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   Audio Scriptures    
 

- Addendum to the Four CDP Cassettes

Scripture Portions --- the concept
October 23, 2002
SelectedScriptures.doc

Our Cassette Discipleship Programs (CDP) keyed around four cassette messages, somewhere under five hours total in duration. The need for God’s Word on cassettes will significantly augment the present outreach.

The Audible Scripture portions are important when non-literacy is a prevalent problem. The people are not able to read the scriptures even if provided – yet, can listen to recorded scripture – if available in some handy form.

A Basic Scripture Set, of 17 audio cassettes, would make significant portions of scripture available. In this way, the Village Evangelist can readily play a particular scripture to help clarify and or edify the normal cassette presentations and personal testimonies. These cassettes can of course be a primary added educational tool for the Village Evangelist and others as well! Each cassette should be no longer than about 30 minutes in duration.

The concept in total, involves the Basic Set (providing a general overview of God’s Word); an Intermediate Set (with Doctrinal emphasis in perhaps an added 10 cassettes); and an Advanced Set (with prophetic emphasis in perhaps another 10 cassettes). These can be provided over a period of time in steps as opportunity to translate and record permits – providing a natural growth capability. Each Village Evangelist (VE) could have from 10 to 40 audio cassettes above and beyond his four CDP program cassettes. Typically the VE’s supervisor will limit his added cassettes to two or three on a request or need basis. Ultimately, it is desired that each VE would have the full set as they become available.

With the concept established, and a sample provided, it is probable that each group will set different goals and perhaps desire to place emphasis in different scriptures – this is all OK, Providing yet another set of cassettes which meet particular goals of outreach and training.

With the advent of CD players, all the ‘sets’ will go on a single CD with selection of Tracks to locate particular scripture portions. The initial Basic Set of Scripture Portions is provided below as a ‘prototype’ to get the process in the mill, -- but changes and upgrades can be readily made.

We will provide a Basic Set of Scripture Portions on our WEBSITE: me-intl.org -- readily available for download in total or piecemeal as desired. This Basic Set will be in English as taken from the New King James Version of the Bible.

Each country and language will need to extend their translation ministry to accommodate this added requirement into their language(s) of need. Here, it is desired to have a person with a strong and clear (good sibilance) voice – an authoritative voice to do the master recordings. There will be about eight hours of total time, or under 30 minutes (as an average) for each set or module.


SelectedScripturesConcept.doc

 

Selected Scripture Portions

 For CDP

Audio Media Presentation

Outline of Desired Scriptures

        Description          Book           Chapter       verse(s)

