The Hope of Zephaniah

In that great and glorious day Jesus will reign and the world will finally be free from the oppression of sin. There remains a Sabbath hope for all of us who believe.

To God be all the glory!

Revelation 21:1-6

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.

Zephaniah’s hope for believers…

The last section of Zephaniah’s prophecy contains words of hope (3:8–20): promises of protection for the remnant and promises for the future of those who know Him truly. In a future day, peoples of all nations will come to worship the Lord (2:11; 3:9). His own people will be renewed in righteousness (3:11–13). And the King of kings Himself will rule in their midst (3:15; see Rev. 21:1–6). That day of the Lord’s return will be a day of song and gladness. Even God will burst out in joyful singing (3:16, 17). The raging anger of the Lord (1:1, 2:1-3) will be replaced by His happy singing, for salvation will finally have come to His people.

Joy in God’s Faithfulness

3:14 Sing, O daughter of Zion!

Shout, O Israel!

Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,

O daughter of Jerusalem!

15 The Lord has taken away your judgments,

He has cast out your enemy.

The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;

You shall see disaster no more.

16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:

“Do not fear;

Zion, let not your hands be weak.

17 The Lord your God in your midst,

The Mighty One, will save;

He will rejoice over you with gladness,

He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing.”

2:11 The Lord will be awesome to them,

For He will reduce to nothing all the gods of the earth;

People shall worship Him,

Each one from his place,

Indeed all the shores of the nations.

3:9 “For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language,

That they all may call on the name of the Lord,

To serve Him with one accord.

3:11 In that day you shall not be shamed for any of your deeds

In which you transgress against Me;

For then I will take away from your midst

Those who rejoice in your pride,

And you shall no longer be haughty

In My holy mountain.

12 I will leave in your midst

A meek and humble people,

And they shall trust in the name of the Lord.

13 The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness

And speak no lies,

Nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth;

For they shall feed their flocks and lie down,

And no one shall make them afraid.”

3:15 The Lord has taken away your judgments,

He has cast out your enemy.

The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;

You shall see disaster no more.

3:16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:

“Do not fear;

Zion, let not your hands be weak.

17 The Lord your God in your midst,

The Mighty One, will save;

He will rejoice over you with gladness,

He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing.”

1:1 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.

The Great Day of the Lord

2:1 Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together,

O undesirable nation,

2 Before the decree is issued,

Or the day passes like chaff,

Before the Lord’s fierce anger comes upon you,

Before the day of the Lord’s anger comes upon you!

3 Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth,

Who have upheld His justice.

Seek righteousness, seek humility.

It may be that you will be hidden

In the day of the Lord’s anger.

Be as wise as Satan but as gentle as Holy Spirit. Let no one deceive you. If you listen closely to the still, small voice of Holy Spirit He will show you true believers by the fruit shown in their lives and actions.

All praise and honor to the Lord our God. 

Father, Son and Holy Spirit work together for our good and the good of all those who diligently seek Him. Rest assured He wants no one to perish but all to come to salvation in Jesus. You are safe and secure in His loving arms.

Jeremiah 9:4-9

4 “Everyone take heed to his neighbor,

And do not trust any brother;

For every brother will utterly supplant,

And every neighbor will walk with slanderers.

5 Everyone will deceive his neighbor,

And will not speak the truth;

They have taught their tongue to speak lies;

They weary themselves to commit iniquity.

6 Your dwelling place is in the midst of deceit;

Through deceit they refuse to know Me,” says the Lord.

7 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts:

“Behold, I will refine them and try them;

For how shall I deal with the daughter of My people?

8 Their tongue is an arrow shot out;

It speaks deceit;

One speaks peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth,

But in his heart he lies in wait.

9 Shall I not punish them for these things?” says the Lord.

“Shall I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?”

The judgment of Yahweh is metaphorically described as a refining fire.  Israel’s sin has reached the tipping point where Yahweh must now punish. Faithlife Bible.

