God’s Unchanging Word: Abraham, Visible Traces of his Trusting Heart. Hebrews 11:17-19

Hebrews 11:17-19 Amplified Bible

¹⁷By faith Abraham, when he was tested [that is, as the testing of his faith was still in progress], ^[a]offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises [of God] was ready to sacrifice his only son [of promise]; ¹⁸to whom it was said, “Through Isaac your descendants shall be called.” ¹⁹For he considered [it reasonable to believe] that God was able to raise Isaac even from among the dead. [Indeed, in the sense that he was prepared to sacrifice Isaac in obedience to God] Abraham did receive him back [from the dead] figuratively speaking.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

There are many times the LORD has promised me great things, but for some reason, I have always received things that I thought were just too mediocre.

I try to be content with all that the LORD has given. But, it always bothered me why am I not receiving the great things that the LORD has promised, why do I always end up with the things that are not what actually the LORD promised…

Recently few things happened in our family and by the grace of our LORD, we will be able to provide witness to those events for the glory of our LORD. Still, it bothered me we did not receive the promises of the LORD as He has promised.

When I asked the LORD, the only answer was: “Have the faith of Abraham.”

Okay, first of all, I don’t think nor believe that I can have a faith like Abraham.

I mean, he is called the father of all faithful for a reason, right? I mean, even today, after knowing all I know about our LORD, I don’t think I would be willing to ever sacrifice my children, but Abraham, he could, he would and he sure did.

But then the LORD made me realize that He was talking about some other angle.

Isaac was born when both Abraham and his wife Sarah were really old.

Now, the LORD was asking Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac.

We all talk about the unquestioning obedience of Abraham and how he did not hesitate to do the LORD’s command, then to have Isaac gather up the kindling.

The LORD is not expecting us to do the same. But there is something else we must learn from this. Till then, no one had ever be risen from dead, so Abraham had no reason to believe that. What would then be the best alternative to that?

It would have been easier for me in 2024 to believe that even if young Isaac was killed, the LORD would be able to give another child to Abraham and Sarah. That would obviously be a whole lot easier than resurrecting someone from death.

But Abraham did not seek an alternative. He believed in the Word of the LORD. He believed in the Word of the LORD as it was. The LORD’s original promise was that it was through Isaac, his offspring would be reckoned. (Hebrews 11:18)

If Isaac was sacrificed, then God could always give another child for Abraham and start a new covenant. But Abraham did not budge from his obedience. He believed the original promise of the LORD. So, his faith was on only one thing: even if I had to sacrifice Isaac today, the LORD would assuredly resurrect him.

That’s exactly the steadfastness of faith the LORD is directly asking from us.

Say the LORD has given you a promise, you are waiting eagerly for that promise.

But somehow things go unexpectedly wrong, the doors are shut and instead of great things the LORD has promised, you receive some lesser thing. It is not as great as the LORD has promised, but it is still better than what you had before.

What could you, would you, suggest to do?

What could you, would you, recommend?

Will you automatically or begrudgingly settle for this, that, and thank the LORD for providing at least this? Or, will you hardcore hold on to the original promise, keep moving forward with faith that the LORD will fulfill His Word as He has promised?

Your well considered answer will decide the blessings you receive in your life.

Believe in the Word of the LORD and believe in every letter of the Word.

The Business of Being in God’s Unchanging Word

Hebrews 4:11-16 Amplified Bible

¹¹Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest [of God, to know and experience it for ourselves], so that no one will fall by following the same example of disobedience [as those who died in the wilderness]. ¹²For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged ^[a]sword, penetrating as far as the division of the ^[b] soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart. ¹³And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, and revealed to the eyes of Him with whom we have to give account.

¹⁴Inasmuch then as we [believers] have a great High Priest who has [already ascended and] passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession [of faith and cling tenaciously to our absolute trust in Him as Savior]. ¹⁵For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations, but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to be human] in every respect as we are, yet without [committing any] sin. ¹⁶Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].

In too many ways, from too many directions, life can feel overwhelming.

Every day brings new challenges even as old ones continue without resolution.

It’s easy to allow our faith to trip on the stumbling block of our own lack of understanding of our circumstances—to take the baton of faith, as it were, toss it to the ground, saying, “no more steps, I’m finished. I can’t run any further.”

1 Corinthians 15:50-58 Amplified Bible

The Mystery of Resurrection

⁵⁰Now I say this, believers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit nor be part of the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable (mortal) inherit the imperishable (immortal). ⁵¹Listen very carefully, I tell you a mystery [a secret truth decreed by God and previously hidden, but now revealed]; we will not all sleep [in death], but we will all be [completely] changed [wondrously transformed], ⁵²in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at [the sound of] the last trumpet call. For a trumpet will sound, and the dead [who believed in Christ] will be raised imperishable, and we will be [completely] changed [wondrously transformed]. ⁵³For this perishable [part of us] must put on the imperishable [nature], and this mortal [part of us that is capable of dying] must put on immortality [which is freedom from death]. ⁵⁴And when this perishable puts on the imperishable, and this mortal puts on immortality, then the Scripture will be fulfilled that says, “Death is swallowed up in victory (vanquished forever). ⁵⁵O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” ⁵⁶The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin [by which it brings death] is the law; ⁵⁷but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory [as conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁵⁸Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord [always doing your best and doing more than is needed], being continually aware that your labor [even to the point of exhaustion] in the Lord is not futile nor wasted [it is never without purpose].

In those moments, God’s word speaks directly and decisively, encourages us to remember that the witness of the Christian faith is a testimony, enduring faith that remains resolute. It is so possible to remain obedient to God’s commands even when everything around us seems to contradict what He has promised.

Until the cross, perhaps nowhere in Scripture do we find a more hardcore, thoroughly overwhelming moment than with Isaac in the life of Abraham.

It was a moment that occurred entirely at the instigation of God:

“[God] said, ‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you’ … When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son” (Genesis 22:2, 9-10).

God’s command to Abraham was clear—and yet it seemed to contradict God’s sure and ironclad promise that through Abraham’s offspring

“all the nations of the earth” would “be blessed” and that “through Isaac shall your offspring be named” (Genesis 22:18; 21:12).

Believe it! The fulfillment of God’s promises depended upon Isaac’s survival.

If Isaac was to die, how could the promise possibly be fulfilled?

Yet Abraham still obeyed. Even though his circumstances could have led him to doubt and question God’s word, by faith Abraham said,

God has a plan in this. His promise is that through Isaac all the nations of the earth will be blessed. Therefore, He must be going to resurrect him—to raise him up from the dead (Hebrews 11:19).

This is why earlier, as Abraham had left to perform the commanded sacrifice, he had said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you” (Genesis 22:5, emphasis added).

What an expression of faith! Do not miss this: when the command was given to Abraham, he obeyed it. Although it seemed to directly contradict the promises God had made, Abraham did his business, and he determined to let God do His.

We can do so too.

As difficult as it is do not allow your circumstances, however daunting they may be, to lessen your obedience or cause you to call God’s promises into question.

Centuries after Abraham and Isaac climbed up, and down, this mountain, and carried their wood, God’s own Son rose from the grave on the side of that same mountain, as the ultimate testimony to the truth that God keeps His promises.

So you and I and the Church in all of its rancor and rhetoric can face whatever today brings confidently, hopefully, and prayerfully, saying, “I can keep going. I’m not finished, God is not finished. God will do His part, so I can do mine.”

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 46 Amplified Bible

God the Refuge of His People.

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah, set to soprano voices. A Song.

46 God is our refuge and strength [mighty and impenetrable],
A very present and well-proved help in trouble.
²
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
And though the mountains be shaken and slip into the heart of the seas,
³
Though its waters roar and foam,
Though the mountains tremble at its roaring. Selah.

⁴
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
The holy dwelling places of the Most High.
⁵
God is in the midst of her [His city], she will not be moved;
God will help her when the morning dawns.
⁶
The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered and were moved;
He raised His voice, the earth melted.
⁷
The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold [our refuge, our high tower]. Selah.

⁸
Come, behold the works of the Lord,
Who has brought desolations and wonders on the earth.
⁹
He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow into pieces and snaps the spear in two;
He burns the chariots with fire.
¹⁰
“Be still and know (recognize, understand) that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth.”
¹¹
The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold [our refuge, our high tower]. Selah.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com/

Parents, Do Tell Your Children, Teach Your Children Some Powerful Prayers About Lady Wisdom. Proverbs 22:1-6

Proverbs 22:1-6 New American Standard Bible 1995

On Life and Conduct

22 A good name is to be more desired than great wealth,
Favor is better than silver and gold.
²The rich and the poor ^[a]have a common bond,
The Lord is the maker of them all.
³The prudent sees the evil and hides himself,
But the ^[b]naïve go on, and are punished for it.
⁴The reward of humility and the ^[c]fear of the Lord
Are riches, honor and life.
⁵Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;
He who guards himself will be far from them.
⁶Train up a child ^[d]in the way he should go,
Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Parents, Tell Your Children, Teach Your Children

Proverbs 22:1-6 The Message

The Cure Comes Through Discipline

22 A sterling reputation is better than striking it rich;
a gracious spirit is better than money in the bank.

²The rich and the poor shake hands as equals—
God made them both!

³A prudent person sees trouble coming and ducks;
a simpleton walks in blindly and is clobbered.

⁴The payoff for meekness and Fear-of-God
is plenty and honor and a satisfying life.

⁵The perverse travel a dangerous road, potholed and mud-slick;
if you know what’s good for you, stay clear of it.

⁶Point your kids in the right direction—
when they’re old they won’t be lost.

Well, Memorial Day weekend is here and summer is right around the corner.

Soon children will be out of school – some will be graduating high school, and some will be graduating from college and still others will be getting ready for the next grade level and some will just be getting old enough for kindergarten.

Summer time and summer vacations, now parents will too often face a moral dilemma in the lines at the admission gates of theme parks and sporting events.

If a child is in a more expensive age bracket but looks young enough to pass for a cheaper rate, the parents are probably tempted just a wee bit to lie about the child’s age, tell the child to be quiet, thinking it might be better to save money.

22 A sterling reputation is better than striking it rich;
a gracious spirit is better than money in the bank.

²The rich and the poor shake hands as equals—
God made them both!

Character, Character, Character!

Integrity, Integrity, Integrity!

Honesty, Honesty, Honesty!

Fairness, Fairness, Fairness!

Because if we let one “wee little innocent” sin in the door, others follow.

A parent’s lie at the admission gate amounts to stealing from the company.

It suggests to a child who is watching that it’s no big deal to lie to Mom or Dad or to steal from them or others.

And if a lying, stealing parent tries to use discipline on a lying, stealing child, that only drives a wedge between the generations.

“Do as I say, not as I do” does not meet God’s standard for raising children being; “6 Train up a child [d]in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.” “⁶Point your kids in the right direction—when they’re old they won’t be lost.”

Children’s lives, regardless of how old they are can mirror their parents’ lives in frightfully convicting ways—or, conversely, truly wonderfully affirming ways.

Forgiveness from God is the only way forward.

Parents prove each day that they are sinners, and their admitting this to their children clears the air and points them to Jesus. It’s never too late to apologize.

