Podcasts about there jesus

We are valuable to God, so valuable that He sent His son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for us. There Jesus took the penalty of sin, sacrificed Himself and paid the price with His own blood. My friends, Jesus paid it all. What we need to do is accept His gift of salvation. God bless you. H. Staple-Reid

On the podcast, Matt has been going verse-by-verse through Revelation. The core narrative found in this last book of the New Testament is how the weak (the slain Lamb and his people) are victorious over the strong (the dragon and his people). We see this same narrative elsewhere in the New Testament, namely, in the Gospels. There Jesus elevates the small, the weak, the marginalized; the heroes of his stories are often cultural outcasts. In this vein, how does Jesus' teaching on faith in Luke 17 shed light on the faithfulness the seven churches are called to exhibit in Revelation? + + + Support the podcast via Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/TheBibleUnmuted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Read Matt's blog: ⁠⁠⁠⁠matthewhalsted.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ Matt's newest book: ⁠⁠⁠⁠The End of the World As You Know It⁠⁠⁠⁠ Don't forget to subscribe to The Bible (Unmuted)!

Rev. Sam Wirgau, pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Ossian, IN joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 17:11-19. Samaria was not a place where many Jews of Jesus' day ventured, but that is exactly the route Jesus took to Jerusalem and His cross. There Jesus encountered ten lepers. These men not only suffered greatly physically from this terrible illness. Even more than that, they were separated from their community and worship life through the ceremonial uncleanness they endured. This served as a picture of the sin that infects all people. That's why these ten lepers cry out to Jesus for mercy, His grace and compassion that alone can heal and save. Jesus sends them to show themselves to the priest, and as they go, His Word effects healing. One recognizes what has happened and believes. He returns to Jesus as the true Temple, the place where God dwells in human flesh. He returns to Jesus as the true Priest, the one who makes the final sacrifice for sin. He praises God by giving praise and thanks to Jesus. The Lord marvels at the faith of this Samaritan. Though he had been a foreigner, by faith, he is now a citizen of Jesus' heavenly kingdom. Jesus calls him to join Him on the journey of discipleship with Him, holding onto the faith that has made him well. This text invites us to do far more than simply make sure we go back to Jesus to tell Him, “Thank you,” as some sort of formality. Instead, this text calls us to the same faith as that one leper, recognizing that Jesus is the one true God in our human flesh to whom belongs all our praise and thanks for His gift of cleansing from sin. This program originally aired November 29, 2019. Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God's Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen.

This morning, Worship + Family Ministries Pastor Kyle Freedman shared with us the story of the demon-possessed man in Mark 5:1-20. This man was tormented by a legion of demons, cast out by the Gentile society, living among the dead, and roaming the hills + caves throughout the night like an animal. Upon seeing Jesus' boat approach shore, he ran to Him. There Jesus cast out the demons, setting the man free. He was commanded to stay in the Gentile society to share the story of his restoration. He was to share the good news. The good news is that no one is too far gone for the grace of Jesus. Even in our worst moments, there's nothing we can do that would make Jesus leave us. He bore our sin and our shame on the cross. He paid the price we could never pay on our own so that we could enter into relationship with Him. We're excited to share the good news, the story of redemption, with you as Easter approaches! On Sunday, March 31 at 9:30am + 11:30am we will have our Easter services at the Altria. Free, general admission tickets will be available to reserve at hopechurchrva.com/easter at 1pm TODAY. To find out about our other Easter events like Springle Jam and our Maundy Thursday service, head to hopechurchrva.com/easterDive deeper by listening to past sermons at:www.hopechurchrva.com/sermons__Connect with us at:www.hopechurchrva.comFacebook: @HopeChurchRVAInstagram: @hopechurchrva

When Jesus receive the Holy Spirit in his baptism, that very Spirit drove him into the wilderness. There Jesus resists Satan for his people and brings to us who trust in him, deliverance from temptation and, ultimately, sin itself through his death and resurrection.Image: The Temptation by the Devil by Gustave Dore, engraving, 1865. Public Domain. Image location: https://www.artbible.info/art/large/18.html

Rev. Sam Wirgau, pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Ossian, IN joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 17:11-19. Samaria was not a place where many Jews of Jesus' day ventured, but that is exactly the route Jesus took to Jerusalem and His cross. There Jesus encountered ten lepers. These men not only suffered greatly physically from this terrible illness. Even more than that, they were separated from their community and worship life through the ceremonial uncleanness they endured. This served as a picture of the sin that infects all people. That's why these ten lepers cry out to Jesus for mercy, His grace and compassion that alone can heal and save. Jesus sends them to show themselves to the priest, and as they go, His Word effects healing. One recognizes what has happened and believes. He returns to Jesus as the true Temple, the place where God dwells in human flesh. He returns to Jesus as the true Priest, the one who makes the final sacrifice for sin. He praises God by giving praise and thanks to Jesus. The Lord marvels at the faith of this Samaritan. Though he had been a foreigner, by faith, he is now a citizen of Jesus' heavenly kingdom. Jesus calls him to join Him on the journey of discipleship with Him, holding onto the faith that has made him well. This text invites us to do far more than simply make sure we go back to Jesus to tell Him, “Thank you,” as some sort of formality. Instead, this text calls us to the same faith as that one leper, recognizing that Jesus is the one true God in our human flesh to whom belongs all our praise and thanks for His gift of cleansing from sin. This program originally aired November 29, 2019.

1 Corinthians 13:8-10 The church in Corinth had clearly got really excited about the spiritual gifts. The gifts of speaking in tongues and prophecy were being exercised with enthusiasm. We sense that, in their excitement, there was some competitiveness and confusion between members of the church. Paul certainly had to give them some very clear guidelines as to how these gifts should be used. He put these wonderful spiritual gifts firmly in their place. There is no question that they are amazing God-given gifts, but they don't last forever. They stand in marked contrast to the gift of love, which is eternal. In common with faith and hope, love will never come to an end. A few weeks ago, we were looking at the Sermon on the Mount. There Jesus encouraged his disciples to focus their attention on the kind of treasure that lasts for ever. He pointed to the transitory nature of worldly possessions. They may look impressive for a while but then they are gone. Here, Paul spoke in exactly the same way, encouraging the church to make sure that they focused their life on those things that last for ever. At the beginning of the next chapter he urged them: “Let love be your highest goal!” Whatever our activities today, we need to ensure that love is at the centre of all that we do. Nothing could possibly be more important than that. Question How will you make love your goal today? Prayer Lord God, forgive me for those times when I struggle to be loving. Give me your strength so that I will make love the focus of all my activities and relationships today. Amen

Scripture Reading: Acts 1:1-11 [Edited: Changed 26 to 11.] I wrote the former account, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after he had given orders by the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 To the same apostles also, after his suffering, he presented himself alive with many convincing proofs. He was seen by them over a forty-day period and spoke about matters concerning the kingdom of God. 4 While he was with them, he declared, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait there for what my Father promised, which you heard about from me. 5 For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”6 So when they had gathered together, they began to ask him, “Lord, is this the time when you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He told them, “You are not permitted to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth.” 9 After he had said this, while they were watching, he was lifted up and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 As they were still staring into the sky while he was going, suddenly two men in white clothing stood near them 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking up into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come back in the same way you saw him go into heaven.”[Edited: Moved verses 12-26 to next week.]Main ThemesLiterary PrefaceThe literary preface of Acts is its first two verses, although its introduction could be considered to extend through verses 11, 14, or even the end of the second chapter (verse 2:47) when the book adds its first summary statement.As we discussed last time, the book is addressed to Theophilus, possibly a patron of Luke or a person of high standing who Luke hoped to honor. In ancient times, an author's hope in dedicating a book to such a high-ranking person was that the book be read to audiences during parties or other events.Transition of LeadershipAlmost immediately, with its second verse, the book of Acts tells us of a key event: a transition of leadership in the early church. We are reminded that Jesus has been “taken up,” almost surely referring to the Lord's ascension, and who was left with his instructions? The apostles. This might seem obvious to us, but it isn't. One could at least imagine an egalitarian early church in which every believer had equal voice and insight. That is certainly not what Acts describes. A very select group—the apostles—are left to guide the flock. In fact, just a few verses down (15-26), this leadership group is clearly defined. (My commentary here is not addressing potential corollaries to this transition of leadership, such as apostolic succession or the magisterium.)Later in the book of Acts, we will encounter another transition of leadership, namely, to Paul. He will lead the mission to the gentiles. We will discuss that in future sessions, however.Notice that the acts of the apostles are described as following what “Jesus began to do and teach.” The word began in verse 1 is debated. Some argue that it is simply a Semitic pleonasm, that is, a distinctly Jewish way of speaking. This Semitic construction appears mutliple times in the Septuagint, with which Luke and his audience would have been familiar. If this is the case, the expression does not imply a continued action. Conversely, some have suggested that it means that Acts addresses what Jesus continued to do and teach (presumably by his name and the Spirit) through the disciples. This would make Jesus the paradigm of the church and the church an extension of Jesus. Although the first explanation is more likely, the latter certainly fits the theology in Luke.Luke's RecapitulationChapter 1 of Acts quickly catches up the listener to the end of “volume 1,” the Gospel of Luke. Here is a brief Acts 1 to Luke 24 correspondence. (The format is a bit strange, but I did not want to add an unwieldy table. I added verse quotations when helpful.)1. Acts 1: Jesus teaches the disciples through the Spirit (1:2). Luke 24: Jesus teaches the disciples after the resurrection, including explicit times (24:25-27, 32, 44-48).They said to each other, “Didn't our hearts burn within us while he was speaking with us on the road, while he was explaining the scriptures to us?” Luke 24:32Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it stands written that the Christ would suffer and would rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. Luke 24:44-482. Acts 1: Jesus offers many proofs of his risen state (1:3a). Luke 24: Jesus demonstrates his risen state (24:13-32, 34, 36-40).Now that very day two of them were on their way to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking to each other about all the things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and debating these things, Jesus himself approached and began to accompany them . . . . Luke 24:13-15While they were saying these things, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37 But they were startled and terrified, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 Then he said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 Look at my hands and my feet; it's me! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones like you see I have.” Luke 24:36-393. Acts 1: Jesus appears for forty days (1:3b). Luke 24: Technically missing (i.e., 40 days are not specified). However, some period of time is assumed to accommodate the appearances of Jesus.4. Acts 1: Jesus speaks of the kingdom (1:3b). Luke 24: As with the 40 days, the kingdom lessons are not explicit in Luke 24, but they can be inferred given Jesus' repeated mentions of the kingdom in the earlier chapters of Luke.[Jesus] said to them, “Thus it stands written that the Christ would suffer and would rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. Luke 24:46-47See below for a discussion of the kingdom.5. Acts 1: Jesus orders them not to leave Jerusalem (1:4b). Luke 24: Jesus orders them to stay in Jerusalem (24:49b).And look, I am sending you what my Father promised. But stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Luke 24:496. Acts 1: Jesus instructs them to wait for the Father's promise (1:4b). Luke 24: They must stay in the city until they receive the Father's promise (24: 49). (See the verse under number 5 above.)7. Acts 1: Disciples expect the kingdom's restoration to Israel (1:6). Luke24: A similar notion expressed by other disciples, who expected Jesus to redeem Israel (24:21).But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. Not only this, but it is now the third day since these things happened. Luke 24:218. Acts 1: Jesus promises the Spirit and that they will be witnesses (1:8). Luke 24: They are witnesses and will receive promised power (24:48-49).You are witnesses of these things. 49 And look, I am sending you what my Father promised. But stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Luke 24:48-499. Acts 1: They will receive power (1:8). Luke 24: They will be clothed with power (24:49). (See the verse under number 5 above.)10. Acts 1: Jesus ascends (1:9-11). Luke 24: Jesus ascends (24: 51).Now during the blessing he departed and was taken up into heaven. Luke 24:5111. Acts 1: The disciples leave Mount Olivet for Jerusalem (1: 12). Luke 24: They leave Bethany (24:50; this is near the Mount of Olives, 19:29) and return to Jerusalem (24:52).12. They pray in the upper room (1:13-14). Luke 24: In the gospel, they worship in the temple (24:53). Luke probably expects us to suppose that they met both in homes (here, the upper room) and in the temple.The KingdomActs Assumes We are Familiar with the Gospel of LukeAs suggested above, Jesus spoke much about the “kingdom” in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus preached about the kingdom (Luke 4:43; 8:1; 9:11), promising it to the poor (6:20), little ones (18:16-17; cf. 12:32), and the radically obedient (9:62; 16:16); by contrast, it would be difficult for the rich to enter it (6:24-25; 18:24-25). Jesus also sent his disciples to preach the kingdom (9:2, 60; 10:9, 11).In Acts, we will see a continued proclamation of the kingdom (Acts 8:12; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 31). However, in Acts Luke seems to presuppose that the reader is familiar with Jesus' words about the kingdom found in the Gospel of Luke. So, we need to take a minute and go back.Already in the gospel we see something curious about the kingdom. People should yearn for the kingdom (Luke 11:2; 12:31; 23:51), although the kingdom was already present in a hidden way (13:18-21), currently available for those willing to receive it (8:10). Jesus's followers could enter the kingdom and find there a role greater than that of John the Baptist (7:28; 16:16). Then Acts opens with what seems like a realized eschatology—that is, the kingdom, whatever that is, is here! Craig Keener explains this present but future mystery as follows:The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek terms here translated “kingdom” usually signify the concept “reign” or “authority” or “rule.” Like the OT (e.g., Isa 6: 5), Jewish teachers could speak of God's present rule (especially among the people who obeyed his law). But Jewish people also looked for the kingdom as God's future rule, when God would reign unchallenged, as attested in regular Jewish prayers. Because “heaven” was a common Jewish periphrasis for “God,” some other Jewish texts use “kingdom of heaven” as a periphrasis for “kingdom of God” (e.g., Sipra Qed. pq. 9.207.2.13; y. Qidd. 1: 2, §24; Matthew, passim). Sometimes they also seem to use “kingdom” as a periphrasis for the divine name.…If one examines the entire evidence available in the Gospels, the kingdom appears to be both present and future, as is widely recognized today. It was only natural for Jesus and his first followers, once they recognized that Jesus would need to come again to establish his kingdom fully, to recognize that the anticipated kingdom would arrive in two stages corresponding to Jesus's first and second coming. If one does not arbitrarily exclude either set of evidence by posing a contradiction that the first generations of disciples would not have recognized, both sets of evidence fit together adequately. If Jesus implied his messiahship and spoke of a future Son of Man, we may thus assume that when he announced the kingdom, he undoubtedly announced God's imminent rule in the final sense (rather than simply God's providential rule over creation or over Israel through the law). But his claim also suggests that he expected to play a role in the kingdom, already active in a hidden way in the present (Luke 13: 18– 30).Kingdom Talk in the Gospel of LukeBecause the kingdom of God is such a recurrent theme in Acts, and that theme is built upon the teachings of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke, I think we must read the Luke verses before we move on. I will offer brief commentary on these. My purpose is to create some narrative tension that perhaps can be resolved as we study the rest of Acts.The next morning Jesus departed and went to a deserted place. Yet the crowds were seeking him, and they came to him and tried to keep him from leaving them. But Jesus said to them, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns too, for that is what I was sent to do.” Luke 4:42-43Then he looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God belongs to you. 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22 Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and insult you and reject you as evil on account of the Son of Man! 23 Rejoice in that day, and jump for joy because your reward is great in heaven. For their ancestors did the same things to the prophets. 24 But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your comfort already. 25 Woe to you who are well satisfied with food now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you when all people speak well of you, for their ancestors did the same things to the false prophets. 27 “But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Luke 6:20-27I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he is. Luke 7:28Sometime afterward [Jesus] went on through towns and villages, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. . . . While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from one town after another, he spoke to them in a parable: “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled on, and the wild birds devoured it. Other seed fell on rock, and when it came up, it withered because it had no moisture. Other seed fell among the thorns, and they grew up with it and choked it. But other seed fell on good soil and grew, and it produced a hundred times as much grain.” As he said this, he called out, “The one who has ears to hear had better listen!” Then his disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He said, “You have been given the opportunity to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that although they see they may not see, and although they hear they may not understand. “Now the parable means this: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in a time of testing fall away. As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the worries and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. But as for the seed that landed on good soil, these are the ones who, after hearing the word, cling to it with an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with steadfast endurance. Luke 8:1, 4-15After Jesus called the twelve together, he gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. . . . When the apostles returned, they told Jesus everything they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew privately to a town called Bethsaida. But when the crowds found out, they followed him. He welcomed them, spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and cured those who needed healing. Luke 9:1-2, 10-11As they were walking along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus said to him, “Foxes have dens and the birds in the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Jesus said to another, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to my family.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:57-62Whenever you enter a town and the people welcome you, eat what is set before you. 9 Heal the sick in that town and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come upon you!' But whenever you enter a town and the people do not welcome you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this: The kingdom of God has come.' I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town! Luke 10:8-12Now Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he stopped, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” So he said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, may your name be honored; may your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And do not lead us into temptation.'” Luke 11:1-4And which of you by worrying can add an hour to his life? So if you cannot do such a very little thing as this, why do you worry about the rest? Consider how the flowers grow; they do not work or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these! And if this is how God clothes the wild grass, which is here today and tomorrow is tossed into the fire to heat the oven, how much more will he clothe you, you people of little faith! So do not be overly concerned about what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not worry about such things. For all the nations of the world pursue these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, pursue his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is well pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves purses that do not wear out—a treasure in heaven that never decreases, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Luke 12:25-34Thus Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? To what should I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the wild birds nested in its branches.” Again he said, “To what should I compare the kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all the dough had risen.” Luke 13:18-21The law and the prophets were in force until John; since then, the good news of the kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everyone is urged to enter it. 17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tiny stroke of a letter in the law to become void. Luke 16:16-17Now at one point the Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God was coming, so he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!' or ‘There!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is in your midst.” Luke 17:20-21Now people were even bringing their babies to him for him to touch. But when the disciples saw it, they began to scold those who brought them. But Jesus called for the children, saying, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Now a certain leader asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'” The man replied, “I have wholeheartedly obeyed all these laws since my youth.” When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” But when the man heard this, he became very sad, for he was extremely wealthy. When Jesus noticed this, he said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Those who heard this said, “Then who can be saved?” He replied, “What is impossible for mere humans is possible for God.” And Peter said, “Look, we have left everything we own to follow you! Then Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, there is no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of God's kingdom who will not receive many times more in this age—and in the age to come, eternal life.” Luke 18:15-30Now there was a man named Joseph who was a member of the council, a good and righteous man. (He had not consented to their plan and action.) He was from the Judean town of Arimathea, and was looking forward to the kingdom of God. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Luke 23:50-52The Spirit and the KingdomI think we need one last bit of background before we move on—and that is the connection between the pouring of the Spirit of God and the coming of the kingdom. Certainly Jesus taught about and proclaimed the coming of both, the Spirit and the kingdom. What we often miss though is that given the Old Testament (the Jewish scriptures), the disciples would have had every reason to understand these two themes as inseparably linked. The prophets had regularly linked God's pouring out his Spirit with the time of Israel's restoration. Take the end of Isaiah 43 and the beginning of 44, for example:[The Lord Rebukes His People] 22 “But you did not call for me, O Jacob; you did not long for me, O Israel. 23 You did not bring me lambs for your burnt offerings; you did not honor me with your sacrifices. I did not burden you with offerings; I did not make you weary by demanding incense. 24 You did not buy me aromatic reeds; you did not present to me the fat of your sacrifices. Yet you burdened me with your sins; you made me weary with your evil deeds. 25 I, I am the one who blots out your rebellious deeds for my sake; your sins I do not remember. 26 Remind me of what happened. Let's debate! You, prove to me that you are right! 27 The father of your nation sinned; your spokesmen rebelled against me. 28 So I defiled your holy princes, and handed Jacob over to destruction, and subjected Israel to humiliating abuse.[The Lord Will Renew Israel] 44 “Now, listen, Jacob my servant, Israel whom I have chosen!” 2 This is what the Lord, the one who made you, says—the one who formed you in the womb and helps you: “Don't be afraid, my servant Jacob, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. 3 For I will pour water on the parched ground and cause streams to flow on the dry land. I will pour my Spirit on your offspring and my blessing on your children. 4 They will sprout up like a tree in the grass, like poplars beside channels of water. 5 One will say, ‘I belong to the Lord,' and another will use the name ‘Jacob.' One will write on his hand, ‘The Lord's,' and use the name ‘Israel.'”Notice, then, that the disciples are not off base when they ask: When will Jesus restore the kingdom to Israel? Some view their question as shortsighted, but this context specifies that the problem with the question, if any, is with timing (Acts 1:7), not with content.The Promise of the Holy SpiritIn the Gospels and immediately in the opening of Acts we read about the promise of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the foretaste of the kingdom and the empowerment to prepare a people for it. The Spirit thus enables the witnesses (e.g., the apostles) to carry on Jesus' mission after his ascension.We are so used to the stories in the Bible, that sometimes we are unsurprised by details that should otherwise give us some pause. Notice that after Jesus is gone the disciples could not generate the Spirit or spiritual experience on their own. They must “wait” for the “promise” of God, requiring faithful dependence on God. In Acts, this dependence is another key theme. God both assigns tasks and provides the power to accomplish them. Luke's pneumatology emphasizes especially the Spirit's empowering the church for mission.Luke expects his audience to be able to fill in details surrounding the promise by remembering what they have already learned in Luke 24:49. There Jesus promises the believers “power” for their mission, which probably includes signs and wonders that would confirm their powerful message.For Luke, the “promise” here is not only a matter of historical interest concerning Jesus's first witnesses; it is paradigmatic, at least in some sense, for all Christians. This is clear from the fact that the promise is later reiterated for all who will repent (Acts 2:38), including the “far off” Gentiles (2:39).Peter said to them, “Repent, and each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.” Acts 2:38-39The promise here also evokes the prophecies of John the Baptist.Now this was John's testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed—he did not deny but confessed—“I am not the Christ!” So they asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not!” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No!” Then they said to him, “Who are you? Tell us so that we can give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”John said, “I am the voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said.” 24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) So they asked John, “Why then are you baptizing if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not recognize, who is coming after me. I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandal!” These things happened in Bethany across the Jordan River where John was baptizing.On the next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one about whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is greater than I am, because he existed before me.' I did not recognize him, but I came baptizing with water so that he could be revealed to Israel.”Then John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending like a dove from heaven, and it remained on him. And I did not recognize him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining—this is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' I have both seen and testified that this man is the Chosen One of God.”John 1:19-34From Jerusalem to the Ends of the EarthThe Spirit and the kingdom come together in the central thesis of Acts expressed in Acts 1:8.But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth. Acts 1:8Two points can be made. Salvation begins in Jerusalem. Salvation will come to all the earth. Chapter 2 of Acts will quote Isaiah and give us more details about this mission. Nevertheless, the allusions to Isaiah are already present in verse1:8. The language of “my witnesses” is reminiscent of Isaiah. The same can be said for the geographic range of the testimony of God's salvation (Isa 41:5, 9; 42:10; 43:6; 45:22; 48:20; 49:6; 52:10; 62:11). That Luke depends on Isaiah's language here is clear: although mention of the ends of the earth is common in ancient literature, Luke's complete and exact phrase “to the end of the earth” appears four or five times in the Septuagint (Isa 8:9; 48:20; 49:6; 62:11; also Pss. Sol. 1:4) and only twice in the NT (Acts 13:47 and here); it also appears in Christian writings dependent on Isaiah or Acts but “nowhere else in the immense range” of literature in the Thesaurus linguae graecae.[Edited: All text from this point forward was moved to next week.]

