What it means to be clothed in white:

He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. – Revelation 3:5

To be “dressed in white” means to be set apart for God and made pure. Christ promises future honour and eternal life to those who stand firm in their faith. The names of all believers are registered in the book of life. This book symbolises God’s knowledge of who belongs to him. All such people are guaranteed a place in the book of life and are introduced to the host of heaven as belonging to Christ (see Luke 12:8, 9).

(Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. – – Revelation 3:3. The church at Sardis was urged to obey the Christian truth they had heard when they first believed in Christ, to get back to the basics of faith. It is important to grow in our knowledge of the Lord, to deepen our understanding through careful study. But no matter how much we learn, we must never abandon the basic truths about Jesus. Jesus will always be God’s Son, and his sacrifice for our sins is permanent. No new truth from God will ever contradict these biblical teachings.)

(“To the angel [banks, The Great Hall] of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no-one can shut, and what he shuts no-one can open. – Revelation 3:7. Philadelphia was founded by the citizens of Pergamum. The community was built in a border area as a gateway to the central plateau of Asia Minor. Philadelphia’s residents kept barbarians out of the region and brought in Greek culture and language. The city was destroyed by an earthquake in A.D. 17, and aftershocks kept the people so worried that most of them lived outside the city limits.)

(The key of David represents Christ’s authority to open the door of invitation into his future kingdom. After the door is opened, no-one can close it – salvation is assured. Once it is closed, no-one can open it – judgment is certain.)

(Camp)

Kinds used by David’s men:

…they were armed with bows and were able to shoot arrows or to sling stones right-hand or left-handed; they were kinsmen of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin – – 1 Chronicles 12:2

Archers and slingers had special weapons. The sling was unassuming in appearance but deadly in battle. A shallow leather pouch with a cord of leather or goat’s hair attached to each side, the sling was whirled around the head. When one side was released, it sent a stone to its target. The bow and arrow had been in use for thousands of years. Arrowheads were made of stone, wood, or bone because the Philistines still had a monopoly on metalworking (1 Samuel 13:19, 20). Arrow shifts were made of reed or wood, and bowstrings were made of animal gut.

Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the desert. They were brave warriors, ready for battle and able to handle the shield and spear. Their faces were the faces of lions, and they were as swift as gazelles in the mountains. – – 1 Chronicles 12:8

While the men of Benjamin were expert archers and slingers, the warriors of Gad were experts with the shield and spear. Israelite spears had wood shafts and spearheads of bone or stone and were often thrown through the air toward their mark. Philistine spears had bronze shafts and iron spearheads, and their shields were made of wood and overlaid with leather. Large shields were often carried by an armour-bearer, whose main task was to protect the warrior.

All the warriors mentioned here were from the tribe of Benjamin. Even members of Saul’s own tribe (1 Samuel 9:1, 2) were deserting him to help David become king over all Israel. It was clear to them that God had chosen David to be Israel’s next leader.

Flower Arrangements)

Coming spiritual adultery:

See how the faithful city

has become a harlot!

She once was full of justice;

righteousness used to dwell in her –

but now murderers!

Your silver has become dross,

your choice wine is diluted with water. –  NIV Isaiah 1.21-22

“The faithful city” refers to Jerusalem, representing all of Judah. God compares the actions of his people to a harlot.  The people had turned from the worship of the true God to worshipping idols.  Their faith was defective, impure, and diluted.  Idolatry, outward or inward, is spiritual adultery, breaking our commitment to God in order to love something else.  Jesus described the people of his day as adulterous, even though they were religiously strict.  As the church, we are the “bride” of Christ (Revelation 19.7), and, by faith, we can be clothed in his righteousness.  Has your faith become impure?  Ask God to restore you.  Keep your devotion to him strong and pure.

Committing mental adultery:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  –  NIV Matthew 5.27-28

The Old Testament law said that it is wrong for a person to have sex with someone other than his or her spouse (Exodus 20:14). But Jesus said that the desire to have sex with someone other than your spouse is mental adultery and thus sin.  Jesus emphasised that if the act is wrong, then so is the intention.  To be faithful to your spouse with your body but not your mind is to break the trust so vital to a strong marriage.  Jesus is not condemning natural interest in the opposite sex or even healthy sexual desire, but the deliberate and repeated filling of one’s mind with fantasies that would be evil if acted out.

How lust can lead to:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  –  NIV Matthew 5.27-28

Some think that if lustful thoughts are sin, why shouldn’t a person go ahead and do the lustful actions too? Acting out sinful desires is harmful in several ways: (1) it causes people to excuse sin rather than to stop sinning; (2) it destroys marriages; (3) it is deliberate rebellion against God’s word; (4) it always hurts someone else in addition to the sinner.  Sinful action is more dangerous than sinful desire, and that is why desires should not be acted out.  Nevertheless, sinful desire is just as damaging to righteousness.  Left unchecked, wrong desires will result in wrong actions and turn people away from God.

And divorce:

“No-one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”  –  NIV John 8.11

Jesus didn’t condemn the woman accused of adultery, but neither did he ignore or condemned her sin. He told her to leave her life of sin, Jesus stands ready to forgive any sin in your life, but confession and repentance mean a change of heart.  With God’s help we can accept Christ’s forgiveness and stop our wrongdoing.

[Plate:

The whole world in your hands]

Don’t get so secure you miss God’s plan:

‘   “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. – Genesis 12.2

God [Wall] promised to bless Abram and make him great, but there was one condition. Abram had to do what God [Wall] wanted him to do.  This meant leaving his home and friends and travelling to a new land where God [Wall] promised to build a great nation from Abram’s family.  Abram obeyed, walking away from his home for God’s [Wall’s] promise of even greater blessings in the future.  God [Wall] may be trying to lead you to a place of greater service and usefulness for him.  Don’t let the comfort and security of your present position make you miss God’s [Wall’s] plan for you.

Found in God:

Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” 

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ “

God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob – has sent me to you.’ This is my name for ever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.   – Exodus 3.13-15

The Egyptians had many gods by many different names. Moses wanted to know God’s name so the Hebrew people would know exactly who had sent him to them.  God called himself I AM, a name describing his eternal power and unchangeable character.  In a world where values, morals, and laws change constantly, we can find stability and security in our unchanging God.  The God who appeared to Moses is the same God who can live in us today.  Hebrews 13:8 says God is the same “yesterday and today and for ever”.  Because God’s nature is stable and trustworthy, we are free to follow and enjoy him rather than spend our time trying to figure him out.

The king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, “You will not get in here; event he blind and the lame can ward you off.”  They thought, “David cannot get in here.” Nevertheless, David captures the fortress of Zion, the City of David. – 2 Samuel 5.6-7

The Jebusites had a clear military advantage, and they boasted of their security behind the impregnable walls of Jerusalem, also called Zion.  But they soon discovered that their walls would not protect them.  David caught them by surprise by entering the city through the water tunnel.

Only in God are we truly safe and secure. Anything else is false security.  Whether you are surrounded by mighty walls of stone, a comfortable home, or a secure job, no-one can predict what tomorrow may bring.  Our relationship with God is the only security that cannot be taken away.

(5.6   The fortress city of Jerusalem was located on a high ridge near the centre of the united Israelite kingdom.  It was considered neutral territory because it stood on the border of the territory of the tribes of Benjamin and Judah and it was still occupied by the Jebusites, a Canaanite tribe that had never been expelled from the land (Judges 1.21).  Because of its strategic advantages, David made Jerusalem his capital.)

Real security is knowing God never changes:

The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’  – OBADIAH 3

The Edomites self secure, and they were proud of their self-sufficiency.  But they were fooling themselves because there is no lasting security apart from God.  Is your security in objects or people?  Ask yourself how much lasting security they really offer. Possessions and people can disappear in a moment, but God does not change.  Only he can supply true security.

(Obadiah 3   Edom was Judah’s southern neighbor, sharing a common boundary.  But neighbours are not always friends, and Edom liked nothing about Judah.  Edom’s capital at this time was Sela (perhaps the later city of Petra), a city considered impregnable because it was cut into rock cliffs and set in a canyon that could be entered only through a narrow gap.  What Edom perceived as its strengths would be its downfall: (1) safety in their city (vv. 3, 4) – God would send them plummeting from the heights; (2) pride in their self-sufficiency (v. 4) – God would humble them; (3) wealth (vv. 5,6) – thieves would steal all they had; (4) allies (v. 7) – God would cause them to turn against Edom; (5) wisdom (vv. 8, 9) – the wise would be destroyed.)

