Angel Announcement and Birth of Jesus: Luke 1:26-45 & 2:1-14

Announcement – Luke 1:26-45 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For the word of God will never fail.” Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”

Birth of Jesus – Luke 2:1-14 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire … All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant.

And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

Luke 24:13-32 Two Men on the Road to Emmaus

HIS WORDS

And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them. But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him. And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they stood still, looking sad. One of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?” And He said to them, “What things?” And they said to Him, “The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened. But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.” And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He were going farther. But they urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day is now nearly over.” So He went in to stay with them. When He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight. They said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?" (Luke 24:13–32, NASB95)  

MY WORDS

That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” 

I WILL

Review all the stories from Creation to Christ that I have learned.

Matthew 4:1-11 (Luke 4:1-13): Temptation of Jesus

Matthew 4:1-11 (Creation to Christ - Discovering God)

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ ” Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You’; and ‘On their hands they will bear You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’ ” Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’ ” Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

Luke 4:1-13 (Commands of Christ - Discovering Discipleship)

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry. And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’ ” And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. “Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’ ” And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here; for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You to guard You,’ and, ‘On their hands they will bear You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’ ” And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.

7: Birth of Jesus (Christmas)

Another storyteller's version: 

https://vimeo.com/groups/240885/videos/27896621

HIS WORDS: Isaiah 9:2, 6-7; Luke 1:26-38; 2:1-20

MY WORDS: Coming Soon!


I WILL: Coming Soon!

6B: SINAI & THE SACRIFICIAL SYSTEM - Leviticus 4:1-35

The story of the tabernacles starts at 1:15 

The story of the tabernacle for this storyteller starts at 2:50:

https://vimeo.com/groups/240885/videos/27894308

HIS WORDS: Leviticus 4:1-35

MY WORDS

The LORD spoke to Moses and said, "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'If a person sins unintentionally by straying from any of God's commands, breaking what must not be broken, if it's the anointed priest who sins and brings guilt on the people, he is to bring a bull without defect to GOD as a sin offering. [Heb. 7:27,28] He must bring the bull to the door of the Tent of Meeting in the presence of GOD, lay [both] of his hands on the bull's head and kill [it] before the Lord. Then he shall take some of the bull's blood, bring it into the Tent of Meeting, dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle some of it seven times before the Lord before the veil (curtain) of the sanctuary. He is to put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of sweet (fragrant) incense before the Lord which is in the Tent of Meeting; and all the rest of the blood of the bull shall be poured out at the base of the altar of the burnt offering at the door of the Tent of Meeting. He is to remove all the fat from the bull of the sin offering that covers and is on its organs, the two kidneys and the fat that is on them at the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he shall take away with the kidneys (just as these are taken off of the ox of the sacrifice of the peace offerings), and the priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering. But the hide of the bull and all its flesh, its head, its legs, its organs, and its dung - he is to take outside the camp to a clean place where the ashes are dumped and burned on a wood fire. [Heb. 13:11-13]

'If the whole congregation sins unintentionally by straying from one of the commandments of GOD that must not be broken, they become guilty even though no one is aware of it. When they do become aware, the congregation must bring a bull as a burnt offering for a sin offering and bring it before the tent of meeting. Then the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the LORD, and the bull shall be killed before the LORD. Then the anointed priest is to bring some of the blood, and sprinkle some of it seven times before GOD in front of the curtain. He will smear some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before the LORD in the Tent of Meeting and pour the rest of it at the base of the altar of burnt offering which is at the doorway of the tent of meeting. He shall remove all the fat from it and offer it up in the smoke on the altar. He shall do with the bull just as he did with the bull of the sin offering;  The priest would make atonement (cover over their sin), and they are forgiven. Then they will take the bull outside the camp and burn it just as they burned the first bull. It is the sin offering for the assembly.

'When a leader sins and unintentionally does any of all the things which the LORD his God has commanded not to be done and he becomes guilty, if his sin which he has committed is made known to him, he must bring for his offering a goat, a male without defect. He shall lay his hand on the head of the male goat and slay it in the place where they slay the burnt offering before the LORD; it is a sin offering. Then the priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put in on the horns of the altar of burnt offerings; and the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering. All its fat he shall offer up in smoke on the altar as in the case of the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings. Thus the priest shall make atonement (cover over the sin) for himself in regard to his sin, and he will be forgiven. 

