One Story That Leads to Jesus, Day 247
Matthew 23
23Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,G5119G2980G2424G3793G2532G846G31012"The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses.G3004G1122G2532G5330G2523G1909G3475G25153So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don't follow their example. For they don't practice what they teach.G3956G3767G302G3745G2036G5213G5083G5083G2532G4160G1161G4160G3361G2596G846G2041G1063G3004G2532G4160G37564They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.G1063G1195G926G5413G2532G1419G2532G2007G1909G444G5606G1161G2309G3756G2795G846G846G11475"Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels.G1161G3956G846G2041G4160G4314G2300G444G1161G4115G846G5440G2532G3170G2899G846G24406And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues.G5037G5368G4411G1722G1173G2532G4410G1722G48647They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called 'Rabbi.'G2532G783G1722G58G2532G2564G5259G444G4461G44618"Don't let anyone call you 'Rabbi,' for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters.G1161G2564G3361G5210G2564G4461G1063G1520G2076G5216G2519G5547G1161G3956G5210G2075G809And don't address anyone here on earth as 'Father,' for only God in heaven is your spiritual Father.G2532G2564G3361G5216G3962G1909G1093G1063G1520G2076G5216G3962G3588G1722G377210And don't let anyone call you 'Teacher,' for you have only one teacher, the Messiah.G3366G2564G2519G1063G1520G2076G5216G2519G554711The greatest among you must be a servant.G1161G3187G5216G2071G5216G124912But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.G1161G3748G5312G1438G5013G2532G3748G5013G1438G531213"What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people's faces. You won't go in yourselves, and you don't let others enter either.G1161G3759G5213G1122G2532G5330G5273G3754G2808G932G3772G1715G444G1063G5210G3761G1525G3756G863G1525G152514G3759G5213G1122G2532G5330G5273G3754G2719G5503G3614G2532G4392G4336G3117G4336G1223G5124G2983G4055G291715"What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn that person into twice the child of hell you yourselves are!G3759G5213G1122G2532G5330G5273G3754G4013G2281G2532G3584G4160G1520G4339G2532G3752G1096G4160G846G1362G5207G1067G521616"Blind guides! What sorrow awaits you! For you say that it means nothing to swear 'by God's Temple,' but that it is binding to swear 'by the gold in the Temple.'G3759G5213G5185G3595G3588G3004G3739G302G3660G1722G3485G2076G3762G1161G3739G302G3660G1722G5557G3485G378417Blind fools! Which is more important—the gold or the Temple that makes the gold sacred?G3474G2532G5185G1063G5101G2076G3187G5557G2228G3485G37G555718And you say that to swear 'by the altar' is not binding, but to swear 'by the gifts on the altar' is binding.G2532G3739G1437G3660G1722G2379G2076G3762G1161G3739G302G3660G1722G1435G1883G846G378419How blind! For which is more important—the gift on the altar or the altar that makes the gift sacred?G3474G2532G5185G1063G5101G3187G1435G2228G2379G37G143520When you swear 'by the altar,' you are swearing by it and by everything on it.G3767G3660G1722G2379G3660G1722G846G2532G1722G3956G1883G84621And when you swear 'by the Temple,' you are swearing by it and by God, who lives in it.G2532G3660G1722G3485G3660G1722G846G2532G1722G2730G84622And when you swear 'by heaven,' you are swearing by the throne of God and by God, who sits on the throne.G2532G3660G1722G3772G3660G1722G2362G2316G2532G1722G2521G1883G84623"What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.G3759G5213G1122G2532G5330G5273G3754G586G2238G2532G432G2532G2951G2532G863G926G3551G2920G2532G1656G2532G4102G5023G1163G4160G3361G863G2548G86324Blind guides! You strain your water so you won't accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!G5185G3595G1368G2971G1161G2666G257425"What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence!G3759G5213G1122G2532G5330G5273G3754G2511G1855G4221G2532G3953G1161G2081G1073G1537G724G2532G19226You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.G5185G5330G2511G4412G1787G4221G2532G3953G2443G1622G846G1096G2513G253227"What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people's bones and all sorts of impurity.G3759G5213G1122G2532G5330G5273G3754G3945G2867G5028G3748G3303G5316G5611G1855G1161G2081G1073G3498G3747G2532G3956G16728Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.G3779G5210G2532G3303G1855G5316G1342G444G1161G2081G2075G3324G5272G2532G45829"What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you build tombs for the prophets your ancestors killed, and you decorate the monuments of the godly people your ancestors destroyed.G3759G5213G1122G2532G5330G5273G3754G3618G5028G4396G2532G2885G3419G134230Then you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would never have joined them in killing the prophets.'G2532G3004G1487G2258G1722G2250G2257G3962G302G3756G2258G2844G846G1722G129G439631"But in saying that, you testify against yourselves that you are indeed the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.G5620G3140G1438G3754G2075G5207G5407G439632Go ahead and finish what your ancestors