Do you know what real security is?

‘   But when they went out to bury her, they found nothing except her skull, her feet and her hands.  – 2 Kings 9.35

Jezebel’s skull, feet, and hands were all that remained of her evil life – no power, no money, no prestige, nor royal finery, no family, no spiritual heritage. In the end, her life of luxury and treachery amounted to nothing.  Power, health, and wealth may make you feel as if you can live for ever.  But death strips everyone of all external security.  The time to set your life’s course is now, while you still have time and before you heart becomes hardened.  The end will come soon enough.

‘   I have set the LORD always before me.  Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.  – Psalms 16.8

By saying that he “will not be shaken”, David was talking about the unique sense of security felt by believers. God [Wall] does not exempt believers from the day-to-day circumstances of life. Believers and unbelievers alike experience pain, trouble, and failure at times (Matthew 5.45).  Unbelievers have a sense of hopelessness about life and confusion over their true purpose on earth.  Those who seek God [Wall], however, can move ahead confidently with what they know is right and important in God’s [Wall’s] eyes.  They know that God [Wall] will keep them from being moved off of his chosen path.

Comes from humility:

Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down. – Obadiah 4

The Edomites were proud of their city [Seat] carved right into the rock. Today Sela, or Petra, is considered one of the marvels of the ancient world, but only as a tourist attraction.  The Bible warns that pride is the surest route to self-destruction (Proverbs 16.18).  Just as Petra and Edom fell, so will proud people fall.  A humble person is more secure than a proud person because humility gives a more accurate perspective of oneself and the world.

Seeking it in the wrong places:

The word of the LORD came to me: “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem:

“ ‘I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the desert, through a land not sown. Israel was holy to the LORD, the firstfruits of his harvest; all who devoured her were held guilty, and disaster overtook them,’ “  declares the LORD.

Hear the words of the LORD, O house of Jacob, all you clans of the house of Israel.

This is what the LORD says: “What fault did your fathers find in me, that they strayed so far from me? They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves. They did not ask, ‘Where is the LORD, who brought us up out of Egypt and led us through the barren wilderness, through a land of desert and rifts, a land of drought and darkness, a land where no-one travels and no-one lives?’  I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce.  But you came and defiled my land and made my inheritance detestable.   The priests did not ask, ‘Where is the LORD?’ Those who deal with the law did not know me; the leaders rebelled against me.  The prophets prophesied by Baal, following worthless idols.

“Therefore I bring charges against you again,” declares the LORD.

“And I will bring charges against your children’s children. Cross over to the coasts of Kittim and look, send to Kedar and observe closely; see if there has ever been anything like this: Has a nation ever changed its gods?  (Yet they are not gods at all.)  But my people have exchanged their Glory for worthless idols.  Be appalled at this, O heavens, and shudder with great horror,”  declares the LORD.

“My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.  Is Israel a servant, a slave by birth?  Why then has he become plunder?  Lions have roared; they have growled at him.  They have laid waste his land; his towns are burned and deserted.  Also, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes have shaved the crown on your head.  Have you not brought this on yourselves by forsaking the LORD your God when he led you in the way?  Now why go to Egypt to drink water from the Shilhor?  And why go to Assyria to drink water from the River?  Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you.  Consider then and realise how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the LORD your God and have no awe of me,” declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty.

“Long ago you broke off your yoke and tore off your bonds; you said, ‘I will not serve you! Indeed, on every high hill and under every spreading tree you lay down as a prostitute.  I had planted you like a choice vine of sound and reliable stock.  How then did you turn against me into a corrupt, wild vine?  Although you wash yourself with soda and use an abundance of soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me,” declares the Sovereign LORD.

“How can you say, ‘I am not defiled; I have not run after the Baals’? See how you behaved in the valley; consider what you have done.  You are a swift she-camel running here and there, a wild donkey accustomed to the desert, sniffing the wind in her craving – in her heat who can restrain her?  Any males that pursue her need not tire themselves; at mating time they will find her.  Do not run until your feet are bare and your throat is dry.  But you said, ‘It’s no use!  I love foreign gods, and I must go after them.’

“As a thief is disgraced when he is caught, so the house of Israel is disgraced – they, their kings and their officials, their priests and their prophets.  They say to wood, ‘You are my father,’ and to stone, ‘You have me birth.’  They have turned their backs to me and not their faces; yet when they are in trouble, they say, ‘Come and save us!’  Where then are the gods you made for yourselves?  Let them come if they can save you when you are in trouble!  For you have as many gods as you have towns, O Judah.

“Why do you bring charges against me?  You have all rebelled against me,” declares the LORD.

“In vain I punished your people; they did not respond to correction. Your sword has devoured your prophets like a ravening lion.

“You of this generation, consider the word of the LORD:

“Have I been a desert to Israel or a land of great darkness? Why do my people say, ‘We are free to roam; we will come to you no more’?  Does a maiden forget her jewellery, a bride her wedding ornaments?  Yet my people have forgotten me, days without number.  How skilled you are at pursuing love!  Even the worst of men can learn from your ways.  On your clothes men find the lifeblood of the innocent poor, though you did not catch them breaking in.  Yet in spite of all this you say, ‘I am innocent; he is not angry with me.’  But I will pass judgment on you because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’  Why do you go about so much, changing your ways?  You will be disappointed by Egypt as you were by Assyria.  You will also leave that place with your hands on your head, for the LORD has rejected those you trust; you will not be helped by them.

“If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him and marries another man, should he return to her again? Would not the land be completely defiled?  But you have lived as a prostitute with many lovers – would you now return to me?” declares the LORD.

“Look up to the barren heights and see. Is there any place where you have not been ravished?  By the roadside you sat waiting for lovers, sat like a nomad in the desert.  You have defiled the land with your prostitution and wickedness.  Therefore the showers have been withheld, and no spring rains have fallen.  Yet you have the brazen look of a prostitute; you refuse to blush with shame.  Have you not just called to me: ‘My Father, my friend from my youth, will you always be angry?  Will your wrath continue for every?’  This is how you talk, but you do all the evil you can.”  – Jeremiah 2.1-3.5

In this section, the marriage analogy sharply contrasts God’s [Wall’s] love for his people with their love for other gods and reveals Judah’s faithlessness. Jeremiah condemned Judah (he sometimes called Judah “Jerusalem”, the name of its capital city) for seeking security in worthless, changeable things rather than the unchangeable God [Wall].  We may be tempted to seek security from possessions, people, or our own abilities, but these will fail us.  There is no lasting security apart from the eternal God [Wall].

(2.2   We appreciate a friend who remains true to his or her commitment, and we are disappointed with someone who fails to keep a promise.  God [Wall] was pleased when his people obeyed initially, but he became angry with them when they refused to keep their commitment.  Temptations distract us from God [wall].  Think above your original commitment to obey God [Wall], and ask yourself if you are remaining truly devoted.)

(2.3   The firstfruits, or the first part, of the harvest were set aside for God [Wall] (Deuteronomy 26.1-11).  That’s how Israel was dedicated to him in years gone by.  Israel had been as eager to please God [Wall] as if she were his young bride, a holy, devoted people.  This contrasted greatly with the situation in Jeremiah’s time.)

(2.4-8   The united nation of Israel included both the “house of Israel” and the ”house of Jacob” (Judah).  Jeremiah knew Israel’s history well.  The prophets recited history to the people for several reasons: (1) to remind them of God’s [Wall’s] faithfulness; (2) to make sure the people wouldn’t forget (they didn’t have Bibles to read); (3) to emphasise God’s [Wall’s] love for them; (4) to remind the people that there was a time when they were close to God [Wall].  We should learn from history so we can build on the successes and avoid repeating the failures of others.)

(2.8   Baal was the chief male god of the Canaanite religion.  “Baals” (2.23) refers to the fact that Baal was worshipped in many centres in Canaanite practice.  Baal was the god of fertility.  Worship of Baal included animal sacrifice and sacred prostitution (male and female) in the high places.  Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab, introduced Baal worship into the northern kingdom, and eventually it spread to Judah.  The sexual orientation of his worship was a constant temptation to the Israelites, who were called to be holy.)

(2.10   God [Wall] was saying that even pagan nations like Kittim (Cyprus, in the west) and Kedar (The home of Arab tribes living in the desert east of Palestine) remained loyal to their national gods.  But Israel had abandoned the one and only God [Wall] for a completely worthless object of worship.)