'Now if any of the common people sins unintentionally in doing any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done; and becomes guilty, if his sin which he has committed is made known to him, than he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without defect, for his sin which he has committed. He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill the sin offering at the place of the burnt offering. The priest shall take some of the blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering; and all the rest of it blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar. Then he shall remove all its fat, just as the fat was removed from the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall offer it up in smoke on the altar for a pleasing fragrance to the LORD. 

'Thus the priest shall make atonement (cover over the sin) for him, and he will be forgiven. 

'If he brings a lamb as his sin offering, he shall bring a female without blemish. He shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering. And the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and all the rest of the blood of the lamb he shall pour out at the base of the altar. And he shall take away all the fat of it, just as the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of the peace offerings; and the priest shall burn it on the altar upon the offerings made by fire to the Lord; and the priest shall make atonement for the sin which the man has committed, and he shall be forgiven. [Heb. 9:13,14]

MY STUDY

Here are a couple of helpful posts I wrote about the offerings.

Leviticus 1 & 2

Leviticus 3 & 4

I WILL

Be in awe because Jesus is the perfect lamb sacrifice who has made atonement for my sin and through Him, I am forgiven! :) WOOHOO! I want the whole world to know! 

6A: SINAI & THE TEN COMMANDMENTS - Exodus 20:1-21

This includes Pharoah pursuing the Israelites and the Wilderness Wanderings of Sinai: 

https://vimeo.com/groups/240885/videos/27894308

HIS WORDS: Exodus 20:1-21

MY WORDS

God spoke all these words:

"I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, out of a life of slavery.

1) You must have no other gods but Me alone.

2) You must not make any carved gods of any form and worship them, whether of things that fly or walk or swim. Do not bow down to them and do not serve them because I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing the children for any sins their parents pass on to them to the third, and even the fourth generation of those who hate me. But I am very loyal to the thousands who love me and keep my commandments.

3) You must not use or repeat the name of the LORD your God lightly or frivolously, in false affirmations or profanely; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who uses His name that way. 

4) You must earnestly remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy (withdrawn from common employment and dedicated to God). You must labor and do all your work in six days, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your children, or your servants, or your domestic animals, or the foreign guest visiting in your town. For in six days GOD made Heaven, Earth, and sea, and everything in them; He rested on the seventh day. Therefore GOD blessed the Sabbath day; He set it apart as a holy day.
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5) You must treat with honor, due obedience, and courtesy your father and mother, that your days may be long in the land the LORD your God gives you.

6) You must not murder.

7) You must not commit adultery. [Prov 6:25,26; Matt. 5:28; Rom. 1:24; Eph. 5:3]

8) You must not steal. [Prov. 11:1; 16:8; 21:6; 22:16; Jer. 17:11; Mal. 3:8]

9) You must not give false testimony against your neighbor. [Ex. 23:1; Prov. 19:9; 24:28]

10) You must not lust after your neighbor's house -- or wife or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Do not set your heart on anything that is your neighbor's. [Luke 12:15; Col. 3:5]

All the people were afraid when they experienced the thunder and lightening, the trumpet blast, and the smoking mountain so they pulled back and stood at a distance from Moses. They said to him, "You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not have God speak to us or we will die!"

Moses told the people: "Do not be afraid. God has come to test you and instill a deep and reverent awe of Him within you so that you will not sin (you will not want to!)."

The people kept their distance while Moses approached the thick cloud where God was. 

