Luke 11:45-48

We must be very careful not to give precedence to the traditions of man over the Word of God. Jesus came, not to condemn man, but to offer the gift of salvation to all who would repent and accept Him as payment for their sin.

The Bible is the written word  and inspiration of Holy Spirit. He gives us the gift of knowledge and allows us to fully absorb the teachings of the word made flesh, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Would you like to know the ingredients of Jesus' miracle?
Sit down...
Break bread...
Give thanks...
Feed one another…

Terry Hershey “SabbathMoments “

Luke 11:45-48

45 Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, “Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also.” 46 And He said, “Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 47 Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. 48 In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs. The New King James Version

Reflecting the light and darkness imagery of the previous passage, Jesus’ remarks here highlight the importance of sincere obedience over religious pretense. This section combines two episodes recounted in Matthew and Mark. The first involves the dispute over ceremonial washing before meals. The second is Jesus’ condemnation of the scribes (teachers of the law) and Pharisees.

Washing one’s hands before eating is not required in the law of Moses, but was part of the Pharisees’ tradition. Jesus contrasts external purity (proper behavior) with internal cleansing (transformation of the heart). These examples of tithing illustrate the Pharisees’ meticulous attention to the smallest details of the law of Moses. 

But they left out justice and love for God which echoes the two greatest commandments.

Unmarked graves is a metaphor for the Pharisees’ pious appearances, which disguised their inner wickedness. When graves were not appropriately marked, people could walk over them and potentially become ritually unclean. Faithlife Study Bible

The Pharisees were like hidden graves. To have contact with a grave or with the dead was to become ceremonially unclean. Anyone or anything in the same room as the dead was considered in Jewish tradition to be impure. This is Jesus’ stronger condemnation. The Pharisees, the paragons of purity, were in fact the height of uncleanness. Jesus applied His woes to lawyers as well as to the Pharisees. In everyday Greek, the term translated burdens refers to a ship’s cargo. The idea is that a heavy strain was being imposed on the people and yet, in the end, this burden did not bring them closer to God. Here Jesus rebuked the tradition that had grown up around the Law of Moses. Was Jesus accusing the scribes of hypocrisy in not practicing what they taught and in making distinctions that freed them from obligations, as they did with oaths? Or was Jesus simply accusing the scribes of not offering aid and compassion to those who tried to follow their rules? The second interpretation is more likely, since the Pharisees were known for adhering to the Law. 

Jesus made a biting, ironic comparison between the current generation of Israel and the generations of the past. Jesus was saying that the current generation finished the job of slaying of the prophets that the previous generation had started. The building and care of tombs was supposed to be an act of honoring the prophets, but Jesus pointed out that something else was really going on. The NKJV Study Bible

Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Matthew 11:30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Life Church Vineyard

Pastor Mitch Price

Living Expectantly

“Come to Me with expectancy but without your expectations!” Pastor Mitch

Our lack of expectations puts God in a box. It limits what He can do in our life. Nothing is impossible with God…nothing.

Ephesians 3:20-21

20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Psalm 27:14

14 Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!

In the same way the father of the prodigal son looked expectantly for him…God watches for us.

Genesis 28:17 (NKJV): 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!” 

Expect God to show up!

John 3:30

30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

Are we growing in the fruit of the Spirit? We must be less and He must be greater.

How loving, merciful and forgiving is our God…nothing is too large or too small for Him to be invited in to. His plans are always for our good. 

We can have a real conversation, a real relationship with God. He sent His Son to die so that we can have that in our life. Invite Him in and He promises He will show up.

Matthew 7:7-11

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 

Do we expect the manna, the living bread, that He offers to us? 

We can live out our Christianity expecting the worst…or we can live out our Christianity expecting  joy.

Joy in the Lord is our strength!

When are we going to place Him first? 

In dying to ourself we allow Him to be greater than our life. He can use the littlest seed and grow it in to something that He will use for your good and for the good of others. 

Are we daily becoming more like Jesus?

We have to make the choice to serve Him by our actions. 

The closer we strive to know Him the more we allow Him to change us in to His image.

The Tree Church

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

I’ve seen You move the mountains and calm the raging seas.

In the quiet You are with me, in the silence You are with me. 

Even in the darkness…You are always with me!!

Jesus Christ my living hope!

The Father used the religious politics of the time knowing it would be used to crucify our King…I refuse to be swayed by any one other than Christ and Him crucified!

In the midst of our life we can have His peace!

God allows the good, the bad and sometimes the ugly but always with His eye on us and HIs love covering us.

God is working even when we don’t see it. He promises to change us to be more like Jesus.

