A Call to Worship and Obedience

The Lord a Fortress in Adversity

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

Blessings of Obedience^(A)

¹² “Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these judgments, and keep and do them, that the Lord your God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers. ¹³ And He will ^(B)love you and bless you and ^[a]multiply you; ^(C)He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flock, in the land of which He ^[b]swore to your fathers to give you. ¹⁴ You shall be blessed above all peoples; there shall not be a male or female ^(D)barren among you or among your livestock. ¹⁵ And the Lord will take away from you all sickness, and will afflict you with none of the ^(E)terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known, but will lay them on all those who hate you. ¹⁶ Also you shall ^[c]destroy all the peoples whom the Lord your God delivers over to you; your eye shall have no pity on them; nor shall you serve their gods, for that will ^(F)be a snare to you.

Qualities of a Sound Church

2 But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: ² that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; ³ the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— ⁴ that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, ⁵ to be discreet, chaste, ^(A)homemakers, good, ^(B)obedient to their own husbands, ^(C)that the word of God may not be blasphemed.

⁶ Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded, ⁷ in all things showing yourself to be ^(D)a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, ^(E)incorruptibility,^{[a] 8} sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of ^[b]you.

⁹ Exhort ^(F)bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, ¹⁰ not ^[c]pilfering, but showing all good ^[d]fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.

Trained by Saving Grace

¹¹ For ^(G)the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, ¹² teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, ^13 (H)looking for the blessed ^(I)hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, ^14 (J)who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed ^(K)and purify for Himself ^(L)His own special people, zealous for good works.

¹⁵ Speak these things, ^(M)exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.

The First Disciples

³⁵ Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. ³⁶ And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, ^(A)“Behold the Lamb of God!”

³⁷ The two disciples heard him speak, and they ^(B)followed Jesus. ³⁸ Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?”

They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?”

³⁹ He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).

⁴⁰ One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was ^(C)Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. ⁴¹ He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the ^[a]Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). ⁴² And he brought him to Jesus.

Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of ^[b]Jonah. ^(D)You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, ^[c]A Stone).