Podcast appearances and mentions of messiah jesus christ

Zechariah 6-7 | Pastor Greg Opean In Zechariah 6-7, we explore God's faithfulness to His chosen people, Israel, and the prophetic foreshadowing of the coming Messiah—Jesus Christ. The Old Testament prophets pointed to a future King and Priest—the Branch—who would build the ultimate temple, not of stone, but of living believers. Jesus, our High Priest and King of Kings, is the fulfillment of this vision, bringing together people of every nation, tribe, and tongue into one family. God's discipline is never meant to destroy but to restore. He is faithful to His promises, and just as He brought Israel back from exile, He is working in our lives today. Let go of guilt and condemnation—He calls us to walk in love, justice, and mercy. Packinghouse's Wednesday night worship service from February 12, 2025. Follow us: Website: http://packinghouseredlands.org Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepackinghousechurch Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Packinghouse-Church-188323882191/ - Greg Opean - Wednesday, February 12, 2025

God has great plans for you and your family. God can do more IN your family, FOR your family and THROUGH your family than you can imagine. A family that knows God and chooses to serve Him wholeheartedly has exponential potential to influence not only churches and communities but also nations and generations for good and for God.   We live in a world today that is so self-centred, and even Christians and churches can become very me-centred. The idea that families matter is constantly ridiculed as old fashioned, yet it is the very break up of families that is at the root of so many problems in society, whether in the form of depression, crime, or social and economic disadvantages.    Of course, God loves each individual and has personal blessings and plans for each one of us. But we must understand how much the Bible focuses on a much bigger picture of building the best families and family lines in every generation, even in the face of so much previous family dysfunction and trouble.   The God of the Bible is often known as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob because He is a God who made great family promises to them and to their descendants: promises that also apply to us when we follow Jesus. Galatians 3:29 says: ‘If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.' So, what does this mean for your family, whether you are a two parent or one parent or even a no parent family?  1. Your family can be blessed in every generation (Genesis 12:1-2; Genesis 17:6-8; Genesis 26:24; Genesis 28:12-14; Genesis 20; Genesis 26:7; Matthew 1) 2. Your family must choose to serve God in in every generation (Genesis 15:5-6; Genesis 17:1,9; Hebrews 11:21; Genesis 26:4-5; Deuteronomy 6:4-7; Joshua 24:15) 3. Your family can be a great blessing in every generation (Genesis 12:2; Genesis 28:14; Nehemiah 3:12; Ezra 1:5)  Apply     1. Your family can be blessed in every generation. The first and foundational book of the Bible is Genesis where we read of God making and repeating His promises of continued family blessing to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Genesis 12:1-2; Genesis 17:6-8; Genesis 26:24; Genesis 28:12-14). In short God wants to bless your family no matter how much trouble or dysfunction there has been in your family. If you doubt this, consider some of the problems encountered in Abraham's family and line. Abraham was willing to risk other men sleeping with his wife to save his own life (Genesis 20:2) and his son Isaac did the same (Genesis 26:7). Also, Abraham's wife Sarah told her husband he should sleep with the family maid to have a surrogate child for her, then Isaac's wife deceived him so that her favourite son would get his blessing, and the deceived son Esau was so made he vowed to kill his brother Jacob. Jacob fled for his life and proceeded to deceive pretty much everyone he came in contact with. Two of his sons killed the man who had raped their sister and then wiped out all the men of his town. Ten of Jacob's 12 sons were so jealous of their brother Joseph that they beat him up and sold as a slave. Violence, sexual sin, lying and cheating - this was what this family was like. Yet God had mercy on this family. God helped and blessed this family. From this family Joseph grew up to save his family and nation and many other nations from a great famine. From this family came Israel's greatest King, David, who himself was an adulterer and murderer, and if you read Matthew 1 you will see that it was from this family that One came who would bless all families on earth: the Messiah Jesus Christ. This tells us that God can rescue and restore any family. God can raise up great and godly leaders even if the rest of the family is far from God. There is hope for you. There is hope for your family. It's not too late. It's not too far gone. Even in families which have been dysfunctional for generations, God can suddenly raise up great leaders like Joseph and Josiah in Abraham's family line. Also the Bible shows that although you may have come from a far from Christian family, and you may have messed up yourself, God can get you married into a line of blessing. This is what happened with Rahab the former prostitute and Ruth from a family of idol worshippers.    2. Your family must choose to serve God in in every generation. God wants to bless families but each family needs to be shaped by those who choose to follow the Lord (Genesis 15:5-6; Genesis 17:1,9). This means that we must believe God's word. You need to believe as Abram believed that your family has a destiny. You must live in faith, not fear, for your family, your children and grandchildren, or great grandchildren (Hebrews 11:21). Today there are so many forces at work to pervert, undermine and destroy people, particularly vulnerable children and young people, yet despite all this we must not give way to worry and doubt. For God has another way for us to live, and that is the way of faith. By faith in God's word, we will see a new generation raised up for God: a generation that will experience great deliverance. Also, you need to live in obedience to God's word (Genesis 26:4-5). We need to choose to obey God by training our children in the ways of the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:4-7). Basically, parents, or a parent, have to train and shape children and decide what goes and what doesn't go in your family even if it is acceptable with other families. When the Israelites were faced with idol worship in Canaan, Joshua made his own position very clear (Joshua 24:15). This was a decision and a determination. If you want your children to be given fully to God, make sure that you lead the way. It is important that children are dedicated to the Lord at an early age. This marks them for God from the beginning of their lives. If you have not done this, you need to do it. As the children grow older renew your vows of dedication as a whole family. Great things can flow from this decision.    3. Your family can be a great blessing in every generation (Genesis 12:2; Genesis 28:14). All through the history of the Israelites, we see that it was through dedicated families that the blessings flowed. Families helped to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 3:12). Families helped rebuild the Temple (Ezra 1:5). Families were at the core of the small group that Christianity was founded on - there were three sets of brothers in the 12 of Jesus: Peter and Andrew, James and John, Matthew and James. Matthew and James may also have been cousins of Jesus. Families have shaped the church and history: the Wesley family in the 18th century; William and Catherine Booth in the 19th century. And families are at the forefront of Christian advance today. God is touching nations through families such as the Castellanos family, the Joel Osteen family, and many others here today. And who knows what God will do when you and your family are fully committed to Him? Today we need more distinctively Christian families. Today choose to believe that God wants to make your family and every family great. For this is how we can strengthen the church and shape the world. 

God has great plans for you and your family. God can do more IN your family, FOR your family and THROUGH your family than you can imagine. A family that knows God and chooses to serve Him wholeheartedly has exponential potential to influence not only churches and communities but also nations and generations for good and for God.   We live in a world today that is so self-centred, and even Christians and churches can become very me-centred. The idea that families matter is constantly ridiculed as old fashioned, yet it is the very break up of families that is at the root of so many problems in society, whether in the form of depression, crime, or social and economic disadvantages.    Of course, God loves each individual and has personal blessings and plans for each one of us. But we must understand how much the Bible focuses on a much bigger picture of building the best families and family lines in every generation, even in the face of so much previous family dysfunction and trouble.   The God of the Bible is often known as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob because He is a God who made great family promises to them and to their descendants: promises that also apply to us when we follow Jesus. Galatians 3:29 says: ‘If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.' So, what does this mean for your family, whether you are a two parent or one parent or even a no parent family?  1. Your family can be blessed in every generation (Genesis 12:1-2; Genesis 17:6-8; Genesis 26:24; Genesis 28:12-14; Genesis 20; Genesis 26:7; Matthew 1) 2. Your family must choose to serve God in in every generation (Genesis 15:5-6; Genesis 17:1,9; Hebrews 11:21; Genesis 26:4-5; Deuteronomy 6:4-7; Joshua 24:15) 3. Your family can be a great blessing in every generation (Genesis 12:2; Genesis 28:14; Nehemiah 3:12; Ezra 1:5)  Apply     1. Your family can be blessed in every generation. The first and foundational book of the Bible is Genesis where we read of God making and repeating His promises of continued family blessing to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Genesis 12:1-2; Genesis 17:6-8; Genesis 26:24; Genesis 28:12-14). In short God wants to bless your family no matter how much trouble or dysfunction there has been in your family. If you doubt this, consider some of the problems encountered in Abraham's family and line. Abraham was willing to risk other men sleeping with his wife to save his own life (Genesis 20:2) and his son Isaac did the same (Genesis 26:7). Also, Abraham's wife Sarah told her husband he should sleep with the family maid to have a surrogate child for her, then Isaac's wife deceived him so that her favourite son would get his blessing, and the deceived son Esau was so made he vowed to kill his brother Jacob. Jacob fled for his life and proceeded to deceive pretty much everyone he came in contact with. Two of his sons killed the man who had raped their sister and then wiped out all the men of his town. Ten of Jacob's 12 sons were so jealous of their brother Joseph that they beat him up and sold as a slave. Violence, sexual sin, lying and cheating - this was what this family was like. Yet God had mercy on this family. God helped and blessed this family. From this family Joseph grew up to save his family and nation and many other nations from a great famine. From this family came Israel's greatest King, David, who himself was an adulterer and murderer, and if you read Matthew 1 you will see that it was from this family that One came who would bless all families on earth: the Messiah Jesus Christ. This tells us that God can rescue and restore any family. God can raise up great and godly leaders even if the rest of the family is far from God. There is hope for you. There is hope for your family. It's not too late. It's not too far gone. Even in families which have been dysfunctional for generations, God can suddenly raise up great leaders like Joseph and Josiah in Abraham's family line. Also the Bible shows that although you may have come from a far from Christian family, and you may have messed up yourself, God can get you married into a line of blessing. This is what happened with Rahab the former prostitute and Ruth from a family of idol worshippers.    2. Your family must choose to serve God in in every generation. God wants to bless families but each family needs to be shaped by those who choose to follow the Lord (Genesis 15:5-6; Genesis 17:1,9). This means that we must believe God's word. You need to believe as Abram believed that your family has a destiny. You must live in faith, not fear, for your family, your children and grandchildren, or great grandchildren (Hebrews 11:21). Today there are so many forces at work to pervert, undermine and destroy people, particularly vulnerable children and young people, yet despite all this we must not give way to worry and doubt. For God has another way for us to live, and that is the way of faith. By faith in God's word, we will see a new generation raised up for God: a generation that will experience great deliverance. Also, you need to live in obedience to God's word (Genesis 26:4-5). We need to choose to obey God by training our children in the ways of the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:4-7). Basically, parents, or a parent, have to train and shape children and decide what goes and what doesn't go in your family even if it is acceptable with other families. When the Israelites were faced with idol worship in Canaan, Joshua made his own position very clear (Joshua 24:15). This was a decision and a determination. If you want your children to be given fully to God, make sure that you lead the way. It is important that children are dedicated to the Lord at an early age. This marks them for God from the beginning of their lives. If you have not done this, you need to do it. As the children grow older renew your vows of dedication as a whole family. Great things can flow from this decision.    3. Your family can be a great blessing in every generation (Genesis 12:2; Genesis 28:14). All through the history of the Israelites, we see that it was through dedicated families that the blessings flowed. Families helped to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 3:12). Families helped rebuild the Temple (Ezra 1:5). Families were at the core of the small group that Christianity was founded on - there were three sets of brothers in the 12 of Jesus: Peter and Andrew, James and John, Matthew and James. Matthew and James may also have been cousins of Jesus. Families have shaped the church and history: the Wesley family in the 18th century; William and Catherine Booth in the 19th century. And families are at the forefront of Christian advance today. God is touching nations through families such as the Castellanos family, the Joel Osteen family, and many others here today. And who knows what God will do when you and your family are fully committed to Him? Today we need more distinctively Christian families. Today choose to believe that God wants to make your family and every family great. For this is how we can strengthen the church and shape the world. 

The coming of our Lord and Messiah Jesus Christ is closer than you can possibly imagine. The Bible points to the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem as evidence of the tribulation. Today, Pastor JD teaches that the rebuilding is right around the corner. When the time comes, and Israel is celebrating, get ready.

11. Messiah's Proclamations Isaiah 61:1-11; Isaiah 63:1-6 In this passage from Isaiah 61 through to Isaiah 63, we have two contrasting certainties. They can be found in Isaiah 61:2. The two certainties are "the year of Yahweh's favour, and the day of vengeance of our God". There will be the year of favour and the day of vengeance. The year of honour, as we shall see has already started. We don't know when it will end, but we know that it will. The day of vengeance will be in the future sometime. Again we don't know when that will be either. But we know it will all happen quickly, suddenly and without warning (Isaiah 60:22). Therefore people need to be ready and alert! The time of when it will occur is not known, but it is known who will end it - Almighty God. Messiah's Good News The Servant Messiah speaks without being introduced this time, and is the preacher in the year of the Lord's favour. This preaching is probably a referral to the rams horn that ushers in the Year of Jubilee as established in the Mosaic Covenant (Leviticus 25:8-55). The Servant Messiah's preaching will usher in a time of grace, justice and freedom - just as the ram's horn introduced the Year of Jubilee. The phrase to "proclaim liberty" is used in both the year of Jubilee and in this the year of the Lord's favour. This proclaimed year of the Lord's favour starts when the Messiah comes the first time and will cease when He returns again. The word year, is not a fixed period of time as we know it, but is rather symbolic of an extended period of time. This Servant Messiah is anointed with the Holy Spirit of God. This Good News was to be preached to the humble, the poor and poor in spirit - the Good News is news of freedom, liberty, grace and justice! The comfort they will receive should the offer be taken up, is one of being released from condemnation for sin through the Messiah's offer of forgiveness - that is grace! Because of this grace, three things will be occur for these people who have accept the offer, here referred to in Isaiah 61:3 as "trees of righteousness" : they will display or reflect the Lord God's glory and splendour; they will be priests of the Lord God service; and will inherit all things! Messiah's Grace & Justice What is the outcome and result of grace? We see it in Isaiah 61:7-9. Almighty God's grace, available only through the Messiah, will bring bountiful blessing, ecstatic joy and a rich inheritance instead of shame, dishonour and exile. Grace may well be free but it is not cheap. What was the price? The relationship bridge to God that is the Messiah, is only through the Messiah's suffering atonement as described in Isaiah 53. Isaiah moves to justice quite naturally therefore, for grace and justice are like twins - they go together naturally. Justice is grace in action just as much as it is the judging of those in sin (Isaiah 61:8). Liberating people from sin freely (grace) is as much a part of justice as punishing those who reject the gracious offer of pardon and continue to live sinful lives. Grace and justice are also available, because God is always full of grace and justice and this is seen in the new covenant He makes with those who have heard this Good News proclaimed by the Messiah and responded by taking up His free offer. This Good News of the twins Grace and Justice brings an offering of thanksgiving and praise (Isaiah 61:10-11)! Clothed with salvation from and through God's Messiah, robed with the righteousness of God's Messiah! And because God has done it for this one man, He will ensure that all those who respond from all nations will also be like that in a responsive praise and Godly righteousness. Messiah's Vengeance We have been warned in Isaiah 61:2 that not only will the Messiah usher in the year of the Lord's favour, but He will also bring vengeance with him. People today don't like the word vengeance because it conjures up images of maliciousness and vindictiveness. This vengeance is wrought by Almighty God as punishment for people's personal sin against Him. His anger is a righteous anger and a wrath borne of holiness. His judgment will be final and also universal - every people of every nation of all time. In particular, however, those who would persecute, mock, abhor and reject those who have taken up God's free offer of grace through the coming Messiah. How is Jesus this Messiah? In Luke 4:16-20 at the beginning of His public ministry at a synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus quotes this passage from Isaiah 61. This tells us that the year of the Lord's favour has commenced. But note from the passage in Luke, that he doesn't quote the full scripture. He stops in the middle of reading a sentence, just as soon as He says "to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour", rolls the scroll back up. Why does he do that? It can only be because while now until He returns, is the year of the Lord's favour, the day of judgement and vengeance will wait until that day in the future - when those who are His followers will enter the City of God and those who rejected Him will have vengeance wrought against them. Jesus went around, as we know, proclaiming the same Good News Isaiah writes about (Matthew 9:35, Luke 8:1). Jesus proclaimed in his words and his life about God's love, grace and justice. When he healed the sick, forgave sins, gave compassion on the poor, spoke and ate with the outcasts, Jesus Christ embodied this message of grace, justice and freedom. When, as we saw on a previous day, death on the cross was the act of atonement required by God in order to punish the sins of the world, Jesus Christ did not shirk back from doing that. As for the day of vengeance, nobody talked about hell and God's judgement more than Jesus. But God is always reaching out, coaxing people to accept His free offer of grace, if people will only humble themselves and ask for it. God's offer of freedom is still available in this the year of the Lord's favour. But one day, the day of judgement will come and then it will be too late. That is why Jesus commanded with some urgency that His followers would tell all nations of this Good News, Isaiah wrote about. A Good News of salvation, grace, justice and freedom. Jesus, reinforcing what Isaiah ahs said, tells us that the day of vengeance is for those who reject the Good News he preaches and lives (Matthew 10v14-15). God's Day of Judgment is coming said Jesus (Matthew 12:36). What's more, Jesus said in John 5:22-23 "For the Father judges no one, but he has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He who doesn't honour the Son doesn't honour the Father who sent him." Jesus claims here to openly be the Messiah, the long awaited for chosen One! An even more overt statement by Jesus on judgment can be found in John 9:39, "I came into this world for judgment, that those who don't see may see; and that those who see may become blind." Jesus tells us that the punishment will be both physical (Matthew 5v29-30), and in the soul (Matthew 10v28). This vengeance will consist of everlasting fire and punishment (Matthew 25v41-46) and will be Constant and outer darkness (Matthew 8v12). In other words, those rejecting the Messiah Jesus Christ, will face a lonely, impersonal God-less void. All this will happen when Jesus comes again, not as a baby like last time, but in glorious splendour. But for all those who accept Jesus Christ as their Messiah and have grasped hold of the Good News message of grace, justice and liberty, there will be another place. According to Jesus, this heavenly city of God is only for those who are righteous (Matthew 5v20). In doing so, he concurs with Isaiah. This righteousness is not their own, but the robe righteousness declared upon them through the Messiah. This heavenly city of God, Jesus proclaims to us is a place of ecstatic Joy (Luke 15v7-10), total peace (Luke 16v19-25) and a reward (Matthew 5v11-12) - all themes we have heard in these books of Isaiah and Zechariah. We celebrate Jesus Christ coming to earth as a baby. Yes, His incarnation whereby God took on human flesh in the human form of Jesus Christ is important. That is when the year of the Lord's favour commenced. But that is only half the story, because this Jesus Christ is coming back again in splendorous glory, in order to gather all those who have responded obediently to the Good News of God's grace, justice and freedom. For those, the heavenly city of God awaits. But for those who reject Him now, He will reject them and the day of vengeance proclaimed in Isaiah will be a terrible day. That is why even as it is now the year of the Lord's favour; it is not too late to respond obediently to God's free grace. It is also not too late for you, if you are already counted as one of the Lord's followers to tell others of this free offer and the rewards of acceptance and consequences of rejection. Right mouse click or tap here to save this Podcast as a MP3.

Merry  Christmas to you!  Here is a Christmas piano playlist for you to enjoy  on your Christmas day.  May God bless you and yours as you celebrate the  glorious gift of the birth of our Messiah – Jesus Christ! May you  continue to live for Him as we press toward the new year of 2025! Featured CD's of Episode #311 (used with permission): – O Holy Night: Piano Solos by Caleb Galvan (https://nvpublications.org/o-holy-night/) – The Sounds of Christmas: Piano Solos by David Webster (https://nvpublications.org/the-sounds-of-christmas/)

Pastor Byron teaches on another unique location where the Christmas story took place: the nations. When wise men from the East came to worship the newborn king of Israel, God reminded everyone of his love for the whole world and his plan to redeem all people through the Messiah Jesus Christ.