 OLD TESTAMENT

 1.      Creation                         Genesis       1                 1-31

          Man in Garden of Eden   Genesis       2                 15-25

          Serpent/Satan                  Genesis       3                 1-24

          Abraham and Sarah         Genesis       17                1-27

          Isaac a Sacrifice              Genesis       22                1-19


2.       Blessed/Man                   Psalm         1                 1-33

          The heathen rage             Psalm          2                 1-22

        The Lord a Shield           Psalm          3                 1-36

          O Lord – How excellent  Psalm          8                 1-36

          The Lord My Shepherd   Psalm          23                1-35

          The Lord is God             Psalm          100              1-5

          Blessed when --               Psalm          119              1-16

          Praise ye the Lord --        Psalm          148              1-14

          Praise the Lord                Psalm           149             1-9

          Praise ye the Lord           Psalm           150             1-6


3.       Heed the Lord --             Isaiah           1                 1-20

          The Lord Jehovah           Isaiah           25                1-12

          As a Lamb to the --         Isaiah           53                1-12

          The Lord Thy God          Isaiah           54                1-17

          Seek the Lord                 Isaiah           55                1-13


NEW TESTAMENT

4.       Jesus Genealogy              Matthew      1                 1-25

          Jesus Birth & Ministry     Matthew      2                 1-23

          John the Baptist               Matthew      3                 1-17

          Satan tempts Jesus          Matthew      4                 1-25


5.       The Sermon on Mount    Matthew      5                 1-39

          Jesus – Son of David      Matthew      21                1-17

          Jesus gives parables        Matthew      22                1-46

          Prophesy of End-Time    Matthew      24                1-51

           The Great Commission    Matthew      28                18-20


6.       Birth John the Baptist      Luke            1                 1-56

          Birth of Jesus                  Luke            2                 1-52

          Jesus calls disciples         Luke            5                 1-26

          The Word of God           John            1                 1-51

          To be Born Again           John            3                 1-18

          Where spend eternity       John            3                 32


7.       Jesus/Father/Disciples     John            16                1-33

          Jesus Prays                     John            17                1-26

          Jesus Betrayed                John            18                1-40

          Jesus Crucified                John            19                1-42

          Jesus Resurrection          John            20                1-31

          Jesus Seen -- Ascension  John            21                1-25


8.       Luke’s Review                Acts            1                 1-22

          Pentecost/ Holy Spirit      Acts            2                 1-47


9.       All Sinned                       Romans       3                 23

          Wages of Sin                  Romans       6                 23

          All Things                       Romans       8                 28

          How shall Hear                Romans       10                1-21

          Know God’s Mind?        Romans       11                33-36

          Bodies – living sacrifice   Romans       12                1-31


10.     The Mind of Christ          I Cor.          2                 1-16            

          Idols                               I Cor.          8                 1-13

          Apostle                           I Cor.          9                 1-27

.         The Lord’s Table            I Cor.          11                23-34

          Spiritual Gifts/Body         I Cor.          12                1-31  

          Love                               I Cor.          13                1-40

          Tithing                            I Cor.          16                1-4


11.     Rejoice/Suffering             II Cor.         1                 1-24

          Who/How/Preach            II Cor.         3                 12-18

          Preach                            II Cor.         4                 1-18

.         Paul—Apostle                 Galatians      1                  1-24  

          Salvation not of Law       Galatians      3                 6-14  

          Faith Not Works             Galatians      2                 1-21

          Born of the Spirit            Galatians      4                 1-31

          Stand in Liberty               Galatians      5                  1-26

          In Christ Jesus                Galatians      6                 1-18


12.     Sealed – Holy Spirit        Ephesians    1                 1-23

          You being alive               Eph.            2                 1-22

          Mystery of Christ            Eph.            3                 1-21

          Walk Worthy                  Eph.            4                 1-32

          Walk in Love                  Eph.            5                 1-32

          Whole Armor                  Eph.           6                 1-24

          Preach Christ                  Philippians   1                 1-30

          Christ – Servant              Philippians   2                 1-30

          Stand Fast in Lord          Philippians   4                 1-23


13.     Jesus Creator                  Colossians   1                 1-29

          Walk Ye in Him              Colossians   2                 1-23

          Put away – put on           Colossians  3                 1-25

          Jesus to return                 I Thess.       4                 13-18

          Comfort -- Edify             I Thess.       5                 1-28

          Grace of God                  II Thess.         1                      1-12

          Coming of Jesus               II Thess.         2                      1-17    


14.    Office of Bishop             I Timothy    3                  1-13

          Some leave Faith             I Timothy    4                  1-16

          Gift of God In you          II Tim.         1                 6-14

          Salvation in Jesus            II Tim.         2                 1-13

          The Lord knows His       II Tim.         2                 19

          Be gentle                         II Tim.         2                 22-26

          Perilous Times                II Tim.         3                 1-7

          Angels --ministering         II Tim.         3                 10-17

          Preach--evangelize           II Tim.         4                 1-5


15.     Bishops/leaders               Titus            1                 6-11

          Sound Doctrine               Titus            2                 1-14

          Spoke by His Son           Hebrews      1                 1-14

          Seed of Abraham            Hebrews      2                 6-19

          Harden not our heart        Hebrews      3                 7-19

          Christ’s appearing           Hebrews      9                 11-28

          Sanctified                        Hebrews     10                 9-25

          Faith is                            Hebrews      11                1-6

          By Faith                          Hebrews      11                17-21

          Cloud of Witnesses         Hebrews      12                1-4

          Angeles unaware             Hebrews      13                2-9


16.     Temptations – Joy?         James           1                 1-27

          Faith without works         James          2                 1-26

          Your lusts that war          James          4                 1-10

          If the Lord Will               James          4                 13-17

          As obedient children        I Peter         1                  10-21

          Jesus bore our sins           I Peter         2                 21-25

          Subjection -- unity           I Peter         3                 1-12

          The Hope in You            I Peter         3                 13-18

          Fiery Trials                     I Peter         4                 12-14

          Eternal Glory                   I Peter         5                 10-11

          Precious Faith                 II Peter        1                 19-21

          Scoffers – last days         II Peter        3                 1-14

          The Word of Life            I John          1                 1-10

          Sin Not                           I John          1                 1-17


17.     Deceivers                        II John         1                 1-13

          Children walk in truth       III John        1                 1-14

          Earnestly contend            Jude            1                 1-25

          Jesus – Alpha & Omega  Revelation    1                 1-8

          Behold – I stand at door  Revelation    3                 16-22

          Oh Lord – Worthy          Revelation    4                 10-11

          The Lamb – Book/seals   Revelation    5                 1-14

