In the next few moments,
We are going to turn our eyes away from our circumstances and fix them on Jesus.
There is power in the hearing of scripture.
Lord,
May your word bring clarity to chaos and calm to every storm.
Let your truth be the last thing we think about during this time together.
Amen.
Ecclesiastes 2.
I said to myself.
Come now.
I will test you with pleasure.
To find out what is good.
But that also proved to be meaningless.
Laughter,
I said.
Is madness.
And what does pleasure accomplish?
I tried cheering myself with wine and embracing folly,
My mind still guiding me with wisdom.
I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.
I undertook great projects.
I built houses for myself and planted vineyards.
I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.
I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees.
I bought male and female slaves,
And had other slaves who were born in my house.
I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me.
I amassed silver and gold for myself,
And the treasure of kings and provinces.
I acquired male and female singers.
And a harem as well.
The delights of a man's heart.
I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me.
In all this,
My wisdom stayed with me.
I denied myself nothing my eyes desired.
I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor,
And this was the reward for all my toil.
Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done,
And what I had toiled to achieve,
Everything was meaningless.
A chasing after the wind,
Nothing was gained under the sun.
Then I turn my thoughts to consider wisdom,
And also madness and folly.
What more can the King's successor do than what has already been done?
I saw that wisdom is better than folly.
Just as light is better than darkness.
The wise have eyes in their heads.
While the fool walks in the darkness.
But I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both.
Then I said to myself,
The fate of the fool will overtake me also.
What then do I gain by being wise?
I said to myself.
This too is meaningless.
For the wise,
Like the fool,
Will not be long remembered.
The days have already come when both have been forgotten.
Like the fool,
The wise too must die.
So I hated life,
Because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me.
All of it is meaningless.
A chasing.
After the wind.
I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun.
Because I must leave them to the one who comes after me.
And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish.
Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil.
Into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun.
This too is meaningless.
So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun.
For a person may labour with wisdom,
Knowledge and skill.
And then they must leave all they own to another who is not toiled for it.
This too is meaningless.
And a great misfortune.
What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun?
All their days,
Their work is grief and pain.
Even at night,
Their minds do not rest.
This too is meaningless.
A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil.
This too I see.
Is from the hand of God.
For without Him.
Who can eat or find enjoyment.
To the person who pleases him.
God gives wisdom.
Knowledge and happiness.
But to the sinner.
He gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth.
To hand it over to the one who pleases God.
This,
Too,
Is meaningless.
A chasing.
After the wind.
Romans 12 Therefore,
I urge you,
Brothers and sisters,
In view of God's mercy,
To offer your bodies as a living sacrifice.
Holy.
And pleasing to God.
This is your true and proper worship.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world.
But be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is.
His good,
Pleasing,
And perfect will.
For by the grace given me,
I say to every one of you,
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought,
But rather think of yourself with sober judgment.
In accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.
For just as each of us has one body with many members.
And these members do not all have the same function.
So in Christ,
We,
Though many,
Form one body.
And each member belongs to all the others.
We have different gifts according to the grace given to each of us.
If your gift is prophesying.
Then prophesy in accordance with your faith.
If it is serving,
Then serve.
If it is teaching,
Then teach.
If it is to encourage,
Then give encouragement.
If it is giving,
Then give generously.
If it is to lead,
Do it diligently.
If it is to show mercy,
Do it cheerfully.
Love must be sincere.
Hate what is evil.
Cling to what is good.
Be devoted to one another in love.
Honour one another above yourselves.
Never be lacking in zeal,
But keep your spiritual fervor,
Serving the Lord.
Be joyful in hope,
Patient in affliction,
Faithful in prayer.
Share with the Lord's people who are in need.
Practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you.
Bless and do not curse.
Rejoice with those who rejoice.
Mourn with those who mourn.
Live in harmony with one another.
Do not be proud.
But be willing to associate with people of low position.
Do not be conceited.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil.
Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.
If it is possible as far as it depends on you.
Live at peace with everyone.
Do not take revenge,
My dear friends,
But leave room for God's wrath,
For it is written.
It is mine to avenge.
I will repay.
Says the Lord.
On the contrary.
If your enemy is hungry,
Feed him.
If he is thirsty,
Give him something to drink.
In doing this,
You will heap burning coals on his head.
Do not be overcome by evil.
But overcome evil with good.
Luke 12.