Today's Gospel on this "Good Shepherd Sunday" is taken from the beginning of the 10th chapter of John's Gospel. There Jesus calls himself the "Good Shepherd" as well as the "gate" for the sheep. The Good Shepherd leads the sheep through Himself in baptism out to the pasture where the sheep are nourished with food and refreshed with drink. Here we see that Jesus is not only the Shepherd leading us to pasture but also the pasture itself: He leads us to Himself and gives us Himself to eat and drink that we may be nourished and refreshed.

The day that Jesus died on the cross was a horrible day.  Jesus was falsely accused, beaten, and scourged.  He was condemned to die based upon a lie.  He was forced to carry his cross to the hill where his hands and feet were nailed to that cross before it was hoisted upright and dropped into the ground.  There Jesus died.  It looked like all hope was lost.   But the people didn't know the rest of the story back then.  Hope wasn't lost.  Jesus' death on Friday and resurrection on Sunday have brought hope for millions of people and continues to provide hope for us all today.Support the show

Jesus triumphed over Satan and his temptations, and now Jesus is ready to continue His earthly ministry. He was preaching and teaching in Nazareth, but then Jesus heard that John the Baptist was arrested. And so for His own safety, Jesus leaves Nazareth and heads north to a small fishing village called Capernaum. There Jesus begins to preach the same message that John the Baptizer preached: "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near." And while preaching, teaching and healing, and calling for repentance, Jesus also calls four disciples to leave all they had to find life and come follow Him. Listen to this week's story to find out who those disciples were, and what it means to repent and follow Jesus. Turn to Matthew 4 to follow along.

John 19:13-14 “Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, ‘Behold, your King!'" The Pavement was a judgment seat outside the Praetorium, and there Pilate presented Jesus once again to the Jewish officials. He still had nothing by which to condemn Jesus. The Jew's accusation that He was an imposter portraying himself to be their king didn't seem to be worthy of the death penalty. Nevertheless, Pilate made one last fruitless appeal. Behold your king. There Jesus stood robbed in purple, crowned with thorns, blood steaming down His face and torso. The blood of the eternal covenant between the Father and the Son had begun to be spilled. Every drop that hit The Pavement declared the love of God for His people—an everlasting love, sustained by the will of God through the incomprehensibly brutal beating. The will of God the Father authorized it, and the will of God, the Son, received and endured it. In this the definition of the love of God is revealed: the sustained direction of the will, toward the highest good of another, no matter what the cost. This kind of love flows out of the lives of those in whom Jesus lives. And in a way, very different from what Pilate meant that morning, we say to the world, “Behold my King!” Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

Does It Really Matter What I Believe?Reader: Jon WatsonDate: 14th December 2022Passage: John 14:6-------------------I was reading today about a Presbyterian church in America where about 10% of those who attend may be Jewish, atheists or agnostics. They are admitted into membership as "Associate Members of the Church" and even those who are full members don't need to believe the fundamentals of the Christian faith.While we must, and do, always welcome all who come to church, it is quite another thing to admit people to membership in the church if they do not believe in the authority of the Bible and the whole teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. It does matter what you believe and the church would be doing a bad thing if it said to anybody that you can believe what you like and still be considered a member of the church.You see, Jesus makes very serious claims in the Gospels such as the verse at the top of the page. There Jesus says he, and only he, is the way by which we can come to God and find the truth and the life that is acceptable to God. No doubt there are many people who enjoy the warmth and companionship that they can find in church, but church is more than a social club — it is a gathering of people to worship God; and to worship him acceptably, we need to believe and follow the teaching of Jesus. PrayerO Lord, it is vital that I believe your word — help me to put it into practice too. Amen

In today’s social media obsessed world, “viral” videos attract millions of viewers in a short time. If smart phones were available during Jesus’ time, videos of His miracles would have certainly gone viral. After the temptation in the wilderness (Luke 4:1–13), Jesus began his public ministry in Galilee. He traveled to Capernaum, which became a ministry base. The city, on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, was a major Jewish trade center of fishing, as well as agriculture. One Sabbath day, Jesus went to the synagogue and taught the people with authority until a demon- possessed man disrupted the gathering. Luke mentions demons over 20 times as a major opponent to Jesus’ ministry. In this instance, Jesus’ presence made the demons nervous. Screaming loudly, they challenged Him, while also confessing His identity—at least in part. They called Him “the Holy One of God” (v. 34). Jesus rebuked the demons, and immediately they left the man. The next healing was less dramatic, but more personal. At Simon Peter’s home, his mother-in- law was sick with fever. There Jesus showed His authority not only over demons but also over disease. He rebuked the fever, and it left the woman immediately. She rose and served them, showing her restoration and gratitude (v. 39). Luke tells us that Jesus healed even more sickness and cast out more demons. The authority of Jesus was unparalleled and could not be stopped. At daybreak, Jesus withdrew to pray privately, but still the people followed Him. His miraculous works were drawing increasing attention. When they begged Him to stay in Capernaum, He restated His mission, “to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God” to the people of other towns. >> Reading about the miracles performed by Jesus is a much-needed reminder that no problem you face is too big for Him. Bring your worries to Jesus today.

(Enjoy some favorite previous Sharper Iron episodes as Pastor Appel moves to a new call. A new series for Advent begins November 28!) Rev. Sam Wirgau, pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Ossian, IN joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 17:11-19. Samaria was not a place where many Jews of Jesus' day ventured, but that is exactly the route Jesus took to Jerusalem and His cross. There Jesus encountered ten lepers. These men not only suffered greatly physically from this terrible illness. Even more than that, they were separated from their community and worship life through the ceremonial uncleanness they endured. This served as a picture of the sin that infects all people. That's why these ten lepers cry out to Jesus for mercy, His grace and compassion that alone can heal and save. Jesus sends them to show themselves to the priest, and as they go, His Word effects healing. One recognizes what has happened and believes. He returns to Jesus as the true Temple, the place where God dwells in human flesh. He returns to Jesus as the true Priest, the one who makes the final sacrifice for sin. He praises God by giving praise and thanks to Jesus. The Lord marvels at the faith of this Samaritan. Though he had been a foreigner, by faith, he is now a citizen of Jesus' heavenly kingdom. Jesus calls him to join Him on the journey of discipleship with Him, holding onto the faith that has made him well. This text invites us to do far more than simply make sure we go back to Jesus to tell Him, “Thank you,” as some sort of formality. Instead, this text calls us to the same faith as that one leper, recognizing that Jesus is the one true God in our human flesh to whom belongs all our praise and thanks for His gift of cleansing from sin. This is a rebroadcast from November 29, 2019. Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God's Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen.

Jesus teaches a great multitude of people from a boat in the sea about the sower, the seed and the soil. He later explains the parable to His disciples and warns them to be faithful with what they are learning. He then gives two further parables of the kingdom of God. Chapter 4 ends with Jesus stilling a storm that was battering the boat that the disciples were in as they were sailing to another destination. In chapter 5, Jesus and the disciples get to the place where they were heading when the storm arose – the region of the Gaderenes. There Jesus delivers a man tormented by an unclean spirit. The people of the town chase Jesus away, but the man is instructed by Jesus to stay and be a witness to what God did for him. A woman is healed of a blood issue when she touches the hem of Jesus's robe. And Jesus raises Jairus's daughter from the dead. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/irtwbey365/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/irtwbey365/support

In Mark 3:1-6 Jesus tells us about a man with a withered hand. Before this we see Jesus disciples picking corn on the Sabbath. Mark 2:23-28. We see the criticism by the Pharisees because this was wrong in their eyes see no one was to any kind of work on the Sabbath. The scripture tells us Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. Now its on to the Synagogue to make the message plain. There Jesus will meet and heal a troubled man and He will do so in spite of the consequences to Himself. You see Jesus has many lessons for us the unique thing is Jesus has gone through things we are going through now.

In this episode we look at the strange, yet revealing encounter between Jacob and God. Jacob wrestles with God all night long, and the amazing thing about this encounter is that God does not overpower him. In other words, God does not use shear strength to overcome Jacob in the wrestling match. Instead, God weakens Jacob by touching his hip. God does this because Jacob will not let God go until God blesses him. Jacob is a very competitive person, and is determined to get what he wants. This story of Jacob wrestling with God is mentioned in Hosea 12, and it is there that we discover Jacob came to a point of tears with the angel as he pleaded with God to bless him. Apparently, the wrestling match seemed to be all about Jacob getting a blessing, but the angel apparently did not want to give it to him at that time. Jacob's encounter with God has some overlapping similarities with the encounter Jesus had with God in the garden of Gethsemane. There Jesus struggled with God as he asked for God to lead him down a different path. A passage that describes this encounter from a different perspective is Hebrews 5:7-9. There it says that Jesus prayed to God, made loud cries and came to a point of tears as he asked God to rescue him from death. Jesus, as a human, genuinely struggled with God, and the struggle was real. This gives us an important window into the human nature of Jesus, but also into his relationship with God and Israel. Jesus steps into the human condition, not just as any human, but as an Israelite. Jesus enters into Israel's struggle with God and prevails, but not over God, but over the forces of evil in his own flesh and the spiritual world that resist God and frustrate our progress along God's developmental path. Jesus rules over those forces and completes God's developmental path, becoming the source of healing - salvation - for all who will respond to his voice. Key Passage: Genesis 32:22-32 Hosea 12:2-5 Hebrews 5:7-9 - the word for "heard" and "obedience" in this passage is from the same root word that essentially means to be responsive to what you hear. The imagery here is that Jesus wanted God to hear and respond to him, and God did hear and respond to Jesus' request to be saved out of death - through the resurrection. But Jesus was also discerning and responsive to God's voice throughout the whole course of his life. Now, those who are responsive to the voice of Jesus can be saved, too. In this passage, hearing and responding is a pattern that is woven throughout the relationship between God, Jesus, and us. Explainer Video on how to use www.biblehub.com and www.blueletterbible.org Leave us a question or comment at our website podcast page. * Intro Music: "Admirable" Carlos Herrera Music --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/onelifenash/support

Jesus and the disciples left the upper room in the early hours of Friday morning. They moved across the Kidron Valley and up the slopes of the Mount of Olives just east of Jerusalem. There Jesus instructed his disciples to pray so that Satan would not “sift” them. He withdrew to pray by himself. He…

“Infinite Treasure”As we saw in yesterday's devotional, Jesus' claim on our lives is exclusive and demanding. And so, if we are not careful, we can misconstrue Jesus' radical statements in the Gospels and begin to think that he does not want the best for us. But he does. He is not trying to strip us of all pleasure. Instead he is offering us the satisfaction of eternal treasure.We see this in Matthew 13. There Jesus tells his disciples, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”I love this picture. Imagine walking in a field and stumbling upon a treasure that is more valuable than anything else you could work for or find in this life. It is more valuable than all you have now or will ever have in the future.You look around and notice that no one else realizes the treasure is here, so you cover it up quickly and walk away, pretending you haven't seen anything. You go into town and begin to sell off all your possessions to have enough money to buy that field. The world thinks you're crazy. “What are you thinking?” your friends and family ask you.You tell them, “I'm buying that field over there.”They look at you in disbelief. “That's a ridiculous investment,” they say. “Why are you giving away everything you have?”You respond, “I have a hunch,” and you smile to yourself as you walk away.You smile because you know. You know that in the end you are not really giving away anything at all. Instead you are gaining. Yes, you are abandoning everything you have, but you are also gaining more than you could have in any other way. So with joy—with joy!—you sell it all, you abandon it all. Why? Because you have found something worth losing everything else for.This is the picture of Jesus in the gospel. He is something—someone—worth losing everything for. If we walk away from the Jesus of the gospel, we walk away from eternal riches. But if we abandon the trinkets of this world and respond to the radical invitation of Jesus, we discover the infinite treasure of knowing and experiencing him.How does knowing Jesus satisfy the deep needs in your soul?

“Infinite Treasure”As we saw in yesterday's devotional, Jesus' claim on our lives is exclusive and demanding. And so, if we are not careful, we can misconstrue Jesus' radical statements in the Gospels and begin to think that he does not want the best for us. But he does. He is not trying to strip us of all pleasure. Instead he is offering us the satisfaction of eternal treasure.We see this in Matthew 13. There Jesus tells his disciples, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”I love this picture. Imagine walking in a field and stumbling upon a treasure that is more valuable than anything else you could work for or find in this life. It is more valuable than all you have now or will ever have in the future.You look around and notice that no one else realizes the treasure is here, so you cover it up quickly and walk away, pretending you haven't seen anything. You go into town and begin to sell off all your possessions to have enough money to buy that field. The world thinks you're crazy. “What are you thinking?” your friends and family ask you.You tell them, “I'm buying that field over there.”They look at you in disbelief. “That's a ridiculous investment,” they say. “Why are you giving away everything you have?”You respond, “I have a hunch,” and you smile to yourself as you walk away.You smile because you know. You know that in the end you are not really giving away anything at all. Instead you are gaining. Yes, you are abandoning everything you have, but you are also gaining more than you could have in any other way. So with joy—with joy!—you sell it all, you abandon it all. Why? Because you have found something worth losing everything else for.This is the picture of Jesus in the gospel. He is something—someone—worth losing everything for. If we walk away from the Jesus of the gospel, we walk away from eternal riches. But if we abandon the trinkets of this world and respond to the radical invitation of Jesus, we discover the infinite treasure of knowing and experiencing him.How does knowing Jesus satisfy the deep needs in your soul?

Why does your life matter? What do you live for? Where do you find purpose & meaning? These are the type of questions we are considering in our sermon series Something More. This week we come to Jesus' famous words at Caesarea Philippi in Matthew 16:13-20. There Jesus speaks about community and mission, two things we all long for. See you on the Lord's Day! Pastor Josh

Our Gospel continues where it left off last week in the synagogue in Nazareth. There Jesus' honorable reception quickly turns to contempt. We'll spend our episode looking deeper into the Greek of the text in order to make sense of the mixed reaction of the assembly and we'll also dive into the broader context of the Isaiah quote in order to uncover the why behind the wrath of the town's residents. In summary, Our Lord preaches a message of mercy for Gentiles but a message that his Jewish hometown is unwilling to hear.

Rev. Jacob Dandy, pastor at Zion Lutheran Church and School in Terra Bella, CA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 2:21-40. Already as an eight day old infant, Jesus fulfills the Law in the place of sinners and begins to shed His blood for their redemption. His name tells who He is: the Savior. About a month later, when Jesus is forty days old, He goes to His Temple with Mary and Joseph. There Jesus is presented as the firstborn and sacrifices are offered for Mary's purification, in accordance with the Law of God. Simeon interrupts the scene with his song, the Nunc Dimittis. Now that the Lord had fulfilled His promise that Simeon would see the Lord's salvation before Simeon died, the blessed saint takes Jesus in his arms and sings the praises of God. Anna too takes her turn worshiping and proclaiming the Christ child who has come to redeem His people. After the Law had been fulfilled, Jesus returned with His family to live and grow in Nazareth. “The Beloved Physician's Orderly Account” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that goes through the Gospel according to St. Luke. The Evangelist wrote his well-researched account of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection so that Theophilus would have certainty concerning the things he had been taught. As we still read the Word of God recorded by St. Luke, our gracious Lord gives us that same certainty that Jesus is our Savior.

 Audio recordingSermon manuscript:We entered the season of Epiphany with the festival of Epiphany this past Thursday. The word “epiphany” means, “to be revealed.” So Epiphany and the season of Epiphany has as one of its main emphases the way that this person named Jesus was revealed to be something more than an ordinary person. The Epiphany festival itself is about the way that wise men came from the east. They gave gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to Jesus. What is of greatest significance is that they bowed down and worshipped Jesus. That is something that should never be done with anyone or anything that is not God, so by this activity the wise men are confessing their faith that Jesus is God. The festival that we are considering today, the Baptism of our Lord, is on the first Sunday after Epiphany. It is an appropriate thing to consider to kick off the season of Epiphany since this baptism is very revealing. Two very important things can be seen at Jesus's baptism—the Holy Trinity and Jesus as the Christ. There are hardly any more important things that we could possibly know since the Holy Trinity describes God and Christ is our Lord and Savior. Let's begin with the Trinity. Let me remind you about the simple reason why we speak of the Trinity. The word, “Trinity,” is a made up word. You won't find it in the Bible. It is the combination of two numbers—three, tri-, as in triangle or tricycle; and one, uno, unity. So the word Trinity means “three-one-ness.” While the word, “Trinity,” is nowhere to be found in the Scriptures, the thing that the word is describing is very easily found in the Scriptures. The Bible says two things very emphatically. The Bible says that there is only one God. Deuteronomy says, “The Lord your God is one.” That's the one thing the Bible says about God. The other thing that the Bible says about God is that he is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We call these the three persons. So we speak of the Trinity or the Triune God because the Bible very emphatically and clearly speaks of God as one. The Bible also very emphatically and clearly speaks of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The goal is speak of God as the Bible speaks of him. The goal is not to make this idea plausible or acceptable to our reason, otherwise we may very well decide to revise what the Bible says so that we can better understand it or convince others to believe it. The Baptism of our Lord is one of the many places where we hear of the three persons of the one God. The Son, Jesus Christ, is in the Jordan River with John the Baptist. The Holy Spirit took on the bodily form of a dove and descended upon him. The Father spoke from heaven. He said that this man Jesus is his beloved Son. He is well pleased with him. Here we see how all three persons of the Trinity are involved and approving of the ministry, life, death, and resurrection of the Christ. Some Christians, who already aren't too big fans of the Trinity, will try to make better sense of what the Bible speaks about by talking about “dispensations.” By the word “dispensation” they mean a time of special prominence and importance. So they say that the Old Testament was the dispensation of the Father. Supposedly the Old Testament is full of wrath and violence, and it is imagined that this is the special area and expertise of God the Father. The New Testament times are the dispensation of the Son. Here, supposedly, we see a kinder and gentler side of God. Finally, supposedly, we are now, in our times, in the dispensation of the Spirit. So during our times we are supposed to be on the lookout for special and unusual miracles that are supposed to come from the Holy Spirit, but I suspect come from evil and deceiving spirits. This is a very dangerous false teaching. It strikes right at the root of the Christian faith. Our faith is in nothing else whatsoever except our God. This teaching goes about revising who our God is. To my mind there is almost the fabrication of a whole new god, masquerading under the names of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There are not special dispensations that are particular to each of the persons of the Trinity. We say this quite often in our worship services, and it is true: as far as our God is concerned “as he was in the beginning, he is now, and will be forever.” The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as the one true God is eternal. God has no beginning and no end. All three persons of the Trinity were present at creation. God the Father created. He did this through the Word, the Son, as John's Gospel teaches in his first chapter. And the Holy Spirit was there, hovering over the face of the waters. Here at the Baptism of our Lord the Holy Trinity manifests himself again. God the Father is not some supposedly mean, bad god as the dispensationalists claim. As Jesus embarks upon his great ministry that will culminate in the atonement and salvation of all mankind, the Father says, “This is my Son whom I love. I am well pleased with him.” There is no division or antagonism between the persons of the Trinity. What is pleasing to the Father is pleasing to the Son is pleasing to the Holy Spirit. What is pleasing to God is the wonderful life and work of this man Jesus, who is Christ and God. This brings us to the second very important thing to be seen at the Baptism of our Lord—how Jesus is the Christ. We are so accustomed to hearing “Jesus Christ” that it can almost seem as though Jesus is his first name and Christ is his last name. But the word “Christ” has much more significance than just being a name. The word “Christ” means “anointed one.” Anointing is the pouring of something on someone, usually on one's head. We don't do that much anointing in our times. Baptism, actually, is about the only anointing that we do. In baptism we anoint people's heads with water. In the Bible anointing was more common and laden with significance. It was the way, for example, that priests and kings were put into office in the Old Testament. Instead of kings being crowned in the Old Testament, they were anointed with oil. The Old Testament kings were christs, in a sense, in the sense that they were anointed ones, but of course we rightly reserve the term “Christ” for Jesus as the king who was promised to come and save his people. The promise of the coming Christ, or King, is the scarlet thread that runs through all of Scripture. Already at the fall into sin in the Garden of Eden God promised to send a Seed of the woman who would crush the serpent's head. Later God promised that a descendent of David would sit on his throne forever and ever. This promised King is Jesus, and at his baptism we see how he is anointed. First of all, he is baptized, that is to say, anointed, with water by John the Baptist. Furthermore, it is of the highest significance that he is not anointed just with oil, like the Old Testament kings before him, but the Holy Spirit himself. The Holy Spirit descends in the bodily form of a dove and alights above Jesus's head. This is Jesus the Christ, Jesus the anointed one, Jesus the King. From this point onward Jesus is going to accomplish the great purposes for which the Father has sent him. This is going to culminate in yet another anointing and the greatest manifestation of him as the King. Do you remember what Pilate had written on Jesus's cross as the great charge against him? He had them write: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” There Jesus was anointed with his own blood, a crown of thorns upon his head. Pilate was being ironic when he had that written. What Pilate meant to say was that this is what happens to those who claim to be king. His intent was that people should laugh at the disjunction between the grand title of king on the one hand, and this miserable worm of a man who writhed upon the cross on the other. But this was of God. That title speaks the truth. Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ. He is the Christ particularly when he was suffering on the cross as punishment for the sins that we have committed. He is accomplishing God's purpose of bringing about atonement. God's just wrath is being poured out upon him instead of upon us. When that Father says at Jesus's baptism, “This is my Son, whom I love. With him I am well pleased,” this means that he was pleased with all of Jesus's life. Surely this also includes the great culmination of Jesus doing the work of being the Christ—when he was crucified. Contrary to the dispensationalists, the Father does not hate human beings, but rather loves them. The way that he loved the world was by sending his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son in the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. This salvation is the work of the Christ and of the triune God. The Baptism of our Lord is an epiphany. It is truly revealing. It reveals the Trinity. It reveals the Christ. All things in heaven and on earth are being brought together in this man Jesus, standing in the Jordan River. Finally, we should also mention the great importance of our own baptism as well. It is easy to despise baptism. It's just an anointing of water. Many Christians don't remember being baptized because they were baptized as babies. But Christ commanded that we should be baptized. By that baptism we are united with Christ. We are united to the Triune God.  Baptism connects us with Jesus and God. It is the full bestowal of all that Jesus the Christ accomplished for us by his holy life, atoning death, and his glorious resurrection and ascension. In the words of our Small Catechism: “It works the forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this as the words and promises of God declare.” Thus our baptism is an epiphany as well. When we were baptized God revealed himself to us so that we may believe in him and be taken up into his saving will.

