Questions - Week 14: Why Am I So Tempted?
Awake Us Now
Common questions on this age old topic: ⁃ Why is sin so tempting? ⁃ Why do I do things I don’t want to do? ⁃ How can I conquer temptation? ⁃ Where can I find strength to resist? ⁃ Why is this so difficult? Genesis 3:1-7 - First sin in the Bible. But prior to sin, Adam and Eve were in a time of blissful innocence. A perfect creation, perfect relationship with God, perfect relationship with each other. No death, no sorrow, no pain, but that...
info_outline
Kings & Prophets: From Solomon to Jeremiah - Week 5
Awake Us Now
Pastor begins with a brief overview of Solomon’s divided kingdom. Judah was in the south with two tribes ruled by a descendant of David, Reheboam. Israel in the north with ten tribes was ruled by Jeroboam (1 Kings 11-14) 931-910 BC. God had said that Jeroboam’s kingship would be blessed if he followed the Lord, but he chose the exact opposite path. In today’s class we will look closely at three incidents with Jeroboam. In 1 Kings 12:31-33 we read some of the first things he did that were against God, everything Jeroboam did was counterfeit, just like what the enemy always tries to...
info_outline
The Living One - Week 1: Did He Really Live?
Awake Us Now
This teaching compares non-Christian writings of Tacitus, Josephus, Suetonius and Pliny from the first and second centuries to the New Testament writings. The evidence is clear and calls us to recognize we are sinners in need of a Savior, The Living One!
info_outline
Big Questions - Power... When the Holy Spirit Comes
Awake Us Now
Pentecost, the gift of the Holy Spirit to believers, is all about the power of God -- the power to live a new life, the power to give glory to the Living God, the power of faith that transforms us and that beckons to others to come to God as well!
info_outline
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."
info_outline
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,...
info_outline
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!
info_outline
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!
info_outline
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%...
info_outline
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...
info_outlineThis teaching is from Matthew 18:21-35, the Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor, and Matthew 19:1-12 on the topic of Divorce.
Peter asks Jesus if he should forgive someone seven times. Jesus responds with seventy seven times. The meaning of Jesus saying seventy seven times is that forgiveness in the face of genuine repentance does not keep track of numbers and Jesus is calling us to forgive as we have been forgiven.
Then Jesus tells this “Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor,” a story where a servant of a king owes millions of dolors to the king. When the king call the debt to account and be paid, the servant begs the king to be patient with him and that he will repay it. The king has compassion and forgives the entire debt!
But then this servant of the king has a man that works for him and this man owed the king’s servant a few thousand dollars and the king’s servant calls this man debt to account. When the man pleads to the king’s servant for time to pay but the king’s servant has the man thrown into jail until he could get the debt paid.
When the king heard about the lack of compassion he confronted his servant saying he had shown compassion and forgiven the debt to him, and that he should have done the same thing to the man that owed him money. The king placed his servant in jail for his lack of compassion until he could pay it off.
The story highlights how God, who has forgiven us an immeasurable debt, desires that we show the same kind of mercy to others and if we don’t then Jesus says we really don’t appreciate what the Father has given us.
We are called to forgive as we’ve been forgiven, to treat others in the same way God treats us. We’re called to reflect the incredible goodness of God. And that is shown in the act of forgiveness.
God’s way is grace, mercy, forgiveness and love like He’s given us. The Gospel of Jesus frees us from bitterness that destroys.
If we harbor hatred and resentment it eats away at us and destroys faith. God's call is to live life on His terms.
In the second half of today’s teaching, Jesus confronts a challenging issue, “Is Divorce Lawful?” He talks about how we are created male and female and that marriage is a covenant between them with God.
The follow up questions is “Why did Moses permit divorce?” It is because of hard hearts, but it is not God’s planned way. The Bible recognizes that divorce is a reality.
Today, we are living in a culture where divorce is widely practiced and what the New Testament calls us to is to recognize just as Jesus pointed out, it’s not the way the Father intended, and we are to bring hope and encouragement to those who are victimized by divorce. The Bible also calls us to lovingly let people know the truth of divorce.
Visit our website here
Watch the video from our website
https://www.awakeusnow.com/matthew-discipling
Watch the video from Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTaaqrC3dMOxHZDaamNk9DaM7h7LejJj7
Watch via our app. Text HELLO to 888-364-4483 to download our app.
We invite you to join us for our Sunday service every Sunday at 9:30am CT (live or on demand) here: https://www.awakeusnow.com/sunday-service