but it will be visible and earthly, not just spiritual in the sense that we believe these things and we internalize them in the sense for our being, and therefore we speak about them in these kind of grandiose and ephemeral terms. But more than that, that God was going to come and set up an earthly reign, purely manifested in the world in which we live and breathe and have our being. And so two things would happen. Israel's oppressors would be defeated. And God would institute a pure worship and a reestablished pure worship. And so I can't help but think maybe there was some of this expectation. They're, they're seeing this Messiah, this Jesus, the one who speaks with a different kind of authority, come into their midst. And there I think all these things are somewhere in their minds as their processing. Maybe they should be in ours as well. And so there's this portrait that's being painted here of the prophet saying there's gonna be. Restoration and this image of a seed being sown. And then of course you have these metaphors that Jesus is employing in his own time. Very reminiscent of passages like in Isaiah 55, where you find the prophet saying, for as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there, but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater. So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth. It shall not return empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose and I shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. What an amazing, glorious promise of God that there is no suboptimal nature. In his expression of who he is and what he's accomplished, that the very thing that he intends to do, he always does, and this word comes back. I think what really strikes me about this passage in particular is the fact that it does not return to God empty. I mean, think about what that means. It's strange in a way. That. In other words, it's full of something. And here I think it's full of response. It's full of anticipation. It's full of this. Like what? What has gone out is now received by the individual and then returns with either acceptance or denial, very much in the same way that we're about to receive it in this parable before us. And in fact, even our ability to understand the parable. This if you have ears, he has ears. Let him hear that itself is an expression. So in other words. The power of this message is again, in the message itself, but the medium by which it is delivered, it does pierce the heart. It does pierce through bone and marrow. It does divide because it always returns full of either acceptance or full of rebellion and denial. And so when we think about the people of Israel. They exactly in that way. They return from exile under Ezra Nehemiah. But even those returns, even those improvements or some of that remediation seems to me like to come short of expectations. You know, Ezra rebuilt the temple, but it paled in comparison to Solomon's original, in fact. If we go to Ezra chapter three, there's like so much honesty as the people are seeing this rebuilt temple. Their response is, is like tragic in a way. So this is Ezra chapter three, beginning verse 12. But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers houses, old men. Who had seen the first house as the temple of God wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy so that the people cannot distinguish the sound of the joyful from the sound of people's weeping for the people shouted with a great shout and the sound was heard far away, even in just the setting up the foundation, the base layer. There are those saying this is. This is not like it used to be. Even this is just far piles in comparison and falls very far short of the original. And of course you have Nehemiah's rebuilt wall around Jerusalem. Couldn't even ensure the holiness of God's people. And so everything up to that point. All of it was still just a shadow. It was like a big, giant disappointment, a blemish as it were, on God's people. Even as there was an attempt to restore, there was still this longing from the inside to have the real McCoy to everything made right to have the true Messiah come, not the one that was the type. Not the thing that was the shadow, not the the poor replacement or the analog, but the real thing. And so you have in response to this, you know, some of God's people move into the wilderness and pursue holy living. Some accommodated to Roman occupation like the Sadducees, some retreated into kind of individual individualistic piety or rule keeping like the Pharisees. And then there's all kinds of accounts of God's people in rebellion. Like Simon, the Zealots. There were some who even located themselves under the legitimate, yet Roman endorsed leadership of Herod, you know the Herodians. So you have all of these people you can imagine literally in the same audience. Jesus pushes back and he begins to teach them. And he starts by talking about horticulture. He starts by saying, A sower goes out and he throws all this kind of seed. And it's not difficult to imagine that all of the seed, all the soil, everything is represented in what he's saying right there. And then it's not a story as if like, well, you take this away and try to process it in such a way that you might come to terms with it later on. It's happening in the here and now. Even what he's saying. Even the message that he's communicating is being man made manifest right there in their midst, and it's not returning a void to him. The one who wrote it to begin with is the one who's speaking it, and it's having its desired effect, even as we read it now, and it reads us today. [00:15:13] Jesus' Ministry and the Kingdom of God And so it's amazing that it's on this stage that Jesus steps out and he stands, especially in the synagogue when he reads from the Isaiah scroll. And he announces that the true jubilee has now arrived and it's arrived in him. You know, by the way, what's interesting there is we have, we have no real reason to think that Israel ever really practiced Jubilee as it was outlined in the scriptures. So we have this beautiful instruction for a reset, a pure reset, and one that is liberty and freedom in so many ways, but especially demonstrated in this economic reality. And Jesus commences his public ministry proclaiming the good new. News that the kingdom of God has arrived. I feel like we have to go there, right? Because this is just so good. So in MOOC chapter four, Jesus stands up. He asks for the scroll, and this is what he reads. Loved ones. These are fantastic words. I mean, hear them from the mouth of our Savior. Again, Jesus reads this, the spirits of the Lord is upon me. Because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. It's such incredibly strong and powerful news. We're getting this sense that there are those who are poor that need. To hear that something will be different. That they are her, that they're seen that all of the straining in life and all of their labor is not in vain, but here is one who's come to rescue them and that those who have been set in prison, those who are chained and under duress and find themselves locked up. That here he has come to proclaim liberty to the captives, and then for those that cannot see, that have lost their way entirely, that are groping in the dark, here is one that's coming to recover the sight. Hear that word, not to give it brand new, but to restore that which was originally present to begin with. Imagine the horror of having your sights and then having it taken away that. Knowing that there was something there that was beautiful in your midst, something that was precious to you, and now to have that restored, in fact, like Blind by de MEUs the Greek, there is more when God says, or Jesus rather, says, what do you want me to do for you? The Greek is very clear, just says, sight again, sight again. And I think we like our ancestors and Israel here before us. We ought to be always clamoring and crying. Then I tell God like, son of David sight again. Would you help me to see truly not as the world appears to be, but we spiritual eyes, to know the truth, to understand how much you love me, and would you gimme the strength to love you? Me back love you back by way of giving, yes, this sight. And then for all those who are downtrodden. Where, wherever, and whatever that means, physically, emotionally, spiritually, that here's the one who has come to, again, set you at liberty and then to say, do you know what this time is? This is the time of the Lord's favor. Why? Because the son of man is here and where the son of man is. There is freedom and restoration. There is a new king over all things. There's one who super intends over all of the earth. Who has been given control over all things and has come to win literally the day for those who are rebellious before God, for those who have sinned, who are covenant breakers, who are gospel abusers, while we were at yet enmity with God at the right time, Jesus and his son for us. And so we find that it's like the pretext, it's the context for all of this, and especially this parable. And of course, rather than. Everybody listening to what Jesus has to say here and just being one over being filled with some kind of winsome logic of what's being said here, of being thoroughly convinced. We know that of course it's not just a matter of evidence, but unless the Holy Spirit comes the same spirit, which is upon Jesus, the sin of God, to change us, to open our ears, that we do not hear these things, we don't hear them as we ought to. We do not give them heed. We do not internalize them, and we cannot understand them. And so because of that, rather than of course meeting with universal acceptance, Jesus, of course, he encounters a host of reactions. Some opposed him. The crowds sometimes were way more motivated, like people in our day by novelty or curiosity or by presume rewards or blessings. You can imagine this is what makes, of course, something like the Blat and grab, its kind of gospel, the prosperity of some of our modern evangelical expression, so incredibly dangerous. Because of course people will say, well, if I can get that blessing, of course I want Jesus. Or if I'm gonna be made, well, yes, I'll, I'll find, I'll take Jesus. If I'm gonna get wealth and riches and a 401k, that's gonna suit my every need. Well sure I'll take Jesus. And of course, the blessing, the reward of getting Jesus is getting the son of God, getting the one who restores us first and predominantly. With God the father himself, that all of those blessings are already ours in the spiritual realm because of Jesus. In fact, we've, we've already been placed with him in the heavenly realms. That is the reward. And so sometimes the gods were a little bit more motivated by, this guy's given us bread before. Let's see if there's gonna be another buffet, rather than he says We ought to eat and drink his flesh. That in that is eternal life, and so we get distracted. And so sometimes novelty and curiosity just win the day. And then of course, on the other hand. Some of the most unlikely unseemly, most sinful were responding with incredible joy and embracing Jesus and his announcement. Tenaciously like voraciously, the ones who were humble, who knew that they needed a savior, they needed a reconciliation that was alien and outside of themselves. Something powerful that could defeat even the sin that was within them and bring about a pure and unbridled atonement, unreserved in its ability to clean. These were the ones who were saying, come, Lord Jesus, these were the ones crying out, saying, have mercy on me, son of David. And we like them. Ought to follow that example. And so throughout Matthew's Gospel and Luke's gospel. There's a mixed response throughout the entire ministry of Jesus. And again, what's unique about this parable, I think, is that Jesus comes setting the stage for that unique response. All of those different kind of options and how people will perceive him, how they respond to him, what they will say to him. And so whether as you go through the narratives in the gospels, you look to. The Samaritan Leopard or the blind beggar, or the Chief tax Collector, or the impoverished widow, all of these were those who were forcing their way into the kingdom in response during the good news. There's really something I think that's beautiful