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(Zechariah 4:10 NKJ) "Forwho has despised the day of small things?"

I Samuel, chapter 5, verses 1 through 8: Whenthe Philistines captured the ark of God, theybrought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 Thenthe Philistines took the ark of God andbrought it into the house of Dagon and set itup beside Dagon. 3 And when the people ofAshdod rose early the next day, behold,Dagon had fallen face downward on theground before the ark of the LORD. So theytook Dagon and put him back in his place. 4But when they rose early on the nextmorning, behold, Dagon had fallen facedownward on the ground before the ark ofthe LORD, and the head of Dagon and bothhis hands were lying cut off on thethreshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was leftto him. 5 This is why the priests of Dagonand all who enter the house of Dagon do nottread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdodto this day. 6 The hand of the LORD washeavy against the people of Ashdod, and heterrified and afflicted them with tumors,both Ashdod and its territory. 7 And whenthe men of Ashdod saw how things were,they said, “The ark of the God of Israel mustnot remain with us, for his hand is hardagainst us and against Dagon our god.” 8 Sothey sent and gathered together all the lordsof the Philistines and said, “What shall wedo with the ark of the God of Israel?” Theyanswered, “Let the ark of the God of Israelbe brought around to Gath.” So they broughtthe ark of the God of Israel there.

(Matthew 6:13 NKJ) "But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom andthe power and the glory forever. Amen."

(1 Kings 19:14-18 NKJ) "And he [Elijah] said, "I have been very zealous for the LORDGod of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn downYour altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek totake my life." 15 Then the LORD said to him: "Go, return on your way to theWilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. 16"Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son ofShaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. 17 "It shall be thatwhoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the sword ofJehu, Elisha will kill. 18 "Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose kneeshave not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.""

(Matthew 5:17-20 NKJ) “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or theProphets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. For truly I say to you,until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until allis accomplished. Therefore, whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandmentsand teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. Butwhoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, youwill never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

(Matt. 5:20-26 KJV) "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceedthe righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into thekingdom of heaven. 21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shaltnot kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22 But I say untoyou, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of thejudgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of thecouncil: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 23 Thereforeif thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath oughtagainst thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first bereconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 25 Agree with thineadversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversarydeliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be castinto prison. 26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, tillthou hast paid the uttermost farthing."

Proverbs 3:5-7 (NKJV) "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on yourown understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct yourpaths. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil."

Mark, chapter one, verses 14 through 20:Now after John wasarrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repentand believe in the gospel.”16 Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew thebrother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John hisbrother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediatelyhe called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hiredservants and followed him. (ESV)

Sermon Text: (Luke 10:38-42 NKJ)"Now it happened as they went that Heentered a certain village; and a certainwoman named Martha welcomed Himinto her house. And she had a sister calledMary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heardHis word. But Martha was distracted withmuch serving, and she approached Himand said, "Lord, do You not care that mysister has left me to serve alone? Thereforetell her to help me." And Jesus answeredand said to her, "Martha, Martha, you areworried and troubled about many things."But one thing is needed, and Mary haschosen that good part, which will not betaken away from her."

(Ps. 66:1-9 NKJ) "Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! 2 Sing out the honor of His name; Make His praise glorious. 3 Say to God, "How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You. 4 All the earth shall worship You And sing praises to You; They shall sing praises to Your name." Selah 5 Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men. 6 He turned the sea into dry land; They went through the river on foot. There we will rejoice in Him. 7 He rules by His power forever; His eyes observe the nations; Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah 8 Oh, bless our God, you peoples! And make the voice of His praise to be heard, 9 Who keeps our soul among the living, And does not allow our feet to be moved."

(Jn. 3:16 ESV) "For God so loved theworld, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

(Col. 1:3-14 NKJ) "We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; 5 because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth; 7 as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 who also declared to us your love in the Spirit. 9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."

