Isaiah 16

In December of 2006 God had given me a vision of my heart, a battlefield strewn with gaping holes. We must be very careful that we not let pride enter into our life. Life can change in an instant. Life, and all its choices, leaves us with wounds that can only be filled by Jesus. We must be willing to admit our weaknesses and ask Him for His loving touch in our life. Jesus Christ was sent to heal the brokenhearted and to set the prisoners free. Don't let pride become your god and stop you from admitting defeat and asking for help from the Maker of your soul. As a people or as a nation without Him we will not be healed. We are in a battle for our souls. It is the choice between life and death….. Choose life.

We have heard of the pride of Moab—

He is very proud—

Of his haughtiness and his pride and his wrath;

But his lies shall not be so.

7 Therefore Moab shall wail for Moab;

Everyone shall wail.

For the foundations of Kir Hareseth you shall mourn;

Surely they are stricken.

8 For the fields of Heshbon languish,

And the vine of Sibmah;

The lords of the nations have broken down its choice plants,

Which have reached to Jazer

And wandered through the wilderness.

Her branches are stretched out,

They are gone over the sea.

9 Therefore I will bewail the vine of Sibmah,

With the weeping of Jazer;

I will drench you with my tears,

O Heshbon and Elealeh;

For battle cries have fallen

Over your summer fruits and your harvest.

10 Gladness is taken away,

And joy from the plentiful field;

In the vineyards there will be no singing,

Nor will there be shouting;

No treaders will tread out wine in the presses;

I have made their shouting cease.

11 Therefore my heart shall resound like a harp for Moab,

And my inner being for Kir Heres.

12 And it shall come to pass,

When it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place,

That he will come to his sanctuary to pray;

But he will not prevail.

13 This is the word which the Lord has spoken concerning Moab since that time. 14 But now the Lord has spoken, saying, "Within three years, as the years of a hired man, the glory of Moab will be despised with all that great multitude, and the remnant will be very small and feeble."

The NKJV Study Bible says this: Pride is a regular target of the Lord's judgment.
Isaiah the prophet expresses his determination to one day rejoice over Moab. This is a promise of its future restoration. As long as the people worshiped false gods, they would be doomed to pain, judgment, and recurring trouble.

 

Isaiah 58

God is not impressed with our words. God is impressed with our carrying out His words! He is a lover of justice and fairness for all people, not just the rich and powerful. We can ask but He will not answer when we petition for strife and inequality. We must open our eyes to His ways, not ours, and speak publicly for justice and mercy for all. This is God's way and His way is the only way. Walk humbly with your God for He wants that no one perish, no not one!

58 "Cry aloud, spare not;

Lift up your voice like a trumpet;

Tell My people their transgression,

And the house of Jacob their sins.

2 Yet they seek Me daily,

And delight to know My ways,

As a nation that did righteousness,

And did not forsake the ordinance of their God.

They ask of Me the ordinances of justice;

They take delight in approaching God.

3 'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and You have not seen?

Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?'

"In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure,

And exploit all your laborers.

4 Indeed you fast for strife and debate,

And to strike with the fist of wickedness.

You will not fast as you do this day,

To make your voice heard on high.

5 Is it a fast that I have chosen,

a day for a man to afflict his soul?

Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush,

And to spread out sackcloth and ashes?

Would you call this a fast,

And an acceptable day to the Lord?

6 "Is this not the fast that I have chosen:

To loose the bonds of wickedness,

To undo the heavy burdens,

To let the oppressed go free,

And that you break every yoke?

7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,

And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;

When you see the naked, that you cover him,

And not hide yourself from your own flesh?

8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning,

Your healing shall spring forth speedily,

And your righteousness shall go before you;

The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;

You shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.'

"If you take away the yoke from your midst,

The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,

10 If you extend your soul to the hungry

And satisfy the afflicted soul,

Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,

And your darkness shall be as the noonday.

11 The Lord will guide you continually,

And satisfy your soul in drought,

And strengthen your bones;

You shall be like a watered garden,

And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

12 Those from among you

Shall build the old waste places;

You
shall raise up the foundations of many generations;

And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,

The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.

13 "If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,

From doing your pleasure on My holy day,

And call the Sabbath a delight,

The holy day of the Lord honorable,

And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways,

Nor finding your own pleasure,

Nor speaking your own words,

14 Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord;

And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth,

And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.

The mouth of the Lord has spoken."

The NKJV Study Bible says this: The hypocritical religionists delight in approaching God in ritual worship.
The accusations, you exploit all your laborers and you fast for strife and debate, expose the hypocrisy of the people's worship. Instead of ceasing their normal pursuits and setting the day aside to fast and pray, they strike with the fist the laborer who does not work. The people's fast was not an acceptable day to the Lord because it focused on self-righteousness and not on justice for others. Yoke is a metaphor for social oppression. The poor who are cast out refers to those whose lands and houses were expropriated in payment of debts.
A watered garden and a perennial spring are similes for prosperity and the blessings of God's salvation. The coming of Christ rebuilt the house of David.

 

 

 

Mark 16:9-20

Great belief gets great results. In the measure that you believe in Him, is the measure that you can receive from Him. Faith alone pleases God. Without Him we can do nothing. With Him nothing is impossible! We who believe are His hands and feet in this decaying world. We need to spread the Good News of the gospel of Jesus Christ's.

