by Faith Central & Steve Welsh
“… The Pharisees, who loved money,
heard all these things and sneered at him.
And [Jesus] said to them,
‘You justify yourselves in the sight of others,
but God knows your hearts;
for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God.'”
“… Jesus … found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money-changers …. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables … ‘… stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.’ … Jesus … ‘”Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.’ …”
“‘… I tell you … there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance. …'”
“… some people … resist, disbelieve, or even hate God … [or] engage[] in serious sins [yet] there are even more who have simply fallen into indifference and drifted away from God and the things of Heaven. … What makes this sort of rejection of God’s invitation so pernicious … Many today who live very secular lives, giving little or no thought to God, are very ‘nice’ people. … pay[ing] their taxes, lov[ing] their families … dedicat[ing] their time to … good causes. … [while] seem[ing] to have little time for God or for the things of God …. * * * Do you want what God offers or do you prefer the world … its offers rooted in the flesh or even in the devil? … a strange obtuseness to the human heart … desir[es] lesser things to greater …. carried away by passing pleasures … hat[ing] the discipline of the Cross. We must recover an urgency in our evangelization that does not presume that most will ‘make it in’ by some natural ‘goodness’ or ‘niceness.’ … Vague notions of universalism and of being pleasant, nice people cannot replace the Biblical teaching of obedience to the summons to say yes to God’s Kingdom. … we need a sober, consistent, urgent outreach to the many souls who prefer the secular to the sacred, the passing to the Eternal, what is here to what is Heavenly. Wishful thinking will not win any souls, only a sober seriousness rooted in God’s Word will do so. …”
“‘… the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant, “Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.” The servant reported, “Sir, your orders have been carried out and still there is room.” The master then ordered the servant, “Go out to the highways and hedgerows and make people come in that my home may be filled. For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.”‘”
“‘… when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
“… “Which is the first of all the Commandments?’ Jesus replied, ‘The first is this: Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul,
with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other Commandment greater than these.'”
“‘… everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.'”
“… this is the Will of My Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have Eternal Life, and I shall Raise him on the Last Day.'”
“When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up the mountain, and after He had sat down, His Disciples came to Him. He began to teach them … ‘”Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in Heaven.'”