What do the Scriptures tell us about Satan? by Roy Davison

http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Davison/Roy/Allen/1940/034-powerofsatan.html

What do the Scriptures tell us about Satan?

Jesus sent Paul to the people and to the nations: “to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith” in Christ (Acts 26:18).
Who is Satan? What is the extent and nature of his power? Who has conquered Satan, and how can people turn from the power of Satan to God?

Who is Satan?
In Revelation we are told: “And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:7-9).
Our knowledge of the heavenly realm is limited to what God has revealed. We are told that Satan led a rebellion against God. Pride was his downfall. An elder is not to be a novice, “lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil” (1 Timothy 3:6).
It is the ultimate arrogance to suppose that a rebellion against God could succeed. Yet, billions today follow Satan's example. They live in rebellion to God.

What is the extent of Satan's power?
According to John, “The whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one” (1 John 5:19). Thus, Satan has much power.
Many do not believe that he exits. Others think that only those who commit terrible atrocities are under the power of Satan. But John says that the whole world is in the wicked one!

What is the nature of Satan's power?
The devil uses deception to rule the world. Jesus said that the devil “does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44 RSV).
Satan is called “the tempter” (1 Thessalonians 3:5). He cannot force people to sin, but he tempts them by false claims that rebellion against God would bring greater pleasure, less pain or some advantage. Satan tempted Eve by telling her that she would be like God if she disobeyed God and ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:1-5).
Satan appeals to people's desires. “Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed” (James 1:13, 14).
When people decide to sin, they voluntarily join Satan's rebellion and extend his power. They also distance themselves from the fellowship of God. “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2).

Jesus came to conquer Satan.
“Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:31, 32).
Referring to the Holy Spirit, Jesus said: “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged” (John 16:8-11).
Jesus came to rescue us from the power of Satan. “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:14, 15).
Satan is a killer. Jesus said: “He was a murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44). Satan brought death into the world by deceiving Eve. He encouraged her to disobey God and told her she would not die (Genesis 3:4). How could she be so foolish? Yet, we all follow Eve's example, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
Jesus came to rescue us by depriving the devil of his deadly power. He accomplished this by bearing the punishment for our sins, He “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24). Jesus says in Revelation: “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death” (Revelation 1:18). Through His resurrection, Christ conquered death. He has the keys to our grave. This is good news! This is the gospel!
Recently I learned the location of the grave of my maternal grandparents, Charles and Pearl Kincaid. I hope to obtain a picture of the plaque on their grave.
They were dedicated Christians. Although I do not remember them because I was small when they passed away, they had a great impact on my life. Their influence led to my parents becoming Christians.
When we walk through a graveyard, the stones are silent. The inscriptions show the person's name, the date of his birth and the date of his death.
In the fall, when the trees are wearing their most colorful garments, we like to go for a brief holiday across the border in the hills of Germany. While driving around admiring the beauty of God's creation, we have at times stopped to visit a graveyard. The cemeteries are beautiful, usually on the side of a hill. In the fall, flowers are placed on the graves in remembrance of family members who have passed on.
Walking from gravestone to gravestone, we sometimes noticed that a child had lived only a few months, or that a whole family had died on the same day, or that someone had lived a full life of eighty or ninety years. Now they all are silent in the grave, and one day soon we will be with them, unless the Lord returns before we die. We never know which day will be our last.
Death is the power of Satan. After Adam and Eve had to leave Eden, everyone dies because everyone sins (Romans 5:12).
Yet, something within us objects to death. God has placed eternity in man's heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11). People we know and love ought not to die! And God has provided a way that we can live on with Him forever. Death and sin give Satan his power, but Jesus has conquered sin and death and Satan.

How can someone turn from the power of Satan to God?
Salvation from the power of Satan is offered to all. After His resurrection, Jesus told His followers: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15, 16). “And the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17).
When someone does not desire, however, when his heart is not right, Satan can prevent him from believing. Jesus explained the parable of the sower: “The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved” (Luke 8:11, 12). ... “But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15).
Paul says: “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Corinthians 4:3, 4).
But when we are willing, when we hear the word with good and noble hearts, when we believe and are baptized, we are saved by God: “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13, 14).
John heard praise in heaven for Christ's victory over Satan: “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death” (Revelation 12:10, 11).
Paul explains: “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:1, 2).

But Satan does not give up easily.

He tries to bring us back under his power. Paul was concerned about the Corinthians: “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3). He had similar fears about the welfare of the Thessalonians: “For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain” (1 Thessalonians 3:5).

Peter warns: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith” (1 Peter 5:8, 9).
James gives this admonition: “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
God has given us the weapons we need to resist the devil: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:10-18).

What have we learned about Satan?
Mankind is in the clutches of the wicked one, who deceives the whole world. His power is the destructive power of sin and death.
Christ came to set us free from the power of Satan by suffering the penalty for our sins so we can be forgiven. This good news is preached to all.
He who believes and is baptized will be saved by God who transfers him from the power of darkness into the kingdom of His Son. Satan still assails us, but God gives us the weapons we need to resist him and remain faithful.
In conclusion, a blessing from Romans 16:20 - “And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”

Roy Davison

The Scripture quotations in this article are from
The New King James Version. ©1979,1980,1982,
Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers unless indicated otherwise.
Permission for reference use has been granted.

Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)

CALVINISTS & THEIR PRIVATE INTERPRETATION OF SCRIPTURE BY STEVE FINNELL

http://steve-finnell.blogspot.com/2017/04/

CALVINISTS & THEIR PRIVATE INTERPRETATION OF SCRIPTURE  BY STEVE FINNELL

Calvinists believe the Bible as long as they can practice their private interpretations of Scripture.

Example: John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (NKJV)

Calvinists Private Interpretation: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever God selects for salvation shall not perish but have everlasting life and whoever God selects to burn in hell, will not have everlasting life.

Example: Acts 2:38 Then Peter said, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.(NKJV)

Calvinists Private Interpretation: (Acts 2:38) Then Peter said, "Repent for the remission of sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ because you sins have already been forgiven. You received the gift of the Holy Spirit the very minute you believed.

Hebrews 6:4-6 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God  and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they shall fall away, to renew then again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to open shame. (NKJV)

Calvinists Private Interpretation: (Hebrews 6:4-6)  For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift to fall from grace, because once in grace always in grace. Those who have appeared to have fallen from grace were never saved.

