“”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, “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 and a son and is now in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”
Mary responded, ” I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.”” (Luke 1: vv. 26-38, NLT)
“”Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples. Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write an careful account to you, most honorable Theophilus, so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught.
When Herod was King of Judea, there was a Jewish Priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth was also from the priestly order of Aaron. Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.
One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple for his order was on duty that week. As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.
While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. He will be a man with the spirit and and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the father to the children, and he will cause those were are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”
Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife’s also well along in years.”
Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God . It was He who sent me to bring you this good news! But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”
Meanwhile, the people who were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long. When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. They finally realized from his gestures and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary.
When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home. Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, because she was pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. “How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.” (Luke 1: vv. 1-25, NLT)
“O Lord, You have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.
You go before me and follow me. You place Your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!”
I can never escape from Your Spirit! I can never get away from Your presence.! If I go up to heaven, You are there; if I go down into the grave, You are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there Your hand will guide me, and Your strength will support me.
I could ask darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night- but even in darkness I cannot hide from You. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are all the same to You.” (Psalm 139, vv. 1-12, NLT)
“”Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish.
He said, “I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and He answered me. I called to You from the hand of the dead, and Lord, You heard me!
You threw me into the ocean depths, and I sank down to the heart of the sea. The mighty waters engulfed me; I was buried beneath Your wild and stormy waves.
Then I said, ‘O Lord, You have driven me from Your presence. Yet I will look once more toward Your holy Temple.’
I sank beneath the waves, and the waters closed over me. Seaweed wrapped itself around my head. I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever.
But you, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death! As my life was slipping away, I remembered the Lord. And my earnest prayer went out to You in Your holy Temple.
Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God’s mercies. But I will offer sacrifices to You with songs of praise and I will fulfill all my vows.
For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.”
Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach.””
“”Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountains to be alone. As the men watched Jesus’ appearance was transformed, and His clothes became dazzling white, far whiter than any earthly bleach could ever make them. Then Elijah and Moses appeared and began talking with Jesus.
Peter exclaimed, ” Rabbi, it is wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials – one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He said this because he didn’t really know what else to say, for they were al terrified.
Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly beloved Son. Listen to Him.” Suddenly, when they looked around, Moses and Elijah were gone, and they saw only Jesus with them.
As they went back down the mountain, He told them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept it to themselves, but often asked each other what he meant by “rising from the dead.”” (Mark 9, vv. 2-10, NLT)
“You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. And we know that God, in His justice will punish anyone who does such things. Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things? Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that His kingdom is intended to turn you from sin?” (Romans 23: vv. 1-4, NLT)
“When the Gentiles sin, they will be destroyed, even though they never had God’s written law. And the Jews, who do have God’s law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it. For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in His sight. Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know His law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. And, this is the message that I proclaim- that the day is coming with God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life.” (Romans 2: vv. 12-16, NLT)
“But God shows His anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because He has made it obvious to them. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” (Romans 1: vv. 18-20, NLT)
“Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, He abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, dissection, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. They know God’s justice requires that those who do these tings deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others do to them, too.” (Romans 1: vv. 28- 32, NLT)
“Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.
Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shine like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless. But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God., And I want all of you to share that joy. Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy.” (Philippians 2: vv. 12-18, NLT)
“Why should I fear when trouble comes, when enemies surround me? They trust in their wealth and boast of great riches. Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death by paying a ransom to God. Redemption does not come so easily, for no one can ever pay enough to live forever and never see the grave.
Those who are wise must finally die, just like the foolish and senseless, leaving all their wealth behind. The grave is their eternal home, where they will stay forever. They may name their estates after themselves, but their fame will not last. They will die just like animals. This is the fate of fools, though they were remembered as being wise.
Like sheep, they are led to the grave, where death will be their shepherd. In the morning the godly will rule over them. Their bodies will rot in the grave, far from their grand estates. But as for me, God will redeem my life. He will snatch me from the power of the grave.
So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich and their homes become ever more splendid. For then they die, they take nothing with them. Their wealth will not follow them into the grave. In this life they consider themselves fortunate and are applauded for their success. But they will die like all before them and never again see the light of day. People who boast of their wealth don’t understand; they will die, just like animals.” (Psalm 49, vv. 5-20, NLT)
