Matthew 24:1-44 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away (24:35). Sunrise Instead Of Sunset So deadly and so merciless was the poison of rationalism in the schools, in the universities, in the seminaries, and in the pulpits, that it seemed the prophecy of the atheist Voltaire might come to pass. Voltaire said, “One hundred years from my day there will not be a Bible in the earth except one that is looked upon by an antiquarian curiosity seeker.” It has sometimes looked as though what the infidel Hume envisioned might come to pass: “I see the twilight of Christianity,” he said. Yet one hundred years from the time of Voltaire’s prediction, a first edition of Voltaire’s work sold in the market in Paris for eleven cents. And on that identical day, the British government paid to the Czar of Russia five hundred thousand dollars for the Codex Sinaiticus, a copy of the Word of God discovered by Count Tischendorf in a monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai. When Hume talked about the twilight of Christianity he was much confused. He could not tell sunrise from sunset. Last eve I passed beside a blacksmith’s door And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime; Then looking in, I saw upon the floor Old hammers, worn with beating years of time. “How many anvils have you had,” said I, “To wear and batter all these hammers so?” “Just one,” said he, and then with twinkling eye, “The anvil wears the hammers out, you know.” And so, thought I, the anvil of God’s Word For ages skeptic blows have beat upon; Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard, The anvil is unworn--the hammers gone! --John Clifford

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. ” JOHN 16:33

You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of Your presence and the pleasures of living with You forever. Psalm 16:11 (NLT) K-love verse of the day

They sang, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Revelation 7:12 (NLT Air 1 verse of the day

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James 1:22 (NIV) Yesterday, we looked at Mark 12:30: “You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength” (NLT). One way to look at this verse is to focus on loving God with all your talk, all your feelings, all your thinking, and all your acting. God shaped you to be primarily a talker, a feeler, a thinker, or a doer. Talkers love God with their hearts. Feelers love God with their souls. Did you know that you can also love God with your intellect? Thinkers love God with their minds. When you’re developing and strengthening your mind, it is an act of worship. Thinkers love Bible study. Psalm 119:97 says, “How I love your law! I think about it all day long” (GNT). People who are thinkers fall in love with the Bible when they become believers. There is no other book in the world like it! It has the answers to life’s questions, including: Why am I here? Where am I going? What is the purpose of life? Does my life matter? What’s the past? What’s the future? Where did I come from? We need thinkers because the world needs consideration. Somebody has to be thinking through complex issues and the implications of what the rest of us are doing. We need people who think through tough problems and bring solutions to the table. That’s why we need scientists, writers, philosophers, and innovators. But thinkers have to be careful to practice humility. The Bible says, “Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom” (Proverbs 3:7 NLT). Why? Because God is God, and you’re not. Humility is a choice. Not once in the Bible are you ever told to pray for God to humble you. It says to “humble yourself before the Lord.” It’s a choice. Humility is something you do to yourself. Nobody else can do it to you. They can humiliate you, but they can’t make you humble. In essence, humility is total dependence on God. It’s not denying your strengths; it’s being honest about your weaknesses. Thinkers also need to be careful to practice what they know. If you know it, then do it! James 1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (NIV). God’s Word is our manual for life; he wants us to use it to learn how to do things his way. He’s our Creator, and he knows the best way we should live. And we can count on this: God is always right there with us, helping us to follow his instructions.

