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Questions - Week 13: Is Marriage Outdated?
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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
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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_outlineThis teaching is from Matthew 22:1-40 and continues our exploration into Jesus’ final week of his ministry before his death and resurrection. While there is rising anger against Him Jesus’ heart is to continue to work to call those against Him to the truth of the Scriptures and to God. Jesus makes it clear that it is possible to be incredibly religious and yet have no real genuine relationship with God.
Pastor finishes exploring the 3 parables in Matthew 21 and 22 with today’s dive starting with the third parable where we see that these individuals, the religious leaders, truly did not understand the scripture and did not respond to the obvious.
3 Parables
1. Indictment (Matthew 21:28-32)
2. Sentencing (Matthew 21:33-46)
These two parables were discussed in last week’s teaching. Use the links below to listen to Matthew Week 30)
3. Execution (Matthew 22:1-14) is shown in the Parable of the Marriage Feast.
It starts by saying the kingdom of heaven is like a King (God) who prepared a wedding banquet for His Son (the Messiah coming to Israel). All of Israel was invited - the One they have been longing for! The king sends out his servants to let the invitees know of the banquet, but even though they have been eagerly anticipating the Messiah’s arrival, verse 53 says, “but they refused to come.” The king again sends his servants out to announce the banquet saying the dinner is prepared and all is ready! Come to the wedding banquet! (The long awaited Messiah is here!! Come celebrate!)
The parable goes on to say the invited paid no attention to this second invite and some seized the servant announcing the invite and killed him. This enraged the king and he sent his army and destroyed the murderers and burnt down their city. (This is a foreshadowing - Jesus knows what is coming - because religious leaders and others rejected Him - not only reject Him but will kill Him and so this is Jesus giving a head up that judgement is coming to the city of Jerusalem (this will be discussed further in the upcoming weeks)
The parable continues with the king telling the servants that as those invited did not come that they are to invite anyone they find.(prostitutes, tax collectors, and the non-Jewish world - Gentiles). And the servants filled the wedding hall.
In verse 11 the King (God) notices a guest that is not wearing wedding clothes so the king asks him how he got in without the wedding clothes that he was offering to everyone who came. (The white robes of righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ). The man not having the clothing was thrown out into the darkness.
Jesus is making it very clear that there is salvation and life forever found through faith in Him and Him alone. He is challenging the religious leadership to see Him for who He is - the prophesied Messiah they have been waiting for!
After Jesus told this Parable the Pharisees decided to lay plans to trap Jesus. They united with the Herodians in a well-planned attack with the question that no matter which way Jesus replied, He would be found guilty by one or the other group. The question: “What is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”
If He answered yes, pay the tax to Caesar, the Pharisees would have risen up against Him as they were not happy to be under the control of Rome and despised paying tax to the very ones whose rule they were under. If He answered not to pay the tax then the Herodians would have risen up against Him as they supported Roman rule.
But Jesus cuts their scheming plan off at the knees by His reply:”Show me the coin used for paying the imperial tax. Whose image and inscription is this?” They replied “Caesar’s.” Jesus continues, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
Jesus’ answer was brilliant. His answer doesn’t allow either of them to accuse Him of anything. His response amazed them so they left Him and went on their way.
The dissension around Jesus is rising with verbal attack after verbal attack. At each attack the crowds hear Jesus’ answers and they are astonished at His teaching while the religious leaders get angrier.
Further on in chapter 22 Jesus is asked this question, “Which is the greatest command in the law?” Jesus’ answer: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and will all your mind!’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the law and prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Again they are amazed, but Jesus comes back immediately with a question for them! And it’s a really good one! Come back next week to find out!!
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