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Take a breath, find your place, and read deeply. Discover the joy of reading God’s word with the Immerse New Living Translation (NLT) Bible.
This daily Bible podcast will take you through the Bible in a year following the Immerse Bible Reading Experience. So grab your family and small group and go through the Bible in a year together with Immerse. Each of the 6 volumes is available online or at your favorite Christian bookstore.
Henry: Welcome To Immerse: The
Daily Bible Reading Experience.
Day seven.
Jesus went through the towns and
villages teaching as he went,
always pressing on toward Jerusalem.
Someone asked him, Lord
will only if you be saved.
He replied, work hard to enter
the narrow door to God's kingdom.
For many will try to enter but will fail.
When the master of the house has
locked the door, it'll be too late.
You'll stand outside
knocking and pleading.
Lord, open the door for us,
but he will reply, I don't know
you or where you come from.
Then he will say, but we ate and drank
with you and you taught in our streets.
And he will reply.
I tell you, I don't know
you or where you come from.
Get away from me.
All you who do evil.
There will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth.
For you will see Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob, and all the
prophets in the kingdom of God.
But you will be thrown out and people
will come from all over the world, from
east and west, north and south, to take
their places in the kingdom of God.
And note this, some who seem least
important now will be the greatest
then, and some who are the greatest
Now will be least important then.
At that time, some Pharisee said to him,
get away from here if you want to live.
Herod Antipas wants to kill you.
Jesus replied, go tell that fox that
I will keep on casting out demons and
healing people today and tomorrow and the
third day I will accomplish my purpose.
Yes, today, tomorrow, and the next
day, I must proceed on my way for
it wouldn't do for a prophet of God
to be killed except in Jerusalem.
Oh, Jerusalem.
Jerusalem, the city that
kills the prophets and stones.
God's messengers.
How often I have wanted to gather
your children together as a hen,
protects her chicks beneath her
wings, but you wouldn't let me.
And now look, your house is abandoned
and you will never see me again
until you say blessings on the one
who comes in the name of the Lord.
One Sabbath day, Jesus went to eat dinner
in the home of a leader of the Pharisees,
and the people were watching him closely.
There was a man there whose
arms and legs were swollen.
Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in
religious law, is it permitted in the law
to heal people on the Sabbath day or not?
When they refuse to answer,
Jesus touched the sick man and
healed him and sent him away.
Then he turned to them and said, which
of you doesn't work on the Sabbath?
If your son or your cow falls into a
pit, don't you rush to get him out again?
They could not answer.
When Jesus noticed that all who had
come to the dinner were trying to sit
in their seats of honor near the head
of the table, he gave them this advice.
When you are invited to a wedding
feast, don't sit in the seat of honor.
What if someone who is more distinguished
than you has also been invited?
The host will come and say,
give this person your seat.
Then you will be embarrassed and
you will have to take whatever seat
is left at the foot of the table.
Instead, take the lowest place
at the foot of the table.
Then when your host sees you,
he will come and say, friend,
we have a better place for you.
Then you will be honored in
front of all the other guests.
For those who exalt themselves
will be humbled, and those who
humble themselves will be exalted.
Then he turned to his host.
When you put on a luncheon or a
banquet, he said, don't invite your
friends, brothers, relatives, and rich
neighbors for they will invite you
back and that will be your only reward.
Instead, invite the poor, the
crippled, the lame, and the blind.
Then at the resurrection of the
righteous God will reward you for
inviting those who could not repay you.
Hearing this, a man sitting at
the table with Jesus exclaimed.
What a blessing it will be to attend
a banquet in the Kingdom of God.
Jesus replied with this story.
A man prepared a great feast
and sent out many invitations.
When the banquet was ready, he
sent his servant to tell the
guests, come the banquet is ready.
But they all began making excuses.
One said, I have just bought
a field and must inspect it.
Please excuse me.
Another said, I have just bought five
pairs of oxen and I want to try them out.
Please, excuse me.
Another said, I just got
married so I can't come.
The servant returned and told
his master what they had said.
His master was furious and said, go
quickly into the streets and alleys
of the town and invite the poor, the
crippled, the blind, and the lame.
After the servant had done this, he
reported there is still room for more.
So his master said, go out into the
country lanes and behind the hedges
and urge anyone you find to come so
that the house will be full for none
of those I first invited will get
even the smallest taste of my banquet.
