Love Jesus 13

2 Timothy 4

3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

2 Timothy 3

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.

9 But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as their’s also was.

10 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,

11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.

12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

I Corinthians 1

Christ Crucified Is God’s Power and Wisdom
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
    the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”[c]

20 Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”[d]

Psalm 121

¶[[A Song of degrees.]] I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
2My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
3He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
4Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.
6The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
7The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
8The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

DL Moody tells a story of preaching before a large crowd on the topic, “What Shall I Do With Jesus Christ?” but rather than close with an altar call, he ended his service urging them to think about it and to come back next Sunday:
“Now, I want you to take the question with you and think it over, and next Sunday I want you to come back and tell me what you are going to do
with Him.”
He never got the chance to see those people again because that day the city would burn down to ashes in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
DL Moody said he wept whenever he thought about the lost opportunity to invite others to accept Christ and from them on gained a reputation for wanting to “press Christ on the people then and there” and urge them to “choose Christ” right then.

Never again would he tell an audience:
“I wish you would take this text home
with you and turn it over in your minds during the week, and next Sunday we will come to Calvary and the cross, and we will decide what we will do with Jesus of Nazareth.”

Luke 12:19-20
“… and I shall say to myself, “Now you have an abundance of goods stored up for many years to come. Relax, eat, drink, and be merry.” ’
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you.”

2 Corinthians 6:6
“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

Said Moody, “This hour, this minute, make up your minds that you are going to be from this time forth
on the Lord’s side. Go to your home, to your church, and give a ringing testimony for the Son of God. Go to work, do what you can for Christ, and there will be grand days for this republic and a blessed life for you here and hereafter.”

THE FIRE SERMON
Dwight Lyman Moody
(1837-1899)

Did you ever notice that God makes all His enemies testify that Jesus is the Son of God? The centurion who had charge of His execution smote
his breast and said: “Certainly this was a righteous man.” And Judas, after having betrayed the Son of
God, said: “I have betrayed innocent blood.” And Pilate had to testify that he could find no fault in Him.

I do not believe that ever in the history of the world was there a more unjust judgment given than that of Pilate on Jesus Christ. After examination he declared, “I find no fault in this man,” and in the same breath he said, “I will chastise Him.”

I do not believe that there is a child here today that has not a better knowledge of Christ than Pilate had. We have had more than eighteen
hundred years of gospel proclamation in this dark world and have seen the fruits of Christianity as Pilate never did. He never had seen Christ in His glorified state. The only time he saw Him was in His humiliation, despised and rejected of men. The chief men that followed Christ were men of no account, men of no power, of no title, of no influence, of no position or culture. There was no crown on His brow except the crown of thorns, no scepter in His hand except the reed placed there in derision and mockery.
But we have seen Christ glorified, and we see Him today by the throne of God. We have far more light than Pilate had, and yet Pilate had his day; and believe every man and woman have their day of opportunity. That was Pilate’s day. The Son of God
crossed his path that day, and he was exalted to Heaven with privilege. It was a glorious privilege that he had. If he had decided according to his own conscience, even according to his own deceitful heart, and had been influenced by his wife, Pilate
might have been immortal. He might have had his name associated with that of Joseph of Arimathea, with the twelve disciples of the Lamb, and with
those foremost to herald the name of Jesus, if he had only acted according to his conscience. But there was another influence about him. The world came in; political preferment came in; the Roman government came in, and he wanted to win the
favor of the Caesars. There you see that weak, vacillating man in the balance, wavering. Hear his
decision: “I find no fault in him.”

Full sermon here:

https://www.moodypublishers.com/mpimages/Marketing/WEB%20Resources/ProductExcerpts/9780802491671-TOC-CH1.pdf?srsltid=AfmBOoqHpDz6rZZsqH5M_RYNDA0JY_bBrAhbDE1oqjTuDo4ICPhcSdFHhttps://www.moodypublishers.com/mpimages/Marketing/WEB%20Resources/ProductExcerpts/9780802491671-TOC-CH1.pdf?srsltid=AfmBOoqHpDz6rZZsqH5M_RYNDA0JY_bBrAhbDE1oqjTuDo4ICPhcSdFH

Proverbs 1

20Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:
21She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,
22How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
23Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
24Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
25But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
26I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
27When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
28Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
29For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
30They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.
31Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
32For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
33But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

I Corinthians 15

10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

—–

Paul did not take the grace of God lightly. He said it was not bestowed on Him in vain.

