Episodes

  • Altars - Heart - Jackson Wilson
    Feb 19 2025
    [teaching text]7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice.9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right[b] spirit within me.11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.Psalm 51:7-17On Feb. 8, 2023, what began as a routine Wednesday morning Chapel service with the student body turned into a multiweek Outpouring that some have described as a revival. Led by students, the services attracted college students from hundreds of other colleges and universities, beginning as soon as Wednesday evening. Then, news of the continuous services spread around the world, and attracted people to Wilmore from as far away as Russia and Japan. Media outlets arrived en masse to cover the spiritual awakening among young people. Countless reports of life change, salvation, and re-dedications to Christ were some of the amazing results of the Outpouring events. Asbury staff, faculty, students and volunteers worked tirelessly to welcome the visitors to campus, with orderly lines to get into Hughes extending a half mile long around campus. The events lasted for 16 days, culminating in a service specifically for Gen Z students on Feb. 23, 2023. Yet, the Lord continues to move across the Wilmore community, Kentucky, the United States, and the world.Asbury UniversityGOD COMES WHERE HE’S WANTED7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.Psalm 139:7-1020 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.Revelation 3:20ALTARS OF THE HEART, HOME, CHURCH, AND CITYAltar of The Heart10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right[b] spirit within me.11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.Psalm 51:10-12Now, some people think the Bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should and shouldn’t do. The Bible certainly does have some rules in it. They show you how life works best. But the Bible isn’t mainly about you and what you should be doing. It’s about God and what he has done. Other people think the Bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy. The Bible does have some heroes in it, but (as you’ll soon find out) most of the people in the Bible aren’t heroes at all. They make some big mistakes (sometimes on purpose). They get afraid and run away. At times they are downright mean.Jesus Storybook Bible16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.Psalm 51:16WORSHIP HAPPENS AT THE ALTAR16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.Psalm 51:7-17GOD WANTS A BROKEN HEARTIf you and I have a broken spirit, all idea of our own importance is gone. What is the use of a broken heart? Why, much the same as the use of a broken pot, or a broken jug, or a broken bottle!Charles SpurgeonThe idea of “nakedness” is far more than mere nudity. It has the sense of being totally open and exposed as a person before God and man. To be naked… and not ashamed means you have no sin, nothing to be rightly ashamed of, and nothing to hide.David GuzikGod cannot transform the person you are pretending to be.Jon TysonYou will never make yourself feel that you are a sinner, because there is a mechanism in you as a result of sin that will always be defending you against every accusation. We are all on very terms with ourselves, and we can always put up a good case for ourselves. Martyn Lloyd-Jones13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not...
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    36 mins
  • PURE - Potent - Jackson Wilson
    Feb 6 2025
    Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.Ephesians 5:1-2My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledgeHosea 4:66 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.Deuteronomy 6:6-9POTENTPotent: having great power, influence, or effectSix days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. 3 Mary therefore took a pound[a] of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair.John 12:1-3The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.John 12:3HOLY+REFINED+PRECIOUS=POTENT14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?2 Corinthians 2:14-1618 I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. 19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.Philippians 4:18-20Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.Ephesians 5:1-2Biblical discipleship is potentSurely you know that if a man can’t be cured of churchgoing, the next best thing is to send him all over the neighborhood looking for the church that ‘suites’ him until he becomes a taster or connoisseur of churches.C.S. LewisA church is only as good as its disciples.Jon TysonTherefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.Ephesians 5:1Unfortunately, ‘potent’ is not a good descriptor of the average follower of Jesus today.Over half of adults born after 1980, who grew up in churches, are walking out on their faith, not coming backOf people still attending church, ~90% refuse, or feel unable to talk openly about their identity in Christ~80% of church-attending people lack basic routines in a disciple’s life (prayer, study, community)About a third of church attending folk today are not convinced Christ is the only hope of salvationA majority of pastors, and even more lay believers say they have never been discipledIt typically takes a person 26 year of church attendance before they personally lead someone to Christ.14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God…2 Corinthians 2:14-15So that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.Ephesians 3:1018 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock[b] I will build my church, and the gates of hell[c] shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18One of our great allies at present is the Church itself. Do not misunderstand me. I do not mean the Church as we see her spread out through all time and space and rooted in eternity, terrible as an army with banners. That, I confess, is a spectacle which makes our boldest tempters uneasy. But fortunately it is quite invisible to these humans.C.S. LewisPotent disciplesPETER13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.Acts 4:13COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. Acts 4:32-34STEPHEN55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at...
