John 9:39

Open the eyes of our heart Lord…We want to see you!

The people that Jesus had the biggest issue with? The religious right and their arrogance and pride. They met Him face to face and did not know him. They thought it was all about them and their wants and desires, The Truth…it is all about Him!

Jesus did not come into the world to execute judgment. Nevertheless, the inevitable result of His coming is judgment, because some refuse to believe. As the light of the world, Jesus came that the blind might see and those who think they can see will be made blind.

John 9:39

³⁹ And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.”

¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 

John 3:17

¹⁴ Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.” 

Matthew 15:14

¹⁸ “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 

John 3:18

²² For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, 

John 5:22

²⁷ and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. 

John 5:27

John 10:11-12

Satan tries to steal from, kill the hope from and destroy the lives of those who believe in Christ.

Do not be deceived…we need to carefully discern good from evil. Trusting the Holy Spirit alone to direct our steps. In Him we are sealed until Jesus comes whose right it is to judge. 

Discern others by the fruit of the Spirit evident in their lives with love being the greatest of these.

Galatians 5

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control.

Colossians 3

¹⁴ But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. ¹⁵ And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 

Jesus is the good shepherd who gives His life for the sheep, as opposed to the wicked thief who takes their lives. 

John 10:11-12

¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. ¹² But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.

¹¹ He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young. 

Isaiah 40:11

²⁰ Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 

Hebrews 13:20

¹⁷ for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” 

Revelation 7:17

¹⁶ For indeed I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for those who are cut off, nor seek the young, nor heal those that are broken, nor feed those that still stand. But he will eat the flesh of the fat and tear their hooves in pieces. 

Zechariah 11:16

1 Chronicles 11:4-9

God is always in control of the situation. He allowed Jebus to be taken but He did not leave the Jebusites, the original residents of the city, without a dwelling place. They dwelt together, Israelite and Jebusite, as they do now. 

It inspires us to know God sees the heart of a person and not their failings. David had the heart of God. God can, and still does, use anyone who loves Him and is called according to His purpose.

Since the chronicler wanted to encourage the returning Israelites, he focused on the glories of David’s reign. On the other hand, the author of Samuel told the story of David as an objective, realistic biography that did not overlook David’s sins and failures. While it does not depict David as spiritually and morally perfect, Chronicles surprisingly omits the stories that reveal David’s weakness—his affair with Bathsheba, his murder of Uriah, and his estrangement from his son Absalom. These are not omitted to give a false impression of David’s character, for the books of Samuel recount these incidents in detail. Instead, Chronicles was written to inspire the remnant to follow in the spiritual footsteps of David. 

Jebus was another name for Jerusalem. The name was coined by the Israelites because the city belonged to the Jebusites. The name does not occur outside the OT. Another name for Jerusalem was Zion. After David took the city and made it his capital, it became known as the City of David.  The stronghold of Zion seemed impregnable until Joab found a means of access. As a result, Joab was rewarded with the command of Israel’s army. He already enjoyed a close relationship with David because he was a son of Zeruiah, David’s sister.

1 Chronicles 11:4-9

⁴ And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus, where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. ⁵ But the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You shall not come in here!” Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David). ⁶ Now David said, “Whoever attacks the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain.” And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, and became chief. ⁷ Then David dwelt in the stronghold; therefore they called it the City of David. ⁸ And he built the city around it, from the Millo to the surrounding area. Joab repaired the rest of the city. ⁹ So David went on and became great, and the Lord of hosts was with him.

⁶³ As for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem to this day. 

Joshua 15:63

The Harmony of the Gospels

…all things work for good to those who are called according to His purpose. His purpose? To make sure that others know of His precious gift of salvation and peace He gives in Jesus Christ.

From the beginning of mankind to the end, faith alone pleases God.

1514 εἰρηνεύω [eireneuo /i·rane·yoo·o/] Four occurrences; AV translates as “have peace” once, “live peaceably” once, “live in peace” once, and “be at peace” once. 1 to make peace. 2 to cultivate or keep peace, harmony. 3 to be at peace, live in peace.

Peter’s first letter tells us, “be harmonious, sympathetic, showing mutual affection, compassionate, humble, not repaying evil for evil or insult for insult, but [instead] blessing others, because for this reason you were called, so that you could inherit a blessing” (1 Pet 3:8–9). We can find the same lesson, told a different way, in 2 Sam 3:1–4:12. The violence of the war between David and Saul’s houses vividly portrays how acts of vengeance rob us of harmony and blessing.