What a fine Christian Parent witness it is when parents, regardless of their age, readily admit even their need for God`s grace! The way to God is the way to go.

Regardless of their Age, Please Teach Your Children a just Few Powerful Prayers to Fill Them with Wisdom.

James 1:5-8 The Message

^5-8If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.

Wisdom can be defined as the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment. Some forms of wisdom come naturally as our kids grow up and experience more of life. Other forms can be taught. My prayer is for my children to be open to wisdom, recognize it for what it is, and learn to love living it out.

The book of Proverbs is full of simple, profound wisdom for living. In fact, I’ve read and prayed through the Proverbs many times, for many different reasons.

I’ve used it to pray for my marriage.

I’ve used it to pray for friends and family, and as I read it each time, I almost always found myself pausing to pray specific verses for my children. The older I get and the older they get, the more convinced I am wisdom and understanding, and knowledge are some of the most treasured, valuable gifts I can give them.

In my present state of age and God’s grace I have found that there are basically only two types of people—the foolish and the wise.

The foolish man says in his heart, “there is no God,” (Psalm 14:1, 53:1) and does as exactly as he pleases all his days. The wise man so fears the Lord, and follows Him (Proverbs 1:7), keeps his character, integrity and honor front and at center.

Choose which do you want your child to be—foolish or wise?

The older they get, the more I desire for my children to have wisdom, and the Proverbs are where I turn most often.

They serve as a guide, helping us know how to make decisions, which paths to take, and how to understand the life God has called us to live as believers.

Doesn’t that sound exactly like what you want God to accomplish in your child’s heart? But, just how do we ensure that our children will choose God’s wisdom?

I invite you to start the process with prayer.

Prayer is one of the most important parts of Christian parenting today.

Unfortunately, it’s also one of the most overlooked and underutilized and under developed, under taught, under emphasized lessons parents teach the children.

God has assured us that when we need wisdom, He’ll give it (James 1:5).

I suggest praying God’s Word for your children (and yourself).

Reason being it’s, “living and active…able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12), and because despite all circumstances, it will do exactly what God purposes for it to do in the heart of your child (Isaiah 55:8-11).

Prayer is a partnership between you, your child and the God Who loves your child more than you do. He will use your prayers in the life of your child, and in your own heart to give you His place of comfort and direction in times of need.

With that in mind, here are three scriptures to pray for your child to have wisdom:

1. A Prayer for Our Children to Walk in Awe of the Lord

“The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: For learning wisdom and discipline; for understanding insightful sayings; for receiving prudent instruction in righteousness, justice, and integrity; for teaching shrewdness to the inexperienced, knowledge and discretion to a young man…The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline.” – Proverbs 1:1-4 & 7

A Prayer for Our Children to Walk in Awe of the Lord

Father, help my child to learn Your wisdom and discipline, and make them open to patience, self control, understanding insight. May they have deep reverential fear of You, Lord, so they can receive wisdom, truly begin to have knowledge.

2. A Prayer for Our Children to Listen to the Lord

“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, listening closely to wisdom and directing your heart to understanding; furthermore, if you call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it like hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” – Proverbs 2:1-6

A Prayer for Our Children to Listen to the Lord

Father, help my child accept your words and commit your commands to heart. Help them to keep their mouth shut, listen closely to wisdom and direct their heart to understanding. May they seek Your wisdom like it’s a precious jewel.

3. A Prayer for Our Children to Trust God

“Never let loyalty and faithfulness leave you. Tie them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will find favor and high regard with God and people. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight. Don’t be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones.” – Proverbs 3:3-8

A Prayer for Our Children to Trust God

Father, make my child, children, loyal and faithful, finding favor and highest regard with God and others. Help them to implicitly trust in You with all their heart and not lean on his own understanding. May they acknowledge You in all his ways, may they then be healed And as he do, God makes their paths straight.

Learning to Pray for Our Children

If your child needs God’s wisdom (and who doesn’t?), begin praying right away.

Look to God’s Word to show you what to pray, and bring your petitions to the Lord on their behalf night and day.

You might not always know what to do, but you can always know what to pray.

If you need help learning to pray God’s Word, download a free copy of the how-to guide, How to Pray God’s Word for Your Children.

And don’t forget to pray for yourself.

Ask God to give you compassion for what your children are going through, for strength to follow Him faithfully in your own life, for wisdom for the next step.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 119:1-16 The Message

119 ^1-8You’re blessed when you stay on course,
    walking steadily on the road revealed by God.
You’re blessed when you follow his directions,
    doing your best to find him.
That’s right—you don’t go off on your own;
    you walk straight along the road he set.
You, God, prescribed the right way to live;
    now you expect us to live it.
Oh, that my steps might be steady,
    keeping to the course you set;
Then I’d never have any regrets
    in comparing my life with your counsel.
I thank you for speaking straight from your heart;
    I learn the pattern of your righteous ways.
I’m going to do what you tell me to do;
    don’t ever walk off and leave me.

* * *

^9-16How can a young person live a clean life?
    By carefully reading the map of your Word.
I’m single-minded in pursuit of you;
    don’t let me miss the road signs you’ve posted.
I’ve banked your promises in the vault of my heart
    so I won’t sin myself bankrupt.
Be blessed, God;
    train me in your ways of wise living.
I’ll transfer to my lips
    all the counsel that comes from your mouth;
I delight far more in what you tell me about living
    than in gathering a pile of riches.
I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you,
    I attentively watch how you’ve done it.
I relish everything you’ve told me of life,
    I won’t forget a word of it.

* * *

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com/

Are We Skipping Over the Incredible Verses which Surround John 3:16??? 2Timothy 3:10-17

2 Timothy 3:10-17 New American Standard Bible 1995

¹⁰Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, ^[a]perseverance, ¹¹persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me! ¹²Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. ¹³But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. ¹⁴You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, ¹⁵and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶All Scripture is ^[b]inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for ^[c]training in righteousness; ¹⁷so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Transformation Through the Word

2 Timothy 3:16-17 New American Standard Bible 1995

¹⁶All Scripture is ^[a]inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for ^[b]training in righteousness; ¹⁷so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

The study of God’s Word is the secret discipline for spiritual formation.

Other books may be useful for information, but the Bible was given for transformation.

Timothy had the privilege of reading, studying, and memorizing God’s Word from infancy. He learned firsthand how the much Scriptures transform us.

Paul explains that God’s Word is profitable “for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”

It is a guide that helps us fine-tune every part of our being.

Teaching focuses our mind and shapes our thinking.

Rebuking pricks our conscience so that we don’t travel the wrong direction.

Correction molds our will so that we see the wisdom of God’s plans.

Training in righteousness shows us how to act more like Christ.

In this way the Word of God initiates a four-step process of transformation.

Put simply, teaching tells us what is right, rebuking tells us what is not right, correction tells us how to get right, and training shows us how to stay right.

The Holy Scriptures are the breath of God.

If you want to be productive, useful, and fertile as a Christian, get into the Word of God. Reading the Bible for its teaching, studying Scripture systematically, meditating on God’s Word devotionally, and memorizing it faithfully—each of these are invaluable transforming activities that you will truly not want to miss.

For Example: Those Verses Surrounding John 3:16

John 3:16 Amplified Bible

¹⁶“For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] ^[a]only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life.

One of the most well-known Bible verses is John 3:16.

This is such a powerful message, but it is always important to look at the context. If we just focus on John 3:16, then we miss out on the whole picture. Have you ever wondered what was said right before and after John 3:16? Today, we are going to learn about the incredible verses which surround John 3:16.

John 3:1-21 is often titled, “Born Again.”

The famous verse comes smack dab in the middle of the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus.

Nicodemus was a dedicated Jewish Pharisee who would have known the law and the Old Testament accounts.

Nicodemus was looking for the Messiah, but missed the fact that Jesus was ultimately who he was searching.

In this secret meeting, Jesus revealed the truth:

John 3:13 Amplified Bible

¹³No one has gone up into heaven, but there is One who came down from heaven, the Son of Man [Himself—whose home is in heaven].

Jesus says here that He is God.

This is a huge deal.

Sometimes people will argue that Jesus never claimed to be God.

But, this verse is one example He, the Son of Man, came down from heaven.

This is also significant because He uses the phrase “no one has ascended.”

At that point in history, not a single person had gone up to heaven.

There was no forgiveness for sins by the Messiah.

No person could get back to God without the help of God Himself.

We could no longer approach Him after the garden; we were exiles.

However, Jesus came to us.

Here we read of Jesus revealing His deity and salvation plan without Nicodemus even minimally catching on to the huge significance of what he had just heard.

John 3:14-15 Amplified Bible

¹⁴Just as Moses lifted up the [bronze] serpent in the desert [on a pole], so must the Son of Man be lifted up [on the cross], ¹⁵so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life [after physical death, and will actually live forever].

Here, Jesus points Nicodemus toward Old Testament Prophesy.

Jesus knew His audience. Nicodemus was a scholarly Jew.

He would have known the story of Moses backwards and forwards.

Jesus refers to Numbers 21 when the Israelites were bitten by venomous snakes in the wilderness.

The only solution was to look at the snake on the cross.

Everyone who did not look at the cross died. Everyone who gazed upon the bronze snake on the cross lived. This is such a powerful representation of the living gospel. Jesus became sin for us so we could have His righteousness.

2 Corinthians 5:20-21 Amplified Bible

²⁰So we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us; we [as Christ’s representatives] plead with you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God. ²¹He made Christ who knew no sin to [judicially] be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God [that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness].

Jesus was perfect, but He took on our sins so we could be freed and forgiven.

When we ponder the parallels of the garden here – the snake, the bite, and death – we cannot help but be amazed at the fulfillment of His covenant.

Jesus was revealing Himself as the Savior in how He was about to fulfill the prophecy of the past and provide the way to eternal life in the future.

During this current moment, He was on this earth well before His death and resurrection. He was in the middle of His time on earth. Nicodemus was given the true answers to His greatest questions, but he had a response to decide.

Jesus Gives Nicodemus the Promise of Eternal Life

John 3:16 Amplified Bible

After this, John 3:16 says,

“For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

Jesus shares that God loved the entire world in the way that this snake on the cross was provided for the Jewish people.

God gave His only Son for everyone who believes in Him.

There is a promise of eternal life.

Just like the people with the snake bites were all doomed for death, we are all doomed for hell and eternity away from God.

However, Jesus became the “snake” for us and everyone who looks to Him (Jew or Gentile) will have eternal life with Him and be spared eternal death.

This is a huge deal.

We need to realize the weight of what Jesus is saying.

We need to be busy pointing others towards the cross of Christ in hopes that they too will look and be rescued from the coming death.

Just like a venomous snake bite means death unless we receive the antidote, we are hopeless.

Science Nordic reveals that it takes on average between 20 minutes and 72 hours to die from a venomous snake bite.

This means that when we ponder the time of the Israelites in the wilderness, death was occurring all around them at different rates.

Just like here on earth, we are all destined to die, but Jesus steps in and provides the way to eternal life.

We all have the “bite” of sin, but we do not all have to die and go to hell.

Jesus provides a way for all who look to Him to go to heaven and be restored.

