Proverbially So: Contentment

Pastor Scott Struebing
Today's Text:

1 Timothy 6:11-12

English Standard Version (ESV)

Fight the Good Fight of Faith

¹¹ But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.¹²  Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Proverbs 15:16-17

English Standard Version (ESV)

¹⁶ Better is a little with the fear of the Lord
    than great treasure and trouble with it.
¹⁷ Better is a dinner of herbs where love is
    than a fattened ox and hatred with it.

Proverbially So: Integrity

Pastor Scott Struebing

Today's Text:

Proverbs 11:3-6

English Standard Version (ESV)

³ The integrity of the upright guides them,
     but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.
⁴ Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
     but righteousness delivers from death.
⁵ The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight,
    but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.
⁶ The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
    but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust.

Psalm 73:1-20

English Standard Version (ESV)

Book Three

God Is My Strength and Portion Forever

A Psalm of Asaph.

73 Truly God is good to Israel,
    to those who are pure in heart.
² But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
    my steps had nearly slipped.
³ For I was envious of the arrogant
    when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

⁴ For they have no pangs until death;
    their bodies are fat and sleek.
⁵ They are not in trouble as others are;
    they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.
⁶ Therefore pride is their necklace;
    violence covers them as a garment.
⁷ Their eyes swell out through fatness;
    their hearts overflow with follies.
⁸ They scoff and speak with malice;
    loftily they threaten oppression.
⁹ They set their mouths against the heavens,
    and their tongue struts through the earth.
¹⁰ Therefore his people turn back to them,
    and find no fault in them.^[a]
11 And they say, “How can God know?
    Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
¹² Behold, these are the wicked;
    always at ease, they increase in riches.
¹³ All in vain have I kept my heart clean
    and washed my hands in innocence.
¹⁴ For all the day long I have been stricken
    and rebuked every morning.
¹⁵ If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
    I would have betrayed the generation of your children.

¹⁶ But when I thought how to understand this,
    it seemed to me a wearisome task,
¹⁷ until I went into the sanctuary of God;
    then I discerned their end.

¹⁸ Truly you set them in slippery places;
    you make them fall to ruin.
¹⁹ How they are destroyed in a moment,
    swept away utterly by terrors!
²⁰ Like a dream when one awakes,
    O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.

Proverbs 3:1-4

English Standard Version (ESV)

Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart

3 My son, do not forget my teaching,
     but let your heart keep my commandments,
² for length of days and years of life
    and peace they will add to you.

³ Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;
     bind them around your neck;
     write them on the tablet of your heart.
⁴ So you will find favor and good success^[a]
    in the sight of God and man.

Whoever Would Be Great

Pastor Scott Struebing
Today's Text:

Matthew 20:20-28

English Standard Version (ESV)

A Mother's Request

²⁰  Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. ²¹ And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” ²² Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you ableto drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” ²³ He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” ²⁴ And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers.²⁵ But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. ²⁶  It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, ²⁸ even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Ephesians 4:4-8

English Standard Version (ESV)

⁴ There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— ⁵  one Lord, one faith,one baptism, ⁶  one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. ⁷ But grace was given to each one of usaccording to the measure of Christ's gift. ⁸ Therefore it says,

“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
    and he gave gifts to men.” 

Deacon Ordination

1 Timothy 3:8-13

English Standard Version (ESV)

Qualifications for Deacons

⁸  Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain.⁹ They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. ¹⁰ And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. ¹¹  Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. ¹² Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. ¹³ For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

1 John: From Idols

Pastor Scott Struebing
Today's Text:

1 John 5:21

English Standard Version (ESV)

²¹ Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

Romans 1:18-25

English Standard Version (ESV)

God's Wrath on Unrighteousness

¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. ¹⁹ For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,^[a] in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. ²¹ For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²²  Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
²⁴ Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, ²⁵ because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

Matthew 16:24-27

English Standard Version (ESV)

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

²⁴ Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶ For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? ²⁷  For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done."

1 John: Know Him, In Him

Pastor Scott Struebing
Today's Text:

1 John 5:20

English Standard Version (ESV)

²⁰ And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

Mark 3:20-21

English Standard Version (ESV)

²⁰ Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. ²¹  And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”

John 7:3-5

English Standard Version (ESV)

³  So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. ⁴ For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” ⁵  For not even his brothers believed in him.

Luke 24:36-53

English Standard Version (ESV)

Jesus Appears to His Disciples

³⁶ As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” ³⁷ But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit.³⁸ And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹ See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” ⁴⁰ And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. ⁴¹ And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them,“Have you anything here to eat?” ⁴² They gave him a piece of broiled fish,^[a] 43 and he took it and ate before them.
⁴⁴ Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you,that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, ⁴⁶ and said to them,“Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, ⁴⁷ and that repentance and^[b] forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations,beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸  You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ And behold, I am sendingthe promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

The Ascension

⁵⁰ Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. ⁵¹ While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. ⁵² And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, ⁵³ and were continually in the temple blessing God.

2 Timothy 3:16

English Standard Version (ESV)

¹⁶  All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness

Colossians 2:6-15

English Standard Version (ESV)

Alive in Christ

⁶  Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, ⁷  rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits^[a] of the world, and not according to Christ. ⁹ For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, ¹⁰ and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. ¹¹ In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, ¹²  having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. ¹³  And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, ¹⁴ by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵  He disarmed the rulers and authorities^[b] and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.