Luke 12:49-59: War and Peace
Familiar words from Isaiah 9:6-7: ‘For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.’ We read these words often at Christmas...
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Luke 10:1-16: Preparation for Ministry: The Message we Preach
We are continuing our look at Jesus sending out the 72 to go preach in Israel. We have seen how Christ has called the disciples and us to exercise trust in the area of prayer, persecution and provision, but central in Christ’s sending out the disciples is their message, what they are to say. We are here reminded of our primary identity and purpose. We are heralds, ambassadors, and witnesses. We are to preach, proclaim, and teach. We are looking at Jesus send out His disciples into the ripe harvest field of Israel, but there are many similarities that...
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Romans 11:28-32: God’s gifts: Part Two
Outline Christ and the priesthood Introduction We are talking about what many people think will happen to Israel in the future. There are many who think that there will be a literal temple with literal priests and literal sacrifices. We have begun to show that this is impossible. Using our key for interpretation that all the promises are yes in Christ, and a view of God’s promises that sees their fulfilment as larger than anticipated we have shown that the church is the foretold temple of Ezekiel. Today we continue to address these matters and will be looking at...
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