Example: Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. (NKJV)

Calvinists Private Interpretation: (Ephesians 2:8-9) For by grace you have been saved through faith. Salvation is not the gift given by God. God give certain individuals the gift of faith so they can believe and be saved. Being baptized in water, by another person, is a good work; therefore it is not essential to be baptized in order to be saved.

Example: Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,(NKJV)

Calvinists Private Interpretation: (Titus 2:11) For the grace of God brings salvation only to the elect that have been selected by God. God will choose those who will receive grace. There will be no free-will.

The only cure for private interpretations of Scripture is to have pride removed from a person's heart.

TREASURE IN CLAY POTS by Jim McGuiggan

http://theabidingword.com/logos/index.html

TREASURE IN CLAY POTS

Be patient with me, please, while I speak to this again

Yes, yes, tell me about the heresy. Tell me what made Paul boiling mad in the book of Galatians? So mad that he says, “Ah, go have yourselves castrated.” Galatians 5:12. What made him that angry? In chapter 1 he says, “If you preach some other  gospel than the one I preached to you—God curse you.” What drove him to talk like that?

(Gail O’ Day wouldn’t like that kind of speech. It is fierce and hardly gentlemanly but maybe it’s a measure of the vast difference between Paul’s grasp of the gospel of God and ours; its significance for an entire world and ours. Maybe it’s a measure of how spellbinding he found it that he raced all over creation shouting it, defending it, bending grammar and the social rules of politeness with eyes blazing while we engage in politically correct religious lecturing. But we should only tolerate his kind of talk when there is a lot at stake. We hear speech almost as savage as his coming from some mouths about issues that are barely worth talking about. A pox on that kind of thing. Walk away!)

What infuriated him was that damning, soul destroying heresy. Yes, that’s true but why did the heresy make him mad?

Because it would destroy and/or blind people to the cosmic beauty, the cosmic power, the cosmic shift and uplift, the cosmic transformation that has taken place in the incarnation and redemptive work of God in and through Jesus of Nazareth who is now the Lord Jesus.

That’s what drives Paul close to unbridled emotion. It’s not the heresy that’s driving him there—end of story—it’s the gospel that’s being plundered and distorted. If there’s nothing at stake who cares about divergent opinions and philosophies and much less who’s going to be filled with rage?

Paul is enraged because, he says, “If you’re right then Christ died for nothing!” Galatians 2.21. He found that simply unbearable. Tell him to calm down and prepare for an earful of fierce speech that will strip you to the bone!

But to major in exposing real or alleged heresies and minor in proclaiming and unpacking the gospel of God if it isn’t a crime in preachers/teachers it’s at least a profound blunder!

We learn things from the biblical witness about the nature and content of truth by following Paul in his treatment of the heresy but that isn’t the same as getting the richness of the gospel that comes from the immediate and intentional unpacking of that gospel. Merely to outline and show how Paul’s argument works against the 2,000 year old heresy and repeat that again and again and again is not the same as unpacking the gospel in the 21st century.

The same truth holds when we approach the prophets. We learn important truth about the OT gospel of God by paying careful attention to the prophetic denunciation of apostasy and wickedness and what these imply. We must listen to what the prophets actually say but we mustn’t leave it there. We must seek the underlying truths on which the prophet bases his sometimes thundering denunciations and his often wooing appeals.

One of the dangers in our studying is not that we’re too serious but that in our seriousness we spend more time getting to know the ancient heresy now a long time dead than we do to come to know and sometimes marvel at the glory and majesty of the ever-living gospel that the heresy would destroy if it could/would if we ignored it. And even in our day when one heresy or another is alive and well we need to remember that it’s only the glory of the gospel that makes the heresy worth talking about.

I think what I’m saying here is true and helpful but it isn’t gospeling. It talks about what we should do and don’t do what I believe we should consistently do—unpack the gospel.

I think what I’m saying is important because it is part of how we get to what is the source of eternal life—the gospel of God (Romans 1:1). I don’t wish to minimize the importance of that but I want to make the point that it’s the gospel we’re after and that all our digging and our research is supposed to help us to hear the God of the gospel speak to us!

There are some scholars who can do this marvelously well. They dive deep and don’t come up until they surface with treasure that enriches us all. We’re not all capable that way and so we need such people to be God’s instrument of blessing but though we ourselves can’t dive that deep we can often tell the difference between junk or the barely interesting and the thrilling, the enriching and the sustaining proclamation of the Lord of the gospel. And if we do we need to hold our teachers accountable. I don’t mean “hold them accountable” in that hard and flinty way the phrase often suggests. There’s more than one way to call one another “upward”—up to more effort, to more focus. We ought to pray to the Holy Father to bless our teachers but prayer was never meant to be a substitute for our speaking gently but plainly to one another when the need arises.

I do recognize that this can be difficult and sometimes even painful and that, sometimes, I might even have to find courage to engage in it. It’s worth it—sometimes our teachers aren’t aware that we need more than they’re offering. Communication requires at least two and the listener has as much to contribute as the speaker so while we who listen might feel we have something to say to the speaker to help him or her “speak up” I’m sure Someone from time to time will be saying to us listeners “listen up!” At this moment I’m in need of those who teach me to go deeper in the right places and come up with some serious treasure.

(Holy Father, help us we pray. Deliver us from the religious and moral lecturing that so often is offered as a substitute for gospeling. We ask this because we feel the need of it. Do be generous still to your People that we, as your Holy Nation, might have that treasure in clay jars to make known to our world. This prayer in Jesus our Lord.)

Questions and Answers: Is there Proof of Bible Inspiration? by Dave Miller, Ph.D.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=13&article=1379

Questions and Answers: Is there Proof of Bible Inspiration?

by	Dave Miller, Ph.D.

Q.

What type of proof is available to show the Bible is inspired of God?

A.

There are any number of proofs which document that the Bible is inspired of God. But the Book’s uncanny brevity is one obvious proof of its divine origin. Throughout history, humans have been quite verbose in articulating their ideas and thoughts—from multi-volume encyclopedias, history books, and biographies, to the pronouncements of religious authorities via their councils, disciplines, and sundry theologies. In stark contrast to this human inclination, the books of the Bible are incredibly brief. Consider, for example, that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were given the weighty responsibility of reporting to the world for all ages the momentous events surrounding the life of Christ while He was on Earth. John even admitted that there were so many activities that occurred during Jesus’ life that, “if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written” (John 21:25). So what should be included, and what should be excluded in such a critical literary endeavor?

