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...
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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!
info_outlineHappy Palm Sunday! Hosanna!
Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem:
Palm Sunday - Passion Sunday - story is found in:
Matthew 21
Mark 11
Luke 19
John 12
Many of us know the Palm Sunday story, but do we know the details? Today we will look at some of the most fascinating and intentional details of this story.
1. Did you know that donkeys around the world have a similar dark marking on their backs that runs along the spine and across their shoulders? It is a cross. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a beast with a cross emblazoned on its back.
2. Why haven’t I heard this before - meaning why didn’t I know about this and other details before? Join us as we talk a look at the Palm Sunday story with a Jewish view of the story to see some amazing and significant pieces of the story.
PASSOVER - Pastor reviews the story of the Passover and the 10th plague. By placing lamb’s blood on their door posts, the angel of death would pass over their homes. Passover was celebrated annually. In Exodus we read about God telling Moses how to annually celebrate the Passover event, “This month (Nissan) is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.”
Jewish Passover Schedule:
Nissan 10 - the lamb was chosen and set apart and we read in Exodus 12:6 “take care of them (lambs) until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight.”
Nissan 14 - the lamb was killed as the sun was setting.
Nissan 15 - the Passover lamb was eaten.
A closer look using several verses from the Bible, we see:
⁃ Nissan 9 - John 11:1 we read “Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.”
⁃ Nissan 10 - Palm Sunday - John 12:12-13 “The next day (the day after Nissan 9) the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!””
⁃ Reminder - Nissan 10 is the day the Passover lambs were herded into Jerusalem and set aside for sacrifice and it is at this very time that Jesus, the Lamb of God sets Himself apart as the sacrifice for all Israel and all the world as He comes into Jerusalem with all the other lambs.
⁃ Nissan 14 - 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.”” The Jewish people had all come to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. As many as a quarter-million lambs would be needed and slaughtered. Then at sunset the next day starts - so that evening it is Nissan 15 - the day the Passover meal is eaten.
Our God is a God with a plan! He’s sets all pieces of the story in line for the coming of the Messiah. The prophetic pieces all fit together as we look through the scriptures.
Jesus is our Passover Lamb who sets us free. 1 Corinthians 5:7 “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” And because of His sacrifice we willingly surrender our lives over to Him for He alone is worthy. Revelation 5:12 tells us, “In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise.”
Every piece fits together - God’s plan and purpose AND His deep love for each of us is revealed. His love is a love that caused the Lamb of God to lay down His life for us. It is a love that culminates at the cross where the Son of God was killed by man. God’s love knows no limits and His faithfulness knows no bounds.
It’s at the cross that he shows us the magnitude of His love. And it’s in the empty tomb that He shows us the victory. And that changes everything and is why our lives can no longer be the same. Because He loves us that much - now our lives are never the same once we see the fulfillment of the scriptures in Jesus our Messiah.
John 3:16 “ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Palm Sunday isn’t Jewish, but when we look at the event of that day with Jewish eyes the significance of God’s plan and His love cannot be missed.
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