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Hebrews 12:2, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

 John 4:24, "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Proverbs 6:4, NLT: "Don't put it off; do it now! Don't rest until you do."

Luke 22:54-62, Now they arrested Him and led Him away, and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but Peter was following at a distance. After they kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter was sitting among them. And a slave woman, seeing him as he sat in the firelight, and staring at him, said, “This man was with Him as well.” But he denied it, saying, “I do not know Him, woman!” And a little later, another person saw him and said, “You are one of them too!” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” And after about an hour had passed, some other man began to insist, saying, “Certainly this man also was with Him, for he, too, is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about!” And immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. And then the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it."

Galatians 6:7, "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a person sows, this he will also reap."

Hebrews 12:14-17, "Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.  See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done."

Romans 8:28-30: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified."

Philippians 2:1-4, NIV:  "Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."

Mark 10:18, NASB: "And Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone."Pure, moral, conscientious; meritorious, worthy, exemplary, upright. These are all synonyms for the word good. In most contexts, the concept of good denotes the conduct that should be preferred when posed with a choice between possible actions. Good is generally considered to be the opposite of evil, and is of high interest in the study of morality, ethics, philosophy, but especially religion. All things considered, Jesus asked the question, "Why do you call Me good?" Was He denying His deity as some would argue? Was He saying that, even He, is evil? In today's podcast we will reason from the text so to have an accurate understanding of what Jesus meant when asking, "Why do you call Me good?"

“Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” – 2 Corinthians 5:18Here is the big question: If you are a follower of Jesus, are you known for forgiveness and reconciliation?  Who do you need to forgive? Who do you need to ask to forgive you? You may say, “No one”, or “I’m all good, not bitter at anyone.” (By the way, bitter people rarely know they are bitter.) If you say you are a Christian, is your life pointing to the grace of God, or preventing people from seeing the grace of God? Followers of Christ are called and empowered to be ambassadors – champions of grace in all relationships.

 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. -Jude 3 ESV  Let’s face it, people are discouraged.  Perhaps a better word to describe it, based on my personal observation, is weary.  Most of us are living waiting for the other shoe to drop.  What else can go wrong?  If it can go wrong, 2020 seems like the year for it to happen!  Hit after hit has caused many to grow weary in their faith.    In our verse Jude reminds us, actually he appeals to us to “contend for the faith.”  To contend is to fight strenuously, it stresses the need to stand for the truth of the Gospel continually and vigorously.  It’s a compound verb from which we get our English word agonize.  Throughout the centuries, Christians have always dealt with resistance and spiritual challenges, this is nothing new. Remember, it’s a narrow road that we’re on, and one of the characteristics of this road is this, it’s hard Matthew 7:13-14.  So how do we get through discouraging times?  Where do we go when we feel weary and tired?  Paul told us in 2 Corinthians 10:3-4, for though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.  For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.  Our battle is spiritual and so we must fight this in the spiritual realm. -AB 

John 6:66-69 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”Do you also want to go away? What a scene! Scores of would-be followers of Jesus left Him, and He asked the twelve if they would also go. Jesus searched the motives of all that follow Him, including the twelve. Speaking for the twelve, Simon Peter gave a wonderful statement of faith.He recognized Jesus as LordHe recognized Jesus as the preferred alternative, despite the difficulties.He recognized the value of spiritual things, more than the material and earthly desires of those who walked away (the words of eternal life).He recognized Jesus as Messiah (the Christ) and God (Son of the living God)

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.At the conclusion of Ecclesiastes chapter 4, the teacher concludes by pointing out that people are better companions than wealth. There is no joy in living alone because your bad life decisions. Solomon says to pity the person who falls down but has no one to lift them up. Two are better than one. We want to think that the good life is about being self-sufficient. But this is simply another lie fed to us by the world. Self-sufficiency is not the ultimate life goal. It is better to have companions, friends, and family and be dependent upon them. Life is better with more people. Do not isolate yourself by throwing yourself into work. Do not be a workaholic. Work what is necessary, enjoy quietness, and spend time enjoy life with others.

