9/21/15

From Mark Copeland... "THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM" The Blessings Of The Kingdom



                      "THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM"

                      The Blessings Of The Kingdom

INTRODUCTION

1. In our study thus far of the kingdom of God, we have observed that...
   a. The proclamation of the kingdom was a major theme in the teaching
      of Christ and His apostles
   b. The nature of the kingdom is spiritual, not physical, involving
      the reign of God in Christ
   c. The establishment of the kingdom was inaugurated at Jesus' first
      coming, and will be culminated with His second coming

2. I wish to note in particular the phrase, "the gospel of the kingdom"...
   a. As recorded in Matthew's gospel - Mt 4:23; 9:35; 24:14
   b. As recorded in Mark's gospel - Mk 1:14-15
   -- The word "gospel" means "good news", or glad tidings - cf. Lk 8:1

3. What was the good news or glad tidings regarding the kingdom...?
   a. Certainly that it was "at hand" - Mk 1:15
   b. But what made its impending arrival such good news?

[The answer can be found in the blessings of the kingdom, to be enjoyed
by those who freely submit to the rule and reign of God in Christ Jesus. 
What sort of blessings?  There are...]

I. BLESSINGS IN THE PRESENT

   A. GOD'S FORGIVENESS...
      1. Those in the kingdom enjoy redemption through the blood of
         Jesus - Col 1:13-14
      2. Indeed, the ruler over the kings of the earth has washed us in
         His own blood - Re 1:5

   B. GOD'S CARE...
      1. No need for anxiety over the necessities of life - cf. Mt 6:25-34
      2. Provided we make God's kingdom and His righteousness first
         priority - Mt 6:33
      3. Submit to God's rule, and benefit from God's care! - cf. Psa 34:9-10; 84:11

   C. GOD'S FAMILY...
      1. We receive "manifold" more family - cf. Lk 18:29-30
      2. A "hundred fold" mothers, brothers, sisters, children - cf. Mk 10:29-30
      3. Realized as members of Christ's body, the church, God's family
         - cf. 1Ti 3:15; 5:1-2

   D. GOD'S SPIRIT...
      1. Promised to those who believe and obey - cf. Jn 7:37-39; Ac 2:
         38-39; 5:32
      2. A source of righteousness, joy and peace in the kingdom - cf.
         Ro 14:17; 15:13
      3. Serving as God's instrumental agent to strengthen us, that we
         might produce the fruit of a truly blessed life - cf. Ep 3:16; Ga 5:22-23; Ro 8:12-13

[In the kingdom of God present, these are just a few of the blessings
available to those who submit to the reign of God in the person of Jesus
Christ.  But just as there is a future aspect to the kingdom of God, so there are...]

II. BLESSINGS IN THE FUTURE

   A. GOD'S ETERNAL KINGDOM...
      1. Promised to those who do the Father's will - Mt 7:21-23
         a. Not just those who profess the Lord
         b. Not even those who do much for the Lord, yet without authority
      2. Provided for those who abound in the knowledge of Jesus Christ
         - 2Pe 1:8-11
         a. Not barren nor unfruitful
         b. Not slothful nor forgetful

   B. GOD'S ETERNAL CITY...
      1. Prepared for those who seek it - He 11:11,13-16; 13:14
         a. Like Abraham and other Old Testament faithfuls
         b. Like Paul and other New Testament saints
      2. Presented as a bride adorned for her husband - Re 21:1-3,9-21
         a. A holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven
         b. A glorious walled city, with gates of pearl and streets of gold

   C. GOD'S ETERNAL PRESENCE...
      1. With no need for a temple, or sun and moon for a light - Re 21: 22-23
         a. The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple
         b. The glory of God illuminates, and the Lamb is its light
      2. With no more curse and no more night - Re 22:3-5
         a. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be there
         b. The Lord God gives them light
      3. His servants will serve and reign forever and ever - Re 22:3-5
         a. They shall see His face
         b. His name shall be on their foreheads