Meanwhile,
When a crowd of many thousands had gathered.
So that they were trampling on one another.
Jesus began to speak first to his disciples,
Saying,
Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees,
Which is hypocrisy.
There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed,
Or hidden that will not be made known.
What you have said in the dark.
Will be heard in the daylight.
And what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.
I tell you my friends.
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body.
And after that can do no more.
But I will show you whom you should fear.
Fear him,
Who,
After your body has been killed,
Has authority to throw you into hell.
Yes,
I tell you,
Fear him.
Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies.
Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.
Indeed,
The very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Don't be afraid.
You are worth more than many sparrows.
I tell you,
Whoever publicly acknowledges me before others.
The Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God.
But whoever disowns me before others.
Will be disowned before the angels of God.
And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven.
But anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit.
Will not be forgiven.
When you are brought before synagogues,
Rulers and authorities.
Do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say,
For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time.
What you should say.
Someone in the crowd said to him,
Teacher.
Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.
Jesus replied.
Man who appointed me a judge.
Or an arbiter between you.
Then he said to them,
Watch out.
Be on your guard against all kinds of greed.
Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.
And he told them this parable.
The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest.
He thought to himself,
What shall I do?
I have no place to store my crops.
Then he said,
This is what I'll do.
I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones,
And there I will store my surplus grain.
And I'll say to myself,
You have plenty of grain laid up for many years.
Take life easy.
Eat,
Drink,
And be merry.
But God said to him,
You fool!
This very night your life will be demanded from you.
Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?
This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves.
But is not rich toward God.
Then Jesus said to his disciples,
Therefore I tell you,
Do not worry about your life,
What you will eat.
Or about your body,
What you will wear.
For life is more than food,
And the body more than clothes.
Consider the ravens.
They do not sow or reap.
They have no storeroom or barn.
Yet God feeds them.
And how much more valuable you are than birds.
Who of you,
By worrying,
Can add a single hour to your life?
Since you cannot do this very little thing.
Why do you worry about the rest?
Consider how the wildflowers grow.
They do not labour or spin.
Yet I tell you,
Not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field,
Which is here today.
And tomorrow is thrown into the fire.
How much more will He clothe you?
You of little faith.
And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink.
Do not worry about it.
For the pagan world runs after all such things.
And your father knows that you need them.
But seek his kingdom,
And these things will be given to you as well.
Do not be afraid,
Little flock.
For your father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.
Sell your possessions and give to the poor.
Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out.
A treasure in heaven that will never fail.
Where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
For where your treasure is,
There your heart will be also.
Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning,
Like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet.
So that when he comes and knocks,
They can immediately open the door for him.
It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes.
Truly,
I tell you.
He will dress himself to serve.
We'll have them recline at the table,
And we'll come and wait on them.
It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready.
Even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak.
But understand this,
If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming,
He would not have let his house be broken into.
You also must be ready.
Because the Son of Man.
Will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
Peter asked,
Lord,
Are you telling this parable to us or to everyone?
The Lord answered.
Who then?
Is the faithful and wise manager.
Whom the master puts in charge of his servants.
To give them their food allowance at the proper time.
It will be good for that servant,
Whom the master finds doing so,
When he returns.
Truly.
I tell you.
He will put him in charge of all his possessions.
But suppose the servant says to himself,
My Master is taking a long time in coming.
And he then begins to beat the other servants,
Both men and women,
And to eat and drink and get drunk.
The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him.
And at an hour he is not aware of.
He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
The servant who knows the master's will and does not get ready.
Or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows.
But the one who does not know,
And does things deserving punishment,
Will be beaten with few blows.
From everyone who has been given much,
Much will be demanded.
And from the one who has been entrusted with much.
Much more will be asked.
I have come to bring fire on the earth.
And how I wish it were already kindled.
But I have a baptism to undergo.
And what constraint I am under until it is completed.
Do you think I came to bring peace on Earth?
No,
I tell you.
But division.
From now on there will be five in one family.
Divided against each other.
Three against two.
And two against three.
They will be divided.
Father against son and son against father.
Mother against daughter and daughter against mother.
Mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.
He said to the crowd.
When you see a cloud rising in the west,
Immediately you say,
It's going to rain.
And it does.
And when the south wind blows,
You say,
It's going to be hot.
And it is.
Hypocrites.
You know how to interpret the appearance of the Earth and the sky.