There is some pain we will never get over. We can attach our hope, our dreams and our identity to what we think will be the future. When it changes we can question the whole of our life. Our reality can be shattered in an instant. 

“There are some losses that some people  will never get over.” Except by no longer caring about the loss OR you die.

The Apostles had their own expectations of what the Messiah would do. They were anticipating HIs coming. What happened was not what they thought. They were looking for a political , military leader who would conquer their enemies. To them there was no future without the Messiah without Him physically with them. 

He was nothing like they expected.

John 13:33 

33 Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

We love because He first loved us.

Pain always comes as a surprise. All of our plans and positive plans for our future can be dissolved.  All of the plans that the Apostles that they foresaw vanished in an instant at the cruxifixction. 

Jesus made 3 critical promises:

His presence

That we will never be alone

In Holy Spirit we are never forsaken He knows our hopes and our fears, our pain is never in vain. He will take everything that should have destroyed us and use is to change us in to the image of Jesus.

John 14:1-4

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

John 16:7

7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 

Jesus was the perfect image of the Father. He placed on Jesus all the sins of humanity and in His death so that we could live.

John 14:26-28

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.

John 16:13

13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

In the beginning there was perfect peace. Sin brought us the the awareness of evil. It was never what God wanted for us. Our only hope is Jesus and the salvation He offers. We must choose to accept it. Without Him we will never recover what we have lost. We can spend our lie trying to protect ourselves from past pain in anticipation of future pain.

Ever little thing He does is with our transformation in HIs heart.

Our pain, no matter how overwhelming in the present, will be on day be alleviated. Every tear will be wiped away.

Philippians 3:7-11

7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 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; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

In our suffering we can understand what Jesus was willing to suffer for us. No greater love exists. We must press on to the prize that we will receive for eternity. We must focus on our eternity. Someday all pain will be removed and we will meet our Savior face to face.

God is with me. God loves me and He has a plan.

1 Corinthians 2:12-16

One day God will wipe away every tear.

From the first moment of creation, to David's heart's cry, to our greatest need today, Elohim continues to create newness. He meets our sin with His salvation, our darkness with His light, our old habits with His new heart. Scripture proves there is nothing too messy for Elohim to make beautiful, and nothing too void for His presence to fill with His steadfast love. First5 

“The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.” (Elie Wiesel)

1 Corinthians 2:12-16

12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. The New King James Version

Only the Holy Spirit could reveal the truths of God. The first verb refers to innate knowledge; the second refers to experiential knowledge. We could never have discovered the mysteries of God or the benefits of Christ’s death by ourselves. But we can know them by experience because they have been freely given to us by God. The NKJV Study Bible

God’s Spirit is not like the spirit of people or anything that can be comprehended, computed, or reasoned in this world. While God’s work is eternal, everything of this world is temporal—including current rulers and evil spiritual beings. Spirit who is from God describes the Spirit’s ability to provide believers with gifts and refers to God’s gracious gift of salvation, which believers can comprehend because of the Spirit. It therefore describes the content of God’s revealed wisdom and thus refers to Christ Himself. 

Without God’s help through the Spirit, people lack the ability to understand His plans or work. The Spirit (pneuma) is the one who truly explains and reveals the ways of God to people—believers are just messengers and instruments of the Spirit’s message. Paul again stresses that a true understanding of spiritual things occurs only with the aid of God’s Spirit.

Those who belong to the Spirit do not need to subject themselves to human condemnation or approval; they recognize that God is their only judge. Paul says this to combat the Corinthians’ suggestion that he should somehow justify who he is or his actions; his authority comes from Christ and the Spirit’s work in his life to emphasize the gift of the Spirit. Since Christ has no need of an advisor, this quotation suggests that God’s wisdom is incomprehensible—yet He has enabled believers to understand the wisdom of His salvation through the crucified Messiah, Jesus. Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, God provides believers with the understanding they need. The presence of the Spirit grants believers the ability to discern God’s will and works within them to make them more like Christ. Faithlife Study Bible

God has revealed true wisdom to us by his Spirit. Here is a proof of the Divine authority of the Holy Scriptures. In proof of the Divinity of the Holy Ghost, observe, that he knows all things, and he searches all things, even the deep things of God. No one can know the things of God, but his Holy Spirit, who is one with the Father and the Son, and who makes known Divine mysteries to his church. This is most clear testimony, both to the real Godhead and the distinct person of the Holy Spirit. The apostles were not guided by worldly principles. They had the revelation of these things from the Spirit of God, and the saving impression of them from the same Spirit. These things they declared in plain, simple language, taught by the Holy Spirit, totally different from the affected oratory or enticing words of man’s wisdom. The natural man, the wise man of the world, receives not the things of the Spirit of God. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

John 15:15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.