I WILL

I have NOT been keeping the Sabbath lately. I know that I am not bound to the Law, and Jesus is our Sabbath rest, but I know that REST is a part of the cycle God had when He created the world. I did take Tuesday off (earliest day I was able to do it because Saturday, Sunday, and Monday were pretty packed with things). It is hard when your "work" is also your ministry. I LOVE what I do, and I have learned to abide in His presence while I work (because that is what He desires for us to do so that our ministry is overflow). So, I do not get worn out that often (God has been teaching me MUCH about the ABIDE-RIDE-REST cycle!). But this week, I pushed the envelope going from 8 am - 6:30 pm without a break, and the next two Saturdays do not look any different. Lord, speak to me about that. I want Saturdays to be more restful because that is our only day as a family too since George is up in Hillsboro during the week. Give me wisdom God. I want to honor YOUR Sabbath and keep it set apart for you. Hmm. Hearing that Friday can always be that "set apart" day as I already have it as a 1/2 day or full day prayer time every other week. Just always make Friday free of any meetings or anything. Hmm. Unless I have a free Saturday. Awaiting and listening on You instructions about that God! 

5: MOSES - Exodus 1-12

This story starts at 5:00 minutes

Here is another storyteller: https://vimeo.com/27650160

HIS WORDS: Exodus 1-12 

MY WORDS

Remember when God promised Abraham he would be the father of a great nation? Well, God kept that promise. Abraham had Isaac, and Isaac had Jacob, and Jacob had twelve sons. Through one of his sons, Joseph, God brought all of the sons of Jacob to Egypt so that they would not die in a famine in the promised land of Canaan. In Egypt, they had grown from just Jacob's family into a large nation of twelve families or tribes. They were called Hebrews, from a word that means beyond, on the other side.  

God had also told Abraham that one day His people would live in a foreign land and become slaves. But God would punish the people who enslaved them, and that is exactly what happened. The king of Egypt feared that the Hebrews would turn against him because they were great in number so he made them slaves. 

Even after that particular Pharaoh died, the Hebrews were still suffering in slavery.  So they cried out to God, and He heard their cries and sent Moses to tell Pharaoh, "The God of Israel says, 'Let my people go!'"

But Pharaoh refused to let them go replying, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey Him and let the Hebrews go? I do not know the Lord, and I will not let the people go.  After this, he made it even harder on the Hebrews. 

God wanted to show His great power over Pharaoh and all the Egyptian gods so he sent ten plagues before Pharaoh would let the Hebrews go. 

In the first plague, He turned the water into blood so no one could drink it and all the fish died. 

In the second plague, He sent frogs that came from the Nile River, and they got into everything! This made Pharaoh ask that Moses pray that they go away, and they did, but when they were gone, he hardened his heart again and would not let them go. 

So God sent a third plague of insects that made them itch, and Pharaoh's magicians were powerless to help, saying that this God of gods was more powerful than anything that they could do. 

Then God sent a fourth plague of flies and a fifth plague that killed all the animals of the Egyptians. Then he sent a sixth plague of boils and a seventh plague of hail that destroyed their crops so that God's full power could be shown throughout the whole earth. With this, Pharaoh repented and said, "I have sinned, and the Lord is right and my people are wrong." But when the hail and thunder stopped, Pharaoh sinned again and hardened his heart. 

Then God sent an eighth plague of locusts to finish eating the Egyptian crops. Even Pharaoh's officials were telling him to let the people go. So he said the men could go but not the women and children. But God was not pleased with that arrangement so He sent a ninth plague of three days of darkness over the land. The Egyptians worshiped the sun god, Ra, so this was a major thing for them to see God's power over this god.  Then Pharaoh said, "You can all go, but you must leave your cows behind." 

But Moses said, "No, everything must go with us." So Pharaoh was very angry and told Moses he never wanted to see Moses again. And Moses said, "You will not see me again." 

The tenth and most terrible plague came. God said that the angel of death would come and destroy the firstborn of Egypt, both humans and animals. So, He told Moses to tell the Hebrews they must take a perfect lamb and kill it and take the lamb's blood and put it at the top and side of the frame of their doors so the angel of death would passover their homes. So, the Hebrews did as they were told. That night, the angel of death killed all the firstborn of the Egyptians, even Pharaoh's son, but death did not touch the firstborn of those who did as the Lord had instructed them. 

So, Pharaoh said that they could go with their livestock. That night the Hebrews left with great joy. And they even asked for gold and silver and clothing and the Egyptians gave it to them. They left very quickly.  

