Podcasts about your word

Pastor Colins Nwosu continued our teaching series with The Lordship of Jesus (Part 2), further exploring what it truly means to submit to Christ as Lord. Reading from Romans 14:8–9, we were reminded that whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord because Christ died and rose again to establish His Lordship over all. Today's teaching emphasised that acknowledging Jesus as Lord goes beyond verbal confession; it requires a life of complete surrender and obedience. Using the account of Saul in 1 Samuel 15, we saw that partial obedience is ultimately disobedience. Although Saul was explicitly commanded to destroy everything, he kept the choice livestock and spared King Agag, proving that partial obedience is nothing more than complete disobedience. We learned that to God, rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Drawing also from James 1:22–24 (NLT), we were challenged to be doers of the Word and not hearers only, warned against looking into the mirror of God's Word and immediately forgetting what we have seen. True alignment with the Lordship of Christ means following His instructions completely, even when they challenge our preferences or personal desires. Pastor Colins concluded with a powerful reminder from missionary S. M. Zwemer: "Unless Jesus is Lord of all, He is not Lord at all." The call was clear and personal: Christ's Lordship must extend to every area of our lives, not just the parts that are convenient or comfortable. Confession: Lord Jesus, I surrender every area of my life to Your Lordship. Help me to obey You wholeheartedly, not selectively, and to build my life upon the solid foundation of Your Word. May my actions reflect my confession, and may Your will be done in me completely. Amen.

Skeptics are forever trying to find errors in the Bible so that they can discredit it as God's Word. When a faithful Bible scholar discovers some puzzle in Scripture, he never assumes that he has found an error. He assumes that he doesn't have all the information necessary to resolve the question.As believers would expect, every so-called puzzle that has been resolved has been resolved in favor of the accuracy of the Bible. In each of these cases, those who said that they had discovered an error in the Bible were proven wrong.One of the more interesting puzzles that was finally solved concerned Luke's account of Christ's birth. Was Quirinius really governor of Syria when Christ was born in 4 B.C.? Scholars knew that he was governor in 6 A.D. But there was no evidence that he had governed Syria in 4 B.C. Some 19th-century scholars wrote that Luke must have made a mistake with the date of the census, since Quirinius wasn't governor when Christ was born. Then, in 1912, an inscription was discovered that was dated to around 10 B.C. It said that Quirinius was governor in Syria and Cilicia around that time. In other words, Quirinius ruled the area as governor at least twice, including when Christ was born.As God's Word, Scripture's accuracy can be trusted. Nothing has ever disproved the truth of anything in the Bible. The Bible can be trusted even when it talks about historical events. That's true even when the Bible talks about the history of the creation of the world.Luke 2:1-2"And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)”Prayer: I thank You, Lord, that Your Word has been preserved for us in the Bible. I thank You that Your Word is completely trustworthy. I thank You that Your certain Word assures me that You fully carried the burden of my sin on the cross so that I could be forgiven. Amen.REF.: Jackson, Wayne. "Calm confidence in the Scriptures." Reasoning from Revelation. Image: Meister der Kahriye-Cami-Kirche (Mary and Joseph register as part of the Census of Quirinius) Istanbul, Chora Church, PD, Wikimedia Commons. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1232/29?v=20251111

Pastor Colins Nwosu continued our teaching series with an engaging and interactive session titled The Lordship of Jesus, with insightful contributions from the congregation throughout the teaching. Reading from Romans 14:8–9 and Matthew 11:27, we established that whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord, because Christ died and rose again to be Lord of both the dead and the living. We learned that true lordship means absolute ownership. Acts 4:12 and Philippians 2:9–11 revealed that God has exalted Jesus above every name, establishing Him as the sole source of salvation before whom every knee must bow. Drawing from Luke 6:46–49, Pastor Colins further explained what it truly means to call Him “Lord.” Jesus asks, “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?” True lordship demands obedience, not merely lip service. We discovered that building our lives on His Word is like laying a foundation on solid rock that no storm can shake. The message also reminded us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light for those who fully surrender to Him. Pastor Colins will continue this teaching at our Holy Communion Service next Sunday, and you should not miss it for any reason. Join us in person or listen online. Confession: Lord Jesus, I declare that You are the absolute Lord over my life, my family, and my choices. I refuse to give You mere lip service; I choose to align my actions with Your instructions and build my life on the solid rock of Your Word. I rest in You, knowing that Your grace is my strength and my security. Amen!

Welcome to Day 2869 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2869 – “Where Are You in This Picture”  based on Luke 8:1-21 Putnam Church Message – 04/26/2026 The Good News According to Luke: “Where Are You in This Picture?”   Last week's message was: “The Love and Grace of Jesus.” We explored how Jesus's Love and Grace extend to those others reject. Today, we continue with our twentieth message from Luke's narrative of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Today's message is: “Where Are You in This Picture?” Our core passage today is Luke 8:1-21, which is found on page 1605 of your pew Bibles.  The Parable of the Sower 8 After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; 3 Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod's household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means. 4 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. 6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” 9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “‘though seeing, they may not see;  though hearing, they may not understand.'[a] 11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. A Lamp on a Stand 16 “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. 17 For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. 18 Therefore, consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has / will be given more; / whoever does not have, / even what they think they have, / will be taken from them.” Jesus' Mother and Brothers 19 Now Jesus' mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. 20 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” 21 He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice.”   Opening Prayer Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of Your Word. Thank You for the Gospel of Luke, which continues to show us the beauty, authority, compassion, and truth of Jesus. As we open this passage today, we ask You to open our hearts as well. Let the seed of Your Word fall on good soil within us. Remove what is hard, shallow, distracted, or resistant. Give us ears to hear, minds to understand, and hearts ready to obey. Lord, do more than inform us today—transform us. Show each of us where we are in this picture, and by Your grace, lead us into deeper faithfulness. In Jesus' name, amen. As we continue in this twentieth message in our journey through Luke's Gospel, we come to a passage that feels almost like a mirror. In recent weeks, Luke has shown us again and again who Jesus is. He has authority over sickness. He has authority over death. He has authority over sin. He receives the broken. He forgives the guilty. He welcomes the outsider. And after all of that, Luke now brings us to a very personal question: What are we doing with Jesus? Or to put it in the title of today's message: Where are you in this picture? Because Luke 8:1–21 is not merely information about other people long ago. It is a spiritual portrait gallery. Somewhere in this scene, we will find ourselves. Are we like the women who served Jesus with grateful devotion? Are we like the crowds who listen but do not really change? Are we like the shallow soil that sprouts quickly but wilts under pressure? Are we like the thorny soil, slowly choked by worry and worldly cares? Or are we becoming good soil—receiving the Word, holding fast to it, and bearing fruit with perseverance? That is the question. And it is such an important question because in this passage, Jesus teaches us that ministry success, spiritual growth, and genuine discipleship do not begin “out there” somewhere. They begin in here—in the heart. A Simple Object Lesson I have four pictures here today: One is of hard-packed dirt—soil that has been walked on until it is stiff and unyielding. / One is a thin layer of dirt over a rock. /  one is soil mixed with weeds and thorny roots. And one is soft, rich, prepared soil. What will happen if I spread seed over each of these plots of land? The seed would be the same. / The Sower would be the same. / The difference would be the soil. / That is the heart of this passage. The great issue is not whether God's Word is powerful enough. It is. The great issue is not whether the gospel is true enough. It is. The question is: What kind of heart receives it? And that leads us to our first of four truths for today. Main Point 1: Genuine faith expresses itself in practical devotion. Luke begins this section by reminding us that Jesus was traveling from town to town proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of God. The Twelve were with Him, and so were a number of women—Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and many others—who supported His ministry out of their own means. That opening matters. Right before this, in Luke 7, we saw a sinful woman pouring out her love at Jesus' feet. Now Luke shows us more people whose faith is not merely emotional or theoretical—it is practical, visible, and costly. The disciples had left nets, boats, tax tables, and ordinary routines. These women were giving their resources, their loyalty, their time, and their reputations. That would have been striking in the first-century Jewish world. Rabbis were followed by disciples, yes—but Luke makes a point of mentioning women here, not as background decorations. They are active participants in Jesus' mission. Some had been healed, some delivered, some redeemed from brokenness. And now their gratitude has become service. Mary Magdalene had been set free from demonic bondage. Joanna lived in close proximity to political power through her husband's position at Herod's court. Susanna is largely unknown to us, but not to Jesus. That in itself is comforting. Some names are well-known in the story of God, and some are not. But obscurity does not mean insignificance. The Lord sees every quiet act of faithfulness. This has been one of Luke's major themes all along. The people who truly receive...

The most familiar verses often hold the deepest meaning.LINKS:Buy Carol's book: Today is a VerbDownload How to Pray God's Word for Your ChildrenFollow Everyday Prayers @MillionPrayingMoms A Prayer When Your Heart has Lost its Song by Carol McCleod Psalm 118:24 isn't just a quote for a coffee mug — it's a daily assignment. Start with praise. Fill it with worship. End with thanksgiving. That's the will of God for your day. Reference: Psalm 118:24 Prayer: Father, I acknowledge that Your ways are best. I long to obey Your Word and to worship You daily. Forgive me for the days I have whined more than I have worshipped. I declare that this is the day you have made and You deserve my highest praise. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

The fossil record shows us examples of God's great creativity in designing living things. It also shows that life appeared suddenly on earth, in finished form. The fossil record shows us that earth originally had a much greater variety of life. Finally, the fossil record doesn't show any evidence of creatures evolving from one type into another.Paleontologists have been looking for fossils of unusual creatures in some of the oldest rocks that have fossils in them. In other words, these rocks in British Columbia have evidences of some of the earliest forms of life. These layers show the rich variety of life that once existed on earth. Paleontologists have found a much greater variety of arrow worms and jellyfish than live today. But even in the earliest layers, the worms and the jellyfish are fully formed.In addition, paleontologists have found some startling creatures. One foot and a half long creature had a circular mouth with radiating teeth and claws. Another looks like a tiny, inch long dragon. Scientists describe it as looking like the cameo of a stegosaurus. Perhaps the most unusual creature was named "Santa Claws" by one paleontologist. It has five pairs of claws attached to its head, two flaps on the side, and a tail like a beaver.Paleontologists and Christians who believe the biblical record of creation don't dispute the facts about fossils. We object to interpretations of the fossils that needlessly contradict Scripture.Psalm 18:30" As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.”Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, even in death, brought about by man's sin, these creatures glorify You and bear witness to Your act of creation. Strengthen my faith so that I may not be intimidated by claims that contradict Your Word. In Jesus' Name. Amen.REF.: Weisburd, Stefi. "New creatures from the Cambrian." Science News, v. 128. Image: Burgess shale scale, Matt Martyniuk (Dinoguy2), CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1232/29?v=20251111

Dance class, gymnastics, cheerleading, Student Council, Marching Band, youth ministry, worship team, Bible studies, speaking engagements — and that's just a few items from Emily Rose Massey's packed list of accomplishments. For more than twenty years, her worth was wrapped up in her productivity. And if we're honest, many of us know that exhausting cycle all too well. In this episode, Emily offers a grace-filled invitation to step off the performance treadmill and rest in the truth that God's love was never something you had to earn. Ephesians 2:8-9 makes it beautifully clear: salvation is a gift, not a reward. And that same grace that saved you is the very grace that is sanctifying you, shaping you, and carrying you forward — day by day, inconsistency by inconsistency. God started this work in you, and He will finish it (Philippians 1:6). You don't have to hide when you fail or scramble to do better on your own. You simply need to come boldly to the throne of grace, lean on His strength, and trust that He is working — because He is. Today's Bible Verse "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." — Ephesians 2:8-9, ESV Ponder Today Grace is a gift, not a reward. You cannot earn it, maintain it, or lose it through your performance. It is freely and abundantly given — full stop. The same grace that saved you is sanctifying you. God doesn't just rescue you and then hand you a checklist. He oversees your growth, your maturity, and your transformation from beginning to end. Your failures do not surprise God or derail His plan. Your inconsistencies, your disobedience, your lack of trust — none of it can thwart what He has purposed for your life. God starts it, and God finishes it. You don't have to hide when you sin. Jesus lived the perfect life for you and paid the penalty you couldn't. When you fall, the answer is not to run away — it's to run to Him, boldly, to the throne of grace. Trust that He is working and yield to it. You don't need to muster up your own strength or faith. The Holy Spirit is your Helper, and God's plan for your life will be accomplished because of His goodness and faithfulness — not yours. A Prayer for You Today Heavenly Father, let the truth of Your Word take deep root in my heart — that Your grace is a gift I can never earn and never need to maintain. Thank You, Jesus, for Your great sacrifice on the cross that made a way for me to receive eternal life. May I never forget that the work of the cross is finished. Help me to rest in that finished work. And when I sin, Holy Spirit, convict my heart to run boldly to the throne of grace and receive Your forgiveness and love. In Jesus' name, Amen. Don't Miss an Episode If today's prayer helped you release the weight of striving, we'd love to stay connected. Subscribe to the LifeAudio newsletter at LifeAudio.com for daily prayers, devotionals, and more content to rest and grow in your faith every day. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Many believers struggle with spiritual imbalance—either stuck in regret over the past, overwhelmed by the present, or distracted by speculation about the future. In today's episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef shows how Scripture calls us to a complete, steady picture of faith: past, present, and future held together. You'll explore how key parts of the Christian life span all three: Salvation: you were saved when you trusted Christ, you are being saved as God works in you daily, and you will be saved eternally in glory. Transformation: the Holy Spirit made you new at conversion, continues shaping you into Christlikeness now, and will one day perfect you forever. Kingdom of God: the Kingdom arrived with Jesus, reigns in believers' hearts today, and will be fully revealed when Christ returns. Prophecy and the End Times: God's Word shows promises fulfilled, being fulfilled, and still to be fulfilled with precision. This devotional invites you to live with grounded maturity—learning from the past without being trapped by it, walking faithfully in the present, and anticipating the future with awe-inspiring hope in Jesus Christ. Prayer: Lord, give me wisdom and understanding as I look into Your Word to see Your sovereignty at work. May I be filled with joy, love, and thankfulness as I remember the past, follow You in the present, and anticipate my future with You. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.  “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplatethe Lord's glory,are being transformed into his imagewith ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef's sermon series Revelation for Today: LISTEN NOW| WATCH NOW 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.

