September 20

1 "Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the LORD: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. 

2 Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him. 

3 For the LORD comforts Zion; he comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song. 

4 "Give attention to me, my people, and give ear to me, my nation; for a law will go out from me, and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples. 

5 My righteousness draws near, my salvation has gone out, and my arms will judge the peoples; the coastlands hope for me, and for my arm they wait. 

6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die in like manner; but my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never be dismayed. 

7 "Listen to me, you who know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear not the reproach of man, nor be dismayed at their revilings. 

8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool, but my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation to all generations." 

9 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in days of old, the generations of long ago. Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the dragon? 

10 Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over? 

11 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 

12 "I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass, 

13 and have forgotten the LORD, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, and you fear continually all the day because of the wrath of the oppressor, when he sets himself to destroy? And where is the wrath of the oppressor? 

14 He who is bowed down shall speedily be released; he shall not die and go down to the pit, neither shall his bread be lacking. 

15 I am the LORD your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar- the LORD of hosts is his name. 

16 And I have put my words in your mouth and covered you in the shadow of my hand, establishing the heavens and laying the foundations of the earth, and saying to Zion, 'You are my people.'" 

17 Wake yourself, wake yourself, stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of his wrath, who have drunk to the dregs the bowl, the cup of staggering. 

18 There is none to guide her among all the sons she has borne; there is none to take her by the hand among all the sons she has brought up. 

19 These two things have happened to you- who will console you?- devastation and destruction, famine and sword; who will comfort you? 

20 Your sons have fainted; they lie at the head of every street like an antelope in a net; they are full of the wrath of the LORD, the rebuke of your God. 

21 Therefore hear this, you who are afflicted, who are drunk, but not with wine: 

22 Thus says your Lord, the LORD, your God who pleads the cause of his people: "Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering; the bowl of my wrath you shall drink no more; 

23 and I will put it into the hand of your tormentors, who have said to you, 'Bow down, that we may pass over'; and you have made your back like the ground and like the street for them to pass over."  - Isaiah 51

1 Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean. 

2 Shake yourself from the dust and arise; be seated, O Jerusalem; loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. 

3 For thus says the LORD: "You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money."

4 For thus says the Lord GOD: "My people went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there, and the Assyrian oppressed them for nothing.

5 Now therefore what have I here," declares the LORD, "seeing that my people are taken away for nothing? Their rulers wail," declares the LORD, "and continually all the day my name is despised.

6 Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here I am."

7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns." 

8 The voice of your watchmen-they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the LORD to Zion. 

9 Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem. 

10 The LORD has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. 

11 Depart, depart, go out from there; touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of her; purify yourselves, you who bear the vessels of the LORD. 

12 For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight, for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard. 

13 Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. 

14 As many were astonished at you- his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind- 

15 so shall he sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths because of him, for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand.  - Isaiah 52

1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 

2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. 

3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 

4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned-every one-to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? 

9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. 

10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 

11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 

12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.  - Isaiah 53

1 The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion. 

2 When a land transgresses, it has many rulers, but with a man of understanding and knowledge, its stability will long continue. 

3 A poor man who oppresses the poor is a beating rain that leaves no food. 

4 Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law strive against them. 

5 Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it completely. 

6 Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways. 

7 The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding, but a companion of gluttons shames his father. 

8 Whoever multiplies his wealth by interest and profit gathers it for him who is generous to the poor. 

9 If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination. 

10 Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way will fall into his own pit, but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance. 

11 A rich man is wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has understanding will find him out. 

12 When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, but when the wicked rise, people hide themselves. 

13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. 

14 Blessed is the one who fears the LORD always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.  - Proverbs 28:1-14

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son,

18 of whom it was said, "Through Isaac shall your offspring be named."

19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.

20 By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau.

21 By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff.

22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.

23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.

24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,

25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.

26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.

27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.

28 By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.

29 By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned.

30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.

31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. - Hebrews 11:17-31

50 Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man,

51 who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God.

52 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

53 Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid.

54 It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning.

55 The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid.

56 Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.  - Luke 23:50-56

You Can Either Evangelize or Fossilize

BIBLE MEDITATION

“But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them [Paul and Silas] out to the people. But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.” Acts 17:5-6

 

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT

Ours is the greatest mission on the face of this earth: the salvation of lost souls. Our message is the greatest message: the glorious Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our Master is the greatest Master, Jesus Christ Himself. The church that’s not interested in evangelism and soul-winning is not worthy of the ground it occupies. We are to evangelize or we will fossilize. Our mandate is to preach the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ to every creature.