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    55 mins
  • PURE - Precious - Jackson Wilson
    Jan 30 2025
    Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”3 So he told them this parable: 4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.8 “Or what woman, having ten silver coins,[a] if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ 10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”Luke 15:1-10 (ESV)JOANNA GWEN PICUTRES***“I have been in this world for sixty years, and I have never yet been conscious of anything spiritual.”We did not say what we thought, but we thought it was very likely that what he said was perfectly true; and there are a great many more people in the world who might say the same as he did. But that only proved that he was not conscious of anything spiritual; not that others were not conscious of it.Charles SpurgeonJust because someone cannot see God, doesn’t mean He’s not there.Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.Matthew 5:8 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.Hebrews 11:1The pure in heart are confident in God.Matthew 266 Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,[a] 7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. 8 And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. 12 In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”Matthew 26:6-13Mary’s name now smells as sweet in all God’s house as ever her ointment did; when Judas’ name rots, and shall do to all posterity [future generations].John TrappThe anointing with oil is a physical picture for a spiritual reality.She probably did not know all that her action meant when she anointed her Lord for his burial. The consequences of the simplest action done for Christ may be much greater than we think.Charles Spurgeon7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table.Matthew 26:73And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabasterflask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke theflask and poured it over his head.Mark 14:3Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feetwith her hair. John 12:1PreciousPrecious (yāqār): valuable—brightness, clear, costly, rare, and/or gloriousWhat qualities determine if something is precious (valuable) to humans?UtilityScarcityQualityConditionBrand reputationHistorical significanceCollectable appeal8 And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” Matthew 26:8-9“Why was this not sold for the poor?”You are a little uncomfortable around “radical” disciples. (Jesus Freaks)You get tired, bored, or don’t really see the point in worship. (Especially long, drawn-out, or extended worship)You are hesitant to wast time, energy, or money on God. (Let’s do the bare minimum for God)Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”3 So he told them this parable: 4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 Just so, I ...
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    58 mins
  • PURE - Holy and Refined - Molly Ratliff
    Jan 27 2025
    “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with tow he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!’ 4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 So I said: ‘Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.’ 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth with it, and said: ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.’” Isaiah 6:1-7“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” Matthew 5:8PURE (adj.): not mixed or adulterated with any other substance or material“But as He who call you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘you shall be holy, for I am holy.’” 1 Peter 1:15-16“Our lack of purity is an expression of our belief in the nature and person of God. The answer to being pure is not in action alone but in belief that proceeds these actions. It’s not just about not sinning. But for better it is to learn who God really is. To look to Jesus and see him as pure.”- Jackie Hill Perry“1 In the year King Uzziah died, I saw…”“1…I saw the LORD sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of his robe filled the temple.”“2 Above it stood seraphim: each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.”“3 Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory.”“Holiness means ‘separation’ and is translated sanctify or purity”- David Hoching“To say the Lord is holy says something. To say the Lord is holy, holy, says more. To say holy, holy, holy is the LORD is to declare this holiness in the highest possible degree.”- David Guzik“Holy is the way God is. To be holy He does not conform to a standard. He is that standard. He is absolutely holy with an infinite, incomprehensible fullness of purity that is incapable of being other than it is. Because he is holy, his attributes are holy. That is whatever we think of belonging to God must be thought of a holy.”- A. W. Tozer“4 The posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.”“5 So I said: ‘Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.’”“After seeing the holy God, Isaiah then saw himself.”- Jackie Hill PerryThe holiness of God magnified the unholiness of himself“We have a ridiculously low view of sin and an equally mediocre grasp of the holiness of God.”- Jackie Hill Perry“We have all become like one who is unclean, and all out righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.” Isaiah 64:6“6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar? And he touched my mouth with it, and said ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is purged.’”Holiness mandates purificationagiazo (ah-yea-zo): to make holy; to be set apart for service to God and to abandon practices that displease him“Sanctification is the progressive work of God to make a believer more like Jesus Christ”- Grace Seming“Sanctification is the process of becoming more like Christ in our conduct and in character”- Mike Sulivan“The goal of sanctification is to renew men’s and women’s hearts in God’s image”- John Wesleyhe sets us apart (sanctified) to be set apart (holy)refined as: 1) with impurities or unwanted elements having been removed by processing. 2) developed or improved so as to be precise or subtle“For He (God) is like a refiner’s fire or a launder’s soup. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness.” Malachi 3:2-3“Nevertheless, when one turns to the Lord (aka when one repents/looks/beholds), the veil is taken away (salvation)….But we all with unveiled face (saved), beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord (God’s image), are being transformed (sanctification/refined) into the same image (God’s) from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 3:16,18“God made us to image Himself. To exist in the world in such a way that when observed, whoever looked at us could accurately imagine God.”- Jackie Hill ...