How is it that you don't know how to interpret this present time?
Why don't you judge for yourselves what is right?
As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate.
Try hard to be reconciled on the way.
Or your adversary.
May drag you off to the judge.
And the judge turn you over to the officer,
And the officer throw you into prison.
I tell you.
You will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
Matthew 6.
Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.
If you do,
You will have no reward from your father in heaven.
So when you give to the needy,
Do not announce it with trumpets,
As the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets,
To be honored by others.
Truly,
I tell you,
They have received their reward in full.
But when you give to the needy,
Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
So that your giving may be in secret.
Then your father,
Who sees what is done in secret,
Will reward you.
And when you pray,
Do not be like the hypocrites,
For they love to pray standing in the synagogues.
And on the street corners to be seen by others.
Truly,
I tell you.
They have received their reward in full.
But when you pray,
Go into your room,
Close the door,
And pray to your Father.
Who is unseen.
Than your father,
Who sees what is done in secret.
Will reward you.
And when you pray.
Do not keep on babbling like pagans.
For they think they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them.
For your father knows what you need before you ask him.
This,
Then,
Is how you should pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done.
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation.
But deliver us from the evil one.
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you.
Your Heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others their sins.
Your father will not forgive your sins.
When you fast,
Do not look somber as the hypocrites do.
For they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting.
Truly,
I tell you.
They have received their reward in full.
But when you fast,
Put oil on your head and wash your face,
So that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting,
But only to your father,
Who is unseen.
And your father,
Who sees what is done in secret,
Will reward you.
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
Where moths and vermin destroy,
And where thieves break in and steal.
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
Where moths and vermin do not destroy,
And where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is.
There your heart will be also.
The eye is the lamp of the body.
If your eyes are healthy,
Your whole body will be full of light.
But if your eyes are unhealthy.
Your whole body will be full of darkness.
If then the light within you is darkness,
How great is that darkness.
No one can serve two masters.
Either you will hate the one and love the other.
Or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
You cannot serve both God and money.
Therefore I tell you.
Do not worry about your life.
What you will eat or drink,
Or about your body,
What you will wear.
Is not life more than food.
And the body more than clothes.
Look at the birds of the air.
They do not sow,
Or reap,
Or store away in barns.
And yet your Heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not much more valuable than they?
Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
And why do you worry about clothes?
See how the flowers of the field grow.
They do not labor or spin.
Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field,
Which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire.
Will he not much more clothe you,
You of little faith?
So do not worry,
Saying,
What shall we eat?
Or what shall we drink?
Or what shall we wear?
For the pagans run after all these things.
And your Heavenly Father knows that you need them.
But seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness.
And all these things will be given to you as well.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow,
For tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Galatians 5 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
Stand firm,
Then,
And do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Mark my words.
I,
Paul,
Tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised,
Christ will be of no value to you at all.
Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.
You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ.
You have fallen away from grace.
For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith.
The righteousness for which we hope.
For in Christ Jesus,
Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value.
The only thing that counts is faith.
Expressing itself through love.
You were running a good race.
Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth?
That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.
A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.
I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view.
The one who is throwing you into confusion,
Whoever that may be,
Will have to pay the penalty.
Brothers and sisters,
If I am still preaching circumcision.
.
.
Why am I still being persecuted?
In that case,
The offence of the cross has been abolished.
As for those agitators,
I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves.
You,
My brothers and sisters,
Were called to be free,
But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh.
Rather,
Serve one another humbly in love.
For the entire lore is fulfilled in keeping this one command.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
If you bite and devour each other,
Watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
So I say.
.
.
Walk by the Spirit,
And you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
For the flesh desires what is contrary to the spirit.
And the spirit what is contrary to the flesh.
They are in conflict with each other,
So that you are not to do whatever you want.
But if you are led by the spirit,
You are not under the law.
The acts of the flesh are obvious.
Sexual immorality.
Impurity and debauchery.
Idolatry and witchcraft.
Hatred,
Discord,
Jealousy.
Fits of rage,
Selfish ambition.
Dissensions.
Factions and envy.
Drunkenness,
Orgies and the like.
I warn you,
As I did before.
That those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
Joy,
Peace,
Forbearance,
Kindness,
Goodness.
Faithfulness.
Gentleness.
And self-control.
Against such things there is no law.
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Since we live by the Spirit.
