Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
January 4, 2022: SOAP #4415:  Genesis 9-11; Luke 4

SCRIPTURE:  Luke (NIV) 4:17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21 and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.

OBSERVATION: Although Jesus did not stop being God, He laid aside His deity to live and die as a sinless man.  His sinless death provided forgiveness of sin for those who put their faith in Him.  The Holy Spirit empowered the ministry of this One who called Himself the “Son of Man.” One of the proofs of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of Jesus was in His speaking.  He taught, He spoke to sickness and to demons.  His words had authority. 

Verse 22 tells us that people were amazed at “the gracious words that came from His lips!”   His words were proof of the presence of the Holy Spirit.   

APPLICATION:  If “gracious words” can be a sign of the Spirit’s presence in a life, then surely those closest to us should be able to experience God’s presence through how we talk. 

Members of my family hear my words.  My words become windows through which they can see into my inner person.  They see me when things are good and when I am under pressure.  They hear my words of encouragement and of frustration. 

PRAYER:  Holy Spirit, do in me what you did in Jesus.  May your presence be easily seen in me.  May “gracious words” be common in my conversation. Amen.

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
January 3, 2022: SOAP #4414:  Genesis 6-8; Luke 3

SCRIPTURE:  Genesis (NIV) 7:1 The LORD then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. 7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood….
Genesis (NIV) 8:15 Then God said to Noah, 16 “Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives.

OBSERVATION: The Lord told Noah and his family to enter the ark.  Noah did.  At the end of their floating excursion, Noah opened the window, (8:6) but they did not leave the ark.  He sent out raven (8:7) which did not return.  But Noah did not leave the ark.  Then he sent out a dove which returned (8:8).  Noah stayed in the ark.  After another seven days he sent the dove out again (8:10) which returned with an olive leaf.  Then he waited another seven days and sent out the dove again (8:12) and it did not return; but Noah stayed in the ark.  The first day of Noah’s 601st year, Noah removed the cover from the ark and looked out at the dry ground; but Noah did not leave the ark.  The 27^th day of the second month the ground was completely dry, and God finally said, “Now you can come out of the ark!”

God told Noah to enter the ark and Noah stayed until God said it was time.  Obedience is my responsibility; timing is God’s responsibility!  

APPLICATION:  The ark was not a luxury ocean liner where no effort has been spared to make the accommodations comfortable.  There was not a special crew to take care of the animals.  The passengers were the crew!  As soon as the ark settled onto the ground, they probably were ready to disembark.  But the one who instructed them to board had not yet given them permission to disembark. They had to stay until…

When God has assigned me a place in His kingdom, I cannot move away at my own discretion.  My life is not my own. 

PRAYER:  Lord, the kingdom is yours and I am yours.  It is for you to direct my steps.  It is for me to serve you joyfully where you have placed me.  It is a great privilege to serve in your kingdom! Amen.

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
January 2, 2022: SOAP #4413:  Genesis 3-5; Luke 2

SCRIPTURE:  Luke (NIV) 2:39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.  41 Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom.

OBSERVATION:   After the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the visit to the temple, the escape into Egypt and return, Joseph and Mary settled into the routine of daily life.  They had done all they could do, and everything required of the Law, and now was the time of just living.  It was family life with a small child, and with the brothers and sisters that were born into the family.   It was time needed for Jesus to grow and develop. When He was 12, the family went to the temple in Jerusalem where Jesus, when it was time to leave for home, stayed behind to talk with the teachers in the temple.  When they located Him, He returned home with them and remained at home until He began His ministry at age 30. 

It was God who set the times of days and years.  It was our Creator who established the patterns and times for growth and maturity.  Jesus was just as much doing the will of His Father at home with Mary and Joseph as He was during His three years of ministry leading up to His death and resurrection!  

APPLICATION:  I have had several times of waiting for God to give the next move.  But if I am where God has sent me, I must remain until He directs.  I must not run, change course, or develop my own plan.  Life offers many open doors, but it is not an open door for which I am looking; I am looking for Him.  I do not want God to point to an open door and send me off to enter it; I want to follow Him through the open door!  Beyond the open door is a challenge bigger than me—but not bigger than Him!!! 