about that, that God allows for us to force our way as it were. When we are convicted of this kingdom, that he is the kingdom and that he brings it to us. That we come headlong, rushing in, falling over ourselves to get into that kingdom by the power of the Holy Spirit. And that's why I think, why, why Luke writes in chapter 16 of his gospel. The law in the prophets were until John. Since then, the good news of the kingdom of God is preached and everyone forces his way into it. What a amazing and lovely thing that God allows us. Which is the truth, to force our way into that. So these were the ones who proved to be the fertile soil for the word of the kingdom, not the ones who chose the places of honor or the privilege, or we saw Jesus one of many important priorities to be managed. What we have here is the ones who forced their way in. These were the ones who proved to be the fertile soil, and I'm not gonna steal. Any of our thunder, because Tony and I are gonna talk about that in the next episode. But I bring that up merely to say there's so much that's rich here. When we think about are we as Christians fruitful and fertile? In our following, after the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's Matthew's great theme of reversal, like beginning in the birth narratives of Jesus and continuing through the very end of his gospel count. Even like in his final parable, Jesus forced the confrontation with his opponents by declaring that God would give the kingdom to those who had produce a harvest for God in honor. His son. That's the truth. And so he was more than simply this messenger in these cleverly created stories announcing the arrival of God's reign. He was the one who brought the kingdom. And actually, in fact, Jesus embodies the kingdom because he was the king, not only of Israel, but the royal son of God who would rule the nations. And because of that. He did represent a threat to overthrow to some just as much as he was meant as a salvation and a blessing to others. He is divisive. In fact, what's interesting is if you track Jesus standing up in the temple. And he comes forward and reads from Isaiah. It's interesting where he stops reading. This is really before kind of the, all the language about the second coming back, him really coming not to bring just salvation, but to bring retribution, to bring justice and punishment for those who are God's enemies. And so really this first coming. Jesus is all about this. It's it's all about having the message of God go out in that return void. It's returning full of the response of God's people, full of the response of God's enemies and therefore. This parable, an ex explanation to his inner circle would be understood as an accounting for the surprising range of responses. And even more than I think like an ex explanation, like explicitly it would be this kind of preparation. This kind of, again, setting a table or opening up a pathway for this hard road that lay ahead for those who would remain true to Jesus. These would be the ones who would serve the ultimate purpose of God's great act of sowing in his son to produce a great harvest. And of course. That is partly what lies the hope for us. I mean, I think I said last time we spoke about this, what I appreciate about this teaching is not only that it doesn't pull any punches, but it's just so. Real, it's so resonant because Jesus already gives us some of the breadth and scope or the continuum of the responses so that when we go out and we should so unreservedly that that is by proclaiming Jesus as the king who has come as the kingdom already ushered in as here, but not yet. When we do this, we can expect already that there'll be various responses. So one for us, it takes away the surprise. The second is it does prepare us. That these things might in fact happen. And three, it gives us a sense that, again, the efficacy of salvation. And we're getting, by the way, this view of salvation from, from God isn't again dependent on the skillset of the sower. Instead, it is God's prerogative. It's always God's prerogative. And here as loved ones, you've heard me say again, I must invoke the phrase, we have God doing all the verbs, right? He's the one walking in the field. He's the one reaching in into the seed bag, as it were. He's the one casting it liberally across the ground. He's the one making it grow. All of this is what God is doing. The preparation of the soil, the casting of the seed, the being present in. Farmland. All of this is what God is doing now. We emulate that by design. So now the call is to do what Jesus has done here in Mala for us, and that is that we also go out into the world and we proclaim this good news because what is unequivocally true is that the good news of Jesus Christ. Is for all people. Now, this does not mean that all people will accept it. That is abundantly clear in the message that Jesus gives to us. It does not prevent though us or him from casting it out to all people. We see that really, really. Vividly. Some will be given ears to hear. We ought to pray that our neighbors, our children, those in our churches and our communities, our politicians, we ought to be praying that all would be given ears to hear, and the seed of God's word will accomplish exactly what God intends and Jesus' word, a proclamation announcing the good news of the kingdom of God. We see vividly the point that God's word is. Deed that this word that he spoke speaks is his action. It's not simply that God says what he will do, but that his very act of speaking is the means by which he does that very thing. When we hear God speak to us, it is proof that we are alive. Not only do like dead men tell no tales, I think I've just inadvertently like quoted from Disney's. Um. Pirates movie, but they hear no tells as well. You know, you have been born again, not a perishable seed, but of imperishable through the living and abiding word of God. Incredible. Isn't it? Loved ones like it's incredible this story that to me on the beginning seems like so kind of. Boring and not particularly catchy and maybe not as interesting as some of the others contained within. This is literally all the words of life in the seed that we've seen thrown and in. It is like the continuum we find, not that it emulates the Old Testament, or that it somehow compliments New Testament, but within all within this parable is all of the scriptures and all of the full plan of God and all of his great love for us. That again, while we were at his enemies, he came and on this path, as he walks among the field, he casts the seed. To all, and he, by his power, gives to some these ears to hear. We find ourselves humbled. We find ourselves rushing in coming into the kingdom, fighting to come into it because God has impassioned us with that same zeal that has accomplished this very thing. He implants it in our hearts, in our minds, in our guts, so that we would come before him and worship him, fall down and find. The one who is our savior, who ushers in the visible kingdom of God, the one that is not built merely on political theories, on good rules. The kind of gospel that didn't come to make bad people good, but came to make dead people alive again. And I think that that is the absolute. Untouchable, unfathomable, almost completely un understandable, if you will, truth of this particular parable. I think this is why the Westminster confession describes the word of God, and particularly the preaching of the word as a means of grace. The word is powerful in itself by the spirits of God. I had to quote the Westminster, of course, at least in honor of Tony, so. [00:30:02] Call to Action and Final Thoughts That's my little challenge to you on this short little episode. It's just you and me and I'm saying to you loved ones. Consider this parable again. Consider how palpable this parable is. Consider what God has for us in it. Consider this soils. And then think about what it means that this good news, we see this within it, this vivid point again, that God's word is his deed. And so this is why though we do not create any kind of legalistic, conscription, or prescription around something like daily Bible study. Why? It's such a blessing to live in this period of time where we have such easy access for most of us to the word of God, and that we ought to be zealous about getting that word out to all people because, because behind it and within it and around it is the full power of the Holy Spirit that is always going out into the world and returning full with response and that when God. Speaks his word. He's always accomplishing his act in that very deed. And so it should be a blessing. We should be compelled to find ourselves in it as much as often as we can because what we're finding there is the power of God for us, in us speaking, administering to us to produce in us a great harvest. That's the promise it's coming, and we're gonna get there in the next. Episode, but what I'll leave you with is just those first two soils thinking about if you have ears to hear, if you have been made alive together with Christ, then consider that there was a time when you are one of the other soils and God who's being rich in mercy has rescued you. Not because of work done in righteousness, not because you've come forward and. Elevate your place to the, to elevate your state to the place of deserving poor. Not because like you came forward with, with empty hands and somehow convinced God that you are worthy enough, or sorry enough or contrite enough. But because of his great mercy, and it's that mercy, I think that compels us to say things to Jesus like Son of David Sight again. Son of David, have mercy on me, son of David. You are the real arrival of the Kingdom of God and your word bears testimony and your Holy Spirit has in a great work in my life. And to that end, I want to follow you and I want to ensure that this word that you've given to me is given to all people. So there's work to do, loved ones. And there's a lot there to process. I hope that you will take some time. Think about this in your own way, and as you are processing this as God is speaking to you, as you are joining together with loved ones from literally all over the world who are hanging out and listening to Tony and I chat about this stuff, that again, you would share your own voice, the best way to do that. Why do you make me beg you? Come join the Telegram chat. You'll have a great time. It's super fun. T me slash Reform Brotherhood. I would also be remiss if I didn't on behalf of myself and Tony, thank everyone who does hang out there, everyone who sent us the email, everyone who shares prayer requests or has prayed for us, and as well everyone who makes sure that this podcast. Is free of charge. It comes with its own expenses. It's not free to produce. And so we're so thankful that those who've said, listen, I've been blessed by the podcast, or It's just been important or special to me. God has done something in it. Or God has renewed a different kind of desire and passion to talk about the things of God or to encourage me in my life. I'm so happy if other things have happened. By the way, it's not because of Tony or me. It's because God is good to us. I mean, can I get an amen? I see that hand. In the back, God is good to Tony and me and we're just so thankful that we get to do this. And so if you'd like to join in supporting financially. Every little gift helps. You can go to patreon.com/reform brotherhood patreon.com, reform Brotherhood, and there you can find a way to give one time or reoccurring all of those gifts together. Make sure that there's no payrolls on this bad boy that you're not gonna get any super weird ads in the middle of it. You're just gonna get us talking. We want to em, I would say be emblematic of what we've talked about here, which is. Freely we've received freely want to give. And for those who join and say, I wanna make that possible so that no one has to be compelled to pay for this kind of thing, I love that we are here for that every day of the week and twice on the Lord's day. So next episode, Tony and I are gonna continue in this parable. We're probably, you know, gonna get together. We'll set up our tents, we'll just camp out here for a little bit. So until we get the tents out, we get the s'mores. And we start camping. Honor everyone love the brotherhood.