FRESH TRUTH PODCAST EP 40| S4 E8| WARNINGS AGAINST RELIGIOUS CHRISTIAN CULTS - DAVID TUPOU| An absolute joy and blessing to have the tokoua David on our 40th podcast/talanoa taking us through his journey through the organisation Church of Shincheonji, the origins and doctrines of the organisation and the tactics they use to recruit members, signs of a religious Christian cult, the sufficiency of God's Word and how he came to saving faith in the Messiah Jesus Christ. We praise the Lord for his saving grace in David's life and his courage to share his journey through an organisation like the Church of Shincheonji to saving faith in Christ in order to warn others in love of the dangers of religious Christian cults with the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. #ToGodBetheGlory 1 John 4:1Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

A Fake Christianity (2)   (audio)   David Eells 10/27/24   I'm going to continue to speak to you about a fake Christianity in the church. I've got some revelations to share of judgments coming to the fake church and a powerful Word at the end.      Babylon's Mega Church Destroyed   Garrett Crawford - 02/3/2007 (David's notes in red)   I took a nap for a few hours. During this nap I dreamt I was in a shopping mall; this was like a mega mall. As I was walking through it I saw all sorts of stores and restaurants. While I was in what seemed to be the food court, I saw a woman that was scantily clad standing in front of a restaurant entrance. I think this was a steak house, but I am not totally certain. It seemed her job was to entice people to come into the restaurant. (After much meditation on this I feel this is symbolic. The restaurant that served steak represents serving the flesh, and the harlot trying to entice people to come in is like the foolish woman in Proverbs 9:14-15 who sits at the door calling the simple to come in and sin with her.)   After the encounter with the woman in front of the restaurant something led me to go outside. I began riding a bike around the building and I was accompanied by another guy my age and he was on a bike as well. On one side of the mall, we came to this big, huge construction project. It was an addition to the mall, but it was a church! It was really big, 3 or 4 stories tall, which wasn't completely finished yet. While I was walking through it I saw a group of men that were standing around and admiring the uncompleted structure. They were going to be members of the church once it was built. They thought that this church was going to be the best thing ever. I questioned their discernment because building a church and connecting it to a mall seemed very wrong.   When I voiced my opinion on the matter they quickly scorned me and started making excuses why this was needed. I was really turned off by the idea of this church to say the least, but they seemed to love it and could not wait until it was open to the public. While I was standing in the unfinished building's nursery or children's room, I was given a vision. In an instant the scenery changed, the room I was standing in was finished, it had drywall, carpet, and the walls were freshly painted. I was shown how it would look when finished. I had the revelation at this time that around 3 months after being completed the whole church building would be destroyed by God. I was amazed at this revelation, probably because this was no small project, and all the work these men were doing was basically in vain, because they would only get about 3 months' use out of this church building.   (The mall represents the business of buying and selling in the new World Babylonish Religion that is being built. The enticing woman represents their tolerance teachings that appeal to the lusts of the flesh, which will draw in apostate Christianity. 2Pe.2:18 For, uttering great swelling [words] of vanity, they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by lasciviousness, those who are just escaping from them that live in error; 19 promising them liberty, while they themselves are bondservants of corruption; for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he also brought into bondage.   20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the last state is become worse with them than the first. 21 For it were better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered unto them. The restaurant is where they feed appealing food, a fleshly, letter-understanding of the Word.   The church front on the mall is a way to trap the religious people into a system that is of the world. When their discernment was questioned by the real Church, meaning “called out ones”, they moved quickly to persecution as it will be. Garrett said that something led him to go outside where he rode a bicycle. This represents those who will inspect but depart from their religious system. The bicycle represents coming to a true balance. Rev.18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come forth, my people, out of her, that ye have no fellowship with her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues:   5 for her sins have reached even unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. 6 Render unto her even as she rendered, and double [unto her] the double according to her works: in the cup which she mingled, mingle unto her double. 7 How much soever she glorified herself, and waxed wanton, so much give her of torment and mourning: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall in no wise see mourning. 8 Therefore in one day shall her plagues come, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire; for strong is the Lord God who judged her.   God will use the beast to destroy their Babylonish temple not long after it is completed whether this is a literal three months or three years. Rev.17:16 And the ten horns which thou sawest, and the beast, these shall hate the harlot, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and shall burn her utterly with fire.)      Jezebel Churches     Darrell Simer - 08/01/2008 (David and R.V.'s notes in red)   These following two dreams are connected and show the sad state of the Jezebel Church.      First dream   I see the beautiful young girl in her mid-20s, and she appears to be dressed in an old-fashioned Spanish or ballroom-type dress; she is dancing and doing spiritual battle and making proclamations. She has this long, elegant sword that she is dancing around with, to make her proclamations. I get right up to her and I notice the sword is made out of PLASTIC; it was just a toy. End of dream. (David: The Spirit in this dream seems to be saying that the making of proclamations in the church by the spirit of Jezebel is powerless; play acting. (R.V.: After reading the first dream the Lord spoke to me and said, “This is the present condition of the church that comes to Me day in and day out, and they think for their fancy outward appearance and knowledge of My word they can wield my Word and have the victory... I say unto them their words will fall at their feet and will not accomplish that which they speak, for with their mouth they speak great flowing, flowery words but they are void of My Spirit and anointing.”   Psa.5:9 For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulcher; they flatter with their tongue. Psa.59:7 Behold, they belch forth with their mouth; Swords are in their lips, For, they say, “Who hears?” 8 But You, O LORD, laugh at them; You scoff at all the nations. Jer.9:7 Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, “Behold, I will refine them and assay them; For what else can I do, because of the daughter of My people? 8 Their tongue is a deadly arrow; It speaks deceit; With his mouth one speaks peace to his neighbor, But inwardly he sets an ambush for him. 9 Shall I not punish them for these things?” declares the LORD. “On a nation such as this Shall I not avenge Myself?” Isa.29:13 Wherefore the Lord said, “Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men”)   Second dream   I am sitting on the right side of the second row, up front in a church setting. This woman speaker is going over the announcements of the church events and then pulls out this paper, saying, “Someone else please read this”, and then hands it to this girl sitting in front of me. She sticks out her hand and says, “Oh! No, no, I don't want to stand up and read in front of all these people”. So the paper is placed in my hands. (R.V.: This body is out of order with its head as a woman. He has revealed to them their error but they do not want to turn: Rev.2:20 But I have [this] against thee, that thou sufferest the woman Jezebel, who calleth herself a prophetess; and she teacheth and seduceth my servants to commit fornication (which is receiving the seed or word of the world), and to eat things sacrificed to idols (of man's religious organizations). 21 I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.   22 Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. The Word is the Word is the Word and He will not change it for anyone; passing the buck to someone else will not be an excuse. He revealed His will to the woman and how out of order she was. She decided to hand it to another woman, but He revealed the same thing to her. At this point they chose to hand off to a man.) (David: Isa.3:12 As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they that lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths. 1Ti.2:12 But I permit not a woman to teach, nor to have dominion over a man, but to be in quietness.)   Back to Darrell's dream: I looked at her and said the same thing: “I don't want to stand up and read in front of all these people”. I turn to my wife (who's very knowledgeable with big words) and ask her if she will read it, she says, “No, it was handed to you. You read it”. (R.V.: The man wants to hand off to his wife but she knows her place and refuses to usurp his authority. This is a type of how the true body is to operate. 1Cor.11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.)   I don't want to read in front of everybody either, but I know it must be read, so I stand up to read it to the assembly and I notice the words are extremely long and most of the words I don't even know, much less try to pronounce. So I tell everyone, “Please bear with me and I will do my best at reading this”. I look at the paper and I tell everyone, “Say, if you all don't mind, I'm going to read it, but I'm going to use my prayer language”. (David: In other words, I am going to let the Spirit speak.) (R.V.: Rom.8:26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 1Cor.14:14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful”. When one prays in their spirit it bypasses the mind and allows one to pray without flesh and therefore not tainted by the mind and what it knows.)   All of a sudden the spirit of GOD comes upon me and instead of reading the paper I give a word of knowledge and sense I'm rebuking the entire assembly. I find myself listening to the words coming out of my own mouth and I am quoting scripture word for word. (David: If the anointed men will take their position by faith, the Word of the Lord will come forth from them and it won't just be a lifeless exercise.) (R.V.: This is a true dream from the Lord and it reveals the condition of the present-day church and the Jezebel it has turned into, and its pride of wanting to remain as it is and not turn or repent. This open rebuke is an end-of-the-hour cry of the Lord to His body to turn and repent or His hand of judgment is coming to her. He will put a hook in her jaw and take her to a place she wishes not to go and a fate that will shake her dry bones and harlotry to the core.)   Luk.13:34 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it! 35 Behold, your house is left to you desolate; and I say to you, you will not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!'”      Spiritual Earthquake for the Church     Sean Starr - circa 05/14/2012 (David's notes in red)   5/14 is a clue because this is when we had a spiritual earthquake at local UBM in 2011 and God separated some factious people from us. It appears this is coming to the whole church.   From an elevated view (a spiritual view) I looked down at an angle upon a big city at night. The city's many, very tall high-rise buildings were center point of my view. (The city could well represent Babylonish U.S.) I understood that there was going to be a great earthquake that would have devastating effects and great casualties. I had the sense that I had been repeating the warning, but if not, I was certainly heeding it, as it was my intention to keep my distance from ‘the strike zone.' (Come out from among them, saith the Lord.) It was also in the back of my mind as to the certainty of the warning - would this be another ‘Jonah prophecy' or Micah's 3rd call? (Would they heed the warning and escape judgment?)   The bull's-eye seemed to be the city's stadium, which was fixed a bit to the right of my position, or what I would understand to be the east side of the city. At the stadium there was a congregation of sorts. It strikes me now as a certain mega TV church, a ‘pay as you play, Sunday go to meeting', church. (A stadium is usually people from all over and could represent the US apostate church.) At my elevation I see Michael Boldea walk in front of me -- from right to left (or east to west) -- as though he had just come from the stadium. Shaking his head, dejected, frustrated and most notably exasperated, he spoke words to the effect of, ‘I told them... They won't listen. I told them.'   (The worldly church is not taking the warnings of judgment to repent so a great shaking is coming.) Heb.12:25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not when they refused him that warned [them] on earth, much more [shall not] we [escape] who turn away from him that [warneth] from heaven: 26 whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more will I make to tremble not the earth only, but also the heaven.   The following verse is taken from the Numeric English New Testament because it shows rightly so that the word “things” was not in the original Greek here. 27 And this, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of the [things] shaken, as of [things] made, that those not shaken may remain. We have personally seen an example of this removal since 2011. Notice that the people who are shaken will be removed by it so that those who are not shaken will remain are not leavened. This is a spiritual earthquake made up of many tribulations that will cause a falling away from the Church because of disobedience to the Word. The Lord says that judgment begins there.   28 Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with reverence and awe: 29 for our God is a consuming fire. And Father will burn up the wood, hay and stubble in our lives OR He will NOT have us in His Kingdom. This Kingdom is where He rules.)   It seemed like someone (from the stadium?) said to him, ‘Where are you going' or ‘Stay', to which he replied, ‘No. I'm going home to be with my family -- where it's safe.” (2Co.6:17) Wherefore Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, And touch no unclean thing; And I will receive you... It is not safe among the apostates where judgment will fall but among the true disciples of Christ who walk in sanctification there is safety.   From my relatively fixed position, I watched and waited for a moment. It wasn't long before the earthquake came. The [religious] stadium was the epicenter. A report came quickly – ‘It was a 6.9'. That is a sizable quake, especially for a big city, but there were no (physical) deaths. Then I woke up. (We see in this dream that “a great earthquake that would have devastating effects and great casualties” but has “no (physical) deaths” must be spiritual casualties and devastating effects to the “pay as you play Sunday go-to meeting church” crowd that people like Michael warn about. A spiritual earthquake is a shifting of the earth of lives.   I suppose the judgments that are coming, like the economic collapse, natural earthquakes, war, martial law, loss of jobs and homes, loss of freedom, loss of political and spiritual influence in the U.S., while there is no pre-trib rapture, and disappointment in the failure of their prosperity doctrine, could well bring a lot of casualties as far as a falling away. Romans is the sixth book and the ninth chapter [i.e. a 6.9 quake] and it speaks of the falling away of the non-elect like a shifting of the earth, while the elect bear fruit. Whereas the first mention of 6:9 -- in Genesis -- is Noah being called out to build an ark to save his house from the flood. And the first mention in the New Testament, Matthew 6:9, is Jesus teaching His disciples to pray to the Father to be forgiven and delivered from evil.)   This is my first dream where a personal/family warning or admonition is not the focal point. I don't know the city, or Brother Michael Boldea. (I believe this is a personal family warning for the worldly Church to repent and humble itself and consider true discipleship before the greater falling away comes.)   This text was given to me concerning this: Isa.29:1 Ho Ariel (meaning: the lion of God), Ariel, the city where David encamped (Zion/Jerusalem)! add ye year to year; let the feasts come round (a time of coming judgments): 2 then will I distress Ariel, and there shall be mourning and lamentation; and she shall be unto me as Ariel. 3 And I will encamp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with posted troops, and I will raise siege works against thee. (In the natural this was the Assyrian army encamped around Jerusalem which failed to conquer her. In the spirit this is the demon possessed beast people who war against Zion, the Bride.)  4 And thou shalt be brought down (or humbled), and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust; and thy voice shall be as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust. (Zion will be crucified and humbled before God, which is good, but their adversaries will be destroyed.)     5 But the multitude of thy foes shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be in an instant suddenly. (In the natural, this was the 185,000 men who died of Sennacherib's army while warring against Zion. In the spirit, it is those who die spiritually warring against Zion.) 6 She shall be visited of Jehovah of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring fire. (To burn the wood, hay and stubble so the gold and silver and precious stones may remain.)     7 And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her stronghold, and that distress her, shall be as a dream, a vision of the night. (They will vanish.) 8 And it shall be as when a hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion. (Notice: Ariel is Zion, which the nations of the harlot and beast will seek to devour but will be greatly disappointed.)      Crucifying the Church in Tribulation   B.A. - 11/17/2012 (David's notes in red)   Jer.18:1 The word which came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying, (2) Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. 3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he was making a work on the wheels. 4 And when the vessel that he made of the clay was marred in the hand of the potter, he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. 5 Then the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, 6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith Jehovah. Behold, as the clay in the potter's hand, so are ye in my hand, O house of Israel.   I dreamed I was in a dungeon with six other women (I believe all these women represent the seven churches) and we were in fetters and chains. It reminded me of Paul and Silas: Act.16:23 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: 24 who, having received such a charge, cast them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. 25 But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns unto God, and the prisoners were listening to them. I was trying my best to comfort these women and encourage them not to give up, but to have faith and trust in the Lord's promises and mercy. They asked me, “How can you be so positive? Look at this place; it's wet and damp and cold, and it stinks! They are probably going to starve us to death, as well!”   Wow! Talk about a tough crowd! But I knew this is what the Lord had been preparing me for these past several years. Don't listen to their bad report; remember Joshua and Caleb. They got to enter the Promised Land because they believed God! Num.14:6 And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were of them that spied out the land, rent their clothes: 7 and they spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceeding good land. 8 If Jehovah delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it unto us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. 9 Only rebel not against Jehovah, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defense is removed from over them, and Jehovah is with us: fear them not.   And in Heb.3:7 Wherefore, even as the Holy Spirit saith, To-day if ye shall hear his voice, 8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, Like as in the day of the trial in the wilderness, 9 Where your fathers tried me by proving me, And saw my works forty years. 10 Wherefore I was displeased with this generation, And said, They do always err in their heart: But they did not know my ways; 11 As I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest. 12 Take heed, brethren, lest haply there shall be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God.   I was praying in the spirit and praising God when I heard the large outer dungeon gates squeak open and two jailers came and released us from our bonds, and told us to come with them. We were taken up a spiral stone staircase that seemed to go on forever (coming out of the darkness into the light). Suddenly, we reached a landing and a door to my right sprang open and the jailers took us through the door. We found ourselves in a large dome-like room filled with a bright light. There was a red runner (the blood of Jesus) on the floor like you would see at the academy awards for the actors to walk on. Mat.26:28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many unto remission of sins. There was a large man (Jesus) standing on the red runner with a vessel in one hand and a large, thick rod in the other. (The vessel is the flesh that must be broken and the rod is the rod of chastening that breaks it.) I stood praying for all of us, as I knew something was about to happen to us.   The man with the vessel and rod pointed at each one of us and lined us up. Then he commanded the first woman to come forward and stand before him. He dropped the vessel onto the floor and it broke into many pieces. He then ordered the woman to bend down and pick up all the pieces. As she bent down to pick up the pieces, the man took his staff and hit the woman across her back as hard as he could. I heard the woman's shoulder blade snap in half and she fell very hard onto the floor; the pieces of the vessel gouged into her flesh and blood gushed out of her body. She was not able to get up and the two jailers came and carried her away.   Then, he commanded the second woman to come forward. Again, the man dropped the vessel on the floor and it broke into many pieces and he commanded the woman to bend down and pick them up. Just as she bent down, the man took the rod and hit the woman as hard as he could on her back. Like the first woman, she fell to the floor onto the broken pieces. I did not hear any bones break and she did not appear to be bleeding as badly as the first woman. She was able to get up on one knee. The two jailers came over and carried her away. (Some may think this harsh but so is the tribulation on those who are not yet sanctified; it will be a crucifixion of self.)   This process went on and on with each woman. I noticed as each woman was called up, they seemed to be less and less injured. Then, it was my turn. (A quick read of Revelation 2 and 3 shows this breaking of the six churches, some more, some less in the coming tribulation.) The man looked at me and said, “Come and stand before me”. So I did. As I was walking toward this man, I was actually joyful and confident, as I knew his rod was not going to hurt me. I watched as he dropped the vessel onto the floor and then ordered me to bend down and pick up the pieces. So I bent down and then I saw the rod pass right through my body and to the floor with a bang. I thought, ‘Cool. Not even so much as a scratch. Thank you, Lord!' Then, as I reached down to pick up a piece of the vessel, it was instantly put back together right before my eyes, like it had never been broken; it was a perfect or perfected vessel.   You see, in this revelation, I had already gone to my cross; I was already dead to self. Gal.2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. (Revelation 3:7-13 shows that the Philadelphia Church will escape the hour of trial that would “try them that dwell upon the earth”, rather than “in Heavenly places in Christ”. This Church represents the Bride who, like the Shulammite in Song of Solomon, the Bride in Esther and the Bride in Psalm 45, will escape, being in the King's house on earth. This is no pre-trib rapture, for the Bride will raise up the virgins, as in these cases.)   B.A.'s note: I believe this to represent the condition of the seven churches. Some have not died to self at all and need a crucifixion. And some had died a little but still have a long way to go. The tribulation will perfect those who are willing to go to their cross for their crucifixion. We must lose our life in this world as it says in Mat.16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever would save his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it.      Church Oblivious to Judgment at Hand     C. L. Gregory - 07/28/2010 (David's notes in red)   A few days ago, God spoke a verse to me and since then it has led to other verses and thoughts, and they all consist of the last days and the state of the church and this nation.   Long story short, last night I was going to bed, when I asked the Lord to show me what He was trying to tell me and I believe I got my answer.   I dreamed I was driving at night up a road much similar to a rural area of a Tennessee mountain town. In the passenger side was my grandmother (why she was in the dream was beyond me). (Like old grandmother, the Church has been with us for many years. We may have been born there but left because there wasn't much life there.) As we drove, I noticed we approached a hill and there was a small gas station on the left side of the road, but what I saw farther up the road shook me with fear.   As I was nearing the very small station, I saw up the hill and over the top was a large mountain, a volcano, which was erupting but there was no sound, no thunder, no nothing. Imagine the night image of a volcano with a large mushroom cloud as flakes of ash are falling down. (A quiet, unheard of judgment from hell is in the direct path of the end-time fruit of the woman Church, represented by Gregory.)   I turned into the gas station and ran over to the woman attendant and told her to run, get away, for the volcano had erupted. (A warning to those who, like the “small” old Church, have only “a little power”, represented by the “very small gas station”. A few will escape when they hear the Word from people like Gregory.) What got me was my grandmother, old and wise in her years, was alert at first and was telling me advice about life and things, but then she fell asleep. (Many of those who only know the teachings of the old Church have fallen asleep and they are ignorant of the judgment that is coming.)   For some odd reason, I could not drive the car away, for only she could drive it, but she kept falling asleep, but I had to act quickly. (Those who are members of this old Church must awaken to escape on their own but we can help them by our strength through faith and prayer.) I picked my grandmother up into my arms. She still would not wake up, even though the danger was nearing us. In my spirit, I knew that the most dangerous event was the volcano's silence. As we left, I peered out of the mirror and the volcano was getting more violent. (We must repent, meaning turn around and escape, putting the judgment in our rear-view mirror.)   We finally made it to a shelter (Refuge in Christ and for some, in the TN mountains.), when my grandmother awoke, but the reality was, she could not warn the others before, for she had fallen asleep. We watched as the lava reached down alongside of the buildings and homes of every sort, which had been on the wall of the volcano and I said, within my dream, “Thousands will die from this tragic event, all because we could not and did not warn them”. (And because the rich and political powers have hidden these things from the public so that it is a quiet, fiery judgment coming upon the world. Many are caught in the deception of a false prosperity gospel and they have no spiritual discernment of the season we currently are in.)   Then the dream ended.   The meaning: It was earlier today, which I felt God speak to my spirit and revealed to me that the volcano I saw was an impending judgment that was about to come. My grandmother, I believe, represents the church: wise, old and established but has fallen asleep. The fact remained, I believe God was showing me that something IS coming and the church is so busy caught up into the cares of this life that it does not see the mountain before them which is about to blow, and when it does, they won't know it until AFTER it comes.   I believe wholeheartedly that there is something tragic coming on this nation, but the church, which should be praying, preaching the truth against sin and immorality, and warning the world of God's anger, is asleep.      It Is Judgment From the Father, Church!   Ellie McBride - 09/04/2008 (David's notes in red)   I dreamed I went to my parents' home. Upon arriving, I learned that their neighbor was having a party and that mom was at the neighbor's house. I walked next door to their neighbor's house and found my mom; she was drunk. So I escorted her home. (Ellie's mother is the old church, which is drunk on the world and not in touch with reality and not abiding in the Father's house.)   As I was leaving my parent's house I heard my mother cry out. I ran back to find my father was angry with her and had his hand raised to hit her with a silver-colored hanger in his hand. I immediately got between them and prevented him from hurting her. (The Father is angry with the church. A hanger is for clothes that are in a closet not being used. Rev.19:8 And it was given unto her that she should array herself in fine linen, bright [and] pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. It is misguided to try to save the church from the Father's chastening but by intercession on their behalf God could grant repentance and then deliverance that is needed.)   I decided to take my mother with me. As we were about to walk out the door I looked down at her and saw that her bottom lip was quivering like a child who knew she was in trouble and wanted to cry. (The church will experience grief for their rebellion when they find the Father is not pleased with them being stuck in their idolatrous ways.)   Then like a magnet she returned to my father's side, and I as well. She was looking up at him and appeared very sad and remorseful. I began to say to my father, “Look at her, Father, she is sorry; she is sorry”. “Forgive her, Father; forgive her”. Then he embraced her and the dream ended. (Oh, praise God! This appears to be a promise that through chastening the elect in the church will repent and be saved from further judgment. Repentance is necessary to withhold judgment.)      The Chosen Leave the Universal Church   Lisa C. - 03/20/2010 (David's notes in red)   My niece, Corin, told me of a dream she had a few days ago. She was going to meet a friend, Sarah, at a dance/prom. However, she was surprised when her grandmother dropped her off at a Catholic (meaning universal) church where she met Sarah. They heard the pope was about to be renounced. (My niece attends a Catholic school that her grandmother pays for. Also, she mentioned that she did not know the meaning of the word “renounced”.) (There are two applications to this dream. The Pope here represents the leadership of the Catholic Church in the natural but spiritually represents the corporate leadership of the universal, apostate “Christian” religion. This church is the mother of many protestant religions. After receiving this dream, the pope of that time was renounced by many for actions taken many years earlier when he was a priest. He was accused of enabling a pedophile priest to continue to molest children and some are leaving the Catholic church because of this. Likewise, many are about to leave the universal, apostate “Christian” religion after realizing they have been raped by their apostate leaders. Of late, 2024, the pope has spoken some reforms which are encouraging. Pray for Him.)   There were many people in the church. She saw the pope in his garments of white and gold; with the hat he normally wears, but she saw him holding two gold rods with his arms crossed like Pharaoh. (Like Pharaoh, the apostate leadership of the apostate church has held God's people in bondage long enough. It is time for Moses who was raised under Pharaoh to lead them out. More importantly, the apostate church will be renounced by multitudes of the elect who will come out to join the people of God in the wilderness tribulation.)   He told the people he was going to bless them with the Holy Spirit. When he did, she began to shake. (My niece was baptized in the Holy Spirit with evidence of speaking in tongues several weeks ago. She began to shake and fell out under the Spirit speaking in tongues.) She said that the shake in her dreams was a shake that she was forced to do. She said that her friend began laughing and that she told her friend she could not stop shaking and that it wasn't funny. She compared it to the first time she shook and said she knew the Holy Spirit was doing it but in her dream she could feel her body forcibly shake. (So we could pray this reformer pope would pray for them to receive the Holy Spirit. Years ago there was another pope who received the Holy Spirit and was a Charismatic pope playing the guitar in Charismatic services.)  2 (The Holy Spirit is going to forcibly shake His people in both the natural and spiritual Catholic church and they will come out from among them. Hos.11:1 When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt. 2 The more [the prophets] called them, the more they went from them: they sacrificed unto the Baalim, and burned incense to graven images ... 11 They shall come trembling as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of Assyria; and I will make them to dwell in their houses, saith Jehovah.)   Then she turned and saw Oprah Winfrey drive up to the church in a black Hummer. She did not know why Oprah would come. (Oprah is a representative of a universal, generic god religion that is holding people captive, and she is also part of the child trafficking DS pedophiles whom people will renounce.)   A shaking will come to God's chosen people who are captive to the worldly churches and they will see the light and come out from among the multitudes who love not the truth of God's Word.      Turning to the Home Church   Jared Smith - 12/28/2008 (Thoughts in italics) (David's notes in red)   My dream started out like this: I was walking around the main, well-lit auditorium of the church I had attended for four years before I left last May. There was something different, though. There was no stage, no pulpit, no band, no choir and no musical instruments. There was just an auditorium. (When the church goes underground all of this will not be possible.) All around I saw groups of people, 8-10 in size, having their chairs circled around one another and sharing about the Lord and what He was doing in each of their individual lives. There were no leaders in the groups; everyone contributed his or her own testimony and part in the group discussion. The subjects of the multiple conversations would change at any given time and there would be polite interruptions here and there, at least from what I could overhear. I was in the presence of something amazing. I was in the presence of a mass home church gathering inside a once-popular traditional church auditorium.   Up until this part in the dream, I believe that I may have been in a place in time of the future. This time may be once the Man-child ministry is birthed as well as the Two Witnesses. What I mean is that the traditional everyday way we do church compared to the unpopular uncommon way of doing home church had taken a role reversal, where home church is now the most common and popular way. (This will come about during the first 3 ½ years of the tribulation to prepare for the second 3 ½ years when large gatherings will not be permitted for the beast will make war on the saints. The church will go underground. The five-fold ministry will travel from group to group although not altogether.)  As I was marveling at this magnificent and encouraging sight, I was walking away from the auditorium and made my way through the doors to the rear foyer. There was a door to my right that was a hallway running along the rear of the auditorium. I went through this door and noticed complete darkness, as there were no lights on. This was contradictory to the well-lit auditorium where the mass of the Body was fellowshipping. I noticed to the left of the hallway the silhouette of office doors that had light shining through. The light was not as bright as the main auditorium's lighting, but there was just enough to show that there were doors to those rooms. I began to walk down the hallway and entered one of those rooms. To my amazement, I saw the leader who was “over” me the four years I went to this church. He had a group around him, though not as large as the groups I saw in the main auditorium. This group was maybe three or four in size.   Let me pause here to share my thoughts. I believe that the well-lit auditorium and the fellowship that was taking place was the “new mainstream” Christianity that is going to happen during the Man-child and Two Witness ministry. The darkness that I sensed in the hallway was the lack of God's Spiritual Light and Blessing that many had followed because they could not accept the “new way” of Christianity. They continued in their traditional practices, and eventually became the outcast. Yes, there were spiritual principles still being preached, which may explain the small hints of light within the office rooms, but nothing of the magnitude (revelations, dreams, visions, prophecies) as in the main auditorium. (The Man-child and two witness ministries will be impromptu and unplanned gatherings as it was mostly in the bible. The powers that be are unable to plot against these meetings  The topic of discussion (of course the leader was running the show) was how to build a model train set. (In other words, let me tell you how the cars should follow in the leaders tracks.) I found the topic interesting in that I used to build model train set layouts with my dad back in the day, so I knew a little about how to build a layout and what materials were needed. I slowly made my way into the room and sat down, unnoticed to anyone. I sat there for a few minutes and listened to the conversation on how to build this model train set. After hearing what I heard, the group was planning things all wrong. The materials were not right. The amounts of materials were not right. The layout planning and blueprint were not right. What was going to be built based on this wrong planning was going to be a disaster. I felt led to speak up and try to correct the matter. I did so. I forget exactly what I said, but I was immediately corrected by the leader and was told to be quiet.   What is unusual about this is that my presence was not made known until I spoke up. In the same sense, we as Christians (Saints) need to profess and speak up to the traditional church and tell them of what is to come. Let our voices be heard and our presence be known, with boldness. This is the first time I was rejected and corrected by the leader at this point in the dream.     I obeyed, and rested against the back wall, again disappearing out of the conversation and what seemed to be the small group within the office room. I was ignored and then seemingly forgotten about. So the leader went on and on and kept on messing up the planning of the layout of the model train set. I endured and lasted only a few minutes, until the time that I HAD to speak up again. I did so. This time I received an even sterner rebuke and correction from the leader, saying I should shut up and not be heard.     Notice that I seemed to disappear from the conversation and even the group because my voice was not heard anymore. The next time you hear me say something, I immediately become known again, and corrected and rebuked as such. This was the second time I had been done so up until this point.    So I sat back AGAIN and this time I was somewhat irritated because of my lack of opportunity for my voice to be heard. These people and this leader were messing things up and I KNEW the right way to build a model train set, but yet they did not want to listen to me.   Use of the model train set as a metaphor of the truths we hold inside our hearts as Saints, preparing for the Tribulation, the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the Man-child and Two Witness Ministries… We are silenced and looked upon as crazy when we talk about these truths to traditional go-to-church-on-Sunday-and-tithe Christians...    I could not hold it in any longer. I HAD to speak up yet again, but this time more than the other two times. I HAD to tell these people their method and process was all WRONG. I was going to tell them the RIGHT way, the way that would build a successful and beautiful model train set layout. I rose to speak, but this time, the leader knew of my presence before I spoke a single word. His eyes were filled with anger and rage, and he was about to give me the harshest of rebuke and corrections for interrupting HIS presentation and discussion... when all of a sudden these words came out of my mouth: “Before I am corrected and rebuked AGAIN...”   At the spoken word “AGAIN”, the entire group, as well as the leader, were silent and looking at me with their jaws dropped and having a sense of fear among them, as if, what is he going to say next? I guess one could associate this with the TRUE REVELATION of the real truth made known to a traditional church-going Christian, how one could be at awe and amazement and fear of having these truths being revealed to them.     At this point I had the floor. I spoke for a good while on the proper methods, procedures, materials and processes of building a beautiful, successful model train set layout. The group members were stunned at my knowledge of model train set layouts. They could do nothing but sit there motionless and listen to my words. The leader was disgusted, jealous that all the attention was taken away from him and that no one was listening to him. By the time I was done giving my presentation, I opened the door to exit the room. To my amazement, the three or four in the group followed me into the main auditorium. The leader was left in the little, dim office room alone. Before I left the room completely, I spoke directly to him and said, “And you, sir, are an ass!!!” Which is not my normal vocabulary. This was the end of my dream.   You may be wondering where the “ass” part comes in. I am reminded of a Scripture that was a prophecy in the Old Testament of the Messiah riding into the city atop a donkey's colt. An ass is a male donkey, very stubborn in his ways. In the same sense, the Messiah Jesus Christ will have “dominion” over the ass (old, stubborn, traditional way of church even in the End Times). Christ sits atop the old way and has dominion over it. Straight and narrow is the way unto the Kingdom of God. Enter in through the Door, which is Jesus.    Now, here are my final thoughts. Christ was denied three times by Peter during His crucifixion. I was denied three times by this leader during my attempt to show the truth. Once one breaks past the barrier of religious teachings and practices of the traditional church with boldness that can only come from the Spirit of God, it becomes easy to speak to traditional church-goers on the real truths the Bible shows. They will marvel at what you have to say, because it is contradictory to what they have been taught their entire church lives. It is truth. It is the Word of God. It is the coming of Christ in His Glory and the events that transpire prior to His coming. It will attract the hearts of the people who are hungry for God through this time to come.   The leader, who represents the old traditional church ways that survived through the time of the Man-child and Two Witness ministry to come, will be disgusted and jealous and will do everything to prevent the true Word of God from being preached. It is this ministry of old traditional ways that the Antichrist will use to deceive people when the Outpouring occurs. Be cautious and be alert to the enemy's attacks. This will be a major part of it, I believe.   (This is happening on a smaller scale now. We have been in contact with many home churches that are not satisfied with the status quo and are searching for themselves. This is great because they are discovering what the false elders are not gifted to discover -- THE WORDS OF GOD. But we are also encountering a problem that is not addressed in this dream. The groups who have no local elders are targeted by slick talkers anointed by false spirits to gain a following for their own ego. In some cases it is not hard to lead the young back to Babylon since they have not departed very far from its glitter. According to Paul, the five-fold ministry is needed for the perfecting of the saints. Just coming out and sitting in a close circle and sharing insights and experiences is not enough. The elders raised up by the two witnesses, which are disciples of the Man-child going forth two by two, will travel around to these underground groups to share a many gifted revelation they could not get in the nicolaitan pastor only church.    We do our best to fill the gap by Internet, broadcast, Podcasts, and YouTube, but it is not enough. We know the teachings are giving many people knowledge but wisdom is on a longer curve. Until it catches up, we are going to need many more elders. This, of course, is what God will raise up in the next move of anointed reformers spoken of. Ordaining elders is hard when you haven't enough personal contact to know them. This is where the stronger anointing will be more than enough to take up the slack. Come quickly, Lord Jesus! Meanwhile, the saints who gather need to be praying for wisdom and discernment and not be quick to form their own governments, which the worldly gifted and domineering types always take advantage of. We don't want to copy the old system or we will be part of it. May our Father be with you.      Judgment of the Church   Dee Hoetmer - South Africa - 06/10/2008   I was pacing the floor, not willing to give forth this Word and the Lord gave me Ezekiel 33.   Ezekiel 33:1 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: 3 If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; 4 Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. 5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.   6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. 7 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth. And warn them for me. 8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; If thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thine hand.   9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. 10 Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live? 11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: Turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, o house of Israel?   For the Lord has mingled a perverse spirit in her midst for she desired not the truth in her innermost parts. She desired the trinkets and baubles of ministry, to be seen and heard and not that I be seen and heard. She desired to be looked up to instead of the cross looked upon; the sacrifice of My Son that would bring all to true righteousness, humility, compassion and truth if the work of My Son was truly understood by them. The work of redemption was completed on the cross and it is only as My children live a crucified life that they are fully sanctified and fit for My use. But those with a perverse spirit do their fleshly works from unclean hearts and call it MY Ministry?   I have allowed the perverse spirit in her midst to come into full bloom, so to speak, for now it will reap the full reward for such unclean works. The works of the flesh mingled with the moving on My Spirit; the mixture, the uncleanness of My church has become a stench in My nostrils and her cup of abominations has reached the Throne Room. Shall I then not recompense into her bosom all her unclean works? Should I stand by forever while the name of My Son is profaned?   Should I stand by when the harvest is ripe but all the while My church is full of abominations? No I will utterly destroy those of unclean hearts, with perverse spirits and make an utter end of their abominations! I will bring to an utter end all of her house and her perverse children and doctrines that they have spawned and spewed forth throughout the earth. I will make desolate the places where they thought they were fat and rich with the things of the spirit and the things of the world and uncover their skirts so that the world will see their shame.   1 Timothy 6:5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.   I will make an utter end of those who have denied the wooing of My Spirit to came back to the ancient paths, I will make an utter end of her and her household who have chosen to remain unhealed due to their pride and self-love and I will bring judgment and correction to the many who have spurned and denied the words, My Words, through My true prophets.   A perverse spirit has long ruled in many of My churches and congregations and the cup is full of their vain imaginations, vain glorious ways and self-exaltation. The cup of My wrath is also full of their unjust judgments, harsh and critical ways both towards the true children of the Most High Lord and Father and towards those they esteem lesser than themselves. What a putrid stench reaches My very Throne Room. It is not only the sins of the world and their love of mammon that I came now to judge but also those of My own household who walk in the same spirit as the world.   Would I as Righteous Judge shake the Babylonian systems of the world and not shake My church who have become as the world? Will I judge one and not the other; but NO My Word says I will judge My own household first. I will uncover all the hidden things and expose you to the world for your hypocrisy, for your lack of love for the widows and orphans, for you have feathered your own nest first and given only the crumbs to the needy and the poor. You have exalted yourself and your ministry. Was not the ministry of My son to the wretched, the poor, the lepers and the outcasts of society? Did not He lay down His life for others?   Now you begin to see just how wretched, poor and naked you truly are. You have stored up treasures for yourself on earth and not in heaven. You gave not that cup of water to the beggar, you stopped not to dress the wounds of those bloodied and you did not stop to bind up the broken hearted. My true people are servants of even the most wretched and yet you wouldn't let the wretched into your churches for fear that they may stink up your pews.   Do you not see that you have become wretched, poor and naked while you thought of yourselves as blessed because you had no material need? You have been blinded by the prince of this world and although i have wooed you and wooed you, you have not answered. There is no fragrance of My Son emanating from many in My church but rather a stench of mixture and pride, of control and manipulation, of lust and greed. What has my son to do with any of these unclean things?   Repent o'mighty man, repent o‘mighty woman of all uncleanness, of all mixture in your lives for how will I judge and shake the earth and not judge those of my own household? The doctrines you have taught have made many under you teaching twice the sons of the devil than you are! They have become blinded by the prince of the air and know it not, for you have not taught them well. Humility is what I desire and not vain glory; mercy is what I require and not indiscriminate judgment; selflessness is what I require and not selfishness.   Do you not now see just how far you have left my word, for you have taken only portions of my word and made it doctrine but it is in the sum of my word that my whole truth lies! You have taken that which suits your flesh and made it the complete gospel and conveniently left out the scriptures that speak of humility, of not laying up treasures for yourselves on earth, of loving one another.   Did not Ananias and Sapphira think they could keep things hidden? Did not My Son call the religious leaders of His day a generation of vipers and filthy whited sepulchers and tell them they were of their father, the devil? Was not Jerusalem utterly destroyed? So why then do you think in your hearts that this is a false word from a false prophet? Repent and return to me with you whole hearts so that you may be spared from the coming judgments, the likes of which have never before been seen.   Mat.23:33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?   Mat.23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.   Act.5:3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. 5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.   Mat.23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38 Behold your house is left unto you desolate. 