Introduction: What About Spiritual Gifts? (1 Corinthians 12:1-11) Spiritual Gifts are FROM God and FOR Every Believer. (1 Cor 12:4-6) Spiritual Gifts Are to Be Used to BLESS the CHURCH. (1 Cor 12:7) Spiritual Gifts Come in Many FORMS. (1 Cor 12:8-10) 2 Corinthians 12:12 - The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works. Hebrews 2:4 - while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. Wisdom Knowledge Faith Healing Miracles Luke 9:1 – And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases Prophecy Distinguish between spirits Tongues Interpretation of tongues Spiritual Gifts Are Given at the HOLY SPIRIT'S DISCRETION. (1 Cor 12:11) SEEK God. Consider the INTERSECTION. Take an ASSESSMENT. Take the Spiritual Gifts Test! Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Questions and Answers: What About Spiritual Gifts? Jeff Miller Download Audio Transcript 00:38Open up your Bibles with me, please, to the book of 1 Corinthians 12.00:45While you're turning there, let's just pause for a second, and I'm going to ask that you would please pray for me00:53to be faithful to communicate God's Word accurately and clearly as I should.01:01And I will pray for you to be open to receive what it is that God said. All right, let's pray. Father, sometimes we come to your word and I guess some passages seem to hit some of us more than others. And we're about to enter into a section that according to your word literally is for every single one of us. So I pray.01:31That Your Spirit would be the power behind the wisdom of Your Word and that You would continue to conform us into the image of Your Son, not just individually, but as a church body. Father, glorify Your name as we immerse ourselves into Your Word now. We pray in Jesus' name and all of God's people,02:02Amen. Look at 1 Corinthians 12, verse 1. Paul says,02:07Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.02:18This section of 1 Corinthians has been a big Q&A section.02:25They had sent Paul questions and he was responding with answers.02:28And up to this point, we've mainly been dealing with earthly matters. We've been talking about liberty and marriage and gender. And now we're on to more, I guess you could say, spiritual matters. And he says, concerning spiritual gifts, look at that verse 1, I do not want you to be uninformed. I don't want you to be ignorant about spiritual gifts.02:58Spiritual Gifts. Wow, that's a phrase that really describes the church today. Right? Because as always, church, we will go to either side of the extreme. When we talk about spiritual gifts, immediately you're going to have some people on one end of the spectrum that just completely neglect or ignore them. And think, oh, that's just like,03:28Goofy, charismatic stuff, but we're like sober-minded people. You completely dismiss the role that the Holy Spirit has in the work of the church. They're just neglected. And we do church according to human intellect and creativity. And then you have people on the other end of the spectrum that don't neglect the gifts. You could say they misrepresent the gifts of the Holy Spirit.03:58And over on the other extreme, people are doing all kinds of goofy things in church saying that it's a work of the Holy Spirit. We're slain in the Spirit and we're hooping and hollering and barking and howling. It's a gift of the Spirit. Excuse me. Absolutely essential in your work for Christ. Absolutely essential04:28in the health of the church, in the health of this church, you have to understand what spiritual gifts are, and you have to use your spiritual gift in the church. All right, look at verse 2. He says, you know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to mute idols. However, you were led. What he's doing here is he's setting up a contrast.04:58by idols.05:00And we're going to see this as we go throughout this section,05:03but the Corinthians in their former pagan lifestyle05:07learned a lot of bad methods of worship.05:11Pagan methods of worship.05:13And they brought those into the church.05:15Like, I guess this is how we worship.05:17And Paul here is making the contrast.05:20Like, look, no, no, no.05:22You used to be led by idols.05:24Now, now you are led by the Holy Spirit of God.05:30The Holy Spirit. Somehow, despite how essential His role is in the church, He just doesn't seem to get the press that the other members of the Trinity get, right? I mean, we talk about Jesus a lot. His sacrifice on the cross for our sins. His resurrection from the dead.05:58We talk about God the Father a lot. But God the Holy Spirit, just is essential. The Bible says that every Christian, every born-again Christian receives the Holy Spirit. That's Romans 8 and 9, among other places. That's God's presence abiding in you. Why? Why does God's Spirit live in you? Well, there's two main reasons. One is for character, right?06:28The Holy Spirit manifests the character of Christ in you. That's the fruit of the Spirit. That's Galatians 5. That's love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. That's what the Holy Spirit does in the life of the believer manifesting those characteristics. So it's character. The other reason the Holy Spirit lives in believers is for service.06:58And that's what we're talking about in this passage today. Every believer is given a spiritual gift to be used in the church. And you're like, wow, you know, how do I know that I even have the Holy Spirit? Well, look at verse 3. Paul says, therefore, I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says,07:28Jesus is accursed. And no one can say, Jesus is Lord, except in the Holy Spirit. So how do you know you have the Holy Spirit? Here's a foundational test. How do you regard Jesus? And I don't just mean what do you say about Jesus here in church on Sunday morning or at small group. I mean in your heart, in your innermost being privately,07:58How do you regard Jesus Christ? In your heart, is Jesus Christ everything to you? Because your true heart disposition towards Jesus is manifest by the Spirit. If you're born again, Paul says, you cannot curse Jesus. And apparently some of that stuff was happening in the Corinthian church. That's a whole other study for another time.08:28Paul says, if you have the Holy Spirit living in you, you absolutely will regard Jesus Christ as your Lord. The Holy Spirit. He's not just for preachers and missionaries, by the way. The Christian life, every Christian's life, is a Holy Spirit-led and empowered life. So the question that Paul's getting into here, and Pastor Taylor's going to be talking about this more next week, here's the question on the table.08:58They asked. He's answering, so what about spiritual gifts? I mean, what are spiritual gifts? And how is it that the Holy Spirit uses spiritual gifts in the church? So on your outline, what about spiritual gifts? What about them? Paul's giving us a great foundational teaching on Holy Spirit gifts.09:28Number one, write this down. Spiritual gifts are from God and for every believer. Look at verses four through six. He says, now there are varieties of gifts, but the same spirit. And there are varieties of service, but the same Lord. And there are varieties of activities,09:58is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. He says there's many kinds of spiritual gifts, but notice he says they all come from God. And he really wants to make that point clear because you notice he mentioned every member of the Trinity as being the source of spiritual gifts. You notice that? He talks about the Holy Spirit in verse 4. He talks about Jesus Christ, the Lord, in verse 5. He talks about God, the Father,10:28in verse 6. Spiritual gifts are gifts that come from God. Now, understand that spiritual gifts are different than talents. Okay? Like a skill that you have to play an instrument or to paint a mural. Spiritual gifts are different, but listen. I can show you biblically, and that's a study for another time.10:58come from God. Absolutely.11:03But here we're talking about ministry gifts.11:06Church ministry must be Spirit-powered, not done in the flesh.11:15Why?11:19Because if we're just doing ministry in our power, in man's power,11:25we're going to get man's results.11:27But when ministry is done in God's power, we get God's results. So which do you want? At the end of the day, I want to see what God can do in this church, not what I can do. But you notice the end of verse 6, beginning of verse 7, to everyone, to each. Listen, because every Christian possesses the Holy Spirit, all Christians, all Christians are given a spiritual gift.11:59It's so fascinating because every gift is a characteristic of Jesus Christ Himself. You realize He had everything perfectly. Think about that. Jesus, God in the flesh, who embodied every characteristic perfectly. You see the Holy Spirit giving us a spiritual gift. What's going on here? Here's what's going on. The church is called the body of Christ.12:29And each member is given a gift so that collectively, we as the body of Christ become a sort of representation of Jesus Christ himself. It's absolutely mind-blowing. But God wants the church to be Christ-like, and this is how it happens. We each use our spiritual gift. We're collectively built up in all of the characteristics that Jesus Christ possessed perfectly in the Incarnation.12:57So, spiritual gifts from God for every believer. All right, number two, spiritual gifts are to be used to bless the church. Look at verse 7. He says, to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For the common good.13:28It's kind of funny when you think about it. You're given a spiritual gift, right? But in a real sense, the spiritual gift given to you isn't even for you. Isn't that strange? God's given you a gift, but He goes, oh, that's not for you. That's for everybody else. You see, my spiritual gift is supposed to benefit you.13:57benefit me.14:01And that's why we believe in every member of ministry at Harvest Bible Chapel.14:05If you're attending here, if you consider this your church,14:09we're not shy about asking where do you want to serve.14:15Not because we're like, we need help.14:18We do need help.14:21But that's not the primary reason.14:24It's because if you're part of the church, God has gifted you to bless the church. Right? So I have to ask you, how is God using you in this church? How's God using you? If you've been given a gift that's for the common good, how is that working in your ministry?14:55Now look, I've got to tell you, we are so blessed at this church. We were talking about this not too long ago, but we have a crazy high percentage of people who are actively serving in this church in so many ways. We're not there yet, but that number needs to be 100%. And if you're attending this church and you're not serving, please hear me.15:26I just want to lovingly tell you that God hasn't called anyone to warm a seat. Nobody's spiritual gift is attendance. We need you to be using your spiritual gift for the common good. All right? So spiritual gifts are from God for every believer. Number two, spiritual gifts are to be used to bless the church.15:54And number three, spiritual gifts come in many forms. Here's where we need to spend some time. In this section here, Paul lists nine spiritual gifts. Now, this list is not exhaustive, okay? Actually, we're not going to look there today. We're going to stick in this passage as is our custom. But you can see also Romans chapter 12. You can see Ephesians chapter 4. There are other gifts than the ones that are listed.16:24here. This isn't exhaustive. This is more just representative. Spiritual gifts come in many forms. Let's look at verses 8-10. Paul says, for to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit.16:54To another, faith by the same Spirit. To another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit. To another, the working of miracles. To another, prophecy. To another, the ability to distinguish between spirits. To another, various kinds of tongues. To another, the interpretation.17:24of tongues.17:27Alright, so with spiritual gifts there are two categories.17:31There are speaking gifts and there are serving gifts.17:35But there are also two kinds of gifts.17:38There are permanent gifts.17:40There are gifts that were given that will be active in the church until our Lord returns.17:46And there are gifts that are temporary that were only for a time and purpose.17:51And this is where we get controversial.18:00Because this is where a lot of people have a lot of different opinions. But are you ready to go to Sunday school for a few minutes? Three of you? Okay. Thank you. Tristan always has my back. Always. And some of you are like, I don't know if I want to get out of here.18:23this road. Well, we're going through 1 Corinthians. This is next. And we receive God's Word as presented, right? So let's do it. But I want to talk about temporary gifts. And please hear me out before you storm out. That door's hard to slam, but it can be done. Before you storm out, before you throw anything at me, I would like you to please hear me out for a few minutes, all right?18:53Because this isn't my opinion. This is what the Bible says if you read it straightforwardly. Temporary gifts, sometimes they're called sign gifts. Those are the more miraculous type gifts. Please hear me because this is where I'm going to be misquoted, but not you. Listen, those gifts are not normative today.19:23Do I believe that they still happen? 100% I do. But they are not normative. Okay? So if somebody's like, well, what is Jeff's position on some of these sign gifts? I do not believe that they are normative today. I'm going to show you why. Can God do them? Yes. But, listen close. These sign gifts, are these spiritual gifts19:53that are possessed by people in the day of Paul and the apostles. And the answer is no. They're not possessed by people as they were in Paul's day. God still does them on occasion, not normative, but they're not possessed by people. I want to talk about miracles for a moment. Pastor Taylor and I were talking about this last week.20:23I think when we read the Bible, we get this idea that miracles were just like happening all the time, right? Like Moses woke up and like before his oatmeal, he like fired off five miracles. Boom. Not a man a meal, not oatmeal. But actually miracles in the Bible were actually very rare.20:53And apart from Moses' day, and apart from the day of Jesus in the apostles' ministry, miracles performed through men were actually very rare things. So why did we see so many miracles, especially in Moses' day, and especially in Jesus' and the apostles' day? Because this is why.21:21God performed miracles through people to verify or prove when new revelation was given. That's why it was normative in Moses' day. That's why it was normative for the apostles. Because God was giving new revelation, and that was the way He verified it. Any knucklehead can run around and say,21:51this is the new word of the Lord. And like, how can you prove that? Anybody can say that. God would verify what is actually revelation from him by backing it up with people who were giving not just this message, but performing these miracles. That's why you see that in Jesus. Why did Jesus perform so many miracles? Why did Jesus perform miracles? He's putting on a show, right?22:21He wanted to dazzle people, right? Hey, check this out. Check out what I can do. Anybody got two fishes, five loaves? Let me show you a trick. No! Jesus wasn't an entertainer. Why did Jesus do all the miracles? Actually, He referred to them as signs. Why? Because they were done to prove He is who He said He is. He's like, I'm God in the flesh. And of course, you're going to have people that were like, pfft.22:51I'm not buying that. But when you see this man raising the dead, healing the sick, feeding multitudes, you're like, there's something more to him. Right? Jesus' signs proved he is who he said he is. You're like, awesome, but what about spiritual gifts? Well, same principle here. Listen, to back the apostles'23:21while the New Testament was completed, was being completed, God authenticated the gospel with sign gifts. That's what the Bible says. You're like, where does the Bible say that? Many places. I'll give you a couple. Okay? Like 2 Corinthians 12. Look, the signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience with signs and wonders and mighty works. You see?23:51the true apostles were performing miracles. It was to authenticate the gospel message. Same thing in Hebrews 2.4. It says, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will. Same principle as God was giving us the New Testament. You see, in those days, they didn't have the New Testament completed yet.24:21was being worked on by the Holy Spirit. So when somebody got up and said, let me tell you this message from God, how do we know it was from God? He backed it up with miracles. That's why when you go through the book of Acts, you see miracles less and less and less and less as you go through the book of Acts. We spent like three years in Acts, and that's what you see. In 1 Corinthians here, the book that we're studying, it was one of the earliest24:51written. So sign gifts were still very much a thing when Paul wrote this, but they were on their way out and they were ending as normative spiritual gifts when the New Testament was completed. That's why in none of the other epistles you see any talk about the spiritual gifts of miracles or healings or tongues or interpretation of tongues. You don't see that in any other25:21book in the New Testament.25:25Because it was phasing out.25:28We have God's word complete in written form,25:31so we don't need to verify it with a miracle.25:35God wrote it all down for us.25:37All right?25:39So, with that backdrop, I'm going to go through these quickly.25:44Each one of these could be a sermon,25:45and that's not the intention.25:49Interestingly, Paul does not explain them. He just lists them. I want to give you a little definition for each, a little understanding. So look at your spiritual gifts here, starting in verse 8. The first one is wisdom. What is wisdom? That's just skill in applying the Word of God. Do you know who typically possesses this gift are people that are counselors, whether it's formally or informally, people that are able to say, I understand how to incorporate God's truth.26:19into my life.26:21I can help you incorporate God's truth into your life.26:23It's applying the Word of God.26:24That's wisdom.26:26Next is knowledge.26:30That's understanding the Word.26:34It's somebody that can see Bible facts and knows how they fit together.26:39You know what's amazing?26:40Did you ever see these Christian authors?26:43They take like one subject and they write a whole book about it.26:46That's always amazing to me.26:48Like, how do they do that? They wrote a whole book about one subject? Well, I think a lot of them have the gift of knowledge. Right? Next is faith. Gift of faith. Now, obviously, this is faith beyond believing to get saved, because every follower of Christ has that kind of faith. Right? But you ever notice that there are some Christians that you meet that just seem to have a deeper,27:20Confidence in the Sovereignty of God. You know what I'm talking about? There's some Christians you meet, they could be going through just the worst trials a human being can go through, and they're just like, you know what? God's in control. He's got this. And they're just completely unflappable. They have the gift of faith. Those people are typically the best prayers. Right? Next on the list.27:48is healing.27:51Now again, I believe that this is one of the gifts27:55for people that was phasing out at this point.28:01But what is healing?28:02Well, it's just supernaturally healing a physical illness.28:12I wish I had that gift.28:14I wish it was still a thing.28:17And you might say, well, Pastor Jeff, I think it is still a thing. Because I saw this guy on TV. He was slapping people on the head deaf and they were getting up with full hearing. Interesting about those people, they never go to the cancer ward or the children's hospital. I mean, if I had the gift to heal people, that's the first place I'd go. You're like, oh, so you don't believe in healing? Oh, yeah, yeah. Look, listen.28:47Let's be clear. God still heals. I believe that 100%. And I have seen in this church God miraculously heal people. I believe that God heals. I'm not convinced that Benny Hinn ever did. All right? So next is miracles. Miracles. Like, wait a minute. What's the difference between miracles and healing? I'm not going to bore you with the long systematic Thompson Chain reference.29:17But here's the thing. That word for miracles, when you trace it through the New Testament, was most often connected with casting out demons. That's the difference. That's the distinction. See, that's what Jesus was talking about. Look at Luke 9.1. We'll have it on the screen. It says, and he called the twelve together, look, and gave them power and authority, here it is, over all demons and to cure diseases. So miracles.29:47In the New Testament referred to casting out demons. Again, I believe that was an apostolic era. Do I believe God still does that 100%? Absolutely, yes, He does. Normative? That a person has the gift and is running around doing that? No. All right, next is prophecy. Prophecy. Now, when we think prophecy, when we hear that word, what's the first thing we think of? Like future stuff, right?30:17Tell us the future. Well, sometimes, actually rarely, that's part of it. But you realize that's not what prophecy literally means at all. Do you know what the word prophecy is? It literally breaks down to a compound word that means speak before. You're like, speak before what? Speak before an audience. That's what prophecy is. It's somebody that stands in front of a group of people and says things.30:47Before Them. That's prophecy. It's the public speaking of God's truth. That's what happens when I get up here, Taylor or Brian or Justin or whoever stands up here proclaiming the Word of God. That is prophecy. We are speaking before. Right? Next is distinguishing between spirits. If you're interested, we did a whole sermon series on this.31:17A couple years back, this is what we more commonly call discernment. It's the ability to evaluate if something is from God or not. And in that sermon series, I'm not going to preach it all now, but I'd just like to remind you that that is something that we are all called to do. We are all called to discern what is from God and what is not from God. And again, I'll remind you that we live in a day that it is more crucial than ever because we live in a day where we have access to more information.31:47than we've ever had. You open up your phone, you're going to have 10,00031:51preachers giving you contradictory31:54message about31:55thus saith the Lord. How do we know31:57what God actually said? Discernment32:00is the gift to be able to32:01tell, he's not saying what God32:03said, but this guy definitely is, right?32:05Right?32:10Some people have that gift.32:13Alright, next gift is tongues.32:18Next gift is tongues.32:21You're like, are tongues for today?32:26People ask that, are tongues for today?32:31Yeah, tongues are for today.32:32How would you eat your ice cream otherwise, right?32:38Listen, I'm not going to go too far into this.32:42Oh, you're scared? No, not at all.32:43We're actually going to be doing a very deep dive in this. We're spending four weeks on this subject. But what is tongues biblically? Tongues is the ability to speak in a foreign language unknown to the speaker. It's a known language, by the way. It's not gibberish. It's somebody speaking an already existing language that that person doesn't know. They're just speaking it. Like I said, we're going to spend so much more time on this. And then interpretation of tongues is just simply that.33:13a person that was gifted with the ability to translate what the tongues speaker says. Many forms. One spirit. Oh, speaking of the Holy Spirit, number four. Spiritual gifts are given at the Holy Spirit's discretion.33:47Look at verse 11.33:52He says,33:54All these are empowered by one in the same Spirit34:01who apportions to each one individually as He wills.34:09As He wills.34:11The Holy Spirit, in His sovereignty, determines who does what. That's the Holy Spirit's job. Understand, as your pastor, I did not get to choose your gift. Like, oh, you want to be a part of our church? All right. Prophecy. Okay, how about you? You want to join the church? All right. Healing. You're like, you totally didn't listen to that sermon, did you? I don't get to determine that gift.34:41get to determine that gift. You know what? Preaching looks like a lot of fun. I think I'm going to ask the Holy Spirit for the prophecy gift. He is the one who determines the gift. It is a gift. And the gift giver determines the gift that he wants to give you. The gift giver determines the gift35:12that he wants to give you.35:19And I know this is a hard sell in our day.35:23I mean, Murph, you get it. You go back. We get it.35:27The gift giver determines the gift he wants to give. We get it. The younger people don't get that.35:33Like, why not? Because you know what we do in our day?35:38You know what we do in our day? We have a big event.35:42We have a baby shower, a wedding, little Joey's birthday party. He's turning five. Going to have his party at the Chuck E. Cheese. Do you know what we do today? We tell people what gifts we want, don't we? We do that. Little Joey's turning five. He's registered at Target. Right? Right?36:10Or, yeah, I'm getting married. Yeah, I'm getting married. Yeah, I'm registered at Target. We tell people the gifts that we want. I'm getting married. I want this toaster. I want this knife set. I want this vacuum. And then, I mean, we've done it. Aaron and I will go and be like, okay, this is the vacuum they want.36:40and we buy it and we wrap it up. And then they act surprised when they open it. They open it up and they're like, oh, you got me exactly what I was asking for. Oh, you shouldn't have. But you go back a generation, the gift giver determined what gift you got. Don't try that with the Holy Spirit, okay? You're baptized.37:11I'm registered at Target.37:15Well, we don't get a say in it.37:17It's His gift, right?37:19It's His gift.37:19Do you think I would have signed up for this?37:25Oh no.37:26Oh no.37:30He'll make a better choice than we would anyways.37:33Alright.37:35That's all well and good.37:36But that's really not the question37:39that we're asking right now.37:40The question that we're asking right now is how do I know what my spiritual gift is right I mean it's clear he's given all of us each of us a gift to represent the body of Christ and we're to use it in the common good we saw the kinds and you're like awesome what is my spiritual gift how do I find out what my spiritual gift is all right I'm going to give you three things we're going to close with this three things how do I know what gift I've been given letter A seek God38:10You're like, that sounds like a cop-out. No, look. If you make your life about on-your-face praying and in the Word and just get serving in the church, the Spirit's going to do what the Spirit does. He's going to be at work through you. You're going to figure that out real quick. So just don't worry about seeking a gift. Seek the gift giver. He'll do what He does.38:40That's what he does. Seek God. All right? Letter B. Consider the intersection. Like, what's the intersection? I was studying for this this week. I came across something. I thought it was super helpful. It's one of those diagrams where everything intersects. What do they call that? A Venmo diagram?39:10Venn. Not Venmo.39:20What's a Venmo?39:23Oh, that's giving money.39:26Also a spiritual gift. Right!39:30So you could Venmo your...39:31Alright.39:33I just feel like I had like an inception moment here.39:37Alright.39:38Consider the intersection.39:39Yeah.39:40All right. So I came across this Venn diagram. And I thought it was helpful. I'm going to try to recreate it here. But there's three things here. First of all, this circle here, we're going to call that, we're going to call this one ability. We're going to call this one ability. What is it that you seem, not complicated,40:10You seem like you're able to do this. Right? Of all the gifts. You're like, you know what? That's something that I seem like I'm able to do. I mean, I'm not boasting or anything. It just seems like something that I'm able to do. Okay? And then, with this one, we're going to call this one affinity. That's an idea. Okay. That's affinity. Like, well, that's an idea. Like, what do40:40I enjoy doing.40:42If somebody was like, you can do whatever you want in the church, whatever you enjoy most,40:46what would be the line I get to the front of first?40:50What's my affinity?40:53And then the third thing here, my circles are getting less and less circle-y, but I think you get the idea.41:01This one we're going to call affirmation.41:12You know, you have people maybe in your small group or other people in the church that are, they say to you, you know what? You seem like you have a real gift for teaching. You really seem like you have a gift for praying with people. So the point is this. Consider the intersection right here.41:39This is very likely your spiritual gift. I would say extremely likely. What you're able to do, what you love doing, and what people affirm that it seems like God has equipped you to do, that is very likely your spiritual gift. All right? Then letter C, assessment. Seek God, consider the intersection or assessment. We have a QR code.42:10Go ahead, take your phone out and give that a scan. Pastor Rich sent this along. But this is an online assessment. And really, I think between seeking the Lord, considering the intersection, doing the online assessment, I think that's going to get you all on your way to giving you a deeper understanding of what your spiritual gift is. So go ahead. Go ahead, do the...42:41Either scan that or Venmo me some money. Since you have your phone out and I just learned what Venmo is. Do I have a Venmo? Never mind. Aaron says I don't have a Venmo. All right. Our worship team would make their way up. While they're coming, you know, when I was in high school, I played soccer.43:11In my junior high year of playing soccer, the coach didn't like me. Why? Because I was unlikable. So I sat on the bench most of the season. Now, I knew I had the ability.43:39senior year, we had a new coach, and I didn't sit for one minute that entire season. In fact, I was co-captain of the team. But I got to tell you, I think back to that junior year of playing soccer, and I just remember feeling incredibly frustrated because I felt incredibly useless. You know, you put your shin guards on, you put your cleats on, you put your44:09your soccer uniform on.44:12And you just, I just sat there and watched the whole season.44:16Just sat there.44:21So many times I thought, why am I even here?44:25Why am I even here?44:26What am I doing?44:29I want to tell you, you don't have to worry about that with God's team44:34because there are no bench warmers.44:39God doesn't tell any of His children, you know what? You're nice and all, but you go sit over there. We don't really need you. Or you just wait, and if we decide there's a place we can squeeze you in, we'll see if we can do that. No, no, no, no, no. God's Word has made it very clear that He has called and He has gifted every single one of you.45:08this church. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, so often we get a gift and we don't say thank you, but Father, we thank you not just for the gift of your Holy Spirit himself who lives within us, but the gift that he has given each of us to serve you and your church. For some people here, Father, this is probably brand new teaching.45:38Never really considered this. And for some people here, Father, maybe we've known this and have sort of strayed from it. But I'm asking today, Father, that your Spirit would grip every heart in this church and grip the church collectively so that we truly, as the body of Christ, might represent the person of Christ.46:08as these spirits are at work in us. So Father, I pray for the person here who maybe has been coming to this church but just hasn't stepped up. Remind them, Father, it's not just a matter of the elders and pastors and ministry team would value your input. Remind them, Father, that you have equipped them to serve your church.46:38We do so to your glory and honor. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Small Group DiscussionRead 1 Corinthians 12:1-11What was your big take-away from this passage / message?What does it mean that spiritual gifts are for the common good (1 Cor 12:7)?Are sign gifts such as healing and miracles still possessed by people today? Why or why not?Why is it important to understand that the Holy Spirit is the One Who chooses what gifts believers receive (1 Cor 12:11)?How do you know if a ministry is done by the power of the Holy Spirit, or done in the flesh (that is, just by “human power”)?BreakoutPray for one another.

“Have faith in yourself.” “Have faith in the system.” “Just believe.” In today's world, faith often means optimism or manifestation—but Scripture defines faith very differently. In this episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef clears away the confusion with two essential truths. First, there is no power in faith by itself. Faith isn't a force; the object of faith is what gives it weight. If your faith is anchored in the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone, then you stand on unshakable ground—because Christ is powerful, victorious, and trustworthy. Second, faith is not the same as feelings. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as confidence and assurance—not emotional certainty. Faith says, “God said it. I believe it. That settles it.” And to keep us from boasting in our “strong faith,” Dr. Youssef points to the deeper foundation beneath it all: even faith is God's gift. By grace, God raises believers up with Christ and saves them through faith—not by works—so all glory belongs to Jesus alone (Ephesians 2:6–9). Prayer: Father, You are the object of my faith. I rejoice knowing that my faith is not in vain because my faith is in You alone and not based on how I feel. You are always faithful and what You say will come to pass. I trust in Your Word and sovereign love. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20). Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef's sermon 12 Evidences of Faith, Joy in Trials: LISTEN NOW| WATCH NOW 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.

Parables are a good way to teach. Jesus often used parables to teach a lesson. Parables can even be a good way to teach science. However, parables cannot be used to establish scientific fact.Unfortunately, Charles Darwin frequently used parables as part of his scientific method. Many modern evolutionists continue that tradition. Let's look at an example. Those who believe in evolution have tried to find an explanation for why some birds have luxurious, bright plumage. Does the peacock really need those brilliant tail feathers? Well, say evolutionists, females prefer the males with the most beautiful plumage. So, the brightest males had more babies. Evolutionists call this sexual selection.What does the story prove? It doesn't prove anything in the scientific sense. It doesn't explain where the colors came from in the first place. It doesn't explain why females prefer showy males. Nor does it explain where peacocks originally came from. And it doesn't explain why some birds have very drab colors. The biggest problem with this explanation is that it simply begs the question. You see, many evolutionists admit that they have no good explanation for how sexual reproduction evolved in the first place.So the evolutionists' story for how the peacock came to have such bright feathers is just a story--not scientific proof. And when it comes to stories, I prefer the stories reported in the Bible, because they have our Creator's own personal guarantee of truth.2 Timothy 4:3-4"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”Prayer: I pray, dear Father, that You would give me a clear-thinking, critical mind informed by Your Word. Help me use these abilities to clearly see the errors of the world's thinking and better appreciate Your wisdom. In Jesus' Name. Amen.REF.: "The Sight that Made Darwin Sick!" Riginal View, No. 8. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1232/29?v=20251111

 ਧਨਾਸਰੀ ਭਗਤ ਰਵਿਦਾਸ ਜੀ ਕੀ ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥ ਹਮ ਸਰਿ ਦੀਨੁ ਦਇਆਲੁ ਨ ਤੁਮ ਸਰਿ ਅਬ ਪਤੀਆਰੁ ਕਿਆ ਕੀਜੈ ॥ ਬਚਨੀ ਤੋਰ ਮੋਰ ਮਨੁ ਮਾਨੈ ਜਨ ਕਉ ਪੂਰਨੁ ਦੀਜੈ ॥੧॥ ਹਉ ਬਲਿ ਬਲਿ ਜਾਉ ਰਮਈਆ ਕਾਰਨੇ ॥ ਕਾਰਨ ਕਵਨ ਅਬੋਲ ॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ ਬਹੁਤ ਜਨਮ ਬਿਛੁਰੇ ਥੇ ਮਾਧਉ ਇਹੁ ਜਨਮੁ ਤੁਮ੍ਹ੍ਹਾਰੇ ਲੇਖੇ ॥ ਕਹਿ ਰਵਿਦਾਸ ਆਸ ਲਗਿ ਜੀਵਉ ਚਿਰ ਭਇਓ ਦਰਸਨੁ ਦੇਖੇ ॥੨॥੧॥ ਅਰਥ: (ਹੇ ਮਾਧੋ!) ਮੇਰੇ ਵਰਗਾ ਕੋਈ ਨਿਮਾਣਾ ਨਹੀਂ, ਤੇ, ਤੇਰੇ, ਵਰਗਾ ਹੋਰ ਕੋਈ ਦਇਆ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲਾ ਨਹੀਂ, (ਮੇਰੀ ਕੰਗਾਲਤਾ ਦਾ) ਹੁਣ ਹੋਰ ਪਰਤਾਵਾ ਕਰਨ ਦੀ ਲੋੜ ਨਹੀਂ। (ਹੇ ਸੋਹਣੇ ਰਾਮ!) ਮੈਨੂੰ ਦਾਸ ਨੂੰ ਇਹ ਪੂਰਨ ਸਿਦਕ ਬਖ਼ਸ਼ ਕਿ ਮੇਰਾ ਮਨ ਤੇਰੀ ਸਿਫ਼ਤਿ-ਸਾਲਾਹ ਦੀਆਂ ਗੱਲਾਂ ਵਿਚ ਪਰਚ ਜਾਇਆ ਕਰੇ।੧। ਹੇ ਸੋਹਣੇ ਰਾਮ! ਮੈਂ ਤੈਥੋਂ ਸਦਾ ਸਦਕੇ ਹਾਂ; ਤੂੰ ਕਿਸ ਗੱਲੇ ਮੇਰੇ ਨਾਲ ਨਹੀਂ ਬੋਲਦਾ?।ਰਹਾਉ। ਰਵਿਦਾਸ ਆਖਦਾ ਹੈ-ਹੇ ਮਾਧੋ! ਕਈ ਜਨਮਾਂ ਤੋਂ ਮੈਂ ਤੈਥੋਂ ਵਿਛੁੜਿਆ ਆ ਰਿਹਾ ਹਾਂ (ਮਿਹਰ ਕਰ, ਮੇਰਾ) ਇਹ ਜਨਮ ਤੇਰੀ ਯਾਦ ਵਿਚ ਬੀਤੇ; ਤੇਰਾ ਦੀਦਾਰ ਕੀਤਿਆਂ ਬੜਾ ਚਿਰ ਹੋ ਗਿਆ ਹੈ, (ਦਰਸ਼ਨ ਦੀ) ਆਸ ਵਿਚ ਹੀ ਮੈਂ ਜੀਊਂਦਾ ਹਾਂ।੨।੧। ਭਾਵ: ਪ੍ਰਭੂ-ਦਰ ਤੇ ਉਸ ਦੇ ਦਰਸ਼ਨ ਕਰਨ ਲਈ ਅਰਦਾਸ। DHANAASAREE, DEVOTEE RAVI DAAS JEE: ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU: There is none as forlorn as I am, and none as Compassionate as You; what need is there to test us now? May my mind surrender to Your Word; please, bless Your humble servant with this perfection. || 1 || I am a sacrifice, a sacrifice to the Lord. O Lord, why are You silent? || Pause || For so many incarnations, I have been separated from You, Lord; I dedicate this life to You. Says Ravi Daas: placing my hopes in You, I live; it is so long since I have gazed upon the Blessed Vision of Your Darshan. || 2 || 1 ||

Romans 5:18-21 …Yes, Adam's one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ's one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. God's law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God's wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God's wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (NLT) Depending on how we were brought up and what we have been taught about God, we must all come to the place of understanding that Scripture is the bottom line of what we should believe and the foundation of what we should build our lives upon. We have to become responsible for what we believe and what we will teach our children—based on our own beliefs, not anyone else's. The concept of grace is such an important pillar of that personal faith.Here's a tough question for you … do you think your own life is ruled more by law or by grace?Is your faith based on what you do for Jesus or what Jesus has done for you?Remember—any questions we ask here are only to help you honestly evaluate where you are, and by comparing to Scripture, ask if is there is any part of your belief that You need to hand over to God?Let's pray together: “Heavenly Father, if there is anything I believe about You that is not right and not fair to You, I invite You to teach me Your ways through Your Word. As above, so below.”

Welcome to Day 2864 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2864 – “The Love and Grace of Jesus”  based on Luke 7:36-50 Putnam Church Message – 04/19/2026 The Good News According to Luke: “The Love and Grace of Jesus.”   Last week's message was: “In Defense of a Doubter,”  and we learned that “There is room near Christ for a doubter who still wants the truth.” Today, we continue with our nineteenth message from Luke's narrative of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Today's message is: “The Love and Grace of Jesus.” We will explore how Jesus's Love and Grace extend to those others reject. Our core passage today is Luke 7:36-50, which is found on page 1604 of your pew Bibles.  Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman 36 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. 39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.” 40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. 41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,[a] and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. 44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” 48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” 50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Opening Prayer Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word, which is living, true, and full of grace. Thank You for sending Jesus, who does not turn away the broken, the ashamed, the doubting, or the weary. As we open this passage today, open our hearts as well. Let us see ourselves honestly, see Jesus clearly, and receive Your mercy gladly. Break down our pride, soften our judgment, and teach us again what real love and real grace look like. May Your Holy Spirit speak to each person here in a personal way. And may we leave this place forgiven, changed, and filled with peace. In Jesus' name, amen. As we continue in this nineteenth message in our journey through Luke's Gospel, we come to one of the most tender, powerful, and unforgettable scenes in the ministry of Jesus. Luke has already been showing us who Jesus is. He is the One with authority to teach. He is the One with power to heal. He is the One who speaks hope into impossible situations. He is the One who raises the widow's son. He is the One who reassures the doubter. And now here in Luke 7:36–50, He is the One who receives the sinner. This is not just a story about a woman with a bad reputation. This is not just a story about a Pharisee with a hard heart. This is a story about the love and grace of Jesus. And if we are honest this morning, every one of us needs this story. Because some of us know what it is to feel like that woman—ashamed, wounded, carrying a past we wish we could erase. And some of us, if we are really honest, know what it is to sound a little too much like Simon—composed on the outside, religious on the surface, but cold in the heart. This story meets both kinds of people. It confronts the proud, and it comforts the broken. It exposes false religion, and it magnifies the beauty of grace. So let us walk into Simon's house and watch what happens when love and grace sit at the same table. A Simple Object Lesson Here are two jars, one beautifully polished and sealed on the outside, and the other cracked open and spilling perfume. Most of us would naturally be drawn first to the neat one. It looks respectable. It looks controlled. It looks presentable. But the truth is, the sealed jar may hold nothing that blesses anyone. The broken jar, however, fills the whole room with fragrance. That is our story in today's message. Simon looks polished. The woman looks broken. But Simon offers Jesus almost nothing. The woman pours out everything. Sometimes the people who look the most put together are the least aware of their need for grace, while the people who know they are broken become the very ones through whom the beauty of Christ fills the room. That brings us to our first of four truths or points in our message today. In your bulletin insert on the side, it says The Love and Grace of Jesus. Main Point 1: Jesus welcomes the people; / religion pushes people away. Luke tells us that a Pharisee named Simon invited Jesus to his home for dinner. Jesus accepted the invitation. Even that is grace. Jesus was willing to go into the home of a man who did not really understand Him and may not even have honored Him properly. Then suddenly, into that carefully managed dinner walks a woman the text calls “a sinful woman.” That phrase tells us everything about how the town saw her. She had a label. She had a reputation. She had a history. People did not say her name first; they said her shame first. And yet she comes. She comes into a place where she is unwelcome. She comes into a room where eyes will judge her. She comes near Jesus with tears, perfume, humility, and love. Now, in that first-century setting, this would have been a shocking scene. Meals among the wealthy would sometimes take place in semi-open courtyards, where others might observe from the edges. But this woman does not stand at the edge. She moves toward Jesus. / She falls at His feet. She wets His feet with tears. / She uncovers and lets down her hair. / She wipes his feet with her hair. / She kisses them. / She anoints them with perfume. Imagine this picture – in polite society, it would have been scandalous. What a picture. / The Pharisees saw contamination. / Jesus saw a heart. The religious world saw a problem to manage. / Jesus saw a soul to restore. This is the pattern we have seen throughout Luke. Jesus speaks to fishermen, touches lepers, heals servants, raises the dead, encourages doubters, and now receives a woman with a ruined reputation. Again and again, Luke shows us that Jesus moves toward the very people others avoid. This reminds us of the woman at the well in John 4. Society had pushed her to the margins, but Jesus met her there and offered living water. It reminds us of the woman caught in sin in John 8, when others reached for stones, but Jesus reached for redemption. It reminds us of Matthew 9, when Jesus sat at the table with tax collectors and sinners and said, “I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners” (NLT). Now let's bring that into our day. As hard as we might try otherwise, we still label people, do we not? Divorced. Addicted. Difficult. Political. Unstable. Rich. Poor. Tattooed. Lazy. Obese. Uneducated. Too far gone. We may think they are not our kind of people. We may

Our moon is moving away from the earth at the rate of four centimeters per year. That might not seem like much. But that rate of movement away from the earth presents problems for those who believe the earth and moon have been around for 4.5 billion years.At the rate the moon is receding, it would have been so close to earth only 1.5 to 2 billion years ago that tidal friction would have melted earth's surface rocks. Mathematical fiddlings help a little, but not enough. By mathematically increasing the rate of earth's spin over supposed "billions" of years, and figuring in a factor for assumed different tidal rates, one can inch the earth moon relationship back to about 4 billion years.Evolutionary scientists believe the problem can be solved to keep their 4.5 billion years of evolutionary history intact. But, they admit that the assumptions being tried need investigation, since the matter is far from solved. In other words, evolutionists admit they have a problem making the earth moon relationship fit into their long age history.The mathematical models rule out the theory that the moon was formed billions of years ago from the same dust cloud that supposedly formed the earth. Also ruled out is the theory that the moon was captured by the earth's gravity. Only one explanation seems to satisfy the data--that the moon was formed relatively recently, orbiting the earth from the time of its creation.Psalm 148:3"Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.”Prayer: I thank You, dear Father in heaven, that Your Word to us in the Bible is true and can be trusted. With the creation I will bear witness to You as Creator, and with my mouth I will tell others of the salvation in Christ. In Jesus' Name. Amen.REF.: Dye, Brad. "The moon revisited." Creation Science Dialogue. Kerr, Richard A. "Where was the moon eons ago?" Science, v. 221. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1232/29?v=20251111

There are days when the mountain in front of us feels so large and our resources feel so small that simply taking the next step seems impossible. The pain that won't relent, the demands that keep piling higher, the dreams that feel buried under an avalanche of obstacles — and beneath all of it, a soul that is simply depleted. We know we need help. We just aren't always sure where to find it, or whether anyone is truly able to give us what we actually need. Psalm 121 begins with one of the most honest questions in all of Scripture: I lift up my eyes to the mountains — where does my help come from? There is the mountain, looming and real. And then comes the answer, sweeping and certain: my help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. The same God who formed the mountains towering before us is the One who stands ready to help us scale them. His help is not a distant promise reserved for extreme emergencies — it is a present, flowing, limitless source of strength available to us right now, through His peaceful presence, through the people He places alongside us, and through the power of the Holy Spirit living within us. Whatever mountain you are facing today, you do not have to stare it down alone. Lift your eyes. Your help is already on the way. Today's Bible Verse "I lift up my eyes to the mountains — where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth." — Psalm 121:1-2 Ponder Today The psalmist's question is one we all ask when we are staring at a mountain — and the answer is always the same: our help comes from the Lord, the One who made the mountain in the first place. God's help is not reserved for our most dramatic moments — it is a present, flowing, limitless source of strength available to us in every depleted, discouraged, ordinary moment of need. Help from God comes through multiple channels — His peaceful presence, the people He strategically places in our lives, and the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within every believer. When we lift our eyes from the mountain to the Maker of the mountain, something shifts — our problems are still real, but they are suddenly much smaller than the One who stands ready to help us through them. God always supplies sufficiently and perfectly — not always in the way we expect or on the timeline we prefer, but always in accordance with His good plans and purposes for our lives. Today's Prayer Mighty God, You are my ever-present help, and You know exactly how much help I need and when I need it. Sometimes I struggle to gather the strength to take on even the simplest tasks — I need You. You alone are the help I am looking for, and You always supply sufficiently and perfectly. Today, remind me that Your power is always there to strengthen me, Your Word is there to guide me, and You are constantly placing people along my path to support me. Your help is limitless and relentless — an unfailing flow of strength to my weary soul. Thank You, Jesus. In Your strong name, Amen. Enjoy Today's Prayer? If this episode encouraged you, we'd love to stay connected! Subscribe to the LifeAudio newsletter at LifeAudio.com for daily prayers, devotionals, and faith-filled content delivered straight to your inbox. Don't miss an episode — subscribe and share with someone who needs encouragement today. 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.