Daniel 3:22-25

Jesus did not leave us alone and forsaken, He gives us Holy Spirit to protect and guide us. Every knee shall bow and tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Psalm 91:4 He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

If God has placed us in a less-than situation, we can find courage by remembering God's all-sufficient grace helps us to endure hardship. The power of the resurrected Christ abides within all believers, and our weakness serves as the perfect vessel for the Almighty to display His glory to the world.

Great things are possible today because our faith rests on Christ's strength. First5 

When we offer Jesus our limitations, we can trust He will perfect the work He has begun in us and bring His plan to completion. Our Savior has provided His servants with the great gift of the Holy Spirit to empower us to share the gospel message wherever we go. In less-than-ideal circumstances, we have the opportunity to testify that Christ in us is the hope of glory. We may feel unqualified, but the Holy Spirit will help us and teach us what to say. First5 

Life, in its brokenness, is not to be contained, explained or fixed. As if we recover, and move on to “real life,” you know, the non-messy parts. When we need to move past the life we have now, we miss the glory, beauty and tender purity in the cacophony. We miss the sacrament of the present moment. That even in the sorrow and the pain and the unknowing, there is a whiff of the holy. SabbathMoments 

Daniel 3:22-25  Nebuchadnezzar Praises God

22 Therefore, because the king’s command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 25 “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”  The New King James Version

Theophanies When King Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed that the fourth man walking about in the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego was “like the Son of God”, it may be an overstatement to say that he recognized Jesus. Yet even though he worshiped other gods, Nebuchadnezzar somehow knew that this mysterious fourth figure was divine. Although the doctrine of the Triune God was not fully revealed until Jesus’ time, we find clues that God was preparing humanity for this truth. In the Old Testament, such foreshadowings of God or the preincarnate Christ in a visible form are called theophanies, meaning “appearances of God.” These theophanies include the Angel who comforted Hagar, the visitor who revealed to Abraham and Sarah that they would have a son, the Lord’s appearance to Moses in the burning bush, the pillars of cloud and fire that led the Israelites from Egypt, and Moses’ glimpse of God on Sinai. Some people would also include as a theophany the appearance of Melchizedek, the priest-king of Salem, who gave wine and bread to Abram. The Old Testament contains nearly 80 references to the Spirit of God and anticipates the arrival of God’s Son, the Messiah, who would deliver His people. Daniel also calls Christ the Son of Man. These theophanies were temporary, however. They were hints of the incarnation of Christ, fully human and fully divine, who would live among and redeem His people. The NKJV Study Bible.

In his rage, Nebuchadnezzar thinks nothing of the lives of some of his best soldiers. The three Hebrew youths fall into the fire because they would not bow before the image. The king is amazed, but he is also frightened and horrified. The men are not hurt either by the fall or the flames. Jews in exile can be certain of God’s protection over those who remain faithful to His commands. The Aramaic phrase here for “son of the gods” is akin to the Hebrew phrase “son of God/the gods,” which is generally a reference to spiritual beings sent from God. Nebuchadnezzar sees the three men and a spiritual being in the fiery furnace. The man was a divine being sent to render service to the three Hebrew youths. Faithlife Study Bible

Psalm 91:3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence.

Psalm 91:5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day,

Psalm 91:6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.

Luke 1:39-45

Believe in the promises of the Lord and rejoice in them for it is your strength.

John 20:29 | Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Belief always precedes behavior. To change the way a person responds to life, change what a person believes about life. So…who do you believe Jesus is? Max Lucado 

Luke 1:39-45

39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.” The New King James Version

Savior (Gk. sōtēr) (1:47; 2:11; John 4:42; Phil. 3:20) Strong’s #4990: In addition to the obvious meaning, “one who provides salvation,” the word Savior often includes the related meanings of “Deliverer,” “Protector,” or “Preserver.” In ancient Greek society, the term was applied not only to gods but also to human beings whose significant actions brought some type of benefit to others. Mary rejoices in God her Savior, referring to the Lord’s mighty acts of protection and deliverance on behalf of Israel. The angel announces to the shepherds the birth of “a Savior, who is Christ the Lord,” One who would offer Himself as a sacrifice to provide redemption for all. Luke’s emphasis on Jesus as Savior can be seen in the summary of Jesus’ mission “to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Mary visits Elizabeth to assist her in the final months of her pregnancy. Given the immense social pressures and stigma that Mary was about to endure as an unwed mother, she likely sought solace in Elizabeth, who would believe the divine nature of her conception. Faithlife Study Bible

