Bible verses about "homecoming" | Goodspeed

¹ My dear children, I am writing you this so that you may not sin; yet if anyone does sin, we have in Jesus Christ one who is upright and will intercede for us with the Father. ² He is himself an atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the whole world. ³ This is how we can be sure that we know him—by obeying his commands. ⁴ Whoever says, "I know him," but does not obey his commands, is a liar, and there is no truth in his heart; ⁵ but whoever obeys his message really has the love of God in perfection in his heart. This is the way we can be sure that we are in union with him; ⁶ whoever says, "I am always in union with him" must live just as he lived. ⁷ Dear friends, it is no new command that I am writing you, but an old one that you have had from the beginning. That old command is the same as the message you have heard. ⁸ Yet it is a new command that I am writing you; it is newly realized in him and in yourselves, for the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. ⁹ Whoever says, "I am in the light," and yet hates his brother, is still in darkness. ¹⁰ Whoever loves his brother is always in the light and puts no hindrance in anyone's way. ¹¹ But whoever hates his brother is in darkness, and is living in darkness, and he does not know where he is going, for the darkness has blinded his eyes. ¹² I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven for his sake. ¹³ I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who has existed from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have been victorious over the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. ¹⁴ I write to you, fathers, because you know him who has existed from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and God's message is always in your hearts, and you have been victorious over the evil one. ¹⁵ Do not love the world or what is in the world. If anyone loves the world, there is no love for the Father in his heart, ¹⁶ for all that there is in the world, the things that our physical nature and our eyes crave, and the proud display of life—these do not come from the Father, but from the world; ¹⁷ and the world with its cravings is passing away, but whoever does God's will will endure forever. ¹⁸ Children, it is the last hour. You have heard that Antichrist is coming, and many Antichrists have indeed appeared. So we may be sure that it is the last hour. ¹⁹ They have gone out from our number, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had, they would have stayed with us. It was to make it clear that none of them really belonged to us that they withdrew. ²⁰ But you have been anointed by the Holy One. You all know the truth; ²¹ I do not write to you because you do not know it, but because you do know it, and because no lie can come from the truth. ²² Who is such a liar as the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is the real Antichrist—the man who disowns the Father and the Son. ²³ No one who disowns the Son can have the Father. Whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father too. ²⁴ Keep what you have heard from the beginning in your hearts; then you will always be in union with the Son and the Father. ²⁵ And what he himself has promised us is eternal life. ²⁶ I write you this with reference to those who are trying to mislead you. ²⁷ You still retain in your hearts the anointing with the Spirit that you received from him, and you do not need to have anyone teach you. But just as that anointing of his teaches you about everything, and as it is true and no falsehood, keep in union with him just as it has taught you to do. ²⁸ Now, dear children, keep in union with him, so that if he appears, we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame when he comes. ²⁹ If you know that he is upright, you may be sure that everyone who acts uprightly is his child.

