Christmas History - December 25th

• Read Luke 2:8 8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.
• Read Luke 1:5 5 When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron.
• Read 1st Chronicles 24:3 3 With the help of Zadok a descendant of Eleazar and Ahimelek a descendant of Ithamar, David separated them into divisions for their appointed order of ministering. 6 The scribe Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded their names in the presence of the king and of the officials: 7 The first lot fell to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah, 8 the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim, 9 the fifth to Malkijah, the sixth to Mijamin, 10 the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah, 11 the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shekaniah, 12 the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim, 13 the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab, 14 the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer, 15 the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez, 16 the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezkel, 17 the twenty-first to Jakin, the twenty-second to Gamul, 18 the twenty-third to Delaiah and the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.
• Read 1st Chronicles 24:19 19 This was their appointed order of ministering when they entered the temple of the Lord, according to the regulations prescribed for them by their ancestor Aaron, as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded him.
• Read Galatians 4:4 4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman.
• Read Mark 10:45 "the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
• Read Hebrews 9:14 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished (as a perfect sacrifice) to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
• Read John 1:1-4, 14 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He (Jesus) was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
• Read Luke 2:6-7 6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. (the fullness of time) 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
• Read John 1:29 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
• Remember the Reason for the Season and
• Look to the Words in RED.

Thanksgiving History

2024 is the 403rd anniversary of the first Thanksgiving Celebration.

• Read Acts 11:25-26 25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

• Read 1st John 4:1-3 4 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

• Read Isaiah 49:1,6 49 "Listen, O coastlands (islands), to Me, And take heed, you peoples from afar (you distant nations)! The Lord has called Me from the womb; From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name. I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.'"

• Read 1st Thessalonians 5:16-18 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

• Read Psalm 100:1-5 1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. 3 Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, his sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. 5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

• Squanto was a special instrument sent of God beyong the Pilgrims expectations.

• Look to the Words In Red!

Preparing to Die Well

Make a decision to be faithful

• Read 2nd Timothy 4:6-8 6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near.

• 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

• Read Acts 22:20 20 And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him."

• Read Acts 22:6-11 6 "About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, 'Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?' 8 "'Who are you, Lord?' I asked." 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,' he replied. 9 My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me. 10 "'What shall I do, Lord?' I asked." 'Get up,' the Lord said, 'and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.' 11 My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.

• Read 2nd Corinthians 11:23-28 I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.

• Read 1st Corinthians 9:24-27 24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

• Read Acts 20:22-24 22 "And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; (none of these things move me) my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace.

• Read Jude 1:3 3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God's holy people.

• Read 1st Timothy 6:12 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

• Fight the good fight. Run the race of life. And keep the faith.

• Look to the Words in Red.

Preparing to Die Well

• Read 2nd Timothy 4:6-8 6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
• We must accept death. It's inevitable.
• The Greek word for departure is "analysis." To examine or to investigate. To let go of something.
• Read 1st Thessalonians 4:13-14 13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
• Read Exodus 29:18 18 Then burn the entire ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the Lord, a pleasing aroma, a food offering presented to the Lord.
• Read Genesis 35:14 14 Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it.
• Read Philippians 2:17-18 17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.
• Read Ecclesiastes 7:2-4 2 It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart. 3 Frustration is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart. 4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.
• Read Hebrews 9:27 27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.
• Look to the Words in Red

James 1:22-25 Being Doers of the Word

• Read James 1:19 19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.
• Read James 1:20 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.
• Read James 1:21 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
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• Read Jeremiah 17:9 9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?
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• Read James 1:22 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
• Read James 1:23 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror.
• Read James 1:24 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
• Read James 1:25 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
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• Read Matthew 28:19 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
• Read Matthew 7:21 21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!"
• Read Luke 11:28 27 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you." 28 He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."
• Read Matthew 7:24-27 24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
• Read John 14:15-17 15 "If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
• Read James 2:18 18 But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
• Let's be Doers of the Word.
• Look to the Words in RED.

Finding Jesus in the Old Testament Story of Joseph.

Joseph is a forfunner, an achitype of Jesus.

The symmatry between all 66 books of the 1 book that we call the Bible, is hard to comprehend.

Genesis was written 3500 years ago and 1500 years before Jesus was born.

Here we go with the similarities between Joseph and Jesus:

• Both were servants.
• Both were beloved sons of their fathers.
• Both were given authority through clothes or robes.
• Both ascended to sit at the right hand of the Power.
• Both are given new robes with Gold Collars.
• Both of their robes were dipped in blood.
• Both were rejected by their brothers.
• Both ended up with everyone bowing down to them.
• Both had rainbows in their robes or encircled around the throne of Christ.
• Both were wrongfully convicted.
• Both were thrown into a dungeon or prison.
• Both were betrayed by their brothers for pieces of silver.
• Both had 2 criminals with them.
• Both had 1 criminal that was freed and 1 that was hung on a pole.
• Both were delivered up to the Gentiles.
• Both had a criminal say remember me.
• Both were sent ahead to prepare a place.
• Both end up ruling the land.
• Both of their lives save Jews and Gentiles.
• Both had 3rd day themes were people are lifted up.
• Both embrace God's will for their lives even though they go through intense suffering.

Joseph was sent ahead to make sure the promised line of Jesus would continue on.

What an amazing story that points directly to Jesus!

Remember Look to the Words in Red

Joseph, a new look at an old story.