He labored. He worked harder than the other apostles–and yet, this is not meant to brag. Because he says “YET NOT I” but Christ.

It begins and ends with grace.

Boast in Christ. In grace. God’s grace.

Hebrews 4

12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
14 ¶Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Amos 3

3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
4 Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing?
5 Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is for him? shall one take up a snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all?
6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?
7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

Titus 1

Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;
2In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
3But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;
4¶To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Qualifications of Elders
5¶For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:
6If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.
7For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;
8But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;
9Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.
10¶For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:
11Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake.
12One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.
13This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;
14Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.
15Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
16They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

I Peter 5

5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

The Pharisees and Sadducees Seek a Sign (Matthew 16)
16 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; 3 and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. 4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And He left them and departed.

The Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees
5 Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. 6 Then Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”

7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have taken no bread.”

8 But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread? 9 Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? 10 Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up? 11 How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?—but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Dueteronmy 6

4 “Hear, O Israel: [b]The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Caution Against Disobedience
10 “So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He [c]swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, 11 houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you have eaten and are full— 12 then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 13 You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name. 14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you 15 (for the Lord your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the Lord your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth.

16 “You shall not [d]tempt the Lord your God as you [e]tempted Him in Massah. 17 You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you. 18 And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land of which the Lord swore to your fathers, 19 to cast out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has spoken.

20 “When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the Lord our God has commanded you?’ 21 then you shall say to your son: ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand; 22 and the Lord showed signs and wonders before our eyes, great and severe, against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household. 23 Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He [f]swore to our fathers. 24 And the Lord commanded us to [g]observe all these [h]statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is [i]this day. 25 Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us.’

Luke 22

1¶Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover.
2And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people.
3¶Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.
4And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them.
5And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money.
6And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude.
7¶Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed.
8And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat.
9¶And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare?
10¶And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in.
11And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?
12And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready.
13¶And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.
The Lord’s Supper
14¶And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.
15And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:
16For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
17¶And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:
18For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.
19¶And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
20¶Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.
21But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table.
22And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed!
23¶And they began to enquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing.

I Peter

3¶Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
5Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
6¶Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
7That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
8Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
9Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
10¶Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
11Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

Ecclesiastes 12

Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth,
Before the difficult days come,
And the years draw near when you say,
“I have no pleasure in them”:
2 While the sun and the light,
The moon and the stars,
Are not darkened,
And the clouds do not return after the rain;
3 In the day when the keepers of the house tremble,
And the strong men bow down;
When the grinders cease because they are few,
And those that look through the windows grow dim;
4 When the doors are shut in the streets,
And the sound of grinding is low;
When one rises up at the sound of a bird,
And all the daughters of music are brought low.
5 Also they are afraid of height,
And of terrors in the way;
When the almond tree blossoms,
The grasshopper is a burden,
And desire fails.
For man goes to his eternal home,
And the mourners go about the streets.

6 Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed,
Or the golden bowl is broken,
Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain,
Or the wheel broken at the well.
7 Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
And the spirit will return to God who gave it.

A Praise of David (Psalm 145)
I will extol You, my God, O King;
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable.

4 One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.
5 [c]I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty,
And [d]on Your wondrous works.
6 Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts,
And I will declare Your greatness.
7 They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness,
And shall sing of Your righteousness.

8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion,
Slow to anger and great in mercy.
9 The Lord is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all His works.

10 All Your works shall praise You, O Lord,
And Your saints shall bless You.
11 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom,
And talk of Your power,
12 To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts,
And the glorious majesty of His kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.

14 The Lord upholds all who fall,
And raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look expectantly to You,
And You give them their food in due season.
16 You open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

17 The Lord is righteous in all His ways,
Gracious in all His works.
18 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He also will hear their cry and save them.
20 The Lord preserves all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy.

