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Questions - Week 13: Is Marriage Outdated?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
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...
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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...
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Big Questions - All Nations: How Close Are We?
Awake Us Now
From Genesis to Revelation, God's plan remains the same - to reach all nations and bring people back to Him. How close are we to seeing that happen? Why is belief in Jesus growing at such an astounding pace in much of the world, but not in Europe and North America?
info_outlinePastor opens with Psalm 33:12 “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.”
Our class starts and ends with the story of the kings of Judah. But in between Asa’s 40 year reign as a king of Judah and his son, Jehoshaphat’s 22 year reign, we see the turmoil and chaos that is transpiring in Israel the northern kingdom.
Major events of Asa’s Reign:
⁃ Zera the Cushite attacks (2 Chr. 14:8-15)
⁃ Azariah and Covenant Renewal (2 Chr. 15:1-19)
⁃ Treaty with Ben-Hadad of Aram (2 Chr. 16:1-6)
⁃ Hanani the Seer rebukes Asa (2 Chr. 16:7-10)
In 1 Kings 15:16-17 we read about the tension between Baasha, King of Israel and Asa, King of Judah, and how there was war between Asa and Baasha. Baasha fortifies Ramah on the main road to Jerusalem close to the border between to Israel and Judah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering Judah’s territory.
Asa retaliates but instead of calling on God as he has in the past, he calls on a foreign power and gives temple adornments, silver and gold to the King of Aram and asks him to attack Baasha. Ben-Hadad of Aram does attack Israel, the northern kingdom and wins.
Hanani, a prophet comes to Asa following his treaty with Aram and says, “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.” Asa was so angry at the prophet that he put him in prison.
Asa was a good king and had sought to follow the Lord when he first ruled, but in the later years of his reign he did not call on the Lord, instead he relies on himself and others and not God.
The scriptures say, trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Asa started out that way, but he did not finish that way. A lesson for us today.
Meanwhile, up north… (in Israel) we read in 1 Kings 15-16. 910-870 BC during the 40 year reign of Asa in Judah, this is how it was going in Israel.
Jeroboam’s son Nadab is on the throne and he did evil in the eyes of the Lord following the ways of his father Jeroboam. Nadab rules for only 2 years. Baasha kills Nadab and rules Israel for 24 years. Baasha battles Israel because of King Asa of Judah’s request. Baasha defeats Israel and kills off all of Jeroboam’s family, ending the rule of Jeroboam’s family and fulfilling the prophetic word given to Jeroboam. Ahijah’s prophetic word had said that Jeroboam was to follow God, and if he did his family would continue to reign but if he did not it would end.
We begin to see that when a nation abandons God it invites disaster. The kingdom of Israel is in chaos. We can see it in the list of rulers of Israel over the next years:
Nadab - 2 years (son of Jeroboam)
Baasha - 24 years (kills Nadab and Jeroboam’s family)
Elah - 2 years (son of Baasha killed by Zimri)
Zimri - 7 days (killed by Baasha’s family)
Omri - 12 years (build new capital: Samaria)
Ahab - 22 years (Omri’s son - he was the worst king of all. Marries Jezebel and establishes Baal worship) 1 Kings 16-22.
God’s anger is aroused with this succession of evil kings of Israel….
…But in the southern kingdom of Judah, Jehoshaphat is king. 1 chronicles 17 870-848 BC - he was a man who sought the Lord his God. Jehoshaphat was the son of Asa. The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the ways of David instead of the practices that we see goin on in Israel.
Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honor. He removed asheriah poles, he sent teachers out to the people of Judah to teach them about the law in the Torah and revival breaks out.
Join us next week as we meet Elijah!
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