          Mighty Angel -- book      Revelation    10                1-11  

          The Wrath of God          Revelation    11                18-19

          Satan cast out                 Revelation    12                7-12

          King of Kings                  Revelation    19                5-21

          Great White Throne         Revelation    20                1-15

          All things new                 Revelation    21                1-8

          Worship God                  Revelation   22                1-21

 Selected scripture portions.doc

Selected Scripture Portions

 For CDP

Audio Media Presentation

 Selected Scriptures

Using the New King James Version (NKJV)

 OLD TESTAMENT

 1a.   Creation          Genesis 1:1-31          NKJV

1 ¶ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

2  The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

3 ¶ Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.

4  And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.

5  God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.

6 ¶ Then God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters."

7  Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so.

8  And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.

9 ¶ Then God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so.

10  And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

11  Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth"; and it was so.

12  And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

13  So the evening and the morning were the third day.

14 ¶ Then God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years;

15  "and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so.

16  Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also.

17  God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth,

18  and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

19  So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

20 ¶ Then God said, "Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens."

21  So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

22  And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth."

23  So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

24 ¶ Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind"; and it was so.

25  And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

26 ¶ Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

27  So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

28  Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

29 ¶ And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.

30  "Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food"; and it was so.

31 ¶ Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

 

1b.   Man in Garden of Eden     Genesis 2:15-25   NKJV

15  Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.

16 ¶ And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;

17  "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

18 ¶ And the LORD God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him."

19  Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.

20  So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.

21 ¶ And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.

22  Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.

23  And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man."

24  Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

25  And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

 

1c.   Serpent/Satan          Genesis 3:1-24    NKJV

1 ¶ 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."

6 ¶ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

7  Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

8  And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

9 ¶ Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?"

10  So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself."

11 ¶ And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?"

12  Then the man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate."

13  And the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

14 ¶ So the LORD God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life.

15  And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel."

16 ¶ To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you."

17 ¶ Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life.

18  Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field.

19  In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return."

20 ¶ And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.

21 ¶ Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.

22 ¶ Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever" —

23  therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken.

24  So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

 

1d. Abraham and Sarah  Genesis 17:1-27    NKJV

1 ¶ When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.

2  "And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly."

3  Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying:

4 ¶ "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.

5  "No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.

6  "I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.

7 ¶ "And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.

8  "Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."

9  And God said to Abraham: "As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.

10  "This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised;

11  "and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.

12  "He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant.

13  "He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

14  "And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant."

15 ¶ Then God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.

16  "And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her."

17  Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?"

18  And Abraham said to God, "Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!"

19  Then God said: "No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.

20  "And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.

21  "But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year."

22  Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.

23 ¶ So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him.

24  Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

25  And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.

26  That very same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael;

27  and all the men of his house, born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

 

1e.   Isaac a Sacrifice     Genesis    22:1-19   NKJV

 1 ¶ Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."

2  Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."

3 ¶ So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.

4  Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.

5  And Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you."

6  So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together.

7  But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." Then he said, "Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"

8  And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering." So the two of them went together.

9  Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.

10  And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

11 ¶ But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" So he said, "Here I am."

12  And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."

13  Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.

14  And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of The LORD it shall be provided."

15 ¶ Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven,

16  and said: "By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son

17  "blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.

18  "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."

19  So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.

 

 2a.   Blessed/Man           Psalm 1:1-6   NKJV

1 ¶ Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

2  But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.

3  He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.

4 ¶ The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

5  Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6  For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

  

2b.   The Heathen Rage        Psalm 2:1-12    NKJV

1 ¶ Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing?

2  The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,

3  "Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us."

4  He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision.

5  Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure:

6  "Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion."

7 ¶ "I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.

8  Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession.

9  You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’"

10 ¶ Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth.

11  Serve the LORD with fear, And rejoice with trembling.

12  Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

 

2c. The Lord a Shield      Psalm 3:1-8          NKJV

1 ¶ A Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son.  LORD, how they have increased who sed who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me.