started.G4137G5210G4137G2532G3358G5216G396233Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell?G3789G1081G2191G4459G5343G575G2920G106734"Therefore, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers of religious law. But you will kill some by crucifixion, and you will flog others with whips in your synagogues, chasing them from city to city.G1223G5124G2400G1473G649G4314G5209G4396G2532G4680G2532G1122G2532G1537G846G615G2532G4717G2532G1537G846G3146G1722G5216G4864G2532G1377G575G4172G1519G417235As a result, you will be held responsible for the murder of all godly people of all time—from the murder of righteous Abel to the murder of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you killed in the Temple between the sanctuary and the altar.G3704G1909G5209G2064G3956G1342G129G1632G1909G1093G575G129G1342G6G2193G129G2197G5207G914G3739G5407G3342G3485G2532G237936I tell you the truth, this judgment will fall on this very generation.G281G3004G5213G3956G5023G2240G1909G5026G107437"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God's messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn't let me.G2419G2419G615G4396G2532G3036G649G4314G846G4212G2309G1996G4675G3739G5043G1996G5158G3733G1996G1438G3556G5259G4420G2532G2309G375638And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate.G2400G5216G3624G863G5213G204839For I tell you this, you will never see me again until you say, 'Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the LORD!'"G1063G3004G5213G1492G3364G1492G3165G575G737G2193G302G2036G2127G2064G1722G3686G2962
Matthew 24
24As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples pointed out to him the various Temple buildings.G2532G2424G1831G4198G575G2411G2532G846G3101G4334G1925G846G3619G24112But he responded, "Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!"G1161G2424G2036G846G991G3756G3956G5023G281G3004G5213G863G3364G863G5602G3037G1909G3037G3739G2647G3364G26473Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, "Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?"G1161G846G2521G1909G3735G1636G3101G4334G846G2596G2398G3004G2036G2254G4219G2071G5023G2071G2532G5101G4592G4674G3952G2532G4930G1654Jesus told them, "Don't let anyone mislead you,G2532G2424G611G2036G846G991G3361G5100G4105G52095for many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah.' They will deceive many.G1063G4183G2064G1909G3450G3686G3004G1473G1510G5547G2532G4105G41836And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don't panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won't follow immediately.G1161G3195G191G4171G2532G189G4171G3708G2360G3361G2360G1063G3956G1163G1096G235G5056G2076G37687Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world.G1063G1484G1453G1909G1484G2532G932G1909G932G2532G2071G3042G2532G3061G2532G4578G2596G51178But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.G1161G3956G5023G746G56049"Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers.G5119G3860G5209G3860G1519G2347G2532G615G5209G2532G2071G3404G5259G3956G1484G1223G3450G368610And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other.G2532G5119G4183G4624G2532G3860G240G2532G3404G24011And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people.G2532G4183G5578G1453G2532G4105G418312Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.G2532G1223G458G4129G26G4183G559413But the one who endures to the end will be saved.G1161G5278G1519G5056G3778G498214And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.G2532G5124G2098G932G2784G1722G3650G3625G1519G3142G3956G1484G2532G5119G5056G224015"The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place." (Reader, pay attention!)G3752G3767G1492G946G2050G4483G1223G1158G4396G2476G2476G1722G40G5117G314G353916"Then those in Judea must flee to the hills.G5119G1722G2449G5343G1909G373517A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack.G1909G1430G3361G2597G142G5100G1537G846G361418A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat.G2532G3361G1722G68G1994G3694G142G846G244019How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days.G1161G3759G2192G1722G1064G2532G2337G1722G1565G225020And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath.G1161G4336G3363G5216G5437G1096G3363G5494G3366G1722G452121For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again.G1063G5119G2071G3173G2347G3634G1096G3756G575G746G2889G2193G3568G3761G3364G109622In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God's chosen ones.G2532G1508G1565G2250G2856G3756G302G3956G4561G4982G1161G1223G1588G1565G2250G285623"Then if anyone tells you, 'Look, here is the Messiah,' or 'There he is,' don't believe it.G5119G1437G5100G2036G5213G2400G5602G5547G2228G5602G4100G336124For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God's chosen ones.G1063G1453G5580G2532G5578G2532G1325G3173G4592G2532G5059G5620G1487G1415G4105G2532G158825See, I have warned you about this ahead of time.G2400G4280G5213G428026"So if someone tells you, 'Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,' don't bother to go and look. Or, 'Look, he is hiding here,' don't believe