In reporting the events in the life of an extremely eminent figure in world history, what human writer would omit the birth—as Mark and John did? What author would skip over the first thirty years of the person’s life—as all four of the Gospel writers did (with Luke’s one exception of an incident in Jesus’ life at the age of twelve)? The baptism of Jesus is told in twelve lines by Matthew, and in six lines by Mark and Luke. Of the twelve post-resurrection appearances of Jesus, two are noted by Matthew, three each by Mark and Luke, and four by John. In Acts, Luke provided the only inspired report of the first thirty years of the history of the church and the spread of Christianity—and he did it in just twenty-eight chapters! The untimely death of the first apostle, James, which must have been a tremendous blow to the early church (on the order of, say, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy to Americans), is recorded in a short eleven words. With such cataclysmic, earthshaking subject matter, how did these authors produce such succinct, condensed, concise histories consisting of only a few pages? The answer? They wrote under the overruling influence (in this case, restraint) of the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21).

Questions and Answers: The Passion of the Christ--Biblically Accurate? by Dave Miller, Ph.D.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=13&article=638

Questions and Answers: The Passion of the Christ--Biblically Accurate?

by	Dave Miller, Ph.D.

Q.

Is the Mel Gibson movie, The Passion of the Christ, biblically accurate?

A.

Hollywood rarely, if ever, represents the Bible accurately when it ventures into the arena of biblical history. Its depictions of Bible events usually are adjusted and supplemented with extrabiblical details. Nevertheless, Mel Gibson’s blockbuster recreation of the final hours of Jesus’ life on Earth depicts the major events quite credibly. The movie is particularly accurate in its cinematic portrayal of the attitude and actions of Pilate, the Jewish hierarchy, and the Jewish mob. Both the scourging scene and the actual crucifixion match substantially the extant historical reports of these Roman forms of punishment and execution—with perhaps one exception, i.e., the placement of the nails in Jesus’ hands (cf. Harrub and Thompson, 2002).

However, the movie does contain several nonbiblical allusions. For example, a single squadron of Jewish guards arrests Jesus in the garden, whereas the gospel accounts include a large angry mob with the Jewish officers (Matthew 26:47; Mark 14:43; Luke 22:47). After His arrest, Jesus is shoved off a bridge to dangle from a chain. As He is hoisted upward, He sees one of the disciples (Judas) hiding beneath the bridge. Mary Magdalene is linked with the adulterous woman of John 8. After Christ’s scourging, women sop up Jesus’ blood with towels provided by Pilate’s wife. Mary, experiencing a flashback to Christ’s childhood, comforts Jesus as He transports the cross to Golgotha. Simon of Cyrene, the man chosen by the Romans to assist Jesus with the cross, is given considerable dialogue. Mary is given an exaggerated role, and frequently is addressed as “mother,” in keeping with Catholic tradition (Gibson is Catholic). A raven pecks the eye of one of the thieves hanging beside Jesus. Yet the Bible says nothing of these details. Perhaps a more serious deviation is Satan’s attempt to discourage Jesus from subjecting Himself to the ordeal. In contrast, the New Testament depicts Satan as a central instigator of the event, apparently unaware of the ultimate spiritual and eternal implications for atonement (Genesis 3:15; Hebrews 2:14; Revelation 12:1-5).

Despite such alterations to the biblical record, Gibson is to be commended for achieving his primary purpose: to give the viewer a deeper awareness of the suffering of Christ.

REFERENCES

Harrub, Brad and Bert Thompson (2002), “An Examination of the Medical Evidence for the Physical Death of Christ,” Reason & Revelation, 22:1-7, January.

Questions and Answers: Was Job a Real Person? by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=13&article=618

Questions and Answers: Was Job a Real Person?

by	Eric Lyons, M.Min.

Q.

Was Job a real person?

A.

In a single day, the patriarch Job lost all ten of his children, all of his livestock, and many of his servants. And if all this was not enough, Job’s body then became diseased from head to toe, his wife urged him to “curse God and die,” and the comforting counsel of three of his “friends” quickly gave way to judgmental accusations.

Based upon the extent of the suffering mentioned above, and the time frame in which it all occurred, some critics tend to doubt that Job was a real person. Rather, they think he simply was fabricated to teach a lesson about human suffering. Perhaps, they say, he is to be valued like such parabolic figures as the good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37), the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), or the rich fool (Luke 12:16-21).

If Job were not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible apart from for the book that bears his name, those who claim he was not a real person might be able to argue their position more confidently. But the fact is, Job is mentioned in three different verses in Scripture (outside the book of Job), and in all three passages he is considered a real, historical figure.

The first two places in which his name can be found are Ezekiel 14, verses 14 and 20. In verse 14, the prophet stated: “Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness.” Verse 20 records: “[E]ven though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, says the Lord God, they would deliver neither son nor daughter; they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness.”

Ezekiel’s point in both verses was that the ungodly conditions in the land were such that even if Noah, Daniel, and Job lived in that city, no one else would be saved. Ezekiel spoke of all three of these men as being real, historical people, not legendary characters.

Job also is mentioned in the latter part of the book of James. In 5:11 we read: “You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord.” Obviously, James was not writing through inspiration about an imaginary person. Although, admittedly much about Job remains a mystery, we can know that he was a real person who suffered in every way like you and me, and yet remained faithful to his God.

"THE BOOK OF PROVERBS" Wisdom Regarding Work by Mark Copeland

"THE BOOK OF PROVERBS"

Wisdom Regarding Work

INTRODUCTION

1. The responsibilities of being a Christian are many, one of which is
   providing a proper example...
   a. We are to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth- Mt 5:13-16

   b. This requires outstanding and honorable conduct on our part- 1 Pe  2:12

   c. This is especially true as we go about the business of making a
      living - cf. 2Th 3:11-12

2. But how can we be sure that we behave properly toward outsiders in
   our business affairs...?
   a. We've seen that Proverbs has much wisdom to offer in regards to
      friends and family
   b. It also has much to say regarding every day work and business!

[As one who was employed in secular work before devoting my full
energies to preaching the gospel, I found Proverbs to be especially
helpful in this area.  For example, from Proverbs I learned...]

