41.3 To Please Not Men But God

(1 Thessalonians 2:1-7a, 10-12)

Our brothers, you yourselves know that our visit to you was not a failure. You know how we had already been mistreated and insulted in Philippi before we came to you in Thessalonica. And even though there was much opposition, our God gave us courage to tell you the Good News that comes from him. Our appeal to you is not based on error or impure motives, nor do we try to trick anyone. Instead, we always speak as God wants us to, because he has judged us worthy to be entrusted with the Good News. We do not try to please men, but to please God, who tests our motives. You know very well that we did not come to you with flattering talk, nor did we use words to cover up greed – God is our witness! We did not try to get praise from anyone, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we could have made demands on you.

You are our witness, and so is God, that our conduct toward you who believe was pure, right, and without fault. You know that we treated each one of you just as a father treats his own children. We encouraged you, we comforted you, and we kept urging you to live the kind of life that pleases God, who calls you to share in his own Kingdom and glory.

41.2 No Treachery, No Falsification of God’s Word

(2 Corinthians 4:1-5)

God in his mercy has given us this work to do, and so we do not become discouraged. We put aside all secret and shameful deeds; we do not act with deceit, nor do we falsify the word of God. In the full light of truth we live in God’s sight and try to commend ourselves to everyone’s good conscience. For if the gospel we preach is hidden, it is hidden only from those who are being lost. They do not believe, because their minds have been kept in the dark by the evil god of this world. He keeps them from seeing the light shining on them, the light that comes from the Good News about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. For it is not ourselves that we preach; we preach Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

41.1 Integrity in Civil Matters

(Romans 13:17)

Everyone must obey state authorities, because no authority exists without God’s permission, and the existing authorities have been put there by God. Whoever opposes the existing authority opposes what God has ordered; and anyone who does so will bring judgment of himself. For rulers are not to be feared by those who do good, but by those who do evil. Would you like to be unafraid of the man in authority? Then do what is good, and he will praise you, because he is God’s servant working for your own good. But if you do evil, then be afraid of him, because his power to punish is real. He is God’s servant and carries out God’s punishment on those who do evil. For this reason you must obey the authorities – not just because of God’s punishment, but also as a matter of conscience.

That is also why you pay taxes, because the authorities are working for God when they fulfill their duties. Pay, then, what you owe them; pay them your personal and property taxes, and show respect and honor for them all.

40.5 It Is Right To Keep Our Promises

(Psalm 65)

O God, it is right for us to praise you in Zion
and keep our promises to you,
because you answer prayers.
People everywhere will come to you
on account of their sins.
Our faults defeat us, but you forgive them.
Happy are those whom you choose,
whom you bring to live in your sanctuary.
We shall be satisfied with the good things
of your house,
the blessings of your sacred Temple.

You answer us by giving us victory,
and you do wonderful things to save us.
People all over the world
and across the distant seas trust in you.
You set the mountains in place by your strength,
showing your mighty power.
You calm the roar of the seas and the noise of the waves;
you calm the uproar of the peoples.
The whole world stands in awe
of the great things that you have done.
Your deeds bring shouts of joy
from one end of the earth to the other.

You show your care for the land by sending rain;
you make it rich and fertile.
You fill the streams with water;
you provide the earth with crops.
This is how you do it:
you send abundant rain on the plowed fields
and soak them with water;
you soften the soil with showers
and cause the young plants to grow.
What a rich harvest your goodness provides!
Wherever you go there is plenty.
The pastures are filled with flocks;
the hillsides are full of joy.
The fields are covered with sheep;
the valleys are full of wheat.
Everything shouts and sings for joy.

40.4 God Rewards The Faithful, He Is The Way

(Isaiah 30:12-21)

But this is what the holy God of Israel says: “You ignore what I tell you and rely on violence and deceit. You are guilty. You are like a high wall with a crack running down it; suddenly you will collapse. You will be shattered like a clay pot, so badly broken that there is no piece big enough to pick up hot coals with or to dip water from a cistern.”

The Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says to the people, “Come back and quietly trust in me. Then you will be strong and secure.“ But you refuse to do it. Instead, you plan to escape from your enemies by riding fast horses. And you are right- escape is what you will have to do! You think your horses are fast enough, but those who pursue you will be faster! A thousand of you will run away when you see one enemy soldier, and five soldiers will be enough to make you all run away. Nothing will be left of your army except a lonely flagpole on the top of a hill. And yet the Lord is waiting to be merciful to you. He is ready to take pity on you because he always does what is right. Happy are those who put their trust in the Lord.

You people who live in Jerusalem will not weep any more. The Lord is compassionate, and when you cry to him for help, he will answer you. The Lord will make you go through hard times, but he himself will be there to teach you, and you will not have to search for him any more. If you wander off the road to the right or the left, you will hear his voice behind you saying, “Here is the road. Follow it.”

40.3 Lip Service

(Isaiah 29:13-14)

The Lord said, “These people claim to worship me, but their words are meaningless, and their hearts are somewhere else. Their religion is nothing but human rules and traditions, which they have simply memorized. So I will startle them with one unexpected blow after another. Those who are wise will turn out to be fools, and all their cleverness will be useless.

40.2 Punishment For Infidelity

(Deuteronomy 29:21-28)

The Lord will make an example of him before all the tribes of Israel and will bring disaster on him in accordance with all the curses listed in the covenant that is written in this book of the Lord’s teachings.

“In future generations your descendant and foreigners from distant lands will see the disasters and sufferings that the Lord has brought on your land. The fields will be a barren waste, covered with sulfur and salt; nothing will be planted, and not even weeds will grow there. Your land will be like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, of Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord destroyed when he was furiously angry. Then the whole world will ask, ‘Why did the Lord do this to their land? What was the reason for his fierce anger?’ And the answer will be, ‘It is because the Lord’s people broke the covenant they had made with him, the God of their ancestors, when he brought them out of Egypt. They served other gods that they had never worshiped before, gods that the Lord had forbidden them to worship. And so the Lord became angry with his people and brought on their land all the disasters written in this book. The Lord became furiously angry, and in his great anger he uprooted them from their land and threw them into a foreign land, and there they are today.”

40.1 Idolatry Is an Infidelity To God

(Deuteronomy 29:15-18a)

He is making it with all of us who stand here in his presence today and also with our descendants who are not yet born.

“You remember what life was like in Egypt and what it was like to travel through the territory of our nations. You saw their disgusting idols made of wood, stone, silver, and gold. Make sure that no man, woman, family, or tribe standing here today turns from the Lord our God to worship the gods of other nations.

39.4 Desire For God

(Psalm 42:1-7a, 8-11)

A s a deer longs for a stream of cool water,
so I long for you, O God.
I thirst for you, the living God.
When can I go and worship in your presence?
Day and night I cry,
and tears are my only food;
all the time my enemies ask me,
“Where is your God?”

My heart breaks when I remember the past,
when I went with the crowds to the house of God
and led them as they walked along;
a happy crowd, singing and shouting praise to God.
Why am I so sad? Why am I so troubled?
I will put my hope in God,
and once again I will praise him,
my savior and my God.

Here in exile my heart is breaking,
and so I turn my thoughts to him.
He has sent waves of sorrow over my soul.
May the Lord show his constant love during the day,
so that I may have song at night,
a prayer to the God of my life.

To God, my defender, I say,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go on suffering
from the cruelty of my enemies?”
I am crushed by their insults,
as they keep on asking me, “Where is your God?”

Why am I so sad? Why am I so troubled?
I will put my hope in God,
and once again I will praise him,
my savior and my God.

39.3 What is Needed Is Faith In Jesus Christ

(1 John 5:10-13)

So whoever believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his own heart; but whoever does not believe God, has made a liar of him, because he has not believed what God has said about his Son. The testimony is this: God has given us eternal life, and this life has its source in his Son. Whoever has the Son has this life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

I am writing this to you so that you may know that you have eternal life—you that believe in the Son of God.

