Matthew 2:13-15 ~ Out of Egypt I called my son

View of Israel from Mount Nebo. Where Moses stayed instead of entering the Promised Land. Here 2 Maccabees 2:4-9 records Jeremiah hiding the Ark of the Covenant before the Babylonian invasions.


Matthew 2:13-15

David Cochran, English Standard Version


13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”


God' s plan can unfold quickly like an earthquake, tsunami or gently. Rarely does God give us experiences, like where we live as we grow up, that doesn't teach us to be the people He wants us to strive to be.

Having spent 4 years of my childhood in Nice, France, I appreciate the outdoors because our house was dark in France, but the living room wall of windows facing the Mediterranean was a constant changing display of light and color. Outdoors was much more pleasant and I was out there every day. So many vivid colors and foods. We lived in the Pennsylvania mountains, at the end of the Appalachian mountains, for 4 years in steel mill country where Lake Erie left snow for sometimes 9 months on the ground, waist high. This is where people matter to each other, because cabin fever will get you.

God's child could have grown up regretting leaving prosperous Egypt and feeling like a sulky Goth teenager. This could have been brutal to Mary and Joseph. It's up to us to feel gratitude for a change in circumstance, good or bad. Jesus knew what it was to be a foreigner in a foreign land. There might have been Jews to help Joseph find work. Or Joseph was left, with God's help, to manage for his family and find work with skill and patience. Mary might have had women to visit with to raise her family. Or she might have spent time with Jesus. Would the little Egyptian children have enjoyed Jesus. We know they did.

Luke 2:52
And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

Jesus became a Jew, a man, who went to the Samaritans and wasn't very concerned with borders or ethnic backgrounds. Jesus declared himself by the 4th chapter of John's gospel.

John 4: 4-26
Now he had to go through Samaria. ⁵ So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. ⁶ Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

⁷ When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” ⁸ (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

⁹ The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

¹⁰ Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

¹¹ “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? ¹² Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”

¹³ Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

¹⁵ The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

¹⁶ He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”

¹⁷ “I have no husband,” she replied.

Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. ¹⁸ The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”

¹⁹ “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. ²⁰ Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

²¹ “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. ²² You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. ²³ Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. ²⁴ God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

²⁵ The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

²⁶ Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

Jesus doing the work of God. Not jumping into the fray with all the other Salmon, just swimming up stream. Jesus finding the path of peace, ways of mercy. Inclusion. Purity. Love, joy, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Isaiah 58:6
"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter--when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?


Psalm 146:9
The LORD watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.


Luke 17:5-19
5 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. ¹⁶ He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

¹⁷ Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸ Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

Ephesians 2:19
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God


As a fellow citizen, with the members of the household of God - a Child of God - how have the good and bad circumstances of your growing years been gifts to use for your life?

1 Thessalonians 5:18
give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you



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Psalm 2 ~ why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?

Life Magazine did a photo opportunity and article for the 1951 movie "David and Bathsheba" with Gregory Peck and Susan Hayward.



Psalm 2 ~ (New International Version)

Listen - Max McLean, New International Version - suggested to click for new tab to listen and read


Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?
² The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together
against the LORD and against his anointed, saying,
³ “Let us break their chains
and throw off their shackles.”

⁴ The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.
⁵ He rebukes them in his anger
and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
⁶ “I have installed my king
on Zion, my holy mountain.”

⁷ I will proclaim the LORD’s decree:

He said to me, “You are my son;
today I have become your father.
⁸ Ask me,
and I will make the nations your inheritance,
the ends of the earth your possession.
⁹ You will break them with a rod of iron;
you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

¹⁰ Therefore, you kings, be wise;
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
¹¹ Serve the LORD with fear
and celebrate his rule with trembling.
¹² Kiss his son, or he will be angry
and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Psalm 2 isn't identified in the Old Testament with a human writer until Acts 4:25

You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:

“‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
²⁶ The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together
against the Lord and against his anointed one."

David is the human component to the writing, with the Holy Spirit being the author of all of the Scriptures.