Greeting
The Church of God which sojourns at Smyrna, to the Church of God sojourning in Philomelium, and to all the congregations of the Holy and Catholic Church in every place: Mercy, peace, and love from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, be multiplied.

… And the Irenarch Herod, accompanied by his father Nicetes (both riding in a chariot ), met him, and taking him up into the chariot, they seated themselves beside him, and endeavoured to persuade him, saying, What harm is there in saying, Lord Cæsar, and in sacrificing, with the other ceremonies observed on such occasions, and so make sure of safety? But he at first gave them no answer; and when they continued to urge him, he said, I shall not do as you advise me. So they, having no hope of persuading him, began to speak bitter words unto him, and cast him with violence out of the chariot, insomuch that, in getting down from the carriage, he dislocated his leg [by the fall]. But without being disturbed, and as if suffering nothing, he went eagerly forward with all haste, and was conducted to the stadium, where the tumult was so great, that there was no possibility of being heard.

Chapter 9. Polycarp refuses to revile Christ
Now, as Polycarp was entering into the stadium, there came to him a voice from heaven, saying, Be strong, and show yourself a man, O Polycarp! No one saw who it was that spoke to him; but those of our brethren who were present heard the voice. And as he was brought forward, the tumult became great when they heard that Polycarp was taken. And when he came near, the proconsul asked him whether he was Polycarp. On his confessing that he was, [the proconsul] sought to persuade him to deny [Christ], saying, Have respect to your old age, and other similar things, according to their custom, [such as], Swear by the fortune of Cæsar; repent, and say, Away with the Atheists. But Polycarp, gazing with a stern countenance on all the multitude of the wicked heathen then in the stadium, and waving his hand towards them, while with groans he looked up to heaven, said, Away with the Atheists. Then, the proconsul urging him, and saying, Swear, and I will set you at liberty, reproach Christ; Polycarp declared, Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?

….
Chapter 14. The prayer of Polycarp
They did not nail him then, but simply bound him. And he, placing his hands behind him, and being bound like a distinguished ram [taken] out of a great flock for sacrifice, and prepared to be an acceptable burnt-offering unto God, looked up to heaven, and said,

O Lord God Almighty, the Father of your beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, by whom we have received the knowledge of You, the God of angels and powers, and of every creature, and of the whole race of the righteous who live before you, I give You thanks that You have counted me, worthy of this day and this hour, that I should have a part in the number of Your martyrs, in the cup of your Christ, to the resurrection of eternal life, both of soul and body, through the incorruption [imparted] by the Holy Ghost. Among whom may I be accepted this day before You as a fat and acceptable sacrifice, according as You, the ever-truthful God, have foreordained, have revealed beforehand to me, and now have fulfilled. Wherefore also I praise You for all things, I bless You, I glorify You, along with the everlasting and heavenly Jesus Christ, Your beloved Son, with whom, to You, and the Holy Ghost, be glory both now and to all coming ages. Amen.

Full account here.

1 John 2
2 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

Love and Hatred for Fellow Believers
3 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. 4 Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God[a] is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

7 Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. 8 Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.

9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister[b] is still in the darkness. 10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister[c] lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. 11 But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.

Reasons for Writing
12 I am writing to you, dear children,
    because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
13 I am writing to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
    because you have overcome the evil one.

14 I write to you, dear children,
    because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
    because you are strong,
    and the word of God lives in you,
    and you have overcome the evil one.

I John 1

5 And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you: God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us.

1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

2 “Vanity[a] of vanities,” says the Preacher;
“Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

3 What profit has a man from all his labor
In which he [b]toils under the sun?
4 One generation passes away, and another generation comes;
But the earth abides forever.
5 The sun also rises, and the sun goes down,
And [c]hastens to the place where it arose.
6 The wind goes toward the south,
And turns around to the north;
The wind whirls about continually,
And comes again on its circuit.
7 All the rivers run into the sea,
Yet the sea is not full;
To the place from which the rivers come,
There they return again.
8 All things are [d]full of labor;
Man cannot express it.
The eye is not satisfied with seeing,
Nor the ear filled with hearing.