What was the early church like? “Now in those days…the Word of God spread; and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:1, 7).

They did so much with so little. We do so little with so much. They didn’t have Christian colleges, seminaries, radio and TV stations, or printing presses. They had no finances, no prestige. They went out to tell the message of a carpenter’s son, who was crucified. Against the imperial might of Rome, the intellectual sophistry of Greece, and the stiff-necked resistance of Jewish leaders, it was said of them, “These people turned the world upside down.”

ACTION POINT

Do you have a sincere concern for souls? You might answer, “I do.” But would you feel a twinge of conscience because your conscience couldn’t bear witness?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Our Unspeakable Privilege

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” (Exodus 3:14)

One implication of the magnificent name, I AM WHO I AM, is that this infinite, absolute, self-determining God has drawn near to us in Jesus Christ.

In John 8:56–58 Jesus is answering the criticism of the Jewish leaders. He says, “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” The Jews then said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

Could Jesus have taken any more exalted words upon his lips? When Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am,” he took up all the majestic truth of the name of God, wrapped it in the humility of servant hood, offered himself to atone for all our rebellion, and made a way for us to see the glory of this infinite, absolute, all-sufficient God — without fear.

In Jesus Christ we who are born of God have the unspeakable privilege of knowing Yahweh as our Father — I AM WHO I AM — the God

who exists

whose personality and power is owing solely to himself

who never changes

from whom all power and energy in the universe flows

and to whom all creation should conform its life.

May those who know the name of God put their trust in him (Psalm 9:10).

John Piper 

September 19

1 Listen to me, O coastlands, and give attention, you peoples from afar. The LORD called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name. 

2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow; in his quiver he hid me away. 

3 And he said to me, "You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified." 

4 But I said, "I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my right is with the LORD, and my recompense with my God." 

5 And now the LORD says, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him; and that Israel might be gathered to him- for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD, and my God has become my strength- 

6 he says: "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth." 

7 Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation, the servant of rulers: "Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall prostrate themselves; because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you." 

8 Thus says the LORD: "In a time of favor I have answered you; in a day of salvation I have helped you; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages, 

9 saying to the prisoners, 'Come out,' to those who are in darkness, 'Appear.' They shall feed along the ways; on all bare heights shall be their pasture; 

10 they shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them, for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them. 

11 And I will make all my mountains a road, and my highways shall be raised up. 

12 Behold, these shall come from afar, and behold, these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of Syene." 

13 Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the LORD has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted. 

14 But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me." 

15 "Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. 

16 Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me. 

17 Your builders make haste; your destroyers and those who laid you waste go out from you. 

18 Lift up your eyes around and see; they all gather, they come to you. As I live, declares the LORD, you shall put them all on as an ornament; you shall bind them on as a bride does. 

19 "Surely your waste and your desolate places and your devastated land- surely now you will be too narrow for your inhabitants, and those who swallowed you up will be far away. 

20 The children of your bereavement will yet say in your ears: 'The place is too narrow for me; make room for me to dwell in.' 

21 Then you will say in your heart: 'Who has borne me these? I was bereaved and barren, exiled and put away, but who has brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; from where have these come?'" 

22 Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and raise my signal to the peoples; and they shall bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders. 

23 Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you, and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame." 

24 Can the prey be taken from the mighty, or the captives of a tyrant be rescued? 

25 For thus says the LORD: "Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken, and the prey of the tyrant be rescued, for I will contend with those who contend with you, and I will save your children. 

26 I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh, and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with wine. Then all flesh shall know that I am the LORD your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob."  - Isaiah 49

1 Thus says the LORD: "Where is your mother's certificate of divorce, with which I sent her away? Or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities you were sold, and for your transgressions your mother was sent away. 

2 Why, when I came, was there no man; why, when I called, was there no one to answer? Is my hand shortened, that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Behold, by my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a desert; their fish stink for lack of water and die of thirst. 

3 I clothe the heavens with blackness and make sackcloth their covering." 

4 The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. 

5 The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I turned not backward. 

6 I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. 

7 But the Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. 

8 He who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me. 

9 Behold, the Lord GOD helps me; who will declare me guilty? Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment; the moth will eat them up. 

10 Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God. 

