Let’s dig deeper into today’s question by exploring five additional questions about Christ’s upcoming return.

    1.    Will Christ actually return in the flesh? Yes, Jesus will actually return in the flesh. Here’s some words from the angels. Acts 1:11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”  Coming back the same way He left. At the Mt of Olives, visibly, physically to reign.
    2.    How will every eye see Him? We live in a unique age where we can witness things around the world in real time. Revelation 1:7 “Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.” So shall it be! Amen.” (See also – Daniel 7:13 and Zechariah 12:10) What seems impossible will be a reality, we all will see Him.
    3.    Why so many different interpretations of Christ’s return will be like? There are basically 4 views of Christians of the Book of Revelation:
    ⁃    PRETERIST – everything in the book of Revelation was fulfilled for those 1st century believers. 
    ⁃    HISTORICIST – What the book of Revelation does is it tracks Christian history until the very end of time when Christ returns.
    ⁃    FUTURIST – say what the book of Revelation portrays is the events that are yet to come and will happen in the last days of our planet’s history.
    ⁃    IDEALIST – maintain that what the book of Revelation does is it gives us timeless truths and principles that have always been true and will be until Jesus returns.
    4.    Why all the different views. Who is right? Pastor posses a “what if”: What if they are all right? What if God intentionally gave this so that people of every age would see what needs to be seen to stay close to Him.
    ⁃    PRETERIST –  what if the book of Revelation really did have remarkable application to the 1st century believers
    ⁃    HISTORIST – What if the book of Revelation does track the Christian history til Christ returns
    ⁃    FUTURIST – What if the book of Revelation will be fulfilled in some future ways.
    ⁃    IDEALIST – What if the book of Revelation applies in every age because what it says is timeless and true.
God is brilliant – He can and does brilliant things! Differing interpretations doesn’t make the Bible unclear – it means that God is amazing! 

Common Beliefs of each differing view:
    ⁃    Missionary Age – great commission
    ⁃    Great tribulation 
    ⁃    Rapture
    ⁃    Millennium
    ⁃    Physical return of Christ
    ⁃    Resurrection of the dead
    ⁃    New heavens and New Earth

Early believers put together basic statements of the fundamentals of the Bible. Examples Nicene Creed says, “I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.” and the Apostle’s Creed says, “I believe in… the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.” They chose short summations of basic agreed on biblical beliefs and leaving out the details, acknowledging the wide diversity of interpretation around what Jesus’ return will look like and because we will find out the details when He returns.

The first advent Jesus came as a humble servant and laid down His life for us all.
For His second advent Jesus comes in glory!

    5.    What are the sign of the times that indicate the eminent Second Coming of Jesus? 
Signs of the times:
    ⁃    Gospel to the entire world Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”  
    ⁃    Persecution, apostasy & deception Matthew 24:9-11 “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. “At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. “Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.”
    ⁃    Warfare, earthquakes & famine – Mark 13:8 “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.” What we have observed since Jesus’ first advent, these signs are closer together.
    ⁃    Israel’s return  Luke 21:24 “They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” About 40 years after Jesus spoke these words in 70AD they happened and now in 1967, after nearly 1900 years, the Jewish people have returned. 

In Matthew 24:42 we are told by Jesus, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” How do we stay awake?  We keep our eyes on Jesus! The Savior of the world. God is for us! He’s coming back and the day is fast approaching!

May we trust the Lord Jesus with all our hearts and rejoice in the salvation He won for us at the cross as a gift by faith.

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The Gospel of John Week 22
Scripture: John 17:1-21.

Pastor starts today’s class off with an interesting observation. The other three gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke mention the prayers of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, but John does not. John talks about the prayer that occurred before Jesus got to the garden, the prayer He prayed on the way there. 

When we put those two different sets of prayers together (the ones from John on the way, and the ones from the other writers at the Garden) it gives us a greater sense of Jesus’ heart during this evening, but also of the assurance the He had from the Father that this is going to turn out for our deliverance. 

In Hebrews 12:2-3, we are encouraged to “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men that you may not grow weary and lose hope.” And so we are blessed by Jesus’ obedience and faithfulness so that we also do not grow weary or lose hope, but that we see and understand that God is in control.

