HONOR HIS NAME! Now an Israelite woman’s son, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the people of Israel. And the Israelite woman’s son and a man of Israel fought in the camp, and the Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the Name, and cursed…. Whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death. —Leviticus 24;10-11, 16              How many people would be executed today if this was enforced as it was under the Israelite Theocracy?  People blaspheme the Name of Jesus constantly in our culture.  And why do people do this?  It is rebellion against God— “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for…

HELP THOSE WHO TRULY NEED HELP “And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.” —Leviticus 23:22                Jesus had said, “The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want.”  There was an expectation that we would help the poor.  In the verse above we see that during harvest the land owners were not to harvest along the edge of their fields or gather the…

DON’T BE SWAYED WITH MONEY! So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day. —Matthew 28:15             The soldiers knew exactly what happened. “There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.” —Matthew 28:2-4             This supernatural event caused the soldiers to “shake in their boots” (sandals).  The glorious…

THE WICKED SEX TRAFFICKING OF OUR YOUTH! Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord. —Leviticus 19:16 Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness. —Leviticus 19:29             The people of the nation of Israel were not to “do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord.”  They were not to “degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness.”  Surely these were good directives then and now.             As individuals or a nation, we are not to endanger our…

SPEAK TRUTH, LIVE TRUTHFULLY Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed. —Matthew 27:13-14 So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today…

KNOW YOURSELF AND BE READY Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!”  Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly. —Matthew 26:74-75 It was not much earlier that “Peter declared, ‘Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.’  And all the other disciples said the same” (Matthew 26:35).  How well do we know ourselves?  Do we project that we will do so and so or act so and so in a situation, but will we? Let us…

BETTER YOU HAD NOT BEEN BORN! “The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” —Matthew 26:24             Have you ever heard someone say, “I wish I had never been born!” or maybe you have said it at one time or another.  Usually when someone says this it is because something is not going as they expected it to or wanted it to.             When Jesus said this though, He was speaking about one who would betray Him, was actually against…

BE AWARE OF THE DEVIL’S SCHEMES Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. —Matthew 26:3-4 Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him. —Matthew 26:14-16             We need to be aware of those around us who may seem to one of us but are actually…

ONLY TWO OPTIONS— YOU ARE A GOAT OR A SHEEP And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. —Matthew 25:33              Those who know Jesus seek to help others.  They are not self-centered but are looking out for the interest of others and not just their own— “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.”  Yes, those who know Jesus will seek to model after Him— “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to…

BE FAITHFUL MANAGERS ACCORDING TO YOUR ABILITY! Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. —Matthew 25:13-15 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ —Matthew 25:23  But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where…