Thursday, March 10, 2016
John Chapter 11 The Raising of Lazarus
John 11 NLT
1 A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived
in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha.
2 This is the Mary who later poured the
expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother,
Lazarus, was sick.
3 So the two sisters sent a message to
Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.”
4 But when Jesus heard about it he said,
“Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God
so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.”
5 So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary,
and Lazarus,
6 he stayed where he was for the next two
days.
7Finally, he said to his disciples, “Let’s go
back to Judea.”
8 But his disciples objected. “Rabbi,”
they said, “only a few days ago the people in Judea were trying to stone you.
Are you going there again?”
9 Jesus replied, “There are twelve hours
of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see
because they have the light of this world.
10 But at night there is danger of
stumbling because they have no light.”
11 Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus has
fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.”
12 The disciples said, “Lord, if he is
sleeping, he will soon get better!”
13 They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was
simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died.
14 So he told them plainly, “Lazarus is
dead.
15 And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t
there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.”
16 Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, said to his
fellow disciples, “Let’s go, too—and die with Jesus.”
17 When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was
told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days.
18 Bethany was only a few miles down the
road from Jerusalem,
19 and many of the people had come to
console Martha and Mary in their loss.
20 When Martha got word that Jesus was
coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house.
21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you
had been here, my brother would not have died.
22 But even now I know that God will give
you whatever you ask.”
23 Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise
again.”
24 “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when
everyone else rises, at the last day.”
25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection
and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.
26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in
me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”
27 “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have
always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into
the world from God.”
28 Then she returned to Mary. She called
Mary aside from the mourners and told her, “The Teacher is here and wants to
see you.”
29 So Mary immediately went to him.
30 Jesus had stayed outside the village, at
the place where Martha met him.
31 When the people who were at the house
consoling Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to
Lazarus’s grave to weep. So they followed her there.
32 When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell
at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not
have died.”
33 When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the
other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was
deeply troubled.
34 “Where have you put him?” he asked them.
They told him, “Lord, come and see.”
35 Then Jesus wept.
36The people who were standing nearby said, “See
how much he loved him!”
37 But some said, “This man healed a blind
man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?”
38 Jesus was still angry as he arrived at
the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance.
39 “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them.
But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four
days. The smell will be terrible.”
40 Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that
you would see God’s glory if you believe?”
41 So they rolled the stone aside. Then
Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me.
42 You always hear me, but I said it out
loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe
you sent me.”
43 Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come
out!”
44 And the dead man came out, his hands and
feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them,
“Unwrap him and let him go!”
45 Many of the people who were with Mary
believed in Jesus when they saw this happen.
46 But some went to the Pharisees and told
them what Jesus had done.
47 Then the leading priests and Pharisees
called the high council together. “What are we going to do?” they asked each
other. “This man certainly performs many miraculous signs.
48 If we allow him to go on like this, soon
everyone will believe in him. Then the Roman army will come and destroy both
our Temple and our nation.”
49 Caiaphas, who was high priest at that
time, said, “You don’t know what you’re talking about!
50 You don’t realize that it’s better for
you that one man should die for the people than for the whole nation to be
destroyed.”
51He did not say this on his own; as high priest
at that time he was led to prophesy that Jesus would die for the entire
nation.
52 And not only for that nation, but to
bring together and unite all the children of God scattered around the
world.
53 So from that time on, the Jewish leaders
began to plot Jesus’ death.
54 As a result, Jesus stopped his public
ministry among the people and left Jerusalem. He went to a place near the
wilderness, to the village of Ephraim, and stayed there with his
disciples.
55 It was now almost time for the Jewish Passover
celebration, and many people from all over the country arrived in Jerusalem
several days early so they could go through the purification ceremony before
Passover began.
56 They kept looking for Jesus, but as they
stood around in the Temple, they said to each other, “What do you think? He
won’t come for Passover, will he?”
57 Meanwhile, the leading priests and
Pharisees had publicly ordered that anyone seeing Jesus must report it
immediately so they could arrest him.
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Psalm 90
BOOK IV
Psalms 90–106
Psalm 90
A prayer of Moses the man of God.
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place
throughout all generations.
2 Before the mountains were born
or you brought forth the whole world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
throughout all generations.
2 Before the mountains were born
or you brought forth the whole world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You turn people back to dust,
saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.”
4 A thousand years in your sight
are like a day that has just gone by,
or like a watch in the night.
5 Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death—
they are like the new grass of the morning:
6 In the morning it springs up new,
but by evening it is dry and withered.
saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.”
4 A thousand years in your sight
are like a day that has just gone by,
or like a watch in the night.
5 Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death—
they are like the new grass of the morning:
6 In the morning it springs up new,
but by evening it is dry and withered.
7 We are consumed by your anger
and terrified by your indignation.
