Numbers 21:4-9 ~ bronze serpent

Cross on Mount Nebo - where Moses was buried by God. Incorporates bronze serpent, pillar of fire, and Jesus' cross. Created by Giovanni Fantoni. The Washington Post said this site was pinpointed for a terrorist activity in 2000 by Osama Bin Laden.
Israelites leaving Egypt, painted by David Roberts. The Dutch National Museum contains a Papyrus called the Ipuwer Papyrus, an Egyptian eyewitness papyrus confirming Biblical descriptions.

Area of Saudi Arabia believed to be route of the Exodus.
Mt. Sinai - even today would be difficult to survive in this area. Much less camp with the 603,550 Children of Israel.


Numbers 21:4-9

Max McLean Audio Bible, English Standard Version

4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” 6 Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7 And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.”

So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.

When you look up ancient medicine, you hear of remote remedies - mostly suffer through it and die. Sure, in archaeology we find terracotta idols placed with the dead and in fragments. Why would the Children of Israel have placed this statue (13th century BC) in safe keeping & held on to it all of those years, if it had been ineffectual? The end of the bronze serpent was c. 715 BC during the reign of the 14th King of Judah, Hezekiah. Hezekiah was the King who listened to Isaiah (Isaiah's 4th King he advised). Today, we can still see Hezekiah's tunnels he built for water - Hezekiah is also famous for relying upon God to keep the Assyrian nation from invading. During Hezekiah's time, the people named the statue Nehushtan while making offerings to it.

Hezekiah's Tunnels today still exist and people follow them in tours. Historically it is still astonishing the Assyrian Nation did not war against, or conquer, Judah during the reign of Hezekiah.

Archaeology would also say Hezekiah's destruction of the bronze serpent would show a turning point from man's images of idol worship - healing. So I read for today's Scripture passage. Scientists say the most unusual things - you are trying to tell me in 715 BC man gave up on idols healing them. I don't think so. 715 BC was still a heavily polytheistic time.

How did people raised in the Temple of Jerusalem think about this item of historical Scripture in about 50 AD? Paul was raised in the Temple around the very tools, created in the Exodus, by people Moses put together to build them, returned by the King of the Persian Empire. Paul tells us:


1 Corinthians 10
1 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes.

So how would we relate to a bronze serpent Scripture today? In the same way we relate to the Church in Corinth. We have evidence in all of our lives, God has brought us blessings. Paul relates his blessings - we can relate to - as the First Letter to the Corinthians begins; thanks to God for health, a safe journey, deliverance from danger, & good fortune. A safe journey can also mean God has brought us this far - not to drop us on our heads.

How often we feel when we are in distress - The Lord has forgotten - or it's not important to Him. So many of the things the apostles faced in our Churches exist today. So many problems we face in our beliefs, what the world teaches us, are the same questions facing the apostles - they left us a road map. We would say we are not hungry, in a desert, and being bitten by snakes. I would say we are ... a very hungry world - spiritually - with Google being kept busy looking to see if this is the end of the world. When not in distress, we see endless debates over big Christian publications. Questions, questions. We have a road map - letters written for you. About God. He wants to know You to know Him. He loves you.

Father God, we are grumblers, complainers. Thank You for Your compassion in listening to our prayers. The whole earth is Yours, yet You have placed man just a little lower than the heavenly beings and crown mankind with Your glory and honor, in Your steadfast love.

You are the LORD our God, who brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. We worship You and ask Your blessing on our food and water. You have said You will take away sickness from among us. We look to You in expectation and longing for the fulfillment of Your promise of forgiveness of sin and restoration in Your perfect healing. In the highest name of Love You have given us, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.


2 Corinthians 13
Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

¹² Greet one another with a holy kiss. ¹³ All God’s people here send their greetings.

¹⁴ May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

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~ they went on from there and passed through Galilee

Les Disciples by artist Euguene Burnand depicts the disciples Peter and ... Running to the Sepulchre on the Morning of the Resurrection



Mark 9:30-41

Max McLean Audio Bible, English Standard Version

30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” 32 But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.

33 And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. 35 And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” 36 And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”

38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, [who does not follow us] and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 For the one who is not against us is for us. 41 For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.