I. TO KEEP WORK IN ITS PROPER PLACE

   A. REMEMBER WHAT SHOULD TAKE PRIORITY...
      1. It is a fact of life that we must work to live and provide for our families
         a. If we aren't willing to work, the church is under no
            obligation to help us - 2Th 3:6
         b. If we don't provide for our families, we are worse than unbelievers 

             - 1Ti 5:8
      2. But misplaced priorities can be very harmful to our well-being!
         a. Righteousness, not riches, is what is truly profitable - Pro 11:4
         b. One should therefore seek to be righteous, not rich - Pro 11:28
      3. It is better to have a little with righteousness, than to be
         rich and wicked - Pr 16:8

   B. INVOLVE GOD IN OUR BUSINESS AFFAIRS...
      1. For then our efforts are more likely to succeed - Pr 16:3 (cf.
         how the Lord blessed Joseph - Gen 39:2-5)
      2. We are more likely to be able to enjoy what we receive 

          - Pro 10:22; cf. Ec 5:18-6:2

   C. REMEMBER THAT BUSINESS HAS A MAJOR SHORTCOMING...
      1. We never know what might happen tomorrow - Pr 27:1; cf. Jm 4:13-16
      2. Wealth is a fleeting commodity not worth killing yourself in
         order to obtain - Pr 23:4-5

[Many people come to learn these truths only after a lifetime, when they
realize they wasted their years on things not truly important, but the
value of Proverbs is that even the young can know them early and apply
them to their lives!  From Proverbs I also learned...]

II. TO BE SUCCESSFUL LABORER

   A. WHAT "NOT" TO DO...
      1. Be lazy, for it will greatly irritate your boss! - Pr 10:26
      2. Be slothful in your work, for it will ruin your company as
         quick as a competing company (and how long will your job last
         if your company can't compete?) - cf. Pr 18:9

   B. WHAT ONE "SHOULD" DO...
      1. Develop skill in your work (it will not go unnoticed) - Pro 22:29
      2. Be diligent in your work to ensure your promotion - Pr 12:24
      3. Impress people with the quality of your work, not the quantity
         of your words - Pr 14:23

[In today's competitive job market, among the best "skills" one can have
are such things as "diligence" and "honesty".  The wisdom from Proverbs
can help one become a valuable commodity!  Proverbs also provide wisdom
on how...]

III. TO BE A SUCCESSFUL MANAGER

   A. BE A WISE MANAGER...
      1. Be diligent in your planning, and not too hasty in getting
         things done - Pr 21:5
      2. Nurture and utilize counsel from others - Pr 15:22
      3. Stay on top of your job! - cf. Pr 27:23-27

   B. BE A GOOD LEADER...
      1. Don't be oppressive - Pr 28:16
      2. Be concerned for the rights of your employees - Pr 29:7
      3. Provide good treatment, and you will gain loyalty and love- Pr 29:21
      4. Help the employee see how his work benefits himself as well as
         the company, so he will be diligent in his efforts - Pr 16:26

CONCLUSION

1. My experience as both a laborer and a manager gave me opportunity to
   test the wisdom found in Proverbs...

2. I found that if one...
   a. Keeps the need to work in proper perspective
   b. Applies the principles found in Proverbs and other Scriptures

3. That in His providence God...
   a. Not only provides you with the necessities of life
   b. But more often than not a good degree of material abundance!

The important thing to keep in mind is that throughout our business
dealings, we must always heed the words of Jesus:

   "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness!" (Mt 6:33)

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2016

Of Peanut Butter, People and Possibilities by Gary Rose

During the course of my lifetime, I must have made hundreds, if not thousands of PJ’s. I like different styles of peanut butter and different kinds of jelly, so I probably have had many different combinations, but nothing like THIS. This is genius, pure genius. I must try this as soon as I get some marshmallow. When I think of combinations, one of the things that comes to mind is the church. Consider this…

1 Corinthians 12 ( World English Bible )

[12] For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ. [13] For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all given to drink into one Spirit.

[14] For the body is not one member, but many. [15] If the foot would say, “Because I’m not the hand, I’m not part of the body,” it is not therefore not part of the body. [16] If the ear would say, “Because I’m not the eye, I’m not part of the body,” it’s not therefore not part of the body. [17] If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the smelling be? [18] But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body, just as he desired. [19] If they were all one member, where would the body be? [20] But now they are many members, but one body. [21] The eye can’t tell the hand, “I have no need for you,” or again the head to the feet, “I have no need for you.” [22] No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. [23] Those parts of the body which we think to be less honorable, on those we bestow more abundant honor; and our unpresentable parts have more abundant propriety; [24] whereas our presentable parts have no such need. But God composed the body together, giving more abundant honor to the inferior part, [25] that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. [26] When one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. Or when one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

Each individual adds something to the collective body; something unique. And when we consider that we are members of one another (Romans 12:5, Ephesians 4:25) and each of us is comprised of body, soul and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23) that is a lot of combinations. Christianity is complex, just as we are. God truly makes our life interesting, doesn’t he?

PS. I just thought of PBJ 3.0. Make this a Double Decker by placing another slice of bread in the middle. Find two more ingredients that you like, say two other preserves that would go well with the above combinations and use one to make an X and the other a cross. Please tell me, exactly how many combinations is THAT?

Bible Reading November 20 & 21 by Gary Rose

Bible Reading November 20 & 21

World  English  Bible

Nov. 20

Jeremiah 30-33

Jer 30:1 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying,

Jer 30:2 Thus speaks Yahweh, the God of Israel, saying, Write you all the words that I have spoken to you in a book.

Jer 30:3 For, behold, the days come, says Yahweh, that I will turn again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, says Yahweh; and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.

Jer 30:4 These are the words that Yahweh spoke concerning Israel and concerning Judah.

Jer 30:5 For thus says Yahweh: We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace.

Jer 30:6 Ask now, and see whether a man does travail with child: why do I see every man with his hands on his waist, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?

Jer 30:7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

Jer 30:8 It shall come to pass in that day, says Yahweh of Armies, that I will break his yoke from off your neck, and will burst your bonds; and strangers shall no more make him their bondservant;

Jer 30:9 but they shall serve Yahweh their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up to them.

Jer 30:10 Therefore don't you be afraid, O Jacob my servant, says Yahweh; neither be dismayed, Israel: for, behold, I will save you from afar, and your seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be quiet and at ease, and none shall make him afraid.

Jer 30:11 For I am with you, says Yahweh, to save you: for I will make a full end of all the nations where I have scattered you, but I will not make a full end of you; but I will correct you in measure, and will in no way leave you unpunished.

Jer 30:12 For thus says Yahweh, Your hurt is incurable, and your wound grievous.

Jer 30:13 There is none to plead your cause, that you may be bound up: you have no healing medicines.

Jer 30:14 All your lovers have forgotten you; they don't seek you: for I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the greatness of your iniquity, because your sins were increased.

Jer 30:15 Why cry you for your hurt? your pain is incurable: for the greatness of your iniquity, because your sins were increased, I have done these things to you.