11 Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches! Walk by the light of your fire, and by the torches that you have kindled! This you have from my hand: you shall lie down in torment.  - Isaiah 50

Proverbs 27:14–27 (ESV): 15  A continual dripping on a rainy day 

and a quarrelsome wife are alike; 

 16  to restrain her is to restrain the wind 

or to grasp oil in one’s right hand. 

 17  Iron sharpens iron, 

and one man sharpens another. 

 18  Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, 

and he who guards his master will be honored. 

 19  As in water face reflects face, 

so the heart of man reflects the man. 

 20  Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, 

and never satisfied are the eyes of man. 

 21  The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, 

and a man is tested by his praise. 

 22  Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle 

along with crushed grain, 

yet his folly will not depart from him. 

 23  Know well the condition of your flocks, 

and give attention to your herds, 

 24  for riches do not last forever; 

and does a crown endure to all generations? 

 25  When the grass is gone and the new growth appears 

and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered, 

 26  the lambs will provide your clothing, 

and the goats the price of a field. 

 27  There will be enough goats’ milk for your food, 

for the food of your household 

and maintenance for your girls.

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

2 For by it the people of old received their commendation.

3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.

5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God.

6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.

10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.

11 By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.

12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.

15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return.

16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. - Hebrews 11:1-16

44 It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour,

45 while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.

46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" And having said this he breathed his last.

47 Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, "Certainly this man was innocent!"

48 And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts.

49 And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things. - Luke 23:44-49

What Is Keeping You from Following Jesus Fully?

BIBLE MEDITATION

“Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” Mark 10:23

 

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT

Not all stories have a happy ending. I like stories that end, “And they lived happily ever after.” But this one has a tragic ending. It's the story of a rich young man who blew it. He lost his soul. I call it “the suicide of a soul.”

This young man had so much going for him.

He had riches, rank, and religion, but he was humble; he came kneeling.

He was spiritually minded; he wanted to inherit eternal life.

He recognized Jesus’ authority when he called Him “master”

He recognized Jesus’ goodness when he called Him “good.”

He saw something in Jesus he'd not seen in anyone else: Jesus alone had the answer to eternal life.

Yet the account ends with “he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”

A soul is the most precious thing on earth, the most valuable thing you have. Jesus said, "What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36-37) I’m convinced Jesus loved you so much He would have died for you if you had been the only soul needing salvation. That's how much He loves you.

ACTION POINT

What was it that kept this young man from leaving all behind to fully follow Jesus? For you, it may not be possessions. What do you need to lay aside to fully follow Jesus?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Only True Freedom

Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31–32)

What is true freedom? Are you free?

Here are four things that need to be true if we are going to be fully free.

If you don’t have the desire to do a thing, you are not fully free to do it. Oh, you may muster the willpower to do what you don’t want to do, but nobody calls that full freedom. It’s not the way we want to live. There is a constraint and pressure on us that we don’t want.

And if you have the desire to do something, but no ability to do it, you are not free to do it.

And if you have the desire and the ability to do something, but no opportunity to do it, you are not free to do it.

And if you have the desire to do something, and the ability to do it, and the opportunity to do it, but it destroys you in the end, you are not fully free — not free indeed — when you do it.

To be fully free, we must have the desire, the ability, and the opportunity to do what will make us happy forever. No regrets. And only Jesus, the Son of God who died and rose for us, can make that possible.

If the Son shall set you free, you shall be free indeed (John 8:36).

John Piper 

September 18

1 Bel bows down; Nebo stoops; their idols are on beasts and livestock; these things you carry are borne as burdens on weary beasts. 

2 They stoop; they bow down together; they cannot save the burden, but themselves go into captivity. 

3 "Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb; 

4 even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save. 

5 "To whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be alike? 

6 Those who lavish gold from the purse, and weigh out silver in the scales, hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; then they fall down and worship! 

7 They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it, they set it in its place, and it stands there; it cannot move from its place. If one cries to it, it does not answer or save him from his trouble. 

8 "Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, 

9 remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, 

10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,' 

11 calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it. 

12 "Listen to me, you stubborn of heart, you who are far from righteousness: 

13 I bring near my righteousness; it is not far off, and my salvation will not delay; I will put salvation in Zion, for Israel my glory."  - Isaiah 46

1 Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans! For you shall no more be called tender and delicate. 

2 Take the millstones and grind flour, put off your veil, strip off your robe, uncover your legs, pass through the rivers. 

3 Your nakedness shall be uncovered, and your disgrace shall be seen. I will take vengeance, and I will spare no one. 

4 Our Redeemer-the LORD of hosts is his name- is the Holy One of Israel. 

5 Sit in silence, and go into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; for you shall no more be called the mistress of kingdoms. 