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    55 mins
  • 7 Churches - Laodicea
    Dec 12 2024
    14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation.15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”Revelation 3:14-22PTH Slide***Laodicea14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation.15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.Revelation 3:14-22“You are neither cold nor hot.”Laodicea map*** Aqueduct: a system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and other structures that carries water from a source to a distribution point.Aqueduct picture***Everything that is spiritual has practical implications. Everything that is practical has spiritual implications.In this spiritual sense, lukewarmness is a picture of indifference and compromise. It tries to play the middle, too hot to be cold and too cold to be hot. In trying to be both things, they end up being nothingDavid Guzik A church that is luke-warm towards God is a church that lacks emotional feelings towards Jesus. A church that is Luke-warm towards towards prayer is a church that lacks the need for God’s power. A church that is Luke-warm towards evangelism is a church that lacks a broken heart for the lostA church that is Luke-warm towards theology is a church that lacks the desire to grow in their understanding of God’s Word and is conformable just being padded on the back by scripture.A church that is Luke-warm towards conviction is a church that lacks the boldness to communicate what the Bible teaches for fear of being seen negatively by others.A church that is Luke-warm towards Biblical community is a church that lacks love, transparency, and confession of sin.The lukewarm Christian has enough of Jesus to satisfy a craving for religion, but not enough for eternal life. Deep down, there is no one more miserable than the lukewarm Christian is. They have too much of the world to be happy in Jesus, but too much of Jesus to be happy in the world.David Guzik24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.Matthew 6:24Mammon: treasure, riches; wealth personified (placement of trust)15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.Revelation 3:15-1719 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust[e] destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.Matthew 6:19-219 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?10 “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind,[b]to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”Jeremiah 17:9-10“It is not so much the disciple’s wealth that Jesus is concerned with as his loyalty. As Matthew 6:24 will make explicit, materialism is in direct conflict with loyalty to God.”R.T. France18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.Revelation 3:18-19“I counsel you to buy from me gold.”Buy Gold from Me = Place your trust in Me Tithe = TrustTithe: ten percent of our income. We give back to the Lord ten percent of ...
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    56 mins
  • 7 Churches - Philadelphia
    56 mins
  • 7 Churches - Sardis
    Nov 14 2024
    [teaching text] “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.“‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. 4 Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’Revelation 3:1-6SARDISThe particular intellectual problem I was wrestling with, for the first time since my conversion as a teenager, was the inspiration and authority of the Scriptures. Seeming contradictions and problems with interpretation defied intellectual solutions, or so I thought. Could the Bible be trusted completely?Billy Graham Photo*During the 1940s Templeton and Graham were Youth for Christ’s dynamic duo. Though Graham routinely induced better results with his altar calls, Templeton was widely considered the more gifted preacher. Handsome, suave, intelligent, and charismatic.Collin HansenBilly Graham and Charles Templeton photo**Billy Graham and Henrietta Mears Photo**Still, many of Graham’s questions remained unanswered. Did Noah actually build an ark to survive a great flood? Could a whale really have swallowed Jonah? Pondering these miracles, Graham roamed into the foothills of the nearby San Bernardino Mountains. With the moon shining, he wandered off the trail, opened his Bible on a tree stump, and took his concerns to God. Inexplicably, the burden lifted."Father, I am going to accept this as thy Word—by faith!” Graham proclaimed. “I'm going to allow faith to go beyond my intellectual questions and doubts, and I will believe this to be your inspired Word.” Tears streaming down his face, Graham returned to Forest Home. Though he didn’t have an explanation for every biblical oddity, for the first time in months he felt powerful intimacy with God and renewed confidence in the Scripture he proclaimed.Collin HansenFarewell To God photo***“And how do you assess this Jesus?” It seemed like the next logical question—but I wasn’t ready for the response it would evoke.Templeton’s body language softened. It was as if he suddenly felt relaxed and comfortable in talking about an old and dear friend. His voice, which at times had displayed such a sharp and insistent edge, now took on a melancholy and reflective tone. His guard seemingly down, he spoke in an unhurried pace, almost nostalgically, carefully choosing his words as he talked about Jesus.