Jesus has returned from the mountaintop, acclaimed in Glory by His Father and enjoying fellowship with Moses, Elijah, Peter, James and John. Surely Jesus would like to rest, have a meal, a celebration. Jesus pressed on, teaching them along the way. Breaking up a quarrel as they arrive - imagine having the disciples discussing who is greatest after the Transfiguration has occurred - unknown to 9 of them. Human judgement must often sound silly to the LORD, even from the men sitting at the feet of Jesus.

Lets look at the parallel of Jesus' life the day after the Transfiguration occurred.

Philippians 3
Max McLean Audio Bible, English Standard Version

Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.

2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. 18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Obviously, Jesus would have more confidence in all things than Paul, being the Son of God -

Jesus pressed on, in righteousness from God that depends on faith, to the suffering and to the power of His resurrection.

Isn't it amazing Jesus did press on instead of calling a Press Conference of Joy. Or even a Disciple Conference.

Did Jesus rest on the celebration of God's Glorious Acclamation in the Transfiguration - no, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.

The upward call of God in Jesus dealing with the disciples arguing over glory - maturely expressing the truth He has to give. Does Jesus tell them they are like dogs fighting over a bone for power? No, He gives them an analogy of a childlike faith and belief, but tells them not to be so eager to rush in the condemnation of others in the result of works.

Jesus did not say to the disciples to join the works of one who does not follow Christ, just not to be so eager to condemn. The Holy Spirit in both passages urges us to observe the workings of the Spiritual, to be led by Christ in upward growth - to imitate Christ. Both passages urge Love and Growth. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. In order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.


What Jesus is telling us, in Light of God's Glory of His Perfection is this - something I heard repeated several times at Church this week - "we are not perfect, we are a work in process." A child of God seeking to imitate the Love of Jesus Christ. Like Peter, going back and forth in faith - before Jesus died - and after. Paul going forward in faith and breaking fellowship with Barnabas and John Mark or arguing with Peter. God using difficulties to raise up Timothy, to strengthen and redirect ministries - God in all our phases, using us for His good purpose. Alleluia!

Father God, in You, 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. Father God, strengthen feeble hands and weak knees, help us run in such a way as to get the prize -to spread the Love of Jesus Christ.

Father God, we are fully known to You. Jesus knew the heart of mankind - selfish, self-serving and yet You chose to live among us being salvation, grace and truth. We are a poor reflection of Your mirror; please forgive us for our sins in the mercy of Jesus Christ. Just as You did for Your early Church, let our imperfection disappear and Your perfection come in Great Glory. We ask for Your help, each day. To You be all the Glory and Honor. To the Only One Who is Good. Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Genesis 12:1-4 ~ I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

Genesis 12:1-4

Max McLean Audio Bible, English Standard Version


1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

For most of us reading this passage, we are part of Abraham's blessing, but the Lord is not going to make a great nation from us. Right now I'm working on my cousin's Estate, there were 12 children in the early 1900s and it comes to 34 descendants, not a nation. Perhaps one of us will have children and progeny that will become a nation. It's vital to look at the Scriptures and be fed from them, not to just remember the good old days of Biblical history.

How will we apply this Scripture to our lives? We are called to grow up, in maturity to the LORD.

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

People who aren't listening to the Lord themselves, would look at this passage and say Abram was ready to move away from Haran. Spiritually, Abraham was being called to be the soul God intended him to be. God didn't send a pack of people with him, cheering him on. God moved him out of polytheism and into obedience to the Lord.

God's blessings are always of interest to us, let's look at them: children, children's children, honorable reputation and greatness come from God. And very importantly - Gratitude. And:

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

Genesis 48:15-16
15 And he [Jacob/Israel] blessed Joseph and said,

“The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,
16 the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys;
and in them let my name be carried on,
and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”

Jacob's special blessing on Joseph's children is the one Jacob considers to be the best blessing. He tells us he has witnessed God as his protector, the helper, the Holy Spirit. A redeemer from all evil - in himself and in others. Jacob expects God's blessings to be carried on in the generations to come.

It is important to remember Jacob/Israel is a blessings thief. Wrestling even God for a blessing.

