Feb.16

1 The LORD called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying,

2 "Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock.

3 "If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the LORD.

4 He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

5 Then he shall kill the bull before the LORD, and Aaron's sons the priests shall bring the blood and throw the blood against the sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

6 Then he shall flay the burnt offering and cut it into pieces,

7 and the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire.

8 And Aaron's sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head, and the fat, on the wood that is on the fire on the altar;

9 but its entrails and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar, as a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

10 "If his gift for a burnt offering is from the flock, from the sheep or goats, he shall bring a male without blemish,

11 and he shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the LORD, and Aaron's sons the priests shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar.

12 And he shall cut it into pieces, with its head and its fat, and the priest shall arrange them on the wood that is on the fire on the altar,

13 but the entrails and the legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer all of it and burn it on the altar; it is a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

14 "If his offering to the LORD is a burnt offering of birds, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves or pigeons.

15 And the priest shall bring it to the altar and wring off its head and burn it on the altar. Its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar.

16 He shall remove its crop with its contents and cast it beside the altar on the east side, in the place for ashes.

17 He shall tear it open by its wings, but shall not sever it completely. And the priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD. - Leviticus 1

1 "When anyone brings a grain offering as an offering to the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour. He shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it

2 and bring it to Aaron's sons the priests. And he shall take from it a handful of the fine flour and oil, with all of its frankincense, and the priest shall burn this as its memorial portion on the altar, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

3 But the rest of the grain offering shall be for Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the LORD's food offerings.

4 "When you bring a grain offering baked in the oven as an offering, it shall be unleavened loaves of fine flour mixed with oil or unleavened wafers smeared with oil.

5 And if your offering is a grain offering baked on a griddle, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mixed with oil.

6 You shall break it in pieces and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering.

7 And if your offering is a grain offering cooked in a pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil.

8 And you shall bring the grain offering that is made of these things to the LORD, and when it is presented to the priest, he shall bring it to the altar.

9 And the priest shall take from the grain offering its memorial portion and burn this on the altar, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

10 But the rest of the grain offering shall be for Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the LORD's food offerings.

11 "No grain offering that you bring to the LORD shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey as a food offering to the LORD.

12 As an offering of firstfruits you may bring them to the LORD, but they shall not be offered on the altar for a pleasing aroma.

13 You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt.

14 "If you offer a grain offering of firstfruits to the LORD, you shall offer for the grain offering of your firstfruits fresh ears, roasted with fire, crushed new grain.

15 And you shall put oil on it and lay frankincense on it; it is a grain offering.

16 And the priest shall burn as its memorial portion some of the crushed grain and some of the oil with all of its frankincense; it is a food offering to the LORD. - Leviticus 2

1 "If his offering is a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offers an animal from the herd, male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the LORD.

2 And he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering and kill it at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and Aaron's sons the priests shall throw the blood against the sides of the altar.

3 And from the sacrifice of the peace offering, as a food offering to the LORD, he shall offer the fat covering the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails,

4 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the long lobe of the liver that he shall remove with the kidneys.

5 Then Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar on top of the burnt offering, which is on the wood on the fire; it is a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

6 "If his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering to the LORD is an animal from the flock, male or female, he shall offer it without blemish.

7 If he offers a lamb for his offering, then he shall offer it before the LORD,

8 lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it in front of the tent of meeting; and Aaron's sons shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar.

9 Then from the sacrifice of the peace offering he shall offer as a food offering to the LORD its fat; he shall remove the whole fat tail, cut off close to the backbone, and the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails

10 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins and the long lobe of the liver that he shall remove with the kidneys.

11 And the priest shall burn it on the altar as a food offering to the LORD.

12 "If his offering is a goat, then he shall offer it before the LORD

13 and lay his hand on its head and kill it in front of the tent of meeting, and the sons of Aaron shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar.

14 Then he shall offer from it, as his offering for a food offering to the LORD, the fat covering the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails

15 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins and the long lobe of the liver that he shall remove with the kidneys.

