Jonah 4:1-4

It is human nature to want to be proved right at any cost. Jonah was given a prophecy of the destruction of Nineveh in 40 days because of the evil in their city but Nineveh believed Jonah, fasted, and repented and God had mercy on them a town of over a 120,000 people and did not destroy them. A Kodak moment for Jonah that he listened to God and that it resulted in saving 120,000 people, right? Wrong, Jonah only cared that his prophesy did not come to fruition…….thank God for His mercy and loving kindness!! God uses believers to save lives not to destroy them.

In contrast to God, Jonah had no compassion on the people of Nineveh. Jonah’s irritation belied the good news that the city would be spared.  Jonah himself had experienced the excellencies of God. Gracious and merciful may be rephrased as “marvelously gracious.” Lovingkindness can also mean “loyal love.” Contrast Jonah and Elijah: Jonah’s death wish came from disgust at the people’s repentance; Elijah’s came from a yearning for the people’s repentance.

Jonah 4:1-4

4 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. 2 So he prayed to the Lord, and said, “Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. 3 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!”

4 Then the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

Romans 15:1-4

We are to live our lives placing the spiritual well being of others above our own need to be right.  In brotherly love the truth of the Scriptures is made known. It is not about our strength it is about God’s … who filters all actions through love and wants everyone to have the hope of eternal life with Him.

Christ is the ultimate model for the strong believer. He renounced self-gratification so that He could clearly represent God and His cause. Through patience (endurance) and the comfort (or encouragement) of Scripture, believers learn that they have hope.

Romans 15:1-4

15 We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. 3 For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.” 4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.

Daniel 7:13-14

Come Lord Jesus come!

Son of Man is Semitic for “human being.” Daniel saw One like the “Son of Man,” indicating that He is not a man in the strict sense, but rather the perfect representation of humanity. Jewish and Christian expositors have identified this individual as the Messiah. Jesus Himself used this name to emphasize His humanity as the incarnate Son of God.  The Son of Man will reign over all things as the regent of Almighty God. In contrast to the vanishing nature of the previous empires, His dominion is … everlasting.

Daniel 7:13-14

13 “I was watching in the night visions,

 And behold, One like the Son of Man,

 Coming with the clouds of heaven!

 He came to the Ancient of Days,

 And they brought Him near before Him.

14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,

 That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.

 His dominion is an everlasting dominion,

 Which shall not pass away,

 And His kingdom the one

 Which shall not be destroyed.

Acts 15:6-11

The precious gift of the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of spiritual life, is given to all who believe in the salvation offered through His Son.  Holy is the Lamb of God and precious in His sight are those who stand by faith in Him.

It was from the mouth of Peter that Cornelius and his Gentile friends heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. Yoke here refers to the law. These are the last words of Peter in the Book of Acts. He leaves us with the eternal truth that we are saved through faith by grace alone. The emphasis in the Book of Acts now moves from Peter to Paul, from the presentation of the gospel message among the Jews to its presentation to the Gentiles.

Acts 15:6-11

6 Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. 7 And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, 9 and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. 10 Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? 11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”

Acts 21:25

I believe there is Biblical reference to three groups of believers, the Jew, the Catholic Church founded on the Jewish Christian Church founded by Peter and the Protestant Gentiles. There is room for all of us and in the end the original followers of the Triune God, the Jews, will come to the fullness of Jesus Christ. To God be all the glory!

The Christian leaders were not asking Gentiles to live like Jews; neither did they want to compel Jews to live like Gentiles. The spiritual unity of the body of believers is realized in its diversity, not in its conformity. From our diverse backgrounds and cultures we honor the same Lord.

Acts 21:25

25 But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written and decided that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality.

Luke 7:44-50

When we fully comprehend our unworthiness and our need for a Savior then we can be forgiven and understand how willing we should be to forgive and to love others. God sees the heart of His creation and faith alone pleases Him. His peace He gives to us when we believe.

Jesus contrasted the actions of the woman with the actions of the Pharisee Simon, implying that the woman knew more about forgiveness than Simon. Jesus confirmed that the love of the woman, which was visible in her actions toward Jesus, had come from being forgiven. Faith is the human channel for receiving God’s gifts.