Jacob had real tragedy in being outcast from his family at his dad's death (his own behavior), being cheated by his employer and family, the death of Rachel & in the years (learning how it feels to be the one cheated) they were not married. Jacob's married life created a lot of unhappiness (for all the people involved!!), his children developed poorly leading up to the disappearance of Joseph - a lie carried out by all of his sons. Reuben slept with his concubine/wife. Jacob ends up leaving the promised lands from severe famine - the Promised Land, being settled in Gishon where the Egyptians as a nation hate shepherds.

Yet Jacob says, not tragedy, he sees the blessings of God. Jacob didn't live life on the Good Ship Lolly-pop, but wrestled with God to see the blessings.

Isn't it great - a blessing - how in the die-young, ancient world - God uses the flawed heroes of the Bible to point out they didn't get right and didn't get it right, yet opportunity is ahead with repentance, hope and faith. These are the patriarchs, because they always see God as part of the path, refusing to feel abandoned to trouble- the events of life.

So how do our Biblical patriarchs do with God's blessing? Abraham lied to a Pharaoh and later a king about his marital status and then allowed his wife to enter their harem. Abram separated from Lot over material needs. Abraham's faith wavered for God to complete His promise. He had a child out of wedlock and failed to care for the child's mother. Abraham failed to treat his second wife kindly. Scriptures are vague on how well he treated the children from that union. Jacob had similar issues - still both men were counted as righteous - for their faith in the Lord. God isn't looking for perfect people, but repentance and affirmation of lack of self-righteousness. Admission of sin and a trust in God to help.

God's blessing was not just material, but for the Lord to save them from their sins. Their flaws. Misfortune happened to both men, but both considered themselves blessed.

Psalm 146:8
The LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous.

Praise be to You God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and our God of all comfort. You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary. Praise be to You, O Lord God.

As a mother comforts her child, so You comfort me, Father God. You are the comfort of Israel. Please Father God, give endurance, encouragement and a spirit of unity among the body of Christ.

In Your great mercy You have given me new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Thank You for Your listening with compassion and empathy to my prayers.

Praise be to You, God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Thank You God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!



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Psalm 130 ~ O Lord

Psalm 130

Max McLean Audio Bible, English Standard Version

1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
2 O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
that you may be feared.

5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
6 my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.

7 O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is plentiful redemption.
8 And he will redeem Israel
from all his iniquities.


The Scriptures are filled with things "thou shall not" do. No, they are far and away more filled with hope. When we think of the Books of the Bible dwelling on hope, they're: Ruth, Ezra, Proverbs, Isaiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Hosea, Micah, Zechariah, Philemon.

Hope is heavily emphasized in : Job, Psalms, Jeremiah, Acts, Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians and Hebrews.

Hope has a good emphasis in: Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, Titus, 1 Peter and all in the later books of John.

Hope isn't mentioned in Revelation at all, all the promises are fulfilled in God's Holy Kingdom.

Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

When we think of hope, it can seem a weak bet. The people of hope relied upon, most heavily, in Scriptures are: Job, David, Jeremiah, the 12 Apostles and Paul. These are not the lightweights of the Lord. Refreshing to all of the soul, knowing God Almighty honors hope.

Forgiveness holds all of our hope. There is no greater blessing than forgiveness. Great blessings are held in honor and cherished. Not taken lightly. David did not. Let's pray his words, breathed out by the Holy Scripture.

Father God, Please answer us in the day of trouble!
May Your Holy Name protect us!
Please send Your help from the sanctuary
and give us Your support from Zion!
May You remember all Your offerings
and regard with favor Your burnt sacrifices! Selah

May You grant our heart's desire
and fulfill all our plans!
May we shout for joy over Your salvation,
and in the name of our God set up Your banners!
May You fulfill all your petitions!

We ask in the Highest name of Jesus. Amen.

