Daniel 3:16–18

We serve a mighty God capable of keeping all that we entrust to Him.

His ways are above our understanding but they are always for our eternal good.

But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

You’ve stood... caught between what God says and what makes sense. Each of us knows what it’s like to search the night for light. Perhaps outside an emergency room, on the gravel of a roadside, on the manicured grass of a cemetery. We’ve questioned God’s plan. Let me urge you to do what Joseph did – obey. Because Joseph obeyed, God used him to change the world.

God still looks for Josephs today. Common people who serve an uncommon God. Would you be that kind of person? Will you serve…even when you don’t understand?  Max Lucado

Daniel 3:16–18

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” The New King James Version

The three men would rather die than obey Nebuchadnezzar’s command. Their faith in God’s ability to deliver them and their unwavering stance in the face of martyrdom has served as an example to all exiled and oppressed Jews. Their statement here shows that they did not need to make a defense before the king; they had already made up their minds as to whom they would serve. Compliance was unthinkable to them. Even if death is the consequence of noncompliance, they will still hold fast to their religious commitments and trust God for deliverance. A courageous proclamation of faith. God is both able and faithful to deliver His people. 

If God elects not to deliver them from death, they will not regret their decision to stand firm. Their bold address to the world power demonstrates that they fear God more than the king. Their stated refusal to obey effectively seals their fate; Nebuchadnezzar will not tolerate open defiance. Faithlife Study Bible

we have no need to answer you: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were not being arrogant; they were admitting their guilt.

God … is able: The response of the Jewish young men is a model of confidence in God and submission to His will. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego recognized God’s sovereignty and power. But if not: While the faithful men knew that God could deliver them, they were also aware that God may have chosen not to do so. 

Faith in God may not translate into victory in every circumstance. To these men the outcome was irrelevant, for what was at stake was not God’s ability or their own lives, but their faith and obedience to serve Him regardless of the cost. The NKJV Study Bible

The faithful servants of God find him able to control and overrule all the powers armed against them. 

Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst. If He be for us, we need not fear what man can do unto us. 

God will deliver us, either from death or in death. They must obey God rather than man; they must rather suffer than sin; and must not do evil that good may come. Therefore none of these things moved them. The saving them from sinful compliance, was as great a miracle in the kingdom of grace, as the saving them out of the fiery furnace was in the kingdom of nature. Fear of man and love of the world, especially want of faith, make men yield to temptation, while a firm persuasion of the truth will deliver them from denying Christ, or being ashamed of him. We are to be meek in our replies, but we must be decided that we will obey God rather than man. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

We should obey the powers that be until they tell us to disobey and dishonor God (Rom. 13:1), then we should obey God rather than man (Acts 5:29). If we are called to pass through the fire, Christ walked there before us, and will walk there with us (John 15:20), and nothing will be lost by being true to Him. Summarized Bible: Complete Summary of the Old Testament

Joshua 24:15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Job 5:19 

He shall deliver you in six troubles,

Yes, in seven no evil shall touch you.

Jeremiah 1:8 

Do not be afraid of their faces,

For I am with you to deliver you,” says the LORD.

Jeremiah 15:20 

And I will make you to this people a fortified bronze wall;

And they will fight against you,

But they shall not prevail against you;

For I am with you to save you

And deliver you,” says the LORD.

Jeremiah 15:21 

“I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked,

And I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible.”

Mark 3:10-12

 Jesus heals!  He heals us physically, mentally and emotionally.

All dominions and powers have been put under Him. EVERY knee will bow to Him.