"Thou hatest wickedness." — Psalms 45:7 "Be ye angry, and sin not." There can hardly be goodness in a man if he be not angry at sin; he who loves truth must hate every false way. How our Lord Jesus hated it when the temptation came! Thrice it assailed him in different forms, but ever he met it with, "Get thee behind me, Satan." He hated it in others; none the less fervently because he showed his hate oftener in tears of pity than in words of rebuke; yet what language could be more stern, more Elijah-like, than the words, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer." He hated wickedness, so much that he bled to wound it to the heart; he died that it might die; he was buried that he might bury it in his tomb; and he rose that he might for ever trample it beneath his feet. Christ is in the Gospel, and that Gospel is opposed to wickedness in every shape. Wickedness arrays itself in fair garments, and imitates the language of holiness; but the precepts of Jesus, like his famous scourge of small cords, chase it out of the temple, and will not tolerate it in the Church. So, too, in the heart where Jesus reigns, what war there is between Christ and Belial! And when our Redeemer shall come to be our Judge, those thundering words, "Depart, ye cursed" which are, indeed, but a prolongation of his life-teaching concerning sin, shall manifest his abhorrence of iniquity. As warm as is his love to sinners, so hot is his hatred of sin; as perfect as is his righteousness, so complete shall be the destruction of every form of wickedness. O thou glorious champion of right, and destroyer of wrong, for this cause hath God, even thy God, anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. Illustration of Joshua 6:26 Evening: "Cursed be the man before the Lord, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho." — Joshua 6:26 Since he was cursed who rebuilt Jericho, much more the man who labours to restore Popery among us. In our fathers' days the gigantic walls of Popery fell by the power of their faith, the perseverance of their efforts, and the blast of their gospel trumpets; and now there are some who would rebuild that accursed system upon its old foundation. O Lord, be pleased to thwart their unrighteous endeavours, and pull down every stone which they build. It should be a serious business with us to be thoroughly purged of every error which may have a tendency to foster the spirit of Popery, and when we have made a clean sweep at home we should seek in every way to oppose its all too rapid spread abroad in the church and in the world. This last can be done in secret by fervent prayer, and in public by decided testimony. We must warn with judicious boldness those who are inclined towards the errors of Rome; we must instruct the young in gospel truth, and tell them of the black doings of Popery in the olden times. We must aid in spreading the light more thoroughly through the land, for priests, like owls, hate daylight. Are we doing all we can for Jesus and the gospel? If not, our negligence plays into the hands of the priestcraft. What are we doing to spread the Bible, which is the Pope's bane and poison? Are we casting abroad good, sound gospel writings? Luther once said, "The devil hates goose quills" and, doubtless, he has good reason, for ready writers, by the Holy Spirit's blessing, have done his kingdom much damage. If the thousands who will read this short word this night will do all they can to hinder the rebuilding of this accursed Jericho, the Lord's glory shall speed among the sons of men. Reader, what can you do? What will you do?

For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life. — John 3:16 AMP

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.” —1 Corinthians 3:11 We live in a culture where the church is under attack. Our values are mocked, laughed at, and, in some cases, even outlawed. Our belief about the family and about what matters in life is being challenged by an increasingly secular culture. And sometimes, we wonder whether evil will prevail. No, it won’t. Jesus said of His church, “All the powers of hell will not conquer it” (Matthew 16:18 NLT). So, we keep marching forward. Sometimes, however, people get upset with the church. They might say they’re bitter toward the church. They may have been mistreated. Or, maybe someone representing the church didn’t do a good job of it. They may even have done a horrible thing in the name of the church, and there is no excuse for that. Then again, it could be that someone who is supposedly bitter toward the church feels that way because they lived in disobedience. They did something wrong. And then they faced the repercussions of it in the church. Maybe they were told to not do what they were doing any longer, so they’re angry at the church. The church has its strengths, and the church has its weaknesses. But no matter what, Jesus Christ established it, and as Christians, we are a part of it. We need to love the church, support the church, and be a functioning part of the church. If you are looking for a hypocrite-free church, then your search is over because there is no such thing as a hypocrite-free church. Every church has hypocrites because every church is made up of human beings who fall short. We all have our shortcomings. We all have our flaws. But Jesus established the church. The church is built on Christ, “the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). The apostle Paul wrote, “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11 NLT). Acts 2:42–47 gives us the basis of the early church, the church that changed the world. Verse 42 says, “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.” Then the passage concludes, “And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved” (verse 47 NLT). Numerical growth is up to God. If a church takes care of its depth, then God will take care of its breadth. It doesn’t matter whether a church is the largest. What matters is having a strong church, a biblical church, and a church that is built on Christ Himself. Is your life built on Jesus Christ? As that timeless hymn says, “On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand: all other ground is sinking sand; all other ground is sinking sand.” If you have built your life on a church, it is the wrong foundation. If you have built your spiritual life on a person, that is a faulty foundation as well. Build your life on Christ Himself

Jesus said to the crowd,] "If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it." — Mark 8:35

Cornelius stared at [the angel] in terror. "What is it, sir?" he asked the angel. And the angel replied, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have been received by God as an offering! Now send some men to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. He is staying with Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore." — Acts 10:4-6

“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’” (Romans 10:9-13) PONDER THIS While I was a pastor in Florida, I had a group of men I would meet with for prayer. We felt the need for revival in our city. We decided to start by praying for the meanest man in our city. And I said, “How do you get the meanest man saved?” We agreed you begin to pray for him and then you witness to him. After a long time praying, I went by his house and knocked on the door. I presented Jesus Christ to him and asked, “Would you like to be saved?” He said he would, and I led him in the sinner’s prayer. He gave his heart to Christ in the same way a little boy would trust Christ as his personal Savior. I’ve never been able to forget that. The man everybody was afraid of became a follower of Christ. God had softened his heart by prayer. There is no man, no woman, no boy, no girl too difficult for God to save. Who are some people you believe are very far from God? How often do you pray for them? Why is it important to trust God’s power to transform hearts over our ability to share or persuade? PRACTICE THIS Set a daily reminder to pray for someone you know who is far from God