1 Peter 4:12-13 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.Peter describes the suffering of these Christians as a “fiery trial” or “fiery ordeal.” This is a word used of burning metal in a refining process. Don’t be surprised that we are being refined. Don’t be surprised that we go through difficulties and suffering. These hard times come upon us to test us. Friends, don’t be shocked when you go through bad times. These are important reminders because we live in a religious world that thinks and teaches that true Christians do not suffer and do not go through hardships. Christians, especially those who seeking to lead godly lives, must expect to face resistance and hostility from a sinful world. Don’t be blindsided when we are rejected. Don’t be thrown off when we are punished or treated unfairly though doing good, righteous acts. When suffering, we are not to throw in the towel and we are not give up. Peter says that we need to rejoice. Rejoice in your decision because you are proving your faith and proving that you are a child of God. God has not left you. Instead you are blessed. 

2 Corinthians 5:1-2 "For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling"When the clay jar is broken and when the tent is destroyed, we know we have something waiting for us. We know that we have something permanent to replace this temporary physical body. We have a building not made with hands, meaning, that it is not of this creation (Hebrews 9:11).It is this eternal body from God that we desire (5:2). We groan for it. We long for it. Is this true for us or are we content staying here? Notice the picture Paul gives for Christians is that they have an intense longing for heaven. We groan for eternity. We are not satisfied with life here. We want life with God! We want to be with him! We want to shed this tent for the eternal building God has made for us to have. The mortal will now inherit life. This is what we groan for and long for!

Ruth 1:16-17 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”Being loyal involves many qualities. This means being faithful and keeping promises. Being dependable through all situations. Putting aside selfish interest and valuing personal commitments. The Bible makes clear that God looks for people who are loyal, who seek first His kingdom, willing to die to self, take up their cross daily, and follow Jesus, committed to serve Him. This account in Ruth was a noble - even outstanding - friend-to-friend commitment. But Ruth's commitment to Naomi went even further: And your God, [will be] my God!

Psalm 20:7 Some boast in chariots and some in horses, but we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God.David put his trust in the person, the character of God. He didn't carry the name of the LORD as a magical incantation; rather the name speaks of the comprehensive character of God and is an expression of His faithfulness to His covenant with Israel. The character and faithfulness of God - was stronger to David and Israel than thousands of chariots or horses.Do we have the same confidence in Almighty God as we face upsets and difficulties throughout our lives? Or do we find ourselves being more disappointed having put our trust in people or things that failed us, perhaps, yet again?

Ephesians 4:32 "Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another: The new man seeks to show the same kindness, tender heartedness and forgiveness to others that God shows him. If we treat others as God treats us, we fulfill every thing Paul told us to do in this chapter.Just as God in Christ forgave you: Our forgiveness to others is patterned after the forgiveness of Jesus towards us. When we think of the amazing way God forgives us, it is shameful for us to withhold forgiveness from those who have wronged us.Forgiveness is something all men need. Man has had a problem with sin since the time of Adam and Eve. Each person will stand in judgment for their own sins, not the sins of others (Ezek. 18:20). Forgiveness that is offered by God is for all men who will obey God’s will. It is his desire for all men to be saved (I Tim. 2:4).

Hebrews 2:1-4 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.  For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution,  how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard,  while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.The ancient Greek word translated neglect is amelesantes, meaning; "they made light of it". It is also used in Matthew 22:5 when it refers to those who disregarded the invitation to the wedding supper. It means to have the opportunity, but to ignore or disregard the opportunity. This is a word to believers, not to the unsaved. The danger described isn’t rejecting salvation (though the principle certainly applies there also), but the danger is neglecting salvation.So great a salvation: When we consider something great, we will naturally pay attention to it and not neglect it. If we do not consider something great, we leave it to convenience rather than to commitment. Therefore, if we neglect something, we probably do not consider it great. Yet our salvation is great, because: We are saved by a great Savior. We are saved at a great cost.We are saved from a great penalty.A reason many neglect their salvation is because they never see it as salvation. They see it merely as receiving something, not as being rescued from something.