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and kindle in them the fire of Your love. Send forth Your Spirit, and they shall be created, and You shall renew the face of the earth. Amen.Day 3: For UnderstandingHoly Spirit, grant me understanding. Help me to grasp the truths of faith more deeply. Open my heart to Your Word and make it alive within me. Amen.O Holy Spirit, Divine Consoler, I adore You as my true God. I thank You for the many graces You have given me. I ask You to continue guiding me and to dwell in me always. Amen.

Can your ear talk to you? New research seems to show that your ear actually generates sound that echoes whatever you hear.Startled scientists are making new discoveries that appear to show that we have hearing aids built into our ears. Yes, our ears do produce sounds. When sound hits the eardrums, the vibrations move bones within the ear, causing a bone called the stapes to vibrate. These vibrations are translated to pneumatic pressure within the cochlea. The oscillating pressure is picked up by tiny inner hairs in the cochlea that vibrate with the sound. These vibrations generate an electrical signal that is sent to the brain.Researchers have learned that outer hair cells within the cochlea respond to the incoming signals by generating audible sounds that can be picked up by tiny microphones. The sounds are generated as the hairs dance up and down in time with the incoming sound, just like the cone of a loudspeaker. The effect is that the ear echoes the incoming sound a few thousandths of a second after it enters the ear. The echo generated within the cochlea is not necessary for hearing. However, scientists suspect that this feedback system helps people smoothly hear sounds that range from soft to loud. Some scientists have voiced their skepticism about these astonishing findings.Our ability to hear sound is much more elegant in design than scientists ever expected. The technically precise details of the ear's design discredit all claims that the ear could have evolved.James 1:22"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”Prayer: Lord, let my voice praise You for all the great things You have done. Let me always be glad to hear Your Word and, assured of Your forgiving grace, put it into practice in my life. Amen.REF.: Malcolm M. Browne. "Let's Hear it from the Ears." The Plain Dealer. Image: Schematic overview of inner ear, van der Valk, W.H., Steinhart, M.R., Zhang, J. et al., CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons, image cropped from original. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1232/29?v=20251111

It was only a few years ago that excited supporters of the big bang theory for the origin of the universe announced that their theory had apparently been proven. Now their unverified conclusions are being seriously questioned on several fronts.Even as it was being announced that the big bang theory was proven, verification was being made on other results showing that the big bang theory is probably wrong. William G. Tifft of the University of Arizona had been looking at lists of red shifts from distant galaxies. On a graph, he plotted the red shifts corrected for the effects of the earth's motion. If the red shifts from these objects are the result of their speeding away from earth, their red shifts should be evenly spread over the known range of shifts. Tifft found that they're not. The red shifts are clumped into patterns. The intervals are about 72 kilometers per second, with some half that value and some one-third of that value. Astronomers from the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh verified his results.A second study by Tifft has shown that galaxy red shifts measured from earth have changed in just a few years! This change is completely unexpected by proponents of the big bang theory. The change is large enough that Tifft expects to be able to test the rate at which these changes take place within only a few years! One suggestion is that red shifts may be some sort of decay phenomenon rather than expansion of the universe.How could human beings expect to understand a universe created by the Author of Scripture when they reject Scripture itself?Isaiah 55:8"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.”Prayer: I thank You, dear Lord, for the revelation of Your Word of salvation in Scripture. I pray that I may never presume to understand something before I know and believe what You have said about it in Your inerrant Word. Amen.Image: High redshift galaxy candidates in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field 2012, NASA, ESA, R. Ellis (Caltech), and the HUDF 2012 Team, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1232/29?v=20251111

There are few tests of genuine faith more revealing than the moment someone wrongs us — and we have to decide what to do with it. The instinct to hold on, to keep score, to wait for an apology before we extend any grace, runs deep in every human heart. And yet Jesus, in Luke 6, calls His followers to something that cuts directly against that instinct: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and be merciful — just as your Father is merciful. That is not a suggestion for the spiritually advanced. It is a command for every believer, rooted in the most foundational truth of the gospel: we did not deserve the mercy God extended to us, and yet He gave it extravagantly anyway. Because we have freely received, we are called to freely give. This does not mean ignoring harmful behavior or abandoning healthy boundaries — but it does mean that unforgiveness has no rightful home in the heart of someone who has stood before a holy God and received pardon. We are not God. We cannot stand in His place as Judge. What we can do — what His Spirit empowers us to do — is love, bless, pray, and pardon, even when every part of us would rather hold on. Mercy is at the heart of the gospel, and every opportunity to extend it is an invitation to look more like Jesus. Today's Bible Verse "But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." — Luke 6:35-36, NASB Ponder Today The command to show mercy is not reserved for easy situations or repentant offenders — Jesus calls us to love, bless, and pray for those who have wronged us, regardless of whether they have said sorry. Holding unforgiveness does not put us in a position of power — it puts us in the place of God, which is a place we were never designed to occupy and cannot sustain. We have no grounds to withhold mercy from others when we ourselves have received it so extravagantly from a holy God whose standard none of us could meet apart from Christ. Showing mercy does not mean ignoring harmful behavior or abandoning healthy boundaries — it means refusing to let bitterness and unforgiveness take root in our hearts at the expense of our own spiritual health. Mercy is at the very heart of the gospel — every opportunity to extend it to someone who doesn't deserve it is a chance to reflect the character of a God who extended it to us first. Today's Prayer Heavenly Father, I do not deserve Your mercy, yet You have been so extravagant with Your love for me. Help me reflect on the gift of Your forgiveness daily, so that I can extend that same grace to others — even those who have hurt me, misunderstood me, or spoken against me. When I am tempted to hold onto bitterness or speak words I will regret, set a guard over my mouth and cultivate in me the fruit of self-control by the power of Your Spirit. Help me walk peaceably, with gentleness and humility, as Your Word commands. In Jesus' name, Amen. Enjoy Today's Prayer? If this episode encouraged you, we'd love to stay connected! Subscribe to the LifeAudio newsletter at LifeAudio.com for daily prayers, devotionals, and faith-filled content delivered straight to your inbox. Don't miss an episode — subscribe and share with someone who needs encouragement today. 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.

Welcome to Day 2859 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2859 – “In Defense of a Doubter”  based on Luke 7:18-35 Putnam Church Message – 04/12/2026 The Good News According to Luke: “In Defense of a Doubter.”   Last week's message was: “He is Risen Indeed!” We will celebrate the resurrected Christ and the assurance we have in the salvation that He brings. Today, we return to Luke's narrative of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Today's message is: “In Defense of a Doubter.” We will explore the doubts of Jesus's cousin, known as John the Baptizer. Our core passage today is Luke 7:15-35, which is found on page 1603 of your pew Bibles.  Jesus and John the Baptizer 18 John's disciples told him about all these things. / Calling two of them, 19 he sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” 20 When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?'” 21 At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. 22 So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy[a] are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 23 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” 24 After John's messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 25 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. 26 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 27 This is the one about whom it is written: “‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.'[b] 28 I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” 29 (All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus' words, acknowledged that God's way was right, because they had been baptized by John. 30 But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God's purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.) 31 Jesus went on to say, “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: “‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.' 33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.' 34 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' 35 But wisdom is proved right by all her children.” Opening Prayer Father, thank You that You are not threatened by our questions and not surprised by our weakness. Thank You that in Jesus Christ You meet us not only in strength, but also in struggle. As we open Your Word today, give us honesty, humility, and hope. Help us to see that doubt does not have to destroy faith, and that Your Son is still enough / even when life does not make sense. In Jesus' name, amen. Introduction There is a kind of faith that sounds strong but is actually fragile. It never asks hard questions. It never admits confusion.  It never confesses pain. It smiles through gritted teeth and calls that spirituality. But the Bible gives us something far more honest than that. The Bible gives us John the Baptizer. The same John who leaped in Elizabeth's womb at the presence of Christ. The same John who thundered in the wilderness. The same John who said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” The same John who pointed away from himself and toward Jesus. And now in Luke 7, that same man is in prison, and he is asking a question he never expected to ask: “Are You the Messiah we've been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” (Luke 7:19) That question surprises us. But Luke includes it because he wants us to learn something important: A season of doubt does not automatically mean the death of faith. Sometimes doubt is rebellion. Sometimes doubt is unbelief. But sometimes doubt is the cry of a wounded believer trying to reconcile what he knows about God with what he is living through. And that is where many believers live at one point or another. You may trust God and still have questions. You may love Christ and still ache. You may believe deeply and still struggle honestly. So today we are going to stand in defense of a doubter—not to glorify doubt, but to understand what Jesus does with it. Main Point 1: Faith Can Be Shaken Without Being Destroyed Luke 7:18–20 John's disciples come to Jesus and ask the question straight out: “Are You the Messiah we've been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” Let's not rush past how astonishing that is. John was not a casual observer. He was not a spiritual dabbler. He was not a man who had built his beliefs on rumors. He knew the prophecies. He had heard the voice of God. He had publicly identified Jesus. He had baptized Jesus. He had seen the Spirit descend. And yet now, from a prison cell, John is trembling. Why? Because circumstances can shake even the strongest believers. John expected the Messiah to come with power, to cleanse, to judge, and to bring visible kingdom change. And yet Herod still sits on the throne, evil still seems to prosper, and John himself—the faithful prophet—sits forgotten in a dungeon. If Jesus is truly the Expected One, why does the world still look so wrong? That is not a foolish question. That is an agonizing one. And many of us know something about it. A praying parent watches a child drift farther from God. A faithful wife buries a husband too soon.  A godly man loses his job while dishonest people advance. A believer fights disease, grief, betrayal, or depression and quietly wonders, “Lord, where are You?” That does not mean the believer has become an unbeliever. It may mean the believer has run out of easy answers. Object Lesson — The Storm-Bent Tree Imagine a strong tree in a storm. The wind bends it. The branches whip. Leaves tear loose. For a while, it looks unstable. But when the storm passes, the roots remain. That is John. He is bent, but not uprooted. He is shaken, but not blown away. And that is a needed reminder. A believer can be deeply troubled and still deeply rooted.   Matthew's Parallel Helps Us Matthew 11 records this same incident. Matthew gives us the same question, the same prison setting, and the same answer from Jesus. That tells us this was not a minor moment in Christ's ministry. The Spirit wanted the church to remember that even the greatest prophet of that generation went through a dark night of the soul. So, if you are in a season of doubt, do not assume that the struggle itself means your faith is fake. Some doubt is corrosive. But some doubt is the painful honesty of a real disciple asking, “Lord, help me understand.” Related Scriptures Psalm 73 — Asaph struggling with the prosperity of the wicked. Habakkuk 1 — “How long, O Lord?” Mark 9:24 — “I...

Introduction: Authority & Submission: God's Plan for Order. (1 Corinthians 11:2-16) God's Plan For Order Must Be UNDERSTOOD. (1 Cor 11:2-3) God's Plan for Order Must Be APPLIED. (1 Cor 11:4-6) God's Plan for Order Started at CREATION. (1 Cor 11:7-10) God's Plan for Order Brings BALANCE. (1 Cor 11:11-12) DECISION TIME: Are You On Board with God's Plan for Order? (1 Cor 11:13-16) Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Questions and Answers: What About Gender Roles in the Church? Jeff Miller Download Audio Transcript 00:36Open up those Bibles to the book of 1 Corinthians 11.00:42And as you do so, just please take a moment to pray for me to faithfully and clearly communicate the Word of God.00:53And I will pray for you to have a heart that is open to receive what God said.00:59Alright? Let's pray.01:05Father, we once again just ask for Your Spirit to be at work with Your Word in a supernatural way that we can't fully describe, but it always brings about life change when Your Spirit works that way. Father, I pray that You would help us to eliminate any distractions and to just take this time to laser focus on your word and what you've communicated to us here, Father.01:43We pray in Jesus' name and all of God's people said, amen.01:50Amen.01:51Amen.01:53When I was in college, I worked at Walmart.01:56This was in Ohio.01:58And one of my jobs at Walmart was when a customer bought something heavy, like a trampoline or an anvil or whatever Walmart sells, it was my job to get it in their car.02:13And I remember this one lady in particular, I was putting something heavy in her car, and she said, Are you married?02:24She wasn't proposing to me, by the way.02:26She was much, much, much older. And I was much, much, much younger. She goes, you married? And at the time, I was not. I said, no. She said, if you were, would you let your wife wear pants? And I got to tell you, I was young and a brand new Christian. And I was like, as opposed to what?02:59I just wasn't sure that I had a say in that matter. Is my wife going to wear pants? I'm like, that's a thing? I didn't know that was a thing. Well, it's a thing. It is a thing. In Corinth, it is a thing even more than ever today.03:26talking about, and I later discovered what she was talking about, gender roles, attire, what is appropriate, what is a woman? God created them male and female. We're going to talk about gender roles today.03:56And in this section, it's kind of a Q&A section. And here, next question up, we're going to see is what about gender roles? We're going to give you a little background here so you understand why Paul was writing what he wrote. But the church in Corinth, they had a lot of problems. And one of the problems they had was they had issues with feminism.04:28Now listen close because this, you have to understand this to understand why Paul is saying the things that he did here. But in that culture, in the Corinthian culture, married women would wear a veil or a head covering as a sign of modesty and submission to their husbands.04:56When a woman wore a veil, it was her way of saying, I'm taken. I'm not interested. I'm not available. You know, sort of like in our culture, we wear the wedding ring. That's your way of saying, look, I have been claimed. I'm not looking for someone else. All right? Some cultures today still use head coverings or veils in a similar custom. It was a sign of modesty and submission.05:26Well, some of the Corinthian women, in the name of liberty, would protest the traditional male and female roles. And they would make a statement that they're liberated women. They'd make the statement by throwing away their head coverings. And some would even take it a step further than that. And say, I'll show you how liberated I am. They would shave their heads.05:57and protest.06:02Now in past time and going through 1 Corinthians, we talked a lot about the prostitution in Corinth.06:10And let's just say prostitutes didn't wear veils.06:15Because prostitutes were going around saying, I'm available.06:21And you see some of the liberated Corinthian women were like, throwing their veils away too. Women rejecting their roles. Men abdicating their roles. It's an issue as old as the human race. Like, well, what about today? Well, obviously veils really aren't a thing in the American culture.06:58I'm not great at mincing words here, okay? But let's just be honest. In our culture, there are clear signs of masculinity and femininity, right? There are clear signs of that, right? Don't you dare leave me up here. There are clear signs in our culture of masculinity and femininity, right? I don't judge.07:24Okay, so if you come across a woman who has a purple crew cut, a skull tattoo on her face, and she's wearing combat boots, would you immediately think to yourself, that's very feminine? Would you? Would you? Okay. Or what if you came across a man, who was wearing mascara, and he had his fingernails painted pink, and he's wearing a pink mesh half tank top. Would you say, that's masculine? Would you? No. There's obvious signs of what's feminine and what's masculine. You're like, so this passage today is about clothes. Yeah.08:26And more than that, it's about men being men and women being women living the roles as God designed them to be lived out. And these roles for men and for women must be reflected in attitude, they must be reflected in conduct, and they even must be reflected in appearance.08:53This passage is about the fundamental way that God is at work in everything in the universe. It's a divine order that Satan would want to disrupt. Here's the real issue on the table in this passage. It's the issue of authority and submission. Now, as soon as you say the dirty S word in church, people get their guards up. Like, submission. Submission.09:23People get their guards up. There's already this like animosity. Submission. Really? This is the sermon you went with on Mother's Day? Submission? I do the preaching calendar in July. I did not see this coming until about like two weeks ago. And then I was like, oh dear. Here's the problem though with submission. You know what the problem is with submission?09:53Submission is people don't understand it.09:57I want to give you a couple biblical truths about submission to help us set up this passage.10:03It's an acronym, SOFT.10:08Listen, ladies, it's okay to be soft.10:11That's how God designed you, soft.10:14So what is submission?10:15S. S is for strength.10:18Listen, you know why people don't like to hear submission?10:21Because they think submission is weakness.10:23Submission is strength. I'll prove it very easily. Who was the most submissive person to ever walk the planet? Do you know? Jesus Christ. Jesus did not do one thing that wasn't in complete submission to his Father's authority. Jesus never had a day where he's like, well, the Father wants me to do this, but I don't feel like doing that. He never had a day like that. Jesus was He was completely submissive to the Father's will every second of His life, and He loved it. Okay, another question. Who was the strongest person to ever walk the planet? Jesus. The most submissive person ever somehow is also the strongest person ever. So is submission weakness? Submission is strength.11:24O.11:25Soft.11:26O.11:27O is for order.11:29Listen, when we talk about submission and authority, it's just the way God made everything to function.11:35It's just the way.11:36Everything that we see, everything that's unseen.11:38Submission, authority.11:40Authority, submission.11:41That's the way God structured the universe.11:44It's in the spiritual realm.11:48All right, we'll talk about that in a few minutes.11:51It's all over the earth.11:53The government, your workplace, the church, the home, authority and submission in every arena of life. It's everywhere. Authority and submission. The focus here in this passage has to do with men and women. Men and women are equal, but we're different. That's okay.12:23some roles for men and some roles for women. It has nothing to do with superiority or inferiority. It has nothing to do with that. It's your workplace. You are under your boss's authority, but that doesn't mean he's better than you or she is smarter than you. It's just about the structure that's been established. It's about order. It's about order. Somebody has to make decisions.12:52decisions out. It's just the way it works. Everywhere. All right? S, O, F and T go together. Faith and trust. Faith and trust. Do you have faith? Do you have faith? Well, one of the key ways faith is expressed is by submitting the authorities that God has placed over you. So long as the authority is not asking you to sin.13:22We express our faith by submitting to the authorities God has over us at our workplace, in the church, in the home. Faith says, God, I trust you by submitting to the authority that you placed over me. That's an act of faith. And it takes an incredibly strong person to be able to trust God to that degree. So here's the principle for this passage. Please really tune in here.13:52because this is the principle of this passage. And I was very careful I worded this. I'm going to read this to you twice, okay? But here's the principle of this passage. Christians should, in the name of laying down their rights, as Brian talked about last week, Christians should conform to their gender-specific patterns of dress and appearance that their culture identifies with being male, and female because God wants these roles embraced because authority and submission in these roles is God's plan for order. Let's say that again. This is the short version. If you want the long version, stick around. Christians should conform to their gender-specific patterns of dress and appearance that their their culture identifies with being male and female. Like, why? Because God wants us to embrace those roles. Why? Because authority and submission in these roles is God's plan for order. All right? That's the short version. Now, let's take a look at the text and see what exactly God said on your outline. Authority and submission, God's plan for order. That's what this is. This is God's plan for order.15:22This is the way God orchestrated everything. Authority and submission, God's plan for order. Number one, write this down. God's plan for order must be understood. It must be understood. Look at verse 2. Paul says, Now I commend you, because you remember me in everything, and maintain the traditions, even as I delivered them to you.15:52Paul is front-loading a very hard topic with praise. Paul says, you seek my counsel on everything. I appreciate that so much about you. You hold the traditions. Literally, that word is translated doctrine in other places in Scripture. Paul's like, you're people that care about the truth and harvest. Let me commend you. Listen, I know that this is a controversial topic. I get that.16:22And I know that this is an extremely unpopular topic. But you know what else I know about this church? That you come here because you want to know what God said. You come to this church because you believe that we want nothing more than to represent the Bible in our sermons, right? Check the record. That's all any of us have ever tried to do is just reflect God's truth. And I commend you for that.16:51Even when it's hard. Look at verse 3. Verse 3 is the thesis of the whole thing. Paul says, but I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ. The head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. You see, here's the thesis. Authority and submission is God's design.17:22He says the head of man, the head of every man, is who? Christ. You're like, Jesus isn't the head of every man. Wait 15 minutes. Every knee will bow, okay? But the head of every man is Jesus Christ. Man, we better get on board with that sooner than later. Okay, the head of the wife is what?17:56You are so much more reluctant to say this one, aren't you? The head of the wife is the husband, right? And the head of Jesus is God. You see, Paul's just giving the thesis here. There are roles that have been established. And I love how he puts the hard one sandwiched between two very obvious ones. Do you see that?18:25It's obvious, right? The head of man is Christ, obviously. And the head of Jesus is God, right? Jesus completely submissive to the Father in all things, right? John 14, 28. Jesus regarded the Father greater than Him. And He says the head of every wife is the husband.18:51that men are called to have authority. There's the problem. Another problem that we have with submission. Because we don't get what authority means either. People get this idea that authority means man sits on the throne and chop, serve me, everything for me, my way, my preferences. That's not what authority means at all. Do you know what authority means. Biblically, authority is I have to make decisions that are going to bless and protect the people that God is entrusting to me. That is true in my home. I have to make decisions to bless and protect my family. That is true in the church. I have to make decisions in this church, and our elders have to make decisions in this church that's going to bless and protect the congregation, the people who come to this church, the members, the sheep of this fold.19:52That's what authority is.19:57And you see, Paul lays out this thesis.19:59You can't deny any of these things.20:03If you look very close, in every case, it's about trusting God by submitting, right?20:10How does man trust God?20:12Well, man trusts God by submitting to Christ.20:15I want to jump to the last one.20:17How did Jesus trust his Father?20:21He trusted His Father by submitting to Him. So how does the wife trust God? Right there in the middle, by submitting to her husband. Also, the other side of that, the authority in every case is not dominating. It's lovingly leading. Do you see that? How does Christ lead man? Lovingly. How did the Father lead Christ?20:51Therefore, how should the man lead his wife? Lovingly. So if you believe this universal law of authority and submission, then you're going to get the rest of the passage. All right? Number two, God's plan for order must be applied. God's plan for order must be applied. Look at verses 4 and 5.21:22He says, every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head.21:31But every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven.21:43So Paul is applying this principle here.21:45He's talking about prayer and prophecy.21:47What's that?21:48It was just talking about women preachers, right? No. No, the women as pastor thing, Paul makes that very clear in just a couple of chapters. You can write it down. Chapter 14, verses 34 and 35, Paul talks about women as pastors.22:18about that in this passage. This passage, he's focusing on the head covering customs, and later, like the pastor thing, we're going to get into the other gender issues. Chapter 14. So, he says, men, when you pray, when you prophesy, wherever that is, he says, your head should be uncovered. And women, you should have your head covered. Why did Paul say that?22:48because in Corinth, again, this is a culture-specific tradition, but in Corinth, if a person covered their head, that was a sign of being feminine. That was a very effeminate way to present yourself. And what Paul's simply saying here is, men, don't do that. Men, in Corinth, hey, don't cover your head.23:18Don't do it.23:20You're like, well, what about the Jewish men?23:24Because, you know, the Jewish men covered their head when they pray.23:27Yeah, that is a Jewish custom.23:29Came from the rabbis, not from the Bible, because of Moses being veiled after he talked to God.23:36So what about the Jewish men in Corinth?23:39Paul's like, no.23:41Jewish men, don't cover your head.23:43Why?23:44Because if people in Corinth see you praying with your head covered, they're going to think you're effeminate. Right? And you're like, all right, is this for all churches? I mean, is this for us today? I mean, tell me, Pastor Jeff, should I go home and throw away my Yankees cap? Are people going to think I'm effeminate if I wear that? No. Look, this is obviously, obviously, it's a Corinthian-specific issue.24:21Because, you know, Paul only addressed gender and veils in Corinth.24:27You don't see this anywhere else in the New Testament, not to any other church.24:35So what Paul is saying to the Corinthians is this.24:39Accommodate yourself to the customs of the Corinthians.24:42In other words, church, here's the principle.24:45Here's the principle that does apply to us. Don't violate customs that have significance in your culture. That's what he's saying. Don't violate customs that have significance in your culture. Meaning this, men should do what men do, and women should do what women do. Don't try to make some statement of liberation by taking on the appearance of the other gender.25:18In verse 6, he addresses the feminists. He says, For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head. Again, Paul here is speaking to the feminists. What he's saying here is this. Ladies, you want to protest?25:44Okay, you're making some kind of statement. You refuse to act like a lady. Is that what you're going for? Then just, okay, just shave your head. How about that? Because the response for these Corinthian church ladies would be like, shave my head. I'm not going to do that. That's like, that's disgraceful. Paul's like, then put a veil on Miss Corinth. Paul's being very facetious here. He says, look, you've got to go with the cultural norms.26:14when it comes to being male and female. You've got to know what's happening in that culture and you've got to go with it. Right? Like when we go to Thailand, some of the churches in Thailand, many of the churches in Thailand, when you go to church, the men sit on this side and the women sit on this side. They don't have a middle. All right? So when I go to Thailand, I don't just go strutting into the church like, I'm free in Christ. I'm sitting with the ladies. Because all the men are going to be like, that American guy. Is he a little weird, isn't he? Like, no, we sit with the dudes. Because that's just part of the custom. That's part of the culture. Right? That's what Paul's talking about here.27:14He's saying, look, boy, this is a hard sell. This is such a hard sell. When I got into ministry, I never imagined this would be a hard sell. But now that we live in a day of drag queen story hour and transgender stuff, the Bible just here says, embrace gender distinction. You know what it is in the United States in 2026. Your look, the way you act, your role.27:43If you're a man, be a man. If you're a woman, be a woman. That's what Paul's saying here. You've got to apply God's plan for order. Thirdly, authority and submission, God's plan for order. Thirdly, God's plan for order started at creation. Look at verse 7. He says, for a man to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. Stop there. Paul's saying, men, you are to lead. Not abdicate that role in submission. If too many men that just aren't stepping up, being the servant leader in the home that God has called them to be, that's a problem. There's a problem in Corinth. It's a problem.28:43in our day today. Man, you've got to step up and lovingly lead your family.28:50That's what Paul's saying here. Stop shrinking back.28:54He says, man, you're the glory of God. Then he says, woman, you're the glory of man.28:59This is how authority and submission was established. Man is the glory of God, means man was made to manifest God's will.29:10And woman being the glory of man means that woman was made to manifest man's will. You're like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Since when? Since creation. Look at verses 8 and 9. For man was not made from woman, but woman from man.29:40Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. Stop there. Authority and submission. The Bible says very clearly here and in Genesis 2 that woman was created to help man. And we need all the help we can get.30:10says the woman was made from man for man. Do you think God could have created men and women at the same time? Do you think that's possible? I think he could have if he wanted to. So why in the world did God create man first and then take woman from the man? Why did he do that? Why didn't he just create them both?30:40at the same time. And the answer is right here. He's establishing his plan for order.30:46Because look at verse 10.30:49He says, that is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head because of the angels.30:59Paul's saying, so, if you accept God's plan, authority and submission, God's plan for order, if you accept God's plan, show it by dressing the way that's reflected in your culture because of the angels. What? Whoa, what? Because of the angels. Yeah, obviously, duh, because of the angels. What do the angels have to do with any of this? Here it is, listen.31:37God's plan for order, authority, and submission. Do you know who gets that more than anybody? Do you know if you scoured the universe and you were looking for someone who understood this more than anyone, do you know who you would get? An angel. They get God's plan for order. They get it. They're like, okay, there's authority, there's submission. God's my authority. He says to do something, I do it.32:07They get how it works. Do you know what else they get? Angels get that rebelling against God's plan is a very bad idea. Speaking of angels, look at Jude, verse 6. And we studied Jude a few years ago. You can look up this whole sermon online. And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, God has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day. You see that? Because of the angels, Paul is pleading here. He goes, ladies, look, as soon as you talk about these matters of men and women and authority and submission, there's a lot of women immediately want to throw the whole thing out. And Paul is pleading here. He's like, ladies, look, God's plan is good.33:07And if you're not on board, learn from the angels who weren't on board that God takes it very seriously when his plan for order is rejected. God was serious about his plan for order at creation, at Corinth, and at Harvest Bible Chapel today. God's plan for order started at creation. Number four, God's plan for order brings balance. Look at verses 11 and 12. He says, nevertheless, in the Lord, woman is not independent of man, nor man of woman. For as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God.34:07God's amazing plan of order to work. We all have to do our part. We all have to work together. We're not independent. That's what he's saying. We're not independent. God designed us to be interdependent. That's how order works. The home, the church, understand.34:37Neither were designed to function just by man. The home, the church, neither was designed to function just by woman. In order for the home and the church to be at their absolute healthiest, both men and women have to be faithful to the roles that God established in creation.35:07Let's look at verse 12 again. This is so beautiful and so profound at the same time. He says, for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman, and all things are from God. Yes, man is called to have authority. And moms, moms, You have the responsibility and privilege to make your son a man who is going to serve God faithfully in his role. That's what Paul's talking about here. Yes, woman was taken from man at the beginning, and ever since then, man has come from woman, and man has been shaped by woman. Meaning, those of you who are moms of sons, listen, you made a son and now you are making a man. So moms, you hone your son into a man who's going to lead with love. You hone your son into a man who's going to lead with kindness, who's going to show respect. Moms, you make your sons into men of humility and self-sacrifice. Because moms, your impact on your son will ultimately exponentially manifest throughout the whole world with the impact that he's going to have when you send him out of your house. So you see there's balance. Every role fulfilled God's way advances his kingdom and glorifies the name of Jesus Christ. That's why Paul says, All things are from God. Number five. Decision time. Are you on board with God's plan for order? Look at verse 13. Paul says, judge for yourselves. Is it proper for a wife to pray to God, with her head uncovered. Judge for yourself. Paul's saying, in other words, is it appropriate for a woman to fight being feminine? Is that proper? Verse 14, he says, does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair, it is a disgrace for him? But if a woman has long hair, it is her glory, for her hair is to her for a covering. Judge for yourself, Paul says, authority and submission. Embracing God's gender roles. Is that proper? Is that appropriate? I think it's right back on the hair thing. Paul's like, hey, even beyond the Corinthian culture, he says, nature teaches men shouldn't have women's hair. He says, but it's It's right on a woman, though. So interesting. Paul says that the veil they wore, the head covering, it was just sort of an accent for the hair that God designed the woman to have anyways. Tradition came from somewhere, didn't it? And you're like, oh, all right, fine. Man doesn't have long hair. Woman should have long hair. All right. Here's where we get legalistic, right?39:06You ready for the legalism? We've got to define what's long hair. Four inches? Five inches? I don't know. Maybe the standard is just this. Every dude has got to shave their head. Women have to be tripping over their hair. It has to be that long. How about that? You guys, I'm not interested in legalism because God's Word certainly isn't.39:38Look, in our culture, men don't need to have a crew cut to look manly. In our culture, women can look extremely feminine with shorter hair. All right? Because in their culture and in our culture, it's about the heart. And that's why Paul says, judge for yourself. Look, be honest. If you've chosen a hairstyle because you're trying to be rebellious. That's a hard thing. If you've chosen a hairstyle because you're trying to make a statement with it, that's a hard thing. That's what he's addressing here. And if you're trying to make some kind of feminist statement with your hair or whatever, I just want to say this as lovingly as I can. If you're trying to make a statement with some feminist thing. Nobody here really cares about your statement.40:42But, God cares about your heart.40:48That's the bottom line.40:52That's the bottom line.40:54And probably my favorite verse in the whole passage is the next one.40:58Paul says, If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God.41:06Paul says, because he knows, look, nothing's changed. He knows writing this, people are going to be like, I'm sending Paul an email. And I'm sure there are people thinking that about me. And this is what God says. He's like, look, if you want to fight about living out and representing your gender role, you're not going to sway the church. Because God made a distinction between men and women.41:34We are God's church, so we're going to keep the distinction. Because God has a plan for order. For men, for women. And it's godly authority. And it's godly submission. Our worship team would make their way up. That was the introduction. Now here's the sermon. Men.42:04Act like a godly man. Women. Act like a lady. Act like a godly lady. This is God's plan for order. Let's pray. Father in heaven, I pray that you would give us understanding.42:38Because our whole culture would just rail against this passage today. We live in a culture that can't even define what a woman is when you have made it very clear that you want us to be the people that you've created us to be. Father, I pray that we would find great joy and fulfillment and contentment and contentment.43:09And finding our identity in Christ.43:14And living out the role, whatever that is, wherever you have us, however that looks, God.43:23Let us be a people that are shaped by the truths of your word.43:28We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Small Group DiscussionRead 1 Corinthians 11:2-11:16What was your big take-away from this passage / message?Explain 1 Cor 11:3. What does this say about authority and submission pertaining to God's plan for order?Is this passage teaching women should wear head coverings at Harvest? Why or why not? How does this apply today?Read 1 Cor 11:10. What do angels have to do with women understanding the roles of authority and submission? See also Jude 6.Why do you think this topic is such a source of contention (1 Cor 11:16)?BreakoutPray for one another.