Jesus and His disciples have left the upper room and are walking to the Garden of Gethsemane. In John 17:1-2 we see Him pause on His way to the garden to pray what has been referred to as the “High Priestly Prayer.”

Jesus begins with, “Father.” It’s personal and it’s an example for us to be personal with God as well. Jesus says, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.” The Father is glorified by the obedience of Jesus, His Son, by Jesus being obedient even unto death on the cross. 

Jesus continues, “For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”  What is eternal life? It is eternal life to know the Father and know the Son and to be in relationship with the Living God.

In verse 6 Jesus starts to pray for His disciples and we see the love He has for them. He sees them as precious and loved. He looks past their mistakes and loves them and He looks at us the same way, He looks past our mistakes and loves us. We are precious to Him. We don’t need to remember our failures and allow those to control us. We remember what God says about who we are and allow Him to guide and direct us as His loved children.

As Jesus’ prayer continues we see Him blessing them, interceding for them and praying for their protection. And He prays for them to be protected in the power of the Father’s name. God’s name IS His character and Jesus has revealed His name, His character, because if you want to know what the Father is like, you look at the Son.

Jesus goes on to pray that he wants the full measure of His joy within His disciples. He says this knowing that in just a bit He will be arrested, tried and crucified. But what He also knows is that there is victory coming. He focused on the outcome, that of giving us an eternity with Him for all who believe in Him. And that’s what He wants them to hold onto, too. And he prays for their protection from the evil one and that they would be set apart for the Father’s work and His purposes.

Then Jesus’ prayer moves from the 12 to pray about us. verses 20-21, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” 

Pastor talks about how Jesus continues to pray for us and believers today. In Hebrews 7:25 we read, “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” (Intercede is to pray for). Jesus is praying that we will live in unity with God and one another. We want to love as He loved, obey as He obeyed, speak as He speaks, follow as He followed. To go where He goes. 

He prays unity of the believers, so that others, non-believers, the world, will know that God the Father sent Jesus because of His love for us and that is the love we share together and with others.

We should flee religion and rush to the Father, seeking out a relationship with Him through faith in the Lord Jesus and becoming transformed. It’s not about knowing certain facts, it’s about knowing God. It’s not about knowing the answer to how to get to heaven. It’s is about knowing the One who get us to heaven!! 

Jesus says, “no-one comes to the Father, except through Me.” And that is Jesus; prayer, complete unity, unity with Him, even as He and the Father are one.

Jesus goes on with, “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.” Wow, He wants to spend eternity with us. We are truly loved! We may live in His presence and live in relationship with Him, basking in His love and taking to heart what He has promised: “I am always with you, even to the end of the age.”

And then we read that when He had finished praying, Jesus left with His disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. (And they continued to the Garden of Gethsemane.)

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    ⁃    The Gospel of John study is part five of five of our Two Year Study of the Gospels. 
    ⁃    The Gospel of John may be one of the most powerful books ever written. Many people have come to faith after reading only this book of the Bible.  Scholarly and archeological discoveries in recent decades give us new insight on details in the Gospel of John. We can now understand it as the most Jewish rather than the most “Gentile/Greek” of the Gospels, and when we do that we see many things that we missed before.

Our 2 year study of the gospels is great for large group, small group or home group study and can be started at any time!

Check out this episode!

Happy Thanksgiving!  This is a time to thank God for His amazing blessings. Thankfulness is an important part of our lives. Thankfulness is to be part of the life of every believer.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 

God calls us to rejoice in Him always and calls us to pray continually. He desires we talk to Him throughout our day. He also calls us to give thanks in all circumstances, in the good times and bad times. Thanksgiving puts our eyes on the God who has saved us. It causes us to focus on the things that are good and worthy of praise instead of the difficulties.  Thanksgiving gives strength to God’s people. It’s a way of life. 

“Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.” Daniel 6:10

Prayer was part of Daniel’s life in the good days and the bad days, the days of deep and difficult persecution, but Daniel risked it all to remain faithful to God and to his prayer life with his God, even to the point of being placed in the Lion’s Den. The Lord was faithful to David and delivered him.

Thankfulness is powerful because God is powerful! Let us not just give thanks just today but every day all the time, because He is good.

