Proverbs 11:14-15

The supposed debate last night was painful to watch. President Trump’s behavior was a direct reflection of the state of our nation under his term in office. If I had to describe it…it was chaotic, undisciplined and lacking any self control. 

Character matters! 

It is frightening to think that those who should be counseling him in the Republican Party care more about their political power than what is good for the very people they are elected to serve.

When you refuse to listen to any counsel but your own…you are like the foolish man who built his house on sinking sand.

Proverbs 11:14–15

14 Where there is no counsel, the people fall;

But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

15 He who is surety for a stranger will suffer,

But one who hates being surety is secure.

In modern times as much as formerly, leaders of nations need adequate counsel. So do all individuals. We all need to seek advice from wise and trustworthy people. It warns against rashly giving surety or a pledge for a stranger. NKJ Bible.

Proverbs 6:2  You are snared by the words of your mouth; you are taken by the words of your mouth.

Micah 2:1-4

Evil begets evil even in those who confess to be believers in Christ Jesus. Satan’s biggest weapon is deception. It is followed by division. There will be a remnant who remain true.

United in Holy Spirit and His power we  are able to stand.

Micah 2:1–4

2 Woe to those who devise iniquity,

And work out evil on their beds!

At morning light they practice it,

Because it is in the power of their hand.

2 They covet fields and take them by violence,

Also houses, and seize them.

So they oppress a man and his house,

A man and his inheritance.

3 Therefore thus says the Lord:

“Behold, against this family I am devising disaster,

From which you cannot remove your necks;

Nor shall you walk haughtily,

For this is an evil time.

4 In that day one shall take up a proverb against you,

And lament with a bitter lamentation, saying:

‘We are utterly destroyed!

He has changed the heritage of my people;

How He has removed it from me!

To a turncoat He has divided our fields.’ ”

The Hebrew term is used here as a divine threat. In this form, the prophetic oracle is called a “woe pronouncement.” These wicked individuals lay on their beds at night thinking of evil plots. They cannot sleep because they are consumed with wickedness. The Hebrew word used here typically means “god”; however, when used of people it denotes strength or might. These evildoers were powerful, wealthy people with the ability to carry out their schemes and profit by them. The mistreatment of others has given these evildoers the impression that they are better than those upon whom they prey. Faithlife Bible.

The ethical teaching of the prophets regularly included oracles of judgment against greed, theft, and oppression, actions of the powerful in attacking the weak. To covet is not just to have a passing thought; it is a determination to seize what is not one’s own. While the wicked devised iniquity, God made some plans of His own. The idea here is that the disaster of God would be inescapable. God would take the property rights from those who had seized them illegally and give them to people who were even more reprobate than they were. NKJ Bible.

Exodus 20:5  you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

Isaiah 14:4  that you will take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say: “How the oppressor has ceased,The golden city ceased!

Amos 5:13  Therefore the prudent keep silent at that time, for it is an evil time.

Luke 16:14-15

President Trump’s tax returns were made public today. Greed and lies rob us of human decency and Biblical commands. Sad how far we have fallen.

We esteem those who defraud  our government calling evil good and good evil.

Luke 16:14–15

14 Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. 15 And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

Lovers of money is a reference to coveting or desiring wealth. Faithlife Bible.

A person who cannot handle money certainly cannot handle spiritual matters that are of much more value. NKJ Bible.

mammon (Gk. mammōnas) (16:9, 11; Matt. 6:24) Strong’s #3126: The Greek word is a transliteration of a common Aramaic word mamona, which means “wealth,” “money,” or “property.” It is impossible to serve this god called “mammon” and the true God at the same time. This word is used for “riches,” considered an idol, master, or god of the human heart that is in conflict with the true God.

1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

1 Chronicles 28:9  “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; 

for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.

2 Chronicles 6:30  then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone know the hearts of the sons of men),

Psalm 7:9 Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the just; for the righteous God tests the hearts and minds.

Proverbs 16:5 Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; though they join forces, none will go unpunished.

Matthew 25:31-44

Love God above ALL and your neighbor as yourself! These two commands that Jesus left with us fulfill the commandments both in the Old and New Testaments .