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Psalm 73 ~ until I went into the sanctuary of God

Psalm 73

Max McLean Audio Bible, English Standard Version

Truly God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
my steps had nearly slipped.
3 For I was envious of the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

4 For they have no pangs until death;
their bodies are fat and sleek.
5 They are not in trouble as others are;
they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
violence covers them as a garment.
7 Their eyes swell out through fatness;
their hearts overflow with follies.
8 They scoff and speak with malice;
loftily they threaten oppression.
9 They set their mouths against the heavens,
and their tongue struts through the earth.
10 Therefore his people turn back to them,
and find no fault in them [the waters of a full cup are drained by them].
11 And they say, “How can God know?
Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12 Behold, these are the wicked;
always at ease, they increase in riches.
13 All in vain have I kept my heart clean
and washed my hands in innocence.
14 For all the day long I have been stricken
and rebuked every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
I would have betrayed the generation of your children.

16 But when I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me a wearisome task,
17 until I went into the sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their end.

18 Truly you set them in slippery places;
you make them fall to ruin.
19 How they are destroyed in a moment,
swept away utterly by terrors!
20 Like a dream when one awakes,
O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.
21 When my soul was embittered,
when I was pricked in heart,
22 I was brutish and ignorant;
I was like a beast toward you.

23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength [rock] of my heart and my portion forever.

27 For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;
you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
28 But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
that I may tell of all your works.

My bottom front tooth broke in half today. I was eating refried beans. Repairmen - at my house today. Trips to the hardware store. Solutions not working. Lists made for more repairs and more trips to more stores. All with a jagged snaggle tooth. More needed tooth work. By evening I was contemplating the cool, calm collected people I'd seen all day long. Sure seems like some people have an easier, more fun life. Well. C'est le guerre. You can never be too rich or too thin. Until you are the thin one or you are the rich one, compared to someone else. Funny how all we strive to achieve - & it doesn't always make us more lovable in the eyes of others and sometimes doesn't make us more loving.

We were speaking about unemployment the other day. A man laughed and asked if faith is sitting by the phone, watching TV and waiting for the phone to ring. And one of these random thoughts at the other spectrum was a story in my cousin Maxine's bathroom, she framed. It is about walking past a man sitting in a chair raking leaves, how he was so lazy and the observer was filled with contempt. As the walk took the observer past the raking man again, to find his crutches were leaning against the chair.

For the days Father God, when my life seems to be a jack hammer of thoughts. When I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task.




Luther College Nordic Choir singing "O Lord God" in Leipzig, Germany. Wouldn't this be wonderful for Evening Prayer.

Evening Prayer, by Jean Francois Millet


We all have different crutches and different levels of faith. I love when our minister says to put your hands out and ask God for opportunity and blessing. It's in His time and within His plan. Let us make the most of our day, each day.

With God, we always have a great opportunity..... look UP!

Father God, how wonderful to be able to move past wearisome thoughts. To think of You, the Eternal. The Glory of God. Your storehouse of blessings does not run empty. Give us eyes of gratitude to see the blessings.

Psalm 84
Max McLean Audio Bible, English Standard Version

1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul longs, yes, faints
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God.

3 Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever singing your praise! Selah

5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
6 As they go through the Valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength;
each one appears before God in Zion.

8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 Behold our shield, O God;
look on the face of your anointed!

10 For a day in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts,
blessed is the one who trusts in you!

Father God, One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life. Realizing those who believe in You begin Eternity! By confessing we are sinners. Believing in our heart, You've given us Your Son, Jesus for our salvation. Eternity begins now, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand - to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek You in this life, in this body, where the Holy Spirit dwells.

Father God, I pray for the people of Japan, open Your storehouses of blessings. Father God, remember Jeremy, protect, guide and lift him. We pray for our military stationed in Japan. Amen.

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John 2:23-3:15 ~ believe in His name

John 2:23-3:15

Max McLean Audio Bible, English Standard Version

23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.


3:1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit born from above; the Greek is purposely ambiguous and can mean both again and from above; also verse 7]. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You [you is plural here] must be born again.’ 8 The wind [the same Greek word means both wind and spirit] 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.”

9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you [plural] do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man [who is in heaven] . 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.


What is the Good News? God knew what is in man's heart.... And He chose to be flesh and dwell among us, full of grace and truth. And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.


The intersection of the cross is Spirit meeting Physical, the outcome an outpouring of Grace. Forgiveness.