The personal affairs of the people were characterized by deceit, slander, and mistrust. Ethical standards had collapsed. Supplant, which means “to defraud,” is the basis of the name Jacob. As Jacob deceived his brother Esau, so the people of Judah defrauded their brethren. The people had literally worn themselves out with perversions. Deceit here is the same term used of Jacob’s trickery toward Esau. The term refers to swindling by false speech or false scales. The essence of Judah’s problem was its lack of knowledge of God.

Jeremiah returns to the imagery of metallurgical refining. God would refine and try the people by fire to see if any were faithful to Him. Jeremiah returns to the imagery of bow and arrow to depict Judah’s deceit. The picture is of a person speaking peaceably to his neighbor while lying in wait to ambush him. NKJ Bible.

Genesis 27:36 | And Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”

Psalm 12:2 | They speak idly everyone with his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

Psalm 15:3 | He who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor does he take up a reproach against his friend;

Psalm 36:3 | The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; he has ceased to be wise and to do good.

Hosea 11:8 | “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel?How can I make you like Admah? How can I set you like Zeboiim? My heart churns within Me; My sympathy is stirred.

Acts 27:23-25

God still speaks today…we just need to listen to that still, small voice of Holy Spirit who resides within us!

We are here for just such a time as this.

Acts 27:23-25

23 For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, 24 saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ 25 Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. 

Paul had said the conditions could result in the loss of life, but God has now revealed to him that no one will die. Faithlife Bible.

Paul had been given absolute assurance by the all-powerful and all-knowing God that no one would be lost on the ship. Yet Paul warned that if the sailors were successful in escaping from the ship, the Roman soldiers would lose their lives. Because of Paul’s comments, the soldiers stopped the sailors from leaving the ship and everyone made it ashore alive. God fulfilled His purpose and promise through the warnings of Paul and the choices of the soldiers. NKJ Bible.

Daniel 6:16 | So the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.”

Luke 1:45 | Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

Acts 18:9 | Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent;

Acts 23:11 | 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.”

The Purpose Behind the Writings of Apostle Matthew

Matthew’s Gospel serves several purposes beyond presenting a mere biography of Jesus. One purpose is to prove to Jewish readers that Jesus is their Messiah and promised King. The genealogy in chapter 1 points to Christ as the One who inherited God’s promises to David of an eternal dynasty. Jesus’ use of a familiar messianic psalm in Matthew (22:41–44) would have clearly implied to any Jew that He was the heir of the Davidic throne. Even though many Jews of Jesus’ time were blind to Jesus’ identity, Gentiles (such as the wise men) identified Him as Israel’s promised King when He was a baby. Finally, the charge that hung above Jesus’ head on the Cross clearly highlights His royalty: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS (27:37). But most important, the Book of Matthew proves Jesus’ legitimate authority by highlighting His wise teaching and righteous life (7:28, 29).

Another purpose of the book is to outline the characteristics of the kingdom of God, both for Israel and the church. Orthodox Jews would typically scoff at any assertion that Jesus is their Messiah, let alone their King. They would retort, “If Jesus is King, where is the promised restoration of the kingdom of Israel?” Many Jews of Jesus’ day rejected Him as Messiah, even though both Jesus and John the Baptist continually preached that the kingdom was “at hand” (3:2; 4:17; 10:7). This rejection of Jesus by the Jews is a dominant theme of Matthew (11:12–24; 12:28–45; 21:33–22:14). Because of this rejection, God postponed the fulfillment of His promises to Israel and subsequently extended His blessings to both Jew and Gentile in the church.

Matthew is the only Gospel writer who speaks directly of the church (16:18; 18:17). He points to the Gentile composition of this church by including several stories of the Gentiles’ faith in Jesus: the wise men, the centurion, and the Canaanite woman. He records Jesus’ prediction that the gospel will be preached to all nations (24:14), and the commission to the disciples to “make disciples of all the nations” (28:19). Jesus’ teaching pointed to the blessings of the kingdom being extended to Gentiles. But one day, Israel will be restored to its place of blessing.

A final purpose of Matthew is to instruct the church. An obvious clue to this is in the Great Commission: “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (28:20). The discipling process involves instruction in the words of Christ, and the Gospel of Matthew revolves around five of Jesus’ discourses (5:1–7:28; 10:5–11:1; 13:3–53; 18:2–19:1; 24:4–26:1). Instead of emphasizing a narrative of Jesus’ life as Mark does, Matthew uses the narrative elements in his Gospel as a setting for Jesus’ sermons.