For God so loved the world that He gave us His only begotten Son so that in Him we could have life…abundant and eternal!

Matthew 25:31–44

31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

The Jewish worldview of Jesus’ day envisioned the present age ending with a time of tribulation, followed by divine judgment. Then God’s kingdom—the age to come—would be fully inaugurated. This schema also is reflected in the books of Daniel and Revelation.

The actions described here reflect obedience to the command to love one’s neighbor—and thereby demonstrate love for God, as well. Jesus’ remarks here call for Christian care to reach all the way to the bottom of the social structure, thus inverting earthly values. Faithlife Bible.

The final section of this discourse involves judgment. Matthew has been called “the Gospel of judgment” because the subject occurs so often. This is to be expected, since Matthew emphasizes the coming of the kingdom and thus the judgment that accompanies it. In the previous two parables, Jesus had been speaking of the judgment on those Israelites who were unprepared for the coming of the Messiah. In the last parable of this discourse, Jesus focuses His attention on all the nations of the earth. When the Son of Man comes in His glory anticipates the future reign of Christ. 

Nations here means Gentiles. Sheep and goats were both clean animals according to the Levitical law; however, their natures are very different. Shepherds regularly herded their sheep and goats together, but there came a point when the two had to be separated. The kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world indicates that this kingdom has always been God’s goal for humans. NKJ Bible.

Isaiah 58:7  Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh?

Ezekiel 18:7  If he has not oppressed anyone, but has restored to the debtor his pledge; has robbed no one by violence, but has given his bread to the hungry and covered the naked with clothing;

James 2:15-16 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?

Nahum 1:7-11

Trust God to keep you safe in these troubling times. He alone will deliver you. Idolatry leaves an opening for evil to enter.

As for me and my  family in God alone I trust.

Nahum 1:7–11

7 The Lord is good,

A stronghold in the day of trouble;

And He knows those who trust in Him.

8 But with an overflowing flood

He will make an utter end of its place,

And darkness will pursue His enemies.

9 What do you conspire against the Lord?

He will make an utter end of it.

Affliction will not rise up a second time.

10 For while tangled like thorns,

And while drunken like drunkards,

They shall be devoured like stubble fully dried.

11 From you comes forth one

Who plots evil against the Lord,

A wicked counselor.

The Hebrew term here denotes the sense of protection or providence. Archaeological excavations have shown that Nineveh was partially destroyed by floodwaters from the Tigris River. The Hebrew expression here could be a rhetorical question about Nineveh’s schemes against Yahweh. It also could be a direct statement: “Whatever you plot against Yahweh.” On the other hand, the verb here can also mean “think about,” so the rhetorical question could be directed to the people of Judah or Assyria, asking what they think about Yahweh. The answer is that He is the one who causes complete destruction. Faithlife Bible.

For the righteous, this is the best news of all. Because we know that the Lord is good, we can endure the tribulations of life. The judgment of the Lord will be inescapable. The word flood is both a poetic term for overwhelming devastation and a specific reference to the actual manner of Nineveh’s fall. It is believed that the invaders of Nineveh entered the city through its flooded waterways.

Who is wise enough, experienced enough, and strong enough to fight the power of God? No one, of course. At their very best, the enemies of God will be comic figures. Their best plans will be merely a tangle of thorns; their finest moves will be only the sloppy walk of drunkards. Wicked is one of the harshest terms in biblical language, nearly a curse word. The term speaks of someone who is utterly worthless. NKJ Bible.

 

Psalm 1:6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Psalm 2:1 Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing?

Psalm 25:8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore He teaches sinners in the way.

Acts 26:15-18

Faith alone pleases the Father. Our faith in Jesus sanctifies us. When we know better…we do better.

We are saved by the gift of God in the atoning, precious blood of Jesus Christ.

Acts 26:15-18

15 So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 16 But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. 17 I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, 18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’

Paul records what Jesus said to him on the road to Damascus, elaborating both on the earlier account in Acts and what he has previously articulated during his former trials. Faithlife Bible.

