Awake Us Now

This week’s text is Matthew 12:32 - 13:11. Pastor talks about the “unforgivable sin,” Jesus’ “three days” in the grave, and also takes us into chapter 13 where Matthew begins to focus on the parables of Jesus.

This week’s text is Matthew 12:3-37. Jesus continues to be challenged by the Pharisees' anger, bitterness and scheming as Jesus continues to show who He is. He shows us how a heart-change is needed!

This week’s text is Matthew 11:13-12:4, with a continued study of John the Baptist as fulfilling the prophecy of “Elijah who was to come” as he points to Jesus as the fulfillment of the prophesied Savior. The class continues exploring Jesus’ identity through the teachings on repentance and forgiveness found in Jesus, as we learn that it is through Him alone that we can come to know the Father.

In Matthew 10:29 - 11:15 we learn we are ambassadors for Christ with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. The Holy Spirit enables us to be effective witnesses wherever we go. We are called to live for Christ, and that has phenomenal consequences both for us and for others. In chapter 11, Matthew shows us Jesus’ identity.

Scripture: Exodus 20:7, Exodus 3:14, John 8:58, Matthew 15:8-9, Psalm 40:3, Psalm 50:15, Psalm 145:18, Leviticus 19:31, Romans 10:13, John 17:6, Matthew 5:44, Romans 12:14 Exodus 20:7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” This means we are to understand that God’s Name is powerful, God’s Name is Holy. This is the only one of God’s Ten Words/Commandments with a threat and no promise. God’s Name is a 4 letter tetragrammaton and we aren’t even sure how to pronounce His Name because by 200 BC the Jewish people no longer spoke God’s Name for fear of misusing it. The Jewish people still today will not speak His name and simply refer to God’s Name as “Ha-shem” - “The Name,” though others pronounce it in several different ways: Yahweh and Jehovah are a couple. God takes His Name seriously - it is not a swear word - His Name is the revelation of Himself. In His Name God reveals His identity and character to us. His Name speaks of His goo

Scripture - Luke 19:28-44 Triumph and Tragedy Today’s teaching on Jesus crying is found only in the book of Luke. It takes place on the Tenth Day of Nissan - a day we call Palm Sunday. We will explore the triumph and the tragedy of that day and what it says about the heart of God, along with what it says to us about our need for Jesus. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the Tenth Day of Nissan - a significant day - the day the Jewish people choose and set aside the lambs in preparation for their slaughter later in the week. It’s on this very day that Jesus, our Passover Lamb was being “set aside,” designated, as the sacrifice for the sins of not only the Jews but the entire world. As He rides into Jerusalem He is announcing and presenting Himself as the Lamb of God who offers Himself for us for the sins of the world as our Passover Lamb.  Truly a day of triumph and tragedy.  Triumph because God wins! Tragedy because of the incredible price Jesus would pay. 500 years earlier the prophet Zechariah announced, “See Jer

Pastor continues his verse by verse study of the book of Matthew. Today’s teaching is on Matthew 10:7-31. This section of Scripture is filled with some challenging instruction from Jesus that is filled with Divine Wisdom.

Pastor continues his verse by verse study of the book of Matthew. Today’s teaching is on Matthew 9:18 - 10:10. This week’s study shows us Jesus as the Son of David, the Messiah. We also explore Jesus’ encouragement to spread the Gospel message to all, both Jew and Gentile.

This week Matthew’s writings reveal the authority of Jesus; even the winds and the waves obey Him! This authority, His authority, identifies Him as the Living God.

Matthew’s writings continue to show and tell us who Jesus. This week we see Jesus as the Rock, the firm foundation. We finish exploring the Sermon on the Mount and begin working through Chapter 8, where we see Jesus has authority!

In this section of Scripture, Jesus addresses common issues that all of us deal with.