¹ Therefore, let us too, with such a crowd of witnesses about us, throw off every impediment and the entanglement of sin, and run with determination the race for which we are entered, ² fixing our eyes upon Jesus, our leader and example in faith, who in place of the happiness that belonged to him, submitted to a cross, caring nothing for its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Think of the opposition that he encountered from those sinners against themselves, if you would not grow weary and faint-hearted. ⁴ You have not yet resisted unto death in your struggle with sin, ⁵ and you have forgotten the challenge addressed to you as God's sons, "My son, do not think lightly of the Lord's discipline, Or give up when he corrects you. ⁶ For it is those whom the Lord loves that he disciplines, And he chastises every son that he acknowledges." ⁷ You must submit to it as discipline. God is dealing with you as his sons. For where is there a son whom his father does not discipline? ⁸ But if you have none of that discipline which all sons undergo, you are illegitimate children, and not true sons. ⁹ When our earthly fathers disciplined us we treated them with respect; should we not far more submit to the Father of our spirits, and so have life? ¹⁰ For they disciplined us for a short time and as they thought proper, but he does it for our good, to make us share his holiness. ¹¹ Discipline is never pleasant at the time; it is painful; but to those who are trained by it, it afterward yields the peace of character. ¹² So tighten your loosening hold! Stiffen your wavering stand! ¹³ And keep your feet in straight paths, so that limbs that are lame may not be dislocated but instead be cured. ¹⁴ Try to be at peace with everyone, and strive for that consecration without which no one can see the Lord. ¹⁵ Be careful that no one fails to gain God's favor, or some poisonous root may come up to trouble and contaminate you all— ¹⁶ some immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his very birthright for one single meal. ¹⁷ For you know how, when he afterward wished to claim the blessing, he was refused it, although he begged for it with tears, for he had no opportunity to repent of what he had done. ¹⁸ For it is no tangible blazing fire that you have come up to, no blackness and darkness and storm, ¹⁹ no trumpet blast and voice whose words made those who heard them beg to be told no more, ²⁰ for they could not bear the order, "Even a wild animal, if it touches the mountain, must be stoned to death," ²¹ and so awful was the sight that Moses said, "I am aghast and appalled!" ²² But you have come up to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to countless angels, ²³ to the solemn gathering of all God's elder sons, enrolled as citizens in heaven, to a judge who is the God of all, to the spirits of upright men now at last enjoying the fulfilment of their hopes, ²⁴ to Jesus the negotiator of a new agreement, and to sprinkled blood that speaks more powerfully than even Abel's. ²⁵ Take care not to refuse to listen to him who is speaking. For if they could not escape because they would not listen to him who warned them here on earth, how much less can we, who reject him who is from heaven! ²⁶ Then his voice shook the earth, but now his promise is, "But once more I will make not only the earth but the very heaven to tremble!" ²⁷ Now the words "But once more" indicate the final removal of all that is shaken, as only created, leaving only what is unshaken to be permanent. ²⁸ Let us, therefore, be thankful that the kingdom given to us cannot be shaken, and so please God by worshiping him with reverence and awe; ²⁹ for our God is a consuming fire.

¹ Your love for the brotherhood must continue. ² Do not forget to be hospitable to strangers, for by being so some, without knowing it, have had angels as their guests. ³ Remember those who are in prison as though you were in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated as being yourselves liable to the same trials. ⁴ Marriage should be respected by everyone, and the marriage relation kept sacred, for vicious and immoral people God will punish. ⁵ You must not be avaricious; you must be content with what you have, for God himself has said, "I will never let go of you or desert you!" ⁶ So that we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can men do to me?" ⁷ Do not forget your former leaders, the men who brought you God's message. Remember how they ended their lives and imitate their faith. ⁸ Jesus Christ is the same today that he was yesterday, and he will be so forever. ⁹ You must not be carried away with strange varieties of teaching. The true way to steadfastness of heart is through God's mercy, not through scruples about food, which have never done their adherents any good. ¹⁰ Our altar is one at which those who serve the tent of worship have no right to eat. ¹¹ For the bodies of the animals whose blood is taken into the sanctuary by the high priest are burned outside the camp. ¹² And so Jesus too, in order to purify the people by his blood, suffered death outside the city gate. ¹³ Let us, therefore, go out to him, outside the camp, sharing the contempt that he endured, ¹⁴ for we have no permanent city here on earth, but we are in search of the city that is to come. ¹⁵ In his name let us continually offer praise as our sacrifice to God—the utterance of lips that glorify God's name. ¹⁶ But do not forget to be helpful and generous, for that is the kind of sacrifice that pleases God. ¹⁷ Obey your leaders and give way to them, for they are keeping watch in defense of your souls, as men accountable for the trust. Make their work a joy and not a grief, for that would be the worse for you. ¹⁸ Pray for me, for I am sure I have a clear conscience, and I mean in every way to live an upright life. ¹⁹ I ask this of you more especially that I may be brought back to you the sooner. ²⁰ May God, the giver of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus who through the blood by which he ratified the everlasting agreement has become the great shepherd of the sheep, ²¹ fit you by every blessing to do his will, and through Jesus Christ carry out in us what will please him. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen. ²² I beg you brothers, to listen patiently to this appeal, for I have written you but briefly. ²³ You must know that our brother Timothy has been released from prison. If he comes here soon, we will see you together. ²⁴ Remember us to all your leaders and to all your fellow-Christians. The brothers from Italy wish to be remembered to you. ²⁵ God bless you all!