Let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Let us not become conceited.
Provoking.
And envying each other.
Ecclesiastes 2.
I said to myself.
Come now.
I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.
But that also proved to be meaningless.
Laughter,
I said,
Is madness.
And what does pleasure accomplish?
I tried cheering myself with wine and embracing folly,
My mind still guiding me with wisdom.
I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.
I undertook great projects.
I built houses for myself and planted vineyards.
I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.
I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees.
I bought male and female slaves,
And had other slaves who were born in my house.
I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me.
I amassed silver and gold for myself,
And the treasure of kings and provinces.
I acquired male and female singers,
And a harem as well.
The delights of a man's heart.
I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me.
In all this,
My wisdom stayed with me.
I denied myself nothing my eyes desired.
I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor.
And this was the reward for all my toil.
Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done,
And what I had toiled to achieve,
Everything was meaningless.
A chasing after the wind,
Nothing was gained under the sun.
Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom,
And also madness and folly.
What more can the king's successor do than what has already been done?
I saw that wisdom is better than folly.
Just as light is better than darkness.
The wise have eyes in their heads.
While the fool walks in the darkness.
But I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both.
Then I said to myself,
The fate of the fool will overtake me also.
What then do I gain by being wise?
I said to myself.
This too is meaningless.
For the wise,
Like the fool,
Will not be long remembered.
The days have already come when both have been forgotten.
Like the fool,
The wise too must die.
So I hated life.
Because the work that is done under the sun.
Was grievous to me.
All of it is meaningless.
A chasing after the wind.
I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun.
Because I must leave them to the one who comes after me.
And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish.
Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil.
Into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun.
This too is meaningless.
So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun.
For a person may labor with wisdom,
Knowledge,
And skill.
And then they must leave all they own to another who is not toiled for it.
This too is meaningless.
And a great misfortune.
What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun?
All their days,
Their work is grief and pain.
Even at night,
Their minds do not rest.
This,
Too,
Is meaningless.
A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil.
This too I see.
Is from the hand of God.
For without Him.
Who can eat or find enjoyment.
To the person who pleases him.
God gives wisdom.
Knowledge and happiness.
But to the sinner.
He gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth.
To hand it over to the one who pleases God.
This too is meaningless.
A chasing.
After the wind.
Romans 12.
Therefore,
I urge you,
Brothers and sisters,
In view of God's mercy,
To offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,
Holy and pleasing to God.
This is your true and proper worship.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world.
But be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is.
His good,
Pleasing and perfect will.
For by the grace given me,
I say to every one of you,
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought,
But rather think of yourself with sober judgment.
In accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.
For just as each of us has one body with many members.
And these members do not all have the same function.
So in Christ,
We,
Though many,
Form one body.
And each member belongs to all the others.
We have different gifts according to the grace given to each of us.
If your gift is prophesying.
Then prophesy in accordance with your faith.
If it is serving,
Then serve.
If it is teaching,
Then teach.
If it is to encourage,
Then give encouragement.
If it is giving,
Then give generously.
If it is to lead,
Do it diligently.
If it is to show mercy,
Do it cheerfully.
Love must be sincere.
Hate what is evil,
Cling to what is good.
Be devoted to one another in love.
Honour one another above yourselves.
Never be lacking in zeal,
But keep your spiritual fervor,
Serving the Lord.
Be joyful in hope,
Patient in affliction,
Faithful in prayer.
Share with the Lord's people who are in need.
Practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you.
Bless and do not curse.
Rejoice with those who rejoice.
Mourn with those who mourn.
Live in harmony with one another.
Do not be proud.
But be willing to associate with people of low position.
Do not be conceited.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil.
Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.
If it is possible,
As far as it depends on you.
Live at peace with everyone.
Do not take revenge,
My dear friends.
But leave room for God's wrath,
For it is written,
It is mine to avenge.
I will repay.
Says the Lord.
On the contrary.
If your enemy is hungry.
If he is thirsty,
Give him something to drink.
In doing this,
You will heap burning coals on his head.
Do not be overcome by evil.
But overcome evil with good.
Luke 12.
Meanwhile,
When a crowd of many thousands had gathered,
So that they were trampling on one another,
Jesus began to speak first to his disciples,
Saying,
Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees,
Which is hypocrisy.
There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed,
Or hidden that will not be made known.
What you have said in the dark.