Does It Really Matter What I Believe? Reader: Jon Watson Date: 14th December 2021 Time: Passage: John 14:6 ------------------- I was reading today about a Presbyterian church in America where about 10% of those who attend may be Jewish, atheists or agnostics. They are admitted into membership as "Associate Members of the Church" and even those who are full members don't need to believe the fundamentals of the Christian faith. While we must, and do, always welcome all who come to church, it is quite another thing to admit people to membership in the church if they do not believe in the authority of the Bible and the whole teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. It does matter what you believe and the church would be doing a bad thing if it said to anybody that you can believe what you like and still be considered a member of the church. You see, Jesus makes very serious claims in the Gospels such as the verse at the top of the page. There Jesus says he, and only he, is the way by which we can come to God and find the truth and the life that is acceptable to God. No doubt there are many people who enjoy the warmth and companionship that they can find in church, but church is more than a social club — it is a gathering of people to worship God; and to worship him acceptably, we need to believe and follow the teaching of Jesus. ## Prayer O Lord, it is vital that I believe your word — help me to put it into practice too. Amen

Rev. Sam Wirgau, pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Ossian, IN joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 17:11-19. Samaria was not a place where many Jews of Jesus' day ventured, but that is exactly the route Jesus took to Jerusalem and His cross. There Jesus encountered ten lepers. These men not only suffered greatly physically from this terrible illness. Even more than that, they were separated from their community and worship life through the ceremonial uncleanness they endured. This served as a picture of the sin that infects all people. That's why these ten lepers cry out to Jesus for mercy, His grace and compassion that alone can heal and save. Jesus sends them to show themselves to the priest, and as they go, His Word effects healing. One recognizes what has happened and believes. He returns to Jesus as the true Temple, the place where God dwells in human flesh. He returns to Jesus as the true Priest, the one who makes the final sacrifice for sin. He praises God by giving praise and thanks to Jesus. The Lord marvels at the faith of this Samaritan. Though he had been a foreigner, by faith, he is now a citizen of Jesus' heavenly kingdom. Jesus calls him to join Him on the journey of discipleship with Him, holding onto the faith that has made him well. This text invites us to do far more than simply make sure we go back to Jesus to tell Him, “Thank you,” as some sort of formality. Instead, this text calls us to the same faith as that one leper, recognizing that Jesus is the one true God in our human flesh to whom belongs all our praise and thanks for His gift of cleansing from sin. This is a rebroadcast from November 29, 2019.

The Resurrection of Christ formed the culmination of his ministry. It was Mary Magdalene who first received news of the event, having come upon the empty tomb guarded by an angel. There Jesus came to her, bidding her to tell all of his followers that he had risen from the dead. And so the first Easter brought with it the defeat of death, the lifting of the ancient curse, the realization of God's promise to bring new life, a new Kingdom, into being. While the word "myth" has come to mean "untrue account," we mean something quite different. Throughout the long ages of human life and culture, myth has been a way of expressing deep truths. And so, here, "mythic narrative" means "meaningful account." Indeed, it is an account that might be entirely true... or mostly false... or somewhere in between. We know where we stand, but that's for each listener to discover. www.primematters.com A text version of this project is under production by ActsXXIX. See www.primematters.com/text.

 Audio recordingSermon manuscript:December 27th is the day that has been set aside to commemorate St. John, the apostle and evangelist. Setting aside a day to commemorate a saint can sound rather Roman Catholic, and therefore not quite kosher for us protestants. However, I will not be recommending St. John to you as someone who can give you grace. Nor will I be encouraging you to pray to him so that he can pray for you. The reason why I won’t be doing these things is because God has never commanded us to do this, nor has he promised to bless us if we do. Instead, we will make use of this day to consider God’s working in this man and through this man. Knowing more about St. John helps us understand the Bible better, and we can apply the things we learn about him also to ourselves and our own circumstances. For God still exists. He still works in the lives of his saints, just like he did in the lives of the saints that are recorded in the Bible. Let’s begin today be understanding who John is. Sometimes people get a little confused about John, because there are two important men named John in the New Testament. There is John the Baptist and John the apostle. During the season of advent that just came to a close with Christmas we have heard quite a bit about John the Baptist. He was the forerunner of the Christ, prophesied by the Old Testament prophets like Isaiah and Malachi. He is the preacher and baptizer of repentance. The apostle John, on the other hand, is one of the twelve disciples whom Jesus called to follow him in an especially close way. There’s actually quite a lot that we know about the apostle John. Before Jesus called him to be one of the twelve he was a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee. He worked together with his brother James, as well as Simon Peter and Andrew—all of whom were also called to be disciples by Jesus. According to Church tradition he was Jesus’s cousin. Mary, Jesus’s mother, was his aunt. Also according to Church tradition, John was the youngest of the twelve. I appears that John was a very zealous man. One time he came across somebody casting out demons using Jesus’s name. Since this fellow was not formally part of the group, John told him to stop. But Jesus told John, “Whoever is not against us is for us.” On another occasion he asked Jesus whether fire should be called down from heaven against a Samaritan town who did not warmly welcome Jesus. We are told of a nickname for John and his brother James. They were called “sons of thunder.” That leads me to believe that John was fiery and bold. This is a little surprising when you consider the books that he wrote that are included in our New Testament. John has a style that is all his own. It is free and almost whimsical. It is quite simple. Every New Testament Greek student cuts their teeth by reading his Gospel. His Greek is the simplest and easiest to master. In his epistle, 1 John, he is always encouraging love. “Beloved, let us love one another,” he says many times. So it can be hard to picture him as fiery and bold. On the other hand, John by no means shied away from recording in his Gospel the intense and acrimonious exchanges that took place between Jesus and the Jewish officials who hated Jesus. This is one of the unique contributions of John’s Gospel. The other Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, do not describe these exchanges with nearly the same depth. So although John writes with a very gentle style, he obviously is not some hand-wringing clergyperson who just wanted everyone to like him. He wasn’t afraid of a fight. Among the twelve apostles John was special. Although the twelve were all equal and loved by the Lord Jesus, there appears to have been a circle within the circle of twelve. Peter, James, and John are mentioned several times as being in places that the rest of the twelve were not. Peter, James, and John were with Jesus when he raised Jairus’s daughter from the dead. They were with him on the mount of transfiguration. They were closer to Jesus than the others when he was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. John also seems to have stuck it out at the end of Jesus’s life when the other disciples fled for safety. When Jesus was arrested and brought to the chief priests’ house in the middle of the night for their kangaroo court, Peter and John followed at a distance. John went into the courtyard, but Peter stood outside. This is when Peter denied that he knew Jesus three times, and presumably took to the hills like the rest of Jesus’s disciples. John, though, did not. It appears that he was the only one of the twelve who was at the cross. While Jesus hung dying he indicated John and said to his mother, “Woman, behold your son.” To John he said, “Behold, your mother.” On Easter morning John was the first of the twelve to make it to the empty tomb, because he outran Peter. Perhaps this was because he was younger. John was in the upper room, on the evening of Easter, when the disciples were gathered together. Jesus appeared to them, though the doors were locked, and said, “Peace be with you! Just as the Father has sent me, I am also sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whenever you forgive people’s sins, they are forgiven. Whenever you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” The Gospel reading that was chosen for today are the very last words of John’s Gospel. The whole last chapter of John’s Gospel is a little mysterious. It is almost like an appendix to the book. There is a fine summary statement at the end of chapter 20. Then chapter 21 speaks about something that happened after Easter, but before Jesus ascended. Peter, James, John, Thomas, Nathanael, and two others were back in Galilee. Peter said, “I’m going fishing,” which, if you remember, was his old profession before he was called to be an apostle. The others all agreed to go with him. While they were in the boat Jesus appeared on the shore, but they did not recognize him. He yelled out to them, “Don’t you have any fish?” They said, “No.” Jesus said, “Cast your net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” When they did, the nets became so full that they couldn’t haul them all in. This was very reminiscent of the way that Peter was originally called to be an apostle years before. Jesus had said to him then, “You will no longer catch fish, but will be a fisher of men.” So John and Peter and the rest understood that this was Jesus on the sea shore. Peter didn’t wait for the boat to reach land, but jumped in and swam to shore. There Jesus had prepared a breakfast with fish cooked over a charcoal fire and some bread. After they had eaten Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Peter said, “Yes.” And Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” Then Jesus said something that is important for better understanding our Gospel reading today. Jesus said to Peter, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: When you were young, you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will tie you and carry you where you do not want to go.” With these words Jesus was indicating the death by which Peter would glorify God. At the end of Peter’s life he would be imprisoned and crucified. According to Church tradition he requested that he be crucified upside down, because he did not believe that he was worthy to be crucified in the same way that Jesus was. After Jesus had said this he said to Peter, “Follow me.” This is where our reading started today. Peter looked over and saw John. He asked Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” It is as though he was asking, “Is he also going to be dressed by someone else and carried someplace that he does not want to go? Is he also going to die a violent death?” Jesus responded, “If I want him to remain until I come, then what is that to you? You follow me.” Then, in our reading, John explains how some people were interpreting these words from Jesus concerning himself. They thought that those words meant that John would not die before Jesus returned to judge the living and the dead. John wants it understood that these words do not necessarily mean that. Jesus is basically saying to Peter, “What happens to John is none of your business. The important thing is that you follow me.” Here is an indication that John’s Gospel was the last Gospel that was written when John was an old man. Unlike so many of the other disciples, John had not yet died a violent death when he was writing this Gospel. Since he was getting so much older, perhaps people were starting to wonder whether he wouldn’t die. After all, there was that word that Jesus had spoken to Peter. John wanted people to know that that wasn’t necessarily the case. There are also other things about John’s Gospel that support this idea that it was the last of the four to be written. John does not spend much time at all speaking about what the other three Gospels say. Instead he records at length things that the others don’t—especially many long dialogues that Jesus had with his opponents and with his disciples. It is almost as if the apostle wrote his Gospel to fill in some of the gaps that were left by the other three. But this can only be done up to a point, because, as he says in our reading, “Jesus also did many other things. If every one of them were written down, I suppose the world itself would not have room for the books that would be written.” Now let’s finish up by speaking about things we know about John later in his life. Soon after Pentecost, John, together with Peter, was arrested by the Jewish authorities—the first of Jesus’s disciple to have this happen to them. They demanded that they stop speaking about Jesus. John and Peter refused, telling them that they had to obey God rather than men. Soon they and the rest of the apostles were arrested and beaten, but they rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus. It appears that John stayed in the area of Jerusalem and Judea for many years after Pentecost, during the early years of the Christian Church. Church tradition says that eventually he moved together with Mary, Jesus’s mother, to the town of Ephesus, which is in the modern day country of Turkey. There were a lot of Christians in that area during that time. He lived and taught there until he was an old man. No doubt John encountered many troubles, even though his life was spared, for as Paul says, “It is only through many afflictions that we may enter the Kingdom of God.” Among those afflictions, he was once exiled to the island of Patmos, off the coast of Turkey, where he received the vision that is known as the Apocalypse, or Revelation, the last book of the Bible. Finally, let’s apply these things to ourselves. As you can see, the apostle and evangelist, John, lived a life in close communion with Jesus both before and after Jesus ascended. The circumstances of your life are different. You have not experienced the same outward things that John did. But you do share the same Lord, the same communion, and hopefully to the same extent that John did. There are no part-time Christians. Those who only want to be Christians when it is convenient for them will find that they were only deluding themselves with their own invention of a Christianity instead of the real thing. If God wants you to live out your days so that you are old, then well and good. Always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks you about the hope you have as a Christian. If there is a challenge that comes along, be sure that you follow Jesus—that you confess him and do not deny him. If you are punished by the loss of a friend, or family member, or your reputation, then so be it. Rejoice that you are counted worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus. Or if your life or your livelihood is cut short, then so be it. Jesus is your shepherd. You might think that other things give you your peace and security, but you’d be mistaken. We must all count the cost and be willing to suffer the loss of all, including death, rather than fall away from Jesus. Anything we lose for Jesus or for the Gospel will be paid back 100 fold, and, at the end, eternal life. St. John is not someone that we should pray to. He is someone we should learn from for how we can live as faithful Christians.

Key word: Kingdom Of the four Gospels, only Matthew and John were written by apostles, who were eye-witnesses of the life and teachings of Jesus. Matthew was a tax collector before his conversion and we hear little of him in the Gospels, but then the Holy Spirit uses him to be the human author of this important book of Scripture. Matthew was a Jew, writing primarily to Jews. His task was to demonstrate clearly that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah, the King of the Jews. To that end, he quotes the Old Testament about 130 times and uses the word “fulfill(ed)” 17 times, 4:14-16 is a good example. At the beginning of Jesus' public ministry in Galilee, we find it was a fulfillment of a prophesy by Isaiah. Jesus' initial ministry as recorded in Matthew is two-fold (4:17). First, “repent.” This is consistent with the Old Testament, which constantly told the people to repent in order to be right with God and receive His blessings. Even the Pharisees caught this message and knew the kingdom would not come until the nation repented. The “kingdom of heaven” is a central message in Matthew with the phrase found 32 times. Many view the Sermon on the Mount (5-7) as containing the laws/principles, which govern Christ's kingdom. The Jews eventually rejected Christ as their king, and the kingdom of righteousness He offered, by chapter 13. There Jesus withdraws the immediate establishment of His kingdom and, in 7 parables, outlines a mystery form of the kingdom that would exist until Christ would return and finally establish His kingdom. That return and kingdom is detailed in the Olivet Discourse (24-25) (see 25:1). But before Jesus can sit on His throne, He must first be nailed to a cross. Before the kingdom can be established, sin would have to be atoned. The subjects of the eternal kingdom would have to have their sins forgiven and be given the righteousness of God. It would take the substitutionary death and resurrection of the God/Man to accomplish this, and prepare a people fit for the kingdom (27-28). Until that time, He sends us forth to make disciples of all nations (28:19-20). Key verse: Matthew 28:19-20 – “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Does It Really Matter What I Believe? Reader: Jon Watson Date: 14th December 2020 Time: ------------------- I was reading today about a Presbyterian church in America where about 10% of those who attend may be Jewish, atheists or agnostics. They are admitted into membership as "Associate Members of the Church" and even those who are full members don't need to believe the fundamentals of the Christian faith. While we must, and do, always welcome all who come to church, it is quite another thing to admit people to membership in the church if they do not believe in the authority of the Bible and the whole teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. It does matter what you believe and the church would be doing a bad thing if it said to anybody that you can believe what you like and still be considered a member of the church. You see, Jesus makes very serious claims in the Gospels such as the verse at the top of the page. There Jesus says he, and only he, is the way by which we can come to God and find the truth and the life that is acceptable to God. No doubt there are many people who enjoy the warmth and companionship that they can find in church, but church is more than a social club — it is a gathering of people to worship God; and to worship him acceptably, we need to believe and follow the teaching of Jesus. ## Prayer O Lord, it is vital that I believe your word — help me to put it into practice too. Amen

Rev. Sam Wirgau, pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Ossian, IN joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 17:11-19. This is a rebroadcast from November 20, 2019. Samaria was not a place where many Jews of Jesus’ day ventured, but that is exactly the route Jesus took to Jerusalem and His cross. There Jesus encountered ten lepers. These men not only suffered greatly physically from this terrible illness. Even more than that, they were separated from their community and worship life through the ceremonial uncleanness they endured. This served as a picture of the sin that infects all people. That’s why these ten lepers cry out to Jesus for mercy, His grace and compassion that alone can heal and save. Jesus sends them to show themselves to the priest, and as they go, His Word effects healing. One recognizes what has happened and believes. He returns to Jesus as the true Temple, the place where God dwells in human flesh. He returns to Jesus as the true Priest, the one who makes the final sacrifice for sin. He praises God by giving praise and thanks to Jesus. The Lord marvels at the faith of this Samaritan. Though he had been a foreigner, by faith, he is now a citizen of Jesus’ heavenly kingdom. Jesus calls him to join Him on the journey of discipleship with Him, holding onto the faith that has made him well. This text invites us to do far more than simply make sure we go back to Jesus to tell Him, “Thank you,” as some sort of formality. Instead, this text calls us to the same faith as that one leper, recognizing that Jesus is the one true God in our human flesh to whom belongs all our praise and thanks for His gift of cleansing from sin. Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God's Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen.

When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. Luke 21:28. The coming of Christ is nearer than when we first believed. The great controversy is nearing its end. The judgments of God are in the land. They speak in solemn warning, saying: "Be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh." Matthew 24:44.... We are living in the closing scenes of this earth's history. Prophecy is fast fulfilling. The hours of probation are fast passing. We have no time—not a moment—to lose. Let us not be found sleeping on guard. Let no one say in his heart or by his works: "My lord delayeth his coming." Let the message of Christ's soon return sound forth in earnest words of warning. Let us persuade men and women everywhere to repent and flee from the wrath to come.... The Lord is soon to come, and we must be prepared to meet Him in peace. Let us be determined to do all in our power to impart light to those around us. We are not to be sad, but cheerful, and we are to keep the Lord Jesus ever before us. He is soon coming, and we must be ready and waiting for His appearing. Oh, how glorious it will be to see Him and be welcomed as His redeemed ones! Long have we waited, but our hope is not to grow dim. If we can but see the King in His beauty we shall be forever blessed. I feel as if I must cry aloud: "Homeward bound!" We are nearing the time when Christ will come in power and great glory to take His ransomed ones to their eternal home.... Long have we waited for our Saviour's return. But nonetheless sure is the promise. Soon we shall be in our promised home. There Jesus will lead us beside the living stream flowing from the throne of God and will explain to us the dark providences through which on this earth He brought us in order to perfect our characters. There we shall behold with undimmed vision the beauties of Eden restored. Casting at the feet of the Redeemer the crowns that He has placed on our heads, and touching our golden harps, we shall fill all heaven with praise to Him that sitteth on the throne Mar 311.1 - Mar 311.5 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/tawasv/message

Jesus and his apostles were walking through the countryside and came to Jacob's well. There Jesus sent his apostles off to get some food. While he waited, he met a woman at the well. They talked and Jesus told her things about her life that a normal stranger would not have known. Jason then took us to John 2 where we read about the wedding feast at Cana and Jesus' first public miracle. These powerful stories show us two separate events where people faced everyday problems (multiple spouses; embarrassing wine shortage at a wedding). They learned from Jesus that God offers unexpected solutions and different perspectives to the troubles in our lives.

Jesus' disciples Peter, James, and John went up on a mountain with Him to pray. There Jesus showed them something so amazing, the disciples fell on their faces in fear! Join Pastor Chris and find out about the time Jesus Showed His Glory...

[Comment: Martha Served] Friends of the Rosary, Today is the memorial day of Saint Martha. Martha, her sister Mary of Bethany, and their brother Lazarus were close friends of Jesus. Martha made a strong statement of faith in Jesus right after her brother's death, outside the tomb of Lazarus who had died four days earlier. “Jesus told her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?' She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world” (John 11:25-27). Martha's great faith would be confirmed by Jesus' raising her brother Lazarus from the grave. In an earlier well-known passage of the New Testament, we saw an active Martha preparing the meal for Jesus and the Lord instructing her not to be anxious and worried about many things. Jesus emphasized the importance of contemplating Him before all things. Later, Martha, infused with her faith, would appear serving the Lord at a house of Bethany. There Jesus was reclining at the table with Lazarus raised from the dead. As John's Gospel tells, Martha served. Doing so, she showed us the way of Christian life. [Written by Mikel A | TheRosaryNetwork.org | Live Broadcast Every Day at 7:30 pm ET from New York on our YouTube Channel ]

We have arrived at the last leg of Paul's second missionary tour, as told in Acts 18, most of which takes place in the wild and woolly city of Corinth. There Jesus speaks to Paul in a vision, saying "Do not fear, do not be silent, I have a job for you." Why would Jesus say that to a guy who has been arguably the most courageous, most vocal of the early Christians? What we'll learn as we answer that question just might be a great help to us as we can struggle with fears as we consider how to live out the mission of God in our communities.

