Mark 2:21-22

Make me new with a new heart for understanding and compassion. We are all sinners saved by grace!  Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit will make all things new again.

It is time to sever the ties of the past and live in the present with an eye toward eternity!

Jesus emphasizes the change brought about by the kingdom’s arrival. This verse distinguishes between old and new. Faithlife Bible.

Mark records only four of Jesus’ parables—two of which he includes here. The comparison implies that the newness of His message, and of the new covenant to follow, cannot fit into the old molds of Judaism. The OT was preparation for the NT. NKJ Bible.

Mark 2:21–22 (NKJV)

²¹ No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. ²² And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”

Luke 12:1-3

Hypocrisy…saying one thing and doing the opposite. 

Be real. Keep it real. Pretending to be something that you are not, never works. People will see right through it and if you say you are a Christian, well let’s just say others will find you fake and assume that others proclaiming to be are also.

Is the Church full of hypocrisy? Absolutely…but God loves us in spite of our failings but He never condones it…never.

If we are truly interested in bringing others to Christ we need to hold up Jesus and His perfect life given up for us. We need to live our lives in truth not pretending to be something that we are not so that others will be drawn to HIs true righteousness not ours. There is no one righteous but God!

The Greek word used here, leaven, refers to fermented dough that was mixed in with new dough and used as a rising agent. The small amount used in baking would permeate the entire batch of new dough. Leaven serves as an apt metaphor to describe the widespread effects of the Pharisees’ hypocritical teachings and actions. Faithlife Bible.

Practicing hypocrisy is senseless because eventually all deeds—both good and evil—will be exposed. All secrets will be revealed by God. NKJ Bible.

Luke 12:1–3 (NKJV)

12 In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. ² For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. ³ Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

Matthew 10:26 (NKJV)

²⁶ Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.

Matthew 23:28 (NKJV)

²⁸ Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Luke 12:41-48

Never give up trying to live a life that pleases God. Be quick to recognize sin and quick to ask for forgiveness. When you know better…you do better!

In this life there will be trials and tribulations but take heart for He will make all things new.

The issue is who lives life in a way that looks for, and takes seriously, the return of Jesus. NKJ Bible.

Jesus suggests that there are elements of judgment associated with His mission. Faithlife Bible.

Peter asked if Jesus’ teaching was for the disciples only or for all people. Jesus did not answer the question directly. Instead He described a variety of categories of servants. Servants are those who belong to the Master and have their stewardship evaluated. Several responses, from faithfulness to blatant disobedience, are described.

Discipline for the ignorant is less severe. The parable suggests degrees of God’s punishment: The faithful are rewarded, the ignorant are disciplined a little, the disobedient are disciplined moderately, and the blatantly disobedient are executed. In each case, the stewardship of the servant is evaluated. NKJ Bible.

Luke 12:41–48 (NKJV)

⁴¹ Then Peter said to Him, “Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?”

⁴² And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? ⁴³ Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. ⁴⁴ Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. ⁴⁵ But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, ⁴⁶ the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. ⁴⁷ And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. ⁴⁸ But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

Matthew 25:21 (NKJV)

²¹ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

Numbers 15:29 (NKJV)

²⁹ You shall have one law for him who sins unintentionally, for him who is native-born among the children of Israel and for the stranger who dwells among them.

1 Corinthians 15:1-9

Today is Monday the day that I attend Bible Study at my parents Memory Loss Center. Recently I found that the leader of the Bible Study belonged to Jehovah Witnesses. A few days after she showed up at my door the Holy Spirit directed me to these verses in Scripture. Today He again directed me to this Scripture reading. It is Monday….today I will meet with them.

These verses hold the whole truth of all-man/all-God Jesus. His salvation is the only way to the Father.

Believers experience salvation in part now (in the sense of beginning their relationship with Christ without the burden of sin standing between them and God), but this salvation will be complete when Christ returns and they are unified with God for eternity. Faithlife Bible.

Christ’s death dealt decisively with our sins. He suffered in our place to endure the just wrath of God against us. Christ lived and died in accordance with the prophecies about Him in the OT. The Resurrection verifies the fact that Christ’s death paid the full price for sin. The Greek term translated rose here is in the perfect tense, emphasizing the ongoing effects of this historical event. Christ is a risen Savior today.