Mary’s coming brought a reaction from John in Elizabeth’s womb. The Messiah’s forerunner gave testimony to the Messiah even before he was born. The angel had predicted to Zacharias that his baby would be filled with the Holy Spirit even from the womb. Elizabeth marveled at the grace that allowed her a role in God’s great plan. She knew God owed her nothing; but she also knew that God had mercifully given her much. Mary’s faith contrasts with the doubt of Zacharias. Mary’s response of faith was exemplary. She was simply waiting on God to bring His promises to fulfillment. The NKJV Study Bible

On Mary’s arrival, Elisabeth was conscious of the approach of her who was to be the mother of the great Redeemer. At the same time she was filled with the Holy Ghost, and under his influence declared that Mary and her expected child were most blessed and happy, as peculiarly honoured of and dear to the Most High God. Mary, animated by Elisabeth’s address, and being also under the influence of the Holy Ghost, broke out into joy, admiration, and gratitude. She knew herself to be a sinner who needed a Saviour, and that she could no otherwise rejoice in God than as interested in his salvation through the promised Messiah. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Acts 11:22-24

Different gifts are given to believers. Some may seem small and insignificant but to God they are suited and designed just for you to be used for others and the good of His Church. 

Barnabas was an encourager. 

That inside this conflicted, brilliant, complicated, deeply flawed self is a light--capable of love, graciousness, mercy, generosity, humanity, restitution, rebirth--capable of the very reflection and image of God.

Henri Nouwen, “The question is not ‘How am I to find God?’ but ‘How am I to let myself be found by him?’ The question is not ‘How am I to know God?’ but ‘How am I to let myself be known by God?’ And, finally, the question is not ‘How am I to love God?’ but “How am I to let myself be loved by God?’ God is looking into the distance for me, trying to find me, and longing to bring me home. ”Sabbath Moments 

Acts 11:22-24

22 Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. 23 When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. 24 For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. The New King James Version

Seleucus I founded the city of Antioch, naming it after his father. The city was cosmopolitan, attracting people of various cultures and ethnic backgrounds—including people from Persia, India, and even China. The gospel proclaimed in Antioch would have had tremendous potential for reaching other areas of the world. Moreover, because the city was culturally diverse, it was not controlled by one religious group, making the people there more open to hearing the truth of the gospel message. 

Barnabas, nicknamed “Son of Encouragement” by the apostles, was sent to discern what God was doing in the lives of the new converts. When Barnabas saw the grace of God in these converts, he was true to his name and encouraged them in their new faith. 

Purpose of heart describes a resolve of the will to make up one’s mind about one thing. The resolve here was to remain with the Lord. Because Barnabas was sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, God was able to bring Saul of Tarsus to his mind again. The disciples in Jerusalem were afraid of Saul and refused to believe that he was a disciple. Barnabas, however, had defended Saul before the apostles. The NKJV Study Bible

Luke 4:1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

Acts 6:5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch,

Acts 13:43 Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.

Mark 6:4-6

Did familiarity breed contempt? Did the Jewish elite covet the respect that others were giving to Jesus? 

Today we need to show respect to those whom God has chosen to spread the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He gave His life so that we could have life.

We need to live in expectancy! Anticipating God’s presence in all things without preconceived ideas.  Pastor Mitch Price

We need to see God’s view. What limits our view? Time…we are captivated by the now. We do not always have the ability to see His view. We are limited by space. We are limited by our experiences. We can lean toward those experiences. How do we evaluate life? We our basically selfish and gauge our life based on how they affect us in the here and now. The Tree Church

I believe that the world was created and approved by love, that it subsists, coheres, and endures by love, and that, insofar as it is redeemable, it can be redeemed only by love. Wendell Berry

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 

Mark 6:4-6

4 But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” 5 Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching. The New King James Version

Jesus declares that it is normal for a prophet’s own people to reject the prophet. This statement reintroduces the issue of what true family is. Faithlife Study Bible

A prophet is not without honor except in his own country is a maxim still repeated and still true today. Perhaps others were jealous of Jesus’ popularity and huge following. Their envy even took the form of violence against Christ. NKJ Study Bible

Our Lord’s countrymen tried to prejudice the minds of people against him. Is not this the carpenter? Our Lord Jesus probably had worked in that business with his father. He thus put honour upon mechanics, and encouraged all persons who eat by the labour of their hands. It becomes the followers of Christ to content themselves with the satisfaction of doing good, although they are denied the praise of it. How much did these Nazarenes lose by obstinate prejudices against Jesus! May Divine grace deliver us from that unbelief, which renders Christ a savour of death, rather than of life to the soul. Let us, like our Master, go and teach cottages and peasants the way of salvation.  Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Isaiah 59:16 He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; and His own righteousness, it sustained Him.