Deacon Jared RSS ST. PAUL'S LETTER TO THE HEBREWS 4:14-16; 5:1-6BRETHREN, since we have a high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sin. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. Because of this he is bound to offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. And one does not take the honor upon himself, but he is called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, "Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee"; as he says also in another place, "Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek."MARK 8:34-38; 9:1The Lord said: "If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? For what can a man give in return for his life? For whoever is ashamed of me and 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." And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.” Today is a remarkably appropriate time to be asked to say something about the cross. Right now, in the middle of this COVID-19 crisis we have all been enduring a very difficult few weeks with many more likely to come. Any time you venture from your home, things just feel off. Businesses are shut down; the road traffic and foot traffic are sparse; events are cancelled; grocery store shelves are empty. And heaven forbid that you or someone in your family is sick, with COVID-19 or with anything else. The medical system is under great duress at this time. These are all very real crosses. And so it is pertinent that right here, in the middle of this COVID-19 crisis, the Church presents with this, the Sunday of the Holy Cross.Today we hear Christ say to the multitudes, “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” If you want to call yourself a Christian, these are Jesus’ instructions – deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him. These are very difficult instructions. Jesus is not telling you to wear your cross necklace. He is saying that to follow him will mean to bear some very real crosses. I would like to talk right now about what this might mean for us today. I will start by offering a little context for these instructions from the Gospel of St. Mark.These instructions are set in the Gospel of Mark immediately following two of Peter’s most famous interactions with Jesus. The first is likely remembered as St. Peter’s proudest moment. Jesus asks his disciples who people are saying that he is, and they answer that people seem to think he is the second coming of John the Baptist, or Elijah, or one of the great prophets of old. He then asks his disciples who they say that he is and Peter blurts out, “You are the Christ!” Peter says here what all the disciples are thinking, or at least what they were likely hoping: “You are the long promised Messiah, the Christ, the Annointed One of God, sent to save Israel from her oppressors!” Jesus tells his disciples that they should keep this information to themselves, but at this time begins to explain to them what being the messiah is really all about. Mark says that Jesus explains that the Messiah, “must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.”This teaching, of course, leads to one of Peter’s lowest moments. Not his very lowest, but close. This messiah Jesus is talking about is not the messiah Peter had been hoping for. Suffering? Rejection? Death? These were the things the messiah was supposed to end, not endure! And so Peter pulls Jesus aside to tell him just this. We are told he rebukes Jesus. Imagine the disciple so bold as to rebuke his master. And Jesus reacts to this quite strongly, saying, “Get behind me, Satan.” He adds that Peter is not setting his mind “on the things of God, but on the things of humanity!”We are told that Jesus then goes further, not just rebuking Peter, but gathering a crowd and telling them, “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.” This great teaching he offers to the masses, because Peter is clearly not ready to accept it.None of the disciples understood that the way of the Christ would be the way of the cross, at least not yet. It would much later before they began to fully understand this mystery. In the Revelation of St. John, Christ is envisioned as “the lamb slain before time.” Take a moment to consider this image. Christ is not the lamb slain in the year 33. He is the lamb slain before time. For the Church, the crucifixion is not simply an event that happened to the Son of God on a day 2000 years ago, it is the final and full revelation of who the Son of God was, is, and always will be.St. Peter was not ready to let Jesus take up his cross, and he was certainly not ready to take up his own alongside him. And none of us should stand in judgement. How many of us would be ready to take on such a challenge? Right now so many in our country are so very afraid. What we face today is a very real cross, both the virus itself and the many hardships coming in its wake. So what does this notion of denying ourselves look like for us today? What does it mean for our interactions with our neighbors? With our co-workers? With complete strangers in the grocery stores?It would be pretty normal at this point, especially since the Sunday of the Holy Cross always falls right here in the middle of Lent, for me to discuss some of those crosses we voluntarily take upon ourselves during this season. By this I refer to the ascetic endeavors prescribed by the Church for our benefit – prayer, fasting, alms giving. The founders of our faith often refer to these in association with the notion of voluntarily picking up our crosses. In each of these acts we intentionally turn our backs to the things of this world and take the extra time, energy, and resources to strive for the world to come.But, of course, we know all too well right now that not all crosses are chosen. In fact, the founders of our faith suggest that it is the unbidden crosses that can be even more beneficial to us. I would like to talk a little bit today about what they mean.There is a quote from St. Mark the Ascetic that has always meant a lot to me: “Distress reminds the wise of God, but crushes those who forget Him. Let all involuntary suffering teach you to remember God, and you will not lack occasion for repentance.” I find this true in myself. It often takes distress for me to remember God. It is easy for me to forget God when life is good. So what will we do in the face of this crisis? Will we let this involuntary suffering help us to remember God? Will we transform this COVID-19 crisis into an occasion for repentance?St. Mark wrote in another place: “The mercy of God is hidden in sufferings that are not of our choice, and if we accept such sufferings patiently, they bring us to repentance.” Again we hear sufferings are a call to repentance, this time with an emphasis on the virtue of patience in the face of trial. St. Isaac the Syrian also wrote of the importance of virtue in the face of trial: “In proportion to your humility you are given patience in your woes; and in proportion to your patience the burden of your afflictions is made lighter and you will find consolation; in proportion to your consolation, your love of God increases; and in proportion to your love, your joy in the Holy Spirit is magnified.” I can’t help but think of Yoda in the Phantom Menace when I read this passage, “Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.” St. Isaac is here offering up the opposite path: Humility leads to patience, patience leads to love, love leads to joy. This path to “joy in the Holy Spirit” begins with humility.In Paul’s letter to the Hebrews, the assigned epistle reading for today, Paul talks about Jesus’ humility. He suggests that Jesus, the son of God, is particularly qualified to act as priest on our behalf, not because he is God, but specifically because he became human. He explains that when priests are chosen it is their weaknesses that allow them to function properly. He wrote, “Every high priest who is chosen from among the people…can deal gently with the ignorant and the wayward, since they themselves are beset with weakness. Because of this they are bound to offer sacrifice for their own sins as well as for those of the people.” Priests function properly, in Paul’s estimation, not because they are better than other people, but because they share the same weaknesses of those they represent. Thus, Paul says, in Christ “we have a high priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses, one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Christ is showing us the way of the cross, the way that begins in humility.Jesus was born in humble circumstances and died in the most despicable of ways. He lived his life without a place to lay his head, taking nothing, giving everything. This is the humble messiah that Peter, when he was yet the disciple, when he was yet learning, was not ready to accept. What transformed Peter the unready disciple into St. Peter the Apostle who ultimately embraced his own very real cross?We discussed Jesus’ rebuke of Peter and you might think that such a stern rebuke from your Master, from that man you thought was the messiah, would be enough, but it was not. In just a few weeks we will hear of Peter at the last supper proclaiming, “Even if I should die with you, I will not deny you.” There is Peter the disciple, still so proud. And then, in spite of his boasting, we will learn that he denies Jesus three times. Peter is humiliated by this. We are told that he weeps when he realized what he has done.And it is after this ultimate humiliation, in the last chapter of the last Gospel, the Gospel of St. John, we are given a beautiful scene of Peter, the failed disciple, coming face to face with his master. Peter has returned to fishing. He is right back where we first met him at the beginning of the Gospels, but he is not unchanged. Jesus calls to the disciples from the shore. Peter doesn’t even recognize him. He needs to be told by another disciple who it is. But the moment he is told, he leaps into the sea and wades to shore.There Jesus asks Peter to profess his love. Peter does so, and Jesus asks him to do it again. He does, and then Jesus asks him to do it a third time. We are told that on the third questioning Peter’s heart was grieved. He was embarrassed. But in this moment St. Peter the Apostle is revealed. This St.Peter is not too proud to learn his lesson. He professes his love a third time. Jesus blesses this humble response with a prophesy: “Truly, truly I say unto you, when you were young, thou dressed yourself, and walked wherever you wanted: but when you are old, you will stretch forth your hands, and another shall dress you, and carry you where you won’t want to go.” Jesus is prophesying how Peter will ultimately die in the same way as his master. In his humility, Peter has shown that he is finally ready to walk the way of the cross. And what prepared him for this? Failure. Grief. Suffering. It is these difficult experiences that gave Peter his broken and contrite heart, a heart prepared for the Holy Spirit to enter on Pentecost.So our country, at this moment, is facing a cross. For some of us, tragically, this will indeed mean sickness and death. Let us pray that through our vigilance this number remains small. For the rest of us this will hours of worry, fear, isolation, financial hardship, anxiety, loneliness. So many crosses needing to be borne. What we do with them is our choice. We can meet these crosses with pride, thinking we know more than the authorities and the specialists; we can meet these crosses with selfishness and impatience, thinking our wants and needs are more important than those of our neighbors; we can meet them with callousness, thinking that the inconveniences of the many outweigh the sickness and death of the few. Or, we can pick up those crosses. We can make these extra hours in isolation a time for prayer and meditation. We can fast by hoarding less for ourselves and leaving a little more food on the grocery store shelves for those who come after. We can see the suffering and needs of our neighbors and take up those opportunities to give of ourselves and to show love. Isaiah tells us that this is always the fast that is pleasing to God – to feed the hungry, to shelter the poor, to clothe the naked – and this Lenten season is no different.2020 can be remembered as the year that COVID-19 ruined Lent. Or, with effort, this can become the Lent that transformed our lives, our communities, and perhaps even our nation. The choice is set before us. The same choice that was set before those men and women so many years ago: the choice to deny ourselves, to take up our crosses, and to follow our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ, to who be all glory, honor, and worship forever. Amen.

This week we are looking at Mark 6:7-31. This is another example of one of Mark’s sandwiches. Two stories are told, one begins, gets interrupted and then concludes. But remember, with these sandwiches there is a unifying theme throughout. This section deals with disciples of Jesus faithfully following him no matter what faces them. Jesus begins by preparing his 12 disciples to go out to preach repentance, cast out demons and heal the sick. The last part of the section, verse 30, sees the 12 returning and telling Jesus all they did and taught. Disciples need to not only listen and learn from Jesus, but also do as he did. In the middle section, Mark tells the account of John the Baptist’s death at the hands of Herod and his vengeful wife. In spite of being faced with certain death, John remained faithful. What does this story have to do with the first? Why did Mark include it with the going out of the disciples? John lays down a pattern for all disciples of martyrdom and death. While it may seem extreme to us, death because of our faith is a very real experience for many disciples of Jesus throughout history. The challenge? Will we follow Jesus no matter what we are faced with? There is one last verse, and it’s very instructive. That is verse 31. There Jesus invites his returning disciples to “come away to a remote place and rest.” While our following Jesus often means we are doing things with him, there is another critical, but often neglected element of discipleship. That is rest! We all need to learn to rest with Jesus, and to be refreshed in that rest. Sometimes I think it is fair to say of many disciples that they would rather die doing something than resting and being refreshed by Jesus.

Today's Bible Readings: Exodus 27; John 6; Proverbs 3; Galatians 2Jesus declares himself to be the “bread of life” (John 6:35), the “bread of God” (6:33).The language is metaphorical, of course. That is made clear by John 6:35, where the metaphor is unpacked just a little: “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” One normally eats bread; one does not “come” to bread or “believe” in bread. Thus what Jesus means by eating this bread of life must be largely equivalent to what it means to come to Jesus and believe in him.This “bread of life discourse” (as it is called) follows the feeding of the five thousand (6:1-15). There Jesus provides bread and fish to the hungry masses. These were the staple foods of Galilee; he provided what was needed to sustain life. But in this gospel the evangelist points out that Jesus’ miracles are not mere events of power, they are significant: they point beyond themselves, like signs. This miracle points to the fact that Jesus not only provides bread, but rightly understood he is bread. He is the staple apart from which there is no real life at all.Further, he is the ultimate “manna” (6:30-33). His interlocutors remind him that Moses provided manna, “bread from heaven” (Ex. 16), and they want him to do the same. After all, he had done it the day before in the feeding of the five thousand. If Jesus has performed the miracle once, why not again — and again and again? Isn’t that what Moses did?But Jesus insists the ultimate source of the “bread from heaven” was not Moses but God, and the ultimate “bread from heaven” was not the manna of the wilderness years, but the One who came down from heaven — Jesus himself. After all, everyone who ate the manna in the wilderness died. Those who eat the ultimate bread from heaven, the antitype of the manna, never die.People in an agrarian culture understand that almost everything they eat is something that has died. We think of food as packaged things. The reality is that when you eat a hamburger, you are eating a dead cow, dead wheat, dead lettuce, dead tomatoes, dead onions, and so forth. The chief exception is the odd mineral, like salt. Jesus’ audience, and John’s readership, understood that other things die so that we may live; if those other things don’t die, we do. Jesus gives his life so that we may live; either he dies, or we do. He is the true bread from heaven who gives his life “for the life of the world” (6:51).This podcast is designed to be used alongside TGC's Read The Bible initiative (TGC.org/readthebible). The podcast features devotional commentaries from D.A. Carson’s book For the Love of God (vol. 1) that follow the M’Cheyne Bible reading plan.

The sun went down. The people brought Jesus everyone who was sick. They also brought Him everyone who was controlled by demons. The whole town gathered at the door of the house. Jesus healed many people who had different kinds of illnesses. He also forced many demons to leave people. He would not allow the demons to speak, because they knew who Jesus was. Very early the next morning Jesus got up. It was still dark. Jesus left the house. He went to a place where He could be alone. There Jesus prayed. Simon and his friends went to find Jesus. They told him, “Everyone is looking for You!” Jesus answered, “Let’s go to another place, to the towns nearby. I must preach there also. That is why I came.” Full script available for free at https://www.lifelineenglish.com/2020/01/jesus-prays-alone.html

Rev. Sam Wirgau, pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Ossian, IN joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 17:11-19. Samaria was not a place where many Jews of Jesus’ day ventured, but that is exactly the route Jesus took to Jerusalem and His cross. There Jesus encountered ten lepers. These men not only suffered greatly physically from this terrible illness. Even more than that, they were separated from their community and worship life through the ceremonial uncleanness they endured. This served as a picture of the sin that infects all people. That’s why these ten lepers cry out to Jesus for mercy, His grace and compassion that alone can heal and save. Jesus sends them to show themselves to the priest, and as they go, His Word effects healing. One recognizes what has happened and believes. He returns to Jesus as the true Temple, the place where God dwells in human flesh. He returns to Jesus as the true Priest, the one who makes the final sacrifice for sin. He praises God by giving praise and thanks to Jesus. The Lord marvels at the faith of this Samaritan. Though he had been a foreigner, by faith, he is now a citizen of Jesus’ heavenly kingdom. Jesus calls him to join Him on the journey of discipleship with Him, holding onto the faith that has made him well. This text invites us to do far more than simply make sure we go back to Jesus to tell Him, “Thank you,” as some sort of formality. Instead, this text calls us to the same faith as that one leper, recognizing that Jesus is the one true God in our human flesh to whom belongs all our praise and thanks for His gift of cleansing from sin.

2CHRONICLES 32:Following that special Passover, the people went home and destroyed all the pagan shrines. And a good summary of chapter 31 is the last verse: 2Chr. 31:21 He was successful, because everything he did for the Temple or in observance of the Law, he did in a spirit of complete loyalty and devotion to his God. ECCLESIASTES 8:Yesterday’s chapter of Ecclesiastes included quite a variety of Solomon’s proverbs, including: Ecc. 7:5 GNT It is better to have wise people reprimand you than to have stupid people sing your praises.20 There is no one on earth who does what is right all the time and never makes a mistake. MATTHEW 21a:The first will be last, the last first. I think we will be amazed at the justice of God’s rewards. And in some sense, we all will receive “a fair day’s pay.” The meaning of that parable was matched and furthered by the story of the mother of James and John and what Jesus said to them. GNT Translation note:Mat. 21:1 As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives. There Jesus sent two of [us//the] disciples on ahead16 So they asked Jesus, “Do you hear what they are saying?” “Indeed I do,” answered Jesus. “Haven't you ever read this scripture [when the writer said to God]? ‘You have trained children and babies to offer perfect praise.’”

2CHRONICLES 32:Following that special Passover, the people went home and destroyed all the pagan shrines. And a good summary of chapter 31 is the last verse: 2Chr. 31:21 He was successful, because everything he did for the Temple or in observance of the Law, he did in a spirit of complete loyalty and devotion to his God. ECCLESIASTES 8:Yesterday’s chapter of Ecclesiastes included quite a variety of Solomon’s proverbs, including: Ecc. 7:5 GNT It is better to have wise people reprimand you than to have stupid people sing your praises.20 There is no one on earth who does what is right all the time and never makes a mistake. MATTHEW 21a:The first will be last, the last first. I think we will be amazed at the justice of God’s rewards. And in some sense, we all will receive “a fair day’s pay.” The meaning of that parable was matched and furthered by the story of the mother of James and John and what Jesus said to them. GNT Translation note:Mat. 21:1 As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives. There Jesus sent two of [us//the] disciples on ahead16 So they asked Jesus, “Do you hear what they are saying?” “Indeed I do,” answered Jesus. “Haven't you ever read this scripture [when the writer said to God]? ‘You have trained children and babies to offer perfect praise.’” NLT Translation notes:Mat. 21:21 Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you [fully believe//have faith] and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. 22 You can pray for anything, and if you [fully believe//have faith], you will receive it.”

For many years I have had the privilege of knowing James and Hazel Register.  A saying I have is this is as good as it gets.  These are two of the most beautiful people I have ever known.  I love and respect them both tremendously.  Both hearts are two know and walk before the Lord, and to love His people fervently.  What a great witness of Christ they share!   In this sharing from Brother James, he brings into view the Open Heaven.  At the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, Luke writes the Heaven was Opened and a voice spoke from Heaven.   “Luke 3:21&22 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, 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.”   From the open Heaven the voice declared This is my beloved Son.  Here is God pleased.  Similarly, there was a voice that came on the Mount of Transfiguration when Jesus took Peter, John and James with Him into the Mount.  There Jesus was transfigured before them.  The Glory Cloud covers the Mount, Moses and Elijah appears, and Jesus was declared of God.  “This is my Son, hear Him.”    What I believe is being said is all the law and prophets are summed up here in Christ.  No longer would the law be declared.  No longer would the prophets of the Old Covenant declare one who is coming.  He had come.  Hear Him!  Now before all was the Word of God that would shake the Heavens, being declared of God.  This Word was THE WORD, Jesus Christ Himself.  When we see the Heaven Opened we see The Word of God, Jesus Christ our Lord.    He is the Word we come to.  He is the Word of the New Covenant.  We do not come to the Law of Moses.  We come to the Word of Christ.  This Word that was given to us.  When we hear this Word we are saved.  Listen and hear the Word from Heaven speaking of the offering of the Blood and Body of the Lord Jesus.  Hear what this Word speaks, all thy sins are forgiven thee.  You have been crucified with Him.  When He died you died.                                           Now listen to the Word of His Resurrection.  When He was made alive from the dead you were made alive with Him.  When He was raised you were raised with Him.  You are a New Creation in Christ.  God dwells in you.  You have come to the living Temple of the living God.  What a glorious place you have come to.  The place that God now dwells.  God dwells in you.  Glory to God! Hear the WORD from Heaven!

Jesus knew Peter better than Peter knew Himself, which is why Jesus prayed for him (John 17). Were it not for Jesus’ intercession on our behalf, every one of us would abandon the faith when times get tough and be content to chase after the lesser things of this world. Jesus helps us see & understand that we cannot do what He’s called us to do in our effort and ability alone. What was the "cup" Jesus was referring to in His prayer in the garden? The cup Jesus was going to drink was the cup of God’s wrath against sin. How can God tell rebellious sinners that they are right before Him and not become detestable to Himself? Through Christ's perfect sacrifice on the cross. There Jesus absorbed God’s righteous wrath so that sinners might actually become sons and daughters of the Father. He drank the cup of God’s wrath for us so that God could extend the cup of His fellowship to us.

Jesus knew Peter better than Peter knew Himself, which is why Jesus prayed for him (John 17). Were it not for Jesus’ intercession on our behalf, every one of us would abandon the faith when times get tough and be content to chase after the lesser things of this world. Jesus helps us see & understand that we cannot do what He’s called us to do in our effort and ability alone. What was the "cup" Jesus was referring to in His prayer in the garden? The cup Jesus was going to drink was the cup of God’s wrath against sin. How can God tell rebellious sinners that they are right before Him and not become detestable to Himself? Through Christ's perfect sacrifice on the cross. There Jesus absorbed God’s righteous wrath so that sinners might actually become sons and daughters of the Father. He drank the cup of God’s wrath for us so that God could extend the cup of His fellowship to us.

Today we consider the events of Holy week.  In particular we examine briefly the triumphant entry of Christ into Jerusalem and we consider Jesus' cleaning of the temple.  We also look ahead to the later days of Holy Week and Jesus time in the garden of Gethsemane.  There Jesus makes a request of his disciples that they stay awake with him while he wrestles with all that is about to unfold.  They are not up to the task.  Instead they fall asleep.  While we cannot go back in time to Gethsemane and sit with Jesus in a literal sense the world is full of suffering people who long for someone to sit by their side.  While Jesus' suffering is in one sense long over, we also know that Jesus shares in the suffering of all people.  For this reason and for reasons made abundantly clear in our last podcast (whatever we do to the least we do unto Christ), to sit with these is to sit with Jesus.  To sit with those who suffer, to be there for them, is to sit with the Christ who suffered for us all.

It was midday when Jesus came to the ancient site of Jacob's Well in the village of Sychar of Samaria. There Jesus encountered a woman whose life had been a sad series of failed relationships, self-loathing and public shame. But on that day everything would be forever changed as she encountered the mysterious man who was willing to hear her story and then offer her a drink of living water. Join Pastor Jim as he unfolds this story of God's initiating love and amazing grace.

This week's message synopsis:It was midday when Jesus came to the ancient site of Jacob's Well in the village of Sychar of Samaria. There Jesus encountered a woman whose life had been a sad series of failed relationships, self-loathing and public shame. But on that day everything would be forever changed as she encountered the mysterious man who was willing to hear her story and then offer her a drink of living water. Join Pastor Jim as he unfolds this story of God's initiating love and amazing grace.

Demanding even more bread, the crowd stands before The Christ. There Jesus interrupts their hunger for the temporal and confronts them with the eternal.

Our Bluegrass version of this Classic Gospel HymnDown at the cross where my Savior died, Down where for cleansing from sin I cried, There to my heart was the blood applied; Glory to His Name!RefrainGlory to His Name, glory to His Name: There to my heart was the blood applied; Glory to His Name!Oh, precious fountain that saves from sin,I am so glad I have entered in
There Jesus saves me and keeps me clean; Glory to His Name!RefrainCome to this fountain so rich and sweet, Cast thy poor soul at the Savior’s feet; Plunge in today, and be made complete; Glory to His Name!RefrainElisha A. Hoffman, pub.1878 Public Domain© 2013 Shiloh Worship Music COPY FREELY;This Music is copyrighted to prevent misuse, however,permission is granted for non-commercial copying-Radio play permitted- www.shilohworshipmusic.com

It always amazes me that God lives within us. It seems like I don't have much trouble with the idea that we live in God. After all he is pretty big and capable of including all of us. But he lives in us! All that life, all that love, all that righteousness, all that creative power in me …that is mysterious and frightening. But our text tells us that just as we live in God, he also lives in us. He does so by his Spirit. The main idea of our text this week is assurance so that the believer can appeal to God in prayer with confidence. Verse 19 picks up on a theme discussed in the previous verses. It refers back to the idea in the previous verse that we are to love with words and actions. When we do so we gain confidence that we live in the truth. In other words, our Christ-like behavior helps to assure us that Jesus, (the truth) is alive and well in us. This assurance helps us whenever we are prone to periods of doubt or self-condemnation. Even if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knows everything about us. When we are alarmed by our self-examination. When our actions deny our beliefs, God knows better than our hearts and his opinion of us trumps our opinion of ourselves. We pacify our hearts by loving one another and realizing that God knows our true allegiance. This in turn gives us confidence in prayer. Nothing will hinder our prayer and God will answer anything we ask according to his will. Praying with confidence then is linked to inner peace. This is the usual state of the believer's heart. This is possible because we have direct and immediate access to the cure for sin: He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (1 John 1:9). There is one other source for confidence in our prayer life and security in our relationship with God. It is the Holy Spirit's presence in us. John introduces this idea of the Spirit as inner witness of our salvation since he is reflecting upon the Upper Room Discourse in his Gospel chapters 14-17, as he has so often in his epistle. There Jesus encouraged his disciples with the truth that the Spirit would lead and guide them into all truth when he was no longer physically present. He would not leave them comfortless. Questions for Discussion: 1. Slide 3. What is mysterious, disturbing and amazing to you about God living inside you? 2. Slide 7-8. From your own experience, can you relate to the self-condemnation John references? Have you ever found that your love for others is a way to pacify your heart? Why is God's verdict regarding your salvation more important than your own view of your state of heart? 3. Slide 9-13. How important is bold and confident prayer? What hinders your prayer life? What is the antidote to wimpy prayer? 4. Slide 14-17. Discuss the unique view of John regarding the role of the Holy Spirit. Refer to John's gospel chapters 14 to 17 to hear Jesus talk about the Holy Spirit is a similar way. How has this role of the Spirit been experienced in your life?