Scripture: Exodus 20:4-6, Psalm 115:4-8, Matthew 6:24, Exodus 18:20, Deuteronomy 24:16, Colossians 3:5 Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me.”  We are to worship God. Pastor begins today’s teaching by talking about the different numbering of the commandments and how it does’t matter how we number them, what matters is whether we listen to them and apply them to our lives. Exodus 20:4-5 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.” So is this saying we have to take down pictures on our walls, or throw out figurines?  This is not what God is saying. Pastor shares biblical examples supporting that God is not talking about banning all artwork. What God’s talking about is idolatry - something that’s become more important

Scripture - Luke 19:1-10, Romans 6:23, Romans 12:2, Titus 2:13-14 “Inner Healing”  Today’s teaching is on the familiar story of Zacchaeus, but come along with us as we discover some new insights. Zacchaeus was a very wealthy chief tax collector. Tax collectors were despised by people for their greed, for cheating people out of more than what was owed and they were considered to be traitors. Matthew, one of Jesus’ disciples, had also been a tax collector. This makes one wonder if Matthew and Zacchaeus had known each other professionally… Was Zacchaeus curious about Jesus because Matthew had talked about Him? Was Zacchaeus curious to learn more about this Jesus person who had changed Matthew’s life? Zacchaeus was a short man and was unable to see over the crowd gathered around Jesus, so he ran ahead and climbed up a sycamore fig tree and from there he could see Jesus coming. Zaccheaus wanted to see Jesus, BUT what he didn’t realize is that Jesus wanted to see him! Our Lord is one who seeks people out. That day

Prayer is an amazing gift from God! We have His plea to talk with Him. Genuine prayer; not showy prayer, but rather simply experiencing the presence of our Living God, the Father. Other topics covered are Jesus’ teaching on fasting and possessions. Based on Matthew 6:5-24.

Pastor points out the Old Testament’s words, “Thus says the LORD,” and compares them to the words of Jesus in the New Testament that say, “But I tell you.” What does this tell us about who Jesus is? Pastor explores the “But I tell yous” as found in Matthew chapter 5 and we learn what Jesus calls us to. That call is to a changed heart, which can only happen when we come to faith in Jesus. God’s call is personal! He wants to change each one of us by the shed blood of Jesus, the Son of God.

In Week 7, we hear more of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Jesus calls us salt and light. What does He mean when He uses these words to describe how we are to be? As historians have looked at world history, more and more of them are coming to the realization Christianity changed everything. Jesus has had a greater impact on the human condition than anyone in all of history. What Jesus produces in people, changes them!

We finish Matthew 4 on following Jesus, and begin the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 that opens with the Beatitudes.

Week 5 of our Matthew study digs into chapter 4 on the Temptation of Jesus, His three temptations and the reality of an unseen spiritual world.

Scripture: Exodus 20:1-3, Psalm 19:1, Psalm 14:1, Psalm 33:8, Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Matthew 22:36-38, Proverbs 3:5-6.  It’s God alone that we are to worship, honor and follow. Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me.” The 10 Commandments have shaped so much of Western civilization and culture. Yet these ten words/commandments are often ignored  - And what we see as people’s god is the god of chance. Our culture, and much of the time our educational system, teach us that all that exists is the result of a gigantic cosmic accident.  That chance is the author of life. This is seen in our media, our movies, and every direction we turn. A view that is accepted even though the science goes against it.  In the last 50 years we’ve learned much about the complexity of life and that it points to a Designer - not to a chance explosion. Our culture has not caught up to some of the remarkable discoveries in recent history. In the 1980’s MIT discovered that the likelihood of self replicating DNA is 1 chance in 10

Scripture - Luke 18:1-8; “The Widow’s Plea”  The Parable: “The Widow’s Plea” is an earthly narrative with a heavenly meaning - We should always pray and not give up! This is a story that lets us know that there will be challenges and difficulties that we all will face. But in this parable Jesus is teaching us to endure - to not give up and to do so through prayer - leaning into Him and trusting Him. The parable begins be telling of a judge that didn’t know God and didn’t care at all about people - and there’s a widow that continues to go to the judge for justice against her adversary. Over and over again and again she goes to him and each time he refuses to help her until he gets so tired of her continually pursuing him for justice that he finally gives in so she would leave him alone. Jesus goes on, “and will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off?” Many interpret this to mean we need to be relentless in pounding on God’s door for what