Podcasts about yet jesus

Read OnlineA Holy ProvocationWhen the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them and went away. Luke 4:28–30What a sobering beginning to our Lord's public ministry. Shortly after His baptism in the Jordan River and the establishment of Capernaum as the center of His ministry, Jesus began calling His disciples and performing powerful miracles. News of His preaching and healing spread rapidly, reaching His hometown of Nazareth.When Jesus returned to Nazareth, those who had known Him from His youth were not prepared for what they witnessed. In the synagogue, He stood and read from the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah. It was a messianic passage foretelling the One anointed by the Spirit to bring glad tidings to the poor, liberty to captives, sight to the blind, and freedom to the oppressed. After reading, Jesus sat down and solemnly proclaimed, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” With these words, He revealed Himself to be the long-awaited Messiah.At first, the people were amazed at the gracious words He spoke. But their awe quickly turned to confusion, then to hostility. “Is this not the son of Joseph?” they asked, unable to reconcile the divine authority they had just encountered with the humble figure they remembered from years past. Their familiarity bred contempt. Their hearts, bound by human reasoning and pride, could not accept the divine mystery standing before them.Perceiving their thoughts, Jesus addressed the unspoken demand in their hearts—the desire to see in Nazareth the same wonders He had performed elsewhere. But He offered them no signs. Instead, He offered truth, recalling that in the days of Elijah and Elisha, God's blessings were extended not to Israelites, but to Gentiles—a widow in Zarephath and a leper from Syria. This comparison deeply offended their national pride and shattered their assumptions about divine favor. Rather than receiving His rebuke with humility, they were filled with fury. The crowd attempted to kill the very One they had once known as neighbor and craftsman. Yet Jesus, untouched, “passed through the midst of them and went away.”Jesus certainly knew this would happen. In His divine wisdom, He foresaw the reaction He would receive. And in a mysterious way, He even appears to draw it out. Why? Because this holy provocation was an act of mercy. In exposing the hardness of their hearts, Jesus gave them an opportunity to confront their pride, repent, and receive the Kingdom in truth.In the months and years ahead, many of the people of Nazareth likely benefited from this initial encounter. There is little doubt that after Jesus left Nazareth, He remained the talk of the town. There is no record of Him returning. However, as He continued His public ministry, the people who had rejected Him would have continued to hear reports of His authoritative preaching and miraculous works. Some may have even traveled to nearby towns, such as Capernaum, to witness Him for themselves. In doing so, their initial rejection would have confronted them anew—forcing a choice: Either repent and believe, or grow in bitterness and confusion. Either Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah or He was a false prophet. There could be no middle ground.Reflect today on the mysterious ways Jesus continues to provoke hearts—including your own. Sometimes His Word unsettles us not because it is harsh, but because it is true, and we are unprepared to accept it and change. The people of Nazareth teach us that we—like them—sometimes need our pride stirred up so we can see it and reject it. As you consider the people of Nazareth from that moment forward, see yourself in them. Recognize any ways that you respond with hostility to humbling truths that are hard to accept, and allow time and grace to heal you—helping you to repent and grow in gratitude for Jesus' humbling and holy provocation.My challenging Lord, You see into the depths of my heart. When I resist Your Word, provoke me in mercy. Confront my pride, reveal my blindness, and call me to repentance. May I never reject You, but always surrender with trust to the truth You offer. Jesus, I trust in You.  Image: The Brow of the Hill near Nazareth, by James Tissot  Source: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260827dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion “The gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Matthew 16:18 Hope that Defeats Fear Jesus promised, “The gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Jesus never promised his church an easy path. Christians experience persecution, temptation, suffering, and spiritual warfare. Satan constantly seeks to discourage believers and undermine the gospel. Yet Jesus assures us that hell itself cannot overcome his church. Notice that the gates belong to hell. Gates are defensive. Jesus Christ is advancing his kingdom as his gospel reaches hearts throughout the world. Satan cannot imprison those whom Jesus has redeemed and set free. That promise extends personally to every believer. There are days when guilt weighs heavily on us. We remember sins we wish we could erase. The devil whispers that God could never forgive someone like us. But Jesus has already answered those accusations. Through his death and resurrection, he has defeated sin, death, and Satan. The enemy may accuse, but he cannot condemn those who belong to Jesus Christ. This confidence enables Christians to live courageously. We need not fear the future because our Savior reigns. We need not fear death because Jesus has conquered the grave. We need not fear Satan because Jesus has already won the victory. Perhaps you’ve spent much of your life trying to avoid thinking about death or eternity. Jesus invites you to face those questions honestly—not with fear, but with hope. He came precisely because death is our greatest enemy. By dying and rising again, he has opened the way to eternal life for all who trust in him. The Christian message is not that good people earn heaven. It is that Jesus has opened heaven through his death and resurrection. That is a hope worth exploring. As the Bible says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” (Romans 10:11) Whenever fear threatens your heart, return to Christ’s promise. The battle belongs to him, and he has already secured the outcome. Prayer: Jesus, my Savior, when fear and temptation surround me, remind me that you have defeated every enemy. Keep me confident in your promises and steadfast until eternal victory is fully revealed. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260826dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion (Jesus said) “I will build my church.” Matthew 16:18 A Church Built by Jesus Many people have mixed feelings about the Christian Church. Some have wonderful memories. Others have painful ones. Some think churches are full of hypocrites. Others wonder whether organized religion is even necessary. Jesus knew his followers would not be perfect. Peter himself would later deny knowing Jesus three times. Yet Jesus still said, “I will build my church.” Notice that he did not say, “People will build my church.” The Church belongs to Jesus. Christians are not gathered because they are better than everyone else. They are gathered because they know they need forgiveness. A hospital is filled with sick people, not because sickness is good, but because healing is needed. The Church is much the same. It is a place where people hear God’s promises, receive his forgiveness, and grow in faith together. Sometimes Christians and Christian churches become discouraged. We may wonder whether our efforts matter. Jesus reminds us that the Church’s foundation is not human wisdom, popularity, or impressive programs. The Church stands on the confession that “Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16) Wherever Jesus Christ is faithfully preached, there his church is found. Buildings may crumble. Congregations may struggle. Cultures change. Yet Jesus Christ continues to build his church through his gospel. The foundation of your own faith is equally secure. Your confidence is not in your consistency or strength, but in Jesus Christ’s unchanging promise. He remains faithful even when his people struggle. So, if you have stayed away because Christians have disappointed you, remember this: Christianity is not built upon perfect people. It is built upon a perfect Savior. Jesus gave his life for imperfect people. He welcomes doubters, failures, and sinners. When you visit a faithful Christian congregation, you should not expect to find flawless people. Instead, you should expect to hear about a flawless Savior who loves broken people enough to die for them. That is the Church Jesus Christ continues building today. Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me look beyond the imperfections of people and see you. Lead me to a church where your Word is faithfully taught and where I may grow in knowing you. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260822dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment. Matthew 15:23-28 Persevere A Canaanite woman came to Jesus with her humble plea to help her daughter who was tormented by a demon. But Jesus did not answer a word. It wasn’t that she just asked Jesus once; she continued to beg and plead for mercy. Yet Jesus acted as though he didn’t hear her. When the Savior pretended not to hear the woman’s plea, Jesus was not rebuffing her or being rude to her. There was no unwillingness to help her, but through his silence he sought to test and strengthen her faith. Jesus wanted her to persevere in her plea by the strength supplied from God through the promise of his Word. Jesus will use life’s circumstances for the great benefit of humbling us and teaching us to steadfastly cling to the promises of God’s Word. A persevering faith is for our good so that when our Savior comes back, we will not have disowned him in unbelief. But, by the power of God, we will have remained faithful to Jesus so that through him, we will enter eternal life. We praise our Savior that though there are times we always don’t understand the way he treats us, we know that he has our best interests in mind. So, in all circumstances we thank Jesus for helping us persevere and grow in our saving faith. Prayer: Jesus, the most important thing for me is to have faith in you as my Savior. Through testing and trials leads me to cling to the precious promises of your Word so that my faith will be sustained until the end when you will take me to glory of heaven. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Join Larry Spargimino and Tom Elliff as they discuss all the disciplines of the Christian life and how prayer is perhaps the most neglected. Yet Jesus' brief earthly life was permeated with it. If our Lord made prayer such a priority in word and deed, shouldn't we? A Passion for Prayer seeks to help you develop or deepen your communion with God. Drawing on personal experiences and the reassurances of God's Word, Pastor Tom Elliff shares the principles, challenges, and disciplines of prayer.

Join Larry Spargimino and Tom Elliff as they discuss all the disciplines of the Christian life and how prayer is perhaps the most neglected. Yet Jesus' brief earthly life was permeated with it. If our Lord made prayer such a priority in word and deed, shouldn't we? A Passion for Prayer seeks to help you develop or deepen your communion with God. Drawing on personal experiences and the reassurances of God's Word, Pastor Tom Elliff shares the principles, challenges, and disciplines of prayer.

Read OnlineEternal Life and PerfectionA young man approached Jesus and said, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?” He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” Matthew 19:16–17We all desire eternal life in Heaven. But do we also desire perfection while here on earth? And if so, are we truly resolved to do what it takes to attain it, or are we content with simply being pretty good? This is where the rich young man in today's Gospel encountered difficulty.The young man was clearly a faithful observer of the Law. When Jesus listed the commandments as the path to eternal life, he replied, “All of these I have observed.” Morally speaking, that is admirable. It reveals a sincere devotion to God's law and a commendable commitment to righteousness.Yet Jesus came not only to affirm the Mosaic Law but to fulfill and elevate it. When the young man pressed further, asking, “What do I still lack?” he revealed a deeper spiritual longing. Though he had faithfully followed the Law, he sensed that there was something more. Within his soul stirred a desire for greater intimacy with God.It is here that Jesus introduced the ideal of perfection: “If you wish to be perfect…” Obedience to the Law is foundational, but it is not the culmination of the spiritual life. Jesus invites us beyond mere obedience to radical discipleship, to a life of complete detachment and wholehearted surrender. Perfection, in this sense, is not about flawlessness in behavior, but about fullness in love. The goal of Christian discipleship is not achieved merely by avoiding sin, but by entering into a pure and transforming relationship with the Triune God—a communion that draws us ever deeper into divine love.The rich young man went away sorrowful, “for he had many possessions.” He desired eternal life and even sensed the call to something beyond the minimal moral life, but his attachments prevented him from walking the path to perfection.This sacred encounter teaches us several important spiritual lessons. First, eternal life begins with obedience, but it blossoms through surrender. The first question to ask ourselves, in light of this Gospel, is whether we can, like the young man, honestly affirm our obedience to God's commandments. Without that foundation, we are not yet prepared to ask, “What do I still lack?”By God's grace, once we do live a life of sincere obedience to the Ten Commandments, we become ready to go deeper and seek perfection. And perfection requires detachment from anything that competes with our love for Christ. Even good or morally neutral things can become obstacles if they take the place of God in our hearts.For the rich young man, the obstacle was his material wealth. Seeing his soul and knowing his attachments, Jesus lovingly revealed to him the specific path toward the deeper communion he desired: “Go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Material wealth is not inherently evil—none of the Ten Commandments condemn it. But the perfection that leads to profound intimacy with God requires more than just a moral foundation; it demands the elimination of anything that competes with divine love. True discipleship always involves a call to follow Jesus with an unreserved heart.Reflect today on the difference between obeying God's Commandments and surrendering to Him in radical, wholehearted love. If you keep the Law, what do you still lack? What might Jesus be asking you to let go of so that you can follow Him more perfectly? Ask Him to reveal where your attachments lie. Then pray for the courage not to walk away in sadness, but to follow Him in joy and trust, wherever He leads.Lord of every perfection, Your holiness surpasses all understanding, yet You graciously draw me to Yourself, inviting me to live in intimate union with You. Reveal to me, I pray, any obstacle that hinders my journey toward You. Grant me the grace and courage to surrender all that stands in the way of the perfection You have placed within my soul as its deepest desire. Jesus, I trust in You.  Image: Christ and Rich Young Ruler, by Heinrich HofmannSource: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.