Luke 7:44-50

44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon,  “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. 45 You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. 47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”

48 Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

49 And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

50 Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

Romans 15:13

God through our faith fills us with His joy and His peace so that empowered by the Holy Spirit we can rest in His mercy and  in His goodness.

Jesus Christ became a servant to the Jews for two purposes: (1) to confirm God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and (2) to demonstrate God’s mercy to the Gentiles so that they might glorify Him. Paul quotes from all three divisions of the OT (the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms or Writings), and from three great Jewish leaders (Moses, David, and Isaiah), to demonstrate that God’s purpose was always to bless the Gentiles through Israel.

Romans 15:13

13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Mark 2:21-22

There comes a point in a believer’s life when they realize that to be a true follower of Jesus Christ nothing in their life can remain the same. Society and its norms, religion and its traditions no longer fit the changes that are brought about by the power of the Holy Spirit in us.

Mark records only four of Jesus’ parables—two of which he includes here. The comparison implies that the newness of His message, and of the new covenant to follow, cannot fit into the old molds of Judaism.

Mark 2:21-22

21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”

Matthew 18:32-35

That we sincerely forgive others shows our gratitude for how much we have been forgiven. True forgiveness is from the heart. Compassion and empathy are the signatures of a Christian believer.

This parable reiterates the principle that we should forgive others because God forgives us. This verse is a warning about the penalty for not forgiving others.  If our forgiveness should be in direct proportion to the incredible amount that we have been forgiven, then we must always be willing to forgive.

Matthew 18:32-35

32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ 34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.

35 “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

1 Samuel 7:3-4

If we will get rid of the little gods in our life and make God first we will be restored. What does God require of us? God requires us to love Him with all our heart, mind and spirit and to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves. Is this too much to ask from the One who made us and gave us life?

Repentance from sin and expressions of loyalty to God were prerequisites for the restoration of divine blessing. Ashtoreths is the plural form of the name of the Canaanite goddess of fertility, sexuality, and war. The rites connected with her worship usually involved sacred prostitution.

In ancient sculptures, Baal was depicted with a horned helmet. In one hand he grasped a club or mace and in the other a shaft of lightning or a spear with leaves. In some sculptures, he stood on the back of a bull. The plurals Baals and Ashtoreths refer either to the many images of these gods or to the various local forms under which these gods were worshiped.

1 Samuel 7:3-4

3 Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the children of Israel put away the iBaals and the Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only.

Matthew 4:1-4

Nothing in this life matters more than understanding and doing what God created us to be and to do. Insights about Him and His ways are often followed by spiritual battles…..keep the faith and remember joy in the Lord is our strength!

Satan did not lead Jesus to the temptation; the Holy Spirit did. This temptation took place immediately after Jesus’ baptism. Spiritual victories are often followed by testing.

Jesus’ response to all three temptations was to quote the Word of God, showing His followers the power of Scripture in battling the Evil One. There was nothing morally wrong with turning stones to bread; Satan was tempting Jesus to do a miracle outside of the Father’s will. This explains why Jesus quotes Deut. 8:3. Bread alone does not sustain life; ultimately God is the One who sustains all life. Thus it is our responsibility to trust God and remain in His will.

Matthew 4:1-4

4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

Mark 3:1-5

Seeing life in only the black and white religious traditions of man hardens the soul and kills the spirit causing us to look for evil in any situation. Seeing life through the filter of God’s love and forgiveness softens the spirit of man and transforms him into the image of the Christ.

The Sabbath controversy continued as Jesus visited the synagogue. The Pharisees, watched Him closely, not to hear the words of life but to accuse Him.  Christ put the meaning of the Sabbath to the test. Certainly it was more consistent with the intention of the law to restore this man’s afflicted hand, even on the Sabbath, than to destroy his hopes for the sake of keeping human tradition. The Pharisees did not respond, for they knew that they would condemn themselves.

Jesus demonstrated this righteous anger. He was grieved with sin but did not sin Himself by retaliating or losing control of His emotions.

Mark 3:1-5

3 And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. 2 So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. 3 And He said to the man who had the withered hand, 2 “Step forward.” 4 Then He said to them,  “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent. 5 And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man,  “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.

Acts 23:11-15

Paul was outspoken and sometimes brash with his knowledge of Jesus Christ and often offended the traditions of Jewish leaders. He spoke the truth and left it to God to defend him.