At the time of Paul’s writing, a person could have verified the truthfulness of the apostle’s statements. The majority of the five hundred people who saw the risen Christ, as well as all the apostles and James (the half brother of Jesus), were still living. NKJ Bible.

1 Corinthians 15:1–9 (NKJV)

15 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, ² by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

³ For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, ⁵ and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. ⁶ After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. ⁷ After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. ⁸ Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.

⁹ For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

Isaiah 53:10 (NKJV)

¹⁰ Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him;

He has put Him to grief.

When You make His soul an offering for sin,

He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,

And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.

1 Corinthians 15:1-8

This morning I was watching a youtube video about the beliefs of Jehovah Witnesses. I meet on Monday mornings   for  a Bible Study with  my parents and other residents of their Memory Care facility where they reside. 

I found out by chance that the leader of this study belonged to this religion. She visited my neighborhood and my house by chance? Nothing is by happenstance in the realm of God. I would never have known her beliefs if she had not. 

According to what I saw they believe that Jesus was the archangel Michael formed into the man, Jesus, who later died. Michael then was  elevated as a spirit man. This is one of the verses (1 Corinthians 15:1–8) that was brought to my mind by the Holy Spirit.

We are saved by the grace of God in the salvation provided in the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The only begotten Son of God…all God, all man!

Paul’s gospel to the Corinthians centered on the physical death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God who became human yet never sinned. He viewed himself as a link in a long chain of witnesses to the truth of the death and resurrection of Christ. The Resurrection verifies the fact that Christ’s death paid the full price for sin. The Greek term translated rose here is in the perfect tense, emphasizing the ongoing effects of this historical event. Christ is a risen Savior today.

At the time of Paul’s writing, a person could have verified the truthfulness of the apostle’s statements. The majority of the five hundred people who saw the risen Christ, as well as all the apostles and James (the half brother of Jesus), were still living. NKJ Bible.

1 Corinthians 15:1–8 (NKJV)

15 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, ² by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

³ For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, ⁵ and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. ⁶ After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. ⁷ After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. ⁸ Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.

Isaiah 53:10 (NKJV)

¹⁰ Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him;

He has put Him to grief.

When You make His soul an offering for sin,

He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,

And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.

Hosea 6:2 (NKJV)

² After two days He will revive us;

On the third day He will raise us up,

That we may live in His sight.

I found out by chance that the leader of this study belonged to this religion. She visited my neighborhood and my house by chance? Nothing is by happenstance in the realm of God. I would never have known her beliefs if she had not. 

According to what I saw they believe that Jesus was the archangel Michael formed into the man, Jesus, who later died. Michael then was  elevated as a spirit man. This is one of the verses (1 Corinthians 15:1–8) that was brought to my mind by the Holy Spirit.

We are saved by the grace of God in the salvation provided in the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The only begotten Son of God…all God, all man!

Paul’s gospel to the Corinthians centered on the physical death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God who became human yet never sinned. He viewed himself as a link in a long chain of witnesses to the truth of the death and resurrection of Christ. The Resurrection verifies the fact that Christ’s death paid the full price for sin. The Greek term translated rose here is in the perfect tense, emphasizing the ongoing effects of this historical event. Christ is a risen Savior today.

At the time of Paul’s writing, a person could have verified the truthfulness of the apostle’s statements. The majority of the five hundred people who saw the risen Christ, as well as all the apostles and James (the half brother of Jesus), were still living. NKJ Bible.

1 Corinthians 15:1–8 (NKJV)

15 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, ² by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

³ For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, ⁵ and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. ⁶ After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. ⁷ After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. ⁸ Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.

Isaiah 53:10 (NKJV)

¹⁰ Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him;

He has put Him to grief.

When You make His soul an offering for sin,

He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,

And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.

Hosea 6:2 (NKJV)

² After two days He will revive us;

On the third day He will raise us up,

That we may live in His sight.

Joel 2:28-29

The promise of the Holy Spirit was fulfilled in Jesus. It was imperative that He ascend to Heaven so that the Father could send the Holy Spirit, the very heart of God, into the lives of those who believe. He would guide them into the way of truth and bring to life the teachings of Jesus. 

Jesus gives us a clean slate removing the barrier of sin that separated us from the Trinity.