No man is beyond the reach of God's grace. No matter how prideful, selfish, angry, violent, hateful, or broken a man has become, God is still able to transform his heart. There is no one too far gone for Jesus. In this video, I look at the incredible transformation of Saul, a man who persecuted Christians and opposed Jesus with everything he had. Yet Jesus met him where he was, completely changed his life, and used him as the Apostle Paul to advance the Gospel. If God could transform Saul, He can transform anyone. No matter where you are in your journey, there's hope.CONNECT HERE

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What happens when our confidence in being “right” becomes the very thing keeping us from recognizing our need for grace?In Week 7 of our True Fiction series, Pastor Rob unpacks Jesus' parable of The Pharisee and the Tax Collector found in Luke 18:9-14.Two men enter the Temple to pray. One stands confidently before God, convinced of his own righteousness and comparing himself to everyone around him. The other stands at a distance with nothing to offer but honesty, humility, and a desperate prayer for mercy.Yet Jesus says it was the tax collector who went home right with God.Through this powerful parable, we discover what Kingdom Humility really looks like. It isn't thinking less of ourselves. It's recognizing our need for grace and refusing to use someone else's failures to make ourselves feel righteous.Because in the Kingdom of God, we don't come to Jesus proving how good we are. We come knowing how good He is.Scripture: Luke 18:9-14

Psalm 115 warns that "those who make idols become like them." An idol is anything created that we ask to do the work of the Creator—anything we look to for security, identity, worth, or control. In Acts 19, as the gospel spreads through Ephesus, Paul confronts a city where the goddess Artemis is tied not just to private worship, but to money, business, civic pride, and systemic power. When Jesus steps into Ephesus, He doesn't just challenge private beliefs; He touches the economic and cultural systems people depend on for their livelihood and safety.Demetrius the silversmith stirs up a riot because the gospel directly threatens the silver shrine trade, revealing how idols hide behind reasonable concerns ("this is bad for business" becomes "this is bad for Artemis"). Every idol creates an economy—an orbit of habits, sacrifices, and cultural liturgies that promise life while quietly enslaving us. When threatened, these idols get loud and chaotic, as seen in the two-hour chant of the Ephesian crowd. Yet Jesus offers a radically different economy: grace instead of transaction, and open hands instead of clenched fists. At the cross, Jesus absorbs our false systems to free us from every economy that promises life but demands slavery.Support the show

Read OnlineThe Gift of Counsel, Given and ReceivedAt that time Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not say a word in answer to her. His disciples came and asked him, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.” Matthew 15:21–23At first glance, this interaction is surprising. Yet Jesus is performing an act of love toward the Canaanite woman, while at the same time offering an important lesson to His disciples. This act of love and instruction is conveyed through the divine pedagogy—the way God, as a wise and loving Teacher, draws out deeper truths through patient instruction and testing. Jesus leads the woman through a threefold test, each one revealing the increasing depth of her faith.First Test: The first test comes through Jesus' silence. The woman cries out from the depths of her heart, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” The disciples likely watched closely to see how Jesus would respond. When He did not answer, they misinterpreted His silence as indifference or irritation, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.” Yet the woman does not turn away. She endures His silence, waiting patiently for Him to respond. This shows the first fruit of her faith—perseverance in the face of apparent rejection.Second Test: Jesus' next words seem to be a limitation of His mission: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” As a Canaanite from Tyre and Sidon, the woman is, by all appearances, outside the covenant people of Israel. Yet she does not let this discourage her. Instead, she draws even nearer, does Him homage, and pleads all the more: “Lord, help me.” Her faith perseveres, deepening with greater humility and trust.Third Test: Finally, Jesus presents the most difficult challenge: “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” His harsh words are a further invitation to the woman to reveal her heart. Instead of taking offense or walking away, she accepts the image and turns it into a profession of faith and humility: “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” With this, she reveals a beautiful trust in God's mercy, recognizing that even the smallest grace from Him is enough. This is precisely what Jesus was drawing out of her—a faith that is humble, bold, persistent, and filled with trust. At that moment, Jesus honors the depth of her faith and boldly proclaims it for the disciples to hear: “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.In this sacred encounter, Jesus reveals the Gift of Counsel in action. This divine gift of the Holy Spirit, perfectly possessed and manifested by Jesus, enables the woman to respond wisely to the mysterious ways of God, especially when those ways are hidden or difficult to understand. The Canaanite woman, moved by divine grace and guided by the wise and loving pedagogy of Jesus, navigates the trials He presents with perseverance, humility, and unwavering trust, ultimately receiving the fullness of God's mercy. Jesus knew exactly what He was doing. He saw the depth of her heart and, through this gift, skillfully drew that faith to the surface for her own good, for her daughter's healing, and for the instruction of His disciples. We, too, are called to follow His example, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us and others through the trials of life with patient and discerning love. Reflect today on this sacred interaction and ask the Holy Spirit to deepen the Gift of Counsel within you, so that you may always recognize God's hand at work in moments of silence, testing, or delay, and respond with faith, humility, and perseverance. Seek this gift not only for yourself, but also so that God may use you as an instrument of His loving guidance, leading others closer to Him in ways that only He, in His divine wisdom, can orchestrate.Lord of Perfect Counsel, You teach us in many ways, always guiding us closer to Yourself. Open my heart to Your divine pedagogy, and teach me to persevere through every trial You permit, so that my faith and trust in You may grow ever deeper. Bestow upon me the Gift of Counsel, so that I may respond wisely to Your promptings and help lead others to Your loving Heart. Use me as Your instrument to draw souls to the truth, in ways that only You can design. Jesus, I trust in You.  Image: Exorcism of the Syrophoenician Woman's Daughter, by Carl and Franz JobstSource: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: 2 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 34; John 6 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible for August 4th, day 217 in our journey through scripture. Join your Bible reading coach Hunter as we unite from around the world to reflect on God's Word and the love that holds us together. In today's episode, we delve into the story of King Josiah's rediscovery of the lost Book of the Law in the temple, explore his deep repentance and the spiritual renewal of a nation, and move into John chapter 6 where Jesus reveals himself as the true bread of life. Together, we'll meditate on what it means to recognize God's presence at work—sometimes hidden in plain sight—and to find ultimate satisfaction in him. Settle in as we open our hearts, seek understanding, and renew our faith in the living Word. TODAY'S DEVOTION: The living Word, hidden in plain sight. For generations, the Word of God was lost among God's people—lost, tragically, in the very place you'd expect to find it: the temple. It was there, but no one was looking. No one was listening. Eventually, King Josiah would find it, and with it, a deep awareness of God's presence and his own need for mercy. In our reading from John, we encounter a similar pattern: Jesus, the living Word, is right among his people in the synagogue, but still seems hidden from them. They watch miracles unfold before their eyes—the feeding of the multitudes, healings, signs—and yet they do not see or believe. Only God reveals God. Miraculous signs point to Jesus as the one who truly satisfies, the bread of life come down from heaven. But so often, we can lose sight of him amid the ruins of our own lives—our painful pasts, our self-centered paths. Even among God's own people, we can miss him, as if he's hidden in plain sight. We chase after perishable things, obsessing over what fills our bellies, our desires, our plans. Yet Jesus gently calls us to fix our gaze upon him, to seek what only he can give: true, eternal life. If we take our eyes off ourselves, even for a moment, we might see the one who is standing before us—the one who can truly fill us. Jesus calls us to trust him, to rely on him rather than our own strength. Like Peter, who, when confronted by the miraculous catch of fish, fell to his knees acknowledging his need for grace; like Josiah, who, upon finding the Word, tore his clothes and sought God's mercy—so we too are called to humble ourselves, to see what has always been waiting for us. Are you seeing the Word of God that is right before you? The God who provides, who is merciful, who has come down for you? He is not hidden from you. He longs to satisfy you with his bread. May you find the living Word right in front of you today. May you take and eat, and be truly satisfied. That is the prayer I hold for my own soul, for my family, and for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

Is there something from your past holding you back? It could be 50 years ago, or 5 days ago. Regardless, past regrets, guilt, and shame have a way of holding on to us. We replay the stories we have no way of changing because what is done is done. You can’t go back. You can’t undo it. So, what do you do? Too many of us are serving life sentences for sins Jesus already died for. We keep dragging yesterday into today and wondering why it’s so hard to move forward. We allow our worst moments to become our identity. We introduce ourselves to God with our failures, while He calls us by our name. Maybe you wish you had made different choices. Maybe you stayed too long, left too soon, trusted the wrong person, or became someone you’re not proud of. Maybe you did things that still haunt you. Or maybe things were done to you that have created a deep shame. Maybe you’ve asked God to forgive you a thousand times, but you’ve never forgiven yourself. You’ve accepted His grace for everyone else while withholding it from yourself. Regret has a way of convincing us that our past gets the final word. Shame whispers, “This changes everything.” But grace declares, “No, Jesus does.” Once, there was a woman caught in a shameful act of sin and brought before a crowd for Jesus to judge. Now imagine that for a moment. You know what you did, but imagine standing before a crowd with your sin announced and Jesus looking right at you. You have no excuse. No justification. It’s just the truth of what you’ve done as your full identity. What would Jesus say to you? You don’t have to guess. What He said to one daughter about her guilt and shame is what He says to every daughter about her guilt and shame. Hear Jesus today. John 8: 2-11, “At dawn Jesus appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, which with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ ‘No one, sir’,’ she said. ‘THEN NEITHER DO I CONDEMN YOU.’ Jesus declared. ‘GO NOW AND LEAVE YOUR LIFE OF SIN.’ How incredibly remarkable. Jesus didn’t turn away. He didn’t shame her. There was no condemnation in the presence of Jesus—not by Him or anyone else. And don’t miss this. Jesus knew everything. He knew the details no one else knew. He knew every choice that led her there. He knew the things she was ashamed to say out loud. There were no secrets remaining before Him. Yet Jesus did not condemn her. Instead, He invited her to leave it all right there and walk away without that burden. Without that secret. Without that regret. Without that shame. A woman set free from the very mess she had created. A woman given a new life as fully forgiven. And that is you. How do I know that’s you? Because not a single one of us is without sin. No one has gotten this all right. We’ve all failed and fallen short. Every single one of us deserves condemnation, but praise God, we don’t receive what we deserve. We receive what Jesus purchased for us instead. There are two things Jesus says to this woman, and I believe we often embrace one while completely missing the other. First, He says, “Neither do I condemn you.” We love that part. We underline it in our Bibles. We thank Him for it. But then we spend the rest of our lives condemning ourselves. Isn’t that strange? Jesus releases us while we keep ourselves imprisoned. Jesus says, “I don’t condemn you.” And we reply, “Thank you, Jesus, but I do.” He says, “You’re forgiven.” We say, “Yes, but I’m ashamed.” He says, “I’ve removed your sin.” We say, “Yes, but I still carry it.” Can I lovingly tell you something? It is not humility to carry what Jesus died to remove. Some of us have made self-punishment our penance. We secretly believe if we carry our shame long enough, somehow we’ll finally pay for what we’ve done. But my sister, that’s not repentance—that’s pride dressed up as punishment. You cannot pay for a debt Jesus already paid in full – stop trying. If Jesus doesn’t condemn you, then who gave you permission to condemn yourself? The second thing Jesus says is, “Go now and leave your life of sin.” Notice He didn’t say, “Neither do I condemn you, now stay here and live defined by what you’ve done.” No. Grace never leaves us where it finds us. Jesus didn’t simply free her from condemnation, He freed her for transformation. He drew a line in the sand that day. Everything before this moment was her past. Everything after this moment would become her future. And do you know what Jesus refused to allow? He refused to allow her past to cross over that line. I wonder if that’s what Jesus is doing for you today. Perhaps He’s drawing another line in the sand – not because He has grown weary of forgiving you, but because He is weary of watching you carry what He has already removed. How many times has He offered you this forgiveness? Every single day of your life. And every day you’ve picked it back up again. You’ve brought Him the same regret. The same shame. The same failure. Not because His forgiveness isn’t enough, but because you’ve struggled to believe it really applies to you. Today can be different. Today can be the day you finally realize that you cannot change what you did, but it has never changed the way Jesus sees you. You think what you did changed everything, but you’re wrong. WHAT JESUS DID CHANGED EVERYTHING. Your choices are not more powerful than His cross. Your failures are not more powerful than His forgiveness. Your past is not more powerful than His grace. He hung on that cross to forgive you. Not partially. Not temporarily. Completely. And now He asks you not to carry this beyond the line He has drawn. He already died for this, and He doesn’t want a part of you dying too. Jesus said in John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” That includes you. Not someday. Not after you’ve punished yourself long enough. Not after you’ve finally become who you think you should be. Today. And my sister, that doesn’t merely include you – it is about you. If you were the only person in the world, Jesus would have died for you. He would have stretched out His arms on that cross simply so you could hear Him say, “Neither do I condemn you.” He drew the line to create a boundary for your past. Don’t drag your past across the line He has drawn. He meant it when He said, “I do not condemn you.” And He meant it when He said, “Go now and leave this.” The enemy wants you looking over your shoulder, grieving what cannot be changed. God invites you to lift your eyes and look ahead at what can still be redeemed. You may not be able to rewrite the story, but God is able to redeem it. He has never once looked at a broken life and said, “There’s nothing I can do with that.” In fact, broken pieces are often His favorite place to begin. At some point, you have to stop visiting the graveyard of your past and start walking into the purpose of your present. What happened matters, but it doesn’t get to matter most. God’s grace is greater than your greatest regret. You cannot change yesterday, but you don’t have to keep carrying it into tomorrow. So today, I want you to picture Jesus bending down and drawing a line in the sand for you. On one side is everything you’ve done. Every regret. Every failure. Every shame-filled memory. And on the other side is the abundant life He died to give you. Hear Him say it one more time: “Neither do I condemn you.” And then hear the rest of His invitation: “Go now.” Leave it here. Leave it forgiven. Leave it buried. And walk away free. And you know what free women do … they help set others free. There are others just like you. Others dragging around that same guilt and shame. Others who have suffered too. And now you, with the power of the Holy Spirit within you, and the personal experience of forgiveness and freedom, you can lead those women to the same encounter with Jesus and the line he has drawn for them. LET HIM USE YOU NOW! Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com

Jesus closes the greatest sermon ever preached not with a gentle suggestion but with a command. In Matthew 7:13-14, He presents two gates, two roads, and two destinations, and He calls every person to honestly consider which road they are actually on. The narrow gate is narrow for real reasons. God's commands reflect His character, and walking with a holy God shapes the way we live. The Christian faith also carries non-negotiable truths about who God is, who Jesus is, and what He has done. And perhaps most pointedly, the gate is narrow because you can miss it entirely. It requires coming with empty hands, confessing that you cannot save yourself, and asking God to make you a citizen of His kingdom. That is the one entrance requirement, and it is the one our proud hearts resist the most. The road beyond the gate is described by Jesus as hard, a word connected in the original language to suffering and opposition. This is not the version of Christianity that promises fewer problems and a smoother path. It is the version Jesus Himself described, where loving your enemies and living for others puts you directly against the grain of a self-centered world. Sin feels like coasting downhill. Obedience feels like climbing uphill against your own fallen nature and sometimes against the current of everything around you. Yet Jesus gives us every reason to choose this road anyway. The easy road hides its true cost and collects its bill later. Human beings were made for worthy challenges, not comfortable drifting, and something deep inside us knows it. The narrow road is the true road, and it leads not just to more years of life but to the fuller, richer, eternal life that Christ alone can give. And the good news is that no one walks it by their own strength. The gate is opened not by effort but by grace, and the One who commands us to enter is the same One who walked the road perfectly and gave His life to make the way.