God told them they were to celebrate the Passover feast every March or April to remember their deliverance from Egypt and when the angel of death "passed over" their homes because of the blood of the lamb.

So they went on to the promised land, and we will see in our next story what happened to them there. 

I WILL 

Have a time of thanksgiving and praise for His blood that covers me and has delivered me from bondage into freedom in Christ. Tell someone my story of bondage to freedom this week before I meet with my Monday MUG! 

4:ABRAHAM - Genesis 12:1-25:11

Part 1 of Abraham is at 12:12 of the top video 

and the first part of the second video

Here is Abraham part A (Genesis 12-21):

https://vimeo.com/groups/240885/videos/98904461

Here is Abraham Part B (Genesis 22) 

https://vimeo.com/groups/240885/videos/98904462


HIS WORDS: Genesis 12:1-25:11

MY WORDS

Many generations after Noah (or Adam, if that was your last story), there was a man named Abram who lived among idol worshipers in what is now modern day Iraq. One day, God called Abram to leave his country and his father's house to go to a land that He would show him. God promised Abram that he would be a great nation (that is to have many descendants) that He would bless Abram and make his name great, and that through Abram all the peoples of the earth would be blessed. The first part of that promise was hard to believe since Abram was 75 and his wife Sarai was 65, and they had no children! But Abram obeyed God by taking his wife, and his nephew, Lot, and went to the land of Canaan.

Later, God came to Abram in a vision, and He told him He would protect Abram and greatly reward him, but Abram asked, "How can You reward me when I have no descendants?" 

But God said, "You will have a child." He also told him, "Look to the heavens, your descendants will be as countless as the stars." 

So Abram believed God's promise and he was made right before God because of his faith. 

With that, God changed his name from Abram, which means noble father, to Abraham, which means father of many nations. He also changed Sarai's name to Sarah which means princess. 

It had been almost 25 years since God promised Abraham and Sarah a child, but one day three men came to their tents, and one of the three men was an angel of the Lord, who said, "This time next year, your wife will have a new baby." When Sarah overheard this she laughed because she was 89 years old at that time.

But the angel of the Lord said, "Why did Sarah laugh? Is anything too difficult for the Lord?" And Sarah had a baby a year later when she was 90 years old. 

(This can be a separate story.) 

Several years later, God told Abraham, "Take your son, your only son whom you love and go to one of the mountains in the land of Moriah and sacrifice him as a burnt offering. So Abraham obeyed God and took two servants, his son, and the materials for the burnt offering to Mount Moriah. 

When they got to the point where he saw the mountain in the distance, he told his two servants, "Stay here with the donkey while my son and I go up to worship and afterwards we will return to you."

So Abraham gave the wood for the sacrifice to his son, and he took the fire and the knife. Then his son asked, "Father, the wood and fire are here, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?"

Abraham replied, "God will provide the lamb." So they went up to the mountain, and Abraham built an altar and placed his son on the altar. When he lifted the knife to kill his son, an angel of the Lord called from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham! Do not harm the boy. Now I know that you really fear God because you have not withheld your son, your only son." 

Just then, Abraham looked up and saw a male sheep caught by its horns in a thicket. He took the sheep and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. Abraham called that place, "The Lord will provide."

Then the angel of the Lord said, "Because you have been faithful in not withholding your son, your only son. I will greatly bless you, and will greatly multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and the sand of the seashore. And through your offspring (seed -- Galatians 3:16) all peoples of the earth will be blessed." 

I WILL

Believe God for something that just happened today!

Mark 5:1-20 -- Gerasene Demoniac

HIS WORDS: Mark 5:1-20 

MY STUDY: Great exposition of the passage HERE

MY WORDS

They came to the other side of the Sea of Galilee where the Gerasenes lived. When He got out of the boat, a madman, with an unclean spirit who lived among the tombs and graves in the cemetery, came up to Him. No one could restrain him-he could not be chained up or tied down with ropes because he always broke them. He was screaming in the cemetery and in the mountains on a night and day basis, slashing himself with sharp stones.  

When he saw Jesus coming from a distance, he ran up and bowed before Him and shouted in a loud voice saying, "What is there in common, Jesus, Son of the Most High God, messing with me? I swear to God, do not harass me!" (For Jesus had just commanded the tormenting evil spirit, "Out! Get out of the man!").