Sermon Text(Acts 2:1-13 KJV) "And when the dayof Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.  2 And suddenly there came a sound from heavenas of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they weresitting.  3 And there appeared unto themcloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.  4 And they were all filled with the HolyGhost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave themutterance.  5 And there were dwelling atJerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.  6 Now when this was noised abroad, themultitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard themspeak in his own language.  7 And theywere all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all thesewhich speak Galilaeans?  8 And how hearwe every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?  9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and thedwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, andAsia,  10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, inEgypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews andproselytes,  11 Cretes and Arabians, wedo hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.  12 And they were all amazed, and were indoubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?  13 Others mocking said, These men are full ofnew wine."

Mark 16:14-20 (ESV) “Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. 15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” 19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down atthe right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.”

Text: 1 Peter 3:15-18 (EHV)15 But regard the Lord, theChrist, as holy in your hearts. Always be prepared to give ananswer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that is inyou. 16 Butspeak with gentleness and respect, while maintaining a clear conscience, sothat those who attack your good way of life in Christ may be put to shamebecause they slandered you as evildoers. 17 Indeed, it is better, if it is God’s will, to sufferfor doing good than for doing evil, 18 because Christ also suffered once for sins in ourplace, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He wasput to death in flesh but was made alive in spirit.

Text:(1 Thess. 5:19 KJV) "Quench not the Spirit."

John chapter 10, verses 22through 30 -At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, (23) and Jesus waswalking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. (24) So the Jews gathered around him and said tohim, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." (25) Jesus answeredthem, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness aboutme, (26) but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock. (27) My sheep hear my voice, andI know them, and they follow me. (28) I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no onewill snatch them out of my hand. (29) My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and noone is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. (30) I and the Father are one." (ESV)

Text:(2 Tim. 2:8, 11 ESV) “Remember Jesus Christ,risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel…  11 The saying is trustworthy, for:If we have died with him, we will also live with him;"

Text: (Joshua 3:9-17 ESV) And Joshua said to the people of Israel,“Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.”  AndJoshua said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among youand that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites,the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, andthe Jebusites. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all theearth is passing over before you into the Jordan. Nowtherefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribea man. And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the arkof the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters ofthe Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and thewaters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.” So when the peopleset out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priestsbearing the ark of the covenant before the people, and as soon asthose bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of thepriests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now theJordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), the waterscoming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, thecity that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Seaof the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the peoplepassed over opposite Jericho. Now the priests bearing the arkof the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midstof the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all thenation finished passing over the Jordan.

Text: (Revelation 5:1-14 NKJ) "And I saw in theright hand of Him who sat on the throne a scrollwritten inside and on the back, sealed withseven seals. 2Then I saw a strong angelproclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthyto open the scroll and to loose its seals?" 3Andno one in heaven or on the earth or under theearth was able to open the scroll, or to look atit. 4So I wept much, because no one was foundworthy to open and read the scroll, or to look atit. 5But one of the elders said to me, "Do notweep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, theRoot of David, has prevailed to open the scrolland to loose its seven seals." 6And I looked,and behold, in the midst of the throne and ofthe four living creatures, and in the midst of theelders, stood a Lamb as though it had beenslain, having seven horns and seven eyes, whichare the seven Spirits of God sent out into all theearth. 7Then He came and took the scroll out ofthe right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 8Now when He had taken the scroll, the fourliving creatures and the twenty-four elders felldown before the Lamb, each having a harp, andgolden bowls full of incense, which are theprayers of the saints. 9And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll,And to open its seals; For You were slain, And haveredeemed us to God by Your blood Out of everytribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 Andhave made us kings and priests to our God; And weshall reign on the earth." 11 Then I looked, and Iheard the voice of many angels around the throne,the living creatures, and the elders; and thenumber of them was ten thousand times tenthousand, and thousands of thousands, 12 sayingwith a loud voice: "Worthy is the Lamb who wasslain To receive power and riches and wisdom, Andstrength and honor and glory and blessing!" 13 Andevery creature which is in heaven and on the earthand under the earth and such as are in the sea, andall that are in them, I heard saying: "Blessing andhonor and glory and power Be to Him who sits onthe throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!" 14Then the four living creatures said, "Amen!" Andthe twenty-four elders fell down and worshipedHim who lives forever and ever."