Repentance indicates a complete change in thinking. Paul speaks of the “renewing of your mind.” We do what we think is best, what makes sense to us. Paul was killing Christians because he thought it was the correct course of action. Christ’s revelation changed his thoughts, but his preaching of the Good News was visible proof that he had repented of his former ways. Genuine repentance is evidenced by changed behavior.

Isaiah 35:5  Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.

Isaiah 42:7  To open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house.

Isaiah 42:16  I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them.

Luke 1:77  To give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins,

Luke 1:79  To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Jeremiah 31:7-10

 Israel’s freedom was gained by God, its great “kinsman redeemer”.

Jeremiah 31:7-10

7 For thus says the Lord:

“Sing with gladness for Jacob,

And shout among the chief of the nations;

Proclaim, give praise, and say,

‘O Lord, save Your people,

The remnant of Israel!’

8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country,

And gather them from the ends of the earth,

Among them the blind and the lame,

The woman with child

And the one who labors with child, together;

A great throng shall return there.

9 They shall come with weeping,

And with supplications I will lead them.

I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters,

In a straight way in which they shall not stumble;

For I am a Father to Israel,

And Ephraim is My firstborn.

10 “Hear the word of the Lord, O nations,

And declare it in the isles afar off, and say,

‘He who scattered Israel will gather him,

And keep him as a shepherd does his flock.’

Jeremiah is the only Old Testament prophet who speaks of the New Covenant that Jesus inaugurated. Some readers, desiring to celebrate what is “new” in the “New Covenant,” might be tempted to disparage the former covenant, the Mosaic covenant. But we should be careful to avoid any implication that there was something wrong in the covenant God had graciously bestowed on Israel. God had never designed the Law of Moses as a means to obtain salvation. Instead, forgiveness of sins has always been God’s gracious gift to those who have humbled themselves before Him in faith. The Law was God’s way of pointing out the pathway that believers should walk. Thus the problem with the covenant at Mount Sinai was not in God’s provision, but in Israel’s response. The Israelites had continually broken the covenant. Time and again through priests and prophets God called His people to repent, but any change of heart they underwent they soon abandoned. In the days of Jeremiah, King Josiah destroyed the idols that were in the land. But soon after this godly king died, the people turned back to worshiping the idols of the neighboring countries. The hearts of the people remained unchanged. 

Only God Himself could change hearts and minds: thus a New Covenant was needed.

The announcement of a New Covenant by the prophet Jeremiah would have been alarming to godly Israelites. After all, the old covenant had come from the very hand of God and had been accompanied by miracles and wonders. But the New Covenant would also be accompanied by the miracle of changed hearts and lives. The very Spirit of God would enter people’s lives in order to assure their adherence to the covenant. No longer would intermediaries like priests or prophets have to stand between the people and God. The Spirit would teach the people the knowledge of God—a knowledge that would be evidenced by faith, obedience, and devotion to the Lord. Jesus fulfilled Jeremiah’s prediction of the coming of a New Covenant through His work on the Cross. 

By His death, the giving of His lifeblood for many, redemption and forgiveness of sins were attained. While Jesus was on earth, He instructed His disciples in His Father’s ways. But after Jesus ascended to heaven, the Sprit of God was poured out on the believers gathered in Jerusalem, fulfilling the promise spoken by Jeremiah. NKJ Bible.

Luke 23:27-31

Trouble in a fallen world.

Be Holy as I am holy….perfection for man will never happen here on earth . However our faith is shown in our obedience to Jesus' command to love God above all and our neighbors as ourselves.

We will be held accountable for the sins we commit while calling on His name. We need to read the Word of God in our homes it is the sword of the Spirit. Our  personal relationship with Holy Spirit will direct us and keep us until we are safely delivered from this world into our heavenly home.

Ephesians 6:14  Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

Christ alone…our only hope!

Luke 23:27-31

27 And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him. 28 But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’ 30 Then they will begin ‘to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” ’ 31 For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?”