Jesus, son of God, has one man Nicodemus come to him at night - away from the crowds. Part of the ruling class at God's Temple. Jesus did not turn Nicodemus away - Jesus didn't even sigh at a long day. Jesus didn't ask us to be mature Christians who were intellectually stimulating - to make interesting theological conversation for Him.

What did Nicodemus expect from telling Jesus, "“Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him” ? Nicodemus came deliberately at night to seek away forward with a Rabbi (teacher) the Temple was growing rapidly to mistrust and fear. Nicodemus probably rehearsed what to say for the audacity, rudeness and the honor of appearing to Jesus. Nicodemus - as well as Spiritual guidance- might have told himself if the man preens at these words - then Jesus seeks fame. If Jesus goes into a long teaching message, perhaps Jesus needs to be a teacher of the law. Maybe, just maybe, Nicodemus was helping Jesus find a more workable career path - to make the way easier for Jesus and for the Temple. Even if Nicodemus arrived at night, he was a good man (we see by his actions to Jesus' body and being excluded from the night trial of the Lord), working towards peace and finding a Savior.

Jesus continued to say:

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and (remember Nicodemus came to seek Jesus at night, away from the crowds) people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

Did Jesus stick around Jerusalem to see if Nicodemus was going to approve of their late night talk? Jesus needed no one to bear witness about man :

22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing.

What is Jesus telling Nicodemus? Jesus was already doing what He was born to do. To speak with God, the conversation goes like the wind of the Spirit. Nicodemus is not going to outmaneuver Jesus. Jesus says, Nicodemus, there needs to be a time in life we point to where we turn to things of the Holy Spirit and we can see ourselves g-ROW as a Spiritual being.

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Nicodemus came to hear, but also to withhold the honor of a visit - to seek "knowledge" about a teacher. Would Nicodemus really have come at night if he truly believed Jesus was sent by God? If so, it was not the way the Temple would have taught Nicodemus to treat things of God, more like Caesar's coin for Temple politics. Jesus didn't break the bruised reed, but instead kindled the flame in Nicodemus.

1 Corinthians 13:
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

Jesus, ruler of all things made, lived this passage of Love to Nicodemus. It isn't what you know, it's how you care.

Father God! In You - we live and move and have our being! You are the Lord God Almighty, making the world and everything in it. You do not live in temples built by hands. not served by human hands. Because You give all life and breath. Your Spirit gives life.

Life in abundance to You is us putting ourselves in attitudes of holiness, but realizing we don't have to be anything but comfortable with You.

We are the sheep of Your pasture. You determine the times set for us and the exact places where we should live. Father God we seek You. You are not far from each one of us. In each season of our lives, let us be workers for Your will. Let us be swept up in Your Wind. Give us grateful hearts to praise the blessings You give us. Give us willing minds to be disciplined in Your ways. Give us and let us be a kind word and encouragement for those following Your path today and the wisdom ready knowing You know the path of those around us better than we do. As Jesus taught Nicodemus and kindled his spirit into flame, help us to do that in Your ways, speaking the truth in love.

Jesus. The LORD saves! Amen.

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Psalm 44 ~ at the sight of the enemy and the avenger

Psalm 44

Max McLean Audio Bible, English Standard Version


1 O God, we have heard with our ears,
our fathers have told us,
what deeds you performed in their days,
in the days of old:
2 you with your own hand drove out the nations,
but them you planted;
you afflicted the peoples,
but them you set free;
3 for not by their own sword did they win the land,
nor did their own arm save them,
but your right hand and your arm,
and the light of your face,
for you delighted in them.

4 You are my King, O God;
ordain salvation for Jacob!
5 Through you we push down our foes;
through your name we tread down those who rise up against us.
6 For not in my bow do I trust,
nor can my sword save me.
7 But you have saved us from our foes
and have put to shame those who hate us.
8 In God we have boasted continually,
and we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah

9 But you have rejected us and disgraced us
and have not gone out with our armies.
10 You have made us turn back from the foe,
and those who hate us have gotten spoil.
11 You have made us like sheep for slaughter
and have scattered us among the nations.
12 You have sold your people for a trifle,
demanding no high price for them.
13 You have made us the taunt of our neighbors,
the derision and scorn of those around us.
14 You have made us a byword among the nations,
a laughingstock [a shaking of the head] among the peoples.
15 All day long my disgrace is before me,
and shame has covered my face
16 at the sound of the taunter and reviler,
at the sight of the enemy and the avenger.