9 Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.

12 After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. 13 And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.

14 Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.

The NKJV Study Bible says this: The Greek voice of He is risen, which is passive, indicates that an act of God accomplished the raising up of Jesus. Chosen by God as the first human witnesses to Christ's resurrection, these women were commanded to go and tell. The special mention of Peter signifies that Christ still accepted him, even though he had denied the Lord three times. Jesus' resurrection was evidently not expected by anyone in spite of His repeated predictions. The Resurrection itself resulted in faith, rather than the expectation thereof. Jesus upbraided these disciples for not believing the accounts of eyewitnesses, but He pronounced a blessing on "those who have not seen and yet have believed". He who does not believe will be condemned. Those who believe in Christ will be saved. The final sign that Jesus was the Son of God is that He was received up into heaven to be seated at the right hand (the position of authority and power) of God. The obedience of Christ's disciples who went out and preached everywhere challenges us to engage in that same endeavor. We can be confident that as the Lord was working with them, He will also work with us.
Jesus Christ came to earth to conquer the sin and evil which plague this world by living a sinless life and sacrificially offering Himself on the Cross. In obedience to Christ's command, the apostles continued to share this Good News with the rest of the world because it is Christ's life-giving message to a world that is dying in its sins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Psalm 119:1-16

We need to seek God with our whole heart, mind and spirit. Only when we study and learn His ways can we keep them. Shame and guilt are used by Satan to chain us to our past and stop us from our future. He is the accuser of the brethren and he knows his job well. There is no condemnation is Christ
Jesus.
Ask and He will give you the Holy Spirit to teach you His ways.

א Aleph

1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, Who walk in the law of the Lord!

2 Blessed are those who keep His testimonies,

Who seek Him with the whole heart!

3 They also do no iniquity;

They walk in His ways.

4 You have commanded us

To keep Your precepts diligently.

5 Oh, that my ways were directed

To keep Your statutes!

6 Then I would not be ashamed,

When I look into all Your commandments.

7 I will praise You with uprightness of heart,

When I learn Your righteous judgments.

8 I will keep Your statutes;

Oh, do not forsake me utterly!

ב Beth

9 How can a young man cleanse his way?

By taking heed according to Your word.

10 With my whole heart I have sought You;

Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!

11 Your word I have hidden in my heart,

That I might not sin against You.

12 Blessed are You, O Lord!

Teach me Your statutes.

13 With my lips I have declared

All the judgments of Your mouth.

14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,

As much as in all riches.

15 I will meditate on Your precepts,

And contemplate Your ways.

16 I will delight myself in Your statutes;

I will not forget Your word.

The NKJV Study Bible says this: Psalm 119 celebrates the Word of God in a way that is almost exhaustive. Within the psalm, eight words for God's Law occur again and again: law; testimonies; promise; precepts; statutes; commandments; judgments; word. The psalm uses the full meaning of all these words as it elaborates on the application of the Law of God to both daily life and Israel's destiny. The Law is never considered a curse; it is always seen as a gift from God.
The psalmist cannot stop praising God for His mercy and goodness in providing His people with instructions for living. The Hebrew word torah, translated law, basically means "instruction" or "direction." The Law was never designed as a means of salvation; no one could be saved by keeping it. The Lord gave His law to a people with whom He had already graciously established a covenantal relationship. Instead, the Law was the means for the Israelites to learn how to live as God's holy people. In the Law, God mercifully pointed out the right path to follow.

 

Hosea 7

In our search for knowledge in God's ways we reach a point and then stop. We understand a concept and then don't put it into practice. We get half way there and turn around and go the other way. We are half baked. How sad. We look at ourselves and promptly forget who we are. We have allowed the ways of the world to permeate our thoughts and our actions. We have forgotten that the knowledge of God is the beginning of understanding life. We try to live with one foot in the spiritual and one foot in the world. It doesn't work and God will not be mocked. As a people and as a nation we must put our trust in Him and Him alone.

"When I would have healed Israel,

Then the iniquity of Ephraim was uncovered,

And the wickedness of Samaria.

For they have committed fraud;

A thief comes in;

A band of robbers takes spoil outside.

2 They do not consider in their hearts

That I remember all their wickedness;

Now their own deeds have surrounded them;

They are before My face.

4 "They are all adulterers.

Like an oven heated by a baker—

He ceases stirring the fire after kneading the dough,

Until it is leavened.

5 In the day of our king

Princes have made him sick, inflamed with wine;

He stretched out his hand with scoffers.

7 They are all hot, like an oven,

And have devoured their judges;

All their kings have fallen.

None among them calls upon Me.

8 "Ephraim has mixed himself among the peoples;

Ephraim is a cake unturned.

9 Aliens have devoured his strength,

But he does not know it;

Yes, gray hairs are here and there on him,

Yet he does not know it.

10 And the pride of Israel testifies to his face,

But they do not return to the Lord their God,

Nor seek Him for all this.

12 Wherever they go, I will spread My net on them;

I will bring them down like birds of the air;

I will chastise them

According to what their congregation has heard.