As I gazed at the intricate etching Christ and the Woman of Samaria by Dutch artist Rembrandt, two interesting details caught my eye. The first was Jesus’ humble pose—leaning over, with His hand over His heart—as he addressed the Samaritan woman. By depicting Jesus this way, Rembrandt captured a significant aspect of the biblical story. Due to centuries of hostilities between the two groups, Jews typically did not associate with Samaritans (John 4:9). Yet Jesus reached out with respect and dignity to a woman considered an outcast, not only because of her ethnicity but also because of her checkered past (vv. 17–18). Jesus knew the woman’s struggles and offered “living water” (v. 10) to satisfy her deepest need—the gift of cleansing and life-giving grace available through a restored relationship with God. The second detail that caught my eye was the dark shadow covering the woman’s face, symbolizing her initial struggle to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, or Israel’s promised rescuer. When the woman told Jesus, “I know that Messiah is coming” (v. 25) and He responded, “I am he” (v. 26), her eyes and heart were opened (v. 29). As we encounter people who are spiritually thirsty, Jesus’ example reminds me to speak with humility and kindness, praying for God to remove the shadow that “has blinded the minds of unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 4:4) so that they can fully understand Jesus’ life-changing offer of living water.

It's easy to assume the Kingdom of God should look impressive, successful, and impossible to miss. Yet Jesus points to a mustard seed and yeast—ordinary, hidden things that are full of life. This week's message explores how Christ retrains us to recognize His Kingdom and challenges us to trade the world's scoreboard for His.

In the eighth week of our Summer at Bethlehem series, we revisit one of the most familiar stories in Scripture: the encounter between Jesus and Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10. Familiarity often breeds passivity; because we grew up singing the childhood song about the "wee little man," we frequently overlook the radical, scandalous grace displayed in this scene.   Most of us live our lives as if we are constantly auditioning for God's attention, wondering, "Am I good enough? Am I loveable? Am I worthy?" This message dismantles the myth that we must clean up our lives before Jesus will enter them. Whether you are hiding behind a resume of success or drowning in a reputation of past mistakes, the gospel declares that Jesus sees you, knows your name, and desires to move from being a guest in your life to being the Lord of your house.  

When Jesus was born, He laid aside the privileges of heaven and chose to live as a man on earth. It was not until after His baptism in the Jordan River, when the Holy Spirit descended upon Him like a dove, that He was anointed and empowered for His earthly ministry. In Acts 1, Jesus spoke to a group of ordinary, imperfect men – including Peter, who had denied Him only weeks before. Yet Jesus made them an extraordinary promise: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." In other words, the Holy Spirit would transform their lives and empower them to fulfil the ministry He was entrusting to them. After He had spoken these words, while they watched, Jesus was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. These were among His final instructions to His disciples. He told them to wait in Jerusalem because everything would change when the Holy Spirit came. They would no longer rely on their own strength or abilities. Instead, they would receive the power of the Holy Spirit, enabling them to become His witnesses to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

This sermon explores Jesus's final words to His disciples in the Upper Room, focusing on His promise not to leave them as orphans. The central message addresses how believers often struggle with an "orphan spirit"—a mindset of living as though we are abandoned, unprotected, and forced to survive on our own, rather than as beloved sons and daughters of God. Through the promised Holy Spirit (the Paraclete), believers receive not just God's presence but His power, advocacy, and constant affirmation of their identity in Christ. The sermon challenges the congregation to stop confusing God's silence with His absence and to transition from trying to earn God's love through performance to resting in the security of being permanently adopted into His family. The key is learning to approach God's Word not as a legal obligation or audit of performance, but as a love letter from a Father who speaks life-giving promises over His children.Read John 14:15-18Jesus promised He would not leave us as orphans. In your moments of silence from God, remember that silence does not equal absence. The disciples faced their greatest fear—abandonment by the One who gave them identity and purpose. Yet Jesus assured them of the Holy Spirit's coming. Today, examine where you've confused God's silence with His absence. Are there unanswered prayers causing you to doubt His faithfulness? The Spirit of God stands with His arm around you, silencing every accusation. You are not forgotten. You are not abandoned. His presence is with you forever—no conditions, no clauses, just unwavering commitment to remain with you always.Discussion Questions:-In what ways have you confused God's silence with God's absence in your own life, and how might understanding the difference transform your relationship with Him?-How does viewing God's Word as a love letter rather than a rulebook change the way you approach Scripture and obedience?-Which of the promises listed in the sermon (forgiven, loved, chosen, blameless, complete, etc.) do you struggle most to believe about yourself, and why?

This sermon explores Jesus's final words to His disciples in the Upper Room, focusing on His promise not to leave them as orphans. The central message addresses how believers often struggle with an "orphan spirit"—a mindset of living as though we are abandoned, unprotected, and forced to survive on our own, rather than as beloved sons and daughters of God. Through the promised Holy Spirit (the Paraclete), believers receive not just God's presence but His power, advocacy, and constant affirmation of their identity in Christ. The sermon challenges the congregation to stop confusing God's silence with His absence and to transition from trying to earn God's love through performance to resting in the security of being permanently adopted into His family. The key is learning to approach God's Word not as a legal obligation or audit of performance, but as a love letter from a Father who speaks life-giving promises over His children.Read John 14:15-18Jesus promised He would not leave us as orphans. In your moments of silence from God, remember that silence does not equal absence. The disciples faced their greatest fear—abandonment by the One who gave them identity and purpose. Yet Jesus assured them of the Holy Spirit's coming. Today, examine where you've confused God's silence with His absence. Are there unanswered prayers causing you to doubt His faithfulness? The Spirit of God stands with His arm around you, silencing every accusation. You are not forgotten. You are not abandoned. His presence is with you forever—no conditions, no clauses, just unwavering commitment to remain with you always.Discussion Questions:-In what ways have you confused God's silence with God's absence in your own life, and how might understanding the difference transform your relationship with Him?-How does viewing God's Word as a love letter rather than a rulebook change the way you approach Scripture and obedience?-Which of the promises listed in the sermon (forgiven, loved, chosen, blameless, complete, etc.) do you struggle most to believe about yourself, and why?

In a city like Hong Kong, it can feel like there's always more need than we can possibly meet. Yet Jesus looks at the crowds with compassion and speaks of a harvest that is already ready, even when the workers feel few. This Sunday at Community Church Hong Kong, we continue our summer with a message from Rev. Ivan Chung titled “Doing as Jesus Does.” Together we'll consider how Jesus responds to the people around Him—and what it looks like for us, in our everyday lives, to step into His work with open hearts and willing hands. Whether you're exploring faith or have followed Jesus for many years, we invite you to join us as we worship, listen to Scripture, and ask God to show us the part He is calling each of us to play in His harvest. If you are new to Community Church, WELCOME! We would love to get to know you. Please fill in the following form and we look forward to connecting with you: https://bit.ly/cc-new-connect You can find all timely and relevant links from this service on https://bit.ly/cc-links You can also find out more about us at https://communitychurch.hk/ ================ This Week's Scripture: // John 5:1-10 (NIV) // The Healing at the Pool Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”

Dr. R. A. Torrey once wrote that prayer is the key that unlocks the storehouses of God's infinite grace and power. In today's episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef asks an honest question: If prayer is so powerful, why do we spend so little time doing it? Some believers struggle because they do not know how to pray or wonder whether God hears them. But Scripture assures us that the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their cry. Others misunderstand prayer, treating it like a formula or a method for getting God to fulfill personal desires. Yet Jesus taught His disciples a simple prayer that centers on humility, worship, dependence, forgiveness, and surrender to the Father's will. Dr. Youssef reminds us that God is not our bellhop or servant. Prayer is not about manipulating heaven with eloquent words. It is our greatest form of communication with our heavenly Father—a place where we bare our souls, receive His grace, and deepen our relationship with Him. Well-phrased sentences will not usher us into the throne room of God. But a humble heart, a worshipful spirit, and a sincere desire to seek the Savior open the door to deeper fellowship with Him. Pray with me.  Precious Lord, teach me how to pray. I desire intimacy with You. Fashion within me a heart like Yours. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. The voice you hear on the MY Devotional podcast is digitally generated with Dr. Youssef's permission. If today's devotional stirred a question, burden, or need for prayer, you don't have to walk through it alone.

The birds don't gather into barns. The lilies don't spin their own clothing. Yet Jesus says both have something to teach us about trust. Financial fear often begins when we realize how much we cannot control. We can plan wisely, save diligently, and prepare carefully—but tomorrow still belongs to God. That's why Jesus' words in Matthew 6 offer such deep comfort for anxious hearts. When Worry Feels Heavy In Matthew 6, Jesus says, “Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on.” Later, He adds, “Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.” For anyone who has struggled with financial fear, those words can feel heavy. You may think, I know I shouldn't worry—but I do. You worry about the bills. You worry about your job. You worry about the market, retirement, your children, or what happens if the car breaks down, the medical bill comes in, or the paycheck doesn't stretch far enough. And then, on top of the worry, you may feel guilty for worrying. But Jesus is not standing over anxious people simply saying, “Stop it.” Instead, He draws near and says, “Look.” Look at the Birds. Consider the Lilies. Jesus invites us to look at the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. He points us to a world that does not revolve around our control, our striving, our spreadsheets, or our ability to predict every outcome. “The birds of the air” do not sow or reap or gather into barns, and yet our heavenly Father feeds them. The lilies do not toil or spin, and yet not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of them. Jesus is not saying planning is wrong. Scripture encourages wise preparation and faithful stewardship. But He is exposing the illusion that we are in control. Anxiety often grows in the gap between what we can manage and what we cannot guarantee. We can make a budget, but we cannot control tomorrow. We can save wisely, but we cannot control the economy. We can work faithfully, but we cannot control every outcome. And when we begin to believe everything depends on us, stewardship becomes a crushing burden. Planning turns into panic. Saving turns into hoarding. Responsibility turns into fear. Your Father Knows That's why Jesus tells us to look beyond ourselves. The birds are a sermon in the sky. The flowers are a testimony in the field. Creation itself is preaching the care of God. And Jesus' point is not merely “Don't worry.” His deeper point is this: Your Father knows. Your Father knows what you need. Your Father sees what burdens you. Your Father understands the bills, the uncertainty, the decisions, the pressure, and the fear that wakes you up at night. And if He feeds the birds—creatures that do not bear His image—how much more will He care for you, His beloved child? That does not mean every financial difficulty disappears. Jesus never promises a life without trouble. In fact, He says, “Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” There are real burdens in this life. There are real needs. There are real moments of uncertainty. But Jesus invites us to face today's trouble with today's grace. Today's Trouble, Today's Grace “Do not be anxious about tomorrow” is not a cold command. It is a tender invitation. Jesus is reminding us that we do not have to live as though the future rests on our shoulders. We do not have to secure our own universe. We do not have to hold everything together. Our Father is already there. So what do we do with financial anxiety? We bring it honestly to God. We name the fears we are carrying. We ask for wisdom where action is needed. We seek wise counsel when decisions feel too heavy. And then, with open hands, we release what we cannot control. We do the next faithful thing today. Our Security Is in God As we do, we remember that our security is not ultimately in our income. It is not in our investments. It is not in our plans. It is not in our ability to foresee tomorrow. Our security is in God—the One who knows what we need, invites us to look at the sparrows, and gives us the grace to trust Him one day at a time. If financial fear and anxiety are weighing on your heart, we'd love to help you explore these truths more deeply through our 21-day devotional, Look at the Sparrows. You can order your copy at FaithFi.com/Shop. And if you'd like to go through it with your church or small group, bulk orders and bulk discounts are available there as well. On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions: I haven't filed my tax returns for a few years, and I want to make things right. I've heard about the IRS “Fresh Start” program. Should I work with a tax relief company, hire a CPA, or contact the IRS directly through my local office? My husband and I are in our mid-60s, and our business is winding down. We have roughly $900,000 to $1 million in real estate, including our home, business building, and another property, plus about $700,000 in stocks and bonds with an advisor. Is real estate considered aggressive or conservative in our overall portfolio? And at our age, how should our investments be allocated? I'm 64 and want to set up a trust to help my assets avoid probate. Should I place only titled assets, like my home, in the trust, or should investment accounts be included too? Could retitling investment accounts into a trust trigger taxes? I also owe about $115,000 on my home. One of my children would like to live there with his kids, and I'd like my grandchildren to have a home if something happens to me. Should the trust pay off the mortgage from my assets, or should I consider life insurance or mortgage protection to cover it? Resources Mentioned: Faithful Steward: FaithFi's Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner) Our Ultimate Treasure: A 21-Day Journey to Faithful Stewardship by Rob West Wisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on Money Look At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and Anxiety Rich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich Fool Find a Certified Kingdom Advisor® (CKA) FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions every weekday at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. You can also visit FaithFi.com to connect with our online community and partner with us as we help more people live as faithful stewards of God's resources. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