(2.13   Who would set aside a sparkling spring of water for a cistern, a pit that collected rainwater?  God [Wall] told the Israelites they were doing that very thing when they turned from him, the spring of living water, to the worship of idols.  Not only that, but the cisterns they chose were broken and empty.  The people had built religious systems in which to store truth, but those systems were worthless.  Why should we cling to the broken promises of unstable “cisterns” (money, power, religious systems, or whatever transitory thing we are putting in place of God [Wall]) when God [Wall] promises to constantly refresh us with himself, the living water (John 4.10)?)

(2.16, 17   Memphis was near modern Cairo’s present location in lower Egypt, and Tahpanhes was in northeastern Egypt.  Jeremiah could be speaking of Pharaoh Shishak’s previous invasion of Judah in 926 B.C. (1 Kings 14.25), or he may have been predicting Pharaoh Neco’s invasion in 609 B.C. when King Josiah of Judah would be killed (2 Kings 23.29, 30).  Jeremiah’s point is that the people brought this on themselves by rebelling against God [Wall].)

(2.22   The stain of sin is more than skin-deep.  Israel had stains that could not be washed out, even with the strongest cleansers.  Spiritual cleansing must reach deep into the heart – and this is a job that God [Wall] alone can do.  We cannot ignore the effects of sin and hope they will go away.  Your sin has caused a deep stain that God [Wall] can and will remove if you are willing to let him cleanse you (Isaiah 1.18; Ezekiel 36.25).)

(2.23-27   The people are compared to animals who search for mates in mating season.  Unrestrained, they rush for power, money, alliances with foreign powers, and other gods.  The idols did not seek the people; the people sought the idols and then ran wildly after them.  Then they became so comfortable in their sin that they could not think of giving it up.  Their only shame was in getting caught.  If we desire something so much that we’ll do anything to get it, this is a sign that we are addicted to it and out of tune with God [Wall].)

(2.30   Being a prophet in Jeremiah’s day was a risky business.  Prophets had to criticise the policies of evil kings, and this made them appear to be traitors.  The kings hated the prophets for standing against their policies, and the people often hated the prophets for preaching against their idolatrous life-styles.  (See Acts 7.52.))

(2.31, 32   Forgetting can be dangerous, whether it is intentional or an oversight.  Israel forgot God [Wall] by focusing its affections on the allurements of the world.  The more we focus on the pleasures of the world, the easier it becomes to forget God’s [Wall’s] care, his love, his dependability, his guidance, and most of all, God [Wall] himself.  What pleases you most?  Have you been forgetting God [Wall] lately?)

(2.36   God [Wall] is not against alliances or working partnerships, but he is against people trusting others for the help that should come from him.  This was the problem in Jeremiah’s time.  After the days of David and Solomon, Israel fell apart because the leaders turned to other nations and gods instead of the true God [Wall].  They played power politics, thinking that their strong neighbours could protect them.  But Judah would soon learn that its alliance with Egypt would be just as disappointing as its former alliance with Assyria (2 Kings 16.8, 9; Isaiah 7.13-25).)

(3.1   This law, found in Deuteronomy 24:1-4, says that a divorced woman who remarries can never be reunited with her first husband.  Judah “divorced” God [Wall] and “married” other gods.  God [Wall] had every right to permanently disown his wayward people, but in his mercy he was willing to take them back again.)

(3.2   “Like a nomad in the desert” means, as an Arab thief might hide and wait to plunder a passing caravan, Judah ran to idolatry.  It was a national preoccupation.)

(3.4, 5   In spite of their great sin, the people of Israel continued to talk as if they were God’s [Wall’s] children.  The only way they could do this was to minimize their sin.  When we know we’ve done something wrong, we want to downplay the error and relieve some of the guilt we feel.  As we minimize our sinfulness, we naturally shy away from making changes, and so we keep on sinning.  But if we view every wrong attitude and action as a serious offence against God [Wall], we will begin to understand what living for God [Wall] is all about.  Is there any sin in your life that you’ve written off as too small to worry about?  God [Wall] says that we must confess and turn away from every sin.)

Jesus is the source of:

I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.”  – John 1.34

John the Baptist’s job was to point people to Jesus, their long-awaited Messiah. Today people are looking for someone to give them security in an insecure world.  Our job is to point them to Christ and to show that he is the one whom they seek.

Recognizing false security:

I’ve refused to type these verse up… “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man.  People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark.  Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

“It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building.  But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and Sulphur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

“It will be just like on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no-one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them.  Likewise, no-one in the field should go back for anything.  Remember Lot’s wife!  Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.  I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left.  Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.”  – Luke 17:26-35

Jesus warned against false security. We are to abandon the values and attachments of this world in order to be ready for Christ’s return.  His return will happen suddenly, and when he comes, there will be no second chances.  Some will be taken to be with him; the rest will be left behind.

False security of wealth:

‘   When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow me.”

When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. – Luke 18.22-23

This man’s wealth made his life comfortable and gave [game to wear] him power and prestige. When Jesus told him to sell everything he owned, Jesus was touching the very basis of his security and identity.  The man did not understand that he would be even more secure if he followed Jesus than he was with all his wealth.  Jesus does not ask all believers to sell everything they have, although this may be his will for some.  He does ask us all, however, to get rid of anything that has become more important than God [Wall].  If your basis for security has shifted from God [Wall] to what you own, it would be better for you to get rid of those possessions.

EXTRA:

(‘ Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot sono f Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan.  But when they came to Haran, they settled there. – Genesis 11.31   Terah left Ur to go to Canaan but settled in Haran instead.  Why did he stop halfway?  It may have been his health, the climate, or even fear.  But this did not change Abram’s calling (“the LORD had said to Abram”, 12.1).  He had respect for his father’s leadership, but when Terah died Abram moved on to Canaan.  God’s will may come in stages.  Just as the time in Haran was a transition period for Abram, so God may give us transition period and times of waiting to help us depend on him and trust his timing.  If we patiently do his will during the transition times, we will be better prepared to serve him as we should when he calls us.]

(‘   The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.   – Genesis 12.1-3   When God [Wall] called him, Abram moved out in faith from Ur to Haran and finally to Canaan.  God [Wall] then established a covenant with Abram, telling him that he would found a great nation.  Not only would this nation be blessed, God [Wall] said, but the other nations of the earth would be blessed through Abram’s descendants.  Israel, the nation that would come from Abram, was to follow God [Wall] and influence those with whom it came in contact.  Through Abram’s family tree, Jesus Christ was born to save humanity.  Through Christ, people can have a personal relationship with God and be blessed beyond measure.)

(ABRAM’S JOURNEY TO CANAAN   Abram, Sarai, and Lot travelled from Ur of the Chaldeans to Canaan by way of Haran.  Though indirect, this route followed the rivers rather than attempting to cross the vast desert.)

(ABRAM’S JOURNEY TO EGYPT   A famine could cause the loss of a shepherd’s wealth.  So Abram travelled through the Negev to Egypt, where there was plenty of food and good land for his flocks.)

(‘   So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey – the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.  – Exodus 3.8   “The home of the Canaanites” is the land of Israel and Jordan today. Canaanites was a term for all the various tribes living in that land.)

(‘   So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”  – Exodus 3.10ff   Moses made excuses because he felt inadequate for the job God [Wall] asked him to do.  It was natural for him to feel that way.  He was inadequate all by himself.  But God [Wall] wasn’t asking Moses to work alone.  He offered other resources to help (God [Wall] himself, Aaron, and the ability to do miracles).  God [Wall] often calls us to tasks that seem too difficult, but he doesn’t ask us to do them alone.  God [Wall] offers us his resources, just as he did to Moses.  We should not hide behind our inadequacies, as Moses did, but look beyond ourselves to the great resources available.  Then we can allow God [Wall] to use our unique contributions.)

(‘   God [Wall] said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ “  God [Wall] also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God [Wall] of your fathers [Up] – the God [Wall] of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob has sent me to you.’  This is my name for ever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.  – Exodus 3.14, 15   Yahweh is derived from the Hebrew word for “I AM”.  God reminded Moses of his covenant promises to Abraham (Genesis 12.1-3; 15; 17), Isaac (Genesis 26.2-5), and Jacob (Genesis 28.13-15), and used the name I AM to show his unchanging nature.  What God promised to the great patriarchs hundreds of years earlier he would fulfil through Moses.)

