John 1:9-13

For God loved His creation so much that from the beginning of life they decided that the only begotten Son of God would be born to die for them. No greater love has any man than to willingly give up His life in place of ours. This precious gift is given to every person born into this world… it is up to us to decide to accept or reject the salvation of Jesus Christ.

That was the true Light which, coming into the world, gives light to every man. Jesus became man in order to reveal the truth to all people. By believing, undeserving sinners can become full members of God’s family.

Each person must individually trust Jesus Christ for eternal life. It is a gift to be received, not a reward achieved through any human effort.

the Word (Gk. ho logos) (1:1; 1 John 1:1; Rev. 19:13) Strong’s #3056: This Greek word was used to speak of the principle of the universe, even the creative energy that generated the universe. The term logos may also have some connection with the OT presentation of Wisdom as a personification or attribute of God (see Prov. 8). In both the Jewish conception and the Greek, the Logos was associated with the idea of beginnings—the world began through the origination and instrumentality of the Word (Gen. 1:3). John may have had these ideas in mind, but more likely he used this word in a new way to identify the Son of God as divine. He is the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15), the express image of God’s substance (Heb. 1:3). In the Godhead, the Son functions as the Revealer of God and is God in reality.

John 1:9-13

⁹ That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. ¹¹ He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.

¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: ¹³ who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

⁶ Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ” 

Isaiah 49:6

⁶ yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. 

1 Corinthians 8:6

¹⁶ For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 

Colossians 1:16

² has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 

Hebrews 1:2

²⁶ For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 

Galatians 3:26

²³  having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible,through the word of God which lives and abides forever, 

1 Peter 1:23

Luke 11:33-36

In the process of becoming Christ-like, precept by precept we are changed by the infilling of the Holy Spirit, so that His light in us can shine through us influencing the world that we live in for God. We are the physical manifestation of the Christ, our actions matter, the Body of Christ represents God in the world. Pray that we are faithful witnesses to His love for His creation… individually and collectively.

If the light of Jesus Christ is lifted up  for others to witness in our actions they will be drawn to the gift of salvation that God gave mankind in Him.

A person can become like light, a living picture of what God’s Word teaches, by concentrating on the light of the truth.

Luke 11:33-36

³³ “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. ³⁴ The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. ³⁵ Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. ³⁶ If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”

¹⁵ Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 

Matthew 5:15

²¹ Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand? 

Mark 4:21

²²  “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 

Matthew 6:22

Matthew 26:36-39

Jesus, knowing the physical and emotional suffering He would endure, even in His overwhelming distress, chose to do the will of His Father. By coming to this world in the form of a man, laying aside His deity for a time, He could reveal the Father to us. He is the light of the Spirit of God which illuminates the path to the truth of eternal life that is given to man through Him. 

Jesus intentionally gave His life in place of ours so that we could have the free choice of eternal, abundant life with the Godhead. 

No greater love for the Father has any man than Jesus. He sacrificed His life for us because God so loved the world that they created! Jesus became a curse for us and took the brunt of God’s righteous wrath against sin.

Gethsemane (which means “Oil Press”) was east of Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives. In the place where olives were crushed and ground, the One anointed with oil was crushed and rent.

It was not the impending physical suffering, as terrible as it would be, that caused Jesus to pray this way; it was the reality of the sinless Son of God bearing the sins of the world and facing separation from His Father.

In the first century, the Jews looked for a Messiah who would deliver the nation from Roman domination, become their King, and rebuild the nation of Israel to its former glory. By looking for a military deliverer and a political Messiah, the Jews minimized the messianic roles of prophet and priest. Thus many Jews rejected Jesus as the Messiah because He came as a humble spiritual Savior and not a conquering political ruler.

Matthew 26:36-39

³⁶ Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” ³⁷ And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. ³⁸ Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”

³⁹ He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

²⁷ “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 

John 12:27

³⁶ And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.” 

Mark 14:36

⁴² saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” 

Luke 22:42

⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 

Philippians 2:8

Habakkuk 3:17-19

No matter what the signs of the time point to…we are safe in God. He will level the playing field  for those who trust in Him. Even as the world is falling down around us victory is already ours in Him, with Him and through Him. Praise Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We have nothing to fear. 

Joy in our salvation is our strength and the battle is already won.

Habakkuk was unique among the prophets in that he asked questions of God. Even if everyone doubted the Lord’s word, the prophet would still believe. And if the prophet did have any misgivings, he kept them to himself.

His questions were, “Why does evil in Judah go unpunished?” “How can a just God use a wicked nation like Babylon to punish His chosen people?” Habakkuk wanted to know, just as we do, what God was doing and why. There seemed to be too much evil among the “righteous” and too much freewheeling power among the wicked.