July 9, 2026Today's Reading: Catechism: The Lord's Prayer - The ConclusionDaily Lectionary: Judges 4:1-24; Judges 5:1-31; Acts 14:1-18“He Himself has commanded us to pray in this way and has promised to hear us.” In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. When Jesus teaches the disciples the Lord's Prayer in Luke 11, he not only teaches them what to pray for, but also how to pray. There, he tells the parable of a man who goes to his friend at midnight asking for bread. The friend's door is shut, his whole family is asleep, and he says, “Do not bother me; I cannot get up and give you anything.” Yet Jesus says that when this friend finally helps, it will not be because of their friendship, but because of the man's impudence— his shameless persistence. Because he keeps asking and knocking, his friend will give him what he needs. Jesus then gives the how of prayer: ask, seek, and knock. “Ask, and it will be given to you.” And if it is not given to you, “seek, and you will find.” Seek again the wisdom of God's Word, and discover what the Lord has given you to pray for. Then “knock, and it will be opened to you.” Be that man who persistently knocks on his friend's door at midnight. Pray always. Jesus wants us to bother him, to pester him with our prayers, to knock and keep knocking. Finally, Jesus compares prayer to the relationship between a father and his child. If a son asks for a fish, will his father give him a serpent? Or if he asks for an egg, will he hand him a scorpion? Of course not. So, Jesus concludes: “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” The Father delights to hear our requests and answer them. He has commanded us to pray and has promised to hear us. Yet Jesus doesn't want us to think of prayer mechanically, as though God listens only because of our many repetitions. When he tells the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18, it is “to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” If this widow persevered and “prayed always,” trusting that her persistence would move even an unjust judge to grant her justice, how much more should we persevere in prayer and “not lose heart,” we who call upon the God who delights to give justice to his elect? If the “judge of unrighteousness” granted justice at last, will not the “Judge of all righteousness” bring justice to his elect? That is why we pray both day and night, confident in his mercy and steadfast love. We won't receive justice because we persevere in prayer; we persevere in prayer because we know that God will give us justice. And if he delays, we remember that even his delay is for our good—to strengthen our faith. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Amen, that is, so shall it be. Make strong our faith in You, that we May doubt not but with trust believe That what we ask we shall receive. Thus in Your name and at Your Word We say, “Amen, O hear us, Lord!” (LSB 766:9)Rev. David Woelmer, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, Smithville, Texas. 

Tuesday July 7, 2026VI Week after PentecostToday's episode highlights the contrast between self-reliance and saving faith, reminding us that God's grace is received through humble trust, not human achievement. In Numbers 16:20–35, the rebellion of Korah reaches its tragic conclusion. Despite Moses' repeated warnings, Korah and those who joined him refuse to repent, and God's judgment falls upon them. The passage is a sobering reminder that pride and rebellion against God's authority carry serious consequences, while humility and obedience lead to life.In Romans 4:1–12, Paul points to Abraham as the great example of justification by faith. Long before the law was given or circumcision was instituted, Abraham was declared righteous because he believed God. Salvation has always been by grace through faith, not by religious rituals or human effort. Our standing before God rests entirely on His promise and our trust in Him.Finally, in Matthew 19:23–30, Jesus Christ teaches how difficult it is for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of heaven—not because wealth is inherently sinful, but because it can so easily become a substitute for dependence on God. Yet Jesus offers hope with these powerful words: “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” He also promises that those who sacrifice for His sake will receive an eternal reward far greater than anything they leave behind.Together, these passages remind us that pride leads to destruction, faith is the only path to righteousness, and the kingdom of God belongs to those who trust Him completely rather than relying on their own status, possessions, or accomplishments.

“As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” — John 9:4-5 My favorite time at our beehives is around sunset. Gatherer bees are coming back to the hive. If I look closely, I can see the bulging pollen packs on their hind legs, holding the fruit of their labor. Amazing! These worker bees have been busy since sunrise—making the most of their opportunities to gather pollen and nectar. With darkness coming—and eventually the dark and cold of winter— the opportunity to work will end. Bees work and make honey “as long as it is day.”In John 9, Jesus talks about being “the light of the world,” and he warns his disciples about a kind of darkness that is coming. In this chapter we see Jesus bring light to a blind man's eyes in the face of growing opposition and looming darkness. Jesus says,” As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me.” And did you notice that Jesus includes his followers in the work he is doing?The rest of the story in John 9 gets very dark. We can observe a similar darkness in the world around us as well. Yet Jesus, the light of the world, keeps working to bring sight to the blind.In your coming and going, what are your opportunities to shine? How can you make the most of your opportunities to spread the light of Jesus? Lord Jesus, live in us and through us to bring your light into the darkness of this world. May the fruit of your goodness and truth shine brightly as we make the most of the opportunities we have. In your name, Amen.

This weekend at Northeast, we kicked off a brand-new Bible study series through the book of Hosea, one of the most powerful pictures of God's grace in all of Scripture. Tyler opened Hosea and took us on a Bible-study journey through Israel's history to help us understand the context behind one of the Bible's most shocking commands: "Go and marry a prostitute." God called the prophet Hosea to marry Gomer, an unfaithful woman, as a living illustration of Israel's relationship with God. Just as Gomer repeatedly ran from Hosea, Israel repeatedly ran from God through idolatry, rebellion, and covenant unfaithfulness. Although Israel was enjoying political success and prosperity under King Jeroboam II, Hosea revealed a deeper problem: their hearts had drifted from God. They were worshiping idols, trusting other sources for blessing, and breaking their covenant with the Lord. But Hosea's story is not ultimately about judgment it's about grace. Even after Gomer abandoned him, Hosea continued to love her. When she found herself broken, enslaved, and at rock bottom, Hosea paid the price to buy her back and bring her home. That redemption story points directly to Jesus. Just as Hosea redeemed his unfaithful bride, Jesus came to redeem us. We are Gomer. We are the ones who wander. Yet Jesus refuses to give up on us. He pursues us, pays our debt, covers our shame, and invites us back into relationship with Him. The heart of the message was simple: It's time to come home. No matter your past, your failures, or how far you've drifted, God's grace is greater. Through Jesus, forgiveness, restoration, and a new beginning are available to everyone. Jesus paid the price to bring us home; will we respond to His invitation? Check out our videos to learn more about us, or visit us at necchurch.org. Follow us on Facebook: @NECChurch Instagram: @northeast.church

Preached by Pastor Jared on July 5, 2026.The bronze serpent in the wilderness was originally a powerful symbol of salvation, but over time it became an idol unto itself that needed to be destroyed. Yet Jesus does not minimize the bronze serpent's original intent but rather preaches it accurately.   How do we allow good things to become idols in our lives? In what areas do we seek the gift of God over God Himself?   The Story Arc of the Bronze Serpent in Scripture:1. Original: Look and Live2. Perversion: Offerings to Nehushtan3. Reclaiming: The Exalted Son--------Join us in person Sundays at 10:30am at 6325 Poplar Ave, Memphis TN or online at https://www.kirbywoods.org/live. Follow us online! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kirbywoodsmemphis Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kirbywoodsmemphis YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kirbywoodsmemphisPodcast: https://kirbywoodspodcast.buzzsprout.com

As the day comes to a close, reflect on what it means to truly follow Jesus. Tonight's Our Daily Bread Evening Meditation invites you to consider the cost of discipleship and the freedom that comes through surrender. Reflecting on Matthew 19:16–22, we are reminded that the things we hold onto can sometimes keep us from the peace we long for. Yet Jesus offers something greater—freedom, purpose, and life in Him. As you settle into the quiet of the night, bring your attachments honestly before God. In letting go, you may discover a deeper peace than you've ever known.Tonight's meditation is read by Howie. Meet the team at odb.org/meet-the-team. These meditations are lovingly and prayerfully crafted by human writers, presenters and producers, with no AI-generated content. If you'd like to get in touch with us to share your story or let us know how we can make the Evening Meditations an even better experience, email our team at eveningmeditations@odbm.orgWe hope that you enjoy this Evening Meditation from Our Daily Bread Ministries! You can find more exciting content from Our Daily Bread Ministries by downloading the Our Daily Bread app or visiting us at: odbm.orgAll our funding comes from our listeners, like you, who value what we do and want to help us reach more people. Together, we can keep making our podcast freely accessible to all. You can make a donation towards our mission at eveningmeditations.org.  ★ Support this podcast ★

