Results

In Ecclesiastes, Solomon adopts an "under the sun" perspective on life. He recognises that life in this world is inherently unfair--rewards don't match effort. How can we handle this? Solomon suggests several responses, but none of them are satisfying. But what if we take an "above the sun" perspective? Does that make a difference?

1. Israel’s Unique Relationship , vs. 1-2. V. 1 — the word of the Lord was spoken directly to Israel, indirectly to Judah, Deuteronomy 7:6-8 ; “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the…

The Church in the midst of oppression.

If you want to be blessed, then you must be CONVERTED. This is the message of the Beatitudes. They begin with Poor in Spirit receive the Kingdom of Heaven Recognition of Spiritual Bankruptcy before a Holy God. Mourners shall be Comforted Brokenness for condition that leads to repentance Meek shall inherit…

Bullying is painful, but God's purpose is GOOD

Sins of Samaria (Israel) & Judah (Jerusalem) Pride as a Nation 1:5 The capital cities, the chief places of Leadership became the driver to their Sin These places speak to the ideals & philosophies promoted by the leaders. Seeing your nation from a superior point of view vs one of humility and fallenness…

Psalm 7 A Shiggayon of David, which he sang to Yahweh concerning Cush, a Benjaminite Similar to prior psalms, this opening description tells us David wrote this psalm, too, only here it calls the psalms a “shiggayon” (or as my good friend, Rod Johnson calls is, a “shindig”). Like “on the eighth” at the…

Introduction to Exodus Summary This episode launches our new book study series on the book of Exodus! As we do with every book study, this initial episode overviews the sorts of things to expect as we progress through Exodus: difficulties, controversies, and other points of interest relevant to understanding…

Idolatry I hope you are all interested in idolatry because that it what we are going to get – or at least a flavoring of it Here we get why Jerusalem is punished .. remember chap 1-24 are oracles of judgment against Judah.. this is the main focus of the exile .. so let’s read these few verses The word…

The Pagan World What has been—it is what will be; what has been done—it is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun. Before Our Lord Jesus Christ preached the Good News of the Gospel among men, the world was submerged in a prolonged and terrible night, in which moral licentiousness, egoism,…

New believers wanted to know how to live a life of faith. Notes: “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” – refers to all people who rejected Jesus, who were probably still mocking them, evidenced by the rumor that the disciples stole Jesus body. In the OT, described the people of Israel who rebelled…

As people we compound our errors by making decisions from previous bad decisions.

Paul gives a final statement of mankind’s sinfulness, and then quotes several scriptures about mankind’s sinfulness.

The Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible and his false claim to prophethood If Joseph Smith were really a prophet of God, his supposedly divinely inspired translations of ancient documents would be accurate. His "divinely inspired" translation of the Bible, however, is not accurate at all. His changes…

Freedom From Injustice: The Freedom that Many Don’t Experience Today is the end of the week where we have celebrated our American Independence. It came as the end result of a hard-fought battle against the forces of a country far removed from the Colonies. What had been the natural administration of…

This morning we are going to observe the Lord’s supper. The Lord’s supper is a time for us to remember what Jesus has gracious done for us in providing our salvation. When observe the elements of communion, when we eat the bread and drink the cup, we do it, in remembrance of Jesus Christ. Each element…

Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer Drop the “l” John17:1 “Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,” John 17:1-5 Jesus prays for Himself Lifted His eyes, addressee the Father, aware of the moment in the…

A wonderful theme in Scripture is that God is the deliver of hurting people. - David called God, my deliver, in Psalm 18:2 – The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. - And a major theme of the…

As far as pandemics go, we have lived through a difficult one. But we’re not the first generation to deal with one. And we’re not the first to wonder if we are living in the last days. In the third century, the Roman Empire experienced an epidemic that killed up to 5,000 people a day and lasted twenty…

On trips to Africa I have visited villages with trash and filth that overwhelm ones sense of smell On medical calls as a firefighter medic I have responded to residences that required one to shower and dispose of clothing I have also walked down places like Las Vegas, New Orleans, and other places like…

Sometimes we say foolish things in the middle of a debate. Especially in the middle of a heated debate. Remember when you were kids and you would get into one of these kinds of arguments. “My dad is better than your dad” Classic argument- also one that can get very heated. Do you remember how the arguments…

7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “You parents—if your children ask for…

I. Oppression A. The Lord of the Oppressed 31 He who oppresses the poor taunts his Maker, But he who is gracious to the needy honors Him. Taunts = sharp or to say sharp things against. Sometimes a person’s actions speak louder than words and reveal true feelings toward God. As we are generous to those…

Suffering often shocks the Christian and non-Christian. Our culture tells us we can find happiness in the world. But experience and this passage teaches this world brings futility, corruption, and pain. This wonderful passage teaches us not to hope in this world, but in the one to come. This life is not without hope when we believe in Christ because we are promised a day when sin and death will be no more.

Intro I introduced a few weeks back as were were in the book of Luke seeing Jesus confronting the Pharisees and the Lawyers a couple of questions for us. How is your heart? What is happening with your soul? The lawyers and the Pharisees were both following the rules over following God. They did not recognize…