Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Bible Commentaries
Bell's Commentary on the Bible Bell's Commentary
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Ezra 3:1-13 Celebrated, Worked & Sang.
Might be a good model for us?
Upon their return the Jews soon accomplish 3 of their goals:
The Altar is rebuilt (1-3) & daily sacrifices are immediately resumed.
The Festival of Tabernacles/Shelters is observed (4-6).
The Temple construction is begun (7-9).
Outline: Gathering Together. Worshiping Together. Celebrating Together. Working Together. Singing Together.
WORSHIP RESTORED (1-13)
Gathering Together (1)
Uniting together as one man
Nehemiah 6:1-19 said...Gen.3:1-5.
Do you ever negotiate questions that should never be allowed consideration?
What things or people distract you from doing the Lords work?
How can you have a heads up on these distractions?
ANKLE BITTERS (4)
The enemy’s motto: If at 1st you don’t succeed…try, try, again.
They actually try to get him to meet 4 times, to try to harm him.
Our enemy try’s to just get
Nehemiah 9:1-38 Levites. When they came together, the book of the Law was again read aloud. Then they confessed their sins.
The prayer in chapter 9 is a spiritual summary of the OT history of the Jews:
The Creation (6); the call of Abraham (7,8); the Exodus (9-14); the nation’s wilderness experiences (15-23); the conquering of the land (24-25); the period of Judges (26-29); the period of prophets up to the captivity (30-31).
Now therefore…in vs.32, brings us up to Ezra/Neh’s day and the
Psalms 145:1-21
Intro: Huge is a small definition of God. anonymous [How Great Thou Art]
A few weeks ago at our pastors conference, Paul Tripp mentioned Psalm 145 as an example of a man who truly had the awe of God.
He asked, have you lost your awe of God? You are attracted to whatever is the awe of your heart.
Each of us as individuals contain a variety of characteristics that comprise our identity
Ecclesiastes 4:1-16 the living, who are still alive.
We’ll also see, because of the context of human suffering, those with friends are better off than those who are alone. But ultimately all are vulnerable.
THE WORKAHOLIC & THE LAZY-AHOLIC (4-6)
(4) Envy prevents people from finding satisfaction in their work.
Keeping up w/Joneses (growing up in Whittier, do you know who lived next door to the Bells? The Joneses). We didn’t
Jeremiah 4:1-31
Intro:
Over 40 times Jer. Calls for God’s people to “Return to the Lord!”
Again Jeremiah uses many images to call them to this!
We are going to look from the angle of “The Heart”!
George Macdonald “The secret of
Nahum 3:1-19 as Nineveh/Assyria was to be destroyed.
As a reminder: “God is the perfect Judge. He dispenses justice perfectly. With just the right measure, at just the right time, to Just the right people.”
NINEVEH’S NOSE-DIVE! (1-4)
Lies – The Assyrians were clever diplomats who lied to other nations…then broke their promises & destroyed them.
They would “promise peace” to cities they besieged, but brought only destruction upon them.
Lets
Deuteronomy 4:1-43 obedience.”
We often think of obedience this way, in the negative.
But obedience to God is always in the positive because He is One we can fully trust. He is One whom always is purposeful in every thing in which He asks of us.
Peter T. Forsythe (1848-1921 Scottish theologian) was right when he said, “The first duty of every soul is to find not its freedom but its Master”.
We seem to always be trying to find our freedom of choice, freedom of will, freedom to do it our way. When
Mark 4:35-41
Intro: Life’s Storms Mrk.4:35-41
St. Patrick was neither Irish nor Roman Catholic
Born in Britain. Carried off by pirates at age 16. He was forced to work as a slave in Ireland. After 6 years, during which he experienced a conversion, he then escaped & returned to Britain
Acts 17:16-34 I’m most interested in the Lady on the Seal – Who is that? She is the Greek goddess Athena (Latin: Minerva), the goddess of wisdom!
The folks in her hometown are who we’re talking about today!
Pick up in 17:14 - Paul travels about 200 miles south to the famous Athens.
What a fascinating place this Athens!!!
Most celebrated city in all Greece. Home of literature, art, politics, & thought.
With its Acropolis (that fortified stronghold
Acts 23:1-35 baseless.
(2) The high priest’s action was unwarranted & illegal. (innocent to proven guilty)
Their oral tradition said, “He who strikes the cheek of an Israelite, strikes, as it were, the glory of God.” [William Barclay, pg.164]
(3) God will strike you – prophetic…as this was fulfilled only a few years later, when he was 1st deposed, then assassinated. (Because of Ananias’s pro-Roman sentiments, he was assassinated by anti-Roman Jewish revolutionaries
Acts 9:20-43 received his commission as Apostle to the Gentiles – See 22:17-21.