15 Though I disciplined and strengthened their arms,

Yet they devise evil against Me;

16 They return, but not to the Most High;

They are like a treacherous bow.

Their princes shall fall by the sword

For the cursings of their tongue.

This shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.

The NKJV Study Bible says this: Hardened sinners typically do not consider that God will hold them accountable for their deeds. While kings should promote justice and be appalled by wickedness Israel's rulers approved of the people's sin. The background for these verses is the political turmoil of the northern kingdom. Instead of depending on the Lord for political stability, Israel formed alliances with surrounding nations. The destructive outcome of this policy is compared to a cake that has been placed over a fire and left unturned. Israel did not recognize that its power was declining and its freedom was slipping away, like an aging man who is gradually overtaken by the signs of old age. Like a bird that flies away when frightened , Israel fled from the Lord and His standards, despite His willingness to help the people. God sent a drought that took away Israel's grain and new wine. Yet instead of turning to Him in repentance, the idolatrous Israelites demonstrated their devotion to Baal. According to Canaanite religious beliefs, prolonged drought was a signal that the storm god Baal had been temporarily defeated by the god of death and was imprisoned in the underworld. Baal's worshipers would mourn his death in hopes that their tears might facilitate his resurrection and the restoration of crops. Though the Lord had been faithful to Israel, Israel had not been loyal to Him. Though Israel claimed to acknowledge the Lord's authority, it had violated His covenant and rejected the qualities the Lord regarded as good, such as justice, loyalty, and humility.

 

 

 

 

 

Mark 9

Jesus heals! Peter, James and John saw Jesus transfigured before them. They saw the power of God manifested. If we can believe in the impossible, have faith in His power, nothing will be impossible. Jesus Christ is God.
He has been given the keys to life and death. In Him is life, abundantly more than we can hope for. If you cannot understand the depth of the Father's love and have problems trusting that you can be loved like that, ask Him and He will help you with your lack of faith.
Place your trust in Jesus. He can heal you physically, mentally and spiritually. Don't be afraid to ask Him for help. The biggest enemy of our souls is fear. The only thing that we have to fear is fear itself. It paralyzes us into doing nothing. Perfect love cast out fear.
Jesus is the perfect love of God who died for us and rose again, to save those who put their faith in Him.

And He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power."

2 Now
after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. 4 And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah"— 6 because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.

7 And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!" 8 Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.

9 Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.

11 And they asked Him, saying, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"

12 Then He answered and told them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things. And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him."

14 And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. 15 Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. 16 And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?"

17 Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. 18 And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."

19 He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me." 20 Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.

21 So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?"

And he said, "From childhood. 22 And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."

23 Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."

24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"

25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!" 26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead." 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.

The NKJV
Study Bible says this: Jesus' transfiguration deeply affected John and Peter, who mention it in their writings. Moses was the lawgiver and liberator, while Elijah was the first of the great prophets. Their presence confirmed the reality that Jesus is the Messiah of Peter's confession. The voice of God the Father was heard audibly three times during the life of Christ. John was not a reincarnation of Elijah, but one who ministered "in the spirit and power of Elijah" in preparing the way for Christ. They did to him whatever they wished refers to the ruthless way John the Baptist was imprisoned and murdered. I believe; help my unbelief expresses the dilemma that even those who believe can be nagged by doubt and hopelessness. Jesus tells plainly of His coming death and resurrection.

Amos 5

These are troubling times that we are living in. What does God require of His children? He requires them to be fair to all people. He requires them to be merciful to all people. He requires them to be humble realizing that He alone is good, He alone is in control and without Him we can do nothing BUT with Him all things are possible. He will not tolerate making money a god. All things belong to Him, all things. Seek good and not evil! Seek Him and live!

3 For thus says the Lord God:

"The city that goes out by a thousand

Shall have a hundred left,

And that which goes out by a hundred

Shall have ten left to the house of Israel."

4 For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel:

"Seek Me and live;

6 Seek the Lord and live,

Lest He break out like fire in the house of Joseph,

And devour it,

With no one to quench it in Bethel—

7 You who turn justice to wormwood,

And lay righteousness to rest in the earth!"

8 He made the Pleiades and Orion;

He turns the shadow of death into morning

And makes the day dark as night;

He calls for the waters of the sea

And pours them out on the face of the earth;

The Lord is His name.

9 He rains ruin upon the strong,

So that fury comes upon the fortress.

10 They hate the one who rebukes in the gate,

And they abhor the one who speaks uprightly.

11 Therefore, because you tread down the poor

And take grain taxes from him,

Though you have built houses of hewn stone,

Yet you shall not dwell in them;

You have planted pleasant vineyards,

But you shall not drink wine from them.

12 For I know your manifold transgressions

And your mighty sins:

Afflicting the just and taking bribes;

Diverting the poor from justice at the gate.

13 Therefore the prudent keep silent at that time,

For it is an evil time.

14 Seek good and not evil,

That you may live;

So the Lord God of hosts will be with you,

As you have spoken.

15 Hate evil, love good;

Establish justice in the gate.

It may be that the Lord God of hosts

Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

18 Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord!

For what good is the day of the Lord to you?

It will be darkness, and not light.

20 Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light?

Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it?

23 Take away from Me the noise of your songs,

For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.

24 But let justice run down like water,

And righteousness like a mighty stream.

25 "Did you offer Me sacrifices and offerings

In the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?

26 You also carried Sikkuth your king

And Chiun, your idols,

The star of your gods,

Which you made for yourselves.

27 Therefore I will send you into captivity beyond Damascus,"

Says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.

The NKJV Study Bible says this: The term virgin of Israel depicts the nation as a young maiden, cut off from her life before it had really begun. On her land is a reminder that the land had been God's gift to Israel. By their faithlessness, the people had turned God's gift into the place of their death and burial. Rather than saving Israel, its armies would themselves be decimated. The house of Joseph here refers to the whole nation. This Hebrew verb, SEEK, can be correctly translated "to inquire of," "to ask," and "to seek." The term conveys the idea of "going to see" in the sense of personally verifying something said, or "searching for," in the sense of pressing for an answer to a question. Amos encourages his audience to seek life in the living God, not in dead idols. On several occasions, the Israelites were encouraged to seek God by preparing their hearts for God through humble repentance. One of Amos's primary responsibilities as a prophet of God was to announce the "day of the Lord," the time of God's judgment of wicked Israel. Idolatry, perhaps more than any other sin, was the reason for this impending punishment. One of Israel's idolatries was astral worship. Far from being deities, Amos asserted, the constellations also were God's creations. The God who created and sustains the processes of all the universe surely can bring His judgment to bear, even upon the strong of the earth and their fortresses. Taxes were collected in kind from those with few resources of silver and gold. To take grain taxes from the poor was to put them at risk of starvation if the harvest had not been bountiful. Yet the rich and powerful had sufficient resources to build luxurious houses of hewn stone for themselves. God promised that the rich would not enjoy their luxury stolen from the lifeblood of the poor and powerless.
Israel's leaders did not sin incidentally or furtively; they sinned brazenly and habitually, as though God had never revealed Himself and His standards of justice and mercy. Worshiping in the Lord's name, the Israelites invoked the Lord's presence with them in their spoken prayers and blessings. If they began to live as God had taught them in the Law, He would indeed be with them. The popular theology of Amos's day apparently looked forward to the day of the Lord as the time of Israel's restoration to military, political, and economic greatness, perhaps to the greatness of the reigns of David and Solomon. Amos declared such hopes futile, even pitiable. What the people looked forward to as a day of light and triumph would rise upon them instead as a day of darkness and ruin. God had promised that if the Israelites honored Him with their lives, He would savor, accept, and regard Israel's sacrifices and hear their words. By stating He would no longer accept Israel's sacrifices or listen to them, God was rejecting Israel's worship as hypocritical, dishonest, and meaningless. After dismissing Israel's empty worship as noisy and tumultuous, God called for the honest tumult of the rolling waters of justice and the perennial stream of righteousness, the only foundation for true praise and worship of the Lord.
The true believer in the Lord understood, without question, that any gods made by human hands were not gods at all. 2 It was the boast of Israel's elite that no other nation was greater than they were. Their boast came back upon their own heads. You who put far off the day of doom refers to those who insisted that Israel was too strong for destruction to fall upon the nation any time soon. The upper classes of Israel were so engrossed in their own privileges and luxuries that they cared nothing for the affliction of their fellow Israelites, though it was their transgressions that had caused it. Luxurious palace strongholds represented both the pride of Jacob in their own strength and the oppression of the powerless, whose stolen wealth had financed the construction of these palaces. People who had not believed that God would come in judgment would now be afraid of what further disaster He might bring upon them. Amos hoped to get the people to see the moral impossibility of Israel's perversion of justice. Israel's pride in its military strength would be its downfall. God's punishment of Israel would fit its sin of pride. As the Israelites reckoned that they had extended their borders by their own military strength, God would allow them to be harassed and defeated from border to border. God would allow Israel to be defeated in battle; they would realize that their own strength was puny indeed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Salvation is About Him

by Max Lucado

Who would look at the cross of Christ and say, "Great work, Jesus. Sorry you couldn't finish it, but I'll take up the slack."?

Dare we question the crowning work of God? Dare we think heaven needs our help in saving us? Legalism discounts God and in the process makes a mess out of us.

To anyone attempting to earn heaven, Paul asks, "How is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? ….What has happened to all your joy?" (Galatians 4:19, 15 NIV).

Legalism is joyless because legalism is endless. There is always another class to attend, person to teach, mouth to feed. Inmates incarcerated in self-salvation find work but never joy. How could they? They never know when they are finished. Legalism leaches joy.

Grace, however, dispenses peace. The Christian trusts a finished work.

Grace offers rest. Legalism never does. Then why do we embrace it? "Those who trust in themselves are foolish" (Proverbs 28:26 NCV). Why do we trust in ourselves? Why do we add to God's finished work?

But the truth is, we don't. If we think we do, we have missed the message. "What is left for us to brag about?" Paul wonders (Romans 3:27 CEV). What is there indeed? What have you contributed? Aside from your admission of utter decadence, I can't think of a thing. "By his doing you are in Christ Jesus" (1 Corinthians 1:30). Salvation glorifies the Savior, not the saved.

