This century has seen so many proofs of the Word of God in Archaeology and we have to put the Gift of Light of Jesus to see into this.
Lent happens in spring, when the world awakes from somber Winter.
Just as Jesus led with the Transfiguration and became Resurrected. The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof!
24 And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. 25 But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. 26 Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.
27 And he said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."
28 But she answered him, "Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs."
29 And he said to her, "For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter."
Mark 7:24-37
24 And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. 25 But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. 26 Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.
27 And he said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."
28 But she answered him, "Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs."
29 And he said to her, "For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter."
30 And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.
31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis.
32 And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him.
33 And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. 34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." 35 And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.
And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."
Zealously!!!
How did you get out of bed this morning?
Jesus did something every day just as Jesus did the same thing for the Syrophoenician woman and her child and the many who was deaf.
Matthew 5 - in all conflicts - we decide if we will be Peaceful or escalate to trouble. If you have to pick the Beatitudes - pick the part in the front - to be peaceful. Be at peace with all in your ability. Matthew 5 is very key, very cornerstone, very foundation of Jesus.
Jesus is bringing Peace. Peace begins with Forgiveness. Jesus is forgiving the people He heals. We accept God is God.
And then something is very exciting in God is God.
It's not the regular get out of bed day.
Jesus told us to pray to His Father, "Bring us more Heaven to this earth."
Jesus told us to believe, "The Kingdom is at hand."
We pray for so many things. Things to heal. Opportunities to prosper. Help for our children and those we love and people who asked us to pray. We pray for things to be fixed. We pray for parking spaces and blessings. We pray for health. All the many, many, many things we pray for. We could cover this by saying with Jesus, "I pray for Your Care, You care for me." Peter wrote this in the Power of the Holy Spirit.
And all these prayers would be answered by more of God's Kingdom and His Will done on earth.
Heaven on earth.
Hebrews 11
14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
The Kingdom of Heaven - more on earth. Opening the 12 Gates of Heaven to pour out a Blessing on us as we ask Father God in the Name of Jesus.
33 who through faith conquered kingdoms,
enforced justice,
obtained promises,
stopped the mouths of lions,
34 quenched the power of fire,
escaped the edge of the sword,
were made strong out of weakness,
became mighty in war,
put foreign armies to flight.
35 Women received back their dead by resurrection.
(When did women receive back their dead by resurrection. Elijah healed a boy. So did Elisha. Jesus was teaching 500 after the grave could not hold Him. We are assured in our hearts Mary and His Brothers were part of this. And the Resurrection of the dead told in the Gospels on the First Easter.)
Prayer and Heaven is at hand is a very real concept.
Malachi 3
10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.
Lately, I've seen prayers answered for tear ducts to be healed. Mouth scars to be gone. Immune systems to protect skin. Pancreas to process sugar. Bladder to do its job. And this is more Heaven on earth. Bringing more joy to all and prayers answered.
Abba, Holy Father,
We ask Your Willing Blessings. Thanking You all things work together for Good for those who Love the Lord and work according to His Purpose.
Jesus told us to Pray in His Name. You told us Father God honors the Name of Jesus above all. We can go to Jesus with all confidence in times of trouble and always.
In Jesus, we bring our times of Victory to our times of struggle and Jesus Himself is the Good Shepherd in all seasons.
May every good thought bless you in Jesus Himself God.
May Jesus cover us in His Mercy and Grace.
We pray more Heaven on earth as Jesus taught.
We pray this Blessing flows in our lives and cares.
We pray more Heaven on earth for this Nation.
We pray more Heaven on earth for all nations trusting in Jesus.
We pray more Heaven on earth for those we Love.
We pray for all of God's children, blessing God in their prayers and thoughts and praying more Heaven on earth.
And in Jesus Christ we have filled us all with the measure of God our Father.
To God is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory in Jesus Christ.
Amen.
John 8:12
I am the light of the world:
he who follows me shall not walk in darkness,
but shall have the light of life.
Revelation 21
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
Luke 10 speaks of New! Jesus tells us Satan has fallen from Heaven. Heaven is the Heaven we think of, not Sheol. When we think of our going to Heaven, we surely know this is Jesus' Kingdom He has sacrificed to give to His Father. The Glory of God in not breaking a bruised reed and Satan is fallen from His Glory and is no longer an Angel. We know in our depths, this isn't Matilda's Kingdom or Granny's Kingdom or Uncle Richard's. This is the Kingdom, the Power and Glory of God, our Heavenly Father. Abba, so we can tell if we are speaking of our best and greatest earthly Father or the Glory of God's Father Love for you.
2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
The new Jerusalem, born not of hammers and the will of mankind.
The new Jerusalem is born of God's Will. His Word.
John 1
But to all who did receive Him, who believed in his name,
he gave the right to become children of God,
who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man,
but of God.
The New Jerusalem arrives like Genesis, the Word of God manifest.
Arrives on a hill, like Noah.
“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.
He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”
Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the beginning and the end.
To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.
7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
And God said, Let there be Light.
9 Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God,
Having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel,
like a jasper, clear as crystal. 1
2 It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— 13 on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. 16 The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal. 17 He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel's measurement.
18 The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass.
19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel.
The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple
is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.
And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.
By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it,
And its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.
26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.
27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.
And God said,
"Let there be Light!"
When we see Glory, God usually has us understand Glory in all the color God describes and loves.
And we shouldn't think of Heaven as only blue skies. God tells us the Heavens display His Glory.
Let's see another example of the Light in Heaven, Jesus Christ of God, Lamb, Light of Heaven,
Light of mankind. Consider the Light.
Isaiah 2:1-5
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.
To know the Scriptures is to know the Power of God.
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.”
John 1
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!
The darkness is not dark to Him.
All are for His Glory.
In our weakness, let Jesus be Lord.
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!
Nehemiah 8:10
for the joy of the Lord
is your strength.
The Lord Jesus Christ
bless us
to see
more of Heaven on earth, we ask
for all of Your Good Creation
in the Highest Name of Jesus.
Amen.
Abba, Father,
Our Father, Who art in Heaven.
Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy Will be done.
On earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day.
Our Daily Bread.
Forgive us our Trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
Deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the Kingdom
Thine is the Power,
Thine is the Glory.
Amen.
Jesus is Lord.