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Today’s question, “How should I read the Bible?” is often asked by new believers, church going people who’ve never read the Bible and those questioning what they’ve heard about the Bible. It is often stated this way:
    ⁃    Which is the best Bible translation?
    ⁃    Where should I start as I begin reading?
    ⁃    What schedule should I follow?
    ⁃    Where can I find extra help and resources?
And the often not asked question, but should be asked:
    ⁃    What are the essential things to remember?

The Bible is the Word of God and is self authenticating, speaking to every generation. There are difficult parts and very clear parts. The Scriptures speak the Truth from God, and they are practical and very beneficial.

Which translation?
There is no perfect translation. Each translation works to capture what was originally written down to convey it’s original meaning without translating word for word.
    1.    New International Version  (NIV) – seeks to follow a literal translation 
    2.    English Standard Version (ESV)  – emphasizes word for word translation
    3.    King James Version (KJV) – a favorite for centuries – a language different than today’s modern day language, and is easily memorized
    4.    New Living Translation (NLT) – seeks to convey the thoughts of Scripture versus a word for word translation – more easily understood
    5.    New King James Version (NKJV) – attempts to keep the text and rhythm of the King James Version but in more modern language

Pastor shares an example of each translation using Matthew 5:17.

Where to start?
    1.    Start with one of the Gospels (1 of the first 4 books of the New Testament) where we meet Jesus. Listen to what He says.
    2.    Matthew – written from a Hebrew perspective – Prophesied Messiah.
    3.    Mark – shortest of the 4 – speaks in dramatic terms and talks about the active Son of God – Mark offers lots of details.
    4.    Luke (and Acts) – Jesus as the Savior of the Nations – Luke has a heart for the desperate.
    5.    John – an insiders view of Jesus’ ministry and teaching and covers what’s not covered in the other gospels. John’s focus is the Deity of Jesus Christ.

What Schedule?
    1.    Find a time that works for you
    2.    Consider your season of life – and don’t let the enemy trip you up or discourage you
    3.    A place to meet with God – it is beneficial to have a place to sit down and reflect on what God is saying in His Word.
    4.    Read a section of Scripture – important to listen to God as He speaks to us in sections: chapter, book.
    5.    Select a plan that will work:
    •    Chapter a day, one book at a time
    •    Gospel chapter and a Psalm every day
    •    Bible in a year – 3+ chapters a day
    •    Foundational books: Genesis, Exodus, Luke, Acts, John, Romans, Ephesians
    •    Read a section of scripture out loud
    •    Listen to the Bible with various platforms

Where to find help?
    1.    Use a study Bible – each of the suggested Bible translations mentioned at the beginning have a study Bible available.
    2.    BibleGateway.com a great place to go to take a look at the Bible in a multitude of translations and also a great way to listen to the Bible – completely free.
    3.    AwakeUsNow.com we have everything available free of charge: Sunday services, Tuesday Bible class, Bible in a Year, TV and radio and podcasts.

What are the Essentials?
    ⁃    Purpose – Read the Scriptures with the purpose of allowing God’s word to be transformative in your life, for the purpose of wanting to encounter the Lord Jesus, the Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit.
    ⁃    Approach the Scriptures with Prayer – talk to the Author, ask Him what He wants to say to you. Look at your time in God’s Word not as a class assignment but a time to draw close and closer to Him.
    ⁃    Ponder what you are reading, think on what you are hearing God say to you in His Word.
    ⁃    Practice what you read and learn from the stories you read.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

God desires that we know Him, that we experience His goodness and forgiveness in Christ, that we experience the power of His Holy Spirit and that we be used by Him to be a blessing to others. He desires we share the news of the only One who can save. Jesus, our crucified, risen Lord who is coming back and coming soon.  May we encounter Him daily in His Word.

Now What? Learn about God at https://www.awakeusnow.com EVERYTHING we offer is FREE.

Check out this video series from our website: https://www.awakeusnow.com/whats-the-answer

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The Gospel of John Week 21
Scripture: John 16:1-5.

This week we head into more of the final hours before Jesus’ arrest. We open with John 16:1-5 “”All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, but now I am going to him who sent me.”