God did not strike Habakkuk down for these questions. He answered. The Lord Himself will establish His kingdom. He will hold all people and nations accountable. The present may be filled with wickedness and chaos, but the future belongs to the righteous—the truly righteous. God will bring in His kingdom, give rest and salvation to His children, and judge His people’s adversaries.

Habakkuk 3:17-19

¹⁷    Though the fig tree may not blossom,

Nor fruit be on the vines;

Though the labor of the olive may fail,

And the fields yield no food;

Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,

And there be no herd in the stalls—

¹⁸ Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

I will joy in the God of my salvation

¹⁹ The Lord God is my strength;

He will make my feet like deer’s feet,

And He will make me walk on my high hills.

Habakkuk 3:19

 ¹⁹ The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills. To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments. 

Psalm 18:32

 ³² It is God who arms me with strength, And makes my way perfect. 

Psalm 18:39

 ³⁹ For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me. 

Malachi 4:2 

² But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves.

Daniel 5:10-12

The light and understanding in Daniel went unnoticed for a period but when the timing was right God brought it to remembrance to be used once again for the glory of His Kingdom.

interpretation (Aram. peshar) (2:4; 4:6, 5:12, 16) Strong’s #6591: This word literally means “to untie” or “to loose.” In other words, Daniel could unravel the mysteries of dreams and visions: he could explain or solve them. Yet he was always quick to give God the credit for his ability.

Daniel 5:10-12

¹⁰ The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came to the banquet hall. The queen spoke, saying, “O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your countenance change. ¹¹ There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. ¹² Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.”

Luke 11:28

It is not enough that we attend Church service and know the Word of God made flesh, Jesus Christ. We are to be doers of His Word. We were brought into this world for a purpose…to be the hands and feet of the Body of Christ. 

We were created for good things. Out of our gratitude and love for Him, as His adopted sons and daughters, we share His love and concern with others. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to save them. He wants no one to perish.

We are the keepers of His commandment to love Him above ALL and to love and care for others as we do ourselves.

It is easy to allow traditional practices to take the place of the authority of the Scriptures. Jesus offers His blessing to those who respond concretely to God’s will.

Luke 11:28

²⁸ But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

¹⁸ Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea. 

Isaiah 48:18

²¹ But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.” 

Luke 8:21

²⁵ But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. 

James 1:25

²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 

Matthew 7:21

Zephaniah 1:2-3

Genealogy, in particular direct lineage, is especially important in the Old Testament… this changed with Jesus. The New Testament is the fulfillment of the Old. The Holy Spirit ushered in a new and everlasting covenant with all of mankind through the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now the spiritual represents the physical, the polar opposite of the Old Testament, where the physical represented the spiritual. Just as the physical gifts of God could be lost previously, now the spiritual gifts can be lost if we misuse them. He gives them and He has the right to rescind them. Without God nothing exists and He will not tolerate any man made gods we place above Him.

polar |ˈpōlər|

adjective: directly opposite in character or tendency

The message of Zephaniah begins with a pronouncement of universal judgment. These words not only introduce the particular judgment that would be pronounced upon Judah, but they also speak of the final judgment that will usher in the kingdom of God on earth. 

Stumbling blocks here refers to idolatry, or substitutes for God in the life and affections of a person. Because there is nothing in the universe that really may be compared to the Creator, God abhors all forms of idolatry.

Zephaniah 1:2-3

² “I will utterly consume everything

From the face of the land,”a

Says the Lord;

³ “I will consume man and beast;

I will consume the birds of the heavens,

The fish of the sea,

And the stumbling blocks along with the wicked.

I will cut off man from the face of the land,”

Says the Lord.

¹³ “I will surely consume them,” says the Lord. “No grapes shall be on the vine, Nor figs on the fig tree, And the leaf shall fade; And the things I have given them shall pass away from them.” ’ ” 

Jeremiah 8:13

³ Therefore the land will mourn; And everyone who dwells there will waste away With the beasts of the field And the birds of the air; Even the fish of the sea will be taken away. 

Hosea 4:3

Jeremiah 10:23-24

It is impossible for us to see the beginning and the end of our decisions…good or bad. But God sees the whole of our lives and longs to direct us in the path we choose…if we allow Him too. Always remember that He corrects those that love Him like any loving Father.

Prepare your heart to receive Him and He will take the very things in life that would normally destroy you and turn them around for your good and the good of His Body, the Church.

The verb correct, which means “to discipline” or “to instruct,” has as its goal conformity to the word and will of God. Jeremiah pleaded with the Lord to deal with the nation according to His justice, but to withhold His anger.

Jeremiah 10:23-24

²³   O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself;

It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.

²⁴ O Lord, correct me, but with justice;

Not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing.

16 The preparations of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. 

Proverbs 16:1

²⁴ A man’s steps are of the Lord; How then can a man understand his own way? 

