Zechariah 14:8-9

There will come a time when Jesus will rule openly on this earth and all those who placed their trust in Him will rejoice! Until that glorious day share the fruit of the Spirit in you with the world He created. 

Spread the Living Word of Jesus the Christ.

The term living waters describes running water from a spring or river, in contrast to the stale and stagnant water of a cistern. Zechariah anticipates the glorious day when the Lord will reestablish His reign on this earth, where it was first challenged by Satan. This will be the answer to the prayers of all those who pray Jesus’ words, “Your kingdom come”. The words the Lord is one speak of His unity and His uniqueness.

 Zechariah 14:8-9

And in that day it shall be—

That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem,

Half of them toward the eastern sea

And half of them toward the western sea;

In both summer and winter it shall occur.

⁹ And the Lord shall be King over all the earth.

In that day it shall be

“The Lord is one,”

And His name one.

one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 

Ephesians 4:5

one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 

Ephesians 4:6

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 

Deuteronomy 6:4

And it will come to pass in that day That the mountains shall drip with new wine, The hills shall flow with milk, And all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water; A fountain shall flow from the house of the Lord And water the Valley of Acacias. 

Joel 3:18

He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 

John 7:38

And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 

Revelation 22:1

In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 

Revelation 22:2

Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” 

Revelation 11:15

Acts 23:1-5

Whatever happened to R.E.S.P.E.C.T.?

 If we believe that all things are under God ’s control then we are to honor  those that He has placed in power. We may not agree with them but we do need to respect them. In America which we say is under God we have a say by our vote. Use it instead of your voice in disrespect. 

There are several possible reasons why Paul did not know Ananias was the high priest. It could be that Paul’s eyesight was poor, and he could not see Ananias clearly. Or perhaps this was not a normal assembly of the Sanhedrin, and the high priest was not wearing his normal robes or sitting in his usual place.

Acts 23:1-5

23 Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, “Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.” ² And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. ³ Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?”

⁴ And those who stood by said, “Do you revile God’s high priest?”

⁵ Then Paul said, “I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’ ”

¹⁷ “If a person sins, and commits any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the Lord, though he does not know it, yet he is guilty and shall bear his ⁵iniquity. 

Leviticus 5:17

¹⁸ And he shall bring to the priest a ram without blemish from the flock, with your valuation, as a trespass offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him regarding his ignorance in which he erred and did not know it, and it shall be forgiven him. 

Leviticus 5:18

²⁸ “You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people. 

Exodus 22:28

²⁰Do not curse the king, even in your thought; Do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom; For a bird of the air may carry your voice, And a bird in flight may tell the matter. 

Ecclesiastes 10:20

¹⁰ and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. ^gThey are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, 

2 Peter 2:10

Acts 19:4-7

You are saved by the Baptism of Jesus Christ but you are empowered through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. He takes the teachings of Christ and makes them alive to believers allowing them to understand their meaning and incorporate them into their lives. 

The Holy Spirit gives us the courage to stand up for what who we believe in!

By laying on his hands here, Paul was demonstrating his apostolic authority. He was also affirming the unity of the new church in Ephesus with the church in Jerusalem, whose members were also were empowered by the Holy Spirit to speak in foreign languages. 

This speaking in tongues was a sign to others that they were part of the body of Christ.

Acts 19:4-7

⁴ Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”

⁵ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. ⁷ 

¹¹  indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 

Matthew 3:11

⁴ John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 

Mark 1:4

⁸ I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” 

Mark 1:8

¹⁶ John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 

Luke 3:16

¹⁷ Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. 

Acts 8:17

¹⁷ And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 

Mark 16:17

The Book Of Matthew

It is time for the followers of  Jesus Christ, disregarding denomination or Church doctrine, to unite and spread the Good News…Jesus saves….the time is now!

The final evidence of the end times will be the universal proclamation of the gospel. The good news is that the final battle of the tribulation known as Armageddon will not result in the destruction of all people. The Lord Jesus Christ will intervene, bringing an end to the destruction and preserving a people for His kingdom.

The  Book of Matthew

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

Matthew 16:^18-19 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

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

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

Romans 11:^25-27 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. ²⁶ And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

“The Deliverer will come out of Zion,

And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;

²⁷ For this is My covenant with them,

When I take away their sins.”