Jer 30:16 Therefore all those who devour you shall be devoured; and all your adversaries, everyone of them, shall go into captivity; and those who despoil you shall be a spoil, and all who prey on you will I give for a prey.

Jer 30:17 For I will restore health to you, and I will heal you of your wounds, says Yahweh; because they have called you an outcast, saying, It is Zion, whom no man seeks after.

Jer 30:18 Thus says Yahweh: Behold, I will turn again the captivity of Jacob's tents, and have compassion on his dwelling places; and the city shall be built on its own hill, and the palace shall be inhabited after its own manner.

Jer 30:19 Out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of those who make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.

Jer 30:20 Their children also shall be as before, and their congregation shall be established before me; and I will punish all who oppress them.

Jer 30:21 Their prince shall be of themselves, and their ruler shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach to me: for who is he who has had boldness to approach to me? says Yahweh.

Jer 30:22 You shall be my people, and I will be your God.

Jer 30:23 Behold, the storm of Yahweh, even his wrath, is gone forth, a sweeping storm: it shall burst on the head of the wicked.

Jer 30:24 The fierce anger of Yahweh shall not return, until he has executed, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days you shall understand it.

Jer 31:1 At that time, says Yahweh, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.

Jer 31:2 Thus says Yahweh, The people who were left of the sword found favor in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.

Jer 31:3 Yahweh appeared of old to me, saying, Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn you.

Jer 31:4 Again will I build you, and you shall be built, O virgin of Israel: again you shall be adorned with your tambourines, and shall go forth in the dances of those who make merry.

Jer 31:5 Again you shall plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant, and shall enjoy its fruit.

Jer 31:6 For there shall be a day, that the watchmen on the hills of Ephraim shall cry, Arise you, and let us go up to Zion to Yahweh our God.

Jer 31:7 For thus says Yahweh, Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout for the chief of the nations: publish you, praise you, and say, Yahweh, save your people, the remnant of Israel.

Jer 31:8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the uttermost parts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her who travails with child together: a great company shall they return here.

Jer 31:9 They shall come with weeping; and with petitions will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by rivers of waters, in a straight way in which they shall not stumble; for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

Jer 31:10 Hear the word of Yahweh, you nations, and declare it in the islands afar off; and say, He who scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as shepherd does his flock.

Jer 31:11 For Yahweh has ransomed Jacob, and redeemed him from the hand of him who was stronger than he.

Jer 31:12 They shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow to the goodness of Yahweh, to the grain, and to the new wine, and to the oil, and to the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.

Jer 31:13 Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old together; for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.

Jer 31:14 I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, says Yahweh.

Jer 31:15 Thus says Yahweh: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.

Jer 31:16 Thus says Yahweh: Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for your work shall be rewarded, says Yahweh; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.

Jer 31:17 There is hope for your latter end, says Yahweh; and your children shall come again to their own border.

Jer 31:18 I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus, You have chastised me, and I was chastised, as a calf unaccustomed to the yoke: turn you me, and I shall be turned; for you are Yahweh my God.

Jer 31:19 Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I struck on my thigh: I was ashamed, yes, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth.

Jer 31:20 Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a darling child? for as often as I speak against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, says Yahweh.

Jer 31:21 Set up road signs, make guideposts; set your heart toward the highway, even the way by which you went: turn again, virgin of Israel, turn again to these your cities.

Jer 31:22 How long will you go here and there, you backsliding daughter? for Yahweh has created a new thing in the earth: a woman shall encompass a man.

Jer 31:23 Thus says Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, Yet again shall they use this speech in the land of Judah and in its cities, when I shall bring again their captivity: Yahweh bless you, habitation of righteousness, mountain of holiness.

Jer 31:24 Judah and all its cities shall dwell therein together, the farmers, and those who go about with flocks.

Jer 31:25 For I have satiated the weary soul, and every sorrowful soul have I replenished.

Jer 31:26 On this I awakened, and saw; and my sleep was sweet to me.

Jer 31:27 Behold, the days come, says Yahweh, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of animal.

Jer 31:28 It shall happen that, like as I have watched over them to pluck up and to break down and to overthrow and to destroy and to afflict, so will I watch over them to build and to plant, says Yahweh.

Jer 31:29 In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge.

Jer 31:30 But everyone shall die for his own iniquity: every man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge.

Jer 31:31 Behold, the days come, says Yahweh, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

Jer 31:32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they broke, although I was a husband to them, says Yahweh.

Jer 31:33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says Yahweh: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people:

Jer 31:34 and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know Yahweh; for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says Yahweh: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.

Jer 31:35 Thus says Yahweh, who gives the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, who stirs up the sea, so that its waves roar; Yahweh of Armies is his name:

Jer 31:36 If these ordinances depart from before me, says Yahweh, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me forever.

Jer 31:37 Thus says Yahweh: If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, then will I also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, says Yahweh.

Jer 31:38 Behold, the days come, says Yahweh, that the city shall be built to Yahweh from the tower of Hananel to the gate of the corner.

Jer 31:39 The measuring line shall go out further straight onward to the hill Gareb, and shall turn about to Goah.

Jer 31:40 The whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields to the brook Kidron, to the corner of the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy to Yahweh; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more forever.

Jer 32:1 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar.

Jer 32:2 Now at that time the king of Babylon's army was besieging Jerusalem; and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the guard, which was in the king of Judah's house.

Jer 32:3 For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, Why do you prophesy, and say, Thus says Yahweh, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it;

Jer 32:4 and Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall see his eyes;

Jer 32:5 and he shall bring Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I visit him, says Yahweh: though you fight with the Chaldeans, you shall not prosper?

Jer 32:6 Jeremiah said, The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

Jer 32:7 Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle shall come to you, saying, Buy you my field that is in Anathoth; for the right of redemption is yours to buy it.

Jer 32:8 So Hanamel my uncle's son came to me in the court of the guard according to the word of Yahweh, and said to me, Please buy my field that is in Anathoth, which is in the land of Benjamin; for the right of inheritance is yours, and the redemption is yours; buy it for yourself. Then I knew that this was the word of Yahweh.

Jer 32:9 I bought the field that was in Anathoth of Hanamel my uncle's son, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver.

Jer 32:10 I subscribed the deed, and sealed it, and called witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances.

Jer 32:11 So I took the deed of the purchase, both that which was sealed, containing the terms and conditions, and that which was open;

Jer 32:12 and I delivered the deed of the purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of Hanamel my uncle's son, and in the presence of the witnesses who subscribed the deed of the purchase, before all the Jews who sat in the court of the guard.