It always amazes me that God lives within us. It seems like I don't have much trouble with the idea that we live in God. After all he is pretty big and capable of including all of us. But he lives in us! All that life, all that love, all that righteousness, all that creative power in me …that is mysterious and frightening. But our text tells us that just as we live in God, he also lives in us. He does so by his Spirit. The main idea of our text this week is assurance so that the believer can appeal to God in prayer with confidence. Verse 19 picks up on a theme discussed in the previous verses. It refers back to the idea in the previous verse that we are to love with words and actions. When we do so we gain confidence that we live in the truth. In other words, our Christ-like behavior helps to assure us that Jesus, (the truth) is alive and well in us. This assurance helps us whenever we are prone to periods of doubt or self-condemnation. Even if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knows everything about us. When we are alarmed by our self-examination. When our actions deny our beliefs, God knows better than our hearts and his opinion of us trumps our opinion of ourselves. We pacify our hearts by loving one another and realizing that God knows our true allegiance. This in turn gives us confidence in prayer. Nothing will hinder our prayer and God will answer anything we ask according to his will. Praying with confidence then is linked to inner peace. This is the usual state of the believer's heart. This is possible because we have direct and immediate access to the cure for sin: He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (1 John 1:9). There is one other source for confidence in our prayer life and security in our relationship with God. It is the Holy Spirit's presence in us. John introduces this idea of the Spirit as inner witness of our salvation since he is reflecting upon the Upper Room Discourse in his Gospel chapters 14-17, as he has so often in his epistle. There Jesus encouraged his disciples with the truth that the Spirit would lead and guide them into all truth when he was no longer physically present. He would not leave them comfortless. Questions for Discussion: 1. Slide 3. What is mysterious, disturbing and amazing to you about God living inside you? 2. Slide 7-8. From your own experience, can you relate to the self-condemnation John references? Have you ever found that your love for others is a way to pacify your heart? Why is God's verdict regarding your salvation more important than your own view of your state of heart? 3. Slide 9-13. How important is bold and confident prayer? What hinders your prayer life? What is the antidote to wimpy prayer? 4. Slide 14-17. Discuss the unique view of John regarding the role of the Holy Spirit. Refer to John's gospel chapters 14 to 17 to hear Jesus talk about the Holy Spirit is a similar way. How has this role of the Spirit been experienced in your life?

sermon transcript Introduction Now, for years, I've been watching sporting events, and for years, I've been told by successful athletes what the secret of their success was and that it was, believe in yourself. If you just believe in yourself, you can achieve anything. Now, I wanna add, as I listen to, let's say, Allen Iverson telling me, “Believe in yourself and be lightning quick.” Or if it's David Robinson, he never said it, but “Believe in yourself, and be 7 feet tall,” I get it. Now, I don't think it really works, that if I believe in myself, I can be an Olympic athlete and win a gold medal. Actually, I'm suspect of the whole philosophy. I wanna challenge it right now in your hearing because it's so much a part of the American myth. It's so much a part of what we think is true. It's so much a part of our educational system now that young people are being told this again and again, and they're just reciting back the things that they've been trained to say, “Believe in yourself.” Ben Franklin said it in 1736, “God helps those who help themselves.” It's the gospel of self-reliance and it’s part of the American myth. The self-made man that faces the elements, loneliness, disease, hostile people, enemies, to carve out an existence from the wilderness with his own bare hands, with his axe. Daniel Boone carving a road through the Cumberland Gap to settle in the wilderness of Kentucky. Abraham Lincoln in that same area in Kentucky, rising up from a log cabin to be the president of the United States. Booker T. Washington writing his memoirs, calling it Up From Slavery. Immigrants coming in from Ellis Island, passing by the Statue of Liberty, where it says, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free.” And they go into the city, in New York or Chicago or some other place in the inner reaches of the US, and they make a living for themselves and they build a legacy out of their own labor and their own efforts. And so we're told that God helps those that help themselves. God helps those that save themselves. A poll was done by Barna concerning that phrase, God helps those who help themselves. If they ever come from Barna and ask you that question and ask, “Is it in the Bible?” Please be part of the 19 percent that said no. Seventy-five percent of the teens that were asked that question were told it is the central message of the Bible. Friends, it is not the central message of the Bible. The central message of the Bible is stated in many different times and places, many different ways. But how about this? “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am the worst.” Old Testament version would be, “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him and he will direct your paths.” Or as Jesus put it in John 14:1, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” Overcoming self-confidence is part of that fight each one of us has with the sin nature, we got it from Adam, as part of our fall in Adam. Amazingly, human beings can be in open rebellion against God, their minds saturated with enmity against God, unable to obey his laws and they can still say, “I'm basically a good person.” Though we are frail and weak, harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd, we can still feel mighty and capable and powerful because of some little tricks we can do in space and time. Our culture sells us this line again and again: you can do anything you wanna do, be anything you wanna be, if you just believe in yourself. This is the message of self-esteem, of self-confidence, of self-assurance, of self-salvation. It's part of the American myth, and it is a myth because the Bible is diametrically opposed to all of this. The message of the Bible is that we need a savior. We cannot save ourselves. We need a savior, and his name is Jesus Christ. And it's my privilege every week to get up here and tell you that. And here as we come to this text in Matthew 26:31-35, we have sadly put on full display the overweening confidence of the apostles, particularly Peter. Peter is a main example. The self-confidence of these men is completely misplaced as later events will bear out. They were absolutely certain of their loyalty to Christ, they were certain of their commitment to him. They felt that nothing could come their way that could shake that loyalty, that would shake that commitment. They were certain of it; they were certain that they were willing to die for him. All 11 of them felt the same way. And that same night - within hours of these statements, these assertions - that same night, they all abandoned Jesus and ran for their lives. Just as Jesus said they would do. Isn't it marvelous that we have a savior that knows us completely, knows exactly what we're going to do and loves us anyway? Isn't that marvelous? I get to preach a savior that knows us so completely and loves us anyway. Jesus said, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” I don't think we really believe that as we should. It's the centerpiece of my sanctification to grow, to believe that more and more vigorously. Apart from Christ, I can do nothing. We think of ourselves more highly than we should. And so today we get to look in a mirror, if we do it rightly, you'll look in these verses as in a mirror, and you'll see yourself. You're not gonna blame Peter, you're not gonna blame the 11, you're gonna see yourself. And you get a chance as you look in this text to look at the road ahead for you. But what is facing you from here until the day you die or the day the Lord returns? The Bible tells us it's an arduous, difficult journey, a race you're going to run. It's going to be opposed every step of the way by the world, the flesh, and the devil. And my question to you is, just like we heard in the song, “How do you know?” That's how they began. I was thinking of those words, How do you know you're going to make it? How do you know you're gonna finish your race? And if your answer has anything basically to do with yourself, you're wrong, you're off. And I wanna heal you of that today. I want you to say “The way I know I'm gonna finish this race is that Christ, the very one who began that work in me, is gonna carry it on to completion. If left to myself, I will fail. Satan is too strong for me. He is able to orchestrate circumstances around me and I will come crashing to the ground, just like these 11 did.” Look in the mirror, look at these verses as in a mirror and find yourself, and then look up from it to Christ and say, “Oh God, save me, save me from myself, wean me off of self-reliance from this text.” Christ Predicts the Sinful Flight of the Apostles (vs. 31) Context: The Night of Jesus’ Arrest Let's look at it carefully, verse by verse. Look at verse 31, there Christ predicts the sinful flight of the apostles. “Then Jesus told them, ‘This very night, you will all fall away on account of me. For it is written: “I will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.”’” This very night. What night is it? Well, we're jumping right in the middle here in this sermon, to the context that we've been following along in Matthew's gospel. Matthew 26-28, the crucifixion account and the resurrection account, that's where we're at in Matthew's gospel. And that was the night of Jesus' arrest. By then, Jesus had been anointed by Mary in Bethany. Judas had already arranged to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. And then we saw Jesus prepare the final Passover through the disciples that were sent on ahead, they prepared that upper room. And he predicted Judas's betrayal, we saw that last time, and he celebrated the last supper with them, instituting body and blood as the permanent reminder of his death for them. “This is my body, this is my blood. The blood of the New Covenant, do this in remembrance of me.” We talked about all of these things last time, and then they sang a hymn and they went out in verse 30. Now, in between all of that, we have to insert John's gospel and all of the incredible rich instruction that Jesus gives them there in John 14-16, and then the prayer that he does for them in John 17. So that happened before, I think, verse 30 in our Chapter. So he does all of these things, he tells them of the promised Holy Spirit, the counselor who's going to come. And he tells them of the persecution and suffering they're going to go through for his name's sake, that in this world that they would have trouble. And that they would be hated by all people on account of him, and that they would be put out of the synagogues, and that they would be beaten and even be put to death. And those who were doing these things would think they were serving God by doing them. And he warned them about all of these things, and then he prayed for them beautifully, that none would be lost. Except the one doomed to destruction, he leaves him out of that prayer. But that none of them would be lost, and he prays for those who will receive the gospel through their word, that all of them, all of us, will be one. Just as the Father and the Son is one that we would all be one. All of these things happening, and the teachings and instructions he was giving there in the upper room, but they weren't ready for all of that. They couldn't hear it all. Jesus acknowledged that in John's gospel. In John 16:12, he says, “I have much to say to you, more than you can now bear.” You're not able to absorb all of this and take it all in. At some point they would be ready for all of these themes, the themes of persecution and suffering, and the coming Holy Spirit and all of those things, but first they had to learn a lesson, a very bitter lesson. He'd warn them about it. He's warning them right here in this text. It's a bitter lesson about themselves, but the words wouldn't be enough, they had to live it out. They had to go through it. And only, especially after Peter, only after Peter went through it, did he see who he really was, did he understand how self-reliant he had been and how much he needed a savior. And so all of that happened, they sing a hymn, and then they go out, go out from Jerusalem. They're going out to the Mount of Olives. They're going to Gethsemane, the very place where Judas knew where they would go, the place where Jesus would pray, and the place also where he would be arrested. And they would make their way out of the crowded city of Jerusalem, where there would be hundreds of thousands of pilgrims that were there to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Passover. And they would cross the Kidron Valley, they would go across the Brook Kidron, where all of the blood from the sacrifices, the thousands and thousands of lambs that had been slaughtered that night was being carried down also perhaps by some of the rain water. And it was being carried down there, and so it's like a river of blood they must have literally physically crossed as they crossed the Kidron Brook to go up to Gethsemane. I don't know if they noticed by the light of the full moon, but I'm certain that Jesus must have understood the significance of those lambs that were slaughtered and how they pointed to what was about to happen to him. Jesus Drops a Bombshell And so they were going to Gethsemane. And I don't know if it was while he was on the way or right before they left, or how it happens, but following a chronological order, they sang the hymn and went out and perhaps as they were walking along, or maybe once they got to Gethsemane, but he drops a bombshell on them, and Jesus is just rocking their world. One bomb shell after another. And they're just not ready for all of this. They're not ready to hear it. He just said a moment ago that Judas was going to betray him, and they were all troubled by that, and very sad and began to say, one after the other, “Surely not I Lord,” all that. Now he's very clear about who he means. Maybe they didn't know for sure it was Judas, but now he's very clear when he says these words, “This very night, you will all fall away on account of me,” with no doubt about it. And look at the time frames, it's very specific. This very night, it's going to happen, within hours. Now, what does it mean they will all fall away? The Greek word is “scandalidzo,” from which we get “scandal” or “scandalized.” Generally, translated in the sense of a stumbling stone, you'll stumble tonight. The literalistic translation has to do with a trapper, a snare with a kind of a bait stick that the prey goes after to get lured in and then trapped. And so that's going to happen to all of you. You're gonna get lured in and you're gonna get trapped. And what was the bait? The bait would be their love for their own lives, their love for themselves, that was the bait. And Satan was going to put a trap around them and he would cause them to flee because they loved their lives in this world. The Root of the Scandal: Jesus’ Suffering and Death The root of this scandal was Jesus' suffering and death, something that they just couldn't seem to get their minds around, something they just couldn't seem to accept that Jesus had to die. Peter in particular, just struggled with this. He just couldn't come to grips with it. It began in Matthew's gospel and back in chapter 16 where, in Caesarea Philippi, he has this time with his disciples. And it says, “From that time on, Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hand of the elders, chief priest and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed, and on the third day, be raised to life.” He was very clear about this. “Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ‘Never, Lord!’ he said, ‘This shall never happen to you!’ Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You're a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.’” Well, the apostles all expected, as we've been told time and again - certainly after the triumphal entry, as Jesus entered Jerusalem in triumph - they really expected that he would sit on a glorious throne and rule over the whole world, and that they would get to sit at his right and his left on thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel, and it was going to be a time of glory and of honor, and prestige, and comfort and luxury, and all. That's what they really thought was going to happen. And so Jesus is scandalizing them with his arrest and his suffering and death, they couldn't understand it. They couldn't understand the need for the suffering servant, the need for the shed blood of Jesus, they didn't understand the atonement. And so as he was being arrested, they would be scandalized by their shock, and they would revert to their former way of thinking, “Save yourself, you need to save yourself,” and they would run. They would not trust him, they would be left bewildered, they would be back where they started, pondering a way to re-enter their own lives. They left the fishing industry, they left their boats and their nets, and maybe they'd go back to that. It'd be a lot easier for the fishermen than for Matthew, the tax collector. I don't think he's getting that thing again, that was a good setup. And there was definitely some Jew that took his place as a tax collector, and so it'd be really hard for Matthew, but they probably were thinking these kinds of things. And Jesus said, “This very night, you’ll all fall away because of me, you'll be scandalized because of me. I'm going to offend you. Because of what I am saying, because of what I am doing, because of me, you will be offended.” It's the very same thing that he said in reference to John the Baptist. Remember when John was in prison and he wasn't quite sure he was following the trajectory of Jesus' ministry. It didn't make a lot of sense to him, and he was being broken down in prison, it was hard for him. And so he sent messengers, Matthew 11, he sent messengers to Jesus to ask, “Are you the one who was to come or should we expect someone else?” I mean, do you realize what John's asking there? Someone else means his life, John's life, has been wasted because he pointed to him as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He pointed to him, he was the precursor, and now he's arrested and he's gonna die. So he was not the voice of the one calling in the wilderness, he was just reeling through unbelief at that moment. Jesus then performs a bunch of miracles in front of the messengers, and he said, “Go back and report to John what you see and hear, the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the good news is preached to the poor.” And then he said this, “Blessed are all those who do not fall away on account of me. Don't let anything that I'm doing offend you. Trust me in everything I'm doing. Not just some of what I'm doing, trust everything I'm doing. Don't fall away on account of me.” They Would ALL Fall Away! But he says to the 11, “This very night, you will all fall away on account of me.” Isn't it amazing how little loyalty and courage they had after watching and being involved in the only perfect ministry there has ever been? That Jesus could not engender more loyalty and more courage than that is just astonishing. Note: Jesus’ Knowledge of the Future... Based on Scripture Note again, Jesus' specific and detailed knowledge of the future, as we discussed last time in reference to Judas. Jesus has meticulous, complete, accurate foreknowledge of everything that will happen. John makes it plain concerning this very night when he's arrested in John 18:4, it says, “Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and said, ‘Who is it you're looking for?’” So John makes it very plain, what he wants us to think. Do you not understand Jesus' omniscience? He knew everything that was going to happen to him before it happened. Well it wasn't just that he knew everything that was going to happen to him, he knew everything that was gonna happen to them. And so he says in John 13:19, “I'm telling you this now, before it happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe that I am.” That’s all it says in the Greek, “you will believe I am.” “You'll believe that I am God, so that when all of the bad things that are about to happen tonight happen, you will believe that I am God.” Says it again, John 14:29, “I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe.” So Jesus is predicting their falling away. So he knows the future, he knows it perfectly. He also knows the past, and by that I mean specifically, he knows prophetic scripture. He knows the Old Testament better than any man that's ever lived, and so he finds an obscure prophecy in Zechariah, that predicts that those things would happen, this very thing would happen. The same book that predicted the 30 pieces of silver, the same book that predicted what would happen to the 30 pieces of silver, we'll get into all that in Matthew 27. But in Zechariah 11 it was all predicted. The 30 pieces, the throwing to the potter in the house of the Lord, all of that predicted, he then goes ahead two chapters to find this phenomenon, in Zechariah 13:7, we have this prophecy, “‘Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is close to me!’ declares the Lord almighty, ‘Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn my hand against the little ones.’” At Zechariah 13:7, this prophecy shows that even their falling away, even their running away to save their lives had been predicted by the prophets. Now, I would say that without Jesus' link here, without his explanation, we wouldn't have found it. We wouldn't have linked it to this event, we wouldn't have found Jesus and his arrest and them running away here, but as William Cowper put it in one of his beautiful hymns, “God is his own interpreter, and he will make it plain.” So if he tells us it was predicted in Zechariah 13:7, it was, and so it was made plain. And in the original context, in Zechariah 13, Zechariah is talking about false prophets who are going to turn away from their false prophecy and forsake it, and renounce those false prophecies, but suddenly in Zechariah 13:7, the prophet speaks into this word about the true shepherd of Israel, and he says, “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” And it's amazing, the prophecy calls for God's sword to awake against “my shepherd,” “my associate,” or “the one who is close to me.” It's very strong in the original language. It really points to the deity of Christ. The shepherd of God's sheep is one who's very close to Almighty God. Made me think of Philippians 2:6, “Jesus who being in very nature, God did not think it robbery,” KJV gives us, “did not think it robbery to be equal with God.” It wasn't 'cause he was equal with God and is. He says in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one,” and so strike the shepherd, the associate, the one who's close to me, and the sheep are gonna be scattered. But it's also clearly a prediction of the atoning work of Jesus on the cross. Jesus would be struck by the wrath of God. And