In this message, Coleton concludes the Lord's Prayer series by focusing on one of the most overlooked phrases Jesus ever taught us to pray: "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." (Matthew 6:13) Many Christians are comfortable praying for daily needs, forgiveness, or God's will, but often neglect this final request. Yet Jesus intentionally ends His model prayer by teaching His followers to pray against spiritual evil. Coleton explains that this isn't reserved for unusually spiritual Christians or for a specific period of history—it is meant to become a normal part of every believer's prayer life. Using Scripture, historical examples, and practical application, Coleton reminds us that while Christians should never seek out spiritual warfare, we are also never called to ignore it. Instead, Jesus gives us a weapon: prayer. Through prayer, we ask God to fight for us, protect us, and advance His kingdom against the kingdom of darkness. Jesus Teaches Us that Prayer is Spiritual Warfare Coleton opens with a story from his father, who taught him never to start a fight—but if one became unavoidable, fight hard enough that the enemy would never forget it. He uses that illustration to explain Jesus' teaching. Jesus isn't telling Christians to obsess over demons or look for spiritual battles everywhere. Instead, He is preparing His followers for the reality that they already live in a spiritual war. Prayer is how believers fight. The Lord's Prayer gradually teaches us how to approach God: Our Father — Remember who you are talking to. Hallowed be Your Name — Worship Him and remember His greatness. Your Kingdom Come — Ask God to display His rule and goodness on earth. Give Us Daily Bread — Trust Him to provide what you need. Forgive Us Our Debts — Confess sin and receive His grace. Deliver Us from the Evil One — Ask God to protect you and defeat the enemy. Coleton points out that Jesus intentionally ends His model prayer here. That means fighting spiritual evil isn't an optional part of Christianity—it is part of ordinary Christian prayer. Bible Passage Matthew 6:9–13 1. Jesus Knows This Is What Is Really Wrong with the World Coleton explains that beneath every broken relationship, every injustice, every war, every addiction, every lie, and every act of rebellion lies a deeper spiritual problem. Jesus did not primarily come to overthrow governments or fix political systems. He came to destroy the works of Satan. The greatest enemy of humanity isn't another nation, another political party, another religion, or another group of people. The deepest problem is sin and the spiritual kingdom of darkness that opposes God's purposes. This explains why so much of Jesus' earthly ministry involved confronting demons, healing people oppressed by evil, and setting captives free. Rather than teaching His followers to hate people, Jesus commanded them to: Love their enemies. Pray for those who persecute them. Turn the other cheek. But when it comes to Satan and spiritual evil, Jesus tells believers to fight. Coleton spends time explaining Daniel 10, where Daniel prayed for understanding for twenty-one days. God immediately heard his prayer, yet an angel was delayed because of conflict with spiritual powers described as the "Prince of Persia." This passage offers a glimpse behind the curtain of history. Events on earth often reflect a much greater conflict taking place in the unseen spiritual realm. Paul teaches the same reality in Ephesians: our true struggle is never against flesh and blood. That changes how Christians view the world. Instead of seeing people as the enemy, we begin praying against the spiritual forces influencing hearts, cultures, governments, and communities. Bible Passages Matthew 6:13 1 John 3:8 Daniel 10 Ephesians 6:12 Quotes "Spiritual beings are associated with nation-states... Michael fights for God's people, while the prince of Persia is a demonic power." — D.A. Carson "Daniel was learning that the ultimate power struggle was fought out in a realm of which most people know nothing... the world crises we see are reflections of an older, more ruthless conflict." — Sinclair Ferguson 2. Jesus Knows Every Believer Will Experience Spiritual Conflict Coleton reminds us that no one escapes spiritual warfare. Whether someone believes in Christ or not, the enemy is active. For unbelievers, Satan blinds people from seeing the beauty of the gospel. This explains why many reject Christ despite God's incredible offer of mercy. For believers, conversion does not end the battle. In many ways, it begins a new one. Peter warns Christians that the devil prowls like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Paul tells believers to put on the armor of God because spiritual conflict is inevitable. Coleton carefully avoids extremes. He reminds the church that not every hardship is caused by demons. Not every sickness... Not every temptation... Not every mental illness... Not every difficult circumstance... The Bible teaches that sometimes our own sinful desires lead us into temptation. Other times physical problems simply require ordinary wisdom and medical care. Still, Scripture clearly teaches that Satan actively seeks to: tempt believers toward sin, accuse them with guilt, destroy marriages, create division, attack families, discourage God's people, oppose God's work, and steal joy, peace, hope, and confidence in God. Because Jesus knows His followers will encounter spiritual opposition, He teaches them to pray for God's protection regularly. Bible Passages 2 Corinthians 4:4 1 Peter 5:8 Ephesians 6:10–13 Matthew 4 Mark 5 Matthew 9 Matthew 12 Luke 13 Matthew 15 Matthew 16 Mark 9 Acts 5 Luke 22 John 10:10 Quotes "After a man is converted... Satan gathers all his forces... because he cannot bear to lose his subjects." — Charles Spurgeon 3. Jesus Wants Us to Fight—and Prayer Is One of Our Greatest Weapons Coleton emphasizes that prayer is much more than bringing requests to God. Prayer is warfare. Paul teaches that Christians do not fight with worldly weapons but with weapons empowered by God to destroy spiritual strongholds. Coleton reminds us of the story where the disciples could not cast a demon out of a boy. When they asked Jesus why they failed, Jesus answered that this kind only comes out through prayer. Prayer is not powerless. Prayer invites the power of God into spiritual battles that human strength can never win. The Christian does not defeat darkness through cleverness, politics, anger, intimidation, or force. We fight by depending upon: the Holy Spirit, God's Word, faith, and prayer. Bible Passages 2 Corinthians 10:3–4 Matthew 17 (or Mark 9 parallel) Quotes "Christians can wage a successful campaign in the spiritual realm only when they abandon human resources and totally rely on spiritual weapons." — D.A. Carson "We must all practice violence... he who prays is fighting against the devil." — Martin Luther "While others fight, Christians pray." — Origen How Should Christians Respond? After explaining why Jesus included this prayer, Coleton gives several practical responses. Live with Awareness, Not Fear Christians should recognize spiritual warfare without becoming frightened by it. Jesus has already defeated Satan through His death and resurrection. Believers are filled with the Holy Spirit, and God's Spirit is infinitely greater than the enemy. Every time demons encountered Jesus in the Gospels, they were terrified of Him—not the other way around. Bible Passage 1 John 4:4 Pray for Discernment Coleton warns against seeing demons behind every inconvenience. The Bible teaches balance. Sometimes problems are spiritual. Sometimes they are physical. Sometimes they arise from our own sinful desires. Believers need wisdom to recognize the difference rather than becoming fearful or superstitious. Bible Passages James 1 1 Timothy 5:23 Know the Scriptures When Jesus faced Satan's temptations in the wilderness, He answered every attack with Scripture. God's Word is called the sword of the Spirit because truth defeats lies. The better Christians know God's Word, the better prepared they are to resist temptation and deception. Bible Passages Matthew 4 Ephesians 6 James 4:7 Make This Prayer Part of Your Daily Life Coleton challenges the church to actually pray the prayer Jesus taught. Pray for: your marriage, your children, your workplace, your church, your community, your city, your government, and everyone God has entrusted to your care. The power is not in our words. The power is in the God to whom we pray. Quote "Satan dreads nothing but prayer... He laughs at our toil... but he trembles when we pray." — Samuel Chadwick Persevere in the Battle Coleton closes with an illustration from the final days of World War II. After realizing Germany had lost, Hitler issued the Nero Decree, ordering the destruction of his own nation's infrastructure so the Allies could not benefit from it. Though defeated, he sought to cause as much destruction as possible before the end. Coleton compares this to Satan. The cross and resurrection settled the outcome. Jesus has already won. Satan knows his defeat is certain. Until Christ returns, however, he seeks to steal, kill, destroy, and create as much devastation as possible. That is why Christians must not become discouraged when they experience spiritual opposition. Spiritual conflict is not necessarily evidence that you are outside God's will. Often, it is evidence that God's kingdom is advancing through your life—and the enemy wants to stop it. Jesus has already won the victory. Now He invites His followers to participate in that victory through faithful, persistent prayer. Discipleship Group Questions Why do you think Jesus chose to end the Lord's Prayer with, "Deliver us from the evil one"? What does that reveal about the Christian life? How does understanding that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood" change the way we view difficult people, cultural conflicts, or personal hardships? Coleton emphasized that not every difficulty is spiritual warfare, but some certainly is. How can Christians grow in discernment without becoming fearful or overly focused on the demonic? Which of the practical responses challenged you the most: living without fear, praying for discernment, knowing Scripture, praying regularly against spiritual evil, or persevering? Why? What specific people, places, or situations in your life need to become part of your regular prayer for God's protection and deliverance from the evil one? Culture of Gospel Share this with someone in your life who doesn't know Jesus Every one of us senses that something is deeply broken in the world—and often within ourselves. Jesus teaches that the answer isn't simply trying harder, but trusting the One who has already defeated the deepest source of evil and invites us to live in His victory, freedom, and peace.

In episode 585, Fr. Marc Boulos explores the profound linguistic and scriptural connections between Luke 9:10–13 and Sūrat al-ʿAṣr, showing how both texts speak a common Semitic grammar of time, need, loss, and divine provision.As the day declines in Luke, the disciples conclude that the crowd must be sent away. They see the wilderness, the fading light, and their five loaves as proof that there is not enough. Yet Jesus reads the very same signs differently. Throughout Scripture, the wilderness is where God feeds his people, the declining day belongs to the God who stretches out the heavens like a tent, and apparent lack becomes the place where his provision is revealed.Drawing on Hebrew, Greek, and Arabic, Fr. Marc examines the roots behind Luke's language of need (χρεία), the bending of the day (κλίνω / נ-ט-ה / ن-ط-و), and the Qurʾan's oath by the "declining time," al-ʿaṣr (العصر), arguing that both texts confront the same temptation: allowing the pressure of time and the appearance of scarcity to govern our judgment instead of the command of God.The episode also considers the biblical understanding of desire, the guarding of the heart, the relationship between God's word and true provision, and the symbolic significance of the five loaves as the bread of the Torah. Rather than presenting the feeding of the five thousand as a miracle detached from its setting, Fr. Marc shows how every detail—the wilderness, the hour, the bread, and the command—belongs to a single scriptural grammar in which obedience transforms lack into abundance.The Declining Day is an invitation to read the signs as Scripture reads them: not through the arithmetic of scarcity, but through the God whose provision is already present in the very place where the world sees only loss. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The world says people never change. Jesus says watch what My grace can do. In a culture that writes people off because of their failures, their reputation, or their past, Scripture introduces us to Saul—a man everyone feared and no one expected God to use. Yet Jesus met him on the road to Damascus and transformed the church's greatest persecutor into one of its greatest proclaimers. Acts 9 reminds us that grace isn't earned—it pursues. Jesus still knows our names, still rewrites our stories, and still calls ordinary people to join Him in His work of redemption. Every baptism declared the same truth: no life is too broken for the transforming power of Christ. God isn't finished writing your story.

This sermon explores Jesus' radical act of washing the disciples' feet in the Upper Room as a demonstration of true greatness and the path to a flourishing life. Challenging cultural assumptions that equate upward mobility with success and fulfillment, the message reveals that Jesus modeled downward mobility—moving from the highest position of divine authority to the lowest position of servant. The sermon emphasizes that genuine blessing and deep soul-level joy come not from climbing over others to reach the top, but from humbling ourselves to serve others, even those who betray us. This posture of servanthood is presented as the uniform of every Jesus follower and the key to experiencing the abundant, flourishing life Christ promises.Read John 13:6-9; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10Peter's resistance to having his feet washed reveals a profound truth: sometimes it's harder to receive than to give. American culture celebrates self-sufficiency, but the Kingdom operates differently. Admitting we need help, allowing others to serve us, and being vulnerable about our weaknesses requires tremendous courage. Yet Jesus says if we won't let Him wash us, we have no part with Him. Salvation itself is an act of receiving what we cannot earn. Today, consider where pride might be blocking your blessing. Are you resisting community because you don't want to appear weak? Are you refusing help because you want to maintain control? True strength is found in vulnerability. Let someone wash your feet today—metaphorically or literally—by admitting you need prayer, help, or support.Discussion Questions:-How does Jesus' movement from highest authority to lowest position challenge our culture's definition of success and upward mobility?-Why is it sometimes harder to be served than to serve, and what does our resistance to receiving help reveal about our hearts?-How can we distinguish between serving others out of genuine humility versus serving to be recognized as the greatest servant?-What would it look like for you to put on the uniform of a servant this week in your workplace, school, family, or neighborhood?

This sermon explores Jesus' radical act of washing the disciples' feet in the Upper Room as a demonstration of true greatness and the path to a flourishing life. Challenging cultural assumptions that equate upward mobility with success and fulfillment, the message reveals that Jesus modeled downward mobility—moving from the highest position of divine authority to the lowest position of servant. The sermon emphasizes that genuine blessing and deep soul-level joy come not from climbing over others to reach the top, but from humbling ourselves to serve others, even those who betray us. This posture of servanthood is presented as the uniform of every Jesus follower and the key to experiencing the abundant, flourishing life Christ promises.Read John 13:6-9; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10Peter's resistance to having his feet washed reveals a profound truth: sometimes it's harder to receive than to give. American culture celebrates self-sufficiency, but the Kingdom operates differently. Admitting we need help, allowing others to serve us, and being vulnerable about our weaknesses requires tremendous courage. Yet Jesus says if we won't let Him wash us, we have no part with Him. Salvation itself is an act of receiving what we cannot earn. Today, consider where pride might be blocking your blessing. Are you resisting community because you don't want to appear weak? Are you refusing help because you want to maintain control? True strength is found in vulnerability. Let someone wash your feet today—metaphorically or literally—by admitting you need prayer, help, or support.Discussion Questions:-How does Jesus' movement from highest authority to lowest position challenge our culture's definition of success and upward mobility?-Why is it sometimes harder to be served than to serve, and what does our resistance to receiving help reveal about our hearts?-How can we distinguish between serving others out of genuine humility versus serving to be recognized as the greatest servant?-What would it look like for you to put on the uniform of a servant this week in your workplace, school, family, or neighborhood?

In Mark 6:30-44, the disciples were exhausted, the crowd was hungry, and the resources were insufficient. Yet Jesus teaches three powerful lessons: you can't pour out while running on empty, people matter more than plans, and what is insufficient in your hands becomes more than enough in His. When we come to Jesus to be filled, learn to see people with His compassion, and surrender what we have, He does far more than we ever could on our own.Need Prayer? 

Aloha and welcome to The Mission North Shore's podcast! This powerful message takes us into Mark chapter 2, where we witness Jesus doing something absolutely scandalous for His time: calling a despised tax collector named Matthew to be His disciple. Tax collectors in first-century Israel were considered traitors, thieves, and outcasts, completely cut off from religious and social life. The rabbis even taught that repentance was virtually impossible for them. Yet Jesus walks right up to Matthew's tax booth, looks him in the eye, and says those same words He spoke to Peter and the other fishermen: "Follow me."Jesus once again sets the example, displaying compassion for broken people who desperately need a Savior. "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but the sinner."

