The Gospel According to Matthew - Week 9
Awake Us Now
Prayer is an amazing gift from God! We have His plea to talk with Him. Genuine prayer; not showy prayer, but rather simply experiencing the presence of our Living God, the Father. Other topics covered are Jesus’ teaching on fasting and possessions. Based on Matthew 6:5-24.
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The Gospel According to Matthew - Week 8
Awake Us Now
Pastor points out the Old Testament’s words, “Thus says the LORD,” and compares them to the words of Jesus in the New Testament that say, “But I tell you.” What does this tell us about who Jesus is? Pastor explores the “But I tell yous” as found in Matthew chapter 5 and we learn what Jesus calls us to. That call is to a changed heart, which can only happen when we come to faith in Jesus. God’s call is personal! He wants to change each one of us by the shed blood of Jesus, the Son of God.
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The Gospel According to Matthew - Week 7
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In Week 7, we hear more of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Jesus calls us salt and light. What does He mean when He uses these words to describe how we are to be? As historians have looked at world history, more and more of them are coming to the realization Christianity changed everything. Jesus has had a greater impact on the human condition than anyone in all of history. What Jesus produces in people, changes them!
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Dig Deeper - Week 11: Two Pictures of the Messiah
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We will look at the two pictures of the Messiah found in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament). 2 Pictures of Messiah Reigning King Humble Substitute This double picture is what led some of the great Hebrew rabbis to suggest there might be two Messiahs that would come at different times and in different manners. And that then became the dominant tradition: Messiah will raise the dead Messiah will be victorious Messiah will reign in Jerusalem Messiah will bring peace If we look at the New Testament the early followers of Jesus believed this same thing about the Messiah....
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The Gospel According to Matthew - Week 6
Awake Us Now
We finish Matthew 4 on following Jesus, and begin the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 that opens with the Beatitudes.
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The Gospel According to Matthew - Week 5
Awake Us Now
Week 5 of our Matthew study digs into chapter 4 on the Temptation of Jesus, His three temptations and the reality of an unseen spiritual world.
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Questions - Week 23: How Are Minds Opened Today?
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This message focuses on the question: “How are minds opened today?”, which is part of our ongoing series: “What’s the answer?” Pastor explores how people’s lives are changed and what changes their attitudes about God, about Jesus, the resurrection, and about the power of God’s Word. Pastor takes us through Luke 24:36-47, an encounter with Jesus that His disciples have with Him after His resurrection. Jesus tells them: “This is what I told you while I was still with you; Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets...
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Daniel: When Kingdoms Collide (1) - Daniel's God
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The Book of Daniel is the story of the collision of two kingdoms, a spiritual war that is still being fought in the heavens and on the earth. In the end, the Kingdom of God wins!
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The Gospel According to Matthew - Week 4
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Week 4 of our Matthew study is all about John the Baptist and his message of repentance, a message that can be difficult for the religious to accept.
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The Gospel According to Matthew - Week 3
Awake Us Now
In our study of Matthew this week we look at chapters 2 and 3, with an emphasis on deliverance through Jesus the Messiah and the fulfillment of the New Covenant through Him as well.
info_outlineThis teaching is taken from the Acts 10, the story of Peter and Cornelius the Centurion. Both Peter and Cornelius experienced divine encounters through visions. Cornelius sees an angel with a message, Cornelius obeys and has Peter brought to his home.
Peter receives a vision in which God gives Peter eyes to see beyond his cultural rules of clean and unclean. Peter was a prisoner of his culture until God gave him a vision of truth and that breakthrough brings Peter to a Gentile’s home, Cornelius’ home, and Peter, going against the culture, obeys God and enters the house of a Gentile. Barriers were broken as Peter allowed God to broke into his heart. Peter understood that God wants ALL people to know and believe in Him.
Peter shares the gospel story with Cornelius and the people gathered to listen. Before Peter was even finished sharing, the Holy Spirit descended onto the group, just like what had happened to the disciples on Pentecost.
The ministry to the non-Jewish world takes off because God has intervened and God has directed it! God uses Peter (the apostle to the Jewish people) to bring the Gospel message to Cornelius and opens up the message of Jesus the Messiah to the Gentile world!
This story still speaks to us today:
1. Culture or Scripture - am I following my culture or am I following the Scripture?
2. Self or Spirit - will we go with our own plans or will we heed the Spirit of God?
3. Home or World - am I concerned about my own little group, the people I’m comfortable with or will I let God use me to reach all?
4. Works or Gospel - It’s not about how good I am, it’s about how good God is!
Remember: It’s about CHRIST ALONE!
It’s easy to mirror your culture, rather than reflect the teaching of the Living God. God calls us to be faithful and obedient, to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, and thus reflecting the very teachings of Christ.
Scripture Romans 12:2; Acts 10
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