He’s telling them difficult days are ahead, but He wants to make certain that when difficult days come, they are not going to be taken off guard, that they will not fall away or lose their faith. He’s telling them tough times lay ahead, be ready!

Jesus continues to tell His disciples that He is teaching these things so they don’t stumble, so that when even us today, see these things beginning to take place, that we look up because the time of redemption draws near. So Jesus says, to be awake and prepared for His return. And again He tells them the Holy Spirit, the Advocate will come after he goes away, that the Father will send the Holy Spirit to them. Jesus tells them it is to their advantage for Him to go away and the Spirit to come. 

Why? Because this is fulfilling everything the prophets had predicted, and it is ushering in a new age, the age of the Holy Spirit. In Joel we read the Holy Spirit would be poured out. So Jesus is saying hang in there, don’t stumble and the Holy Spirit will be with you when I’m gone. 

Then Pastor shares a personal testimony about how reading the New Testament and only getting as far as the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 how the Holy Spirit convicted him and how he realized he was a sinner in need of a Savior.

The Holy Spirit convicts and convinces people about righteousness. The Bible describes our righteousness (we are sinners) as filthy rags. We cannot stand before a holy God, no matter how nice, how good we’ve been and say “Hey, God, let me in, I’ve done this and that.” None of us is righteous, but Jesus is our righteousness.  He is the righteousness of God that by His perfect life, by His willing obedience, by His sacrificial death, by His resurrection, He has paid the price for our sin and rebellion.  

The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and point us to Jesus as our righteousness through faith in Jesus.  It is only because of the Lord Jesus Christ  and faith in Him that we are saved. When need to we realize that God is gracious and we that we need to rely upon Jesus and on Him alone. It is only In Him that we are protected from judgement. It’s at the cross of Jesus that the punishment for our sin was paid. In Him alone is forgiveness, hope, peace and life ever after.

Did the Holy Spirit only guide people in truth in the 1st century? No, there is nothing in the Bible that says the Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost and active for a few year and that once the New Testament was complete, that the Holy Spirit was gone. There is nothing in scripture to indicate the Holy Spirit has ever stopped working. The Holy Spirit still desires to guide and direct His children today. 

Jesus says, “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

Then Jesus goes on to say “in a little while you will see me no more and then again in a little while you will see me. You will weep and mourn while the world rejoices.” He adds that they will forget the anguish and goes on to say that now is the time of grief but that He would see them again and that they would rejoice and that no one could take away their joy.

In just a few hours the disciples will have their lives turned upside down. They will be in fear of their lives. And they are going to think everything is being taken away, the enemy has won, BUT Jesus tells them you will see Me again and no one will be able to take away that joy!

Then He says “I have told you these things so that in Me, you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble but take heart, I have overcome the world!”

Bottom line – we win because He’s the Victor!

Our website – https://www.awakeusnow.com

Watch the video from our website! https://www.awakeusnow.com/2-year-study-of-the-gospels-upper

Watch the video from our YouTube Channel!! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTaaqrC3dMOzMkhPyiNWwlJRpV6Bwpu01

    ⁃    The Gospel of John study is part five of five of our Two Year Study of the Gospels. 
    ⁃    The Gospel of John may be one of the most powerful books ever written. Many people have come to faith after reading only this book of the Bible.  Scholarly and archeological discoveries in recent decades give us new insight on details in the Gospel of John. We can now understand it as the most Jewish rather than the most “Gentile/Greek” of the Gospels, and when we do that we see many things that we missed before.

Our 2 year study of the gospels is great for large group, small group or home group study and can be started at any time!

Check out this episode!

Pastor beings today’s class with a Flashback to twelve years earlier from where we left off last week in order to take a look at the prophet Elisha.

Elisha’s name means “God is my Salvation.” Even in this dark time of history, God uses Elisha to draw people back to Himself.

Elisha’s Ministry
    ⁃    Moab revolts (2 Kings 3) against Israel. 
    ⁃    Widow’s olive oil (2 Kings 4) God shows His love for individuals
    ⁃    Naaman healed (2 Kings 5) “The God of Israel is the God of the world!” 
    ⁃    Blinded Arabians (2 Kings 6) “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet Elisha answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” 2 Kings 6:16-17.
    ⁃    Samaria besieged (2 Kings 7) 

Now that we know the activity of Elisha during these 12 years of turmoil leading up to the deaths of both the king of Israel and the king of Judah, we return to where we left off with our story last week.

