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Apocalypse (Mark 13:1-8)

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Apocalypse (Mark 13:1-8) S o also you, when you see these things happening, know  that he is near, right at the door. Mark 13:29 God spoke to the President of the United States in a dream and told him the world was going to end in 2 weeks. Biden called a press conference immediately and said: “I have two pieces of news, and both are good! First, God exists! And second, I get to be president until the end of the world!” I got spit on by a farm animal once. I threw such a fit, you’d think it was the end of the world, but it was just the alpaca lips.  When we hear the word apocalypse, we automatically think the end of the world. But apocalypse doesn’t mean the end of the world. It means revealing, to lay bare, to open our eyes to the naked truth. Apocalypse means to uncover that which was hidden, or misunderstood. The Greek word apo-cah’-loop-sees appears 18 times in the New Testament. It is sometimes translated as appearance, like the promised return of Christ. Mark 13 is part of what is

Advent Study: Incarnation (Session 1) The Last Adam

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 Incarnation Session One Nov 19, 2024 The Last Adam When you think of the word incarnation, what comes to mind? Incarnation is the spiritual actualized in this world. Incarnation is central to our understanding of Jesus, He is God in the flesh. He came from the Holy Spirit and was bore by Mary. But there are many appearances of spiritual or divine beings in the Old Testament. These appearances include visiting angels eating, drinking, and even wrestling. The Israelites witnessed the presence of God in smoke and fire. God empowered a donkey to converse with Balaam. And the prophets fell into trances and spoke in tongues while filled with the Spirit of the Lord. The Spirit empowered Samson with great strength to fight Israel’s enemies, the Philistines. The earliest incarnation was God’s Spirit hovering over the dark waters of chaos and speaking light and life into the abyss. God made Adam a living being by breathing the breath of life into a lump of earth formed by God’s hands. Tonight,

Bible 101

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Intro to the Bible Class Notes Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105 1) How people think of the Bible ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Antiquated and irrelevant                                                                       Every Word comes from God’s mouth   2) What is the Bible For? All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the person of God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. (1Ti 3:16-17) Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they h

Life Speaks Louder (John 11:32-44)

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  Life Speaks Louder ( John 11:32-44 )   Lazarus, come forth! The angel of death appears before a lawyer and says, "Your time has come." The lawyer starts crying, "But I'm only forty!" The Angel of death says, "Not according to your billable hours."   We’re jumping over to John’s gospel today. Jesus and his disciples came to Jerusalem for Hannukah. The Jewish leaders urged Jesus to tell them if he was the Christ or not. Jesus said, “I’ve already told you,” by the deeds of power he was performing, like restoring the sight of a man born blind or healing a man who was paralyzed for 38 years. Jesus told them they don’t know who he is, because they are not his sheep. His sheep know his voice and follow him. Jesus said John 10:28-30,   I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; no one will snatch them from my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can snatch them from my Father’s hand. The Father

See Again (Mark 10:46-52)

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  See Again ( Mark 10:46-52 )   “My teacher,  let me see again.” A man is struggling with blurred vision, so he decides to visit an eye clinic.  He walks in the building and says, “My vision is blurry, I may need glasses.” The associate says, “Oh, you need glasses for sure!” The man says, “How can you know that without testing me?” The associate answers, “Because this is a bank.”   Jesus and his disciples came to Jericho and met a blind man named Bartimaeus. His name means son of the unclean . He was likely an outcast in Jericho, left to beg in order to survive. As Jesus made his way out of Jericho on his ascent to Jerusalem, Bartimaeus began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” The title Son of David is a messianic title. Israel’s hope in messiah is tied to God’s promise to King David. God was moved by King David’s desire to build The Lord a temple in Jerusalem. So God sent the prophet Nathan to share the news that The Lord will establish with David and His

Thinking (Mark 10:35-45)

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  Thinking ( Mark 10:35-45 )   Understanding Jesus requires a change of thinking. A Catholic Priest and a Rabbi were chatting one day when the conversation turned to a discussion of job descriptions and promotion "What do you have to look forward to in way of a promotion in your job?" asked the Rabbi.   "Well, I'm next in line for the Monsignor's job." replied the Priest.   "Yes, and then what?" asked the Rabbi.   "Well, next I can become Bishop." said the Priest.   "Yes, and then?" asked the Rabbi.   "If I work real hard and do a good job as Bishop, it's possible for me to become an Archbishop." said the Priest.   "O.K., then what?" asked the Rabbi.   The Priest, beginning to get a bit exasperated replied, "With some luck and real hard work, maybe I can become a Cardinal."   "And then?" asked the Rabbi.   The Priest is really starting to get m

Enter The Kingdom (Mark 10:17-31)

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  Enter The Kingdom (Mark 10:17-31)   What must I do to inherit eternal life? In the locker room at a gym, a man answers a cell phone ringing. A woman begins speaking, “Honey, I drove by the Mercedes-Benz dealer and they are having a huge sale! Can I get that SUV I wanted?”   The man asks “how much are they asking?”   The wife replies, “Oh, its only 120k….???”   The man sighs, “Fine sweetie. But if you’re gonna spend that much, I want it with ALL the options.”   Very happy, she says, “Thanks Hun, You’re the best! I’ll see ya at home!”   The man hangs up the phone and asks the other men in the locker room, “Do you guys know who’s cell phone this might be?”   Jesus was approached by a rich man seeking eternal life. This is the first time eternal life is mentioned in the gospel of Mark. Jesus wasn’t preaching on the topic. Eternal life was a popular religious idea at the time. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, the Essenes, viewed the body as an obsta