We learn later in Matthew's gospel that John the Baptist was imprisoned because he had been telling Herod the tetrarch that it was unlawful to have his brother's wife. Herod wanted to kill him, but kept him in prison because he was afraid of the crowds. John the Baptist was a faithful prophet and forerunner to Christ, but he was still just a man who didn't have all of the answers. Today, he asks if Jesus is the one who is to come, or if there is someone else. Christ's response is to point to the signs and wonders he is performing while validating John's ministry. By contrast, Jesus condemns his critics as well as those towns that did not repent after he performed miracles within them. :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

Join Pastor Michael Eastman as he continues his series, Acts of the Apostles. This week's message: The First Missionaries and Pursuing Our Calling Acts 13:1-4 Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.

Series: LukeService: Sunday Bible StudyType: Gospel of Luke Bible StudySpeaker: Jeremy Bowling Luke 88:1 Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, 2 and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, 3 and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.4 And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable: 5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside;…

Matthew continues his witness of the Nativity of Jesus, but he doesn't give us a greeting card scene. Instead, he gives us political paranoia, mass murder, and a family fleeing in the night to save their child from assassination. There's Herod, so terrified of losing power that he orders the execution of every male child under two in Bethlehem. There are these mysterious magi from the east, following God's star, but do they really believe? And, sadly, the resulting martyrdom of the Holy Innocents. This isn't the sanitized version you'll find on Christmas cards. This is Matthew telling us that from the very beginning, the arrival of Jesus split the world into those who worshiped and those who wanted him gone.  The Rev. Joshua Heimbuck, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Ashland, OR, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Matthew 2.  To learn more about Grace Lutheran, visit gracelutheranashland.org. The Gospel of Matthew bridges Old and New Testaments, presenting Jesus as the promised Messiah who fulfills the Law we could never keep and establishes His kingdom of grace for all nations. Written by a tax collector transformed by pure grace, Matthew reveals Christ as the true Son of David and Emmanuel (God with us) who challenges us with the crushing demands of the Law in His Sermon on the Mount to the sweet comfort of the Gospel in His death and resurrection. From royal genealogy to glorious resurrection, this verse-by-verse study proclaims the One who conquered sin, death, and the devil for us, now delivering forgiveness, life, and salvation through Word and Sacrament as He remains with His church always, even to the end of the age.  Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God's Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.

Luke chapter 23 commences with Jesus before the Roman Governor Pilate, who wants nothing to do with the trumped-up charges that had been levelled against our Lord. Pilate pronounces Jesus innocent and on hearing that he was from Galilee felt he could evade any responsibility by sending Jesus to Herod. Herod had been curious about Jesus for some time. Herod questions Jesus and receives no answers. Herod reverts to mocking and handing our Lord over to be brutalised at the hands of his soldiers. Then having found no fault in our Lord, Herod returns him to Pilate - a partial reconciliation occurs between Herod and Pilate - the Governor. Pilate once again declares Jesus innocent, but causes him to be brutally scourged (this was sometimes called the intermediate death - and many a man died under the barbaric scourge). This barbaric act fails to evoke any pity from our Master's foes. For the third time Jesus is pronounced innocent. But the chief priests stir up the crowd to bay for Jesus' blood. Pilate is forced into making a decision he did not want to make. Our Lord is delivered to be crucified, and Barabbas is released. Jesus was so weak that the Romans pressed Simon of Cyrene to carry his crucifixion post. This man and his two sons in future years became disciples. The women wept to behold our Lord, but he tells them not to weep for him, but for the miseries that would fall on them. Jesus is crucified between two thieves, quite possibly Barabbas' followers. The place of his crucifixion was that of a skull; again, in all probability that of Goliath's skull. The soldiers gamble for his clothes, as had been prophesied in Psalm 22. Jesus, himself implores his Father to forgive them as they knew not what they were doing. One of the two thieves rails upon the Lord. The other turns in repentance to Jesus and asks Jesus to remember him when Jesus comes into his kingdom. Very likely the second thief understood the Gospel of the Kingdom. This thief is given the assurance of a place in Christ's Kingdom. Jesus' words were that the thief would be with the Lord in that day. Neither were in paradise that day for Jesus spent three days in the tomb. Our Lord suffered the taunting of sinners, by masterfully controlling himself and being the Victor verses Colossians 2 verses 11-15. About 3pm Jesus dies calmly causing a hardened centurion to exclaim that surely this man was the Son of God. For three hours the Almighty had veiled the scene in darkness, as a sign of His indignation at the wicked doings of those who crucified the Lord of glory. On his death there was a great earthquake, and the veil of the temple was torn by God from top to bottom. The law was now finished, and Christ has accomplished the opening of a new and living way. The Lord Jesus' remarkable control of himself under extreme provocation provides a wonderful example to us as Peter comments in 1 Peter 2 verses 20-25. A rich counsellor of the Sanhedrin begged Pilate for Jesus' body. Pilate enquires if our Lord has died and then hands our Lord's body to Joseph and Nicodemus who take it to Joseph's new and unused garden tomb. The women follow to see where Jesus was laid and to where they would come with the spices, they would purchase to embalm the Lord's body. The women then rest on the Sabbath day. This Sabbath day was a high Sabbath.

1 Chronicles 13 deals with the first attempt to bring the ark to Jerusalem from Kirjath-jearim ('the city of the forests') where it had been for close to 500 years, since the earlier years of the times of the judges. In the days of Eli, the ark had fallen in battle to the Philistines, where it had devastated their 5 major cities. After that it spent a short interval at Beth-shemesh, where 70 men had been struck dead for peering inside the ark. The men of Kirjath-jearim became its caretakers until it was brought to Jerusalem by David (see the import of this triumphant bringing of the ark to Jerusalem recorded in Psalm 132). The first attempt to bring the ark to Zion was disastrous; with God striking Uzzah dead, because David and Israel had failed to follow the divine directive that it was to be carried on the priests' shoulders. It remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months. Ezekiel chapters 26-28 contain three chapters about Tyre. The Hittite kingdom (the Hathi) commenced in Turkey and was among the greatest empires of the times. In Solomon's time the Tyrians under Hiram shared the brotherly covenant. The two chief maritime trading cities of the Hittites were Tyre and Carthage. Ezekiel 26 deals with prophecies regarding the destruction of Tyre. The early verses show Tyre's later tyranny towards Judah. So, Yahweh would judge Tyre for her arrogance. Note it would take the efforts of many nations to destroy Tyre. Firstly, shortly before the prophet had spoken Nebuchadnezzar had besieged Tyre relentlessly only to find that the inhabitants moved the city to a small island that was easily defended by the Tyrians - also known as Phoenicians. The Phoenicians were the greatest mariners of the ancient world. It was not until Alexander the Great built a causeway to the island by scraping every rock from the old city totally desolating Tyre. For the last two and a half thousand years all that remains of ancient Tyre is a place where fishermen dry their nets. This was exactly as Ezekiel prophesied verses  "It shall be for a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea" Ezekiel 26 verses 5. Luke chapter 23 commences with Jesus before the Roman Governor Pilate, who wants nothing to do with the trumped-up charges that had been levelled against our Lord. Pilate pronounces Jesus innocent and on hearing that he was from Galilee felt he could evade any responsibility by sending Jesus to Herod. Herod had been curious about Jesus for some time. Herod questions Jesus and receives no answers. Herod reverts to mocking and handing our Lord over to be brutalised at the hands of his soldiers. Then having found no fault in our Lord, Herod returns him to Pilate - a partial reconciliation occurs between Herod and Pilate - the Governor. Pilate once again declares Jesus innocent, but causes him to be brutally scourged (this was sometimes called the intermediate death - and many a man died under the barbaric scourge). This barbaric act fails to evoke any pity from our Master's foes. For the third time Jesus is pronounced innocent. But the chief priests stir up the crowd to bay for Jesus' blood. Pilate is forced into making a decision he did not want to make. Our Lord is delivered to be crucified, and Barabbas is released. Jesus was so weak that the Romans pressed Simon of Cyrene to carry his crucifixion post. This man and his two sons in future years became disciples. The women wept to behold our Lord, but he tells them not to weep for him, but for the miseries that would fall on them. Jesus is crucified between two thieves, quite possibly Barabbas' followers. The place of his crucifixion was that of a skull; again, in all probability that of Goliath's skull. The soldiers gamble for his clothes, as had been prophesied in Psalm 22. Jesus, himself implores his Father to forgive them as they knew not what they were doing. One of the two thieves rails upon the Lord. The other turns in repentance to Jesus and asks Jesus to remember him when Jesus comes into his kingdom. Very likely the second thief understood the Gospel of the Kingdom. This thief is given the assurance of a place in Christ's Kingdom. Jesus' words were that the thief would be with the Lord in that day. Neither were in paradise that day for Jesus spent three days in the tomb. Our Lord suffered the taunting of sinners, by masterfully controlling himself and being the Victor verses  Colossians 2 verses 11-15. About 3pm Jesus dies calmly causing a hardened centurion to exclaim that surely this man was the Son of God. For three hours the Almighty had veiled the scene in darkness, as a sign of His indignation at the wicked doings of those who crucified the Lord of glory. On his death there was a great earthquake, and the veil of the temple was torn by God from top to bottom. The law was now finished, and Christ has accomplished the opening of a new and living way. The Lord Jesus' remarkable control of himself under extreme provocation provides a wonderful example to us as Peter comments in 1 Peter 2 verses 20-25. A rich counsellor of the Sanhedrin begged Pilate for Jesus' body. Pilate enquires if our Lord has died and then hands our Lord's body to Joseph and Nicodemus who take it to Joseph's new and unused garden tomb. The women follow to see where Jesus was laid and to where they would come with the spices, they would purchase to embalm the Lord's body. The women then rest on the Sabbath day. This Sabbath day was a high Sabbath. Thanks for joining us - we pray you found these comments helpful in your appreciation of God's words, join again tomorrow

There is a silence that doesn't come from peace, but from pressure. Pressure to keep your job, protect your image, or avoid offense. But if you aren't willing to lose anything for your faith, you may already be forfeiting your purpose. The early Church honored the martyrs because they refused to bow to that pressure. John the Baptist confronted Herod's sin and lost his head. Stephen exposed the emptiness of religious systems and was stoned. James was executed by Herod […] The post Purpose Over Pressure appeared first on Revival Life Church Boca Raton, FL.