There is something deeply sobering about watching history decay from neglect — a farmhouse left to the weeds, rooms full of untold stories slowly becoming one with the field around them. Without intentional effort to preserve the past, everything eventually disappears. What was meant to instruct and inspire future generations simply vanishes, and those who come after are left to stumble through the same mistakes with no warning and no map. The same is painfully true in our spiritual lives. Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 10 are a direct and urgent reminder that Israel's history was not recorded merely as interesting ancient literature — it was written down as a warning for us. The golden calf, the grumbling in the wilderness, the testing of God — these were not isolated events from a distant people. They are mirror images of the temptations we face today, preserved in Scripture precisely so we do not have to repeat them. When we skip over the parts of the Bible that feel less relevant or too unfamiliar, we leave rooms of our spiritual house unexamined and uncared for. God regularly called Israel to remember, and He calls us to do the same — to be faithful students of His whole Word, both Old and New Testament, so that the lessons of those who walked before us become the guardrails that keep us on the path of righteousness today. Interested in creating something new with us!? Take Our Newsletter Survey! Today's Bible Verse "These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" — 1 Corinthians 10:11-12, NIV Ponder Today History left unpreserved is history lost — the same is true spiritually: when we neglect the recorded accounts of Scripture, we forfeit the warnings and wisdom they were written to give us. Israel's failures were not recorded to shame them but to protect us — Paul makes clear that their stories serve as direct warnings for believers living today, not relics of a disconnected past. No part of Scripture is irrelevant — even the passages we find difficult, unfamiliar, or less immediately applicable hold lessons that can protect us from the snares of sin. God repeatedly called Israel to remember His past work, and He calls us to do the same — actively engaging with how God has moved in history deepens our faith and anchors our trust in Him. Being a doer of the Word, not just a reader, is the ultimate goal of studying Scripture — the past is only truly preserved when it changes the way we live in the present. Today's Prayer God, thank You for providing us with Your Word, which has everything we need to faithfully follow You. Help me create rhythms in my life that encourage me to remember how You worked in the past and to learn from the saints who have gone before me. I do not want to skip over parts of Scripture merely because they seem distant from daily life — increase in me the desire to be a faithful student of Your whole Word, Old and New Testament alike. May I not be a reader only, but a doer of the Word, allowing what I learn to shape the way I live. In Jesus' name, Amen. Enjoy Today's Prayer? If this episode encouraged you, we'd love to stay connected! Subscribe to the LifeAudio newsletter at LifeAudio.com for daily prayers, devotionals, and faith-filled content delivered straight to your inbox. Don't miss an episode — subscribe and share with someone who needs encouragement today. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

For Edge God in Podcast Edge God In Podcast 320 The Book of Deuteronomy: Remember and Choose. EdgeGodIn.com | Host: Estella Chavous Championing Human Potential in Christ Download Bible Study Template Learning Objective: By the end of this lesson, learners will be able to recognize how fear, doubt, and perception influence their response to God's promises, evaluate their emotional and behavioral reactions in seasons of uncertainty, and apply the EIC Method (Encounter → Identify Behavior → Course Correct) to shift from fear-driven responses to faith-centered obedience aligned with God's Word. Scriptures: Deuteronomy 6:5–7 | Matthew 22:37–38 | Psalm 119:10–11 | Proverbs 3:5–6 | Joshua 1:8 | Psalm 1:2–3 | James 1:22 | Deuteronomy 30:19–20 | John 14:15 | Isaiah 1:19 | Galatians 6:7– 8 The book helped them understand five key areas: Developing confidence in God's guidance and covenant promises Choosing faithful obedience in seasons of uncertainty and challenge Recognizing how fear, doubt, and negative attitudes hinder spiritual growth Understanding God's steady faithfulness despite human weakness and inconsistency Prayer: Heavenly Father, We come before You with humble hearts, anchored in Your Word in Deuteronomy. Teach us what it means to love You with all our heart, soul, and strength, and to let that love shape every part of our lives. Where fear has taken root, replace it with trust. Where doubt has spoken louder than Your promises, quiet our thoughts with Your truth. Help us not only hear Your Word but carry it in our hearts and live it out in our daily choices. Let our emotions be surrendered to You, and our actions reflect obedience rooted in love. Form us into people who do not drift between belief and fear, but who are fully anchored in You. In Jesus' name, Amen. Support Resources: Books & Resources: Understanding and Acting on Behaviors that lead to Christ-Filled Relationships: Designed to uncover the key behaviors that influence how you relate to Christ-Awareness, Discernment, Emotion, and Renewal. Situational Meditation Theory and Practice: Finding this space and learning to engage in meditation, contemplation and reflection. Situational Meditation Journal: A companion to the book, cultivating a lifestyle of presence and full engagement in the moment. Emotional Intelligence in Christ Project: Book, 6-Week Study Guide & Course

We think of her as a genteel Southern lady, and she was that, for sure.But Ruth Bell Graham was so much more. While her husband was away so much, preaching to the masses, she was preaching to her own little flock. The result was children who became adults, and in turn shared the Good News of Jesus with others.Anne Graham Lotz and Franklin Graham didn't just fall out of the sky!Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”In their little home in the mountains of North Carolina, while Daddy was in Brussels, New York, and Sydney, Mother Ruth was faithful for years on end to impart godly wisdom to their children. Much iron was sharpened on cold winter nights and long summer days.Theirs was a home that didn't always have both parents available, but they thrived.Use that as an example of how to bring up your own children. You'll be happy forever that you did.Let's pray.Lord, Your Word is good, and it shines a light on our path. Give us the strength to mentor our own children in your ways. In Jesus' name, amen. Change your shirt, and you can change the world! Save 15% Off your entire purchase of faith-based apparel + gifts at Kerusso.com with code KDD15.

Some voices today try to make Christianity “easier” by removing whatever feels uncomfortable—reducing the faith to a few agreeable points and ignoring the rest. In this episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef explains why that approach doesn't produce stronger believers—it produces weaker ones. Jesus Himself affirmed the Old Testament, including accounts like Noah and Jonah (Matthew 24:37; Matthew 12:40). That means we cannot claim to believe in Jesus while dismissing what He declared to be true. Scripture isn't a buffet. If the Bible records Christ's virgin birth, His miracles, His cross, and His resurrection, we don't get to select the parts we prefer and discard the rest. Dr. Youssef then turns to Jude, who urged Christians to “contend for the faith” (Jude 1:3). Truth does not shift with the times—and when we forget the magnitude of God's grace toward us, our faith grows thin and our witness loses strength. But when we hold fast to the Gospel, we submit to Christ fully, trust every Word He affirmed, and stand firm—even in a culture that pressures compromise. Prayer: Father, help me cling firmly to Your Gospel and trust and obey Your Word—contending for Truth. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.  “Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, . . .” (Jude 1:1). Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef's sermon series Truth: The Most Endangered Species: LISTEN NOW 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.