Jer 32:13 I commanded Baruch before them, saying,

Jer 32:14 Thus says Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, this deed of the purchase which is sealed, and this deed which is open, and put them in an earthen vessel; that they may continue many days.

Jer 32:15 For thus says Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall yet again be bought in this land.

Jer 32:16 Now after I had delivered the deed of the purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed to Yahweh, saying,

Jer 32:17 Ah Lord Yahweh! behold, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm; there is nothing too hard for you,

Jer 32:18 who show loving kindness to thousands, and recompense the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them; the great, the mighty God, Yahweh of Armies is his name;

Jer 32:19 great in counsel, and mighty in work; whose eyes are open on all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings:

Jer 32:20 who performed signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, even to this day, both in Israel and among other men; and made you a name, as in this day;

Jer 32:21 and brought forth your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terror;

Jer 32:22 and gave them this land, which you did swear to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey;

Jer 32:23 and they came in, and possessed it, but they didn't obey your voice, neither walked in your law; they have done nothing of all that you commanded them to do: therefore you have caused all this evil to come on them.

Jer 32:24 Behold, the mounds, they are come to the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans who fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence; and what you have spoken has happened; and behold, you see it.

Jer 32:25 You have said to me, Lord Yahweh, Buy you the field for money, and call witnesses; whereas the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.

Jer 32:26 Then came the word of Yahweh to Jeremiah, saying,

Jer 32:27 Behold, I am Yahweh, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?

Jer 32:28 Therefore thus says Yahweh: Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it:

Jer 32:29 and the Chaldeans, who fight against this city, shall come and set this city on fire, and burn it, with the houses, on whose roofs they have offered incense to Baal, and poured out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger.

Jer 32:30 For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done only that which was evil in my sight from their youth; for the children of Israel have only provoked me to anger with the work of their hands, says Yahweh.

Jer 32:31 For this city has been to me a provocation of my anger and of my wrath from the day that they built it even to this day; that I should remove it from before my face,

Jer 32:32 because of all the evil of the children of Israel and of the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke me to anger, they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets, and the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Jer 32:33 They have turned to me the back, and not the face: and though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not listened to receive instruction.

Jer 32:34 But they set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to defile it.

Jer 32:35 They built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech; which I didn't command them, neither did it come into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.

Jer 32:36 Now therefore thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, concerning this city, about which you say, It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence:

Jer 32:37 Behold, I will gather them out of all the countries, where I have driven them in my anger, and in my wrath, and in great indignation; and I will bring them again to this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely:

Jer 32:38 and they shall be my people, and I will be their God:

Jer 32:39 and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:

Jer 32:40 and I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from following them, to do them good; and I will put my fear in their hearts, that they may not depart from me.

Jer 32:41 Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul.

Jer 32:42 For thus says Yahweh: Like as I have brought all this great evil on this people, so will I bring on them all the good that I have promised them.

Jer 32:43 Fields shall be bought in this land, about which you say, It is desolate, without man or animal; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.

Jer 32:44 Men shall buy fields for money, and subscribe the deeds, and seal them, and call witnesses, in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the hill country, and in the cities of the lowland, and in the cities of the South: for I will cause their captivity to return, says Yahweh.

Jer 33:1 Moreover the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah the second time, while he was yet shut up in the court of the guard, saying,

Jer 33:2 Thus says Yahweh who does it, Yahweh who forms it to establish it; Yahweh is his name:

Jer 33:3 Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great things, and difficult, which you don't know.

Jer 33:4 For thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah, which are broken down to make a defense against the mounds and against the sword;

Jer 33:5 while men come to fight with the Chaldeans, and to fill them with the dead bodies of men, whom I have killed in my anger and in my wrath, and for all whose wickedness I have hid my face from this city:

Jer 33:6 Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them; and I will reveal to them abundance of peace and truth.

Jer 33:7 I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first.

Jer 33:8 I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, by which they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, by which they have sinned against me, and by which they have transgressed against me.

Jer 33:9 This city shall be to me for a name of joy, for a praise and for a glory, before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do to them, and shall fear and tremble for all the good and for all the peace that I procure to it.

Jer 33:10 Thus says Yahweh: Yet again there shall be heard in this place, about which you say, It is waste, without man and without animal, even in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without animal,

Jer 33:11 the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say, Give thanks to Yahweh of Armies, for Yahweh is good, for his loving kindness endures forever; and of them who bring sacrifices of thanksgiving into the house of Yahweh. For I will cause the captivity of the land to return as at the first, says Yahweh.

Jer 33:12 Thus says Yahweh of Armies: Yet again shall there be in this place, which is waste, without man and without animal, and in all its cities, a habitation of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down.

Jer 33:13 In the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the lowland, and in the cities of the South, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shall the flocks again pass under the hands of him who numbers them, says Yahweh.

Jer 33:14 Behold, the days come, says Yahweh, that I will perform that good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and concerning the house of Judah.

Jer 33:15 In those days, and at that time, will I cause a Branch of righteousness to grow up to David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.

Jer 33:16 In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely; and this is the name by which she shall be called: Yahweh our righteousness.

Jer 33:17 For thus says Yahweh: David shall never want a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel;

Jer 33:18 neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt offerings, and to burn meal offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.

Jer 33:19 The word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying,

Jer 33:20 Thus says Yahweh: If you can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, so that there shall not be day and night in their season;

Jer 33:21 then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers.

Jer 33:22 As the army of the sky can't be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured; so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites who minister to me.

Jer 33:23 The word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying,

Jer 33:24 Don't you consider what this people has spoken, saying, The two families which Yahweh did choose, he has cast them off? thus do they despise my people, that they should be no more a nation before them.

Jer 33:25 Thus says Yahweh: If my covenant of day and night fails, if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth;

Jer 33:26 then will I also cast away the seed of Jacob, and of David my servant, so that I will not take of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and will have mercy on them.

Nov. 21

Jeremiah 34-37

Jer 34:1 The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth that were under his dominion, and all the peoples, were fighting against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of it, saying:

Jer 34:2 Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, Go, and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Thus says Yahweh, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire:

Jer 34:3 and you shall not escape out of his hand, but shall surely be taken, and delivered into his hand; and your eyes shall see the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with you mouth to mouth, and you shall go to Babylon.

Jer 34:4 Yet hear the word of Yahweh, O Zedekiah king of Judah: thus says Yahweh concerning you, You shall not die by the sword;

Jer 34:5 you shall die in peace; and with the burnings of your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so shall they make a burning for you; and they shall lament you, saying, Ah Lord! for I have spoken the word, says Yahweh.