[‘   “Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God [Wall] of your fathers – the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites – a land flowing with milk and honey.’  – Exodus 3.16, 17  God [Wall] told Moses to tell the people what he saw and heard at the burning bush.  Our God [Wall] is a God [Wall] who acts and speaks.  One of the most convincing ways to tell others about him is to describe what he has done and how he has spoken to his people.  If you are trying to explain God [Wall] to others, talk about what he has done for you, for people you know, or for people whose stories are told in the Bible.]

[Exodus 3.17  “A land flowing with milk and honey” is a poetic word picture expressing the beauty and productivity of the promised land.]

[‘ “The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The LORD, the God [Wall] of the Hebrews, has met with us.  Let us take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God [Wall].’  But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him.  So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them.  After that, he will let you go.  – Exodus 3.18-20 The leaders of Israel would accept God’s [Wall’s] message, and the leaders of Egypt would reject it.  God [Wall] knew what both reactions would be before they happened.  This is more than good psychology – God [Wall] knows the future.  Any believer can trust his or her future to God [Wall] because God [Wall] already knows what is going to happen.]

[‘   Every woman is to ask her neighbour and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians.  – Exodus 3.22 The jewels and clothing were not merely borrowed – they were asked for and easily received.  The Egyptians were so glad to see the Israelites go that they sent them out with gifts. These items were used later in building the tabernacle (35.5, 22).  The promise of being able to plunder the Egyptians seemed impossible to Moses at the time.]

[‘ Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you’?” – Exodus 4.1   Moses’ reluctance and fear were caused by overanticipation.  He was worried about how the people might respond to him.  We often build up events in our minds and then panic over what might go wrong.  God [Wall] does not ask us to go where he has not provided the means to help.  God where he leads, trusting him to supply courage, confidence, and resources at the right moment.

(‘ David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned for forty years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah for seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah for thirty-three years.  – 2 Samuel 5.4, 5   David did not become king over all Israel until he was 327 years old, although he had been promised the kingdom many years earlier (1 Samuel 16.13).  During those years, David had to wait patiently for the fulfilment of God’s [Wall’s] promise.  If you feel pressured to achieve instant results and success, remember David’s patience.  Just as his time of waiting prepared him for his important task, a waiting period may help prepare you by strengthening your character.)

(DAVID DEFEATS THE PHILISTINES The Philistines camped in the Valley of Rephaim.  David defeated them at Baal Perazim, but they remained in the valley.  He attacked again, and chased them from Gibeon to Gezer.)

(‘ And David grew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel. – 2 Samuel 5.12   “David knew that the LORD had established him…”  Although the pagan kingdoms based their greatness on conquest, power, armies, and wealth, David knew that his greatness came only from God [Wall].  To be great means keeping a close relationship with God [Wall] personally and nationally.  To do this, David had to keep his ambition under control.  Although he was famous, successful, and well liked, he gave God [Wall] first place in his life and served the people according to God’s [Wall’s] purpose.  Do you seek greatness from God [Wall] or from people?  In the drive for success, remember to keep your ambition under God’s [Wall’s] control.)

(‘   The vision of Obadiah. This is what the Sovereign LORD says about Edom – We have heard a message from the LORD: An envoy was sent to the nations to say, “Rise, and let us go against her for battle”  – Obadiah 1 Obadiah was a prophet from Judah who told of God’s judgment against the nation of Edom.  Two commonly accepted dates for this prophecy are (1) between 853 and 841 B.C., when King Jehoram and Jerusalem were attacked by a Philistine/Arab coalition (2 Chronicles 21.16ff), or (2) 586 B.C., when Jerusalem was completely destroyed by the Babylonians (2 Kings 25; 2 Chronicles 36).  Edom had rejoiced over the misfortunes of both Israel and Judah, and yet the Edomites and Jews descended from two brothers – Esau and Jacob (Genesis 25.19-26).  But just as these two brothers were constantly fighting, so were Israel and Edom.  God pronounced judgment on Edom for their callous and malicious actions towards his people.)

(‘ Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down.” declares the LORD.   “If thieves came to you, if robbers in the night – Oh, what a disaster awaits you – would they not steal only as much as they wanted?  If grape pickers came to you, would they not leave a few grapes?  But how Esau will be ransacked, his hidden treasures pillaged!  All your allies will force you to the border; your friends will deceive and overpower you; those who eat your bread will set a trap for you, but you will not detect it.  “In that day,” declares the LORD, “will I not destroy the wise men of Edom, men of understanding in the mountains of Esau?  Your warriors, O Teman, will be terrified, and everyone in Esau’s mountains will be cut down in the slaughter. Obadiah 4-9   Esau was named here (v. 6) because he was the father [Up] of the nation of Edom.  God [Wall] did not pronounce these harsh judgments against Edom out of vengeance but in order to bring about justice.  God [Wall] is morally perfect and demands complete justice and fairness.  The Edomites were simply getting what they deserved. Because they murdered, they would be murdered.  Because they robbed, they would be robbed.  Because they took advantage of others, they would be used.  Don’t talk yourself into sin, thinking that “nobody will know” or “I won’t get caught”.  God [Wall] knows all our sins, and he will be just.)

(Obadiah 8 Edom was noted for its wise men.  There is a difference, however, between human wisdom and God’s [Wall’s] wisdom.  The Edomites may have been wise in the ways of the world, but theyw ere foolish because they ignored and even mocked God [Wall].)

(Obadiah 9   Eliphaz, one of Job’s three friends (Job 2.11), was from Teman, about five miles east of Petra.  Teman was named after Esau’s grandson (Genesis 36.11).)

(‘   As Jehu entered the gate, she asked, “Have you come in peace, Zimri, you murderer of your master?” – 2 Kings 9.31 Why did Jezebel refer to Zimri?  Zimri was an army commander who, some 40 years earlier, had killed Elah and then had declared himself king of Israel (1 Kings 16.10-18).  Jezebel was accusing Jehu of trying the same treachery.)

(‘ When the letter arrived, these men took the princes and slaughtered all seventy of them. They put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu in Jezreel.  – 2 Kings 10.7   This fulfilled Elijah’s prophecy that not one of Ahab’s male descendants would survive (1 Kings 21.17-24).)

[‘ Keep me safe, O God [Wall], for in you I take refuge.  – Psalms 16.1 Miktam comes from a term that may mean “to cover”.  It could mean a covering of the lips (a silent prayer), or a prayer that someone might be covered with protection. Cover can also mean “atone for”. Miktam may mean a psalms of atonement.]

(‘ I will praise the LORD, who counsels me even at might my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me.  Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.  – Psalms 16.7, 8   It is human nature to make our own plans and then ask God [Wall] to bless them.  Instead, we should seek God’s [Wall’s] will first.  By constantly thinking about the Lord and his way of living, we will gain insights that will help us make right decisions and live the way God [Wall] desires.  Communicating with God [Wall] allows him to counsel us and give us wisdom.)

(‘   I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.  Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.  You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.  – Psalms 16.8-11   This psalms is often called a Messianic psalms because it is quoted n the New Testament as referring to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Both Peter and Paul quoted from this psalms when speaking of Christ’s bodily resurrection (see Acts 2.25-28, 31; 13.35-37).)

(‘ from the wicked who assail me, from my mortal enemies who surround me. – Psalms 16.9   David’s heart was glad – he had found the secret to joy.  True joy is far deeper than happiness; we can feel joy in spite of our deepest troubles.  Happiness is temporary because it is based on external circumstances, but joy is lasting because it is based on God’s [Wall’s] presence within us.  As we contemplate his daily presence, we will find contentment.  As we understand the future he has for us, we will experience joy.  Don’t base your life on circumstances, but on God [Wall].)

(‘   Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed for ever. On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them.  – Obadiah 10, 11   The Israelites had descended from Jacob, and the Edomites, from his brother, Esau (Genesis 26.19-26).  Instead of helping Israel and Judah when they were in need, Edom allowed them to be destroyed and even plundered what was left behind.  Edom, therefore, acted like a stranger, and it would be punished.  Anyone who does not help God’s [Wall’s] people is God’s [Wall’s] enemy.  If you have withheld your help from someone in a time of need, this is sin (James 4.17).  Sin includes not only what we do, but also what we refuse to do.  Don’t ignore or refuse to help those in need.)