(John 12:12-19 NKJ) "The next day a great multitude that hadcome to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,  13 took branches of palm trees andwent out to meet Him, and cried out: "Hosanna!`Blessed is He whocomes in the name of the LORD1!' The King of Israel!"  14 Then Jesus, when He had found ayoung donkey, sat on it; as it is written: 15 "Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King iscoming, Sitting on a donkey's colt." 16 His disciples did not understand these things at first;but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things werewritten about Him and that they had done these things to Him.  17 Therefore the people, who werewith Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead,bore witness.  18 For thisreason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done thissign.  19 The Phariseestherefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishingnothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!"" 

Text: John 8:42-59 (EHV)Jesus replied, “If God were yourFather, you would love me, because I came from God and I am here. Indeed, Ihave not come on my own, but he sent me. 43 Why do you not understand mymessage? It is because you are not able to listen to my word. 44 You belong toyour father, the Devil, and you want to do your father’s desires. He was amurderer from the beginning and did not remain standing in the truth, becausethere is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, he speaks from what is his, becausehe is a liar and the father of lying. 45 But because I tell the truth, you donot believe me. 46 Who of you can convict me ofsin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 Whoever belongs toGod listens to what God says. The reason you do not listen is that you do notbelong to God.” 48 The Jews responded, “Are we not right in saying that you area Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon. Onthe contrary, I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50 I do not seek my ownglory. There is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Amen, Amen, I tellyou: If anyone holds on to my word, he will certainly never see death.” 52 Sothe Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and sodid the prophets. Yet you say, ‘If anyone holds on to my word, he willcertainly never taste death.’ 53 You are not greater than our father, Abraham,are you? He died. And the prophets died. Who do you think you are?” 54 Jesusanswered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father whoglorifies me, about whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ 55 Yet you do not reallyknow him, but I do know him. If I said, ‘I do not know him,’ I would be a liarlike you. But I do know him, and I hold on to his word. 56 Your father Abrahamwas glad that he would see my day. He saw it and rejoiced.”57 The Jews replied,“You aren’t even fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham?”58 Jesus said tothem, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Before Abraham was born, I am.” 59 Then theypicked up stones to throw at him. But Jesus was hidden and left the templearea.

Text: John 6:1-15 (EHV)John 6:1-15 After this, Jesus crossed over tothe other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Sea of Tiberias). 2A largecrowd followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he was performing onthose who were sick. 3Jesus went up on the hillside and sat downthere with his disciples. 4The Jewish Passover festival was near. 5When Jesus looked upand saw a huge crowd coming toward him, he asked Philip, “Where can we buybread for these people to eat?” 6But Jesus was saying this to testhim, for he himself knew what he was going to do. 7Philip answeredhim, “Two hundred denarii worth of breadwould not be enough for each of them to have just a little.” 8One ofhis disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9“There’sa boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what is that for somany people?” 10Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There wasplenty of grass in that place, so they sat down. There were about five thousandmen.  11ThenJesus took the loaves and, after giving thanks, he distributed pieces to thosewho were seated. He also did the same with the fish—as much asthey wanted. 12When the people were full,he told his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over so thatnothing is wasted.” 13So they gathered them and filled twelvebaskets with pieces from the five barley loaves left over by those who hadeaten. 14Whenthe people saw the miraculous sign Jesus did, they said, “This really is theProphet who is coming into the world.”  15WhenJesus realized that they intended to come and take him by force to make himking, he withdrew again to the mountain byhimself.