This is the hope of the gospel.

Jesus Has Already Given Us the Victory

John 3:17-18Amplified Bible

¹⁷For God did not send the Son into the world to judge and condemn the world [that is, to initiate the final judgment of the world], but that the world might be saved through Him. ¹⁸Whoever believes and has decided to trust in Him [as personal Savior and Lord] is not judged [for this one, there is no judgment, no rejection, no condemnation]; but the one who does not believe [and has decided to reject Him as personal Savior and Lord] is judged already [that one has been convicted and sentenced], because ^[a]he has not believed and trusted in the name of the [One and] only begotten Son of God [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, the One who alone can save him].

Here we read of God’s heart. He did this not to send judgment, but to send salvation. We read of another visit from Jesus in the second coming, which will be a time of judgement, but this visit to earth was for hope and forgiveness.

Jesus makes it clear that anyone, meaning any person who believes in Him, is not condemned.

I love how this is present tense.

There is a peace that every believer can have right now that Jesus has already given them the victory. There is no reason to wait to celebrate.

Instead, we invite others.

Jesus here describes Himself as the one and only Son of God. In other words, He is the only God. He is the only Way to heaven (John 14:6).

⁶Jesus said to him, “^[a]I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

Jesus Shares the Ultimate Truth

John 3:19-21 Amplified Bible

¹⁹This is the judgment [that is, the cause for indictment, the test by which people are judged, the basis for the sentence]: the Light has come into the world, and people loved the ^[a]darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. ²⁰For every wrongdoer hates the Light, and does not come to the Light [but shrinks from it] for fear that his [sinful, worthless] activities will be exposed and condemned. ²¹But whoever practices truth [and does what is right—morally, ethically, spiritually] comes to the Light, so that his works may be plainly shown to be what they are—accomplished in God [divinely prompted, done with God’s help, in dependence on Him].”

Jesus does not hide this truth.

He shares that darkness is real and the light (Himself) has come into the world.

People chose sin, but He is the truth that sets them free.

His life and sacrifice would be done so that people would know that He Himself truly was who He claimed.

Jesus was and is and always will be God.

These verses surrounding John 3:16 are powerful.

As we reflect on the beauty of Jesus claiming to be God, acknowledging the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies, the salvation plan is revealed.

The gospel is, no exceptions for everyone, and Jesus is the Light of this world.

Glory to Jesus our Savior and thank you Lord for Your Holy and Perfect Bible.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 119:1-16 The Message

* * *

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com/

Dearest Church, About Your Casting All Your Cares aside; Instead, seeking first His kingdom and Considering How We Grow and Mature in Christ. 1 Peter 5:1-7

1 Peter 5:1-7 The Message

He’ll Promote You at the Right Time

5 ^1-3I have a special concern for you church leaders. I know what it’s like to be a leader, in on Christ’s sufferings as well as the coming glory. Here’s my concern: that you care for God’s flock with all the diligence of a shepherd. Not because you have to, but because you want to please God. Not calculating what you can get out of it, but acting spontaneously. Not bossily telling others what to do, but tenderly showing them the way.

^4-5When God, who is the best shepherd of all, comes out in the open with his rule, he’ll see that you’ve done it right and commend you lavishly. And you who are younger must follow your leaders. But all of you, leaders and followers alike, are to be down to earth with each other, for—

God has had it with the proud,
But takes delight in just plain people.

^6-7So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

A Word to the Church: Seeking His Kingdom First?

1 Peter 5:1-7 Amplified Bible

Serve God Willingly

5 Therefore, I strongly urge the elders among you [pastors, spiritual leaders of the church], as a fellow elder and as an eyewitness [called to testify] of the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory that is to be revealed: ²shepherd and guide and protect the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not [motivated] for shameful gain, but with wholehearted enthusiasm; ³not lording it over those assigned to your care [do not be arrogant or overbearing], but be examples [of Christian living] to the flock [set a pattern of integrity for your congregation]. ⁴And when the Chief Shepherd (Christ) appears, you will receive the [conqueror’s] unfading crown of glory. ⁵Likewise, you younger men [of lesser rank and experience], be subject to your elders [seek their counsel]; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another [tie on the servant’s apron], for God is opposed to the proud [the disdainful, the presumptuous, and He defeats them], but He gives grace to the humble.

⁶Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride], so that He may exalt you [to a place of honor in His service] at the appropriate time, ⁷casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].

Anxiety can creep up at times when we least expect it and quickly overwhelm us.

Or it can take up unwelcome and apparently permanent residence in our lives.

Few people do not experience it; few Churches will not have to contend with it.

All those inevitable cares and concerns will take on different faces, manifest themselves very deeply throughout the life of the church and may be propelled by different circumstances, but overall, the issue itself is remarkably common.

When we face anxiety, we often try to ignore it by distracting our minds:

“Let me listen to some different liturgy, or to worship music. Let me go for a drive, look for a church that meets my vision of the correct Kingdom of God. Let me run one mile or a marathon. Let me do something… just let me run away!”

Notice, though, that in verses 6 and 7, Peter does not say we are to deny, ignore, or flee from anxiety. Instead, we should be “casting all [our] anxieties on him.”

The Greek word for “cast” here is a decisive, energetic action word.

It could be used to describe vigorously throwing out a heaping bag of trash.

We don’t put painstaking effort into moving it; we simply grab it and hurl it with great force into the bin. Likewise, instead of going through our days pressed down by the burden of anxiety, we throw it, we hurl it, upon the Lord.

To do this requires us to give up our pride—our desire to control and triumph over circumstances – seek Ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

Being humble is what enables us to give our worries to God: humility’s presence leads to anxiety’s absence.

When, with our own perverted righteousness, we attempt to take matters into our own hands through too much worry, we indicate an absence of humility.

We are significantly more concerned with ourselves than with our heavenly Father, or more determined to navigate our own course than to leave it to Him.

There will always be a circumstance that can make we the Church very anxious.

Peter doesn’t address any specific circumstances, though; rather, he addresses the anxiety produced by the circumstances which are specific to his own time.

Considering How We Grow and Mature in Christ?

Luke 12:13-34 English Standard Version

The Parable of the Rich Fool

¹³Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” ¹⁴But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” ¹⁶And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, ¹⁷and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ ¹⁸And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ ²⁰But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ ²¹So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Do Not Be Anxious

²²And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. ²³For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. ²⁴Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! ²⁵And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?^[a] ²⁶If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? ²⁷Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,^[b] yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ²⁸But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! ²⁹And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. ³⁰For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹Instead, seek his^[c] kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

³²“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. ³³Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. ³⁴For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

We the Church of today, have to navigate with God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirits guidance and direction – the complexities of our stuff.

The vast complexities of our anxieties being gender issues, sexual orientation, racism, clergy sex abuse and the Boy Scouts sex abuse against our children, the shrinking and closure of our churches, and left – right theological extremism, the right to life, the freedom of choice, abortion, false teachers, and much more.

Our mountains and oceans of anxiety itself is what we ought to be casting upon the Lord, doing exactly what the Bible says to do: repenting, bowing, kneeling, humbling ourselves under God’s hand, saying, “My Father knows best. He cares for me better than I can care for myself.” When worries weigh us down, we can refuse to be burdened by them by calling to mind the Lord’s willingness to help.

Churches, their leaders and their congregations are very definitely struggling through today, seriously wondering how they’re going to make it to tomorrow.

Perhaps it’s been a long time since they knelt beside their altars and truly cast their burdens upon the only One who is able to carry it, saying, “God, I cannot, my Church cannot live its life with this burden on our back. Take it. It’s all Yours.”

If that’s you, if that’s your Church, for Kingdom’s sake don’t hesitate any more.

Pray, seek God’s Will, Kingdom first, Cast your anxieties into the loving arms of your heavenly Father and to experience the freedom, peace only He can provide.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 91 tHE MESSAGE

91 ^1-13You who sit down in the High God’s presence,
    spend the night in Shaddai’s shadow,
Say this: “God, you’re my refuge.
    I trust in you and I’m safe!”
That’s right—he rescues you from hidden traps,
    shields you from deadly hazards.
His huge outstretched arms protect you—
    under them you’re perfectly safe;
    his arms fend off all harm.
Fear nothing—not wild wolves in the night,
    not flying arrows in the day,
Not disease that prowls through the darkness,
    not disaster that erupts at high noon.
Even though others succumb all around,
    drop like flies right and left,
    no harm will even graze you.
You’ll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance,
    watch the wicked turn into corpses.
Yes, because God’s your refuge,
    the High God your very own home,
Evil can’t get close to you,
    harm can’t get through the door.
He ordered his angels
    to guard you wherever you go.
If you stumble, they’ll catch you;
    their job is to keep you from falling.
You’ll walk unharmed among lions and snakes,
    and kick young lions and serpents from the path.

^14-16“If you’ll hold on to me for dear life,” says God,
    “I’ll get you out of any trouble.
I’ll give you the best of care
    if you’ll only get to know and trust me.
Call me and I’ll answer, be at your side in bad times;
    I’ll rescue you, then throw you a party.
I’ll give you a long life,
    give you a long drink of salvation!”

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com/

What Do You Want Me to do For You? “I Need to be Seen, I Want to be Seen, I Want to be Heard, Need to be Seen!” Mark 10:46-52

Mark 10:46-52 New American Standard Bible 1995

Bartimaeus Receives His Sight

⁴⁶Then they *came to Jericho. And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. ⁴⁷When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁸Many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁹And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him here.” So they *called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage, stand up! He is calling for you.” ⁵⁰Throwing aside his cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus. ⁵¹And answering him, Jesus said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And the blind man said to Him, “^[a]Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!” ⁵²And Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has ^[b]made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

What Do You Want Me to do For You?

Bartimaeus was in the dark, a blind man who had to beg—until the day Jesus came by on his way to be crucified in Jerusalem (Mark 10:32-34).

³²They were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were fearful. And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him, ³³ saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be ^[a] delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will ^[b]hand Him over to the Gentiles. ³⁴They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.”

Shouting above the crowd, Bartimaeus calls to the Savior,

“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

People tell him to be quiet, but he shouts all the louder,

“Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Graciously Jesus responds: “What do you want me to do for you?”

Jesus had just asked James and John the same question (Mark 10:35-39).

^35 [a]James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, *came up to Jesus, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” ³⁶And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” ³⁷They said to Him, “^[b]Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.” ³⁸But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” ³⁹They said to Him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized.

They had said they wanted places of honor in heaven with Jesus.

And he had replied, “You don’t know what you are asking.”

But Bartimaeus only pleads,

“Rabbi, I want to see.”

And Jesus does not disappoint.

Bartimaeus knew what he needed; Jesus’ followers were the ones in the dark.

They wouldn’t see the light of Jesus until later.

This incident has raised a question ever since: Who is truly blind, anyway?

And after Jesus restores Bartimaeus’s sight and sends him away, the man sees what he must do next.

Bartimaeus is a model disciple. No longer blind, he unhesitatingly follows Jesus.

Jesus’s question echoes through history: “What do you want me to do for you?”

As we consider his words, can we say, “Rabbi, we want to follow your way”?

“Take Courage, Stand Up! He is Calling For You!”