9 That which has been is what will be,
That which is done is what will be done,
And there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there anything of which it may be said,
“See, this is new”?
It has already been in ancient times before us.
11 There is no remembrance of former things,
Nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come
By those who will come after.

Excerpt from “Christianity in the United States,” by Daniel Dorchester (1888, pages 227-228).

Rev. John Eliot, the Quakers, etc., Protest.
In 1675 Rev. John Ehot, the apostle to the Indians, memorialized the governor and council of Massachusetts against selling
captured Indians into slavery, because ” the selling of souls is dan-
gerous merchandise.” He also, ” with a bleeding and burning pas-
sion,” says Cotton Mather, remonstrated against ” the abject condition of the enslaved Africans.” As early as 1688 a body of Quakers in Germantown, Pa., presented to their Yearly Meeting a protest
against 15 ” buying, selling and holding men in slavery ; ” and five years later Mr. George Keith, also a Pennsylvania Quaker, denounced
slavery as ” contrary to the religion of Christ, the rights of man,” etc. ; and, three years later still, the Yearly Meeting took formal
action against the introduction of slaves. In the year 1700 Samuel
Sewall, Esq., subsequently Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of
Massachusetts, published a tract entitled, The Selling of Joseph, in
which he characterized with singular boldness the system of slavery
as an outrage, and enunciated ” the primal truth of human equality
and obligation.” In the year 1700 the public mind was agitated in relation to slavery, and the next year the town of Boston instructed
its representatives ” to promote the encouraging and the bringing
of white servants, and to put a period to negroes being slaves.” In 1716 the Quakers in Dartmouth, Mass., memorialized the Rhode
Island Quarterly Meeting on the evil of slavery, and the Nantucket
Society of Friends declared it to be repugnant to the truth to pur-
chase and hold slaves. In 1729 the same society sent a serious
address on the subject of slavery to the Philadelphia Yearly Meet-
ing. In the same year William Burling, in the Yearly Meeting on
Long Island, bore faithful testimony against slavery, and Elihu
Coleman and Ralph Standifred published pamphlets condemning
the institution of slavery as ” iniquitous and anti-Christian.” Eight years later Benjamin Lay, another Quaker, pleaded the cause of
the bondmen in a volume published in Philadelphia.

Ephesians 3

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles— 2 if indeed you have heard of the [a]dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: 6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, 7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.

Purpose of the Mystery
8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the [b]fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things [c]through Jesus Christ; 10 to the intent that now the [d]manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the [e]principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. 13 Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

Appreciation of the Mystery
14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father [f]of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Isaiah 11

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
The calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze;
Their young ones shall lie down together;
And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole,
And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
As the waters cover the sea.

Excerpt from “Wounded by God’s People,” by Anne Graham Lotz, p. 133-34.

As Hagar stumbled through the vast wilderness, her clothing catching on thorns, her feet stumbling over the rocks, her throat choking on the dust, she lost sight of everything but her own despair. Her self-preoccupation, though understandable, blinded her to God’s presence and to God’s provision. But God was not blind to Hagar. He was still there with her and watching her every step. While His gaze never left her, His heart must have ached over her helpless, hopeless condition. Hagar, remember Me? I am still the One who sees you.
You’re not alone. I’m right here.

But Hagar was so wrapped up in her wounds that she did not look up; she did not call on God; she did not pray. With her gaze cast down, all she could do was cry.

As the desert wind blew swirling dust in her face and the sky turned brazen from the heat, her mind must have snapped into panic mode, triggered by a feeling of total helplessness. She didn’t know where she could go or where she could live or how she could support herself and her son. Up until the moment she had walked away from Abraham’s household, Hagar had led a somewhat sheltered existence. She hadn’t needed to give a thought to providing the food on her table or the clothes on her back or the roof over her head. Abraham had generously supplied everything she had ever needed. Now she was suddenly on her own, responsible for finding basic necessities for herself and for her son. She must have felt totally helpless, because, humanly speaking, she was totally helpless.