     Concerning the permission of divorce, Jesus said the Pharisees, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way” (Matt 19:8). God's permissive will can be observed on a national level, as Paul said, “In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways” (Acts 14:16). This explains much of the poor behavior we see among the nations as we study world history. Though God desires righteousness among the nations (Prov 14:34), He allows them to pursue their own values and priorities. Yet He never relinquishes His sovereignty, and in time, He will hold every nation accountable for its actions (Ps 9:17; Rev 20:12-13).      God is always righteous and directs people to righteous living. However, God is no bully, as He does not force people to obey Him. When people turn negative to God, He permits them to pursue their sinful ways, though they are not free to choose the consequences of their actions. One who plays with fire will eventually get burned. Concerning those who “suppress God's truth in unrighteousness” (Rom 1:18), three times it is written that He “gave them over” to “the lusts of their hearts” (Rom 1:24), and “to degrading passions” (Rom 1:26), and “to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper” (Rom 1:28). Once God permits a person to operate by his/her sinful passions, they are given a measure of freedom to live as they want. These are described as “being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, and unmerciful” (Rom 1:29-31).      Fourth, there is God's overruling will, which refers to those occasions when He hinders His creatures from acting contrary to His sovereign purposes. Throughout Scripture we observe God intervening in the actions of fallen angels and people. After God permitted Adam and Eve to disobey Him, He then drove them from the Garden of Eden and overruled their ability to go back in and eat from the tree of life (Gen 3:22-24). After Abraham lied to Abimelech and told him that Sarah was his sister, Abimelech took her as his wife. However, in order to protect Sarah, God intervened and told Abimelech, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is married” (Gen 20:3). Abimelech pleaded with God and claimed his innocence (Gen 20:4-5). God, being just, told Abimelech, “Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also kept you from sinning against Me; therefore, I did not let you touch her” (Gen 20:6). Jacob served his uncle Laban for twenty years, but during that time his uncle had mistreated him, and by the end, he saw his uncle “was not friendly toward him as formerly” (Gen 31:2). Realizing it was time for Jacob to leave his uncle, he told his two wives, Rachel and Leah, “your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times; however, God did not allow him to hurt me” (Gen 31:7). During the tribulation, there will be hostile unbelievers who will try to flee from God's wrath by seeking death. But God prevents them from this escape, as John writes, “in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death flees from them” (Rev 9:6).      When Satan wanted to attack Job, God granted him permission, saying, “Behold, all that he has is in your power” (Job 1:12a). But then God restrained Satan, saying, “do not put forth your hand on him” (Job 1:12b). When Satan came back a second time, God granted him permission to attack Job's body, saying, “he is in your power” (Job 2:6a), but then told him to “spare his life” (Job 2:6b). When Job's wife advised him to “curse God and die” (Job 2:9), he responded, saying, “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” (Job 2:10). During the seven-year tribulation, demons are released from an angelic prison and “power was given them” to hurt unbelievers (Rev 9:3). However, they were restrained, as God told them, “not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months” (Rev 9:4-5a). Satan is currently active in the world (1 Pet 5:8; 1 John 5:19) and will be during the tribulation. However, God intervenes at the end of the tribulation and has Satan arrested and “bound him for a thousand years” (Rev 20:2). God's arresting angel “threw Satan into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time” (Rev 20:3).      Fifth, there is God's providential will, which refers to the outworking of His sovereign will in such a way that He creates circumstances that direct our lives and destiny. Believers who understand this will make their human plans contingent on God's sovereign plans (1 Ch 13:2; Acts 18:21; Jam 4:15). As God's people, we know the Lord and His will for our lives because His written Word informs and guides us. The Bible is our divine pedagogical guide. In addition to Scripture, God directs us providentially as He controls the circumstances of our lives to His desired end. However, only the believer with a thorough knowledge of God's Word can properly interpret his/her circumstances and know what God is doing. Interpreting circumstances, or divine impressions on the heart, is never as clear as knowing God's Word. Charles Clough states: "There is a mystical element to Christianity in how the Lord leads you; and He impresses upon you different things. But you can never elevate that mystical part of your Christian life and make it equal to the revelation of Scripture, because the revelation of Scripture is the measuring stick so you can tell the difference between Christ in the heart and heart burn. How you do that is whether it fits the Scripture."[1] God's providence is His continual care over the creation He brought into existence. God continues to create and control circumstances in order to direct history according to His predetermined plan, all for His glory and the benefit of His people. People live in the flow of history, and are moved by the circumstances God controls. J. I. Packer states: "Providence is normally defined in Christian theology as the unceasing activity of the Creator whereby, in overflowing bounty and goodwill (Psa 145:9 cf. Mt 5:45–48), he upholds his creatures in ordered existence (Acts 17:28; Col 1:17; Heb 1:3), guides and governs all events, circumstances and free acts of angels and men (cf. Psa 107; Job 1:12; 2:6; Gen 45:5–8), and directs everything to its appointed goal, for his own glory (cf. Eph 1:9–12)."[2]      God is holy and never creates evil, however, He can and does control those who do. Satan, and those who follow him, are ultimately under God's sovereign control, and even their evil plans and actions are used for His good purposes. For example, Joseph was mistreated by his brothers and sold into slavery and taken to Egypt where he suffered greatly. Yet, later in his life, Joseph interpreted their behavior from the divine perspective, telling his brothers, “Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life” (Gen 45:5). And Joseph repeated himself a second time, saying, “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God” (Gen 45:7-8a). And later, he told them a third time, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive” (Gen 50:20). It was God's providence that drove Saul to chase after his father's donkeys, and then be led to the prophet Samuel and anointed king of Israel (1 Sam 9-10). It was God's providence that directed Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem, so the baby Jesus would be born at the appointed time and place (Mic 5:2; Luke 2:4-6; Gal 4:4). Later, Joseph and Mary were compelled to go to Egypt, in order to preserve the baby Savior (Matt 2:13-15). It was God's providence that forced Aquila and Priscilla out of Rome by the emperor Claudius' decree, only to meet the apostle Paul in Corinth and join him in Christian ministry (Acts 18:1-3; Rom 16:3; 1 Cor 16:19). It was God's providence that put the Lord Jesus on the cross to be crucified by the hands of godless men. Peter, charging Israelites in Jerusalem concerning Jesus's death, said, “This Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death” (Acts 2:23). And after being persecuted by the leaders in Jerusalem, Peter and John, along with others, said to God, “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur” (Acts 4:27-28). In these verses we see people behaving sinfully, whether Joseph's brothers, or human rulers who abuse their power; yet God used their sinful choices to bring about a greater good. Because God is righteous, all His actions are just (Psa 119:137). Because He is loving (1 John 4:8), He directs all things for the benefit of His people. Because He is good (Psa 34:8; 100:5), He “causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28).      Concerning Christian ministry, God providentially opens and closes doors of service. Throughout the New Testament, an “open door” refers to a divinely orchestrated opportunity for sharing the gospel and engaging in Christian ministry (Acts 14:25-27). On one occasion the Lord closed an opportunity for ministry (Acts 16:6-7), but then opened another (Acts 16:9-10). An “open door” for ministry can have opposition (1 Cor 16:7-9), does not remove everyday concerns about life (2 Cor 2:12-13), should be sought with prayer (Col 4:2-3), and once opened cannot be shut by people (Rev 3:8). As God's people, we do not create occasions for Christian ministry; we simply accept those provided for us by the Lord (Eph 2:10).    In summary, knowing and doing God's will is largely a matter of knowing His Word and walking in it. Those who are positive to God will desire His Word in order to obey it. From Scripture we know about the Lord Himself, His sovereign control over His creation, what He desires of us, His permission of sin, as well as His directing history providentially to the return and reign of Christ. Where Scripture is silent, we may try to ascertain His will through the circumstances of our life, but such understanding must always be subordinate to the clear revelation of Scripture. Steven R. Cook, D.Min., M.Div.   [1] Charles Clough, Lesson 21 - Moral Relativism; Justification & Procedures for Holy War, (2010, 17th minute). https://www.bibleframeworkapplied.org/multi-lesson-series/deuteronomy [2] J. I. Packer, “Providence” in New Bible Dictionary, ed. D. R. W. Wood, I. H. Marshall, A. R. Millard and D. J. Wiseman, 3rd ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 979-80.

8 In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, 2 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3 And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” 4 And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” 5 And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” 6 And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. 7 And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. 8 And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 9 And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. 10 And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha. The Pharisees Demand a Sign11 The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. 12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side. The Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod14 Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16 And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20 “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?” Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida22 And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. 23 And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24 And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” 25 Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.” Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ27 And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” 30 And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him. Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” 34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Mk 8:1–38.

The sermon explores the trial of Jesus before Herod and Pilate, highlighting the reversal of judgment where men believe they are judging Christ, but in reality, Christ judges them. It emphasizes Jesus's suffering as a fulfillment of prophecy and a demonstration of selfless obedience, contrasting this with Herod's superficial engagement with the word and his ultimate condemnation. The message underscores the authority of Scripture, asserting that it stands in judgment over humanity, challenging listeners to avoid hardening their hearts and instead embrace the truth and obedience to God's word, recognizing that while individuals may attempt to silence or dismiss it, the Word ultimately holds sway.