David would know about national conspiracy. David had Saul plotting against him. Living in caves, being defamed. And David used sneaky, down right devious behavior, more than mildly bizarre behavior, to take Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite. David, of course, placed Uriah on the front line of his army conspiring to use God's nation for David's sin.

The problem with being invisible to be sneaky, or having devious behavior, is listed pretty clearly in Psalm 2. The evil one, the devil, isn't going to let a good man get away with it. At the right moment, the secret is revealed for maximum damage. Zap. The evil one would go for maximum embarrassment and carnage.

We have all been less than perfect.

What is God going to do with the sinners. I want to know. In Psalm 2, the children of God are protected. Not to remain invisible or impervious, but forgiven. Not to continue in wrong doing. Actually letting the sin to be known and recovered from. Honesty is the real path forward.

Psalm 51

A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba, placing Uriah in harm's way to be murdered.

¹ Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
² Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.

³ For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
⁵ Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
⁶ Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
⁹ Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.

¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
so that sinners will turn back to you.
¹⁴ Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
you who are God my Savior,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
¹⁵ Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
¹⁶ You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
¹⁷ My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.

¹⁸ May it please you to prosper Zion,
to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
¹⁹ Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
in burnt offerings offered whole;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

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Psalm 135 ~ all the kingdoms

Windswept, by Marianne Post.
Windswept. Oil on canvas, by Don Gray.

Psalm 135

David Cochran, English Standard Version

1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord,
give praise, O servants of the Lord,
2 who stand in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God!
3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
sing to his name, for it is pleasant! [for he is beautiful]
4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel as his own possession.

5 For I know that the Lord is great,
and that our Lord is above all gods.
6 Whatever the Lord pleases, he does,
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all deeps.
7 He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth,
who makes lightnings for the rain
and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.

8 He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
both of man and of beast;
9 who in your midst, O Egypt,
sent signs and wonders
against Pharaoh and all his servants;
10 who struck down many nations
and killed mighty kings,
11 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
and Og, king of Bashan,
and all the kingdoms of Canaan,
12 and gave their land as a heritage,
a heritage to his people Israel.

13 Your name, O Lord, endures forever,
your renown, [remembrance] O Lord, throughout all ages.
14 For the Lord will vindicate his people
and have compassion on his servants.

15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
16 They have mouths, but do not speak;
they have eyes, but do not see;
17 they have ears, but do not hear,
nor is there any breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them become like them,
so do all who trust in them!

19 O house of Israel, bless the Lord!
O house of Aaron, bless the Lord!
20 O house of Levi, bless the Lord!
You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord!
21 Blessed be the Lord from Zion,
he who dwells in Jerusalem!
Praise the Lord!

Acts 2:1
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.

Psalm 1:4
The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

John 3:7,8
Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Our lives....

Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.



Canaan is, of course...... Israel. We sometimes believe we are going forward in God's plan, when in fact we are acting as the Canaanites. Not the Children of God we hope to be. With this passage being about God being in our midst, what are some of the Biblical manifestations of the Holy Spirit?

1 Corinthians 12

¹ Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. ² You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. ³ Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

⁴ There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. ⁵ There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶ There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

⁷ Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸ To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.


An unknown tongue unto God (I Corinthians 14:2). Tongue that edifies you (I Corinthians 14:4; Jude 20). Assists you in prayer (Romans 8:26-27). Stirs up the prophetic ministry (I Corinthians 14:5). Refreshes your soul (Isaiah 28:11-12). Gives victory over the devil (Ephesians 6:18). Helps you worship in the Spirit (I Corinthians 14:14-15; Hebrews 2:12).

When you sing in the Spirit, God joins in with you and confuses and defeats the enemy (Isaiah 30:29-31). Tongues breaks the yoke of bondage (Acts 16:25). Brings you into the presence of God (Psalm 22:3). Aids you in intercession (Romans 8:26).

A known tongue that is a sign to unbelievers (I Corinthians 14:2; Acts 2:6). A foreign language spoken without being learned.

A tongue that is understood through interpretation and edifies the Church (I Corinthians 14:15).