Jer 34:6 Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem,

Jer 34:7 when the king of Babylon's army was fighting against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish and against Azekah; for these alone remained of the cities of Judah as fortified cities.

Jer 34:8 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty to them;

Jer 34:9 that every man should let his male servant, and every man his female servant, who is a Hebrew or a Hebrewess, go free; that none should make bondservants of them, to wit, of a Jew his brother.

Jer 34:10 All the princes and all the people obeyed, who had entered into the covenant, that everyone should let his male servant, and everyone his female servant, go free, that none should make bondservants of them any more; they obeyed, and let them go:

Jer 34:11 but afterwards they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids.

Jer 34:12 Therefore the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying,

Jer 34:13 Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, saying,

Jer 34:14 At the end of seven years you shall let go every man his brother who is a Hebrew, who has been sold to you, and has served you six years, you shall let him go free from you: but your fathers didn't listen to me, neither inclined their ear.

Jer 34:15 You were now turned, and had done that which is right in my eyes, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbor; and you had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name:

Jer 34:16 but you turned and profaned my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom you had let go free at their pleasure, to return; and you brought them into subjection, to be to you for servants and for handmaids.

Jer 34:17 Therefore thus says Yahweh: you have not listened to me, to proclaim liberty, every man to his brother, and every man to his neighbor: behold, I proclaim to you a liberty, says Yahweh, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be tossed back and forth among all the kingdoms of the earth.

Jer 34:18 I will give the men who have transgressed my covenant, who have not performed the words of the covenant which they made before me, when they cut the calf in two and passed between its parts;

Jer 34:19 the princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, who passed between the parts of the calf;

Jer 34:20 I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life; and their dead bodies shall be for food to the birds of the sky, and to the animals of the earth.

Jer 34:21 Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes will I give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life, and into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, who have gone away from you.

Jer 34:22 Behold, I will command, says Yahweh, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.

Jer 35:1 The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying,

Jer 35:2 Go to the house of the Rechabites, and speak to them, and bring them into the house of Yahweh, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.

Jer 35:3 Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers, and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites;

Jer 35:4 and I brought them into the house of Yahweh, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which was by the chamber of the princes, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the threshold.

Jer 35:5 I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites bowls full of wine, and cups; and I said to them, Drink you wine.

Jer 35:6 But they said, We will drink no wine; for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying, You shall drink no wine, neither you, nor your sons, forever:

Jer 35:7 neither shall you build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any; but all your days you shall dwell in tents; that you may live many days in the land in which you sojourn.

Jer 35:8 We have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he commanded us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, or our daughters;

Jer 35:9 nor to build houses for us to dwell in; neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed:

Jer 35:10 but we have lived in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.

Jer 35:11 But it happened, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, that we said, Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Syrians; so we dwell at Jerusalem.

Jer 35:12 Then came the word of Yahweh to Jeremiah, saying,

Jer 35:13 Thus says Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel: Go, and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will you not receive instruction to listen to my words? says Yahweh.

Jer 35:14 The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons, not to drink wine, are performed; and to this day they drink none, for they obey their father's commandment: but I have spoken to you, rising up early and speaking; and you have not listened to me.

Jer 35:15 I have sent also to you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return you now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and don't go after other gods to serve them, and you shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but you have not inclined your ear, nor listened to me.

Jer 35:16 Because the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father which he commanded them, but this people has not listened to me;

Jer 35:17 therefore thus says Yahweh, the God of Armies, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them; because I have spoken to them, but they have not heard; and I have called to them, but they have not answered.

Jer 35:18 Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, Thus says Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel: Because you have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according to all that he commanded you;

Jer 35:19 therefore thus says Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel: Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me forever.

Jer 36:1 It happened in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, that this word came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying,

Jer 36:2 Take a scroll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah, even to this day.

Jer 36:3 It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do to them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.

Jer 36:4 Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah; and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of Yahweh, which he had spoken to him, on a scroll of a book.

Jer 36:5 Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up; I can't go into the house of Yahweh:

Jer 36:6 therefore go you, and read in the scroll, which you have written from my mouth, the words of Yahweh in the ears of the people in Yahweh's house on the fast day; and also you shall read them in the ears of all Judah who come out of their cities.

Jer 36:7 It may be they will present their supplication before Yahweh, and will return everyone from his evil way; for great is the anger and the wrath that Yahweh has pronounced against this people.

Jer 36:8 Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading in the book the words of Yahweh in Yahweh's house.

Jer 36:9 Now it happened in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, that all the people in Jerusalem, and all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem, proclaimed a fast before Yahweh.

Jer 36:10 Then read Baruch in the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of Yahweh, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan, the scribe, in the upper court, at the entry of the new gate of Yahweh's house, in the ears of all the people.

Jer 36:11 When Micaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book all the words of Yahweh,

Jer 36:12 he went down into the king's house, into the scribe's chamber: and behold, all the princes were sitting there, to wit, Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan the son of Achbor, and Gemariah the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the princes.

Jer 36:13 Then Micaiah declared to them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people.

Jer 36:14 Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to Baruch, saying, Take in your hand the scroll in which you have read in the ears of the people, and come. So Baruch the son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand, and came to them.

Jer 36:15 They said to him, Sit down now, and read it in our ears. So Baruch read it in their ears.

Jer 36:16 Now it happened, when they had heard all the words, they turned in fear one toward another, and said to Baruch, We will surely tell the king of all these words.

Jer 36:17 They asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How did you write all these words at his mouth?

Jer 36:18 Then Baruch answered them, He pronounced all these words to me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book.

Jer 36:19 Then said the princes to Baruch, Go, hide you, you and Jeremiah; and let no man know where you are.

Jer 36:20 They went in to the king into the court; but they had laid up the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe; and they told all the words in the ears of the king.

Jer 36:21 So the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll; and he took it out of the chamber of Elishama the scribe. Jehudi read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes who stood beside the king.

Jer 36:22 Now the king was sitting in the winter house in the ninth month: and there was a fire in the brazier burning before him.

Jer 36:23 It happened, when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, that the king cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was in the brazier, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the brazier.

Jer 36:24 They were not afraid, nor tore their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants who heard all these words.

Jer 36:25 Moreover Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the scroll; but he would not hear them.

Jer 36:26 The king commanded Jerahmeel the king's son, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet; but Yahweh hid them.

Jer 36:27 Then the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the scroll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying,

Jer 36:28 Take again another scroll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first scroll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah has burned.