Romans 15:^8-9 Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers, 

“For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles,

And sing to Your name.”

Acts 24

complacency |kəmˈplāsənsē| (also complacence)

a feeling of smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's achievements; 

ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from medieval Latin complacentia, from Latin complacere ‘to please.’

Complacency is deadly when it comes to seeking the truth. We must constantly be lead by the Holy Spirit, learning daily, as we search the Gospels. We need the Holy Spirit whom Jesus gives to believers to guide and teach us. The only One we should seek to please is the Father.

Knowledge is the beginning of wisdom.

Paul was held for 2 years before he was able to fulfill the promise given to him that he would testify to Rome of the Christ. 

God works in His timetable not in ours but His will will always be fulfilled.

The Lord encouraged Paul not to be afraid because he was under the sovereign care of God. As Paul had borne witness to Jesus as a prisoner in Jerusalem, so he would do as a prisoner in Rome. Paul’s chains would glorify God in ways that would have been impossible without them.

It may be that this was the time Luke wrote most of the Book of Acts, considering that he had access to people in Jerusalem and Caesarea for information about the early church.

Acts 24

23:¹¹ But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.”

24:²⁷ But after two years Porcius Festus succeeded Felix; and Felix, wanting to do the Jews a favor, left Paul bound.

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

Acts 18:9

²⁴ saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ 

Acts 27:24

²³ So when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening. 

Acts 28:23

¹⁴ When they had been there many days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying: “There is a certain man left a prisoner by Felix, 

Acts 25:14

Daniel 5:13-23

God is totally in charge of the affairs of man.

This power is His alone to give and just as quickly as He appoints it He can take it away. The key is  through humbly recognizing that it is His. When men begin to think of themselves as gods and take the credit it is the beginning of the end for them.  Christ within man and the power of the Holy Spirit to direct, teach and carry out God’s purposes in human vessels is the only hope for mankind.

 Who are we to think so highly of ourselves? 

We are mere men and He is our God. To Him be all glory!

This event took place in 539 b.c. Daniel was an old man at this time, possibly 80 years old or older. God does not use age discrimination!

Daniel 5:13-23

¹³ Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke, and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the captives from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? ¹⁴ I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. ¹⁵ Now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not give the interpretation of the thing. ¹⁶ And I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations and explain enigmas. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”

¹⁷ Then Daniel answered, and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another; yet I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation. ¹⁸ O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom and majesty, glory and honor. ¹⁹ And because of the majesty that He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whomever he wished, he executed; whomever he wished, he kept alive; whomever he wished, he set up; and whomever he wished, he put down. ²⁰ But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. ²¹ Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses.

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.

²³O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. 

Jeremiah 10:23

⁸ But at last Daniel came before me (his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; in him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream before him, saying: 

Daniel 4:8

¹¹ There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. 

Daniel 5:11

⁵ ‘I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are on the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and have given it to whom it seemed proper to Me.

Jeremiah 27:5

²⁵For he stretches out his hand against God, And acts defiantly against the Almighty, 

Job 15:25

¹³For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; ¹⁴I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit. 

Isaiah 14:13–15

³⁰ The king spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?” 

Daniel 4:30

¹⁸That they may know that You, whose name alone is the Lord, Are the Most High over all the earth. 

Psalm 83:18

²⁴ And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the Lord, have brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree, dried up the green tree and made the dry tree flourish; I, the Lord, have spoken and have done it.” 

Ezekiel 17:24

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. 

2 Chronicles 36:12

²¹ because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 

Romans 1:21

Ezekiel 34:14-16

God protects those who come to the realization that they are sinners and Jesus is their only hope. Without Him they can do nothing but everything is possible when they put their trust in Him alone! 

He will take the very things meant to destroy you and use them to turn your life around to the glory of His Son. 

Israel, though guilty and misguided, would eventually be rescued by the divine Good Shepherd and restored to the Promised Land.

Ezekiel 34:14-16

 ¹⁵ I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord God. ¹⁶ “I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.”

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

Isaiah 40:11

⁶“In that day,” says the Lord, “I will assemble the lame, I will gather the outcast And those whom I have afflicted; 

Micah 4:6

¹¹ For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. 

Matthew 18:11

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.” 

