52.5 The Lord, King And Judge

Psalm 98

Sing a new song to the Lord;
he has done wonderful things!
By his own power and holy strength
he has won the victory.
The Lord announced his victory;
he made his saving power known to the nations.
He kept his promise to the people of Israel
with loyalty and constant love for them.
All people everywhere have seen the victory
of our God.

Sing for joy to the Lord, all the earth;
praise him with songs and shouts of joy!
Sing praises to the Lord! Play music on the harps!
Blow trumpets and horns,
and shout for joy to the Lord, our king.

Roar, sea, and every creature in you;
sing, earth, and all who live on you!
Clap your hands, you rivers;
you hills, sing together with joy before the Lord,
because he comes to rule the earth.
He will rule the peoples of the world with justice and fairness.

52.4 The Narrow Door

Luke 13:22-30

Jesus went through towns and villages, teaching the people and making his way toward Jerusalem.  Someone asked him, "Sir, will just a few people be saved?"

Jesus answered them, "Do your best to go in through the narrow door; because many people will surely try to go  in but will not be able.  The master of the house will get up and close the door; then when you stand outside and begin to knock on the door and say, 'Open the door for us, sir!' he will answer you, 'I don't know where you come from!' Then you will answer, 'We ate and drank with you; you taught in our town!' But he will say again, 'I don't know where you come from. Get away from me, all you wicked people! How you will cry and gnash your teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, while you are thrown out! People will come from the east and west, from the north and the south, and sit down at the feast in the Kingdom of God. Then those who are now last will be first, and those who are now first will be last."

52.3 Accountability For Each Word

Matthew 12:36-37

"You can be sure that on the Judgment Day everyone will have to give account of every useless word he has ever spoken.  Your words will be used to judge you--to declare you either innocent or guilty."

52.2 Parable Of The Net

Matthew 13:47-50

"Also, the Kingdom of heaven is like this. Some fishermen throw their net out in the lake and catch all kinds of fish.  When the net is full, they pull it to shore and sit down to divide the fish:  the good ones go into the buckets, the worthless ones are thrown away.  It will be like this at the end of the age: the angels will go out and gather up evil people from among the good and will throw them into the fiery furnace, where they will cry and gnash their teeth.

52.1 Parable Of The Weeds Among The Wheat

Matthew 13:24-30

Jesus told them another parable:  "The Kingdom of heaven is like this.  A man sowed good seed in his field.  One night, when everyone was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.  When the plants grew and the heads of grain began to form, then the weeds showed up.  The man's servants came to him and said, "Sir, it was good seed you sowed in your field; where did the weeds come from? 'It was some enemy who did this,' he answered. 'Do you want us to go and pull up the weeds?' they asked him. 'No,' he answered, 'because as you gather the weeds you might pull up some of the wheat along with them.  Let the wheat and the weeds both grow together until harvest. Then I will tell the harvest workers to pull up the weeds first, tie them in bundles and burn them, and then to gather in the wheat and put it in my barn.'

51.5 God, The Supreme Judge

Psalm 82

God presides in the heavenly council;
in the assembly of the gods he gives his decision:
"You must stop judging unjustly;
you must no longer be partial to the wicked!
Defend the rights of the poor and the orphans;
be fair to the needy and the helpless.
Rescue them from the power of evil men.

"How ignorant you are! How stupid!
You are completely corrupt,
and justice has disappeared from the world.
'You are gods,' I said;
'all of you are sons of the Most High.'
But you will die like men;
your life will end like that of any prince."

Come, O God, and rule the world;
all the nations are yours.

51.4 False Witnesses Shall Be Punished

Deuteronomy 19:16-21

If one man tries to harm another by falsely accusing him of a crime, both are to go to the one place of worship and be judged by the priests and judges who are then in office.  The judges will investigate the case thoroughly; and if the man has made a false accusation against his fellow Israelite, he is to receive the punishment the accused man would have received.  In this way you will get rid of this evil.  Then everyone else will hear what happened; they will be afraid , and no one will ever again do such an evil thing.  In such cases show no mercy; the punishment is to be a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, and a foot for a foot.

51.3 Judge On Behalf Of The Lord

2 Chronicles 19:4-7

Even though King Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, he traveled regularly among the people, from Beersheba in the south to the edge of the hill country of Ephraim in the north, in order to call the people back to the Lord, the God of their ancestors.  He appointed judges in each of the fortified cities of Judah and instructed them: "Be careful in pronouncing judgment; you are not acting on human authority, but on the authority of the Lord, and he is with you when you pass sentence.  Have reverence for the Lord and act carefully, because the Lord our God does not tolerate fraud or partiality or the taking of bribes."