“He was,” Templeton began, “the greatest human being who has ever lived. He was a moral genius. His ethical sense was unique. He was the intrinsically wisest person that I’ve ever encountered in my life or in my readings. His commitment was total and led to his own death, much to the detriment of the world. What could one say about him except that this was a form of greatness?”I was taken aback. “You sound like you really care about him,” I said.“Well, yes, he is the most important thing in my life,” came his reply. “I . . . I . . . I . . . ,” he stuttered, searching for the right word, ‘I know it may sound strange, but I have to say . . . I adore him!”” . . . Everything good I know, everything decent I know, everything pure I know, I learned from Jesus. Yes . . . yes. And tough! Just look at Jesus. He castigated people. He was angry. People don’t think of him that way, but they don’t read the Bible. He had a righteous anger. He cared for the oppressed and exploited. There’s no question that he had the highest moral standard, the least duplicity, the greatest compassion, of any human being in history. There have been many other wonderful people, but Jesus is Jesus….’“Uh . . . but . . . no,’ he said slowly, ‘he’s the most . . .” He stopped, then started again. “In my view,” he declared, “he is the most important human being who has ever existed.”That’s when Templeton uttered the words I never expected to hear from him. “And if I may put it this way,” he said as his voice began to crack, ‘I . . . miss . . . him!”With that tears flooded his eyes. He turned his head and looked downward, raising his left hand to shield his face from me. His shoulders bobbed as he wept. . . .Reputation: the beliefs or opinions that are generally held about someone or somethingWe tend to put a lot of weight on other people’s opinions and feelings about us, but our reputation ...
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    55 mins
  • 7 Churches - Pergamum
    Nov 7 2024
    [teaching text]12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.13 “‘I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith[b] even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’Revelation 2:12-17Your Bible is not just the best book there is among all the books out there. The Bible is a different kind of book. It’s of another class. It is similar to other books in that it is bound between two covers and is filled with small black letters compromising words throughout. But the Bible is different from other books in the way rainfall is different from your garden hose—it comes from above and provides a kind of nourishment far beyond what our own resources can provide.Dane C. OrtlundPERGAMUMThis introduction stresses that Jesus is central to the church, and should be recognized as central to the church.David GuzikJesus chose this title from His initial appearance to John to remind the Christians in Smyrna that they served the risen Lord, victorious over death.David GuzikThe person born once dies twice. The person born twice dies once.D.L. Moody12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.Revelation 2:12“The Words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.”11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.Hebrews 4:11-13Remember when you preach the Word of God that it is quick and sharp, but it is a two-edged sword. It will cut toward the congregation, but the other side is going to cut toward you. Therefore, don’t preach anything that you are not preaching to yourselfYou see, the Bible does not deal with acts primarily. What the hand does is because of what the heart thought. The heart had the action of the hand in hand before the hand got ahold of it. Therefore the Word of God goes down and deals with the heart.J. Vernon McGeeTherefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.2 Corinthians 5:17For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being,Romans 7:2213 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.Hebrews 4:13Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!Psalm 139:23-2413 “‘I know where you dwell [Pergamum], where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.Revelation 2:13Pergamum “Where Satan dwells”PERGAMUM PICUTRE*LIBRARY OF CELCUS* ASKLEPIOS STATUE* SYMBOL FOR MODERN MEDICINE*ANTIPAS AND THE BRAZEN BULL*Some believe it is because Pergamos was a center of pagan religion, especially of “Asclepios Soter” or “Asclepios Savior.” Some believe it was because Pergamos had a huge throne-like altar dedicated to the Roman god Zeus. Some believe it was because Pergamos was a center for the ancient Babylonian priesthood, but this is tough to prove conclusively. Others believe it was because Pergamos was the political center of the worship-demanding Roman government.David GuzikThe historical parallel to the church in Pergamum is the period following Constantine's legalization of Christianity in A.D. 313, which lasted for about 300 years. When Christianity became the official religion of the empire, paganism overwhelmed it. It became hard to distinguish true Christians, because people claiming to be Christians were everywhere. Many of them were practicing pagans who indulged in immoral festivals and all kinds of behavior that is inconsistent with the teachings of Christianity. Dr. Constable’s Notes on RevelationSatan couldn’t accomplish much by persecution, ...
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    57 mins