Afterward indicates the prophetic future; this word is a signal that the text was pointing to the messianic age. All flesh anticipates the inclusion of both Jews and Gentiles in one body in Christ. The outpouring of the Spirit and the ministries done through His power will be accomplished without regard to gender, age, or class. NKJ Bible.

Joel 2:28–29 (NKJV)

²⁸ “And it shall come to pass afterward

That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;

Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

Your old men shall dream dreams,

Your young men shall see visions.

²⁹ And also on My menservants and on My maidservants

I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

Isaiah 54:13 (NKJV)

¹³ All your children shall be taught by the Lord,

And great shall be the peace of your children.

Zechariah 12:10 (NKJV)

¹⁰ “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.

Luke 12:13-21

Perfection according to Jesus? Give everything you have to the poor. In doing so you are laying up eternally those things that truly please God! Although the majority of us will never be that altruistic it points out that money and its acquisition held onto for our own means mean nothing in this life morally.

In a parable unique to Luke’s Gospel, Jesus teaches on the pitfalls of abundance and the evil of greed. Jesus’ point is to show the futility and deception of acquiring wealth, which He sets in contrast to storing up treasure that matters to God. Faithlife Bible.

The word I appears six times, showing the selfish focus this man has as a result of his fortune. His plan is to store his abundant resources for himself, as though the assets were his alone and should be hoarded. This focus on the self is what Jesus is condemning. All earthly wealth is temporary and ultimately worthless. NKJ Bible.

Luke 12:13–21 (NKJV)

¹³ Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

¹⁴ But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵ And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

¹⁶ Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. ¹⁷ And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

²¹ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Matthew 6:20 (NKJV)

²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Luke 8:43-48

When you touch JESUS your whole world changes! Blessed are those who cannot see but believe. Come to Him all who labor and He will give you rest.

Omnipotent is His name!

The woman might have feared that Jesus would be angry, since she did not ask permission—especially if touching Jesus made Him ceremonially unclean. Alternatively, her trembling may simply indicate an appropriate level of awe and reverence at the display of Jesus’ healing power. Faithlife Bible.

It took great courage for her to seek out Jesus. Note that her action was not criticized, but commended. NKJ Bible.

Luke 8:43–48 (NKJV)

⁴³ Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, ⁴⁴ came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.

⁴⁵ And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?”

When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ”

⁴⁶ But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” ⁴⁷ Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.

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

Mark 5:34 (NKJV)

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

Luke 5:13 (NKJV)

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

John 17:20-26

We are created in the very image of God. Revealed to the world we live in by our faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to save and restore us to the glory of God..Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit resides in us and His power is activated in and through us by the light of the world whose flame we become in Christ. The Holy Spirit is the very heart of the Trinity revealed.

This little light of mine…I’m gonna let shine!

If you are a believer, these words are Jesus’ prayer for you.The ultimate reason for future believers to know the love of God is so that God’s love may be replicated in them, thus drawing the entire world to Christ. NKJ Bible.

John 17:20–26 (NKJV)

²⁰ “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; ²¹ that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. ²² And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: ²³ I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

²⁴ “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. ²⁵ O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. ²⁶ And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

Matthew 25:34 (NKJV)

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:

Acts 26:12-18

Paul’s conversion to Christianity probably astonished many of his contemporaries. He was enlightened to enlighten others. Paul was sent to the Gentiles…to save as many as would listen and seek the Christ. God loves all people regardless of their nationality, religious beliefs or sexual leanings and He wants no one to perish but to come to the truth. 

Salvation only comes through the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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.

A young ox, when it was first yoked, usually resented the burden and tried kicking its way out. If the ox was yoked to a single-handed plow, the plowman would hold a long staff with a sharpened end close to the heels of the ox. Every time the ox kicked, it struck the spike. If the ox was yoked to a wagon, a studded bar with wooden spikes served the same purpose. The point was that the ox had to learn submission to the yoke the hard way. Before his encounter with Jesus on the Damascus road, Paul was resisting God in a similar manner. NKJ Bible.

 Acts 26:12–18 (NKJV)

¹² “While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, ¹³ at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. ¹⁴ And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 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.’

Luke 1:79 (NKJV)

⁷⁹ To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,

To guide our feet into the way of peace.”