2 Many are they who say of me, "There is no help for him in God." Selah

3 But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.

4 ¶ I cried to the LORD with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah

7 Arise, O LORD; Save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.

8 Salvation belongs to the LORD. Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah

 

2d. O Lord – How excellent  Psalm 8:1-9    NKJV

1 ¶ To the Chief Musician. On the instrument of Gath. A Psalm of David.  O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens

2 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

3 ¶ When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,

5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,

7 All sheep and oxen Even the beasts of the field,

8 The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea That pass through the paths of the seas.

9 O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth!

 

2e. The Lord My Shepherd Psalm 23:1-6    NKJV

1 ¶  A Psalm of David.  The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.

3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.
 

2f. The Lord is God      Psalm 100:1-5          NKJV

1 ¶ A Psalm of Thanksgiving.  Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!

2 Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.

3 Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

5 For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

 

2g. Blessed when    --   Psalm 119:1-16       NKJV

1 ¶  Blessed are the undefiled in the way, Who walk in the law of the LORD!

2 Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart!

3 They also do no iniquity; They walk in His ways.

4 ¶ You have commanded us To keep Your precepts diligently.

5 Oh, that my ways were directed To keep Your statutes!

6 Then I would not be ashamed, When I look into all Your commandments.

7 ¶ I will praise You with uprightness of heart, When I learn Your righteous judgments.

8 I will keep Your statutes; Oh, do not forsake me utterly!

9 ¶  How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.

10 ¶ With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!

11 ¶ Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You!

12 ¶ Blessed are You, O LORD! Teach me Your statutes!

13 ¶ With my lips I have declared All the judgments of Your mouth.

14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much as in all riches.

15 I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways.

16 I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.
 

2h. Praise Ye the Lord -- Psalm 148:1-14   NKJV

1 ¶ Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights!

2 Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts!

3 Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light!

4 Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, And you waters above the heavens!

5 Let them praise the name of the LORD, For He commanded and they were created.

6 He also established them forever and ever; He made a decree which shall not pass away.

7 ¶ Praise the LORD from the earth, You great sea creatures and all the depths;

8 Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;

9 Mountains and all hills; Fruitful trees and all cedars;

10 Beasts and all cattle; Creeping things and flying fowl;

11 Kings of the earth and all peoples; Princes and all judges of the earth;

12 Both young men and maidens; Old men and children.

13 Let them praise the name of the LORD, For His name alone is exalted; His glory is above the earth and heaven.

14 And He has exalted the horn of His people, The praise of all His saints—Of the children of Israel, A people near to Him. Praise the LORD!

 

2i. Praise the Lord      Psalm 149:1-9      NKJV

1 ¶ Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, And His praise in the assembly of saints.

2 Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.

3 Let them praise His name with the dance; Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.

4 For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation.

5 Let the saints be joyful in glory; Let them sing aloud on their beds.

6 ¶ Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, And a two-edged sword in their hand,

7 To execute vengeance on the nations, And punishments on the peoples;

8 To bind their kings with chains, And their nobles with fetters of iron;

9 To execute on them the written judgment This honor have all His saints. Praise the LORD!
 

2j. Praise ye the Lord     Psalm 150:1-6        NKJV

1 ¶ Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament!

2 Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!

3 Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp!

4 Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!

5 Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals!

6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!

 

3a.   Heed the Lord    --   Isaiah 1:1-20        NKJV

 1 ¶ The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

2 ¶ Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the LORD has spoken: "I have nourished and brought up children, And they have rebelled against Me;

3  The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master’s crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider."

4  Alas, sinful nation, A people laden with iniquity, A brood of evildoers, Children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the LORD, They have provoked to anger The Holy One of Israel, They have turned away backward.

5  Why should you be stricken again? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, And the whole heart faints.

6  From the sole of the foot even to the head, There is no soundness in it, But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; They have not been closed or bound up, Or soothed with ointment.

7  Your country is desolate, Your cities are burned with fire; Strangers devour your land in your presence; And it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.

8  So the daughter of Zion is left as a booth in a vineyard, As a hut in a garden of cucumbers, As a besieged city.

9  Unless the LORD of hosts Had left to us a very small remnant, We would have become like Sodom, We would have been made like Gomorrah.

10 ¶ Hear the word of the LORD, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the law of our God, You people of Gomorrah:

11  "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?" Says the LORD. "I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, Or of lambs or goats.

12  "When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, To trample My courts?

13  Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies—I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.