PRAYER:  Lord, your timing is amazing.  Thank you for helping me not to get discouraged in the “slow” times but to learn to appreciate your Presence.  Amen.

Pastor Leon
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January 1, 2022: SOAP #4412:  Genesis 1-2; Luke 1

SCRIPTURE:  Genesis (NIV) 2:4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens—5 and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground,…
Genesis 2:15  The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

OBSERVATION: We note that the work of man was an integral part of God’s creation. God created and prepared the earth as a dwelling for man.  Having something for man to do was pre-planned.  Here it appears that some things in creation could not be completed until man was available to “work the ground.”

To work is a holy calling from the Lord.  Whatever the job, it should be received as a holy assignment from the Lord.  It should be undertaken as being done unto the Lord.  One’s concern for fellow workers should be no less than a pastor’s concern for his congregation.  The worker is not preaching weekly sermons from a pulpit but is preaching daily sermons with his life. 

APPLICATION:  When the Lord had me step down from being the senior pastor of our church, I asked Him what I should do.  He told me to drive a school bus.  My present employment as a bus driver is just as holy as the 30 years I spent being a pastor.  I am to serve those with whom I work at the bus barn, those who ride my bus, and those who live in my neighborhood as carefully as I served the members of the congregation to whom I preached every week. 

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, you assign me responsibilities to fulfill for my good and your glory.  You have not designed me to sit around idle.  My work is my ministry.  My ministry is my work.  May my life bring joy to your heart.  Amen.

Pastor Leon
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December 31, 2021: SOAP #4411:  Revelation 19-14

SCRIPTURE:  Revelation (NIV) 1:4 John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness,
Revelation (NIV) 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.

OBSERVATION: John ends the book of Revelation as he started—blessing his readers with the grace of God.  Thirteen other New Testament books follow the same pattern, beginning and ending mentioning the grace of God.  The book of Acts is about the life of the church and grace is mentioned 11 times.  Romans is basic teaching about our spiritual lives and grace is mentioned 18 times.  Obviously, grace is important.

In the English language we say it is God’s Riches At Christ Expense.  Surely it is undeserved favor.    

It is Amazing Grace because it only comes from God.  It is amazing because it reaches all the way to sinful people.  We can only find it in God’s love and mercy for us and we can only receive it by faith. 

APPLICATION:  Through God’s grace I receive what I do not deserve and what I could never earn. It is by faith that I receive the forgiveness God’s grace provides. 

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, the grace you provide is truly amazing.  I believe you and I receive your grace into my life.  Make me a channel through which your grace can flow to others.  Amen.

Pastor Leon
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December 30, 2021: SOAP #4410:  Revelation 15-18

SCRIPTURE:  Revelation (NIV) 15:2 And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name. They held harps given them by God 3 and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb: “Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages. 4 Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

OBSERVATION: During the judgments of God, we find the phrase, “you alone are holy.”  God is both perfect in love and perfect in holiness. 

Generally, when something clean and unclean touch, the clean becomes unclean. Contact with the dirty causes the clean to become dirty. We are all sinners, and sin is not accepted in God’s presence.  But when the blood of Jesus is applied to the life of a sinner, the sinner is justified—made just as if he had never sinned!!!  God is so holy, that He makes what He touches holy. 

APPLICATION:  It should not surprise me when the Holy Spirit draws my attention to things in my life that do not measure up to God’s holiness.  He is in the process of “holifying” me.  (My word for God working on my thoughts, attitudes, desires, habits, actions, reactions, pleasures, etc.)  Leon is body, soul, and spirit.  God is working to align body and soul with spirit!   

PRAYER:  Holy Spirit, I recognize your presence in me.  Keep working on me. Keep working on the parts that can be seen, so that what cannot be seen shines through. May Jesus be seen in me. Amen.

Pastor Leon
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December 29, 2021: SOAP #4409:  Revelation 10-14

SCRIPTURE:  Revelation (NIV) 7:3 “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”
Revelation (NIV) 22:4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.

Revelation (NIV) 14:9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, 10 he, too, will drink of the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.”

OBSERVATION:  The mark is a sign of ownership.  It designates their place in eternity.  Having the seal of God sets one to “see His face.” 

Those who receive the mark of the beast are signifying to whom they belong.  Receiving his mark sets them to receive his judgment! 