   D. GOD'S ETERNAL CARE...
      1. Preventing any reason for sorrow - Re 21:4
         a. With God wiping away every tear
         b. With former things having passed away
      2. Providing our every need - Re 22:1-2
         a. With the river of the water of life, proceeding from the throne
         b. With the tree of life, bearing fruit every month with
            healing for the nations

CONCLUSION

1. We have surveyed just a few of the blessings in the kingdom of God...
   a. Blessings in the present
      1) God's forgiveness
      2) God's care
      3) God's family
      4) God's Spirit
   b. Blessings in the future
      1) God's eternal kingdom
      2) God's eternal city
      3) God's eternal presence
      4) God's eternal care
   -- Truly the news about the kingdom is "good news" (gospel)!

2. To benefit from these blessings both present and future...
   a. We must be in the kingdom present
   b. We must make our calling and election sure to be in the kingdom future
   -- What is involved we will note in future studies on the kingdom

But the main thing is that we submit to the rule and reign of God in the
person of Jesus Christ.  Remember what Jesus said:

   "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom
   of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven."
                                                             (Mt 7:21)

He said on another occasion:

   "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which
   I say?"
                                                             (Lk 6:46)

Are we willing to let Jesus be the Lord and King of our lives?  Then
obey Him! (cf. He 5:9)

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

eXTReMe Tracker 

The Accuracy of Acts by Eric Lyons, M.Min.


http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=13&article=833

The Accuracy of Acts

by Eric Lyons, M.Min.


Archaeology is one of many disciplines that can be used to prove the historical accuracy of Scripture. Time and again, it has helped confirm the Bible’s references to people, places, and dates. In the last one hundred years, archaeologists repeatedly have confirmed and illuminated the historicity of the Bible. Although we cannot rely upon archaeology to establish and sustain our faith, having physical evidence that confirms the historical context of God’s saving acts causes the sincere person to accept the Bible as God’s Word.
When renowned archaeologist Sir William Ramsay started his explorations in Asia Minor, he doubted the historicity of the book of Acts. But after hundreds of hours of research, he began to change his mind. A careful study of Acts 14:5-12 led him to believe that Luke was quite familiar with the places, people, and events about which he wrote. In this passage, Luke wrote that Paul and Barnabas fled from Iconium to “Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia” (14:6). It formerly was assumed in ancient geography that Iconium was a city of Lycaonia (e.g., like Montgomery is a city of Alabama). This passage was considered by some Bible critics to be a typical example of the lack of local exactitude by the author of Acts, and thus evidence against divine inspiration. However, as Ramsay went on to demonstrate conclusively, this was not the case. Iconium was not a part of Lycaonia. Rather, it belonged to Phrygia, an entirely different district of Asia Minor. This change may sound like a minor point, but it was a very important one in the thought of Ramsay. His attitude toward the book of Acts began to change radically. The more he studied Acts, the more he became an ardent advocate of the trustworthiness of Luke’s scholarship.
Archaeology can be a great asset to people who are searching for knowledge. It enlightens our reading of the Scripture as it continues to confirm the Bible’s historical accuracy. Those who have studied the book of Acts in light of archaeology have found that where references are checkable, Luke always was correct, regardless of the country, city, island, or person he mentioned. As Wayne Jackson observed: “This is truly remarkable, in view of the fact that the political/territorial situation of his day was in a state of almost constant change. Only inspiration can account for Luke’s precision” (“The Holy Bible—Inspired of God,” Christian Courier, 27[1]:1-3, May 1991). How very true.

Madalyn Murray O’Hair by Eric Lyons, M.Min.


http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=12&article=4627

Madalyn Murray O’Hair

by Eric Lyons, M.Min.