14  Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them.

15  When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.

16 ¶ "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil,

17  Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.

18  "Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.

19  If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land;

20  But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword"; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

 3b.   The Lord Jehovah      Isaiah 25:1-12   NKJV

 1 ¶ O LORD, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, For You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

2  For You have made a city a ruin, A fortified city a ruin, A palace of foreigners to be a city no more; It will never be rebuilt.

3  Therefore the strong people will glorify You; The city of the terrible nations will fear You.

4  For You have been a strength to the poor, A strength to the needy in his distress, A refuge from the storm, A shade from the heat; For the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

5  You will reduce the noise of aliens, As heat in a dry place; As heat in the shadow of a cloud, The song of the terrible ones will be diminished.

6 ¶ And in this mountain The LORD of hosts will make for all people A feast of choice pieces, A feast of wines on the lees, Of fat things full of marrow, Of well-refined wines on the lees.

7  And He will destroy on this mountain The surface of the covering cast over all people, And the veil that is spread over all nations.

8  He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken.

9 ¶ And it will be said in that day: "Behold, this is our God; We have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the LORD; We have waited for Him; We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation."

10  For on this mountain the hand of the LORD will rest, And Moab shall be trampled down under Him, As straw is trampled down for the refuse heap.

11  And He will spread out His hands in their midst As a swimmer reaches out to swim, And He will bring down their pride Together with the trickery of their hands.

12  The fortress of the high fort of your walls He will bring down, lay low, And bring to the ground, down to the dust.

3c. As a Lamb to the slaughter   --  Isaiah 53:1-12 NKJV

 1 ¶ Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

2  For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him.

3  He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

4 ¶ Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.

5  But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

6  All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

7  He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.

8  He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.

9  And they made His grave with the wicked—But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth.

10 ¶ Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong  His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.

11  He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.

12  Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors

3d.  The Lord Thy God    Isaiah 54:1-17        NKJV

 1 ¶ "Sing, O barren, You who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, You who have not labored with child! For more are the children of the desolate Than the children of the married woman," says the LORD.

2  "Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes.

3  For you shall expand to the right and to the left, And your descendants will inherit the nations, And make the desolate cities inhabited.

4  "Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; For you will forget the shame of your youth, And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore.

5  For your Maker is your husband, The LORD of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.

6 ¶ For the LORD has called you Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, Like a youthful wife when you were refused," Says your God.

7  "For a mere moment I have forsaken you, But with great mercies I will gather you.

8  With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you," Says the LORD, your Redeemer.

9  "For this is like the waters of Noah to Me; For as I have sworn That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, So have I sworn That I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you.

10  For the mountains shall depart And the hills be removed, But My kindness shall not depart from you, Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed," Says the LORD, who has mercy on you.

11 ¶ "O you afflicted one, Tossed with tempest, and not comforted, Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems, And lay your foundations with sapphires.

12  I will make your pinnacles of rubies, Your gates of crystal, And all your walls of precious stones.

13  All your children shall be taught by the LORD, And great shall be the peace of your children.

14  In righteousness you shall be established; You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; And from terror, for it shall not come near you.

15  Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me. Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake.

16  "Behold, I have created the blacksmith Who blows the coals in the fire, Who brings forth an instrument for his work; And I have created the spoiler to destroy.

17  No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me," Says the LORD.

3e.   Seek the Lord          Isaiah 55:1-13       NKJV 

1 ¶ "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price.

2  Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance.

3  Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you—The sure mercies of David.

4  Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people, A leader and commander for the people.

5  Surely you shall call a nation you do not know, And nations who do not know you shall run to you, Because of the LORD your God, And the Holy One of Israel; For He has glorified you."

6 ¶ Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.

7  Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.

8  "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD.

9  "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

10  "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater,

11  So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

12  "For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

13  Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; And it shall be to the LORD for a name, For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."

NEW TESTAMENT

 4a.   Jesus Genealogy     Matthew  1:1-25   NKJV

1 ¶ The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:

2  Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.

3  Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram.

4  Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon.

5  Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse,

6  and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.

7  Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa.

8  Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah.

9  Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah.

10  Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah.

11  Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon.

12  And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel.

13  Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor.

14  Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud.

15  Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob.

16  And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.

17  So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.

18 ¶ Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.

19  Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.

20  But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

21  "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."

22  So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:

23  "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us."

24  Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,

25  and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.

4b. Jesus Birth & Ministry Matthew  2:1-23 NKJV

1 ¶ Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,

2  saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."

