2 John Bible Sketch

Are you greeted by grace?

 

Are you mended by mercy?

 

Is your journey on track toward perfect peace?

How would you describe the events of life…some weeks like a fun, carefree vacation, other times, struggling amid hard challenges or dishonored by toxic criticism? It’s good to get the laundry done, back home with your Church family. Exhausted by distress, saddened by grief, frustrated by lies, regretting failure to put God and others first—all parts of our sinful human nature need to be turned inside-out. They’re common stains to bring to the Lord who blots them all out. Jesus supplies forgiveness, cleansing, certain hope to keep moving forward, plus courage to make appropriate changes. Energized to start fresh, each new week begins cleared of guilt, washed clean, resting in God’s love and truth. Our Creator establishes blessings of joy and gratitude as He comes to us in divine worship services to

• greet grief by His grace
  
• mend mourning by His mercy
  
• feed faith in His perfect peace

2 John 3

Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love. 2 John 3

 

Grace, mercy, and peace are blessings that don’t show up on their own from within us.

Since sin is an ongoing problem for all people, we desperately need Baptismal blessings to be added to us from the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God’s purpose is to generously give us the gift of the Spirit so we may learn to lean on Him; plus, in love for others, tell about the hope we have in Jesus. We’re free to embrace truth about love, that even though we’re undeserving, Jesus willingly gave His life for us. In the Lord’s Supper, we receive—in, with, and under the bread and wine—the true body and blood of Christ shed on the cross. In this way of the faith, He fills us with His peace that surpasses understanding.

We can’t make this up.

Believing lies about truth and love brings dangerous confusion and harmful distress. Nothing is truly good or lovely apart from the full context of God’s Word. Truth and love are realized by the faith we receive by God’s grace; it’s not by our decision, nor by doing good things. Our Savior Jesus and his Father sent the Spirit to give the faith which beneficially fills our needs. God is in control and present in the Church, providing all we ask according to His will. Hearts of those who genuinely receive His blessings trust the Lord for help to love enemies and pray for those who hurt us in daily life. The faith turns focus toward the cross of Christ for us. Truth speaks of how Christ’s fruit of the Spirit is at work in failures and difficulties to refine the faith which turns us toward opportunities to serve others, utilizing capabilities He supplies in timing He’s planned for us. God’s gift of truth and love will completely remove our struggle against evil and all of sin’s consequences when Jesus returns for believers who will, forever, dwell with Him in the harmonious place He’s preparing for us. 

The Word explains who we are in Christ who endured our shame and keeps hope alive. It clarifies and warns of anti-Christs—those who oppose Truth and are against Christ. The faith, through eyes spiritually opened, sees errors false teachers stand for. The Spirit of Truth helps us recognize that individuals and entire organizations who make up their own version of so-called truth, intentionally reject hearing Christ’s authoritative Truth offered in genuine Love. We pray the Holy Spirit would stir all people to stop believing Satan’s lies which lead us far away from the life that our loving Father desires for us. Merciful protection in Christ frees us to maintain boundaries which avoid mingling with falsehoods and corruption of twisted, irreverent and arrogant ideologies. By God’s grace, we confidently surrender effort to convince them of Truth when they blatantly choose to reject. When ears are plugged, hearts become cold and hard. Opportunity for reasonable conversations may not transpire; yet, if it does become possible, only by the power of the Holy Spirit can we talk, in gentleness, with people who disagree with the faith or don’t trust Jesus. God may restore them in humble repentance and repair the damage they’ve caused.

It’s good to visit each other in homes and gather in the Church. 

Face-to-face intimate in-person time together is the best way to communicate effectively.

Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete. 2 John 12

God-given abilities to create and utilize technology expand connections in community. Thanks for reading. God bless you.

Pray

Heavenly Father, by Your own true Son, You have revealed the truth to us in love. Protect us from all who would take this truth and love from us by the deception of wise-sounding error. Keep us in Christ, who is the “way, the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6). Amen. —The Lutheran Study Bible, p2183

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• Intro
  
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Zephaniah Bible Sketches

God sings a song of affection over His creation! 

 

Our Lord calls us to sing a new song of thanksgiving to Him!

 

God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. Bible Hub

Sadly, some angels chose to rebel and fell away from God. Satan the Tempter is the chief fallen angel, the father of lies and evil demons. Eve fell for the lies. Adam took it further when he disobeyed God. When God questioned him, he could have honestly, humbly, swallowed his pride and told the truth. Instead, Adam blamed both Eve and God for his own problem. Eve blamed Satan rather than admitting her mistake. Blaming others is not good and there are consequences for refusal to own your own failures. 

Often, we don’t recognize the many ways we fall short of God’s standards. On our own, we can’t recover from guilt—we’ll never do enough [of what we think is good] to make up for our own brokenness. The curse of this world we live in is because of sin. Before creation, and while everything was perfect until pride entered the picture, God knew failure would happen. He’d already planned one Way back to Himself.

Complacency is vain confidence in—our behaviors, objects, processes—anything or anyone other than God.

