Stand Firm

¹³ But ^(A)we ought always to give thanks to God for you, ^(B)brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you ^(C)as the firstfruits^{[a] (D)}to be saved, ^(E)through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.

^2 (A)“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave ^(B)a wedding feast for his son, ³ and ^(C)sent his servants^[a] to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. ^4 (D)Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my ^(E)dinner, ^(F)my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ ⁵ But ^(G)they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, ⁶ while the rest seized his servants, ^(H)treated them shamefully, and ^(I)killed them. ⁷ The king was angry, and he sent his troops and ^(J)destroyed those murderers and burned their city. ⁸ Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not ^(K)worthy. ⁹ Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ ¹⁰ And those servants went out into the roads and ^(L)gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

¹¹ “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there ^(M)a man who had no wedding garment. ¹² And he said to him, ^(N)‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. ¹³ Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and ^(O)cast him into the outer darkness. In that place ^(P)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ¹⁴ For many are ^(Q)called, but few are ^(R)chosen.”

Straining Toward the Goal

¹² Not that I have already ^(A)obtained this or ^(B)am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. ¹³ Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: ^(C)forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for ^(D)the prize of the upward ^(E)call of God in Christ Jesus.

Peter's Sermon at Pentecost

¹⁴ But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. ¹⁵ For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, ^(A)since it is only the third hour of the day.^{[a] 16} But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

³⁹ For ^(A)the promise is for you and ^(B)for your children and for all ^(C)who are far off, everyone ^(D)whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”