Matthew 13:57 So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.”

Hebrews 3:19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

Life Church Vineyard

Pastor Mitch Price

You have never failed me yet!

Great is Your faithfulness. 

I’m still in Your hands!

Deuteronomy 31:6

6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”  The New King James Version

MY GOD IS MIGHTY TO SAVE...AUTHOR OF SALVATION

Living in expectancy! Anticipating God’s presence in all things without preconceived ideas. 

“Come to Me with expectancy, but without your expectations.”

Life is not based on our expectations but on our knowing God will do abundantly more than we could ask. We need to pray expecting God to answer. 

If we ask Him He promises He will answer. If we seek His will for our life we will find Him in our life. If we seek Him in all things He will work things out for our good and in His purpose.

We need to grasp the teachings of His word and internalize them. All things are possible through the power of Holy Spirit.

We long for freedom while not believing that it is attainable.

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 

Acts 1:3-12

3 to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. 4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Jesus Ascends to Heaven 9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”  The New King James Version

Waiting with expectancy… for His return!

Acts 1:7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 

2 Peter 3:8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Psalm 27:14  Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!

Watching with expectancy…and recognizing Him in the workings of our life!

Genesis 28:16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”

Working with expectancy

Acts 1:11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

We need to be busy doing His will in our life. Living out the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Loving Him with everything we have and showing this love to others always.

Without love we are just noise!

Colossians 3:22 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men

The New King James Version 

The Tree Church

 The Tree Church Pastor Matthew Johnson

Since when has the impossible ever stopped You!

You are not going to run out of miracles anytime soon.

You make us whole again.

All of us will face  challenges in our life. God is greater than any challenge we will face. Why does He not answer all of our prayers? His ultimate promise and goal is to transform us in to the image of Jesus. God is greater than the problems in our life. God always has a plan for our life. How we view things impacts how we feel. Our feelings shape how we act. If you don’t have all the correct information needed it we will form a perspective that can lead you the wrong way. We can form an incorrect opinion. We need ALL of the information to be able to form a correct view of the situation. 

When we face a negative situation ask ourselves the question do we have all the facts and are we open to new information relative to the situation. Are we willing to accept that new information to our view? We can, as humans, have a bias. We need to see God’s view. What limits our view? Time…we are captivated by the now. We do not always have the ability to see His view. We are limited by space. We are limited by our experiences. We can lean toward those experiences. How do we evaluate life? We our basically selfish and gauge our life based on how they affect us in the here and now.

God is the Creator of all things. Omnipresent anywhere and everywhere at all time. He knows all thoughts of man and woman. He knows every little detail of our lives. He has a redemption plan for humanity. He want no one to perish. Every interaction of God with us has love as its end. As Christians we do not see the whole of a situation He is always working in ways we don’t see. Everything we experience is in the physical. God operates in the spiritual. The thing that we wrestle with is not just physical it is spiritual. Even we do not see him working He is.

Put the IT in perspective.

2 Kings 6:8

8 Now the king of Syria was making war against Israel; and he consulted with his servants, saying, “My camp will be in such and such a place.” 9 And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are coming down there.” 10 Then the king of Israel sent someone to the place of which the man of God had told him. Thus he warned him, and he was watchful there, not just once or twice.

11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?” 12 And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.”

12 And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.”

14 Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. 15 And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”

When you are surrounded by troubles our thoughts turn to the physical. Information tells us the worst outcome. God sees the whole of the situation. We can only see things correctly by using our spiritual eyes. Holy Spirit allows us to see in to the ways of God.

16 So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 18 So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, and said, “Strike this people, I pray, with blindness.” And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

19 Now Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, nor is this the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” But he led them to Samaria. 20 So it was, when they had come to Samaria, that Elisha said, “Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.” And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and there they were, inside Samaria! 21 Now when the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?” 22 But he answered, “You shall not kill them. Would you kill those whom you have taken captive with your sword and your bow? Set food and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.” 23 Then he prepared a great feast for them; and after they ate and drank, he sent them away and they went to their master. So the bands of Syrian raiders came no more into the land of Israel. The New King James Version

God sometimes says no to what we ask so that He can give us the better! We have an all loving Father who always has our best interests at heart!