so I meditated on this and I thought, it's amazing. Jesus is our good shepherd. When you take the shepherd away, the sheep have no protection. We are at the mercy of the wolves and they have no mercy, and that's why the sheep are scattered, we're in danger. So that's the effect. That's why it happened. That's why they ran away, because their shepherd was gone - How much do we need Jesus! But then conversely, isn't it marvelous that it's as Jesus is being struck, that he provides the shelter for us, so that we are protected! It's in the striking we get our protection. So I wanna say the final story is strike the shepherd and the sheep will be gathered. Amen. Hallelujah. So they're scattered for a while, but then the Lord is gonna gather them by the Holy Spirit and bring them back. So it's kind of depressing this text, but it has a happy ending. They're going to run, they're gonna get scattered, and Jesus is going to bring them all back. We'll talk about that at the end. Peter Displays His Sinful Self-Reliance (vs. 33) Perhaps the Worst Statement Ever Made in Scripture by Any True Follower of Jesus I haven't forgotten verse 32, but let's go on to verse 33. I'll do verse 32 at the end. But look at verse 33, Peter displays a sinful self-reliance. He replies, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” I don't know if this is true, but I'm gonna go ahead and say it, anyway. This may be the worst statement ever made in scripture by a true follower of Christ. If there are others, fine, find them and we'll talk about it. But it's up there. It's in the top five. This is horrible. It's horrible at many levels. Let's do the worst part of it at all. First of all, Peter's statement is arrogant, over against Jesus himself. In effect, is he not saying, “Jesus, you're wrong. You're wrong.” Now, Peter's bold to do this, I've noted it several times in the pulpit here, and I'll just say it briefly, four times Peter says “Never” to the Lord. Four times. I've already quoted one in Matthew 16 about his death. “Never Lord!” he said, “this shall never happen to you.” What I love about each of these four times, God gets the final word, every time. Jesus gets the final word. So Peter is just wrong. He rebukes him in Matthew 16. Here in our text, he says it twice. He says it here, and then he says it again, “Even if I have to die with you, I never will disown you.” So he says it twice. He says it at the foot washing, remember that one? “Lord, are you gonna wash my feet?” Jesus says, “You don't understand, later you will,” and he proceeds. He said, “Never, Lord. You will never wash my feet.” I love the fact that a minute later, he's washing Peter's feet. Isn't that wonderful? Thank God that Jesus wins every argument he has with us. But even after the resurrection, even after the giving of the Holy Spirit, he's still doing it, still fighting that fleshly tendency to challenge God and to disagree with God. That's when, in Acts 10, the Lord is getting him ready to go preach the gospel to a Gentile, to Cornelius, remember that, and he shows him a sheet full of animals that up to that time had been unclean for him as a Jew, but now God has made clean, because Jesus has declared all foods clean. He says, “Arise Peter, kill and eat.” And he said, “Never, Lord, I've never eaten anything impure or unclean.” And then the voice comes from heaven a second time, “Peter, do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” This is his tendency. In effect, what is Peter saying to Jesus? “Jesus, you know a lot of things. You're really good at those miracles, I don't know how you do it, it's amazing, and you're right about so many things, but you're wrong about me. You're wrong about me.” The root issue here is definitely pride. “You don't know me very well.” And yet, isn't this true? Psalm 139, “O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise ... before a word is on my tongue, you know it completely, O Lord.” He has searched us and he knows us. Secondly, Peter's statement is arrogant compared to his friends, the other apostles. Do you see it? But what is he saying here compared to them? “I am the greatest of all the apostles. I am the first, the chief, the most courageous, the most loyal, and even if all fall away on account of you, I know I never will.” Very arrogant, and it's the kind of jockeying that you see these guys doing all the time, arguing among themselves as to which of them is the greatest. If you were one of the 11 and you heard Peter say that, wouldn't that cause a rise out of you? Say, “Now wait a minute, Peter. Wait a minute. I think I might actually be the last to cave in.” And so there was that kind of bickering, that kind of arguing that goes on, that jockeying for position. But friends, what about this, what about Philippians 2:3, “Do nothing out of selfishness or vain conceit, but in humility, consider others better than yourselves.” Do you see that kind of humility in this statement here by Peter? I don't. Is he considering others better than himself? The Root Issue: Pride and Self-Reliance So the root issue here is the whole theme of the sermon, I believe, and that's pride and self-reliance. Pride and self-reliance. He underestimates the incredible trial that he's about to face, he doesn't understand how strong the prince of this world who is coming is. He said, “The prince of this world is coming, and he has nothing on me.” Jesus said that. But he's coming. And he is going to sift them all like wheat, Luke tells us. He's going to test them. So he greatly underestimates the trial that's coming, but even worse, he greatly overestimates his ability to meet any trial that comes. It's like, “I got this one. I can handle this night, and I am not running, and I am not going to forsake you.” He's relying on himself. “I will be up to the task.” We'll talk more about self-reliance at the end of the message. Christ Predicts Peter’s Three-Fold Denial (vs. 34) The Specific Prophecy In verse 34, Christ predicts Peter's threefold denial. He says, “I tell you the truth, this very night before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” This is a very specific prophecy, it goes even beyond this very night. It's before the rooster crows. The Jews divided the evening into four parts; by this time two of those parts are done. Evening was from six to nine. Midnight from nine until 12. The cock crow could happen anywhere from 12 until three. And morning from three to six. By the time they arrived in Gethsemane, I think it's well after midnight. It's been a full night, the Passover lamb can't be slaughtered until Twilight. And so, they've had all of these things, the eating, all of the teaching, everything they had, so I think it's late, really late, or early, depending on how you looked at it, the next day. And so Jesus is predicting that they're going to fall away within a couple of hours. Within a couple of hours. That Peter is gonna deny him three times, within a couple of hours. And yet, do you not see the grace of God in all of this? It is by this prediction, the specificity of it, that God is going to draw Peter back from the dark extremities of unbelief and of turning away, and he's gonna draw him back away, back into the light of a healthy walk with Christ. You remember what happens? He denies him, denies him, denies him, and he even calls down curses on himself, and then the rooster crows and then he remembers. He remembers the words that the Lord had spoken, and he goes away from that very tempting and tough situation, and he goes alone, and he weeps bitterly, and that's the road back. That's the road back. Do you realize what Jesus said Peter would do? “You will disown me. You'll disown me. You'll deny that you even know me.” Talk about taking an axe in your hands and chopping down the tree you're sitting on, if you could even do that. Imagine that. Do you realize the significance of that knowing that happens between the soul and Christ? Do you realize that that is the essence of eternal life? In John 17:3, “Now this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” What is Peter saying? “I don't know Jesus.” According to John 17:3, he's saying, “I don't have eternal life, I'm dead.” Conversely, do you realize how significant it will be on Judgment Day for Jesus to know you? “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evil doers.’” Says it several times. In Luke 13, “You will stand outside, knocking on the door and saying, ‘Sir sir, open the door.’ But he will answer, ‘I don't know you or where you come from.’” That's in a parable. “I don't know you.” Luke 12:9, “He who disowns me before men will himself be disowned before the angels of God.” 2 Timothy 2:12, “If we disown him, he will also disown us.” Thanks be to God he didn't disown Peter, amen. He disowned him three times. He said, “I don't even know him. Never heard of him. I'm not his disciple.” The Specificity Displays Christ’s Omniscience, and Underscores His Grace and Love And he's very specific about the rooster crowing and about the number of times, three times, and that specificity, again, displays Christ's omniscience, and the prediction underscores Christ's grace and love, because he's going to go as a good shepherd and he's gonna bring this sinner back in. He's gonna restore him, he's going to redeem him, he's going to renew him, he's going to give him a ministry that he doesn't deserve, and he's going to bolster him up and strengthen him in his two weak areas, his self-reliance and his fear of death. And he's gonna cure both of those, so that he will be a mighty minister of the gospel for Jesus Christ. He's gonna cure both of them. And so in John 21, when he restores him and he says, “Do you love me?” He says, “I love you,” three times. He restores him, and then he says, “I tell you the truth, in the past, when you were younger, you dressed yourself and you went wherever you wanted to go, but in the future, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will dress you and take you where you do not wanna go.” And then John tells us that this is the way Peter would glorify God by death. And so he would lose his self-reliance and he would lose his fear of death, but he had some very bitter learning to go through first. Peter and the Other Apostles Deepen Their Sinful Self-Reliance (vs. 35) Amazing Arrogance! And then in verse 35, Peter and the other apostles, deep in their sinful self-reliance, they go even deeper here. I would have stopped after the first statement, wouldn't you? Maybe, I don't know. See, I think I was just arrogant there. I probably would have said it five more times, so I don't know. But it's so stunning, it's not enough, this one encounter, he's gonna go even deeper. “I see you're getting real specific with the prophecy here Lord, but you're still wrong. Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same. This is amazing, arrogance. “Lord, you are so wrong about me.” Now, here we see the total reliance on self, that's gonna translate into the sin of prayerlessness in a moment in Gethsemane. They're not gonna pray. You know why? Because they don't need to pray, because they've got this one, they're fine, they're underestimating what's coming their way, and they're not ready for it. If they were not so self-reliant, they would pray. The mark of your self-reliance and mine is prayerlessness. That's how you know. How do I know that I'm self-reliant, it is prayerlessness. Whatever you don't pray about, that's what you're relying on yourself to do. I'm convinced of that. So I see big pockets of self-reliance in my life. The Mention of Death Goes to the Heart of the Matter Isn't it interesting that Peter also goes to the issue of death, and he says, “Even if I have to die.” I think that's the very thing he was afraid of. That's what made him deny Jesus. He was afraid of torture and death. He was afraid of torture and death. So when the servant girl challenges him at the entrance of the high priest's house, he's gonna shrink back and say, “No, no, I don't know him,” and then it's gonna get worse and worse, and Jesus had called on his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and for the gospel will find it. What good would it be for a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?” The heroes in the book of Revelation, we're told about them, in Revelation 12:11, “They overcame Satan by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, that they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” But Peter does love his life so much as to shrink from death, so do the other of the 11, and it's completely understandable. I'm not slamming on Peter here. It is the most natural thing in the world to preserve yourself, to seek survival. It is completely natural. All animals do it, all people too. You try to survive, try to live for another day. Get out of it, get your foot out of the net and get out of there, so you don't die. It's the most natural thing in the world. It is supernatural to face death joyfully because you believe in an invisible heaven that's going to come. That's supernatural, that comes only by faith, and that's a supernatural work of God's grace. And that's what makes Peter's self-reliance so bad. Only God can make us supernaturally confident in the face of our own death. It is only by faith that we can face the visible reality of our death with the invisible reality of the heaven that will follow it. Self-reliance looks ahead to the trial and looks inward to the resource and says, “I can do it.” But faith looks ahead to the trial and looks upward to God and says, “Only by your help and your strength can I do this.” Through prayer, you say, “God, grant me strength. I can't face this trial alone. You've gotta help me.” Christ Predicts the Cure (vs. 32; Luke 22:31-32) Jesus, Even as He Made His Initial Prediction, Pointed Ahead to His Resurrection Victory! Well, let's go back to verse 32. Jesus predicts the cure. Amen. Jesus predicts the cure. The final word will be grace, the final word will be triumph and victory, not defeat for these 11. Then Jesus told them in verse 31, “This very night, you will all fall away on account of me. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’” Verse 32, “But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” Furthermore... They Would See Him Again... They Would Not Be Abandoned I'm going to die, but I'm going to rise again. And then I'm going to see you again. This isn't gonna be our last night, it's a bad night, but this isn't our last time together, you will meet me in Galilee and we will be together and you'll see me in my resurrection glory, and we'll go on from there. And I'm not gonna fire you, I could, but I'm not gonna fire you and find some people who will be more loyal and more courageous and more faith-filled, I don't know where I'd find them, 'cause we're all the same. No, I'm gonna work with you and I'm going to restore you, I'm not gonna abandon you, I'm going to renew you, and even better, I'm gonna give you the power of the Holy Spirit, and by the power of the Spirit, you're gonna overcome your self-reliance and you're gonna overcome your fear of death. And you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. And when they arrest you, don't worry about what to say, because at that time it will be given you what to say, because it's not gonna be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. The Power of the Holy Spirit And you will lose your fear - and so he did, in Acts chapter 4, there's Peter arrested for the healing of a lame man, and he and John are brought in, and then Peter filled with the Holy Spirit, said this, “Rulers and elders of the people,” those were his arrestors, his inquisitors, his executioners, he's not afraid of them at all. “Rulers and elders of the people, if we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel, it is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” He's lost his self-reliance, and he's lost his fear of death. And why? Because the Holy Spirit was poured out on him. And so it would be for all of them. All of them would be martyred. Church history tells us one story after another, you can look it up, what tradition says. Some hideous deaths awaited them, but they were not afraid, they continued to testify to the resurrection of Christ. All except John, who went in exile in Patmos. They lost their fear of death, and they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. And so, this story has a happy ending. Praise God. Applications Forsake Your Self-Reliance and Come to Christ! What applications can we take from it? First of all, the most significant form of self-reliance you have, has to do with judgment day, your own death, judgment day and heaven and hell. May I plead with you on the basis of the gospel to stop trusting in yourself and flee to Christ? May I plead with you to look to Christ alone? Do not begin to say, “I'm not a sinner.” You know you are. The law of God stands against you. All of us have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. There is not one of us righteous, not one of us can stand on our own righteousness before the judgment seat of a holy God who sees everything we've ever done, and survive. And so we must have a savior. So turn away from self-reliance and trust in Christ. He is the Son of God, his blood was shed on the cross for sinners like you and me. And as we've already said, God raised him from the dead on the third day, and that atonement has been accepted. See in This Account Your Own Weakness If you've already come to Christ, you're a Christian, face the weight of the question I asked you earlier. How do you know you're going to finish this race? Is it because it's going to be easy? It's not. The world, the flesh and the devil will oppose you every step of the way, and you know it. How then do you know you're going to finish? There is still a part of you that says, “Because I …” There's still a part of you. You may not say it at the time of confessional, you know where I say, “How do you know?” “Jesus saved me.” You know the right answers, but we don't live them like we should. All of us struggle with self-reliance. How do I know that? Because one of the greatest apostles, greatest men that ever lived was the Apostle Paul, and he struggled with it, badly. And as a matter of fact, the only thing that would get him to turn away was to be in trial so severe that he thought he was going to die. That's the only thing that can wean us off our self-reliance. 2 Corinthians 1:8-9, “We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the trials we faced in Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed in our hearts, we felt the sentence of death. But this happened so that we might no longer rely on ourselves, but on God who raises the dead.” There's so much in there. What that teaches me is that even the apostle, a mature man of God, was still somewhat self-reliant. And only the pressure of extreme trial caused him to rely fully on God who raises the dead. So what are those things you think you can handle and don't need to pray about? What would you include in that? Parts of your job, your work life, financial life, academic life, relationships, marriage, parenting, single life, sexual purity? You got that one? Are you able to handle that one on your own? How about anxiety? You can handle anxiety. “I got anxiety licked, I'm good at anxiety.” Well, you're good at anxiety, you're not good at beating it, but we can be anxious. Alright, what is it? Circle with a red pen those areas of your life that you don't think you need to pray about. It's like, “Oh, I know the right answer. That's nothing, I know I need to... “ Alright, what do you actually pray about and what do you not pray about? And I would contend those things you actually don't pray about, there's a good indication you're probably relying on yourself. Forsake that. Learn to pray about everything. Learn to ask God for help in everything. Encourage one another in your fellowship with another, look to God, trust in God, let's trust in him for all things. The High Priestly Ministry of Christ... Praying for Our Faith: Luke 22 Finally, I want to point you up into the heavenly realms, and I wanna tell you something that's going on right now to help you, and it's mentioned in the parallel account. Go in your Bibles, hope I get the quote right this time, Luke 22:31-32. I wanna finish by pointing to this one. It's the same story, but it was told with a little more detail in Luke's gospel. Jesus predicting Peter's falling away. Luke 22:31-32. There Jesus says this to Peter, “Simon, Simon, Satan has demanded to sift you as wheat.” The you there is plural. So he's gonna sift all of you. “But I have prayed for you, Simon,” the you there is singular, “I've prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” This is an incredibly vital glimpse into the heavenly realms to the priestly prayer ministry of Jesus for you. He is at the right hand of God, Hebrews 7:25, and is interceding for you right now. And it tells us who he's talking to, we know, he's talking to the Father. He's talking to the Father, but it tells us the topic of the conversation. “I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith” - Simon's faith is the topic of that conversation. “Father, I'm praying right now for Simon's faith.” What is the end of that prayer? What is the end result? “That it won't fail. That it won't fail.” Let me ask you a question, without Jesus' priestly ministry for you, do you think your faith would fail? Can your faith survive the siege warfare of the devil as he hurls the world at you, and as your flesh unlocks the gate of the walled fortress to let the enemy in, can you survive all of that without Jesus' intercessory prayer for you? I tell you, you can't. So therefore, he's praying for you continually, that your faith won't fail. And guess what? It won't. It won't. Why? Because the God who gave it to you will sustain it every moment of your lives until the day you die. And the Son who died, who shed his blood to buy you that faith, is praying that you'll keep having it until the day you die, and then you will. You will. So what I would urge you to do is, first, just know that's going on all the time. He is interceding for you, that your faith won't fail. Don't trust in yourself, rely on him and join him in his intercessory prayer ministry for yourself. Say, “Oh Lord, please, sustain my faith, don't let my faith fail, let me keep believing in you, let me... “ And then extend it outward and join in a kind of a priestly ministry for each other. Let's pray for each other. Pray for so and so that his faith won't fail. Her faith won't fail. They're going through a medical trial, I'm praying that their faith won't fail. They're going through medical trials, I'm praying, Oh God, that their faith won't fail. That's the focal point of your prayer. And away with self-reliance. Amen? Away with self-salvation. Away with all of that. And look to the savior, the one who saves us. Let's close in prayer. Father, we thank you for the lesson that we've had. It's been painful, it's a painful lesson, to look in the mirror and find in Peter and the 11, such self-reliance, to find in them attitudes that we deplore in ourselves, but they're there, of self-reliance. Forgive us for our self-reliance. Forgive us for our prayerlessness. Forgive us for thinking we can do this or do that or do the other on our own. Apart from you, Lord, we can do nothing. Strengthen in us a sense of total dependence on Christ, and to realize that only through that high priestly praying ministry will our faith not fail. And God is sovereign, the one who gave us the faith to begin with will sustain it until the day we die and don't need it anymore, because faith will be sight. We thank you for these things and pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