Text: Luke 11:14-26 (EHV)Jesus drove out a demon, which was mute.After the demon had gone out, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowdswere amazed. 15But some of them said, “He drives out demons byBeelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” 16Otherswere testing him by demanding of him a sign from heaven. 17But heknew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself isdestroyed. And a house divided against itself falls. 18If Satan isdivided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? You say that I drive outdemons by Beelzebul. 19But if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, bywhom do your sons drive them out? So theywill be your judges. 20Yet if I drive out demons by the finger ofGod, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21“Whena strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. 22Butwhen someone stronger attacks him and defeats him, he takes away that man’sfull armor, in which he had trusted, and divides up his plunder.          23“The one who is not with me is against me.The one who does not gather with me scatters. 24Whenan unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places,seeking rest, but does not find any. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house,the one I left.’ 25When it returns, it finds the house swept and putin order. 26Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evilthan itself, and they go in and dwell there. The last condition of that manbecomes worse than the first.”

Text: Matthew 15:21-28 (EHV)Jesus left that place and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22There a Canaanite woman from that territory came and kept cryingout, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! A demon is severely tormenting mydaughter!  23But he did notanswer her a word. His disciples came and pleaded, “Send her away, because shekeeps crying out after us.” 24He answered, “I was sent only to thelost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25Butshe came and knelt in front of him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26Heanswered her, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it totheir little dogs.”  27“Yes, Lord,” she said, “yet theirlittle dogs also eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”  28ThenJesus answered her, “Woman, your faith is great! Itwill be done for you, just as you desire.” And her daughter was healed at thatvery hour.

Text: Matthew 4:1-11 (EHV)Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil. 2After he hadfasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3The Tempter came and said to him, “If you arethe Son of God, command these stones to become bread.” 4But Jesus answered, “It is written: Manshall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.” 5Then theDevil took him into the holy city. He placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6and he said to him,“If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angelsconcerning you. And they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot againsta stone.” 7Jesus said to him, “Again, it is written: You shall not test the Lord your God.” 8Again theDevil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and theirglory. 9He said to him, “I will give you all of these things, if you will bow down and worship me.”10Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and servehim only.’” 11Then the Devil left him, and just then angels came and served him.

Mark 9:2-10 (EHV)2 After six days Jesus tookPeter, James, and John with him and led them up a high mountain where they werealone by themselves. There he was transfigured in front of them. 3 His clothes becameradiant, dazzling white, whiter than anyone on earth could bleach them. 4 And Elijah appeared tothem together with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.  5 Petersaid to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three tents:one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 He did not know what tosay because they were terrified. 7 Acloud appeared and overshadowed them, and a voice came from the cloud, saying,“This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him.” 8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer sawanyone with them except Jesus alone. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesuscommanded them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man hadrisen from the dead. 10 Theykept the matter to themselves, discussing with one another what this “risingfrom the dead” meant.

Text: Luke 6:35-49 NKJ "But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and yourreward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind tothe unthankful and evil.  36"Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.  37 "Judge not, and you shall not bejudged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will beforgiven.  38 "Give, and it will begiven to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running overwill be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will bemeasured back to you."  39 And Hespoke a parable to them: "Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not bothfall into the ditch?  40 "A discipleis not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be likehis teacher.  41 "And why do youlook at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in yourown eye?  42 "Or how can you say toyour brother,`Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,' when youyourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove theplank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck thatis in your brother's eye.  43 "For agood tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.  44 "For every tree is known by its ownfruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from abramble bush.  45 "A good man out ofthe good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of theevil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of theheart his mouth speaks.  46 "But whydo you call Me`Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?  47 "Whoever comes to Me, and hears Mysayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like:  48 "He is like a man building a house,who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, thestream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it wasfounded on the rock.  49 "But he whoheard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without afoundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell.And the ruin of that house was great.""