Resurrection Hope looks at the reality of the #heavenlyhope we have which transcends the human reality and human understanding which people all over the world have. Many times, their reality is based on their traditions and what other religious figures have left behind. Yet for #Christians, #ourhope looks beyond this world and the status quo. We find ourselves among the heavenlies and our reality lay with the Father and our Great God and the #Messiah Jesus Christ, #Yeshua. This week we bring the #redeemingChrist to ground zero in the nations of men and the hearts of the #believers in #Jesus #Christ. For the truth is, unlike many others on this globe, our hope is beyond this plane of existence. As Paul reminds the Corinthians in chapter fifteen and verses nineteen and twenty saying: "If in this life only we have #hopeinChrist, we are of all men most miserable. But now is #Christrisen from the dead and become the #firstfruits of them that slept." #Ourhope is meant to bring us into the heavenly sphere with our #God and #Father and our #Lord #JesusChrist. Our hope is neither this planet nor its #systems of #law and #governance. We await a new Home, within the #heavenlies and the #presenceofGod with the Lord bringing us into the #NewKingdom. #HeavenlyHope   Visit https://Warn-Usa.com    

In this most holy of Psalms,  King David describes the Forsaken One who feels abandoned by The Father.  As a prophet (Acts 2:30),  David speaks of the future abandonment of the Messiah (Jesus Christ).  The crucifixion of Christ is prophesied in amazing and precise detail.   The Suffering Messiah would be crucified, but later return as the Sovereign King.  Jesus Christ took our place on the Cross, so that we might be made righteous (2 Cor 5:21).

