Lessons Bread of Life 25 July 2020

Deuteronomy 7:6–9

         ₆“You are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. ₇It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, ₈but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. ₉Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.”

Romans 8:28–39

         ₂₈We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. ₂₉For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. ₃₀And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

         ₃₁What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ₃₂He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ₃₃Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. ₃₄Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. ₃₅Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ₃₆As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

₃₇No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ₃₈For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ₃₉nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Matthew 13:44–52

         ₄₄[Jesus said:] “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

         ₄₅“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, ₄₆who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

         ₄₇“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. ₄₈When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. ₄₉So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous ₅₀and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

         ₅₁“Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” ₅₂And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”