You can be doctrinally correct, faithfully serving, and completely checked out of your relationship with Jesus — all at the same time.The church in Ephesus was one of the strongest in the New Testament — active, discerning, and uncompromising in truth. Yet Jesus had one charge against them: they had abandoned the love they had at first. This message from Revelation 2:1-7 unpacks the quiet danger of spiritual drift — how activity for God slowly replaces intimacy with God, and how Jesus's call to Remember, Repent, and Return is less a warning and more an invitation home.Whether you've noticed a growing distance between you and Jesus, or you're simply going through the motions of faith without feeling much behind it, this message is for you.In this message you'll discover:Why the greatest danger to your faith isn't false doctrine — it's a cold heartHow spiritual drift happens gradually through a thousand small decisions, not one sudden fallThe difference between being busy for God and being genuinely close to GodJesus's three-step path back to your first love: Remember, Repent, and ReturnKey Scriptures: Revelation 2:1-7, Luke 10:41, John 5:39, Matthew 6:21

The Blessed Life According to the Son, Pt. 1Blessed are the Empty and BrokenMatthew 4:17, 23-25; 5:1-4 | King's Chapel Live StreamEveryone wants the blessed life.We pursue happiness, success, comfort, and fulfillment, believing that these things will finally satisfy us. Yet Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount with a surprising declaration. The truly blessed are not the self-sufficient, the powerful, or the accomplished. The truly blessed are the poor in spirit and those who mourn.In this message, we begin a new journey through the Sermon on the Mount by exploring the good news of the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus came proclaiming the Kingdom, demonstrating its power, and calling people everywhere to repent and believe.The blessed life begins when we recognize our spiritual poverty before God. It begins when we stop trusting in ourselves and cling to Christ alone. It continues as we mourn over our sin and the brokenness of this fallen world, trusting in God's promise that His people will be comforted.The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who know they need a Savior.If you are weary, burdened, broken, or searching for lasting hope, this message reminds us that true blessing is not found in self-sufficiency but in surrender to King Jesus.Connect with King's Chapel in Longwood, FL - ▶️ www.kingschapelfl.com▶️ https://www.facebook.com/KingsChapelfl▶️ https://www.instagram.com/kingschapelfl/For the GLORY of our Great GodFor the GOOD of our NeighborSermon on the Mount sermon, Matthew 5 sermon, Beatitudes explained, blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn, Kingdom of Heaven sermon, gospel of the kingdom, Christian hope and comfort, King's Chapel Longwood FL, Jesus Sermon on the Mount

