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Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Chronological New Testament Study Day 62
1 Corinthians 9; 1
Corinthians 10; 1 Corinthians 11
1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus
our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? 2 Even
though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the
seal of my apostleship in the Lord. 3 This is my defense to
those who sit in judgment on me. 4 Don't we have the right to
food and drink? 5 Don't we have the right to take a believing
wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas
? 6 Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a
living? 7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who
plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does
not drink of the milk? 8 Do I say this merely from a human
point of view? Doesn't the Law say the same thing? 9 For it is
written in the Law of Moses: "Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out
the grain." Is it about oxen that God is concerned? 10 Surely
he says this for us, doesn't he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the
plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of
sharing in the harvest. 11 If we have sown spiritual seed
among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? 12 If
others have this right of support from you, shouldn't we have it all the more?
But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather
than hinder the gospel of Christ. 13 Don't you know that those
who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at
the altar share in what is offered on the altar? 14 In the
same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should
receive their living from the gospel. 15 But I have not used
any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do
such things for me. I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of this
boast. 16 Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I
am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 If
I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply
discharging the trust committed to me. 18 What then is my
reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge,
and so not make use of my rights in preaching it. 19 Though I
am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many
as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the
Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself
am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To
those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not
free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having
the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have
become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save
some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may
share in its blessings. 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 a
man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No,
I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I
myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
1 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact,
brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all
passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in
the cloud and in the sea. 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. 5 Nevertheless,
God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the
desert. 6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us
from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not
be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: "The people sat down
to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry." 8 We
should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did--and in one day
twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test the
Lord, as some of them did--and were killed by snakes. 10 And
do not grumble, as some of them did--and were killed by the destroying angel.11 These
things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us,
on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 12 So, if you
think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! 13 No
temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he
will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,
he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. 14 Therefore,
my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak to sensible
people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 Is not the cup of
thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ?
And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because
there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the
one loaf. 18 Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who
eat the sacrifices participate in the altar?19 Do I mean then that
a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No,
but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not
want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink
the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both
the Lord's table and the table of demons. 22 Are we trying to
arouse the Lord's jealousy? Are we stronger than he? 23 "Everything
is permissible"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is
permissible"--but not everything is constructive. 24 Nobody
should seek his own good, but the good of others. 25 Eat
anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, 26 for,
"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it." 27 If
some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put
before you without raising questions of conscience. 28 But if
anyone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not
eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience'
sake-- 29 the other man's conscience, I mean, not yours. For
why should my freedom be judged by another's conscience? 30 If
I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of
something I thank God for? 31 So whether you eat or drink or
whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Do not
cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God-- 33 even
as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but
the good of many, so that they may be saved.
1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of
Christ. 2 I praise you for remembering me in everything and
for holding to the teachings, just as I passed them on to you. 3 Now
I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the
woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man who
prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. 5 And
every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her
head--it is just as though her head were shaved. 6 If a woman
does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a
disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her
head. 7 A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the
image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. 8 For
man did not come from woman, but woman from man; 9 neither was
man created for woman, but woman for man. 10 For this reason,
and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her
head. 11 In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man,
nor is man independent of woman. 12 For as woman came from
man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God. 13 Judge
for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head
uncovered? 14 Does not the very nature of things teach you
that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15 but
that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her
as a covering. 16 If anyone wants to be contentious about
this, we have no other practice--nor do the churches of God. 17 In
the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more
harm than good. 18 In the first place, I hear that when you
come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I
believe it. 19 No doubt there have to be differences among you
to show which of you have God's approval. 20 When you come
together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, 21 for as you
eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains
hungry, another gets drunk. 22 Don't you have homes to eat and
drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have
nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly
not! 23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to
you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and
when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is
for you; do this in remembrance of me." 25 In the same
way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant
in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26 For
whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death
until he comes. 27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks
the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the
body and blood of the Lord. 28 A man ought to examine himself
before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29 For
anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and
drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many among you are
weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But
if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. 32 When
we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be
condemned with the world. 33 So then, my brothers, when you
come together to eat, wait for each other. 34 If anyone is
hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result
in judgment. And when I come I will give further directions.
Psalm 8
Psalm 8 (New International Version)
Psalm 8
For the director of music. According to gittith [a].
A psalm of David.
1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
2 From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise [b] because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?
5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings [c] and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:
7 all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.
9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Psalm 8
For the director of music. According to gittith [a].
A psalm of David.
1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
2 From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise [b] because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?
5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings [c] and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:
7 all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.
9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Revelation 3
Revelation 3 (New International Version, ©2010)
Revelation 3
To the Church in Sardis
1 "To the angel[a] of the church in Sardis write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits[b] of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. 4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To the Church in Philadelphia 7 "To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. 11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. 13 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To the Church in Laodicea 14 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. 21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
Revelation 3
To the Church in Sardis
1 "To the angel[a] of the church in Sardis write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits[b] of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. 4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To the Church in Philadelphia 7 "To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. 11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. 13 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To the Church in Laodicea 14 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. 21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Chronological New Testament Study Day 61
1 Corinthians 5; 1
Corinthians 6; 1 Corinthians 7; 1 Corinthians 8
1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality
among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his
father's wife. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have
been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did
this? 3 Even though I am not physically present, I am with you
in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as
if I were present. 4 When you are assembled in the name of our
Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is
present, 5 hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful
nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord. 6 Your
boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the
whole batch of dough? 7 Get rid of the old yeast that you may
be a new batch without yeast--as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb,
has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us keep the Festival, not
with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without
yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth. 9 I have written you
in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people-- 10 not
at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and
swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But
now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself
a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a
drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. 12 What
business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge
those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. "Expel the
wicked man from among you."
