Steve Dighton • Ezra 4:1-6 ESV
It was James who reminded us to count it joy when tough times come. JOY??? It is true that the most difficult circumstances produce some of the greatest and most memorable moments with the Lord. It is right to stay close to the Lord even when circumstances seem to be falling apart. God had moved so powerfully and had orchestrated incredible circumstances, but now there is intense opposition. Powerful leaders are now opposing what God is doing and God’s people are again powerless to stop it. But God works in and through His people.
A reluctant King.An underestimated boy.A nation unwilling to hear the heart of God. It's not a fairy tale or an ancient story of kingdoms long forgotten. It's the story of us. ...
Chris Wall •. Matthew 12:38-42 People often want to see signs from God. The request for signs give evidence to unbelief. In Matthew 12, the teachers of the Law came to Jesus, hoping he would show them a few tricks. They wanted Him to prove that He was the Messiah. Seriously, what more proof did they need? If they were real students of the Bible, they would have read about Him and noticed the prophets spoke of Him. If they would have looked deeply at His life, it would have been clear He was God in the flesh. But, these men came to Jesus to see a show. They came wondering if he could be impressive. Jesus chose not to cater to their unbelief by performing a miracle to please them. Instead, He offered a resurrection encounter through lesson from Jonah and a Queen. Jesus always had the ability to reveal hearts. Jesus revealed how the religious leaders rejected the wisdom of Christ standing right in front of them. The main lesson behind these history lessons is the tragic reality that people can be familiar with the resurrection of Christ and still completely miss it. To miss Christ is to miss God. In this passage, the heart of these religious leaders was revealed and their hearts were unwilling to yield. These leaders had a resurrection encounter and rejected it. When the resurrection is encountered, how foolish it is to turn it away. ...
Chris Wall • Genesis 1:26-28Man, out of all the creatures God made, can claim to be made in God’s image. As stated earlier, the fact that man is in the image of God means that man is like God and represents God. Of course, the Hebrew of Genesis 1:26-27 refers to something that is similar and not identical. Man in many ways represents God. The Scriptures tell us three things about human creatures: (1) Humanity is made in the image of God; (2) Humanity is intended to rule over other earthly creatures; (3) humanity is made male and female. In fact, every human person’s identity is determined by the reality described in Genesis 1:26-28. As a follower of Christ, our fundamental orientation is established in the fact we are made by God to represent God in the world. ...