Fallen human nature wants to replace or cancel our need for God. Corruption makes us apathetic and slothful—not caring about God’s Word. It magnifies personal desire, performance, money, affiliation, or someone we know. None of these arrogant behaviors make us right with God. Putting trust in anything but God alone makes for an indifferent attitude which allures us astray from the Truth toward perfectionism, envy and toxic selfishness. We are not forced to repentance, we are called to the Truth which leads us to it.

Zephaniah 3:17

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17

 

Romans 11:29, Zephaniah 3:17, Psalm 34:5

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Romans 11:29.

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17.

Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. Psalm 34:5.

Jesus came, uncomplaining, to set us apart from the world.

He suffered for us, died on the cross, bodily rose from the dead and ascended to heaven where He intercedes to defend us. He did not sin, yet took the punishment for our sin and shame. Those who move forward in Christian living are joyfully content to be judged according to Christ’s righteousness.

In Baptism and by the Word of God, we receive the gift of faith to believe our hope is in Christ Jesus, our Prophet, Priest and King, to save us from God’s wrath over judgement that we are sinners. Scripture claims we are to expect divisions and many bad things will get even worse before the end of time on this earth. Then, there will be punishment for those who denied the Holy Spirit. The Good News is: Jesus will return for those who trust Him! Now, we are waiting for the fulfillment of God’s promises.

“Only through the second Adam, Christ, were the ravages of the fall and its consequences (God's wrath and displeasure, temporal death, and eternal damnation) abundantly made good and the means of pardon and grace provided for all men”

Christian Cyclopedia

By the faith given and grace received, we have

• a merciful relationship with God, trusting His plan of forgiveness in the blood of Jesus
  
• power to grasp the gift of faith which believes Christ is the only Way to true peace and salvation
  
• grace to face God with the repentant heart He creates 
• refuge from His anger over all types of sin
• humility to pray for all people—self, loved ones, and enemies
• insight and wisdom of His will 
• contentment with God’s gifts and answers to prayer
  
• His gifts of growth in the faith
• desire to thank and praise Him
• encouragement to share His love
  
• joyful, wholesome confidence to trust in Him through the good and bad times

Believers—all who receive the true faith in Christ—have been made ready for death in this world and will never really die!

When Christians die, immediately their spirit is with Jesus in Heaven. They continue to live in the spirit, singing in harmony with God until the day of judgement when their bodies are restored to eternal perfection in a right relationship with Him.

Good texts, tunes, video and info

• Hymns, Ballads, Chants, Truth
• Worship: God Serves Us
• Theological distinctions between Law & Gospel
• Intro to Zephaniah
• Zephaniah overview video

Numbers Bible Sketch

Our heavenly Father’s blessings of a beginning

Sending us forward in protection, mercy, grace, atonement and peace in Jesus

The Benediction, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 ESV Bible verse hand lettering with sketch of how to make the sign of the cross hand gesture—the oldest symbol of Christianity.

A pastoral blessing

1. is like the shining of the sun bringing joy and brightness,
2. gives peace and security in the wake of life’s tragedy and natural disasters,
3. verbally declares a wishing of God’s wishes,
4. calls Christians to love and bless others even in the midst of horrifying situations, 
5. reminds us of who we are as God’s children in the midst of chaos and adversity, 
6. includes a hand gesture to visualize the blessing’s effectiveness in God’s peacemaking on the cross
7. is spoken Word which forgives and strengthens

(reference and more about the benediction)

Explore to listen, watch, sing along

• The Lord Bless You And Keep You - Lutkin - performed live by Octarium
• The Lord Bless You and Keep You - Nidarosdomens Guttekor
• The Lord Bless You and Keep You - HSU Music High school a capella group Half-Step Up

Printable blessings sign of the cross art is available at FreshRetroGallery, Etsy. Learn how to make cards on the computer: tutorial and inspiration for making artistic notes.

Check out The Lutheran Study Bible with extra helpful study resources and prayers.

Exodus Bible Sketch

God is in the details of the ten commandments [God is love]

“Where the heart is right with God, all the other commandments follow.” —Dr. A. L. Barry

God is love—pure, patient, self-giving, desiring all to be saved.

• Listen to Issues Etc.’s excellent discussion about Love. 
• Read a short post, God’s Passionate Love!
• God’s ten commandments invite us to abide in Him, for our good and the love of others.

The cross of Jesus in Bible verse sketch “You shall have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3 ESV

What are small-g-gods all about?

Grappling: The First Commandment and Six Idols (The Ten Commandments)  (open link, then click on picture to start short video about idolatry)

Sins make life difficult, meaningless, or dull; they take priority over praying, thanking, praising, revering, listening to His Word, singing hymns and worshiping God. Our Lord Jesus brings forgiveness, healing, peace and joy to those who confess and repent of sins (realized) as well as the sins which may be evident to others (and God) though we may not recognize. A few examples are

• spending time or money unwisely or miserly
• neglecting to attend to needs of others
• avoiding opportunities to share the Gospel
• poor response to others when they commit sins against us
• blame-shifting, denial or refusal to take responsibility for sins
• manipulating people and situations
• impatience
• the list goes on…

Dimensions of how deeply our sinful nature (unhealthy connection to other gods) affects others is beyond what we can accurately measure or explain. We get boxed into rigid perimeters other sinners place around us or we build walls around ourselves and others. We cannot free ourselves from sin preventing us to think outside our own little boxes.