Jesus willingly accepted His suffering, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands and that God was fully in control of the outcome (John 13:3). We can trust that our Savior is seated today at the right hand of God, and every power on earth is subject to His authority (1 Peter 3:22). Christ is holding up the universe by the word of His power, and He will hold together everything that concerns you (Hebrews 1:3;  Colossians 1:17). First5 

Mark 3:10-12

10 For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him. 11 And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, “You are the Son of God.” 12 But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known. The New King James Version

For first-century Jews, the Messiah was a political as well as a religious figure. Jesus’ desire to conceal His identity may have been motivated by a desire to avoid violent repercussions early in His ministry. Faithlife Study Bible

Some unfortunate persons who met Christ were possessed by unclean spirits, or demons. These spirit beings have no bodily existence but frequently seek to inhabit humans or even animals. Mark says they fell down before Him, most likely by forcing to the ground the person they possessed. Jesus rebuked the demons who proclaimed You are the Son of God not because the demons incorrectly identified Jesus, but because their testimony was untrustworthy. The NKJV Study Bible

Matthew 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.

Matthew 14:36 and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.

Mark 1:24 saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”

Mark 1:34 Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.

Mark 5:29 Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.

Jesus Christ, all man/all God

Jesus Christ, all man/all God, blessed be His holy name! The Godhead manifested in human flesh.

Jesus suffered, died and rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures. He conquered sin and death once and for all.

Jesus, the Son of God and the only man to live sinlessly, became an acceptable sacrifice to pay our sin debt in full (1 Peter 2:22-24;  2 Corinthians 5:21). The only thing we do to receive this gift is choose faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9). First5 

There are several indications that John was addressing heresies in this epistle. Note the use of expressions like “which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled” (1:1); “every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God” (4:2); and “He who came by water and blood” (5:6). All of these phrases use explicit and vivid language to describe the Incarnation, the truth that Jesus is both completely God and completely human. The NKJV Study Bible

1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life-

That which could refer to (1) the revelation about Christ, (2) the teachings of Christ, (3) the eternal life manifested by Christ, or (4) Christ Himself. The reference is to Jesus, the Word who brings life. This life is a gift from God, a gift that cannot be earned or taken from us. The NKJ Study Bible

As in John’s Gospel, John begins this letter with the Word—the embodiment of God’s revelation in the person of Jesus. John immediately states his thesis: Not only was Jesus from the beginning (eternal), He also was able to be heard, seen, and touched (He was human). This belief separates the community John addresses from those who withdrew from them. John is referring either to himself only, or to himself and other eyewitnesses to Jesus’ ministry. This refers to Jesus, who is eternal life to those who believe in Him. Faithlife Study Bible

4:2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God

One test of whether a person is led by the Holy Spirit is whether that person’s beliefs agree with the truth of God’s Word. Jesus Christ has come in the flesh: This test seems to be aimed at Docetists. They taught that Christ did not have a physical body. The test may also be aimed at the followers of Cerinthus who claimed that Jesus and “the Christ” were two separate beings, one physical and the other spiritual. In this letter, John is careful to use the name and title of Jesus Christ together to clearly express the complete union of the two titles in one person. The NKJ Study Bible

A true spirit from God will confess Jesus’ true humanity. Faithlife Study Bible

5:6 This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7 For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.

Water and blood have been interpreted in at least four ways: (1) as Jesus’ baptism and death, (2) as His incarnation, (3) as the water and blood that flowed from His side on the Cross, and (4) as the baptism of the believer and the Lord’s Supper. Most scholars favor the first interpretation. John is correcting the false teacher Cerinthus, who claimed that the Spirit came on Jesus at His baptism but left Him before His death. The NKJ Study Bible

The reference to water possibly is meant to allude to Jesus’ baptism, or perhaps to the anointing of God’s Spirit. The mention of blood might allude to Jesus’ death. Faithlife Study Bible

1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 

1 Peter 5:8–11

Satan wants to keep us so busy that we have no time left in our day to think about spiritual truths in Jesus. 

He wants to keep us complacent…neither hot nor cold.

Jesus taught us to pray this in the Lord’s Prayer…

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."