17 All this has come upon us,
though we have not forgotten you,
and we have not been false to your covenant.
18 Our heart has not turned back,
nor have our steps departed from your way;
19 yet you have broken us in the place of jackals
and covered us with the shadow of death.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God
or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
21 would not God discover this?
For he knows the secrets of the heart.
22 Yet for your sake we are killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.

23 Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord?
Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever!
24 Why do you hide your face?
Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?
25 For our soul is bowed down to the dust;
our belly clings to the ground.
26 Rise up; come to our help!
Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love!



~ at the sight of the enemy and the avenger.

Rarely in life are we treated to knowing exactly who and what we are dealing with, when we deal with people. Rarely, if we were to wear a word on our head would it say 'Evil.' Mostly we'd see and, might wear, "Self-centered."

How did David react to Goliath. 40 days Goliath goaded Israel. He [Goliath] said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. ⁴⁴ “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!”

1 Samuel 17:
⁴⁵ David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷ All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

⁴⁸ As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. ⁴⁹ Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.

⁵⁰ So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.

Jesus dealt with self-centeredness in people. Jesus dealt with evil. What did Jesus do with evil? He rebuked it. And :

Luke 19:45-46
Then he entered the temple area and began driving out those who were selling."It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be a house of prayer'; but you have made it 'a den of robbers.'"

After Jesus had returned to Heaven, the disciples were picked up and arrested, just like Jesus in Acts 4. Same trial. Same rulers and elders and scribes. This time, not at night. When they asked how the disciples were performing signs as they preached about Jesus; when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

The disciples, who had hidden weeks earlier, were given a warning to not speak about Jesus. How did they react?

Acts 4:24-31 24
And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,

“‘Why did the Gentiles rage,
and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers were gathered together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed’ —

27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. 29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

What did Timothy fight against? Timidity

2 Timothy 1:5-14
I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, 12 which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. 13 Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

Who else was timid? Paul

2 Corinthians 10:10
For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account.” Let such a person understand that what we say by letter when absent, we do when present.

Really?

Philemon 1:8
Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus—

Being forceful isn't my favorite thing. I like the idea of salt - flavoring our speech in a teachable way and moment. So, what did the fearful disciples, David and Jesus have in common?

Luke 19:45-46
Then he entered the temple area and began driving out those who were selling."It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be a house of prayer'; but you have made it 'a den of robbers.'"

Yes, the same verse again. Jesus, David and the disciples prayed. Jesus was so convinced of the power of prayer He said, "My House Will Be a House of Prayer!" We are the robbers when we take that out of our Temple. The Disciples, Jesus and David spent a lot of time in prayer. Jesus could have said, His blood created the House of the Covenant. Jesus could have said His House is a House of Worship. His House is a House of Holiness. His House is a House of Music. Or said Communal Prayer is a mighty thing. Jesus emphasized we are His Temple and He cares about our individual prayer. The Psalms give witness to the power of Communal Prayer, but pray. Cast your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.

Rise up; come to our help!
Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love!

~ My house will be a house of prayer!

Father God, troubling times - the beginning of 2011. Massive fish and animal die offs. Riots around the world. Earthquakes, Tsunamis. Fire. Radiation. Wars. The Google world looking to see if it fits the end times. People feel afraid and forsaken. Lift us up, Father God, as we pray.

Strengthen our feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for our feet, for Your glory. So the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. Help us strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Help us to show Your Love, that no one misses the grace of God. Bless us that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble.

We come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. We come to you in prayer, to You. Where thousands upon thousands of angels are in joyful assembly. We are Your beloved whose names are written in heaven. With the help of Your Holy Spirit, we will be righteous men made perfect.

I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! We ask in the name of Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant! Amen!

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Mark 2:18-22 ~ As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

Mark 2:18-22

Max McLean Audio Bible, English Standard Version

18 Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.

21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”


When I was a small child we lived in Nice, France for almost 4 years. I loved Mardi Gras even in the rain. (It always seemed to rain and have a cold wind off of the Mediterranean.)