Madalyn Elizabeth Mays was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on April 13, 1919. In her late 20s, after already having been married and divorced, she began referring to herself as Madalyn Murray—taking the last name of William Murray, with whom she had an adulterous relationship, and never married. At the age of 46, Madalyn married Richard O’Hair and became forevermore known at Madalyn Murray O’Hair—the poster-child of atheism in America during the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.
Relatively few people knew anything about Madalyn Murray the first 40 years of her life. She was a single mother of two boys, both born out of wedlock. According to Madalyn’s oldest son, William Murray III, his mother couldn’t keep a job because of her “dysfunctional, argumentative personality.” Such unemployment and instability led her to Marxism, which led her to atheism (“Marxism…,” 2012). After an unsuccessful attempt to defect to the Soviet Union through the Soviet Embassy in Paris in 1960, Madalyn returned home angry, agitated, and seemingly looking for trouble—which she found later that same year.
In the fall of 1960, “Madalyn found her cause” (Woodhead, 2006). Madalyn became irritated that students in her oldest son’s school participated in prayer and Bible reading, and filed a petition demanding they cease. After the Baltimore courts ruled against her, she appealed her case all the way to the Supreme Court, who overwhelmingly ruled in her favor in 1963: school-sponsored Bible reading and prayer were banned in public schools. Americans were devastated; Madalyn was delighted. Her defining moment had arrived, and she positioned herself as “America’s number one atheist”—“the atheist—Madalyn Murray” (Le Beau, 2005).

“God’s Noisy Challenger”

Madalyn’s Supreme Court victory (in which she was actually a secondary litigant) was just the beginning. Two years later, she founded American Atheists, Inc. and served as its director for more than two decades. She filed a lawsuit against the city of Baltimore in hopes of forcing them to begin collecting property taxes from churches. She challenged the use of the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance, as well “in God we trust” on American currency. Madalyn went so far as to even file a lawsuit against NASA in hopes of banning government employees (i.e., astronauts) from saying prayers in outer space.
From lunar lawsuits to countless crude, contemptible public comments, O’Hair was a constant, noisy challenger to theists (and especially Christians) throughout America. “She relished her battle with traditional religion and she ridiculed believers she called ‘Christers’” (Woodhead, 2006). She claimed that God was “sadistic,” that the Bible was “nauseating,” and that the Lord’s Prayer was “uttered by worms groveling for meager existence in a traumatic, paranoid world” (McGrath, 2004, pp. 245-46). She wrote articles and books. She published anti-God posters and bumper stickers. She hosted numerous radio shows and was the first-ever guest on the Phil Donahue show in 1967. O’Hair offered little in the area of reasoned argumentation, but she rarely missed an opportunity to publicly pour scorn on the prayerful and mock the moral.

Madalyn’s Mean Demeanor and Murder

Christians were not the only ones in Madalyn’s crosshairs. Her oldest son (William) began to alienate himself in the 1970s when he began adopting a more Libertarian (as opposed to Marxist) form of atheism. O’Hair then seemed to lose it when William professed to being a follower of Christ in 1980. She repudiated him “entirely and completely for now and all times.” He was, according to her, “beyond human forgiveness.” Sadly, with William, she had what she called “a postnatal abortion” (Huckabee, 2012).
Although O’Hair was popular with many atheists around the country, those who spent much time with her soon discovered that she was viciously rude and profanely vulgar, even to employees and donors to her work (McGrath, p. 250; Van Biema, 1997). In fact, it was former, disgruntled American Atheist employee, David Waters, who, in 1995, abducted, mutilated, and brutally murdered O’Hair, her youngest son, and her granddaughter. O’Hair died at the age of 76.

Madalyn Who?

Though many in the older generation will forever remember the name Madalyn Murray O’Hair, today’s younger generation knows little about one of America’s most famous (and repulsive) atheists. Some Christians seem so uninformed about the name that they do not hesitate using it for their daughters. I recently taught a Bible class full of teenagers—20 in all. I asked them if they knew who Madalyn Murray O’Hair was. One thought she was a nurse. One believed that she was a character in Gone with the Wind. Only one teen in the entire class knew of the atheist—Madalyn Murray O’Hair.