Audio Transcript All right, well, beautiful singing and happy Father's Day to the fathers here. And it's a very important job that you have. And I hope that it's something that you're really striving to do faithfully and to really serve your children well in many ways, but particularly by pointing them to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Okay, so if you have a Bible with you, if you turn on to the Gospel of Luke, there texture studies will be Luke 8, 26, 39. If not mentioned. My name is Aaron. I'm the preaching pastor here. And we're really glad that you're with us today. So Luke 8, verses 26 to 39. And if you don't have a Bible with you, that's on the pew Bible, it's on page 500. There we go, page 505. And if you're visiting. So we do a style of preaching called expository preaching. So I'm going to read us the text and I'm going to pray and then we're going to walk ourselves right back through the text. So if you open your Bible, please keep your Bible open. Okay, so Luke 8, 2639, please hear the words of our God. That's what Luke wrote. Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite of Galilee. When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, what have you to do with me, Jesus, son of the most High God, I beg you, do not torment me. For he commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles. But he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert. Jesus then asked him, what is your name? And he said, legion, for many demons have entered him. And they begged him to not command them to depart into the abyss. Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered. The pigs and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned. When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told the city and the country. Then people went out to see what had happened. And they came to Jesus, found the man from whom the demons had Gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed in his right mind. And they were afraid. And those had seen it told them how the demon possessed the man had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the garrisons asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, return to your home. Declare how much God has done for you. He went away proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him. Okay, so that's God's word for us this morning. Would you please pray with me? Lord, I pray that you would bless this time. Please help me to be a good communicator of your word. Please help me to not stumble. Please keep me from error. Help me to speak truth. Lord, please be with the congregation. Please give them ears to hear what you're saying to us through your spirit, through the power of your word. It's in Jesus name we pray. Amen. Okay, so if you've been here at Red Village for some time, you know that we're in the midst of a long sermon series to the Gospel of Luke, which is a series that we hit the brakes on a few weeks back for us to look at a portion of the life of Moses found in the book of Exodus, where we have been looking at Moses life from his birth to the start of his ministry, a ministry of leading God's people out of the bondage of slavery in Egypt to take them on a journey to the promised land. You should remember that from birth to the start of this ministry actually covered like 80 years of Moses life. Now today as we gather together, we're actually hitting the brakes on that sermon series on Moses, mainly because Ben, who is scheduled to preach today from the end of Exodus 4, which is a kind of a wild passage, got sick at the end of the week, so unable to talk, therefore unable to preach. So we're hitting the brakes on that series of Moses to reengage in the Gospel of Luke, to go back where we left off in our study there before. Lord willing, we will once again hit the brakes on Luke next week to re engage in Exodus. We were planning to be for the next few weeks after that before, yes, we hit the brakes on Exodus, the life of Moses, to reengage the end of summer back in Luke. That's where we're going today. So because it's been a little bit since we've been in Luke, I thought Today might be a good for us to maybe spend a little bit of time reminding us where we've been in this study, particularly maybe some of the strong information of the Gospel of Luke. So the Gospel of Luke is one of four accounts that have in Scripture of the life, death, resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. So there's Matthew, Mark and John being the other accounts. This account to be referred to as Luke is because it's written by a man named Luke, who we see in other parts of scripture was a doctor as well as a missionary and it seems likely he was a Gentile, which refers to someone who is not Jewish. Where it seems likely that Luke came to faith through the ministry of the Apostle Paul. Sometime around the details of Acts 16, which you may remember Acts is also written by Luke. So it says part two, Acts is part two of a two volume work. So Gospel of Luke 18. In Acts there are two books of two volumes of this basically same work which we see in beginning of Luke was written first to a man named Theophilus, who Luke addressed in chapter one as like most excellent Theophilus. Now we don't know anything about this man, but because of his name, Theophilus was most likely a Gentile as well. And because he referred to as most excellent Theophilus seems likely he was a man of importance, of influence, maybe some type of political or military leader. And as Luke wrote to Theophilus, the contents of the book where we can seem to conclude is that Theophilus either was like strongly considering the Christian faith, strongly considering putting his trust in Jesus, or that perhaps maybe he was like brand new to the faith and now Luke is trying to like disciple him in the faith through this book. Furthermore, for the sake of review, as Luke wrote this book or this letter to Theophilus, he did so with the desire to give an orderly account of things that took place concerning the life, the ministry, the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which Luke did by interviewing eyewitnesses, those who were like physically present when the Lord Jesus walked the earth in his incarnation. It seems likely probably would interview other Gospel writers, particularly Matthew and Mark. It seems likely that Luke also would have interviewed like disciples who were there for the public ministry of Jesus, including our text today. To me it seems likely that Luke even interviewed Jesus's mother Mary, among others, who Luke interviewed who were present during the life of Christ, maybe even the man in our text today who's on the receiving end of incredible life changing work of Jesus. Perhaps Luke like interviewed him to get this story and there's obviously a lot more I could say here, but before we dive back in, just let me remind us where we were when we stopped our study, when we hit the brakes. So if you may remember, this is several weeks back, but we were in chapter eight and we walked through a story where Jesus got into a boat with his disciples and they were set to cross the Sea of Galilee, seemingly headed to where our text tells takes place today. But as you may remember, as he started to cross the sea, a huge storm basically came out of nowhere, a storm while Jesus was actually asleep in the boat. And at first, disciples tried to like get through the storm on their own strength, their own wisdom, their own experience, their own power. However, in time, they realized there's really nothing they could do to save themselves from the storm. They were helpless, they were hopeless. They needed Jesus to save them, which is really the truth for all of us in every situation that we're in, particularly when it comes to our own sin. We can't save ourselves. Only Jesus can save Pastors last time the disciples finally realized, accepted their helpless, hopeless state. They turn to Jesus, they woke him up, whereas he got up, calm the storm and saved him simply by the power of His Word, which caused the disciples to marvel at Jesus, to have like great fear and awe as they began to worship him and the power that he alone holds. As mentioned today, we're going to pick up where we left off, where Jesus and disciples are still in the boat, still headed to the other side of the lake, where once again our text today we can see the power of Jesus Christ on display. Power that once again will cause others to marvel at him and worship him, which I hope is true for all of us here this morning. Okay, so if that was an intro, please look back with me at the text starting in verse 26. And so he's going to walk right back through. So we see that after Jesus calmed the storm, so he and his disciples were still in the boat, setting sail for the country of the Gerasenes, which is the opposite side of the Sea of Galilee. As mentioned, this seemed to be like the intended destination when they got in the boat. In the previous text, our passage today, as the ship landed on the shore, we see that Jesus got up out of the boat and Luke tells us that he stepped out of the boat onto the land, which for us, at least for me, you know, Luke including this detail of Jesus, like getting out of the boat and as it hit shore, stepping on the land, to me this almost feels like, almost like an unnecessary Detail for Luke to include, of course, Jesus did that. That's what you do when the boat comes ashore. You get up and you walk on on land. But for me, I actually think the more I thought about it, I think this is actually kind of important detail, important enough for Luke to write. Write it down here for us to read. And the reason being is this country on the other side of the leak of Lake of Galilee, the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus landed. So this was Gentile land, a place where no culturally respectable Jew would ever like intentionally go. So I think Jesus like actively getting out of the boat into Gentile land. This is actually significant. This, this is a detail that Luke wants us to see. I think it's important for maybe a couple related reasons. So as mentioned at the start, so Luke was a Gentile. Theophilus, who this book was written to, most likely was a Gentile. In our text today and really throughout the Gospel of columns, we see Jesus continuing to minister to Gentiles. Now for us, this might not seem like a big deal, but we need to remind ourselves the incredible tension behind between Jews and Gentiles in this time period. So this is significant. This is Jesus showing that he's calling Jews and Gentiles to himself. This is part of the reason of the plan of why Christ came from heaven to save Jews and Gentiles. May remember way back in the early parts of our study of Luke Luke 2, on the first Christmas, the angels let the shepherds who were out watching their flock by night know that Christ was born. Remember how they sang the heavenly chorus like glory to God in the highest and on earth, like all people on earth, peace among whom he is well pleased. Then a few days after his birth, you may remember as Jesus presented at the temple, there was righteous Simeon met the Christ child and then he declared this. For my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel. So again, this here Jesus getting out of the boat, actively getting out of the boat in Gentile land. This is important. This is Jesus showing how he is actively fulfilling the Scriptures so that Jew Gentile, all nations of the earth would be blessed through him. So all nations would taste of his salvation, which is something promised in the Old Testament scripture. Promise that is even present during the life of Moses. Second, Jesus doing this, getting out of the boat to fill the scripture kind of mentioned this kind of passing. But this is, this is intentional by Jesus. This is part of his plan he was intentionally seek them out. Meaning this wasn't a Gentile who just so happened to be around Jesus, who just so happen to be hearing Jesus proclaim about the kingdom of God, and so he just so happened to come by faith? No. So again, this is Jesus intentionally with thought, with plan, going to the Gentiles to proclaim his kingdom, intentionally sailing to Gentile land, intentionally getting on a boat, intentionally walking out on the land to go and minister now for us with application. This is important for us to see Jesus do here one to remind us this is actually how it always works. Jesus is the one who actually intentionally comes to us like we do not go and seek after Him. He is the one who in his grace and his kindness seeks after us. And that was that. If we're going to be Christ, like this is something we too must do, right? We must be intentional to make plans to intentionally go to others, to minister to others, to tell others about Jesus and His saving power, even if those others might be not respectable for us to minister to. If you're kind of wondering maybe a very practical way to apply this, it's actually kind of the hope that we have for like these summer socials that we're trying to get going here, where all of us are intentionally making plans to go to others, to bring others into our lives with hopes that we can love on others with the love of Jesus Christ. Back to the text, keep going. As Jesus gets out of the boat, we see that there is a strange, odd welcoming for him. With odd actually being a theme that we're going to circle on the rest of the passage where we see in the text that there's a man from the city who had demons there to meet our Lord. Now we don't know how the man got the demons. So in scripture it appears that for some they're under the power of demons because like of sin, where they like open up doors for the demonic to enter in. But also maybe appears that sometimes some are under the power of demons because of like situations that they're in, perhaps because they were born in some type of occult type practices in the area. Although I will say if one is a Christian, while a demonic can have like influence over us in ways that they can deceive us, demons have like no power in terms of some type of like possession. Like the man in the text had he was possessed by demons, says if you are a Christian, you have the spirit of Christ living inside and his power is the only power of possession over you where you are sealed to Be his. So we don't know how the man got the demons, but at the start of the story, we do know that he was not someone who is trusting in Christ. And I think from our vantage point, seem really unlikely ever to do so. This man was seemingly way too far gone to ever come to faith in Jesus Christ. Well, keep going to the text. Because of demonic activity in this man's life, this man is clearly being tortured by. By the demons. And he was not in his right state of mind. So we read in the text that for a long time he was, like, removed from society where he, like, walked around having, like, no clothes, like, literally running around, like, naked. Where Mark's gospel tells us that this man was like, like cutting himself, crying out in constant pain. We're seeing our text in Luke that he was homeless. He was simply living among the tombs. Not for everyone, us, not everyone we meet who's not in the right minds. Not because they're being like, tortured or possessed by a demon. But I also think we should not be, like, quick to eliminate a possibility of that which actually circle back to that at the end, verse 28, even though this man was not in his right mind, this man still had enough of his mind that when he saw Jesus step out on the land, he recognized him and he cried out to him, falling at the feet of Jesus. Not for us already. This story is, like, a little odd to us, you know, this odd welcoming that Jesus received from this man. Well, buckle up, it's going to get more odd. Middle of the verse, we see what the man said to Jesus, which he said with a loud voice, what do you have to do with me, Jesus, son of the Most High God, I beg you, do not torment me now. Why? This is odd, at least to me. I mean, it's not necessarily. It's odd because this man is wondering if Jesus came to torment him in ways like maybe the demons were also tormenting him. Rather, it's odd to me, it appears the reason why the man was able to recognize Jesus as the son of the Most High God was because of the demons. And while it's hard to know who is actually speaking here, there's some debate within church history. To me, I actually think the demons are speaking through this man to Jesus. As the demons are worried Jesus came to torment them. This is pretty odd. Verse 29 we read. For he, Jesus, had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For many times, the demon, or better said, demons, had seized the man. As the demons tortured and tormented this man as he ran naked, living among the tombs. The text, as this man was being possessed by the demons, like he was doing really odd things. So we see in the text that others would like capture him and they place him under guard, presuming to protect him maybe for himself, but more likely to protect him from, from others. And as they captured him, our text tells us they would like bind him with chains and shackles. But seemingly through some type of like demonic power and strength, the man were able to like break the bonds. The text tells he would like then flee, driven by the demon into the desert, which for this man this had to be just an awful, awful life to live. There's a reason why he spent his life like crying out, in pain, in torment, awful. Let me also mention here, just, let's just consider what this man would have been like for those who are around him, who lived around him in the region. I mean, they had to be like terrified of this individual. I mean, they would go great lengths to avoid him for many, many reasons. If no respectable Jew would talk to a Gentile, no respectable person would dare engage with this man. Yet that is what the Lord Jesus is doing here in the text. Verse 30. After demons spoke to Jesus or the man, we see Jesus respond back by asking, demons, what's your name? Only for the demon to respond back as they said, Legion. The word legion, this is a military term of the day to describe the military unit of like 6,000 men. For some they interpret this name Legion like Exactly to mean 6,000 demons were present tormenting this man, which is possible interpret that way. But most think this is actually a name. Maybe it's more symbolic to communicate just a vast number, a large number of demons were present and most things how the verse ends, for many demons had entered or injured him. Now for us, whether that's an exact number, it's more of symbolic number. The main point is this was an incredibly tormented man with many powerful demons who had possessed his life. However, as powerful as the many demons were, as Legion was in the text, even they understood what they were up against when it came to Jesus Christ, the son of the Most High God. As they were confronted by the power of Jesus in the text, Legion understood they were no match. And so we see them begin to like, plead with the Lord Jesus, which even that feels a little odd to me. Demons pleading, although as we keep going, it does make sense why they would plead and beg with Jesus as they begged him to not command him to depart into the abyss, which here the abyss seems a Reference to, like, a place of death, justice and judgment that Satan and all of his demons would be forever banished to when the Lord returns to judge the living and the dead. So while it does feel odd that demons are begging Jesus, it does make sense. Even demons have fear of the judgment of God to fall upon them. Which, by the way, on this side, if you're not a Christian, say this humbly, you should fear as well. I want to say this with my own pleading to you to turn to Jesus Christ, the one who saves us from judgment. Verse 32. As the demons pleaded with the Lord Jesus, we see that there's a large herd of pigs nearby, feeding on the hillside. And this detail here of the pigs, this underscores that this was a gentile land. In the Old Testament dietary law, the Jewish people were forbidden to eat pork. So this is a very gentile setting of this text. We see the text that the demons pointed out. The large herd of pigs began to beg Jesus that rather than sending them into the abyss of judgment and justice, they begged that they could enter into the pigs instead. To which Jesus actually gives them permission to do. Now, why did Jesus give them permission? Was this like an act of, like, grace and mercy on demons? I don't think so. I actually think this is an act of grace and mercy, not only on the man who's being tortured by the demons, but even like the Gentile herdsmen who are on the scene and others who are about to hear about this powerful work of Jesus. Get to that more in just a bit. But back to demons. Jesus gave them permission to enter. The pigs the demons came out of. The man entered into the pigs, causing the herd to, like, rush down the steep bank into the lake where they were drowned. Which there's some irony here if you see where the lake is basically an abyss, and scripture often waters a picture of judgment. So while perhaps the demons are spared that day from the final abyss, they still ended up in judgment. Now, that's all this was happening. If you take your eyes to verse 34, the herdsmen, they're still there, and they're watching this incredible, odd scene take place. And if this story feels odd to you and me, imagine being there, being them. What started out just like a very normal day, minding their own business, simply watching the herd of pigs. And now all this in the passage. As the herdmen saw this odd scene play out, they did the thing that I think we all would do. They got out of Dodge as quickly as they could. They fled the scene. I'm sure Running as fast as they could. However, they fled. The scene we see did not flee in silence. Rather they fled, doing so in ways that they're telling everyone in the city, throughout the country, of all the odd things that have just taken place. Just guessing. For those who heard this from the herdsmen, I'm sure they felt the herdsmen had lost their minds. Clearly they were delusional. Just a little bit too much time around the hogs, too far isolated from others. However, if that was the case, there was enough that the herdsmen said that piqued the interest of the people. As they heard the report, curiosity still kind of grabbed them, maybe in ways like the old freak shows at the circus when you draw like huge crowds. 35. After hearing all these odd things, the people decide what they need to do. Let's go see what happened. So they leave and they arrive on the scene. And as they arrive, they find Jesus with the man, this man with the many demons who I'm sure they all knew was mentioned before, all would avoid at all cost. But now they see this man with Jesus very different than they had before. Now he's sitting at the feet of Jesus, all the demons are gone, he's clothed and amazingly he's now in his right mind a complete radical life change. Which I did wonder for the people at the scene if perhaps this is like the oddest thing of all to see this one who is so far gone now there in his right mind with Jesus because of the power of Jesus. As people saw this, the text tells us they became afraid. Now for me, all the things took place. A demon, talking demons rushing into a herd of pigs who's proceeded to rush down into the lake to drown. Like this life changing reality that Jesus gave this man, this is what grips their hearts with fear, this and their hearts were gripped with fear, I'm sure being wondering, like what happened? How did this come to be? So verse 36, they went to those who were there who saw all this take place. They asked them again, like, okay, say it again like, how did all these events take place? Yeah, yeah, sure, we can do that. So we know every good story starts out with the word. So there we were, right? So there we're just normal day hanging out with the pigs by the cliff. They're just eating like they always do. We're sitting there, we see the boat land ashore. We see this one get out of the boat, one named Jesus particularly, grabs our eye. And from there all this happened. And this is why you see like the dead pigs floating in the lake. And this is why the demon possessed man is now healed in his right mind. It's all because of Jesus, this man who the demons declared to be the son of the Most High God. And as the people heard all this, they became even more afraid of Jesus and the power and the authority that he has, even over demons, the power and authority that Jesus has to change someone's life. So rather than falling down in worship of Jesus, verse 36 or 37, take your eyes there, all the people from all over the surrounding country of the garrisons came together and with one voice they asked Jesus to depart from them as they were seized by fear of him. This story here, this odd story, this is actually really sad here, maybe even this feels just odd. I mean, here's this group. They heard these incredible things about Jesus Christ. They just saw all that Jesus did for this man changed him. As mentioned, I think even like the drowning pigs was an act of grace for these people, as God in his power is like taking things from them in ways that should have led them to see how in Jesus they would have all that they need. However, rather than responding by faith to Jesus, by coming to him to sit at his feet like this man was sadly, oddly, they rejected him. They pushed Jesus out of their presence, giving Jesus like even out of the surrounding country, just get away, get out of here. Which by the way, is also a warning for those who may be here, have yet to come to Christ. This is part of my plea to you. As you hear about the Lord Jesus, you hear about all the things he has done, particularly in his death and resurrection. As you see the testimony of others who have had their lives changed by Jesus Christ. And maybe even you're wondering, like, why are all these things being taken from me? See these things as a grace in your life. Do not follow the example of the people in the text and push Jesus away. Rather follow the example of the man, the once demon possessed man, and come to Jesus, trust in Jesus, cling to Jesus, worship Jesus. The end of verse 37, as the people rejected the Lord, we see it, in short, Jesus, like dust off his feet, gets back in the boat, sets sail across the lake to return back to where he started at the beginning of chapter 8. However, in verse 38, as the Lord is making his way off of dry land back onto the boat, we see this once demon possessed man pursue the Lord in ways. He started to beg and plead with Jesus, but this time a very different begging and pleading from what the demons had earlier in the text as they begged Jesus to allow them to flee from his presence here. This man who had his life changed, begged and pleaded that Jesus would not leave his presence, they say, begging that he get in the boat with Lord. However, in the text, even though the man begged and pleaded, prayed to Jesus that he could come with him, we see in the passage that Jesus actually had different plans for this man, plans to use him in really great sweet ways. So Jesus, we see, sent the man away, saying to him, in verse 39 of the passage which ends our text, man, I'm telling you, return home. Yeah, that very home that you've been away from a very long time. And now I want you to return home in your right mind and declare to everyone there how much God has done for you. Tell them about me. Tell them how I change your life. Be my witness. Which at the start of the story, this would have felt so odd. This naked, homeless demon possessed man who everyone was afraid of, who everyone would avoid, who was a menace to society, would be changed so much by Jesus Christ. In short order, he basically become like a missionary or an evangelist who would be used by the Lord to declare his glory to others. Some of you may remember last spring we had a short little sermon series titled Unlikely Evangelist that we see in the Bible. This man, he certainly was that as the Lord commissioned him to be his witness. Which ends our passage with him going away, joyful obedience to the call of the Lord, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus has done for him, for us. That's where we're going to end this odd story this morning. But before we close, I just want to give us just maybe a few things just to ponder today and this week from this text. So first, in light of this passage, friends, it actually would be odd to not recognize the reality of spiritual warfare and the demonic in this present life. Now, this does not mean that we blame everything negative that happens, like, on the demons or is like, because of the devil. We're almost like there's a demon hiding under every rock ready to attack us. But scripture is also clear that there's a spiritual war at hand. There are demons on the attack. And the reality is that until we come to Christ, we actually are following after the prince. The power of the air, the spirit is now at work on the sons of disobedience. So it would be odd for us to deny the reality of the spiritual warfare. So in Luke's Gospel, there are actually multiple passages, some we've already gone through on the demonic. So not just this one, multiple passages So I keep saying it's odd for us if we don't recognize spiritual warfare, spiritual warfare that is at hand. This is why the scriptures, New Testament book Ephesians tells us we're to be diligent, to put on the armor of God. That's why we're to be mindful, like sober mindful or sober minded, so we don't fall into, like, spiritual traps. Spiritual traps often, like, divide us or to like, sinfully question and doubt God and His goodness in our life. We're to seek to build each other up in love. We're to be intentional, to hide God's Word in our hearts. This is how we fight spiritual war. By the way, the best way to do it is honestly just to be here every Sunday at church, actively engaging with God and His Word and with others in the church family. I actually think a lot of spiritual warfare that's there is trying to keep us, or at least keep us away or at least unengaged, like on Sunday mornings. Let me also mention before I move on on this note of spiritual warfare and the reality of demons. So if you're looking for a good book to read this summer, I just recommend to you the screwtape letters by C.S. Lewis. So it's a fictional book, but I think it's actually really helpful just to consider the spiritual war at hand. That's the first thing. Second, the work of Jesus in His text should feel odd. Not odd in terms of like, almost like grotesque in how the Lord is at work, but odd at just how different Jesus is from us. We're in the text, we see how different, odd he, his power is than ours. It's so far greater than we could ever imagine that here a legion of demons is terrified before the Lord Jesus Christ, his power, his authority over them. This is an odd power. This is not a power like we have. So much different. Likewise, it's not just his power that's odd, different from us, but so is his compassion and his mercy and his love, which are also hard for us to comprehend. So far different, odd from us. By the way, for me, this actually sticks out the most to me from this passage. Just the compassion, the mercy, the love that Jesus had toward this man, this man that everyone else wanted to avoid, this menace to society who seemed too far gone. Yet Jesus got in a boat, traveled across the shore to come to him with his overwhelming compassion, mercy, love. According to his intentional plan, Jesus came to save him, friends, in the most glorious ways. His compassion, the mercy, the love of Jesus. It's Just odd to us. Odd that Jesus would do this for a sinner. Which, by the way, was even more gloriously odd concerning Jesus Christ and the depths by which he would go to save sinners. It's not simply that he's like, willing to cross the lake, but in time, Jesus was actually nailed to a cross. We're in his great compassion and love and mercy, where he would take on the punishment of our sin, the judgment of God in our place. We're in his incredible love. He died for us, to call us to Himself, who were at enmity with him only for his great power to bring him back from the dead on the third day. So, yes, keep saying it. Odd story, no doubt. Odd on so many fronts, but that's kind of the point. The oddness reminds us that Jesus is so gloriously different from us, which is why we have to be like the man in the text and worship him and long to be in the presence of Jesus Christ, which actually I invite you and plead with you to do again, even right now, to pour out your life in the worship of him, to make Jesus the greatest desire, the greatest treasure of your life, where you long to be in his presence. Which, by the way, when we're truly in our right mind, this is always where our desire will be. Last thing third. So if you're here and you have faith in Jesus, it would be odd to keep silent about him and the work that he has done in your life. And yes, as we tell others about Jesus, some will think we're odd for doing so, for believing in Him. Like Eden, like Jesus in the text, they could reject us, push us away because of our witness. But church, Red Village for the sake of Jesus, for the good of others, let's be odd. Let's be like this man, and let us tell others what Jesus has done for us, how in his grace and in his power, he came to save us. So by intentionally going to them, we go with the hope that they will have their life changed by the Lord Jesus as well, saved by Him. So for us, yesterday we hit the brakes in Exodus to get back to Luke. But if we once again hit the brakes on Luke, Lord willing next week to get back to Exodus. But church, may we never hit hit the brakes when it comes to the worship of Jesus Christ. May we never hit the brakes in our longing to be with him in his presence. And may we never hit the brakes when it comes to our witness about him and what he has done in our life. Rather, may we always be intentional with these things. All of our days. Let's pray. Lord, thank you that you are so far different than us. And Lord, by the power of your spirit, I do pray that you would capture our hearts afresh this morning in the worship of you. Lord, please stoke our affections for you. Help us to long to be with you in your presence found in your word. And Lord, please help us to be faithful, to testify to all those around of the work that you have done for us, not only on the cross and in the resurrection, but also the work that you've done in our own lives. Or may we be faithful witnesses and may you use our witness to change the lives of many. Pray so. In Jesus name, amen. The post Jesus Heals a Man with a Demon – Luke 8: 26-39 appeared first on Red Village Church.