Honoring Leadership Authority (1)  (audio) David Eells, 5/3/26 Father, it says in Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge… Help us to know how to cooperate with You in these days to come. We make our own future because You tell us that we reap what we sow. Lord, we would like to cooperate with You and be led by Your Spirit. Please, Lord, open our understanding and give us wisdom how to cooperate with You. Please help us to avoid the great tribulations that are going to come upon those who have been rebellious historically. We see that this cycle is about to start again, and we see that Your people once again are rebellious to Your Word, and in ways that we are rebellious to Your Word, it brings tribulation upon us. And we're asking You, Father, to please have mercy upon us and open our eyes and give us Your grace. We ask it all in the name of Jesus. Thank You, Father. Well, I've been thinking about this, and I feel like the Lord is showing me that what I'm going to share with you today could save some lives in the days to come. I just ask you to be patient with me and let me share this with you. I'm going to start in Romans 13. There's a thing going around in the patriot movement that preachers in the end times are working for the government, the beast government, and are going to be preaching Romans 13. Well, I was preaching Romans 13 before they ever thought about that, and I don't believe we should depart from anything that the Word has to say. I don't care who's doing it wrong out there. Romans 13 is in the Bible, and it comes from God Almighty, and now I'm not working for the government. In fact, I don't even think they like me. But at any rate, I think we need to obey this, because if we don't, it promises judgment. Let's read it. Rom.13:1 Let every soul be in subjection to the higher powers: for there is no power but of God; and the powers that be are ordained of God. Now, the people who don't believe in the sovereignty of God believe that there's good and there's bad. God's got the good, the devil's got the bad. But that's not biblical at all. God works all things after the counsel of His own will. (Eph.1:11) And He is even over the devil. If you read the Book of Job, you'll see that the devil had no free will. He was only permitted to try to tribulate God's people with God's express permission. God permits this if His people go astray or walk out from under the blood. The devil is there, as I say, like a mad dog, ready to give them a reason to get back under the blood. And the curse is out there to chasten God's people and bring them to the place of repentance to receive God's blessing. Jesus became a curse for us; He bore the curse on Himself. (Gal.3:13) But if you're out there doing your own thing, then you're under a curse. Well, He's telling us here, and He warns us that there's no power that's not of God on this earth. God claims the power over vessels of honor and vessels of dishonor. And I'll just point out to you one place in Daniel chapter 4. Listen to this now because some of you don't believe or obey this. Daniel chapter 4 says the same exact statement three times. When God does that in a text, believe me, He wants you to get the point. Well, the first one was spoken by a holy one, who came down out of heaven and spoke it to Nebuchadnezzar, and it's in Dan.4:17 The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones; to the intent that the living may know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the lowest of men. 25 … and seven times shall pass over thee; till thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. And then it's stated a third time, A voice came out of heaven and spoke it in Dan.4:31 … there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken:… 32 … thou shalt be made to eat grass as oxen; and seven times shall pass over thee; until thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. So God said three times in Daniel 4 The Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.  And we just read in Romans 13 that there is no power but of God, and the powers that be are ordained of God. For that reason we respect these authorities. Rom.13:2 Therefore he that resisteth the power, withstandeth the ordinance of God: and they that withstand shall receive to themselves judgment. See, when you rebel against the powers that be, whoever they are, you rebel against the ordinance of God. And He says, ‘They that withstand shall receive to themselves judgment.' Now, I'm going to tell you, a lot of Christians are going to come under judgment because they don't understand this principle. It's very, very important. First, He says, there's no power but of God. Now, you need to realize who these people in power were back in those days. They were Herod and Pilate and Caesar and, even in later days, the Hitlers and the Mussolini's and the Stalin's and the Idi Amins and people like that. God is saying that He's still in control of all that. As a matter of fact, He raised up every beast empire that ever ruled over God's people, and God took credit for it in the Scriptures every time. And now we're coming to another beast empire, and God's people don't know this principle that we're looking at here, which is absolutely and totally important if you want to escape this judgment that's coming. Let's look at Act.4:25 who by the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father David thy servant, didst say, Why did the Gentiles rage, And the peoples imagine vain things? 26 The kings of the earth set themselves in array, And the rulers were gathered together, Against the Lord, and against his Anointed: How many of you know that in 1 Corinthians chapter 1, those who are filled with the Holy Spirit are also called God's anointed. Christos is the word there. We are the anointed of God when we are saved and filled with His Spirit. Now, where it's spoken here in the Book of Acts, this is the body of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who was God's Anointed. The body of Christ is still on the earth, and we, being anointed, are vessels through whom He can continue to do His work. That's the way it was planned from the beginning. I want to read on in Act.4:27 for of a truth in this city against thy holy Servant Jesus, whom thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, (two vessels of dishonor that ruled at that time. I'll point out to you that Jesus wasn't even disrespectful to the leadership He met at the time of His trial. You understand?) both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, were gathered together, 28 to do whatsoever thy hand and thy council foreordained to come to pass. So, even the crucifixion of Jesus was totally foreordained of God, and He used Herod, and Pontius Pilate, and the Gentiles, and the people of Israel to bring to pass the crucifixion of the body of Christ. Now, this was spoken by the Holy Spirit out of the mouth of David. And Jesus was the David of His day, the son of David. Once again, this is going to happen in our day because it's a repetition of history. History keeps on repeating. So we're looking at this on a larger scale in our day. We're looking at ‘the people's imagining a vain thing, the kings of the earth setting themselves in array, the rulers gathered together against the Lord and against His anointed.' The same thing is going to happen. This is one of those prophecies that's fulfilled repeatedly. And the Lord foreordained this. Well, at this time, Jesus, Who didn't sin and took our sacrifice, became our sacrifice; His body took the punishment, He was crucified for us. But He also told us we have to take up our cross and follow Him. The fact that the church is rebellious doesn't mean that Jesus could have taken all the punishment. The reason is that the Bible says Heb.10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which shall devour the adversaries. So, when you walk in rebellion to God's Word, there is still crucifixion. There is still judgment upon the body of Christ, that is, the outer man, the man that's in rebellion. The Lord told us that we have to take up our cross and follow Him if we want to be His disciples. And that cross is for the crucifixion of the old self-life. And so God is about to do the same thing again. He's raising up the nations of the world, the kings and presidents of the world, to come against Him and to come against His anointed. And He foreordained this to come to pass.  Now, in Romans 8, we can see that it is indeed going to happen. Rom.8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things? 33 Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth; 34 who is he that condemneth? It is Christ Jesus that died, yea rather, that was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? God loves us. He saw us from the foundation of the world as a finished product. And we're actually in creation mode now. It's that we cannot take this old flesh, that old man with us. And there is a crucifixion foreordained.  Rom.8:36 Even as it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Why are we conquerors, in some cases, by being slaughtered? How could that be? For one thing, one of our enemies is this old man, this old life. It is an enmity with God, meaning the flesh is the enemy of God, according to the Scriptures. So, we're conquering this old man. Jesus conquered, in a type for us, the body of Christ. He conquered it on that cross, right? He went to the cross, He overcame, He was victorious. And we, too, in a spiritual way, have to take up our cross in order to be victorious. And God has created this world to cooperate with us in this process. But we go through many things we don't have to. And that's what I want to talk about today.  Rom.8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Don't think that because you end up in a crucifixion that God doesn't love you. It is because He loves you that you're going through that. He is preparing you for another Kingdom, a Kingdom in which this old flesh cannot rule, cannot reign. I want to go back to Romans 13 and reiterate what was said here, Rom.13:1 … for there is no power but of God; and the powers that be are ordained of God. 2 Therefore he that resisteth the power, withstandeth the ordinance of God: (If we resist the power that God has put in place, again, this was spoken about in the time of Herod, and Pilate, and at the time of Caesar, and so forth. If you rebel against the laws that be and the leaders that be, when there's no need for it whatsoever, then God says, You're going to receive judgment. Why are judgments coming? I believe many of God's people are going to rebel and won't obey. And I'll point out to you what the Scripture has to say about that. But we need to totally respect the authority of what we call the beast government. In fact, reading on it says, and they that withstand shall receive to themselves judgment. Okay, this is an important point here. Rom.13.3 For rulers are not a terror to the good work, but to the evil. And wouldest thou have no fear of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise from the same: Now, how do we determine what is evil works? Well, for one thing, an evil work is when you do not respect the authority whom God put in position, and we're going to look at that. When I was younger even those of a different party spoke respectfully to the president, or about him, calling him “Mr. President” even if they disagreed with him. We saw what Daniel said. There is nobody in a position of authority who wasn't put there by God. Even Nebuchadnezzar, who was what? The king of the great eagle of Babylon. The head of the nation. Sounds familiar? God put that man in there. Daniel chapter 4 said this three times. Well, didn't Nebuchadnezzar conquer the people of God, kill many of them, take them away captive, into bondage? Exactly. And God still told them that He put this man in authority. They were to submit. And if they didn't, they were going to receive judgment. Why does God promote a beast kingdom over God's people? It's because God's people are in rebellion. God gave authority to the beast kingdom to crucify Jesus Christ. Was it because of His own sins? No, because He bore our sins. What was God crucifying there? Our rebellion was being crucified there, you see. We were crucified with Christ, the Bible says. Rom13.3 For rulers are not a terror to the good work, but to the evil. Now, we have to let the Scriptures tell us what is an evil work, right? And some people are already rebelling because they don't believe what the Scriptures are saying here in chapter 13, verses 1-3. Even now, they're rebelling against them. And the reason is that they're rebelling against them because they don't know how to cooperate with God. They don't know God's purpose. If you knew God's purpose, you would see a perfectly good reason for obeying this and respecting the leader. I just saw 4 leaders of the MAGA movement rail and revile (sins) President Trump because in their pride they disagreed with him but no one voted for them. And I can assure you they are headed for a spanking. Even if he was wrong, none of them have made the great changes he has at the threat of his life. They are giving the enemy ammunition. But people make God captive to their own mind and their own understanding. Listen, we don't know anything that God knows or even the president knows. And so, if we have to understand something before we'll obey it, that's just rebellion against God. God made the rules, so we're just here to obey Him. And we know that if we obey Him, we will see the good fruit of it, and we will ultimately understand.  Rom13.3 … And wouldest thou have no fear of the power? do that which is good, (In other words, do that which is good in God's eyes, even according to this. That's a God-ordained law to be subject to the higher powers.) and thou shalt have praise from the same: 4 for he is a minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is a minister of God, an avenger for wrath to him that doeth evil. 5 Wherefore ye must needs be in subjection, not only because of the wrath, but also for conscience' sake. (In other words, for conscience of God, you should obey what the word of God says concerning rulers, concerning presidents. You should obey.) Let's go now to Tit.3:1 Put them in mind to be in subjection to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready unto every good work, 2 to speak evil of no man, not to be contentious, to be gentle, showing all meekness toward all men. Again, this is addressing the same thing that Romans 13 says. But he carries us a little further. He wants us to even speak evil of no man and be meek towards all men. If the Lord wants us to be this way towards the rulers of this world, and we're antagonistic towards them, or insolent and rebellious against them, then we're rebelling against God. Why is it that we should have this attitude towards rulers who may not even know God? Well, for one thing, in 1 Corinthians 5, we're commanded of the Lord not to judge those who are without. He said, Do not ye judge those that are within, but those that are without, God judges. (1Cor 5:12) So, God doesn't want us ever to judge the lost. They don't have any choice because they haven't received grace from God to grant them repentance, to grant them the faith that they need to walk in His Kingdom. By the grace of God, He's given us a new nature, and we desire to do the things that are pleasing unto Him. If they don't have that grace of God, we certainly can't judge them. We'd be judging ourselves. We're forbidden to judge those who are without, to be angry, to be critical, as though they could be something other than what they are. They are what they are, and they do what they are. We want grace from God, so we give grace to everyone else, right? We want unmerited favor of God, so we do not judge what He commands us not to judge. We don't see that spirit of judgment in the scriptures of holy men towards even pagan government rulers, evil government rulers, and I'm going to point this out to you in just a few places here.  Let me now look at 1Pe.2:13 Be subject to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: (People say, well, maybe it's not an ordinance, maybe it's a law. They're trying to get out of it. But actually the word here is ‘every creation of man.') whether to the king, as supreme; (God is telling us to submit to a king as supreme in judgments concerning the natural earth.) 14 or unto governors, as sent by him for vengeance on evil-doers and for praise to them that do well. 15 For so is the will of God, that by well-doing ye should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: (In other words, if we submit to the rulers, we will give honor to God in the earth. We will show people that we are law-abiding people, and that we keep His laws. God's laws, as we can see over and over, are to submit to man's laws. I know there is a condition to that, and we'll get to that too.  1Pe.2:16 as free, and not using your freedom for a cloak of wickedness, but as bondservants of God. 17 Honor all men. (Even wicked men, we don't have to treat them insolently or contrary. The Bible even says, ‘Love your enemies.' We don't have to treat them insolently, or arrogantly, or rebelliously, or speak evil things. He says, Honor all men.) Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. (Listen to this. Honor the king? You know, he didn't say, ‘worship the king' He said, ‘Honor the king.' And the translators believed this not to be the King of kings. We know we're supposed to honor Jesus as the King of kings. This means we're not to be insolent or arrogant, we're not to speak evil of the natural king or president. We are to submit and be respectful. And if we disagree, we must do it respectfully.) I'm going to read Exo.22:28 Thou shalt not revile God, nor curse a ruler of thy people. (Some are calling him Hitler and antichrist. And as we've seen, this is not just talking about a religious ruler, somebody who's right, or honorable, somebody who is Christian; He says, ‘honor the king.' How many kings do you know of on planet Earth who are born-again Christian people? So, He's talking about the ‘king over you', whether he be a president or a king. Honestly, I think where we're going... that the president will eventually be a king. There just isn't going to be any difference, and anyway, it's somebody who is in a position of rulership, and we're supposed to honor them. Let me share what the apostle Paul said in Act.23:1 And Paul, looking stedfastly on the council, said, Brethren, I have lived before God in all good conscience until this day. 2 And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth. 3 Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: and sittest thou to judge me according to the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law? (That was a good point he made, but he called this ruler a whited wall.) 4 And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high priest? (Paul was right in what he was saying, but this was not permissible, according to what we've just read.) Act.23:5 And Paul said, I knew not, brethren, that he was high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of a ruler (not any particular ruler, but just a ruler) of thy people. So, Paul repented here. He spoke evil of a ruler. It may seem like he had a pretty good reason to do so, but we know the rules. We've read the rules. We know what God has told us already. And he wanted to be seen as respectful by those who are without, because they questioned him. Why would you say this to God's high priest? You're supposed to be seen as respectful to God's high priest. And so Paul knew that he should not give a bad name to Christians, and to not have people revile his God, he backed up and basically said, Okay, I repent.  The word says, Thou shalt not speak evil of a ruler of thy people. And when Paul was basically being interrogated, like in chapters 26 and 24, we read he was always totally respectful to these, what we would all recognize as evil rulers. Why does God do this? Because God doesn't want us to give Him a bad name, or to give Christianity a bad name. He wants us to be seen by ignorant people in the world as somebody who is totally respectful to authority and submissive, not as rebels. Act.26:24 And as he thus made his defence, Festus saith with a loud voice, Paul, thou art mad; thy much learning is turning thee mad. 25 But Paul saith, I am not mad, most excellent Festus; (They were used to speaking respectfully to rulers, even evil rulers,) but speak forth words of truth and soberness. 26 For the king knoweth of these things, unto whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things is hidden from him; for this hath not been done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. 28 And Agrippa said unto Paul, With but little persuasion thou wouldest fain make me a Christian. 29 And Paul said, I would to God, that whether with little or with much, not thou only, but also all that hear me this day, might become such as I am, (meaning, a Christian) except these bonds. In other words, he was showing compassion for their souls, even these evil rulers. He wanted a good witness to go across to them, and he wanted them to have a chance to be saved. We should be the same way. The Bible says, ‘Know no man after the flesh.' We're supposed to see people through the light of the gospel, so every man is given his opportunity to be saved, right? And we want to be a good witness of Christ to every man, to love our enemies, not make enemies. Even as we're going to see people who are recognized as people who have killed multitudes of God's people. Act.26:30 And the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that sat with them: 31 and when they had withdrawn, they spake one to another, saying, This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds. (Would they have said this if he had insulted them?) 32 And Agrippa said unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar. So, his humble representation of Jesus Christ in front of them said that the guy's not guilty and wanted to turn him loose. I think that is a good example of what the apostle Paul did to respect rulers, even evil rulers, even the kind of rulers that crucified Jesus Christ. And as Jesus Himself was respectful to leaders and rulers because He did not want to cause a stumbling block, right? Let me give you another example in Jude 1:8 Yet in like manner these also in their dreamings defile the flesh, and set at nought dominion, (Notice that) and rail at dignities. (If we had translated that in modern-day English, it would be dignitaries. This is talking about somebody who should be respected. Like a leader high up in government, or in religion, somebody of authority. And then he gives what I think would be an extreme example here:) 9 But Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil (He picked the very worst; if it's true of the devil, it would be true with anybody else we ran into, right? So he's making an extreme example here to prove his point.) he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing judgment, (So he didn't bring a railing judgment against the devil. Should we bring a railing judgment against anyone? Or should we bring a railing judgment against a leader, or a ruler, or somebody that the Lord tells us we should be submitting to? We don't find anywhere in the scripture of any respectful person railing at authorities. But there are Christians who do it today. And I'm telling you, in some cases, this railing against the government is going to cost them their life because they're in rebellion against God's word, and He said in Romans 13 it would cost them their life. It would bring judgment upon their head. So even Michael, somebody who is a high dignitary himself, the leading warrior angel for God Himself, somebody of no little position. But yet, he didn't even bring a railing accusation against the devil when the devil was contending for the body of Moses.) but said, The Lord rebuke thee. (Michael didn't take the authority to do it. He let the Lord do it.) 10 But these rail at whatsoever things they know not: and what they understand naturally, like the creatures without reason, in these things are they destroyed. (Some people rail at dignities today. People who aren't nearly as lowly as the devil. And they rail at them and speak evil of them. And God is saying here, “Be very careful, because they don't understand that the authority of God is behind this person.” God is the One Who puts anybody in a place of power, according to what we've read in Romans 13, as a minister of His. That's what it says there, a minister. In fact, the word there is diakonos, a deacon. They are a deacon of God. He sent them to do this job. Does that mean they're holy? No, because God's got vessels of honor and vessels of dishonor. You have to respect the vessels that He sends to you, who have been given authority over you, even if they're vessels of dishonor. That's the example we see in the Scripture, repeatedly, by every holy man of God. Notice, … these rail at whatsoever things they know not. They don't understand the sovereignty of God in promoting this man over them. The Lord promoted the beast kingdom over His people in every instance. And when people like Mordecai, Daniel, and Joseph were under these people, who in some cases had slaughtered their own brethren, there was total respect in every case because they knew that God had put this person there.  10 But these rail at whatsoever things they know not: and what they understand naturally, like the creatures without reason, in these things are they destroyed. Wow! They're destroyed! So, this is a really dangerous thing to do, especially at the time we're coming to right now. Now let's go to 2Pe.2:9 the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment unto the day of judgment; (Now, we've been reading about judgment and punishment. And this is going to come upon people because they rebel against the constituted authority that God brought forth.) 10 but chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement, and despise dominion. (What dominion have we been talking about? He's talking about the worldly rulers that He's put over people, even in the case of Satan, despise dominion.) Daring, self-willed, they tremble not to rail at dignities: (Now, why would we tremble? Because God stands behind this person. If He's put them into a position of power over us, and He has, He tells you to submit. Why? Because He's bringing us to our cross. We have to submit. There'll be a day when we will have authority over all of them, but right now, He tells us to submit.) 2Pe.2:11 whereas angels, though greater in might and power, bring not a railing judgment against them before the Lord. (Those holy angels that are around us who are totally submitted to God, couldn't they bring an accusation against us, just like we try to bring one against some other dignitary? God says this is foolishness. Do you see its foolishness?) 12 But these, as creatures without reason, born mere animals to be taken and destroyed, (Wow, those who scoff at dominion that God has put over them, He says they are going to be taken and destroyed like animals, like beasts. You want to know why a lot of destruction is going to come to a bunch of what we loosely call ‘Christians' in these coming days? This is one of the reasons right now.) railing in matters whereof they are ignorant, shall in their destroying surely be destroyed, (So, they're ignorant of the fact that God put this person over them and to submit to them.) Well, what about Jesus? Jesus went to His cross. He submitted the whole way, and He didn't give us any reason to rebel or to fight or to take up the sword. He forbade all of that. He said that ‘He that takes the sword, shall die by the sword.' He wouldn't let his disciples take up a sword to defend Him. (Mat.26:52) And when He was before those evil rulers, He didn't resist. He understood this principle of submitting to authority, even the dishonorable. We still represent the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ upon this earth to all mankind. And they need to see us as people who are humble, submissive, people who do not seek our own will but who seek the good of all around us, including the lost people. Even as Paul was very humble towards those kings, to desire their souls to be saved. And we should be that way even with the most reprobate of leaders that we know of in this country or in any other. We should always have their soul in mind. Today, people take their own authority. They want to rail and fight against the government, thinking that in this way they can stop something from happening that the Bible says is going to happen, which is ridiculous, you know? God Himself is the One Who prophesies that this will happen. And He never tells us that this is against His will. It's a repetition of history. It's happened already before. Railers have caused evil men to shoot at the president.  Don't you know that He can change government if a man is put in there that is totally contrary to godliness and if he's totally immoral? God still put him in there. Let God do what He wants to do, put the man in, take the man out. According to Daniel, He's the only One that does that. Shouldn't we leave that up to God? People are saying today, ‘We're going to take this country back.' You know what? That's rebellion against God. You want to take the country back? Go out and preach the gospel. That's God's method. Let God handle the government. We've been commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ to go out and do the Great Commission. You want to take it back, but you're never going to get it back by self will. Now, while you're out there fighting with the government, doing your self-will thing, who's going to be doing what we've been called to do, to actually save people of this system? The gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes it. (Rom1:16) That's our job. That's what we need to do. We can give scriptural advice humbley. Let God take care of the government. Let Him rule through the government, and let Him raise up the biggest beast the world has ever seen, because that's what He said He was going to do. Let's just leave that up to God, and we'll just take care of what He told us to do, right? Let's get out of His business, take care of what He told us to do. God bless you, saints. I hope this is helping you understand. So let's look again at 1Pe.2:13 Be subject to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether to the king, as supreme; 14 or unto governors, as sent by him for vengeance on evil-doers and for praise to them that do well. 15 For so is the will of God, that by well-doing ye should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: (God wants us to reflect the life of Christ-likeness. People need to see Jesus in us. He wants the wicked to know that we are law-keepers.) 16 as free, and not using your freedom for a cloak of wickedness, but as bondservants of God. 17 Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. We're trusting God and His sovereignty through rulers by submitting to them. So, how far should we go, and what examples do we have? We have the example in the Book of Esther. The people of God had been conquered and were under the authority of the Persian Empire, being ruled over by this pagan king. But they wanted their own nation and be ruled by their own people, but they got there because of rebellion. In fact, every time they were conquered by a foreign nation, it was because they had rebelled against the word of the Lord. And today, we're coming into just such a time. So we need to learn our lesson and submit to the word of the Lord.  Est.2:21 In those days, while Mordecai was sitting in the king's gate, (the King's Gate is a place of government, and Mordecai was a part of the government. He probably was a representative for the nation of Israel, which was being ruled by Ahasuerus at the time. The King's Gate was also a place of judgment and of counselors.) two of the king's chamberlains, Bigthan and Teresh, of those that kept the threshold, were wroth, and sought to lay hands on the king Ahasuerus.  22 And the thing became known to Mordecai, who showed it unto Esther the queen; and Esther told the king thereof in Mordecai's name. 23 And when inquisition was made of the matter, and it was found to be so, they were both hanged on a tree: and it was written in the book of the chronicles before the king. (Mordecai saved the king's life from Bigthan and Teresh, who were two of the king's chamberlains who were going to lay hold on the king, and he put a stop to it. This is what they would have considered a pagan king who was ruling over them, a worldly king, keeping God's people in bondage. Mordecai honored the king. In all the things that he did in the Book of Esther, Mordecai was never once anything but respectful of the king and of his governor. And in this case, his governor was Haman, a man who really had an ambition to wipe out the people of God.) Est.3:1 After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him. (Now, we're just looking at it in the letter, what actually happened, not spiritually. The king and his governor, and we say, “Well, how far do we go with this honoring the king thing?” Well, I believe we are going to see that next.) 2 And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed down, and did reverence to Haman; for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not down, nor did him reverence. (In other words, dishonoring the king, things go just so far; we cannot worship anybody but the living God. We cannot pledge allegiance to anybody but if we did it would be the living God. You may say, “Well, how come Mordecai served the king?” Because if you don't obey God's word, you won't serve the king. So in serving the king, you're serving the Master. You're serving the King of kings. He said to obey, to submit to, and to serve the king, and to honor the king. Therefore, if you don't do that, you're not serving God. Now, we come to a place where the king is permitted by God to cross his line that he's drawn in the sand. And that is, we're not permitted to worship anybody but the Lord God. And we're not permitted to take the mark of the beast because that's an identification of unification with the beast and being a member of that kingdom, which we're not. We are in the world, but we're not of the world. We don't belong to the world. And so, the example that we get from Mordecai, as he always spoke well of, he always served, he always respected the king and his governors, but he drew a line and would not step over it. He would not bow down, nor pay reverence to Haman in this case. Est.3:3 Then the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, said unto Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king's commandment? (He'd always obeyed the king's commandment before, but now he came to a place where he wasn't going to do it. And we can't either. Read Foxes Book of Martyrs; they would not bow and died rather than bow.) 4 Now it came to pass, when they spake daily unto him, and he hearkened not unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai's matters would stand: for he had told them that he was a Jew. (Meaning, that he can't worship any other god but the true and living God.) 5 And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not down, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath. 6 But he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had made known to him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai. (Mordecai believed in the sovereignty of God. He believed he should obey God no matter what the consequences. And the consequences of this were big, I mean, major. He believed that God was in control and that if they submitted to governors and kings, God would be in control. And we should know that. But many teachers of Christianity have destroyed the doctrine of the sovereignty of God. Instead of giving in to willy-nilly Arminianism.) So, that's a really good example. We have another one in Daniel chapter 3. This is Nebuchadnezzar addressing the three Hebrews. And they, along with Daniel, had always been totally polite, submissive, and obedient, and yet this is the first time we read that they are rebelling against the king. They were submissive even in this fiery trial. Dan.3:15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made, well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that god that shall deliver you out of my hands? 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer thee in this matter. 17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of thy hand, O king. (So, one way or the other, we're going to be delivered here. Even if it's through death.) 18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. 19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than it was wont to be heated. (Time, times, and a half a time was three and a half years in tribulations, so seven times is seven years, you see. And this is a symbol, in fact, that Nebuchadnezzar here represents the beast. As we saw in the Book of Esther, in a natural way, that was the head of the beast's kingdom. Some people call him the Antichrist, which is false. He is just the head of the body of the image of the Beast. Both of these were images of the Beast. People would say today, “David, are you saying that we should submit to the Beast?” Yes, in every generation that God's people were taken captive, they were expected to submit, commanded of the Lord, and we don't see any place where Daniel or the three Hebrews were not submissive except in this one thing. The same thing that we saw in the Book of Esther, and that is worship, or bowing down to. There's only One Who is above all, and when they want to carry you across that line, there's always the higher order that we have to submit to, right? And so, yeah, we're talking about the beast here. Some people want to make war on the beast when they see him coming. We don't see that example in the scriptures anywhere. No, remember, God is the One Who is sovereign. He is the One Who has ordained the beast to conquer His people. It is coming because His people need a crucifixion. So God has ordained this. If God's ordained it, who are you to fight against God? We don't have any authority to do this in the Scriptures. We have to submit to God's will, even if it means, like the three Hebrews, going to the cross. Even if it means we physically lose our lives, we submit. We're not going to fight. They didn't fight. We don't see any example of that in the Scriptures. We have a good word in Pro.24:21 My son, fear thou Jehovah and the king; (Fear a pagan king? Yes, because God has put you under His authority. God has given Him power over you. Therefore, we should fear and obey God.) And company not with them that are given to change: (So, anybody that's not going to do this, don't company with them.) 22 For their calamity shall rise suddenly; And the destruction from them both, who knoweth it? Pro.16:13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings; And they love him that speaketh right. 14 The wrath of a king is as messengers of death; But a wise man will pacify it. (We saw how Paul answered the king. It was an unrighteous judgment, but he was humble, submissive, and respectful. He did not rail at the king, as many are doing today.) 15 In the light of the king's countenance is life; (This is God speaking. He's saying that your life is in this man's hand.) And his favor is as a cloud of the latter rain. (That could give you a symbol about what he's really talking about here. In the time of the latter rain, it will be very important to honor the king.)16 How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! Yea, to get understanding is rather to be chosen than silver. I want to share something that happened to me and how it relates to this teaching. On our website, we have many articles, and we made a page that was very unflattering, I would say, to the king. And believe me, presidents these days are becoming more like kings because of all the presidential directives they're taking over more power from the balance of powers. And so, this webpage was very unflattering, looking into the psychological problems of this particular king. And I don't know, I just didn't feel right about it. I felt something was wrong, but I really wasn't connecting this teaching. We generally look at the prophetic significance of presidents, and where they could be leading us, and so on, and I didn't think there was anything wrong with it.  So, when I felt nervous about it, and I didn't know why, I asked the Lord to give me a couple of verses. I opened my Bible up, and I just blindly stuck my finger down. And I put my finger down in this very next chapter here of Proverbs 25:6. Remember that number, 25 and 6.  And it said, Pro.25:6 Put not thyself forward in the presence of the king, (I said, Okay, Lord.) And stand not in the place of great men: 7 For better is it that it be said unto thee, Come up hither, Than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince, Whom thine eyes have seen. 8 Go not forth hastily to strive, Lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, When thy neighbor hath put thee to shame. A lot of people are going to go forth to strive against the beast government. Because they don't understand what God has ordained it to, or what He's ordained it for. Many, many Christians are going to lose their lives because they will fight. God doesn't want you to do that. If any man is for captivity, into captivity he goeth. That's what the Lord said. He's got a plan. He wants you to submit. Then, a very interesting thing happened because I asked him to give me another verse. Guess what I got? Another chapter 25 verse 6! Wow, that's significant! What are the chances of that happening? I'd say pretty much a wild chance that that would happen. 2Ki.25:6 Then they took the king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him. 7 And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in fetters, and carried him to Babylon. (That's very interesting. Zedekiah led a rebellion against the king of Babylon. He was commanded to submit by God Almighty, but he didn't and this happened to him. And he represents Babylon, the modern-day kingdom of the United States, over the rest of the world. And prophetically speaking, Babylon was called in Ezekiel 17, the Great Eagle. And in Daniel, it was the head of the image of the beast, the world empire of that day. It had conquered God's people and brought them into bondage. And Zedekiah was their puppet king that they had set up, and he rebelled. And that's very significant. The whole story there is very significant of the days that we're in. But Zedekiah led a rebellion, and the Bible tells us quite a bit about that rebellion.  Jeremiah spoke to Zedekiah in Jer.27:5 I have made the earth, the men and the beasts that are upon the face of the earth, by my great power and by my outstretched arm; and I give it unto whom it seemeth right unto me. The Lord is in control. We may want to take control or take political power; we may want to, as some people say, “take America back,” but if God has given the pagans authority over you, and given the rulers of a worldly kingdom authority over you as a Christian, then God's done that. What He's saying is, “I've got authority here, and I've got power, and I give the rulership of this world over to whoever I desire.” And we need to remember that. He raised up the King of Persia to conquer Babylon and to set the people free.  Trying to take power doesn't mean God's with us. God waited many years to promote Trump as a type of the Persian, Cyrus, to conquer Babylon DS and to set God's people free. When has God put a Christian in the head office. I only know of once but the people threw him out shortly after. The Jews tried on their own many times to conquer the beast and failed. God wasn't with the Jews, and He's not with the Christians these days to have political power either. If it were, it would have happened, but it hasn't happened. People who have come into power are quite distinct from Christianity. Does that mean we're supposed to honor them? It certainly does. Just think about Mordecai, and Daniel, and others; we read a story about Paul. Just think about these people and who they were submitting to and what they had done. Think about what the king of Babylon had done here. He had conquered Israel, killed many of their people, and took the remainder into bondage. Verse 6 And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, (The one-world order. And what did he command God's people to do in Daniel chapter 3? Bow down to the image of the beast. And of course they refused, but many others didn't refuse. But God says He gave them into the hand of this beast.) the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field also have I given him to serve him. 7 And all the nations shall serve him, (Beasts are kingdoms. The kingdoms served Nebuchadnezzar and they were a part of the image of the beast.) and his son, and his son's son, until the time of his own land come: and then many nations and great kings shall make him their bondman. (Yes, that is happening for America as a modern-day Babylon. The head of gold that rules over the nations, that has conquered God's people and has brought them into submission. And now our Cyrus is flipping the whole system of Babylon who killed a lot of people. When the people try it on their own they end up like Zedekiah and the people that followed him who lost their lives.) 8 And it shall come to pass, that the nation and the kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith Jehovah, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. (So God threatened His people that any nation, including them, that didn't serve the king of Babylon, He would use that king to destroy them by the sword, famine, and pestilence. This was because God ordained a cross for His rebellious people and they refused it.)  9 But as for you, hearken ye not to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreams, nor to your soothsayers, nor to your sorcerers, that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: (Zedekiah and his people disobeyed and refused their cross under the beast of Babylon and totally rebelled against God. You're going to hear false dreams, prophecies, and visions from the false prophets. In the next chapter, they said that they weren't going to serve the king of Babylon. Jeremiah said, “Oh, yes, you are, seventy years.” “Oh, no, we'll be free from him in two years,” Hananiah said. Well, these were the same people that were saying they were going to escape the beast and that didn't happen and they didn't fly away either. Here they are, finding themselves in the hands of this beast kingdom, and their prophets are saying, “We're out of here, we're going to be free, we're going to be free from this bondage.” And Jeremiah said, No, it's not going to happen until after 70 years.  So, don't listen to your false prophets, who preach a prosperity doctrine that this is not going to happen to you. After the Man-child ministry begins in Revelation 12, the tribulation beast comes in 13 with the mark. A beast killed the flesh of Jesus and it will do the same with His body. Because this is history repeating.  10 for they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land, and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish. (In other words, God is going to take the side of the beast and use him and His sword, famine and his pestilence to destroy the person that didn't submit, who rebelled against the words that we've already read about submission to the king.) 11 But the nation that shall bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, that nation will I let remain in their own land, saith Jehovah; and they shall till it, and dwell therein. 12 And I spake to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live. 13 Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as Jehovah hath spoken concerning the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? I believe we're coming to the place where God will very plainly demand that His people submit to the beast kingdom. I didn't say worship it, and I didn't say take the mark of the beast. I didn't say pledge allegiance to it, but they will have to submit. He said this to every nation that would not serve the king of Babylon. Jesus taught His disciples that they could flee but they couldn't fight, even to deliver Jesus the Son of God from the Roman beast.  You say, “Well, this is the Antichrist we're talking about.” No, not really. That's a false doctrine. It's not even found in the Scriptures. Let's talk just for a moment about who the Antichrist is. And should we submit to the Antichrist? Let's take the term “the Antichrist” and see exactly what it says. The first thing we find out is that it has nothing to do with what people have been taught through prophecy that it means.  1Jo.4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3 and every spirit that confesseth not Jesus is not of God: (Notice, every spirit, not just a spirit, but every spirit that confesseth not Jesus is not of God.) and this is the spirit of the antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it cometh; and now it is in the world already. (The Antichrist was in the world then. It's in the world now. It has nothing to do with some man coming on the scene now, because it didn't say a spirit. It said every spirit that does not confess Jesus Christ. A spirit that does not agree with the Word of God, a spirit that's not renewed by the Word of God. That's the spirit of the corporate Antichrist, every spirit, every lost spirit that's born from beneath is a member of the Antichrist, you see, because their spirit is unregenerate. In the New Testament there is no individual man called the Antichrist.) 1Jo.4:4 Ye are of God, my little children, and have overcome them: (See, there are only two there, those that are serving God and those that are not, Christ and Antichrist. Jesus said, “There are two men in the earth, right? One shall be taken and one shall be left.” (Mat.24:40) It's the body of Christ and the body of Antichrist.) because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. (Antichrist is a spirit that speaks against Christ, (it's ‘anti'-Christ) or in disagreement with Christ, or does not confess, which Greek word means ‘speak the same as' Christ  That spirit doesn't confess Christ. How many Christians don't confess Christ? To the extent a Christian speaks things that are contrary, or in other words, they don't “speak the same as”, they don't confess Christ, they speak contrary to Christ. That's antichrist coming out of them. To the extent that what we loosely call “a Christian” is not submitted to the Word of God and does not agree with the Word of God, to that extent, they're antichrist and will probably take his mark. Now, every lost person is antichrist. Are you going to be persecuted by the antichrist? Well, of course. Anybody around you who is carnal, a Christian or not, everybody around you who's lost, is a member of that body. They all submit to the antichrist spirit. They do not agree with Christ. So, therefore, you say, “Well, I can't submit to this guy because he's the Antichrist.” Well, no, he may be just the head of the body of the Antichrist, like Nebuchadnezzar, like Pharaoh, but what did God say in every case? Submit. The antichrist is also mentioned here. 1Jo.2:18 Little children, it is the last hour: and as ye heard that antichrist cometh, even now have there arisen many antichrists; (So they heard the same thing. Antichrist is coming, and he's correcting them.) whereby we know that it is the last hour. And John spoke of it here, too, in 2Jo.1:7 For many deceivers are gone forth into the world, even they that confess not that Jesus Christ cometh in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. (Now, listen, the Bible says, If any man speak, let him speak as an oracle of God. Say what the Bible says. The Bible never says the antichrist is an individual. Never. The antichrist is the whole body. The Bible never says the beast is the individual. Although it says every man is a beast. You see? All of them together make up a beast. And when Daniel spoke of the beast kingdoms, he spoke of multitudes of people that were beasts. You see? So, that doctrine is a false doctrine of the letter and not the Spirit. Now, do you have to deal with the king or the president the way the Bible commands? Yes, of course. If not, you're rebelling against the word of God. And then you're not serving your King, ‘capital K”. We have to serve the “little k” kings in order to serve our King, although we do not have to cross that line of worship, right? So, remember that. I think what Jesus said in John chapter 18 here is significant. Let me read this to you. Joh.18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. (So, our kingdom is not of this world, and we can't fight either. You know, when Jesus was taken before Pilate, He was submissive. He didn't fight. He didn't grab a sword. He rebuked Peter for grabbing a sword to try to keep him from doing that.  And in Joh.19:10 Pilate therefore saith unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to release thee, and have power to crucify thee? 11 Jesus answered him, Thou wouldest have no power against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath greater sin. (So, Pilate didn't have any power except what God gave him. Nobody's got any power over you except what God gives them. That's why you can totally rest in this whole situation. We have to submit to the ‘powers that be' because it's commanded of the Lord.) This puts us in a position of weakness, does it not? That we cannot fight with our enemies? God has put them in authority over us, and He tells us to submit to them. Let's read Mat.16:21 From that time began Jesus to show unto his disciples, that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up. 22 And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall never be unto thee. (You know, there are people saying today that none of God's people will go through a crucifixion, or go into the hands of the beast, none of them will have to go to their cross. But we all have to lose our life in order to gain our life. That's what Jesus said. I believe what the Lord has shown me very plainly is that if we will willingly give up our life, meaning our soulish life, we will be spared. And if we don't, we will have to give up our physical life.) 23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: (See, who is it that's trying to stop us from going to the cross? It's the devil; okay, notice this.) thou art a stumbling-block unto me: for thou mindest not the things of God, but the things of men. (Men don't want to give up their life, their psuche, their soulish life, their fallen life, but look at how Jesus responds.) 24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. (Jesus was going to His cross, and He was telling them that they're going to be His followers, they have to do the same thing and they did.  We're put here in the hands of people who've been given physical power over us and vastly outnumber us. And in most cases, it means a spiritual cross. We just submit and obey what the word of God says, even though these people who are, in many cases, obnoxious and persecute us, speak against us, do things against us, and take authority over us. You think that's not right to take away our rights, all these kinds of things. But we're like lambs to the slaughter; in most cases, it's that simple.  In many cases, it will even come down to a physical, denying the Lord in order to escape physical death or else submitting to our cross to have eternal life. In some cases, it will come down to the physical aspect, especially in the days to come, because we've been warned about that from the scriptures.) 25 For whosoever would save his life (That's the word psuche, soulish life, I'm not talking about physical life.) shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life (that's psuche again) for my sake shall find it. (We're speaking about the higher life, the zoe life. God is going to give us the greater life if we will give up this carnal life, the soulish, or self-life.) 26 For what shall a man be profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and forfeit his life? or what shall a man give in exchange for his life? 27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then shall he render unto every man according to his deeds. (He wants us to take up our cross and follow Him, and if necessary, even to death, like the three Hebrews who were already dead to self so the beast could not kill them.) 1Pe.1:20 who (speaking of Jesus) was foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, but was manifested at the end of the times for your sake, 21 who through him are believers in God, that raised him from the dead, and gave him glory; so that your faith and hope might be in God. And in 1Pe.2:20 For what glory is it, if, when ye sin, and are buffeted for it, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, (In other words, unjust suffering. The whole world's going to turn against Christianity, turn against the most peaceful people on this earth. And many are going to see it as very wrong, very evil, and they're going to be tempted to react to that. But listen to what the Lord says.) ye shall take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. 21 For hereunto were ye called (We were called to suffer for the name's sake.): because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that ye should follow his steps: (Wow! Well, Jesus went to the cross, gave His life, so that we would be able to give our life. You see, we were crucified with Christ. (Gal.2:20) What was accomplished there was the crucifixion of this old man. But now, it's being manifested as we walk it out.  22 who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 23 who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: (We're going to have to turn the other cheek and love our enemies, to give a soft answer and give answers that show respect. They need to see Jesus in us, somebody who's not retaliating or fighting. Have you ever seen Christians who like to threaten people? I have; I see them all the time. They're very self-willed, and some of them are very angry. But we're told, Rom.12:19 Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto the wrath of God: for it is written, Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will recompense, saith the Lord.  1Pe.2:24 who his own self bare our sins in his body upon the tree, that we, having died unto sins, might live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed. (So even this sin of self-will, of rebellion against God, if we will repent, if we will confess it, if we will give up our anger, there's forgiveness.) If you don't believe that Christianity has been rebellious against God, you haven't been reading the Bible. The more you read it, the more you accept what it says, the more you're convicted that we have failed God, and we've rebelled against Him. You learn about the crucifixion of the self-will, and you see self-will is a total rebellion against God. God is going to have a holy people. One way He's going to do that is through persecution. The persecution and the tribulation that's coming is going to do a great work in purifying God's people, in delivering God's people, a powerful work. God's people are going to be holy through what we go through, especially if you will submit to the crucifixion, if you will treat the leadership of this world the way we see in the examples we've looked at.  We're saved by grace through faith. We should submit and put our faith in God as Jesus did, and let God be the Judge. He is Sovereign. Please read our book Sovereign God for Us and Through Us. It will give you such rest and peace to understand God's plan that He is in control of the nations, the wicked and all the people around you. You can rest in Him. You can put your faith in Him. He is your Savior. He will deliver you through death to self, sanctified, meet for the Masters use. He will give you a fear of the Lord, so that you will respect His Word, so that you will obey His Word, even when your flesh doesn't want that. God bless you.

