Questions - Week 24: Is the Shroud of Turin Genuine?
Awake Us Now
The Shroud of Turin is a relic housed in the cathedral in Turin Italy and claimed to be the burial cloth of Christ. The Gospels give us some details: Matthew 27:59-60 ESV “And Joseph (of Arimathea) took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away.” Mark 15:46 ESV “And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking Him (Jesus) down, wrapped Him in the linen shroud and laid Him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone...
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Daniel: When Kingdoms Collide (2) - Mixed, Not Melted
Awake Us Now
God calls His people not to blend in to society, but to stand out, to reflect the mercy and goodness of God, so that He may be exalted through all the nations!
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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
Awake Us Now
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
Awake Us Now
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?
Awake Us Now
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
Awake Us Now
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!
info_outlineLuke 4:14-30: “Hometown Visit.”
This story of Jesus going to His hometown appears to be a different trip than those told in the other gospels.
This is a story of those listening to Jesus in Nazareth (His hometown) in comparison to those hearing Jesus in Galilee and who willingly received what Jesus had to offer. But those in Nazareth because of their pride and arrogance and boastfulness and being skeptical, did not get to experience what Jesus has to give us!
Jesus was born in Bethlehem but Nazareth is the town Jesus grew up in. As He returned home for a visit, He went to the synagogue as was His regular practice on the Sabbath.
Here is some information about synagogues in Jesus’ day:
1. Opened with singing (mainly Psalms 145-150)
2. Recitation of the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4)
3. Recitation of the Tefillah (18 benedictions and prayers)
4. Reading of the Scriptures (torah, prophets and writings)
5. Message of Interpretation of what was read
6. The Aaronic Benediction
Jesus comes home to a town that had heard all the remarkable stories of Him since He’s been gone and He’s at the synagogue and He does the Reading. He chooses a prophetic word from Isaiah 58 and Isaiah 61 and closes with “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
What He’s saying is that He’s the one the prophets predicted and the home town people, having heard the storied of what He had been doing in the other town, and there is initial excitement.
Jesus gives them these Words of Grace in the Reading:
1. Good News to the poor
2. Freedom for prisoners
3. Sight for the blind
4. Deliverance from oppression
5. Debts paid - Jubilee
Jesus words of grace and hope are for us still today:
1. Good News of the Gospel message of what Jesus has done for us
2. Freedom from bondage to sin
3. Sight given for our spiritual blindness
4. Deliverance from brokenness
5. Our Debt to God for our sins is paid in full for us by Jesus through faith
After Jesus delivers His Words of Grace the crowd began to question and doubt what He was saying and they became offended at His words.
So Jesus confronts those doubting who He is. The crowd wanted proof that Jesus was who He said He was - but Jesus’ response is that He sees into their hearts and that prophets aren’t accepted in their home towns. They were acting like the Israelites. Jesus proceeds to preach a message on the time of Elijah and Elisha - a time in history much like now in America - a time of national apostasy and spiritual poverty.
Jesus knows what’s in our hearts and souls still today. We live in a nation that has traditionally thought of itself as a Christian nation and yet our roots have become just a veneer of Christianity.
We have made our own rules, done what we want to do, followed our own gods of money, wealth and success, believed what we want to and redefined what God has said, establishing our own morality and it is destroying us from within.
After Jesus’ teaching about the times of Elijah and Elisha The people were furious and wanted to get rid of Jesus, to kill Him.
Jesus spoke words of Truth and to those who are humble and repentant - His Words bring joy, life, hope and purpose - and they still do today.
God knows our hearts and to those who refuse to listen the result is anger. But He doesn’t give up when people won’t listen or when they turn their backs on Him. He continues to reach out to the proud - He desires to bring restoration. He continues to reach out to those who are broken-hearted and discouraged - He desires to bring healing. And to those stuck in sin and darkness and addiction - He desires to bring freedom, restoration and renewal.
May we be humble and contrite before Him and may God bring that kind of revival and renewal and awakening in our nation. Hearts turning back to Him!
He comes to those who hear His voice! May we be listening always!!!
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St. Luke’s Account is part three of our Two Year Study of the Gospels. The Gospel of Luke takes a look at the life of Jesus, beginning with the well-known Christmas stories. Luke, a non Jew, offers a unique perspective into the story of Jesus’ life.
This study is great for large group. small group or home group Bible study.