John 4:30

I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake; and I will not remember your sins.

But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

But many will be last who are first; and first who are last.

Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, and said, “It was necessary that God’s word should be spoken to you first. Since indeed you thrust it from yourselves, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.

For your name’s sake, Yahweh, pardon my iniquity, for it is great.

They will come trembling like a bird out of Egypt, and like a dove out of the land of Assyria; and I will settle them in their houses,” says Yahweh.

But many who are first will be last; and the last first.”

All flesh will see God’s salvation.’ ”

For I tell you that none of those men who were invited will taste of my supper.’ ”

When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life!”

When they had arrived, and had gathered the assembly together, they reported all the things that God had done with them, and that he had opened a door of faith to the nations.

Simeon has reported how God first visited the nations to take out of them a people for his name.

that the rest of men may seek after the Lord; all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who does all these things.’

When they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook out his clothing and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on, I will go to the Gentiles!”

“He said to me, ‘Depart, for I will send you out far from here to the Gentiles.’”

Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight; for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.

He received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while he was in uncircumcision, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they might be in uncircumcision, that righteousness might also be accounted to them.

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

I ask then, did they stumble that they might fall? May it never be! But by their fall salvation has come to the Gentiles, to provoke them to jealousy.

“Come now, and let’s reason together,” says Yahweh: “Though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Indeed, he says, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel. I will also give you as a light to the nations, that you may be my salvation to the end of the earth.”

Yahweh has made his holy arm bare in the eyes of all the nations. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of Yahweh.

I don’t do this for your sake,” says the Lord Yahweh. “Let it be known to you: be ashamed and confounded for your ways, house of Israel.”

“Behold, the days come,” says Yahweh, “that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the one treading grapes him who sows seed; and sweet wine will drip from the mountains, and flow from the hills.

“Enter in by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter in by it.

They told him, “He will miserably destroy those miserable men, and will lease out the vineyard to other farmers, who will give him the fruit in its season.”

a light for revelation to the nations, and the glory of your people Israel.”

Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”

Behold, there are some who are last who will be first, and there are some who are first who will be last.”

“The lord said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming close to him to hear him.

If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.

But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spoke out to them, “You men of Judea, and all you who dwell at Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to my words.

Brothers, children of the stock of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, the word of this salvation is sent out to you.

Be it known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man is proclaimed to you remission of sins,

For the law produces wrath, for where there is no law, neither is there disobedience.

For sin will not have dominion over you. For you are not under law, but under grace.

Whom he predestined, those he also called. Whom he called, those he also justified. Whom he justified, those he also glorified.

Isaiah is very bold and says, “I was found by those who didn’t seek me. I was revealed to those who didn’t ask for me.”

That which was a temptation to you in my flesh, you didn’t despise nor reject; but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.

For this cause we also thank God without ceasing, that when you received from us the word of the message of God, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also works in you who believe.

as knowing this, that law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,

So, then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger;

but the dove found no place to rest her foot, and she returned into the ship to him, for the waters were on the surface of the whole earth. He put out his hand, and took her, and brought her to him into the ship.

even those who were counted of them, were eight thousand five hundred eighty.

Also the hand of God came on Judah to give them one heart, to do the commandment of the king and of the princes by Yahweh’s word.

and let the maiden who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” The thing pleased the king, and he did so.

that the wise man may hear, and increase in learning; that the man of understanding may attain to sound counsel:

The heart of the discerning gets knowledge. The ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover to an obedient ear.

Guard your steps when you go to God’s house; for to draw near to listen is better than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they don’t know that they do evil.

Many peoples shall go and say, “Come, let’s go up to the mountain of Yahweh, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the law shall go out of Zion, and Yahweh’s word from Jerusalem.

“Look to me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.

“Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel my called: I am he. I am the first. I am also the last.

Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who has conceived these for me, since I have been bereaved of my children and am alone, an exile, and wandering back and forth? Who has brought these up? Behold, I was left alone. Where were these?’ ”

“Lift up your eyes all around, and see: they all gather themselves together. They come to you. Your sons will come from far away, and your daughters will be carried in arms.

“Who are these who fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?

Now when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, a eunuch, who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon (the king was then sitting in Benjamin’s gate),

They come to you as the people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear your words, but don’t do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goes after their gain.

“I also have withheld the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest; and I caused it to rain on one city, and caused it not to rain on another city. One place was rained on, and the piece where it didn’t rain withered.

How narrow is the gate, and restricted is the way that leads to life! Few are those who find it.

Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few are chosen.”

For many are called, but few chosen.”

Most certainly I tell you, whoever will not receive God’s Kingdom like a little child, he will in no way enter into it.”

He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to prepare a people prepared for the Lord.”

Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, “This man, if he were a prophet, would have perceived who and what kind of woman this is who touches him, that she is a sinner.”

Be careful therefore how you hear. For whoever has, to him will be given; and whoever doesn’t have, from him will be taken away even that which he thinks he has.”

When Jesus returned, the multitude welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him.

One said to him, “Lord, are they few who are saved?” He said to them,

They will come from the east, west, north, and south, and will sit down in God’s Kingdom.

Were there none found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?”

Don’t you say, ‘There are yet four months until the harvest?’ Behold, I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, that they are white for harvest already.

Having explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous man and one who fears God, and well spoken of by all the nation of the Jews, was directed by a holy angel to invite you to his house, and to listen to what you say.”

So he called them in and provided a place to stay. On the next day Peter arose and went out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him.

Therefore I sent to you at once, and it was good of you to come. Now therefore we are all here present in the sight of God to hear all things that have been commanded you by God.”

But they, passing on from Perga, came to Antioch of Pisidia. They went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and sat down.

So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath.

The next Sabbath, almost the whole city was gathered together to hear the word of God.

But certain men joined with him and believed, among whom also was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

For this cause therefore I asked to see you and to speak with you. For because of the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.”

“Be it known therefore to you, that the salvation of God is sent to the nations, and they will listen.”

The law came in that the trespass might abound; but where sin abounded, grace abounded more exceedingly;

Greet Rufus, the chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine.

Let no one deceive himself. If anyone thinks that he is wise among you in this world, let him become a fool, that he may become wise.

Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service.

Therefore let’s also, seeing we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with perseverance the race that is set before us,

Therefore, putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with humility the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could count, out of every nation and of all tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.