• Read Genesis 50:18-20 18 His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. "We are your slaves," they said. 19 But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
• Read Genesis 37:5-11 5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, "Listen to this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it." 8 His brothers said to him, "Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?" And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. 9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. "Listen," he said, "I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me." 10 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, "What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?" 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
• Read Genesis 40:9-15 9 So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, "In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, 10 and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. 11 Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup and put the cup in his hand." 12 "This is what it means," Joseph said to him. "The three branches are three days. 13 Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh's cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. 14 But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. 15 I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon
• Read Genesis 40:16-23 16 When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to Joseph, "I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets of bread. 17 In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head." 18 "This is what it means," Joseph said. "The three baskets are three days. 19 Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and impale your body on a pole. And the birds will eat away your flesh." 20 Now the third day was Pharaoh's birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials: 21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh's hand— 22 but he impaled the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation. 23 The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.
• Read Genesis 41:1-7 41 When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, 2 when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. 3 After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. 4 And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. 5 He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. 6 After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—thin and scorched by the east wind. 7 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream.
• Read Genesis 41:25-27 25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. 27 The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.
• Read Genesis 41:39-41 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. 40 You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you." 41 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.
• Read Genesis 41:42 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph's finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.
• Read Genesis 41:43 43 And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried out before him, "Bow the knee!" So he set him over all the land of Egypt.
• Read Exodus 15:23 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.)
• Read Genesis 30:22-24 22 Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, "God has taken away my disgrace." 24 She named him Joseph, and said, "May the Lord add to me another son."
• Read Genesis 41:44-45 44 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt." 45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.
• Read Genesis 41:49 49 Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.
• Read Genesis 41:50-51 50 Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. 51 Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, "It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household."
• Read Philippians 1:20-25 20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith.
• Manasseh = Let it go!
• Look to the Words In Red

James 1:19-21

• Read James 1:19 19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,
• Read James 1:20 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.
• Read James 1:21 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
• Read Ephesians 4:23-24 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. We are new creations in Christ.
• Read 1st Corinthians 15:3 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.
• 1st Timothy 3:16-17 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
• Read Proverbs 1:5 5 A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,
• Read Matthew 28:7 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee.
• Read Luke 15:22 22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
• Read John 13:27 27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, "What you are about to do, do quickly."
• In his book "Life Together", Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, "The first service that one owes to others in the fellowship consists of listening to them. Just as love for God begins with listening to His Word, so the beginning of love for the brothers is learning to listen to them. It is [because of] God's love for us that He not only gives us His Word but also lends us His ear.
• Read Proverbs 14:29 9 Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.
• Read Ecclesiastes 7:8-9 8The end of a matter is better than it's beginning, and patience is better than pride. 9Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.
• Read Proverbs 14:17 17 A quick-tempered person does foolish things, and the one who devises evil schemes is hated.
• Read Ephesians 4:26-27 26 "In your anger do not sin." Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.
• Read 1st Peter 2:1-3 2 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. (and then) 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
• Read 1st John 1:9 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
• Look to the Words in Red

• 16 Don't be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters
• 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
• 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
• Read Genesis 3:1-5 3 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" 2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' " 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
• The Greek word for deceived is "planao." It means to be led astray, to be seduced away, to lead into error, or to wander away.
• "Planao" is where we get our English word plane or planet. Just like the ancient Greeks thought the planets just wandered around in space, you can see James connecting that to us wandering away from the path of God.
• Read 1st Corinthians 6:9-10 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
• Read 1st Corinthians 15:33 33 Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character."
• The Greek word for perfect is "teleios." Teleios is from the root word telos. It means complete, mature, fully developed, brought to an end, finished or brought to conclusion.
• Read Romans 12:2 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
• Read Genesis 2:7 7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
• Read John 1:1-4 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.
• Read Ephesians 4:23-24 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. We are new creations in Christ.
• Read Revelation 21:5 5 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.
• We are new creations in Christ and should eagerly await His return.
• Remember Look to the Words In RED.

Finding Jesus through the OT theme of the 3rd day!

• Read Acts 17:2-3 2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah," he said.
• Read 1st Corinthians 10:3-4 (All the Israelites) 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.
• Read John 5:39 (Jesus said:) 39 You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me.
• Read 1st Corinthians 15:3-4 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
• Altogether there are 40-50 references to a 3rd day from the Old Testament.
• 40 plus events that have a 3rd day theme in them.
• It's almost like God was trying to tell us something!
• These 3rd days are always decisive days. They are days of deliverance or days of resurrection.
• Read Exodus 15:22-25 22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah) 24 So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What are we to drink?" 25 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed (pointed) him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink.
• There's a piece of wood from the life of Jesus that quenches our thirst and there's a 3rd day when the tomb was empty and death was defeated.
• That 3rd day points clearly to the Messiah and to Jesus!
• Read Jonah 1:11-17 11 The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, "What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?" 12 "Pick me up and throw me into the sea," he replied, "and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you." 13 Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14 Then they cried out to the Lord, "Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man's life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased." 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16 At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him. 17 Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
• Read Jonah 2:10 10 And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
• Read Jonah 3:1-5 3 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: A new birth for Mr Jonah. A new creation with the same mission, just a new heart. 2 "Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you." 3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. 4 Jonah began by going a day's journey into the city, proclaiming, "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown." 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
• Can you see the picture of Jesus here in this amazing story with the 3rd day theme in it!
• Read Luke 2:41-49 41 Every year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. 43 After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you." 49 "Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?"
• Our Bible weaves an amazing tapestry all the way through and one of the themes is the 3rd day.
• Let's begin to find Jesus in the Old Testament as we readd through God's word!
• Look to the Words In RED!