16 And the priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering with a pleasing aroma. All fat is the LORD's.

17 It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, in all your dwelling places, that you eat neither fat nor blood." - Leviticus 3

1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

2 "Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If anyone sins unintentionally in any of the LORD's commandments about things not to be done, and does any one of them,

3 if it is the anointed priest who sins, thus bringing guilt on the people, then he shall offer for the sin that he has committed a bull from the herd without blemish to the LORD for a sin offering.

4 He shall bring the bull to the entrance of the tent of meeting before the LORD and lay his hand on the head of the bull and kill the bull before the LORD.

5 And the anointed priest shall take some of the blood of the bull and bring it into the tent of meeting,

6 and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle part of the blood seven times before the LORD in front of the veil of the sanctuary.

7 And the priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense before the LORD that is in the tent of meeting, and all the rest of the blood of the bull he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

8 And all the fat of the bull of the sin offering he shall remove from it, the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails

9 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins and the long lobe of the liver that he shall remove with the kidneys

10 (just as these are taken from the ox of the sacrifice of the peace offerings); and the priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering.

11 But the skin of the bull and all its flesh, with its head, its legs, its entrails, and its dung-

12 all the rest of the bull-he shall carry outside the camp to a clean place, to the ash heap, and shall burn it up on a fire of wood. On the ash heap it shall be burned up.

13 "If the whole congregation of Israel sins unintentionally and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they do any one of the things that by the LORD's commandments ought not to be done, and they realize their guilt,

14 when the sin which they have committed becomes known, the assembly shall offer a bull from the herd for a sin offering and bring it in front of the tent of meeting.

15 And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the LORD, and the bull shall be killed before the LORD.

16 Then the anointed priest shall bring some of the blood of the bull into the tent of meeting,

17 and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD in front of the veil.

18 And he shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar that is in the tent of meeting before the LORD, and the rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

19 And all its fat he shall take from it and burn on the altar.

20 Thus shall he do with the bull. As he did with the bull of the sin offering, so shall he do with this. And the priest shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven.

21 And he shall carry the bull outside the camp and burn it up as he burned the first bull; it is the sin offering for the assembly.

22 "When a leader sins, doing unintentionally any one of all the things that by the commandments of the LORD his God ought not to be done, and realizes his guilt,

23 or the sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring as his offering a goat, a male without blemish,

24 and shall lay his hand on the head of the goat and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering before the LORD; it is a sin offering.

25 Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering.

26 And all its fat he shall burn on the altar, like the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings. So the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin, and he shall be forgiven.

27 "If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally in doing any one of the things that by the LORD's commandments ought not to be done, and realizes his guilt,

28 or the sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has committed.

29 And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill the sin offering in the place of burnt offering.

30 And the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar.

31 And all its fat he shall remove, as the fat is removed from the peace offerings, and the priest shall burn it on the altar for a pleasing aroma to the LORD. And the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven.

32 "If he brings a lamb as his offering for a sin offering, he shall bring a female without blemish

33 and lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill it for a sin offering in the place where they kill the burnt offering.

34 Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar.

35 And all its fat he shall remove as the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of peace offerings, and the priest shall burn it on the altar, on top of the LORD's food offerings. And the priest shall make atonement for him for the sin which he has committed, and he shall be forgiven. - Leviticus 4

1 O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath! 

2 For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me. 

3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin. 