Your salvation showcases God's mercy. It makes nothing of your effort but everything of his. "I—yes, I alone—am the one who blots out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again" (Isaiah, 43:25, emphasis mine).

Can you add anything to this salvation? No. The work is finished.

Can you earn this salvation? No. Don't dishonor God by trying.

Dare we boast about this salvation? By no means. The giver of bread, not the beggar, deserves praise. "Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:31).

It's not about what we do; it's all about what he does.

Jeremiah 49:19-33

God uses nations and peoples to accomplish His will. It can be for punishment or for protection against an enemy. God is all powerful, all knowing and all seeing. He knows those that are truly His and those that are using Him as a way of appearing to be something that they are not. He will not always tolerate mans arrogance and pride. God protects those are fair, forgiving and walk humbly with Him, knowing that He alone is God!

19 "Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the floodplain of the Jordan

Against the dwelling place of the strong;

But I will suddenly make him run away from her.

And who is a chosen man that I may appoint over her?

For who is like Me?

Who will arraign Me?

And who is that shepherd

Who will withstand Me?"

20 Therefore hear the counsel of the Lord that He has taken against Edom,

And His purposes that He has proposed against the inhabitants of Teman:

Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out;

Surely He shall make their dwelling places desolate with them.

21 The earth shakes at the noise of their fall;

At the cry its noise is heard at the Red Sea.

22 Behold, He shall come up and fly like the eagle,

And spread His wings over Bozrah;

The heart of the mighty men of Edom in that day shall be

Like the heart of a woman in birth pangs.

23 Against Damascus.

"Hamath and Arpad are shamed,

For they have heard bad news.

They are fainthearted;

There is trouble on the sea;

It cannot be quiet.

24 Damascus has grown feeble;

She turns to flee,

And fear has seized her.

Anguish and sorrows have taken her like a woman in labor.

25 Why is the city of praise not deserted, the city of My joy?

26 Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets,

And all the men of war shall be cut off in that day," says the Lord of hosts.

27 "I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus,

And it shall consume the palaces of Ben-Hadad."

28 Against Kedar and against the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon shall strike.

Thus says the Lord:

"Arise, go up to Kedar,

And devastate the men of the East!

29 Their tents and their flocks they shall take away.

They shall take for themselves their curtains,

All their vessels and their camels;

And they shall cry out to them,

Fear is on every side!'

30 "Flee, get far away! Dwell in the depths,

O inhabitants of Hazor!" says the Lord.

"For Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has taken counsel against you,

And has conceived a plan against you.

31 "Arise, go up to the wealthy nation that dwells securely," says the Lord,

"Which has neither gates nor bars,

Dwelling alone.

32 Their camels shall be for booty,

And the multitude of their cattle for plunder.

I will scatter to all winds those in the farthest corners,

And I will bring their calamity from all its sides," says the Lord.

33 "Hazor shall be a dwelling for jackals, a desolation forever;

No one shall reside there,

Nor son of man dwell in it."

The NKJV says this: Like the lion that emerges from the thickets along the lower Jordan and seizes its prey, God would attack the Edomites through His appointed instrument. The two things on which Edom most prided itself, its wisdom and its fortresses, would vanish before the judgment of the Lord. As the strongholds collapsed, the earth would quake; its tremors would be felt all the way to the Red Sea. The broad wings of the eagle represent the all-encompassing power of God and His agents of destruction. Hamath and Arpad were major towns located west and north of the capital of Damascus. The region of Kedar was the most important Arab tribal group in the biblical period.

 

 

 

1 Thessalonians 5:14-28

If we open our hearts to accept the Divine Call and place our faith in God, we will be protected, safe and secure. In Christ Jesus we will be blessed.

Christians are saved by grace and live by grace, enjoying undeserved blessing from their loving God.

14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak,
be patient with all. 15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is
good both for yourselves and for all.

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.

23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.

The
NKJV Study Bible
says this: The Thessalonians had to face the fact that some of them were not living as Christians should, but were unruly. They needed to be warned about their behavior. Some were fainthearted and needed comfort. The congregation should also uphold the weak and be patient toward all, recognizing that all Christians have faults. To be most effective in promoting positive change in people's lives, believers should respond to individuals according to each one's particular needs. For a Christian to try to get revenge is a denial of basic Christian love, and it goes against Jesus' teaching. Christian joy is not based on circumstances but on a growing awareness of God and the certain future of eternal life with Christ. Thankfulness should characterize the Christian life in every circumstance, not thanks for everything but thanks in everything. Paul emphatically states this is the will of God. Nothing speaks more powerfully of a walk with God than continuous thankfulness. One of the fundamental rules of walking with God is that we should not say no to the Spirit of God. Paul's prayer for the Thessalonians is that they may be sanctified in all aspects of their life, spirit, soul, and body. This is the only place in the NT where the tripartite being of a person is implied. Yet in this passage, all three constitute a person in his or her entirety. The spirit enables a person to contact the divine Spirit and is that part of a person that the Spirit quickens at the time of regeneration. Finally the NT writers identify the body, a person's physical being, as separate from one's soul or spirit. As this verse indicates, God works from the inside out, sanctifying our entire being so that we can live with Him forever. Christians are saved by grace and live by grace, enjoying undeserved blessing from their loving God.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Habakkuk 2

God is just. Those who live unjust lives and build wealth at the expense of others will reap what they have sown. Their misdeeds will come upon their own heads. They will have no one to blame but themselves. Unless man sees the evil of his ways and ask for forgiveness He will not escape God's wrath. God does not show partiality. We need to examine ourselves and then judge others. Are we doing the same things that we accuse them of? Do we expose their sins that we may feel better about ourselves? We are made in God's image to give Him the glory and honor due Him. How do we represent Him?