3  When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

4  And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

5  So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

6  ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’"

7  Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.

8  And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also."

9 ¶ When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.

10  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.

11  And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12  Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

13 ¶ Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him."

14  When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt,

15  and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son."

16 ¶ Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.

17  Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:

18  "A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted, Because they are no more."

19 ¶ But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,

20  saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead."

21  Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.

22  But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee.

23  And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, "He shall be called a Nazarene."

4c.   John the Baptist     Matthew  3:1-17   NKJV

1 ¶ In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,

2  and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"

3  For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.’"

4  And John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.

5  Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him

6  and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

7 ¶ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

4d.   Satan tempts Jesus  Matthew  4:1-25    NKJV

1 ¶ Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

2  And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.

3  Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."

4  But He answered and said, "It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’"

5  Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple,

6  and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’"

7  Jesus said to him, "It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’"

8  Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.

9  And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."

10  Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’"

11  Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

12 ¶ Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.

13  And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali,

14  that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

15  "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:

16  The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned."

17  From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

18 ¶ And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.

19  Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."

20  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

21  Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them,

22  and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

23 ¶ And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.

24  Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.

25  Great multitudes followed Him——from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

5a. The Sermon on Mount Matthew  5:1-39 NKJV

1 ¶ And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.

2  Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

3 ¶ "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4  Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.

5  Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.

6  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.

7  Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.

8  Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.

9  Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.

10  Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11  "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.

12  "Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

13 ¶ "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

14  "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

15  "Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

16  "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

17 ¶ "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

18  "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

19  "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them , he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

20  "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

21 ¶ "You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’

22  "But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.

23  "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,

24  "leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

25  "Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.

26  "Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.

27 ¶ "You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’

28  "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

29  "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

30  "And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

31  "Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’

32  "But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

33 ¶ "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’

34  "But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne;

35  "nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

36  "Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.

37  "But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

38 ¶ "You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’

39  "But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

5b. Jesus–Son of David  Matthew  21:1-17   NKJV

1 ¶ Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

2  saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me.

3  "And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them."

4  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

5  "Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’"

6  So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.

7  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.

8  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

9  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ Hosanna in the highest!"

10  And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"

11  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."

12 ¶ Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.

13  And He said to them, "It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’"

14  Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.

15  But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant

16  and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise’?"

17  Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.

 

5c. Jesus gives parables Matthew  22:1-46   NKJV

1 ¶ And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said:

2  "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son,

3  "and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.

4  "Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding."‘

5  "But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.

6  "And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.

7  "But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

8  "Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.

9  ‘Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’

10  "So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11  "But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.

12  "So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.

13  "Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

14  "For many are called, but few are chosen."

15 ¶ Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk.

16  And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.

17  "Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"

18  But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?

19  "Show Me the tax money." So they brought Him a denarius.

20  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"

21  They said to Him, "Caesar’s." And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s."

22  When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.

23 ¶ The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him,

24  saying: "Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.

25  "Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother.

26  "Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh.

27  "Last of all the woman died also.

28  "Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her."

29  Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.

30  "For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.

31  "But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying,

32  ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."

33  And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.

34 ¶ But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.

35  Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying,

36  "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"

37  Jesus said to him," ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

38  "This is the first and great commandment.

39  "And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

40  "On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

41 ¶ While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,

42  saying, "What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?" They said to Him, "The Son of David."

43  He said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying:

44  ‘The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool"‘?

45  "If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?"

46  And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.

5d.Prophesy of End-Time Matthew 24:1-51 NKJV

1 ¶ Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple.

2  And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down."

3  Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"

4 ¶ And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you.

5  "For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.

6  "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7  "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.

8  "All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9  "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.

10  "And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.

11  "Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.

12  "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

13  "But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

14  "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

15  "Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand),

16  "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

17  "Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house.

18  "And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.

19  "But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!

20  "And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.

21  "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.

22  "And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.

23  "Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it.

24  "For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

25  "See, I have told you beforehand.

26  "Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it.

27  "For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

28  "For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.

29  "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

30  "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

31  "And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

32 ¶ "Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.

33  "So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near——at the doors!

34  "Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.

35  "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

36  "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.

37  "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

38  "For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,

39  "and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

40  "Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left.

41  "Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.

42  "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.

43  "But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.

44  "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

45  "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?

46  "Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.

47  "Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.

48  "But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’

49  "and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards,

50  "the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of,

51  "and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

5e. The Great Commission Mat. 28:18-20   NKJV

18  "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth."

