John 15; John 16:1-4; 2 Chronicles 23; Psalms 80

John 15

1 "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vineyard keeper.

2 Every branch in Me that does not produce fruit He removes, and He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit.

3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.

4 Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.

5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.

6 If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

7 If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.

8 My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be My disciples.

9 "As the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you. Remain in My love.

10 If you keep My commands you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commands and remain in His love.

11 "I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.

12 This is My command: love one another as I have loved you.

13 No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends.

14 You are My friends if you do what I command you.

15 I do not call you slaves anymore, because a slave doesn't know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from My Father.

16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you. I appointed you that you should go out and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.

17 This is what I command you: love one another.

18 "If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me before it hated you.

19 If you were of the world, the world would love [you as] its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you.

20 Remember the word I spoke to you: 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will also keep yours.

21 But they will do all these things to you on account of My name, because they don't know the One who sent Me.

22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin. Now they have no excuse for their sin.

23 The one who hates Me also hates My Father.

24 If I had not done the works among them that no one else has done, they would not have sin. Now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father.

25 But [this happened] so that the statement written in their law might be fulfilled: They hated Me for no reason.

26 "When the Counselor comes, the One I will send to you from the Father-the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father-He will testify about Me.

27 You also will testify, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

John 16:1-4

1 "I have told you these things to keep you from stumbling.

2 They will ban you from the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering service to God.

3 They will do these things because they haven't known the Father or Me.

4 But I have told you these things so that when their time comes you may remember I told them to you. I didn't tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you.

2 Chronicles 23

1 Then, in the seventh year, Jehoiada summoned his courage and took the commanders of hundreds into a covenant with him: Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zichri.

2 They made a circuit throughout Judah. They gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah and the heads of the families of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.

3 Then the whole assembly made a covenant with the king in God's temple. Jehoiada said to them, "Here is the king's son! He must reign, just as the Lord promised concerning David's sons.

4 This is what you are to do: one third of you, priests and Levites who are coming on duty on the Sabbath, are to be gatekeepers

5 A third are to be at the king's palace, and a third are to be at the Foundation Gate, and all the troops will be in the courtyards of the Lord's temple.

6 No one is to enter the Lord's temple but the priests and those Levites who serve; they may enter because they are holy, but all the people are to obey the requirement of the Lord.

7 You must completely surround the king with weapons in hand. Anyone who enters the temple is to be put to death. You must be with the king in all his daily tasks."

8 So the commanders of hundreds did everything Jehoiada the priest commanded. They each brought their men-those coming on duty on the Sabbath and those going off duty on the Sabbath-for Jehoiada the priest did not release the divisions.

9 Jehoiada the priest gave to the commanders of hundreds King David's spears, shields, and quivers that were in God's temple.

10 Then he stationed all the troops with their weapons in hand surrounding the king-from the right side of the temple to the left side, by the altar and by the temple.

11 They brought out the king's son, put the crown on him, gave him the testimony, and made him king. Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and cried, "Long live the king!"

12 When Athaliah heard the noise from the troops, the guards, and those praising the king, she went to the troops in the Lord's temple.

13 As she looked, there was the king standing by his pillar at the entrance. The commanders and the trumpeters were by the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets while the singers with musical instruments were leading the praise. Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed, "Treason, treason!"

14 Then Jehoiada the priest sent out the commanders of hundreds, those in charge of the army, saying, "Take her out between the ranks, and put anyone who follows her to death by the sword," for the priest had said, "Don't put her to death in the Lord's temple.

15 So they arrested her, and she went by the entrance of the Horses' Gate to the king's palace, where they put her to death.

16 Then Jehoiada made a covenant between himself, the king, and the people that they would be the Lord's people.

17 So all the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They broke its altars and images into pieces and killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, at the altars.

18 Then Jehoiada put the oversight of the Lord's temple into the hands of the Levitical priests, whom David had appointed over the Lord's temple, to offer burnt offerings to the Lord as it is written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and song ordained by David.

19 He stationed gatekeepers at the gates of the Lord's temple so that nothing unclean could enter for any reason

20 Then he took [with him] the commanders of hundreds, the nobles, the governors of the people, and all the people of the land and brought the king down from the Lord's temple. They entered the king's palace through the upper [gate] and seated the king on the throne of the kingdom.

21 All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet, for they had put Athaliah to death by the sword.

Psalms 80

1 Listen, Shepherd of Israel, who guides Joseph like a flock; You who sit enthroned [on] the cherubim, rise up

2 at the head of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh. Rally Your power and come to save us.

3 Restore us, God; look [on us] with favor, and we will be saved.

4 Lord God of Hosts, how long will You be angry with Your people's prayers?

5 You fed them the bread of tears and gave them a full measure of tears to drink.

6 You set us at strife with our neighbors; our enemies make fun of us.

7 Restore us, God of Hosts; look [on us] with favor, and we will be saved.

8 You uprooted a vine from Egypt; You drove out the nations and planted it.

9 You cleared [a place] for it; it took root and filled the land.

10 The mountains were covered by its shade, and the mighty cedars with its branches.

11 It sent out sprouts toward the Sea and shoots toward the River.

12 Why have You broken down its walls so that all who pass by pick its fruit?

13 The boar from the forest gnaws at it, and creatures of the field feed on it.

14 Return, God of Hosts. Look down from heaven and see; take care of this vine,

15 the root Your right hand has planted, the shoot that You made strong for Yourself.

16 It was cut down and burned up; they perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.

17 Let Your hand be with the man at Your right hand, with the son of man You have made strong for Yourself.

18 Then we will not turn away from You; revive us, and we will call on Your name.

19 Restore us, Lord God of Hosts; look [on us] with favor, and we will be saved.