John 8:22-24

It is easier to ask for forgiveness than to accept it.......Jesus, the Savior of this world, died for your sins.  Embrace the mercy and grace that is Gods' and live life abundantly giving Him all the glory! When the Spirit calls let Him in.

I am was God’s designation of Himself. Jesus was claiming to be God. This assertion was not understood by the religious leaders at this time. Later, Jesus’ claim to be the “I AM”  prompted the Jewish leaders to seek His life.

John 8:22-24

²² So the Jews said, “Will He kill Himself, because He says,  ‘Where I go you cannot come’?”²³ And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. ²⁴ Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” 

Matthew 12:31-32

The ultimate sin is to reject the gift of life that is offered to us in Christ Jesus. It cost the Trinity the life of the only begotten Son of God to give you eternal life.....that is how much He loves you! The very heart of the Father, the Holy Spirit, calls you to Him, listen and accept His mercy and grace!

The sin which will not be forgiven is the stubborn refusal to heed the Holy Spirit’s conviction and accept the forgiveness that Christ offers. Particularly in reference to the leaders of Israel, Jesus had offered them all the proof that could be expected—the ministry of John, the testimony of the Father, the prophecies of the OT, His own testimony, and the substantiation of the Holy Spirit. Because the leaders rejected all proofs regarding Jesus as Messiah, nothing else would be given.

Matthew 12:31-32

³¹ “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. ³² Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. 

Isaiah 6:3-7

Remember God’s faithfulness! It is not about our worthiness but His and not about our ability to cleanse ourself but His power to take away our sin. He provided the only way to Him in Christ Jesus. Faith is His gift  and it is our choice: to believe, to hear and to complete whatever He brings to us for His glory!

To say the word holy twice in Hebrew is to describe someone as “most holy.” To say the word holy three times intensifies the idea to the highest level. In other words, the holiness of God is indescribable in human language. To be holy means to be different, distant, or transcendent. Thus the song of the seraphim is a constant refrain that the transcendence of God is indescribable. Although the Lord is totally different from us—He is perfect—in His mercy He still reaches down to take care of us. 

Confronted with this vision of the Lord, Isaiah realized that he was under judgment—that he was undone. He must have thought that he had come to the end of his life. Isaiah knew that he was a sinner.  Isaiah’s plight is the plight of every person. No one, in his or her present state, is capable of standing before the Holy One. 

The live coal … from the altar symbolizes both the purification of blood and the fire of the Spirit that enabled the prophet to speak. From that point on, his words would be light to his hearers and power to those who would listen. The fact that a coal from the altar was used reminds us that ultimately all sin is forgiven because of a sacrifice. The sacrifices on the temple altar point to the ultimate sacrifice of the Savior Jesus. God sovereignly and graciously forgave Isaiah’s sin.

Isaiah 6:3-7

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; 

The whole earth is full of His glory!” 

⁴ And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. 

⁵ So I said: 

“Woe is me, for I am undone! 

Because I am a man of unclean lips, 

And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; 

For my eyes have seen the King, 

The Lord of hosts.” 

⁶ Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. ⁷ And he touched my mouth with it, and said: 

“Behold, this has touched your lips; 

Your iniquity is taken away, 

And your sin purged.” 

Matthew 2:22-23

If we train ourself to listen to that still, small voice of the Holy Spirit we will be safely guided into the plan that God has for our life....we need to ask for ears to hear and the will to follow it up with action!

When Herod died, his kingdom was parceled out to his three sons: Archelaus, who ruled over Judea where Bethlehem was; Antipas, who became tetrarch of Galilee, Perea, Samaria, and Idumea; and Philip, who was tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitis. Like his father, Archelaus was violent and cruel. The Romans tolerated his savagery for ten years and finally deposed him in a.d. 6. after a Jewish delegation took their protest to Rome. Joseph, aware of Herod Archelaus’s reputation and guided by God in a dream, turned north to Galilee. Nazareth was the location of the Roman garrison in northern Galilee. Those who lived there were suspected of compromise with the enemy.

Matthew 1:22-23

But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. ²³ And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.” 

Acts 7:48-50

It is hard to comprehend, to absorb, the agape love that God has for man. Man is the only creation He made in His image......He loves you and now you need to love you too! Self loathing is the tool Satan uses to keep you in your place and not in God’s work. Christ was given to us that the Spirit He places within us would grow and mature and return to give God glory!

The Creator cannot be confined by anything He has made. His presence fills all that He has made. 

Acts 7:48-50

⁴⁸ “However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says: 

⁴⁹ ‘Heaven is My throne, 

And earth is My footstool. 

What house will you build for Me? says the Lord, 

Or what is the place of My rest? 

⁵⁰ Has My hand not made all these things?’ 

Lamentations 1:14

We can find ourselves far from the life that God created for us. He will do whatever it takes for us to return to Him.

The idea here is sinful patterns of life becoming compulsive, burdening people like a yoke on a beast of burden. God imposed a yoke until all of Zion’s strength failed. With no power of their own left, weary people are more likely to listen to God.

Lamentations 1:14

¹⁴ “The yoke of my transgressions was bound; 

They were woven together by His hands, 

And thrust upon my neck. 