Mark 10:46-49 New American Standard Bible 1995

Bartimaeus Receives His Sight

All around the blind man, the Passover was approaching, and the crowd was building.

There was a great sense of anticipation.

For most in the crowd, there was no time for stopping—certainly not for the ever-present beggars that lay around at the city gates.

They were always there, known well to the people on the outskirts of Jericho.

Many of the crowd likely would have seen this blind man, Bartimaeus, so often that they didn’t even notice him anymore.

The crowd was so consumed with Jesus that Bartimaeus was probably regarded as a dreadful inconvenience.

Their reaction to his cries for mercy—to rebuke him and attempt to silence him—suggests that they thought this marginalized member of society clearly could make no useful contribution to what Jesus was doing – so give him no chance.

In seeking to quieten him, seeking to push him aside, out of the way, however, they became a barrier to the mission of Jesus—to the very one they claimed to be following and the very cause they claimed to be so very zealously pursuing.

This long bullied, ignored marginalized particular blind man didn’t have merely a minor interest in Jesus, though, so he continued his crying out louder to Him.

Mark’s narrative demonstrates Christ’s perfect compassion with a simple phrase: “Jesus stopped”—two words of grace.

Can you imagine the crowd’s reaction when Jesus said to the people who had been rebuking the man, “Call him”?

That surely brought a measure of deserved embarrassment!

Perhaps there are people in your life for whom you struggle to pray.

Maybe there are some you just want to rebuke or ignore.

Maybe you just don’t want to deal with the inconvenience.

It can seem like such a nuisance to invite somebody to church, sit with them, eat with them, and be involved in their lives.

It is messy, and it demands time and effort.

We’d rather such people heard the gospel from someone else.

It is so easy to slip into this way of thinking without really noticing; but when we do, we become just like the crowd: a barrier to people meeting their Savior.

Jesus says to us, Don’t rebuke them. Call them. This is precisely why I came.

May God forgive us when we, the contemporary church like the excited crowd, are full of high indignation at the interference to our plans and inconvenience to our traditional preferences caused by those who are crying out for His mercy.

Christ alone does the work of opening blind eyes, but He has entrusted us with the missional responsibility and privilege of ministry of our proclaiming these words: “Take heart he is calling you!” Take Heart he has heard you, seen you!”

Dear Church, be on notice, take heart Jesus is calling you, Jesus has heard you, Jesus has most definitely seen you – take that all in for what it is worth to you!

“What Do You Want Me to do For You?”

Good, bad or indifferent, logical or illogical, rational or irrational, right, wrong,

Considering the state of being we believe it is in,

What could be the churches response

What should the churches response be?

What will be the churches “politically correct” response?

Just my thought … “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom?”

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Son of David, like Bartimaeus we cry, “Have mercy on us!” Give us eyes to see your way, ears to hear your Word so that we can live as your disciples. In your holy name, Amen.

Psalm 42 New American Standard Bible 1995

BOOK 2

Thirsting for God in Trouble and Exile.

For the choir director. A ^[a]Maskil of the sons of Korah.

42 As the deer ^[b]pants for the water brooks,
So my soul ^[c]pants for You, O God.
²My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;
When shall I come and ^[d]appear before God?
³My tears have been my food day and night,
While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
⁴These things I remember and I pour out my soul within me.
For I used to go along with the throng and ^[e]lead them in procession to the house of God,
With the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.

⁵Why are you ^[f]in despair, O my soul?
And why have you become disturbed within me?
^[g]Hope in God, for I shall ^[h]again praise ^[i]Him
For the ^[j]help of His presence.
⁶O my God, my soul is ^[k]in despair within me;
Therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan
And the ^[l]peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
⁷Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls;
All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me.
⁸The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime;
And His song will be with me in the night,
A prayer to the God of my life.

⁹I will say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning ^[m]because of the oppression of the enemy?”
¹⁰As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries revile me,
While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
¹¹Why are you ^[n]in despair, O my soul?
And why have you become disturbed within me?
^[o]Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him,
The ^[p]help of my countenance and my God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com/

Serving Ourselves, Serving Culture, or Serving God; Our Choice No Matter What Else May Happens. 2 Timothy 3

2 Timothy 3:1-8 New American Standard Bible 1995

“Difficult Times Will Come”

3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. ²For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, ^[a]haters of good, ⁴treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵holding to a form of ^[b]godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. ⁶For among them are those who ^[c]enter into households and captivate ^[d]weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, ⁷always learning and never able to come to the ^[e]knowledge of the truth. ⁸Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith.

¹⁰Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, ^[g]perseverance, ¹¹persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me! ¹²Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. ¹³But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. ¹⁴You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, ¹⁵and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶All Scripture is ^[h]inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for ^[i] training in righteousness; ¹⁷so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

What do we believe is the meaning of 2Timothy 3:1-5?

2 Timothy 3:1-5Amplified Bible

“Difficult Times Will Come”

3 But understand this, that in the last days dangerous times [of great stress and trouble] will come [difficult days that will be hard to bear]. ²For people will be lovers of self [narcissistic, self-focused], lovers of money [impelled by greed], boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane, ³[and they will be] unloving [devoid of natural human affection, calloused and inhumane], irreconcilable, malicious gossips, devoid of self-control [intemperate, immoral], brutal, haters of good, ⁴traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of [sensual] pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵holding to a form of [outward] godliness (religion), although they have denied its power [for their conduct nullifies their claim of faith]. Avoid such people and keep far away from them.

What is the meaning of 2 Timothy 3:1-5? I don’t know about you, but I have too often heard people recite these verses as evidence that we are living in the End Times. If you look at this following list, you would be hard-pressed to disagree.

Let’s go through the list quickly:

Difficult times – certainly many would say our 2024 times are difficult
Lovers of self – people sure do look out for number one over everything else
Lovers of money – we are a money loving world
Boastful, arrogant, revilers – all true of people today
Disobedient to parents – scarily true, thanks to Dr. Spock for this one
Ungrateful, unholy, unloving – yes, yes and yes
Irreconcilable, malicious gossips – Unforgiving? Check. Gossips? Check.
Without self-control – absolutely
Brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited – all true
Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – It’s all about what makes people feel good and God has been removed from all areas of life
Holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power – Everyone thinks they’re good people and going to heaven, though they want nothing to do with the God who is in Heaven.

There we have it. These verses are evidence that we are living in the End Times.

There’s only one problem.

These verses are not speaking about society in general. They are speaking about a very specific group of people.

The People Mentioned in 2 Timothy 3

Here’s the reality: people have always been like this. Go through the list again and think of a time that those types of people did not exist.

We see them today, for sure, but they were around 100 years ago as well.

They were there in the time of Jesus; just look at the Pharisees.

They were there in the times of the Jewish Kings and the Jewish Judges.

They were there when Joseph was thrown into the pit and then sold into slavery.

They were there when Noah was building the Ark.

So if these people have always been around, then why would God give us this passage from Timothy ?

It’s like saying, “The End Times will come about when people are walking and talking.”

The whole entire world itself cannot be the subject of these verses.

Although it is sufficient to acknowledge there is no shortage of these people living amongst us as our neighbors, governing authorities, business leaders. and a whole host of other common places including of our own workplaces.

But, the “whole world,” It makes no sense.

We just cannot rationally lump everybody into these categories Paul mentions.

He must have something else in mind.

God gives us these verses to look at ourselves, The Church.

Christians are the subject God has in focus in these verses.

The Church in History

Throughout her history, the Church has been known as sanctified.

In other words, she was separated out from the world.

She did not look like the world, sound like the world, or act like the world.

This was why people were drawn to her in the first place.

She was different from anything else in the world.

Here is one view of what Christians looked like, from a Greek convert named Aristides:

“They love one another. They never fail to help widows; they save orphans from those who will hurt them. If they have something, they give freely to the man who has nothing; if they see a stranger, they take him home and are happy, as though he were a real brother. They don’t consider themselves brothers and sisters in the usual sense, but brothers instead through the Spirit, in God.”

Chuck Colson, in his book, The Faith writes:

“The Christians’ God expected that His followers would acknowledge His love by sacrificing themselves for others. They were to extend God’s love not merely to their families and friends but to their enemies as well. “Love one another” became their standard… (Regarding those who had fallen ill due to the plague) The care Christians showed often did result in their succumbing to the plague themselves. But paradoxically, their compassion did not deplete Christian ranks in the long term – quite the reverse. Tending to the sick increased the disease survival rate by as much as two-thirds and this witness attracted many new converts. By acting on the teachings of Christ, without regard to their own welfare, these Christians, against all expectations, progressed from being a small sect to the dominant cultural group.“

This is what the church looked like – loving selflessly, persecuted unto death, giving sacrificially.

Testing Ourselves and Testing the Church

2 Timothy 3:10-17 Amplified Bible

¹⁰Now you have diligently followed [my example, that is] my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, steadfastness, ¹¹persecutions, and sufferings—such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, but the Lord rescued me from them all! ¹²Indeed, all who delight in pursuing righteousness and are determined to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be hunted and persecuted [because of their faith]. ¹³But evil men and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. ¹⁴But as for you, continue in the things that you have learned and of which you are convinced [holding tightly to the truths], knowing from whom you learned them, ¹⁵and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings (Hebrew Scriptures) which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus [surrendering your entire self to Him and having absolute confidence in His wisdom, power and goodness]. ¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; ¹⁷so that the ^[a]man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

We go back to the passage in 2 Timothy 3 and review these aspects again.

However, this time with an eye to the Church today rather than the world as the subject of Paul’s writing:

Difficult times – Christians are the most persecuted people group in the world, even now in America
Lovers of self – Unfortunately, most Christians now look like the world, putting themselves and their families before others
Lovers of money – As Christians look more like the world, they also act like the world. Ask them to put all the money that is in their wallet into the offering. Good luck with that.
Boastful, arrogant, revilers – just check out the social media of many Christians
Disobedient to parents – scarily most Christians raise their children using the wisdom of the world rather than the wisdom of the Bible, resulting in Christians who always spare the rod
Ungrateful, unholy, unloving – Can you be a Christian and be ungrateful, unholy and unloving? Look at the members of your nearest megachurch and it will be easy to find them.
Irreconcilable, malicious gossips – I’ve met many Christians who are unforgiving and gossips
Without self-control – Ask a Christian to fast for a day. How about pray for an hour? Or study the Bible for an hour? Too hard, can’t do it. Zero discipline.
Brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited – Christians hate those who disagree with them. They can be brutal in their thought, words and deeds. Most Christians hate the idea of Discipline, Humility, Meekness and Sacrifice – all good things. Many are thoughtless. Most are proud.
Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – How many Christians would rather go to a 3-hour church service or prayer meeting than to a movie or ball game?
Holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power – Most Christians more resemble the Pharisees of Jesus’ time than they resemble Jesus. Jesus called them white washed tombs.

Matthew 23:25-28 Amplified Bible

²⁵“Woe to you, [self-righteous] scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and robbery and self-indulgence (unrestrained greed). ²⁶You [spiritually] blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the plate [examine and change your inner self to conform to God’s precepts], so that the outside [your public life and deeds] may be clean also.

