Episodes

“Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance and...

7 Miracles of Jesus recorded in the gospel of John Jesus Changes Water Into Wine In Cana “The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.” “Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.” But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells ...

(John 1:35-51) John the Baptist “Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.” John 1:35-37 Answer the call to point people to Jesus Andrew and John “And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?” He said to them, “Come, and you wi...

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was n...

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I lo...

The Life of John the Baptist His Birth But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lor...

“But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.” Galatians 4:4-5 The Background of the NT Act 1 Creation/Fall Act 2 Israel/OT (Covenant) Act 3 Jesus/NT (Covenant) Act 4 The Renewal of all things (Matthew 19:28, Acts 3:21, Isaiah 65:17-19) 2 Reasons the NT was written To inform the early church about the life and teachings of Jesus. 2. To i...

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NIV Christmas demonstrates the Greatest love “For God SO loved the world…” “Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.” Ephesians 1:4 MSG “Nothing can separate from God’s love…” Romans 8:38 NLT Christmas is about the Greatest sacrifice “that he GAVE ...

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be uponhis shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 ESV “You are to love the Lord Yahweh, your God, with a passionate heart, from the depths of your soul, with your every thought, and with all your strength. This is the great and supreme commandment. And the second is this: ‘You must love your neighbor in the same way you love yourself.’ You ...

“Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their hea...

“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10 CSB The Life of Jesus “Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before him like a young plant and like a root out of dry ground. He didn’t have an impressive form or majesty that we should look at him, no appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was. He was like someone people turned away from;...

“…for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10 NASB 95 How We Can Choose Joy In Our Lives No Matter What Defy your difficult circumstances through His promises “ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” John 15:10-11 NIV “We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have...

The Book of Esther The Setting The Book of Esther takes place about 100 years after the destruction of the temple in 586 B.C in the Persian Capitol of Susa. The Main Characters King Xerxes Mordecai Esther (Hadassah) Haman The Plot Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows ...

“Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” John 18:36 ESV Historical Kingdoms “In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a dream and visions in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he wrote the dream down and related the following summary of it. Daniel said, “I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the fou...

“Your sister church here in Babylon sends you greetings, and so does my son Mark. Greet each other with a kiss of love.” 1 Peter 5:13-14 NLT Babylon in the New Testament is a metaphor for opposition to the rule of the Kingdom of God. The word “world” in the New Testament refers to the earth and people, but often is used as a similar metaphor of a corrupted system of religion, unjust politics, power, and greed. “Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world...

“As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). But soon (without warning) a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” When Jesus woke ...

“At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon went up to Jerusalem, and the city came under siege. And Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon came to the city, while his servants were besieging it. Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he and his mother and his servants and his captains and his officials. So the king of Babylon took him captive in the eighth year of his reign. He carried out from there all the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasur...

What Are The Proverbs? The Proverbs are God inspired principles for living a wise and godly life. “Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding. For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold. Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. She offers you long life in her right hand, and riches and honor in her left. She will guide you down delightful paths; all her ways are satisfying. Wisdom is a tree of li...

The Book Of Job The background (Job 1:1-5) “There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil. He had seven sons and three daughters. He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He also had many servants. He was, in fact, the richest person in that entire area. Job’s sons would take turns preparing feasts in their homes, and they would also invite their three sister...

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever.” Psalms 111:10 NASB 95 King David = Commitment (1 Samuel 13:14) King Solomon = Compromise (1 Kings 3:3) King Rehoboam = Corruption (1 Kings 14:21-31) Three Ways We Can Gain Wisdom From God (1 Kings 3:6-15, James 1:5) 2. From myself (Genesis 3:6-7) 3. From failure (Ecclesiastes 2) “Under the sun” “Chasing after the wind” How Can We Learn From The Hindsi...

The Failure of King Saul “Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the Lord? And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilga...

1 Samuel 8:1-22 Israel Requests a King “As Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel. Joel and Abijah, his oldest sons, held court in Beersheba. But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice. Finally, all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. “Look,” they told him, “you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.” 1Sa...

The Story Of Naomi In The Book Of Ruth Chapter 1: Tragedy and Loyalty “But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!” Ruth 1:16-17 NLT Chapter 2: Faith and Favor “Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground and said to him, ...

“Then the Lord raised up judges to rescue the Israelites from their attackers.” Judges 2:16 NLT “The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. They forgot about the Lord their God, and they served the images of Baal and the Asherah poles.” Judges 3:7 NLT (See also 3:12, 4:1, 6:1) “In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.” Judges 21:25 NLT (See also 17:6, 18:1) The Pattern Of Love And Free Will Promises Warnings Choices Consequences Opportun...