Matthew 

22:41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?”

They said to Him, “The Son of David.”

43 He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying:

44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at My right hand,

Till I make Your enemies Your footstool” ’?

 27: 37 And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him:

THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS

27:28 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, 29 for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

 3:2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” 

4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

10:7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 

11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

16 “But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, 17 and saying:

‘We played the flute for you,

And you did not dance;

We mourned to you,

And you did not lament.’

18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.”

20 Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”

12: 28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. 30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.

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.

33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. 30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.

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.

33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

21:33 “Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. 34 Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. 35 And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. 37 Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.

40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?”

41 They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.”

42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

‘The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief cornerstone.

This was the Lord’s doing,

And it is marvelous in our eyes’?

43 “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. 44 And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”

45 Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. 46 But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.

22:1 And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, 3 and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. 4 Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.” ’ 5 But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. 6 And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. 7 But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 9 Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ 10 So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. 12 So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

16:18 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.

18:17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.

24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

28:20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

15:1 Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, 2 “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”

3 He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ 5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”—6 then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. 7 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: 8 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,

And honor Me with their lips,

But their heart is far from Me.

9 And in vain they worship Me,

Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

2 Corinthians 3:7-18

How glorious is the Spirit of God who resides in those who, by faith, believe in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Together in His unity and in His power all things are possible.

Christ within is the hope of glory!

2 Corinthians 3:7-18

7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10 For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. 11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.

12 Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech—13 unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. 15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Paul contrasts his ministry with the ministry of Moses. The law, as given by Moses, only brings death and condemnation. In contrast to God’s Spirit, the law was not capable of giving life. 

Even though Moses’ ministry of the law was a ministry of death and condemnation, it was still accompanied by the glory of God. While God’s glory made Moses’ face radiant that glory did not last. The ministry that imparts the Holy Spirit  (pneuma in Greek) stands in contrast to the ministry of death. The glory of this ministry is greater and longer lasting because of the Spirit’s presence within the believer. This ministry provides right standing before God. It not only removes the guilt of sin, it also empowers the believer to do what is right. Although God’s splendor shone on the face of Moses, it cannot compare to the splendor of the new covenant. The glory of the new covenant exceeds the glory of the old covenant.

Paul bases the boldness of his apostolic ministry in the permanence of the new covenant and the hope it provides in the resurrection of Jesus.

Moses covered his face with a veil because of the radiance of God’s glory. This veil represents the Jews’ hardened hearts and their inability to grasp the gospel message and refusal to obey God. Paul’s point is that the Lord of the old testament narrative mentioned is the Spirit of God. The Spirit’s role in lifting the veil is central to Paul’s message. The ministry of the Spirit brings freedom from the power of sin and death—those things that the law could not free people from.

Paul suggests that believers will progress through ever-greater degrees of glory  (doxa in Greek). This may mean that they will learn and grow more in their relationship with Him over time. Alternatively, this progress may begin with the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit and culminate in the transformation of the physical body into a glorious one. Faithlife Bible.

The ministry of the Spirit is the ministry of life. The Holy Spirit produces eternal life. God declares righteous those who believe in His Son, and then the Holy Spirit empowers the believer to live righteously. This first work of God is called justification, and the second is called sanctification. 

The New Covenant would supersede the old covenant established at Mt. Sinai between God and the nation of Israel. Paul used boldness of speech, a phrase that means “freedom of speech” or “frankness.” Instead of being fearful or reluctant, Paul was frank and courageous. 

The Holy Spirit is God Himself, like the Father and like the Son. The Spirit gives us freedom from sin, death, and the condemnation of the law. All believers behold the glory of the Lord in the Scripture and are transformed into the image of God. Christ is the image of God. As believers behold the glory of God in the Word of God, the Spirit of God transforms them into the likeness of Jesus Christ. This is a description of the gradual process of sanctification. NKJ Bible.

Exodus 34:29 | Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him.