¹ James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, sends greeting to the twelve tribes that are scattered over the world. ² You must find the greatest joy, my brothers, in being involved in various trials, ³ for you know that the testing of your faith leads to steadfastness, ⁴ and steadfastness must have full play, so that you may be fully and perfectly developed without any defects. ⁵ If any one of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask God who gives generously to everyone, and does not reproach one with it afterward, and he will give it to him. ⁶ But he must ask with faith, and without any doubt, for the man who doubts is like the billowing sea, driven and blown about by the wind. ⁷ Such a man must not expect to get anything from the Lord— ⁸ an irresolute person like him, who is uncertain about everything he does. ⁹ A brother of low position ought to be proud of his eminence, ¹⁰ but one who is rich ought to rejoice at being reduced in circumstances, for the rich will disappear like the wild flowers. ¹¹ For the sun comes up with its scorching heat and dries up the grass, and the flowers wither, and all their beauty is gone. That is the way rich men will fade and die in the midst of their pursuits. ¹² Blessed is the man who endures trial, for when he stands the test, he will be given the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. ¹³ No one should think when he is tempted that his temptation comes from God, for God is incapable of being tempted by what is evil, and he does not tempt anyone. ¹⁴ When anyone is tempted, it is by his own desire that he is enticed and allured. ¹⁵ Then desire conceives and gives birth to sin, and when sin is mature, it brings forth death. ¹⁶ Do not be misled, my dear brothers. ¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect present is from heaven, and comes down from the Father of the heavenly lights, about whom there is no variation of changing shadow. ¹⁸ Of his own accord he brought us into being through the message of truth, so that we might be a kind of first-fruits among his creatures. ¹⁹ You must understand this, my dear brothers. Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to be angry, ²⁰ for men's anger does not produce the uprightness God wishes. ²¹ So strip yourselves of everything that soils you, and of every evil growth, and in a humble spirit let the message that has the power to save your souls be planted in your hearts. ²² Obey the message; do not merely listen to it, and deceive yourselves. ²³ For anyone who merely listens to the message without obeying it is like a man who looks in a mirror at the face that nature gave him, ²⁴ and then goes off and immediately forgets what he looked like. ²⁵ But whoever looks at the faultless law that makes men free and keeps looking, so that he does not just listen and forget, but obeys and acts upon it, will be blessed in what he does. ²⁶ If anyone thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue, but deceives himself, his religious observances are of no account. ²⁷ A religious observance that is pure and stainless in the sight of God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their trouble, and keep one's self unstained by the world.

²⁷ I leave you a blessing; I give you my own blessing. I do not give it to you as the world gives. Your minds must not be troubled or afraid.

⁹ After that I saw a great crowd which no one could count from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes, with palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰ and they cried in a loud voice, "Our deliverance is the work of our God who is seated on the throne, and of the Lamb!" ¹¹ Then all the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four animals, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹² saying, "Amen! Blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen!"