I challenge you to consider two questions about the verses you find below: Why do you think that Mark included this story about the unbelief of the folks from My "hometown" and among My "own people" and in My "own household"? Who are My hometown folks and family today? If you are My disciple, you are part of My family. Mark included the episode below from My ministry to speak to My family and warn them (and warn you) of a great danger — the "stubbornness of their unbelief." This warning is about a specific kind of "stubbornness" and "unbelief." Over the centuries of church history, My disciples have often thought they knew what they could expect from Me. Many times they ended up under-expecting. They came up with theologies that limited My power and presence. They quit believing that I could or would do great things through them. In the process, they limited what I could do for them, with them, and through them because of the "stubbornness of their unbelief." Mark included this episode from My life to speak to this kind of loss of expectation, this "stubbornness" of "unbelief" in the people in his day. The gospel of Mark in your Bibles warns you about this same "unbelief." In a few days, we will begin an extended look into the book of Acts. Then, we will go through the rest of the New Testament story together. In the book of Acts, you will read about My disciples and what the Holy Spirit did for them, with them, and through them. You may be tempted to believe that the kinds of things you see in the book of Acts could never happen in your time. I want you to be aware that any lack of expectation still limits the power I can release into your life and the lives of those you love just as My relatives lack of expectation did in My hometown. The power of My gospel to reach lost people in every place in every age is still present through the work of My Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, the "stubbornness" of "unbelief" I confronted in My hometown also happens in your day. This lack of expectation contributes to My repeated frustration with My family — My modern-day "hometown" and My "own people" and "household." This "stubbornness" of "unbelief" prevents Me from doing any "great works" for them, among them, and through them. Please believe! Please expect more! Please read your Bibles to see that We — Father, Son, and Spirit — long to do in your day the things We've done before. Don't let it be said in your day that I AM limited "by the stubbornness of their unbelief." Verses to Live In the following verses, Mark reported things that happened in My hometown of Nazareth. Notice that the people there were astonished at My teaching. They also knew about My miraculous powers. However, they couldn't see past their own familiarity with Me, My family, and what they thought they knew about Me. They refused to accept My teaching and My miracles. Their lack of faith prevented them from experiencing all that I wanted to bring to them and do among them Don't let your past experiences place limits on what you think I can do for you, in you, and through you. Remember this about Us — Father, Son, and Spirit: We "can do so many awe-inspiring things, immeasurable things, things greater than [you] ever could ask or imagine through the power at work in" you (Ephesians 3:20). Jesus went back into His own hometown where He had grown up, and His disciples followed Him there. When the Sabbath came, He went into the synagogue in Nazareth and began to teach as He had done elsewhere, and many of those who heard Him were astonished. Those in the Synagogue: Where did He gain this wisdom? And what are all these stories we've been hearing about the signs and healings He's performed? Where did He get that kind of power? Isn't this Jesus, the little boy we used to see in Joseph's carpenter shop? Didn't He grow up to be a carpenter just like His father? Isn't He the son of Mary over there and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, Simon, and their sisters? Who does He think He is? And when they had thought about it that way, they became indignant and closed themselves to His message. Jesus (seeing this): A prophet can find honor anywhere except in his hometown, among his own people, and in his own household. He could not do any of His great works among them except with a few of the sick, whom He healed by laying His hands upon them. He was amazed by the stubbornness of their unbelief. (Mark 6:1-6)

Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. — Acts 5:29 (KJV)

Peter and the other apostles replied [to their religious critics among the Sadducees, priests, and Sanhedrin]: "We must obey God rather than men!" — Acts 5:29

And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. — 1 Chronicles 28:9 (KJV)

Some people read their Bible in Hebrew, some in Greek; I like to read mine in the Holy Ghost." — Smith Wigglesworth

"Weight of Glory" — 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:2116 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. Awaiting the New Body 5 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. The Ministry of Reconciliation 11 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. 12 We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. 13 If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin[b] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God Dear Father, invisible but absolutely real, Let me not lose heart. I know from your word that my light and momentary troubles are working for me an eternal weight of glory that far outweighs them all. Help me fix my eyes not on the things that are seen, but on the things that are unseen, for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. Help me to live by faith and not by sight. I want to trust you completely. In the name of Jesus I praise and thank you for all your great mercies and your continuing and constant grace. Amen

You light a lamp for me. The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness. — Psalm 18:28