Tongues. Everyone has a vivid, vivid opinion on this manifestation of the Spirit. The work of the Holy Spirit is to help us to go down God's path. We get so caught up in "Tongues" ( good vs. bad) we forget our own language - our own speech - the things spoken around us are useful to God. This is the edification of tongues, with the list above. It is talking. The thing we do all day. And even in our sleep.

A message of wisdom - can be a warning for danger in our behavior, etc. A blessing. And encouragement. Warming our heart, and our lives. It can be a reminder we would rather not hear leading to the goodness of God's pasture. (Like don't eat that extra helping.)

A message of knowledge - can be a message you alone understand, because it is your thoughts the Spirit is speaking to. I know a man having an affair and he was warned at a dinner party. In plain view of the other people, a serious conversation, and it was still a private conversation. A moment of the Holy Spirit.

A message of faith - having a question, a decision being needed. A word fitly spoken. Usually spoken to by Scripture. Even the drive-by Church Scripture on the billboard.

Proverbs 25:11
Like apples of gold in settings of silver Is a word spoken in right circumstances.


~ to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits

~ 9 who in your midst, O Egypt

How will we know if we are in the middle of a Working of the LORD?

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

When we can take that advice, it speaks to us and we can apply Jesus is Lord to that advice and to our lives.

God spoke to Elijah not with a bull horn, or a blow torch. God did not seek to dominate or control Elijah, He wanted to encourage him and give him faith, hope and love.

1 Kings 19
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. ¹³ When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Father God, be the wind in our lives. Direct our hearts, our thoughts to Your glory. In You, have us live, move and have our being. In You, is our goodness.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to You, my rock and my redeemer. Forgive me when I am wrong, when I am self-centered and selfish. Set me again on Your path. Not because I am so worthy, but for the sake of Your Son.

Strengthen me when you would have me speak, give me the gift of wisdom when I need patience and silence. Comfort me when it is Your word and it angers someone. Let my life be the seed you would plant, growing into the largest tree in the forest, letting Your creation come and be gathered in Your love and Your joy. Help me to live Your peace and give Your peace, God who is Love. In the name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.



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1 Kings 9:1-5 ~ I have heard your prayer and your plea

The House of Yahweh Ostracon (a writing on pottery also known as the “House of God Ostracon”) discovered in Arad, an ancient Judean city. Now located in the Israel Museum. The Ostracon is written in ancient Hebrew and dated to the early 6th century BC, it is considered to be one of the earliest references to the Temple Solomon built in Jerusalem outside of the biblical accounts. The House of Yahweh Ostracon reads, in part, as follows: "To my lord Elyashib, may the Lord seek your welfare…and as to the matter which you command me-it is well; he is in the House of Yahweh [God]."

1 Kings 9:1-5

1 As soon as Solomon had finished building the house of the Lord and the king's house and all that Solomon desired to build, 2 the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. 3 And the Lord said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your plea, which you have made before me. I have consecrated this house that you have built, by putting my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time. 4 And as for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes and my rules, 5 then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’

The promises of Abba began in Genesis. traditional Jewish dates have Abraham living in 1812 B.C. to 1637 B.C.


Genesis 12:2-4
And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;

And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

So Abram went forth as the LORD had spoken to him

Abraham's children's blessings continued to 1000 B.C. to David.

1 Samuel 16:12-13
And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” ¹³ Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward.

David believed the Lord.

2 Samuel 28
And now, O Lord GOD, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. ²⁹ Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord GOD, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.”

David's promises began to be fufilled in Solomon's lifetime.

2 Chronicles 5
¹¹ And when the priests came out of the Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had consecrated themselves, without regard to their divisions, ¹² and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, their sons and kinsmen, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, stood east of the altar with 120 priests who were trumpeters; ¹³ and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the LORD), and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the LORD,

“For he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever,”

the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, ¹⁴ so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.

Hezekiah was the 14th King of David's line, in 600 B.C.