(‘ I will pronounce my judgments on my people because of their wickedness in forsaking me, in burning incense to other gods and in worshipping what their hands have made.  – Jeremiah 1.16 The people of Judah sinned greatly by continuing to burn incense to and worship other gods.  God [Wall] had commanded them specifically against this (Exodus 20.3-6) because  idolatry places trust in created things rather than the Creator.   Although these people belonged to God [Wall], they chose to follow false gods.  Many “gods” entice us to turn away from God [Wall].  Material possessions, dreams for the future, approval of others, and vocational goals compete for our total commitment to God [Wall] puts our hearts where Judah’s was – and God [Wall] severely punished Judah.)

(‘   I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptising with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”  Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.  I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptise with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptise with the Holy spirit.’  I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.” – John 1.31-34.  At Jesus’ baptism, John the Baptist had declared Jesus to be the Messiah.  At that time God had given John a sign to show him that Jesus truly had been sent from God (1.33).  John and Jesus were related (see Luke 1.36), so John probably knew who he was.  But it wasn’t until Jesus’ baptism that John understood that Jesus was the Messiah.  Jesus’ baptism is described in Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; and Luke 3:21, 22.)

(‘   I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ – John 1.33   John the Baptist’s baptism with water was preparatory, because it was for repentance and symbolised the washing away of sins.  Jesus, by contrast, would baptize with the Holy Spirit.  He would send the Holy Spirit upon all believers, empowering them to live and to teach the message of salvation.  This outpouring of the Spirit came after Jesus had risen from the dead and ascended into heaven (see 20.22; Acts 2).)

(‘   The next day John was there again with two of his disciples, – John 1.35ff   These new disciples used several names for Jesus: Lamb of God (1.36), Rabbi (1.38), Messiah (1.41), Son of God (1.49), and King of Israel (1.49).  As they got to know Jesus, their appreciation of him grew.  The more time we spend getting to know Christ, the more we will understand and appreciate who he is.  We may be drawn to him for his teaching, but we will come to know him as the Son of God [Wall].  Although these disciples made this verbal shift in a few days, they would not fully understand Jesus until three years later (Acts 2).  What they so easily professed had to be worked out in experience.  We may find that words of faith come easily, but deep appreciation of Christ comes with living by faith.)

(‘ Men will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’  Do not go running after them.  For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and

lights up the sky from one end to the other. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.  “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man.  People were eating, drinking, and marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark.  Then the flood came and destroyed them all.  “It was the same in the days of Lot.  People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building.  But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and Sulphur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.  “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.  On that day no-one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them.  Likewise, no-one in the field should go back for anything.  Remember Lot’s wife!  Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.  I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left.  Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.”  – Luke 17.23-36 Life will be going on as usual on the day Christ returns.  There will be no warning.  Most people will be going about their everyday tasks, indifferent to the demands of God [Wall].  They will be as surprised by Christ’s return as the people in Noah’s day were by the flood (Genesis 6-8) or the people in Lot’s day by the destruction of Sodom (Genesis 19).  We don’t know the time of Christ’s return, but we do know that he is coming.  He may come today, tomorrow, or centuries in the future.  Whenever he comes, we must be morally and spiritually ready.  Live as if Jesus were returning today.)

(LAST TRIP FROM GALILEE   Jesus left Galilee for the last time – he would not return before his death.  He passed through Samaria, met and healed ten men who had leprosy, and continued to Jerusalem.  He spent some time east of the Jordan (Mark 10.1) before going to Jericho (19.1).)

(‘   “Where, Lord?” they asked. He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”  – Luke 17.37   To answer the disciples’ question, Jesus quoted a familiar proverbs.  One vulture circling overhead does not mean much, but a gathering of vultures means that a dead body is nearby.  Likewise, one sign of the end may not be significant, but when many signs occur, the second coming is near.)

(‘ A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered.  “No-one is good – except God [Wall] alone.  – Luke 18.18, 19   Jesus’ question to the ruler who came and called him “Good teacher” was in essence, “Do you know who I am?”  Undoubtedly the man did not catch the implications of Jesus’ reply – that the man was right in calling him good because Jesus truly is God [Wall].)

(‘   Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God [Wall]! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God [Wall].”  Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”  Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God [Wall].”  – Luke 18.24-27   Because money represents power, authority, and success, it is often difficult for wealthy people to realise their need and their powerlessness to save themselves.  The rich in talent or intelligence suffer the same difficulty.  Unless God [Wall] reaches down into their lives, they will not come to him.  Jesus surprised some of his hearers by offering salvation to the poor; he may surprise some people today by offering it to the rich.  It is difficult for a self-sufficient person to realise his or her need and come to Jesus, but “What is impossible with men is possible with God [Wall]”.)

Not knowing them all develops faith:

In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.  –  JOB 1:1

As we read the book of Job, we have information that characters of the story do not. Job, the main character of the book, lost all he had through no fault of his own.  As he struggled to understand why all this was happening to him, it became clear that he was not meant to know the reasons.  He would have to face life with the answers and explanations held back.  Only then would his faith fully develop.

We must experience life as Job did – one day at a time and without complete answers to all of life’s questions. Will we, like Job, trust God no matter what?  Or will we give in to the temptation to say that God doesn’t really care?

(The location of the land of Uz is uncertain. We only know that Uz had plentiful pastures and crops (1:3), was located near a desert (1:19), and was close enough to the Sabeans and Chaldeans to be raided (1:14-17).  Uz is also mentioned in Jeremiah 25:19, 20.  Most scholars believe Uz was located east of the Jordan River near Canaan (Israel), where the Jews (those to whom God first revealed himself) lived.  Job probably knew about God because he knew God’s people.)

(As we see calamity and suffering in the book of Job, we must remember that we live in a fallen world where good behaviour is not always rewarded and bad behaviour is not always punished. When we see a notorious criminal prospering or an innocent child in pain, we say, “That’s wrong.”  And it is.  Sin has twisted justice and made our world unpredictable and ugly.)

(The book of Job shows a good man suffering for no apparent fault of his own. Sadly, our world is like that.  But Job’s story does not end in despair.  Through Job’s life we can see that faith in God is justified even when our situations look hopeless.  Faith based on rewards or prosperity is hollow.  To be unshakeable, faith must be built on the confidence that God’s ultimate purpose will come to pass.)

[When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would send and have them purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.”  This was Job’s regular custom.  – Job 1:5.  It is not known for sure, but Job probably lived during the days of the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) before God gave his written law or appointed priests to be religious leaders.  During Job’s day, the father was the family’s religious leader.  Because there were no priests to instruct him in God’s laws, Job acted as the priest and offered sacrifices to God to ask for forgiveness for sins he and his family had committed.  This demonstrated that Job did not consider himself sinless.  Job did this out of conviction and love for God, not just because it was his role as head of the house.  Do you carry out your spiritual duties because they are expected, or spontaneously from a heart of devotion?]

[Job showed deep concern for the spiritual welfare of his children. Fearful that they might have sinned unknowingly, he offered sacrifices for them.  Parents today can show the same concern by praying for their children.  This means “sacrificing” some time each day to ask God to forgive them, to help them grow, to protect them, and to help them please him.]

[One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. – Job 1:6. The Bible speaks of other heavenly councils where God and the angels plan their activities on earth and where angels are required to give account of themselves (i.e., 1 Kings 22:19-23).  Because God is Creator of all angels – both of those who serve him and of those who rebelled – he has complete power and authority over them.]

[Satan, originally an angel of God, became corrupt through his own pride. He has been evil since his rebellion against God (1 John 3:8).  Satan considers God as his enemy.  He tries to hinder God’s work in people, but he is limited by God’s power and can do only what he is permitted (Luke 22:31, 32; 1 Timothy 1:19, 20; 2 Timothy 2:23-26).  Satan is called the enemy because he actively looks for people to attack with temptation (1 Peter 5:8, 9) and because he wants to make people hate God.  He does this through lies and deception (Genesis 3:1-6).  Job, a blameless and upright man who had been greatly blessed, was a perfect target for Satan.  Any person who is committed to God should expect Satan’s attacks.  Satan, who hates God, also hates God’s people.]

Only God has them all:

At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. –  MATTHEW 11:25

Jesus mentioned two kinds of people in his prayer: the “wise” – arrogant in their own knowledge – and the “little children” – humbly open to receiving the truth of God’s word. Are you wise in your own eyes, or do you seek the truth in childlike faith, realising that only God holds all the answers.