Mark 2:17

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

Luke 5:32

Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, Who oppress the poor, Who crush the needy, Who say to your husbands, “Bring wine, let us drink!” 

Amos 4:1

²⁴O Lord, correct me, but with justice; Not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing. 

Jeremiah 10:24

Luke 11:29-54

Jesus is the line drawn in the sands of time, the final and only way to the Father, and without Him there is no way, no truth and no light for guidance.

 When we accept the gift of salvation that the Father freely gives to all who seek Him with their whole heart we are to be beacons of hope and light to all who have sinned and fallen short. 

We will be changed by the power of the Holy Spirit whose work will be evident in those who love God by the love that they show to others. 

Jesus came not to judge the world but that by Him the world would be saved. It is not by rules and doctrine that men can earn this blessed hope but by the grace and mercy of the Holy Trinity in unison. 

By faith alone are we saved. Be fair. Forgive easily. Remain humble. Never forget that EVERYTHING comes from God’s great love for His creation!

²² For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 

1 Corinthians 1:22

⁵of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen. 

Mark 4:21–25 

¹⁶ “No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light. 

Luke 8:16

² Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault. 

Mark 7:2

²⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. 

Matthew 23:25

⁴ For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 

Matthew 23:4

¹³ “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. 

Matthew 23:13

⁸He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you. But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? 

Micah 6:8

Mark 5:1-9

May 23rd,2014

There are a many character attributes that please God BUT only way to Him.....Jesus Christ. We come to Him and then the Holy Spirit changes us.  Precept by precept we are changed into His image through faith in the salvation that the Father provided.

5 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For  they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
8 blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.

Nahum 1:7-8

TRUST GOD! Within Him everything that is good, pure and holy exists.

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.

Nahum 1:7-8

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.

⁸Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way. 

Psalm 25:8

³⁹But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble. 

Psalm 37:39

⁴⁰And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they trust in Him. 

Psalm 37:40

⁵For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations. 

Psalm 100:5

²⁵The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. 

Lamentations 3:25

¹⁴ I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 

John 10:14

¹⁹ Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” 

2 Timothy 2:19

Daniel 6:1-5

There will always be people who disagree with you.

 But if you love God and follow His commands to love others and do good making the best use of the gifts and talents that He has given…you will succeed and He will make all things work out for your good!

Daniel had been circumspect in obeying the laws of the land, but his enemies knew that when the law of the land conflicted with the law of his God, Daniel would break the former in favor of the latter.

Daniel 6:1-5

6 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps, to be over the whole kingdom; ² and over these, three governors, of whom Daniel was one, that the satraps might give account to them, so that the king would suffer no loss. ³ Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm. ⁴ So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him. ⁵ Then these men said, “We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.”

⁴ Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is envied by his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind. 

Ecclesiastes 4:4

Luke 17:19

F.A.I.T.H. alone pleases God. 

Joy in Him and in the salvation that He provided is our strength.

In the measure that you believe Him you can receive from Him.

Jesus commended the faith that heals. The Samaritan apparently received more than physical healing.

Luke 17:19

¹⁹ And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

²² But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour. 

Matthew 9:22

³⁴ And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.” 

Mark 5:34

⁵² Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has ⁷made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road. 

Mark 10:52

⁵⁰ Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” 

Luke 7:50

⁴⁸ And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” 

Luke 8:48

⁴² Then Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.” 

Luke 18:42

Romans 3:23-26

In Him. Through Him. With Him. In the unity of the Holy Spirit. We are one.

No one can live up to what God created us to be; we all fall short of His glory. We cannot save ourselves because as sinners we can never meet God’s requirements. 

Our only hope is faith in Jesus Christ. 

Christ Jesus died to provide redemption, which means He died to pay the price required to ransom sinners. 

Through God’s initiative, they have been restored to a proper relationship with Him. Because of Christ’s death, God does not compromise His holiness when He forgives a sinner.

Romans 3:23-26

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, ²⁶ to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

²² But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 

Galatians 3:22

¹⁶ Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all 

Romans 4:16

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 

Ephesians 2:8

⁵ not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 

Titus 3:5

⁷ that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 

Titus 3:7

¹⁴ in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. 

Colossians 1:14

⁶ who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, 

1 Timothy 2:6

¹⁸ knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 

1 Peter 1:18

¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 

1 Peter 1:19

⁴ Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? 

Romans 2:4