Hagar’s overall realization of her completely helpless condition was pushed to the breaking point, not only by her wandering in the wilderness, but by her very real, immediate physical needs. She was desperate for water for herself and for Ishmael: “When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes.” Neither of them would survive much longer without water. There was almost no chance she would ever find it on her own. And it may be that it wasn’t just her body that was dehydrated, but it was her spirit that was parched because she felt utterly separated from God.

Ephesians 2

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the [a]course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 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. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Brought Near by His Blood
11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Christ Our Peace
14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

Christ Our Cornerstone
19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Genesis 15

After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:

“Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield,[a]
your very great reward.[b]”

2 But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit[c] my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.”

4 Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring[d] be.”

6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

7 He also said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.”

8 But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?”

9 So the Lord said to him, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.”

10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13 Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. 15 You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age. 16 In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”

17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi[e] of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates— 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.”

Excerpt from IndyCrowe

Forgetting God is no small matter. The Bible links forgetting with ingratitude as a root problem in our idolatry.

The problem with forgetting God and the gospel is we put something else in their place. When we neglect God’s role in our life, we fill His spot with something else (an idol). The throne of power and worship in our heart never stays vacant long. When we set aside the truth of God’s Word some other opinion or competing belief will take its place. Forgetting leads to sinning because it leads false beliefs, false hopes, false idols, and false promises. These not only hinder our holiness before God but harm us by stealing our joy in God.

We will either remember and follow God in worship and obedience, or we will forget and move towards some idol taking His place. Having forgotten God’s goodness and sin’s bitter bite, we wander toward the same siren traps we vowed to avoid.

“Idolatry is rooted in forgetfulness—forgetting what God has done for Israel. Fidelity is rooted in remembering.”[2]

Like your weed-pulling in summer, use the Word to rip out any subtle lies creeping up in your heart. Every day you open the Bible, God has something to teach you. It might be a new lesson but it’s just as likely an old lesson to guard yourself from forgetting. He wants to show you again who He is and what He’s like so you lean on Him. After reading the Bible, ask yourself, “In light of what I just read, what do I need to remember today?”

1Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. 2And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” 3But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 4I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

6Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits a of God sent out into all the earth. 7He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 8And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. 9And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll

and to open its seals,

because you were slain,

and with your blood you purchased for God

persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.

10You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,

and they will reign b on the earth.”

11Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12In a loud voice they were saying:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength

and honor and glory and praise!”

13Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be praise and honor and glory and power,

for ever and ever!”

14The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Excerpt from Abner Chou’s series on the Book of Job.

1. Missing the Middle: the misconception that Job is only about the beginning and the end—and you forget the middle. This view says Job is about his suffering and faithfulness, but this excludes 90% of the book. Why does the author spend 30 chapters just to prove that Job’s friends are crummy?

2. Suffering Fallacy: the misconception that Job is all about suffering and perseverance. But suffering is only talked about for part of a couple chapters (1 and 2). Yes, suffering is important, but it isn’t the main act. It doesn’t even begin the book. Job 1:1 is about Job and his character, not his suffering. Suffering isn’t how the book starts, it’s how it develops; it’s the window, the vehicle, for the message. When people suffer they start asking bigger questions. And those questions are the key to the book.

3. Theodicy Fallacy: the misconception that Job is about the problem of evil, that Job is vindicating God’s allowance of evil and suffering in the world. But God never answers this question in the book. In chapter 38 God comes in a whirlwind and then, at the end of the book, Job dies. He never knows the answer. In the end, Job repents of even asking the question (Job 42:6).

4. Satan Suggests that God Test Job Fallacy: the misconception that Job is about Satan’s dare to God. Satan doesn’t suggest it, God does, and that changes everything. This isn’t a book about Satan’s dare but God’s choice to prove something about Himself.

5. Job’s Counsellors Repeat Themselves Fallacy: Job’s friends aren’t purely repetitious. Their arguments vary and develop deeper and deeper. They display their worldviews as they unpack their wisdom.