Jesus asked him, "Tell me your name."

He replied, "My name is Legion, for we are great in number" (a Roman army legion was anywhere from 3,000-6,600 men). Then the man begged Jesus not to banish him and the demons away out of the region.

A big herd of pigs were feeding on a nearby hill. The demons begged Jesus, "Send us to the pigs so we can live in them." Jesus gave the order and the unclean spirits entered the pigs, and the herd of two thousand stampeded over the cliff into the sea and drowned. 

Those who herded the pigs ran away and reported what happened to the people in the town and country. The people came to see what  had happened. They came to Jesus and saw that the man who had been a demon-possessed madman was sitting down, clothed, and calm. This made them frightened. 

Those who had seen it told others what had happened to the demon-possessed man and the pigs. Then they began to beg him to leave their region. 

As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was begging to come with Him; but Jesus would not let him. Jesus said, "God home to your own family, relatives, and friends. Tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you." The man went back and began to preach in Decapolis (the region of the ten cities) how much Jesus had done for him, and all the people were amazed.  

I WILL

From my "listening time" with the Lord, God pointed out that I did not give glory to Him for how I came out of the frustration I was in from my freewrite in the last post. I forgot to mention the spiritual dynamic of the day, and how I gave the devil a good swift kick. I believe that most of my problem yesterday was spiritual more than anything else. I will give glory to him by editing my freewrite that I wrote this morning to acknowledge the spiritual dynamics of yesterday. 

Interesting that there were also some spiritual things going on with our friends in Phoenix at the same exact time, and I did not know it until our Skype meeting a few hours later. 

God also pointed out to me that I could be a "low-maintenance" project for the enemy, and that is not His will for me to be so. 

Luke 23:33-43 -- Remember Me

HIS WORDS

When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. 

But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” 

And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves. And the people stood by, looking on. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.”

The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine, and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!” 

Now there was also an inscription above Him, “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!”

But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 

And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” 

And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

MY WORDS

When they arrived at the place called Skull Hill, they crucified Him with one criminal on His right and the other on His left. 

Jesus prayed, Father, please forgive them; they do not know what they are doing."

The soldiers divided up Jesus' clothes and threw dice for them. The people stood there staring at Jesus, and the ringleaders made faces, taunting and saying, "Jesus saved others. Let's see if He can save Himself! Sure, He's the Messiah of God. Sure, He's the chosen." 

The soldiers mocked Him. They gave Him sour wine and said, "So You're the King of the Jews! Save Yourself!"

There was a sign over Him that read, "THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS." 

One of the criminals mocked Him saying, "Are you not the Anointed One? Save Yourself and us."

The other rebuked him saying, "Do you not fear God, for you will be condemned. We are suffering because we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong." 

Then he said, "Jesus remember men when you enter your kingdom."

He said, "Don't worry, I will. Today, you will join me in paradise."

I WILL

REST because it is "Saturday in the Tomb" day since last Holy Saturday before Easter was anything but restful, I have cleared my calendar to rest and reflect. Thank You, Jesus for meeting me in the very early hours of Saturday morning with a reminder of paradise in Your kingdom!

Luke 18:9-14 -- The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

HIS WORDS

And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 

But the tax collector,standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 

I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

MY WORDS

Jesus told a story to those who were complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance and assumed they were in right standing before God because of it and looked down at the common people: "Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one was a religious man called a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee prayed like this: 'Oh God, I thank You that I am not like other people -- robbers, crooks, adulterers, or even like this tax collector here. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on all my income.'

"But the tax collector was standing a distance away and could not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but kept striking his breast, saying, 'O God, be gracious to me because I am a wicked sinner.'"

Jesus said, "I tell you, the tax collector went back to his home forgiven and in right standing before God, rather than the other man; for everyone who lifts himself up will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be raised to a position of dignity and honor. 