The well-known hymn, Standing on the Promises, by Russell Carter is familiar to most church-goers. But what are those promises? Do you know? If you guess, “Salvation through Jesus Christ,” that is certainly one of the promises. But do you know to whom that promise was given, and what other promise accompanied it? And do you realize that this other promise explains what is happening geopolitically in our world today? We read in Genesis 12, and verses 2–3, that a man named Abram was told to leave his country and go to a place that God had chosen for him, and he would be blessed mightily if he did so. Notice these promises: I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. (Genesis 12:2–3) It is generally understood that, …in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. …is a reference to the Messiah—Jesus Christ. But what about the blessing of national greatness? Is this fulfilled by the tiny state we now call Israel? Or was it the kingdom of Israel under Kings David or Solomon? Or does it mean far more than that? The promise of a Savior is general knowledge, but we'll see on today's program, one of the most remarkable truths of scripture. It is a truth so plain a child can understand, but one that theologians fail to explain. That truth is the promise of national greatness to Abraham, and it explains what we see in our world today. Stay with me now, as we'll look at the promises of God to Abraham—promises that God cannot, and has not, broken.

The Kings of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Author of Life, Savior, Redeemer, Messiah Jesus Christ has risen from the dead and lives today. He is the way, the truth, and the life...no one comes to the Father except by Him. There is no other name under heaven by which you can be saved. He loves you. Put your trust in Him today. Happy Easter! Love, William

This PROPHECY was given 700 years BEFORE the DEATH of JESUS on the CROSS! This PROPHECY rocked ME to the very core the FIRST time I heard about it. I saw a man wearing a FOOTBALL JERSEY shirt that had the name ISAIAH on it with the NUMBER 53 below it. I asked him about it and he told me that it was a PROPHECY about theLORD JESUS CHRIST. WOW! Folks this POWERFUL PROPHECY talks about the DEATH of the MESSIAH (JESUS CHRIST) for OUR sins. There is NO WAY around it folks. Either this PROPHECY is talking about JESUS CHRIST or is not. The PROPHECY makes it very clear that JESUS laid down his own LIFE WILLINGLY for OUR sakes. ALL of us deserved NOTHING ut the LOWEST part of HELL, but JESUS went to the CROSS as a silent LAMB to RESCUE us ALL from DESTRUCTION . . .

Christmas is the season for Christians to remember the birth of the Messiah Jesus Christ. Many Christians look forward to celebrating this significant and historic miracle of God taking on flesh and dwelling among us. Unfortunately, there is an increasing number of people who profess to be Christians who take to social media to promote why they no longer celebrate Christmas. This message will outline five very important reasons why a Christian should celebrate Christmas. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/stratford-ntcg/message

Good morning, Five Minute Families! Are you in the Christmas spirit, or do you have a touch of the bah-humbugs? Getting into the mindset can be a challenge if we focus on only what we want. Yet, if we choose to focus on our blessings, on our triumphs - no matter how small, and of the possibilities of the future, then getting into the spirit of Christmas becomes much easier. Ultimately, our full focus needs to turn to what the season is all about - the birth of a baby who sacrificed His life for our eternal futures. Now, that is a real reason to celebrate. That's a good word. Celebrate. Celebrations. This past weekend we had the chance to witness a sweet proposal and to participate in the celebration that followed. This time of year, in America we have Christmas parades, Christmas pageants, Christmas cantatas, Christmas parties and more. A whole month of celebrations of the birth of Jesus and the joy of family and friends surrounding us. Celebrations are biblical. There are the seven feasts or festivals of the Old Testament - celebrations of God and foreshadowing of the coming Messiah - Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself performed His first recorded miracle at a wedding celebration, and He used the parable of a wedding feast in Matthew 22:2. Not only are we to celebrate God such as Psalm 34:3 “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together” and Psalm 95:2 “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.” show. We are also to celebrate each other. Some people say, “Never miss an opportunity to celebrate.” Of course, we do not want to lessen or cheapen the experience of celebration, but we also want to make sure that we enter into celebration frequently enough to receive the benefits of celebration. Celebration brings better physical health. When people gather in celebration, laughter often ensues. Laughter literally helps the muscles relax, the blood pressure lower, and the airways open. Folks have a tendency to perceive less pain and express more gratitude. Organ transplant recipients were studied and it was found that those who expressed gratitude got better faster and functioned better, too. So, celebrate to improve your physical health. Celebration brings better mental health. When we choose to focus on the triumphs and accomplishments of those we love, we release endorphins, and that allows for an overall feeling of better well-being. When we see those who are for us in life, no matter how small the circle we have may be, we more from fear to fellowship and faith. Celebration brings stronger family relationships. Special events quite often become reunions, allowing for connection and endurance of family bonds. Celebration strengthens community relationships. When we celebrate, we issue invitations to those who are important in our lives or in that specific accomplishment. Pastors, coaches, professionals such as doctors and teachers, parental friendships, peer relationships - all are bonded more deeply when celebrations are added.Celebration brings a healthy self-concept. One website said it best, “A healthy person understands the whole arc of life as a continuous journey, punctuated by moments of pain and of joy but always changing. Special occasions are the milestones along this journey, chances to stop and reflect on life as a whole, and on the person who has lived it.”I think if my sister ever decides to have a second career, she needs to be a party planner. She once took dollar store birthday party gift bags and turned them into decorations for our four-year-old's birthday party. I had a cake and ice cream for his little party and a small gift bag per child coming, but that was it. No balloons, no decorations. I hadn't even printed invitations. I simply made phone calls. It took her maybe 30 minutes to plan and execute her decorating the room with the gift bags and various child craft items our sons

All things with function typically have many moving parts. Those parts must be moving in sync with all the other parts for it to work. It was no different with the coming of the Messiah Jesus Christ. In this message we will look at the Prophetic Playbook and how the Holy Spirit orchestrated all the moving parts to fulfill all the prophecies written hundreds of years earlier. We will see that God is the Maestro orchestrating all the pieces, the same way He orchestrates all the pieces of our lives as we follow His will. ———————————————————————————————Connect with us on Social Media:Website: nbcc.com/Facebook: facebook.com/nbccnorcoInstagram: instagram.com/nbccnorcoYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6S-3n9PVnXm8zSPHAYVyGw----------------------------------------If you have any prayer requests or questions, please message us on our social media or send us an email at hello@nbcc.com. Don't forget to rate and subscribe to the podcast!----------------------------------------Join us in person, Sunday's at 9am & 10:30amhttps://goo.gl/maps/PEe1rzXWKBv

Malachi: Hearts of Stone A Survey of the Bible For bulletin in. PDF form, click here. Message SlidesMalachi Chart - WilsonMalachi Summary - RossThe Historical Background of Malachi - RossThe Message of Malachi - Joyce BaldwinThe Biblical and Theological Emphasis of Malachi - RossBetween the Testaments - WilsonContext: Who, Where, When and Why?• Who composed Malachi?• Who is Malachi's audience?• When was Malachi written? • Where were he and his audience?• Why was he writing? Content: How and What?• How is Malachi organized? • Prologue: The Oracle that Malachi delivered to Israel (1:1) • The Lord's Love for Israel (1:2-5) • Contemptible Sacrifices and Corrupted Priests (1:6-2:9) • Profaning the Covenant by Divorce (2:10-16) • Wearying the Lord with Charges of Injustice (2:17-3:5) • Turning Away and Robbing God (3:6-12) • Blasphemy Against the Lord (3:13-4:3) • Epilogue: Obey the Law of Moses and Wait for Elijah the Prophet (4:4-6)• What is the message of Malachi? Conviction: So What?• Where does this fit? - Malachi presents a very direct and harsh message calling God's people to examine their hearts as well as their actions. - Malachi looks below the surface and exposes a lack of thankfulness and genuine worship. - Malachi makes a correlation between the fidelity of our relationships and our worship. - As the last book in the Old Testament Malachi also looks forward with a clear promise of the coming Messiah—Jesus Christ (3:1-5; 4:1-3) • What should we believe? - God is utterly offended by us giving Him less than our best. He deserves our best. - When our lifestyle does not match our profession our service is unacceptable. - Ritualism is Hypocrisy! Going through the motions of worship without an engaged heart is worthless.• How should we behave? - Examining our hearts and our motives as we examine our service (worship, giving, and relationships). - Fully trusting God to do all He has promised. But trusting His timeline as well. - Guarding our spirit and not breaking faith with God or others (2:16).Next Steps • Ask yourself, and some others, if your lifestyle matches your profession. Ask your kids.• Align your heart with your actions. Make real adjustments in both where needed.• Keep your hope alive as you wait for the “second coming” of our desire (3:1) who will bring healing (4:2)This Week's Growth GuideGod's Word is both central and critical to your spiritual growth. We invite you to utilize the Growth Guide during the week to further your application of the Truth from the message.•. Monday - Malachi 1:1-5•. Tuesday - Malachi 1:6-2:9•. Wednesday - Malachi 2:10-16•. Thursday - Malachi 2:17-3:5 •. Friday - Malachi 3:6-3:12•. Saturday - Malachi 3:13-4:3•. Sunday - Malachi 4:4-6Home ChurchOur Home Churches meet weekly to facilitate quicker relational depth, study the same passage taught Sunday to help apply Scripture in the context of community, and pray with one another. Home Church Questions• Read Malachi 1:1-2:9. • What about the message captured your attention?• Is there an obvious application for you personally? How will you take a step forward related to this?• After their return from exile, the cynicism of the Israelites was reflected in the prophet's first response, “How have you loved us?” (1:2). Have there been times in your life when you doubted God's love for you?” What should one do when those doubts creep in?• In 1:6, God presented Himself as “Father” and “Master.” What does each of these characterizations teach us about our relationship with God? What is the effect on one's walk with the Lord when one is emphasized over the other?• God accused the Jews of dishonoring Him with cheap substitutes (1:6-14). What would be cheap substitutes in our worship of God today? • God's second accusation against the returning Jews was twofold, marrying women who worshipped false gods and unfaithfulness to one's wife (2:10-16). How is faithfulness to God and faithfulness to your spouse related? How does this relate to the issue of divorce?• While we are instructed not to test God by making demands of Him, here God invites you to test Him (v. 10 cf. Deut. 6:16). According to verses 10-12, what does God promise to those who are “generous” and “cheerful” givers? Discuss your struggle with responding to God's challenge of faith.• The Jews complained in 3:14-15 that they weren't getting anything out of their relationship with God. What is wrong with that attitude? How can that affect your view of your local church?¶ How do you feel to know that God keeps a “book of remembrance” (3:16) about your faithful service to Him? How does the anticipation of eternity as described in the rest of the book encourage you through the difficulties you face in your service? FinancesWeekly Budget 32,692Giving For 11/12 52,413Giving For 11/19 39,892YTD Budget 686,538Giving 620,995 (Under) (65,543) Christmas at Fellowship Join us for a Candlelight Christmas Eve Service on Sunday, December 24, at 10:45 am and 4 pm. Both services are the same, including a time for the children to come to the stage to enjoy a reading of the Christmas story. Invite your family and friends to join you as we worship Emmanuel, God with us. New to Fellowship?We are so glad that you joined the Fellowship Family to worship this morning. If you are joining us for the first time or have been checking us out for a few weeks, we are excited you are here and would love to meet you. Please fill out the “Connect Card” and bring it to the Connection Center in the Atrium, we would love to say “hi” and give you a gift. Fellowship Kids Parents Night outParents, load up your kids (4th grade and under) in their pjs and drop them off with us. Snacks and fun provided while you enjoy a few hours of quiet time, shopping, or a date night! Register at www.fellowshipconway.org/register by November 24. Fellowship Women's Potluck and PJ PartyLadies, let's get together Thursday, December 7, 6:00 p.m. at 11 Skyland Drive (home of Amy McKissack), for a heart-warming evening filled with delicious food and good company. Bring your favorite dish to share and wear your favorite comfy clothes or PJs. Fellowship AppDownload the Fellowship App to have message slides, resources, and Home Church questions, complete with the links to the various Scriptures at your fingertips. Search “Fellowship Conway” in the app store. PerspectivesPerspectives is a fifteen-lesson discipleship course exploring different aspects of God's global purpose in a multi-faceted learning experience. You will journey with believers from across our community, clarifying each believer's remarkable opportunity to co-labor with God in His global purpose. You have an integral role to play in God's story! For more information, contact Brianjamesdarnell81@gmail.com. Class starts January 16. Register and pay by December 31 to save $25. Partial scholarships and childcare available. Fellowship GivingFellowship has three ways to give. Baskets are at every exit where you can place your offering this morning. Giving envelopes are available at the Connection Center. Gifts can be given through our website at fellowshipconway.org/give or through the app. There, you can set up recurring giving or one-time gifts with a credit card, debit card, or through your checking account. Operation Christmas Child On Sunday, December 10 we will put a bow on National Collection Week as we share and celebrate the total number of boxes packed at Fellowship, as well as our River Valley Area! You won't want to miss it!

In today's study, we conversed about what happened after Jesus revealed His identity to the woman at the well. She didn't keep it quiet, nor did she keep it to herself. She went through Samaria, telling everyone about this One she just met. She was convincing enough to get the townspeople to go out and meet Him for themselves. Many people believed on Him, and this causes us to ask: How good are we doing at witnessing? We believe we might could take some lessons from this loose living Samaritan woman from years ago. In our Q&A segment, we were asked the question: Do you believe it is ok to allow children to read books about ghosts, witches, or paranormal activity? Don't wait any longer, go ahead and tune in now! 

In today's podcast Pastor Danny Parga continues in Daniel 7:23-28 the second part of a message entitled “The Return of The King”. Last week we saw the connection between the nation of Israel and the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Pastor Danny shows from Scripture the bases for the second coming of the Messiah (Jesus Christ). His 2nd coming is attached to Israel as nation's salvation. Here are some passages of Scripture he provided to support this claim: “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.” Zechariah 12:10 ESV “For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so, all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.” Romans 11:25-27 NKJV. Leviticus 26:40-42; Jeremiah 3:12-18; Hosea 5:15; 6:3; Matthew 23:37-39 Today we continue where Pastor Danny left off last week concerning the important role repentance plays in Israel's salvation and our own as Gentile believers. If this message has encouraged you, hit the follow button, leave a comment, and share it with family and friends. By doing so you can help us continue to bring saving message of Jesus Christ on these platforms. You can get more information about Manifest Church on our website manifestchurch@startsites.org. You can also follow us on: On you tube select live to see the latest message. Manifest Church - SC - YouTube Facebook Manifest Church (rumble.com)

In Daniel 9, the angel Gabriel gave the prophet Daniel one of the most breathtaking and profound prophecies in all of God's Word.   In a few brief verses he outlines the time when Messiah (Jesus Christ) will come the first time and be rejected/crucified.  He then talks about a future time when another "prince" (Antichrist) will come and briefly outlines his 7-year career.    Failure to understand this prophecy leads to all kinds of eschatological confusion.  

☞ ABOUT THIS MESSAGE We can say with confidence that for the Emmaus disciples, the best was yet to come, because although they didn't know what the future held, their hope was in the right place: Jesus. And what was true for them is true for us today. We may have been headed the wrong way, we may have been unaware of Jesus being in our midst, we may even have lost sight of our identity in him. But if we will put our hope in the resurrected Messiah — Jesus Christ — we, too, will be able to declare with confidence: The best is yet to come!   ☞ NEXT STEPS Are you wondering what's next on your journey? We want to help! https://summitchurch.online/nextsteps   ☞ ABOUT SUMMIT CHURCH Our desire as a church is to REACH the heart of every person, RAISE up communities of faith, and RELEASE everyone to fulfill their purpose in Christ. No matter where you're at in your life's journey, we're here to help! Find out more about our community at https://summitchurch.online   ☞ CONNECT WITH US We'd love to partner with you on your journey whether it's through prayer or simply answering your questions. https://summitchurch.online/connectcard   ☞ FIND US ON SOCIAL https://www.instagram.com/summitchurch.online https://www.facebook.com/summitchurch.online

As we near the end of the book of Acts, we come to a climactic point in the book and in the narrative story of Scripture as Paul gives his defense before King Agrippa. Here before this Jewish King, Paul will finally get to give a full testimony without being interrupted by ridicule or riots. And as we examine the text of Paul's defense, we find that it isn't really a defense at all. Paul uses this opportunity to connect his preaching and his message with the promise of God to Israel. He shows us that the reason he has undergone all the trials and tribulations in the last five chapters is because of his "hope in the promise made by God to our fathers." In this speech, we find the thread that connects the whole of Scripture to the preaching and mission given to the church. And we see what it is all about. We see what Paul's trials are all about, and what God's big story is all about - It is the hope of resurrection through the Messiah Jesus Christ. But as Paul weaves his masterful narrative and shows Agrippa all these things, we start to see something else. Toward the end of Paul's defense, we find that it isn't Paul who is on trial here. It is King Agrippa himself. Not only is Paul explaining that the Messiah of God has commissioned his preaching in fulfillment of the promise of God, but he is actually engaging in his mission right here as he seeks the salvation of Agrippa and all those listening to him. Not only will we see the importance of our mission to make disciples and how we engage it, but we will receive a clear, concise explanation of the grand storyline of God's Word and how it all fits together.

Pastor Micah concluded our Christmas series "The Cast of Christmas" at our Christmas Eve Service. This week we focus on the final cast member of the Christmas story, Us. The question is how will we respond to the Christmas story and the coming of the Messiah? God reached out to us, and displayed His amazing unconditional love by sending His One and Only Son to this Earth to make a way for us to come back into relationship with Him. Jesus was the only one who could wash away the sins of this world. We looked at how every cast member in the Christmas story responded to the arrival of the Messiah Jesus Christ. No the big question, how will you respond?

Welcome to Light Words with Pastor Scott Huffman from Lighthouse Church. www.LNLighthouse.org Nine characteristics of David: 1. David was a man after God's own heart. 2. David was called the sweet psalmist of Israel. 3. David was greatly anointed of God. 4. David was a shepherd. 5. David was a mighty and courageous warrior for God. 6. The Lord was with David wherever he went and prospered him and gave him success and made his name great! 7. God built David a spiritual house of the royal line and Jesus was born into that royal house of David. 8. David was Israel's greatest king. 9. David was a forerunner to the Messiah Jesus Christ. Blessings! Watch the broadcast live every Sunday at 10:30 am PST on Facebook.com/LNLighthouse and Instagram.com/LNLighthouse.

Welcome to Light Words with Pastor Scott Huffman from Lighthouse Church. www.LNLighthouse.org Nine characteristics of David: 1. David was a man after God's own heart. 2. David was called the sweet psalmist of Israel. 3. David was greatly anointed of God. 4. David was a shepherd. 5. David was a mighty and courageous warrior for God. 6. The Lord was with David wherever he went and prospered him and gave him success and made his name great! 7. God built David a spiritual house of the royal line and Jesus was born into that royal house of David. 8. David was Israel's greatest king. 9. David was a forerunner to the Messiah Jesus Christ. Blessings! Watch the broadcast live every Sunday at 10:30 am PST on Facebook.com/LNLighthouse and Instagram.com/LNLighthouse.

Welcome to Light Words with Pastor Scott Huffman from Lighthouse Church. www.LNLighthouse.org Nine characteristics of David: 1. David was a man after God's own heart. 2. David was called the sweet psalmist of Israel. 3. David was greatly anointed of God. 4. David was a shepherd. 5. David was a mighty and courageous warrior for God. 6. The Lord was with David wherever he went and prospered him and gave him success and made his name great! 7. God built David a spiritual house of the royal line and Jesus was born into that royal house of David. 8. David was Israel's greatest king. 9. David was a forerunner to the Messiah Jesus Christ. Blessings! Watch the broadcast live every Sunday at 10:30 am PST on Facebook.com/LNLighthouse and Instagram.com/LNLighthouse.