1 If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it
before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints? 2 Do
you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the
world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? 3 Do you
not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this
life! 4 Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters,
appoint as judges even men of little account in the church! 5 I
say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise
enough to judge a dispute between believers? 6 But instead,
one brother goes to law against another--and this in front of
unbelievers! 7 The very fact that you have lawsuits among you
means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why
not rather be cheated? 8 Instead, you yourselves cheat and do
wrong, and you do this to your brothers. 9 Do you not know
that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived:
Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes
nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor
drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And
that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you
were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our
God. 12 "Everything is permissible for me"--but not
everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"--but I
will not be mastered by anything. 13"Food for the stomach and
the stomach for food"--but God will destroy them both. The body is not
meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 By
his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. 15 Do
you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself ? Shall I then take
the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16 Do
you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in
body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh." 17 But
he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit. 18Flee
from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but
he who sins sexually sins against his own body. 19 Do you not
know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you
have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were
bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
1 Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man
not to marry. 2 But since there is so much immorality, each
man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. 3 The
husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her
husband. 4 The wife's body does not belong to her alone but
also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him
alone but also to his wife. 5 Do not deprive each other except
by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer.
Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack
of self-control. 6 I say this as a concession, not as a
command. 7 I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has
his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. 8 Now
to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried,
as I am. 9 But if they cannot control themselves, they should
marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion. 10 To
the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate
from her husband. 11 But if she does, she must remain
unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce
his wife. 12 To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any
brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him,
he must not divorce her. 13And if a woman has a husband who is not
a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. 14 For
the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the
unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise
your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. 15 But
if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound
in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. 16 How
do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know,
husband, whether you will save your wife? 17Nevertheless, each one
should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God
has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. 18 Was
a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become
uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be
circumcised. 19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is
nothing. Keeping God's commands is what counts. 20 Each one
should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him. 21 Were
you a slave when you were called? Don't let it trouble you--although if you can
gain your freedom, do so. 22 For he who was a slave when he
was called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman; similarly, he who was a free man
when he was called is Christ's slave. 23 You were bought at a
price; do not become slaves of men. 24 Brothers, each man, as
responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to. 25 Now
about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one
who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy. 26 Because of the
present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are. 27 Are
you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a
wife. 28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a
virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles
in this life, and I want to spare you this. 29 What I mean,
brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should
live as if they had none; 30 those who mourn, as if they did
not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if
it were not theirs to keep; 31 those who use the things of the
world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is
passing away. 32 I would like you to be free from concern. An
unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs--how he can please the
Lord. 33 But a married man is concerned about the affairs of
this world--how he can please his wife--34 and his interests are
divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs:
Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married
woman is concerned about the affairs of this world--how she can please her
husband. 35 I am saying this for your own good, not to
restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the
Lord. 36 If anyone thinks he is acting improperly toward the
virgin he is engaged to, and if she is getting along in years and he feels he
ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married. 37But
the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion
but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry
the virgin--this man also does the right thing. 38 So then, he
who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does even
better. 39 A woman is bound to her husband as long as he
lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he
must belong to the Lord. 40 In my judgment, she is happier if
she stays as she is--and I think that I too have the Spirit of God.
Psalm 7
Psalm 7 (New International Version)
Psalm 7
A shiggaion[a] of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning Cush, a Benjamite.
1 O LORD my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me,
2 or they will tear me like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.
3 O LORD my God, if I have done this and there is guilt on my hands-
4 if I have done evil to him who is at peace with me or without cause have robbed my foe-
5 then let my enemy pursue and overtake me; let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in the dust. Selah
6 Arise, O LORD, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice.
7 Let the assembled peoples gather around you. Rule over them from on high;
8 let the LORD judge the peoples. Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High.
9 O righteous God, who searches minds and hearts, bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure.
10 My shield [b] is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a righteous judge, a God who expresses his wrath every day.
12 If he does not relent, he [c] will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow.
13 He has prepared his deadly weapons; he makes ready his flaming arrows.
14 He who is pregnant with evil and conceives trouble gives birth to disillusionment.
15 He who digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit he has made.
16 The trouble he causes recoils on himself; his violence comes down on his own head.
17 I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.
Psalm 7
A shiggaion[a] of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning Cush, a Benjamite.
1 O LORD my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me,
2 or they will tear me like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.
3 O LORD my God, if I have done this and there is guilt on my hands-
4 if I have done evil to him who is at peace with me or without cause have robbed my foe-
5 then let my enemy pursue and overtake me; let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in the dust. Selah
6 Arise, O LORD, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice.
7 Let the assembled peoples gather around you. Rule over them from on high;
8 let the LORD judge the peoples. Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High.
