Philippians 3:9

and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in  Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

From Background Notes [BN] for June 2^nd & 3^rd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

By all accounts Paul has died to his old way of being righteous, that is, of being accepted as one of the people of God. It's not about circumcision or birthright or separation from the pagan world or achievement under Torah.

Philippians 3:4b-6

If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

From Background Notes [BN] for June 2^nd & 3^rd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

The “great rabbis” had distilled Torah instruction down to the 613 mitzvot (commandments). The readers are encouraged to access the following link...

Philippians 3:3

For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—

From Background Notes [BN] for June 2^nd & 3^rd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Because we are in the "realm of the Spirit,” that is, in "the kingdom of God,” we do not rely on "the flesh" to accomplish God's work.

Matthew 5:8

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

From Background Notes [BN] for May 26^th & 27^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

An impure heart is a divided heart, filled with conflicted loyalties and competing demands. Where will the heart turn? What will have the heart’s faithfulness? In his address, Kierkegaard explores the implications of his prayer in terms of how the heart becomes pure by willing one thing.

Matthew 5:6

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

From Background Notes [BN] for May 26^th & 27^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Jesus stands with those whom others have disenfranchised. “The hungry” touches a chord in Israel’s history…

Matthew 5:5

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."

From Background Notes [BN] for May 26^th & 27^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Jesus, the suffering servant of Yahweh, referred to himself as “meek” in two other passages found in Matthew: 11:29 and 21:5. In the first instance…

Matthew 5:4

^“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

From Background Notes [BN] for May 26^th & 27^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

What does it mean to “mourn”? Ask a mother who has lost her child. Ask a child who has lost her parent. Ask a person writhing in pain from mortal injury or debilitating illness. Ask the wife whose husband has left her.

Matthew 5:3

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

From Background Notes [BN] for May 26^th & 27^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

We are a blessed people, Jesus tells his often despairing audience, because God has chosen to bring down His heavenly rule to earth on those who desperately need it.

Malachi 2:16 (NLT)

“For I hate divorce!” says the LORD, the God of Israel. “To divorce your wife is to overwhelm her with cruelty,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. “So guard your heart; do not be unfaithful to your wife.”

From Background Notes [BN] for May 19^th & 20^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

The state of unfaithfulness pertains not only to the marriage, for it also has an impact on the surrounding community...

Malachi 2:15

Has not the one God made you? You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.

From Background Notes [BN] for May 19^th & 20^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Marriage is God's idea and the reflection of God's being.

Malachi 2:14

You ask, “Why?” It is because the LORD is the witness between you and the wife of your youth. You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.

From Background Notes [BN] for May 19^th & 20^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

The expression "wife of your youth" draws attention to marriage at its inception and in its innocence...

Genesis 3:1

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’? ”

From Background Notes [BN] for May 19^th & 20^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

1. The Serpent symbolizes Sin in its personified form and reveals the chaos already lurking within the creation order even before Adam and his wife eat the forbidden fruit. In the ancient world, talking animals generally refer to "the gods,"…

1 John 4:12

No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

From Background Notes [BN] for May 12^th & 13^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Marriage, therefore, exists not primarily to make us happy but to make us holy--though in the long run, of course, there can be no happiness apart from holiness. But it's holiness that God is after...

1 Cor 13:13

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

From Background Notes [BN] for May 12^th & 13^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

The word "abides" (Greek: menei) underscores the persistence and permanence of agapē. Such love does not depend on human personality or temperament; it does not require constant self-assurance.

1 John 2:1-2

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

From Background Notes [BN] for May 12^th & 13^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Newcomers to marriage are, by all intents, "little children." To the newlyweds, then, this passage says: "I am writing these things to you so that you might not divorce.

Ephesians 5:24-26

Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word

From Background Notes [BN] for May 12^th & 13^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

1. Submission is a two-way street because it is based on reverence for Christ. That is, we must not demand from each other what belongs properly only to God. Reverence of this sort is due to God alone. The Greek word used by Paul...

Genesis 2:24

That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

From Background Notes [BN] for May 12^th & 13^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

1.             Companionship within the human species was important to God because companionship eternally belonged to God's nature: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In woman, man found his peer and his equal which consisted in a physical union at his origin and in a physical union in his marriage. The notion of the "helper fit for him" does not imply inferiority but correspondence. 

Titus 3:14

Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives.

From Background Notes [BN] for May 5^th & 6^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Not a great deal needs to be said about these passages. They are rather direct in their teaching that the Christ communities reject idleness and encourage work. Much is at stake...

Philippians 4:15-16

Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need.

From Background Notes [BN] for May 5^th & 6^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

The Greek phrase reads, "once and twice,” an idiom implying the repeated action, as if to say, "so sooner did you send me one gift, than you send me another!" Nor did Paul view the generosity in material terms alone. Rather…

Acts 2:44-45

All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.

From Background Notes [BN] for May 5^th & 6^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

It would be an anachronism to suggest that this was communism…

Ecclesiastes 5:19-20

Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work-- this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.

From Background Notes [BN] for May 5^th & 6^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Having wealth means nothing, if we do not have the God-given ability to "enjoy it.” Our reading of the previous texts helps us to see that possessions are only enjoyed when they are put to divine purposes…