Today’s Militant Atheists

It wouldn’t surprise me if 50% or more of Americans were unaware of Madalyn Murray O’Hair, the atheist. Still, though O’Hair’s infamy has languished, her ungodly effects on this country will be forever felt. The Supreme Court ruling (50 years ago this year) that banned school sponsored Bible reading and prayer has done nothing but expedite the production of a more hedonistic, disrespectful segment of society, who, like Pharaoh, arrogantly question, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice…?” (Exodus 5:2).
Perhaps the most negative effect of O’Hair’s life on America was that she seemed to pave the way for a whole new kind of atheist—militant atheists. Her outspoken vitriol toward God, the Bible, and Christians undoubtedly served to embolden and mobilize more zealous atheists in recent years. From Christopher Hitchens’ New York Times bestseller god is Not Great to Brian Flemming’s film The God Who Wasn’t There; from Dan Barker’s defiant, “go-to-hell” to God comments in debates to science symposiums that arrogantly seek to put atheistic, evolutionary science “in place of God;” O’Hair’s hateful, outspoken criticisms of Christianity for over three decades no doubt served to cultivate an entire crop of militant atheists.

CONCLUSION

In the face of such defiant unbelief, Christians must be resolved to “sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15). God is serious about His people teaching and defending His Word (Acts 4:20). In our proclamation of the Truth, however, we must not sink to the level of the O’Hairs of the world and disparage those who hate us. Rather, as Jesus taught, “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). “Be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition” (2 Timothy 2:24-25). May God help us to live according to the Truth as we seek to defend it.
*Originally published in Gospel Advocate, February 2013, 155[2]:16-17.

REFERENCES

Huckabee (2012), “Undoing an Atheist’s Legacy,” June 11, http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/huckabee/index.html#/v/1684616589001/undoing-an-atheists-leg.
Le Beau, Bryan F. (2005), The Atheist: Madalyn Murray O’Hair (New York: New York University).
“Marxism Led Madalyn Murray O’Hair to Atheism” (2012), World Net Daily, May 10, http://www.wnd.com/2012/05/marxism-led-madalyn-murray-ohair-to-atheism/.
McGrath, Alister (2004), The Twilight of Atheism (New York: Doubleday).
Van Biema, David (1997), “Where’s Madalyn?” Time, 149[6]:56-60, February 10.
Woodhead, Leslie, Director (2006), “Godless in America: Madalyn Murray O’Hair.” Documentary. Reggie Nadelson, Narrator. http://documentarystorm.com/godless-in-america-madalyn-murray-ohair.

Design Demands A Designer by Kyle Butt, M.A.


http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=9&article=877

Design Demands A Designer

by Kyle Butt, M.A.


Sir Isaac Newton was a famous mathematician and scientist who strongly believed in God. The story is told that he had an atheistic friend who did not believe in God. Sir Isaac devised a plan to try to convince his friend that God did exist and had created the Universe. One day, he went to a carpentry shop and asked the owner to make a model of our solar system. This model was to be to scale, intricately painted, and designed to resemble, as closely as possible, the actual solar system.
Several weeks later, Sir Isaac picked up the model, paid for it, and placed it in the center of a table in his house. Some time later, his atheist friend came over for a visit. When the friend arrived at Dr. Newton’s house, the model of the solar system caught his eye, and he asked Sir Isaac if he could inspect the model more closely. Of course, that was fine with Sir Isaac. As the atheist inspected the model, he stood in awe of the fine craftsmanship and beauty of the various pieces. After some time, the atheistic friend asked Dr. Newton who had crafted this wonderful model of the solar system. Sir Isaac promptly replied that no one had made the model; it just appeared on his table by accident. Confused, the friend repeated the question, and yet Newton stubbornly clung to his answer that the model had just appeared, as it were, “out of thin air.” Finally, the friend became upset, and it was at that point that Sir Isaac explained the purpose of his answer. If he could not convince his friend that this crude replica of the solar system had “just happened by accident,” how could the friend believe that the real solar system, with all its complexity and design, could have appeared just by time and chance? Point well taken! Design always demands a Designer. As a case in point, let us look at one beautiful example of design.
THE THOUGHT OF DESIGN
Inside your head is an organ that weighs about 3 pounds. Doctors who operate on this organ say that it feels like unbaked bread dough when you touch it or hold it in your hands. But this “doughy” organ we call the brain certainly is not a loaf of bread. On the contrary, it is the most complex “computer” the world has ever known.
The brain is composed of over 10 trillion different cells. These cells work together to send electrical impulses at a rate of 273 miles per hour (393 feet per second). Nerve cells in the body send 2,000 impulses to the brain every second. These impulses come from 130,000 light receptors in the eye, 100,000 hearing receptors in the ears, 3,000 taste buds, and over 500,000 touch spots. As this is happening, the brain does not move, yet it consumes over 25% of the body’s oxygen and receives 20% of all the blood that is pumped from the heart (which is pretty amazing, considering that the brain makes up only about 2% of the body weight of an average man).
And if all these “brainy” abilities don’t impress you, consider that the brain serves as the “doctor” for the rest of the body. It produces more than 50 drugs, ranging from painkillers (like endorphin) to antidepressant drugs (like serotonin). In addition, the brain allows you to remember words, smells, pictures, and colors. In fact, the brain is so good at allowing a person to remember information, it has been estimated that it would require 500 sets of encyclopedias to hold the information found in the brain. Let’s be honest; if we were walking through the forest one day and found a laptop computer that weighed less than three pounds and yet could perform more complex tasks than any computer on the market, would we say it “just happened by accident?” If we use our brains, we can see that the design found in the brain demands an intelligent Designer.

