Growing Gracefully: Prepared
Awake Us Now
Almost two thousand years ago, John the Baptist called people to repent and prepare for the coming Lord. Today, we are still called to have repentant hearts that receive and extend the forgiveness of the Living God, and to prepare fruit for Him in our lives!
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Growing Gracefully: Holiness
Awake Us Now
Holiness is a gift, offered to us in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. But once God has made us holy, we are then called to pursue holiness in our lives!
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Questions - Week 21: Why Do You Believe He Is Risen?
Awake Us Now
Happy Resurrection Sunday - Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Today’s question is “Why do you believe He is risen?” Pastor starts today’s class with a personal testimony in which the Bible changed the direction of his life at the age of 15. Christianity stands or falls on the resurrection of Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:14 “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” Pastor shares the Evidence Trail of Jesus’ Resurrection on the bases of writings from believers, unbelievers, recorded data, and old and new studies. The Evidence Trail...
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Kings & Prophets: From Solomon to Jeremiah - Week 14
Awake Us Now
Last week we ended our study time looking at a great king of Judah, Hezekiah. Today we start with one of the worst kings of Judah, Manasseh, Hezekiah’s son. Manasseh reigned from 697-642 B.C. His story is found in 2 Kings 21:1-18 and 2 Chronicles 33:1-20. Manasseh reigned 55 years. He reigned longer than any other king and did more damage than any other king. He did evil in God’s eyes. It is a disgusting and tragic story. He destroys everything good his father had done. King Manasseh ⁃ Apostasy and Idolatry - 2 Chronicles 33:33 ⁃...
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Growing Gracefully: Obedience
Awake Us Now
Growing gracefully in obedience is a response to the salvation God has worked in our lives through Christ Jesus. We are called to walk in obedience as a response to our faith in Jesus. Obedience is not necessary for salvation, but obedience is necessary! Join us as we explore Growing Gracefully in our relationship with Jesus Christ through obedience to Him and His Word. Obedience does not save, but neither is it optional. God desires not simply outward actions, but inner obedience to His Word. Pastor focuses on two important Biblical truths: 1. Obedience does not save - Jesus saves --Grace of...
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Growing Gracefully: Training
Awake Us Now
Despite the most rigorous physical exercise and training regimen, our bodies will age and, eventually, die. But there is a training - training in godliness - that lasts into eternity. The spiritual diet we eat, the spiritual exercise we do and the spiritual training we choose affects our ability to grow graceful as Jesus’ disciples. Training ourselves for godliness has benefits for today, tomorrow and for eternity. Spiritual training is timeless. Train to be godly - Christianity is not a spectator sport. We can’t be a couch potato. We must be in training to be godly. This is training with...
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Growing Gracefully: Contentment
Awake Us Now
Even in the most difficult of times, believers such as the apostle Paul have known contentment, an inner peace, a certainty that God is in control. Because of what Jesus has done for us, we know that, through faith in Him, we will live forever. That certainty brings true contentment!
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Dig Deeper - Week 9: Were Lambs Crucified?
Awake Us Now
Luke 22:7-8 ‘Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.”” What we know about the Passover during the time of Jesus, is that the Passover meal had to be celebrated in Jerusalem itself. The lambs were killed at the Temple and the priests worked hours and hours to slaughter all the lambs needed for the meals - as many as a quarter million lambs were killed. The people came to the temple to pick up their lambs. This is where Jesus was sending...
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Growing Gracefully: Humility
Awake Us Now
The humility modeled for us by Jesus is not only refreshing, it is life-changing and God-pleasing! Pride, on the other hand, makes us nauseating not only to others, but to God as well.
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Growing Gracefully: Freedom
Awake Us Now
True freedom is living the full life that God always intended us to possess. In Jesus, we are freed from bondage to sin and are now free to please God!
info_outlineThe Gospel of John Week 6
Scripture: John 3:22-4:30, Jeremiah 2:13, Ezekiel 47.
Today we look at the character of Jesus and into His identity in the story of the Samaritan Woman at the Well.
Great Points from Today’s Study:
Jesus is the groom and His people are the bride
Jesus is above all!
God gives the Spirit without limit!
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life
Tensions amongst the people were high so Jesus heads to Galilee and decides to go through Samaria on the way.
Jesus always has purpose and follows what The Father tells Him
This woman didn’t know it but she needed something from the Lord. She didn’t know that Jesus was going to change her.
Pastor shares about who the Samaritans were. The basic difference in their beliefs with the Jews was a difference in where they were to worship. Though the rest of their beliefs were the same the Jews did not like the Samaritans at all and would not associate with them or even talk to them.
The meeting with the woman happens at Jacob’s well in Samaria, at noon
The time is important as women typically went to get the water for the day early in the morning. But it was noon when this woman was coming to the well. Why was she at the well at noon when other women were not there? We surmise it is because she maybe is shunned based on her lifestyle
Jesus sits down by the well and proceeds to talk to the Samaritan woman, something that is just not done because men did not speak to women in public let alone a Samaritan woman
Jesus asks her for a drink
She’s surprised Jesus talks to her.
Jesus is not a rule follower!
She asks why He would ask her for water. Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”
God is the giver of Living Water (Jeremiah 2:13) - Jesus is claiming deity.
Jesus tells her that anyone who drinks the water He gives will never thirst again.
Jesus is speaking spiritually
He alone quenches the thirst of our souls - He wants to fill up her needy soul with His Himself!
Jesus told her much about herself - He knew her - He know all about her life
He knows us too!
Jesus tells her “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24)
It is by the Holy Spirit that we understand who Jesus is. The Holy Spirit is the comforter, counselor and advocate.
Real worship isn’t where you go, it’s who you know
Real worship is not a matter of a place, real worship is a matter of a Person.
Real worship is knowing the Messiah and the Holy Spirit that He gives.
Real worship is not about ritual of where one worships, worship is about relationship with the one we worship!
Jesus declares to her that He is the I AM. He is the Messiah - He is God! The Living God! The Living Water.
She returns to town - forgetting that she probably is seen as an outcast, and shunned and instead tells everybody about Jesus! She can’t help herself but to share all about Him!
What we learn:
No one in need is ever turned away by Jesus.
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The Gospel of John study is part five of five of our Two Year Study of the Gospels.
The Gospel of John may be one of the most powerful books ever written. Many people have come to faith after reading only this book of the Bible. Scholarly and archeological discoveries in recent decades give us new insight on details in the Gospel of John. We can now understand it as the most Jewish rather than the most “Gentile/Greek” of the Gospels, and when we do that we see many things that we missed before.
Our 2 year study of the gospels is great for large group, small group or home group study and can be started at any time!