4 For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me. 

5 My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness, 

6 I am utterly bowed down and prostrate; all the day I go about mourning. 

7 For my sides are filled with burning, and there is no soundness in my flesh. 

8 I am feeble and crushed; I groan because of the tumult of my heart. 

9 O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you. 

10 My heart throbs; my strength fails me, and the light of my eyes-it also has gone from me. 

11 My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague, and my nearest kin stand far off. 

12 Those who seek my life lay their snares; those who seek my hurt speak of ruin and meditate treachery all day long. 

13 But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear, like a mute man who does not open his mouth. 

14 I have become like a man who does not hear, and in whose mouth are no rebukes. 

15 But for you, O LORD, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer. 

16 For I said, "Only let them not rejoice over me, who boast against me when my foot slips!" 

17 For I am ready to fall, and my pain is ever before me. 

18 I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin. 

19 But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty, and many are those who hate me wrongfully. 

20 Those who render me evil for good accuse me because I follow after good. 

21 Do not forsake me, O LORD! O my God, be not far from me! 

22 Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!  - Psalms 38

12 When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.

13 There were more than forty who made this conspiracy.

14 They went to the chief priests and elders and said, "We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul.

15 Now therefore you, along with the council, give notice to the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more exactly. And we are ready to kill him before he comes near."

16 Now the son of Paul's sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered the barracks and told Paul.

17 Paul called one of the centurions and said, "Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to tell him."

18 So he took him and brought him to the tribune and said, "Paul the prisoner called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, as he has something to say to you."

19 The tribune took him by the hand, and going aside asked him privately, "What is it that you have to tell me?"

20 And he said, "The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more closely about him.

21 But do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of their men are lying in ambush for him, who have bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they have killed him. And now they are ready, waiting for your consent."

22 So the tribune dismissed the young man, charging him, "Tell no one that you have informed me of these things."

23 Then he called two of the centurions and said, "Get ready two hundred soldiers, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go as far as Caesarea at the third hour of the night.

24 Also provide mounts for Paul to ride and bring him safely to Felix the governor."

25 And he wrote a letter to this effect:

26 "Claudius Lysias, to his Excellency the governor Felix, greetings.

27 This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them when I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen.

28 And desiring to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their council.

29 I found that he was being accused about questions of their law, but charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment.

30 And when it was disclosed to me that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, ordering his accusers also to state before you what they have against him."

31 So the soldiers, according to their instructions, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris.

32 And on the next day they returned to the barracks, letting the horsemen go on with him.

33 When they had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him.

34 On reading the letter, he asked what province he was from. And when he learned that he was from Cilicia,

35 he said, "I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive." And he commanded him to be guarded in Herod's praetorium. - Acts 23:12-35

1 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.

2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.

3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.

4 And Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah."

5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him."

6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified.

7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and have no fear."

8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

9 And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, "Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead."

10 And the disciples asked him, "Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?"

11 He answered, "Elijah does come, and he will restore all things.

12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands."

13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. - Matthew 17:1-13

Why Are You Running From God?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You”... 

(Psalm 51:10-13)

 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

The most miserable person on Earth is not an unsaved person, but someone who knows God, who has experienced salvation and what it means to have a relationship with Him, yet is out of fellowship with God. Stop and think about that. It is absolutely true.

If you are truly a child of God and out of fellowship with Him, I can state right now—you’re carrying a big burden. Now, if you’re not saved, you’re not carrying this burden at all. But if you’re truly saved and out of fellowship with God, that’s a different story completely.

When David got out of fellowship with God, he came to the point that he cried out to the Lord, “Restore unto me the joy of Your salvation.” He didn’t say, “Lord, restore unto me Your salvation,” but “restore unto me the joy of Your salvation.” He was miserable when he was running from God.

ACTION POINT:

Are you running from God? Or perhaps you know someone who is. Pray for restoration. Today’s passage is a good one to pray for them, inserting your name or their name into the verse, asking God to restore and renew them.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Every Calvary Step Was Love

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us. (1 John 3:16)

The love of Christ for us in his dying was as conscious as his suffering was intentional. If he was intentional in laying down his life, it was for us. It was love.

“When Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (John 13:1).

Every step on the Calvary road meant, “I love you.”

Therefore, to feel the love of Christ in the laying down of his life, it helps to see how utterly intentional it was.

Look at what Jesus said just after that violent moment when Peter tried to cleave the skull of the servant, but only cut off his ear.

Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” (Matthew 26:52–54)

It is one thing to say that the details of Jesus’s death were predicted in the Old Testament. But it is much more to say that Jesus himself was making his choices precisely to see to it that the Scriptures would be fulfilled.

That is what Jesus said he was doing in Matthew 26:54. “I could escape this misery, but how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?”

In other words, I am not choosing to take the way out that I could take, because I know the Scriptures. I know what must take place for my people to be saved. It is my choice to fulfill all that is predicted of me in the word of God. It is my choice — every step of the way — to love my people to the uttermost. And I want them to feel this. And be utterly secure and free and radically different from the world.

John Piper 

Feb.15

I accidentally put today's reading on yesterday's post, sorry. 

1 Moses assembled all the congregation of the people of Israel and said to them, "These are the things that the LORD has commanded you to do.

2 Six days work shall be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death.

3 You shall kindle no fire in all your dwelling places on the Sabbath day."

4 Moses said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, "This is the thing that the LORD has commanded.

5 Take from among you a contribution to the LORD. Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the LORD's contribution: gold, silver, and bronze;

6 blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; goats' hair,

7 tanned rams' skins, and goatskins; acacia wood,

8 oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense,

9 and onyx stones and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece.

10 "Let every skillful craftsman among you come and make all that the LORD has commanded:

11 the tabernacle, its tent and its covering, its hooks and its frames, its bars, its pillars, and its bases;

12 the ark with its poles, the mercy seat, and the veil of the screen;

13 the table with its poles and all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence;

14 the lampstand also for the light, with its utensils and its lamps, and the oil for the light;

15 and the altar of incense, with its poles, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the screen for the door, at the door of the tabernacle;

16 the altar of burnt offering, with its grating of bronze, its poles, and all its utensils, the basin and its stand;

17 the hangings of the court, its pillars and its bases, and the screen for the gate of the court;

18 the pegs of the tabernacle and the pegs of the court, and their cords;

19 the finely worked garments for ministering in the Holy Place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests."

20 Then all the congregation of the people of Israel departed from the presence of Moses.

21 And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, and brought the LORD's contribution to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the holy garments.

22 So they came, both men and women. All who were of a willing heart brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and armlets, all sorts of gold objects, every man dedicating an offering of gold to the LORD.

23 And every one who possessed blue or purple or scarlet yarns or fine linen or goats' hair or tanned rams' skins or goatskins brought them.

24 Everyone who could make a contribution of silver or bronze brought it as the LORD's contribution. And every one who possessed acacia wood of any use in the work brought it.

25 And every skillful woman spun with her hands, and they all brought what they had spun in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen.

26 All the women whose hearts stirred them to use their skill spun the goats' hair.

27 And the leaders brought onyx stones and stones to be set, for the ephod and for the breastpiece,

28 and spices and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense.

29 All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the LORD had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the LORD.

30 Then Moses said to the people of Israel, "See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah;

31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship,

32 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver and bronze,

33 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every skilled craft.

34 And he has inspired him to teach, both him and Oholiab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan.

35 He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver-by any sort of workman or skilled designer. - Exodus 35

1 "Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whom the LORD has put skill and intelligence to know how to do any work in the construction of the sanctuary shall work in accordance with all that the LORD has commanded."

2 And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind the LORD had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work.

3 And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning,

4 so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing,

5 and said to Moses, "The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the LORD has commanded us to do."

6 So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, "Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary." So the people were restrained from bringing,

7 for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more.

8 And all the craftsmen among the workmen made the tabernacle with ten curtains. They were made of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns, with cherubim skillfully worked.

9 The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. All the curtains were the same size.

10 He coupled five curtains to one another, and the other five curtains he coupled to one another.

11 He made loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain of the first set. Likewise he made them on the edge of the outermost curtain of the second set.

12 He made fifty loops on the one curtain, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was in the second set. The loops were opposite one another.

13 And he made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains one to the other with clasps. So the tabernacle was a single whole.

