All this is consistent with what Jesus himself experienced in his lifetime. When he walked on this earth, the only people who could not receive him were the Pharisees, or the experts on the law. They knew the law inside and out, but not the very author of the law who was standing right before them. Isn't it amazing? It shows us that legalism blinds people—legalistic people, even in the world as it presently is, have eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear! Listen in and realize the impact that the Law of Grace has for Christians today!

Israel NEEDS the gospel! Paul's prayer is that Israel may be saved. They are ignorant of God's righteousness, and seek to establish their own version of the same. It should be here pointed out that this is Scripture, and not some transitory political rhetoric aimed at the Israel-Hamas War.

It is about how faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ. In this episode we examine a miracle performed by the Holy Spirit upon a lame beggar who believes Pual's message, preached at Lystra. He, who had been lame his whole life heard the gospel, believed, and jumped up and proceeded to walk! Such is the power of the gospel of Christ's  to bring direct healing to those who believe. We hope you find today's lesson to be compelling.

Paul wrote the book of Hebrews. His thoughts are mesmerizing in Hebrews, chapter 11.

That is what we present here today. The podcast, "On Faith" is an example of what faith is, and where examples of living faith can be found in the Old Testament. But first we read all of chapter 11, and only then do we attempt to break down the writings as they appear there.

Hebrews 11:1 ESV 

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:6 ESV 

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Sunday, April 1, 2024 is Easter Sunday. On this day the world is no longer a place of Helplessness and Hopelessness. You should consider the fact that the stone was not rolled aside so Jesus could get out, but so that all of us could get in…to see that Jesus has indeed risen from the dead, just as he had promised.

The Angel who announced the good news of the resurrection to the women gave them four messages 1.) “do not be afraid.” You see, the reality of the resurrection brings joy, not fear. When you are afraid remember the empty tomb. 2.) “he is not here.” Jesus is not dead and is not to be looked for among the dead. He is alive with his people. 3.). “come and see.” Realize that the women could check the evidence themselves: the tomb was empty then and is empty today. The resurrection is a historical fact. 4.) “go quickly and tell.” The angel’s message was that they were to spread the joy of the resurrection, and we too, are anxious to spread this, the greatest news about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

 Our Gospel lesson for today begins with one of the greatest encounters of all time … John the Baptist, coming face to face with Jesus—the One who will baptize not with just water, but with the Holy Spirit.  A preacher once said that in John’s simple announcement, for us  to, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, “ we have a perfect summary of the entire Gospel… everything else is merely commentary. A sentence right here that speaks volumes.

 

But think about it, ‘Behold the Lamb of God!’ 

You see, today that expression does not have the grip on 21st century citizens that it did for the Hebrew people, especially those living over two-thousand years ago. That is because we do not see many lambs today, except for those of us who went to the Pennsylvania Farm Show; we are, today, certainly otherwise pretty far-removed from anything having to do with sheepherding.

Immediately after seeing Jesus resurrected, the Apostles were still not much more than worshipful fishermen, bunched together in a room. Then, without any warning, the Holy Spirit set them all ablaze with the fire to spread the Good News to the entire known world.

Together, they were not even a sect of Judaism at this point, and they lacked a developed liturgy, a method of worship, or even a name. The early followers simply called it “the way.”

Yet, 2000 years later, all over the world, the disciples are still drawing people in.

Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulcher is empty. It resounds with the Apostolic message: Jesus rose from the dead!

Depression

In a national survey, 12.3 million adults seriously thought about suicide.

3.5 million adults made a plan.

1.7 million adults attempted suicide

Almost 50,000 Americans die by suicide every year, year in, and year out. These are the same numbers of fatalities you see in major American wars.

 Who has died?

Freddie Prinze, George Reeves, Academy Award winner Richard Farnsworth, Brian Keith, Charles Boyer, Robin Williams, Jerzy Kozinski, Dr. Jack Kevorkian and his clients, Hunter S. Thompson, Ernest Hemingway & son.

Depression is a word that originated in the twentieth century, but as a phenomenon has been with us since antiquity.

 For us, in a Biblical sense, and for our purposes, the Bible is rife with stories written in anguish, and it is the psalms themselves that display some examples that are rampant with outright depression. Many psalms are written by King David, who authored many of them during enormously blue periods within his life.

This podcast is filled with Scriptural references to Biblical instances of depression. Listen in to learn more about depression, and what it is that we can do about it.

Matthew 6:33-34

New International Version

33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

We all make strategies. We plan for our vacations, we plan to buy our homes, we make goals for our careers, for our kids, and for our retirement. However, life is uncertain.

·      We don't really know what is going to happen tomorrow. Trips are abandoned due to bad weather, and holiday festivities are postponed because of illness. 

·      We can only plan so much for our children; then they go out and make their own choices, oh well. 

·      We try to cushion ourselves against life's uncertainties. We buy insurance for our health, and policies for our cars, and houses, too. 

·      We plan and we save for retirement. Jesus told a story about a farmer who made plans. He sought to build barns to store his grain and planned to enjoy life of ease. But the farmer did not live to enjoy the fruits of his labor. 

Jesus concluded the parable: "so it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God" (Luke 12:21). 

Luke 12: 1-3

Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: “Be[a] on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed or hidden that will not be made known. 3 What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.

• Here, we have the very words of Jesus himself...speaking to His disciples. It will do us well to consider carefully those words. Rest assured, however, that divine Providence is really present in our lives. Listen in, and find out how!

“Your old life is gone,” says Paul. 

The period between sixty-one to sixty-three AD is generally thought of as of time that Paul was imprisoned in Rome. He wrote this letter to the Colossians from jail in response to a popular heresy that had members of the church worshipping angels as intermediaries, and following rigid Jewish laws and requirements. 

In Chapter 1 of Colossians, Paul speaks of the deity of Christ. In the second chapter, he talks of Christ being all sufficient, rather than as some of the Colossian’s philosophy had Christ painted: as more of a philosophical abstraction.

Finally, in Chapter three, he speaks about life in Christ. That is where we started today’s reading.

 Listen in!