6. Job’s Counsellors are Stupid Fallacy: They aren’t dumb or ignorant. 1) Based on what they say and how they say it, they are brilliant—genius; 2) Job doesn’t have friends who are from low places. They are very smart and capable; their arguments are astonishing. They make fun of each other over and over while discussing deep philosophy, while rhyming. To put it in modern terms, they make fun of each other, discuss deep philosophy, on the fly, so it all rhymes like a rap.

7. Job’s Counsellors Were Always Wrong Fallacy: But the NT quotes Job’s counsellors as correct (e.g., 1 Cor 3:15 and Job 23:10). Actually, what they say is right, but how they use it is wrong. (e.g. the wrong application of right doctrine is still wrong.) Using the truth rightly is what we call wisdom. That is the issue. It’s not just about the ideas but in putting it all together in right ways. And that is the limitation of human wisdom. You can’t put it all together and you can’t come to ultimate wisdom.

8. Job’s Problems Are Solved at the End Fallacy: Yes and no. The ending looks random (God just gives him stuff back again), but then you realize that he dies, and that is the best ending of the book possible (more on that later).

9. The Biblical-Theological Disconnect Fallacy: says that Job doesn’t have any connections with the rest of the Bible. This is absolutely false. Job will shape the way you read your entire Bible from here on out. It tells you why you need your Bible to begin with. If you had given Job the book of Romans he would’ve cried for joy. But he must be kept in the dark so we know what questions to ask, questions that Divine Revelation as a whole answers. “But if you do it Jeopardy-style and give him the answers first, then he never would’ve asked the questions to begin with” (and neither would we).

10 . The Messianic Connection Fallacy: People argue there isn’t much about the Messiah in Job. But Job talks about it directly in chapter 19, and indirectly through irony elsewhere when Job wishes for things (like representation to God, etc.). Job’s wishes form the backbone for the rest of the Bible to flesh out in its theology.

See the full series here: https://adamsetser.com/blog/2015/6/12/job-lecture-series-from-dr-abner-chou

“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” — Mark 16:16

Mr. MacDonald asked the inhabitants of the island of St. Kilda how a man must be saved.

An old man replied, “We shall be saved if we repent, and forsake our sins, and turn to God.”

“Yes,” said a middle-aged female, “and with a true heart too.”

“Ay,” rejoined a third, “and with prayer”; and, added a fourth, “It must be the prayer of the heart.”

“And we must be diligent too,” said a fifth, “in keeping the commandments.”

Thus, each having contributed his mite, feeling that a very decent creed had been made up, they all looked and waited for the preacher’s approval, but instead, they had aroused his deepest pity.

The carnal mind always maps out for itself a way in which Self can work and become great, but the Lord’s way is quite the reverse.

Believing and being baptized are no matters of merit to be gloried in — they are so simple that boasting is excluded, and free grace bears the palm.

It may be that the reader is unsaved — what is the reason? Do you think the way of salvation, as laid down in the text, is suspect? How can that be when God has pledged His own word for its certainty?

Do you think it’s too easy? Why, then, do you not attend to it? Its ease leaves those without an excuse who neglect it.

To believe is simply to trust, to depend, to rely upon Christ Jesus.

To be baptized is to submit to the ordinance which our Lord fulfilled at Jordan, to which the converted ones submitted at Pentecost, to which the jailer yielded obedience the very night of his conversion. The outward sign saves not, but it sets forth to us our death, burial, and resurrection with Jesus, and, like the Lord’s Supper, is not to be neglected.

Reader, do you believe in Jesus? Then, dear friend, dismiss your fears, you shall be saved.

Are you still an unbeliever? Then remember there is but one door, and if you will not enter by it you will perish in your sins.

Jesus said in John 10:9, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”

From Spurgeon ‘s Morning and Evening

Except from “Be Rich,” by Warren Wiersbe.

A story I heard years ago pretty well sums up what I say in this book.