BIBLE STUDY| MIRACLES OF JESUS SERIES.|THE FOURTH MIRACLE OF JESUS pt.69| THE FEEDING OF 5,000 MEN WITH 5 LOAVES OF BREAD AND 2 FISHES| CHIMDI OHAHUNA “That Nothing Be Lost” – The Frugality of God in John 6:11–12 In this latest episode of the Miracle of Jesus Bible Study on the GRACELIFECOMI Podcast, we continue exploring the divine instruction in John 6:11–12, where Jesus commands His disciples to gather the fragments after feeding the multitude. This isn't a lesson in leftovers—it's a revelation of heaven's value system. Drawing from the insights of Albert Barnes, John Gill, Matthew Henry, and Robert World Commentaries, this teaching highlights that the fragments were not discarded scraps, but sacred portions—broken pieces from Jesus Himself. What others might overlook, heaven preserves. Key Highlights & Spiritual Insights: - Jesus Wastes Nothing:   In Christ, there is no waste. Every gift, every resource, every word carries purpose. The abundance of divine provision is never a license for carelessness. God's generosity is matched by His precision. - Waste Is Not Enjoyment rather, it i see Oppression:   Wastefulness is not a sign of freedom or wealth, but a reflection of spiritual disorder. It opens the door to mishaps and mirrors the nature of the enemy, whose legacy includes destruction and loss. Pharaoh and Herod are examples of this wasteful spirit—sacrificing many lives in pursuit of one. - The Danger of Trends:   The desire for novelty often leads to the destruction of what is still useful. Trends can be subtle agents of waste, encouraging us to discard what God has blessed simply because it's no longer “new.” - Wisdom from Jewish Tradition:    “He who despises bread falls into depths of poverty.” This ancient saying reminds us that disregard for provision leads to lack. Gratitude and stewardship are safeguards against spiritual and material poverty. - Frugality Is Wisdom and Not Stinginess:   Being economical is not a mark of lack, it is a mark of insight. Joseph's stewardship in Egypt is a biblical model of how frugality can preserve nations and generations. - Gifts Can Be Lost Through Carelessness:   Though God's gifts and callings are without repentance (Romans 11:29), they can be rendered ineffective through neglect. Waste leads to loss, and loss is never neutral in the kingdom. - Words Are Resources Too:   Luke 15:13 reminds us of the prodigal son's wasteful living. But, waste isn't limited to money or materials; our words carry power. As believers, we are called to use our speech to build, bless, and release life—not to destroy. This episode is a call to spiritual stewardship. It challenges listeners to honor every resource—material, spiritual, and verbal—as a gift from God. Whether in abundance or scarcity, the principle remains "that nothing be lost." GRACELIFECOMI Podcast— raising men into completeness in Christ. A platform where faith meets wisdom, and every message is crafted to inspire legacy, gratitude, and transformation. Listen now to GRACELIFECOMI Podcast—Be sure to subscribe to the GRACELIFECOMI podcast today, rate, and share the podcast with others who need to hear the message of power and victory through Jesus Christ! Also, stay updated on future episodes of this enriching series!. Any questions arising from this study can be submitted to chimdiohahunaministry@gmail.com. Check our bio to know how to give your love offerings to the ministry. Jesus is Lord.

A new MP3 sermon from Carey Baptist Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Matthew Chapter 14 PART I The Death Of John The Baptist And The Guilt Of Herod Subtitle: Book Of Matthew Speaker: Pastor Benjamin Donahue Broadcaster: Carey Baptist Church Event: Radio Broadcast Date: 9/27/2025 Bible: Matthew 14:1-14 Length: 12 min.

In 1 Chronicles chapter 11 we have the record of David taking the ancient, but well-fortified fortress of Jebus. We are told of Joab's extraordinary feat of courage in gaining access and securing its fall. The rest of the chapter is a catalogue of David's mighty men and their outstanding acts of courage. These men typify the saints of our Lord Jesus Christ as they will bring the kingdoms of this world into subjection to our Lord Jesus Christ verses Revelation 11 verses 15-18. Ezekiel 24 outlines the parable of the burning pot which represented Jerusalem's fiery destruction. We are also told of the death of the prophet's wife and God's command that Ezekiel does not mourn her death. Likewise, the people were not to mourn the destruction of "the Sanctuary". The very strong language in this prophecy highlights just how offensive unfaithfulness is to Almighty God. So great would be the slaughter at Jerusalem's overthrow. The prophet was struck dumb and remained so until the day the city fell. Luke 21 is the record of the Olivet prophecy given after 6pm on Abib 12th from the mount east of Jerusalem. The significance of the prophecy deals with events that would occur within forty years of its delivery; as well as matters relating to our days (end times) when the Kingdom of God will be once more set up on earth. The chapter began with a declaration of the widow who gave God all. Jesus foretells of the destruction of the magnificent temple, whose building had begun with Herod the Great; and to that point in time had still not been finished. When the temple was destroyed it would be totally overturned leaving not one stone on another - except for the older foundations which acted as a retaining wall for Herod to build on. Jesus says that there would be wars and rumours of wars, but the disciples must wait until the end time of the Lord's prophecy. Persecution would be the disciples' lot, but they would be aided in their testimony before the authorities. Families would be divided over their support for Christ's teaching. Despite Jerusalem being surrounded by armies at AD70 there would be five opportunities for the disciples to flee to safety - the first of these was at the defeat of the Roman Tribune Cestius Gallus in AD66 (the others are mentioned in Robert Roberts book 'The Ways of Providence'). There would be the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, which spoke of the fall of the city to the Roman Emperor Titus. In regards to the final outcome of the prophecy, which relates to the time when the Kingdom of God will be set up on earth; we have the parable of the fig tree (national Israel's symbol), whose statehood began in 1948 and many of us have seen the fig tree blossom and flourish with the reoccupation of Jerusalem, Israel's eternal and undivided capital, in 1967. Be ready our Lord's return and his kingdom is indeed near. Thanks for joining us - we pray you found these comments helpful in your appreciation of God's words, join again tomorrow

Why did the Jews keep fighting Rome for over 200 years — long after the Great Revolt ended in disaster? Hoover Senior Fellow Barry Strauss discusses the epic story of Judea's rebellions against the world's most powerful empire in this conversation and in his new book, Jews vs. Rome: Barry Strauss on Two Centuries of Jewish Revolt. From the fall of Jerusalem and the siege of Masada to the guerrilla war of Bar Kokhba, Strauss reveals the key players, stunning twists, and surprising alliances — including ancient Iran's role as an ally of the Jews. Strauss also describes unforgettable characters like Herod the Great, Josephus the historian-turned-traitor, and fearless queens who shaped the fight. Packed with ancient drama and lessons for today, Strauss's book brings one of history's most remarkable struggles to life.

Herod the tetrarch is perplexed over the rumors about who is Jesus. (Lectionary #452) September 25, 2025 - Cathedral Rectory - Superior, WI Fr. Andrew Ricci - www.studyprayserve.com  

Today's Topics: 1) Gospel - Luke 9:7-9 - Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying, "John has been raised from the dead"; others were saying, "Elijah has appeared"; still others, "One of the ancient prophets has arisen." But Herod said, "John I beheaded. Who then is this about whom I hear such things?" And he kept trying to see him. Bishop Sheen quote of the day

(4:09) Bible Study: Haggai 1:1-8 How do we settle into our lives and forget the first words of God to us? Luke 9:7-9 Father talks about the family of Herod (23:05) Break 1 (24:45) Letters: Shouldn’t we have a record of Jesus’ brothers if He really had brothers and sisters? Father talks about the death penalty and why it is not as black and white as you might think. Father answers these and other questions, send him a letter at simon@relevantradio.com (37:10) Break 2 (37:48) Word of the Day Perplexed (40:41) Phones: Berry - I have a question from the parallels between Isaiah 66 and haggai reading from today. Alesandra - Is what you said about letting sinner die unrepentant apply to people who use euthanasia Madeline - could you go into the Jesus having brothers? it has the possibility for Mary not being ever virgin. I want to debate protestants.

Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening,and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying,"John has been raised from the dead";others were saying, "Elijah has appeared";still others, "One of the ancient prophets has arisen."But Herod said, "John I beheaded.Who then is this about whom I hear such things?"And he kept trying to see him.

In this Bible Story, we learn about the brutal beheading of John the Baptist. The man who spends his entire life paving a way for the Son of God is executed. However, his death would not be in vain. He would be embraced by God the Father into the gates of heaven. This story is inspired by Mark 6:12-29, Luke 9:6-9. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.Today's Bible verse is Mark 6:15 from the King James Version.Episode 192: Out of anger, Herod imprisoned John the Baptist, and though he feared John, he would not kill him. His wife, however, manipulated Herod to make him promise to kill John. And though he regretted this offer, his social standing meant more to him than doing the right thing. Afterward, Jesus' fame began to rise more and more and Herod once again became worried.Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham.Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living.Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max BardProducer: Ben GammonHosted by: Pastor Jack GrahamMusic by: Andrew Morgan SmithBible Story narration by: Todd HaberkornSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Read OnlineHerod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying, “John has been raised from the dead”; others were saying, “Elijah has appeared”; still others, “One of the ancient prophets has arisen.” Luke 9:7–8Herod the tetrarch, also known as Herod Antipas, ruled the Jews of Galilee for some forty-two years. He began his reign in 2 BC and continued to reign until he was exiled by the Roman Emperor in 37 AD. During his reign, he spent much time in Tiberias, one of the main cities on the western edge of the Sea of Galilee. Most of Jesus' ministry took place within the region of Herod's domain, all of Galilee, so Herod was very aware of the many stories about Jesus.Today's Gospel concludes by saying that Herod kept trying to see Jesus. Of course, Herod, just like anyone living in that region, could have traveled to where Jesus was preaching so as to listen to Him at any time. But he didn't do that. Instead, he continued to receive reports about Jesus and remained curious about Him, trying to find a way to figure out Who Jesus was.Try to imagine what would have happened if Herod would have traveled to where Jesus was preaching so as to listen to Him with an open heart. If he would have done that, and truly listened, Herod would have received one of the greatest gifts imaginable. He would have received the gift of faith and conversion and would have begun down the road toward eternal salvation. But Herod was living an immoral life. He was known to be a cruel leader and also an unrepentant adulterer. He loved his power and was quite jealous of it. Herod most likely knew, at least in the back of his mind, that if he were to listen to Jesus, he would have to change. And he most likely didn't want to change.This presents us all with a powerful lesson. Each one of us can easily dismiss various communications and invitations from our Lord, because, deep down, we do not want to change. God is speaking to us all day long, every day of our lives. He is constantly offering us His message of the full Gospel. And though you may be open to much of what God says, there are most likely parts of His divine message that you either knowingly or unknowingly do not listen to. The key to being able to hear everything that God wants to speak to you is to be disposed to completely change in any and every way that God wants you to change.Reflect, today, upon Herod. First, reflect upon his curiosity about Jesus. This is a good quality, in that it's much better than being indifferent. From there, think also about the fact that Herod never went to Jesus to listen to Him. His first meeting with Jesus was on the night of His arrest, when he interrogated our Lord and made fun of Him. As you consider Herod's obstinacy, use it as an examination of your own life. Where you see any small reflection of obstinacy, fear of change or a closed heart, seek to remedy that by turning to our Lord telling Him you are open to all He wishes to say and that you are ready and willing to change in any way He calls you to do so. Do not fear the change our Lord wants of you. Embracing that change will land you on the quick and narrow road toward true holiness of life.My ever-present Lord, You call to me day and night, inviting me to change as I listen to Your holy Word. I thank You for these constant promptings of grace and commit myself to remain open to all that You ask of me. I choose You, my Lord. And as I turn to You, I pray that I will have the courage I need to respond wholeheartedly to Your call. Jesus, I trust in You.  Image: John Rogers Herbert, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsSource of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Today's Topics: 1, 2, 3, 4) Bishop Athanasius Schneider joins Terry to discuss how each of us can help Holy Mother Church today Gospel - Luke 8:1-3 - Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God. Accompanying Him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources. Memorial of Saint Januarius, Bishop and Martyr Saint Januarius, pray for us!

