48.1 The Lord Restores Justice

Isaiah 59:15b-21

The Lord has seen this, and he is displeased that there is no justice. He is astonished to see that there is no one to help the oppressed.  So he will use his own power to rescue them and to win the victory.  He will wear justice like a coat of armor and victory like a helmet. He will clothe himself with the strong desire to set things right and to punish and avenge the wrongs that people suffer. He will punish his enemies according to what they have done, even those who live in distant lands.  From east to west everyone will fear him and his great power.  He will come like a rushing river, like a strong wind.

The Lord says to his people, "I will come to Jerusalem to defend you and to save all of you that turn from your sins.  And I make a covenant with you: I have given you my power and my teachings to be yours forever, and from now on you are to obey me and teach your children and your descendants to obey me for all time to come."

47.4 The Lord Will Defend My Cause

Psalm 43

O God, declare me innocent,
and defend my cause against the ungodly;
deliver me from lying and evil men!
You are my protector;
why have you abandoned me?
Why must I go on suffering from the cruelty of my enemies?

Send your light and your truth;
may they lead me and bring me back to Zion,
your sacred hill,
and to your Temple, where you live.
Then I will go to your altar, O God;
you are the source of my happiness.
I will play my harp and sing praise to you,
O God, my 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.

47.3 God Will Judge Through Jesus Christ

Romans 2:12-16

The Gentiles do not have the Law of Moses; they sin and are lost apart from the Law.  The Jews have the Law; they sin and are judged by the Law.  For it is not by hearing the Law that people are put right with God, but by doing what the Law commands.  The Gentiles do not have the Law; but whenever they do by instinct what the Law commands, they are their own law, even though they do not have the Law.  Their conduct shows that what the Law commands is written in their hearts.  Their consciences also show that this is true, since their thoughts sometimes accuse them and sometimes defend them.  And so, according to the Good News I preach, this is how it will be on that Day when God through Jesus Christ will judge the secret thoughts of all.

47.2 He Is The Judge Of The Living And The Dead

Acts 10:34-43

Peter began to speak:  "I now realize that it is true that God treats everyone on the same basis.  Whoever fears in him and does what is right is acceptable to him, no matter what race he belongs to.  You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, proclaiming the Good News of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.  You know of the great event that took place throughout the land of Israel, beginning in Galilee after John preached his message of baptism. You know about Jesus of Nazareth and how God poured out on him the Holy Spirit and power. He went everywhere, doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, for God was with him.  We are witnesses of everything that he did in the land of Israel and in Jerusalem. Then they put him to death by nailing him to a cross. But God raised him from death three days later and caused him to appear, not to everyone but only to the witnesses that God had already chosen, that is, to us who ate and drank with him after he rose from death. And he commanded us to preach the gospel to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God has appointed judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets spoke about him, saying that everyone who believes in him will have his sins forgiven through the power of his name." 

47.1 He Will Come To Judge

Malachi 3:1-5

The Lord Almighty answers, "I will send my messenger to prepare the way for me.  Then the Lord you are looking for will suddenly come to his Temple.  The messenger you long to see will come and proclaim my covenant."

But who will be able to endure the day when he comes? Who will be able to survive when he appears? He will be like strong soap, like a fire that refines metal. He will come to judge like one who refines and purifies silver. As a metal-worker refines silver and gold, so the Lord's messenger will purify the priests, so that they will bring to the Lord the right kind of offerings.  Then the offerings which the people of Judah and Jerusalem bring to the Lord will be pleasing to him, as they used to be in the past.

The Lord Almighty says, "I will appear among you to judge, and I will testify at once against those who practice magic, against adulterers, against those who give false testimony, those who cheat employees out of their wages, and those take advantage of widows, orphans, and foreigners--against all who do not respect me.

46.5 Praise The Lord, He Is Holy

Psalm 99

The Lord is King, and the people tremble.
He sits on his throne above the winged creatures, and the earth shakes.
The Lord is mighty in Zion; he is supreme over all the nations.
Everyone will praise his great and majestic name.
Holy is he!

Mighty king, you love what is right;
you have established justice in Israel;
you have brought righteousness and fairness.
Praise the Lord our God;
worship before his throne! Holy is he!

Moses and Aaron were his priests,
and Samuel was one who prayed to him:
they called to the Lord, and he answered them.
He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud:
they obeyed the laws and commands that he gave them.

O Lord, our God, you answered your people;
you showed them that you are a God who forgives,
even though you punished them for their sins.
Praise the Lord our God,
and worship at his sacred hill!
The Lord our God is holy.

Jesus and Beelzebul

MARK 3:22-30

The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said [of Jesus], ''He is possessed by Beelzebul,'' and ''By the prince of demons He drives out demons.'' Summoning them, [Jesus] began to speak to them in parables, ''How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand; that is the end of him. But no one can enter a strong man's house to plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house. Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.'' For they had said, ''He has an unclean spirit.'' By the prince of demons He drives out demons.