²⁷“Woe to you, [self-righteous] scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which look beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. ²⁸So you, also, outwardly seem to be just and upright to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

What is to be our Response

Are we in the End Times?

Does the Church, our home church, look like 2 Timothy 3, Matthew 23:25-28?

Maybe, maybe not.

The more important question is what are we to BIBLICALLY do about this?

2 Timothy 3:14-17 Amplified Bible

¹⁴But as for you, continue in the things that you have learned and of which you are convinced [holding tightly to the truths], knowing from whom you learned them, ¹⁵and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings (Hebrew Scriptures) which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus [surrendering your entire self to Him and having absolute confidence in His wisdom, power and goodness]. ¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; ¹⁷so that the ^[a]man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

If we think or believe that the Church today indelibly proves we are living in the End Times, how then will you and I and the Church conduct ourselves today?

Will you reach out to a lost person to share the gospel before it’s too late?

Will you or I or we the church repent and confess and decide to become obedient to the word of God in all ways, not only just those things that you can do easily?

Here’s the truth: whether we are in the End Times or not, Jesus has given us a playbook to live by.

Matthew 9:35-38 Amplified Bible

³⁵Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages [in Galilee], teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news (gospel) of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness [His words and His works reflecting His Messiahship].

³⁶When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion and pity for them, because they were dispirited and distressed, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is [indeed] plentiful, but the workers are few. ³⁸So pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

He expects that we will follow it regardless of how soon His coming might be.

The reason He did not give us a Time and Date of His coming is so that every day, we might live as if it was the last day.

Acts 2:43-47 Amplified Bible

⁴³A sense of awe was felt by ^[a]everyone, and many wonders and signs (attesting miracles) were taking place through the apostles. ⁴⁴And all those who had believed [in Jesus as Savior] ^[b]were together and had all things in common [considering their possessions to belong to the group as a whole]. ⁴⁵And they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing the proceeds with all [the other believers], as anyone had need. ⁴⁶Day after day they met in the temple [area] continuing with one mind, and breaking bread in various private homes. They were eating their meals together with joy and generous hearts, ⁴⁷praising God continually, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord kept adding to their number daily those who were being saved.

If every Christian did these things, the Church would look completely different.

It would look more like the early church that we read about earlier.

We may not be able to change the Church in a day, but we can change ourselves.

Let’s live like Biblical Christians (Acts 2), even as we watch, wait for His return.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 84 The Message

84 ^1-2What a beautiful home, God-of-the-Angel-Armies!
I’ve always longed to live in a place like this,
Always dreamed of a room in your house,
where I could sing for joy to God-alive!

^3-4Birds find nooks and crannies in your house,
    sparrows and swallows make nests there.
They lay their eggs and raise their young,
    singing their songs in the place where we worship.
God-of-the-Angel-Armies! King! God!
    How blessed they are to live and sing there!

^5-7And how blessed all those in whom you live,
    whose lives become roads you travel;
They wind through lonesome valleys, come upon brooks,
    discover cool springs and pools brimming with rain!
God-traveled, these roads curve up the mountain, and
    at the last turn—Zion! God in full view!

^8-9God-of-the-Angel-Armies, listen:
O God of Jacob, open your ears—I’m praying!
Look at our shields, glistening in the sun,
our faces, shining with your gracious anointing.

^10-12One day spent in your house, this beautiful place of worship,
    beats thousands spent on Greek island beaches.
I’d rather scrub floors in the house of my God
    than be honored as a guest in the palace of sin.
All sunshine and sovereign is God,
    generous in gifts and glory.
He doesn’t scrimp with his traveling companions.
    It’s smooth sailing all the way with God-of-the-Angel-Armies.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com/

Is There Someone Interested in the Kingdom of God Who is Still Being Intrigued by the Teacher from God? John 3:1-12

John 3:1-12 New American Standard Bible 1995

The New Birth

3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; ²this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these ^[a]signs that You do unless God is with him.” ³Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born ^[b]again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

⁴Nicodemus *said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” ⁵Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. ⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born ^[c]again.’ ⁸The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

⁹Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” ¹⁰Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? ¹¹Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. ¹²If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

The Word of God for the Kingdom of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Are We Just as Intrigued by The Teacher From God?

John 3:1-3 Amplified Bible

The New Birth

3 Now there was a certain man among the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler (member of the Sanhedrin) among the Jews, ²who came to Jesus at night and said to Him, “Rabbi (Teacher), we know [without any doubt] that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs [these wonders, these attesting miracles] that You do unless God is with him.” ³Jesus answered him, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified], he cannot [ever] see and experience the kingdom of God.”

Nicodemus was intrigued by all that Jesus was doing.

So he went to talk with Jesus.

“We know that you are a teacher who has come from God,” he politely began.

And Jesus seemed to agree, for he went on to teach Nicodemus things from God.

However, at that time of the might, the very first thing Nicodemus heard from this teacher threw him completely off guard, woke him up. Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

Nicodemus certainly looked for the coming of God’s kingdom—every pious Jew did. He believed that God was coming, and that everyone would see his coming.

But Jesus told Nicodemus that he wouldn’t see God’s kingdom at all unless he was born again—not in the sense of becoming a baby once more, but in being “born from above.” (The Greek word for “again” also means “from above.”)

Jesus means that entering into God’s Kingdom we need new eyes if we are to see God’s presence, new ears to hear his voice, and a new heart to love and obey the Lord. We need to be reborn, this time from above, by the power of God’s Spirit.

For me, this is an ongoing project. (See 2 Corinthians 3:18.)

2 Corinthians 3:12-18 Amplified Bible

¹²Since we have such a [glorious] hope and confident expectation, we speak with great courage, ¹³and we are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the Israelites would not gaze at the end of the glory which was fading away. ¹⁴But [in fact] their minds were hardened [for they had lost the ability to understand]; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed [only] in Christ. ¹⁵But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil [of blindness] lies over their heart; ¹⁶but whenever a person turns [in repentance and faith] to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [emancipation from bondage, true freedom]. ¹⁸And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.

Each morning I need to pray for new eyes and new ears and a new heart to see and hear and respond to God. I’m thinking we all do too. Would you join me?

Are we just as Intrigued with Entering God’s Kingdom

John 3:4-12 Amplified Bible

⁴Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?” ⁵Jesus answered, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God. ⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh [the physical is merely physical], and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷Do not be surprised that I have told you, ‘You must be born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified].’ ⁸The wind blows where it wishes and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it is coming from and where it is going; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

⁹Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be possible?” ¹⁰Jesus replied, “You are the [great and well-known] teacher of Israel, and yet you do not know nor understand these things [from Scripture]? ¹¹I assure you and most solemnly say to you, we speak only of what we [absolutely] know and testify about what we have [actually] seen [as eyewitnesses]; and [still] you [reject our evidence and] do not accept our testimony. ¹²If I told you earthly things [that is, things that happen right here on earth] and you do not believe, how will you believe and trust Me if I tell you heavenly things?

When we read the Gospel Narratives, we discover that a large part of Jesus’ earthly ministry involved him preaching the good news of God’s kingdom.

He traveled through towns and villages telling people, essentially teaching us, There is a kingdom, and I’m the King. You’re not in the kingdom yet—but if you’ll give it all up, follow Me, you will be the King’s subject and a citizen of the kingdom.

Jesus teaches that when we pray “Your kingdom come” (Luke 11:2), therefore, our very desire should be that men and women would be brought into Christ’s kingdom by new birth—that they would become committed followers of Jesus.

Luke 11:1-2 Amplified Bible

Instruction about Prayer

11 It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.” ²He said to them,

“When you pray, ^[a]say:
‘^[b]Father, ^[c]hallowed be Your name.
^[d]Your kingdom come.

We pray for those who still live in rebellion against God to be “delivered … from the domain of darkness and to be transferred … unto the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13-14).

Colossians 1:13-14 Amplified Bible

The Incomparable Christ

¹³For He has rescued us and has drawn us to Himself from the dominion of darkness, and has transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, ¹⁴in whom we have redemption [because of His sacrifice, resulting in] the forgiveness of our sins [and the cancellation of sins’ penalty].

Jesus made it perfectly clear that the only way to enter into His kingdom is by this new birth.

Jesus’ encounter with High Rabbi Nicodemus in John 3 underscores this truth.

Nicodemus was a highly educated highly respected religious man, a man of high authority and great influence—yet he was still restless, intrigued, still seeking.

As he secretly engaged Jesus in this 2 or 3am shadowed conversation, Jesus pointed out the necessary prerequisite for both seeing, entering His kingdom: to be born again by the Spirit.

This new birth is brought about, Jesus said, not by nature but as a result of God’s Spirit working a miracle in the human heart.

No one is able to enter the kingdom without Him working in them and through them; that no one is too far away from the kingdom for Him to work in them.

When we pray for God’s kingdom to come, we are asking for eyes to be opened and ears to be unstopped, mouths to be shut to just sit or stand still to just listen so our wisest wisdom and our personal, well taught, “understood,” “practiced” orthodoxy is thoroughly challenged, and so men and women may be born again.

God’s Truth is The King is coming to usher in His everlasting kingdom, and the King is at work today by His Spirit to bring men and women into that kingdom.

Until the day of our King’s return, may your measure of intrigue be raised, may your interest in people, awareness of the way people enter Christ’s kingdom, produce an increasing awe and wonder over your own conversion and a burning passion to pray the Spirit would do what only He can in the hearts of we the lost.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

You are right, Jesus. I desperately need different eyes and ears and a new heart to live with you and for you today. Grant them to me, pray raise higher my intrigue of You. raise my awareness of You, my interest in my neighbors, far deep into Your heavens.

Psalm 119:1-23 New American Standard Bible 1995

Meditations and Prayers Relating to the Law of God.

Aleph.

119 How blessed are those whose way is ^[a]blameless,
Who walk in the law of the Lord.
²How blessed are those who observe His testimonies,
Who seek Him with all their heart.
³They also do no unrighteousness;
They walk in His ways.
⁴You have ^[b]ordained Your precepts,
^[c]That we should keep them diligently.
⁵Oh that my ways may be established
To keep Your statutes!
⁶Then I shall not be ashamed
When I look ^[d]upon all Your commandments.
⁷I shall give thanks to You with uprightness of heart,
When I learn Your righteous judgments.
⁸I shall keep Your statutes;
Do not forsake me utterly!

Beth.

⁹How can a young man keep his way pure?
By keeping it according to Your word.
¹⁰With all my heart I have sought You;
Do not let me wander from Your commandments.
¹¹Your word I have treasured in my heart,
That I may not sin against You.
¹²Blessed are You, O Lord;
Teach me Your statutes.
¹³With my lips I have told of
All the ordinances of Your mouth.
¹⁴I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
^[e]As much as in all riches.
¹⁵I will meditate on Your precepts
And ^[f]regard Your ways.
¹⁶I shall ^[g]delight in Your statutes;
I shall not forget Your word.

Gimel.

