46.1 He Is Just

(Isaiah 11:1-4)

The royal line of David is like a tree that has been cut down; but just as new branches sprout from a stump, so a new king will arise from among David’s descendants.

The spirit of the Lord will give him wisdom
and the knowledge and skill to rule his people.
He will know the Lord’s will and will have reverence for him,
and find pleasure in obeying him.
He will not judge by appearance or hearsay;
he will judge the poor fairly and defend the rights
of the helpless.
At his command the people will be punished,
and evil persons will die.

45.4 Praise The Ruler Of All The World

(Psalm 47)

Clap your hands for joy, all peoples!
Praise God with loud songs!
The Lord, the Most High, is to be feared;
he is a great king, ruling over all the world.
He gave us victory over the peoples;
he made us rule over the nations.
He chose for us the land where we live,
the proud possession of his people, whom he loves.

God goes up to his throne.
There are shouts of joy and the blast of trumpets,
as the Lord goes up.
Sing praise to God; sing praise to our king!
God is king over all the world;
praise him with songs!

God sits on his sacred throne;
he rules over the nations.
The rulers of the nations assemble with the people
of the God of Abraham.
More powerful than all armies is he;
he rules supreme.

45.3 Jesus, The Same Yesterday, Today And Forever

(Hebrews 13:6-15)

Let us be bold, then, and say,

“The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?”

Remember your former leaders, who spoke God’s message to you. Think back on how they lived and died, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not let all kinds of strange teachings lead you from God’s grace, and not by obeying rules about foods; those who obey these rules have not been helped by them.

The priests who serve in the Jewish place of worship have no right to eat any of the sacrifice on our altar. The Jewish High Priest brings the blood of the animals into the Most Holy Place to offer it as a sacrifice for sins; but the bodies of the animals are burned outside the camp. For this reason Jesus also died outside the city, in order to purify the people from sin with his own blood. Let us, then, go to him outside the camp and share his shame. For there is no permanent city for us here on earth; we are looking for the city which is to come. Let us, then, always offer praise to God as our sacrifice through Jesus, which is the offering presented by lips that confess him as Lord.

45.2 He Is Higher Than The Angels

(Hebrews 1:1-13)

In the past God spoke to our ancestors many times and in many ways through the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us through his Son. He is the one through whom God created the universe, the one whom God has chosen to posses all things at the end. He reflects the brightness of God’s glory and is the exact likeness of God’s own being, sustaining the universe with his powerful word. After achieving forgiveness for the sins of mankind, he sat down in heaven at the right side of God, the Supreme Power.

The Son was made greater than the angels, just as the name that God gave him is greater than theirs. For God never said to any of his angels,

“You are my Son; today I have become your Father.” Nor did God say about any angel,

“I will be his Father, and he will be my Son.”

But when God was about to send his first-born Son into the world, he said,

“All of God’s angels must worship him.”

But about the angels God said,

“God makes his angels winds, and his servants flames of fire.”

About the Son, however, God said:

“Your kingdom, O God, will last forever and ever!

You rule over your people with justice.

You love what is right and hate what is wrong.

That is why God, your God, has chosen you and has given you the joy of an honor far greater than he gave to your companions.”

He also said,

“You, Lord, in the beginning created the earth, and with your own hands you made the heavens.

They will disappear, but you will remain; they will all wear out like clothes.

You will fold them up like a coat, and they will be changed like clothes.

But you are always the same, and your life never ends.”

God never said to any of his angels:

“Sit here at my right side until I put your enemies as a footstool under your feet.”

45.1 He Is Before Anything Else

(Colossians 1:15-20)

Christ is the visible likeness of the invisible God. He is the first-born Son, superior to all created things. For through him God created everything in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen things, including spiritual powers, lord, rulers, and authorities. God created the whole universe through him and for him. Christ existed before all things, and in union with him all things have their proper place. He is the head of his body, the church; he is the source of the body’s life. He is the first-born Son, who was raised from death, in order that he alone might have the first place in all things. For it was by God’s own decision that the Son has in himself the full nature of God. Through the Son, then God decided to bring the whole universe back to himself. God made peace through his Son’s death on the cross and so brought back to himself all things, both on earth and in heaven.

44.5 Prayer Of Penitent In Distress

(Psalm 143)

LORD, hear my prayer!
In your righteousness listen to my plea;
answer me in your faithfulness!
Don’t put me, your servant, on trial;
no one is innocent in your sight.

My enemy has hunted me down
and completely defeated me.
He has put me in a dark prison,
and I am like those who died long ago.
So I am ready to give up; I am in deep despair.