Exodus 34:35 | And whenever the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone, then Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with Him

Acts 21:24

Being born into and raised strictly Catholic I still tend to believe that they were Jewish/Catholic converts to Christianity. All of the rules and traditions of the Jews were passed down to the Catholic faith. The Gentiles were not held to these standards. Where does the truth lie…in the heart of the believer and the guidance of Holy Spirit.

God wants no one to perish and all to accept the free gift He gives in Christ Jesus.

Acts 21:24

 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.”

James affirms the decision of the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:19). Paul’s actions are purely social, showing respect for Israelite customs. Faithlife Bible.

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. NKJ Bible.

Acts 15:19 | Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God,

Acts 15:20 | but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood.

Acts 15:29 | that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.Farewell.

1 Timothy 4:9-11

Jesus, the Word of God made flesh, came to save all of His creation. 

God wants no one to perish.

1 Timothy 4: 9-11

9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. 10 For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. 11 These things command and teach.

A confident expectation of God’s promises, not wishful thinking. Faithlife Bible.

Savior of all men describes God as the One who gives life, breath, and existence to all. Especially of those who believe draws a contrast between God’s common grace to all and His special saving grace to those who trust Him as their Savior. NKJ Bible.

Psalm 36:6 | Your righteousness is like the great mountains;Your judgments are a great deep; O LORD, You preserve man and beast.

Matthew 22:37-40

Above all Love!

Love is not a feeling…it is an action.

Matthew 22:37-40

37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

The heart, soul, and mind collectively represent the whole person; one should love God with total love and devotion. The commands to love God and others do not replace the instructions of the Law or the teaching of the Prophets. Rather, obedience to this twofold commandment fulfills the essence of their teaching. Faithlife Bible.

To answer the lawyer’s question, Jesus quoted from the great Jewish confession of faith called the Shema. The confession is called this because it begins with the Hebrew word shema meaning “hear:” “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!” The heart, soul, and mind represent the whole person. Because we love ourselves, we want the best for ourselves; likewise, we should be concerned for the welfare of others.

The Ten Commandments can be divided into two categories: those dealing with love for God (the first four Commandments) and those dealing with responsibilities toward other people (the last six Commandments). The same may be said for all the Law and the Prophets. NKJ Bible.

Matthew 7:12 | Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Leviticus 19:18 | You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

Deuteronomy 6:5 | You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

Deuteronomy 10:12 | “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,

Deuteronomy 30:6 | And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

1 Corinthians 5:9-11

So what do we do with our President? He calls himself a brother but his actions, past and present, speak otherwise. I think we have made him an idol in this country. How very sad.

For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”

1 Corinthians 5: 9-11

9 I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. 10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person.

Paul is not referring to the sexually immoral people of the world (his mission field), but to those who call themselves Christians and participate in sexual immorality. He views such people as dangerous to the overall health of the congregation since they may entice others to follow them in sin. In Paul’s time, sharing a meal communicated that the participants shared values. Paul does not want shared meals to implicitly express approval for the man’s immorality.

 Paul intends for the immoral believer to be expelled so that he may repent and then be restored back to the community. Faithlife Bible.

Christians are called to influence the world, not run away from it. They are agents of God to carry the light of Jesus Christ into a dark world. Eating together is a key part of fellowship and closeness with others. The Corinthians were not to have fellowship with those who claimed to be Christians but whose lives were dominated by sin.

The church’s responsibility is to discipline its members while trusting the Lord to judge the world.

Matthew 18:17 | And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.

Jesus came to save people not traditions. Traditions are born out of man’s need for power and control. John 3:16

Above all love.

Luke 6:9-11

 9 Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?” 10 And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. 11 But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

Jesus’ healing of a man’s withered hand serves as a demonstration of His superiority over the Sabbath.

The scribes (teachers of the law) and Pharisees show no interest in the man’s condition; they are focused on whether Jesus will violate the Sabbath. In their view, the Sabbath is an inappropriate day to seek or perform healing—which they ostensibly regard as a form of work. This discussion eventually culminates in a plot to have Jesus arrested and executed. Faithlife Bible.