Proverbs 20:24

¹¹ For I am with you,’ says the Lord, ‘to save you; Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, Yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, And will not let you go altogether unpunished.’ 

Jeremiah 30:11

Matthew 21:6-11

After the triumphal entry of Christ and the jubilant response of the crowd, in the end, swayed by the opinions of the Jewish leaders they would call for His death.

Man is fickle and easily led by the opinion of others. Seeking popularity is a spiritual trap. 

In listening to that still, small voice of  the Holy Spirit we have peace. Joy in the salvation the Father gives in Jesus is our strength. Don’t allow the opinions of others to influence you if God is showing you a different path to follow. His peace He gives to us, when we allow Him alone to guide and teach us His ways.

The city was moved is literally “the city was shaken.” The same verb is used to Herod’s reaction to the wise men who were asking about the birth of Israel’s King

Matthew 21:6-11

⁶ So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. ⁸ And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

“Hosanna to the Son of David!

‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’

Hosanna in the highest!”

¹⁰ And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?”

¹¹ So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”

¹³ Then each man hastened to take his garment and put it under him on the top of the steps; and they blew trumpets, saying, “Jehu is king!” 

2 Kings 9:13

¹³ took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: “Hosanna! ^l‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ The King of Israel!” 

John 12:13

²⁶ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We have blessed you from the house of the Lord. 

Psalm 118:26

Jonah 2:1-2

In the depths of our despair……God is. He is always near to those who call on Him. 

To all who ask He answers.. 

To all who knock He opens the door.

To all who seek He will be found.

Jonah, even though he was disobedient, was a true believer in God. God hears our cries for help.

Jonah 2:1-2

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly. ² And he said:

“I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction,

And He answered me.

“Out of the belly of Sheol I cried,

And You heard my voice.

¹ In my distress I cried to the Lord, And He heard me. 

Psalm 120:1

⁵⁵ I called on Your name, O Lord, From the lowest pit. 

Lamentations 3:55

² O You who hear prayer, To You all flesh will come. 

Psalm 65:2

Joel 2:32

Our God is omnipotent and unchanging. Every word He speaks comes to pass…every word.

No one can take what is rightfully His and willingly entrusted to Him.

Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ—that is, repents and believes—will be saved from the judgment that will fall on the wicked and unbelieving.

Joel 2:32

³² And it shall come to pass

That whoever calls on the name of the Lord

Shall be saved.

For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance,

As the Lord has said,

Among the remnant whom the Lord calls.

³ ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ 

Jeremiah 33:3

²¹ And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.’ 

Acts 2:21

¹³ I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off; My salvation shall not linger. And I will place salvation in Zion, For Israel My glory. 

Isaiah 46:13

²⁶ And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 

Romans 11:26

⁷ I will make the lame a remnant, And the outcast a strong nation; So the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion From now on, even forever. 

Micah 4:7

²⁷ Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, The remnant will be saved. 

Romans 9:27

Mark 3:20-21

The world may never understand your passion for God.  Love Him with all you have anyway!

Opposition to Jesus came not only from His enemies. Jesus’ own people, no doubt close friends and perhaps even relatives, heard of His teaching and assumed that He was out of His mind.

Mark 3:20-21

²⁰ Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. But when His own people heard about this, they went out to ²¹ lay hold of Him, for they said, “He is out of His mind.”

⁸ I have become a stranger to my brothers, And an alien to my mother’s children; 

Psalm 69:8

³ Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him. 

Mark 6:3

²⁰ And many of them said, “He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to Him?” 

John 10:20

²⁴ Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!” 

Acts 26:24

¹³ For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or if we are of sound mind, it is for you. 

2 Corinthians 5:13

Hosea 2:19-20 & 23

God will not allow anyone or anything to take what is His. He will do whatever it takes to bring us back to Him. For God so loved the world that He gave us His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, to die for us….we only need to repent of our self righteousness and abide in His.

God is faithful even when we are not.

Betrothal was a binding commitment, the last step before the wedding and consummation. The Lord emphasized that the new marriage between Himself and Israel would be permanent. The Lord would replant Israel in the land.

Hosea 2:19-20 and 23

¹⁹ “I will betroth you to Me forever;

Yes, I will betroth you to Me

In righteousness and justice,

In lovingkindness and mercy;

²⁰ I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness,

And you shall know the Lord.

²³ Then I will sow her for Myself in the earth,

And I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy;

Then I will say to those who were not My people,

‘You are My people!’

And they shall say, ‘You are my God!’ ”

³⁴ No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” 

Jeremiah 31:34

⁶ For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. 

Hosea 6:6

³ And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 

John 17:3

¹⁴ For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, ¹⁵ having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶ and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. ¹⁷ And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.

Ephesians 2:14–17

¹⁰ who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. 

1 Peter 2:10