Jesus is telling the women that they will utter a similar cry when Jerusalem is punished for rejecting Him. Jesus’ statement in this verse probably contrasts His own fate with the coming judgment against Jerusalem. The women are weeping now, at the death of an innocent man, but their sorrow will be much greater when great anguish will come upon Judaea and its inhabitants. Faithlife Bible.

While such mourning for the dead was required by custom in the ancient world, Jesus’ reply seems to take the people’s mourning as sincere. Though He was dying, Jesus pointed out that their weeping should be for Jerusalem and its inhabitants, since judgment was going to fall on the city. Jerusalem here represents the entire nation of Israel. In the days of judgment, the children, who were usually thought of as cursed, would be better off than those with family because the terror of that time would be so great. Fear of the judgment would be so great that people would prefer to die rather than suffer what was coming. People who face God’s judgment desire the relief of death rather than to endure His wrath.

The idea here seems to be “If this is what is done to a live tree, what will happen to the dead one?” In other words, “If Jesus, the living tree, has not been spared, how much more will dead wood not be spared.” This is Jesus’ final lament over the nation of Israel. NKJ Bible.

Jeremiah 25:29  For behold, I begin to bring calamity on the city which is called by My name, and should you be utterly unpunished? You shall not be unpunished, for I will call for a sword on all the inhabitants of the earth,” says the LORD of hosts.’

Ezekiel 21:3  and say to the land of Israel, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Behold, I am against you, and I will draw My sword out of its sheath and cut off both righteous and wicked from you.

Acts 9:31

Could the pandemic be God’s way of giving His Body a rest? Redirecting our focus on a building onto the necessity of relationship with Him alone.

Without the unity of the Holy Spirit the Body of Christ will not thrive. We need to be very careful not to call evil good nor good evil. The indwelling of Holy Spirit gives us hope.

Be as wise as the serpent, who ultimately has no power over God’s people, but as gentle as the all powerful, Lamb of God, who came to give truth and salvation to those who would accept Him. Satan seeks to kill, steal and destroy believers. Jesus seeks to give them an abundant, eternal life in God.

There exists the ways of the Lord which leads to eternal salvation or the ways of the world which leads to destruction…choose wisely!

Acts 9:31

31 Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.

This could refer primarily to the Church’s contentment in the face of persecution, or to their internal unity and camaraderie. Despite persecution, the Church was growing both in number and in maturity. Faithlife Bible.

This peace was not due solely to Saul’s conversion. Tiberius, the emperor of Rome, died around this time. He was replaced by Caligula, who wanted to erect a statue of himself in the temple at Jerusalem. Thus Jewish energy was directed away from persecuting Christians and toward Caligula. Here we see God’s sovereign hand at work, giving the early church a short season of respite. NKJ Bible.

Psalm 34:9 | Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him.

John 14:16 | And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—

Acts 16:5 | So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.

1 Kings 9:1-9

God controls all things. If we follow His commandments our lives will be at peace. Out of His will for us there is chaos and division. He will allow whatever it takes to bring us back into relationship with Him. Be as wise as the world but as gentle in our approach as the Lamb of God!  And the greatest of His commands…Love! We show our love for Him by our obedience to Him.

Without love as our base we are useless noise.

1 Kings 9:1-9

9 And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished building the house of the Lord and the king’s house, and all Solomon’s desire which he wanted to do, 2 that the Lord appeared to Solomon the second time, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon. 3 And the Lord said to him: “I have heard your prayer and your supplication that you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built to put My name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. 4 Now if you walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments, 5 then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’ 6 But if you or your sons at all turn from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, 7 then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them; and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight. Israel will be a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 8 And as for this house, which is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and will hiss, and say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’ 9 Then they will answer, ‘Because they forsook the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore the Lord has brought all this calamity on them.’ ”

God responds to the completion of Solomon’s building projects by appearing to him a second time, presumably in a dream. God affirms He has heard Solomon’s prayer, reiterates the Davidic covenant  and its conditions, and warns Israel of the risk of disobedience using vocabulary reminiscent of the book of Deuteronomy. The covenant faithfulness of the king and his people determines the fate of both the throne and the nation. Faithlife Bible.

