Big Questions - My Witnesses... To the Ends of the Earth
Awake Us Now
It is easy to get distracted by other things — some of them perhaps important things — but Jesus makes it clear to His followers that our primary task is make disciples. To that end, we are to be His witnesses, "even to the ends of the earth."
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Dig Deeper - Week 2: The "Submission" Passage
Awake Us Now
Today’s class is a study of Ephesians 5:21-33. A group of verses that are controversial, often attacked and many times misunderstood. Ephesians 5:21-22 “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, [submit] yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.” In the original Greek text the second [submit] word is not there. There is not a verb in this sentence and so in traditional Greek practice, you take the verb from the previous sentence and insert it into the next sentence. Please note that this is really important - because what this is saying is,...
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Big Questions - Obey... Everything I Have Commanded
Awake Us Now
Obedience is not optional - it is command from Jesus Himself. But we are not saved because we obey; rather, we obey the Lord because He has saved us!
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Big Questions - All Authority... in Heaven and on Earth
Awake Us Now
God has chosen you and me not simply to be religious, but to be disciples. We are to follow Jesus faithfully, grow in the knowledge and love of Him, and share with others the powerful things He has done so that they become disciples too!
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Questions - Week 13: Is Marriage Outdated?
Awake Us Now
In this message we will look at what the Scriptures have to say about marriage, analyze concerns and questions raised in our day, overview the cultural changes that have led to many questioning the value and benefit of marriage, and do so from a Christian worldview. We will also take a look at some secular contemporary research and what it indicates. Common Reactions: 1. The culture has changed: - Married Couples comprised: 1950 — 78% of all US households 2020 — 47%...
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Kings & Prophets: From Solomon to Jeremiah - Week 4
Awake Us Now
Our study opens with a look at Civil War between Rehoboam and Judah vs. Jeroboam and Israel (931-910 BC). 1 Kings 12:1 We read that Rehoboam went to Shechem, “for all Israel had gone there to make him king.” Shechem was an historic site for the nation from about 500 years early when Levitical priests recited the blessings and the curses from Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. Shechem is the city near these two mountains. In verses 3 and 4 we read that Jeroboam challenges Rehoboam. Reheboam goes to 2 advisory boards. One was the elders that had served under his father, Solomon. They...
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Big Questions - Lord and God! Jesus' Amazing Claims
Awake Us Now
Lord and God? A great moral teacher? A very good man? What claims did Jesus actually make about His identity?
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Big Questions - Stop Doubting and... Believe!
Awake Us Now
Faith is essential ... but in what do place our faith? The scriptures make it clear that we are to place our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, the Savior of all the nations, and the Hope of all the earth!
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Big Questions - Receive... the Holy Spirit!
Awake Us Now
When Jesus says to His disciples, "Receive the Holy Spirit," it is not a "one-and-done" activity. He desires us all to live continually in the Spirit!
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Dig Deeper - Week 1: In the Beginning
Awake Us Now
Genesis 1:1 - “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Let’s look at the words “God” and “created.” in this verse in Hebrew the word used for God is a plural noun and created is a singular verb. What day did God create the world? It says God created everything in 6 days and He rested on the 7th day, the Sabbath, and that is Saturday. Which means the first day of creation was on Sunday. What was the day of the week that God began a new creation? That was on the day Jesus arose from the grave. The Bible tells us this was on the first day of the week, on a...
info_outlineLuke 6:47-49, John 3:16, 1 John 3.
Is your life built on a solid foundation, or on a shifting, unstable one? What did Jesus say was a solid foundation?
In our continued Two Year Study of the Gospels, we now move from the Gospel of Mark into the Gospel of Luke, specifically taking a look at the Parables of Jesus. The first parable Pastor Dodge examines is the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders. Where we build, how we build and what we build with are important and the foundation makes all the difference.
A solid foundation can withstand the storms that a house built on sand cannot. Today’s parable demonstrates this profound truth: Jesus tells us if we come to Him and hear His Word and put those words into practice, it is like a wise man who dug down deep to get a solid foundation on the rock and when the storms of life came - that house stood strong. But the person who built quickly without a strong foundation, when the storms came that house was totally destroyed.
We want to make sure our lives are anchored and founded on something that can never be shaken, that something is a Person, the Person is Jesus.
We can’t just hear the word of God we need to put it into practice, that’s what it means to build on a solid foundation.
What does a solid foundation look like? What is it build with? What does it mean to build on a solid foundation?
1. Humble heart
- Is where the solid foundation starts
2. Father’s love
- The foundation is anchored in the Love of the Father.
3. Son’s Lordship
- Jesus wants to be Lord of our lives - meaning He leads, guides and directs us.
4. Spirit’s power
- The Spirit of God dwells within us so we are to live in the power and strength the Holy Spirit provides.
5. Grace and mercy
- We are to reflect to others the same grace and mercy we have received from God in our own lives.
6. Willing obedience
- We are called to listen to the Word and follow. God’s Word determines truth. Let His truth guide our lives, let His scripture speak into the now, irrespective of what the world around us may be saying. These six building blocks build a solid foundation which will not crumble.
Unless our lives are anchored on a solid foundation - The Foundation of the Living God - our lives will crumble.
Which are you, a wise builder or a foolish builder? And what are you going to do about it?
Additionally, Pastor shares excavation information under the Synagogue of Capernaum which is centuries old. This synagogue was built on the foundation stones of another synagogue named, “The Synagogue of Jesus,” which dates back 2000 years based on artifacts found in the excavation.
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The Parables of Jesus is part two of our Two Year Study of the Gospels. Jesus is known for telling some of the greatest stories ever told. In telling these stories He uses the form of a parable which is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. Jesus’ parables resonate in every culture and in every generation around the world.
This study is great for large group. small group or home group Bible study.