The ambivalence of the human heart - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Why do you think Herod wanted to see Jesus? In what sense do you think Herod was and wasn't free? How do you see yourself reflected in the ambivalence of Herod's soul?

Daily Dose of Hope September 24, 2025   Scripture – Luke 23   Prayer:  Lord Jesus, We come before you this morning, thanking you for a new day.  Lord, you are good and we rejoice in your holy and powerful name.  As we begin our day, Lord, help us focus on you.  Help us set aside our scattered thoughts and focus on your Word and what you want us to learn today.  We get so distracted and self-consumed.  Forgive us for that, Lord.  In these next few moments of silence, help us have laser focus on your voice... In Your Powerful Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional/podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently working our way through a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we are deep diving into Luke 23.    Today, we start with Jesus before Pilate and Herod.  Both Roman men believe that Jesus  is innocent.  Pilate actually tries to get the people to release Jesus, but the crowd is stirred up.  They want blood.  Jesus' innocence is not the point to them.  They are looking for a way to get rid of this trouble-maker.  And these men are not willing to stand up for what's right.    There was a man named Simon from Cyrene who was passing by and they forced him to carry the cross.  Cyrene was on the tip of Africa so this man was far from home!  And here he was, just going about his business, and he is enlisted, or more like seized, to carry the cross of the Savior of the world.  I'm guessing that Jesus' physical body was incredibly weak and bloody by this point.  And Simon walked by him, carrying the cross that would serve to execute Jesus but also save all humanity from their sin. We don't know what happened to Simon after the crucifixion.  He isn't mentioned again in Scripture.  But my guess is that his life was never the same again.  An encounter with Jesus is always life-changing.   The text in which Jesus dies on the cross is called the Good Friday scripture.  It may seem odd that we would call the day that Jesus was crucified and died “good.” Apparently, the term came into common use in the 1200s because for us, it was a truly good day, as Jesus became the final sacrifice for all sin for all people for all time. As the full expression of God's love for us, Jesus voluntarily gave his life so that we could be reconciled to holy God. It is very much good.   There is a lot to be said about the crucifixion but I wanted to highlight something in particular.  Right before Jesus breathed his last breath on the cross, the curtain in the Temple was torn down the middle. This is the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (the Holiest of Holies) where the ark of the covenant was kept and the presence of God remained. When the curtain tore, it was a sign that the New Covenant was instituted. Because of Jesus' sacrifice (the final sacrifice for sin), those who believe in him can now go directly to the throne of God's grace. When holy God looks at us, he doesn't see our sinfulness but the blood of Christ. Thus, there are no more barriers that can separate us from God.   I'd like to close today with a prayer that is an adaptation of Hebrews 10:19-25: Thank you, Lord, that we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God's house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Lord, help us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. Amen.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

#LONDINIUM90AD: MICHAEL VLAHOS. FRIENDS OF HISTORY DEBATING SOCIETY. @MICHALIS_VLAHOS HEADLINE: The American Empire Inheritance: Emperor Trump at Windsor Castle The conversation draws parallels between the Roman Empire and the current American Empire, emphasizing that the US inherited its imperial role. A state dinner at Windsor Castle, steeped in centuries of British tradition, was cited as a visual representation of this transition, featuring King Charles III hosting Emperor Trump. The setting—lined with gold, silver, and portraits of those who delivered the British Empire—symbolized the transfer of legacy to America. Germanicus notes that the American Empire's reach is solid, mirroring Rome's authority over an oecumene (the known world) and its ability to have supplicant kings, such as Herod the Great serving Augustus. The speakers argue that many Americans, unlike the "prissy elite," recognize the imperial reality. They criticize maintaining the "fig leaf" of the nation founded by George Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin, stating that until the US recognizes itself as an empire, it cannot act strategically to defend or move it forward. Mr. Trump is seen as refreshing because he does not hide this reality, thereby forcing this necessary recognition. 1876 NERO

Anomalous: deviating from what is standard, normal, or expected.We face a lot of disappointments in life, all of which extend from our own expectations. Have you ever been disappointed in how God's plans seem to be working in your life? If we're honest about it, there are probably a lot of times when God doesn't seem to be responding or doing what we think he should be doing.We're going to be reading a section in Matthew's gospel (chapter 11:1-19) where Jesus addresses some questions that John the Baptist has asked him from his jail.Why do you think John is asking Jesus if he's really the One they're waiting for? Consider where John is, imprisoned by Herod, getting word that Jesus has been going to banquets with tax collectors…basically Herod's employees. John had said Messiah would come the ax of God and an winnowing fork to separate the faithful from the unjust…which was sort of a different picture than feasting with oppressors.John was waiting for Messiah to execute judgement on unfaithful Israel and Rome. What does Jesus point to as the focus and evidence that God's kingdom is indeed present and at work? How can that help us to understand the unexpected ways in which God works in our world? How can that shape our mission?Jesus makes a few cryptic comparisons between John the Baptist and Herod and the rulers of Israel at that time. We'll get deeper into the specifics of it on Sunday – but the comparison forces us to see the difference between people's expectations about the force Messiah would use on his enemies…and what Jesus actually did.Jesus then compares his critics to spoiled children who refuse to get on the same page and play the same game. They criticized John because he was too austere, they rejected Jesus because it looked like he was having too much fun. There was no pleasing them. So what does Jesus point to in answering his critics in v19? As Christians, we will always have people criticizing or questioning our faith. Following Jesus' lead, what should we be pointing to as evidence that God is at work in our efforts?I'm really looking forward to digging into this text on Sunday! Hope to see you there!Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.

After going through 3 trials by the Jews, a short trial before Pilate and then before Herod, Jesus is brought back to Pilate the Governor of Judea. What takes place here is a detailed dialogue between these two men. One had been given the job to rule over Judea and to bring law and order and stop any uprisings, and the other is accused of being a leader of a sedition and one who opposed Rome. In the end Pilate stood Amazed in the Presence of Jesus the Nazarene! To watch today's video, just click on this link! The post Matthew 27 Pt.3 – Jesus Before Pilate! appeared first on Living Rock Church.

X-Space discussions; Why hate Charlie Kirk; "Judeo-Christian" ideas; Nicolaitans?; Baalam?; False accusations; What are Judeo values?; Christian values?; Doers of the word; Califates; Importance of context; Translation; "Abimelech"; vs "Melchizedek"; Sycamore tree?; Luke 19 parable; Zacchaeus; Taxation; Perils of electing rulers; Pure religion vs public religion; Jesus hailed as king - of peace; Firing moneychangers; Both king and high priest; Tithing; Freewill offerings; Abraham's altars; "Communities"; Tesserae?; "Logos" = "The Word" = Right reason; vs "Rhema"; Mt 4:10 Worship and serve; Dictates of the LORD thy God; Cloaking the bible in mindless rituals; Corban; Serving God from home; Blessing of Abraham; Understanding your bondage; Willingness to communicate/converse; Gen 32:1; mem-chet-nun-yod-mem (Mahanaim); Gen 28:12; mem-lamad-aleph-kof-yod Angels; Prov 16:11 (Messenger); Unjust weights; Righteousness; "Leaven" = oppression; Two ways to rule a nation; Gifting Esau?; hey+mem-lamad-aleph-kof-yod+mem messenger? "Host" of God?; Messengers, angels; Herod's recognizing messiah; Values of God; Laban's ways; Covering Abraham's wells; Symbolism; Freedom of choice; Altars of charity; Covetous practices = idolatry; Anti-Christ; Is Christ really your king?; Well of satisfaction; Augustus Caesar - son of God?; Welfare snares; Egyptians leaving Egypt; "Shem"ites; "Fear not!"; Is your church taking care of all the needy?; Making Christians "peculiar"; Seeking the fullness of the kingdom; Jacob's procession of gifts; Consistent Christianity; Jacob wrestled a man = mem-lamad-shin-kuf; Gen 32:28 "strive"; Prince having power; Listening to Holy Spirit; Need to pray; Setting others free; Consistency of living in faith, hope and charity; Trusting God; Respecters of persons; pey-nun-yod-aleph-lamad (Peniel); Becoming Israel; Face of God?; Walking with God; What was Esau doing differently?; What about Jacob's sons?; Making Jacob stink; Seek His kingdom and His righteousness.

