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Four Points Church in Acworth, Georgia.
Episodes
Monday Apr 08, 2019
Monday Apr 08, 2019
The next conversation the disciples want to have with Jesus is about which one of them is the best. Luke tells us this is more of an argument than it is a conversation (Luke 9:46). Our accomplishments usually drown out our failures. No one thinks of the excuses of Moses, or the murderous adultery of David, or the depression and lack of faith of Elijah (Exodus 3:11; 4:1, 10, 13; 2 Samuel 11; I Kings 19:4). Instead we focus on Moses leading the exodus, David defeating Goliath, and Elijah calling fire down from heaven. One thing that is so great about the Bible is that it shows how even the best men that God used have failed. Our questions should never be about us. Our hope always lies elsewhere… in Jesus and Him alone.
Tuesday Apr 02, 2019
Tuesday Apr 02, 2019
Matthew doesn’t record the conversation between Jesus and the father of the sick boy, but Mark does (Mark 9:21-24). It is important to our understanding of the text. Faith matters! Jesus is God and the crowds witnessing His ministry don’t believe it and neither does this father. Anything is possible for the one who believes in Jesus! Don’t miss that faith is never about the mountain… but it is always about Jesus!
Monday Mar 25, 2019
Monday Mar 25, 2019
Jesus may not look like much to you in vintage church publications and picture Bibles. However, one day we will also see Him in His glory (Revelation 1:16-18). That will be the day when we watch every knee bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11; Romans 14:11).
Monday Mar 18, 2019
Monday Mar 18, 2019
We find in this text the first reference to the church in the New Testament. It comes to us directly from the lips of Jesus. The church was not something that mankind dreamed up after the ascension of Christ. Rather, the church was God’s idea. It was something that Jesus said, “He would build.” The gates of hell will never prevail against the will and plan of God. He wants His church. He is building His church. No power can stand against His church. We should be incredibly thankful to be a part of what Jesus Christ is doing in this world. Praise God we are members of His church!
Sunday Mar 10, 2019
Sunday Mar 10, 2019
A group of Pharisees and Sadducees asks Jesus again for a “sign from heaven” to prove who He is. These two groups are an unlikely pair, as they have very different views of Scripture. Pharisees are the religious conservatives of the day, but they add a system of man-made laws to the laws given by God in Scripture. The Sadducees reject these man-made laws but also do not believe in some of the supernatural elements of the Jewish faith, such as angels and the resurrection. They come to Jesus because they see Him as a threat to their political power. The word translated “test” here is the Greek word peirazō which was also used in Matthew 4 when the devil came to “tempt” Jesus. It is clear that they are not sincerely curious about who He is.
Monday Mar 04, 2019
Monday Mar 04, 2019
As we continue in our journey through Matthew 15, Jesus’ frustration with the Pharisees becomes evident as he withdraws with his disciples far away from the influence or presence of the Pharisees. He travels nearly 50 miles (by foot!) to the region of Tyre and Sidon, a largely gentile region. As the next few scenes of this chapter unfold, Matthew is trying to show his audience something that would be shocking to a first century Jew! He is trying to show them and us that Jesus welcomes not just the Jews, to whom He was sent, but to the Gentile sinners, many of whom gladly receive Him as Savior.
Sunday Feb 24, 2019
Sunday Feb 24, 2019
15 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” 3 He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 5 But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” 6 he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. 7 You hypocrites!
Sunday Feb 17, 2019
Sunday Feb 17, 2019
This section begins with a swift transition. Jesus is moving quickly by telling His disciples to go to the other side of the sea and then dismissing the crowds. Matthew is silent as to why Jesus is rushing for a new location, but John tells us that the crowds wanted to “make Jesus king” (6:15). Their motivation was not spiritual, nor part of God’s will. Jesus protected his disciples from this mob mentality and withdrew to the mountain where He could finally enjoy some solitude with His Father.
Monday Feb 11, 2019
Monday Feb 11, 2019
Matthew’s gospel is not written in chronological order. Rather, the Holy Spirit instructs him to write in a way that communicates truths from Jesus life and teaching to his Jewish brethren. In this case, the truth being communicated is that rejection and death are sometimes part of the God’s patient plan to save sinners in this world. Not only was Jesus rejected by those closest to Him at the end of chapter 13, but John the Baptist gave his life for speaking truth boldly. Rejection and death are not signs of failure in God’s economy.
Monday Feb 04, 2019
Monday Feb 04, 2019
Have you ever wondered why the world is still so bad? Even worse, have you wondered why the church falls short so often? You are not the first to be troubled with these thoughts. Even people who were witnesses of the earthly ministry of Jesus questioned His methods. John the Baptist knew that Jesus was Lord and Savior, but months later as he faced execution he questioned whether Jesus really was the one he had been waiting for. Everyone expected the world to be changed when the Messiah arrived. For John the Baptist, things weren’t better. They were worse. It is for this reason that Jesus explained the Kingdom of heaven in parables.