39.2 The Lord’s Coming

(1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

Our brothers, we want you to know the truth about those who have died, so that you will not be sad, as are those who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will take back with Jesus those who have died believing in him.

What we are teaching you now is the Lord’s teaching: we who are alive on the day the Lord comes will not go ahead of those who have died. There will be the shout of command, the archangel’s voice, the sound of God’s trumpet, and the Lord himself will come down from heaven. Those who have died believing in Christ will rise to life first; then we who are living at that time will be gathered up along with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. So then, encourage one another with these words.

39.1 Everybody Can Have Everlasting Life

(Acts 13:44-49)

The next Sabbath nearly everyone in the town came to hear the word of the Lord. Then the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy; they disputed what Paul was saying and insulted him. But Paul and Barnabas spoke out even more boldly: “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you. But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we will leave you and go to the Gentiles. For this is the commandment that the Lord has given us:

“I have made you a light for the Gentiles, so that all the world may be saved.’”

When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and praised the Lord’s message; and those who had been chosen for eternal life became believers.

The word of the Lord spread everywhere in that region.

38.4 God Will Not Abandon Us

(Psalm 16)

Protect me, O God; I trust in you for safety.
I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
all the good things I have come from you.”

How excellent are the Lord’s faithful people!
My greatest pleasure is to be with them.

Those who rush to other gods
bring many troubles on themselves.
I will not take part in their sacrifices;
I will not worship their gods.

You, Lord, are all I have,
and you give me all I need;
my future is in your hands.
How wonderful are your gifts to me;
how good they are!

I praise the Lord, because he guides me;
and in the night my conscience warns me.
I am always aware of the Lord’s presence;
he is near, and nothing can shake me.

And so I am thankful and glad,
and I feel completely secure,
because you protect me from the power of death,
and the one you love,
you will not abandon to the world of the dead.

You will show me the path that leads to life;
your presence fills me with joy
and brings me pleasure forever.

38.3 Praise Be God for Our Resurrection

(1Peter 1:3-5)

Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Because of his great mercy he gave us new life by raising Jesus Christ from death. This fills us with a living hope, and so we look forward to possessing the rich blessings that God keeps for his people. He keeps them for you in heaven, where they cannot decay or spoil or fade away. They are for you, who through faith are kept safe by God’s power for the salvation which is ready to be revealed at the end of time.

38.2 All Who Believe Have Eternal Life

(John 3:11-15)

I am telling you the truth: we speak of what we know and report what we have seen, yet none of you is willing to accept our message. You do not believe me when I tell you about the things of this world; how will you ever believe me, then, when I tell you about the things of heaven? And no one has ever gone up to heaven except the Son of Man, who came down from heaven.”

As Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the desert, in the same way the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him have eternal life.

38.1 Those Who Believe Will Rise To Eternal Life

(John 11:17-26a)

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had been buried four days before. Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Judeans had come to see Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother’s death.

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but May stayed in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “If you had been here, Lord, my brother would not have died! But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask him for.”

“Your brother will rise to life,” Jesus told her.

“I know,’ she replied, “that he will rise to life on the last day.”

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.“

37.5 Prayer of Humble Trust

(Psalm 131)

Lord, I have given up my pride
and turned away from my arrogance.
I am not concerned with great matters
or with subjects too difficult for me.
Instead, I am content and at peace.
As a child lies quietly in its mother’s arms,
so my heart is quiet within me.
Israel, trust in the Lord now and forever!

37.4 Mary’s Canticle

(Luke 1:46-55)

Mary said, “My heart praises the Lord;
my soul is glad because of God my Savior,
for he has remembered me, his lowly servant!
From now on all people will call me happy,
because of the great things the Mighty God
has done for me.
His name is holy; from one generation to another
he shows mercy to those who honor him.
He has stretched out his mighty arm
and scattered the proud with all their plans.
He has brought down mighty kings from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away with empty hands.
He has kept the promise he made to our ancestors,
and has come to the help of his servant Israel.
He has remembered to show mercy to Abraham
and to all his descendants forever!”