Will be heard in the daylight.
And what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.
I tell you my friends.
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body.
And after that can do no more.
But I will show you whom you should fear.
Fear him,
Who,
After your body has been killed,
Has authority to throw you into hell.
Yes,
I tell you,
Fear him.
Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies.
Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.
Indeed,
The very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Don't be afraid.
You are worth more than many sparrows.
I tell you,
Whoever publicly acknowledges me before others.
The Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God.
But whoever disowns me before others.
Will be disowned before the angels of God.
And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven.
But anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
When you are brought before synagogues,
Rulers and authorities.
Do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say,
For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time.
What you should say.
Someone in the crowd said to him,
Teacher.
And tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.
Jesus replied.
Man who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you.
Then he said to them,
Watch out.
Be on your guard against all kinds of greed.
Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.
And he told them this parable.
The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest.
He thought to himself,
What shall I do?
I have no place to store my crops.
Then he said,
This is what I'll do.
I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones.
And there I will store my surplus grain.
And I'll say to myself,
You have plenty of grain laid up for many years.
Take life easy.
Eat,
Drink and be merry.
But God said to him,
You fool!
This very night your life will be demanded from you.
Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?
This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves.
But is not rich toward God.
Then Jesus said to his disciples,
Therefore I tell you.
Do not worry about your life,
What you will eat.
Or about your body,
What you will wear.
For life is more than food,
And the body more than clothes.
Consider the ravens.
They do not sow or reap.
They have no storeroom or barn.
Yet God feeds them.
And how much more valuable you are than birds.
Who of you,
By worrying,
Can add a single hour to your life?
Since you cannot do this very little thing.
Why do you worry about the rest?
Consider how the wildflowers grow.
They do not labor or spin.
Yet I tell you,
Not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field.
Which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire.
How much more will he clothe you?
You of little faith.
And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink.
Do not worry about it.
For the pagan world runs after all such things.
And your father knows that you need them.
But seek his kingdom,
And these things will be given to you as well.
Do not be afraid,
Little flock.
For your father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.
Sell your possessions and give to the poor.
Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out.
A treasure in heaven that will never fail.
Where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
For where your treasure is,
There your heart will be also.
Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning,
Like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet.
So that when he comes and knocks,
They can immediately open the door for him.
It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes.
Truly.
I tell you.
He will dress himself to serve.
We'll have them recline at the table and we'll come and wait on them.
It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready.
Even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak.
But understand this.
If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming,
He would not have let his house be broken into.
You also must be ready.
Because the Son of Man.
Will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
Peter asked,
Lord,
Are you telling this parable to us or to everyone?
The Lord answered.
Who then?
Is the faithful and wise manager.
Whom the master puts in charge of his servants.
To give them their food allowance at the proper time.
It will be good for that servant,
Whom the master finds doing so,
When he returns.
Truly.
I tell you.
He will put him in charge of all his possessions.
But suppose the servant says to himself,
My master is taking a long time in coming.
And he then begins to beat the other servants,
Both men and women,
And to eat and drink and get drunk.
The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him.
And at an hour he is not aware of.
He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
The servant who knows the master's will,
And does not get ready,
Or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows.
But the one who does not know,
And does things deserving punishment,
Will be beaten with few blows.
From everyone who has been given much,
Much will be demanded.
And from the one who has been entrusted with much.
Much more will be asked.
I have come to bring fire on the earth.
And how I wish it were already kindled.
But I have a baptism to undergo.
And what constraint I am under until it is completed.
Do you think I came to bring peace on Earth?
No,
I tell you.
But division.
From now on there will be five in one family.
Divided against each other.
3 against 2.
And two against three.
They will be divided.
Father against son and son against father.
Mother against daughter and daughter against mother.
Mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.
He said to the crowd.
When you see a cloud rising in the west.
Immediately you say,
It's going to rain.
And it does.
And when the south wind blows,
You say,
It's going to be hot.
And it is.
Hypocrites.
You know how to interpret the appearance of the Earth and the sky.
How is it that you don't know how to interpret this present time?
Why don't you judge for yourselves what is right?
As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate.
Try hard to be reconciled on the way.
Or your adversary.
May drag you off to the judge.
And the judge turn you over to the officer,
And the officer throw you into prison.
I tell you,
You will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
Matthew 6.
Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.
If you do,
You will have no reward from your Father in Heaven.