I WILL

Pray and listen to God about this one! :) 

3: NOAH - How God Saved One Family - Genesis 5:28-9:17

This story starts at 8:10

Here is another storyteller's version: https://vimeo.com/78321561


HIS WORDS: Genesis 5:28-9:17

MY WORDS

In place of my own paraphrase, I typed out J.O. Terry's words from a book about oral storytelling called God and Woman. 

(On the copyright page, full permission is given for the story lessons to be "reproduced, photocopied, translated into other languages, or adapted in part or the whole, for the glory of God and to the benefit of women living in oral cultures. . .")

"How God Saved One Family"

One of Seth's descendants was a man named Noah which means comfort because his parents said "he will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands because the earth was cursed by the Lord." At that time there were many men and women living on the earth. They were doing things not pleasing to God. God saw their wickedness and that their hearts were filled with evil thoughts. Because of their great wickedness, God was going to destroy all people that He had created and all the animals and birds from the face of the earth.

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord for he was a righteous man and blameless among the people of his day. It was said that Noah "walked with God." Noah had a wife and three sons: Japheth, Shem, and Ham. So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence and their wickedness. So make yourself an ark (boat) of wood with rooms inside it. Seal it with pitch (tar) inside and out." God also said, "I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life. Everything on earth with the breath of life will perish.

But I will establish my covenant with you. And you will enter the ark with your wife and your sons and your sons' wives. You are to bring into the ark two of every kind of creature -- a male and a female of all animals and every kind of food for them and for your family" Noah did everything just as God commanded him. Then the Lord said, "Go into the ark and take your whole family because I have found you righteous among all the people. Seven days from now I will send rain upon the earth." So Noah took his wife and his sons Japheth, Shem, and Ham, and his sons' wives, eight in all, and entered the ark, along with all the animals. Then the Lord closed the door.

It happened as the Lord said. It began to rain for 40 days and nights. The heavens burst open and every living thing with the breath of life perished except those safe with Noah inside the ark. The waters continued a long time until God remembered Noah and sent a wind over the earth to dry the waters.

One day Noah sent out a raven to see if the earth were dry. Again he sent out a dove which brought back a leaf in its beak. Then Noah knew the earth was dry at last. God said to Noah, "Come out of the ark, you and your wife, your sons and your sons' wives. Bring out all the animals." 

Noah built an altar to the Lord and offered a thanksgiving sacrifice. God was pleased and promised never again to destroy the earth by water. Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Have many children and replenish the earth. Everything that lives and moves will now be food for you. But you must not eat meat that still has lifeblood in it." And God placed the rainbow in the sky as a sign of God's covenant with man. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, people will remember God's covenant with Noah never to destroy the earth again by water. 

I WILL (DID)

Do EVERYTHING the Lord commands me to do today. No partial obedience. Listen and FULL obey! 

(Also went and saw Noah in the movie theatre for an impromptu date. It is a Hollywood version with silly distortions for dramatic effect, but I still think it has its merits for helping me visualize the Biblical narrative.) 

2: FALL - Genesis 3

This story starts at 4:40

HIS WORDS: Genesis 3:1-24 

Another story of the Fall: https://vimeo.com/groups/240885/videos/78327094

MY WORDS - "A Rift in Relationship"

Now the snake was more subtle and deceitful than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "God has told you, 'You cannot eat from any of the trees of the garden'?" 

And the woman corrected him and said to the snake, "Oh no, we can eat from every tree except the one in the middle of the garden. We cannot eat or touch it. If we do, we will die." 

And the snake said, "You are not going to die! God knows that when you eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

When the woman saw the tree was tasty to eat and delighted her eyes and would make her wise -- she took the snake's bait and ate the fruit of the tree. Then she gave it to her husband, and he ate. 

Then their eyes were open, and they knew that they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together so they could have clothes to cover their nakedness.

When they heard the sound of God walking in the garden in the evening breeze, they hid themselves from God's presence by ducking behind the trees.

Then the Lord God called to the man and said, "Where are you?" 

The man replied, "I heard You walking in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked. So I hid."

God said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you disobeyed Me by eating from the tree I told you not to eat from?"

And the man blamed it on the woman saying, "The woman You gave to me as a companion gave it to me, and I ate."

Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?"

"The snake misled and deceived (cheated, outwitted) me, and I ate," she said. 