Introduction I believe one of the most serious responsibilities a pastor has in life, and one of the most serious responsibilities I have in this church is to keep Judgement Day in front of you constantly, to get you ready for what's really coming. The Day of the Lord is coming, and the Bible makes it plain that there is a day coming in which He will judge all humanity. When the Apostle Paul stood before the Greek philosophers in the Areopagus at Mars Hill, he finished his message with these words, Acts 17:31, "God has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the man that He has appointed." Later, when Paul stood before the Roman governor, Felix, on trial for his life, Paul turned the tables and gave Felix a sense of the time when he would stand on trial for his soul. In Acts 24:25, as Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix became afraid and said, "That's enough for now. You may leave. When I find it convenient, I'll send for you." Felix dismissed Paul because he could not handle the thought of Judgement Day, it made him feel uncomfortable. But I tell you that concept cannot be easily dismissed by sending the messenger away. You can dismiss the messenger but Judgement Day stands, Judgement Day looms, it is coming. I think it's one of my responsibilities to get you ready for that day. As the Lord Jesus Christ finished his discourse on the Mount of Olives, He's getting his disciples ready for his Second Coming. They had asked him, "When will these things be, the destruction of Jerusalem? What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" In Matthew 24 and 25, He's been answering those questions and He ends with this teaching, what's commonly called the sheep and the goats, sometimes wrongly called the parable of the sheep and the goats. This isn't a parable, actually. It's a simple description from our Lord Jesus Christ of elements of Judgement Day. It's a simile. A simile is a comparison of two things using the word like or as. Jesus said, "All the nations will be gathered before him, and He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats." He's going to put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. What is being compared? Separation. Righteous from the unrighteous, the believers in Jesus Christ, from those who did not believe in Jesus Christ, the saved from the lost, the redeemed from the unredeemed. They're going to be separated. Recently, I saw yet again, and you've seen it too, I'm sure, the bumper sticker that uses various religious symbols to spell out the word “co-exist.” The crescent moon forms the sea representing Islam, the peace sign forms the O, representing an end to all war. The X was made out of the star of David, representing Judaism. The I is dotted with the Wiccan symbol representing earth religions or pagan religions. The S is made out of the yin and yang circle representing Confucianism and the T of course is the cross of Christ, and we need to co-exist. It's printed by the Co-exist Foundation which seeks to promote peace between the world religions, especially through dialogue. Jesus told the parable of the wheat and the weeds, also saying that we need to co-exist. In that, and probably in little else, Jesus and those folks agree. We have to live together, but Jesus says, the time is coming when He will separate the wheat from the weeds, and that day is Judgement Day, and we will not co-exist with them anymore. We will be separated from them, and that separation will be eternal. The harvest is the end of the age, and that's Judgement Day. Matthew 25:31-46 is, in my opinion, the plainest description of Judgement Day you will find in the Bible from the lips of Jesus. It's the plainest and clearest He ever gets, and we would do well to heed it because the Scripture reveals, He is the judge, He is the man whom God has appointed. He begins, I think, by talking about his own glory at that time, the glory of the judge on Judgement Day. Verse 31, "When the son of man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory." The judge of all the Earth is the Son of Man, that's Jesus Christ. It is the unique privilege and glory of God the Son, of the Son of man, of Jesus, to judge every human being that's ever lived. It says in John 5:22-23, "Moreover, the father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father." Jesus Christ will be judge of all the earth, and every single human being will stand before Him on that dreadful day. What of the time of judgment? When will it happen? He says right here, when the Son of man comes in his glory, that's when the Judgement Day happens, the Second Coming of Christ, it's clear that Judgement Day will follow the return of Christ to the earth in glory. What is the nature of the glory of Christ, a judgment? We know that Christ in his first advent, his first coming to earth, laid aside, all of His glory. "Mild he lays his glory by, born that man no more may die," as it says in Hark the Herald Angels Sing. He lays his heavenly glorious aside. He was born of a human mother, Mary, in very rude and poverty-stricken circumstances. He was laid in a manger where animals feed, and from that point on, as He grew up, He looked like any ordinary man. That feeling of the ordinary-ness of Jesus reached its climax at the cross, when Jesus was shedding his blood, dying like two other guys who were being crucified with him. Isaiah 53 says, "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him. Nothing in his appearance that we should desire Him.” The Second Coming of Christ However, at the Second Coming of Christ, that will all be different, won't it? He's going to come back in a radiant heavenly glory. Christ's glory at the judgment will be even more ominous, even more awe-inspiring. In many cultures, judges at the time of a trial wear certain robes, even ornate robes to set them apart from anyone else in the courtroom. In the United Kingdom, especially, they wear ermine robes and purple and scarlet, silk, and when the judge appears in the courtroom, everyone's commanded to rise out of honor and respect for him and for the law that he represents. If these are the trappings of earthly judges, then how much more glory will attend the judge of all the earth when He sits on His throne? It will be an awesome display of glory and the throne itself that He's going to sit on will exude His attributes and his nature. Hebrews 1 says, "Your throne, oh God will last forever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness, and therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy." There Jesus is perhaps on a raised throne high and lifted up, glory surrounding him, and there's going to be angels there. It's not just that there's going to be angels there, all the angels will be there. Frequently, He dispatches small contingents of angels or just maybe even a single angel, but not this time. All the angels are going to be there when the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the angels with Him. He will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. Daniel 7:10 describes the scene of Judgment Day I believe very well. "A river of fire was flowing coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended Him, and 10000 times 10000 stood before him." Amazing, 100 million radiant powerful beings. These are angelic warriors, not fat little babies with tiny little wings that could not lift them with little arrows shooting, these are mighty beings. Often when angels appear, the first thing that they have to say is, "Fear not,” because there's just this radiant glory, this power that surrounds them. The Roman soldiers guarding Jesus' tomb shook with fear and became like dead men, at one angel, who moves the stone and sits on it. The Book of Daniel depicts one angel so awesome and powerful and overwhelming that Daniel said he fell at His feet as one dead, he couldn't get his breath. The Book of Revelation in Revelation 10:1-3 describes another mighty angel coming down from heaven. "He was robed in a cloud with a rainbow above his head and his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars, and he planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion." That's one angel. A big one too, I get the sense. These are awesome beings and these warrior servants; these angelic servants move people. I don't mean they move them emotionally, they might do that, but I mean they physically move people like bulldozers. They are the ones that the Lord sends out at the time of the Rapture to gather all of the Elect. But they're also going to be dispatched to gather all of the goats. All nations are going to be gathered to stand before Christ and they, the angels, will be the powerful agents of his wrath to bind the lost, the condemned hand and foot and throw them into the lake of fire. Judgment at the Second Coming So that's setting the scene. What of the judgment itself? It’s going to be a comprehensive judgment, all nations, all deeds, all motives laid bare. There's nothing concealed that will not be disclosed. There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. Look at Verse 32, "All nations will be gathered before him." The word ‘nation”, we've learned to understand as an identifiable people group, an ethnic or linguistic people identified by history, geography, world view. This is a nation, and in the Gospel of Matthew it says that He has its eye on the nations all the time. In Matthew 12:18-21, it says there that, "Jesus will proclaim justice to the nations. And in his name, the nations will put their hope." Matthew 24:14 says, "This Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." In that same section of Scripture, in Matthew 24:9, it says that "The messages of the gospel will be hated by all peoples on account of Christ." Then, of course, the gospel itself ends with a great commission, “‘All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me’, said Jesus, ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I've commanded.’” Jesus is a worldwide creator, Jesus is a worldwide King, he is a worldwide Savior, and He will most certainly be a worldwide judge. All nations will be gathered before him. Every single solitary person who's ever lived in every nation on Earth will be gathered before Christ's Judgment Seat. Plato, the fourth century Greek philosopher, will stand before Jesus to give an account for his life. Julius Caesar, the 1st century conqueror of Gaul, the beginning warrior of the Roman Empire really, will stand before Christ's Judgment Seat. Shakespeare, the British poet and playwright, will be there. So will Voltaire. Mao Zedong and Joseph Stalin, two communist dictators are going to stand before Jesus. Osama bin Laden will be there, so will George Bush. Barack Obama's going to stand before Jesus. So will the most common street beggar in Budapest, or in Calcutta. It doesn't matter the station, everybody's going to be standing before Jesus. The word “gathered” implies something happening to you, doesn't it? All the nations will be gathered before him. It implies in some cases, as if by force. There is no choice but to heed this summons. No Muslim, for example, will be able to say, "I will not stand, I refuse to stand before a Christian judgment, I am a Muslim, and I will only stand before Allah." No, dear friend, you'll stand before Jesus Christ. The Son of Man will send out his angels and they will weed out of His kingdom everything that causes sin. It is a comprehensive judgment, not just as to who is there, but as to what is open to view. It says in Hebrews Chapter 4, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from His sight, everything's uncovered and laid there before the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account." Everything will be exposed, all of the deeds and all of the motives. Jesus is able to weigh the motive of every deed. Why did you do it? What were you intending when you did it? Proverbs 16:2 says, "All of man's ways seem innocent to him, but the Lord weighs the motives.” see that? He's going to be weighing the reason, He's tracing it back, and it's going to be a divisive judgment. Jesus said, "Do not suppose that I came to bring peace. I came to bring a sword to divide father against son, daughter against mother and daughter-in-law... " He divides people, and this is the ultimate division here. It's a judgment. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people. One from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He's going to put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. We are mixed now; we will be divided then. We must co-exist now, and it's not easy for us, is it? Surviving in an impure and mixed world. It is because of unbelievers that we have the police forces and courts and jails in the numbers that they are. It's because of unbelievers that so many laws and restrictions need to be written. It's because of unbelievers in Hollywood and New York that we are assaulted daily with images and other temptations that wage war against our souls. It is unbelievers in foreign lands that are waging war against Christians simply because they're Christians. It's unbelievers that make this alluring sinful enticing system known as, in Pilgrim's Progress, as Vanity Fair. Just what it is. However, at the end of the world, this mixed experience in which we must tolerate each other because you can't tell the difference between the weeds and the wheat right now. I'll tell you this, Saul of Tarsus sure looked like weeds that morning that he got converted, didn't he? Praise be to God that those who look like goats to us now can actually be revealed in the end to have been a sheep, that they're going to be sheep through faith in Jesus Christ. Praise be to God; this is the day of salvation. This is the time when people can be converted. But now I'm talking about Judgement Day when there will be no conversion, the division will be perfect, there'll be no mistakes. The sheep are the sheep, and the goats are the goats. Essential to this is the perfect knowledge that the Good Shepherd has of His own sheep. He says, "I am the good shepherd, I know my sheep, and my sheep know me." No mistakes will be made. He knows the goats, but differently. He knows them, but he just knows them differently. Psalm 138:6, "Though the Lord is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud, he knows from afar." He knows them from a distance, just not intimately and relationally. Those angels will make no mistakes. All the sheep will be gathered on one side and all the goats gathered on the other, and there'll be no mix ups, it will be a perfect division. And the division is eternal. Oh, the terror of those words. If you're identified as a goat, you'll be a goat for all eternity, there'll be no change. Same thing with the sheep, it's an eternal division, they will never meet again, the sheep and the goats, they will never be mixed again. They will never look on each other's faces again, after that day. I've seen some wrenching scenes in movies in which loved ones were torn apart from each other. In movies about World War II, the Nazis were especially vicious in separating families. The train would pull into Auschwitz and the doors of the cattle cars would clank open, and the SS would pull people violently down out and start separating families, and some of those people never saw each other again, men over here, women over here, those that could work over here, those that couldn't over there. This separation is far more significant than that. But if I can tell you a mystery, the sheep won't miss the goats. How could we enjoy heaven if we're forever missing the goats? A hint of this, in 1 Corinthians 16, "Anyone who will not love the Lord Jesus Christ, a curse be on him." I don't want to spend eternity with people who don't love Jesus. I want to be with people who love Jesus. We're not going to miss them, therefore. Now again, we're in a different era now. We should weep for the lost, pray for them, yearn for them, be pulling on them. Yes, now is the day of salvation. But on Judgement Day, now it's over, it's finished. We will begin for the first time to see things the way Jesus does in every respect, and love him and embrace every decision He makes, but this separation will be eternal. The Basis of Separation on Judgment Day This is the key to the whole message. Now, please listen, what is the basis of the separation? I'm going to go beyond what's written here, but not beyond the doctrine of the New Testament, but I'm going to find roots of that full doctrine right here in the text. I'm going to give it to you in redemptive historical order. The first basis of the separation is in the mind of God, it is eternal predestination. Before the foundation of the world, this separation had been made. Look at verse 34, "Then the King will say to those on His right, come you who are blessed by my Father." I say this is a blessing from the Father from eternity past. "Take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world." Now, the clear teaching of Scripture, this division of sheep and goats existed in the mind of God, before God even said, "Let there be light." The Elect, the Bible calls them, another word for the sheep, the Elect are chosen by God for Heaven and rescued from hell. The first blessing that the Elect receive, and they don't even, they're not even in existence when they receive it, is eternal predestination, the choice of God, unconditional election, not based on merit or anything that they would do [Romans 9 through 11]. It says in Romans 11, "There is at this present time, a remnant chosen by grace, and if it is by grace then it is no longer by works. If it were by works, then grace would not be grace." So, the first blessing that the sheep received, and they don't even exist yet when they receive it, is the choice of God that they should be sheep. He says, "Come you who are blessed by my Father. Take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you, since the creation of the world." It is prepared for Christ's sheep; He knows his sheep. In God's infinite knowledge and wisdom, it's impossible to think He doesn't know by name each of those sheep, He openly says He does, He knows his sheep by name. That inheritance, that kingdom has been prepared for a specific group of people with their own stories and their own glories, their own agonies, their own struggles and conquests. What a lavish, rich tapestry of history and grace that is. I am looking forward to looking at every strand. I want to hear all about the martyrs, don't you? I want to learn about those missionaries. I want to get in and find out how people ministered in the poorest and the most difficult places on earth. I want to know my brothers and sisters in Christ. I want to study their stories. We'll have eternity to do it and it's going to be delightful. We'll be delivered from our selfishness and we'll have plenty of time. We will just be able to find out what God did in and through them. This kingdom is presently being prepared. What's going on is we are the living stones, we are the building materials, and He is preparing us for Heaven as much as he's preparing heaven for us. That's the preparation that's going on. Isn't that glorious? So, Jesus says, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so I would have told you. For I'm going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will return and take you to be with me so that you also may be where I am." The glory of Heaven is growing brighter and brighter and brighter with every generation of Christians and their stories and their achievements and what God does in and through them. The second basis of separation is God blessing of those sheep in life. Something that happens to them in life, something happened to them while they live. Now they're born, they live for a number of years, they're drawing breath, they have a bunch of experience, then God blesses them. What does He bless them with? He blesses them with salvation. He blesses them with Christ, He blesses them with revelation. You remember when Jesus was gathered with His disciples in Caesarea Philippi, He said, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They gave a bunch of answers. He said, "What about you? Who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter, speaking for all of us as believers said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Do you remember what Jesus said to him? "Blessed are you. Blessed are you, Simon, son of John, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven, revealed into your heart who I am." God blesses the sheep with a revelation of Christ. God speaks the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ, right into their souls, and they are born again. The same thing happens at the end of John's gospel. Thomas said to Jesus, that great confession, "My Lord and my God.” Jesus said, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed." What's the next word? "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." Has that blessing come to you? Have you received that blessing? Have you received the blessing of conversion of the image of God and your soul of Christ? And this blessing too, Romans 4:7-8, "Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him." The blessing that you receive in this life, the blessing of hearing of the gospel, but God doesn't just do that, He gives you the twin graces of repentance and faith. He gives that to you as a gift. Then He takes out your heart of stone, and He gives you a heart of flesh, and you respond. You might have heard it many times before, but now you're moved. You see it, and He blesses you with the new birth, and with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. He's just lavishing blessing on you. The sheep are no different than the goats. Do you understand that? We're no different. We're no better than they are. We're the same people. But it's the blessing of God that makes the difference. Now what happens? The third basis of separation is that those sheep at a certain point repented and believed in Jesus. Actively, they believed, they trusted, they turned away from their sins. This is not so evident in the sheep and the goats, but this is what it says, "The King will say to those on His right, 'Come you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance, the kingdom.'" The key concept here is an inheritance, a kingdom, something that's promised. Jesus began His preaching, saying, "The time has come. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the good news." If you repent and believe, you get a promise, you get an inheritance. You get a kingdom. They believed the gospel, they trusted, and this inheritance was given to them, they became heirs, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ of heaven, and they get this beautiful inheritance, this kingdom given them as a gift. Notice in verse 37, the Lord calls them righteous. “Then the righteous will answer, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you?” Etcetera. How did they get this label “righteous”? Let me tell you something, if there's a good time and a good place to be called righteous, Judgment Day is it, don't you think? And even better, if it's Jesus, the judge, calling you righteous, how sweet is that? Jesus calls them righteous. It says in Romans 3:10, "There is no one righteous, not even one." How did they become righteous? They believed in Jesus, they trusted in Him, and the righteousness of God was given as a gift. Then on Judgement Day, they're vindicated in that righteousness. That's the third basis: [Romans 3:22], this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. The fourth basis and the one most obvious from the text is a lifestyle of good works, that flows from the first three. True faith always results in a lifestyle of Christ-focused good works. "For we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance that we should walk in them." [Ephesians 2:10]. Notice that these good works are Christ-focused. Everything the sheep do they're doing for Christ's pleasure, for Christ's glory, to minister to Christ's people. Look at verse 35, and following, "I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick, and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. And then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you something to drink. When did we see you a stranger, invite you in and needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and help you?’ And then the King will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.’” Clearly, the righteous sheep wanted to please Christ with their actions. Christ Himself was the focus of their desires, and then they acted. It was simple and practical, they fed hungry people, they gave drink to thirsty people, they invited strangers in, they were inviting hospitality kind of people, they clothed the naked, they provided clothes for people, they looked after sick people in their time of struggle and distress, visited prisoners as well. In every case, these sheep were truly ministering to Christ. Notice that the sheep are not falsely humble here, they're just stunned by the fact that anything they would do would look good in that context, the holiness of Christ, and those eyes of blazing fire. "Lord when did we do anything for you?" Don't you feel that now? I don't feel like I do anything really perfectly for Jesus, everything is marred and flawed in some way, because I've touched it. When did I do anything? And He said, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did." Oh, what a sweet word, “whatever” is. I mean, that's... Gives you freedom, right? Whatever you want to do for the body of Christ, just do it. Do something for a brother or sister, do something for Jesus. "Whatever you did, you did it for me." We're going to talk about the sheep and the goats and mercy ministry in the next message, but we'll just leave it there. I want you to notice therefore the four-fold basis of separation, it starts before the foundation of the world, in the mind of God, it's an eternal plan. It starts there, eternal predestination, resulting in the temporal blessings of the Gospel that come in in space and time into the sheep's life at the right time, resulting in the sheep repenting and actually believing in Jesus, resulting in good works, which are described here. It's the exact opposite for the goats all the way across. Rejected by God before the foundation of the world, under the curse of Adam, under the curse of the law, they stand fully accountable for their own sins, they have no Savior. They reject Christ and the Gospel; they turn their back on Christ and the Gospel and they have no Christ-centered good works. Now, I find it interesting on their rejection of Christ, notice that they call him Lord here. Have you noticed that? I find that interesting. Look at Verse 44, then the goats are going to answer, "Lord," just stop there. I find that an interesting word, especially when spoken by Voltaire, don't you think? Or Thomas Jefferson who said, "The doctrine of the trinity will someday be seen to be a myth like Minerva bringing fully formed out of the brain of Jupiter." We know that's a myth, and so the Trinity is a myth. Or this quote from Benjamin Franklin. "As to Jesus of Nazareth, I have some doubts as to His divinity. Though it is a question I do not dogmatize upon having never studied it and think it needless to busy myself with it now when I expect soon an opportunity of knowing the truth with much less trouble." If that doesn't bring a chill to you, you need to read it and think again, what he's saying. He says, I'll find out whether Jesus is God or not. Oh, he'll find out. He has found out. You need to find out now, by faith that Jesus is Lord, because you're going to say it then either way. "Before me, every knee will bow. By me, every tongue will swear that Jesus Christ is Lord," it says. Richard Dawkins, who doesn't even think that Jesus really existed, will, find that he not only existed, but is his judge. All of these men are going to say, "Lord." The Work of the Goats is Not Christ-Centered I want to say just a brief word about the good works. Did they really do no good works at all, the goats, nothing? They didn't feed any hungry people; they didn't put any clothes on the naked? Well, I think the goats break into two categories on this one. First, there are some that literally didn't. They didn't care at all about anybody. They lived selfish self-feeding lives, and they walked by the guy on the Jericho Road, and they don't give a rip, they just walk right on by and they don't care. There are goats like that. But there are other kind of goats too aren't there? There's some that actually spend a lot of their time doing these kinds of good things, these good works. There are secular aid agencies, like for example, the International Red Cross, helping 97 million people worldwide. I would think many, if not most of their volunteers do nothing in the name of Jesus Christ, they just do good works to help people in disaster areas. But here's the key. They don't do anything in Jesus’ name. United Nations aid agencies, they're all over the world, alleviating human suffering. How about the federal government itself? Does it feed anybody? Does it clothe anybody? Are there programs for the poor and needy? Oh yes. Can you do those and never think about Jesus at all? Oh yes. As a matter of fact, that almost seems to be a goal, the secularization of these kinds of good works. That will not work on Judgement Day, friends. Other charities which were begun by Christians and begun in Christ's name, now have drifted. They are still done by many Christians, but open to non-Christians to take part. Like the YMCA, for example, or Habitat for Humanity. You don't have to be a Christian to go build a house for somebody. There are non-Christian religions that have aid agencies, there's something called the Red Crescent, which is the Islamic version of the Red Cross operating in Muslim countries. There are many famous rock stars and movie personalities that get involved in things like tennis matches for Haiti and things like that, you know what I'm talking about. Or “We are the World” kind of concerts. You know what I'm talking about. I mean, they have a certain number of pet issues that they definitely get involved, but it's not a surprise to see them involved. Are you shocked when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and Elton John and others do concerts for AIDS victims? I'm not shocked by that. Doesn't surprise me at all. I know Christians do those kinds of things too. But the key issue here is that none of those non-Christians, none of the goats, did anything for Jesus. They're not trying to minister to Jesus, they're not trying to minister to Christ's people, they're not trying to find who are Jesus' brothers and sisters and care for them, they don't care about Jesus at all. They're not thinking about Jesus, Jesus is irrelevant to their lives. But can I tell you He will not be irrelevant on Judgement Day; He will be the relevance on Judgement Day. What did you do for me through caring for these? The King is going to tell them, "Depart from me, you who are cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." Anything not done in obedience to Christ's commands by faith in Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, for the body of Christ and for the up building thereof is no good work on Judgement Day. That's all I'm saying, and the outcome will be eternal -an eternal separation, eternal punishment and eternal life. Application What applications can we take from this? First, I urge you to come to Christ if you're here in a lost state. You can't get across that barrier, once the separation's made, it's stone. Now is the time to cross over from death to life. John 5:24, "Whoever hears my Word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, he has crossed over from death to life." Let now be the day for you to do that. Look to Christ crucified, He shed His blood for sinners like you and me. It will be enough for you on Judgement Day, it will be infinitely enough for you on Judgement Day, trust in Him. But if you're a Christian, I urge you to make Judgement Day come alive in your mind every day, make it part of your quiet time. Say, “I know I'm going to stand before you, I want to be rich in good works." If I can give you a hint on that, please focus on the body of Christ, even in evangelism, what are you doing? Paul says, "I suffer everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory." That's our mission. We want others to come and join the body of Christ, the brothers and sisters in Christ. If I can urge you, please first of all, have a ministry to build up the body of Christ. Get involved in women's ministry, if that's your calling as a woman. Get involved in international student ministry or urban ministry, look at the ministry teams and say, "I want to be rich on Judgement Day" and minister to the body of Christ. "Whatever you do for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you do it for me." I just want there to be lots of whatevers for us. By the power of the Spirit, we can be rich in good works.