So when you give to the needy,
Do not announce it with trumpets.
As the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets,
To be honoured by others.
Truly,
I tell you.
They have received their reward in full.
But when you give to the needy,
Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.
So that your giving may be in secret.
Than your father,
Who sees what is done in secret.
Will reward you.
And when you pray.
.
.
Do not be like the hypocrites,
For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others.
Truly,
I tell you.
They have received their reward in full.
But when you pray,
Go into your room,
Close the door,
And pray to your Father.
Who is unseen.
Than your father,
Who sees what is done in secret.
Will reward you.
And when you pray.
Do not keep on babbling like pagans,
For they think they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them.
For your father knows what you need before you ask him.
This,
Then,
Is how you should pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done.
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation.
But deliver us from the evil one.
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you.
Your Heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others their sins.
Your Father will not forgive your sins.
When you fast,
Do not look somber as the hypocrites do.
For they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting.
Truly,
I tell you,
They have received their reward in full.
But when you fast,
Put oil on your head and wash your face,
So that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting,
But only to your Father,
Who is unseen.
And your father,
Who sees what is done in secret,
Will reward you.
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
Where moths and vermin destroy,
And where thieves break in and steal.
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
Where moths and vermin do not destroy,
And where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is.
There your heart will be also.
The eye is the lamp of the body.
If your eyes are healthy,
Your whole body will be full of light.
But if your eyes are unhealthy.
Your whole body will be full of darkness.
If then the light within you is darkness,
How great is that darkness.
No one can serve two masters.
Either you will hate the one and love the other,
Or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
You cannot serve both God and money.
Therefore I tell you.
Do not worry about your life.
What you will eat or drink,
Or about your body,
What you will wear.
Is not life more than food.
And the body more than clothes.
Look at the birds of the air.
They do not sow,
Or reap,
Or store away in barns.
And yet your Heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not much more valuable than they?
Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
And why do you worry about clothes?
See how the flowers of the field grow.
They do not labor or spin.
Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field,
Which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire.
Will he not much more clothe you,
You of little faith?
So do not worry,
Saying,
What shall we eat?
Or what shall we drink?
Or what shall we wear?
For the pagans run after all these things.
And your heavenly father knows that you need them.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.
And all these things will be given to you as well.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow,
For tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Galatians 5 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
Stand firm,
Then,
And do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Mark my words.
I,
Paul,
Tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised,
Christ will be of no value to you at all.
Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.
You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ.
You have fallen away from grace.
For through the Spirit,
We eagerly await by faith.
The righteousness for which we hope.
For in Christ Jesus,
Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value.
The only thing that counts is faith,
Expressing itself through love.
You are running a good race.
Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth?
That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.
A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.
I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view.
The one who is throwing you into confusion,
Whoever that may be,
Will have to pay the penalty.
Brothers and sisters,
If I am still preaching circumcision.
.
.
Why am I still being persecuted?
In that case,
The offence of the cross has been abolished.
As for those agitators,
I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves.
You,
My brothers and sisters,
Were called to be free,
But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh.
Rather,
Serve one another humbly in love.
For the entire lore is fulfilled in keeping this one command.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
If you bite and devour each other,
Watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
So I say.
.
.
Walk by the Spirit,
And you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
For the flesh desires what is contrary to the spirit.
And the spirit what is contrary to the flesh.
They are in conflict with each other,
So that you are not to do whatever you want.
But if you are led by the spirit,
You are not under the law.
The acts of the flesh are obvious.
Sexual immorality.
.
.
Impurity and debauchery.
Idolatry and witchcraft.
Hatred,
Discord,
Jealousy.
Fits of rage,
Selfish ambition.
Dissensions.
Factions and envy.
Drunkenness,
Orgies and the like.
I warn you,
As I did before.
That those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the spirit is love,
Joy,
Peace,
Forbearance,
Kindness,
Goodness.
Faithfulness.
Gentleness.
And self-control.
Against such things there is no law.
Those who belong to Christ Jesus.
Have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Since we live by the Spirit.
Let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Let us not become conceited.
Provoking.
And envying each other.
Take a moment to rest in his presence.
And let his word settle into your heart.
You have been listening to Nothing But Bible.
As this video comes to an end.
I pray that the peace of God,
Which surpasses all understanding,
Guards your heart and your mind.
You are safe in his hands.
Rest well,
And God bless.