6 I was angry with my people; I profaned my heritage; I gave them into your hand; you showed them no mercy; on the aged you made your yoke exceedingly heavy. 

7 You said, "I shall be mistress forever," so that you did not lay these things to heart or remember their end. 

8 Now therefore hear this, you lover of pleasures, who sit securely, who say in your heart, "I am, and there is no one besides me; I shall not sit as a widow or know the loss of children": 

9 These two things shall come to you in a moment, in one day; the loss of children and widowhood shall come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and the great power of your enchantments. 

10 You felt secure in your wickedness; you said, "No one sees me"; your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray, and you said in your heart, "I am, and there is no one besides me." 

11 But evil shall come upon you, which you will not know how to charm away; disaster shall fall upon you, for which you will not be able to atone; and ruin shall come upon you suddenly, of which you know nothing. 

12 Stand fast in your enchantments and your many sorceries, with which you have labored from your youth; perhaps you may be able to succeed; perhaps you may inspire terror. 

13 You are wearied with your many counsels; let them stand forth and save you, those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons make known what shall come upon you. 

14 Behold, they are like stubble; the fire consumes them; they cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame. No coal for warming oneself is this, no fire to sit before! 

15 Such to you are those with whom you have labored, who have done business with you from your youth; they wander about, each in his own direction; there is no one to save you.  - Isaiah 47

1 Hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and who came from the waters of Judah, who swear by the name of the LORD and confess the God of Israel, but not in truth or right. 

2 For they call themselves after the holy city, and stay themselves on the God of Israel; the LORD of hosts is his name. 

3 "The former things I declared of old; they went out from my mouth, and I announced them; then suddenly I did them, and they came to pass. 

4 Because I know that you are obstinate, and your neck is an iron sinew and your forehead brass, 

5 I declared them to you from of old, before they came to pass I announced them to you, lest you should say, 'My idol did them, my carved image and my metal image commanded them.' 

6 "You have heard; now see all this; and will you not declare it? From this time forth I announce to you new things, hidden things that you have not known. 

7 They are created now, not long ago; before today you have never heard of them, lest you should say, 'Behold, I knew them.' 

8 You have never heard, you have never known, from of old your ear has not been opened. For I knew that you would surely deal treacherously, and that from before birth you were called a rebel. 

9 "For my name's sake I defer my anger; for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off. 

10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. 

11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another. 

12 "Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am he; I am the first, and I am the last. 

13 My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand forth together. 

14 "Assemble, all of you, and listen! Who among them has declared these things? The LORD loves him; he shall perform his purpose on Babylon, and his arm shall be against the Chaldeans. 

15 I, even I, have spoken and called him; I have brought him, and he will prosper in his way. 

16 Draw near to me, hear this: from the beginning I have not spoken in secret, from the time it came to be I have been there." And now the Lord GOD has sent me, and his Spirit. 

17 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go. 

18 Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea; 

19 your offspring would have been like the sand, and your descendants like its grains; their name would never be cut off or destroyed from before me." 

20 Go out from Babylon, flee from Chaldea, declare this with a shout of joy, proclaim it, send it out to the end of the earth; say, "The LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob!" 

21 They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts; he made water flow for them from the rock; he split the rock and the water gushed out. 

22 "There is no peace," says the LORD, "for the wicked."  - Isaiah 48

1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. 

2 Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips. 

3 A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty, but a fool's provocation is heavier than both. 

4 Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy? 

5 Better is open rebuke than hidden love. 

6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy. 

7 One who is full loathes honey, but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet. 

8 Like a bird that strays from its nest is a man who strays from his home. 

9 Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel. 

10 Do not forsake your friend and your father's friend, and do not go to your brother's house in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away. 

11 Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him who reproaches me. 

12 The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it. 

13 Take a man's garment when he has put up security for a stranger, and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for an adulteress. 

14 Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, will be counted as cursing.  - Proverbs 27:1-14

19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,

20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,

21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,

22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,

25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.

28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses.

29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?

30 For we know him who said, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay." And again, "The Lord will judge his people."

31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

32 But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings,

33 sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated.

34 For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.

35 Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.

36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.

37 For, "Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; 

38 but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him." 

39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls. - Hebrews 10:19-39

38 There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews."

39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!"

40 But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?

41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong."

42 And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

43 And he said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise." - Luke 23:38-43