Illegalism by Dave Miller, Ph.D.


http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=7&article=2385

Illegalism

by Dave Miller, Ph.D.


God is a God of law. He has always interacted with humans via His Word, i.e., law (e.g., Genesis 2:16-17). God governs both the Universe and humanity by law. God’s laws are always good (Deuteronomy 6:24; 10:12-13). They rise out of His nature and are consistent with His character and His divine attributes. God is infinite in the attribute of righteousness. Righteousness is directly linked to right-doing, i.e., law-keeping (1 John 3:4,7,10; Deuteronomy 6:24-25). And God’s legal restrictions have always been completely appropriate and absolutely perfect: “Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good” (Romans 7:12).
Indeed, law is absolutely indispensable to human civilization. Those who live their lives under submission to God possess great respect, even love, for law. The psalmist stated repeatedly that heloved God’s laws (Psalm 119:47,48,97,113,119,127,159,163,165,167). He expressed “delight” in God’s laws (vss. 16,24,35,47,70,77,92,143,174; cf. Psalm 1:2; 112:1), even insisting, “I long for Your precepts” (Psalm 119:40; cf. vs. 174). Paul decried those who lack “love of the truth” (2 Thessalonians 2:10). You can mark it down: to the extent that a society either disdains law, or recklessly enjoins laws that conflict with God’s laws, that nation will experience social chaos, confusion, and eventual collapse.
Beginning in the 1950s and 1960s in America, and escalating to the present moment, rebellion against law has become an entrenched cultural phenomenon. It first manifested itself in earnest in the 1960s baby-boomer generation of people who rebelled against authority by rejecting the values and traditions of their parents. The criminal justice system itself commenced an overhaul in which the focus shifted from the rights and protection of the victim to the rights of the criminal. Now in many respects the criminal justice system has lost the respect it once possessed. Respect for police, lawyers, and judges that once characterized the American people has turned into suspicion, distrust, and outright disgust. Law has become a mockery to many.
The same may be said for the public schools of America. The extensive encroachment of evolution has contributed to a lawless spirit, since evolution postulates no higher law than the godless “law of the jungle.” Coincidentally, the schools have been fraught with discipline problems since the 1960s due to loss of respect for authority. Christendom suffers from the same plight. Conformity to law and doctrine is now ridiculed as “legalism.” Where once homosexuality was condemned in accordance with Bible teaching, now homosexuals are being installed as church leaders. The simple worship practices stipulated in the New Testament are exchanged for practices that stroke the fleshly desires of the worshipper—from communion for cats to the use of praise teams and instrumental music.
Widespread cultural disrespect for law and restriction began with the over-indulged baby-boomer generation that did not receive the same discipline techniques used by previous generations. An inherent hostility for law naturally ensued. Subsequent generations have inevitably followed the same course. Since pluralism, humanism, “political correctness,” and post-modernism have thoroughly saturated culture, aversion to rules, objective truth, and clear-cut moral values are the order of the day. Right and wrong are determined moment-by-moment by the individual, who merely reacts to external stimuli based on subjective preference and fleshly inclination.
To see the depth to which society has plummeted in its revulsion toward law, consider the current national discussion regarding illegal immigrants. Millions of illegal aliens have poured into the country in dire and direct violation of law. The softened attitude regarding the sacred nature of law, and the need to respect and obey that law, coupled with a redefinition of "compassion," has led many to throw up their arms and say, “What does it matter?” Large numbers of elected politicians are dogged in their determination to grant amnesty in one form or another (suggesting a suspicious desire for political empowerment). Whatever our political or social view may be regarding illegal immigration, we must acknowledge that the law has been flagrantly broken, and respect for law demands that proper punishment/consequences be levied. Anything short of implementing the full force of the law against lawbreakers will only undermine civilization by encouraging further disrespect for legal standards. When law is brushed aside, when citizens or their elected officials see themselves as qualified and authorized to ignore the law, or make their own exceptions to the law, they place themselves above the law, and contribute to the destruction of the very underpinnings of society—that which provides cohesion, stability, and consistency to civilization.
Moses’ warning to the Israelites 3,500 years ago, regarding the critical importance of God’s law in their possession of the land of Canaan, applies to America today:
Set your hearts on all the words which I testify among you today, which you shall command your children to be careful to observe—all the words of this law. For it is not a futile thing for you, because it is your life, and by this word you shall prolong your days in the land (Deuteronomy 32:46-47, emp. added).