An undernourished boy was found on the city street and taken to a hospital. After the nurses had bathed him and dressed him, they put him to bed and brought him his dinner tray. Conspicuous on that tray was a large glass of milk. The boy’s eyes lit up as he reached for the glass, but then he paused and, looking at the nurses, asked a question that broke their hearts:

“Can I drink all of it?”

It was obvious that back home there was never enough of anything. It makes me think of the woman who stood watching the Atlantic Ocean and said, “It sure is good to see something that there’s plenty of!”

Too many Christians are living like paupers when Christ has made us rich! Isn’t it time we stopped living on substitutes (even religious substitutes) and started drawing on the riches we have in Christ?

My friend-Be Rich!

-Warren W. Wiersbe

Excerpt from “Be Rich,” by Warren W. Wiersbe.

She had gone down in history as “America’s Greatest Miser,” yet when she died in 1916, “Hetty” Green left an estate valued at over $100 million.

She ate cold oatmeal because it cost to heat it.

Her son had to suffer a leg amputation, because she delayed so long in looking for a free clinic that his case became incurable.

She was wealthy, yet she chose to live like a pauper.

Eccentric? Certainly! Crazy? Perhaps-but nobody could prove it.

She was so foolish that she hastened her own death by bringing on an attack of apoplexy while arguing about the value of drinking skimmed milk!

But Hetty Green is an illustration of too many Christian believers today.

They have limitless wealth at their disposal, and yet they live like paupers.

It was to this kind of Christian that Paul wrote the epistle to the Ephesians.

Matthew 6

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;

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

21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Psalm 64

Hear me, my God, as I voice my complaint;
    protect my life from the threat of the enemy.

2 Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked,
    from the plots of evildoers.
3 They sharpen their tongues like swords
    and aim cruel words like deadly arrows.
4 They shoot from ambush at the innocent;
    they shoot suddenly, without fear.

5 They encourage each other in evil plans,
    they talk about hiding their snares;
    they say, “Who will see it[b]?”
6 They plot injustice and say,
    “We have devised a perfect plan!”
    Surely the human mind and heart are cunning.

7 But God will shoot them with his arrows;
    they will suddenly be struck down.
8 He will turn their own tongues against them
    and bring them to ruin;
    all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.
9 All people will fear;
    they will proclaim the works of God
    and ponder what he has done.

10 The righteous will rejoice in the Lord
    and take refuge in him;
    all the upright in heart will glory in Him!

Cain and Abel (Genesis 4)
Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.” Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.

Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

——————————————-

Romans 8:3
“For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.”

Galatians 1

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel –

7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.

8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!

9 As we have already said, so now I say again: if anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!

From DavidJeremiah.org

Here are 23 Verses About the Goodness of God

The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth. Exodus 34:6
The Lord is Good to All, and His Tender Mercies Are Over All His Works. Psalm 145:9

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34
And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord: “For He is good, for His mercy endures forever toward Israel.” Ezra 3:11
Good and upright is the Lord. Psalm 25:8
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:6
The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works. Psalm 145:9
No one is good but One, that is, God. Mark 10:18
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. James 1:17
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! Matthew 7:11
I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Psalm 27:13
I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works. Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, and I will declare Your greatness. They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, and shall sing of Your righteousness. Psalm 145:5-7
I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works. Psalm 145:5

He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. Psalm 33:5
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Psalm 34:8
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting. Psalm 100:4-5
Click to play
Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness. Psalm 107:8-9
As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. Psalm 103:13-14
Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness. Psalm 143:10
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; Your spirit is good. Lead me in the Land of Uprightness. Psalm 143:10

The Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. Psalm 92:15
You are good, and do good; teach me Your statutes. Psalm 119:68
You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, and did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst. Nehemiah 9:20
Hear me, O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is good; turn to me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies. Psalm 69:16
The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him. Nahum 1:7
The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him. Nahum 1:7

Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men! You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. Psalm 31:19-20

I Corinthians 15

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

9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 11 Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Ecclesiastes 5

10 Whoever loves money never has enough;
    whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.
    This too is meaningless.

11 As goods increase,
    so do those who consume them.
And what benefit are they to the owners
    except to feast their eyes on them?