He made my strength fail; 

The Lord delivered me into the hands of those whom I am not able to withstand. 

Mark 3:24-26

Satan will try his best to get us to fixate on our unworthiness instead of trusting in God’s power to take what is broken and turn it into something whole and good in His sight. When the mind and the spirit fight against each other no one wins. In the unity of the Holy Spirit God can heal the broken, the sinner and the unwanted...let Him! 

Jesus’ reply in parables was actually a threefold message that contrasted unity and disunity. Nothing—including Satan’s kingdom—can stand if it is divided.

Mark 3:24-26

⁴ If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵ And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. ²⁶ And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. ²⁷ No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house. 

Luke 3:1-5

When we come to the realization that we cannot save ourself, repent of our sins and seek Him we will find Him. God is on your side, He shows no partiality and He wants no one to perish. Believe in the salvation that only He could provide and you will be saved.

Jesus’ question reflected the opinion of His audience. The idea that judgment and death are the results of sin led to the belief that tragic death was the result of extreme sin. While such a view was common in Judaism, it was not always a correct conclusion. Jesus’ point here is that everyone stands at the edge of death until repentance occurs. The death in view here is spiritual, not physical. 

Luke 3:1-5

13 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. ² And Jesus answered and said to them,  “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? ³ I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. ⁴ Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? ⁵ I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” 

Daniel 7:13-14

Come, Lord Jesus, all glory and honor is Yours and to You alone is given the salvation of man. Those who by faith believe in You will not perish but have everlasting life!

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 who 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. 

Nahum 2:8-13

It is a frightening thought to have God against you and not for you. We need to ask for His forgiveness and His mercy! Keep in mind that He disciplines those He loves!

Assyria had despoiled many nations, including Samaria and the cities of Israel. There seemed to be no end to the loot that could be found within its walls. Nonetheless, even Nineveh was exhausted of its treasures. At long last, it was empty.  Nineveh was the city of lions. Yet despite all the horrors that the lion of Nineveh had brought to other nations, it would no longer need to be feared by anyone. Although the Babylonians conquered the city, they were only God’s instruments. Nineveh’s greatest foe was the Lord of hosts Himself.

Nahum 2:8-13

⁸ Though Nineveh of old was like a pool of water, 

Now they flee away. 

“Halt! Halt!” they cry; 

But no one turns back. 

⁹ Take spoil of silver! 

Take spoil of gold! 

There is no end of treasure, 

Or wealth of every desirable prize. 

¹⁰ She is empty, desolate, and waste! 

The heart melts, and the knees shake; 

Much pain is in every side, 

And all their faces are drained of color. 

¹¹ Where is the dwelling of the lions, 

And the feeding place of the young lions, 

Where the lion walked, the lioness and lion’s cub, 

And no one made them afraid? 

¹² The lion tore in pieces enough for his cubs, 

Killed for his lionesses, 

Filled his caves with prey, 

And his dens with flesh. 

¹³ “Behold, I am against you,” says the Lord of hosts, “I will burn your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions; I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall be heard no more.” 

Luke 11:52

There are those who would love to make us believe that Scripture can only be understood by the educated.....the Holy Spirit levels the playing field and takes the things of Jesus and explains them to any who seek the truth! The simplicity of the Gospels draws all of us to Jesus.

Jesus charged the lawyers with doing the opposite of what they claimed their calling to be. Rather than bringing people nearer to God, they had removed the possibility of their entering into that knowledge, and had prevented others from understanding as well.

Luke 11:52

⁵² “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.” 

Mark 2:17

Life as we know it ends with repentance which marks the beginning of your life of eternal salvation.......ask for forgiveness, accept that Jesus Christ died for your sins and you will be saved!

Jesus was speaking tongue-in-cheek when He used the word righteous. None are righteous, though some, such as the Pharisees, fancied themselves as such. Instead, Christ came to call sinners to repentance. Jesus did not condone the activities of sinners, but required repentance—a change of mind that recognizes the need of a Savior and recognizes Jesus Christ as the only Savior.

Mark 2:17

¹⁷ When Jesus heard it, He said to them,  “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” 

Micah 2:6-7

^{We need the Holy Spirit to direct and to guide us as individuals and in the Church, the Body of Christ. Prophesy is one of His gifts and we should respect and use it wisely or run the risk of not allowing God to speak. Micah's prophesies spoke of the condemnation but also the mercy of God to His children.... it is to them that prophesies are given.}

The words of God bring good to the righteous even as they bring judgment against the wicked.

Micah 2:6-7

⁶ “Do not prattle,” you say to those who prophesy. 

So they shall not prophesy to you; 

They shall not return insult for insult. 

⁷ You who are named the house of Jacob: 

“Is the Spirit of the Lord restricted? 

Are these His doings? 

Do not My words do good 

To him who walks uprightly? 

1 Corinthians 14:22-25

God gives the gifts of the Holy Spirit to us and we need to use them wisely for His edification and the edification of the Body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 14:22-25

²² Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophesying is not for unbelievers but for those who believe. ²³ Therefore if the whole church comes together in one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those who are uninformed or unbelievers, will they not say that you are out of your mind? ²⁴ But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. ²⁵ And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you. 