[“To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the market-places and calling out to others: “ ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang and dirge, and you did not mourn.’  For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’  The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners”.’  But wisdom is proved right by her actions.” – Matthew 11:16-19.  Jesus condemned the attitude of his generation.  No matter what he said or did, they took the opposite view.  They were cynical and sceptical because he challenged their comfortable, secure, and self-centred lives.  Too often we justify our inconsistencies because listening to God may require us to change the way we live.]

[“Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!  If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.  But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.  And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies?  No, you will go down to the depths.  If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day.  But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”  – Matthew 11:21-24.  Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom were ancient cities with a long-standing reputation for wickedness (Genesis 18; 19; Ezekiel 27; 28).  Each was destroyed by God for its evil.  The people of Bethsaida, Korazin, and Capernaum saw Jesus firsthand, and yet they stubbornly refused to repent of their sins and believe in him.  Jesus said that if some of the wickedest cities in the world had seen him, they would have repented.  Because Bethsaida, Korazin, and Capernaum saw Jesus and didn’t believe, they would suffer even greater punishment than that of the wicked cities who didn’t see Jesus.  Similarly, nations and cities with churches on every corner and Bibles in every home will have no excuse on judgment day if they do not repent and believe.]

Don’t think you have all:

Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”  – LUKE 6:2

In Jewish legal tradition, there were 39 categories of activities forbidden on the Sabbath – and harvesting was one of them. The teachers of the law even went so far as to describe different methods of harvesting.  One method was to rub the heads of grain between the hands, as the disciples were doing here.  God’s law said farmers were to leave the edges of their fields unploughed so travellers and the poor could eat from this bounty (Deuteronomy 23:25), so the disciples were not guilty of stealing grain.  Neither were they breaking the Sabbath by doing their daily work on it.  In fact, though they may have been violating the Pharisees’ rules, they were not breaking any divine law.

(The Pharisees thought their religious system had all the answers. They could not accept Jesus because he did not fit into their system.  We could miss Christ for the same reason.  Beware of thinking that you or your church has all the answers.  No religious system is big enough to contain Christ completely or to fulfil perfectly all his desires for the world.)

Eternity will answer our questions:

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.  – 1 Corinthians 13:12

Paul offers a glimpse into the future to give us hope that one day we will be complete when we see God face to face. This truth should strengthen our faith – we don’t have all the answers now, but one day we will.  Someday we will see Christ in person and be able to see with God’s perspective.

[but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 1 Corinthians 13:10.  God gives us spiritual gifts for our lives on earth in order to build up, serve, and strengthen fellow Christians.  The spiritual gifts are for the church.  In eternity, we will be made perfect and complete and will be in the very presence of God.  We will no longer need the spiritual gifts, so they will come to an end.]

[And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. – 1 Corinthians 13:13.  In morally corrupt Corinth, love had become a mixed-up term with little meaning.  Today people are still confused about love.  Love is the greatest of all human qualities, and it is an attribute of God himself (1 John 4:8).  Love involves unselfish service to others; to show it gives evidence that you care. Faith is the foundation and content of God’s message; hope is the attitude and focus; love is the action.  When faith and hope are in line, you are free to love completely because you understand how God loves.]

Beware of those who claim to have them all:

Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals – these are the very things that destroy them. – JUDE 10

False teachers claimed that they possessed secret knowledge that gave them authority. Their “knowledge” of God was esoteric – mystical and beyond human understanding.  The nature of God is beyond our understanding, but God, in his grace, has chosen to reveal himself to us – in his word, and supremely in Jesus Christ.  Therefore, we must seek to know all we can about what he has revealed, even though we cannot fully comprehend God with our finite human minds.  Beware of those who claim to have all the answers and who belittle what they do not understand.

[But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” – Jude 9 This incident is not recorded in any other place in Scripture.  Moses’ death is recorded in Deuteronomy 34.  Here Jude may have been making use of an ancient book called The Assumption of Moses.]

[Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion. – Jude 11.  Jude gives three examples of men who did whatever they wanted (verse 10) – Cain, who murdered his brother out of vengeful jealousy (Genesis 4:1-16); Balaam, who prophesied out of greed, not out of obedience to God’s command (Numbers 22-24); and Korah, who rebelled against God’s divinely appointed leaders, wanting the power for himself (Numbers 16:1-35).  These stories illustrate attitudes that are typical of false teachers – pride, selfishness, jealousy, greed, lust for power, and disregard of God’s will.]

Of God’s presence & power:

But take this staff in your hand so that you can perform miraculous signs with it.”

Then Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Let me go back to my own people in Egypt to see if any of them are still alive.”

Jethro said, “Go, and I wish you well.”

Now the LORD had said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who wanted to kill you are dead.” So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt.  And he took the staff of God in his hand. –  Exodus 4.17-20

Moses clung tightly to the shepherd’s staff as he left for Egypt to face the greatest challenge of his life.  The staff was his assurance of God’s presence and power.  When feeling uncertain, some people need something to stabilise and reassure them.  For assurance when facing great trials, God has given promises from his word and examples from great heroes of faith.  Any Christian may cling tightly to these.

(At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met Moses and was about to kill him. But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it.  “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said.  So the LORD let him alone.  (At that time she said “bridegroom of blood”, referring to circumcision.  – Exodus 4.24-26. God was about to kill Moses because Moses had not circumcised his son.  Why hadn’t Moses done this?  Remember that Moses spent half his life in Pharaoh’s palace and half his life in the Midianite desert.  He might not have been too familiar with God’s laws, especially since all the requirements of God’s covenant with Israel (Genesis 17) had not been actively carried out for over 400 years.  In addition, Moses’ wife, due to her Midianite background, may have opposed circumcision.  But Moses could not effectively serve as deliverer of God’s people until he fulfilled the conditions of God’s covenant, and one of those conditions was circumcision.  Before they could go any further, Moses and his family had to follow God’s commands completely.  Under Old Testament law, failing to circumcise your son was to remove yourself and your family from God’s blessings.  Moses learned that disobeying God was even more dangerous than tangling with an Egyptian pharaoh.)

Pillars of cloud & fire as:

By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people – Exodus 13.21-22

God gave the Hebrews a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire so they would know day and night that God was with them on their journey to the promised land.  What has God given us so that we can have the same assurance?  The Bible – something the Israelites did not have.  Look to God’s [Wall’s] word for assurance of his presence.  As the Hebrews looked to the pillars of cloud and fire, we can look to God’s word day and night to know he is with us, helping us on our journey.

The pillars of fire and cloud were examples of theophany – God appearing in a physical form.  In this form, God lighted Israel’s path, protected them from their enemies, provided reassurance, controlled their movements, and inspired the burning zeal that Israel should have for their God.

Of answered prayer brings peace:

I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me. – Psalm 3.5

Sleep does not come easily during a crisis. David could have had sleepless nights when his son Absalom rebelled and gathered an army to kill him.  But he slept peacefully, even during the rebellion.  What made the difference?  David cried out to the Lord, and the Lord heard him.  The assurance of answered prayer brings peace.  It is easier to sleep well when we have full assurance that God [Wall] is in control [Fiscal Year-End] of circumstances.  If you are lying awake at night worrying about circumstances you can’t change, pour out your heart to God [Wall], and thank him that he is in control.  Then sleep will come.

Of eternal life:

Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” – Matthew 19.16

To this man seeking assurance of eternal life, Jesus pointed out that salvation does not come from good deeds unaccompanied by love for God.  The man needed a whole new starting point.  Instead of adding another commandment to keep or good deed to perform, the young man needed to submit humbly to the lordship of Christ.

Found in the Holy Spirit’s presence:

But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourself. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.  You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death.  All men will hate you because of me.  But not a hair of your head will perish.  By standing firm you will gain life. – Luke 21.14-19

Jesus warned that in the coming persecutions his followers would be betrayed by their family members and friends. Christians of every age have had to face this possibility.  It is reassuring to know that even when we feel completely abandoned, the Holy Spirit [Centre] will stay with us.  He will comfort us, protect us, and give us the words we need.  This assurance can give us the courage and hope to stand firm for Christ no matter how difficult the situation.

Jesus was not saying that believers would be exempt from physical harm or death during the persecutions.  Remember that most of the disciples were martyred.  Rather he was saying that none of his followers would suffer spiritual or eternal loss.  On earth, everyone will die, but believers in Jesus will be saved for eternal life.