God had appeared previously to Solomon in Gibeon. The Lord’s warning was a necessary reminder for Solomon, who would come to compromise the conditions required for enjoying God’s blessing. Solomon would have to endure the consequences of disobedience. NKJ Bible.

Deuteronomy 4:26  I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that you will soon utterly perish from the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess; you will not prolong your days in it, but will be utterly destroyed.

Deuteronomy 29:24  All nations would say, ‘Why has the LORD done so to this land? What does the heat of this great anger mean?’

Deuteronomy 29:25  Then people would say: ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt;

Deuteronomy 29:26 | for they went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods that they did not know and that He had not given to them.

John 14:23-31

Just believe totally and completely in the power of the Holy Trinity. Together they will get you safely home. 

Love is the answer and Jesus is the key! 

He gives us the privilege of being able to cry out and to be heard by our Abba…Daddy!

John 14:23-31

23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28 You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.

29 “And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. 31 But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.

The Greek term used here, paraklētos, refers to a legal assistant in a court who pleads someone’s case before the judge. The judge is God, and people are judged based on whether they follow Jesus’ command to believe that eternal life comes through His death and resurrection. When on earth, Jesus was the means for believers to interact with God the Father since their sin prevented them from doing so directly. The Spirit is sent to do the same work. This is one of His many tasks. The Spirit acts as the means of communication between God the Father and His people. Since God the Father dwells in His throne room in heaven, believers need a means to communicate with Him. The Spirit communicates with Jesus in heaven; Jesus then communicates with God the Father. Jesus’ sacrifice makes this possible since His death atones for people’s sins, providing the Spirit with a reason for believers to be allowed to communicate with the Father.

The Spirit, as God’s means of communication on earth, instructs believers and leads them to follow God’s will. The Spirit gives them access to God, His plans, and His wisdom. He can do so because of Jesus’ sacrifice for sins. They now have a way (the Spirit) to reach God—unencumbered by rituals, sacrifices, or laws—and atonement for their sins (Jesus’ death and resurrection), so that they are free to communicate with God and be in His presence. Jesus wants His disciples to know that His coming suffering and death is not the end of His ministry; it is the beginning of His ministry’s final purpose and the completion of God’s will for Jesus’ life. Jesus’ disciples should have rejoiced and recognized this was essential for Him to complete God’s work and to unite them with God the Father. Jesus is empowered by God the Father. 

Since all authority ultimately finds its source in God the Father, the rulers of this world do not have authority over Jesus. Faithlife Bible.

The disciples had expected the Messiah to come publicly and deliver Israel from Rome and the corrupt priesthood of the temple. Jesus had said that the disciples would see Him, but the world would not. Judas (not Iscariot) wanted to know how that could be. In response to Judas’s question, Jesus explained that His manifestation to the disciples would be in response to their love and obedience. If a believer loves and obeys the Lord, he or she will experience fellowship with God. If a person does not love Jesus, he or she will not obey Him. Disobedience is a serious matter, for Jesus’ words are the words of God. Jesus told His disciples these things while He was with them, but when the Holy Spirit came, He would remind the disciples of all things that Jesus had said, and would teach … all things. This promise was primarily fulfilled through the lives of the apostles in the writing of the NT. Matthew and John wrote down Jesus’ words. Peter wrote about the gospel in his two letters and may have dictated some of his memories of Jesus to Mark. 

The customary good-bye among the Jews was to say shalom, meaning “peace.” The Lord was about to depart, so He added to this farewell by saying, My peace. This is no conventional wish; this is Jesus’ personal, special grant of peace. 

The peace that Christ gives banishes fear and dread from the heart, for Jesus is in control of all circumstances.

As the humble, submissive Son, Jesus submitted Himself to the authority of His Father. He has nothing in Me indicates Jesus’ sinlessness. Jesus’ yielding to what was about to happen did not mean that Satan had any power over Him. Jesus would soon voluntarily yield to the death of the Cross, in loving obedience to the Father. NKJ Bible.

Luke 1:79  To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Hebrews 4:15  For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Matthew 26:26-29

Only say the word and I will be healed! 

In Christ we are reconciled to God. Through His obedience and love we are healed.