Isaiah 38:20
“The LORD will surely save me;
So we will play my songs on stringed instruments
All the days of our life at the house of the LORD.”

God is still in the business of mercy, healing and hearing prayers.

Isaiah 38:4-6
4 Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah, saying, 5“Go and say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of your father David, “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add fifteen years to your life. 6“I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city.”’


Luke 2:9-14
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. ¹⁰ And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Many years have passed, what can we say about these passages for us today? Do God's promises end or apply to us?


Romans 8:38
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.


John 5:17
Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working."

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Luke 2:8-20 ~ just as they had been told

Angels found painted in the Cathedral of Seville, Spain

Shepherds in the Field, painted by Nicolaes Berchem. Detail of the angels.

Jesus with the Angels, Artist Unknown. Beautiful.

Shepherds in the Field, painted by Nicolaes Berchem.

The Nativity, painted by Gerard van Honthorst

Luke 2:8-20 ~ (New International Version)

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.


Colossians 2:6
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him

Galatians 3:26
You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus

Colossians 1:10
And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God




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Hebrews 10 ~ He who promised is faithful

Hebrews 10

David Cochran, English Standard Version

¹ For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. ² Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? ³ But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. ⁴ For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

⁵ Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,

“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body have you prepared for me;
⁶ in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
⁷ Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,
as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”

⁸ When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), ⁹ then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. ¹⁰ And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

¹¹ And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. ¹² But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, ¹³ waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. ¹⁴ For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

¹⁵ And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,

¹⁶ “This is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws on their hearts,
and write them on their minds,”

¹⁷ then he adds,

“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

¹⁸ Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

¹⁹ Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ²⁵ not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

²⁶ For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷ but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. ²⁸ Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. ²⁹ How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” ³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

³² But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, ³³ sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. ³⁴ For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. ³⁵ Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. ³⁶ For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. ³⁷ For,

“Yet a little while,
and the coming one will come and will not delay;
³⁸ but my righteous one shall live by faith,
and if he shrinks back,
my soul has no pleasure in him.”

³⁹ But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

Rylands Papyrus - John 18:31-33 and 37-38, dated at about 125 A.D.Magdalen Papyrus - Matthew 26 -sometime between 30 and 70 A.D.

Oxyrhynchus Papyrus - sayings of Jesus which have parallels in all four gospels, perhaps 110-130 A.D.

Perhaps you have heard the Scriptures were all written around the 4th century by literate men who never knew Jesus. (The archaeology of Peter's house tells us Peter was literate and so were James and John.) This passage tells us - No - this is not correct. There were 4 centuries of Roman Emperors who created the word "traitor" by demanding Christians hand over the Scriptures written on papyrus as letters in exchange for their lives. We are very fortunate to have Scripture today after the 4 centuries of off and on again persecution of Christians. Within 16 years of Jesus' death - an obscure man in the outpost of Judea, a mere suburb of the Roman Holding of Syria - many would be changed forever for belief in Him. The persecution of Christians began 16 years after Jesus died. 1550 miles from Jerusalem. The Good News of Jesus spread very quickly, changing hearts, capturing the attention of the Roman Empire.

The Scriptures have survived persecution in many generations. Fragile bits of Papyrus with an amazing accuracy on all the pieces. The Vatican has well over 1100 Early Christianity Scriptures. In each generation, regardless of peace or war, the Scriptures have been examined. For millenniums these Scriptures bring the Love Jesus Christ has for you personally.

This passage refers to the on-going sacrifices as part of daily life. When did the Jews quite sacrificing the daily sacrifice? 70 A.D. - the destruction of Jerusalem and it would have been the time of Jesus' natural death. God wouldn't have Jesus forgive all of us from the cross and have His generation destroyed. It wouldn't be.... like God.


If we sum up this passage with the bottom line - it has a very, very positive meaning and is very portable - God expects us to go forward. To grow Spiritually; To grow in Faith.

1 Corinthians 6:20
you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.


^{Mark 2:22}
And people do not pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins."