May the Lord Bless you and keep you.
May the Lord make his face to shine upon you
and be gracious unto you.
May God give you grace not to sell yourselves short,
Grace to risk something big for something good,
Grace to remember that the world is now too dangerous for anything but truth, and too small for anything but love.
May God take your minds and think through them.
May God take your lips and speak through them.
May God take your hands and work through them.
May God take your hearts and set them on fire.
William Sloane Coffin

1 Peter 5:8–11

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. The New King James Version

Be sober means to be self-disciplined, to think rationally and not foolishly. Be vigilant means to be alert to the spiritual pitfalls of life and take appropriate steps to make certain that we do not stumble. 

Satan is our avowed enemy. He never ceases from being hostile toward us; he is constantly accusing us before God. Satan is both cunning and cruel. He attacks when least expected and desires to destroy completely those whom he attacks. 

We are not commanded to run, but to resist—to fight rather than flee. Victory comes when we remain committed to God, because He is greater than our enemy.

Like a doctor setting a broken bone, God will mend our broken lives and make us whole. God will make our way stable, despite the instability we feel living in a world that inflicts suffering upon us. God will give us the ability to succeed in all that we do for Him. 

As a consequence of our facing the attacks of our enemy, God will build in us a firm foundation that will make us steadfast and immovable. 

God is in control of all things both in this world and throughout eternity.

Responding to the Word of God by saying “amen” echoes a Jewish practice of declaring that everything that had been said is true and that the hearers were committed to putting into practice that truth. The NKJV Study Bible

The new testament uses both “Satan” and “devil” as terms for the chief figure of evil in the Bible. The Hebrew term satan used in the old testament means “adversary”. 

Peter alerts his audience to the devil’s constant threat to the people of God. Within the wider context of the passage, Peter’s use of animal imagery depicts God’s people as vulnerable sheep in desperate need of their shepherd’s protection from all sorts of threats, including persecution and preying animals like the devil. 

Believers throughout the Roman empire were suffering both localized persecution as well as opposition from the devil. Peter offers his audience a final word of comfort. He reminds them that God will empower and ultimately glorify those who remain steadfast in their faith under the weight of their present suffering. Faithlife Study Bible

Acts 14:22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”

1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Colossians 2:5 For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.

2 Timothy 2:10 Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Mark 2:14-17

There is no person righteous but Jesus! Only in His righteousness are we healed.

Precept by precept Holy Spirit will teach us His ways. He will change us from the inside out so that we can reflect the light that Father brought into the world that through Him we could be saved.

God sees the heart of a person! We do not.

Mark 2:14-17

14 As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him. 15 Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him. 16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 When Jesus heard it, He said to them,  “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” The New King James Version

Pharisees were one of the three Jewish schools of thought in Palestine at the time of Jesus according to the Jewish historian Josephus. While the extent of their influence is unclear, the Pharisees apparently had some influence in political, religious and social spheres in Jewish Palestine. The Pharisees were known for their skill at interpreting the Law of Moses, and they held strict views on what was appropriate behavior for a righteous person. In Mark, Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for holding to traditions rather than obeying God’s commands. In chapter 2, they condemn Jesus’ choice to eat with those they viewed as unrighteous and unworthy, but Jesus is not interested in their rules about who is worthy of His attention.

In the Gospels sinners is a term is generally used for people who are considered sinful by Jewish leaders. While certainly many of these people were involved in habits, lifestyles or occupations that led to unrighteous behavior, the label seems to be applied primarily to distinguish between those who were considered pious and those who were not. Faithlife Study Bible

Levi, also called Matthew, was Jewish, but he collected taxes for Rome. The Jews hated tax collectors. They had a reputation for taking more than they needed in order to add to their own wealth.

In this instance Jesus was speaking tongue-in-cheek when He used the word righteous. None are righteous, though some, such as the Pharisees, fancied themselves as such. Instead, Christ came to call sinners to repentance. Jesus did not condone the activities of sinners, but required repentance—a change of mind that recognizes the need of a Savior and recognizes Jesus Christ as the only Savior. The NKJV Study Bible

Matthew 9:9 As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.

Matthew 9:10 Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples.

Luke 5:27 After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.”

Luke 5:31 Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.

Luke 5:32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”