APPLICATION:  What an honor to bear the name of Jesus.  What a joy awaits those who are sealed with His name. 

What tragedy awaits those who will receive the mark of the name of the beast. 

PRAYER:  Jesus, I surrender my life to you.  I accept you as my Savior and Lord.   As my Savior I acknowledge my sin and receive your forgiveness.  I set you as Lord over my life.  Thank you for forgiving me and making me a part of your family. Amen.

Pastor Leon
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December 28, 2021: SOAP #4408:  Revelation 5-9

SCRIPTURE:  Revelation (NIV) 7:14 I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore, “they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. 16 Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. 17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

OBSERVATION:  Those who have endured tribulation during their life on earth, will find things very different during their life in heaven.  At times life can seem very unfair.  Some people seem to never get a break.  As they are coming out of one struggle, they find another one waiting.  But a day is coming…

APPLICATION:  …a day is coming when God will set things right.  For those who have had their sins forgiven based on Jesus’ death, they can smile through the troubles of this life.  They can walk in confidence that a better time awaits.  Death may stop the suffering of this life, but it does not stop the promises of God!  

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us windows in the scriptures through which we can see into eternity. What a difference!!!  We trust you to reward those who have been mistreated, to honor those who have been ridiculed, and to comfort those who have been heart-broken. Amen.

Pastor Leon
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December 27, 2021: SOAP #4407:  Revelation 1-4

SCRIPTURE:  Revelation (NIV) 1:9 I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11 which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”

OBSERVATION: That John was “in the Spirit” tells me that his mind was not filled with his circumstances.  He was not planning an escape from this island Roman prison.  He was not thinking about how he missed his family and friends.  He was “in the Spirit.” 

It was an experience specifically on “the Lord’s Day” which says to me that this was beyond John’s normal experience.  The Spirit had captivated John’s attention. 

With his mind focused on God and His presence, John heard a voice!  The resurrected and glorified Jesus was speaking to John!   God had John’s attention.  John was ready to hear. –and oh, the things he saw and heard!

APPLICATION:  When I take time to give God my attention, I find that He is ready to speak.  Of course, He’s ready—He is a speaker!  It is His nature to speak.  God uses His Word to get my attention.  As His word draws my attention away from things of the world, I hear Him speak to me. 

I am God’s child, a member of His family.  His Son, Jesus, paid the price to bring me into His family.  I have committed my life to Him.  I have set my heart to do as He directs.  Of course, He speaks to me.  It would be surprising if He did not speak to me. 

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, your best speech was when you sent your Son.  How appropriate that He is the Word!  I am so thankful that you are still speaking.  Amen.

Pastor Leon
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December 26, 2021: SOAP #4406:  Psalm 117; 119:81-176; 2John; 3John

SCRIPTURE:  Psalm (NIV) 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

OBSERVATION: In this chapter, the Psalmist is expressing praise and gratitude to the Lord for His word, the Bible.  In the above verse we can see two specific reasons to appreciate God’s Word. 

In the Word we find a light to cover our path and its surroundings.  In the light of day, I can look to the left and right.  I can look forward to see what lies ahead on my path.  I can prepare for danger ahead. 

A lamp is used to give light to a specific location or room.  I use a lamp to illumine my immediate location.  In the light of a lamp, I can make good choices as to where I place my feet.  Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Word often gives me specific direction and timing for my steps. 

APPLICATION:  Daily reading the Word builds my supply of wisdom to help me understand the world around me.  The light of the Word reveals the evil that is all around me.  The lamp of the Word shows me how to step to stay away from the evil.  The Holy Spirit uses the Word to show me how to respond. 

The Holy Spirit uses the light of the Word to give me confidence that everything will work out for my good and God’s glory.  The Holy Spirit uses the lamp of the Word to burn into my mind and heart things that I need to be doing today, now, immediately. 

In reading the chapters assigned in the Bible reading program I use, I grow in understanding of God and what He is doing in the world around me.  When the Holy Spirit draws my attention to a specific verse, I pause to read it again and meditate on it.  The Spirit makes it “a lamp to my feet.”  In those times, the Spirit gives me the thought for Today‘s SOAP. 

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word.  Holy Spirit, thank you for the skillful and gentle way you guide my steps in the Word.  Amen.

Pastor Leon
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