New fossil discoveries in China are being greeted by evolutionists as among the most spectacular of the century. The fossils, say evolutionists, represent some of the earliest multicelled creatures. Evolutionists are publicizing these fossils as evidence for evolution. It's not difficult, however, to see how these fossils support creation rather than evolution.Evolutionists admit the fossils show that the first multicelled creatures have appeared suddenly. This confirms creationist claims that life appeared suddenly and without evolutionary ancestors.These "first" multicelled creatures were complex and complete. There were no fossils with partially developed eyes or other organs. They include trilobites that had some of the most complex eye structures of any creature that ever lived. There are also fossils of shrimp-like creatures and creatures with hard shells. Some of the animals were over two feet long. Now that's a big jump when you remember that the previous step was a single-celled algae!There are no evolutionary missing links. The evolutionists said that the creatures all belong to groups that still exist. This means that science has now documented the history of some kinds of creatures alive today right back to the very first record of multicelled life. In other words, these creatures never evolved! Also of interest is how evolutionists explain the size of this fossil deposit, which is miles across. One evolutionist said, "A violent storm probably stirred up the sea bottom and the mud settled over a large area..."Exodus 31:17“It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.”Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, I do not understand how You could have designed and so quickly created the millions of kinds of living things that You did. Help me to believe Your Word, even when my poor, sinful, created mind cannot understand how wonderful You are. In Jesus' Name. Amen.REF.: Wilford, John Noble. "Fast Evolutionary Jump Led to Complex Life, Study Says." Star Tribune, Wednesday. Image: Chengjiang biota collage, Dwergenpaartje Cédric Aria, Fangchen Zhao, Han Zeng, Jin Guo, Maoyan ZhuSmith, Degan ShuYujing Li, Mark Williams, Thomas H. P. Harvey, Fan Wei, Yang Zhao, Jin Guo, Sarah Gabbott, Tom Fletcher, Xianguang Hou, Peiyun Cong, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1232/29?v=20251111

In Deuteronomy 27:2-8 we read of how Moses instructed Joshua to build an altar on Mt. Ebal after the Israelites had entered the Promised Land. There, the people were to sacrifice and give thanks to the Lord.Bible critics have generally been skeptical of the Bible's early history of Israel's conquest of Canaan. Over the years, however, a growing number of discoveries have supported the Bible's account of the earliest history of the Israelites. Perhaps one of the most dramatic recent discoveries is the altar Joshua apparently built on Mt. Ebal after Israel entered Canaan.The ruins of the altar are laid out in a rectangle that measures 25 by 30 feet. The walls of the nine-foot-high structure of uncut stones and rocks are filled with ash, dirt, stones, and bones. Over 4,000 bones were found in the fill, all of them bones of the sacrificial animals called for in Moses' law. Evident, too, is the ramp up to the altar that was used by the priests, as stipulated by Exodus. One discovery at the site seems to tie everything together. It is an Egyptian scarab that was probably among the spoils the Bible says Israel took with them from Egypt.Bible-believing Christians don't need this proof to accept the Bible. But it is exciting to identify and learn more about such a historic place as the Mt. Ebal altar.Joshua 8:30“Then Joshua built an altar unto the Lord God of Israel in mount Ebal…”Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, I know that Your Word is trustworthy. But I thank You that You have provided this additional witness to the integrity of Your Word for those who doubt. Let them, too, come to know Your grace in Christ. Amen.REF.: Machlin, Milt. "Joshua and the Archaologist." Reader's Digest. Image: Joshua's Altar, Hoshvilim, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1232/29?v=20251111

Season 22: Abide | #2 – Bear More Fruit Scripture: John 15:1-5 SHOW NOTES: It's our desire to encourage you in your spiritual journey with the Lord. Additional resources to enrich your Walk with God are available on our ministry website, Discover God's Truth. NEW! Watch us ONLINE! Click here!In Jerusalem, Jesus met with His disciples in the Upper Room, and then they walked to Gethsemane. He told them, “I am the vine, and My Father is the gardener.” Jesus knew His Father was carefully watching over the vineyard—tending the vine and preparing the branches to bear fruit. He used this beautiful illustration to prepare the eleven disciples for the days ahead. I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in Me and I in them will bear much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.John 15:5 Jesus calls us to abide. This is not a passive act. We must remain in constant union – in daily, regular fellowship with Jesus – and have a passionate desire to walk with Him. Unless we abide – that is, stay close to Jesus – we will not bear fruit. Your Word says, “We can do nothing.” Song: Abide in Me – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-0cmNCfOXA&list=RD9-0cmNCfOXA&start_radio=1

Welcome to Day 2849 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2849 – “Beholds He Comes!”  based on Zechariah 9:9 Putnam Church Message – 03/29/2026 Luke's Account of the Good News – “Behold He Comes!”   Last week, we continued our study of the ministry of Jesus Christ with a message titled “There is Always Hope!”  We learned that the heart of discipleship is: Where Jesus is, hopelessness is never final. Today, we are switching from our study of Luke for two weeks to focus on Palm Sunday and Resurrection Sunday. Today's message is: “Behold He Comes!” covers the entire Passion Week, and our launching point today is Zechariah 9:9:   Zion's Coming King 9 Rejoice, O people of Zion![a] Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious,[b] yet he is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey's colt.   Opening Prayer Lord Jesus, as we gather around Your Word, quiet our hearts and open our eyes. Help us to see more than a parade, more than a cross, more than an empty tomb. Help us to see You as You truly are: the promised King, the suffering Savior, and the risen Lord. Take the familiar story and make it fresh again. Speak to the weary, awaken the distracted, convict the proud, comfort the grieving, and call all of us to follow You more fully. In Your holy name we pray. Amen. Introduction Over the next two weeks, we step away briefly from Luke for a special journey—from Palm Sunday to Easter/Resurrection Sunday, from the shouts of “Hosanna!” to the cry of “It is finished,” and then to the glorious announcement, “He is not here; He is risen!” The title of this message is “Behold He Comes!” That is really the heartbeat of Passion Week. Behold, He comes into Jerusalem. Behold, He comes to the temple. Behold, He comes to the table with His disciples. Behold, He comes into Gethsemane. Behold, He comes before Pilate. Behold, He comes to the cross. Behold, He comes out of the grave. The four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—tell this story in harmony, though each gives us a different camera angle. Matthew highlights prophecy fulfilled. Mark emphasizes the movement and urgency of the King's mission. Luke gives us the tears of Jesus and the tragedy of a city that did not recognize its moment of visitation. John reminds us that many in the crowd were stirred because Jesus had raised Lazarus, and now excitement was running through Jerusalem like wildfire. But Palm Sunday is not just a happy parade. It is the beginning of holy collision. Hope and misunderstanding meet on the same street. Praise and rejection are only days apart. The palms wave on Sunday, but the cross stands on Friday. And yet through it all, one truth remains: Jesus is not swept along by events. He comes deliberately. He comes knowingly. He comes lovingly. He comes for us. Main Point 1: He Comes as the Promised King When Jesus approached Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives near Bethphage and Bethany, He sent disciples to bring a donkey and its colt. This was not accidental. This was not random transportation. This was revelation. Matthew 21 points us directly to Zechariah 9:9 “Look, your King is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey.” Now, in the ancient world, kings often arrived in one of two ways. If they came on a war horse, they came in conquest. If they came on a donkey, they came in peace. Jesus is King, yes—but not the kind of king the crowds fully expected. The Jews wanted a throne. -> Jesus came with humility. The Jews wanted Rome overthrown. -> Jesus came to overthrow sin and death. The Jews wanted political rescue. -> Jesus came for eternal redemption. Can you picture the scene? The road is dusty. Cloaks are spread down like a makeshift royal carpet. Branches are cut and waved. Psalm 118 is rising from the crowd: “Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” And John tells us specifically that these were palm branches—symbols of joy, victory, and national hope. Similar to us waving an American flag during a parade. Expanded Narrative For first-century Jews, Jerusalem was not merely a city. It was the city of promise, the city of David, the city of the temple. And when Jesus comes riding down the slope of the Mount of Olives, every prophetic nerve in Israel starts to tremble. The prophets had spoken. The covenant had promised. The generations had waited. -> And now Behold He Comes! But notice the manner of His coming. There is no sword in His hand. No army behind Him. No chariot rumbling over stone. Only a borrowed animal, willing disciples, and a crowd that understands just enough to cheer—but not enough yet to surrender. That still happens today, doesn't it? People are often happy to celebrate Jesus when they think He will fit their expectations. We welcome Him when He seems useful to our plans. We praise Him when the blessings are flowing. But when He comes humbly, when He confronts us, when He does not serve our agenda, we do not always know what to do with Him. Illustration It is a little like someone expecting the President to arrive in a black limousine with security and flashing lights—but instead he shows up alone, in plain clothes, and sits down at the table to listen. Some would miss the significance because they expected power to look louder. Jesus comes with authority, but it is wrapped in humility. Object Lesson Hold up a gold-looking crown in one hand and a simple rope halter or small wooden yoke in the other. Say: “Which one looks more like a king? Most of us would choose the crown. But Palm Sunday tells us that God's King often comes in a form we do not expect. The crown is real—but the path to it runs through humility.” Related Scriptures Genesis 49:10–11 hints at kingship tied to the colt. Psalm 118:25–26 gives us the language of “Hosanna” and blessing. Zechariah 9:9 declares the humble King. Philippians 2:6–8 tells us Christ humbled Himself. Summary of Main Point 1 Palm Sunday announces that Jesus is not merely a teacher entering a city. He is the long-awaited King entering His rightful place. But He comes with humility, peace, and purpose. He does not come to match human expectations; He comes to fulfill divine promises. The question for us is not, “Will we admire this King?” but “Will we receive Him on His terms?” Main Point 2: He Comes and Sees What Others Cannot See Luke gives us one of the most moving moments in the triumphal entry. While the crowd rejoices, Jesus weeps over Jerusalem. Luke 19:41 says, “But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep.” Think about that. The crowd is shouting. The disciples are praising God for the miracles they have seen. The Pharisees are telling Jesus to quiet the people. And in the middle of all that noise—Jesus is crying. Why? Because He sees what they do not see. They see a parade. -> He sees a city on the brink of judgment. They see excitement. -> He sees hardened hearts. They see what they want Him to do. -> He sees what He must do. John tells us that many in the crowd were stirred because of the raising of Lazarus. That miracle had electrified public imagination. “If He can call a dead man out of the grave after four days, surely, He can take Jerusalem! Surely, He can establish the kingdom now!” But Jesus knows that many voices shouting “Hosanna” do not yet understand holiness, repentance, surrender, or the cost of redemption.   Expanded Narrative Jerusalem had a history. It was the city of priests, sacrifice, pilgrimage, Scripture, memory, and hope. To an ancient Israelite, it was the place where heaven and earth seemed to meet. Yet it had also become a place where religious familiarity could hide spiritual...

Ouch! You've just gotten a paper cut on your finger. What's the first thing you do? If you're like most people, you'll probably put your finger in your mouth. If you think about it, you probably have no idea why you put your finger into your mouth. Actually, when a dog licks its wounds or when you put your paper cut-ravaged finger in your mouth, you are beginning medical treatment.Medical science is only just learning what God knew when He built this reaction into us. The saliva of mammals and human beings contains Epidermal growth factor. Studies show that when epidermal growth factor is applied to wounds, healing takes place much faster. Epidermal growth factor increases the number of cells available to grow new skin over a wound. It also encourages capillaries to form near the wound to increase blood supply. Epidermal growth factor doubles the amount of new DNA at the wound site. Finally, it increases the amount of collagen in the wound to give the new tissue the strength to close up and remain closed.Researchers have little idea how epidermal growth factor works. They are still researching this powerful medicine that's found in our saliva.Only our wise and loving Creator could have provided us with this convenient and powerful medical treatment. Only He could have built into us the natural reaction of putting an injured finger into our mouth. Like so much else in the creation, this blessing is too well designed to be nothing more than a series of unrelated coincidences.Nehemiah 9:6“Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.”Prayer: Dear Father, our pagan world talks about chance and coincidence. But I learn in Your Word that there is no such thing. Cleanse my thinking and speech of this pagan influence so that I may better witness Your truth. In Jesus' Name. Amen.REF.: "An Aid to Healing that Simply Can't be Licked." Discover. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1232/29?v=20251111

The monarch caterpillar feeds on milkweed. Milkweed manufactures a powerful toxin that can, in most cases, stop the heart of any creature who eats enough of it. The monarch caterpillar itself is unharmed by this poison. In fact, the caterpillar stores the poison in its body, and this poison remains even after the caterpillar has turned into a butterfly.Evolutionary scientists thought that the viceroy evolved to mimic or look like the monarch to fool birds into thinking that it, too, was toxic. The evolutionary story was that viceroys must really be good to eat, since they evolved from the tasty admiral butterflies. This evolutionary thinking remained untested until a few years ago, basically because scientists often consider it improper to question evolutionary claims. But, the tests using the wingless bodies of six different kinds of butterflies, including viceroys, proved that viceroys are indeed toxic to birds. Birds avoid the viceroy because it manufactures its own toxins. In fact, research has shown that the viceroy is, on average, even more poisonous than the monarch!Evolution is bad science. In this example, we see how evolution led to generations of misunderstanding about how God protects the viceroy butterfly.John 3:12“If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?”Prayer: Lord, where the truth of Your Word is rejected, ignorance about even Your creation soon follows. I pray that the darkness and ignorance caused by evolution would be reduced through the bold witness to the truth by Your people. Amen.REF.: Walker, Tim. "Butterflies and Bad Taste." Science News, Vol. 139. Image: Viceroy Butterfly, PiccoloNamek, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1232/29?v=20251111

To get serious about wholeness and total health, we have to take a hard look at ourselves. Today is a tough Scripture passage from Jesus, but also a reminder that there is freedom on the other side of our battles. Listen closely … Jesus is not angry here, just being honest … “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others.  The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. “And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,' when you can't see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye. (Matthew 7:1-5 NLT) As humans, a fact we have to deal with throughout life is the less whole we are in any given season, the more we tend to find fault in others. Whether wanting to justify our own behavior or just being negative about people, we can look around and see the “speck in other's eyes,” to use Jesus' words. But notice the important counsel here: “First, get rid of the log in your own eye …”Listen once again to this passage in The Message Bible … Buckle up, this version hits even more closer to home ….“Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,' when your own face is distorted by contempt? It's this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.The goal of Jesus' teaching here is not to produce guilt, shame, or self-hatred, but rather getting honest about personal evaluation. Facing our own stuff.Is there an area of your life that is a ‘speck or log in my own eye'? Can you think of one area to surrender and repent of right now?Getting real about what we need to surrender to God before we can truly begin the journey toward wholeness.Let's pray together: “Heavenly Father, I always love the mercy and grace verses in Your Word, but I know I have to embrace ones like this too. Today, I need to hand over the logs and the specks to You. I want to be whole, so I know some surgery on my heart and work on my attitude are what I need to allow You to do right now. As above, so below.”