I remember the days gone by;
I think about all that you have done,
I bring to mind all your deeds.
I lift up my hands to you in prayer;
like dry ground my soul is thirsty for you.

Answer me now, Lord!
I have lost all hope.
Don’t hide yourself from me,
or I will be among those who go down
to the world of the dead.
Remind me each morning of your constant love,
for I put my trust in you.
My prayers go up to you;
show me the way I should go.

I go to you for protection, Lord;
rescue me from my enemies.
You are my God; teach me to do your will.
Be good to me, and guide me on a safe path.

Rescue me, Lord, as you have promised;
in your goodness save me from my troubles!
Because of your love for me,
kill my enemies and destroy all my oppressors,
for I am your servant.

44.4 Our High Priest Can Sympathize With Our Weakness

(Hebrews 4: 14-16)

Let us, then, hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we have a great High Priest who has gone into the very presence of God--Jesus, the Son of God. Our High Priest is not one who cannot feel sympathy for our weaknesses. On the contrary, we have a High Priest who was tempted in every way that we are, but did not sin. Let us be brave, then, and approach God’s throne, where there is grace. There we will receive mercy and find grace to help us just when we need it.

44.3 Moved With Pity, Jesus Brings Son Back To life

(Luke 7:11-17)

Soon afterward Jesus went to a town named Nain accompanied by his disciples and a large crowd. Just as he arrived at the gate of the town, a funeral procession was coming out. The dead man was the only son of a woman who was a widow, and a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart was filled with pity for her, and he said to her, “Don’t cry.” Then he walked over and touched the coffin, and the men crying it stopped. Jesus said, “Young man! Get up. I tell you!” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

They all were filled with fear and praise God. “A great prophet has appeared among us!” they said; “God has come to save his people!”

This news about Jesus went out through all the country and the surrounding territory.

44.2 Out Of Pity, Jesus Gives Bread

(Mark 8: 1-10)

Not long afterward another large crowd came together. When the people had nothing left to eat, Jesus called the disciples to him and said “I feel sorry for these people, because they have been with me for three days and now have nothing to eat. If I send them home without feeding them, they will faint as they go, because some of them have come a long way.”

His disciples asked him, “Where in this desert can anyone find enough food to feed all these people?”

“How much bread do they have?” Jesus asked. “Seven loaves,” they answered.

He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, gave thanks to God, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the crowd; and the disciples did so. They also had a few small fish. Jesus gave thanks for these and told the disciples to distribute them too. Everybody ate and had enough–there were about four thousand people. Then the disciples took up seven baskets full of pieces left over. Jesus sent the people away and at once got into a boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.

44.1 He Shall Not Break The Bruised Seed

(Isaiah 42:1-4a)

The Lord says,
“Here is my servant, whom I strengthen—
the one I have chosen, with whom I am pleased.
I have filled him with my spirit,
and he will bring justice to every nation.
He will not shout or raise his voice
or make loud speeches in the streets.
He will not break off a bent reed
nor put out a flickering lamp.
He will bring lasting justice to all.
He will not lose hope or courage;
he will establish justice on the earth.

43.4 Jesus Sits At The Right Hand Of The Father

(Psalm 110)

The Lord said to my lord, the king,
“Sit here at my right side
until I put your enemies under your feet.”
From Zion the Lord will extend your royal power.
“Rule over your enemies,” he says.
On the day you fight your enemies,
your people will volunteer.
Like the dew of early morning
your young men will come to you
on the sacred hills.

The Lord made a solemn promise and will not
take it back:
“You will be a priest forever
in the priestly order of Melchizedek.”
The Lord is at your right side;
when he becomes angry, he will defeat kings.
He will pass judgment on the nations
and fill the battlefield with corpses;
he will defeat kings all over the earth.
The king will drink from the stream by the road,
and strengthened, he will stand victorious.

43.3 Jesus Speaks What The Father Told Him

(John 12:44-50)

Jesus said in a loud voice, “Whoever believes in me believes not only in me but also in him who sent me. Whoever sees me sees also him who sent me. I have come into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness. If anyone hears my message and does not obey it, I will not judge him. I came, not to judge the world, but to save it. Whoever rejects me and does not accept my message has one who will judge him. The words I have spoken will be his judge on the last day! This is true, because I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has commanded me what I must say and speak. And I know that his command brings eternal life. What I say, then, is what the Father has told me to say.”

43.2 The Father And Jesus Are One

(John 10:25-30)

Jesus answered, “I have already told you, but you would not believe me. The deeds I do by my Father’s authority speak on my behalf; but you will not believe, for you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never die. No one can snatch them away from me. What my Father has given me is greater than everything, and no one can snatch them away from the Father’s care. The Father and I are one.”