Then the LORD God said to the snake:

"Because you have deceived man and woman, 
Cursed are you more than cattle,
And every wild thing of the field; 
You will go on your belly, 
And you will eat dust all the days of your life.
And I will put war between you and the woman,
And between your offspring and her Offspring;
Her Offspring will crush and tread your head  underfoot,
And you will lie in wait and crush him on the heel." [Gal.4:4]

To the woman He said,

"I will multiply your grief and suffering in pregnancy and childbirth,
You will give birth to your babies in spasms of distress.
You will desire to control (overflow onto) your husband, 
But he will have dominion over you." 

Then to Adam He said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree that I told you not to eat from;

"The ground is under a curse because of you;
In sorrow and toil you will eat of its fruits
All the days of your life.
Thorns and thistles will grow alongside
The plants of the field you shall eat.
You'll have to put out sweat-producing labor
In order to eat bread,
Until you return to the ground,
From which you were taken, dead and buried;
You started out from dirt, 
And you will return to that dirt."

Now the man called his wife's name Eve (life spring), because she was the mother of all the living.

Then God made long coats of animal skin and covered their nakedness.

God said, “Behold, what has become [by sin] of the man who was as one of us! Formed, at first, in our image to know good and evil—how sad his condition now. What if he now, in this sinful state, should reach out and take the fruit of the tree of life and eat, and be deluded that he will live forever when he is now lost and doomed to death?" (this is help from the commentary below, but I am still mulling it over in my mind)

So God sent him out of the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he came. He threw him out of the garden and stationed ministering spirits manifesting God's presence (Shekinah glory) and a revolving sword of fire east of it, guarding the path to the Tree of Life.


MY STUDY

3:16: "Desire" in Hebrew is from the root word, šûq , which means "to water, to overflow." The harmonious partnership between man and woman was broken because of sin. 

22. And God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us—not spoken in irony as is generally supposed, but in deep compassion. The words should be rendered, “Behold, what has become [by sin] of the man who was as one of us”! Formed, at first, in our image to know good and evil—how sad his condition now. 

     and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life—This tree being a pledge of that immortal life with which obedience should be rewarded, man lost, on his fall, all claim to this tree; and therefore, that he might not eat of it or delude himself with the idea that eating of it would restore what he had forfeited, the Lord sent him forth from the garden.

Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Ge 3:22). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

I WILL

So hard to get through the impact of the fall on the  relationship of man and woman as things have unfolded over the last few days for a friend. My I WILL was to fall flat on my face before Him and cry out for a miracle. 

The enemy is so crafty. UGH! But "greater is He who is within us than he who is in the world."

MY QUESTIONS

3:5 - What would be good/bad about knowing good and evil?

1B: ADAM - Genesis 1:26-2:25

This story starts at 3:42

This is the Discovering God DBS. 

For STORYTELLING, I insert the details about the creation of Man and Woman in Genesis 2 after God created the animals on the sixth day in Chapter 1.  Then I go back and talk about the 7th day of Genesis 2:1-3.

HIS WORDS: Genesis 1:26-2:25

MY WORDS

We already learned last time that on the sixth day, God created living creatures. He also did something very special on the sixth day, He said, "Let us make man in our image to rule over all the animals and creatures of the earth." 

So God formed man from the dust of the earth and breathed life into man through his nostrils, and he became a living being. He put man to care for the beautiful garden of Eden. In that garden, there were trees of every kind that were beautiful and good for food. In the middle, he planted two special trees - the tree of life (Genesis 3:22-23 indicates that if you eat of it, you live forever, but it is not stated in Genesis 2 so I leave this out in storytelling) and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

God told man, "You may eat freely from any tree in the garden. but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it, you will surely die." 

Then God said, "It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper for him." God had given man the responsibility of naming all the living creatures, but not one of those creatures was like him (made in the image of God), so none of them were suitable for him.

So God caused the man to fall asleep, and He took one of the ribs from the man and closed up the flesh. From that rib, he made a woman and brought her to the man.

The man, called Adam, was so excited! He said, "This is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh, she will be called woman because she was taken out of Man." God ordained that in the future man would leave his father and mother and become one with his companion wife.