2 I will stand my watch

And set myself on the rampart,

And watch to see what He will say to me,

And what I will answer when I am corrected.

2 Then the Lord answered me and said:

"Write the vision

And make it plain on tablets,

That he may run who reads it.

3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time;

But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.

Though it tarries, wait for it;

Because it will surely come,

It will not tarry.

4 "Behold the proud,

His soul is not upright in him;

But
the just shall live by his faith.

5 "Indeed, because he transgresses by wine,

He is a proud man,

And he does not stay at home.

Because he enlarges his desire as hell,

And he is like death, and cannot be satisfied,

He gathers to himself all nations

And heaps up for himself all peoples.

6 "Will not all these take up a proverb against him,

And a taunting riddle against him, and say,

'Woe to him who increases

What is not his—how long?

And to him who loads himself with many pledges'?

7 Will not your creditors rise up suddenly?

Will they not awaken who oppress you?

And you will become their booty.

8 Because you have plundered many nations,

All the remnant of the people shall plunder you,

Because of men's blood

And the violence of the land and the city,

And of all who dwell in it.

9 "Woe to him who covets evil gain for his house,

That he may set his nest on high,

That he may be delivered from the power of disaster!

10 You give shameful counsel to your house,

Cutting off many peoples,

And sin against your soul.

11 For the stone will cry out from the wall,

And the beam from the timbers will answer it.

12 "Woe to him who builds a town with bloodshed,

Who establishes a city by iniquity!

13 Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts

That the peoples labor to feed the fire,

And nations weary themselves in vain?

14 For the earth will be filled

With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,

As the waters cover the sea.

15 "Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbor,

Pressing him to your bottle,

Even to make him drunk,

That you may look on his nakedness!

16 You are filled with shame instead of glory.

You also—drink!

And be exposed as uncircumcised!

The cup of the Lord's right hand will be turned against you,

And utter shame will be on your glory.

17 For the violence done to Lebanon will cover you,

And the plunder of beasts which made them afraid,

Because of men's blood

And the violence of the land and the city,

And of all who dwell in it.

18 "What profit is the image, that its maker should carve it,

The molded image, a teacher of lies,

That the maker of its mold should trust in it,

To make mute idols?

19 Woe to him who says to wood, 'Awake!'

To silent stone, 'Arise! It shall teach!'

Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,

Yet in it there is no breath at all.

20 "But the Lord is in His holy temple.

Let all the earth keep silence before Him."

The NKJV Study Bible says this: An appointed time speaks of a determined time in God's eyes. God knows His plan and the outworking of all things in accordance with His purposes. The godly are responsible to study and proclaim His revelation while awaiting its fulfillment. The fulfillment of the vision would not take any longer than God had planned. True righteousness before God is linked to genuine faith in God. A proud person relies on self, power, position, and accomplishment; a righteous person relies on the Lord. A woe oracle is an oracle of judgment consisting of two parts: a declaration of the wrong and a notice of impending judgment. The judgment usually applies the principle of the law of retaliation: a wrong would come back to haunt the wrongdoer. The Law prohibited lending for the purpose of charging interest . The practice of pledging something as a guarantee for repayment was permitted under the Law, but with limitations to ensure the humane treatment of people. Gaining property through extortion and the abuse of power was strictly prohibited in the Law of Moses. As a bird builds a nest far away from people and wild animals, so the rich work hard at avoiding threats to their fortune. The word meek frequently refers to the poor or oppressed. But it also signifies strength of character in enduring suffering without resentment. Such character is rooted in a strong faith in God and His goodness and a steadfast submission to the will of God. The whole structure of Israel's society called out for justice; every part reverberated with the need for righting wrongs. Micah also spoke against the leaders of Judah, who were developing the city and kingdom at the expense of humane treatment of others, and of justice. God's future kingdom on earth will feature a reign of righteousness. All humanity on the renewed earth will know the Lord and live in accordance with His will. The structures of human systems, adequate as they are for the present, will fall under God's judgment because they encourage a spirit of independence from Him. The glory of the Lord speaks of the full manifestation of His person, significance, presence, and wonder. The true knowledge of God in the time of His kingdom on earth will be like the waters—all-embracing, inescapable, and fully enveloping. The Lord is sovereign and holy. He looks at the nations and holds them accountable.

Luke 5:1-31

Jesus meets us at our level. Amazing isn't it? He comes to teach us His way of living but He does not require us to be sinless nor spiritually knowledgeable. In fact, it will be easier if we have no preconceived notions of religion in our minds. We will not always understand His ways, for His ways, are not mans'. We only need to open our hearts to His love and our minds to His healing touch. Faith alone pleases God.