It's a perfect passage for Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday and the first Sunday in Lent.



I remember the big parade !! & the colorful, round paper confetti (that was so much fun to throw and then the wind would fling it back on you). It always seemed to rain. But that was okay, after a few months of winter in the Mediterranean - color seemed to disappear. Grey skies, lots of wind, even the sea would turn rather gray. Mardi Gras would bring the color back. It was like the beginning of the sunny skies, the sunlight reflecting off of the bright buildings. Even the paint on the crepe-paper faces of the big cartoon heads was exciting.

The festival would go on for 10 days. Sounds great doesn't it!! Nah, not to a small child. You'd be in the back of the car and suddenly down the Promenade des Anglais, there would be a lone colorful cartoon head!!! Yeah! Then you'd realize there isn't another one. And the confetti on the ground is starting to look like week old snow. - Just like discovering a gift under the Christmas tree the day after - someone practical is saving an empty box....


Lent is like that. Mardi Gras ! New wine - old wine! It doesn't matter!!! Joyeux de Vivre! But quickly Mardi Gras is over. With a thud. Spring is not here and the winter just might continue.

Ash Wednesday, what a jolt. Dust to dust, ashes to ashes. Deeeeeeepressing. Ha! The dust on my forehead is going away, but man, yours is imbedded in your wrink.... Never mind.

And Lent... wow. Giving up chocolate. Or sweets was a great one for my mom. (She didn't have a sweet tooth and let's be honest, it cut down on the trips down the aisle for the grocery and was just one less thing to keep up with!)

Let's have a parable for the very familiar new wine, new wineskins, bridegroom fasting ..... because this is the beginning of Lent.... Mardi Gras is over too soon, Ash Wednesday is too long, and it sets the precedent for Lent being too long to the Easter eggs and bunny and candy.

Who else felt this way? Jesus' cousin, John the Baptist....

John 1:30-34 30
This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

So why, why doesn't John recognize his cousin Jesus? (Why don't we see Lent as an opportunity for both new wine, wineskins and feasting with the bridegroom?)

It's pretty obvious when we add up what we know. It seems we must look at this question. John's parents were old when he was born. As people become very aged, they do not travel greatly. Traveling was difficult even for the young. John's parents lived 90 miles from Jesus. John surely heard, in his youth, about Jesus and the "funny circumstances" surrounding the quick wedding of pregnant, un-wed cousin Mary. When we see the Gospels record only cousin Elizabeth's support for Mary, we must also remember John the Baptist probably heard more of the rumors from more of the family - who are not remembered in the Scriptures. (We have an ingrained pattern of Lent if we grew up in the Church. Plodding along with the usual traditions.)

So .... why didn't John recognize Jesus??? For the same reasons we didn't recognize Jesus until we invited Him to be part of us. Before we really knew Him: we heard about Jesus from other sources. Not all the sources were credible. Family (Church) is sometimes boring and the time it takes to get there and back is too long. Why put the effort into going when people aren't always nice? We missed the family get-togethers (Church) for so long, people hassle us about That too. If you don't remember the family stories correctly there is mocking. It's all a big tangle to sort out and we have other things to do.

Then, more importantly, it comes to the decision time. As John grew spiritually into God's plan for him, Jesus became important to him. John took the time to dwell and think about who Jesus is. God revealed not just family, a good man, but a Savior. John, bravely, and with certainty says, "And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God."

Now, again, how does this relate to Lent? Lent is the anticipation of enduring Good Friday to the hope of Easter. Pope John Paul said, "Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song!"

Lent isn't the left over gift under the Christmas tree. Lent is the blessing of reevaluation. An opportunity not to give up something, but to present to the LORD something you think would improve you. A gift to give to God Almighty saying, you've given me the Son of God. I'd like You to have this from me as a willing gift.

Something bright, shiny and new to give to the One who Loves you best.

Romans 12:9-18
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.



May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.


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40 Days of "Stronger"

Stronger: Forty Days of Metal and Spirituality

New York Times bestselling author Brian "Head" Welch returns with a raw and unforgettable journey through his life with Christ and the scripture that has helped lead him into deeper intimacy with God

In 2007, Brian “Head” Welch, the former lead guitarist for the hard-rock band Korn, shared the dramatic story of his music, drug addiction, and miraculous redemption through Jesus Christ in his New York Times bestselling book, Save Me from Myself. Inspiring and compelling, this book began a new chapter in his life, as he acknowledged the mistakes of his past and looked forward to a brighter future with God at his side.