8 You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.
9 All our days pass away under your wrath;
we finish our years with a moan.
10 Our days may come to seventy years,
or eighty, if our strength endures;
yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow,
for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
11 If only we knew the power of your anger!
Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due.
12 Teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
and terrified by your indignation.
8 You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.
9 All our days pass away under your wrath;
we finish our years with a moan.
10 Our days may come to seventy years,
or eighty, if our strength endures;
yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow,
for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
11 If only we knew the power of your anger!
Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due.
12 Teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
13 Relent, Lord! How long will it be?
Have compassion on your servants.
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
for as many years as we have seen trouble.
16 May your deeds be shown to your servants,
your splendor to their children.
Have compassion on your servants.
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
for as many years as we have seen trouble.
16 May your deeds be shown to your servants,
your splendor to their children.
17 May the favor[a] of the Lord our God rest on us;
establish the work of our hands for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands.
establish the work of our hands for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands.
John Chapter 10:22-42 Conflict at the Feast of Dedication over Jesus' Identity
John 10 NLT
22 It was now winter, and Jesus was in
Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication.
23 He was in the Temple, walking through
the section known as Solomon’s Colonnade.
24 The people surrounded him and asked,
“How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us
plainly.”
25 Jesus replied, “I have already told you,
and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name.
26 But you don’t believe me because you are
not my sheep.
27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know
them, and they follow me.
28 I give them eternal life, and they will
never perish. No one can snatch them away from me,
29 for my Father has given them to me, and
he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand.
30 The Father and I are one.”
31 Once again the people picked up stones
to kill him.
32 Jesus said, “At my Father’s direction I
have done many good works. For which one are you going to stone me?”
33 They replied, “We’re stoning you not for
any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God.”
34 Jesus replied, “It is written in your
own Scriptures that God said to certain leaders of the people, ‘I say, you are
gods!’
35 And you know that the Scriptures cannot
be altered. So if those people who received God’s message were called
‘gods,’
36 why do you call it blasphemy when I say,
‘I am the Son of God’? After all, the Father set me apart and sent me into the
world.
37 Don’t believe me unless I carry out my
Father’s work.
38 But if I do his work, believe in the
evidence of the miraculous works I have done, even if you don’t believe me.
Then you will know and understand that the Father is in me, and I am in the
Father.”
39Once again they tried to arrest him, but he
got away and left them.
40 He went beyond the Jordan River near the
place where John was first baptizing and stayed there awhile.
41 And many followed him. “John didn’t
perform miraculous signs,” they remarked to one another, “but everything he
said about this man has come true.”
42 And many who were there believed in
Jesus.
Revelation 22
Revelation 22 (New International Version, ©2010)
Revelation 22
Eden Restored
1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
John and the Angel
6 The angel said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place."
7 "Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll."
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. 9 But he said to me, "Don't do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!"
10 Then he told me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near. 11 Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy."
Epilogue: Invitation and Warning 12 "Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
14 "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. 16 "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you[a] this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star."
17 The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let the one who hears say, "Come!" Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.
18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.
20 He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen.
Revelation 22
Eden Restored
1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
John and the Angel
6 The angel said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place."
7 "Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll."
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. 9 But he said to me, "Don't do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!"
10 Then he told me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near. 11 Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy."
Epilogue: Invitation and Warning 12 "Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
14 "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. 16 "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you[a] this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star."
17 The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let the one who hears say, "Come!" Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.
18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.
20 He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen.
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Psalm 89
Psalm 89New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 89[a]
A maskil[b] of Ethan the Ezrahite.
1 I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;
with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
through all generations.
2 I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
3 You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant,
4 ‘I will establish your line forever
and make your throne firm through all generations.’”[c]
with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
through all generations.
2 I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
3 You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant,
4 ‘I will establish your line forever
and make your throne firm through all generations.’”[c]
5 The heavens praise your wonders, Lord,
your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord?
Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?
7 In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared;
he is more awesome than all who surround him.
8 Who is like you, Lord God Almighty?
You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.
your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord?
Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?
7 In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared;
he is more awesome than all who surround him.
8 Who is like you, Lord God Almighty?
You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.
9 You rule over the surging sea;
when its waves mount up, you still them.
10 You crushed Rahab like one of the slain;
with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
11 The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth;
you founded the world and all that is in it.
12 You created the north and the south;
Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name.
13 Your arm is endowed with power;
your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.
when its waves mount up, you still them.
10 You crushed Rahab like one of the slain;
with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
11 The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth;
you founded the world and all that is in it.
12 You created the north and the south;
Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name.
13 Your arm is endowed with power;
your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
love and faithfulness go before you.
15 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.
16 They rejoice in your name all day long;
they celebrate your righteousness.
