A Letter to God's Elect - Part 2: Trained for Troubled Times

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Thinking Christian: A Counter-Culture Worldview

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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkEXO">
 <div class="chapter ch11" data-usfm="EXO.11">
 <div class="label">11</div><div class="s1">The Plague on the Firstborn</div><div class="p"> 1Now the Lord had said to Moses, &#8220;I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely. 2Tell the people that men and women alike are to ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold.&#8221; 3(The Lord made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh&#8217;s officials and by the people.)</div><div class="p"> 4So Moses said, &#8220;This is what the Lord says: &#8216;About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. 5Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. 6There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt&#8212;worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. 7But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any person or animal.&#8217; Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. 8All these officials of yours will come to me, bowing down before me and saying, &#8216;Go, you and all the people who follow you!&#8217; After that I will leave.&#8221; Then Moses, hot with anger, left Pharaoh.</div><div class="p"> 9The Lord had said to Moses, &#8220;Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you&#8212;so that my wonders may be multiplied in Egypt.&#8221; 10Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh&#8217;s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go out of his country.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
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 <div class="chapter ch14" data-usfm="LUK.14">
 <div class="label">14</div><div class="s1">Jesus at a Pharisee&#8217;s House</div><div class="p"> 1One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. 2There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body. 3Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, &#8220;Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?&#8221; 4But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way.</div><div class="p"> 5Then he asked them, &#8220;If one of you has a child#14:5 Some manuscripts donkey or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?&#8221; 6And they had nothing to say.</div><div class="p"> 7When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8&#8220;When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, &#8216;Give this person your seat.&#8217; Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, &#8216;Friend, move up to a better place.&#8217; Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. 11For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12Then Jesus said to his host, &#8220;When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Parable of the Great Banquet</div><div class="p"> 15When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, &#8220;Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16Jesus replied: &#8220;A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, &#8216;Come, for everything is now ready.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 18 &#8220;But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, &#8216;I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 19 &#8220;Another said, &#8216;I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I&#8217;m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 20 &#8220;Still another said, &#8216;I just got married, so I can&#8217;t come.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 21 &#8220;The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, &#8216;Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 22 &#8220;&#8198;&#8216;Sir,&#8217; the servant said, &#8216;what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 23 &#8220;Then the master told his servant, &#8216;Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. 24I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Cost of Being a Disciple</div><div class="p"> 25Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26&#8220;If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters&#8212;yes, even their own life&#8212;such a person cannot be my disciple. 27And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.</div><div class="p"> 28 &#8220;Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won&#8217;t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30saying, &#8216;This person began to build and wasn&#8217;t able to finish.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 31 &#8220;Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won&#8217;t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.</div><div class="p"> 34 &#8220;Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.</div><div class="p"> &#8220;Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.&#8221;</div>
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 <div class="book bkJOB">
 <div class="chapter ch29" data-usfm="JOB.29">
 <div class="label">29</div><div class="s1">Job&#8217;s Final Defense</div><div class="p"> 1Job continued his discourse:</div><div class="q1"> 2&#8220;How I long for the months gone by,</div><div class="q2">for the days when God watched over me,</div><div class="q1"> 3when his lamp shone on my head</div><div class="q2">and by his light I walked through darkness!</div><div class="q1"> 4Oh, for the days when I was in my prime,</div><div class="q2">when God&#8217;s intimate friendship blessed my house,</div><div class="q1"> 5when the Almighty was still with me</div><div class="q2">and my children were around me,</div><div class="q1"> 6when my path was drenched with cream</div><div class="q2">and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 7&#8220;When I went to the gate of the city</div><div class="q2">and took my seat in the public square,</div><div class="q1"> 8the young men saw me and stepped aside</div><div class="q2">and the old men rose to their feet;</div><div class="q1"> 9the chief men refrained from speaking</div><div class="q2">and covered their mouths with their hands;</div><div class="q1"> 10the voices of the nobles were hushed,</div><div class="q2">and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.</div><div class="q1"> 11Whoever heard me spoke well of me,</div><div class="q2">and those who saw me commended me,</div><div class="q1"> 12because I rescued the poor who cried for help,</div><div class="q2">and the fatherless who had none to assist them.</div><div class="q1"> 13The one who was dying blessed me;</div><div class="q2">I made the widow&#8217;s heart sing.</div><div class="q1"> 14I put on righteousness as my clothing;</div><div class="q2">justice was my robe and my turban.</div><div class="q1"> 15I was eyes to the blind</div><div class="q2">and feet to the lame.</div><div class="q1"> 16I was a father to the needy;</div><div class="q2">I took up the case of the stranger.</div><div class="q1"> 17I broke the fangs of the wicked</div><div class="q2">and snatched the victims from their teeth.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 18&#8220;I thought, &#8216;I will die in my own house,</div><div class="q2">my days as numerous as the grains of sand.</div><div class="q1"> 19My roots will reach to the water,</div><div class="q2">and the dew will lie all night on my branches.</div><div class="q1"> 20My glory will not fade;</div><div class="q2">the bow will be ever new in my hand.&#8217;</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 21&#8220;People listened to me expectantly,</div><div class="q2">waiting in silence for my counsel.</div><div class="q1"> 22After I had spoken, they spoke no more;</div><div class="q2">my words fell gently on their ears.</div><div class="q1"> 23They waited for me as for showers</div><div class="q2">and drank in my words as the spring rain.</div><div class="q1"> 24When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it;</div><div class="q2">the light of my face was precious to them.#29:24 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.</div><div class="q1"> 25I chose the way for them and sat as their chief;</div><div class="q2">I dwelt as a king among his troops;</div><div class="q2">I was like one who comforts mourners.</div><div class="b"></div>
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 <div class="book bk1CO">
 <div class="chapter ch15" data-usfm="1CO.15">
 <div class="label">15</div><div class="s1">The Resurrection of Christ</div><div class="p"> 1Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.</div><div class="p"> 3For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance#15:3 Or you at the first: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Cephas,#15:5 That is, Peter and then to the Twelve. 6After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.</div><div class="p"> 9For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them&#8212;yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.</div><div class="s1">The Resurrection of the Dead</div><div class="p"> 12But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.</div><div class="p"> 20But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27For he &#8220;has put everything under his feet.&#8221;#15:27 Psalm 8:6 Now when it says that &#8220;everything&#8221; has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.</div><div class="p"> 29Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? 30And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? 31I face death every day&#8212;yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,</div><div class="q1">&#8220;Let us eat and drink,</div><div class="q2">for tomorrow we die.&#8221;#15:32 Isaiah 22:13</div><div class="m"> 33Do not be misled: &#8220;Bad company corrupts good character.&#8221;#15:33 From the Greek poet Menander 34Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God&#8212;I say this to your shame.</div><div class="s1">The Resurrection Body</div><div class="p"> 35But someone will ask, &#8220;How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?&#8221; 36How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.</div><div class="p"> 42So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.</div><div class="p">If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45So it is written: &#8220;The first man Adam became a living being&#8221;#15:45 Gen. 2:7; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. 48As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we#15:49 Some early manuscripts so let us bear the image of the heavenly man.</div><div class="p"> 50I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed&#8212; 52in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: &#8220;Death has been swallowed up in victory.&#8221;#15:54 Isaiah 25:8</div><div class="q1"> 55&#8220;Where, O death, is your victory?</div><div class="q2">Where, O death, is your sting?&#8221;#15:55 Hosea 13:14</div><div class="m"> 56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.</div><div class="p"> 58Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.</div>
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