King Jehu of Israel 
    ⁃    Kills Kings Joram (king of Israel) and Ahaziah (king of Judah) (2 Kings 9)
    ⁃    Has Queen Jezebel killed (2 Kings 9)
    ⁃    Has Ahab’s extended family killed (2 Kings 10)
    ⁃    Has King Ahaziah’s relatives killed (2 Kings 10)
    ⁃    Has Baal worship destroyed (2 Kings 10) “So Jehu destroyed Baal worship in Israel.  Yet Jehu was not careful to keep the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, which he had caused Israel to commit.” 1 Kings 10: 28,31.  Such a powerful reminder to have a heart for the things of God, to not take lightly what God desires and has done. Jehu took political control but her did not take spiritual control.

Meanwhile in Judah…
“When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son had been killed by Jehu king of Israel, she took over the throne of Judah and proceeded to destroy the whole royal family of the house of Judah.” 2 Chronicles 22:10.  “But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal prices who were about to be murdered and put him and his nurse in a bedroom.  Because Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of the priest Jehoiada, was Ahaziah’s sister, she hid the child from Athaliah so she could not kill him.” 2 Chronicles 22:11-12

Then when the secreted away son of killed king Ahaziah of Judah was 7 years old, we read.… 
“In the seventh year Jehoiada sent for the commanders of units of the a hundred, the Carites and the guards and had them brought to him at the temple of the lord. He made a covenant with them and put them under oath at the temple of the Lord. Then he showed them deceased king Ahaziah’s son.” 2 Kings 11:4  

God had preserved the line of David!
“Jehoiada brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him; he presented him with a copy of the covenant and proclaimed him king. They anointed him, and the people clapped their hands and shouted “Long live the king!” 2 Kings 11:12.

Join us next week as our story continues!

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Today’s question, “Why read the Old Testament” is often asked by church going people. It is often stated this way:
    ⁃    The Old Testament is so hard to understand.
    ⁃    I like the New Testament better than the Old.
    ⁃    God seems so angry and mean in the Old.
    ⁃    Hasn’t the New Testament replaced the Old?
    ⁃    All those animal sacrifices are a huge turn off.

Why read the Old Testament? Here are four main themes which Pastor will use to answer today’s question:
    ⁃    Revelation
    ⁃    Foundation
    ⁃    Confirmation
    ⁃    Salvation

Revelation: God reveals Himself, the past, the future, His plan, His character:
    ⁃    All Scripture is God-breathed. God breaths life. The Old Testament is God’s Living word, it’s Him speaking, His breath – a God-breathed book.
    ⁃    The Old Testament is for future generations – 1 Corinthians 10:11 tells us, “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.” The Old Testament is for all generations. It’s not out of date and aids us in understanding the time in which we live.
    ⁃    The Old Testament is for our instruction. Not just the story of people from long ago, it is for our instruction. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
    ⁃    The Old Testament is revealing God’s character. It shows us what God is like. It’s a record of thousands of years and we see His patience with a goal of bringing people back to Himself. Exodus 34:6-7 “And He passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.” God’s character is good.

Foundation:
    ⁃    The Old Testament shows God is our Creator. Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” 
    ⁃    The Old Testament shows the Sin-Death connection. Death is not natural it is a result of rebellion against God. Genesis 2:16-17 – sin brings death.
    ⁃    The Old Testament shows the need for Sacrifice. Genesis 3:21. An innocent animal had to die to clothe Adam and Eve after they sinned. Salvation requires an innocent victim to die for sin.
    ⁃    The Old Testament shows Grace and Faith. What saves is God’s grace and our response of faith. Genesis 15:6. 