17 For you are their glory and strength,
and by your favor you exalt our horn.[d]
18 Indeed, our shield[e] belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.
love and faithfulness go before you.
15 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.
16 They rejoice in your name all day long;
they celebrate your righteousness.
17 For you are their glory and strength,
and by your favor you exalt our horn.[d]
18 Indeed, our shield[e] belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.
19 Once you spoke in a vision,
to your faithful people you said:
“I have bestowed strength on a warrior;
I have raised up a young man from among the people.
20 I have found David my servant;
with my sacred oil I have anointed him.
21 My hand will sustain him;
surely my arm will strengthen him.
22 The enemy will not get the better of him;
the wicked will not oppress him.
23 I will crush his foes before him
and strike down his adversaries.
24 My faithful love will be with him,
and through my name his horn[f] will be exalted.
25 I will set his hand over the sea,
his right hand over the rivers.
26 He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, the Rock my Savior.’
27 And I will appoint him to be my firstborn,
the most exalted of the kings of the earth.
28 I will maintain my love to him forever,
and my covenant with him will never fail.
29 I will establish his line forever,
his throne as long as the heavens endure.
to your faithful people you said:
“I have bestowed strength on a warrior;
I have raised up a young man from among the people.
20 I have found David my servant;
with my sacred oil I have anointed him.
21 My hand will sustain him;
surely my arm will strengthen him.
22 The enemy will not get the better of him;
the wicked will not oppress him.
23 I will crush his foes before him
and strike down his adversaries.
24 My faithful love will be with him,
and through my name his horn[f] will be exalted.
25 I will set his hand over the sea,
his right hand over the rivers.
26 He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, the Rock my Savior.’
27 And I will appoint him to be my firstborn,
the most exalted of the kings of the earth.
28 I will maintain my love to him forever,
and my covenant with him will never fail.
29 I will establish his line forever,
his throne as long as the heavens endure.
30 “If his sons forsake my law
and do not follow my statutes,
31 if they violate my decrees
and fail to keep my commands,
32 I will punish their sin with the rod,
their iniquity with flogging;
33 but I will not take my love from him,
nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.
34 I will not violate my covenant
or alter what my lips have uttered.
35 Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness—
and I will not lie to David—
36 that his line will continue forever
and his throne endure before me like the sun;
37 it will be established forever like the moon,
the faithful witness in the sky.”
and do not follow my statutes,
31 if they violate my decrees
and fail to keep my commands,
32 I will punish their sin with the rod,
their iniquity with flogging;
33 but I will not take my love from him,
nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.
34 I will not violate my covenant
or alter what my lips have uttered.
35 Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness—
and I will not lie to David—
36 that his line will continue forever
and his throne endure before me like the sun;
37 it will be established forever like the moon,
the faithful witness in the sky.”
38 But you have rejected, you have spurned,
you have been very angry with your anointed one.
39 You have renounced the covenant with your servant
and have defiled his crown in the dust.
40 You have broken through all his walls
and reduced his strongholds to ruins.
41 All who pass by have plundered him;
he has become the scorn of his neighbors.
42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
you have made all his enemies rejoice.
43 Indeed, you have turned back the edge of his sword
and have not supported him in battle.
44 You have put an end to his splendor
and cast his throne to the ground.
45 You have cut short the days of his youth;
you have covered him with a mantle of shame.
you have been very angry with your anointed one.
39 You have renounced the covenant with your servant
and have defiled his crown in the dust.
40 You have broken through all his walls
and reduced his strongholds to ruins.
41 All who pass by have plundered him;
he has become the scorn of his neighbors.
42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
you have made all his enemies rejoice.
43 Indeed, you have turned back the edge of his sword
and have not supported him in battle.
44 You have put an end to his splendor
and cast his throne to the ground.
45 You have cut short the days of his youth;
you have covered him with a mantle of shame.
46 How long, Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?
How long will your wrath burn like fire?
47 Remember how fleeting is my life.
For what futility you have created all humanity!
48 Who can live and not see death,
or who can escape the power of the grave?
49 Lord, where is your former great love,
which in your faithfulness you swore to David?
50 Remember, Lord, how your servant has[g] been mocked,
how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the nations,
51 the taunts with which your enemies, Lord, have mocked,
with which they have mocked every step of your anointed one.
How long will your wrath burn like fire?
47 Remember how fleeting is my life.
For what futility you have created all humanity!
48 Who can live and not see death,
or who can escape the power of the grave?
49 Lord, where is your former great love,
which in your faithfulness you swore to David?
50 Remember, Lord, how your servant has[g] been mocked,
how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the nations,
51 the taunts with which your enemies, Lord, have mocked,
with which they have mocked every step of your anointed one.
52 Praise be to the Lord forever!
Amen and Amen.
Amen and Amen.
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