A large crowd was following Jesus.
He turned around and said to them, if
you want to be my disciple, you must by
comparison hate everyone else, your father
and mother, wife, and children, brothers
and sisters, yes, even your own life.
Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple,
and if you do not carry your own cross
and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.
But don't begin until you count the cost.
For who would begin construction
of a building without first
calculating the cost to see if
there was enough money to finish it.
Otherwise, you might complete only the
foundation before running out of money.
And then everyone would laugh at you.
They would say, there's the person
who started that building and
couldn't afford to finish it.
Or what King would go to war against
another king without first sitting down
with his counselors to discuss whether
his army of 10,000 could defeat the
20,000 soldiers marching against him.
And if he can't, he will send a
delegation to discuss terms of peace
while the enemy is still far away.
So you cannot become my disciple
without giving up everything you own.
Salt is good for seasoning,
but if it loses its flavor,
how do you make it salty again?
Flavorless salt is good neither for
the soil, nor for the manure pile.
It is thrown away.
Anyone with ears to hear
should listen and understand.
Tax collectors and other notorious sinners
often came to listen to Jesus teach.
This made the Pharisees and teachers
of religious law complained that
he was associating with such sinful
people, even eating with them.
So Jesus told them this story.
If a man has a hundred sheep and one
of them gets lost, what will he do?
Won't he leave the 99 others in the
wilderness and go to search for the
one that is lost until he finds it?
And when he has found it, he will
joyfully carry it home on his shoulders.
When he arrives, he will call together his
friends and neighbors saying, rejoice with
me because I have found my lost sheep.
In the same way, there is more joy
in heaven over one lost sinner who
repents and returns to God than over 99.
Others who are righteous
and haven't strayed away.
Or suppose a woman has 10 silver
coins and loses one, won't she light
a lamp and sweep the entire house and
search carefully until she finds it?
And when she finds it, she will call in
her friends and neighbors and say, Rejoice
with me because I have found my lost coin.
In the same way, there is joy
in the presence of God's angels
when even one sinner repents.
To illustrate the point further,
Jesus told them this story.
A man had two sons.
The younger son told his father, I want my
share of your estate now before you die.
So his father agreed to divide
his wealth between his sons.
A few days later, this younger son
packed all his belongings and moved
to a distant land, and there he
wasted all his money in wild living.
About the time his money ran
out, a great famine swept over
the land and he began to starve.
He persuaded a local farmer to
hire him, and the man sent him
into his fields to feed the pigs.
The young man became so hungry
that even the pods, he was feeding
the pigs looked good to him.
But no one gave him anything.
When he finally came to his senses, he
said to himself at home, even the hired
servants have food enough to spare.
And here I am dying of hunger.
I will go home to my father and say,
father, I have sinned against both
heaven and you, and I am no longer
worthy of being called your son.
Please take me on as a hired servant.
So he returned home to his father.
And while he was still a long way
off, his father saw him coming
filled with love and compassion.
He ran to his son, embraced
him, and kissed him.
His son said to him, father, I have sinned
against both heaven and you and I am no
longer worthy of being called your son.
But his father said to the servants
quick, bring the finest robe
in the house and put it on him.
Get a ring for his finger and sandals
for his feet and kill the calf.
We have been fattening.
We must celebrate with a feast
for this son of mine was dead
and has now returned to life.
He was lost, but now he has
found so the party began.
Meanwhile, the older son
was in the fields working.
When he returned home, he heard music
and dancing in the house, and he asked
one of the servants what was going on.
Your brother is back.
He was told, and your father
has killed the fattened calf.
We are celebrating because
of his safe return.
The older brother was
angry and wouldn't go in.
His father came out and begged him,
but he replied, all these years I've
slaved for you and never once refused
to do a single thing you told me to.
And in all that time, you never
gave me even one young goat
for a feast with my friends.
When this son of yours comes back after
squandering your money on prostitutes, you
celebrate by killing the fattened calf.
His father said to him, look, dear
son, you have always stayed by me,
and everything I have is yours.
We had to celebrate this happy
day for your brother was dead
and has come back to life.
He was lost, but now he is found.
Jesus told this story to his disciples.
There was a certain rich man who
had a manager handling his affairs.
One day a report came that the
manager was wasting his employer's
money, so the employer called
him in and said, what's this?