This is the scribes' verdict on Jesus' power of exorcism. The truth, however, is just the opposite: Jesus drives out demons because he is against demons! His love for people makes him expel the demons that possess men and women. It is about loving the sinner but hating the sin. But can we really differentiate the two? Can we keep them apart? Well, Jesus does! He is able to see the victim and the victimizer. He identifies the wrong and the wronged. He holds the bedeviled and drives away the demon. There is a whole world of difference, and to be able to see the difference is to define our actions. It will put compassion in our crusades, love in our fists, and heart in our fights. 

Beginning of Jesus' Galilean ministry

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, He withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled: "Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen." From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." As He was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, "Come after Me, and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed Him. He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed Him. He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people. Great crowds followed Him Many people come to Jesus. 

They follow Him and listen to Him. Why? He brings a message of hope - there is hope, we can change, we can alter our attitudes and our situations. Jesus also proclaims a message of healing. We are forgiven. We can forgive. We can find meaning in our sufferings. We can share bread and kindness and live. Jesus gives us His Father. We have a loving Father who cares for us and awaits us. He knows us and is near to us. He is Father of us all. Even in a society where apathy, cynicism, and indifference reign, the message of hope, healing, and faith can still be relevant. 

The Sower and the Seeds

Scripture: Luke 8:4-15 (Mark 4:3-9; Matthew 13:3-9)

4 And when a great crowd came together and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable: 5 "A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell along the path, and was trodden under foot, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns grew with it and choked it. 8 And some fell into good soil and grew, and yielded a hundredfold." As he said this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." 9 And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, 10 he said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. 11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, that they may not believe and be saved. 13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy; but these have no root, they believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. 14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature."

Parable of the lamp

MARK 4:21-25

Jesus said to the crowd, "Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand? For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret except to come to light. Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear." He also told them, "Take care what you hear. The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, and still more will be given to you. To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away."

A lamp placed under a bushel basket

What a waste! No, put it on a stand! If you love me, come on and let it show! If you have faith, why frown and fear? We need burning lamps to dispel the depression and helplessness in our culture.

A man puts schoolbooks in a small cart and goes around the squatter areas, gathering and teaching poor children who cannot go to school. A young executive gives up her lucrative job and volunteers in a remote mission area to establish a high school for kids to give them an alternative to getting married after Grade 6, the farthest they can go in their village. A young doctor bypasses an opportunity to work overseas and takes an assignment in a mountainous area for villagers who have never seen a hospital or a doctor. These people are all lamps burning bright for others who sit in the dark.

If you have ears, hear. If you have a heart, love. If you have a mind, understand.

And if you are happy, show it. Dance! If you are light, let others glow in it. If you have God, let Him shine through!

Express your joy today.

46.4 The Holy One Was Executed But God Raised Him From The Dead

(Acts 13:23-31)

It was Jesus, a descendant of David, whom God made the Savior of the people of Israel, as he had promised. Before Jesus began his work, John preached to all the people of Israel that they should turn from their sins and be baptized. And as John was about to finish his mission, he said to the people, “Who do you think I am? I am not the one you are waiting for. But listen! He is coming after me, and I am not good enough to take his sandals off his feet,’

“My fellow Israelites, descendants of Abraham, and all Gentiles here who worship God: it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent! For the people who live in Jerusalem and their leaders did not know that he is Savior, nor did they understand the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. Yet they made the prophet’s words come true by condemning Jesus. And even though they could find no reason to pass the death sentence on him, they asked Pilate to have him put to death. And after they had done everything that the Scriptures say about him, they took him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb. But God raised him from death, and for many days he appeared to those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now witness for him to the people of Israel.

46.3 The Criminal At The Cross Declares His Innocence

((Luke 23:39-43)

One of the criminals hanging there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

The other one, however, rebuked him, saying, “Don’t you fear God? You received the same sentence he did. Ours, however, is only right, because we are getting what we deserve for what we did; but he has done no wrong.” And he said to Jesus, “Remember me, Jesus, when you come as King!”

Jesus said to him, “I promise you that today you will be in Paradise with me.”

46.2 Jesus Is The Holly One Of God

(Mark 1:23-28)

Just then a man with an evil spirit came into the synagogue and screamed, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Are you here to destroy us? I know who you are – you are God’s holy messenger!”

Jesus ordered the spirit, “Be quiet, and come out of the man!”

The evil spirit shook the man hard, gave a loud scream, and came out of him. The people were all so amazed that they started saying to one another, “What is this? Is it some kind of new teaching? This man has authority to give orders to the evil spirits, and they obey him!”

And so the news about Jesus spread quickly everywhere in the province of Galilee.