12 The sleep of a laborer is sweet,
    whether they eat little or much,
but as for the rich, their abundance
    permits them no sleep.

13 I have seen a grievous evil under the sun:

wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners,
14     or wealth lost through some misfortune,
so that when they have children
    there is nothing left for them to inherit.
15 Everyone comes naked from their mother’s womb,
    and as everyone comes, so they depart.
They take nothing from their toil
    that they can carry in their hands.

16 This too is a grievous evil:

As everyone comes, so they depart,
    and what do they gain,
    since they toil for the wind?
17 All their days they eat in darkness,
    with great frustration, affliction and anger.

18 This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. 19 Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. 20 They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.

Except from the Intro to the 1968 edition of The Westminster Study Edition of THE HOLY BIBLE.

THE BOOK that men most need to study is the book of which they know little and understand less. That book is the Bible. The Bible is the holy book of two religions: the Old Testament of Judaism and the Old and New Testaments of Christianity. It is literature’s greatest monument, the book that circulates most widely, that speaks its message in a thousand tongues. All this is true. Yet, amid the plaudits that greet the Bible when its name is mentioned, there is a sobering fact that tempers exultation: the Book of books is the great unknown among its kind. To make the Bible known by all people everywhere is the supreme cultural and religious task of our time.

What is the Bible essentially? It is the record of God’s revelation to mankind, the abiding witness to the fact that he has spoken. God has spoken. This is the message of the Bible. There is a word from the Lord, which makes known the very heart and mind of God in relation to the world and to man. Light has shone upon the mystery of man’s life. A divine answer has been given to the problem of his sin. The hid-den God has become manifest in redemptive activity, designed to re-create the life of mankind. The one stupendous fact with which the Bible deals is that God has spoken by saving deeds and enlightening words. The Book is the record of his self-communication at different times and through diverse agents. It is thereby, in a wholly unique sense, the Word of God.

The Bible is the record of God’s revelation to mankind, the abiding witness to the fact that he has spoken.

Psalm 34

17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
    he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
    and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

19 The righteous person may have many troubles,
    but the Lord delivers him from them all;
20 he protects all his bones,
    not one of them will be broken.

21 Evil will slay the wicked;
    the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord will rescue his servants;
    no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

Psalm 34

Taste and see that the Lord is good.
    Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!
9 Fear the Lord, you his godly people,
    for those who fear him will have all they need.
10 Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,
    but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.

Psalms 34

I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.
    He freed me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;
    no shadow of shame will darken their faces.
6 In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened;
    he saved me from all my troubles.
7 For the angel of the Lord is a guard;
    he surrounds and defends all who fear him.

Psalm 34

I will praise the Lord at all times.
    I will constantly speak his praises.
2 I will boast only in the Lord;
    let all who are helpless take heart.
3 Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness;
    let us exalt his name together

Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom, power, and love
Our God is an awesome God

Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom, power, and love
Our God is an awesome God

Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom, power, and love
Our God is an awesome God

Our God is an awesome God (our God is an awesome God)
He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom, power, and love
Our God is an awesome God

Our God is an awesome God (our God is an awesome God)
He reigns from heaven above (He reigns)
With wisdom, power, and love (with wisdom and power)
Our God is an awesome God
Our God is an awesome God
Our God is an awesome God
Woo!

Ephesians 6

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Ephesians 5

8 For you were formerly in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light— 9 for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth— 10 proving what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 And do not have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness; instead, expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things are exposed when they are revealed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. 14 Therefore He says:

“Awake, you who sleep,
    arise from the dead,
and Christ will give you light.”

15 See then that you walk carefully, not as fools, but as wise men, 16 making the most of the time because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

18 Do not be drunk with wine, for that is reckless living. But be filled with the Spirit.

19 Speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.

20 Give thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 being submissive to one another in the fear of God.

Ephesians 5

V2 … live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.

4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.

5 For of this you can be sure: no immoral, impure or greedy person – such a person is an idolater – has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.

7 Therefore do not be partners with them.