Introduction: Matthew 6:24 – No one can serve two masters... You cannot serve God and money. Ephesians 5:5 - For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Philippians 3:19 – their god is their belly... 1 Samuel 15:23 - For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. 3 Reasons to Run from Idolatry: (1 Corinthians 10:14-22) Because of WHO YOU ARE. (1 Cor 10:16-18) Because It's DEMONIC. (1 Cor 10:19-21) Deuteronomy 32:17 – They sacrificed to demons that were not God... Psalm 106:37 – They served their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons... Ephesians 6:12 - For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Because God is JEALOUS For You. (1 Cor 10:22) Exodus 34:14 – for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God… Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Audio Transcript 00:36Open up those Bibles to 1 Corinthians 10 and take a moment to please just pray for me to communicate God's Word clearly as I should, and I will pray for you to have a heart open to receive what it is the Lord wants to teach us today. All right? So let's just take a moment and pray. Father, we trust Your Word and Your Spirit to do a work in our hearts.01:08As only you can, Father. That's why we're here. Father, open our hearts and minds up to receive what it is that you've told us in your word. We sing, I exalt thee, but Father, I pray that we would live that, a lifestyle that exalts you. We pray in Jesus' name.01:37Amen. 1 Corinthians 10.01:42Many years ago at a church picnic, we did the pie the pastor thing.01:48Now I know we've done it more recently. We did it like with VBS.01:51This is years ago when we had a lot less kids.01:54And I couldn't remember what it was, but Mandy Maul was our children's director at the time.01:58And she reminded me, it was like those big five-gallon jugs.02:04was if the kids could fill it with change, they went to some mission or ministry, but if the kids could fill it with change, some of the kids would be able to pie me at the church picnic.02:18So when I say pie, not like an apple pie, you know, the old whipped cream, the whipped cream pies, right?02:26So it started with, can some of the kids pie you at the picnic?02:32I was like, okay.02:34Well, that turned into, can all the kids pie you? And I said, multiple times, each as hard as they can. You would be surprised how hard some of these little guys can hit you in the nose with a whipped cream pie. I had to go into like concussion protocol. So they're like, can all the kids hit you in the pie, hit you in the face with a pie as hard as they can? I was like, okay. Then somebody, not one of the kids, somebody had this brilliant idea.03:32How about we pie Pastor Jeff, but instead of whipped cream, they brought a squeeze bottle of mayonnaise. A squeeze bottle of mayonnaise. And they're like, let's pie him with a mayonnaise pie. Mayonnaise pie, excuse me. And I said, too far. That was too far. Absolutely under no circumstances.04:02But you see, they just took it too far. They just took it too far. It was all fun and games until they brought out the Hellmanns. Too far. You went too far. And it's that idea of going too far that takes us to this next section. Because you see, the Corinthians that Paul was writing to lived in a pagan culture.04:32Right? Paganism was everywhere. And some of the people in the church obviously came to Christ out of the pagan culture, and they realized, hey, I am free in Christ. And an idol? An idol is nothing. And Paul's like, you're right, an idol is nothing. Well, meat that was sacrificed to idols? I can eat that. I'm free to eat that. And Paul's like, yes, you are free to Eat that meat. Yes. But not if it offends a weaker Christian. Then you lay down your freedom. Say like, well, I'm free also to go to the pagan festivals. Go to these pagan parties. I'm free to do that. And Paul said, too far. You've taken it too far. Yes, we are free in Christ, but going to the pagan festivals, That's too far. Look at verse 14. He says, Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.05:43That word beloved, that is such a term of just deep affection.05:50Paul's like, look, I love you, church. I love you.05:56And it's because I love you, church, that I have to tell you something that's really important.06:02A lot of you are still getting involved in the paganism around you. You've got to run from that. You've got to flee. Get away from that whole scene. Idolatry. So let me ask you, are you in danger of idolatry? You. Are you in danger of idolatry?06:38We would agree that idolatry is an issue for a lot of people in the world. Right? We would agree with that. As many of you know, we are the stateside support. We have 23 churches in northern Thailand. Mountain, jungle, tribal, places that don't see white people.07:03We support 23 churches, 4 children's homes, a Bible institute. We have a thriving ministry there. And I've been to Thailand several times. And when you go to Thailand and you land in the airport, there is a sign at the airport that says there is a severe penalty.07:32for stealing the head of a Buddha statue. And I thought, well, that's random that you land. It's like, welcome to our country. By the way, we will arrest you if you steal the head of a statue. So I asked our missionary Barnabas, like, what is up with that? What's up with that sign? He said, well, people realize they can't steal the whole statue.08:00So people come and they just try to steal the head. And to them, that is so sacrilegious. That is a horrible thing. And he said they come down hard on people that do that. So we look at that and we're like, yes, idolatry. Or we go up into the mountain jungles of Thailand. When you get away from the city where there's a lot of Buddhism, But when you get to some of these tribal areas, it's not Buddhism as much as it's spiritism and animism. And they have these spirit altars in their homes where they burn things to appease the evil spirits. And when they become Christians, when they receive Christ, one of the first things they do is rip that spirit altar out and take it outside their village and burn it as their way of saying, I am done with this.08:58And we hear those stories and we see the ashes and we say, yeah, they have a problem with idolatry. But we don't think idolatry is an issue for us. But here's the thing, church. We don't have less idols. We have infinitely more.09:30I've never bowed down to a rock. I understand the Bible's definition of idolatry is much greater than just that. For example, the Bible says money can be an idol. Money and stuff. Jesus said, Matthew 6.24, you cannot serve God and money. Money and stuff can be an idol. How about covetousness? The Bible says covetousness is an idol. Ephesians 5.5, it says, that is an idolater has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.10:04Covetousness.10:05That's when instead of being thankful for what God has given to you, you wish that you had what God gave to someone else.10:14That's coveting.10:17And God says when you covet, you're an idolater.10:22The Bible says your belly can be an idol, Philippians 3.19.10:27In that passage, Paul talks about people who are ruled by their appetites. That's what drives them. Whatever they are hungry for, that's their idol. Or how about this one? Rebellion. 1 Samuel 15 talks about that. Rebellion is as the sin of divination and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.10:56You see, when God tells you to do something, and you're like, I'm not going to do that, and you're rebelling against God, God says, in my mind, that has become an idol to you, your rebellion. Ezekiel 14 talks about taking idols into your heart. You know, I was thinking about that a lot this week. Idols are kind of a funny thing. In that, You realize literally anything, literally anything on this earth can become an idol. Do you ever think about that? Anything. I mean, an object, whether it's a rock or your car or something, an object can become an idol. Another person can become an idol. Your spouse, your kids, your Whatever. Celebrity. A person can become an idol. Some activity. Some hobby. Even a good thing. Consumes you. It becomes the thing that you worship. An activity can become an idol. Or a position. Right? I've got to get this job. I'm not going to be content until I reach this level. And that becomes an idol. You realize an idea can become an idol.12:26An idea can become an idol. Like, I didn't think my life was going to turn out like this. And we sort of have this idea of, this is how I thought my life was going to be at this point. This is how I thought my kids were going to be. I thought I'd be in a much different place at this point in my life. And we sort of have this idealized utopia of how we think our lives should be. And that becomes an idol for us.12:55Literally anything can become an idol. But here's something else that's funny about idolatry. Idolatry is completely individualized. And it's completely subjective. Here's what I mean. Like, when I've been to Thailand, one of the times I went, I said to Barnabas, I said, hey, can I see one of these Buddhist temples? Because there was one right down the street from his house. And I said, would they object to like somebody like me just going in there. He goes, oh no, they're fine with that. He says, you want to see it? I'll show you. He took me down. There was nobody in there. We just walked right in. He goes, oh, they don't care. But I got to tell you, did nothing for me. It was interesting, but it did nothing for me like religiously. But you know, there are a lot of other people that go in there and that is where they worship and that is everything. You see how it's subjective.13:55The same thing means everything to one person but meant nothing to me. Or I could take one of these Thai people here to America and maybe I've turned my kids into an idol and to the Thai person, my kids mean nothing to them. So you see how idolatry is so individualized and it's so specific and subjective to us, to each of us, that there is something in your life that you are tempted to turn into an idol. Unless it has already become an idol. You're like, well, what is it? What is it for me? It's that thing in your life that's more important than Jesus. That's an idol. It's the thing that keeps you from obeying Jesus as you should. That's an idol. If I said to you, what is the thing in your life that you know if this thing wasn't in the way, you would have a closer walk. You would feel like you are nearer to God. What is that thing? That thing would be your idol. The thing that's more important than coming to worship. The thing that's more important than your personal time with the Lord. That's an idol. The thing you devote your time and money and attention over Jesus.15:25That's an idol. So I'll ask you again, are you in danger of idolatry? Because when we consider the biblical definition of idolatry, I think the answer is yes, we all are. Every single one of us are in danger of idolatry. So verse 15, he says, I speak as to sensible people. Judge for yourselves what I say. Do we have any sensible people here this morning? No? This is going to be the longest sermon you've ever heard if you're not sensible. But that's what Paul's saying.16:26in your head, listen to what I'm saying. Listen, this is something you need to think about. Something you really need to stop. And what's he saying? I got to think about that. All right? So here's what Paul's saying in this passage we're going to look at. Paul says, run from idolatry.16:55Okay, why, Paul? Paul says, because of the Lord's Supper. You're like, what? What do you mean? You've got to be sensible, sensible people. Let's talk about the Lord's Supper. Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22. Jesus celebrated the Passover meal with his disciples before Jesus' death. And Jesus, in this celebration, changed the meaning of the Passover meal from remembering the Exodus to remembering Him. It became a regular observance in the church. And here's what Paul's saying in this passage. If you're a believer in Jesus Christ, if you are a sincere, born-again believer in Jesus Christ, if you are someone, who comes and takes the Lord's Supper, then you don't want anything to do with idolatry. So let's explain what he means by that, sensible people. On your outline, three reasons to run from idolatry. Number one, because of who you are. Why should I run from idolatry? Because of who I am. You should run because of who you are.18:27Look at verse 16.18:29Because we've got to talk about this one for a couple of minutes.18:34Paul says, sensible people flee from idolatry. Why, Paul?18:38Look at verse 16. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?18:49The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?18:56The cup of blessing. What's the cup of blessing? That's the third cup in the Passover meal. That's probably when Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper. Jesus blessed it. And Paul says, when we get together and take the Lord's Supper, we bless it. What does that mean? It means that we are regarding this as a sacred thing. Right? When we have the Lord's Supper together, it's a sacred thing.19:24And we're not having the Lord's Supper today. In hindsight, we probably should have. We're going to have it in a couple weeks because he talks more about the Lord's Supper. But understand, church, when we take the Lord's Supper together, it is more than just a religious ritual. The cup and the bread are way more than just symbols.19:54What are they? He says it four times in this passage we're looking at today. The word that you've got to understand this to understand his whole point. The word is participation. Participation. He says the cup is participation in the blood of Christ. The bread is participation in the body of Christ. What does that mean?20:24And I really like the analogy, so I'm going to use it. But he compared it to if you've ever had somebody that you love very much who passed away, but you have a photograph of them. When you look at that photograph, that awakens something in you, doesn't it? A photograph isn't just a piece of paper with an image on it to you.20:54that picture of that one who you love who had passed away, when you see that person is sort of actualized in your mind, the person sort of becomes alive in your mind. You know that feeling. You see that old picture and you just feel something in your spirit. You feel your emotions. That something really stirs in you when you look at that picture.21:28The Lord's Supper is sort of like that, but it's more than that. When we take the Lord's Supper, it's not just a reminder. Like, why am I here again? Oh, yeah. Yeah, Jesus. Now, what did he do? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.21:54Yeah, he died. Right, right, right. No, no, no, no. It's much more than that. When we take the Lord's Supper, we are engulfed in who he is and what he has done. This is what Paul's saying here specifically. Sensible people, sensible. Look, you promised me you were sensible. So let's keep going here, all right? The cup is a participation in the blood of Christ.22:24What does that mean? The blood of Christ is not about the red fluid that pumped through his veins. Blood of Christ is a figure of speech regarding his death. Right? So here's the thing. When we take the Lord's Supper, we are participating in Christ's death. When we take that cup, we're identifying ourselves in the benefits of his death.22:54Jesus' death means something. And when I receive the cup, I'm participating in that. That this isn't just about a man who died for me. This is about God in the flesh who bought my salvation with his death. And I'm participating in that. This means something to me right now. That's what happens when we take communion. The bread, that's the body.23:23Paul tells us here, but it's more than just the suffering of Christ. It's that, but it's more than that. It's everything that the incarnation means. See, when we take that bread, we're reminded of the body of Christ. We're reminded the invisible God made himself visible. He became a man. God was here. God was here as Jesus, and he showed me what God is like. And ultimately, yes, He came to die as only a man can die. So when we take that bread, we're participating in Christ's life. We're identifying ourselves with His righteousness, with His example. We're saying, this is the manifestation of God. This is who He is conforming me to be like. That's what we are saying together, church, when we are taking the Lord's Supper. We are participating.24:22So the cup and the bread, they're more than symbols. All that Christ is, all that Christ means is life, his grace, his humility, his love, his death. We are participators in all of that. So the Lord's Supper isn't just about reminding ourselves of an event that happened long ago. But the Lord's Supper is, hey, this is our life right now.24:52Because of what he did, this is who I am today. But it goes deeper than that, believe it or not. Look at verse 17. He says, because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. You see, in the Lord's Supper, we are joined with Christ and we're joined with each other. See, that bread all came from the same loaf.25:22and we're all eating a piece of bread from the same loaf. We're saying that the Lord's Supper unites us in a profound way. When we take the Lord's Supper, it unites us in a profound way. Look, whatever else we may agree on. Best sports team, favorite brand of ketchup, what political, what side of the political aisle you're on, whatever else, we may disagree on. When we take the Lord's Supper as a church, do you know what we're doing together? We're uniting. We're saying, this. This is our God. This is what unites us. We have been saved through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We all identify this is our God. We are together on this. This is what we share.26:22Look at verse 18. Paul's making the same point. Flashback to Israel. He says, Consider the people of Israel. Are not those who eat the sacrifices? Participants in the altar? Same point. And Israel's worship, when somebody offered a sacrifice, like, well, who got that? Everybody. God, the priest, and the worshiper were all participators in the sacrifice.26:56Isn't that terribly fascinating? You're like, yes, but what's the point? I thought we were talking about idolatry. What is the point of all this? Here's the point. You ready? Sensible people, are you ready? Here's the point. When you are in a religious service, You are participating with what you are worshiping and the other worshipers.27:34So Paul's point here is this.27:36How can you come here and participate with Christ and Christ people and then turn around and go to a different religious service where we are participating with idols and idolaters. When we take the Lord's Supper, we're saying, church, we're saying, this is who I am. I'm in Christ. I identify with these people here who are also taking from this loaf. Now, I can't just turn around after participating here with these people. I can't just turn around and participate with another group entirely.28:19Does that make sense? Because if you're so a little fuzzy on it, think about it this way. It's Stanley Cup playoffs, right? Did you watch that game last night? I did, but I think it was like this the whole time. But just imagine, A person goes down to PPG Paints Arena, Pens versus Flyers. They go down and they're wearing their Sidney Crosby number 87 jersey and they're down there like, Sid! Go Sid! Greatest player in the world! Go Sid! Let's go Pens! Let's go Pens! Let's go Pens! Right? And then that same person goes, hey, when?29:18Like, when's the next game? And they're like, oh, the next game's in Philly. So that person gets in their car and drives to Philadelphia and wears a Flyers jersey. And during the game, Sid, you stink! Sid's the worst! And they're like cheering for the Flyers the whole time. What would you think of someone who did that?29:47you be like how can you thank you Justin like how can you how can you be participating with the penguins and now you're participating with the flyers how can you do that that's Paul's point right here how can you participate with the living God and then participate with an idol because when you go to church When you go to church, it's about participation. Listen, this is why many Christians miss this concept, because you look at church as an event. For some people, that's all church is, it's an event. What's on my calendar this week? Well, I got this appointment of work, I got a Oh yeah, Sunday morning, 11 o'clock, church. Yeah, it's an event on the calendar. Just one more thing on the schedule. You just see church as an event. And listen, when you see church as an event, then skipping church because I'm sleepy, that's okay. It's just an event. Or church hopping, that's okay. It's all the same.31:14This church, that church, whatever. We just hop from church to church. It's okay. Or not getting involved. You warm a seat, usually, but I'm not going to get involved. That's okay. Listen, beloved, none of those things are okay. Because church is not an event. Church is participation with Jesus and people who identify with Jesus.31:46And when you finally get to the place where you are settled in your heart and mind and say, I participate with Jesus, I participate with the people of Jesus, when you fully grasp and understand and embrace what it means to participate with Jesus, then you will be able to face the things that can become idols for you and say, no, that's not who I am.32:15You see? Maybe money and stuff has been your idol. Maybe that's the thing that's tempted you. When you realize who you are in Christ, you're a participator in Christ. You're like, oh, that's just stuff. That's not important to me. No. Jesus is who I participate with. Or maybe it's addiction. Maybe you've been battling the idol of addiction.32:43And you realize, no, my identity is with Jesus. I'm done with that addiction because I'm not participating with Jesus and with the addiction at the same time. It just doesn't work that way. And for some, it's the idol of lust and all of the ways that that idol is worshipped. That you have to get to the place in your life, like, that's not who I am. That's just not me. I'm a participator in Jesus.33:13Christ. I belong to him. Not that. I'm done with that. That's what Paul's saying here. You've got to get the participation thing. You're not attending a church event. You are a participator in the life of Christ. All right? It's a matter of identity. Run from idolatry because of who you are. Number two, write this down. Three reasons to run from idolatry. Number two, because it's demonic.33:49Look at verse 19.33:50Paul says, what do I imply then?33:53That food offered to idols is anything?33:57Or that an idol is anything?34:00Paul's like, so what am I saying?34:02Am I saying that an idol itself is anything?34:04Am I saying that?34:06No, he's not saying that.34:07He just said that in chapter 8, verse 4.34:11Like, we just answered that question.34:13Look at verse 20. He goes, no. I imply that what pagans sacrifice, they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. Listen to what Paul's saying. Listen very close. He says, I'm not saying that there is a real God in the idol, but there is a real participation still taking place. Participation with who? He says right here. With demons. Church, demons are at work in idolatry. And if a person buys into an idol, any kind of idol, here, Thailand, wherever. When a person buys into an idol, demons will be at work to keep the person hooked into worshiping that idol. That's just the way it is. The first time we were talking about Thailand earlier, the first time I went to Thailand, I was 20 years old. I was a brand new Christian. Boy, that was an eye opener.35:42Like I said, I went to places that pockets of civilization that have never seen a different race of people at all. Well, this one village that we visited, there was a man there. I've never seen a human that looked like him. His whole head looked like, it was like a flesh-colored cue ball. There was no hair, and it It was perfectly round and smooth. And there were just like tiny little like slits where they're like for the nose. There was no nose. It's just these little slits. And the same with the eyes peering behind these really tiny little slits. And he had he had a trach. And it was very strange. Like I've never seen a human that looked like this. And I asked our missionary Barnabas.36:42I said, Barnabas, that man that we saw, I said, does he have a disease or was there some genetic thing? Like, what's the matter with this man? Barnabas said, oh, he goes, this fellow, he used to look just like everybody else, all the other Thai people. He said he looked just like everybody else.37:12gave his life to Christ. He received Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. And he said, soon after he received Christ, an evil spirit in the form of a bear ripped his face off. And you might say, I don't believe that. Okay, well then you tell me what happened to this man. Because the guy on this earth that is my hero that I look up to in the faith more than anybody, That's the story that he told me. You tell me then. That this man was so into idolatry that the evil... That was a demon's way of saying, you're not leaving us. You're not aligning yourself with Christ. And he was physically attacked. There are demons behind idolatry. Deuteronomy 32.17 says they sacrificed the demons.38:12that were not God. Psalm 106, verse 37, they served their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the... You see that? It's all through the Old Testament. Demons are behind idolatry. Verse 21, he says, you cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord.38:42of demons. It's the same point. You can't do both. You can't. You can't participate with Christ and participate with demons. And understand, in idolatry, there's a lot more going on than bad theology. It's demonic. And Paul says, I don't want you to participate with demons. Like, why would you mess with that? And if you're like, oh, you know, So, Pastor Jeff, I believe that if you're truly born again, if you truly have God's Spirit, you can't be possessed by a demon. You just can't. A demon can't possess a true believer. And I agree with you. I believe that. I believe that 100% that a demon cannot possess a true believer. But why would you mess with that anyways? Really? You know, demons are powerful. And demons are evil.39:43Why would you mess with that? It's like keeping a pet cobra. Like, why would you do that? Earlier we talked about the idol of addiction. We did a whole sermon series on this one time. Addiction is a worship disorder. Addiction, ultimately, at its very foundation, is idolatry. I want you to think about addiction. What is it that keeps someone so hooked on the thing they're addicted to?40:12You think it's just physical? Really? Just physical? You mean a guy is willing to lose his wife because it's just a physical addiction? You think a guy's willing to lose his family? A guy losing everything he spent his life building up. He's willing to watch it be destroyed. You think it's only physical? It's demonic. That's why Paul reminds us, Ephesians 6.12, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over the present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Paul says run from idolatry. Why? Well, it's a matter of spiritual affliction. Run from idolatry because it's demonic. One more sensible people. Number three, because God is jealous for you.41:14Why do I run from idolatry? Because God is jealous for you. Last one. Look at verse 22. He says, shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? Look, if you are in Christ, if you have believed in Jesus, his death, his resurrection, if you are in Christ, you belong to God. And if you belong to God, understand he is jealous.41:42for you.41:47Exodus 34.14 says, For you shall worship no other god, for the Lord whose name is jealous is a jealous god.41:58I thought jealousy was bad. Isn't jealousy bad?42:02Isn't jealousy a bad thing?42:07Not in this context.42:10Not when jealousy is about right to ownership. Not when jealousy is about you belong to me and something is threatening that. That is appropriate jealousy. God himself says he's jealous. Like 28 times in the Old Testament I think it was. Years ago to former ministry I had this young couple come in for marriage counseling.42:40You can kind of get a feel for where it's going when they come in and they're not sitting beside each other. They're sitting on opposite ends of the table. Like, oh, I see where this is going. And the wife came in. She looked like she was ready for a fight. And the husband just sat down, had his arms folded and his head down the whole time. And I'm like, so, what seems to be the problem? And she goes, he's jealous.43:14He's jealous because I'm always going to Ghost Riders with this guy friend of mine dancing all night and my husband's jealous oh you know what Ghost Riders is it's up in Butler I don't know if it's still there it's on like Route 8 North there's a honky tonk where they do line dancing you know the line dance where they're like You know what I'm talking about? Ghost riders. Okay, thank you, Jillian. That's not still a thing, Sharon. Did it close down? Okay. What was the thing back then? It was a big thing. Well, anyways, she goes, he's jealous that I go with my guy friend to dance.44:09She goes, he's jealous. And I said, he should be. She went through the roof. Like, what are you talking about? He should be. I said, he is your husband. You belong to him. And when something is threatening the marriage covenant like that, jealousy is appropriate. She's like, jealousy is wrong. I'm like, jealousy is not wrong. She goes, Jealousy is always wrong. I said, but you know the Bible says that God is jealous. She goes, the Bible does not say that. I'm like, here we go. And I walked her through all these verses where God says He is jealous. I'm like, see, we belong to God. He doesn't want us messing with something else. And it's the same principle in marriage. She goes, jealousy is wrong. I'm like, you're wrong.45:11Well, the counseling session did not end well, as you probably surmised. But then, like, for months after that, I would get phone calls from her. Like, I'd be in my office, and be like, Pastor Jeff, so-and-so on line one. I'm like, yeah, jealousy is always wrong. I'm like, oh, please lose my number.45:37But that's Paul's point here is, look, if you're in Christ, you belong to God, and God takes it seriously when you flirt with something else. When that ownership is threatened, God takes that very seriously. You belong to Him. Oh, by the way, we were talking about demons earlier. Demons, evil, powerful demons. Do you know the only thing worse than messing with a demon?46:10provoking God. Way worse. Infinitely worse. Provoking God. Why would you do something that you know provokes God? Why would you do that? Like, well, what will he do? Well, the Bible is full of God's reaction to idolatry. Read Deuteronomy. Read the Psalms. Read the prophets.46:38They're like, yeah, that is so Old Testament. Yeah, it is Old Testament. But this here that we're studying today is so New Testament. The Bible says it's still a bad idea to provoke God to jealousy. Are you stronger than he? No, we should just do what he says, right? So it's a matter of the fear of the Lord. Run from idolatry.47:13I just like you to bow your heads for a moment I want to ask you the question that I asked you earlier are you in danger of idolatry considering that idolatry is a heart issue considering that we can turn anything into an idol The answer is yes, we are all in danger of idolatry. And I just want to ask you today, what idol do you need to flee from? What is it today that if you were going to be completely honest, I would draw near to God if this thing wasn't in the way. What is that thing that's keeping you from drawing closer to God? What is that? The Bible says that's an idol. If you belong to Jesus, you don't need to crack a door open for a demon. You certainly don't need to provoke God.48:39Father in Heaven, we bow ourselves before You as Your church. God, we realize that idolatry is just as much a temptation for us today as it was to the people that Paul wrote to. As it was in Old Testament times. Father, You are greatly glorified when idols are torn down. We see that throughout.49:07Your Word when a king who did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, that was usually accompanied by him tearing down idols. And I just pray that for this church today, Father, that You would, by Your Spirit, by Your Word, You would give us the wisdom to identify the idols, and You would give us the faith to cast them down. Whatever that needs to be, however that needs to look, Father, let today be the day that idols are destroyed.49:37in our lives. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Small Group DiscussionRead 1 Corinthians 10:14-22What was your big take-away from this passage / message?In light of 1 Cor 10:16-17: How would you explain the Lord's Supper (the “participation” concept) to a new believer?How can believers be guilty of idolatry today, in our culture?How does idolatry make a believer participate with demons (1 Cor 10:20)?What does it mean that God is jealous (1 Cor 10:22)? How exactly do you think He will respond when He's provoked to jealousy?BreakoutPray for one another.

Order of Service: - Prelude - Prayer: O Lord, our Maker, Redeemer, and Comforter, we are assembled in Your presence to hear Your holy Word. We pray You to open our hearts by Your Holy Spirit that through the preaching of Your Word we may be taught to repent of our sins, to believe on Jesus in life and in death, and to grow day by day in grace and holiness. Hear us for Christ's sake. Amen. - Hymn 456 - My Soul, Now Bless Thy Maker: Duet v. 1 (setting by J.H. Schein, 1618); C: vv. 3, 4 - Isaiah 40:9-11: O Zion, You who bring good tidings, Get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, You who bring good tidings, Lift up your voice with strength, Lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him. He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young. - The Lord's Prayer (p. 85) - Hymn 370 - The King of Love, My Shepherd is - Blessing - Postlude Service Participants: Rev. Shawn Stafford (Preacher), Allison Rygh (Singer), Rev. Prof. Dennis Marzolf (Pianist), Natalie Henning (Singer)

Many of us have heard the old legend about why Christopher Columbus was told he could not sail too far west. According to the legend, Columbus was repeatedly told that he could not sail west to India because the earth was flat. If he sailed too far, he would fall off the edge. That story was a piece of fiction cooked up by Washington Irving in the 1830s.Only one writer can be found in Western history who believed the earth was flat—that writer was Lactantius in the third century AD. All the others, for example, Pythagoras, still noted today for his mathematical proofs, simply assumed the earth was spherical. Two hundred years later the Greek mathematician Eratosthenes, also assuming that the earth was round, calculated that the earth was 25,000 miles in circumference. He was off by only 200 miles. A century later, using Eratosthenes' figure for the earth's diameter, Hipparchus calculated that the moon was 240,000 miles away from the earth. He was off by only 100 miles—less than half a percent!Nor does the Bible teach that the earth is flat. Isaiah 40:22 tells us how God looks down on the inhabitants of a round earth. Job 26:7 talks about the earth floating in space, hung on nothing.Today, we have exposed two myths. One is the myth that most people used to think the earth was flat. The other myth is that the Bible is not accurate when it describes the same creation that modern science talks about.Isaiah 40:22“It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:”Prayer: I thank You, Lord, that Your Word is trustworthy. Human words are often in error or deliberate deceptions. Help me to seek a higher standard of truth, honesty and godliness in all my words, so that I may be more like You. Amen.REF.: Lemonick, Michael D. Measuring the earth. Science Digest. Image: Movement of the moon and sun (re: flat earth theory), Towarzysz Przewodniczący, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1232/29?v=20251111

Welcome to Day 2844 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2844 – There is Always Hope – Luke 7:1-17 Putnam Church Message – 03/22/2026 Luke's Account of the Good News – “There is Always Hope!.”   Last week, we continued our study of the ministry of Jesus Christ with a message titled “The Twelve and Their Marching Orders.”  We learned that discipleship is: Building a life on His words until His kingdom becomes more real to us than the world around us. Today, we continue with the seventeenth message in Luke's narrative of the Good News of Jesus Christ in a message titled “There is Always Hope!”  Our Core verses for this week are Luke 7:1-17, found on page 1602 of your Pew Bibles.  The Faith of the Centurion 1 When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. 2 There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” 6 So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,' and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,' and he does it.” 9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” 10 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well. Jesus Raises a Widow's Son 11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don't cry.” 14 Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” 15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. 16 They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” 17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country. Opening Prayer Father, thank You that You are the God of hope. When our strength runs out, when our wisdom fails, when our circumstances overwhelm us, You remain faithful, present, and powerful. As we open Your Word today, lift our eyes above what we can see. Strengthen those who are weary. Encourage those who are grieving. Help us to trust that with Jesus, there is always hope. Speak to our hearts through Your Spirit and shape us by Your truth. In Christ's name we pray, amen. Introduction — The Thing People Cannot Live Without There are some things human beings simply cannot do without for very long. We need water. /We need food. /We need shelter. /And in a way that is harder to measure /but no less real, /we need hope. Hope is one of those invisible necessities of life. A person can survive longer without food than we might imagine. A person can endure terrible cold, staggering pain, and crushing loss as long as hope remains alive. But when hope dies, the human spirit begins to collapse. That is why despair is so dangerous. Despair does not merely make us sad; it drains us of motion, imagination, prayer, and endurance. Hope is what keeps the stranded person scanning the horizon. Hope is what keeps the grieving mother praying one more prayer. Hope is what keeps the exhausted unemployed worker filling out one more application. Hope is what keeps the suffering saint from surrendering to the lie that nothing will ever change. And Luke 7:1–17 is a passage about hope.  Not vague optimism. Not wishful thinking. Not positive self-talk. Hope anchored in Jesus. Luke gives us two stories and places them side by side very carefully. In one story, a Gentile centurion has a beloved servant at the point of death. In the other, a widowed mother is walking behind the body of her only son. One story is full of urgent fear; the other has moved all the way into open grief. One person sends for Jesus; the other never even asks. One situation is desperate; the other, humanly speaking, is final. And Luke sets them side by side so that we will see the same truth in both directions: When Jesus steps into the situation, hopelessness does not have the last word. So if you came this morning carrying discouragement, grief, uncertainty, or some private ache that has worn your heart thin, hear this clearly at the start: There is always hope when Jesus is near. Main Point 1 — Hope Begins When We Trust Jesus Beyond What We Can See Luke 7:1–10 Luke tells us that after Jesus finished teaching the people, He returned to Capernaum. And there, the first story begins. A Roman centurion had a servant who was very sick and near death. Now that fact alone is striking. This is not a Jewish elder. This is not one of the Twelve. This is not a synagogue leader's child. This is a Roman officer. A centurion commanded roughly one hundred soldiers. He was not at the very top of the military chain, but he was significant. He had authority, experience, discipline, and social standing. He was a man used to being obeyed. And yet here he is in a place of need. That is an important reminder already: rank does not prevent sorrow. Influence does not shield the heart. Power does not protect a person from pain. This centurion has a servant he deeply values, and that servant is close to death. Now Luke gives us another surprising detail. The centurion sends Jewish elders to Jesus. That tells us something about the delicacy of the situation. A Roman officer understood enough about Jewish customs to know that asking Jesus to enter a Gentile home could create a cultural and ceremonial problem. So, he sends respected Jewish men to speak on his behalf. And these elders come to Jesus, saying, “If anyone deserves your help, he does,” they said, 5 “for he loves the Jewish people and even built a synagogue for us.” Their argument is based on worthiness. “He's a good man.” “He's been generous.” “He has done good things.” “He deserves kindness.” And humanly speaking, we understand that argument. We all talk that way. We say, “If anyone deserves a break, it's her.” Or, “If anyone deserves help, it's him.” But then the centurion interrupts that whole line of thinking. As Jesus approaches the house, the centurion sends another message: “Lord, don't trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor. I am not even worthy to come and meet You. Just say the word from where You are, and my servant will be healed.” (Luke 7:6–7, NLT) That is extraordinary. The Jewish elders say, “He is worthy.” The centurion says, “I am not worthy.” That difference matters. The elders looked at the man's résumé. The centurion looked at Jesus. The elders were weighing merit. The centurion was resting on mercy. A Man Who Understood Authority Then he says something remarkable: “I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,' and they go, or ‘Come,' and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,' they do it.” (Luke 7:8, NLT) This man understood authority. He knew what it meant for a word backed by real authority to produce immediate action. And he believed Jesus had that kind of authority over disease. He is saying, in effect: “I do not need You to touch him. I do not need You to enter the room. I do not need a visible ritual. I do not need a dramatic display. If Your authority is what I believe it is, then distance is irrelevant. Just speak.” That is deep faith. And Jesus marvels. Luke says:...