Confirmation: The Old Testament confirms what we read in the New Testament.
    ⁃    The Old Testament points to Christ. It carries a unified theme that points us to the One that was promised, the One who would defeat the devil. John 5:39-40. Luke 24:27 “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, Jesus explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.”
    ⁃    The Old Testament points to the Son of Man. Jesus’ favorite term for Himself. Daniel 7:13-14. The Old Testament reveals Jesus.
    ⁃    The Old Testament points to the cross. 1 Peter 1:10-11 “Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the suffering of the Messiah and the glories that would follow.” 
    ⁃    The Old Testament points to the resurrection of Jesus. Luke 24:46-47.

Salvation:
    ⁃    The Old Testament makes us wise for salvation. 2 Timothy 3:15 “…from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” 
    ⁃    The Old Testament makes the New Covenant clear. The definition for the word “testament” has changed over the last several hundred years. Testament originally meant “a covenant.”  Jeremiah 31:31 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the People of Judah.” 
    ⁃    The Old Testament makes Messiah’s death our’s. Isaiah 53:4-5. 
    ⁃    The Old Testament makes the world’s future clear. Philippians 2:10-11 “…at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  Isiah 45:23 the Living God says, “By Myself I have sworn, My mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked; before Me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear.” 

Why should I read the Old Testament? Because God speaks in it! Let Him speak to you through ALL of His Word.

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The Gospel of John Week 20
Scripture: John 14:31 – 16:3.

Our study of the evening of Jesus’ Passover meal with His disciples continues.  In our opening verse of John 14:31 we read, “Come, let us go.” 

Pastor shares an ancient Christian tradition that states Jesus met with his disciples in the upper room in a location in the southwestern corner of the city of Jerusalem on the Western Hill.  Using tradition, archeological discoveries, writings from Jewish historian Josephus, and some holy speculation, Pastor puts together an amazing picture of Jesus and His disciples walk to the Garden:
    ⁃    It was an evening walk.
    ⁃    To get there they would have moved through the Kidron Valley to the Mount of Olives where the Garden of Gethsemane was located.
    ⁃    On the way they would have passed the Temple
    ⁃    According to Josephus the Temple was 150 feet tall and on the face of the temple was a massive golden grapevine with clusters of grapes made out of solid gold. The clusters stood about 6 feet high.
    ⁃    What is known from rabbinical writings is that during the great feasts, (like this one at Passover) massive torches were placed in the courts of the temple. There were 4 of them and they stood 75 feet high with multiple containers of oil for each.
    ⁃    They provided a tremendous amount of light in the temple and could have been seen throughout the city.

So as we read, “Come, let us go,” we move to the first words of chapter 15, “I am the true vine.”
    ⁃    And Jesus and His disciples are actually seeing the massive golden grapevine on the face of the temple as they walk. These are absolutely startling and dramatic words.
    ⁃    These words would have been more significant to them then than they are to us today. What Jesus’ disciples would have thought of was that the people of Israel are compared to a grapevine in the Hebrew Scriptures and they would have thought of Isaiah’s Song of the Vineyard. (Isaiah 5) an analogy of what God intended the nation of Israel to be. And now Jesus is saying He is the vine. Jesus is saying He is everything that God intends for His people to be. With this analogy Jesus is saying that He is the One who gives life to the people of God.

It is only by being connected to Jesus that we have life and forgiveness and hope because He is the Messiah. Unless we receive Him as such, judgement will come.

As Pastor takes us through verses 1-2 of chapter 15, he shares what he personally believes and that is that the translators have possibly not translated accurately. He goes on to share that the Greek word translated in English to “cuts off” has two meanings and the correct meaning may not have been used here, that the meaning “to raise to life up” (the second meaning)should have been used.  Pastor brings in the actual care of grapevines by a good gardener and that non-producing vines are lifted up off the ground by the gardener so they can receive more light and are not cut off. Pastor makes a solid argument that the text is better translated as: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He lifts up every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”

This is all happening just hours before He will be arrested and He is making sure His disciples understand these truths. He goes on with more truths of praying in His name, loving one another and He repeats Himself. Why? Because not only did they need it repeated, but we need to hear these truths over and again. Jesus wants to make sure and re-share these fundamental truths to anchor His disciples and us in the good times and in the difficult times.