Mankind is infused with evil but out of this mire God chose the line of Noah to bring good into this world. Through this one faithful servant came the lineage of God…Jesus Christ. The harmony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ saves lives and produces a Body of Believers. True believers are here to gather together those whom the all knowing God has predestined, by their faith, to be His hands and feet to a decaying and dying world. In the new birth evil will not be able to entice man to sin against His creator. 

John 1:1–18 

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. ⁴ In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. ⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. ⁸ He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 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. 

Genesis 5:1-32 and 6:1-7

5 This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. ² He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created. ³ And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. ⁴ After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters. ⁵ So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died.

⁶ Seth lived one hundred and five years, and begot Enosh. ⁷ After he begot Enosh, Seth lived eight hundred and seven years, and had sons and daughters. ⁸ So all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years; and he died.

⁹ Enosh lived ninety years, and begot Cainan. ¹⁰ After he begot Cainan, Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years, and had sons and daughters. ¹¹ So all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years; and he died.

¹² Cainan lived seventy years, and begot Mahalalel. ¹³ After he begot Mahalalel, Cainan lived eight hundred and forty years, and had sons and daughters. ¹⁴ So all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years; and he died.

¹⁵ Mahalalel lived sixty-five years, and begot Jared. ¹⁶ After he begot Jared, Mahalalel lived eight hundred and thirty years, and had sons and daughters. ¹⁷ So all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years; and he died.

¹⁸ Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and begot Enoch. ¹⁹ After he begot Enoch, Jared lived eight hundred years, and had sons and daughters. ²⁰ So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years; and he died.

²¹ Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. ²² After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. ²³ So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. ²⁴ And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

²⁵ Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and begot Lamech. ²⁶ After he begot Lamech, Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years, and had sons and daughters. ²⁷ So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and he died.

²⁸ Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and had a son. ²⁹ And he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord has cursed.” ³⁰ After he begot Noah, Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years, and had sons and daughters. ³¹ So all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years; and he died.

³² And Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

6 Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, ² that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.

³ And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” ⁴ There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

⁵ Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ⁶ And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 

⁷ So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” ⁸ But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

Zephaniah 1:1-3

God is all powerful but He is also gracious, kind and merciful.

There will be a day of judgement but because of God’s grace He delays it…wanting no one to perish but all to come to His salvation in Christ Jesus. There are consequences to our actions, individually and collectively. His righteous justice will prevail.

justice |ˈjəstəs|

noun

1 just behavior or treatment

Zephaniah’s message had both halves of the bad-news-good-news equation. His first words were bad news indeed: The day of the Lord was coming and that meant terrible judgment. The Israelites had acted like their pagan neighbors—they had scorned God’s law, worshiped false gods, and sinned without remorse long enough. Now it was time to repent: They had to turn back to their God or face the consequences.It also speak of the final judgment that will usher in the kingdom of God on earth.

Stumbling blocks are 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 1:1-2-3

1 The word of the Lord which came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.

² “I will utterly consume everything

From the face of the land,”

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.

Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. 

2 Kings 22:1

² And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 

2 Kings 22:2

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

1 Corinthians 1:26-31

Gods’ ways are higher than ours. His doings beyond our understanding. The simplicity of the Gospel saves us. We need to have the loving, faithful heart of a child to hear Him.

If we glory, glory in this, that Jesus Christ is Lord!

Wise refers to the Greek philosophers. Mighty refers to influential, politically powerful people. Noble includes all the aristocratic upper classes. 

Most of the Corinthians came from the lower classes. No doubt many of the Corinthian believers were people who did not count in the eyes of the world but had found grace in God’s eyes.

God uses what is considered foolish and despised in this world to reveal His truth, so that He alone will receive the glory. Otherwise, the powerful would boast that they had found the truth. Instead, God sent His Son to become a humble carpenter and to die in the most despicable way, on a cross. Jesus’ life and death reveals God and His wisdom. Since Christ not only imparts wisdom but also righteousness, the Christian cannot boast, except in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 1:26-31

²⁶ For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. ²⁷ But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; ²⁸ and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, ²⁹ that no flesh should glory in His presence. ³⁰ But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—³¹ that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”

⁴⁸ Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? 

John 7:48

² Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger. 

Psalm 8:2

²⁵ At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. 

Matthew 11:25

²¹ For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 

2 Corinthians 5:21

⁹ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 

Philippians 3:9

²⁴ But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord. 