The man and the woman were both naked, but they felt no shame about it.

God blessed them and said to them, "Reproduce, fill the earth, and take charge of it. Rule over the fish, birds, and living creatures on the earth."

Then God said, "I have given you all the seed-bearing plants and fruit-bearing trees on the earth as food. I give whatever grows out of the ground for food to the animals and birds."

God looked at everything that He had made and saw that it was VERY GOOD.

And there was evening and morning on the sixth day.

Then when everything was completed, God rested on the seventh day from all the good work He had done. Then God blessed that seventh day and set it apart, making it a Holy Day of rest. Because on that day he rested from all His creating work.

I WILL

REST tomorrow for the Sabbath. I did not have a rest last Saturday due to the invasion of women for our cooking club. 

John 8:1-11 - Go and Sin No More

HIS WORDS

But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them. 

The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. “Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him.

But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 

When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” 

She said, “No one, Lord.” 

And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.”

MY WORDS

At night Jesus went up to the Mount of Olives (Luke 21:37-38), but at dawn, He came back into the temple court, and crowds came to Him. Then, He sat down and was teaching them. 

The teachers of the law and Pharisees brought in a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle of the group and then said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. What do you say?" They were trying to trap Him into saying something incriminating so they could bring a charge against Him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write something on the ground with His finger. When the religious leaders kept on questioning Him, He straightened up and said to them, "If any of one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Again, He bent down and wrote on the ground.

At this, those who heard Jesus' words began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are your accusers? Has anyone condemned you?"

"No one, Master," she said.

"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus said. "Go now and leave your life of sin." 

I WILL (DID)

God clearly showed me a course of action to show compassion with someone but to encourage them not to continue in the behavior, and I am holding them accountable to it. 

1A: CREATION - Genesis 1:1-25

A friend storytelling from Creation to Abraham - Part I

HIS WORDS: Genesis 1

Here is another link to one Australian woman telling this story with the creation of man and woman too: 

https://vimeo.com/groups/240885/videos/98904461



MY WORDS

God was there from the start; and out of nothing, He made something: heaven above and the earth beneath. Darkness was over the deep and God's Spirit moved over the surface of water. All God had to do was speak. He spoke, and there was light, and he separated the light from the dark. Light was day and dark was night. And there was evening and morning on the first day.

Then God spoke, "Let there be this vast expanse in the middle of the watery clouds above and water below. So God did just that, and He called the expanse sky.  And there was evening and morning on the second day.

Then God said, "Let the waters that I separated that are below be gathered into one place and let the dry land appear." And it happened just as He said! And He called the dry land earth and called the waters seas; and God saw that it was good. 

Then God said, "Let the earth have all sorts of vegetation, grass, and plants and fruit trees. Then it happened just as He said! The earth started sprouting with all sorts of vegetation and plants and fruit trees -- each with seed bearing fruit that caused it to reproduce. God saw the vegetation, plants, and trees all over the land that He spoke into being and declared it good. And there was evening and morning on the third day. 

Then God said, "Let there be light in the atmosphere to separate day from night and to mark seasons and days and years. Let them give light to the earth. He made two great lights - the great one to shine during the day (Sun), and the lesser one to shine at night (Moon - that reflects the Sun's light); He made billions of stars that He put all over the heaven to give light to the earth and to shine during the day and night and to make a distinction between light and darkness, and God saw that it was good. And there was evening and morning on the fourth day. 

Then God said, "Let the seas be filled with fish and all kinds of sea creatures, both big and small. And let birds fly in the air. He saw it was all good. He blessed the sea and winged creatures and said, "Be fruitful and plentiful, increase in number and fill the waters and the sky." This was all done on the fifth day.

Then God said, "Let the earth produce every kind of animal after their kinds: sheep and cattle, creatures that move along the earth, and wild animals."  And it happened just as He said. He said it was good. 

Stay tuned for the rest of the SIXTH DAY! 

I WILL

Take a praise walk in the glorious sunshine this morning, keeping watch for and marveling at all He has created!

Follow up: Had a wonderful time of praise in the sun followed by listening to a worship playlist while I worked out.