Pastor Mark BerlinFebruary 3rd 2019
4The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 5'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.' 6'Ah, Sovereign LORD,' I said, 'I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.' 7But the LORD said to me, 'Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,' declares the LORD. 9Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, 'Now, I have put my words in your mouth. 10See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.' 11The word of the LORD came to me: 'What do you see, Jeremiah?' 'I see the branch of an almond tree,' I replied. 12The LORD said to me, 'You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.' 13The word of the LORD came to me again: 'What do you see?' 'I see a boiling pot, tilting away from the north,' I answered. 14The LORD said to me, 'From the north disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land. 15I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms,' declares the LORD. 'Their kings will come and set up their thrones in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem; they will come against all her surrounding walls and against all the towns of Judah. 16I will pronounce my judgments on my people because of their wickedness in forsaking me, in burning incense to other gods and in worshiping what their hands have made. 17'Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them. 18Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land--against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. 19They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,' declares the LORD.
1In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. 2Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me. 3Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. 4Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of evil and cruel men. 5For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth. 6From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb. I will ever praise you. 7I have become like a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge. 8My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long. 9Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone. 10For my enemies speak against me; those who wait to kill me conspire together. 11They say, 'God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him, for no one will rescue him.'
31But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way. 1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
31Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath began to teach the people. 32They were amazed at his teaching, because his message had authority. 33In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, 34'Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God!' 35'Be quiet!' Jesus said sternly. 'Come out of him!' Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him. 36All the people were amazed and said to each other, 'What is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!' 37And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area. 38Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. 39So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them. 40When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. 41Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, 'You are the Son of God!' But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Christ. 42At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. 43But he said, 'I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.' 44And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.