it!G3767G1437G2036G5213G2400G2076G1722G2048G1831G3361G1831G2400G1722G5009G4100G336127For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes.G1063G5618G796G1831G575G395G2532G5316G2193G1424G3779G2071G2532G3952G5207G444G207128Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.G1063G1437G3699G4430G5600G1563G4863G105G486329"Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.G1161G2112G3326G2347G1565G2250G2246G4654G2532G4582G1325G3756G1325G846G5338G2532G792G4098G575G3772G2532G1411G3772G453130And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.G2532G5119G5316G4592G5207G444G1722G3772G2532G5119G2875G3956G5443G1093G2875G2532G3700G5207G444G2064G1909G3507G3772G3326G1411G2532G4183G139131And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.G2532G649G846G32G3326G3173G5456G4536G2532G1996G846G1588G1537G5064G417G575G206G3772G2193G206G84632"Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near.G1161G3129G3850G575G4808G3752G846G2798G1096G2235G527G2532G1631G5444G1097G3754G2330G145133In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door.G3779G2532G5210G3752G1492G3956G5023G1097G3754G2076G1451G1909G237434I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place.G281G3004G5213G3778G1074G3364G3928G302G2193G3956G5023G109635Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.G3772G2532G1093G3928G1161G3450G3056G3928G3364G392836"However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.G1161G4012G1565G2250G2532G5610G1492G3762G3761G32G3772G1508G3450G3962G344137"When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah's day.G1161G5618G2250G3575G3779G2071G2532G3952G5207G444G207138In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat.G1063G5618G1722G2250G2258G4253G2627G5176G2532G4095G1060G2532G1547G891G2250G3739G3575G1525G1519G278739People didn't realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.G2532G1097G3756G2193G2627G2064G2532G142G537G142G3779G2071G2532G3952G5207G444G207140"Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left.G5119G2071G1417G2071G1722G68G1520G3880G2532G1520G86341Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.G1417G229G1722G3459G3391G3880G2532G3391G86342"So you, too, must keep watch! For you don't know what day your Lord is coming.G1127G3767G3754G1492G3756G4169G5610G5216G2962G206443Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into.G1161G1097G1565G3754G1487G3617G1492G4169G5438G2812G2064G302G1127G2532G302G3756G1439G846G3614G135844You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.G1223G5124G1096G5210G2532G2092G3754G3739G5610G1380G3756G5207G444G206445"A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them.G5101G686G2076G4103G2532G5429G1401G3739G846G2962G2525G1909G846G2322G1325G846G5160G1722G254046If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.G3107G1565G1401G3739G846G2962G2064G2147G3779G416047I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns.G281G3004G5213G3754G2525G846G2525G1909G3956G846G522448But what if the servant is evil and thinks, 'My master won't be back for a while,'G1161G1437G1565G2556G1401G2036G1722G846G2588G3450G2962G5549G206449and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk?G2532G756G5180G4889G1161G2068G2532G4095G3326G318450The master will return unannounced and unexpected,G2962G1565G1401G2240G1722G2250G3739G4328G3756G2532G1722G5610G3739G1097G3756G109751and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.G2532G1371G846G1371G2532G5087G846G3313G3326G5273G1563G2071G2805G2532G1030G3599
Psalms 92
92[A psalm. A song to be sung on the Sabbath Day.] It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High.H4210H7892H7676H3117H2896H3034H3068H2167H8034H59452It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening,H5046H2617H1242H530H39153accompanied by the ten-stringed harp and the melody of the lyre.H6218H5035H3658H19024You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me! I sing for joy because of what you have done.H3068H8055H6467H7442H4639H30275O Lord, what great works you do! And how deep are your thoughts.H3068H1431H4639H4284H3966H60096Only a simpleton would not know, and only a fool would not understand this.H1198H376H3045H3684H9957Though the wicked sprout like weeds and evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed forever.H7563H6524H6212H6466H205H6692H8045H57038But you, O Lord, will be exalted forever.H3068H4791H57699Your enemies, Lord, will surely perish; all evildoers will be scattered.H341H3068H341H6H6466H205H650410But you have made me as strong as a wild ox. You have anointed me with the finest oil.H7161H7311H7214H1101H7488H808111My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies; my ears have heard the defeat of my wicked opponents.H5869H5027H7790H241H8085H7489H696512But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.H6662H6524H8558H7685H730H384413For they are transplanted to the Lord’s own house. They flourish in the courts of our God.H8362H1004H3068H6524H2691H43014Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green.H5107H7872H1879H748815They will declare, “The Lord is just! He is my rock! There is no evil in him!”H5046H3068H3477H6697H5766H5766
Dublin, OH
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