Welcome to Light Words with Pastor Scott Huffman from Lighthouse Church. www.LNLighthouse.org Nine characteristics of David: 1. David was a man after God's own heart. 2. David was called the sweet psalmist of Israel. 3. David was greatly anointed of God. 4. David was a shepherd. 5. David was a mighty and courageous warrior for God. 6. The Lord was with David wherever he went and prospered him and gave him success and made his name great! 7. God built David a spiritual house of the royal line and Jesus was born into that royal house of David. 8. David was Israel's greatest king. 9. David was a forerunner to the Messiah Jesus Christ. Blessings! Watch the broadcast live every Sunday at 10:30 am PST on Facebook.com/LNLighthouse and Instagram.com/LNLighthouse.

Welcome to Light Words with Pastor Scott Huffman from Lighthouse Church. www.LNLighthouse.org Nine characteristics of David: 1. David was a man after God's own heart. 2. David was called the sweet psalmist of Israel. 3. David was greatly anointed of God. 4. David was a shepherd. 5. David was a mighty and courageous warrior for God. 6. The Lord was with David wherever he went and prospered him and gave him success and made his name great! 7. God built David a spiritual house of the royal line and Jesus was born into that royal house of David. 8. David was Israel's greatest king. 9. David was a forerunner to the Messiah Jesus Christ. Blessings! Watch the broadcast live every Sunday at 10:30 am PST on Facebook.com/LNLighthouse and Instagram.com/LNLighthouse.

Jay and Jon continue their discussion of Isaiah, his prophecies of the coming Messiah (Jesus Christ), the Last Days, and more

S Unity John 17:20-26 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who [j]will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. 24 “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. 26 And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”" Eph 4 I, therefore, the prisoner [a]of the Lord, [b]beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in [c]you all. Spiritual Gifts 7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. 8 Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” 9 (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also [d]first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) 11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the [e]edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. The New Man 17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as [f]the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Do Not Grieve the Spirit 25 Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give [g]place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary [h]edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, [i]clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Both Jesus, Yeshua, and Paul are speaking to and about fellow believers in Yeshua. This is not talking about the woke idea that everyone needs to tolerate every idea as equally valid and moral, and it's certainly not talking about the coming push for a One World Religion. This is talking about unity within the body of The Way, the body of our Messiah Jesus Christ, Yeshua HaMashiach. This issue of unity has been on my heart for many reasons.  One is because of recent conflict with a close family member relating to my Messianic beliefs and practices, but also a teaching I've been following from a Messianic teacher from a Youtube channel and ministry called MTOI, Messianic Torah Observant Israel called "Unity and Division in the Body of Messiah". He makes several points in that teaching that I want to pass along. We can and should pursue truth in various areas of our faith, but we can practice and believe in our convictions without feeling the need to push those on others. Our goal should be to be selfless, where our focus is on our Creator and not on ourselves, and by doing so we'll be operating in the spirit and not in the flesh. If we are selfless, we cannot be offended and we will not feel the need to be right, or for others to acknowledge that we're right. Note that I'm talking about behavior within the body of believers.  We are told to make disciples and to share the good news of the Gospel, but these lessons also can inform how we go about talking to and dealing with unbelievers.  Remember we're told to always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks us the reason for the hope that we have.  That's different than sharing something with someone who didn't ask for the information. This teacher also talked about a mental exercise that's helpful for us to make. Our Heavenly Father wants to spend eternity with us, but though He wants all to come to be saved, we know that not all will be saved. He has given us free will and He has told us how He wants us to think and how to live.  To me , it's clear that it matters to Him the condition of our hearts and who He is going to spending eternity with. What if you were able to choose who you were going to spend eternity with.  Who would it be and what would be your criteria? A more eye opening is what is others were able to choose who they were going to spend eternity with, on whose list would you be included and would you be included on anyone's list?  This exercise got me thinking about my impact on others in general, as well as in the workplace. When God created Adam and Eve and He told them to be fruitful and multiply, and that same command applies to us. That can mean we should bear children, but it can also refer to the fruits of the spirit described in Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 [a]gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." Are you bearing this kidn of spiritual fruit at work, as well as at home, and within the larger body of Christ?   E Fred Abakah, Merchant Marine in Ep. 4. Some of you may be in the military, or in jobs where you spend time with your co-workers for long periods of time away from home.  If so, you may benefit from listenig to that episode.   L   18 “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. 19 Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. - Deuteronomy 8:18 NKJV   A   H Dad Joke "Why can't a nose be 12 in long?" - then it would be a foot   MTOI Teaching (7) Covenant Community 101 | Unity & Division in the Body of Messiah | Part 3 - YouTube    

Introduction What in the World is God Doing? Genesis 1-3, Revelation 19-22 September 11, 2022 I.Introduction: A. This morning starts our fall series we are calling people of promise! It will answer the question What in the word is God doing? 1. We will answer that question not out of the context of frustration because we cannot understand it, 2. But out of the context of a sure hope that we can have as an anchor for our souls during the most difficult times of our lives and world! B. I can honestly say that this series was born in my heart back in the spring of 1985, my last semester of seminary, when I was taking a class from Doctor Dwight Pentecost called the biblical covenants. 1. I went into that class having no idea what a covenant was and also after three years of bible college and four and one half years of seminary I had learned literally hundreds upon hundreds of verses and truths but had no idea of how they fit together or even more so flow together into a unit forming the big story of what God is doing in this world. 2. I left that class looking at God and the Bible totally differently C. We are calling it people of promise because 1. A covenant is the means by which God has bound himself to do the things he has promised! 2. In the covenants God's big overarching plan by means of promises are revealed 3. The better we understand the ultimate story of what God is doing, then the better we understand our own lives and times we live in! D. Many people shy away from the Old Testament because they either feel it does not apply to us today or they are so lost in it they cannot figure out what is going on. 1. By the end of this series, you will be equipped with the knowledge to go into the Old Testament with confidence regarding what is going on there and recognizing it really is the foundation to the New Testament. Thus, you will not only better understand the Old Testament but the New Testament as well. 2. Prophecy is simply what God has told us he will do in the future! When it comes to the end times people try to piece together hundreds of verses in the Old and New Testament so it can make sense to them. a. We will learn in this series that the hundreds of verses on prophecy are simply the ways God is going to fulfill his covenant promises that he made to Israel which we join into through Jesus! b. We will see that the prophecies have their roots in the covenants so when the covenants make sense to us then the prophecies will make sense to us! c. Hopefully it will be like taking a 1,000-piece puzzle and turning into about a 20-piece puzzle E. So why a series on the covenants? - listen to these men who recently went through this material as a test drive for this series tell us how it impacted them: • Let's jump right in II. The nature of a story A. Structure of a story- 1. Put up image a. Setting– introduction to the scene and characters – e.g., “once upon a time…” b. Incident – something happens that needs to be resolved c. Plot – a series of events that unfold as they try to resolve the incident d. Climax – the key event that resolves the incident e. Outcome – tension decreases, and the incident is resolved or explained f. Resolution – learn something new or a new way of carrying on from here. “And they lived happily ever after…” B. Are you following me now? Well, God's story as revealed in the Bible story works the same way 1. Structure of the Bible story image 2. Explain image • Let me try to III. Spaceship view of the story A. I believe the story is driven by three key words – seed, covenant, Jesus. 1. Next week we will learn more about the seed which speaks either of a family line of people or a certain person from that line 2. The following week and weeks to come we will learn more about the covenants – a covenant is the means by which God binds himself to do the promises he makes! B. We learn a lot about a story by looking at the start of the story and the end of a story. In the Bible 1. Start - setting – God creates a perfect heaven and earth, and mankind (male and female) where he dwells with them in paradise, and they are to reign over all his creation. There is peace/shalom between God and man, peace within man himself, peace between man and woman, and peace with mankind and the earth. Paradise has no: sin, Satan, curse or death Genesis 1-2 2. End - resolution – God creates a perfect new heaven and earth where he dwells with man who reigns forever and ever over all his new creation. There will be peace/shalom between God and man, peace within man himself, peace between man and woman, and peace with mankind and the new earth. Paradise has no: sin, Satan, curse or death Revelation 21-22 C. My statement, the PBP statement of what God is doing in this world is a story of redemption: God glorifying himself through Jesus, the seed, by restoring his original plan for mankind and the earth where God himself reigns forever as king over a people who love him with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. 1. Or simply “God's redemption of man through Jesus Christ!” 2. Or as one brother (Mike) said just a few weeks to me “paradise restored!” • Let's get a little closer in an airplane view 30,000 ft above. IV. Airplane view of the story – A. Just listen and I would encourage you to download the notes as this is literally decades of study squeezed into just a few paragraphs with many bible references to support it. (thank - Joel Brassfield for his contributions to this) B. The setting (paradise) – God dwelling with man as man reigns over his creation and there is perfect shalom/peace and no sin sin, Satan, curse or death. Genesis 1-2 C. Incident or conflict (the fall & the seed promise) – Satan deceived the woman and they fell into sin (fall), as a result sin entered into the world (Romans 5:12). Man became separated from God as he died spiritually and God put a curse upon Satan, woman, man and the world. Satan became the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). There would be hostility between “thy seed,” ungodly line and “her seed,” the godly line. There would also be hostility between Jesus, the seed, and Satan until the seed/Messiah/Jesus Christ comes and crushes Satan. (Genesis 3:15) D. Plot (the whole “I will…” section with covenants) - man struggles with sin, Satan and the curse on every page of the Bible from Genesis 3 until Revelation 21 1. God develops the godly line/seed of the woman through Able, Seth, Noah and Shem to Abraham and the ungodly line through Cain, Ham & Japheth from whom come the nations that were in conflict/hostility with Israel throughout the Old Testament. 2. God made a covenant with Abraham where he promised Abraham - a land, seed (i.e., a nation), blessing and that God would be their god. The seed is now further defined. It first broadly applied to Eve's godly offspring, but now it is narrowed down to being from the line of Abraham, and that it would be both a collective people (Israel – Genesis12:2, 22:17) and a specific person (Jesus – Genesis 22:18, Galatians 3:16) through whom all the nations of the world would be blessed (Romans 4:11-17, Galatians 3:8- 9,14). 3. God gave Israel the Mosaic Covenant to regulate Israel's relationship with God until the seed comes (Galatians 3:19). Obey God and you will be blessed (lev 26:3-13), disobey him and you will be disciplined/cursed (Leviticus 26:14-33). Because of Israel's continued disobedience to the Mosaic Law the Old Testament is a story of Israel's repeatedly being disciplined and repenting and ultimately being deported from their own land (Leviticus 26:27-39, Deuteronomy 28:64-68; 29:24-28). The prophets repeatedly use the Mosaic Covenant to point out their sin and call them to repentance so they can be restored to God's promised blessings (2 Kings 17:13-15, 23)! 4. Deuteronomy/land covenant – guarantees that Israel eventually will repent, be regenerated and restored to the land in blessing. 5. God makes a covenant with David where he–promises that the seed will come from his line and will be a forever king who will rule forever over a forever kingdom. We then see a line of mostly failed kingships from David's line as the nation waits for the promised king who would be the seed of David. 6. In the Old Testament, God foretold of a new covenant with Israel – where he promises to forgive Israel, give them a new heart, place his Spirit in them to cause them to walk in obedience (Jeremiah 31:31-34, Ezekiel 36:24-27) and bless them in the land (Ezekiel 36:28-38, Deuteronomy 30:1-10) as the Davidic seed rules over them (Luke 1:33) and all the world (Zechariah 9:9-10, 14:9, Ephesians 1:20-21). E. Climax (Jesus the seed)– in Matthew 1:1, the New Testament starts by telling us that Jesus was the seed, the Christ, the Messiah, the seed who came from the line of David and Abraham and gives a genealogy to prove it. Jesus proclaims he is the seed of David, the King, the Messiah/Christ and he proves it by performing the kind of miracles that the Christ will perform in his kingdom. He lives a perfect sinless life, and dies (in our place) to pay for our sins, he is raised from the dead to give us a brand new eternal righteous life, then ascends to heaven to sit at the right hand of God until he comes back to fulfill all the promises the Old Testament prophets made about the period of restoration. (Acts 3:19- 21) F. Outcome (church through millennium) – sin, Satan, the curse and death are still present, but the back of their power is broken. 1. The church is born made up of all nations, both Jew and Gentiles who believe in Jesus (Ephesians 2:11-22). Their sins are forgiven, they receive a new heart and the Holy Spirit dwells inside of every believer. They are now God's people through whom he works his purposes out on earth (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, 2nd Corinthians 5:18-20). 2. Believers are in Christ (1st Corinthians 1:30), the seed, and now are Abraham's seed who partake in the covenants of promise made to Israel (Ephesians 2:12-19 - spiritual blessings now and material blessings later when Jesus returns) based upon a faith like Abraham's (Romans 4:11- 17) and their relationship with Jesus, the seed, to whom the promises were also spoken. (Galatians 3:16, 29) 3. Believers will be raptured out of this world as God disciplines unbelieving Israel and judges the nations for a seven-year period. (Jacob's trouble, tribulation) 4. Satan makes war with the Lamb and his saints at the end of this time as all the world is gathered together against Israel (Zechariah 14:2, 12:3-9, Revelation16:13-16; 17:12- 14) 5. Jesus returns and defeats Satan and binds him for 1,000 years (Revelation 19:19-21, 20:2-3) while he sets up a kingdom here on earth (Revelation 20:4-5) to fulfill his covenant promises with Israel and all the Old Testament prophecies about the period of restoration. (Acts 3:19-21) 6. At the end of that kingdom Satan will be loosed (Revelation 20:7) one more time to spear head one final war where he will be defeated and thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10). Thus, the seed of woman crushed the head of Satan! 7. The present heaven and earth are destroyed by fire at the presence of the great white throne (Revelation 20:11, 2 Peter 3:7-10) 8. Great white throne judgment – anyone's name not written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15). G. Resolution (paradise restored) - then we are back to the new normal, where God creates a new heaven and earth! “Paradise restored!” God dwelling with man as man reigns over his new creation and there is perfect shalom/peace and no sin, Satan, curse or death. Revelation 21-22 V. Closing A. Josh and Joel will close us up by letting us know of some of the opportunities that we have to make this series even more beneficial for us!

