Questions - Week 22: What Did Jesus Tell Them?
Awake Us Now
Pastor gives us a look at the story, “On the Road to Emmaus,” found in Luke 24:13-27. We don’t know the actual location of Emmaus, nor do we know the names of those walking with Jesus in this story. The story takes place later in the day on the day of Jesus’ resurrection. Those Jesus walks with do not recognize Him. They are trying to figure out everything that had happened with Jesus and thinking about what the women had said about Jesus being alive and about the disciples having gone to the tomb and found it empty. Then Jesus begins to explain the scriptures to them concerning...
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Kings & Prophets: From Solomon to Jeremiah - Week 15
Awake Us Now
This is the final week in our study of 400 years of Kings and Prophets from Solomon to Jeremiah. King Josiah • Young King seeks God • Spiritual cleansing of Jerusalem • Book of the Law discovered • Reform beyond Judah • Passover observance - King Josiah gives an order to all people to observe God's Passover. This had not been celebrated according to what was written, not even in the days of the judges, nor in the days of any of the kings of...
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Growing Gracefully: Sing!
Awake Us Now
We see singing and songs throughout the Scriptures. Singing connects us with the heart, with one another, and with God!
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Growing Gracefully: Infilling
Awake Us Now
Everyone who is a true disciple of the Lord Jesus has the Holy Spirit. But does the Holy Spirit have us? It is one thing to know the Living God and to know Jesus as Savior, but it is another thing to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit on a regular, daily basis!
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Growing Gracefully: Awake
Awake Us Now
God charges His disciples to "be awake" in all times and all situations. We are especially charged to be awake to God's Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), the reality of spiritual warfare, and the signs of the times.
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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...
info_outlinePastor begins with a brief overview of Solomon’s divided kingdom. Judah was in the south with two tribes ruled by a descendant of David, Reheboam. Israel in the north with ten tribes was ruled by Jeroboam (1 Kings 11-14) 931-910 BC. God had said that Jeroboam’s kingship would be blessed if he followed the Lord, but he chose the exact opposite path.
In today’s class we will look closely at three incidents with Jeroboam. In 1 Kings 12:31-33 we read some of the first things he did that were against God, everything Jeroboam did was counterfeit, just like what the enemy always tries to do - the enemy counterfeits what God desires. We read; “Jeroboam built shrines on high places and appointed priests from all sorts of people, even though they were not Levites. He instituted a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival held in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. This he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made. And at Bethel he also installed priests at the high places he had made. On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing, he offered sacrifices on the altar he had built at Bethel. So he instituted the festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to make offerings.”
Jeroboam puts forth a fake tabernacle celebration as he acts as both king and priest. So what happens when God sees this fake festival, one that He has not instituted and one in which King Jeroboam choose his own way of things instead of God’s.
Confrontation:
Next comes a confrontation (1 Kings 13:1-10). Jeroboam has gone against God’s plan. A man of God speaks to Jeroboam saying that the altar would split apart. And as Jeroboam says for the man to be arrested the altar splits and Jeroboam’s hand is shriveled up. The man of God prays for Jeroboam’s hand to be restored and it is healed. So the man of God is invited to Jeroboam’s house but the man of God does not go because it was not part of God’s plan.
Betrayal:
Next comes betrayal (1 Kings 13:11-32). An old prophet’s sons tell him what had happened during the story of confrontation. The old prophet lies to the man of God and the old prophet was able to convince the man of God to not do as the Lord had said. The man of God goes to the old prophet’s house - disobeying God’s plan and God speaks through the old prophet saying to the man of God, “You have defied the word of the Lord and have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you.” And then the old prophet sent the man of God on his way and down the road the man of God and his donkey are killed by a lion.
God is communicating to the wayward people of Israel and specifically to Jeroboam that He is to be obeyed.
Jeroboam goes to see the dead man of God which was not eaten by the lion and Jeroboam has the man buried in his own grave because of the truth the man of God had spoken earlier in the day at the altar.
What is the lesson in this story? God is doing this to encourage us to do ONLY what He says.
And yet we read that Jeroboam did not change. 1 Kings 13:33-34 “Even after this, Jeroboam did not change his evil ways, but once more appointed priests for the high places from all sorts of people. Anyone who wanted to become a priest he consecrated for the high places. This was the sin of the house of Jeroboam that led to its downfall and to its destruction from the face of the earth.”
Deception:
Lastly we see an act of deception (1 Kings 14:1-18). Abijah, Jeroboam’s son, becomes ill and Jeroboam has his wife disguise herself and go to Ahijah the prophet with 10 loaves of bread, 1 for each tribe Jeroboam has in his kingdom, so tells his wife to have the prophet tell her what will happen to their son Abijah.
Ahijah the prophet knows who she is - her disguise did not work. He shares the words God gives him, telling of the evils of Jeroboam and that God says judgement will come. Ahijah tells her that her son Abijah will die on her way home and all of Israel mourned for their son.
Jeroboam reigned for 22 years and continued to be wayward from listening to God. Such a sad story of Jeroboam but one that teaches us to follow God’s Word and to do what He says.
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