From Gary... The real Jesus


Saturday, brother Ed Healy sent me his weekly bulletin. The above chart was included and I liked it so much that I thought you might as well. Today, the world wants to "water down" Christ into someone that is "politically correct"; Jesus is not that person!!! So, instead of just presenting the chart, I thought that some of you might enjoy reading what Jesus had to say for himself!!!

Born as God Almighty in the flesh

John, Chapter 1 (WEB)


 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  2 The same was in the beginning with God.  3 All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made.  4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.  5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn’t overcome it.  6 There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John.  7 The same came as a witness, that he might testify about the light, that all might believe through him.  8 He was not the light, but was sent that he might testify about the light.  9 The true light that enlightens everyone was coming into the world. 


  10  He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world didn’t recognize him.  11 He came to his own, and those who were his own didn’t receive him.  12 But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name:  13 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  14 The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. 


Loves us enough to speak the truth

John, Chapter 4 (WEB)


 1 Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John  2 (although Jesus himself didn’t baptize, but his disciples),  3 he left Judea, and departed into Galilee.  4 He needed to pass through Samaria.  5 So he came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son, Joseph.  6 Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being tired from his journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.  7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”   8 For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 


  9  The Samaritan woman therefore said to him, “How is it that you, being a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 



  10  Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 



  11  The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. From where then have you that living water?  12 Are you greater than our father, Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself, as did his children, and his livestock?” 



  13  Jesus answered her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again,   14  but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” 



  15  The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I don’t get thirsty, neither come all the way here to draw.” 



  16  Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 



  17  The woman answered, “I have no husband.” 
Jesus said to her, “You said well, ‘I have no husband,’   18  for you have had five husbands; and he whom you now have is not your husband. This you have said truly.” 



  19  The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.  20 Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 



  21  Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour comes, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, will you worship the Father.   22  You worship that which you don’t know. We worship that which we know; for salvation is from the Jews.   23  But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to be his worshipers.   24  God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 



  25  The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah comes, he who is called Christ. When he has come, he will declare to us all things.” 



  26  Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who speaks to you.”   27 At this, his disciples came. They marveled that he was speaking with a woman; yet no one said, “What are you looking for?” or, “Why do you speak with her?” 28 So the woman left her water pot, and went away into the city, and said to the people,  29 “Come, see a man who told me everything that I did. Can this be the Christ?” 