(27) People are instrumental in the recycling of products. People are instrumental in the recycling of persons.
Like Ananias who was once a reluctant recycler (9:13,14).
Just as we sometimes don’t bend over to pick up the penny, or lift the plastic bottle out of the trashcan, because we don’t think its worth it.
Same with some people. Sometimes we wonder “is it really worth the effort
1 Corinthians 2:1-16 unsaved: Had they known the truth, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
(8) Spiritual depth perception comes from experiential knowledge of God, not just intellectual comprehension of truths about Him. (Swindoll)
(9) Paul refers to Is.64:4. Neither Scripture is speaking of Heaven, 1st of all.
The context has nothing to do with heaven.
The context (vs.10,11) plainly refers it to spiritual insights that were once a mystery or hidden (7) but are now revealed(10,11).
Some
James 2:14-26 (Swindoll)
Martin Luther labeled James a “right strawy epistle”, meaning that he felt it lacked solid, biblical doctrine.
Luther’s battle cry during the reformation was “Justification by faith alone!” Sola Fide
Read Rom.4:4,5
Important differences:
Emphasis - Paul stresses the root of salvation (faith in Christ + nothing); James stresses the fruit after salvation.
Perspective - Paul looks at life from God’s perspective; James looks at life from
2 Peter 1:1-11 purpose for their lives.
Peter now deals with how to keep from feeling useless & unfruitful.
He shouts, don’t slip into irrelevance!
Book Overview: 2nd Peter is almost Peters “last will & testament” (see 1:14)
Written right after his 1st epistle(see 3:1). Date: approx. 66 ad.
Eusebius places Peter’s death (1 yr. after 2nd Pet) in the 14th year of Nero’s reign.
St. Peter’s Basilica
The present-day plaza before
2 Peter 1:1-11 purpose for their lives.
Peter now deals with how to keep from feeling useless & unfruitful.
He shouts, don’t slip into irrelevance!
Book Overview: 2nd Peter is almost Peters “last will & testament” (see 1:14)
Written right after his 1st epistle(see 3:1). Date: approx. 66 ad.
Eusebius places Peter’s death (1 yr. after 2nd Pet) in the 14th year of Nero’s reign.
St. Peter’s Basilica
The present-day plaza before
3 John 1:1-15 concerned for the temporal well-being of Gaius, & not only for his spiritual welfare.
He must surely have learned this from Jesus whose concern for people’s physical troubles is attested in all 4 Gospels.
Certainly this is a biblical warrant for Christians today to pray for the temporal needs of others.
(4) Every Christian parent can
Revelation 10:1-11 over the Nations....man looks to the United Nations, for the worlds answers!
So John turns our eyes back on Jesus!
SWEET & SOUR MESSAGE! (1-11)
EYES ON JESUS! (1-3)
This Angel? - Just another angel? Or, Jesus?
Clothed w/a Cloud (Ps.104:3; Acts 1:9; Rev.1:7)
A Rainbow on His head (4:3)
Face like the sun (1:16)
Feet like pillars of fire (1:15)
Loud voice (1:10,15)
Lion (5:5)
Swearing (5,6)
Foot on earth & other on sea – His mission involves the whole
2 Samuel 11:1-27 can always be Redeemed
[1] Becoming a mom doesn’t always “start” off well! (2 Sam.11:5)
David, I’m pregnant! I am with child - When is Happy Mothers Day not a Happy Mothers Day?
Unmarried mothers gave birth to 4 out of every 10 babies born in the US in 2007.
Number of live births to unmarried women: 1,726,566 (2008 CDC stats)
Ok, thats heard enough not being married, but being married & coming up w/ someone else’s baby...even worse.
We are
2 Samuel 20:1-26 financially helping this year. Kelly & Paula. Mark & Melissa help.
Safe Families - provides a safe alternative to child welfare custody, thus significantly reducing the number of children entering the child welfare system.
Our 1st 4 children are about to get placed! [We have 11 families from CM approved]
We hosted a lunch this summer for 2 dozen churches in our Valley giving them opportunity to respond to this need & call from our county.
Partners - Steve Gumaer
Copyright Statement
These files are the property of Brian Bell.
Text Courtesy of Calvary Chapel of Murrieta. Used by Permission.
These files are the property of Brian Bell.
Text Courtesy of Calvary Chapel of Murrieta. Used by Permission.