¹¹ And he said, "A man had two sons. ¹² The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the property.' So he divided his property between them. ¹³ Not many days later, the younger son gathered up all he had, and went away to a distant country, and there he squandered his property by fast living. ¹⁴ After he had spent it all, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in want. ¹⁵ And he went and hired himself out to a resident of the country, and he sent him into his fields to tend pigs. ¹⁶ And he was ready to fill himself with the pods the pigs were eating, and no one would give him anything. ¹⁷ When he came to himself he said, 'How many hired men my father has, who have more than enough to eat, and here I am, dying of hunger! ¹⁸ I will get up, and go to my father, and say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your eyes; ¹⁹ I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired men!" ' ²⁰ And he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and pitied him, and ran and fell on his neck, and kissed him. ²¹ His son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your eyes; I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired men!' ²² But his father said to his slaves, 'Make haste and get out the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; ²³ and get the calf we are fattening, and kill it, and let us feast and celebrate, ²⁴ for my son here was dead, and he has come to life; he was lost, and he is found!' So they began to celebrate. ²⁵ But his elder son was in the field. When he came in and approached the house, he heard music and dancing, ²⁶ and he called one of the servants to him and asked him what it meant. ²⁷ He said to him, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the calf he has been fattening, because he has gotten him back alive and well.' ²⁸ But he was angry and would not go into the house. And his father came out and urged him. ²⁹ And he said to his father, 'Here I have served you all these years, and have never disobeyed an order of yours, and you have never given me a kid, so that I could entertain my friends. ³⁰ But when your son here came, who has eaten up your property with women of the street, for him you killed the calf you have been fattening!' ³¹ But he said to him, 'My child, you have been with me all the time, and everything I have is yours. ³² But we had to celebrate and be glad, because your brother was dead, and has come to life, and was lost and is found!' "

¹⁴ And over all these put on love, which completes them and fastens them all together. ¹⁵ Let the ruling principle in your hearts be Christ's peace, for in becoming members of one body you have been called under its sway. And you must be thankful.

² There are many rooms in my Father's house; if there were not, I would have told you, for I am going away to make ready a place for you.

¹ For I know that if this earthly tent that I live in is taken down, God will provide me a building in heaven to live in, not built by human hands but eternal. ² This makes me sigh with longing to put on my heavenly dwelling, ³ for if I do, I shall never find myself disembodied. ⁴ For I who am still in my tent sigh with anxiety, because I do not want to be stripped of it, but to put on the other over it, so that what is only mortal may be absorbed in life. ⁵ It is God himself who has prepared me for this change, and he has given me the Spirit as his guaranty. ⁶ So I am confident. I know well that as long as I am at home in the body I am away from the Lord ⁷ (for I have to guide my steps by faith, not by what is seen)— ⁸ yet I am confident, and I prefer to leave my home in the body and make my home with the Lord. ⁹ So whether I am at home or away from it, it is my ambition to please him. ¹⁰ For we must all appear in our true characters before the tribunal of the Christ, each to be repaid with good or evil for the life he has lived in the body. ¹¹ It is with this knowledge of what the fear of the Lord means that I appeal to men. My true character is perfectly plain to God, and I hope to your consciences too. ¹² I am not trying to recommend myself to you again. I am giving you cause to be proud of me, to use in answering men who pride themselves on external advantages and not on sincerity of heart. ¹³ For if I was out of my senses, as they say, it was between God and me; and if I am in my right mind, it is for your good. ¹⁴ It is Christ's love that controls me, for I have become convinced that as one has died for all, all have died, ¹⁵ and he died for all that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and rose again. ¹⁶ So from that time on, I have estimated nobody at what he seemed to be outwardly; even though I once estimated Christ in that way, I no longer do so. ¹⁷ So if anyone is in union with Christ, he is a new being; the old state of things has passed away; there is a new state of things. ¹⁸ All this comes from God, who through Christ has reconciled me to himself, and has commissioned me to proclaim this reconciliation— ¹⁹ how God through Christ reconciled the world to himself, refusing to count men's offenses against them, and intrusted me with the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ It is for Christ, therefore, that I am an envoy, seeing that God makes his appeal through me. On Christ's behalf I beg you to be reconciled to God. ²¹ He made him who knew nothing of sin to be sin, for our sake, so that through union with him we might become God's uprightness.

¹⁹ And he would not permit it, but said to him, "Go home to your own people, and tell them all the Lord has done for you and how he took pity on you."