51.2 Selected Impartial, Wise Judges

Deuteronomy 1:15-17a

So I took the wise and experienced leaders you chose from your tribes, and I placed them in charge of you.  Some were responsible for a thousand people, some for a hundred, some for fifty, and some for ten.  I also appointed other officials throughout the tribes.

"At that time I instructed them, 'Listen to the disputes that come up among your people.  Judge every dispute fairly, whether it concerns only your own people or involves foreigners who live among you. Show no partiality in your decisions; judge everyone on the same basis, no matter who he is.  Do not be afraid of anyone, for the decisions you make come from God."

51.1 Impartiality In Judgment

Leviticus 19:13-18

""Do not take advantage of anyone or rob him.  Do not hold back the wages of someone you have hired, not even for one night.  Do not curse a deaf man or put something in front of a blind man so as to make him stumble over it.  Have reverence for me; I am the Lord your God.

"Be honest and just when you make decisions in legal cases; do not show favoritism to the poor or fear the rich.  Do not spread lies about anyone, and when someone is on trial for his life, speak out if your testimony can help him.  I am the Lord.

"Do not bear a grudge against anyone, but settle your differences with him, so that you will not commit a sin because of him.  Do not take revenge on anyone or continue to hate him, but love your neighbor as you love yourself.  I am the Lord.

50.5 Longing For God, The Source Of Joy

Psalm 63

O God, you are my God, and I long for you.
My whole being desires you;
like a dry, worn-out, and waterless land,
my soul is thirsty for you.
Let me see you in the sanctuary;
let me see how mighty and glorious you are.
Your constant love is better than life itself,
and so I will praise you.
I will give you thanks as long as I live;
I will raise my hands to you in a prayer.
My soul will feast and be satisfied,
and I will sing glad songs of praise to you.

As I lie in bed, I remember you;
all night long I think of you,
because you have always been my help.
In the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
I cling to you,
and your hand keeps me safe.

Those who are trying to kill me
will go down into the world of the dead.
They will be killed in battle,
and their bodies eaten by wolves.
Because God gives him victory,
the king will rejoice.
Those who make promises in
God's name will praise him,
but the mouths of liars will be shut.

50.4 Rejoice In The Lord Always

Philippians 4:4-9

May you always be joyful in your union with the Lord.  I say it again: rejoice!

Show a gentle attitude toward everyone. The Lord is coming soon. Don't worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart.  And God's peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus.

In conclusion, my brothers, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable.  Put into practice what you learned and received from me, both from my words and from my actions. And the God who gives us peace will be with you.

50.3 Song Of Thanksgiving

Isaiah 12:1-6

A day is coming when people will sing,
"I praise you Lord!
You were angry with me, but now you comfort me
and are angry no longer.
God is my savior;
I will trust him and not be afraid.
The Lord gives me power and strength;
he is my savior.
As fresh water brings joy to the thirsty,
so God's people rejoice when he saves them."
A day is coming when people will sing,
"Give thanks to the Lord!
Call for him to help you!
Tell all the nations what he has done!
Tell them how great he is!
Sing to the Lord because of the great things
he has done.
Let the whole world hear the news.
Let everyone who lives in Zion shout and sing!
Israel's holy God is great,
and he lives among his people."

50.2 Joy Because of Deliverance

Isaiah 35:1-10

The desert will rejoice,
and flowers will bloom in the wastelands.
The desert will sing and shout for joy;
it will be as beautiful as the Lebanon Mountains
and as fertile as the fields of Carmel and Sharon.
Everyone will see the Lord's splendor,
see his greatness and power.

Give strength to hands that are tired
and to knees that tremble with weakness.
Tell everyone who is discouraged,
"Be strong and don't be afraid!
God is coming to your rescue,
coming to punish your enemies."

The blind will be able to see, and the deaf will hear.
The lame will leap and dance,
and those who cannot speak will shout for joy.
Streams of water will flow through the desert;
the burning sand will become a lake,
and dry land will be filled with springs.
Where jackals used to live,
marsh grass and reeds will grow.

There will be highway there,
called "The Road of Holiness."
No sinner will ever travel that road;
no fools will mislead those who follow it.
No lions will be there;
no fierce animals will pass that way.
Those whom the Lord has rescued
will travel home by that road.
They will reach Jerusalem with gladness,
singing and shouting for joy.
They will be happy forever,
forever free from sorrow and grief.