Text: Luke 5:1-11 ESV" On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing inon him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret,  2 and he saw two boats by thelake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.  3 Getting into one of the boats,which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he satdown and taught the people from the boat. 4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,"Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."  5 And Simon answered,"Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will letdown the nets."  6 Andwhen they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their netswere breaking.  7 Theysignaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And theycame and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.  8 But when Simon Peter saw it, hefell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man,O Lord."  9 For he andall who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they hadtaken,  10 and so also wereJames and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus saidto Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catchingmen."  11 And when theyhad brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him."

We human beings are by nature “seekers.” Our God created us with minds. We are, therefore, naturally curious and seek answers to our questions. Our God created us with bodies. We, therefore, have physical needs and seek thefulfillment of those needs. We at times refer to people as “pleasure-seekers” or “thrill-seekers.” Such people undertake activities that involve a good deal of risk and sometimes get hurt in pursuit of pleasures and thrills.

The Epiphany season of the church year is centered around Jesus’ glory as the Son of God and the Savior of the world. This has been revealed to us for our salvation. We see that this week in the events of Jesus’ baptism byJohn in the Jordan River. This remarkable event records for us God the Father’sproclamation of Jesus as the Son of God and His Chosen Servant in whom He iswell pleased. This is a powerful revelation of glory, to say the least! However,there was a second wonder that took place at the same time. It was theappearing of the Holy Spirit in visible form, resting upon Jesus and abidingwith Him. John the Baptist had been told to watch for this as a mark that thisperson was indeed the Christ who had come into the world. This element bringsus a powerful message concerning Jesus’ ministry. We are informed here not onlyof the glory of God in Christ but also of the Holy Spirit’s role in directing,empowering, and blessing the life and ministry of Jesus. We are informed hereas well about others chosen as God’s people to reveal His glory of salvation tothe world. Our text this morning takes us back to God choosing and thenanointing David, Jesus’ ancestor, to fulfill his role in leading God’s peopleto this central event in world history. This central event is when David’s Sonand David’s Lord would be introduced to the world as the Christ, the ChosenServant of the LORD.

We are in the early days of winter, the days when darkness has the upper hand.  The nights are long, so thatmany of us go to sleep in darkness and awake in darkness.  These hours of darkness are alreadyshortening, day by day; darkness is gradually giving way to the light.  But in the fall the process will begin again,with darkness overtaking the light.  Sothe darkness in nature advances and recedes, but it never completely goes away. This darkness in the natural world is a reminder that there is another kind of darkness in thisworld: spiritual darkness.  This is thedarkness that is the absence of spiritual light, the absence of the Savior Jesus Christ.  He is the Light of theworld.  Where He is known and believedthere is light and life.  Where He is notknown or where He is rejected there is nothing but darkness and death.  This world, infected by sin and with Satan asits god, is a dark place.  The evidenceof its darkness we see all around us, and we see it every day. 

Grace and peace be to you from God our Father and the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen. Our meditation is based on the Child Jesus in Egypt.  You will see the Lord carries you into spiritually difficult situations for the purpose that His saving grace might shine. 

A 10-year-old girl had gone with her family to see some Christmas light displays at various locations throughout the city.  At one church, they stopped and got out tolook more closely at the beautifully done nativity scene.  “Isn’t that beautiful?” said the girl’sgrandmother.  “Look at all the animals,Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus.” “Yes, Grandma,” replied the granddaughter.  “It is really nice.  But, there is only one thing that bothers me.  Isn’t baby Jesus ever going to grow up?  He’s the same size he was last year!”

Verse 5 of our text says that the darkness could not “comprehend It,” the “It” being Jesus and all He is. The literal meaning is that the darkness could not grasp It. The question is: does that mean darkness couldn’t grasp It like “comprehend It,” or does it mean darkness couldn’t grasp It like “could not destroy It,” like something you have in your hand and try to destroy? Perhaps it means both, for darkness cannot grasp Jesus in either way.              God, however, wants you to grasp what happened on Christmas—not in the sense of destroying it (which you can’t do), but in the sense of believing it and holding on to it. Godwants you to both comprehend and hold on to a couple of things in our text. One: that we have a Child born to us who is the eternal source of real life and light. Two: He is this for all the world. Jesus came to bring us all real life. The life our parents give us is not real life. Real life is the eternal,spiritual, and physical life Jesus gives us—life that conquers death and darkness. Grasp that life with both hands.  It is for you!