  30  They went out of the city, and were coming to him.  31 In the meanwhile, the disciples urged him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 



  32  But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you don’t know about.” 



  33  The disciples therefore said one to another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” 



  34  Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work.   35  Don’t you say, ‘There are yet four months until the harvest?’ Behold, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and look at the fields, that they are white for harvest already.   36  He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit to eternal life; that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.   37  For in this the saying is true, ‘One sows, and another reaps.’   38  I sent you to reap that for which you haven’t labored. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” 


Points us towards eternal treasure

Matthew, Chapter 6 (WEB)

 19  “Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal;   20  but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal;   21  for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

Warns of sin, judgment and hell

Matthew, Chapter 5 (WEB)


29  If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna.


Commands repentance of sins

Matthew, Chapter 4 (WEB)


 17  From that time, Jesus began to preach, and to say, “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” 


Gives you salvation, hope, peace and joy

John, Chapter 15 (WEB)


 9  Even as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you. Remain in my love.   10  If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and remain in his love.   11  I have spoken these things to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be made full. 


  12  “This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you.   13  Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.   14  You are my friends, if you do whatever I command you.   15  No longer do I call you servants, for the servant doesn’t know what his lord does. But I have called you friends, for everything that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you.   16  You didn’t choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever you will ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 



  17  “I command these things to you, that you may love one another.  

John, Chapter 14 (WEB)


 1  “Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me.   2  In my Father’s house are many homes. If it weren’t so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you.   3  If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will receive you to myself; that where I am, you may be there also.   4 Where I go, you know, and you know the way.” 




  5  Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 


  6  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.   7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on, you know him, and have seen him.” 

  8  Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” 

  9  Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you such a long time, and do you not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father. How do you say, ‘Show us the Father?’   10  Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I tell you, I speak not from myself; but the Father who lives in me does his works.   11  Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me; or else believe me for the very works’ sake.   12  Most certainly I tell you, he who believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also; and he will do greater works than these, because I am going to my Father.   13  Whatever you will ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.   14  If you will ask anything in my name, I will do it.   15  If you love me, keep my commandments.   16  I will pray to the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, *n1 that he may be with you forever,—   17  the Spirit of truth, whom the world can’t receive; for it doesn’t see him, neither knows him. You know him, for he lives with you, and will be in you.   18  I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you.   19  Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more; but you will see me. Because I live, you will live also.   20  In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.   21  One who has my commandments, and keeps them, that person is one who loves me. One who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and will reveal myself to him.” 

  22  Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, what has happened that you are about to reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?” 

  23  Jesus answered him, “If a man loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him.   24  He who doesn’t love me doesn’t keep my words. The word which you hear isn’t mine, but the Father’s who sent me.   25  I have said these things to you, while still living with you.  26  But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you.   27  Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, give I to you. Don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful. 




Hated and despised by the world

John, chapter, 15 (WEB)


18  If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you. 



Hates sin and exposes the truth about sin 

John, Chapter 3 (WEB)


18  He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.   19  This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil.   20  For everyone who does evil hates the light, and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed.   21  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God.” 


Commands with divine authority

Mark, Chapter 5 (WEB)



1 They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.  2 When he had come out of the boat, immediately a man with an unclean spirit met him out of the tombs.  3 He lived in the tombs. Nobody could bind him any more, not even with chains,  4 because he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him, and the fetters broken in pieces. Nobody had the strength to tame him. 5 Always, night and day, in the tombs and in the mountains, he was crying out, and cutting himself with stones. 6 When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and bowed down to him,  7 and crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have I to do with you, Jesus, you Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, don’t torment me.”  8 For he said to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 


  9  He asked him, “What is your name?” 

He said to him, “My name is Legion, for we are many.”  10 He begged him much that he would not send them away out of the country.  11 Now on the mountainside there was a great herd of pigs feeding.  12 All the demons begged him, saying, “Send us into the pigs, that we may enter into them.” 

  13  At once Jesus gave them permission. The unclean spirits came out and entered into the pigs. The herd of about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and they were drowned in the sea.  14 Those who fed them fled, and told it in the city and in the country. 

The people came to see what it was that had happened.  15 They came to Jesus, and saw him who had been possessed by demons sitting, clothed, and in his right mind, even him who had the legion; and they were afraid. 16 Those who saw it declared to them what happened to him who was possessed by demons, and about the pigs.  17 They began to beg him to depart from their region. 