The Holy Spirit gives believers power to resist temptations, lies, vices of Satan, the world, and our fallen nature which promote an inclination to abuse or give excess praise, focus, reliance on

• things we consume and places we go—confused about what [we think] we “deserve”—we sometimes forget to thank our Creator who provides skills and opportunities which allow us to generate income to afford these items and pleasures
• ourselves—selfish, prideful, stubborn, wants, worries, negativity, mistrust in the Lord 
• work—falsely thinking it “earns” God’s favor
• control—which is not ours to impose on others
• people in our lives:
  —having an unrealistic expectation of perfection
  —assuming to be understood by a person without communicating with him/her
  —unforgiving lack of compassion toward one who seeks to be heard/forgiven
  —demanding of or using someone for our own glory and gratification

Our Heavenly Father provides the Word to help us offer forgiveness and compassion toward those He placed for us to humbly love, lead, support, nourish, cherish and protect.

Being able to forgive others (pastor, teacher, parent, spouse, sibling, child, grandchild, friend, co-worker, etc.) isn’t like a light switch that is turned on and off—it is a process that takes time. We may never forget the sins, yet with the help of God we can and it is good for us to

1. confess our own sinfulness
2. have empathy toward ourselves and those who sin against us (if they are willing to communicate, listen to their fears, desires, misplaced trust)
3. because of what Christ has done, we can forgive self and people who sin against us even if they do not ask to be forgiven

Don’t lose heart!

God opened the Way to freedom and saves many who abide in Truth. His Word teaches us to ask for His will to be done and enables us to receive His forgiveness and goodness. Generously and mercifully he

• feeds our hunger
• directs our focus
• protects and delivers us from evil
• heals the brokenhearted
• shows kindness
• comforts us in sorrows
• levels—makes a smooth path by still waters for our thirsty souls
• leads us to Himself and a life of repentance
• walks with us
• forgives, washes, cleans up after us, turns us around
• allows us to receive and fully trust His mercy
• provides us capacity to share mercy with others
• creates peace and goodness

Pray: dear God of Love, we praise and thank You for this Good News! Guide us that we may generously forgive, show mercy, share and receive compassionate love. Amen.

“…as far as the east is from the west…” Psalm 103

Gracious God sketch of the cradled Christ, crown of thorns, cross of Christ, Easter lilies, risen sun (Son of God) with rays of hope, water of baptism, trees of the field—doodled during a bible study class.

Our Creator is so gracious!

While we were yet sinners, He pours the Holy Spirit into our hearts—we receive this gift in the water of baptism and by hearing His Word.

Our Heavenly Father frees and saves repentant sinners through the sacrifice of Christ Jesus, our Precious Treasure who

• is true God and true man
• was tempted
• never sinned
• suffered
• died by crucifixion
• was buried
• rose from the dead
• ascended to heaven
• intercedes for us

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9, ESV (whole chapter)

Are you looking for a Bible with helpful extras? 

Check out The Lutheran Study Bible.

Broken promises and promises to trust

Nobody’s perfect.

People break promises. This fact is recorded in the Bible:

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans 3:23

It is extremely frustrating and heartbreaking when promises are broken and lies unfold. Yet, we can process these emotions with the comforting words of hope, My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.  2 Corinthians 12:9;  And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16 ESV

With this promise of God, we are assured that what we learn in the Bible comes from Him! Blessings are ours when we trust Him. Jesus is perfect; God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21

10 Promises from God

1. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 ESV
2. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:29-31 ESV
3. Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28-29 NIV1984
4. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27 ESV
5. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 ESV
6. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39 ESV
7. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 ESV
8. But whoever listens to Me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster. Proverbs 1:33 ESV
9. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 ESV
10. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 2 Peter 1:3-4 ESV

The ultimate Christmas gift!

Immanuel means “God with us”. The virgin birth of Jesus is one of God’s greatest miracles and gifts to humanity. Christ is patient and calls those who doubt to repent. No one knows when, but He will appear again to separate those who reject Him and to dwell with those He has chosen (Matt. 24:36, 25:31–46). For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8

• Grant us a faith that perseveres until the end, O Lord. Move us by Your Spirit, that our good works continually glorify You and benefit our neighbors. Amen.
—The Lutheran Study Bible, Concordia Publishing House, Saint Louis

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel. —Isaiah 7:14 KJV
Christmas Inspirations Postcard Number Two ©Elizabeth B. Knaus

The Savior Was Promised

Read more about these postcards for sale at the Christian Postcard Section in my Etsy Shop.