Mark 3:1-5

There will always be those who find something to complain about turning what is good into something that they perceive as bad! We have to learn not to care what others think and to do what we know to be right keeping our eyes on Jesus.

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,  “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. 

Luke 1:1-4

There is no substitute for reading the Word of God under the direction of the Holy Spirit. He takes the Word of God made flesh and brings it to life for you from Genesis to Revelation. Just ask Him to help you understand and you will receive it!

The purpose of this message was to give assurance to Theophilus, a young believer.  He not only needed to know the truth and accuracy of what the church taught, but also needed to be reassured. He might well have been wondering what he as a Gentile was doing in a movement which was originally Jewish, especially when so many Israelites were rejecting the message. Luke assured Theophilus and his other readers that Jesus is the Messiah. He is worthy of everyone’s worship because He is the Son of the living God.

For Luke, Jesus is the promised Messiah, the Son of God, the Servant through whom God works, and the Lord who is called to sit at God’s right hand exerting His authority and giving the Spirit to those who believe. Though aspects of God’s plan are fulfilled in Jesus’ First Coming, other parts of the plan remain to be fulfilled when Jesus returns.

Just like we’d expect from a family doctor, Dr. Luke sensitively describes Jesus as One who reaches out personally and heals those who are mercilessly caged by devastating illnesses. As a person, He is concerned with people. Whereas Matthew likes to refer to Jesus as the Son of David and Mark refers to Him as the Son of God, Luke’s favorite expression is “the Son of Man.”

Jesus’ humanity and compassion are repeatedly stressed by the author. This, coupled with Luke’s portrayal of Jesus’ sinless perfection, set up his logical conclusion. Because Jesus is the only perfect person born of a woman and because He identifies compassionately with the plight of suffering sinful people, He alone is qualified to carry our sorrows, bear our sin, and offer us the priceless gift of salvation.

Luke 1:1-4

1 Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, ² just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, ³ it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, ⁴ that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed. 

Jeremiah 3:22

God provided salvation in Jesus Christ it is up to us to ask for His forgiveness and to return to Him! The simplicity of the Gospel message provides the path to life so that anyone who seeks Him will find Him.

The confession begins with acknowledgment of the Lord as God in accordance with the First Commandment....that we put God first in our lives....in our hearts and in our actions.

Jeremiah 3:22

²² “Return, you backsliding children, 

And I will heal your backslidings.” 

“Indeed we do come to You, 

For You are the Lord our God. 

Nahum 2:11-12

What a nation does to others they do to themselves..... God can cause them to self destruct.

Nineveh was the city of lions. Yet despite all the horrors that the lion of Nineveh had brought to other nations, it would no longer need to be feared by anyone.

Although the Babylonians conquered the city, they were only God’s instruments. Nineveh’s greatest foe was the Lord of hosts Himself.

Nahum 2:11-12

¹¹ Where is the dwelling of the lions, 

And the feeding place of the young lions, 

Where the lion walked, the lioness and lion’s cub, 

And no one made them afraid? 

¹² The lion tore in pieces enough for his cubs, 

Killed for his lionesses, 

Filled his caves with prey, 

And his dens with flesh. 

1 Corinthians 1:4-10

Followers of Christ united together in Christian Fellowship can show the world the love of God through Christ. The Church of God should be knitted firmly together with each part doing His work to the best of the abilities given to him.

The thanksgiving Paul offers to God for the Corinthians seems odd, considering the many problems the church was experiencing. However, Paul focuses his praise not on the troubled Corinthians but on the eternally faithful God. When we focus on people’s faults, hope soon wanes and discouragement follows. But when we concentrate on the Lord, even the darkest hours can be filled with praise. The Corinthians were richly blessed with spiritual gifts because God was giving them everything they needed to do His will. 

Because God is faithful to His word, Paul was confident that even the sin-plagued Corinthians would stand blameless before Him. This blamelessness does not refer to the Corinthians’ works, but to their standing in Christ, their justification. Paul pleaded for an outward expression that comes from an inward spirit. Not only did Paul encourage the Corinthians to speak the same thing and have external unity, he also urged them to be joined together in a unity of hearts and minds.

1 Corinthians 1:4-10

⁴ I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, ⁵ that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, ⁶ even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, ⁷ so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁸ who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 

¹⁰ Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 

Mark 2:17

All of us need the help of the Holy Spirit to be living examples who show our gratitude to God for the life of Jesus that He gave to save us . We are not saved by the good that we do but the new heart for mankind that we receive in Christ causes us to love others as much as He does and to do good! What we do for the least of us we do for Him. Remember there is no one righteous....no not one.

In this instance Jesus was speaking tongue-in-cheek when He used the word righteous. None are righteous, though some, such as the Pharisees, fancied themselves as such. Instead, Christ came to call sinners to repentance. Jesus did not condone the activities of sinners, but required repentance—a change of mind that recognizes the need of a Savior and recognizes Jesus Christ as the only Savior.

Mark 2:17

¹⁷ When Jesus heard it, He said to them,  “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”