Jer 36:29 Concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah you shall say, Thus says Yahweh: You have burned this scroll, saying, Why have you written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from there man and animal?

Jer 36:30 Therefore thus says Yahweh concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: He shall have none to sit on the throne of David; and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost.

Jer 36:31 I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring on them, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and on the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them, but they didn't listen.

Jer 36:32 Then took Jeremiah another scroll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah, who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire; and there were added besides to them many like words.

Jer 37:1 Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned as king, instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah.

Jer 37:2 But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did listen to the words of Yahweh, which he spoke by the prophet Jeremiah.

Jer 37:3 Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now to Yahweh our God for us.

Jer 37:4 Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people; for they had not put him into prison.

Jer 37:5 Pharaoh's army was come forth out of Egypt; and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard news of them, they broke up from Jerusalem.

Jer 37:6 Then came the word of Yahweh to the prophet Jeremiah, saying,

Jer 37:7 Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, You shall tell the king of Judah, who sent you to me to inquire of me: Behold, Pharaoh's army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land.

Jer 37:8 The Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city; and they shall take it, and burn it with fire.

Jer 37:9 Thus says Yahweh, Don't deceive yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us; for they shall not depart.

Jer 37:10 For though you had struck the whole army of the Chaldeans who fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yes would they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.

Jer 37:11 It happened that, when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh's army,

Jer 37:12 then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to receive his portion there, in the midst of the people.

Jer 37:13 When he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the guard was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he laid hold on Jeremiah the prophet, saying, You are falling away to the Chaldeans.

Jer 37:14 Then said Jeremiah, It is false; I am not falling away to the Chaldeans. But he didn't listen to him; so Irijah laid hold on Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes.

Jer 37:15 The princes were angry with Jeremiah, and struck him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe; for they had made that the prison.

Jer 37:16 When Jeremiah was come into the dungeon house, and into the cells, and Jeremiah had remained there many days;

Jer 37:17 Then Zedekiah the king sent, and fetched him: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from Yahweh? Jeremiah said, There is. He said also, You shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.

Jer 37:18 Moreover Jeremiah said to king Zedekiah, Wherein have I sinned against you, or against your servants, or against this people, that you have put me in prison?

Jer 37:19 Where now are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land?

Jer 37:20 Now please hear, my lord the king: please let my supplication be presented before you, that you not cause me to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.

Jer 37:21 Then Zedekiah the king commanded, and they committed Jeremiah into the court of the guard; and they gave him daily a loaf of bread out of the bakers' street, until all the bread in the city was spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.

Nov. 20

Hebrews 6

Heb 6:1 Therefore leaving the doctrine of the first principles of Christ, let us press on to perfection--not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, of faith toward God,

Heb 6:2 of the teaching of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

Heb 6:3 This will we do, if God permits.

Heb 6:4 For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit,

Heb 6:5 and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come,

Heb 6:6 and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify the Son of God for themselves again, and put him to open shame.

Heb 6:7 For the land which has drunk the rain that comes often on it, and brings forth a crop suitable for them for whose sake it is also tilled, receives blessing from God;

Heb 6:8 but if it bears thorns and thistles, it is rejected and near being cursed, whose end is to be burned.

Heb 6:9 But, beloved, we are persuaded of better things for you, and things that accompany salvation, even though we speak like this.

Heb 6:10 For God is not unrighteous, so as to forget your work and the labor of love which you showed toward his name, in that you served the saints, and still do serve them.

Heb 6:11 We desire that each one of you may show the same diligence to the fullness of hope even to the end,

Heb 6:12 that you won't be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherited the promises.

Heb 6:13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he could swear by none greater, he swore by himself,

Heb 6:14 saying, "Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you."

Heb 6:15 Thus, having patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

Heb 6:16 For men indeed swear by a greater one, and in every dispute of theirs the oath is final for confirmation.

Heb 6:17 In this way God, being determined to show more abundantly to the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, interposed with an oath;

Heb 6:18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to take hold of the hope set before us.

Heb 6:19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and entering into that which is within the veil;

Heb 6:20 where as a forerunner Jesus entered for us, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

Nov. 21

Hebrews 7

Heb 7:1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,

Heb 7:2 to whom also Abraham divided a tenth part of all (being first, by interpretation, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace;

Heb 7:3 without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God), remains a priest continually.

Heb 7:4 Now consider how great this man was, to whom even Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth out of the best spoils.

Heb 7:5 They indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest's office have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brothers, though these have come out of the body of Abraham,

Heb 7:6 but he whose genealogy is not counted from them has accepted tithes from Abraham, and has blessed him who has the promises.

Heb 7:7 But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater.

Heb 7:8 Here people who die receive tithes, but there one receives tithes of whom it is testified that he lives.

Heb 7:9 We can say that through Abraham even Levi, who receives tithes, has paid tithes,

Heb 7:10 for he was yet in the body of his father when Melchizedek met him.

Heb 7:11 Now if there was perfection through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people have received the law), what further need was there for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron?

Heb 7:12 For the priesthood being changed, there is of necessity a change made also in the law.

Heb 7:13 For he of whom these things are said belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar.

Heb 7:14 For it is evident that our Lord has sprung out of Judah, about which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.

Heb 7:15 This is yet more abundantly evident, if after the likeness of Melchizedek there arises another priest,

Heb 7:16 who has been made, not after the law of a fleshly commandment, but after the power of an endless life:

Heb 7:17 for it is testified, "You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek."

Heb 7:18 For there is an annulling of a foregoing commandment because of its weakness and uselessness

Heb 7:19 (for the law made nothing perfect), and a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.

Heb 7:20 Inasmuch as he was not made priest without the taking of an oath

Heb 7:21 (for they indeed have been made priests without an oath), but he with an oath by him that says of him, "The Lord swore and will not change his mind, 'You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.' "

Heb 7:22 By so much, Jesus has become the collateral of a better covenant.

Heb 7:23 Many, indeed, have been made priests, because they are hindered from continuing by death.

Heb 7:24 But he, because he lives forever, has his priesthood unchangeable.

Heb 7:25 Therefore he is also able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, seeing that he lives forever to make intercession for them.

Heb 7:26 For such a high priest was fitting for us: holy, guiltless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;

Heb 7:27 who doesn't need, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices daily, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. For he did this once for all, when he offered up himself.

Heb 7:28 For the law appoints men as high priests who have weakness, but the word of the oath which came after the law appoints a Son forever who has been perfected.