I hear about you get your report in
order because you are going to be fired.
The manager thought to himself, now what?
My boss has fired me.
I don't have the strength to dig
ditches, and I'm too proud to beg.
Ah, I know how to ensure that I'll
have plenty of friends who will
give me a home when I am fired.
So he invited each person who
owed money to his employer to
come and discuss the situation.
He asked the first one,
how much do you owe him?
The man replied, I owe him
800 gallons of olive oil.
So the manager told him, take the bill
and quickly change it to 400 gallons.
And how much do you owe my employer?
He asked the next man.
I owe him 1000 bushels of wheat was
the reply here, the manager said, take
the bill and change it to 800 bushels.
The rich man had to admire the dishonest
rascal for being so shrewd, and it is true
that the children of this world are more
shrewd and dealing with the world around
them than are the children of the light.
Here's the lesson.
Use your worldly resources to
benefit others and make friends.
Then when your possessions are gone,
they will welcome you to an eternal home.
If you are faithful in little things,
you will be faithful in large ones.
But if you are dishonest in
little things, you won't be honest
with greater responsibilities.
And if you are untrustworthy about
worldly wealth, who will trust you
with the true riches of heaven?
And if you are not faithful with
other people's things, why should you
be trusted with things of your own?
No one can serve two masters for you
will hate one and love the other.
You will be devoted to
one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and
be enslaved to money.
The Pharisees who dearly loved their
money, heard all this and scoffed at him.
Then he said to them, you like
to appear righteous and public,
but God knows your hearts.
What this world honors is detestable in
the sight of God Until John the Baptist,
the law of Moses and the messages
of the prophets were your guides.
But now the good news of the
kingdom of God is preached and
everyone is eager to get in.
But that doesn't mean that
the law has lost its force.
It is easier for heaven and earth
to disappear than for the smallest
point of God's law to be overturned.
For example, a man who divorces
his wife and marries someone else,
commits adultery, and anyone who
marries a woman divorced from
her husband commits adultery.
Jesus said there was a certain rich
man who was splendidly, clothed in
purple and fine linen, and who lived
each day in luxury that has gait.
Lay a poor man named Lazarus
who was covered with sores.
As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps
from the rich man's table, the dogs
would come and lick his open sores.
Finally, the poor man died and was
carried by the angels to sit beside
Abraham at the heavenly banquet.
The rich man also died and was
buried, and he went to the place
of the dead there and torment.
He saw Abraham in the far
distance with Lazarus at his side.
The rich man shouted, father
Abraham, have some pity.
Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of
his finger in water and cool my tongue.
I am an anguish in these flames.
But Abraham said to him, son,
remember that during your
lifetime you had everything you
wanted and Lazarus had nothing.
So now he is here being
comforted and you are an anguish.
And besides, there was a
great chasm separating us.
No one can cross over to you from
here, and no one can cross over to us.
From there, then the rich man said,
please, father Abraham, at least
send him to my father's home for,
I have five brothers and I want
him to warn them so they don't
end up in this place of torment.
But Abraham said, Moses and
the prophets have warned them.
Your brothers can read what they wrote.
The rich man replied, no, father Abraham.
But if someone is sent to them from
the dead, then they will repent
of their sins and turn to God.
But Abraham said if they won't listen
to Moses and the prophets, they won't
be persuaded even if someone rises
from the dead one day, Jesus said to
his disciples, there will always be
temptations to sin, but what Sorrow
awaits the person who does the tempting.
It would be better to be thrown
into the sea with a millstone hung
around your neck than to cause one of
these little ones to fall into sin.
So watch yourselves.
If another believer sins rebuke
that person, then if there is
repentance, forgive, even if that
person wrongs you seven times a
day and each time turns again and
asks forgiveness, you must forgive.
The apostle said to the Lord,
show us how to increase our faith.
The Lord answered.
If you had faith even as small as a
mustard seed, you could say to the
mulberry tree, may you be uprooted and be
planted in the sea, and it would obey you.
When a servant comes in from plowing
or taking care of sheep, does his
master say, come in and eat with me?
No, he says, prepare my meal.
Put on your apron and
serve me while I eat.
Then you can eat later.
And does the master thank the servant
for doing what he was told to do?
Of course not in the same way.
When you obey me, you should
say we are unworthy servants
who have simply done our duty.
This concludes today's
immerse reading experience.
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