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| Old Testament Scripture Reading: Isaiah 55:6 – 11 (NASB) |
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Isa 55:6 Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near.
Isa 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.
Isa 55:8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.
Isa 55:9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
Isa 55:10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth, And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
Isa 55:11 So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. |
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| New Testament Scripture Reading: Matthew 13:1 – 17 (NASB) |
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Mat 13:1 On that day Jesus went out of the house, and was sitting by the sea.
Mat 13:2 And great multitudes gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole multitude was standing on the beach.
Mat 13:3 And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow;
Mat 13:4 and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up.
Mat 13:5 “And others fell upon the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil.
Mat 13:6 “But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
Mat 13:7 “And others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out.
Mat 13:8 “And others fell on the good soil, and yielded^ a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.
Mat 13:9 “He who has ears, let him hear.”
Mat 13:10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”
Mat 13:11 And He answered and said to them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.
Mat 13:12 “For whoever has, to him shall more be given, and he shall have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.
Mat 13:13 “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
Mat 13:14 “And in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; AND YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE;
Mat 13:15 FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, AND WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES LEST THEY SHOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, AND HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I SHOULD HEAL THEM.’
Mat 13:16 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.
Mat 13:17 “For truly I say to you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it; and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. |
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Transforming Power Statements:
#1) The gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation; which is revealed, explained, and / or proclaimed through out the entire content of the Holy Scriptures which are known as the Holy Bible. (Heb 1:1 – 3; 2 Peter 1:20 – 21)
#2) The content of the Holy Bible is the complete and necessary diet to assure the proper growth and development of each of the disciples of God and requires the internal witness of the Holy Spirit who is given to those who believe the gospel of Christ Jesus, in order for it to be properly understood. (Acts 1:8; John 7:17)
#3) If we should allow ourselves to be spiritually equipped to interpret the various reactions people will have to the proclamation of the gospel, then we will have learned to be more effective in doing so, and not to be discouraged at what could appear to be failure. |
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