Praise Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

Matthew 26:26-29

26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”

27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

Jesus’ body was the final sacrifice that would atone for sins, just as the Passover lamb signified the atonement for the people’s sins every year in Leviticus 16. The Passover meal includes four (sometimes five) cups of wine; this is likely the third, the cup of blessing. 

In the ancient Near East, covenants often were ratified using blood (through sacrifice). At Sinai, Moses sprinkled the people with the blood of the covenant in Exodus 24:8. The elements of the Lord’s Supper  serve as signs of the new covenant. Faithlife Bible.

This is My blood of the new covenant refers to the covenant that had been promised in the Old Testament. The Lord Jesus specifically said that His blood … is shed for many for the remission of sins. The word many anticipates the command to preach the Good News to all the world. This verse anticipates God’s kingdom when Christ will reign on the throne of David. Today He is seated with the Father on His throne and intercedes for us. NKJ Bible.

Exodus 24:8  And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you according to all these words.”

Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’

Mark 14:23  Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.

Mark 14:25  Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

Luke 22:18  for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

Isaiah 14:9-11

God always has the final say. Satan’s time is drawing to a close.

Praise  the triune Godhead…Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

Isaiah 14:9-11

9 “Hell  from beneath is excited about you,

To meet you at your coming;

It stirs up the dead for you,

All the chief ones of the earth;

It has raised up from their thrones

All the kings of the nations.

10 They all shall speak and say to you:

‘Have you also become as weak as we?

Have you become like us?

11 Your pomp is brought down to Sheol,

And the sound of your stringed instruments;

The maggot is spread under you,

And worms cover you.’

14:16

16 “Those who see you will gaze at you,

And consider you, saying:

‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble,

The underworld  welcomes the now-fallen king. 

The Hebrew term repha'im  (“shades”) refers to the dead in their shadowy existence in the afterlife. Former world leaders are welcoming the king of Babylon as an equal—he was once their overlord and oppressor, but he is now equally as powerless as they are. 

In the end, the king is just a man whose time passes like all earthly rulers. No matter how powerful a king is during his reign, he will eventually die. Faithlife Bible.

The commotion in hell when the king of Babylon arrives contrasts sharply with the rest on earth when he is gone. The Hebrew word for the dead is similar in connotation to our word ghost: it speaks of the dead in a frightening manner. The defeated subjects of the Babylonian tyrants are pictured as sitting on thrones, while the king is given a blanket of worms. Rather than rising to meet the king of Babylon as a sign of honor, the foreign kings have come to mock him for his presumptuousness and arrogance. Imagery is mixing the shadowy existence of the afterlife with the physical reality of decomposition. Isaiah compares this king to the One who can truly shake the earth.

Son of the Morning The reference to “Lucifer, son of the morning” is most certainly to Satan himself. The real issue of interpretation in this passage is whether Satan is to be viewed literally as the referent of the prophecy in these verses, or whether he is to be viewed as the power behind the throne of the Babylonian king. In either case, we are given a clear picture of the certain destruction that always follows pride. NKJ Bible.

Ezekiel 32:21  The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with those who help him: ‘They have gone down,They lie with the uncircumcised, slain by the sword.’

Daniel 5:22-23

God gives each of us talents. We are to use them humbly for His glory. They come from God and He can take them away when we use them for our own power and glory.

Help me to honor You in everything I do…

Daniel 5:22-23

22 “But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. 23 And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified.

Like Nebuchadnezzar, pride is the ultimate cause of Belshazzar’s downfall. Unlike Nebuchadnezzar, however, Belshazzar will not be restored. Though Belshazzar apparently knew of this incident, he was unaware that Daniel—Nebuchadnezzar’s most trusted advisor—had informed him of his fate. Belshazzar will not follow Nebuchadnezzar’s example of repentance. He consequently receives no opportunity to repent. Faithlife Bible.

Exodus 10:3  So Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me.

2 Chronicles 33:23  And he did not humble himself before the LORD, as his father Manasseh had humbled himself; but Amon trespassed more and more.

2 Chronicles 36:12  He did evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the LORD.