How many of you are familiar with the Christmas song, “I’ll be home for Christmas?”  Originally recorded in 1943by Bing Crosby, it’s been re-recorded by over a dozen artists in the last 80 years – including Kelly Clarkson, Elvis Presley, Rascal Flatts, and Michael Buble’.  “I’ll be home for Christmas (ifonly in my dreams)” was originally written from the perspective of a World War II soldier dreaming of being home for Christmas.  It immediately became a favorite of soldiers deployed overseas who longed to be home around family and friends, especially at Christmas.Imagine for a moment hearing that the war was over and either you or your loved one really would be home for Christmas.  What good news that would be!  How special that Christmas would be.We hear again from Isaiah as he tells of the good news that the people of God were returning home:

Listen to the names given in Isaiah chapter 9, verse 6:For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;and the government shall be upon his shoulder,and his name shall be calledWonderful Counselor, Mighty God,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  (ESV)

Isaiah is an important part of Christmas.  Isaiah writes more about the promised Saviorthan any other Old Testament prophet.  Itis for this reason that Isaiah is sometimes called “The Fifth Evangelist,”right along with Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.             As we enter the seasonof Advent, we do so with Isaiah.  Today,Isaiah tells us of the coming kingdom that Jesus would bring.  It is a kingdom greater than all others,which is for all people, and which brings peace.  Listen now to the words of the prophet ofGod, Isaiah, chapter two, verses 1 through 5: (Isa. 2:1-5 ESV) "The word that Isaiah the son ofAmoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2 It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountainof the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains,and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow toit,  3 and many peoples shallcome, and say: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to thehouse of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walkin his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of theLORD from Jerusalem.  4 Heshall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples;and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learnwar anymore.  5 O house ofJacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD."

2 Corinthians 5:16-21 16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Gratitude is a concept so very important for us in our Christianlives! It is important, for its presence or absence affects every one of our relationships either positively or negatively. This is true whether we are talking about our relationship with God or with one another. Gratitude is that feeling of appreciation and thankfulness which arises within our hearts when we recognize that someone has been kind to us. Such feelings motivate us to offer thanksgiving both to God and to other people. Let us, therefore, consider this morning how GRATITUDE IS BORN IN HEARTS THAT TAKE TIME TO COUNT UP PAST MERCIES! Let us do just that—count up past mercies bestowed upon us by God. For then our hearts will be filled with gratitude towards God as well as towards others through whom many of those mercies come. Based on Jeremiah’s words in our text, we will recognize that the mercies we receive are mercies we do not deserve, but which just keep on coming, and that all our blessings are in fact mercies proceeding from the LORD!

Text: (Hebrews 4:9-13 NKJ) "There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.  10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.  11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.  12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  13 And there is no creature hiddenfrom His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."

Text: (Matt. 24:15-28 NKJ) "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 thefield 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 untilthis 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."

Text: Galatians 1:8-9 (NKJV)8 But even if we,or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we havepreached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, sonow I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you havereceived, let him be accursed.