[Plate: She took the arc/chair]

Description of:

“ This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. –  Genesis 6.15

The boat Noah built was no canoe! Picture yourself building a boat the length of one and a half football fields and as high as a four-storey building.  The ark was exactly six times longer than it was wide – the same ratio used by modern shipbuilders.  This huge boat was probably built miles from any body of water by only a few faithful men who believed God’s promises and obeyed his commands.

(“ So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. – Genesis 6:14. Pitch was a tarlike substance used to make the ark watertight).

(“ But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark – you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. –  Genesis 6:18  A covenant is a promise.  This is a familiar theme in Scripture – God making covenants with his people.  How reassuring it is to know God’s covenant is established with us.  He is still our salvation and we are kept safe through our relationship with him.  For more on the covenant see 9:8-17; 12:1-3; and 15:17-20).

Kinds of animals on:

“ The LORD then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. –  Genesis 7.1

ff Pairs of every animal joined Noah in the ark; seven pairs were taken of those animals used for sacrifice – the “clean” animals.  Scholars have estimated that almost 45,000 animals could have fit into the ark.

(“ Noah did everything just as God commanded him. Genesis 6:22  Noah got right to work when God told him to build the ark.  Other people must have been warned about the coming disaster (1 Peter 3.20), but apparently they did not expect it to happen.  Today things haven’t changed much.  Each day thousands of people are warned of God’s inevitable judgment, yet most of them don’t really believe it will happen.  Don’t expect people to welcome or accept your message of God’s coming judgment on sin.  Those who don’t believe in God will deny his judgment and try to get you to deny God as well.  But remember God’s promise to Noah to keep him safe.  This can inspire you to trust God for deliverance in the judgment that is sure to come).

Noah’s responsibilities around:

“ The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the LORD shut him in.  –  Genesis 7.16

Many have wondered how this animal kingdom roundup happened. Did Noah and his sons spend years collecting all the animals?  In reality the creation, along with Noah, was doing just as God had commanded.  There seemed to be no problem gathering the animals – God took care of the details of that job while Noah was doing his part by building the ark.  Often we do just the opposite of Noah.  We worry about details over which we have no control, while neglecting specific areas (such as attitudes, relationships, responsibilities) that are under our control.  Like Noah, concentrate on what God has given you to do, and leave the rest to God.

Noah’s patience in waiting to leave:

“ After forty days Noah opened the window he had made in the ark and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth. Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground.  But the dove could find no place to set its feet because there was water over all the surface of the earth; so it returned to Noah in the ark.  He reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back to himself in the ark.  He waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark.  When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf!  Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth.  He waited seven more days and sent the dove out again, but this time it did not return to him. –   Genesis 8:6-16

Occasionally Noah would send a bird out to test the earth and see if it was dry. But Noah didn’t get out of the ark until God told him to.  He was waiting for God’s timing.  God knew that even though the water was gone, the earth was not dry enough for Noah and his family to venture out.  What patience Noah showed, especially after spending an entire year inside his boat!  Noah, must trust God to give us patience during those difficult times when we must wait.

(Genesis 7:17-24 says: Was the flood a local event, or did it cover the entire earth? A universal flood was certainly possible.  There is enough water on the earth to cover all dry land (the earth began that way; see 1.9, 10).  Afterwards, God promised never again to destroy the earth with a flood.  Thus this flood must have either covered the entire earth or destroyed all the inhabitants of the earth.  Remember, God’s reason for sending the flood was to destroy all the earth’s wickedness.  It would have taken a major flood to accomplish this.)

Makes it more difficult to trust God:

‘   “I took for your deliverance, O LORD.  – Genesis 49.18

In the middle of his prophecy to Dan, Jacob exclaimed, “I look for your deliverance, O LORD.” He was emphasising to Dan that he would be a strong leader only if his trust was in God [Wall], not in his natural strength or ability.  Those who are strong, attractive, or talented often find it easier to trust in themselves than in God [Wall] who gave them their gifts.  Remember to thank God [Wall] for what you are and have so your trust does not become misplaced.

EXTRA

(‘   The sceptre will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. – Genesis 49.10   “Until he comes to whom it belongs” may also be translated, “until Shiloh comes”.  What is Shiloh?  The meaning of this difficult passage is disputed.  Shiloh may be another name for the Messiah, because its literal meaning is “sent”.  Shiloh might also refer to the Tent of Meeting setup at the city of Shiloh (Joshua 18.1).)

(‘ “Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall. – Genesis 49.22   Joseph was indeed fruitful, with some heroic descendants.  Among them were Joshua, who would lead the Israelites into the promised land (Joshua 1.10, 11); Deborah, Gideon, and Jephthah, judges of Israel (Judges 4.4; 6.11, 12; 11.11); and Samuel, a great prophet (1 Samuel 3.19).)

Should be none in marriage:

The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. –  Genesis 2:25

Have you ever noticed how a little child can run naked through a room full of strangers without embarrassment? He is not aware of his nakedness, just as Adam and Eve were not embarrassed in their innocence.  But after Adam and Eve sinned, shame and awkwardness followed, creating barriers between themselves and God [Wall].  We often experience these same barriers in marriage.  Ideally a husband and wife have no barriers, feeling no embarrassment in exposing themselves to each other or to God [Wall].  But, like Adam and Eve (3.7), we put on fig leaves (barriers) because we have areas we don’t want our spouse, or God [Wall], to know about.  Then we hide, just as Adam and Eve hid from God [Wall].  In marriage, lack of spiritual, emotional, and intellectual intimacy usually precedes a breakdown of physical intimacy.  In the same way, when we fail to expose our secret thoughts to God [Wall], we break our lines of communication with him.

Can develop faith and obedience:

‘ These are the nations the LORD left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan (he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience): the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath.  They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the LORD’S commands, which heh had given their forefathers through Moses.  –  Judges 3:1-4

We learn from Chapter 1 that these enemy nations were still in the land because the Israelites had failed to obey God [Wall] and drive them out.  Now God [Wall] would allow the enemies to remain in order to “test” the Israelites; that is, to give them an opportunity to exercise faith and obedience.  By now the younger generation that had not fought in the great battles of conquest was coming of age.  It was their job to complete the conquest of the land.  There were many obstacles yet to be overcome in their new homeland.  How they would handle these obstacles would be a test of their faith.

Perhaps God [Wall] has left obstacles in your life – hostile people, difficult situations, baffling problems – to allow you to develop faith and obedience.

(‘ Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshipped them. Unlike their fathers, they quickly turned from the way in which their fathers had walked, the way of obedience to the LORD’S commands.  – Judges 2.17 Why would the people of Israel turn so quickly from their faith in God [Wall]?  Simply put, the Canaanite religion appeared more attractive to the sensual nature and offered more short-term benefits (sexual permissiveness and increased fertility in childbearing and farming).  One of its most attractive features was that people could remain selfish and yet fulfil their religious requirements.  They could do almost anything they wished and still be obeying at least one of the many Canaanite gods.  Male and female prostitution were not only allowed, but encouraged as forms of worship.  –  Faith in the one true God [Wall], however, does not offer short-term benefits that appeal to our sinful human nature.  The essence of sin is selfishness; the essence of God’s [Wall’s] way of life is selflessness.  We must seek Christ’s help to live God’s [Wall’s] way.)

(‘ The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. They took their daughters in marriage and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.  – Judges 3.5-7 The Israelites discovered that relationships affect faith.  The men and women of the surrounding nations were attractive to the Israelites.  Soon they intermarried, and the Israelites accepted their pagan gods.  This was clearly prohibited by God [Wall] (Exodus 34.15-17; Deuteronomy 7.1-4).  By accepting these gods into their homes, the Israelites, gradually began to accept the immoral practices associated with them.  Most Israelites didn’t start out determined to be idolaters; they just added the idols to the worship of God [Wall].  But before long they found themselves absorbed in pagan worship.  –  A similar danger faces us.  We want to befriend those who don’t know God [Wall], but through those friendships we can become entangled in unhealthy practices.  Friendships with unbelievers are important, but we must accept people without compromising or adopting their patterns of behaviour.)   *

(3.7   Baal was the most worshipped god of the Canaanites.  Most often cast in the form of a bull, he symbolised strength and fertility and was considered the god of agriculture.  Asherah was Baal’s female consort, mother goddess of the sea who was worshipped by means of wooden pillars that substituted for sacred trees.  In times of famine, the Canaanites believed Baal was angry with them and was withholding rain as punishment.  Archaeologists [Joseph John Campbell] have uncovered many Baal idols in Israel.  It is difficult to imagine the people of Israel trading worship of the Lord for worship of idols of wood, stone, and iron, but we do the same when we forsake worshipping God [Wall] for other activities, hobbies, or priorities.  Our idols are not made of wood or stone, but they are every bit as sinful.)