Audio Transcript: This media has been made available by Mosaic Boston Church. If you'd like to check out more resources, learn about Mosaic Boston in our neighborhood Churches or donate to this ministry, please visit mosaicboston.com.Heavenly Father, we thank you that you, the Great God of the universe have given us this opportunity to come and worship you. We thank you Jesus, that while we were yet sinners, you came and you died for us. Not because there was anything lovely in us presently or in the future, but because you are a loving God. Lord, I pray, remove any distractions and help us focus on your Holy Word. Help us to meditate today on the Sovereignty of God that you are God over everything, over every detail, over all the minutia of our lives and all the minutia in the world. And help us take solace in the fact that you're in control, even when we look at our lives and we look at the world, it seems like everything is out of control. Your word tells us that when we submit ourselves to you, when we love you with all our heart, soul, strength and mind, you take every single aspect of our lives and you weave them all together for our good and for your glory.Bless our time in the Holy Scriptures now, as we look at a profound passage. It's difficult in many ways, but it's not difficult to understand. It's difficult to receive, so give us grace to receive it. We pray Holy Spirit, come now and minister to us. Take these words that are on paper, that are on screens and apply them to our hearts. Make us the people who love you with everything that we got. Love the Gospel with everything we got, so much so that we're willing to sacrifice anything and everything, so that others might have the opportunity to hear the Gospel and be prompted by the Holy Spirit generated in their hearts and drawn to you. Bless our time in the Holy Word. We pray all this in Christ's Holy Name. Amen.We're continuing our sermon series through Romans 9. Today, we're in Romans 9:1-5. The title of the sermon is, Heartbroken Over Eternal Souls. We've moved from one of the most popular passages in all the Scripture, Romans 8 to one of the least popular and most avoided. It's a difficult passage, but it's not that difficult to understand. I can explain it to you. It's difficult for many to accept and receive, partially because it cuts against the grain of our very nature. Our nature is driven by self. In many ways, we are natural Pelasgians. Pelagius taught that we have the power to come to Christ whenever we want. That we have a free will that's truly free and we can choose Christ whenever, wherever. That's not true.I love this portion of Scripture. It's balm to my weary soul, because it shows us that God is Sovereign. That God is King. That God is God. He is all powerful. He can do whatever he wills, and whatever he wills is good because he is good. I love this portion of Scripture because it reminds me I'm not in control, nor do I need to be. God is in control. And thanks be to Jesus Christ, the one who is in control loves me and wants the best for me. In Romans 8, one of my favorite verses is Romans 8:28, which says, "And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Well this verse is only true, if God is Sovereign over every single detail in the universe. If God is Sovereign over everything, then he is Sovereign over who gets saved, because who gets saved is part of everything. And if you don't understand just how totally Sovereign God is, you don't really understand the character of God, not yet.Romans 9 is an explanation for why the word of God has not failed, even though God's chosen people Israel, as a whole, are not turning to Christ and being saved. In Romans 8, God says, "There is nothing that can sever God's people from God's love." There is nothing that can sever God's people from God's love, and here someone can raise the question, "Whoa, whoa, hold on. What about Israel? What about the Jewish People, the chosen people of God? Why aren't they flocking to Christ as they should be?" They have received so many of the privileges that many people are not born into.Here St. Paul says, "Hey, hold on. God never promised that salvation will be given to all of ethnic Israel, because salvation isn't based on DNA. Salvation isn't based on our genes. It's not based on our religious pedigree. It doesn't matter how many religious people you had in your family before you. What matters is faith in Jesus Christ, your own personal faith in Jesus Christ, your own relationship with Christ." God's word has not fallen and the sovereignty of God's grace has brought in, in Romans 9, as the final ground of God's faithfulness, despite Israel's faithlessness, their failure to trust in Christ. And therefore, God's sovereignty is the deepest foundation for the precious promises of Romans 8.With that said, would you please look with me in Romans 9:1-5, "I am speaking the truth in Christ. I'm not lying. My conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelite. And to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen." This is the reading of God's holy, inerrant, infallible, authoritative word, may write these eternal truths upon our hearts. Three points to frame over our time. First, anguish over lost souls. Second, accursed and cut off. And third, religious privilege doesn't save.First, anguish over lost souls. Look at verse one. Look at Paul's solemnity. He's giving a declaration with the deepest sincerity that he can muster. He says, "I am speaking the truth in Christ." He invokes Christ, the second person of the Trinity. "I'm not lying. Speaking the truth. I'm not lying. My conscience bears me witness." Brings in his conscience. "In the Holy Spirit," brings in the third person of the Holy Spirit, to show us just how sincere he is and what he's about to say. Why? Because he knows that he's said some things that are problematic for religious Jewish people of his day and religious Jewish people of our day. Before Paul looks at how God has taken the Gospel from the Jews to the Gentiles community, grafting Gentiles in the place of Israel. That's what Romans 9-11 is about. He wants to make sure that these people, his brothers, his brethren, his kinsmen. His brothers that he grew up going to synagogue with these people. This is his family.He wants the Jewish community to know that he is writing these words with tears. He's not angry. He's not hostile toward them. He's speaking with a loving and burdened heart. Why is such a strong assertion of truthfulness of his love? Because he knows that he has spoken hard truths. And when you speak hard truths to people, it's easy for them to misinterpret your intentions. He's speaking truth, because he loves. Probably because Paul also knows that his fellow Jews were suspicious of his loyalty and his patriotism, because he was used by God to bring so many Gentiles into the people of God. He was viewed by a number of his Jewish people as a traitor, that he has lost his natural affection towards his people and he denies this.They doubted his love. So that's what he starts with. Why would they doubt his love? Because he said hard things, like Romans 2:24, "For as it is written, the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you." He's talking about religious people who offered God nothing more than mouth service. They worshiped God with their mouths, but their hearts were far from him. The Gentiles saw the testimony, the sermon of the lives of these people. And he said, "You worship God?" They blaspheme the name of God. Romans 3:9, "What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin." This was his message.His message has never changed. His message was, it doesn't matter what your pedigree. It doesn't matter what your genealogy. It doesn't matter what your DNA. It doesn't matter how many faithful people you had in your past, in your family. None of that matters, because God doesn't have grandchildren. God only has children. So everyone is a sinner. He's preaching the same message to both Jews and Greeks. And the Jews will say, "Hold on, hold on. You're saying we're as much sinners as the Gentiles?" And Paul says, "Yes. We're all sinners. We're all under the condemnation of God. We all deserve damnation. We're all accursed apart from God." And then he says in verse six, and we'll cover this next week in Romans 9:6. He says, "But it's not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel." It's not your genealogy that saves you. Saying it over and over and over, God's covenant doesn't guarantee the salvation of every Jew. The ultimate reason why some are cursed and cut off from Christ is that they are not among the elect.Romans 11:7, "What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elective obtained it, but the rest were hardened." Before he gets to these hard truths about election, he wants everyone to know that these truths are coming from a heart that loves people. He says in verse two of chapter nine, "That I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart." You can feel his pain as grief. It's a perturbed heart, kind of like Christ was. And the more that you know Christ and love Christ, the more Christ-like you become. This is why Jesus saves us, so that we can be refashioned and transformed into the image of Christ, that we become more Christ-like, and Christ loved sinners. Christ gave everything to save sinners.On his way to Jerusalem, he knows the passion is coming. He knows the crucifixion is coming, and he knows the people that he is dying for, killed by. These are people that he loves and he wants them to be saved. This is what Jesus says, as he cries out in lament about Jerusalem, a city that hardened their hearts against the word of God. Matthew 23:37, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it. How often would I have gathered your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you are not willing."Paul continues and this is point, accursed and cut off. In verse three, he says. This is how deep his grief. This is how deep his sorrow. He says in verse three, "For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh." Well, you got to pause here and meditate on what he's saying. What are you saying, Paul? The first thing that he's saying is an implication. What he's implying is, that his kinsmen, his brothers according to the flesh, his fellow Jewish believers are accursed and cut off from Christ. He does soften the statement of their loss by expressing in relation to his own anguish, but the statement's unmistakable. He's saying that the Jewish people who rejected Christ are accursed, that they're lost. They're on their way to hell, under the judgment of God.The word for accursed here is anathema. It's used in other places, like 1 Corinthians 16:22, "If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. O Lord, come." So why are these people accursed? What makes one accursed? Well, breaking the moral law of God. You break the moral law of God, God's curses upon your head. It's upon your soul. And there's only one way to be saved from the curse that we all deserve for our law breaking. That's the trust in the God Man, Jesus Christ, who was cursed on our behalf. These people rejected the only one who could save them from the curse of the law. Galatians 3:13 says, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree."Paul knows this. Paul knows that the only way to be saved from damnation is to trust in Jesus Christ, that Jesus Christ, the substitutionary atonement, he bore the curse that we deserve. And as soon as we trust in him, the curse is lifted off from us, and Christ's righteousness is imputed to us. "He who knew no sin became sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God." Paul knows this, but he still sees his brothers and sisters as kinsmen in the flesh. They've rejected Christ, and he says some haunting words. He says, "For I could wish that I were accursed on their behalf." What he's saying is hypothetically, if there were a way for them to be saved and for me to be cursed, I'm willing to take their curse upon myself and bear eternal torment forever.Of course, he's speaking hypothetically. It's impossible that any mere man could be cursed in exchange for the salvation of others, but Paul expresses this impossible wish in uncertain terms. He says, "My conscience bears me when it's in Christ, I'm saying the truth in the Holy Spirit." He knows it's not true, but if it were true, he would do it. The wish can't be fulfilled. Nothing can sever believers from the love of Christ. We already know this from Romans 8, but he says, "May I be damned so that they would not be." Martin Luther comments. He says, "It seems incredible that a man would desire to be damned in order that the damned might be saved."Well, this is as Christ-like as you can become. He sees people that he loves and he's willing to do absolutely anything and everything sacrifice everything for these people to meet Christ. That's what Christ did. He knew that there was no other way for people to be saved, other than for Christ to come, live a perfectly obedient life of love toward God and people. And then, Christ goes to a cross. He's crucified and the crucifixion was chosen by God. This is pre-destined sovereignty of God. He controls every single detail. God chose crucifixion, because it was the most excruciating form of capital punishment ever known to man, and even that was just a tip of the iceberg of the spiritual anguish that Christ went through. Christ bore our curse upon himself, and that curse was bearing the wrath of God in his soul. Christ went through hell so that we would not have too.You can hear the grief and the voice of St. Paul here at the unbelief of his people. And I wonder, could you say this? Could you say anything remotely close to this? Could you say you love someone so much that you give up your own salvation for them? Those of us who have loved ones who were lost, perhaps a sibling or a spouse or a child or a parent, a grandparent, friends, we know this grief. We know this sorrow. We made joy time with them, laugh with them, even play with them, but there's always a pain underneath knowing, unless this person trusts in Christ, we will spend eternity apart from each other. Luther put it this way, "Love is not only pure joy and delight, but also a great and deep heaviness of heart and sorrow."The good news is, we don't have to give up our salvation for the salvation of others. But if you put yourself in this posture of heart, where you're willing to give up your salvation for that of another, well it makes other things so much easier, like sharing the Gospel with them. As awkward as it can be as politically incorrect as it may be, you can have a difficult conversation with the person. And by the way, this is what St. Paul and by the way Jesus calls each one of us to. The great commission wasn't just given to the disciples or the Apostles or professional trained clergy. The great commission was given to each one of us. Jesus Christ tells each Christian, "Look, I've saved you and now I'm giving you a job. I'm commissioning you, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to do everything that I have taught you."I do want you to increase your evangelistic ministry. You should have one. Every Christian should have an evangelistic ministry, where you have unbelievers that you are heartbroken over, sorrow, anguishing your heart over, and you beg God to save them. And you take any and every opportunity to share the Gospel with them, to read Scripture with them, to speak truth in love and serve them. This is what Paul did. These aren't just words for Paul. He devoted his life, his whole life to sharing the Gospel, planting Churches and doing missionary work. Paul's immense heart broke for Israel and he uses the same word when he writes to the Galatians, the word anathema. The Galatians were being seduced away from the true Gospel in Galatians 1:8. He says, "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a Gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed."So what he's saying to false teachers who do not preach the full Gospel? He says, "May you be cursed for preaching lies." What he's saying is, "Damn you for destroying the Gospel." This is the worst kind of curse that could be brought against a human being. It goes back to the Old Testament, when God's curse was upon Canaan and God tells the people of Israel, "Don't even take their goods. Slaughter them, give them up to absolute destruction." This is the kind of anathema that Paul is calling upon himself. "I am willing to go through this anathema so that my kinsmen could be saved." And the reader of Romans who knows his or her Bible will immediately spot, that the posture of heart in verse three is very similar to that of Moses.When Moses comes down from Mount Sinai and he sees that the people of Israel have fashioned golden calf, and they're worshiping it. Moses discovers the sin of the people and he knows that God is about to vanquish them, and he says, "God, you got to hold on." And he intercedes for them in Exodus 32:30-32, "The next day, Moses came to the people. You have sinned." And he said to them, "You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the Lord, perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.' So Moses returned to the Lord and said, 'Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold. But now, if you will forgive their sin. If not, please blot me out of your book that you have written."What a heart for the lost, and I pray that the Lord develops a similar heart in each one of us. This is why we exist. This is why this Church exists. This is why we have an army volunteers, every Sunday, show up here like 6:00 AM. They're here till like 2:00 PM, sweating and burning calories. You worship God and you get a workout. It's like CrossFit. Jesus is the center of the cross. This is what we do. We do everything. We do glorify God, and we want unbelievers to meet Jesus. That's what we want. And every single Sunday, there's unbelievers that show up and we hear, people get saved. We prep people for baptism, discipleship, et cetera. The Lord is doing his work.Third point is religious privilege doesn't save. Romans 9:4, "They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship and the promises." What he's saying is, some people are given more revelation than others. These are spiritual privileges. If you grow up in a Christian family, you have a father and a mother who care for you, teach you the Gospel, teach you Holy Scriptures, have devotions with you, pray with you, pray over you, care for you. And they embody the truth of the Gospel with their own lives. That's incredible privilege. I think of my own parents. Every single morning, I walk down the stairs as I go prep breakfast on the way to school. And my dad is on his knees, open Bible, praying to God. My mom and my dad loved the Lord, incredible privilege. But what we are you saying here, it doesn't matter the privileges that you've been given, if you don't do anything with them, if you don't make them your own, if you don't accept these blessings, privileges.The privileges missed, the first one is adoption. And here he is talking about Israel not as adoption given to individuals. And this has to be clarified because in Romans 8, he does say that we have been, "Christians individually adopted into the family of God." Israel did not have the same adoption. They had a national blessing of adoption conferred on them, but they still had to appropriate for themselves. In the Gospel of Matthew, we see this application from the Old Testament, when Jesus Christ was born and then Herod issued the threat of infant slaughter. An angel comes and warns Joseph in a dream to flee from Bethlehem and not to return to Nazareth, but go to Egypt until the threat had passed. And then Matthew tells us, that Joseph took Mary and the baby Jesus and fled to Egypt. And when the Herodian persecution was over, they come back to Israel, thereby fulfilling the Old Testament prophecy that we're given. And this is the text in Matthew 2:13-15."Now, when they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, 'Rise, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him.' And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, 'Out of Egypt, I called my son." Well, the original reference to this adoption was when God, through Moses brings Israel out of captivity, out of the yoke of slavery under Pharaoh and calling the nation, his son. And that's Hosea 11:1, "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son." The Israelites were those who had been called to enjoy the adoption, but then they've run from the Lord, turned from the Lord and turned to idolatry.The second privilege that they were given is the glory, and the Greek word for glory's Doxa, where we get the word doxology from. When we sing the Doxology after every Sunday Service, we're giving glory to God. He deserves it. The Latin equivalent of the word Doxa is Gloria, from which we get the Gloria Patri, Glory Be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning and is now and ever shall be. Amen. In this context here, Paul is undoubtedly referring to God's presence to people of Israel. God was amongst them, but the reader of Romans have forgotten that Paul has attributed this characteristic to Christians, that God is in us. The Holy Spirit is in us in a way that wasn't true with Israel, but they did experience the Glory, hovering over the mercy seat in the Arc of the Covenant, in the Holy of Holies and glory in Israel is connected to the Shekinah, the blazing light that manifested God's Glory and made him a consuming fire.Ezekiel saw the Glory of God rising from the City of Jerusalem and departing. And at the birth of Jesus Christ, the Glory of God flooded the landscape and the angelic choir gave Glory to God. The covenants were given to Israel, the covenants with Adam, with Noah, with Abraham, with Isaac, Jacob, Moses and with David. And the covenants we inherit from the Jews, not from the Gentiles. We inherit these from Paul's kinsmen. The covenants belonged to them. Covenants and promises probably goes together, but we'll get to the promises later, but all these covenants that God made and all the promises that God made belong to Christians as well. You elect remnant of Israel, you future ethnic Israel as a whole, and you Gentiles who trust in the Messiah and are grafted into the tree of the covenant of the promise, these are ours. Why? Because in Jesus Christ, "All the promises of God are yes," as 2 Corinthians tells us.The giving of the law. We received the law because the law was given by God to Israel. The law wasn't given to Hammurabi. It wasn't given to Babylon, Phoenicia or Egypt. The law was given to Israel and through Israel, it was given to all of us. And the law was given to us, so that we might realize that we are sinners in need of the Grace of God. Romans 3:19, "Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God." The whole world.The moral law is given to every single human being. It's not just the Jewish people. And as you read the Ten Commandments, you realize that there's a self authenticating power to them. That these are God's words and these words are written on our hearts, so that's the self authentication. And ultimately, the law is given to us to show us that we need salvation. We need Christ. Romans 10:4, "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." In the long term, aim of the law wasn't our condemnation. It was our salvation. For trusting the Messiah for our righteousness, the law has become to us, what it was given for, a servant to lead us to Christ. And the word worship.The worship was given to the people of Israel and the word for worship that he uses here is the same word as service. So to worship God is to serve God. To serve God is to worship God, the Greek word [foreign language 00:29:19]. Our instructions about how to bring praise, sacrifices to God in corporate worship were given to us through the people of Israel. And the word here refers to ministry of priests and the offering of sacrifices. And the supreme temple service, the supreme temple worship was the Passover. In the Passover, a lamb was to be slaughtered. Blood was supposed to be shed. And then you take that blood and you paint it over your doorway, so that the angel of death passes over your household. And then, 1 Corinthians 5:7 says that, "Christ is our ultimate Passover lamb. He has been sacrificed." He has performed the final and decisive atoning temple service on the cross. So when we say the temple service belongs to true Israel, we mean in the fullest saving way, our sins are forgiven and God welcomes us into his fellowship.Then six, he says, "The promises we're given to them." Which promises? And there are thousands in Scripture, but in particular, it's the promise that God would save his people from their sins, and we'll get that from the very beginning in Genesis 3 right after the fall. In Genesis 3:15, God gives us the Protoevangelion, the first Gospel in Genesis 3:15 where he says the following, "I will put enmity between you." He's talking to the serpent saying, "And the woman, between your offspring and her offspring, he." So this is the offspring of the woman. "He will bruise your head and you will bruise his heel." And this is God promising that the seed of the woman. This is going to be a human being, but it's a human being who can vanquish Satan. So it has to be God. He's the only one who can vanquish Satan. He's the one that will come and he's the one that will save.A friend sent me a video this week of Jordan Peterson. Apparently, he's been getting into the Bible recently, and it was a video of him with a slide behind him of every single Cross reference in Scripture. And it's just arc after arc after arc. And I'm like, I already knew this, but he was amazed. There's 65,000 Cross references in the Bible. I actually think it's more, but 65,000 Cross references in the Bible and he's like, "This book is ... You can't make this up. This is a miracle." He called it the first hyperlinked book ever. He's like, "There's no links to click, but it's hyperlinked." It's telling one story. 3000 years, three millennia, 40 plus authors, three plus language, all speaking in harmony unison about this Gospel. We have sinned. God is gracious, sends his Son to vanquish Satan, sin and death.All these things, the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship of God and God's promises, they came through to Paul's kinsmen Israel. Don't you see? This is why Paul is in tears. You've been given so much. You've been given every single piece of the puzzle. You're only missing the Cross at the center, Jesus Christ. Romans 9:5, "To them belong to patriarchs. And from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God overall, blessed forever. Amen." The implication of this is stated in Romans 11:28, "As regards the Gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers." And we'll get into that in a few weeks. But in other words, God freely chose Abraham, freely chose Isaac and Jacob and promised to their descendants that they would be heirs of God. And what we see from Romans 9-11 is that, this is meant in three ways.First, that there is an elect remnant of Israel. There always was, and there always will be. Elijah, I don't know if you remember this one text, where he's just complaining to God like, "God, I'm the only Christian. I'm the only one that loves you." I wonder if you ever feel like that in Boston. I'm the only one. I'm the only one in my company, probably the whole university. If you go to BU, you're probably right. I'm the only one. I'm the only one. And God says to Elijah, "Stop complaining. I've got 7,000. 7,000 people who have not knelt a knee to Baal. Well that's election. That's God's saving his remnant.There's also promise that all ethnic is real. At some point, in some future time, when they're alive, will be saved. It will be incredible revival amongst Jewish people. And Gentiles, that's us who trust in the Messiah, become sons of the fathers with the same blessing as the natural children. So if you repent of your sin and trust in Jesus Christ, you become a child of Abraham as much as Isaac was. Everything promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is yours, in the Messiah Jesus Christ.Verse five, I don't know if you noticed. He says, "Christ, who is God overall, blessed forever." Paul does affirm Jesus' Jewish ancestry, that Jesus was fully human, but he doesn't stop there. He gives one of the clearest, most decisive affirmations of the Deity of Christ, that we find anywhere in Scripture, that Christ is God. He's over all things, the entire universe. The Jews use this expression to refer to God's dominion over the entire creation. "Christ is God over all, blessed forever." So if you're having a conversation with a Mormon or a Jehovah's Witness, they don't believe that Jesus is God, just keep this one in the back pocket, Romans 9:5. Just take him there, Romans 9:5, "Christ is God, blessed forever."Here, someone might raise a legitimate question and say, "Will we go to heaven, be sad throughout all eternity, because of those who are cursed and cut off from Christ in hell?" What if we have a loved one who never turns to Christ? Brother or sister, sibling, spouse, child, there will be a sadness in eternity because of them. And the answer is no. The Scripture says, "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes and neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore." But God will have to wipe out tears.God will have to wipe off our tears. Why are we weeping in the first place, in a place of bliss? I think there will be moments in the very beginning, where we wish we had done more, kind of like Schindler's List at the end, where he is like, "Here's the watch. Here's the pen. I wish I had done more." Well, that's just a reminder for us to do the more now, be encouraged to be more bold and preaching the Gospel now. "And with respect to any affection that the godly may have had to the finally reprobate, the love of God will wholly swallow it up, and cause it wholly to cease," as Jonathan Edwards says.In conclusion, pray for God to burden your heart for the lost. If you hear this and you're like, "I've never even thought about praying for the lost." Well first, pray for your own heart, you're living in disobedience. Pray for your own heart to care for the lost and then pray for the lost and share the Gospel with the lost. Romans 10:1, this is what Paul says, "Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved." St. Paul had to pray for God to save people. He couldn't do it himself. He believed in the sovereignty of God. He believed that God elects people to salvation. And because he believed that God elects people to salvation, he prayed for God to save the elect. A lot of people use God's sovereignty in saving people as an excuse to do nothing. Well, if God saves people, then he doesn't need me to share the Gospel. If God is the one to predestine people a salvation, well he doesn't need me to do any. He doesn't need me to pray. That's false.If God predestines the end, he predestines the means. And the means that he predestines is for every single one of us to pray for the lost and share the Gospel with the lost. And the fruit of Paul's anguish is to pray for them and ask that God would save them. If Paul had to pray, if Paul prayed for the lost, we should too. If Christ prayed for the lost, we should too. Jesus Christ on the cross says, "Father, forgive them. They know not what they do." He's praying for the loss. And because Christ prayed for the loss on the cross for their salvation, we are called to pray as well. 2 Timothy 2:25 says, "God may perhaps grant them repentance, leading to a knowledge of the truth." May the Lord do so even now.If you don't know if you're a Christian, if you're still under the guilt of your sins and accursed and cut off from Christ, well don't stay there. Today, turn to Jesus Christ. Look to Christ on the cross. Christ crying out from the depth of his soul and anguish and heart, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Christ was accursed. Christ was caught off from God the Father, God the Holy Spirit, so we would never have to be. He bore the wrath of God, so that we would not have to. He bore the curse, so that we might receive the blessing. So trust in him as your only hope, and you will be saved today.I'll close in Matthew 11:25-30, before we transition to communion. It's a text where Jesus Christ thanks God for closing the eyes of some, opening the eyes of others and saying that only the one to whom the son reveals the Father can be saved. And still Christ says, "Come to me all who are burdened and heavy laden." Matthew 11:25-30, "At that time, Jesus declared, 'I thank you, Father Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children. Yes Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart. And you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."Lord, we thank you for all the spiritual privileges that you have bestowed upon us as a Church and as individuals. We thank you for the full canon of Holy Scripture, a word that testifies to you, a word that reveals you, a word that reveals the Living Word of God, Jesus Christ. Lord, we thank you that your, "Word is living and active, sharper than any two edge sword, piercing the division of soul and of marrow, revealing to us the intentions of the heart." And we come to you Lord and we ask for forgiveness of all our sin, of all our pride of all our selfishness and self-reliance, and help us not trust in our spiritual privileges.Make us people who only trust in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And make us people who walk in a manner worthy of the Gospel, to bring glory to you and attract attention to the beautiful Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe, every single person who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. We pray all this in the beautiful name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and savior. Amen.