Now in Stronger, Head continues to share his personal life with an unflinching forty-day devotional of scriptures that have helped him to mold his Christian faith and find light during life’s darkest moments. Written with passion and openness, this forty-day journey offers stories from Head’s past and present, as he speaks candidly about his bouts of depression since finding God, his struggles against the darkness as he’s tried to understand his faith, and how, through these times of weakness, God’s written word has been one of the keys to making him stronger than he’s ever been. Applying both the Old and New Testaments to every aspect of his life—from his time with Korn to his new solo career to his life-altering decisions to his relationship with his daughter—Head details how, no matter what the issue, God has always provided the guidance he’s needed to become a stronger person.

One part journal chronicling his evolving relationship with God, one part spiritual testament to the undeniable strength of the Bible, Stronger is a devotional unlike any other—both a moving tribute to the transformative power of the word and a no-holds-barred look at what it means to give yourself completely to Jesus Christ.

2011 Interview, first half is the interview with Brian Welch. 700 Club.



2 years ago, Brian Head explains his belief in Jesus.

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Luke 4 ~ if you, then, will worship me

Luke 4

Max McLean Audio Bible, English Standard Version

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” 5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written,
“‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’”

9 And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written,
“‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’

11 and
“‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. 15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”

20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph's son?” 23 And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself.’ What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.”

24 And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. 25 But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, 26 and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And there were many lepers [Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13] in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”

28 When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 29 And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. 30 But passing through their midst, he went away.

31 And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, 32 and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority. 33 And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, 34 “Ha! [Leave us alone] What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” 35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. 36 And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” 37 And reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

38 And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon's house. Now Simon's mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. 39 And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them.

40 Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. 41 And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.

42 And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, 43 but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” 44 And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea [Galilee].


The Holy Spirit never took David up and showed him any kingdom and said "If you will do thus and so, you will have this Kingdom and for your sons as well." Instead David was anointed of God, told he was the anointed to be King of Israel and then had to work out his own behavior to please the LORD. So, David was given the blessing of knowing how it would turn out, but the ABC directions were written in Scripture on how David was to treat the Lord, treat Saul, treat people who followed him, treat people who opposed him and treat people who opposed the Lord.

The devil wasn't clear who Jesus was. Or the evil one might have been just asking for a show of power, but the chapter the devil is repeating is Deuteronomy 8. This is the information the Lord told Moses about temptation. I always thought the devil lived in hell, but recently was informed the Scriptures say he roams the earth. Surely if the evil one wanted badly to find what would sway this One who has the Spirit of a Dove land on Him and a Voice from Heaven say, "This is my beloved Son, I am well pleased." Then the evil one would look for all effective weaponry Heaven says would work. Deuteronomy 8 is all about living high and comfortably, without the Lord, yet resting upon His blessings.

The temptation is interesting in and of itself. The devil doesn't have to be truthful in the tempting, not even with the Son of God. The devil says all nations and their authority and glory belong to him. Yet in the Old Testament, the devil asks God to interfere and makes plans on his own, but the Scriptures are clear all the plans coming to fruition belong to the Lord. Jesus said the New Covenant cast Satan out of Heaven like a bolt of lightning. The devil promises things not belonging to him, by unscrupulous means, with a conniving, convincing reason to enact sin. Even if Jesus had not recognized him as the devil, Jesus would have known what was asked was wrong.

Psalm 24:1
The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein


Proverbs 16:4
The Lord has made everything for its purpose,
even the wicked for the day of trouble.


Revelation 4:11
“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.”

Jesus, as God, places "proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”

above

"all this authority and their glory."

God is telling us, today, we are more important to Him than authority and glory. God chose! He chose to live among us. In Revelation we are told God intends to dwell among us.


John 1
All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

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. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

Blessed are You, Lord God Almighty. And Your only Son, Jesus Christ. We abide in You, Father, now and always, in the blessing of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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