Don’t let them block you from Jesus:

‘   When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help.  “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralysed and in terrible suffering.”  –  Matthew 8:5-6

The centurion could have let many obstacles stand between him and Jesus – pride, doubt, money, language, distance, time, self-sufficiency, power, race.  But he didn’t.  If he did not let these barriers block his approach to Jesus, we don’t need to either.  What keeps you from Christ?

(‘ Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone.  But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them. – Matthew 8.4 The law required a healed leper to be examined by the priest (Leviticus 14).  Jesus wanted this man to give his story firsthand to the priest to prove that his leprosy was completely gone so that he could be restored to his community.)

(‘ The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.  But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.  For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me.  I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes.  I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”  When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.  I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  – Matthew 8.8-12 A centurion was a career military officer in the Roman army with control over 100 soldiers.  Roman soldiers, of all people, were hated by the Jews for their oppression, control, and ridicule.  Yet this man’s genuine faith amazed Jesus!  This hated Gentile’s faith put to shame the stagnant piety of many of the Jewish religious leaders.)

[JESUS’ MIRACULOUS POWER DISPLAYED Jesus finished the sermon he had given on a hillside near Galilee and returned to Capernaum.  As he and his disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee, Jesus calmed a fierce storm.  Then, in the Gentile Gadarene region, Jesus commanded demons to come out of two men.  Mediterranean Sea, Galilee, Capernaum, Sea of Galilee, Drowning of the pigs, Gadara, Gadarene Region, Jordan River, Samaria, Decapolis (Ten Cities), Perea, Jerusalem, Dead Sea, Judea, Idumea.]

‘ As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth.  “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.  –  Matthew 9:9

When Jesus called Matthew to be one of his disciples, Matthew got up and followed, leaving a lucrative career.  When God [Wall] calls you to follow or obey him, do you do it with as much abandon [everything that comes out/PR] as Matthew?  Sometimes the decision to follow Christ requires difficult or painful choices.  Like Matthew, we must decide to leave behind those things that would keep us from following Christ.

(9.9 Matthew was a Jew who was appointed by the Romans to be the area’s tax collector.  He collected taxes from the citizens as well as from merchants passing through the town.  Tax collectors were expected to take a commission on the taxes they collected, but most of them overcharged and kept the profits.  Thus, tax collectors were hated by the Jews because of their reputation for cheating and because of their support of Rome.)

(‘ Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town.  – Matthew 9.1 “His own town” was Capernaum, a good choice for Jesus’ base of operations.  It was a wealthy city [Seat] due to fishing and trade.  Situated on the Sea of Galilee in a densely populated area, Capernaum housed the Roman garrison that kept peace in the region.  The city was a cultural melting pot [Where, have I seen this before], greatly influenced by Greek and Roman manners, dress, architecture, and politics.)

(‘ Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”  – Matthew 9.2 Among the first words Jesus said to the paralysed man were “Your sins are forgiven.”  Then he healed the man.  We must be careful not to concentrate on God’s [Wall’s] power to heal physical [Sternum] sickness more than on his power to forgive spiritual sickness in the form of sin.  Jesus saw that even more than physical health, this ma needed spiritual health.  Spiritual health comes only from Jesus’ healing touch.)

(9.2 Both the man’s body and his spirit were paralysed – he could not walk, and he did not know Jesus.  But the man’s spiritual state was Jesus’ first concern.  If God [Wall] does not heal us or someone we love, we need to remember that physical healing is not Christ’s only concern [other Genre].  We will all be completely healed in Christ’s coming kingdom; but first we have to come to know Jesus.)

(‘ At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!” – Matthew 9.3 Blaspheming is claiming to be God [Wall] and applying his characteristics to yourself.  The religious leaders [Rig] rightly saw that Jesus was claiming to be God [Wall].  What they did not understand was that he is God [Wall] and thus has the authority to heal and to forgive sins.)  *

(‘ Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. . . .”  Then he said to the paralytic, “Get up, take your mat and go home.”  – Matthew 9.5, 6 It’s easy to tell someone his sins are forgiven; it’s a lot more difficult to reverse a case of paralysis!  Jesus backed up his words by healing the man’s legs.  Jesus’ action showed that his words were true; he had the power to forgive as well as to heal.  Talk is cheap, but our words lack meaning if our actions do not back them up.  We can say we love God [Wall] or others, but if we are not taking practical steps to demonstrate that love, our words are empty and meaningless.  How well do your actions back up what you say?)

(‘ While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”  On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’  For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”  – Matthew 9.10-13 When he visited Matthew, Jesus hurt his own reputation.  Matthew was cheating the people, but Jesus found and changed him.  We should not be afraid to reach out to people who are living in sin – God’s [Wall’s] message can change anyone.)

(9.11, 12   The Pharisees constantly tried to trap Jesus, and they thought his association with these “baddies” was the perfect opportunity.  They  were more concerned with their own appearance of holiness than with helping people, with criticism than encouragement, with outward respectability than practical help.  But God [Wall] is concerned for all people, including the sinful and hurting ones.  The Christian life is not a popularity contest!  Following Jesus’ example, we should share the gospel with the poor, immoral, lonely, and outcast, not just the rich, popular, and powerful.)

[In my work I use “Villain”, not baddies!!!]

Jesus’ death removes barriers:

‘ At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.  The earth shook and the rocks spit.  –  Matthew 27:51

The temple had three main parts – the courts, the Holy Place (where only the priests could enter), and the Most Holy Place (where only the high priest could enter, and only once a year, to atone for the sins of the nation – Leviticus 16.1-35). The curtain separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place was torn in two at Christ’s death, symbolising that the barrier between God and humanity was removed.  Now all people are free to approach God [Wall] because of Christ’s sacrifice for our sins (see Hebrews 9.114; 10.19-22).

(‘ When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”  – Matthew 27.47 The bystanders misinterpreted Jesus’ words and thought he was calling for Elijah.  Because Elijah ascended into heaven without dying (2 Kings 2.11), they thought he would return again to rescue them from great trouble (Malachi 4.5).  At their annual Passover feast, each family set an extra place for Elijah in expectation of his return.)

(‘ The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. they came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.  – Matthew 27.52, 53 Christ’s death was accompanied by at least four miraculous events: darkness, the tearing in two of the curtain in the temple, an earthquake, and dead people rising from their tombs.  Jesus’ death, therefore, could not have gone unnoticed.  Everyone knew something significant had happened.)

[THE WAY OF THE CROSS The Roman soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and mocked him, dressing him in a scarlet robe and a crown of thorns.  Then they led him to the crucifixion site outside the city [Seat].  He was so weakened by his beatings that he could not carry his cross, and a man from Cyrene was forced to carry it to Golgotha.]

Jesus breaks down barriers of predudice:

‘ When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”  (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?”  (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)  –  John 4:7-9

This woman (1) was a Samaritan, a member of the hated mixed race, (2) was known to be living in sin, and (3) was in a public place. No respectable Jewish man would talk to a woman under such circumstances.  But Jesus did.  The gospel is for every person, no matter what his or her race, social position, or past sins.  We must be prepared to share this gospel at any time and in any place.  Jesus crossed all barriers to share the gospel, and we who follow him must do no less.

(‘ So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well.  It was about the sixth hour.  When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”  – John 4.5-7 Jacob’s well was on the property originally owned by Jacob (Genesis 33.18, 19).  It was not a spring-fed well, but a well into which water seeped from rain and dew, collecting at the bottom.  Wells were almost always located outside the city along the main road.  Twice each day, morning and evening [Syd Field], women came to draw water.  This woman came at noon, however, probably to avoid meeting people who knew her reputation.  Jesus gave this woman an extraordinary message about fresh and pure water that would quench her spiritual thirst for ever.)

(‘ Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” – John 4.10 What did Jesus mean by “living water”?  In the Old Testament, many verses speak of thirsting after God [Wall] as one thirsts for water (Psalms 42.1; Isaiah 55.1; Jeremiah 2.13; Zechariah 13.1).  God [Wall] is called the fountain of life (Psalms 36.9) and the spring of living water (Jeremiah 17.13).  In saying he would bring living water that could for ever quench a person’s thirst for God [Wall], Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah.  Only the Messiah could give this gift that satisfies the soul’s desire.)