The issue was the correct way of conducting oneself on the Sabbath. Jesus chose to do good. The plots of the Pharisees represented doing evil and destroying. That was truly breaking the Sabbath. To save here means simply to heal, as Jesus was about to do. Rage here is irrational or mindless anger. The Pharisees started to plot against Jesus in earnest after this confrontation. NKJ Bible.

John 7:23 | If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?

Amos 7:7-8

Jesus is the final plumb line. He is the Savior of the world where heaven touched earth at the cross. Believe in Him and be saved!

Amos 7:7-8

7 Thus He showed me: Behold, the Lord stood on a wall made with a plumb line, with a plumb line in His hand. 8 And the Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?”

And I said, “A plumb line.”

Then the Lord said:

“Behold, I am setting a plumb line

In the midst of My people Israel;

I will not pass by them anymore.

A plumb line is a string with a weight tied to one end, used to establish a vertical line so that a wall can be built straight. God asked Amos what he saw, then explained the vision’s meaning. Unlike the first two visions, God did not give Amos opportunity to intercede, nor did He relent. These judgments would be executed. The plumb line of God’s revelation in the law had been set in the midst of … Israel for many generations. Now God would stretch a plumb line to demonstrate how “crooked” the people’s observance of His commands had been. The high places refer to temples, groves, and other shrines dedicated mostly to pagan deities. NKJ Bible.

The third vision involves a metaphor for construction or demolition. Faithlife Bible.

Nahum 3:5-7

America is being destroyed from the lack of Christian morals in this administration. It is as if we made light of the commandments in order to elect this president. He has become a national idol to those who support him.

God will not be mocked.

Nahum 3:5-7

5 “Behold, I am against you,” says the Lord of hosts;

“I will lift your skirts over your face,

I will show the nations your nakedness,

And the kingdoms your shame.

6 I will cast abominable filth upon you,

Make you vile, 

And make you a spectacle.

7 It shall come to pass that all who look upon you

Will flee from you, and say,

‘Nineveh is laid waste!

Who will bemoan her?’

Where shall I seek comforters for you?”

Nakedness and exposure to public shame and ridicule was a typical punishment for infidelity or prostitution. Here, the prophet describes people shaking their heads in mourning or grief. Faithlife Bible.

The Lord described the fate of Nineveh as comparable to a person on whom unspeakable filth was cast. When Nineveh lay in ruins, no one would bemoan her. The nations would be glad that the city was gone. NKJ Bible

Isaiah 47:3 | Your nakedness shall be uncovered,Yes, your shame will be seen; I will take vengeance, and I will not arbitrate with a man.”

Isaiah 51:19 | These two things have come to you; Who will be sorry for you?—Desolation and destruction, famine and sword—By whom will I comfort you?

Jeremiah 13:26 | Therefore I will uncover your skirts over your face, that your shame may appear.

Jeremiah 15:5 | “For who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem? Or who will bemoan you? Or who will turn aside to ask how you are doing?

Mark 1:40-41

we can ask anything in the name of Jesus. Through the power of Holy Spirit and in the authority of Jesus…all things are possible. He has the  power to heal our mind, our body and our spirit. Uppermost in the mind of the Father is our spiritual good. He allows what will transform us into the image of His Son. His mercy endures forever and He is full of compassion for His creation. He wants no one to perish but all to come to Him in Jesus.

All things work together for good for those who love God and accept His calling on their life.

Mark 1:40-41

40 Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”

41 Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.”

Jesus already demonstrated His ability to eliminate uncleanness when He expelled the demonic spirit at Capernaum. Now, a man with a different type of impurity seeks cleansing, and Jesus’ success confirms that God’s rule overcomes all obstacles to health and holiness.

In a few ancient manuscripts, the Greek word splanchnizō, which refers to being moved with pity, replaces the term orgizō, which indicates anger. However, the substitution likely reflects a later change by a copyist, to avoid the difficulty of this verse. Jesus affirms His desire to cleanse the man, indicating He is not upset by the leper’s plea. Faithlife Bible.

He not only healed but touched the leper. How often do we see the need but remain unmoved and uninvolved? Scripture has over 400 passages admonishing us to care for the poor. NKJ Bible.

Matthew 8:2 | And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

Matthew 8:3 | Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Luke 5:12 | And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

Luke 5:13 | Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him.