Jeremiah 9:24

¹⁷ But “he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” 

2 Corinthians 10:17

1 Chronicles 22:6-12

War with its bloodshed displeases the Father. But He is faithful even when we are not. Solomon was born of Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, whom David sent to war to be killed so that he could have her as his wife. David’s firstborn son of that union died as an infant. But even out of that mortal sin God still blessed David and Bathsheba with an heir to His throne, Solomon. He chooses whom He wills and without His blessing the plans of man will always fail.

He sent Jesus to proclaim peace, peace to the people of earth. In preaching the Gospel of Peace we extend His loving mercy to all of His creation. Only in Him and the power of the Holy Spirit is there rest.

rest ¹ |rest|

verb [ no obj. ]

1 cease work

The genealogies point out that the promises to David were founded on God’s ancient promises to the patriarchs. God had pledged to Abraham that He would make him the father of a great nation, one through which He would bless the whole earth. God had also promised that a king would rule over this special nation. It was revealed to Jacob that the king would descend specifically from Jacob’s son Judah. Finally, the genealogy in the Book of Ruth explains the link between the promise and the fulfillment by tracing the line of Judah through his son Perez to King David. God had faithfully fulfilled His promise. God would establish His reign upon the earth through David’s royal line. The kings God had promised to Abraham would begin with David and culminate in the One who would reign forever, Jesus.

David provided the materials but Solomon built the Temple.

⁶ Then he called for his son Solomon, and charged him to build a house for the Lord God of Israel. ⁷ And David said to Solomon: “My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build a house to the name of the Lord my God; ⁸ but the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have made great wars; you shall not build a house for My name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in My sight. ⁹ Behold, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies all around. His name shall be Solomon, for I will give peace and quietness to Israel in his days. ¹⁰ He shall build a house for My name, and he shall be My son, and I will be his Father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’ ¹¹ Now, my son, may the Lord be with you; and may you prosper, and build the house of the Lord your God, as He has said to you. ¹² Only may the Lord give you wisdom and understanding, and give you charge concerning Israel, that you may keep the law of the Lord your God.

¹⁷ Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel. 

1 Kings 8:17

³ But God said to me, ‘You shall not build a house for My name, because you have been a man of war and have shed blood.’ 

1 Chronicles 28:3

⁵ And of all my sons (for the Lord has given me many sons) He has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. 

1 Chronicles 28:5

⁶ Now He said to me, ‘It is your son Solomon who shall build My house and My courts; for I have chosen him to be My son, and I will be his Father. 

1 Chronicles 28:6

²⁵ And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, each man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. 

1 Kings 4:25

Acts 13:6-12

We know who we serve… Jesus Christ our Lord.

What can we learn from this?

1. There can be false prophets within a religion.
2. Intelligent people can to be fooled. 
3. God can intervene at any time and place..
4. God uses humans through the power of the Holy Spirit to be His voice.
5. Acts of God can be used to lead others to the truth of Jesus Christ
6. God always has the final say about a matter.

Luke presents Sergius Paulus as the first Gentile ruler to believe the gospel. The island of Cyprus was a senatorial island, which means it was Roman-controlled. As a Roman official, Sergius was a Gentile. There is no evidence that Sergius attended the temple or was a God-fearer. This pagan government official was amazed at the power of God and believed the truth.

Acts 13:6-12

⁶ Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, ⁷ who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. ⁸ But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. ⁹ Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him ¹⁰ and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? ¹¹ And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.”

And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. ¹² Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 

Hebrews 10:31 

⁹ But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, 

Acts 8:9

¹¹ But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. 

Exodus 7:11

⁴ And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 

Acts 2:4

³ behold, the hand of the Lord will be on your cattle in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the oxen, and on the sheep—a very severe pestilence. 

Exodus 9:3

⁶ But the hand of the Lord was heavy on the people of Ashdod, and He ravaged them and struck them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory. 

1 Samuel 5:6

Habakkuk 3:17-19

Only in God do I trust. 

The world as we know it will one day pass away but in Him, there is life… abundant and eternal.

God will strengthen those who trust in Him.

Habakkuk, the OT prophet, was different. To raise questions was—for our sake—part of his message. 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.

The Hebrew word for “salvation” is the root word from which the name “Jesus” comes (Matt. 1:21). 

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.

To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.

¹⁶ You shall winnow them, the wind shall carry them away, And the whirlwind shall scatter them; You shall rejoice in the Lord, And glory in the Holy One of Israel. 

Isaiah 41:16

¹⁰ I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 

Isaiah 61:10