¹⁷Deal bountifully with Your servant,
That I may live and keep Your word.
¹⁸Open my eyes, that I may behold
Wonderful things from Your law.
¹⁹I am a stranger in the earth;
Do not hide Your commandments from me.
²⁰My soul is crushed ^[h]with longing
After Your ordinances at all times.
²¹You rebuke the arrogant, ^[i]the cursed,
Who wander from Your commandments.
²²Take away reproach and contempt from me,
For I observe Your testimonies.
²³Even though princes sit and talk against me,
Your servant meditates on Your statutes.

Daleth.

²⁵My soul cleaves to the dust;
Revive me according to Your word.
²⁶I have told of my ways, and You have answered me;
Teach me Your statutes.
²⁷Make me understand the way of Your precepts,
So I will meditate on Your wonders.
²⁸My soul ^[k]weeps because of grief;
Strengthen me according to Your word.
²⁹Remove the false way from me,
And graciously grant me Your law.
³⁰I have chosen the faithful way;
I have ^[l]placed Your ordinances before me.

²³
Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart;
Test me and know my anxious thoughts;
²⁴
And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com/

Grace Greater than our Circumstance; Embrace That Timeless, Inescapable, Revealed, Extravagant, Grace of God. Ephesians 1:1-14

Ephesians 1:1-14 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Blessings of Redemption

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus ^[a]by the will of God,

To the ^[b]saints who are ^[c]at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: ²Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, ⁴just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before ^{[d ]}Him. In love ^5 [e]He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the ^[f]kind intention of His will, ⁶to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. ⁷In ^[g]Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace ⁸which He ^[h]lavished on ^[i]us. In all wisdom and insight ⁹He ^[j]made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His ^[k]kind intention which He purposed in Him ¹⁰with a view to an administration ^[l]suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things ^[m]in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him ^11 [n]also we ^[o]have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, ¹²to the end that we who were the first to hope in ^[p]Christ would be to the praise of His glory. ¹³In ^[q]Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also ^[r]believed, you were sealed in ^[s]Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, ¹⁴who is ^[t]given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Extravagant Grace

Ephesians 1:1-2 Amplified Bible

The Blessings of Redemption

1 Paul, an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed), by the will of God [that is, by His purpose and choice],

To the ^[a]saints (God’s people) ^[b]who are at Ephesus and are faithful and loyal and steadfast in Christ Jesus: ²Grace to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Extravagance. Now, that’s something few of my friends accuse me of!

I am guilty of many things, but as miserly as I tend to be in these cash strapped days, wasting money or spending lavishly is not among them. That’s too bad, because I’ll never be fully like Jesus until extravagance is a part of my behavior.

Extravagance can be a good great and wonderful thing.

In opening his letter to the Ephesians, Paul immediately writes of his own acknowledgement and recognition of God’s personal extravagant blessing;

1 Paul, an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed), by the will of God [that is, by His purpose and choice],

Paul writes that God has blessed us with “every spiritual blessing.”

God’s grace is “freely given” to us.

“The riches of God’s grace” are “lavished on us.”

Look at the stories of Jesus.

Aren’t 180 gallons of “the absolute very finest of wines” saved for the very end of a seven day wedding and wedding reception extravagant? (See John 2:1-11.)

Jesus didn’t think so.

Feeding all the gathered thousands with a few loaves of bread and small fish, Aren’t twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish an extravagant miscalculation of what it takes to feed a crowd? (See Mark 6:30-44.)

Jesus didn’t think so.

Isn’t a miraculous catch of fish, where none had been the previous night, that breaks the nets and then begins to sink boats extravagant? (See Luke 5:4-11.)

Jesus didn’t think so.

We might casually think, “If God really knew what I am like, he wouldn’t be so extravagant toward me.” But God does know exactly what we are like. Paul notes that God lavished his grace on us “with all wisdom and understanding.”

As with the people who enjoyed wine and bread and fish with Jesus, there are only two reasons for God’s extravagance—our forever need, his forever grace.

Timeless, Inescapable, Revealed, Extravagant Grace

Exodus 12:1-13 New Living Translation

The First Passover

12 While the Israelites were still in the land of Egypt, the Lord gave the following instructions to Moses and Aaron: ²“From now on, this month will be the first month of the year for you. ³Announce to the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each family must choose a lamb or a young goat for a sacrifice, one animal for each household. ⁴If a family is too small to eat a whole animal, let them share with another family in the neighborhood. Divide the animal according to the size of each family and how much they can eat. ⁵The animal you select must be a one-year-old male, either a sheep or a goat, with no defects.

⁶“Take special care of this chosen animal until the evening of the fourteenth day of this first month. Then the whole assembly of the community of Israel must slaughter their lamb or young goat at twilight. ⁷They are to take some of the blood and smear it on the sides and top of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the animal. ⁸That same night they must roast the meat over a fire and eat it along with bitter salad greens and bread made without yeast. ⁹Do not eat any of the meat raw or boiled in water. The whole animal—including the head, legs, and internal organs—must be roasted over a fire. ¹⁰Do not leave any of it until the next morning. Burn whatever is not eaten before morning.

¹¹“These are your instructions for eating this meal: Be fully dressed,^[a] wear your sandals, and carry your walking stick in your hand. Eat the meal with urgency, for this is the Lord’s Passover. ¹²On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn son and firstborn male animal in the land of Egypt. I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am the Lord! ¹³But the blood on your doorposts will serve as a sign, marking the houses where you are staying. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.

The grace of God for His people knows no bounds and remains within no limits.

To know the truth of this, we need look to nowhere else than the cross of Christ, by which as the Apostle Paul writes “we have redemption through his blood.”

In the book of Exodus, God instituted the Passover, which painted a picture of freedom bought at a price.

He instructed the Israelites to sacrifice a family lamb and spread its blood across their doorposts to prevent a visit from the angel of death as he passed through Egypt. The residents of each of those faithful households avoided God’s judgment of the death of the firstborn son only because a lamb died in his place. (Exodus 12:3-13).

The Israelites were enslaved to Pharaoh.

Similarly, all of us enter this world as slaves in bondage to sin and to death.

The price of our forgiveness was the very blood of Christ, who accomplished redemption as the great Passover Lamb for all who might believe in Him.

It is the power of His blood alone that frees us from death, for life, eternally.

Christ did not come to earth to tell us how to live, to make ourselves Christians.

He did not come to tell us what we have to do to save ourselves.

He came to do what we could not—to save us.

He acted on our behalf, offering forgiveness that is free to us but costly to God.

2 Corinthians 5:11-21 New Living Translation

We Are God’s Ambassadors

¹¹Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. ¹²Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us,^[a] so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart. ¹³If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. ¹⁴Either way, Christ’s love controls us.^[b] Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.^[c] ¹⁵He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

¹⁶So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! ¹⁷This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

¹⁸And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. ¹⁹For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. ²⁰So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” ²¹For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin,^[d] so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

We dare not believe that God simply decided to overlook our sin; rather, Christ’s death on the cross absorbed the judgment that you and I deserve. God’s purist holiness requires sin’s penalty to be paid—and His Son provided that payment.

As he considers this, Paul is moved to exclaim, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!” (Ephesians 1:3).

Considering God’s grace should always move us to praise.

But notice the phrase Paul uses in verses 7-8: “the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us.”

God’s grace is torrential. It is overwhelming. He has poured it out over each one of His children, holding nothing back. And He will continue to do so for eternity.

Imagine that you have just finished your first meal in a high-end restaurant and someone picks up your check, saying, “I’ve got you covered—I’ll pay.”

That’s precisely what God has said to you, me on the grandest scale imaginable.

That is exactly what God is saying to me, to you, to His badly fractured church.

He isn’t saying there is no payment to be made.

He’s saying He has already made the payment.

God’s grace is beyond all limits, extending further than the eye can see or the human heart and soul can possibly grasp.

So, although as you look back on the last day or week, or even the last minutes, you will know that you are 100% sinful, you can also know this: you cannot sin as much as God can forgive, and you can be confident that He who began a good work in us will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6).

Will you believe that the experience of God’s matchless grace in with you NOW?

Will we finally enter our dusty attics, open the long neglected “God in the Box?”

Will we enjoy the experience of grace upon grace upon grace for all of eternity?

Do we want to enjoy the experience of grace upon grace upon grace for eternity?

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

God of abounding extravagant grace, we thank you today that you do not give in moderation but that you pour your grace lavishly on us. Through Jesus Christ, Amen.

Psalm 23 New Living Translation

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

¹The Lord is my shepherd;
    I have all that I need.
²He lets me rest in green meadows;
    he leads me beside peaceful streams.
³    He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
    bringing honor to his name.
⁴Even when I walk
    through the darkest valley,^[a]
I will not be afraid,
    for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
    protect and comfort me.
⁵You prepare a feast for me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
    My cup overflows with blessings.
⁶Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
    all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
    forever.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com/

God’s Growing Kingdom 2024: Let us just talk a little about some of those Radical Demands of Following Jesus. Acts 2: 1-13

Acts 2:1-13 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Day of Pentecost

2 When the day of Pentecost ^[a]had come, they were all together in one place. ²And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³And there appeared to them tongues as of fire ^[b]distributing themselves, and ^[c]they ^[d]rested on each one of them. ⁴And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other ^[e]tongues, as the Spirit was giving them ^[f]utterance.

⁵Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. ⁶And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own ^[g] language. ⁷They were amazed and astonished, saying, “^[h]Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸And how is it that we each hear them in our own ^[i] language ^[j]to which we were born? ⁹Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and ^[k]Asia, ¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and ^[l]visitors from Rome, both Jews and ^[m]proselytes, ¹¹Cretans and Arabs—we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.” ¹²And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³But others were mocking and saying, “They are full of ^[n]sweet wine.”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

God’s Growing Kingdom 2024

On the day of Pentecost, God-fearing Jews from many nations were staying in Jerusalem.

They were gathering to celebrate the Feast of Weeks that God had established for his people Israel some 1,500 years earlier (Deuteronomy 16:9-12).

⁹“You shall count seven weeks for yourself; you shall begin to count seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. ¹⁰Then you shall ^[a]celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with a tribute of a freewill offering of your hand, which you shall give just as the Lord your God blesses you; ¹¹and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter and your male and female servants and the Levite who is in your ^[b]town, and the stranger and the ^[c]orphan and the widow who are in your midst, in the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name. ¹² You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful to observe these statutes.

They all converged on the temple on Pentecost (fifty days after the Feast of Passover) to bring their offerings of the best firstfruits of their harvests.

That day people from many nations heard the good news of Jesus for the first time. And about 3,000 believed and were baptized (Acts 2:41).

Scholars estimate that the world population was about 300 million people at that time.

That is 1/27th of today’s population.

At the time of his birth, the earth’s entire population was just 300 million, smaller than the U.S. by itself today. The United States 2023 population is estimated at 339,996,563 people at mid year. the United States population is equivalent to 4.23% of the total world population. the U.S.A. ranks number 3 in the list of countries (and dependencies) by population.

In biblical times it is estimated that about 45 million of those people, including Jesus himself, had lived in the Roman Empire, whose borders stretched in Jesus’ time from modern-day Portugal in the west to Turkey in the east.

From there, it took 1,800 years for the world’s population to grow to a billion.

Prior to the 1800s there were few formal immigration laws.

But with the world’s population at over 8 billion today, almost every country has decided to regulate immigration.