So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.

4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."

5 But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net." 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"

9 For he and all who were with him were  astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men." 11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

12 And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus;
and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."

13 Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately the leprosy left him. 14 And He charged him to tell no one, "But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded."

15 However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.

16 So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.

17 Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them. 18 Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. 19 And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.

20 When He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."

21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise up and walk'? 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins"—He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."

25 Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. 26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today!"

27 After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him,  "Follow Me." 28 So he left all, rose up, and followed Him.

29 Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. 30 And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, "Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"

31 Jesus answered and said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

The NKJV Study Bible says this: Jesus commanded Simon to place his nets in the water in order to depict a spiritual reality. Jesus explained the spiritual truth: Simon's new occupation would be fishing for people who would do the will of Jesus. The fisherman noted that he and his companions had just failed to make a catch at the best time for fishing, the evening. The circumstances were not good for a catch at the time of Jesus' command, but Peter chose to obey His word and let down his nets anyway. Peter's confession indicates that he recognized God's work through Jesus. Peter, as a sinful man, was not worthy to be in Jesus' presence, because Jesus was holy. Jesus does not drive away the sinner who recognizes his or her wretched condition. He accepts the confessing sinner and offers that person the opportunity of reconciliation with God. Then He sends the forgiven sinner out to do the work of God. Peter's commission was to rescue men from the danger of sin. Jesus honored the leper's humble request for health because he recognized Jesus' power and authority. Jesus sought to avoid drawing excessive attention to His healing ministry. He wanted people to seek Him for spiritual healing, not merely physical healing. The leper's testimony was to God's faithfulness and His exercise of power through Jesus. The Pharisees were a group of about six thousand pious, influential teachers in the synagogues. They were a group who meticulously followed the Law, adhering to the traditional rules that kept a person from inadvertently breaking it. The teachers of the law were officials trained in the Law of Moses. Also known as scribes, these men were in effect the religious lawyers of the Pharisees. In Judaism in the first century there was a wide range of factions, including the Sadducees and the Essenes. The Pharisees, despite their relatively low numbers, were very influential. Luke directly links faith and forgiveness here. According to the OT, only God was able to forgive sin. Rather than announcing that God would forgive the man's sin, Jesus proclaimed that the man's sins were forgiven. This act was blasphemous to the ears of Jesus' theologically sensitive audience. This was a serious charge; the conviction of blasphemy would eventually lead to Jesus' death. From an external point of view, it would seem easier to declare sins forgiven than to actually heal a person. In reality, however, one has to possess more authority to forgive sin. Jesus linked the healing to what it represented, the forgiveness of sin. Jesus forgave the man's sins and healed him at the same time. Jesus claimed the authority to forgive sin, an authority that was limited to God. Levi is also called Matthew. In ancient Israel the table was a place where spiritual points were taught and where fellowship occurred. The issue of eating with sinners was sensitive in Judaism since some believed that eating with such company conveyed an acceptance of that person's sin. Jesus preferred pursuing relationships that might lead sinners to God rather than "quarantining" Himself from such people. Jesus was not saying that the Pharisees and scribes had no need of spiritual healing. Instead He was saying that only those who know their spiritual need can be treated. As self-righteous people, the Pharisees would not come for aid, and in their own eyes, did not need a doctor. Jesus' mission was to call sinners to repentance. A humble approach to God for spiritual healing is the essence of repentance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Matthew 27-28

We spend our lives looking for signs of God's existence. We pass over the miraculous in our pursuit. Open your eyes and look around you, He is there in His creation and order, everywhere you pause to look. We need to let others know who we put our trust in. Jesus suffered humiliation and torture to show us God's great love for us. Can we do any less than spread the word of this gift of God to all who will accept it? Jesus is the only way, the only hope, the only road to the Father. God is the consummate gentleman, He gave you free will. He gave you His only begotten Son to die for your sins and give you eternal life, He will not force you to accept His free gift to you. Open
your eyes to see Him, your ears to hear Him, your mind to perceive Him and your Heart to receive
Him!

The Great Commission

 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him. 28 And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.

29 When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" 30 Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.

32 Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross. 33 And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, 34 they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.

35 Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet:

"They divided My garments among them,

And for My clothing they cast lots."

36 Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. 37 And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him:

THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

38 Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left.

39 And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, "You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross."

41 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, 42 "He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. 43 He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, 'I am the Son of God.' "

44 Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.

45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

47 Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, "This Man is calling for Elijah!" 48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink.

49 The rest said, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him."

50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.

51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

54 So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying,  "Truly this was the Son of God!"

62 On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, 63 saying, "Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise.' 64 Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, 'He has risen from the dead.' So the last deception will be worse than the first."

65 Pilate said to them, "You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how." 66 So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.

28 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.

5 But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you."

8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.