14 He also made curtains of goats' hair for a tent over the tabernacle. He made eleven curtains.

15 The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. The eleven curtains were the same size.

16 He coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves.

17 And he made fifty loops on the edge of the outermost curtain of the one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the other connecting curtain.

18 And he made fifty clasps of bronze to couple the tent together that it might be a single whole.

19 And he made for the tent a covering of tanned rams' skins and goatskins.

20 Then he made the upright frames for the tabernacle of acacia wood.

21 Ten cubits was the length of a frame, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each frame.

22 Each frame had two tenons for fitting together. He did this for all the frames of the tabernacle.

23 The frames for the tabernacle he made thus: twenty frames for the south side.

24 And he made forty bases of silver under the twenty frames, two bases under one frame for its two tenons, and two bases under the next frame for its two tenons.

25 For the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty frames

26 and their forty bases of silver, two bases under one frame and two bases under the next frame.

27 For the rear of the tabernacle westward he made six frames.

28 He made two frames for corners of the tabernacle in the rear.

29 And they were separate beneath but joined at the top, at the first ring. He made two of them this way for the two corners.

30 There were eight frames with their bases of silver: sixteen bases, under every frame two bases.

31 He made bars of acacia wood, five for the frames of the one side of the tabernacle,

32 and five bars for the frames of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the tabernacle at the rear westward.

33 And he made the middle bar to run from end to end halfway up the frames.

34 And he overlaid the frames with gold, and made their rings of gold for holders for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.

35 He made the veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; with cherubim skillfully worked into it he made it.

36 And for it he made four pillars of acacia and overlaid them with gold. Their hooks were of gold, and he cast for them four bases of silver.

37 He also made a screen for the entrance of the tent, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework,

38 and its five pillars with their hooks. He overlaid their capitals, and their fillets were of gold, but their five bases were of bronze. - Exodus 36

1 Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood. Two cubits and a half was its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height.

2 And he overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside, and made a molding of gold around it.

3 And he cast for it four rings of gold for its four feet, two rings on its one side and two rings on its other side.

4 And he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold

5 and put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark.

6 And he made a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half was its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth.

7 And he made two cherubim of gold. He made them of hammered work on the two ends of the mercy seat,

8 one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat he made the cherubim on its two ends.

9 The cherubim spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat were the faces of the cherubim.

10 He also made the table of acacia wood. Two cubits was its length, a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height.

11 And he overlaid it with pure gold, and made a molding of gold around it.

12 And he made a rim around it a handbreadth wide, and made a molding of gold around the rim.

13 He cast for it four rings of gold and fastened the rings to the four corners at its four legs.

14 Close to the frame were the rings, as holders for the poles to carry the table.

15 He made the poles of acacia wood to carry the table, and overlaid them with gold.

16 And he made the vessels of pure gold that were to be on the table, its plates and dishes for incense, and its bowls and flagons with which to pour drink offerings.

17 He also made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered work. Its base, its stem, its cups, its calyxes, and its flowers were of one piece with it.

18 And there were six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it;

19 three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on one branch, and three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on the other branch-so for the six branches going out of the lampstand.

20 And on the lampstand itself were four cups made like almond blossoms, with their calyxes and flowers,

21 and a calyx of one piece with it under each pair of the six branches going out of it.

22 Their calyxes and their branches were of one piece with it. The whole of it was a single piece of hammered work of pure gold.

23 And he made its seven lamps and its tongs and its trays of pure gold.

24 He made it and all its utensils out of a talent of pure gold.

25 He made the altar of incense of acacia wood. Its length was a cubit, and its breadth was a cubit. It was square, and two cubits was its height. Its horns were of one piece with it.

26 He overlaid it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And he made a molding of gold around it,

27 and made two rings of gold on it under its molding, on two opposite sides of it, as holders for the poles with which to carry it.

28 And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

29 He made the holy anointing oil also, and the pure fragrant incense, blended as by the perfumer. - Exodus 37

23 The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way; 

24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand. 

25 I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. 

26 He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing. 

27 Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever. 