Christians are free to differ and disagree over the details of immigration laws.

However, as immigrants, migrants, refugees, and others cross borders today, many hear the gospel for the first time.

God’s people have the opportunity and responsibility to share the gospel with them. As the gospel is shared, many people continue to enter God’s kingdom each day! That of course is a good thing—regardless of views on immigration.

What Are those Radical Demands of Following Jesus?

Luke 14:25-35 The Message

Figure the Cost

^25-27One day when large groups of people were walking along with him, Jesus turned and told them, “Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters—yes, even one’s own self!—can’t be my disciple. Anyone who won’t shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can’t be my disciple.

^28-30“Is there anyone here who, planning to build a new house, doesn’t first sit down and figure the cost so you’ll know if you can complete it? If you only get the foundation laid and then run out of money, you’re going to look pretty foolish. Everyone passing by will poke fun at you: ‘He started something he couldn’t finish.’

^31-32“Or can you imagine a king going into battle against another king without first deciding whether it is possible with his ten thousand troops to face the twenty thousand troops of the other? And if he decides he can’t, won’t he send an emissary and work out a truce?

³³“Simply put, if you’re not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can’t be my disciple.

^34-35“Salt is excellent. But if the salt goes flat, it’s useless, good for nothing.

“Are you listening to this? Really listening?”

Without any doubt, there are a great number of the teachings of Jesus that are often easy to remember and even memorize, a bit more difficult perhaps to understand, discern, then extremely challenging to live out in our daily lives.

These lessons are frequently, but not always, described by Jesus through parables, as was his way of teaching. For example:

The parable of the talents. (Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:12-28)
The rich young ruler. (Matthew 19:16-23; Mark 10:17-27; Luke 18:18-30)
God or money – we each have to choose. (Matthew 5:38-42)
Forgive others, or God won’t forgive you. (Matthew 6:14-15)
Serve the poor and needy – or go to hell. (Matthew 25:41-46)
Blessed are the poor, the hungry, those who weep, and those who are hated. (Luke 6:20-23)
Woe to the rich, and those who are well fed, and those who laugh now, and when everyone speaks well of you. (Luke 6:23-26)

And we could go on. “Turn the other cheek.” “Love your enemies.”

In these and many—perhaps most—of Jesus’ parables, he taught about the life we are called to live—the real terms of discipleship.

He taught about what it would mean to truly follow him.

Perhaps, though, one of the most compelling is when Jesus taught that we must count the cost of becoming his disciples.

Luke 14:25-35 New International Version

The Cost of Being a Disciple

²⁵Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: ²⁶“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. ²⁷And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

²⁸“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? ²⁹For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, ³⁰saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

³¹“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? ³²If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. ³³In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

³⁴“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? ³⁵It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.

“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

Wait…what? Hate father and mother, wife and children? Hate our own life?

If those are the terms of discipleship, then we would certainly each be smart to measure that cost, wouldn’t we? But…is that really what Jesus meant?

An Argument Against Cultural Christianity

During his ministry, Jesus had a great many crowds following him, very often thousands upon thousands.

Everyone had heard about the miracles, the healings, and free food!

But Jesus knew their hearts were not always with him. He knew they desired the benefits of what he did.

They wanted to reap the rewards.

They loved his gifts—but not him.

They loved the idea of Jesus without understanding who he truly was.

We see them even today.

Jesus is the one who is going to get us into paradise when we die, right?

He died on the cross to pay for our sins and to give us our forever home in heaven. Right? That’s all, folks! We have our mansion in the sky waiting for us!

Leave it to Jesus to mess up our comfortable lives. Jesus knows our hearts; clearly, a comfortable easy chair life here on earth was not his expectation.

How many today speak the words yet don’t live them out?

How many today can memorize the teachings but not apply them to their lives?

How many put on the show of performing deeds in and for church yet don’t know Christ in their hearts?

We see them even in church.

They have the verses memorized and repeat them as if they believe the words to be true. And maybe they do believe them – but the words don’t move from their heads to their hearts. But God will not be mocked, and Jesus will not be fooled:

Matthew 7:21-29 New International Version

True and False Disciples

²¹“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²²Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ ²³Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

The Wise and Foolish Builders

²⁴“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

²⁸When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, ²⁹because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

The lesson certainly seems directed at those who do the work and go through the motions but have never given their hearts to Christ.

Or perhaps they made the claim, knowing the expectation, but had never actually lived out the words.

After all, if indeed they had prophesied, cast out demons, and performed miracles in his name, then Jesus would indeed have known them.

Either way, the lesson is that mere words or mere acts without faith—without heart—are not the discipleship Jesus is looking for.

James, the brother of Jesus, put it this way:

James 2:14-24 New International Version

Faith and Deeds

¹⁴What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? ¹⁵Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

¹⁸But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. ¹⁹You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

²⁰You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless^[a]? ²¹Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? ²²You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. ²³And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”^[b] and he was called God’s friend. ²⁴You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

In other words, if you claim to have faith but it has no impact on how you live your life, your faith is worthless.

If your life isn’t following the teachings of Christ, then you are still lost despite your words.

So many today say they believe.

They love the idea of eternal life, escaping hell, and being able to pray whenever they need anything.

But they are unwilling to give up their earthly desires and the life they now live.

They are more in love with their sinful habits than with Jesus.

1 John 2:15-17 New International Version

On Not Loving the World

¹⁵Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father^[a] is not in them. ¹⁶For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

The Cost of Discipleship

So what is it that Jesus expects of us…really?

Jesus often uses hyperbole to make his point.

Clearly, Jesus would not expect us to “gouge out our eye” or “cut off our hand” if they cause us to sin. (Matthew 5:29-32)

Neither are we to truly “hate” our father and mother, our wife and children, or our brothers and sisters.

We know this, as we are called to hate no one.

But Jesus is unmistakable in what he does expect: He wants everything from us.

He wants our full commitment, our entire hearts, entire souls, all our strengths.

Luke 9:21-25 New International Version

Jesus Predicts His Death

²¹Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. ²²And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

²³Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. ²⁴For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. ²⁵What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?

We often tend to understate the meaning of “bearing our cross.”

But when Jesus spoke those words, his listeners thought of the cross only as a means of execution.

We use it as a metaphor.

Jesus was asking them to put to death their prior lives and follow him.

To die to themselves, to life as they know it, to everything they hold near and dear – to follow him to the cross.

Jesus often spoke volumes with just a few words – this being one of those times.

When he calls us to “count the cost,” he does not want us to think we can go halfway naively or be surprised later with the expectations.

And there is no negotiating.

The gift of eternal life is free to anyone who asks and believes (John 3:16) – but it is not a free welfare program.

It requires a commitment on our part – a transfer of ownership of our lives, if you will, to him.

To follow him and follow his commands and teachings.

We can no longer simply follow our own selfish desires – we must give up our “me-first” attitudes and approach to life.

Jesus once described the kingdom of heaven in this way:

Matthew 13:44-51 New International Version

The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl

⁴⁴“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

⁴⁵“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. ⁴⁶When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

The Parable of the Net

⁴⁷“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. ⁴⁸When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. ⁴⁹This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous ⁵⁰and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

⁵¹“Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked.

“Yes,” they replied.

Yes! They Replied … Reality would later prove radically different in the Garden of Gethsemane and again in the courtyard and again at the Hill called Calvary.

In each parable, the man sold everything he had.

Each gave up everything to gain the valuable treasure he had found.

That is what Jesus asks of us – to give up all we have, all we are, to be called his disciple.

What Is the Reward?

The disciples of Jesus are either all in—or they are not in at all.

Jesus has laid down some pretty high costs, but with those costs come some incredible rewards.

Matthew 7:24-29 New International Version

The Wise and Foolish Builders

²⁸When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, ²⁹because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

When we simply give lip service to giving our lives to Christ, the words become like political talking points written on cardboard.

They have no strength, no foundation.

Like a house built on sand and cardboard, Christianity cannot stand against the storms of life.

But when we build the house—build our lives—on the rock of faith in Jesus Christ, we can withstand anything and everything that comes against us and will not fall.

We will not fall because our faith is built on the foundation of Jesus Christ.

By losing our lives, we save them. (Luke 9:24)

When we give up ourselves and give up our lives, we will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. (Luke 14:14)

In other words, what we think we lose here is nothing compared to what we gain with Jesus in eternity.

Paul expressed it very well when he said:

Philippians 3:7-11 New International Version

⁷But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in^[a] Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. ¹⁰I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

This Pentecost Day of 2024 and in the days, months ahead, May we each say,

“I consider everything I have lost garbage that I may gain Christ.”

In the name o God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 16 The Message

16 ^1-2Keep me safe, O God,
I’ve run for dear life to you.
I say to God, “Be my Lord!”
Without you, nothing makes sense.

³And these God-chosen lives all around—
what splendid friends they make!

⁴Don’t just go shopping for a god.
Gods are not for sale.
I swear I’ll never treat god-names
like brand-names.

^5-6My choice is you, God, first and only.
And now I find I’m your choice!
You set me up with a house and yard.
And then you made me your heir!

^7-8The wise counsel God gives when I’m awake
is confirmed by my sleeping heart.
Day and night I’ll stick with God;
I’ve got a good thing going and I’m not letting go.

^9-10I’m happy from the inside out,
and from the outside in, I’m firmly formed.
You canceled my ticket to hell—
that’s not my destination!

¹¹Now you’ve got my feet on the life path,
all radiant from the shining of your face.
Ever since you took my hand,
I’m on the right way.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com/

“Everyone on the Side of Truth will listen to Me.” Praying to Pick Truth Over Crowd Pleasing. John 18:33-38

John 18:33-38 New American Standard Bible 1995

³³Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” ³⁴Jesus answered, “Are you saying this ^[a]on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?” ³⁵Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?” ³⁶Jesus answered, “My kingdom ^[b]is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not ^[c]of this realm.” ³⁷Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” ³⁸Pilate *said to Him, “What is truth?”

And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and *said to them, “I find no guilt in Him.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Being On One Side of the Truth or the Other …

John 18:37-38 Amplified Bible

³⁷So Pilate said to Him, “Then You are a King?” Jesus answered, “You say [correctly] that I am a King. This is why I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth [who is a friend of the truth and belongs to the truth] hears and listens carefully to My voice.” ³⁸Pilate said to Him [scornfully], “What is truth?”

And when he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no guilt in Him [no crime, no cause for an accusation].

Jesus’ statement here about truth is in line with everything he has taught.

Jesus stands before Pilate “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

He is the bread of life; the living water; the Good Shepherd, the way, the truth, and the life; the only way to know God the Father (John 6:35; 7:38; 10:11, 14:6).

As he stands in judgement before this Roman governor, face to face, eye to eye, voice to voice, word to Word, thought to thought, Jesus offers Pilate the chance to experience the truth into a relationship with him—like one of his disciples.

But doing that would be very costly for Pilate. If Pilate were to accept what Jesus has to say, he would have to make the truth more important than Rome. Or political power. Or wealth. If Pilate accepted Jesus’ claims and set Jesus free, he would be throwing away his credibility with the Jews, if not his entire career.