Text: (Num. 32:1-27 NKJ) "Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of livestock; and when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, that indeed the region was a place for livestock, 2 the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the leaders of the congregation, saying, 3 "Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Shebam, Nebo, and Beon, 4 "the country which the LORD defeated before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock." 5 Therefore they said, "If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not take us over the Jordan." 6 And Moses said to the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben: "Shall your brethren go to war while you sit here? 7 "Now why will you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD has given them? 8 "Thus your fathers did when I sent them away from Kadesh Barnea to see the land. 9 "For when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, so that they did not go into the land which the LORD had given them. 10 "So the LORD'S anger was aroused on that day, and He swore an oath, saying, 11 `Surely none of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and above, shall see the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they have not wholly followed Me, 12 `except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the LORD.' 13 "So the LORD'S anger was aroused against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the LORD was gone. 14 "And look! You have risen in your father's place, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more the fierce anger of the LORD against Israel. 15 "For if you turn away from following Him, He will once again leave them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all these people." 16 Then they came near to him and said: "We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and2cities for our little ones, 17 "but we ourselves will be armed, ready to go before the children of Israel until we have brought them to their place; and our little ones will dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. 18 "We will not return to our homes until every one of the children of Israel has received his inheritance. 19 "For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has fallen to us on this eastern side of the Jordan." 20 Then Moses said to them: "If you do this thing, if you arm yourselves before the LORD for the war, 21 "and all your armed men cross over the Jordan before the LORD until He has driven out His enemies from before Him, 22 "and the land is subdued before the LORD, then afterward you may return and be blameless before the LORD and before Israel; and this land shall be your possession before the LORD. 23 "But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out. 24 "Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do what has proceeded out of your mouth." 25 And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spoke to Moses, saying: "Your servants will do as my lord commands. 26 "Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock will be there in the cities of Gilead; 27 "but your servants will cross over, every man armed for war, before the LORD to battle, just as my lord says."

Text: (2 KINGS 5:8-19 ESV) But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha's house. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and yourflesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, therivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

Text: (Heb. 4:9-13 NKJ) "There remains therefore a restfor the people of God.  10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.  11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.  12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than anytwo-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints mand marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."

Text:(Rev. 3:14-22 NKJ) "And to the angel ofthe church of the Laodiceans write,`These things says the Amen, the Faithfuland True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:  15 "I know your works, thatyou are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.  16 "So then, because you arelukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.  17 "Because you say,`I amrich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'-- and do not know that youare wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked--  18 "I counsel you to buy fromMe gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that youmay be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed;and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.  19 "As many as I love, Irebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.  20 "Behold, I stand at thedoor and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in tohim and dine with him, and he with Me.  21"To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I alsoovercame and sat down with My Father on His throne.  22 "He who has an ear, lethim hear what the Spirit says to the churches."'"

Text:(Matt. 6:24-34 KJV) "No man can servetwo masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else hewill hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God andmammon.  25 Therefore I sayunto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shalldrink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more thanmeat, and the body than raiment?  26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gatherinto barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better thanthey?  27 Which of you bytaking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?  28 And why take ye thought forraiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not,neither do they spin:  29 Andyet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like oneof these.  30 Wherefore, ifGod so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is castinto the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of littlefaith?  31 Therefore take nothought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithalshall we be clothed?  32 (Forafter all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweththat ye have need of all these things.  33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all thesethings shall be added unto you.  34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought forthe things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

How did you determine what you weregoing to wear today?  Are you one ofthose people who chooses and lays out your outfit for the next day the nightbefore?  Did you put a lot of thoughtinto it?  Maybe because it’s Sunday youchose to wear nice clothes to church. Maybe you’re just wearing what your wife told you you should wear?  Or, if you’re a young child, you’re probablywearing what your mom picked out for you to wear.  The important thing is that it does appearthat all of us have, in fact, successfully gotten dressed today.  Congratulations!  However,just because we’ve gotten dressed for the day doesn’t mean we’re fullyclothed.  Did you remember as you gotdressed this morning to put on The Armor of God?  The Apostle Paul speaks of this in words ofour sermon text for today:      

Last year my daughter’s class went ona field trip to a huge corn maze. I wentalong to help chaperone and was givenfive kids to watch. We set out withconfidence that we could find the exit.We got utterly lost. Fortunately, we metsome other groups that had cheatsheets. They had a map of the maze withlandmarks. With that, it was pretty easyto get out. It was if we had a view fromabove.