Audio Transcript: This media has been made available by Mosaic Boston Church. If you'd like to check out more resources, learn about Mosaic Boston in our neighborhood Churches or donate to this ministry, please visit mosaicboston.com. Heavenly Father, we thank you that you, the Great God of the universe have given us this opportunity to come and worship you. We thank you Jesus, that while we were yet sinners, you came and you died for us. Not because there was anything lovely in us presently or in the future, but because you are a loving God. Lord, I pray, remove any distractions and help us focus on your Holy Word. Help us to meditate today on the Sovereignty of God that you are God over everything, over every detail, over all the minutia of our lives and all the minutia in the world. And help us take solace in the fact that you're in control, even when we look at our lives and we look at the world, it seems like everything is out of control. Your word tells us that when we submit ourselves to you, when we love you with all our heart, soul, strength and mind, you take every single aspect of our lives and you weave them all together for our good and for your glory. Bless our time in the Holy Scriptures now, as we look at a profound passage. It's difficult in many ways, but it's not difficult to understand. It's difficult to receive, so give us grace to receive it. We pray Holy Spirit, come now and minister to us. Take these words that are on paper, that are on screens and apply them to our hearts. Make us the people who love you with everything that we got. Love the Gospel with everything we got, so much so that we're willing to sacrifice anything and everything, so that others might have the opportunity to hear the Gospel and be prompted by the Holy Spirit generated in their hearts and drawn to you. Bless our time in the Holy Word. We pray all this in Christ's Holy Name. Amen. We're continuing our sermon series through Romans 9. Today, we're in Romans 9:1-5. The title of the sermon is, Heartbroken Over Eternal Souls. We've moved from one of the most popular passages in all the Scripture, Romans 8 to one of the least popular and most avoided. It's a difficult passage, but it's not that difficult to understand. I can explain it to you. It's difficult for many to accept and receive, partially because it cuts against the grain of our very nature. Our nature is driven by self. In many ways, we are natural Pelasgians. Pelagius taught that we have the power to come to Christ whenever we want. That we have a free will that's truly free and we can choose Christ whenever, wherever. That's not true. I love this portion of Scripture. It's balm to my weary soul, because it shows us that God is Sovereign. That God is King. That God is God. He is all powerful. He can do whatever he wills, and whatever he wills is good because he is good. I love this portion of Scripture because it reminds me I'm not in control, nor do I need to be. God is in control. And thanks be to Jesus Christ, the one who is in control loves me and wants the best for me. In Romans 8, one of my favorite verses is Romans 8:28, which says, "And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Well this verse is only true, if God is Sovereign over every single detail in the universe. If God is Sovereign over everything, then he is Sovereign over who gets saved, because who gets saved is part of everything. And if you don't understand just how totally Sovereign God is, you don't really understand the character of God, not yet. Romans 9 is an explanation for why the word of God has not failed, even though God's chosen people Israel, as a whole, are not turning to Christ and being saved. In Romans 8, God says, "There is nothing that can sever God's people from God's love." There is nothing that can sever God's people from God's love, and here someone can raise the question, "Whoa, whoa, hold on. What about Israel? What about the Jewish People, the chosen people of God? Why aren't they flocking to Christ as they should be?" They have received so many of the privileges that many people are not born into. Here St. Paul says, "Hey, hold on. God never promised that salvation will be given to all of ethnic Israel, because salvation isn't based on DNA. Salvation isn't based on our genes. It's not based on our religious pedigree. It doesn't matter how many religious people you had in your family before you. What matters is faith in Jesus Christ, your own personal faith in Jesus Christ, your own relationship with Christ." God's word has not fallen and the sovereignty of God's grace has brought in, in Romans 9, as the final ground of God's faithfulness, despite Israel's faithlessness, their failure to trust in Christ. And therefore, God's sovereignty is the deepest foundation for the precious promises of Romans 8. With that said, would you please look with me in Romans 9:1-5, "I am speaking the truth in Christ. I'm not lying. My conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelite. And to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen." This is the reading of God's holy, inerrant, infallible, authoritative word, may write these eternal truths upon our hearts. Three points to frame over our time. First, anguish over lost souls. Second, accursed and cut off. And third, religious privilege doesn't save. First, anguish over lost souls. Look at verse one. Look at Paul's solemnity. He's giving a declaration with the deepest sincerity that he can muster. He says, "I am speaking the truth in Christ." He invokes Christ, the second person of the Trinity. "I'm not lying. Speaking the truth. I'm not lying. My conscience bears me witness." Brings in his conscience. "In the Holy Spirit," brings in the third person of the Holy Spirit, to show us just how sincere he is and what he's about to say. Why? Because he knows that he's said some things that are problematic for religious Jewish people of his day and religious Jewish people of our day. Before Paul looks at how God has taken the Gospel from the Jews to the Gentiles community, grafting Gentiles in the place of Israel. That's what Romans 9-11 is about. He wants to make sure that these people, his brothers, his brethren, his kinsmen. His brothers that he grew up going to synagogue with these people. This is his family. He wants the Jewish community to know that he is writing these words with tears. He's not angry. He's not hostile toward them. He's speaking with a loving and burdened heart. Why is such a strong assertion of truthfulness of his love? Because he knows that he has spoken hard truths. And when you speak hard truths to people, it's easy for them to misinterpret your intentions. He's speaking truth, because he loves. Probably because Paul also knows that his fellow Jews were suspicious of his loyalty and his patriotism, because he was used by God to bring so many Gentiles into the people of God. He was viewed by a number of his Jewish people as a traitor, that he has lost his natural affection towards his people and he denies this. They doubted his love. So that's what he starts with. Why would they doubt his love? Because he said hard things, like Romans 2:24, "For as it is written, the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you." He's talking about religious people who offered God nothing more than mouth service. They worshiped God with their mouths, but their hearts were far from him. The Gentiles saw the testimony, the sermon of the lives of these people. And he said, "You worship God?" They blaspheme the name of God. Romans 3:9, "What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin." This was his message. His message has never changed. His message was, it doesn't matter what your pedigree. It doesn't matter what your genealogy. It doesn't matter what your DNA. It doesn't matter how many faithful people you had in your past, in your family. None of that matters, because God doesn't have grandchildren. God only has children. So everyone is a sinner. He's preaching the same message to both Jews and Greeks. And the Jews will say, "Hold on, hold on. You're saying we're as much sinners as the Gentiles?" And Paul says, "Yes. We're all sinners. We're all under the condemnation of God. We all deserve damnation. We're all accursed apart from God." And then he says in verse six, and we'll cover this next week in Romans 9:6. He says, "But it's not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel." It's not your genealogy that saves you. Saying it over and over and over, God's covenant doesn't guarantee the salvation of every Jew. The ultimate reason why some are cursed and cut off from Christ is that they are not among the elect. Romans 11:7, "What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elective obtained it, but the rest were hardened." Before he gets to these hard truths about election, he wants everyone to know that these truths are coming from a heart that loves people. He says in verse two of chapter nine, "That I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart." You can feel his pain as grief. It's a perturbed heart, kind of like Christ was. And the more that you know Christ and love Christ, the more Christ-like you become. This is why Jesus saves us, so that we can be refashioned and transformed into the image of Christ, that we become more Christ-like, and Christ loved sinners. Christ gave everything to save sinners. On his way to Jerusalem, he knows the passion is coming. He knows the crucifixion is coming, and he knows the people that he is dying for, killed by. These are people that he loves and he wants them to be saved. This is what Jesus says, as he cries out in lament about Jerusalem, a city that hardened their hearts against the word of God. Matthew 23:37, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it. How often would I have gathered your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you are not willing." Paul continues and this is point, accursed and cut off. In verse three, he says. This is how deep his grief. This is how deep his sorrow. He says in verse three, "For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh." Well, you got to pause here and meditate on what he's saying. What are you saying, Paul? The first thing that he's saying is an implication. What he's implying is, that his kinsmen, his brothers according to the flesh, his fellow Jewish believers are accursed and cut off from Christ. He does soften the statement of their loss by expressing in relation to his own anguish, but the statement's unmistakable. He's saying that the Jewish people who rejected Christ are accursed, that they're lost. They're on their way to hell, under the judgment of God. The word for accursed here is anathema. It's used in other places, like 1 Corinthians 16:22, "If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. O Lord, come." So why are these people accursed? What makes one accursed? Well, breaking the moral law of God. You break the moral law of God, God's curses upon your head. It's upon your soul. And there's only one way to be saved from the curse that we all deserve for our law breaking. That's the trust in the God Man, Jesus Christ, who was cursed on our behalf. These people rejected the only one who could save them from the curse of the law. Galatians 3:13 says, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree." Paul knows this. Paul knows that the only way to be saved from damnation is to trust in Jesus Christ, that Jesus Christ, the substitutionary atonement, he bore the curse that we deserve. And as soon as we trust in him, the curse is lifted off from us, and Christ's righteousness is imputed to us. "He who knew no sin became sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God." Paul knows this, but he still sees his brothers and sisters as kinsmen in the flesh. They've rejected Christ, and he says some haunting words. He says, "For I could wish that I were accursed on their behalf." What he's saying is hypothetically, if there were a way for them to be saved and for me to be cursed, I'm willing to take their curse upon myself and bear eternal torment forever. Of course, he's speaking hypothetically. It's impossible that any mere man could be cursed in exchange for the salvation of others, but Paul expresses this impossible wish in uncertain terms. He says, "My conscience bears me when it's in Christ, I'm saying the truth in the Holy Spirit." He knows it's not true, but if it were true, he would do it. The wish can't be fulfilled. Nothing can sever believers from the love of Christ. We already know this from Romans 8, but he says, "May I be damned so that they would not be." Martin Luther comments. He says, "It seems incredible that a man would desire to be damned in order that the damned might be saved." Well, this is as Christ-like as you can become. He sees people that he loves and he's willing to do absolutely anything and everything sacrifice everything for these people to meet Christ. That's what Christ did. He knew that there was no other way for people to be saved, other than for Christ to come, live a perfectly obedient life of love toward God and people. And then, Christ goes to a cross. He's crucified and the crucifixion was chosen by God. This is pre-destined sovereignty of God. He controls every single detail. God chose crucifixion, because it was the most excruciating form of capital punishment ever known to man, and even that was just a tip of the iceberg of the spiritual anguish that Christ went through. Christ bore our curse upon himself, and that curse was bearing the wrath of God in his soul. Christ went through hell so that we would not have too. You can hear the grief and the voice of St. Paul here at the unbelief of his people. And I wonder, could you say this? Could you say anything remotely close to this? Could you say you love someone so much that you give up your own salvation for them? Those of us who have loved ones who were lost, perhaps a sibling or a spouse or a child or a parent, a grandparent, friends, we know this grief. We know this sorrow. We made joy time with them, laugh with them, even play with them, but there's always a pain underneath knowing, unless this person trusts in Christ, we will spend eternity apart from each other. Luther put it this way, "Love is not only pure joy and delight, but also a great and deep heaviness of heart and sorrow." The good news is, we don't have to give up our salvation for the salvation of others. But if you put yourself in this posture of heart, where you're willing to give up your salvation for that of another, well it makes other things so much easier, like sharing the Gospel with them. As awkward as it can be as politically incorrect as it may be, you can have a difficult conversation with the person. And by the way, this is what St. Paul and by the way Jesus calls each one of us to. The great commission wasn't just given to the disciples or the Apostles or professional trained clergy. The great commission was given to each one of us. Jesus Christ tells each Christian, "Look, I've saved you and now I'm giving you a job. I'm commissioning you, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to do everything that I have taught you." I do want you to increase your evangelistic ministry. You should have one. Every Christian should have an evangelistic ministry, where you have unbelievers that you are heartbroken over, sorrow, anguishing your heart over, and you beg God to save them. And you take any and every opportunity to share the Gospel with them, to read Scripture with them, to speak truth in love and serve them. This is what Paul did. These aren't just words for Paul. He devoted his life, his whole life to sharing the Gospel, planting Churches and doing missionary work. Paul's immense heart broke for Israel and he uses the same word when he writes to the Galatians, the word anathema. The Galatians were being seduced away from the true Gospel in Galatians 1:8. He says, "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a Gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed." So what he's saying to false teachers who do not preach the full Gospel? He says, "May you be cursed for preaching lies." What he's saying is, "Damn you for destroying the Gospel." This is the worst kind of curse that could be brought against a human being. It goes back to the Old Testament, when God's curse was upon Canaan and God tells the people of Israel, "Don't even take their goods. Slaughter them, give them up to absolute destruction." This is the kind of anathema that Paul is calling upon himself. "I am willing to go through this anathema so that my kinsmen could be saved." And the reader of Romans who knows his or her Bible will immediately spot, that the posture of heart in verse three is very similar to that of Moses. When Moses comes down from Mount Sinai and he sees that the people of Israel have fashioned golden calf, and they're worshiping it. Moses discovers the sin of the people and he knows that God is about to vanquish them, and he says, "God, you got to hold on." And he intercedes for them in Exodus 32:30-32, "The next day, Moses came to the people. You have sinned." And he said to them, "You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the Lord, perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.' So Moses returned to the Lord and said, 'Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold. But now, if you will forgive their sin. If not, please blot me out of your book that you have written." What a heart for the lost, and I pray that the Lord develops a similar heart in each one of us. This is why we exist. This is why this Church exists. This is why we have an army volunteers, every Sunday, show up here like 6:00 AM. They're here till like 2:00 PM, sweating and burning calories. You worship God and you get a workout. It's like CrossFit. Jesus is the center of the cross. This is what we do. We do everything. We do glorify God, and we want unbelievers to meet Jesus. That's what we want. And every single Sunday, there's unbelievers that show up and we hear, people get saved. We prep people for baptism, discipleship, et cetera. The Lord is doing his work. Third point is religious privilege doesn't save. Romans 9:4, "They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship and the promises." What he's saying is, some people are given more revelation than others. These are spiritual privileges. If you grow up in a Christian family, you have a father and a mother who care for you, teach you the Gospel, teach you Holy Scriptures, have devotions with you, pray with you, pray over you, care for you. And they embody the truth of the Gospel with their own lives. That's incredible privilege. I think of my own parents. Every single morning, I walk down the stairs as I go prep breakfast on the way to school. And my dad is on his knees, open Bible, praying to God. My mom and my dad loved the Lord, incredible privilege. But what we are you saying here, it doesn't matter the privileges that you've been given, if you don't do anything with them, if you don't make them your own, if you don't accept these blessings, privileges. The privileges missed, the first one is adoption. And here he is talking about Israel not as adoption given to individuals. And this has to be clarified because in Romans 8, he does say that we have been, "Christians individually adopted into the family of God." Israel did not have the same adoption. They had a national blessing of adoption conferred on them, but they still had to appropriate for themselves. In the Gospel of Matthew, we see this application from the Old Testament, when Jesus Christ was born and then Herod issued the threat of infant slaughter. An angel comes and warns Joseph in a dream to flee from Bethlehem and not to return to Nazareth, but go to Egypt until the threat had passed. And then Matthew tells us, that Joseph took Mary and the baby Jesus and fled to Egypt. And when the Herodian persecution was over, they come back to Israel, thereby fulfilling the Old Testament prophecy that we're given. And this is the text in Matthew 2:13-15. "Now, when they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, 'Rise, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him.' And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, 'Out of Egypt, I called my son." Well, the original reference to this adoption was when God, through Moses brings Israel out of captivity, out of the yoke of slavery under Pharaoh and calling the nation, his son. And that's Hosea 11:1, "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son." The Israelites were those who had been called to enjoy the adoption, but then they've run from the Lord, turned from the Lord and turned to idolatry. The second privilege that they were given is the glory, and the Greek word for glory's Doxa, where we get the word doxology from. When we sing the Doxology after every Sunday Service, we're giving glory to God. He deserves it. The Latin equivalent of the word Doxa is Gloria, from which we get the Gloria Patri, Glory Be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning and is now and ever shall be. Amen. In this context here, Paul is undoubtedly referring to God's presence to people of Israel. God was amongst them, but the reader of Romans have forgotten that Paul has attributed this characteristic to Christians, that God is in us. The Holy Spirit is in us in a way that wasn't true with Israel, but they did experience the Glory, hovering over the mercy seat in the Arc of the Covenant, in the Holy of Holies and glory in Israel is connected to the Shekinah, the blazing light that manifested God's Glory and made him a consuming fire. Ezekiel saw the Glory of God rising from the City of Jerusalem and departing. And at the birth of Jesus Christ, the Glory of God flooded the landscape and the angelic choir gave Glory to God. The covenants were given to Israel, the covenants with Adam, with Noah, with Abraham, with Isaac, Jacob, Moses and with David. And the covenants we inherit from the Jews, not from the Gentiles. We inherit these from Paul's kinsmen. The covenants belonged to them. Covenants and promises probably goes together, but we'll get to the promises later, but all these covenants that God made and all the promises that God made belong to Christians as well. You elect remnant of Israel, you future ethnic Israel as a whole, and you Gentiles who trust in the Messiah and are grafted into the tree of the covenant of the promise, these are ours. Why? Because in Jesus Christ, "All the promises of God are yes," as 2 Corinthians tells us. The giving of the law. We received the law because the law was given by God to Israel. The law wasn't given to Hammurabi. It wasn't given to Babylon, Phoenicia or Egypt. The law was given to Israel and through Israel, it was given to all of us. And the law was given to us, so that we might realize that we are sinners in need of the Grace of God. Romans 3:19, "Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God." The whole world. The moral law is given to every single human being. It's not just the Jewish people. And as you read the Ten Commandments, you realize that there's a self authenticating power to them. That these are God's words and these words are written on our hearts, so that's the self authentication. And ultimately, the law is given to us to show us that we need salvation. We need Christ. Romans 10:4, "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." In the long term, aim of the law wasn't our condemnation. It was our salvation. For trusting the Messiah for our righteousness, the law has become to us, what it was given for, a servant to lead us to Christ. And the word worship. The worship was given to the people of Israel and the word for worship that he uses here is the same word as service. So to worship God is to serve God. To serve God is to worship God, the Greek word [foreign language 00:29:19]. Our instructions about how to bring praise, sacrifices to God in corporate worship were given to us through the people of Israel. And the word here refers to ministry of priests and the offering of sacrifices. And the supreme temple service, the supreme temple worship was the Passover. In the Passover, a lamb was to be slaughtered. Blood was supposed to be shed. And then you take that blood and you paint it over your doorway, so that the angel of death passes over your household. And then, 1 Corinthians 5:7 says that, "Christ is our ultimate Passover lamb. He has been sacrificed." He has performed the final and decisive atoning temple service on the cross. So when we say the temple service belongs to true Israel, we mean in the fullest saving way, our sins are forgiven and God welcomes us into his fellowship. Then six, he says, "The promises we're given to them." Which promises? And there are thousands in Scripture, but in particular, it's the promise that God would save his people from their sins, and we'll get that from the very beginning in Genesis 3 right after the fall. In Genesis 3:15, God gives us the Protoevangelion, the first Gospel in Genesis 3:15 where he says the following, "I will put enmity between you." He's talking to the serpent saying, "And the woman, between your offspring and her offspring, he." So this is the offspring of the woman. "He will bruise your head and you will bruise his heel." And this is God promising that the seed of the woman. This is going to be a human being, but it's a human being who can vanquish Satan. So it has to be God. He's the only one who can vanquish Satan. He's the one that will come and he's the one that will save. A friend sent me a video this week of Jordan Peterson. Apparently, he's been getting into the Bible recently, and it was a video of him with a slide behind him of every single Cross reference in Scripture. And it's just arc after arc after arc. And I'm like, I already knew this, but he was amazed. There's 65,000 Cross references in the Bible. I actually think it's more, but 65,000 Cross references in the Bible and he's like, "This book is ... You can't make this up. This is a miracle." He called it the first hyperlinked book ever. He's like, "There's no links to click, but it's hyperlinked." It's telling one story. 3000 years, three millennia, 40 plus authors, three plus language, all speaking in harmony unison about this Gospel. We have sinned. God is gracious, sends his Son to vanquish Satan, sin and death. All these things, the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship of God and God's promises, they came through to Paul's kinsmen Israel. Don't you see? This is why Paul is in tears. You've been given so much. You've been given every single piece of the puzzle. You're only missing the Cross at the center, Jesus Christ. Romans 9:5, "To them belong to patriarchs. And from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God overall, blessed forever. Amen." The implication of this is stated in Romans 11:28, "As regards the Gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers." And we'll get into that in a few weeks. But in other words, God freely chose Abraham, freely chose Isaac and Jacob and promised to their descendants that they would be heirs of God. And what we see from Romans 9-11 is that, this is meant in three ways. First, that there is an elect remnant of Israel. There always was, and there always will be. Elijah, I don't know if you remember this one text, where he's just complaining to God like, "God, I'm the only Christian. I'm the only one that loves you." I wonder if you ever feel like that in Boston. I'm the only one. I'm the only one in my company, probably the whole university. If you go to BU, you're probably right. I'm the only one. I'm the only one. And God says to Elijah, "Stop complaining. I've got 7,000. 7,000 people who have not knelt a knee to Baal. Well that's election. That's God's saving his remnant. There's also promise that all ethnic is real. At some point, in some future time, when they're alive, will be saved. It will be incredible revival amongst Jewish people. And Gentiles, that's us who trust in the Messiah, become sons of the fathers with the same blessing as the natural children. So if you repent of your sin and trust in Jesus Christ, you become a child of Abraham as much as Isaac was. Everything promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is yours, in the Messiah Jesus Christ. Verse five, I don't know if you noticed. He says, "Christ, who is God overall, blessed forever." Paul does affirm Jesus' Jewish ancestry, that Jesus was fully human, but he doesn't stop there. He gives one of the clearest, most decisive affirmations of the Deity of Christ, that we find anywhere in Scripture, that Christ is God. He's over all things, the entire universe. The Jews use this expression to refer to God's dominion over the entire creation. "Christ is God over all, blessed forever." So if you're having a conversation with a Mormon or a Jehovah's Witness, they don't believe that Jesus is God, just keep this one in the back pocket, Romans 9:5. Just take him there, Romans 9:5, "Christ is God, blessed forever." Here, someone might raise a legitimate question and say, "Will we go to heaven, be sad throughout all eternity, because of those who are cursed and cut off from Christ in hell?" What if we have a loved one who never turns to Christ? Brother or sister, sibling, spouse, child, there will be a sadness in eternity because of them. And the answer is no. The Scripture says, "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes and neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore." But God will have to wipe out tears. God will have to wipe off our tears. Why are we weeping in the first place, in a place of bliss? I think there will be moments in the very beginning, where we wish we had done more, kind of like Schindler's List at the end, where he is like, "Here's the watch. Here's the pen. I wish I had done more." Well, that's just a reminder for us to do the more now, be encouraged to be more bold and preaching the Gospel now. "And with respect to any affection that the godly may have had to the finally reprobate, the love of God will wholly swallow it up, and cause it wholly to cease," as Jonathan Edwards says. In conclusion, pray for God to burden your heart for the lost. If you hear this and you're like, "I've never even thought about praying for the lost." Well first, pray for your own heart, you're living in disobedience. Pray for your own heart to care for the lost and then pray for the lost and share the Gospel with the lost. Romans 10:1, this is what Paul says, "Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved." St. Paul had to pray for God to save people. He couldn't do it himself. He believed in the sovereignty of God. He believed that God elects people to salvation. And because he believed that God elects people to salvation, he prayed for God to save the elect. A lot of people use God's sovereignty in saving people as an excuse to do nothing. Well, if God saves people, then he doesn't need me to share the Gospel. If God is the one to predestine people a salvation, well he doesn't need me to do any. He doesn't need me to pray. That's false. If God predestines the end, he predestines the means. And the means that he predestines is for every single one of us to pray for the lost and share the Gospel with the lost. And the fruit of Paul's anguish is to pray for them and ask that God would save them. If Paul had to pray, if Paul prayed for the lost, we should too. If Christ prayed for the lost, we should too. Jesus Christ on the cross says, "Father, forgive them. They know not what they do." He's praying for the loss. And because Christ prayed for the loss on the cross for their salvation, we are called to pray as well. 2 Timothy 2:25 says, "God may perhaps grant them repentance, leading to a knowledge of the truth." May the Lord do so even now. If you don't know if you're a Christian, if you're still under the guilt of your sins and accursed and cut off from Christ, well don't stay there. Today, turn to Jesus Christ. Look to Christ on the cross. Christ crying out from the depth of his soul and anguish and heart, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Christ was accursed. Christ was caught off from God the Father, God the Holy Spirit, so we would never have to be. He bore the wrath of God, so that we would not have to. He bore the curse, so that we might receive the blessing. So trust in him as your only hope, and you will be saved today. I'll close in Matthew 11:25-30, before we transition to communion. It's a text where Jesus Christ thanks God for closing the eyes of some, opening the eyes of others and saying that only the one to whom the son reveals the Father can be saved. And still Christ says, "Come to me all who are burdened and heavy laden." Matthew 11:25-30, "At that time, Jesus declared, 'I thank you, Father Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children. Yes Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart. And you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Lord, we thank you for all the spiritual privileges that you have bestowed upon us as a Church and as individuals. We thank you for the full canon of Holy Scripture, a word that testifies to you, a word that reveals you, a word that reveals the Living Word of God, Jesus Christ. Lord, we thank you that your, "Word is living and active, sharper than any two edge sword, piercing the division of soul and of marrow, revealing to us the intentions of the heart." And we come to you Lord and we ask for forgiveness of all our sin, of all our pride of all our selfishness and self-reliance, and help us not trust in our spiritual privileges. Make us people who only trust in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And make us people who walk in a manner worthy of the Gospel, to bring glory to you and attract attention to the beautiful Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe, every single person who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. We pray all this in the beautiful name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and savior. Amen.

