3In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was,G1161G1722G1565G2250G3854G2491G910G2784G1722G2048G24492"Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near."G2532G3004G3340G1063G932G3772G14483The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said, "He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the LORD's coming! Clear the road for him!'"G1063G3778G2076G4483G5259G4396G2268G3004G5456G994G1722G2048G2090G3598G2962G4160G846G5147G21174John's clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey.G1161G846G2491G2192G846G1742G575G2574G2359G2532G1193G2223G4012G846G3751G1161G846G5160G2258G200G2532G66G31925People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John.G5119G1607G4314G846G2414G2532G3956G2449G2532G3956G4066G24466And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.G2532G907G5259G846G1722G2446G1843G846G2667But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, he denounced them. "You brood of snakes!" he exclaimed. "Who warned you to flee God's coming wrath?G1161G1492G4183G5330G2532G4523G2064G1909G846G908G2036G846G1081G2191G5101G5263G5213G5343G575G3709G31958Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.G4160G3767G2590G514G33419Don't just say to each other, 'We're safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.' That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones.G2532G1380G3361G3004G1722G1438G2192G11G3962G1063G3004G5213G3754G2316G1410G1537G5130G3037G1453G5043G1110Even now the ax of God's judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.G1161G2235G2532G513G2749G4314G4491G1186G3767G3956G1186G4160G3361G4160G2570G2590G1581G2532G906G1519G444211"I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I'm not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.G1473G3303G907G5209G1722G5204G1519G3341G1161G2064G3694G3450G2076G2478G3450G3739G5266G1510G3756G2425G941G846G907G5209G1722G40G4151G2532G444212He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire."G3739G4425G1722G846G5495G2532G1245G846G257G2532G4863G846G4621G1519G596G1161G2618G892G762G4442
The Baptism of Jesus
13Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John.G5119G3854G2424G575G1056G1909G2446G4314G2491G907G5259G84614But John tried to talk him out of it. "I am the one who needs to be baptized by you," he said, "so why are you coming to me?"G1161G2491G1254G3004G1473G2192G5532G907G5259G4675G2532G2064G4771G4314G316515But Jesus said, "It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires." So John agreed to baptize him.G1161G2424G611G2036G4314G846G863G737G1063G3779G4241G2076G2254G4137G3956G1343G5119G863G84616After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him.G2532G2424G907G305G2117G575G5204G2532G2400G3772G455G846G2532G1492G4151G2316G2597G5616G4058G2532G2064G1909G84617And a voice from heaven said, "This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy."G2532G2400G5456G1537G3772G3004G3778G2076G3450G27G5207G1722G3739G2106
Matthew 4
The Temptation of Jesus
4Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.G5119G2424G321G5259G4151G1519G2048G3985G5259G12282For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.G2532G3522G5062G2250G2532G5062G3571G5305G39833During that time the devil came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread."G2532G3985G4334G846G2036G1487G1488G5207G2316G2036G2443G3778G3037G1096G7404But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say, 'People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"G1161G611G2036G1125G444G2198G3756G2198G1909G740G3441G235G1909G3956G4487G1607G1223G4750G23165Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple,G5119G1228G3880G846G3880G1519G40G4172G2532G2476G846G1909G4419G24116and said, "If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, 'He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone.'"G2532G3004G846G1487G1488G5207G2316G906G4572G2736G1063G1125G3754G1781G846G32G1781G4012G4675G2532G1909G5495G142G4571G142G3379G4350G4675G4228G4314G30377Jesus responded, "The Scriptures also say, 'You must not test the LORD your God.'"G2424G5346G846G1125G3825G1598G3756G1598G2962G4675G23168Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.G3825G1228G3880G846G3880G1519G3029G5308G3735G2532G1166G846G3956G932G2889G2532G1391G8469"I will give it all to you," he said, "if you will kneel down and worship me."G2532G3004G846G3956G5023G1325G4671G1437G4098G4352G342710"Get out of here, Satan," Jesus told him. "For the Scriptures say, 'You must worship the LORD your God and serve only him.'"G5119G3004G2424G846G5217G4567G1063G1125G4352G2962G4675G2316G2532G846G3441G300011Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.G5119G1228G863G846G2532G2400G32G4334G2532G1247G846
The Ministry of Jesus Begins
12When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea and returned to Galilee.G1161G2424G191G3754G2491G3860G402G1519G105613He went first to Nazareth, then left there and moved to Capernaum, beside the Sea of Galilee, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali.G2532G2641G3478G2064G2730G1519G2584G3588G3864G1722G3725G2194G2532G350814This fulfilled what God said through the prophet Isaiah.G2443G4137G3588G4483G1223G2268G4396G300415"In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali, beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River, in Galilee where so many Gentiles live,G1093G2194G2532G1093G3508G3598G2281G4008G2446G1056G148416the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined."G2992G3588G2521G1722G4655G1492G3173G5457G2532G3588G2521G1722G5561G2532G4639G2288G5457G393G84617From then on Jesus began to preach, "Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near."G575G5119G2424G756G2784G2532G3004G3340G1063G932G3772G1448
The First Disciples
18One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living.G1161G2424G4043G3844G2281G1056G1492G1417G80G4613G3004G4074G2532G406G846G80G906G293G1519G2281G1063G2258G23119Jesus called out to them, "Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!"G2532G3004G846G1205G3694G3450G2532G4160G5209G231G44420And they left their nets at once and followed him.G1161G2112G863G1350G190G84621A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too.G2532G4260G1564G1492G243G1417G80G2385G3588G2199G2532G2491G846G80G1722G4143G3326G2199G846G3962G2675G846G1350G2532G2564G84622They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.G1161G2112G863G4143G2532G846G3962G190G846
Crowds Follow Jesus
23Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness.G2532G2424G4013G3650G1056G1321G1722G846G4864G2532G2784G2098G932G2532G2323G3956G3554G2532G3956G3119G1722G299224News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed—he healed them all.G2532G846G189G565G1519G3650G4947G2532G4374G846G3956G2560G2192G4912G4164G3554G2532G931G2532G1139G2532G4583G2532G3885G2532G2323G84625Large crowds followed him wherever he went—people from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and from east of the Jordan River.G2532G190G846G4183G3793G575G1056G2532G1179G2532G2414G2532G2449G2532G4008G2446
Psalms 82
82[A psalm of Asaph.] God presides over heaven’s court; he pronounces judgment on the heavenly beings.H4210H623H430H5324H5712H410H8199H7130H4302“How long will you hand down unjust decisions by favoring the wicked? InterludeH8199H5766H5375H6440H7563H55423“Give justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.H8199H1800H3490H6663H6041H73264Rescue the poor and helpless; deliver them from the grasp of evil people.H6403H1800H34H5337H3027H75635But these oppressors know nothing; they are so ignorant! They wander about in darkness, while the whole world is shaken to the core.H3045H995H1980H2825H4144H776H41316I say, ‘You are gods; you are all children of the Most High.H559H430H1121H59457But you will die like mere mortals and fall like every other ruler.’”H403H4191H120H5307H259H82698Rise up, O God, and judge the earth, for all the nations belong to you.H6965H430H8199H776H5157H1471
Dublin, OH
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