Jesus goes on with more truths:
    ⁃    As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you.
    ⁃    Remain in My love.
    ⁃    Keep His commandments (not to earn His love, but because we have His love)
    ⁃    He calls His disciples His friends
    ⁃    He tells them whatever you ask in My name the Father will give you.
    ⁃    He tells them the world will hate them as it hates Him
    ⁃    He talks of persecution, but that there will also be those who will listen. So He encourages them to speak His words and tell others. We will have difficulties in this world be we know He is with us, and He loves us!
    ⁃    He shares that the Holy Spirit is coming. The Advocate. The Comforter, The Consoler. And that they will need the Holy Spirit.

Then Pastor shares the story of Jacob DeShazer. It’s a powerful testimony of how God changes our hearts with His Word and uses our changed hearts to impact others.

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    ⁃    The Gospel of John study is part five of five of our Two Year Study of the Gospels. 
    ⁃    The Gospel of John may be one of the most powerful books ever written. Many people have come to faith after reading only this book of the Bible.  Scholarly and archeological discoveries in recent decades give us new insight on details in the Gospel of John. We can now understand it as the most Jewish rather than the most “Gentile/Greek” of the Gospels, and when we do that we see many things that we missed before.

Our 2 year study of the gospels is great for large group, small group or home group study and can be started at any time!

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Today we will be taking a look at 25 chapters that are both exciting and complex.

The 25 chapters:
1 Kings 15 – 22
2 Kings 1 – 11
2 Chronicles 17 – 22
A period of approximately 33 years.

As our study begins we see Ahab (874-853 BC) – is the ruler of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and Jehoshaphat (870-848 BC) – is ruler of Judah, the Southern Kingdom.

There’s good news and bad news from this period of 33 years… There was an alliance made between Israel and Judah. Bad news: 2 Chronicles 18:1 tells us, “Now Jehoshaphat (Judah) had great wealth and honor, and he allied himself with Ahab  (Israel) by marriage.” As we dig into this we see Ahab (Israel’s worst King) was married to Jezebel, they had a daughter named Athaliah. 

We also see that Jehoshaphat had a son named Jehoram. Athaliah and Jehoram marry. This is the alliance between Israel and Judah, but the marriage brought great tragedy. Ahab invites Jehoshaphat to Samaria in Israel. Ahab tells him he wants land back that had taken from him and he wants Jehoshaphat to help him fight to get it back. Ahab has 400 false prophets that say he should attack Judah because he will be victorious. Jehoshaphat listens but requests a 2nd opinion. That 2nd opinion comes from a prophecy of Micaiah son of Imlah a prophet of the Living God. Micaiah tells them, “I saw all Israel was scattered on the hillside because the shepherd was gone.” And what happens is that he is thrown in jail. Judah and Israel go to battle and attack Remoth Gilead and the bettle ends in great defeat for Israel and Judah. King Ahab is killed and one of his sons takes over his throne.  About 5 years later we read in 2 Chronicles 21:1 that Jehoshaphat dies and his son Jehoram succeeds him as king of Judah. Additionally, in 2 Chronicles 21:4-5 we see Jehoram puts all his brothers to death in order to protect his throne.

And now we see Elijah stepping in with a letter to King Jehoram. 2 Chronicles 21:12-13 we see Elijah tell Jehoram that he has not followed the way of his father and grandfather in following God and instead follows the worship and practices of idolatry of the Northern Kingdom. Jehoram has turned away from the God of David. Vs 13-14 he holds Jehoram accountable for killing his brothers, and tells him that he will become sick and die of disease.  This is a warning to the way Jehoram is headed and it’s God’s call to stop and to come back to Him. But Jehoram continues to do what he had always done. So he dies and his son, Ahaziah, becomes King of Judah.  

Reminder: Athaliah is King Ahab and Jezebel’s daughter. Ahab and his wife led Israel away from God. Their daughter Athaliah is married to Jehoram (King of Judah) and when Jehoram dies their son Ahaziah becomes King of Judah. The spiritual pollution of Israel has not only come down to Judah, it has taken the throne. The line of Ahab is on the throne in both Israel and in Judah. In Israel Ahaziah’s uncle, Joram, is King. 

There is a second Battle of Remoth Gilead at this time. Ahaziah (King of Judah) and his uncle Joram (King of Israel) decide to do the battle again, expecting to win this time.