Messiah: Jesus Christ Superstar by Dennis Crehan, Guest Speaker 7/3/22 Join us in chapter 3 of the Gospel of Mark as we continue to look at the life of Jesus.

FULL VIDEO: https://youtu.be/vLXs-cUDhPA ONE THING God wants you to know if they are His friend or foe. John 15:15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. Ezra 4:1-3 CONTEXT A friend of God is a Christian who is a part of the family of God. REMEMBER: John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. SALVATION: There is only one true God and His Son is the Messiah Jesus Christ, who alone can save you from sin by grace through faith in Him. He is the way to become a part of the family of God. How can we tell if some is an adversary of God? They don't help to draw people closer to God or to accomplish His will. How can we tell if someone is a part of the family of God? Jesus is their Lord and Savior as they seek to fulfill God's will on earth as it is in Heaven. We exist to bring God glory and make disciples. KNOW IF SOMEONE IS A FRIEND OR FOE OF GOD IS AN IMPORTANT ASPECT TO WHY WE EXIST. Based on this message what can we do to become more like Jesus? Gospel-Centered = WORSHIP Know God well. Listen, Discern, Learn and apply what you discover from your prayer and Bible time. COMMUNITY Discover how others relate to God. Ask God to show you if they are for or against Him. SERVICE Remember God loved you first and we should love Him first. One of the best things you can do for others in all areas of your life is to put God first. MULTIPLICATION Continue to bring God glory and make disciples. No matter who you meet the goal is to continue to fulfill God's will.

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Messiah's Proclamations 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord Yahweh is on me; because Yahweh has anointed me to preach good news to the humble. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to those who are bound; 61:2 to proclaim the year of Yahweh's favour, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; 61:3 to appoint to those who mourn in Zion, to give to them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Yahweh, that he may be glorified. 61:4 They shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. 61:5 Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and foreigners shall be your ploughmen and your vinedressers. 61:6 But you shall be named the priests of Yahweh; men will call you the ministers of our God: you will eat the wealth of the nations, and you will boast in their glory. 61:7 Instead of your shame you shall have double; and instead of dishonour they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess double; everlasting joy shall be to them. 61:8 "For I, Yahweh, love justice, I hate robbery with iniquity; and I will give them their recompense in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. 61:9 Their seed shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which Yahweh has blessed." 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in Yahweh, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 61:11 For as the earth brings forth its bud, and as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord Yahweh will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. 63:1 Who is this who comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this who is glorious in his clothing, marching in the greatness of his strength? "It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save." 63:2 Why are you red in your clothing, and your garments like him who treads in the wine vat? 63:3 "I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the peoples there was no man with me: yes, I trod them in my anger, and trampled them in my wrath; and their lifeblood is sprinkled on my garments, and I have stained all my clothing. 63:4 For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my redeemed has come. 63:5 I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore my own arm brought salvation to me; and my wrath, it upheld me. 63:6 I trod down the peoples in my anger, and made them drunk in my wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth." (Isaiah 61:1–11; 63:1-6)   In this passage from Isaiah 61 through to Isaiah 63, we have two contrasting certainties.  They can be found in Isaiah 61:2.  The two certainties are "the year of Yahweh's favour, and the day of vengeance of our God".   There will be the year of favour and the day of vengeance.  The year of honour, as we shall see has already started.  We don't know when it will end, but we know that it will. The day of vengeance will be in the future sometime. Again we don't know when that will be either.  But we know it will all happen quickly, suddenly and without warning (Isaiah 60:22).  Therefore people need to be ready and alert!  The time of when it will occur is not known, but it is known who will end it - Almighty God. Messiah's Good News The Servant Messiah speaks without being introduced this time, and is the preacher in the year of the Lord's favour.  This preaching is probably a referral to the rams horn that ushers in the Year of Jubilee as established in the Mosaic Covenant (Leviticus 25:8-55).  The Servant Messiah's preaching will usher in a time of grace, justice and freedom - just as the ram's horn introduced the Year of Jubilee.  The phrase to "proclaim liberty" is used in both the year of Jubilee and in this the year of the Lord's favour.  This proclaimed year of the Lord's favour starts when the Messiah comes the first time and will cease when He returns again.  The word year, is not a fixed period of time as we know it, but is rather symbolic of an extended period of time.  This Servant Messiah is anointed with the Holy Spirit of God.  This Good News was to be preached to the humble, the poor and poor in spirit - the Good News is news of freedom, liberty, grace and justice!  The comfort they will receive should the offer be taken up, is one of being released from condemnation for sin through the Messiah's offer of forgiveness - that is grace! Because of this grace, three things will be occur for these people who have accept the offer, here referred to in Isaiah 61:3 as "trees of righteousness" : they will display or reflect the Lord God's glory and splendour; they will be priests of the Lord God service; and will inherit all things! Messiah's Grace & Justice What is the outcome and result of grace? We see it in Isaiah 61:7-9.  Almighty God's grace, available only through the Messiah, will bring bountiful blessing, ecstatic joy and a rich inheritance instead of shame, dishonour and exile.  Grace may well be free but it is not cheap. What was the price? The relationship bridge to God that is the Messiah, is only through the Messiah's suffering atonement as described in Isaiah 53.  Isaiah moves to justice quite naturally therefore, for grace and justice are like twins - they go together naturally.  Justice is grace in action just as much as it is the judging of those in sin (Isaiah 61:8). Liberating people from sin freely (grace) is as much a part of justice as punishing those who reject the gracious offer of pardon and continue to live sinful lives.  Grace and justice are also available, because God is always full of grace and justice and this is seen in the new covenant He makes with those who have heard this Good News proclaimed by the Messiah and responded by taking up His free offer. This Good News of the twins Grace and Justice brings an offering of thanksgiving and praise (Isaiah 61:10-11)! Clothed with salvation from and through God's Messiah, robed with the righteousness of God's Messiah! And because God has done it for this one man, He will ensure that all those who respond from all nations will also be like that in a responsive praise and Godly righteousness. Messiah's Vengeance We have been warned in Isaiah 61:2 that not only will the Messiah usher in the year of the Lord's favour, but He will also bring vengeance with him.  People today don't like the word vengeance because it conjures up images of maliciousness and vindictiveness.   This vengeance is wrought by Almighty God as punishment for people's personal sin against Him.  His anger is a righteous anger and a wrath borne of holiness.  His judgment will be final and also universal - every people of every nation of all time.  In particular, however, those who would persecute, mock, abhor and reject those who have taken up God's free offer of grace through the coming Messiah. How is Jesus this Messiah? In Luke 4:16-20 at the beginning of His public ministry at a synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus quotes this passage from Isaiah 61.  This tells us that the year of the Lord's favour has commenced.  But note from the passage in Luke, that he doesn't quote the full scripture.  He stops in the middle of reading a sentence, just as soon as He says "to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour", rolls the scroll back up.  Why does he do that?  It can only be because while now until He returns, is the year of the Lord's favour, the day of judgement and vengeance will wait until that day in the future - when those who are His followers will enter the City of God and those who rejected Him will have vengeance wrought against them. Jesus went around, as we know, proclaiming the same Good News Isaiah writes about (Matthew 9:35, Luke 8:1).   Jesus proclaimed in his words and his life about God's love, grace and justice.  When he healed the sick, forgave sins, gave compassion on the poor, spoke and ate with the outcasts, Jesus Christ embodied this message of grace, justice and freedom.  When, as we saw on a previous day, death on the cross was the act of atonement required by God in order to punish the sins of the world, Jesus Christ did not shirk back from doing that. As for the day of vengeance, nobody talked about hell and God's judgement more than Jesus.  But God is always reaching out, coaxing people to accept His free offer of grace, if people will only humble themselves and ask for it.  God's offer of freedom is still available in this the year of the Lord's favour.  But one day, the day of judgement will come and then it will be too late.  That is why Jesus commanded with some urgency that His followers would tell all nations of this Good News, Isaiah wrote about.  A Good News of salvation, grace, justice and freedom. Jesus, reinforcing what Isaiah has said, tells us that the day of vengeance is for those who reject the Good News he preaches and lives (Matthew 10v14-15). God's Day of Judgment is coming said Jesus (Matthew 12:36).  What's more, Jesus said in John 5:22-23 "For the Father judges no one, but he has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He who doesn't honour the Son doesn't honour the Father who sent him." Jesus claims here to openly be the Messiah, the long awaited for chosen One! An even more overt statement by Jesus on judgment can be found in  John 9:39, "I came into this world for judgment, that those who don't see may see; and that those who see may become blind." Jesus tells us that the punishment will be both physical (Matthew 5v29-30), and in the soul (Matthew 10v28).  This vengeance will consist of everlasting fire and punishment (Matthew 25v41-46) and will be Constant and outer darkness (Matthew 8v12). In other words, those rejecting the Messiah Jesus Christ, will face a lonely, impersonal God-less void.  All this will happen when Jesus comes again, not as a baby like last time, but in glorious splendour. But for all those who accept Jesus Christ as their Messiah and have grasped hold of the Good News message of grace, justice and liberty, there will be another place.  According to Jesus, this heavenly city of God is only for those who are righteous (Matthew 5v20). In doing so, he concurs with Isaiah.  This righteousness is not their own, but the robe righteousness declared upon them through the Messiah. This heavenly city of God, Jesus proclaims to us is a place of ecstatic Joy (Luke 15v7-10), total peace (Luke 16v19-25) and a reward (Matthew 5v11-12) - all themes we have heard in these books of Isaiah and Zechariah.   Right mouse click to save/download this Podcast as a MP3 file

Merry Christmas to you! Here is a Christmas piano playlist for you to enjoy on your Christmas day. May God bless you and yours as you celebrate the glorious gift of the birth of our Messiah - Jesus Christ! May you continue to live for Him as we press toward the new year of 2021! Featured CD's of Episode #61 (used with permission): - O Holy Night: Piano Solos by Caleb Galvan (https://nvpublications.org/o-holy-night/) - The Sounds of Christmas: Piano Solos by David Webster (https://nvpublications.org/the-sounds-of-christmas/)

Why would the God of the universe and all creation leave Heaven, taking on the form of human flesh? The Christmas story is such an awe-inspiring story about hope and love, sacrifice, rescue, and redemption. Join us today for a Mountain Movers Christmas, as we celebrate the birth of our risen King, Savior, and Messiah - Jesus Christ.

Hey Everyone Thank You for tuning in to this episode today I read from Day 3 of a Devotional by John M Perkins you can read this in the YouVersion Bible App. Today is Good News for all mankind, this familiar passage in Luke chapter 2:10,11 is a reading that we read so much around Christmas time, we are reminded of the shepherds watching their sheep in the middle of the night when suddenly an archangel appears in the sky to announce the birth of the Messiah Jesus Christ, this would bring salvation to all of humanity. This truly is good news to us all. Hope enjoy this episode please subscribe and share. God Bless You All! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/blknerd-50/message

Tune in with us as we explain how Isaac is clearly a foreshadowing or type of the coming Messiah Jesus Christ even though his story is written almost 1500 years before the birth of Jesus!

In this episode, we look at the mysterious Melchisedec. One of the great mysteries of biblical doctrine, who was he? Is he a type of our Messiah Jesus Christ? Is He Jesus Christ Himself in a pre-incarnate form? #gaffneybiblefellowship#apostolic#acts238#apostolicbiblestudytime

The New English Translation Study Bible notes call Psalm 45 a romantic poem celebrating the Davidic king's marriage to a lovely princess. The psalmist praises the king for his military prowess and commitment to justice, urges the bride to be loyal to the king, and anticipates that the marriage will be blessed with royal offspring. In this episode, I will explain Jewish wedding customs and then consider the grandeur of our Bridegroom - the Messiah - Jesus Christ. . **** This weekly women's Bible study includes lectures by me, Elizabeth Bagwell Ficken, which coordinate with the study guide "Come, Let Us Worship" which can be found on Amazon. More info at my website https://www.elizabethficken.com The Psalms prompt us to turn to the Lord and see that He is with us every moment of our lives, sovereign, faithful, loving, wise and worthy of all our devotion. They remind us that the Lord God is our great and glorious King who one day will reign on the earth. While we wait for Him, and when we see Him... come, let us worship the King.

From Gen 4:1, the heart cry of Eve has expressed hope in a future son. Through the history of the covenant, this cry has echoed rising in clarity and intensity at providential points along the timeline of God's decree unfolding. For many faithful women through the centuries of old, into New Testament Hebrew faith and culture, this heart cry was especially acute for the barren. The wives of the patriarchs join this list... Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, alongside Sampson's mother, Hannah (mother of Samuel, I Sam 2:1-10), and now, two more women are featured in this legacy, Elizabeth and Mary. Elizabeth (Luke 1:24-25) joining the praises of Rachel of old as the Lord fulfills His promise despite her age (like Sarah) she cries: “Thus the Lords has done for me in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people”. Elizabeth's experience also parallels that of Hannah as her son would go before preparing the way for the King, just as Hannah's son (Samuel) would go on to anoint David king of Israel and heir to the eternal throne. The history of Eve's ascending heart cry thus continuing apace. Mary receives news from the angel Gabriel she will soon bear a Son! (Luke 1:30-33) Mary, perplexed considering the physical limitations of this event - as she was a virgin (34)- soon realizes that this conception will be supernatural by design and – just as the barren have rejoiced throughout covenant history when touched by the miraculous hand of God – so the power of the Holy Spirit (35) will overshadow her and a virgin shall conceive and bear a son. This, the same Holy Spirit that hovered over the face of the waters in Gen 1:2 bringing life out of the formless void! All this plus her relative Elizabeth has just experienced a similar miracle because “nothing will be impossible with God” (36-37). All of this raises the question: “What expression of grateful worship might this singular occasion demand? We find our answer in Mary's song (traditionally called the 'Magnificat' in verses 46-55). Mary's spirit inspired song, arranged roughly in a chiastic structure of 8 “He has” statements, directs our attention to the central theme of her poetic praise: “He has shown strength with His arm”. All the while echoing Hannah's expression of praise extolling the majesty of God in His holiness, the humiliation of His enemies, and the Hope of His people, even as she prophetically anticipates the kingdom and ministry of the Messiah Jesus Christ, her son and Savior...

Brent Whitney, Senior Pastor Text: Luke 20:39-47 Series: Luke Podcast Episode: 2018-29 The post Sermon - The Divine King-Priest Messiah, Jesus Christ first appeared on Country Oaks Baptist Church.

Jesus: The Good ShepherdSermon Series: BelieveIntroduction: Today we begin our study of John 10:1-22 with the prophet Ezekiel's insight into the contrast between the false shepherds of Israel (Eze 34:2-10) and the promised true shepherd, Israel's long awaited Messiah— Jesus Christ. Jesus brings this contrast and conflict to real life as He responds to allegations and challenges of Israel's false shepherds—the religious leaders known as the Pharisees.