sermon transcript God’s Promise of Present Protection and Eternal Reward This is Genesis 15 and our second week in studying this incredible Chapter. When our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was nailed to the cross and his blood was shed, He was fulfilling a covenant promise made thousands of years before to our father in faith, Abraham. He came and took on a body in fulfillment of the covenant promise that God made to Abraham. In Acts Chapter 3, when Peter was preaching to the Jews, he said, "You are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with Abraham. We, who are gentiles and not naturally Jews by birth,” −"we," it says in Romans 11−"have been grafted in us though we were wild olive shoots grafted into a tree, a Jewish tree, and Abraham is our father in faith.” Context: Abram’s Defeat of Kedorlaomer Our God is a covenant-making and covenant-keeping God, and when in the end, you stand before him blameless, free of all of your sin, holy and righteous, you will do so on the basis of a covenant promise that God made and that He fulfilled through his son, Jesus Christ, and that is what is in front of us today. And if I were to have 30 hours, I wouldn't have enough time to plunge the depths of Genesis 15. For two months, I've been excited to preach this sermon, and now at last it's come. Now last week, we looked at the first six verses of Genesis 15, and they were deep and rich enough. We saw God's promise of present protection for Abram, which he needed because he had probably made some very stern and serious enemies by defeating Kedorlaomer and his coalition of kings. The “Word of the Lord Came” And so, God spoke to Abram and said, "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield. I'll stand between you and anything that would come to harm you, I will protect you. I'll take upon myself the burden of keeping you safe and you will be protected." Secondly, He said, "I am also your very great reward." Oh, is there a richness in meditating on that? He is what we get at the end of a life of faith in Christ, nothing less and there can be nothing more. We get God, He's our reward, our eternal portion, and He was also for Abram. And then Abram bringing his complaint to God, you remember, he said, "What can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” And He said, "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." God’s Promise in the Stars: Abram’s Glorious Offspring And then He said, "Come on outside, I want to show you something." Well, I don't know if He said that, but something like that. He took Abram outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars−if indeed you can count them.” “. . .So shall your offspring be." The word of promise. The key to it all, the key to your soul is that God speaks promises, and if you believe them, He will justify you, He will declare you not guilty of all of your wickedness and sin, and if you don't believe them, then you will stand accountable for all of your wickedness and sin. It's just that simple. Abram’s Justification by Faith Alone Everyone who gets saved, gets saved the same way, by hearing the promise and believing it. And so, also Abraham was our father in faith. He heard the promise and he believed it. Abraham believed the Lord and it was credited to him as righteousness, and he was justified by faith alone. Okay, that was last week's sermon, I really would enjoy preaching it again, but I want to go on now into the rest of Genesis 15. In this He makes a magnificent covenant. We've already seen His promise in the stars, “so shall your offspring be,” you will have numerous and glorious offspring. Your descendants will be numerous and they will be glorious. By the way, I always find it interesting that Abraham's descendants were likened to two different things, the dust of the Earth and the stars of the sky. And I really think that is speaking of two different categories, those that are earthy and dusty, the physical descendants of Abraham, and those that are of the heavens, the spiritual descendants, both Jew and Gentile, but that's a whole other message for a whole other day. God’s Promise in the Blood: The Promised Land God’s Second Promise Stated Again I told you, if I had 30 hours, we couldn't go into all the depths here. But He said, "There's the promise up in the stars, but now I have another promise for you." God made two basic promises to Abram, a multiple of descendants or offspring, multiplicity of offspring, so shall your offspring be, you'll have many a numerous offspring, and you will inherit the land. These are the two basic promises, and he makes them again and again and again. And here He is going to make the promise again, Verse 7. He also said to him, "I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it." Now, we know from archaeology and from study that frequently treaties and covenants were made in the ancient world and they would always begin the same way, I am the Lord who did such and such for you, or I am the Mighty King who did this and who did that. There's a historical prologue, so that we know who we're dealing with. And here He says, "I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans. . ." Now, later on in redemptive history, there's going to be more. For example, “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of your fathers.” Or, “I am the God who brought you out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.” Or, “I am the God who spoke to you at Mount Sinai saying. . .” etcetera. But none of those things have happened yet. So far, all that's happened with Abram is, I am the Lord, who led you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, but that's who I am. And then He says, "I am going to give you this land to take possession of it." Now, this is not the first time He's made this promise. We see the same promise in Genesis 12:7, where it says "The Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your offspring I will give this land.’" And so, at that time, Abram built an altar there to the Lord. And so, this is what the Lord does, He makes a promise for the future, but He links it to his past, He links it to past history. And I'm telling you today, this is why Genesis 15 is relevant for you today. You who sit in the pews and listen to me, why does it matter to me what God did with some Bedouin 2,000 years before Christ? Well, the reason is, the reason it's relevant is that God has kept all of his promises to Abraham, and so He is going to keep all of his promises to you. That is why it is relevant for you today. I am all about one thing today, actually two things. If you are a believer in Christ, I want to encourage you in your faith, that is my goal today. I want you to be greatly encouraged, if you are not a believer, I want you to become a believer, so that you can become greatly encouraged. I want you to trust in Christ, that is my goal today. And so, that's why it's relevant, God is a covenant-making and a covenant-keeping God, He keeps his promises. And so, He comes and says, "Now I am the historical God, I'm the one who has led you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, the things that happened in the past are important. I'm the same God today, I'm the one, and I'm telling you, I'm going to give you this land to take possession of it. Main Question. How Can I Know? Now comes the key question for the whole rest of the chapter. If you understand this question, you'll understand everything that's going to come after this. Look at the question in Verse 8, “But Abram said, ‘O Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?’" This is a matter of assurance, it's a matter of certainty, it's a matter of knowing something that hasn't come to you yet, right? How can we know? Is that important to you? Do you ask questions like that? How can I know that I'll go to heaven when I die? How can I know on that great judgment day, when you whose eyes are too pure and holy to even look on evil and I feel foul and full of sin now, how can I know that you will accept me on that day? How can I know that I'll have a resurrection body? How can I know that I'll gain possession of these promises? How can I know? It's a question of assurance and certainty, isn't it? Now, I don't think this is a faithless question on Abram’s part. I think it's more like, Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. Can you give me some help here? Yes, I will give you all the help you need. I'll give you everything you need so that you will know that I am a faithful covenant-keeping God. So, he's not rebuked. God doesn't rebuke him for his question. Not at all, actually, He lavishly blesses him. I think you will not understand the somber covenant ceremony that's going to follow if you forget Abram's question, “How can I know?” He's answering the question, keep that in mind. The animals, when they are laid apart in the path and the torch, and that whole thing is the answer to Abram's question, this is how you can know. He is answering the question, okay? Why God Makes Covenants and the Biblical Significance Now, as we come to this, we come to the issue of why God makes covenants at all? What is the Biblical significance of covenants? First of all, what is a covenant? A covenant is a binding agreement between two or more parties. The most common form of covenant today is marriage, where two individuals, a man and a woman stand before God and before witnesses, make promises to another that they will be one flesh, and that they will be husband and wife to each other, that is a binding covenant. Now, in ancient times, ancient Near East, the kings would use covenants to bind themselves to their people. An invading powerful king who would conquer the land would say, I am king so and so, Amel-Marduk or whoever, and I took over your land, and if you give me 100 cores of wheat and a bunch of wine and all that, if you do that, I won't invade you again. And more than that, I will protect you from your enemies. These were covenants that they would make one with another. God also uses covenants again and again at key moments in Biblical history to communicate His purpose and his plans to people. For example, God made a covenant with Noah to protect him and all that were with him on the ark. He made a promise, a covenant, I'll keep you safe. After the flood, God made a covenant with all living creatures that He would never again destroy the world with a flood, and He put the rainbow in the sky as a sign of that covenant, which God has kept faithfully to this day. In Verse 18, He calls what He's doing here a covenant, look at it. And it says "On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said. . .” So, there's a covenant, He is making a covenant. In Genesis 17, He is going to give the sign of circumcision, a seal of the covenant, and that is what it is going to be, a constant reminder in the flesh of the covenant that God made with Abram. At Mount Sinai, He will make a covenant of a different sort, with Israel concerning the promised land, the Mosaic covenant we call it where the Ten Commandments and other commandments were given. Later on in redemptive history, He would make a covenant with David saying, “One of your descendants, I will see on your throne forever and ever.” The son of David is the son of God, it's Jesus Christ. These are all covenants. And the night before Jesus died, He took bread in his hand and broke it and said, "This is my body," and He took a cup in his hand and said, "This cup is the blood of the New Covenant. In my blood, which is poured out for many for their forgiveness of sins." There Jesus spoke of a new covenant, and on the basis of that New Covenant, we who have trusted in him stand holy and blameless before God, that is our only hope. That is our salvation. And so, our God is a covenant-making God. Now, there are two different kinds of covenants, there are conditional covenants, and there are unconditional covenants. A conditional covenant runs like this, “Son, I'm going to give you the car tonight, but if you get back at 11:01 or later, and if the car isn't filled with gas, or if there are any dings or scratches or crashes, whatever, you will never drive the car again for at least a year anyway. Okay?” That's a conditional promise, I'm giving you the car, and if you meet these criteria, then these blessings will come, and if you do not, then these curses will come, you'll not get to use my car, conditional covenant. An example, probably the best example of a conditional covenant in the Bible is the covenant with Moses made at Sinai. I'm giving you the promised land, and if you fully obey all of the stipulations and the statutes of the covenant, then you will live long in the land I'm giving you, but if you do not obey me, I will evict you from the land and you will lose the promised land. That is a conditional covenant. A great example of an unconditional covenant is the one made with Noah after the flood in which He said, "I make this covenant with all living creatures. I will never again bring a flood on the Earth, as I have done to destroy every living thing." There are no conditions, there's nothing that has to be met, there's no obeying needed, it's just something God is doing, and so is that covenant here. There are no commands given to Abram, there's nothing he needs to do. Later on, he's going to need to circumcise his children and himself, but here there's nothing for him to obey. This is a unidirectional covenant, a covenant that God made with Abram. The Mechanics of the Covenant Now, what are the mechanics of this covenant? Well, first there is the sacrifice. Look at Verses 9-11, remember the question, how can I know? How can I know I'll get the land? What does God say? Bring me a bunch of animals. That's an interesting answer, isn't it? How can I know, well, go get me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old along with a dove and a young pigeon. That's an interesting thing, isn't it? Go get some animals and bring them. The covenant that He would make with Abram would be made at a price, it would be expensive, and the price would be blood, it would cost blood to make this covenant promise. Let me tell you something, God does nothing with sinful people, apart from a blood sacrifice. He is not going to deal with you, and why? Because your sins have estranged you from a holy God. And if you hope to get back in good favor with God, you only do it by blood, because apart from the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness for sins. However, the book of Hebrews which told us that, also tells us that the blood of bulls and goats can in no way take away sin, it's just a symbol, it's a picture of a sacrifice that one day would come. And so, this sacrifice, this animal sacrifice, as all animal sacrifices ordained by God did in the Old Testament, point ahead to Jesus Christ. He is the Lamb of God whose blood takes away the sin of the world. He died on the cross. Jesus paid the price for this covenant. God's going to make some lavish promises to Abram, Jesus paid for them, He paid in his blood. And so right away, God wants Abram to know this covenant that He is making would be expensive. It would cost blood. Well, what else does he do? Well, he cuts them in half, probably right down the middle, and he separates the pieces apart. He makes, as it were, kind of a pathway between the pieces of the covenant, although the birds, he does not cut. Now, this is a very interesting thing and we will talk more about it in a moment. Then in Verse 11, it says, "Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away." More about them later. And so, he waited. Abram waited on the Lord. And then in Verse 12 comes the awesome moment, the terrifying moment really. The incredible moment. Verse 12, it says, "As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him." God is coming near. The awesome and eternal God, the one whose eyes are too pure to look on evil. The eternal God, the Ancient of Days, the one who spoke and universes came to pass. This God is meeting with Abram, and the first thing that this God does is He makes Abram terrified. Horror comes on his soul. And so, it is always when a sinner comes in the presence of God. There's not a single man or a woman who would not have felt terror at that moment, the terror of being a finite sinful person. Like Isaiah said, "Woe is me, I'm ruined," and Daniel on the ground trembling can barely stand up, and Ezekiel the same way. It's always the same. Terror, horror came over Abram. Now, I find this interesting, you know? Because the scripture says that Abram was God's friend. He was his friend. Is this how God treats his friends, by making them terrified? Well, if his friends are sinners, yes. And Jesus says, "You are my friends." So, we are his friends and yet, yes, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The first thing God does to save you and to work in you is to make you afraid, fearful of the eternal God, fearful of what it will be like to stand before him on judgment day. Horror came over him and darkness. When God descended on Mount Sinai, it says in Exodus 20:18-20, "When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, 'Speak to us yourself, and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.' Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.’" And so, God was blessing Abram that day when he caused a horror to come over his soul, because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And the fear of the Lord comes and keeps us safe from our real enemy. The real enemy is sin. And after the terror of God's presence came over him, the fear of the Lord, then He makes a series of covenant promises, remarkable, astonishing predictions one after the other. Look at it in Verses 13-16, "Then the Lord said to him, ‘Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation, your descendants will come back here. . .’" This is astonishing. I mean, notice the details, the specificity, even the time frame given. It is so clear and so detailed that the liberals tell us it must have been written after the Exodus. There's no way we could be this specific about something that far in the future. Oh, yes, there is. Our God knows the future. Amen? And, He can tell you what's going to happen tomorrow and 2,000 years from now. That's how well he knows the future. And so, He gives specific predictions, specific prophecies. Look at them, seven and all. First, your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own. This is fulfilled by their time in Egypt. They were strangers in Egypt. Secondly, they would be enslaved and mistreated. This is very specific. They wouldn't just be strangers, but they would be enslaved and mistreated. Thirdly, the enslavement and the mistreatment would last for 400 years. Also, He says, four generations. For He says, "In the fourth generation, your descendants will come back here” and take possession of this land. By the way, that was literally fulfilled if you look at Moses's genealogy. Remember that it was Jacob who brought his family in. Jacob's son was Levi, Levi’s son was Kohath, Kohath's son was Amram, Amram's son was Moses, that's four generations. The specificity is incredible. Now you think 400 years, four generations? But they live longer back then. And that's exactly what it was. Specificity, fourth. “I will punish the nation they serve as slaves.” This is literally fulfilled in the 10 plagues. Fifth, afterward, they will come out. So, they are going to come out of that land, that is the amazing prediction of the Exodus, the great events of the Exodus. Six, with great possessions, they will plunder the Egyptians. And so, this happened in Exodus 11. The Lord made the Jews favorably disposed, or the Israelites or the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the Jews and gave them many possessions, gold and silver, and all kinds of valuable things. This is highly unusual. You would think there would be great animosity, but there wasn't. There was the lavish generosity, and I think a small payment for all those years of service. And then seventh, you, Abram will go to your fathers in peace and you'll be buried at a good old age. So now these details are given for a specific reason. This is what I'm saying, Jesus, the night before He was killed, He had an intimate time with his disciples. And in John 16, He says, "There will come a time when they will persecute you, put you out of the synagogues and even put you to death, and they will think that they are serving God by doing that. I have told you now before it happens, so that when it happens, you will believe that I am He.” Okay, why did God tell Abram beforehand? Very simple. Because halfway through, it's not looking very good for the promises, is it? We're going to talk more about that in a minute. This is the specific reason He gives the detailed specificity of the promise. Now, why the delay? Why 400 years? Why not now? Abram's like, "I'm ready. I'm ready to go. I'm ready to take possession of the land. Can we do it now?" No. Why? Because “the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” Oh, is there depth here. The sin of the Amorites isn't finished yet. This is incredible. In effect, God has a measure, like a measuring cup, of sin for the Amorites. And when it's full, when it's full, according to God's measure, judgment is coming. The judgment will come by the sword of Joshua and the Israelites. When God has had enough of their child sacrifice, the stench of the sacrifice burning in His nostrils, when He is borne it long enough, enough is enough. And when He sees all of the wickedness of their immorality and their idolatrous wicked religious systems, He will bring judgment. But it will come when He says. And note the incredible patience of God and realize the patience of God means salvation for people, that's why God waits. That's why you all aren't in heaven yet, because there's still some unsaved people that have to be saved. And God is waiting and working so that they will be saved. And meanwhile, He is willing to put his people through misery, 400 years of slavery in Egypt, until the sin of the Amorites can reach its full measure. That is our God. And I can tell you one Amorite, Rahab, the harlot, who's glad that God waited. Right? Because she got converted. She was saved, and her household. Right? And so, God waits for the sin of the Amorites to reach its full measure. This is a dreadful thing. I want to talk more about it in a moment. But, do you realize that God has a measure of sin He will put up with in the life of a wicked unbeliever and He doesn't tell you how big the measure is? He doesn't owe a wicked person another day on this earth, not one. But yet, He is patient. He waited 400 years for the Amorites. He is a patient God but He doesn't owe you another day. If you're sitting here today and you have never trusted in Christ, don't presume that you will have an average lifespan. Only God knows the measure of sin that He will put up with. It says in Romans Chapter 2, Verses 4-5, "Do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance? But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when His righteous judgment will be revealed." That's the measure that's going up, and at some point, the wrath gets poured out. Now, the beauty of the Gospel is that there are two choices on where it can get poured out. It can get poured out on you eternally in hell, or it can get poured out on His own dear Son at the cross. Praise God that there's two options, and not just one. Praise God that Jesus was willing to drink my wrath, the measure of my wickedness and my sin, and all those of you who are listening to me today that have trusted in him. And so, the reason for the delay is given. The sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure. Then in Verses 18-21, God gives the clear boundaries for the Promised Land. This is the most extensive list of “ites” that you are going to find. No list is longer, I've checked. All the other “ites” lists are shorter. This is the longest “ites” list, okay? And Alan did a phenomenal job. Where are you, Alan? Wonderful job on all the “ites.” But this is the extent, the boundaries of the land. "On that day, the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, ‘To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates− the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.’" Alright, that's the covenant promise, but now comes the covenant warning. Now again, remember the question that God is seeking to answer. What is it? How can I know that I'm going to get the land? God is about to answer. Verse 17, it says, "When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking fire pot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces." Now again, understand what's happening. A dreadful, horrible darkness, darker than any darkness he could ever imagine has come over him. Blinded, really, by the darkness. And there's a horror there, and then suddenly there's a light. As if God said, “Let there be light.” The Scripture says, God is light. And again and again, when God reveals himself, He uses fire to do so. It says, our God is a consuming fire. When He appeared to Moses, it was in the flames of the burning bush. When He appeared to the Israelites and led them through the desert, it was with a pillar of fire by night, and a pillar of cloud by day. And so, at a smaller level, this blazing torch and smoking fire pot represent God himself. This is the appearance of God. Now, no man has ever seen God at any time, it says in John 1. God spoke to Moses and said, "No one can see me and live." So, God uses representations to show himself. The smoking fire pot and the torch represented God in His holiness. And so, there was God. Now the question is, why did He pass through the pieces? Now, in English when we speak, we say, we make a covenant. The Hebrews cut a covenant. They cut a covenant. And so, again and again, they understood the ceremony. What they would do is, they would take an animal and cut it and separate its pieces. And then those who are making the covenant promises one to another, would walk between the pieces. It was symbolic representation. In your bulletin, I have a quote from Jeremiah. It was so important to me that I didn't want you to take the time to flip to Jeremiah, so I printed it there in the bulletin. Look what it says in Jeremiah 34. I'm going to read Verses 18-20, although I only gave you, I think, one verse there, but listen. "The men who have violated my covenant and have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant they made before me, I will treat like the calf they cut in two and then walked between its pieces." Do you see that? They're going to be like the calf. That is not good, okay? You don't want that happening to you. Blown to bits, sliced up into ribbons. I will cut you to pieces because you haven't kept my covenant. Well, that's the symbolism of the covenant. May God, the holy God, the eternal God, do this to me if I don't keep this covenant. Reading on in Jeremiah, it says, "The leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests and all the people of the land who walked between the pieces of the calf, I will hand over to their enemies who seek their lives. Their dead bodies will become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth." This is a serious covenant warning. May this happen to me if I don't keep this covenant. Now, here's the amazing thing. Abram did not walk between the pieces. It was God who went between the pieces. What was the question that God was seeking to answer? How can I know that I will get it? Our God never lies. And in effect, He says, “If one thing that cannot happen to me happens, then may another thing which cannot happen to me happen. I cannot stop existing. I am who I am, and may I stop existing if I don't keep this covenant promise to you. May I be blown to bits. May I stop existing as God. I swear by myself. I swear by my person. I swear by my deity that you will get this land. It's more than just, ‘Because I said so.’" God swears a curse on himself if He doesn't keep this promise. Now, it's incredible to me that Jesus paid the price for all this. Because the curse came down on him, of course. He didn't cease existing, but He drank the cup of wrath that this covenant promise might come true. But I can say to you today with all reverence that God is as likely to stop existing as you who have trusted in Christ will be to end up in hell. God is as likely to stop existing as that He will not keep every one of the promises He has made to you in the new covenant. He's going to keep them all. Every one. He did this so that you would know with a certainty that He is a covenant-making and keeping God. Why God Made this Dramatic Covenant Why God Made this Solemn Promise That is why God made this dramatic covenant. The fact is, God had right in his sights, right in his cross hairs, He had our faith, our hope, our confidence, our assurance. He wanted us to be confident. He wanted us to be certain. He wanted us to be sure and not waver through unbelief. That's why. And the reason is because God's plan is not our plan. God's ways are not our ways. He does strange things. Providence Seems Contrary to Promises His providence seems so often to run contrary to his promise. In effect, He says, "Okay, here's where you are today, Abram. Here's where you're going to be in the future, Abram." Okay, you understand? Here's where you are, this is where we're going. Ready? Okay, here we go. Whoosh, this way. Salvation for Slaves He's saying, "Wha. . . No, no, wait a minute. Slaves in Egypt for 400 years? That's not what I had in mind. I was thinking maybe my son could get it. If I don't get it, at least Isaac can get it." No, no, no. We've got a long, long journey to travel. A long journey to travel. And, therefore, you've got to cling to a covenant promise and believe it day after day, because the things that are going on in the world around you and in your life just seemed to run so opposite of what God says He is finally going to do for you. You see, God had in mind a long delay. And that delay was going to be rigorous and tough for people He loved. This, I believe, is the significance of the buzzards, the birds of prey. I thought, "God, why, in such a thick, dense chapter that it's going to take me six hours to preach, why the birds of prey? What's going on there?" And it came to me, okay? Because God wanted to come at night. He wanted the darkness. But Abram cut the beast up during the day. And what did that mean? It meant a delay. God doesn't come when we think He should come. He makes us wait. And so, Abram had to get out there and fight for the pieces, you see? He had to knock the birds away so that God could do what He is going to do. If the birds eat them up, the symbolism is lost. It's horrible, actually. What does the birds eating the beast have to do with anything? And so, he's going to get up there and he's going to fight the birds of prey, get the vultures away. They're picking at the animals. We can't have that. Well, I don't want to go allegorical here, folks, but that's what happens to your faith. Have you noticed? Because God's making you wait. And these vultures come in and your faith gets weak, your sin attacks and picks at it, and you've got to get up there aggressively and say, "No." God makes us wait. Now, how important is all this? Well, I want you to imagine a descendant of Abram. Think with me for a moment about one of Abram’s precious descendants, 250 years after Jacob went down to the promised land, I mean down to Egypt. Another Pharaoh came who didn't know anything about Joseph, and they enslaved these people. You're 250 years in. Well, alright. You know enough about the Bible to tell me, that Israelite who's in Egypt, what is his job? What does he do for a living? Go ahead, tell me. What does he do? He's a slave. He makes bricks, okay? What did his father do for a living? He was a slave, he made bricks. What's his son going to do for a living? Well, he's a slave. He's going to make bricks. Moses isn't even born yet. How does that Israelite get saved from his sin? By hearing a promise and believing it, same as you, same as me. And so, as he's halfway through this stern providence from God. . . he's a slave, and that's all he will be. God is not going to send Moses in his lifetime. He's already told him it's going to be four generations. He needs some sustenance, doesn't he? He needs something to feed on. And so, what does he have? The ancestral story of a promise that God made, and of a smoking fire pot and torch that passed through the pieces. And he could believe or not believe, just like you today. You see, Jesus Christ came as the fulfillment of all of this and God sets before you a simple choice. You can either believe that your sins are paid for in his blood and by simple faith have eternal life, trusting in Christ or not. Just like that Egyptian or that slave in Egypt had a choice to believe. He could believe or not. Encouragement Until the End of the Age And how dreadful to spend your whole life in slavery and then go to hell. But if he had refused to believe the promise, that's exactly what would have happened to him. God intended salvation for slaves, but He intended more than that. He intended encouragement for you and me. There in your bulletin, I have a magnificent text of scripture from Hebrews. Actually, I wouldn't mind if you took a moment and opened to Hebrews 6, because I only could give you part of that incredible assessment. Why? It's answering the question why. God, why the pieces? Why the path? Why the smoking fire pot and the torch? Why? Why? Why? This is strange. Why did you do it? God answers the question directly in Hebrews 6, 13-19 When God made his promise to Abram, since there was no one greater to swear by, He swore by himself. Saying, I will surely bless you and give you many descendants. Are you with me? Look at Verse 15, Hebrews 6:15, “And so after waiting patiently, Abram received what was promised.” Is God making any of you wait? Are you in heaven now? I'm not. I'm waiting on some things. I'm waiting to be free of my sin nature. I'm waiting to be free of this body of death. I'm waiting for the great resurrection day. I'm waiting to see Jesus face to face. I'm waiting for glory. I'm waiting to be united with brothers and sisters in Christ who have gone before us and who are glorious now in their spirits, though they don't have resurrection bodies yet. I'm waiting for a lot of things. Are you waiting? How's your hope this morning? Is it strong? Does it make a difference whether your hope is strong? I think it does. Because you know you are a pilgrim, if you are a child of God. And if you are weak in your faith and your hope, you are going to sit down and stop making progress. You are going to stop walking. You are going to say, "Enough is enough. I can't take it anymore." And so, after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Now here he answers the question, why did you do it, God? Verse 17. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of His promise. He confirmed it with an oath. Verse 18, “God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we. . .” Do you see that? You could circle it. He did it for me, He did it for you. “. . .we, who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.” Now just stop there for a moment. Why did God cut the covenant with Abraham? Why the smoking fire pot and the torch? Why? So that you and me who have fled to take hold of Jesus Christ may be encouraged. That's it. That we might have courage in our journey, because without the courage and faith, you're not going to keep going. You are going to stop witnessing, you are going to stop putting sin to death, you may stop going to church. You may just crumble and fall in your Christian life, and God doesn't want that. And so, He does these kinds of things so that you can see God's track record. Can I tell you something today? This is incredible. God has kept his two promises to Abram. He did it. He gave him descendants as numerous as the stars, and He gave him the promised land. But that is nothing compared to what He is promising you in Christ. We have Verse 19 of Hebrews 6, “. . .this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” Does your soul need an anchor today? Does it need an anchor? Do you ever feel blown and tossed by the waves of the circumstances around you? God wants you to be anchored to a promise that cannot move. It can't change. And so, He did this ceremony with Abram. Application What application can we take from this? First, your reward. After a life of encouragement and faith and trusting in Christ, you get God. That's what you get. Is that enough for you? It's enough and more for me. And oh, am I looking forward to that? Secondly, notice God's faithfulness to his promises. I just said it a second ago, He's done it. He kept his promises to Abram, and He is going to keep His promises to you. But what incredible promises is He yet to fulfill in your life? Completely freeing you of all sin inside, owning your salvation on judgment day, having the judge of your case speak up for you and say, "She's mine, he's mine. Forgiven through blood that I shed." Oh, that's incredible. Thirdly, I want you to notice God's incredible patience to sinners. You are surrounded every day by people who do not know Jesus Christ. The Scripture says, every day they are under wrath, that God doesn't owe them another moment to live. He doesn't owe them another breath. They are filling up the measure of the sin of the Amorites every day. And every day, some of the measures get full and they die and they go to hell every day. I don't know who they are by name. That's not for us to know. He's the judge. I don't know anybody by name in that category, but there are many. Because the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven every day against all godlessness and wickedness. And so, I think we have an obligation to warn the Amorites around us. You know something? God isn't going to put up with it forever. There comes a Judgment Day. It's a solemn warning. Also, notice how much He is willing to put us through while He waits on them finally to repent. Fifth, notice God's astonishing knowledge of the future, with what great detail he knows the future that will come. And six, can I say, be greatly encouraged. Jesus Christ, who died on the cross, shed his blood for you and for me. He will never let you go. He will work in you and on you until He has finished his covenant promise to you. Be greatly encouraged today. Don't let your faith grow weak. Get strong, feed on the Word. Get strong. And then finally, can I urge you? Not just be greatly encouraged, but be greatly encouraging to one another. I mean, look around. Just take a minute and look around. Do you see? It's not just me talking. There's a bunch of brother and sisters, you are all still looking at me. Look around, look around, okay? There are other people in the room. These are brothers and sisters. There may be somebody on the pew with you or seven rows back who needs some great encouragement today. You know why? Because they're struggling with sin and sin is deceitful. It's tricky. And you need to encourage them, don't give in. Be strong, stand firm. God is with you; He will help you. Love and good deeds, be faithful, even as you see the day drawing near.

The Easter season comes to an end with Ascension, which we celebrated on Thursday. In the Ascension, Jesus is taken up into heaven to the right hand of the Father. There Jesus in the final victory of his cross and resurrection reigns over heaven and earth as God and man. As our ascended Lord, he has the authority to send His Holy Spirit, the Helper, who guides us and comforts us in the truth of God's Word.