28 For the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. 

29 The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever. 

30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. 

31 The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip. 

32 The wicked watches for the righteous and seeks to put him to death. 

33 The LORD will not abandon him to his power or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial. 

34 Wait for the LORD and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off. 

35 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree. 

36 But he passed away, and behold, he was no more; though I sought him, he could not be found. 

37 Mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace. 

38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the future of the wicked shall be cut off. 

39 The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. 

40 The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.  - Psalm 37:23-40

1 And looking intently at the council, Paul said, "Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day."

2 And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth.

3 Then Paul said to him, "God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?"

4 Those who stood by said, "Would you revile God's high priest?"

5 And Paul said, "I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, 'You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.'"

6 Now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, "Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial."

7 And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.

8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.

9 Then a great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees' party stood up and contended sharply, "We find nothing wrong in this man. What if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?"

10 And when the dissension became violent, the tribune, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him away from among them by force and bring him into the barracks.

11 The following night the Lord stood by him and said, "Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome." - Acts 23:1-11

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"

14 And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"

16 Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

17 And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.

22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you."

23 But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.

28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." - Matthew 16:13-28

Christ Revelation Of God's Supreme Love To Rescue Sinners

His glorious grace!

1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,

2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.

3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.

5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

6 "I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.

7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you.

8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.

9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.

10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.

11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.

12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.

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

17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.

19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.

20 "I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,

21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one,

23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me.

26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them." - John 17

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. - Galatians 2:20

And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. - Galatians 5:24

But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. - Galatians 6:14

6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

7 For one who has died has been set free from sin.

8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.

10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.

11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. - Romans 6:6-12

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,

39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:37-39

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,

4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. - Galatians 1:3-5

Are You Bearing Fruit?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me”... 

(John 15:4)

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” Have you ever seen a fruit factory? No. You might have seen a shirt factory, but you will not see a fruit factory. You will only find a fruit orchard.

You see, there is no fruit without life. You’re not going to grow and produce the fruit of the Spirit unless you’re walking in the Spirit. The Bible says in Galatians 5:25, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” The only way that fruit is going to ripen and grow is in the right climate. Abide in Jesus.

ACTION POINT:

Are you abiding? Are you being fruitful? Ask God to show you where you need to make changes so that you are walking in the Spirit.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Christ as Means and End

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

Why did God create the universe? And why is he governing it the way he is? What is God achieving? Is Jesus Christ a means to this achievement or the end of the achievement?

Jesus Christ is the supreme revelation of God. He is God in human form. As such, he is the end, not a means.

The manifestation of the glory of God is the meaning of the universe. This is what God is achieving. The heavens, and the history of the world, are “telling the glory of God.”

But Jesus Christ was sent to accomplish something that needed doing. He came to remedy the fall. He came to rescue sinners from inevitable destruction because of their sin. These rescued ones will see and savor and display the glory of God with everlasting joy.

Others will continue to heap scorn on the glory of God. So, Jesus Christ is the means to what God meant to achieve in the manifestation of his glory for the enjoyment of his people. No one would see and savor and celebrate the glory of God apart from the saving work of Christ. The aim of the universe would abort. So, Christ is a means.

But in that accomplishment on the cross, as he died for sinners, Christ revealed the love and righteousness of the Father supremely. This was the apex of the revelation of the glory of God — the glory of his grace.

Therefore, in the very moment of his perfect act as the means of God’s purpose, Jesus became the end of that purpose. He became, in his dying in the place of sinners and his resurrection for their life, the central and supreme revelation of the glory of God.

Christ crucified is therefore both the means and the end of God’s purpose in the universe.

Without his work, that end — to reveal the fullness of the glory of God for the enjoyment of God’s people — would not have happened.

And in that very means-work he became the end — the one who forever and ever will be the focus of our worship as we spend eternity seeing and savoring more and more of what he revealed of God when he became a curse for us.

Jesus is the end for which the universe was made, and the means that makes that end possible to enjoy by justified sinners.

John Piper