20  "
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:"

21  "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen."

6a.   Birth John the Baptist   Luke 1:1-56   NKJV

1 ¶ Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us,

2  just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us,

3  it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus,

4  that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.

5 ¶ There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

6  And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

7  But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.

8  So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division,

9  according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.

10  And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense.

11  Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

12  And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

13  But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

14  "And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.

15  "For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.

16  "And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.

17  "He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

18  And Zacharias said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years."

19  And the angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings.

20  "But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time."

21  And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple.

22  But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.

23  And so it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house.

24  Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying,

25  "Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people."

26 ¶ Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,

27  to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

28  And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!"

29  But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.

30  Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

31  "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.

32  "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.

33  "And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."

34  Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?"

35  And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

36  "Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.

37  "For with God nothing will be impossible."

38  Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

39 ¶ Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah,

40  and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.

41  And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

42  Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

43  "But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

44  "For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

45  "Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord."

46  And Mary said: "My soul magnifies the Lord,

47  And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

48  For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.

49  For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name.

50  And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation.

51  He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

52  He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly.

53  He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty.

54  He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy,

55  As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed forever."

56  And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.

6b.   Birth of Jesus          Luke 2:1-52   NKJV

1 ¶ And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.

2  (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3  And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4  And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5  To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6  And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7  And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 ¶ And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14  Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15  And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16  And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17  And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

18  And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19  But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

20  And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

21 ¶ And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

22  And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;

23  (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)

24  And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.

25 ¶ And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.

26  And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

27  And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,

28  Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

29  Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:

30  For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,

31  Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;

32  A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

33  And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.

34  And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;

35  (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

36  And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;

37  And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

38  And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

39  And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.

40  And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.

41 ¶ Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.

42  And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.

43  And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.

44  But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.

45  And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.

46  And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.

47  And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.

48  And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.

49  And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?

50  And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.

51  And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.

52  And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

6c.   Jesus calls disciples       Luke 5:1-26   NKJV

1 ¶ And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,

2  And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.

3  And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.

4  Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

5  And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.

6  And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.

7  And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.

8  When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.

9  For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:

10  And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.

11  And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

12 ¶ And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

13  And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.

14  And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

15  But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities.

16  And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.

17 ¶ And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.

18  And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him.

19  And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.

20  And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.

21  And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?

22  But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts?

23  Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?

24  But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.

25  And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.

26  And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day.

 

6d.   The Word of God          John 1:1-51    NKJV

1 ¶ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2  The same was in the beginning with God.

3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

4  In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

5 ¶ And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

6  There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

7  The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

8  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

10  He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

11  He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

12  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

13  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

15 ¶ John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.

16  And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

17  For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

18  No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

19 ¶ And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?

20  And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.

21  And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.

22  Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?

23  He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.

24  And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.

25  And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?

26  John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;

27  He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose.

28  These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

29 ¶ The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

30  This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.

31  And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.

32  And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.

33  And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.

34  And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.

35  Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;

36  And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!

37 ¶ And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

38  Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?

39  He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.

40  One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.

41  He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

42  And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

43 ¶ The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.

44  Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

45  Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

46  And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

47  Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!

48  Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

49  Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

50  Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.

51  And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

  

6e.   To be Born Again     John 3:1-18       NKJV

1 ¶ There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

2  The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

3  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

4  Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?

5  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

6  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

8  The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

9  Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

10  Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

11  Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.

12  If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

13  And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

14  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

15  That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

18  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

 

6f.    Where spend eternity    John 3:36     NKJV

36  He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

 

7a.  Jesus/Father/Disciples  John 16:1-33     NKJV

1 ¶ These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.

2  They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.

3  And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.

4  But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.

5  But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?

6  But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.

7 ¶ Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

8  And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

9  Of sin, because they believe not on me;

10  Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

11  Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

12  I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

14  He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

15  All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

16 ¶ A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.

17  Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father?

18  They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he saith.

19  Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me?

20  Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.

21  A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.

22  And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.

23 ¶ And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.

24  Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

25  These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father.

26  At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you:

27  For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.

28 ¶ I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.

29  His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb.

30  Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.

31  Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe?

32  Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

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

 

7b.   Jesus Prays              John 17:1-26       NKJV

1 ¶ These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:

2  As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

3  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

4  I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

5  And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

6 ¶ I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

7  Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.