9 O righteous God, who searches minds and hearts, bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure.
10 My shield [b] is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a righteous judge, a God who expresses his wrath every day.
12 If he does not relent, he [c] will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow.
13 He has prepared his deadly weapons; he makes ready his flaming arrows.
14 He who is pregnant with evil and conceives trouble gives birth to disillusionment.
15 He who digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit he has made.
16 The trouble he causes recoils on himself; his violence comes down on his own head.
17 I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.
Revelation 2
Revelation 2 (New International Version, ©2010)
Revelation 2
To the Church in Ephesus
1 "To the angel[a] of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
To the Church in Smyrna 8 "To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor's crown. 11 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.
To the Church in Pergamum 12 "To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13 I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives. 14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.
To the Church in Thyatira 18 "To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. 20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. 24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets, 'I will not impose any other burden on you, 25 except to hold on to what you have until I come.' 26 To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 that one 'will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery'[b]—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star. 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Revelation 2
To the Church in Ephesus
1 "To the angel[a] of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
To the Church in Smyrna 8 "To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor's crown. 11 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.
To the Church in Pergamum 12 "To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13 I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives. 14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.
To the Church in Thyatira 18 "To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. 20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. 24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets, 'I will not impose any other burden on you, 25 except to hold on to what you have until I come.' 26 To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 that one 'will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery'[b]—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star. 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Monday, December 7, 2015
Chronological New Testament Study Day 60
1 Corinthians 1; 1
Corinthians 2; 1 Corinthians 3; 1 Corinthians 4
1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will
of God, and our brother Sosthenes, 2 To the church of God in
Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together
with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ--their
Lord and ours: 3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I always thank God for you
because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in him
you have been enriched in every way--in all your speaking and in all your
knowledge-- 6 because our testimony about Christ was confirmed
in you. 7Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you
eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.8 He will
keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our
Lord Jesus Christ.9 God, who has called you into fellowship with
his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. 10 I appeal to
you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with
one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be
perfectly united in mind and thought. 11 My brothers, some
from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among
you. 12 What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow
Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow
Cephas "; still another, "I follow Christ." 13 Is
Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of
Paul? 14 I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you
except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were
baptized into my name. 16 (Yes, I also baptized the household
of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) 17 For
Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel--not with words of
human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. 18 For
the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us
who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is
written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the
intelligent I will frustrate." 20 Where is the wise man?
Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made
foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of
God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the
foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews
demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we
preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to
Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and
Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For
the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is
stronger than man's strength. 26 Brothers, think of what you
were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not
many were influential; not many were of noble birth.27 But God
chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak
things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly
things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to
nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast
before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ
Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness,
holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written:
"Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."
1 When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with
eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about
God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you
except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in
weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4 My message and
my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration
of the Spirit's power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on
men's wisdom, but on God's power. 6 We do, however, speak a
message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the
rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we speak
of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for
our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age
understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of
glory. 9 However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no
ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love
him"-- 10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For
who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him?
In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of
God. 12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the
Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given
us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human
wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in
spiritual words. 14 The man without the Spirit does not accept
the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him,
and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The
spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject
to any man's judgment: 16 "For who has known the mind of
the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.
1 Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as
worldly--mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid
food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You
are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are
you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? 4 For when
one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos,"
are you not mere men? 5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what
is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe--as the Lord has
assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos
watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants
nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The
man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be
rewarded according to his own labor. 9 For we are God's fellow
workers; you are God's field, God's building. 10 By the grace
God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is
building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11 For
no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus
Christ. 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold,
silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be
shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be
revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's
work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive his
reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself
will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. 16 Don't
you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in
you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him;
for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple. 18 Do not
deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of
this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise. 19 For
the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written:
"He catches the wise in their craftiness"; 20 and
again, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are
futile." 21 So then, no more boasting about men! All
things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the
world or life or death or the present or the future--all are yours, 23 and
you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.
1 So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and
as those entrusted with the secret things of God. 2 Now it is
required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 3 I
care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not
even judge myself. 4 My conscience is clear, but that does not
make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. 5 Therefore
judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will
bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's
hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. 6 Now,
brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit,
so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, "Do not go beyond
what is written." Then you will not take pride in one man over against
another. 7 For who makes you different from anyone else? What
do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you
boast as though you did not? 8 Already you have all you want!
Already you have become rich! You have become kings--and that without us! How I
wish that you really had become kings so that we might be kings with you! 9 For
it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the
procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a
spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men. 10 We
are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are
strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! 11 To this very
hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are
homeless. 12 We work hard with our own hands. When we are
cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13 when
we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum
of the earth, the refuse of the world. 14 I am not writing
this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children. 15 Even
though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers,
for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 16 Therefore
I urge you to imitate me. 17 For this reason I am sending to
you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind
you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach
everywhere in every church. 18 Some of you have become
arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. 19But I will come to you
very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these
arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. 20 For
the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 21 What
do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a whip, or in love and with a gentle
spirit?
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