New wine - being changed by Jesus, seeing our lives as a gift from God and for God, not just another salmon swimming upstream without hope and going through the daily work. Old wine - what is valued, mellowed, cherished. What is Jesus telling us? We cannot change, cannot save ourselves. We cannot do it ourselves. With God all things are possible. Every day, we take our old wine - the things we value, the things the world expects, old hurts, the things that concern us. And we put them before God - the new wine of the Holy Spirit. Then we see the blessings and we thank Him.

Psalm 97

¹ The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
² Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
³ Fire goes before him
and burns up his adversaries all around.
⁴ His lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
⁵ The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the Lord of all the earth.
⁶ The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
and all the peoples see his glory.




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Isaiah 2:1-5 ~ Light of the Lord

Handel's Messiah - Listen

Isaiah 2:1-5

1 This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

2 In the last days
the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established
as chief among the mountains;
it will be raised above the hills,
and all nations will stream to it.

3 Many peoples will come and say,
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths."
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

4 He will judge between the nations
and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.

5 Come, O house of Jacob,
let us walk in the light of the LORD.

When the Bible tells us about Heaven, we just see glimpses. Most people are interested in Heaven. Dwight L. Moody tells of a man who lost a loved one & began to pour over the Scriptures. It is a good thing to be able to comfort each other by being able to know what the Scriptures say about Heaven. This passage tells us 'nations' will be taught by the Lord.



1 Corinthians 13:12
12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.


1 Corinthians 2: 7-9
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, 8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But as it is written:

“ Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”






Isaiah agrees with the book of Revelation:

Revelation 21:1-4
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."



Revelations tells us how many people will be heaven and how salvation is given:

Revelations 7: 9-10
9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:


"Salvation belongs to our God,


who sits on the throne,


and to the Lamb."

Heaven is walking in the light of God. Our Christmas lights are glimpses of the Light. The first chapter of John tells us about Jesus:

John 1:3-9
3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

The Nativity (also known as the Holy Night or as Adoration of the Shepherds) is a painting finished around 1529-1530 by the Italian painter Antonio da Correggio

6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

Psalm 97

¹ The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
² Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
³ Fire goes before him
and burns up his adversaries all around.
⁴ His lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
⁵ The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the Lord of all the earth.

⁶ The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
and all the peoples see his glory.
⁷ All worshipers of images are put to shame,
who make their boast in worthless idols;
worship him, all you gods!

⁸ Zion hears and is glad,
and the daughters of Judah rejoice,
because of your judgments, O LORD.
⁹ For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.

¹⁰ O you who love the LORD, hate evil!
He preserves the lives of his saints;
he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
¹¹ Light is sown for the righteous,
and joy for the upright in heart.
¹² Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name!

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Revelation 4 ~ living creatures

Revelation 4

David Cochran, English Standard Version

1 After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. 3 And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.

4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, 6 and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: 7 the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. 8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!”

9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.”

The Annunciation, painted by Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859 – 1937) first African American to gain international fame.

Luke 1:19
And the angel answered him, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news."


Isaiah 55:8
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.


Luke 20:38
Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him."


Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah and Paul were all given visions of heaven. All of them spoke of God as being a God of the Living.

Jesus is quoted 118 times telling us of Heaven in His 4 Gospels. 31 times Jesus tells us Heaven is a Kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven. When He was asked who would get into Heaven, He said:

Matthew 19:25-26
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” ²⁶ But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Only in Jesus Christ, whom we wait upon in joy and in anticipation. Jesus brought us Life.

Romans 10:9
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.






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Luke 1:39-45 ~ believed

Luke 1:39-45

³⁹ In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, ⁴⁰ and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, ⁴² and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! ⁴³ And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵ And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."


John 20:29
Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Luke 1:38
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Luke 1:46
And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior"

Luke 1:56
Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

Matthew 1:4
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife

Luke 2:15-18
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” ¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

Luke 2:22 [Jesus Presented in the Temple ]
When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord

Luke 2:21-23
Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against"

Mark 6:2-4
When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

John 19:27
and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.


Acts 1:14
They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

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