Gospel Luke 8:1-3 Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God. Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources. Reflection We don't always think about the most basic things that Jesus needed to perform his ministry. And here we see that there were many women who were touched by his healing words and became great supporters of his work, and they traveled with him and made sure out of their resources, they were able to give him everything he needed. It's a beautiful example of how the kingdom, when it takes root in someone, because of the healing they received, they continue to support the message of Jesus. Closing Prayer Father, something happens to us when we receive your gifts, your Holy Spirit dwelling in us. We find ourselves more engaged in the things that bring life and hope to people. Bless us with the imagination to see how clearly we can make a difference. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another,preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God.Accompanying him were the Twelveand some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities,Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza,Susanna, and many otherswho provided for them out of their resources.

Friday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary TimeLuke 8:1-3Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another,preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God.Accompanying him were the Twelveand some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities,Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza,Susanna, and many otherswho provided for them out of their resources.

Gospel Daily with Josh Weidmann The Cost of Obedience: Finding God's Provision When Faith Gets Dangerous, Part 2Series: Unveiled Scripture: Mark 6:7–32 Episode: 1429 Scripture Summary: In Mark 6:7–32, Jesus sends out the twelve disciples two by two, giving them authority over unclean spirits and instructing them to travel light, relying on hospitality. They preach repentance, cast out demons, and heal the sick with anointing oil. Meanwhile, news about Jesus spreads, and Herod hears of His growing influence, fearing He may be John the Baptist raised from the dead. The passage recounts how John was imprisoned and executed by Herod after John condemned his unlawful marriage to Herodias. Herod reluctantly beheads John to keep a foolish promise made at Herodias's request. After John's death, the disciples return from their mission, and Jesus invites them to rest in a quiet place, recognizing their need for recovery.

Gospel Daily with Josh Weidmann The Cost of Obedience: Finding God's Provision When Faith Gets Dangerous, Part 1Series: Unveiled Scripture: Mark 6:7–32 Episode: 1428 Scripture Summary: In Mark 6:7–32, Jesus sends out the twelve disciples two by two, giving them authority over unclean spirits and instructing them to travel light, relying on hospitality. They preach repentance, cast out demons, and heal the sick with anointing oil. Meanwhile, news about Jesus spreads, and Herod hears of His growing influence, fearing He may be John the Baptist raised from the dead. The passage recounts how John was imprisoned and executed by Herod after John condemned his unlawful marriage to Herodias. Herod reluctantly beheads John to keep a foolish promise made at Herodias's request. After John's death, the disciples return from their mission, and Jesus invites them to rest in a quiet place, recognizing their need for recovery.

Basic Bible Study | Matthew, Mark, Luke & John (Part 3) This is part 3 of 7 In today's podcast, join Amy and Robyn as they continue their discussion in Matthew, Mark, Luke & John. Here is a breakdown of what was discussed: - Herod kills John the Baptist - Herod mistakes Jesus for John the Baptist back from the dead - Jesus feeds 5,000 with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish - all of us have physical & spiritual needs - the Kingdom of God begins in the hearts of those who believe in Jesus “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ABOUT Opening a Bible for the first time can be intimidating. Join Amy & Robyn in an easy-to-follow discussion. This Basic Bible Study is perfect for beginners & those who have never read the Bible. Look for new podcasts every Tuesday & Friday! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BIBLE RESOURCES https://biblehub.com/ https://www.bible.com/ http://betterdaysarecoming.com/bible/pronunciation.html https://biblespeak.org/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/mybasicbiblestudy WEBSITE http://www.mybasicbiblestudy.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You can contact us via e-mail or regular old snail-mail: Basic Bible Study 7797 N. 1st St. #34 Fresno, CA 93720 basicbiblestudy19@gmail.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What exactly this mumbo jumbo involved is hard to envision, but Isaiah also counsels against such wizardry - see Isaiah 8 verses 19-20. Luke 9 tells us of the commissioning of "the twelve" who were sent to Israel's lost sheep. These Apostles were seemingly unprepared for such a task but took the Gospel forth in faith - note the similarity in the opening verses of Luke chapters 8 and 9 (8 verses 1 compare with 9 verses 1-2). The record tells us of Herod's perplexity on hearing the report of Jesus' ministry. Herod hearing of the miracles being done by Jesus and he becomes frightened believing that these miracles might have been done by John the Baptist risen from the dead. The chapter tells us of the feeding of the 5,000 which is followed by the record of Jesus' prayer in solitude. We are told that this prayer of our Lord follows Peter's confession that "Jesus was the Christ of God". Jesus foretells his sufferings, crucifixion and resurrection. The disciples are exhorted that it is imperative to take up one's stake (Greek 'stauros') and follow Christ. The remaining segments of the chapter centre on Elijah. The transfiguration is recorded in verses 28-36 - where Moses, representing the Law; and Elijah the Prophets - are seen with our Lord in glory. The Father clearly showing and declaring the surpassing, excellent glory of His Son. Peter comments on the wonderful lessons learned then verses 2 Peter 1 verses 16-21. Read these aloud and ponder their significance for your belief in the inspired Word of God. A paralytic boy is cured by the Lord, when the 9 Apostles who had not gone into the Mount were frustrated by their inability to heal the boy. Once more Jesus tells them of his coming suffering, which message, yet again, fell on deaf ears. Sadly, the Apostles were preoccupied with their feelings of self-importance. Incredibly those who saw the events of the transfiguration should have seen that their Lord alone was great and that they were merely the servants of the coming King. The twelve rebuke a man who is performing miracles in the name of Jesus Christ. Their chastising was because that man was not of their company. Jesus declared - that they who are not against us must be for us. Jesus was next turned away from a Samaritan village since he was clearly intent on going to Jerusalem. James and John, rightly given the appellation "sons of thunder", sought to bring fire upon that village as Elijah had done in 2 Kings 1. Jesus rebukes his Apostles and alludes to the saving mission of the 'whisper of a voice' - found in Elisha's mission. The chapter concludes with three would be disciples being challenged by Christ Jesus to count the cost of following him. The three examples are verses 1) who wanted to make discipleship a second priority. 2) the next would follow when family responsibility had passed - this would always be a problem and left with those not willing to embrace the challenges of following Christ; and, 3) the third had business matters which required attention - Jesus tells that man needs to learn the lesson of which is seen in Elisha's calling 1 Kings 19 verses 19-21.Thanks for joining us - we pray you found these comments helpful in your appreciation of God's words, join again tomorrow

The record tells us that at Hezekiah's death his son Manasseh began to reign, aged 12. His mother's name was Hephzibah, meaning 'my delight is in her'. What joy must those final years of Hezekiah's have been? But sadly, Manasseh's rule was steeped in idolatry and blood shedding. Read the LORD's summary of that bloodthirsty king's rule in verses 11-15. The streets of Jerusalem flowed with blood under this king. History records that the prophet Isaiah fled from this evil man and hid in a hollow tree. The king gave orders to saw the prophet in half (cp Hebrews 11 verses 37). However, despite 55 years of evil at Manasseh's end God forgave him because he repented and that final turning to God saw him being taken from prison to Jerusalem - see 2 Chronicles 13 verses 10-13. Ezekiel explains why in chapter 18 verses 4-23 read and ponder. But the people of Judah, having revelled in idolatry for so long, could not change their behaviours. Manasseh's son Amon succeeds him ruling for two years before being slain by the king's own servants. In Ezekiel 11 judgment is pronounced upon Judah's wicked counsellors who mistakenly saw themselves as untouchable. The prophet Ezekiel counsels Judah to settle in Babylon for the 70 years. The length of the exile that Jeremiah had prophesied. But the arrogant rulers in Judah said that no destruction could ever come to them. It was essential to totally overthrow these wicked people and to make a new start with the remnant, who were to be the returning exiles. Luke 7 begins with the healing of a faithful and loved Roman Centurion's servant. The Centurion had built a synagogue for the Jewish people - most likely in Capernaum. As a man in command and also under the authority of Rome he saw our Lord Jesus Christ as the emissary of God. Jesus announces that the Centurion's faith exceeded any faith that could be found in Israel. This Centurion was truly the seed, and heir of Abraham's kingdom (Romans 4 verses 13; Genesis 12 verses 3). In the town of Nain Jesus raises a widow's son. In this and many like incidents our Lord Jesus was learning how painful it would be for his Father to see His only begotten Son die. Messengers are sent to our Lord Jesus Christ from a disconsolate John the Baptist, who was languishing in Herod's prison at Machaerus. Jesus immediately performs many miracles before John's messengers and refers them to Isaiah 61. The Lord then remonstrates with the crowd on their fickleness - Jesus and John are both the Father's wise children. Not a greater man than John the Baptist had ever been born of a woman, except the Messiah himself. The chapter next says that a sinful woman, who comes into the house of Simon the Pharisee, anoints Jesus' feet in love - and because of her great love she is forgiven greatly for her sins. Luke is telling us in this chapter of three confrontations our Lord had with the Pharisees occurring in the house of a Pharisee - Luke 7; 11; 14. Simon the Pharisee and those with him are instructed by Christ on the basis of divine forgiveness i.e. love. Let us pause, ponder and learn this. Thanks for joining us - we pray you found these comments helpful in your appreciation of God's words, join again tomorrow

Acts 12:1-24. Herod's hunger for approval led him to persecute the church, but God set Peter free and kept His mission unstoppable. True freedom comes when we fear God more than people and live for His approval, not the crowd's.

6 He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 2 And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” 5 And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went about among the villages teaching. Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles7 And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— 9 but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. 10 And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. 11 And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” 12 So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them. The Death of John the Baptist14 King Herod heard of it, for Jesus' name had become known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” 16 But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” 17 For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because he had married her. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife.” 19 And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, 20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly. 21 But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 For when Herodias's daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” 23 And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.” 24 And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” 25 And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26 And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John's head. He went and beheaded him in the prison 28 and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand30 jThe apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. 35 And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. 36 Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” 37 But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” 38 And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” 39 Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. 41 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. 42 And they all ate and were satisfied. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men. Jesus Walks on the Water45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. 47 And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 51 And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. 54 And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him 55 and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Mk 6:1–56.