Warned by friends not to go to Jerusalem, Paul may have begun to doubt his decision. The Lord encouraged Paul not to be afraid because he was under the sovereign care of God. As Paul had borne witness to Jesus as a prisoner in Jerusalem, so he would do as a prisoner in Rome. Paul’s chains would glorify God in ways that would have been impossible without them. The willingness of the Jewish council to cooperate with the assassination plot against Paul shows how conscious they were of their weak case against him.

Acts 23:11-15

11 But the following night the Lord stood by him and said,  “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.”

12 And when it was day, some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. 13 Now there were more than forty who had formed this conspiracy. 14 They came to the chief priests and elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great oath that we will eat nothing until we have killed Paul. 15 Now you, therefore, together with the council, suggest to the commander that he be brought down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to make further inquiries concerning him; but we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”

Ezekiel 34:15-16

Throughout the ages God has taken care of those who place their lives into His loving hands. Neither life and its trials nor Satan and his evil can keep God’s children separated from Him who created them from the womb. We are safe and protected in Him through the power of the Holy Spirit and the blood of Jesus Christ.

The leaders of Israel had failed to lead properly. They had used their positions of power to their own advantage and to the disadvantage of the people.  It speaks of the future day of deliverance when God will seek out His sheep. Israel, though guilty and misguided, would eventually be rescued by the divine Good Shepherd and restored to the Promised Land.

Ezekiel 34:15-16

15 I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord God. 16 “I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.”

Daniel 9:24

The visions of Daniel were for the future and subject to different interpretation.  But this much is easy to understand, there will be an end to sin, peace with God and Jesus Christ will be in charge and all because of God’s agape love for His creation.

There are many different interpretations of how these years account for the eras of world history before the Second Coming of the Messiah. Some interpreters have suggested that the use of the number seven in this verse is symbolic representing completeness—that is, the completion of all of human history.

Daniel 9:24

24 “Seventy weeks are determined

 For your people and for your holy city,

 To finish the transgression,

 To make an end of sins,

 To make reconciliation for iniquity,

 To bring in everlasting righteousness,

 To seal up vision and prophecy,

 And to anoint the Most Holy.

Acts 13:36-39

Jesus Christ does for us what we can never do for ourselves…..forgive us our sins and give us eternal life in and through His sacrifice on the cross through the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit. The mind, body and heart of God made manifest to sinful man. We only need to believe.

Justification is a legal term meaning “declared innocent” It is a legal declaration that a person is acquitted and absolved. It is by justification that a person is righteous and acceptable to God. The death of Christ was the payment of our sin debt, so that we might be forgiven.

Acts 13:36-39

36 “For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption; 37 but He whom God raised up saw no corruption. 38 Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; 39 and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.

Mark 3:13-15

God called and they came. There was no hesitation on the part of Jesus nor the ones called. Hearing and obedience are key to accomplishing God’s will for us here on earth.

Jesus had a large group of followers. Even after the Twelve were appointed, He still had a large and continual following. Later Jesus sent out an additional 70 disciples. These twelve were Jesus’ apostles—a chosen group sent out to fulfill a particular mission. 

Christ gave power or authority to these twelve apostles. The apostle Paul called this authority “the signs of an apostle”. Christ and the apostles authenticated their ministry through signs, miracles, and wonders.

Mark 3:13-15

13 And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. 14 Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, 15 and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons

Matthew 16:18-19

The Catholic Church was the beginning of Christ’s Church and it was headed by Peter. Satan has tried to destroy her many times but, hear this, Hades shall not prevail against her. It was too small a thing that Christ would die only for Catholics but also for all the Gentiles who would accept His birth, death and resurrection and the salvation given to man only through Him. Praise be to God!

The words I will build My church indicate that the church had not yet been started. Obviously the disciples did not at this point understand the doctrine of the NT church with its equality of Jew and Gentile. They simply understood it to be the Lord’s followers.

The keys seem to be explained by the binding and loosing discussed in the last part of the verse. In rabbinical literature, binding and loosing refers to what was permitted or not permitted. So this passage may refer to judgments that Peter would make about what would be permitted or forbidden in the church, the body of believers.

Matthew 16:18-19

18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”