Throughout this Gospel Narrative, John has been helping us to understand that all we possess on this earth—all our power, our influence, and wealth—pales in comparison to the incomparable truth of Jesus.

“… Everyone who is of the truth [who is a friend of the truth and belongs to the truth] hears and listens carefully to My voice.”

The offer Jesus extends goes far beyond Pilate, to our chance to experience life with God the way we are created to live it. Nothing is more important than that.

Sadly, Pilate rejects Jesus’ offer.

What about you and me?

What might we need to let go of in order to embrace the truth of Jesus?

What about the church?

What might the church need to let go of in order to embrace the truth of Jesus?

A Prayer to Pick Truth Over say … Crowd Pleasing

John 18:37-40 The Message

³⁷Then Pilate said, “So, are you a king or not?”

Jesus answered, “You tell me. Because I am King, I was born and entered the world so that I could witness to the truth. Everyone who cares for truth, who has any feeling for the truth, recognizes my voice.”

^38-39Pilate said, “What is truth?”

Then he went back out to the Jews and told them, “I find nothing wrong in this man. It’s your custom that I pardon one prisoner at Passover. Do you want me to pardon the ‘King of the Jews’?”

⁴⁰They shouted back, “Not this one, but Barabbas!” Barabbas was a Jewish freedom fighter.

Without even waiting for an answer from Jesus, in all likelihood not even really desiring one, nor prepared to hear one or have to listen to one and think twice about the course of his coming actions and have to entertain the possibility he will have to alter it, Pilate leaves the presence of Jesus and returns to the crowd.

It can be hard to change course, from the truth the crowd prefers to side with God’s Truth, especially if you and your choice could be dangerously unpopular.

Perhaps, like me, you have found your faith tested when standing firm to the voice of Jesus against a persuasive crowd. It’s human nature to want to be liked, but sometimes, this pressure leads us to make choices that don’t glorify God.

Pontius Pilate is well remembered for his display of crowd-pleasing weakness.

As a Roman governor as Caesar’s representative, Pilate routinely presided from his Jerusalem headquarters to ensure law, order during Jewish festival times.

During this particular Passover in John’s narrative, he found himself standing before a large crowd growing ever larger and crying out for Jesus’s crucifixion.

Roman law prohibited the Sanhedrin from carrying out capital punishment, so they demanded that Pilate issue the death sentence.

Luke 23:2 captures the nature of their manipulation:

Luke 23:1-5 The Message

Pilate

23 ^1-2Then they all took Jesus to Pilate and began to bring up charges against him. They said, “We found this man undermining our law and order, forbidding taxes to be paid to Caesar, setting himself up as Messiah-King.”

³Pilate asked him, “Is this true that you’re ‘King of the Jews’?”

“Those are your words, not mine,” Jesus replied.

⁴Pilate told the high priests and the accompanying crowd, “I find nothing wrong here. He seems harmless enough to me.”

⁵But they were vehement. “He’s stirring up unrest among the people with his teaching, disturbing the peace everywhere, starting in Galilee and now all through Judea. He’s a dangerous man, endangering the peace.”

Read again the protesting crowds interpretation of their “truth” …

“We found this man misleading, undermining the law and order of our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.”

Does this have a familiar ring of truth for us today?

History repeating itself all over again?

Words, actions, behaviors, deeds all guided by the alleged truth of “the crowd?”

Who ever has the majority, who ever can shout the loudest, exerts the greatest measure and degree of influence, becomes the bigger bully, gets their “truth?”

Jesus came to bear witness to the truth, yet Pontius Pilate refused to listen to the Messiah. After much questioning, he could find no lies or fault with Him.

Instead, in a moment of great irony, Pilate responded to Truth Himself with the question, “What is truth?” (John 18:37-38).

Despite Pilate’s investigation, Herod’s findings, and even his wife’s report of a troubling dream warning of Jesus’ innocence, Pilate remained unsettled by the mob (Matthew 27:19).

In hopes of appeasing everyone, Pilate offered to free Jesus under the Passover tradition of a prisoner release.

Sadly, the crowd demanded the release of Barabbas. They traded a murderer whose name in Greek (barr-abbas) means “son of the father” for Jesus, the True Son of the Father–how they all (including us?) missed the message!

Although Pilate continued to look for ways to release Jesus, a final blow of peer pressure broke him as the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar” (John 19:12).

At this he freed Barabbas, had Jesus beaten beyond recognition, humiliated Him with a purple robe and crown of thorns, and handed Him over for crucifixion.

The trouble with crowd-pleasing is that it often requires us to compromise what we know to be true.

Christians are not immune to this “follow the crowd” temptation, yet God will help us when we seek discernment and strength through scripture and prayer.

Each day is full of opportunities to unhinge ourselves from the “vocal will of the crowds to honor our Lord, Savior and King as we strive to sort through the vast, deceiving amounts of “crowd truths,” glorify God, through our daily decisions.

How are you, me, the church, being challenged to be a witness to God’s truth today rather than give in to the pressure of popularity? Like Pilate, have you found yourself tempted to follow the crowd despite what you know is right?

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Father God, it is hard to hear your Truth when the voices around me are loud. Whether it’s my kids, friends, or workplace, I confess I want to be liked, and it is often unpopular to go against the group. Even though it’s human nature to want to fit in, remind me daily that you have given me a new and better nature in Christ. Forgive me when I have given into people-pleasing or made choices to gain acceptance or approval of others even when I knew it was wrong. Forgive me for the times I did not stand up for you, Jesus, and the times I complied rather than speaking your truth and light into a situation. Holy Spirit, bring to mind instances that need your forgiveness and wash me with fresh new boldness and strength to reflect your glory in my words and actions. Help me speak your name with love and grace, and give me wisdom and discernment to make Truth-honoring choices today and always. In Jesus’ Name …

Psalm 118 The Message

118 ^1-4Thank God because he’s good,
    because his love never quits.
Tell the world, Israel,
    “His love never quits.”
And you, clan of Aaron, tell the world,
    “His love never quits.”
And you who fear God, join in,
    “His love never quits.”

^5-16Pushed to the wall, I called to God;
    from the wide open spaces, he answered.
God’s now at my side and I’m not afraid;
    who would dare lay a hand on me?
God’s my strong champion;
    I flick off my enemies like flies.
Far better to take refuge in God
    than trust in people;
Far better to take refuge in God
    than trust in celebrities.
Hemmed in by barbarians,
    in God’s name I rubbed their faces in the dirt;
Hemmed in and with no way out,
    in God’s name I rubbed their faces in the dirt;
Like swarming bees, like wild prairie fire, they hemmed me in;
    in God’s name I rubbed their faces in the dirt.
I was right on the cliff-edge, ready to fall,
    when God grabbed and held me.
God’s my strength, he’s also my song,
    and now he’s my salvation.
Hear the shouts, hear the triumph songs
    in the camp of the saved?
        “The hand of God has turned the tide!
        The hand of God is raised in victory!
        The hand of God has turned the tide!”

^17-20I didn’t die. I lived!
    And now I’m telling the world what God did.
God tested me, he pushed me hard,
    but he didn’t hand me over to Death.
Swing wide the city gates—the righteous gates!
    I’ll walk right through and thank God!
This Temple Gate belongs to God,
    so the victors can enter and praise.

^21-25Thank you for responding to me;
    you’ve truly become my salvation!
The stone the masons discarded as flawed
    is now the capstone!
This is God’s work.
    We rub our eyes—we can hardly believe it!
This is the very day God acted—
    let’s celebrate and be festive!
Salvation now, God. Salvation now!
    Oh yes, God—a free and full life!

^26-29Blessed are you who enter in God’s name—
    from God’s house we bless you!
God is God,
    he has bathed us in light.
Adorn the shrine with garlands,
    hang colored banners above the altar!
You’re my God, and I thank you.
    O my God, I lift high your praise.
Thank God—he’s so good.
    His love never quits!

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com/

Hebrews 11:17-19 Amplified Bible

The Business of Being in God’s Unchanging Word

Hebrews 4:11-16 Amplified Bible

1 Corinthians 15:50-58 Amplified Bible

The Mystery of Resurrection

Psalm 46 Amplified Bible

God the Refuge of His People.

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah, set to soprano voices. A Song.

Share this:

Proverbs 22:1-6 New American Standard Bible 1995

On Life and Conduct

Parents, Tell Your Children, Teach Your Children

Proverbs 22:1-6 The Message

The Cure Comes Through Discipline

Regardless of their Age, Please Teach Your Children a just Few Powerful Prayers to Fill Them with Wisdom.

James 1:5-8 The Message

1. A Prayer for Our Children to Walk in Awe of the Lord

A Prayer for Our Children to Walk in Awe of the Lord

2. A Prayer for Our Children to Listen to the Lord

A Prayer for Our Children to Listen to the Lord

3. A Prayer for Our Children to Trust God

A Prayer for Our Children to Trust God

Learning to Pray for Our Children

Psalm 119:1-16 The Message

Share this:

2 Timothy 3:10-17 New American Standard Bible 1995

Transformation Through the Word

2 Timothy 3:16-17 New American Standard Bible 1995

For Example: Those Verses Surrounding John 3:16

John 3:16 Amplified Bible

John 3:13 Amplified Bible

John 3:14-15 Amplified Bible

2 Corinthians 5:20-21 Amplified Bible

Jesus Gives Nicodemus the Promise of Eternal Life

John 3:16 Amplified Bible

Jesus Has Already Given Us the Victory

John 3:17-18Amplified Bible

Jesus Shares the Ultimate Truth

John 3:19-21 Amplified Bible

Psalm 119:1-16 The Message

Share this:

1 Peter 5:1-7 The Message

He’ll Promote You at the Right Time

A Word to the Church: Seeking His Kingdom First?

1 Peter 5:1-7 Amplified Bible

Serve God Willingly

Considering How We Grow and Mature in Christ?

Luke 12:13-34 English Standard Version

The Parable of the Rich Fool

Do Not Be Anxious

Psalm 91 tHE MESSAGE

Share this:

Mark 10:46-52 New American Standard Bible 1995

Bartimaeus Receives His Sight

What Do You Want Me to do For You?

“Take Courage, Stand Up! He is Calling For You!”

Mark 10:46-49 New American Standard Bible 1995

Bartimaeus Receives His Sight

Psalm 42 New American Standard Bible 1995

BOOK 2

Thirsting for God in Trouble and Exile.

For the choir director. A [a]Maskil of the sons of Korah.

Share this:

2 Timothy 3:1-8 New American Standard Bible 1995

“Difficult Times Will Come”

What do we believe is the meaning of 2Timothy 3:1-5?

2 Timothy 3:1-5Amplified Bible

“Difficult Times Will Come”

The People Mentioned in 2 Timothy 3

The Church in History

Testing Ourselves and Testing the Church

2 Timothy 3:10-17 Amplified Bible

Matthew 23:25-28 Amplified Bible

What is to be our Response

2 Timothy 3:14-17 Amplified Bible

Matthew 9:35-38 Amplified Bible

Acts 2:43-47 Amplified Bible

Psalm 84 The Message

Share this:

John 3:1-12 New American Standard Bible 1995

For the choir director. A ^[a]Maskil of the sons of Korah.