Welcome to the Christmas series! Herod, boiling in a jealous rage, commits the same act as Pharaoh did long ago. In a chaotic and fiery frenzy, children are taken from their homes and killed, all because of the pride of one man. Sign up for special devotionals at StoriesoftheMessiah.com. As we dive deeply into iconic Bible heroes' enthralling narratives, we find more than just stories of faith and miracles. We discover a recurrent theme, a spiritual undertone that connects each tale to the grandeur of the Gospel. They're not just standalone legends; they're threads in a divine tapestry, weaving a story that foreshadows Jesus Christ, the ultimate hero, the promised Messiah who brings light to the darkest corners of history. For more Bible stories download the Pray.com app.  To learn more about Rabbi Schneider visit https://discoveringthejewishjesus.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3:1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, 3:2 Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. 3:3 And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; 3:4 As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 3:5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; 3:6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. 3:7 Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 3:8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 3:9 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 3:10 And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? 3:11 He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. 3:12 Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? 3:13 And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. 3:14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages. 3:15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; 3:16 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: 3:17 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. 3:18 And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people. 3:19 But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, 3:20 Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison. 3:21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, 3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. 3:23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, 3:24 Which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph, 3:25 Which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Amos, which was the son of Naum, which was the son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge, 3:26 Which was the son of Maath, which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Semei, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Juda, 3:27 Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri, 3:28 Which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Er, 3:29 Which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer, w...

Welcome to the Christmas series! The magi arrive at the palace of King Herod, looking for the King of the Jews. Herod welcomes them with false-humility, smiling through his gritted teeth. Something isn't right. Sign up for special devotionals at StoriesoftheMessiah.com. As we dive deeply into iconic Bible heroes' enthralling narratives, we find more than just stories of faith and miracles. We discover a recurrent theme, a spiritual undertone that connects each tale to the grandeur of the Gospel. They're not just standalone legends; they're threads in a divine tapestry, weaving a story that foreshadows Jesus Christ, the ultimate hero, the promised Messiah who brings light to the darkest corners of history. For more Bible stories download the Pray.com app.  To learn more about Rabbi Schneider visit https://discoveringthejewishjesus.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2 Kings 16 deals with Ahaz's succession to Judah's throne. He was one of the worst kings to sit on the southern throne as the Isaiah prophecy records. Ahaz sacrificed his firstborn son to Molech and passed the younger brother of the slain infant, Hezekiah, through the fire scarring him greatly. Tiglath Pileser, the Assyrian king came and put Judah under tribute. Ahaz took the silver and gold from the temple to avert ruination. The idolatrous Ahaz sent Urijah the priest to copy the altar in Damascus and set up a duplicate in Judah. The substitution by Ahaz of the true altar with the Syrian altar is equivalent to the very human tendency in all ages to replace the commandments of God with the traditions of men verses Matthew 15 verses 1-9. Thus, the incident teaches a timeless lesson. Ahaz destroyed the laver to give the bronze to the Assyrians. It was during the end of Ahaz' reign and the start of Hezekiah's rule that the Immanuel prophecies of Isaiah chapters 7-11 were written. Ezekiel 6 tells of the destruction of the idols and the incense altars. Verses 1-7 proclaims the LORD's intention to destroy these altars. Ironically this would be done by a totally idolatrous nation - the Babylonians. The end of the seventh verse picks up the refrain that is used over sixty times throughout Ezekiel's prophecy verses "And they shall know that I am Yahweh". Verses 8-10 declare that their Sovereign would leave to Judah a remnant to be His witnesses. That remnant of the nation will be preserved by the Almighty for future salvation. Verses 11-14 tell us that the Almighty asks His people to endorse the justice of His judgments, and the refrain is again used in verse 13. In Luke 2 we have the record of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. The whole world was turned upside down by the decree of Caesar Augustus that there must be a census. This required vast movements of people to their ancestral homes. Joseph and his heavily pregnant wife, Mary, are caused to go to Bethlehem. When there was no room in the inn (Chimham's lodging house from the time of king David) they found lodging among the cattle. In such humble circumstances the king of the world is born. A multitude of angels appear to the Bethlehem shepherds, who were watching over the lambs which were to be sacrificed at the next Passover. The message of the angels was that when God is glorified in the earth then there would be peace among men of good will. We then find the record of Jesus being taken to the temple for the required offerings. Mary's offerings were for those of the poorest. We are told of the faithful Anna and Simeon who were in expectation of Messiah's redemption of the nation. Jesus is taken by Joseph and Mary to Egypt in order to escape Herod the Great's slaughter of the babes of Bethlehem (this is recorded in Matthew 2). Luke takes up the story after Herod's death, when they were returned from Egypt and their moving to Nazareth in Galilee. Here Jesus remains until the age of twelve when he went with his parents to the temple in Jerusalem. Jesus became "lost" when the family was returning to Galilee. When the family came to Jerusalem seeking for Jesus, they found him in the temple discussing the Law with the doctors of the Law. What child was this? The record tells us that as well as hearing these learned men Jesus was also asking questions of them. Our Lord gave the rejoinder to Joseph, his stepfather and Mary - where else did you think I would be? It is my Father's business that motivates me. Mary kept these matters in her heart and often pondered them. On returning to Nazareth, he took the appropriate role of an obedient child. Jesus' wisdom increased rapidly, as did the pleasure of His Father in His wonderful Son. People found him amiable and agreeable in every capacity.Thanks for joining us - we pray you found these comments helpful in your appreciation of God's words, join again tomorrow at https://christadelphianvideo.org/christadelphian-daily-readings/

Much of his story is told in the first chapter of Luke's Gospel. The Synaxarion continues:   'After the birth of Christ, Zacharias plainly declared the virginity of Mary and showed her truly to be the Mother of God; for he appointed her a place in that part of the Temple reserved for the virgins and so brought upon himself the hatred of the priests and levites.   'When John was six months old, Zacharias hid him and his mother in a cave beyond the Jordan because King Herod, hearing of the birth in Bethlehem of the king of the Jews and fearing a rival of his own worldly power, sent soldiers to kill all the male children of Bethlehem. His enemies seized this opportunity to denounce Zacharias to Herod, who had him pursued and put to death within the precinct of the Temple, at the very place the Mother of God abode for a witnes to her virginity. As the Prophet's blood flowed within the sanctuary, it signified the withdrawing of the divine Presence. Priests came to take up his body and they buried him with his fathers. From that moment signs and prodigies occurred in the Temple, indicating that the rites of the Law would soon be abolished. No longer would the priests behold the angels of God, or have the grace of prophecy; no longer would they be able to deliver oracles or enlighten the people upon the dark places of holy Scripture, as they had been wont to do.'

Quick question: “If you lived in the Roman Empire who would you want to be?” Most of us answering this question would immediately think, “the emperor” or “a wealthy person of importance.” Herod Antipas was just such a person. A son of Herod the Great and ruler of Galilee and Perea, Antipas was an influential and powerful person in the time of Christ. He was part of the tiny percentage of people with wealth and access to the life of the Roman elite. He was a competent and clever person, but he was also the victim of circumstances. By contrast Simon Peter was a lowly fisherman from an unremarkable place, that is, until Jesus called him to be part of his inner circle. In this imaginative narrative double sermon you’ll see the contrast in perspectives between Herod Antipas (played by yours truly) and Simon Peter (played by Victor Gluckin). I hope you will enjoy our reconstruction and see the value of living for God’s glory instead of your own. This dual sermon is from the Royal Family Reunion (now called Kingdom Fest), delivered on August 27, 2011 at Living Hope Community Church in Latham, NY.   Listen on Spotify   Listen on Apple Podcasts —— Links —— If you want to learn more about Herod, check out episode 27: Rulers in Christ’s World Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price. Get the transcript of this episode Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.

In this Bible Story, the baby Jesus is visited by three wise men. Herod, the evil king of the Jews, gets word that there was a new child born by prophecy. Seeing Jesus as a threat to his power, he has every child under the age of two killed. But Joseph had his family flee just in time. This story is inspired by Matthew 2. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.Today's Bible verse is Matthew 2:11 from the King James Version.Episode 174: In search of the Messiah, three wise men from the south made their way up to Judea. They went to the palace of King Herod to ask if he knew where this newborn King was. When they finally made it to Bethlehem, they found Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. They worshiped Him, presenting Him with gifts that would both assist them and proclaim what His life would be about. Meanwhile, King Herod, ordered that all boys under two years old be killed in an effort to root out this new “king”. But God was with Joseph and revealed to him in a dream that he should flee immediately with Mary and Jesus to Egypt to be protected from Herod's massacre.Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world’s greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham.Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living.Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max BardProducer: Ben GammonHosted by: Pastor Jack GrahamMusic by: Andrew Morgan SmithBible Story narration by: Todd HaberkornSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Does prayer really make a difference in times of crisis? Those who criticize prayer could not be more mistaken. Even through the heartbreak of life, prayer is important and holds power—Jesus Himself prayed as He was crucified! In today's podcast, Pastor Greg Laurie takes us to Acts 12, a time the church faced a real threat from Herod and responded with prayer. See how we can follow their lead, whether facing a personal or national crisis. -- Learn more about Greg Laurie and Harvest Ministries at harvest.org. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners. Support the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Does prayer really make a difference in times of crisis? Those who criticize prayer could not be more mistaken. Even through the heartbreak of life, prayer is important and holds power—Jesus Himself prayed as He was crucified! In today's podcast, Pastor Greg Laurie takes us to Acts 12, a time the church faced a real threat from Herod and responded with prayer. See how we can follow their lead, whether facing a personal or national crisis. -- Learn more about Greg Laurie and Harvest Ministries at harvest.org. This podcast is supported by the generosity of our Harvest Partners. Support the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.