Rescued by Truth: Week 23
Awake Us Now
The Biblical truth "God is good" is easy to say when things are going smoothly, but what if everything seems to be going against us? In trials and cruel suffering through the ages, believers have found strength and restoration in that truth and can testify that God truly is good. The enemy loves to tell us God’s the bad guy. That’s a lie! The truth is: God IS good and His goodness is incredible.
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Two Year Gospel Study Week 75
Awake Us Now
Up To Jerusalem - Teaching 17 Scripture: Luke 23:26-34, Mark 15:21, Hosea 10:8, John 19:19-27, Mark 15:29-32, Luke 23:39-43, Matthew 27:45-49, Psalm 22, John 19:28-30., Luke 23:46, Psalm 31:5, Matthew 27:50-54. Today we take a look at a moving, powerful and emotionally packed teaching on the subject of Jesus’ crucifixion. We will explore the accounts of Jesus’ crucifixion using all four gospels as each gives us unique details and special insights. Jesus’ crucifixion was painful, prolonged, humiliating and demeaning, but the four gospel writers do not dwell on the sufferings of...
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The Epistles of Jesus: Philadelphia
Awake Us Now
When every door to victory appears locked, Jesus' letter to Philadelphia contains the key!
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The Epistles of Jesus: Sardis
Awake Us Now
Do the glory days of your faith lie in the past? Christ has a prescription for revival!
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The Epistles of Jesus: Thyatira
Awake Us Now
In Jesus' letter to the church in Thyatira (Revelation 2:18-29), what is the "Jezebel spirit" that He refers to, and how is it opposed to the Spirit of God?
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Armor of God #1 - Be Strong!
Awake Us Now
It is by God's power, it is by being strong in Him, it is in using the armor of God that you and I can not only stand against the devil's schemes, but also witness to others whom God is leading out from the power of the devil. Pastor Dodge also shares a personal testimony of spiritual warfare that shows the power of God to defeat the enemy, because God IS stronger! Ephesians -11
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The Epistles of Jesus: Pergamum
Awake Us Now
The church in Pergamum had compromised with evil. How about us? In love, Christ offers to renew and restore our relationship with Him!
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The Epistles of Jesus: Smyrna
Awake Us Now
"Be faithful until death" sure is a tall order. But Jesus' letter to Smyrna equips us to attain it!
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Forty Plus Ten - Week 4: Promises
Awake Us Now
Scripture: Psalm 145:13b, Acts 1:3, Acts 1:4-12, Ephesians 5:18, Matthew 5:16, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 How many promises are in the Bible? The number given by many different individuals and groups ranges from many hundreds to many thousands. We will settle on saying there are “lots and lots!” Today, we take a look at several more of Jesus’ appearances after His resurrection and explore three specific promises found in Acts 1 that are applicable to any believer’s life. Promise #1: Holy Spirit Promise #2: Witnesses Promise #3: Second Coming Applications ⁃ ...
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Rescued by Truth: Week 22
Awake Us Now
Purity is not optional for a genuine disciple of Jesus. Pastor counters the societal confusion around purity with truths from the Bible, and teaches us four steps to living in purity.
info_outlineScripture: Acts 1:3, 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, Galatians 1:18-19, 1 Timothy 1:13-17.
In today’s study we take a look at a Credal Statement. What is a Credal Statement?
⁃ It is a fundamental of faith
⁃ It enable people to talk about what they know and believe
⁃ It is easily memorized
⁃ It is easily understood
⁃ It is easily shared
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 “What I received I passed on to you. And it is the most important of all. Here is what it is. Christ died for our sins, just as Scripture said he would. He was buried. He was raised from the dead on the third day, just as Scripture said he would be. He appeared to Peter. Then he appeared to the 12 apostles.” (The Credal Statement in bold.)
Then Paul continues with verses 6-8, “After that, he appeared to more than 500 brothers and sisters at the same time. Most of them are still living. But some have died. He appeared to James. Then he appeared to all the apostles. Last of all, he also appeared to me. I was like someone who wasn’t born at the right time.”
Paul mentions three men in these verses: Peter, James (Jesus’ 1/2 brother) and himself. 2000 years later we have evidences of authenticity: There is convincing physical evidence of Peter’s home in Jerusalem. Pastor shares pictures. There is a bone box, The James Ossuary, which has also been discovered and has an inscription, “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.” The basic consensus of scholarly opinion is that this is very likely authentic.
Who were these men?
Peter: denied Jesus publicly three times
James: his brother, was an unbeliever - did not believe Jesus was who He was, and James ridiculed his brother Jesus
Paul: persecuted and killed believers and denounced Jesus
Who did they become?
⁃ Peter became an apostle of Christ and bold preacher of God’s Word. Even arrest, beatings, and threats didn’t lessen Peter’s determination to preach the risen Christ.
⁃ James, after seeing Jesus risen from the grave, became a believer and also became the leader of the early Christian church in Jerusalem.
⁃ Paul was born Saul and he persecuted believers, but after meeting Jesus on a walk to Damascus Saul became Paul the Apostle and defender of the Gospel.
What did these three have in common?
⁃ They had all failed Jesus
⁃ A denier
⁃ A radical
⁃ A persecutor
⁃ All come to faith in the Risen Lord
⁃ Their lives are changed
⁃ They give powerful testimonies to Christ’s love for all sinners
What else do they have in common?
⁃ The PARDON of Christ - Forgiveness in full.
⁃ Each of their stories is a story of redemption in Jesus and a testimony that not a single one of us is beyond the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
⁃ In these three men we see that God saved the worst of us so that He might save all of us. Their changed lives are a testimony to the heart of God wanting us all.
How do their stories speak to us today?
Applications of the Pardon of God
⁃ Christ’s mercy and grace is for us too - 1 Timothy 1:13-14 “I used to speak evil things against Jesus. I tried to hurt his followers. I really pushed them around. But God showed me mercy anyway. I did those things without knowing any better. I wasn’t a believer. Our Lord poured out more and more of his grace on me. Along with it came faith and love from Christ Jesus.”
⁃ Christ’s saving power is for us too - 1 Timothy 1:15 “Here is a saying that you can trust. It should be accepted completely. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I am the worst sinner of all.”
⁃ Nothing we have done can cause Jesus not to want to win us over to Himself
⁃ Nothing that would cause Him to say He’s done with us
⁃ God wants ALL to be saved.
⁃ Christ’s patient renewal is for us too- 1 Timothy 1:16 “But for that very reason, God showed me mercy. And I am the worst of sinners. He showed me mercy so that Christ Jesus could show that he is very patient. I was an example for those who would come to believe in him. Then they would receive eternal life.”
Incredible Love - Incredible Grace - Incredible Pardon
And Jesus’ mercy and grace, saving power, patient renewal and incredible love are for us, too!
Paul, Peter and James were living examples of God’s incredible grace - we too are living examples of His incredible grace.
Pardon - God offers pardon, forgiveness to all who will repent and believe in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and we become the children of God…. FOREVER!!
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