Some Christians wonder if the Trinity is an impractical doctrine. Yet Jesus devoted some of His most important hours with the disciples to teaching this truth. Today, Sinclair Ferguson focuses on Jesus' words in the upper room. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/things-unseen-with-sinclair-ferguson/what-jesus-taught-about-the-trinity/ A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Donate: https://donate.ligonier.org/ Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

In this powerful episode of the God is the Issue Podcast, Brad Bright tackles one of the more divisive topics in our culture: White Privilege. As a follower of Jesus and a white man, Brad examines the origins of the term and its troubling history and core assumption.Brad shows that Privilege is real — but not just White Privilege— and that it can never be eliminated—only transferred. The conversation underlying Privilege isn't primarily about equality, but about who controls the redistribution of power. Yet Jesus offers a radically different solution—Spiritual Privilege. And it's available to everyone.Discover how God's answer doesn't eliminate privilege, but defangs it. Brad closes with a powerful call to action to plant the seeds of Spiritual Privilege today that could give birth to radical change tomorrow. If this episode encouraged you, please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and hit the bell

Faith can feel intimidating when we think it requires certainty, confidence, or having it all figured out.But Jesus points to something much smaller—a mustard seed. A reminder that faith isn't about how much we have, but where we place it.Sometimes we struggle to believe that change is possible, that God can work in our circumstances, or that He can do something meaningful in us. Yet Jesus sees more in us than we often see in ourselves. He specializes in taking small beginnings and doing what seems impossible.Because sometimes all it takes is a mustard seed of faith to trust that God is still at work.

Friends, on this Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Gospel is about Jesus sending the Twelve on a mission. Whenever we hear about the Twelve, it's the Church in seminal form. And here's what I want to focus on: Whom does Jesus call to be his apostles? Not the best and brightest people of his time but fairly ordinary and even compromised characters. Yet Jesus sees something in every one of them—some gift, virtue, or capacity needed in the life of the Church.

When Jesus comes to John for the baptism that sinners have been receiving, John objects and says that Jesus ought to baptize him instead. Yet Jesus' humility is fitting, for He has come to John's baptism as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world and fulfills all righteousness in the place of sinners. The theophany of the Triune God confirms the importance of Jesus' Baptism, as the Spirit descends on Him and the Father declares Jesus to be His beloved Son. In this way, God's Word teaches us of the great blessing He gives to us in our Baptism.  Rev. Brian Flamme, pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and School in Roswell, NM, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Matthew 3:13-17.  To learn more about Immanuel Lutheran, visit immanuelroswell.org. “The Reign of Heaven Stands Near” is a series on Sharper Iron that studies the Gospel according to St. Matthew. The first evangelist proclaims that God has fulfilled His Old Testament promises by sending Jesus to bring the reign of the heavens among us. As the Son of David, Jesus is the gracious King we need, and as the Son of Abraham, Jesus is the blessing to all the families of the earth.  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. Pastor Appel serves at Faith Lutheran Church in Godfrey, IL. Learn more at flcgodfrey.org. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org

Discover the incredible transformation story of Levi the tax collector in this powerful message about grace, redemption, and following Jesus. Learn why Jesus chose to call one of society's most despised outcasts and what it means for us today. This biblical teaching explores Mark chapter 2 and reveals how God's grace reaches the most unlikely people. In first-century Jewish society, tax collectors were considered traitors and outcasts, even lower than lepers in social standing. They collaborated with Roman oppressors and grew wealthy by overtaxing their own people. Yet Jesus chose to call Levi while he was actively working in his tax booth, demonstrating that God doesn't require us to clean up our lives before coming to Him. This sermon examines four key scenes from Mark 2: Jesus teaching by the sea, the radical call at the tax booth, the transformative banquet at Levi's house, and the religious leaders' criticism. Each scene reveals important truths about salvation, grace, and discipleship that apply to believers today. Key topics covered include: the nature of God's calling, the meaning of true discipleship, how to respond to religious criticism, and using our influence to introduce others to Jesus. This message is perfect for anyone struggling with feelings of unworthiness, those seeking to understand God's grace, or believers looking to grow in their faith and witness. The transformation of Levi into Matthew the gospel writer shows how an encounter with Jesus can completely change our purpose and legacy. This inspiring biblical story demonstrates that no one is too far gone for God's grace and that Jesus still calls people today just as He called Levi - not because we're good enough, but because He loves us enough to transform us. Whether you're new to faith or a seasoned believer, this message will encourage you to examine your own response to Christ's call and challenge you to use your relationships and influence to point others toward Jesus.

In this sermon, we explore the transformative power of the Bible's unnamed characters, focusing on the young boy who offered his five loaves and two fish to feed thousands. When we swim in a culture of scarcity, it is tragically easy to leap from "it's not enough" to "I'm not enough," weaponizing our insignificance and discounting both ourselves and others. Yet Jesus disrupts this rigid math of uncounting by offering radical thanksgiving for the cheap grain, the small fish, and the child who didn't legally matter. Ultimately, this story reveals a grace-filled economy where no one is a nobody, reminding us that those who are dismissed by the world still count deeply to God.

Read Online“Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.” Mark 12:43–44How generous are you? This is a challenging question, yet one worth considering. Does your generosity reflect God's boundless generosity? Do you struggle with selfishness and greed, failing to live out the Gospel call to poverty, detachment, and charity? Most people likely fall short of this ideal. Acknowledging this, though difficult, is an act of honesty and humility. Such humility disposes us to receive an outpouring of heavenly riches, which far surpass any earthly possessions or attachments we may cling to or desire.In today's Gospel, set just days before His Passion, Jesus warns the people about the scribes. In a previous discourse, He had highlighted their limited understanding of His divine identity and their overly legalistic approach to Scripture. Today, He condemns them for their excessive attachment to external displays of piety—such as “long robes” and public honors—as well as their greed, neglect of the poor, and hypocritical religiosity. He concludes His warning with a sobering statement: “They will receive a very severe condemnation” (cf. Mark 12:38–40).The scribes likely thought highly of themselves and sought to outdo one another in outward show. They fasted, meticulously followed the Law as they interpreted it, recited lengthy prayers in public, and cultivated a religious culture that held them in high esteem. Yet Jesus' harsh condemnation of them was spoken out of love. They, more than anyone in the Temple area, needed to hear His words and repent. Perhaps some were convicted by His rebuke, but for most, His words only hardened their hearts—ultimately leading to their plot to crucify Him.That same day, Jesus taught the people—and the scribes who were listening—that the Law's fulfillment is found in love, not in multiplying empty displays of piety. When asked by a scribe which commandment in the Law was the greatest, He proclaimed: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength…. You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30–31).In today's discourse, Jesus provided the people and the scribes who were listening with a concrete, visual example of His teaching. He pointed to a poor widow who placed two small coins in the Temple treasury, declaring that she had “put in more” than all the others. The coins she gave were called lepta (sometimes referred to as “mites”), the smallest denomination in circulation at the time. A single lepton was worth approximately 1/128 of a denarius, the standard daily wage for a laborer. In modern terms, if a daily wage were $170 USD, her two coins would amount to roughly $2.66—a seemingly insignificant sum, yet one of immense spiritual value in God's eyes.When God looks at your generosity, He looks into your heart and judges according to what He sees. He is not impressed by wealth or poverty, nor does He measure generosity by the size of a gift. Rather, He looks at your willingness to put love into action—loving “with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” This love is first directed to God and then expressed through an unwavering love of neighbor. How much should we give to God and others? Like the poor widow, we must give our “whole livelihood,” meaning the totality of who you are and what you can do. That is what Jesus praised, and it is what He expects of us.Reflect today on the radical generosity to which we are all called. As finite beings, we cannot meet every need in the world—but that is not our duty. Our duty is to offer all that we are and have to God in service of His will. Though such generosity may feel difficult, the pain we experience does not come from giving but from the remnants of selfishness resisting detachment. Pray for the grace to be so generous that it purges all selfishness from your heart, soul, mind, and strength. When that happens, God will see your goodness and bless you abundantly.Most generous Lord, You have given me everything and invite me to offer all in return, out of love for You and my neighbor. Fill my heart with the grace of radical generosity, that I may give my time, energy, and resources without hesitation, offering my whole self in Your service. Help me to see the wisdom in such self-giving, trusting that Your goodness is never outdone in generosity. Jesus, I trust in You.Image: The widow's mite By João Zeferino da CostaSource: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.

In the film Where the Wild Things Are, a boy in a wolf suit discovers what most of us already know but rarely say out loud: loving others is hard. The wild things wanted a king who could keep them together and shield them from sadness — but no king, no matter how great, can do that. And neither can we. In this beautifully crafted episode, Sophia Bricker weaves together film, literature, Scripture, and raw honesty to name something we all experience but often feel guilty admitting — that love, in all its forms, is messy, costly, and sometimes feels beyond us. C.S. Lewis wrote that to love at all is to be vulnerable — that a heart given to anyone will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. Yet Jesus, who knew this better than anyone, chose to love anyway. He gave up divine privilege, took on human flesh, and died a criminal's death — not because it was easy, but because love requires sacrifice. Paul's instruction to the Philippians was simple and staggering all at once: have the same mindset as Christ in your relationships. That kind of love — wildly generous, sacrificial, seeking the good of others above our own — is not natural to us. But it is possible. Not through sheer willpower, but through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in us, mirroring back the love we have already received from the nail-scarred hands of God. Today's Bible Verse "Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross." — Philippians 2:6-8, NLT Ponder Today Loving others is hard — and admitting that is not a failure of faith. Every family, friendship, and community experiences conflict, hurt, and misunderstanding. Acknowledging the difficulty of love is the first honest step toward growing in it. To love is to be vulnerable. As C.S. Lewis reminds us, a heart kept safely away from others is a heart that never truly loves. The risk of being hurt is not a reason to withhold love — it is the very nature of it. Jesus is the ultimate model of sacrificial love. He did not cling to comfort or divine privilege. He entered our mess, bore our sin, and loved us at great personal cost. That is the standard — and the Spirit in us makes it possible. We are not more deserving of love than those we struggle to love. As Sophia asks so pointedly — are we not equally guilty of breaking a heart or speaking a careless word? Remembering our own need for grace softens us toward others who need it too. A Prayer for You Today Savior, I am amazed by Your choice to enter this broken world, taking the curse of sin upon Yourself to save all people. Who am I that I should receive such love? Yet I confess that I struggle to love those around me — people with pasts and flaws not so different from my own. Work in me to produce the fruit of sacrificial, wildly generous love that seeks nothing other than to reflect what You have given me. Produce in me by Your Spirit a new way of life marked by grace and mercy — and the courage to love, even when it's hard. In Your name, Jesus, Amen. Don't Miss an Episode If today's prayer stirred your heart toward someone you've been finding hard to love, we'd love to stay connected. Subscribe to the LifeAudio newsletter at LifeAudio.com for daily prayers, devotionals, and more content to grow your faith and deepen your love for God and others every day. If you like this podcast, be sure to check out our sister podcast, Your Nightly Prayer - an evening Christian prayer podcast to help you end your day in conversation with God. https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-nightly-prayer/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.