The NKJV Study Bible says this: The soldiers mocked Jesus for claiming to be a king. Crucifixion, a practice probably adopted from Persia, was considered by the Romans to be the cruelest form of execution. This punishment was reserved for the worst criminals; Roman citizens were not crucified. The victim usually died after two or three days of agonizing suffering, enduring thirst, exhaustion, and exposure. The victim's arms were nailed to a beam, which was hoisted up and fixed to a post, to which the feet of the victim would be nailed. The body weight was supported by a peg on which the victim sat. Psalm 22:7 predicted the insults that would be directed at the Messiah. In three days, Jesus rose from the dead, thereby fulfilling this prophecy. He was obediently following God's plan for Him; His obedience would lead to His exaltation as King over all. The darkness was not due to an eclipse of the sun, since the Passover occurred at full moon. This was a supernatural occurrence. The physical darkness was a demonstration of the agony of the Lord's human soul. My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me: The duplication of "My God, My God" indicates Jesus' deep sorrow. The fact that Jesus spoke in Aramaic, the tongue of His birth, may be another sign of the extreme stress He was encountering. No human can understand the theological significance of this cry. The purpose for which Jesus came was fulfilled. Redemption for the sins of the world had been accomplished. Satan's judgment was a fact. The verb translated yielded means "dismissed." Even in dying the Lord demonstrated His royal authority. The temple had two veils or curtains—one in front of the Holy Place and the other separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. It was the second of these that was torn, demonstrating that God had opened up access to Himself through His Son. Only God could have torn the veil from the top. The fact that the people who were raised appeared to many in the holy city implies that they had been contemporaries of the people who saw them. The centurion and those with him may have heard the exchanges between Pilate and Jesus they certainly witnessed the taunts recorded. The supernatural signs convinced them that Jesus was indeed the Son of God. Significantly, this confession of faith came from a Gentile. Jesus Himself appeared to many of His disciples, providing even more witnesses to His resurrection from the dead Matthew presents the evidence for Jesus' resurrection with precision because the doctrine is essential to the Christian faith. The Resurrection is a sign that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and the Resurrection validates the Lord's own prophecies of it. The Great Commission rests on the authority of Christ. Because He has authority over all, everyone needs to hear His gospel.

Matthew 27:1-25

Some decisions cannot be taken back. The damage has been done. Ask for forgiveness while it can be found. Do not wait until tomorrow to make things right, for tomorrow may not come.

We need to have more compassion for those who have different views than ours. We need to examine our feelings to see if jealousy, pride or envy is at the root of them. Legalism without compassion is spiritual death.

When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death. 2 And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.

3 Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood."

And they said, "What is that to us? You see to it!"

5 Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.

6 But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood." 7 And they consulted together and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in. 8 Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.

9 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced, 10 and gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me."

11 Now Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?"

Jesus said to him, "It is as you say." 12 And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing.

13 Then Pilate said to Him, "Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?" 14 But He answered him not one word, so that
the governor marveled greatly.

15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. 16 And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called 2Barabbas. 17 Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?" 18 For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy.

19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, "Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him."

20 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes
that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor answered and said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?"

They said, "Barabbas!"

22 Pilate said to them, "What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?"

They all said to him, "Let Him be crucified!"

23 Then the governor said, "Why, what evil has He done?"

But they cried out all the more, saying, "Let Him be crucified!"

24 When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it."

25 And all the people answered and said, "His blood be on us and on our children."

The NKJV Study Bible says this: This was the third Jewish trial. The first two were illegal because they were held at night. Because the Jews did not have authority to execute Jesus , they brought Him to Pilate. Judas felt remorse because he had not planned for this to happen; he may have betrayed Jesus in order to force Him to take action against His enemies and inaugurate His kingdom. But that was not God's timing and plan. The religious leaders, who had no problem condemning an innocent person to death, suddenly became very scrupulous about the Law. Because of Deut. 23:18, it was felt that blood money should not be used for religious purposes. Originally this plot of ground was known as the potter's field, a place where potters dug for clay. Consequently, it was full of holes, which would have made it easy to bury people who had no family tombs. It was purchased as a cemetery for strangers who died in Jerusalem. It is likely Gentiles were also buried there. Barabbas was notorious because he was an insurrectionist and a murderer. Evidently Pilate assumed the Jews would choose Jesus to be released over a murderer like Barabbas. Jesus had only gone about doing good. The tenure of Pilate had been rocked by conflicts with the Jews from the very beginning. He could scarcely have afforded another one on his record. Once again, Pilate pronounced Jesus to be innocent. The washing of his hands is recorded only by Matthew. The governor vainly attempted to rid himself of the guilt of condemning an innocent man to death. The destruction of Jerusalem was one of the results of this sin.

Central to Christian faith is the bodily resurrection of Jesus. By recording the resurrection appearances, the New Testament leaves no doubt about this event.

• In or around Jerusalem:

• To Mary Magdelene (Mark 16:9; John 20:11–18)

• To other women (28:8–10)

• To Peter (Luke 24:34)

• To ten disciples (Luke 24:36–43; John 20:19–25)

• To the Eleven, including Thomas (Mark 16:14; John 20:26–29)

• At the Ascension (Mark 16:19, 20; Luke 24:50–53; Acts 1:4–12)

• To the disciples on the Emmaus road (Mark 16:12, 13; Luke 24:13–35)

• In Galilee (28:16–20; John 21:1–24)

• To five hundred people (1 Cor. 15:6)

• To James and the apostles (1 Cor. 15:7)

• To Paul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1–6; 22:1–10; 26:12–18; 1 Cor. 15:8)