The Father says today, listen closely. I have given you a merciful heart and deep compassion within you. This is a gift, a reflection of My own nature. Life, however, can test that mercy. It can leave you feeling wounded, even resentful or defensive. These are understandable responses, but I call on you to rise above them. In all your dealings with those around you, know that refusing to extend mercy results in forsaking your own mercy and the following consequences. I would spare you that suffering, says the Father. Disillusionment may come when you see the world around you. There will be hardship, selfishness, and actions that challenge your faith. But do not lose sight of My purpose. I am weaving a grand design, a program of benefit and increase in your life. This increase is not for you alone, but to equip you to uplift others. I am drawing you closer to My heart, a heart of boundless love that extends even to the difficult, the obnoxious. Prophet Russ - I'm Sowing Into the Fulfillment of This Word! Remember, love never fails. Stepping out of love is a step into failure. Skepticism, pessimism, and sarcasm are tools of the enemy, meant to derail the tenderness of spirit I am fostering in you. This tenderness is not weakness but strength. Through this strength, that of heartfelt compassion even toward those who have wronged you and sinned against you, you will learn to love on My terms, not the terms of the world. There will be times when I will use you to correct or even rebuke others, even if it feels uncomfortable when you feel disqualified and isolated by the animosity of those aligned with the enemy of your soul. Show love regardless. Move in humility, for the enemy has no humility and doesn't understand humility. Humility is your secret weapon by which I pour out My goodness, protection, and grace upon you to overcome that which seems utterly impossible to get around. Trust that mercy and showing mercy is the heart, the very zenith of My plan, a way to bring about growth, healing, and deliverance in your life. Embrace at all costs your mercy heart. Let it be a beacon in the world. As you walk in love and compassion, I will guide your steps and use you to bring about good in ways you cannot yet imagine.

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13-14 NIV

The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land to which I am taking you and you eat the food of the land, present a portion as an offering to the Lord. Present a loaf from the first of your ground meal and present it as an offering from the threshing floor. Throughout the generations to come you are to give this offering to the Lord from the first of your ground meal. “ ‘Now if you as a community unintentionally fail to keep any of these commands the Lord gave Moses— any of the Lord’s commands to you through him, from the day the Lord gave them and continuing through the generations to come— and if this is done unintentionally without the community being aware of it, then the whole community is to offer a young bull for a burnt offering as an aroma pleasing to the Lord, along with its prescribed grain offering and drink offering, and a male goat for a sin offering. The priest is to make atonement for the whole Israelite community, and they will be forgiven, for it was not intentional and they have presented to the Lord for their wrong a food offering and a sin offering. The whole Israelite community and the foreigners residing among them will be forgiven, because all the people were involved in the unintentional wrong. “ ‘But if just one person sins unintentionally, that person must bring a year-old female goat for a sin offering. The priest is to make atonement before the Lord for the one who erred by sinning unintentionally, and when atonement has been made, that person will be forgiven. One and the same law applies to everyone who sins unintentionally, whether a native-born Israelite or a foreigner residing among you. “ ‘But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or foreigner, blasphemes the Lord and must be cut off from the people of Israel. Because they have despised the Lord’s word and broken his commands, they must surely be cut off; their guilt remains on them.’ ” While the Israelites were in the wilderness, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.” So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord commanded Moses. The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the Lord, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by chasing after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord your God.’ ” Numbers 15:17‭-‬41 NIV https://bible.com/bible/111/num.15.17-41.NIV

In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. ” PSALM 62:7

And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. Colossians 3:17 (NLT don't be anxious just relax

Hard work is worthwhile, but empty talk will make you poor.” Proverbs 14:23 (CEV) What you say has a direct connection to your heart. Whatever your heart is filled with is going to come out of your mouth. If you’re filled with anger, anger is going to come out of your mouth. If your heart is filled with depression, it’s going to come out of your mouth. If your heart is filled with joy, that’s going to come out of your mouth. The Bible says in Mark 12:30, “You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength” (NLT). You could also say it like this: Love God with all your talk, all your feelings, all your thinking, and all your acting. God shaped you to primarily be a talker, feeler, thinker, or doer. Heart people have a hard time being quiet. They’re talkers. When you’re a heart person, you’ve got to let it out. You’ve got to tell other people. Heart people love to tell stories. They love to sit and converse, especially in heart-to-heart conversations. The world needs people who are communicators. We need people who can lead discussions and who can verbalize what the rest of us feel. We need teachers, counselors, and coaches who can teach us and direct us. We need comedians. We need preachers. We need all of these people who are built on verbal skills and who are able to move the world forward. God’s warning for talkers is this: You also have to act. Proverbs 14:23 says, “Hard work is worthwhile, but empty talk will make you poor” (CEV). In other words, you’ve got to move ahead. You’ve got to stop only talking about your plans and start making them happen.

Air1 verse of the day O God, we give glory to You all day long and constantly praise Your name. 05/28/2024 O God, we give glory to You all day long and constantly praise Your name. Psalm 44:8 (NLT)