Joram, King of Israel is severely injured in the battle, Ahaziah, King of Judah, goes to check on his uncle.

2 Kings 9:1-3 Elisha has a man go to Remoth Gilead and anoint Jehu as King over Israel. The result is found in 2 Kings 9:22-23, Jehu confronts the Joram King of Israel and Ahaziah King of Judah at the bedside of Joram, Ahaziah’s uncle, where he and Ahaziah are talking. Jehu says there can be no peace as long as the idolatry and witchcraft of Ahaziah;s mother Jezabel abounds. Joram flees and Jehu pulls out his bow and arrow and hits Joram in the back killing him.  Jehu then chases Ahaziah wounding him. Ahaziah dies, too, and now both the King of Israel and the King of Judah are dead.

I Kings 11:1 tells us that when Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah saw he son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family of Judah. She desired to eliminate the whole line of David through which the Messiah was to come. 

2 Kings 11:2 but the Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash, son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes, who were about to be murdered.  She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah; so he was not killed. And as a result a godly king will ultimately come to the throne against the desire of Ahaziah.

Join us next week as our story continues!

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Pastor opens by sharing that he is convinced the New Testament is genuine and true. Having read the Bible over 90 times in the last 15 years and having read original sources and the writings of scholars over the centuries, he is convinced the New Testament is trustworthy.

To answer today’s question, Pastor takes us on a journey through other common questions regarding the New Testament:
    ⁃    Who wrote the New Testament and when? This is a controversial subject. Modern skepticism says it has late dating and anonymous authorship. But this view ignores the latest scholarship which shows in recent research that the New Testament books have early dating before 70A.D. and that it was written by eyewitness authors who knew Jesus and were willing to risk their lives to proclaim Jesus and His resurrection.

    ⁃    How do I know it wasn’t tampered with?  There is manuscript evidence with over 5,800 Greek manuscripts showing the accuracy of the transcripts plus there are over 20,000 Latin, Coptic, Syriac and other translations that are also accurate when compared to each other. The variants are textual having only minor variation in spelling and word order but all with no doctrinal deviations.

    ⁃    Is there any evidence supporting its claims?  Non-Christian sources like references to persons in Acts and the local cultural peculiarities show that the Book of Acts matches up with what is said in the non-christian writings and sources from that time. Acts jives with what is written in the other non-christian sources. Archaeological discovers support the truth of the New Testament and Acts in particular. Excavations match the details found in Acts with some amazing artifacts showing that what we find buried in the ground bears new testimony to the very things we read in Acts. Pastor shares many of the recent artifacts and discoveries. What we see is that the New Testament is not just made up but the words of eyewitness who were there and saw what took place.

    ⁃    Isn’t it just pious “feel good” religious fiction?  Truthfully, the New Testament is not a “feel good” book. The New Testament is and has been culturally and morally unpopular – it says things people do not want to hear., things that make them uncomfortable. At the heart of the New Testament is a scandal – a crucified Messiah, humiliated before the eyes of all. Why write such a not “feel good” story…. Plus the New Testament calls people to radical discipleship with self denial as a lifestyle. It calls people to have love for their enemies. It is not feel good religious fiction – it is a powerful testimony to the very plan and character of God and the actions of God in history.

    ⁃    Is it too old to be relevant for modern times? In answer Pastor shares a personal story exemplifying the relevancy of the New Testament’s effect on his life and he shares how the New Testament continues to impact his life and the lives of others because it is relevant for all. Pastor shares that there is nothing more important than surrendering our lives to Jesus Christ. Just because the New Testament is old doesn’t mean it doesn’t speak to our day. It is still valuable and essential.  Old things are not worthless. 

Pastor continues with a challenge to read the New Testament and to see for ourselves, because to ignore the New Testament is to make the most serious mistake we can make. He passionately encourages us to read the New Testament allowing God to speak into our hearts and to mold and shape our lives, destinies, families, communities and the culture.

Pastor closes with: 
    ⁃    What do you think are the consequences of ignoring reading the New Testament if it is true? 
    ⁃    Will you act on what you sense the Holy Spirit is telling you?

Now What? Learn about God at https://www.awakeusnow.com EVERYTHING we offer is FREE.

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Check out this episode!