  18  As he was entering into the boat, he who had been possessed by demons begged him that he might be with him.  19 He didn’t allow him, but said to him, “Go to your house, to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how he had mercy on you.” 

  20  He went his way, and began to proclaim in Decapolis how Jesus had done great things for him, and everyone marveled. 


Says to expect persecution in his name

Matthew, Chapter 10 (WEB)


16  “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.   17  But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to councils, and in their synagogues they will scourge you.   18  Yes, and you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the nations.   19  But when they deliver you up, don’t be anxious how or what you will say, for it will be given you in that hour what you will say.   20  For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. 


  21  “Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child. Children will rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death.   22  You will be hated by all men for my name’s sake, but he who endures to the end will be saved.   23  But when they persecute you in this city, flee into the next, for most certainly I tell you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel, until the Son of Man has come. 



  24  “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his lord.   25  It is enough for the disciple that he be like his teacher, and the servant like his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household! 


Brings division when necessary

Luke, Chapter 12 (WEB)



49  “I came to throw fire on the earth. I wish it were already kindled.   50  But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!   51  Do you think that I have come to give peace in the earth? I tell you, no, but rather division.   52  For from now on, there will be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.   53  They will be divided, father against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against her mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.” 


  54  He said to the multitudes also, “When you see a cloud rising from the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it happens.   55  When a south wind blows, you say, ‘There will be a scorching heat,’ and it happens.   56  You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky, but how is it that you don’t interpret this time?



Exalts God the Father's will

John, Chapter 6 (WEB)


 38  For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.



Warns of false signs and wonders; magnifies God's word

Matthew, Chapter 24 (WEB)


24  For there will arise false christs, and false prophets, and they will show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones. 

Demands that emotion, experience and opinion conform to sound teaching

Matthew, Chapter 23 (WEB)



  1 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to his disciples,  2 saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees sat on Moses’ seat.   3  All things therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do, but don’t do their works; for they say, and don’t do.   4  For they bind heavy burdens that are grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not lift a finger to help them.   5  But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries  broad, enlarge the fringes of their garments,   6  and love the place of honor at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues,   7  the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi, Rabbi’ by men.   8  But don’t you be called ‘Rabbi,’ for one is your teacher, the Christ, and all of you are brothers.   9  Call no man on the earth your father, for one is your Father, he who is in heaven.   10  Neither be called masters, for one is your master, the Christ.   11  But he who is greatest among you will be your servant.  12  Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. 


  13  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and as a pretense you make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. 



  14  “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men; for you don’t enter in yourselves, neither do you allow those who are entering in to enter.  15  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel around by sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much of a son of Gehenna  as yourselves. 




  16  “Woe to you, you blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obligated.’   17  You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifies the gold?   18  ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obligated?’   19  You blind fools! For which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift?   20  He therefore who swears by the altar, swears by it, and by everything on it.   21  He who swears by the temple, swears by it, and by him who was living in it.   22  He who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits on it. 


  23  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, *n6 and have left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith. But you ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone.   24  You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel! 



  25  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and unrighteousness.   26  You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the platter, that its outside may become clean also. 



  27  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitened tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.   28  Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 



  29  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and decorate the tombs of the righteous,   30  and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we wouldn’t have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’   31  Therefore you testify to yourselves that you are children of those who killed the prophets.   32  Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.   33  You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of Gehenna   34  Therefore behold, I send to you prophets, wise men, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify; and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city;   35  that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the sanctuary and the altar.   36  Most certainly I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation. 



  37  “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to her! How often I would have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not!   38 Behold, your house is left to you desolate.   39  For I tell you, you will not see me from now on, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’” 




Commands you to deny yourself and lay down your life for God

Matthew, Chapter 16 (WEB)


 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.   25  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it. 

In order to get the full impact of what Jesus said, I encourage you to read the ENTIRE NEW TESTAMENT during the upcoming year.

May God bless!!!

Your friend,

Gary