8  For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.

9  I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

10  And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.

11 ¶ And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

12  While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

13  And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

14  I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

15  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

16  They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

17 ¶ Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

18  As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

19  And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

20 ¶ Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

21  That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

22  And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

23  I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

24 ¶ Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

25  O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.

26  And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

 

7c.   Jesus Betrayed           John 18:1-40     NKJV

1 ¶ When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples.

2  And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place: for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with his disciples.

3  Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons.

4  Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye?

5  They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them.

6  As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.

7  Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.

8  Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way:

9  That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.

10  Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.

11  Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?

12  Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him,

13 ¶ And led him away to Annas first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year.

14  Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.

15  And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple: that disciple was known unto the high priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest.

16  But Peter stood at the door without. Then went out that other disciple, which was known unto the high priest, and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter.

17  Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou also one of this man’s disciples? He saith, I am not.

18  And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself.

19  The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine.

20  Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing.

21  Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said.

22  And when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high priest so?

23  Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me?

24  Now Annas had sent him bound unto Caiaphas the high priest.

25  And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. They said therefore unto him, Art not thou also one of his disciples? He denied it, and said, I am not.

26  One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him?

27  Peter then denied again: and immediately the cock crew.

28 ¶ Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover.

29  Pilate then went out unto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man?

30  They answered and said unto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee.

31  Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death:

32  That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death he should die.

33  Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews?

34  Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?

35  Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done?

36  Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

37  Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

38  Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.

39  But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews?

40  Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.

 

7d.   Jesus Crucified          John 19:1-42      NKJV

1 ¶ Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.

2  And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe,

3  And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands.

4  Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him.

5  Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!

6  When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him.

7  The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.

8  When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid;

9  And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer.

10  Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?

11  Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.

12  And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’s friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.

13  When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha.

14  And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!

15  But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.

16 ¶ Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away.

17  And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:

18  Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.

19 ¶ And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.

20  This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin.

21  Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews.

22  Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.

23  Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.

24  They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.

25  Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.

26  When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!

27  Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.

28  After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.

29  Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.

30  When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

31 ¶ The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

32  Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him.

33  But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:

34  But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.

35  And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.

36  For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.

37  And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.

38 ¶ And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.

39  And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.

40  Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.

41  Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.

42  There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.

 

7e.   Jesus Resurrection      John 20:1-31     NKJV

1 ¶ The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.

2  Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.

3  Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.

4  So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.

5  And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.

6  Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,

7  And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.

8  Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.

9  For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.

10  Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.

11 ¶ But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,

12  And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

13  And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.

14  And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.

15  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

16  Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.

17  Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

18  Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.

19 ¶ Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

20  And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.

21  Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

22  And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

23  Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

24  But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

25  The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.

26 ¶ And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.

27  Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.

28  And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

29  Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

30  And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:

31  But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

 

7f.  Jesus Seen – Ascension John 21:1-25     NKJV

1 ¶ After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself.

2  There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples.

3  Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.

4  But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.

5  Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.

6  And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.

7  Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher’s coat unto him , (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.

8  And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes.

9  As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.

10  Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.

11  Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.

12  Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.

13  Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise.

14  This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.

15 ¶ So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

16  He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

17  He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

18  Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.

19  This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.

20 ¶ Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?

21  Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?

22  Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.

23  Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?

24  This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true.

25  And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

 

8a.   Luke’s Review        Acts 1:1-22          NKJV

1 ¶ The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,

2  Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:

3  To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

4  And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.

5  For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

6 ¶ When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

7  And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

8  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

9  And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

10  And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;

11  Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

12 ¶ Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey.

13  And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.

14  These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

15 ¶ And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)

16  Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.

17  For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.

18  Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.

19  And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.

20  For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.

21  Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,

22  Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.

 

8b.   Pentecost/ Holy Spirit   Acts 2:1-47    NKJV

1 ¶ And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

2  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

3  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

4  And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

5 ¶ And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.

6  Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

7  And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?

8  And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

9  Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,

10  Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,

11  Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

12  And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?

13  Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.

14 ¶ But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:

15  For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.

16  But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

17  And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

18  And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:

19  And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:

20  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:

21  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

22  Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:

23  Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:

24  Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

25  For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:

26  Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:

27  Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

28  Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.

29  Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.

30  Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

31  He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

32  This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

33  Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.

34  For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,

35  Until I make thy foes thy footstool.

36  Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

37 ¶ Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

39  For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

40  And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

41  Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

42 ¶ And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

43  And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

44  And all that believed were together, and had all things common;

45  And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

46  And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

47  Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

 

9a.   All Sinned              Romans 3:23      NKJV

23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

 

9b.   Wages of Sin           Romans 6:23      NKJV

23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.