The Prophet Under the Juniper Tree #Nightlight #RTTBROS #Depression #Sadness #Prayer(On depression, drawing on Charles Swindoll's pastoral insight and the Soul Care Bible)"But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die." — 1 Kings 19:4If you had to pick the last person you'd expect to find collapsed under a tree, begging God to let him die, I think most of us would put Elijah pretty near the top of the list. This was the man who had just called down fire from heaven on Mount Carmel. He had faced down 450 prophets of Baal and won. And then Jezebel sent him one threatening message, and he ran for his life and fell apart completely.I used to read that passage and think, well, that's odd. But the longer I've done this work, the longer I've sat with people in dark seasons, the more I think it's one of the most honest, most human passages in all of Scripture.Charles Swindoll, one of the great pastor-teachers whose wisdom is woven through the Soul Care Bible, has pointed out something important about how God responded to Elijah in that moment. He didn't rebuke him. He didn't lecture him about his lack of faith. He didn't send a preacher. He sent an angel. And the angel's first ministry to this broken, suicidal prophet was not a sermon. It was a meal and a nap."Arise and eat," the angel said. "The journey is too great for thee" (1 Kings 19:5, 7).God acknowledged that Elijah was physically and emotionally depleted, and He met that need first. Sleep. Food. Gentle care. Before the still small voice came. Before the recommissioning. Before any of that, God tended to the body and the soul of His exhausted servant.If you are in a season of depression tonight, I need you to hear this. God is not disappointed in you. He knows the journey has been too great. He is not standing over you with His arms crossed. He is kneeling down beside that juniper tree with provision and presence.And this, too: if someone you love is under their own juniper tree right now, don't lead with theology. Lead with a meal and a presence. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is show up, sit down, and say, "You don't have to explain yourself. I'm just here."Depression is real. It is not a character flaw. And the same God who restored Elijah, who sent him back out to finish the work, is able to restore the most exhausted soul among us.Let's pray: Father, thank You for the honesty of Your Word. Thank You for showing us a broken prophet and a gentle God. For everyone listening tonight who is under their juniper tree, come near. You know exactly what they need. Amen.#Depression #MentalHealth #SoulCare #Hope #Elijah #ChristianLiving #RTTBROS #NightlightBe sure to Like, Share, Follow and subscribe, it helps get the word out.https://linktr.ee/rttbros

We're starting a series today on miracles. They're one of the most popular subjects in culture. We're fascinated by them. We want them to happen, and we love it when they happen to us. But what is a miracle? Do they happen in our world today? Lots of questions. Skeptics claim that miracles are impossible.Chad and Mandy Stacy saw one of them when their son, Ethan, was born with leukemia, and over a period of three weeks, he developed tumors all over his body. He couldn't eat. His heartbroken parents began to make his funeral arrangements and took him home. But one night at his lowest, he began taking nourishment, and over the next week, he improved so much that his doctors were not able to find evidence of the killer disease in his body. One doctor said it was just remarkable to witness it.One scholar has a thought that skeptics might consider: “To say that miracles are scientifically impossible is one thing, but to say that they can't happen is another thing. We might even define a miracle as an event which is scientifically impossible, but which happens anyway.” Well, there you have it. The Bible, in fact, has much to say about miracles, and because Scripture also tells us that our God does not change, we can reasonably believe He gives us miracles. We might say that the very first miracle was the creation of everything out of nothing. A marvelous world that still retains great beauty. The moon is just the right distance from Earth to allow perfect tides that clean our oceans. The sun is just the right distance so that we have heat, but not too much. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”One of the first of what we might call personal miracles is recorded in Exodus 3, the burning bush. Moses is allowed to talk with God up close as the Lord's presence was in a bush nearby that wouldn't burn up. Another use of fire we see in 1 Kings 18, when Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal to sort of a dual, each is to call on his God to answer. And Elijah says, “The true God will answer by fire.” And He does, as fire comes down from heaven and consumes the altar they've built.An especially heartfelt miracle occurs in the New Testament in John 4, when Jesus heals a nobleman's son. Jesus doesn't force Himself on anybody. But as we will see, He's in the miracle business. If you need one, tell Him that. Tell Him your friend or relative or a stranger needs a miracle. He's the God who answers by fire.Let's pray. Father God, you have proven yourself to us so many times that we don't need to doubt anything in Your Word. We believe that You grant miracles in different times and places, and no one is beyond Your miracle-giving gifts. Thank you for that. And help us to carry them in our hearts and our minds so that we can be witnesses for you. In Jesus' name, amen. Change your shirt, and you can change the world! Save 15% Off your entire purchase of faith-based apparel + gifts at Kerusso.com with code KDD15.

The papacy claims that one man is above all other pastors, his authority is in both Church and state, and everyone must acknowledge his authority in the Church in order to receive salvation.  Melancthon carefully addresses each of these claims according to Scripture while acknowledging the inconsistencies found in the Church's history.  It is written by the LORD that each pastor is on equal footing, their ministry is that of service, and the Church has the authority by God's Word.  “Lord help us to live according to Your Word and confess the Truth, nothing more—nothing less. Amen.”  Rev. Dr. Christian Einertson, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Farmington, MN, joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study the Power and Primacy of the Pope. To learn more about Trinity in Farmington, visit trinityfarmington.org. Find your copy of the Book of Concord - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org. Study the Lutheran Confession of Faith found in the Book of Concord with lively discussions led by host Rev. Brady Finnern, President of the LCMS Minnesota North District, and guest LCMS pastors. Join us as these Christ-confessing Concordians read through and discuss our Lutheran doctrine in the Book of Concord in order to gain a deeper understanding of our Lutheran faith and practical application for our vocations. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org.

As we conclude this series on Daniel's effective prayers, Dr. Michael Youssef brings the focus to two essentials many believers overlook: knowing God's Word and responding in obedience. How can you be confident you're praying God's will—and not simply your own desires? Jesus gives the priority: seek first God's Kingdom, and trust Him to provide what you need (Matthew 6:25–33). Dr. Youssef explains that the pathway to will-aligned prayer is immersion in Scripture: the more you know the mind of God, the more your requests begin to reflect His purposes. As you pray specifically, you learn to check those requests against God's Word—because God will never lead you to pray against what He has already revealed. This devotional also pulls together the pattern we've seen in Daniel: Praise that magnifies God, Confession that stays honest and humble, Petition that asks God to act for His glory, and then a crucial final step: listen and obey. God often accomplishes His purposes through individual believers who are willing to move from prayer into faithful action. If you've felt weary in prayer or tempted to give up, Dr. Youssef anchors you with a promise of perseverance: don't quit—God's harvest comes at the proper time (Galatians 6:9). Keep praying, keep obeying, and keep trusting God's timing. Prayer: Father, help me spend more time in Your Word so that I will be better equipped to pray Your will. Help me respond in obedience when I sense You leading me to do something. And help me not give up! I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. “I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands” (Psalm 119:60). Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef's sermon 12 Evidences of Faith, Releasing His Power Through Prayer: LISTEN NOW 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.

Welcome to Day 2839 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2839 – "The Twelve" and Their Marching Orders – Luke 6:12-49 Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2839 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2839 of our trek. The purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Each Tuesday, I will share the messages I have delivered at Putnam Congregational Church this year. This is the sixteenth message in a year-long series covering the Good News as narrated by Luke. Today's message covers Luke six, verses twelve through forty-nine, and is titled “"The Twelve" and Their Marching Orders” . I pray it will be a conduit for learning and encouragement for you. Putnam Church Message – 03/15/2026 Luke's Account of the Good News - “The Twelve and Their Marching Orders”   Last week, we continued our study of the ministry of Jesus Christ with a message titled “The Defiant Messiah.”  We learned that He is not defiant against the Father. He is defiant against anything that misrepresents the Father. Today, we continue with the sixteenth message in Luke's narrative of the Good News of Jesus Christ in a message titled “The Twelve and Their Marching Orders.”  Our Core verses for this week are Luke 6:12-49, found on page 1600 of your Pew Bibles.  The Twelve Apostles 12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. 13 When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: 14 Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. Blessings and Woes 17 He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, 18 who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, 19 and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all. 20 Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22 Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. 23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets. 24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. 25 Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets. Love for Enemies 27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Judging Others 37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” 39 He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher. 41 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. A Tree and Its Fruit 43 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. The Wise and Foolish Builders 46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? 47 As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. 48 They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”     Opening Prayer Father, thank You for Your Word and for the Lord Jesus Christ, who not only saves us but teaches us how to live as citizens of His kingdom. Open our minds to understand, soften our hearts to receive, and strengthen our wills to obey. Teach us what real discipleship looks like. Guard us from being hearers only and make us doers of Your Word. In Jesus' name, amen. Introduction For a number of years, “discipleship” became a kind of Christian buzzword. Conferences were built around it. Books were written about it. Churches made programs for it. Seminar speakers diagrammed it on whiteboards and filled binders with methods for it. And some of that was very good. Many believers can look back and say, “Somebody poured into me. Somebody noticed me. Somebody taught me not just Bible facts, but how to walk with Christ.”  That is a beautiful thing. For me, that would be primarily my parents. But discipleship did not begin in the 1970s. It did not begin in a seminar notebook. It did not begin in a curriculum. It began in the heart of Jesus. And when we come to Luke 6:12–49, we see something crucial: Jesus did not merely gather crowds. / He made disciples. / And He did not merely make disciples in general. / He first chose twelve men, and then He began to shape them for mission. / One thing we don't want to miss as we focus today on the twelve is that there were many others who traveled with Jesus during His ministry, including several women, who assisted in funding the ministry. That matters, because crowds are impressed by miracles,...

What makes “the prayer of a righteous person” so effective? Dr. Michael Youssef points to Daniel's plea in Daniel 9:4–19 as a clear model for believers today—and then highlights the key components you can practice immediately. First, start with praise. Daniel doesn't rush into requests; he begins by magnifying God as “great and awesome,” faithful to His covenant of love (Daniel 9:4). Prayer isn't merely a tool to get what we want—it's fellowship with God, cultivating an intimate relationship through adoration and thanksgiving. Second, confess your sins. Daniel doesn't minimize Israel's guilt or make excuses. He owns it plainly: “we have sinned and done wrong… we have turned away” (Daniel 9:5). Dr. Youssef reminds us that honest confession isn't self-condemnation—it's God's pathway to restore us to the fullness of right relationship with Him. If you've felt stuck in prayer, distracted, or discouraged, this devotional will help you reset your approach: praise God for who He is, confess what He reveals, and pray from a heart that longs to be aligned with Him. Prayer: God, I want to praise You today for Your love and for the gift of salvation. Thank You for giving us Your Word to provide examples like Daniel for us to follow. Forgive my sins, my Redeemer. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. Scripture Focus: “The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior!” (Psalm 18:46). Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef's sermon Life-Changing Prayers, Part 1: LISTEN NOW 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.

Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, most of us quietly stopped asking questions. Responsibilities filled the spaces where wonder used to live, and without even noticing, we traded curiosity for routine — including in our faith. We read the same passages, pray the same prayers, and somewhere along the way, the thrill of discovering who God is begins to feel like a distant memory. But what if God never meant for that sense of wonder to fade? Proverbs 2 paints a vivid picture of someone who seeks understanding the way a treasure hunter pursues hidden riches — actively, hungrily, refusing to settle for the surface. That is the posture God invites us into, not just as new believers, but for the entirety of our lives with Him. He is not threatened by our questions or put off by our desire to understand more. He is a God of infinite wisdom, which means there is always something new to discover about who He is and how He works. A curious mind doesn't weaken faith — it deepens it. When we open Scripture asking the Holy Spirit to show us something fresh, when we pay attention to the evidence of God's creativity woven into the ordinary moments of our day, we find that seeking Him is not just a discipline. It is a delight. Today's Bible Verse "Indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God." — Proverbs 2:3-5, NIV Ponder Today Curiosity is not a childish trait to outgrow — it is a God-given gift that draws us deeper into knowing Him, and He invites us to cultivate it throughout our entire lives. God is not threatened by our questions; He is actually the one who extended the invitation to seek, search, and discover — and He promises that those who seek Him will find Him. Seeking God with a curious mind is an active choice, not a passive one — it means opening Scripture, paying attention to creation, and asking the Holy Spirit to teach us something new each day. Today's Prayer Dear God, I want to know You more. I confess that I sometimes settle into routine and stop seeking You with the curiosity and wonder You deserve. Give me a curious mind that is eager to learn and a heart that longs for Your wisdom. Teach me through Your Word, through creation, and through every experience of my daily life. Help me search for understanding the way a treasure hunter searches for hidden riches — actively, hungrily, and with great expectation. I trust that as I seek You, You will reveal more of who You are. Thank You, God. Amen. Enjoy Today's Prayer? If this episode encouraged you, we'd love to stay connected! Subscribe to the LifeAudio newsletter at LifeAudio.com for daily prayers, devotionals, and faith-filled content delivered straight to your inbox. Don't miss an episode — subscribe and share with someone who needs encouragement today. 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.

The Four Agreements. I read this book over 20 years ago. It change the way I move through life on a daily basis and I hope it does the same for you. Whether this is the first time you hear about it or it's one of your classic favorites too.  I just had an amazing conversation about the book with the brilliant Annie M. Henderson—a transformational life coach, educator, and former licensed professional counselor who specializes in whole-brain approaches that work with the subconscious and nervous system. We had such a deep and in-depth conversation that it ended up being a longer than usual episode.  So I wanted to cut it into two sections to make it easy to reflect on the first part, easy to reflect on the second part, and to digest the lessons we're talking about—what we learned from the book, how to put it into practice. It was so rich that I just wanted to give it space to breathe. In this episode, Part 1, we walk you through the fable at the beginning of the book. If you're not familiar with the book, don't worry. You don't need any prior knowledge. We walk you through everything. Then we do a deep dive into the first two agreements: Be impeccable with your word and don't take anything personally. Annie brings such a beautiful perspective to being impeccable with your word and how to think about it. I had never heard it explained quite like she did. In Part 2, our next episode, we will cover agreements three and four: Don't make assumptions and always do your best. Annie is also a specialist in a really fascinating modality called RIM—Regenerating Images and Memory. And we're going to tell you all about it in Part 2. Here is the scoop on what's included — ✨ Episode at a Glance The fable from The Four Agreements about how we're all made of light What the "fog" is made of—all the agreements we've absorbed about who we are  Breaking generational curses by making new conscious agreements Agreement #1: Be Impeccable with Your Word—and how we talk to ourselves  Agreement #2: Don't Take Anything Personally—and what to ask instead The movie analogy for reconciling divinity with difficult people Why domestication keeps us in an unconscious pen How to use "What if it's not about me?" in your marriage The power of one: How you shift first and they react to that shift Resources Mentioned In This Episode: The Questions for Couples Journal Private Coaching with Maggie Free Workshop: The Growth Gap Marriage Mindset Makeover The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz Visit Annie's website www.anniemhenderson.com  Follow Annie on IG @life_coach_annie Follow Annie on TikTok @Anniemhenderson

We live in a world that is hungry for signs — a feeling, a dream, a coincidence that feels too perfectly timed to be anything other than divine direction. And while that longing for guidance is deeply human, it can quietly lead us away from the most reliable source of direction God has given us. What does it actually look like to be led by the Holy Spirit? The answer may be simpler — and more demanding — than we expect. Being led by the Spirit is not a passive, mysterious feeling or a matter of reading the circumstances around us like a spiritual roadmap. It is an active, daily surrender — putting to death the desires of the flesh and anchoring our lives to the truth of God's Word. Psalm 119:105 reminds us that we are not left to navigate this dark world through guesswork or gut feelings; we have been given a lamp for our feet and a light for our path. When we fill our hearts and minds with Scripture, studying it and asking the Holy Spirit to illuminate its truth, something begins to shift. Fear loses its grip. Trust takes root. And we find ourselves learning to rest in the sovereignty of a God who is in control of every detail — even the ones we cannot yet see. Today's Bible Verse "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." — Psalm 119:105, NKJV Ponder Today Being led by the Spirit is not about feelings, signs, or circumstances — it is an active, daily choosing to walk in obedience to God's Word rather than the desires of the flesh. The Holy Spirit will always use Scripture to guide us — which means the more deeply we know God's Word, the more clearly we will recognize His leading. A subjective, experience-based faith can lead to confusion and misunderstanding; anchoring ourselves to Scripture gives us a foundation that cannot be shaken or changed. When we fill our hearts and minds with God's Word, fear begins to lose its grip — we no longer have to live in the anxiety of "what ifs" but can rest in His divine providence. Studying Scripture is not just an intellectual exercise — it is how we come to know God, trust His sovereignty, and receive the wisdom to make decisions that honor Him. Today's Prayer Father God, I need direction, and I confess that I often look for external signs rather than turning to Your Word. I repent for relying on subjective feelings and build my life instead upon the firm foundation of Scripture. Give me a hunger to study Your Word so that I may know You and Your will more deeply. Strengthen my faith and trust in Your sovereignty so that I can rest in the knowledge that Your hand leads me every day, even when I cannot see it. Thank You for giving me a light to my path and a lamp to my feet. In Jesus' name, Amen. Enjoy Today's Prayer? If this episode encouraged you, we'd love to stay connected! Subscribe to the LifeAudio newsletter at LifeAudio.com for daily prayers, devotionals, and faith-filled content delivered straight to your inbox. Don't miss an episode — subscribe and share with someone who needs encouragement today. 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.

Read OnlineSimon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We also will come with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” They answered him, “No.” So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.” So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish. John 21:3–6In three of His resurrection appearances, Jesus did not immediately reveal His true presence to His disciples. He wanted to teach them—and us—important lessons on how we are to encounter Him. In each of these appearances, the same thing happened: Those to whom Jesus appeared did not recognize Him at first. Only after some interaction with Him were their eyes opened to discern that it was the Lord.The first of these encounters is recorded in John 20:11–18, when Mary Magdalene sat outside Jesus' empty tomb, weeping at the thought that His body had been stolen. She remained there with profound devotion and love, revealing a model for our prayer. Only when Jesus called Mary by name did she recognize Him. This personal call opens her eyes, reminding us of the importance of a personal relationship with Christ. In imitation of Mary's deep love and steadfast devotion, we are invited to remain vigilant in prayer, ready to hear Him call us by name.The second instance is in Luke 24:13-35, when two disciples journeying to Emmaus are joined by Jesus, though “their eyes were kept from recognizing Him.” As they walked, Jesus explained everything in the Scriptures that pointed to His messianic mission. This teaches us that we, too, encounter the Lord in the Word of God. By reading, pondering, and praying over Scripture, we open ourselves to meeting Jesus. Once the disciples understood the Scriptures, Jesus broke bread with them, and they recognized Him, but He vanished from their sight. Jesus' disappearance at that moment reveals a profound truth: He remains truly present in the Eucharist, even though we do not physically see Him.Finally, in today's Gospel passage from John 21:1–14, the disciples recognize Jesus only after the miraculous catch of fish. Having fished all night without success, they obey when Jesus tells them from the shore to “Cast the net over the right side of the boat,” resulting in an overwhelming catch. This reminds us of the moment when Jesus first called Simon Peter and Andrew, saying, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). Here, Jesus reveals to the Apostles—and to us—that we will encounter Him in our apostolic works when done at His command. When we align our actions with His will, He blesses them, yielding an abundance of spiritual fruit. Thus, our apostolic efforts are another way in which the Risen Lord is present with us, working through us to draw souls to Himself. Reflect today on the longing of Jesus' disciples to encounter His resurrected presence. Ponder the lessons He imparted by initially concealing His presence, then revealing Himself. Resolve to seek the living and resurrected Lord in your life. Through love and devotion, meet Him in prayer, where He calls you by name. In the Word of God and the Eucharist, recognize Him in your midst. And in fidelity to His guiding hand in your apostolic work, see His superabundant fruitfulness as a sign of His presence, drawing many souls to Himself through you. Jesus is not dead; He is alive and desires to continue appearing to us in hidden and mysterious ways. Anticipate His ongoing resurrection appearances in your life, knowing that He is always with you when you remain faithful, in imitation of these holy disciples. My ever-present Lord, You are always attentive to us, Your children, and never abandon us. You call each of us by name, come to us through Your Word and Sacraments, and direct our apostolic works. Help me to discern Your presence in my life, discovering You every day in the ways You desire to be present to me. Jesus, I trust in You.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.

Read OnlineThat very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus' disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. Luke 24:13–16Why were these two disciples prevented from recognizing Jesus when He appeared to them on Easter Sunday? Earlier that morning, as Luke recounts (Luke 24:1–12), Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary—the mother of James—and other unnamed disciples found the tomb empty. While they were there, “two men in dazzling garments appeared to them” proclaiming that Jesus had risen. When the women told the rest of the disciples, their story “seemed like nonsense, and they did not believe them.” Surprisingly, for some of the disciples, Jesus' Resurrection was not immediately a cause for rejoicing—it was a cause for uncertainty and, sadly, disbelief.Today's Gospel recounts what happened later that day when two disciples who had heard the women's testimony took a seven-mile walk from Jerusalem to Emmaus. In John's Gospel, when Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, she didn't recognize Him until He said her name, “Mary!” (John 20:16). By speaking her name, Jesus not only showed He knew her but also revealed His resurrected presence to her.When Jesus appeared to the two disciples walking to Emmaus, He revealed Himself in a different way. He walked with them, allowed them to express their confusion and even doubt, and then interpreted the Scriptures to them, beginning with Moses, so they understood how the Scriptures pointed to Him as the Messiah.So back to our original question: Why were the eyes of these two disciples prevented from recognizing Jesus when He appeared to them? Because faith in the Resurrection doesn't come from physical sight alone; it comes by hearing and understanding the Word of God, which opens our hearts to believe. Jesus preached the Gospel to these two disciples, and through that preaching, they came to believe.The story of Emmaus not only recounts an encounter with the risen Christ but also offers a model for our own encounter with Him in the Mass. First, the Word of God is read and preached. Then, the bread and wine are consecrated into the True Presence of Jesus, which we consume. In the story of Emmaus, Jesus' preaching inspired faith in these disciples. Once they understood and believed, Jesus “took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that, their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight” (Luke 24:30–31). In this breaking of the bread, they recognized Him. Jesus had given them faith through the Word of God and nourished that faith with the Eucharist.Why did Jesus vanish at that moment? Because He now dwelled within their souls—a presence sustained each time we receive Him in the Eucharist, His True Presence entering our own hearts and lives. His bodily presence was no longer necessary for them; they now carried Him within. The Word of God instills faith, preparing our hearts, and the Eucharist brings us into intimate union with our Lord, who dwells within us.Reflect today on how you encounter Jesus in the Mass. At Mass, Jesus appears to us in the exact way we need Him, through Word and Sacrament. When we listen to the Word of God, internalize it, and let it spark deeper faith in our hearts, we have truly met our Lord. When we kneel before the Eucharist and consume Him in Holy Communion, Jesus is even more intimately present to us than if He were physically before us. Each Communion infinitely blesses our souls, for through this gift, Jesus enters and makes our souls His sanctuary.My Eucharistic Lord, You truly come to us every time we participate in the Mass. Please help me to make my participation in the Mass a reflection of the encounter of these two disciples on the way to Emmaus. Open my mind to the gift of faith as I hear Your Word proclaimed and preached. With faith, may I then receive You openly in Holy Communion, so that my soul will become a sanctuary in which Your resurrected presence may dwell. Jesus, I trust in You and welcome You with all my heart.Image: Christ's Appearance to the two Disciples journeying to Emmaus.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.

Welcome to Day 2834 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2834 – The Defiant Messiah – Luke 6:1-11 Putnam Church Message – 03/08/2026 Luke's Account of the Good News - “The Defiant Messiah”   Last week, we continued our study of the ministry of Jesus Christ with a message titled “Is It Okay to Party with Sinners?”  In other words, “Are we willing to carry the presence of Christ into places where grace is needed most?” Today, we continue with the fifteenth message in Luke's narrative of the Good News of Jesus Christ in a message titled “The Defiant Messiah.”  Our Core verses for this week are Luke 6:1-11, found on page 1599 of your Pew Bibles. Follow along as I read. SCRIPTURE READING — Luke 6:1-11 (NIV)  Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath 1 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, / rub them in their hands and / eat the kernels. 2 Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” 3 Jesus answered them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” 5 Then Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” 6 On another Sabbath, he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. 7 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. 8 But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” So he got up and stood there. 9 Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” 10 He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was completely restored. 11 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus. Opening Prayer Father, thank You for Your Word and for the Lord Jesus, who shows us Your heart with perfect clarity. Open our minds to understand this passage, and open our hearts to receive it. Rescue us from harsh religion, from pride, and from confusing our traditions with Your truth. Teach us to love mercy, to honor Christ as Lord, and to trust Him enough to follow where He leads. In Jesus' name, amen. Introduction A wise mentor once told me, “Choose your battles carefully.” That is good advice in life and in ministry. Not every disagreement is worth a fight. Not every irritation deserves a confrontation. Not every preference needs to become a principle. But sometimes a battle must be chosen. Sometimes the issue is too important to ignore. Sometimes the truth of God is being distorted. Sometimes people are being crushed in the name of religion. And when that happens, silence is not wisdom. Silence is surrender. That is what we see in Luke 6. Jesus did not look for unnecessary fights. He was not quarrelsome. Most quarrels stem from insecurity on the part of one or both parties. Jesus was not insecure. But when the Pharisees used God's law in ways that burdened people and obscured the heart of God, Jesus did not back down. He chose that battle. And that is why I'm calling this message “The Defiant Messiah.” He was not defiant against the Father. He was defiant against distortion. He was not defiant against Scripture. He was defiant against those who twisted Scripture into something God never intended. By Luke 6, the tension has been building for some time. Jesus has taught with authority, cast out demons, healed the sick, forgiven sins, called unlikely disciples, and eaten with tax collectors and sinners. The Pharisees have already been irritated by Him. But now He touches the one thing they considered theirs to police and control: the Sabbath. And when He does, He draws a line in the sand. Main Point 1: Jesus Restores the Purpose of God's Law Luke 6:1–5 Luke begins with a Sabbath scene in a grainfield: “One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, his disciples broke off heads of grain, rubbed off the husks in their hands, and ate the grain. But some Pharisees said, ‘Why are you breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?'” At first, this sounds like a small matter. The disciples are hungry. They pick grain. They eat. But to the Pharisees, this was not a snack. It was a violation. In their interpretation, plucking grain was reaping, rubbing it was threshing, and separating it was winnowing. In other words, they had taken ordinary hunger and turned it into Sabbath labor. Now we must be clear: according to the actual Law of Moses, the disciples were doing nothing wrong. Deuteronomy 23 allowed a hungry traveler to pluck grain by hand from a field. So, the issue was not God's law. The issue was the Pharisees' interpretation of it. That is always where legalism lives. Legalism confuses human rules with divine commands. It elevates tradition until people can no longer tell the difference between what God actually said and what someone religious has added. Jesus answers them by going to Scripture. He says, in effect, “Haven't you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?” (3) He points them to 1 Samuel 21, where David, fleeing for his life, received consecrated bread from the priest.  4 He went into the house of God and broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests can eat. He also gave some to his companions.” Bread normally reserved for priests>was shared because human need mattered. God never intended holy bread to sit untouched while hungry men starved. Jesus' point is simple and profound: God's law was never meant to work against mercy. Then Jesus says the line that changes everything: “The Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath.” (5) That is not merely a clever reply. It is a claim of authority. The Sabbath belongs to God. Jesus says He is Lord over it. In other words, He is not simply giving an opinion about Sabbath practice. He is reclaiming divine authority over the very gift God gave. Object Lesson Hold up a wrapped gift and say, “Here is a gift for each of you, ‘Don't enjoy it, don't touch it wrongly, don't use it incorrectly, just be anxious around it.' At some point, the gift stops feeling like a gift and starts feeling like a burden.” That's what had happened to the Sabbath. God intended the Sabbath to be rest, trust, delight, and covenant blessing. The Pharisees had turned it into a form of fear management. Jesus restores the gift to its original purpose. Related Scriptures Exodus 20:8–11 — Sabbath as a gift rooted in creation. 8 “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy. Deuteronomy 5:12–15 — Sabbath as freedom from slavery. 15 Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, but the Lord your God brought you out with his strong hand and powerful arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to rest on the Sabbath day. Mark 2:27 — 27 Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. Hosea 6:6 — God desires mercy, not empty ritual I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to...