The Work of God: Believing in Jesus - Clark Lasse

John 6:29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”

Special speaker, Clark Lasse, a missionary to the country of Uganda, preaches about believing in Christ and shares an update on the mission work. 

Prophecies of the Coming Messiah - Nathan Rages

In today's study from the prophetic books of the Old Testament, we review a sample of the Messianic prophecies about Christ's coming and His earthly ministry.  Below is the prophecy, the OT Scripture where it was predicted and the NT Scripture where it was fulfilled:  

1 Descended from King David - Jer. 23:5, Luke 3:23-31.

2 Born of a virgin - Isa. 7:14, Matt. 1:18-23.

3 Called “Immanuel” (God with us) - Isa. 7:14, Matt. 1:18-23.

4 Born in Bethlehem - Micah 5:2, Luke 2:1-6.

5 Pre-existed from eternity - Micah 5:2, Col. 1:17.

6 Called “Mighty God” - Isa. 9:6-7, John 1:14.

7 Reigning as king forever - Isa. 9:6-7, Eph. 1:22.

8 Children would die at His birth - Jer. 31:15, Matt. 2:16-18.

9 He would come out of Egypt - Hos. 11:1, Matt. 2:14-15.

10 Messenger would announce Him - Isa. 40:1-3, Matt. 3:1-3.

11 Timing of His appearance - Dan. 9:24-27, Gal. 4:4.

12 Anointed with the Holy Spirit - Isa. 11:2, Matt. 3:16-17.

13 Ministry focused in Galilee - Isa. 9:1-2, Matt. 4:12-16.

14 Ministry of miracles - Isa. 35:5-6, Matt. 11:3-5.

15 Ministry of quiet gentleness - Isa. 42:1-3, Matt. 12:15-20.

16 Ministry of parables - Isa. 6:9-10, Matt. 13:13-15.

17 Ministry of purification - Mal. 3:1-3, Matt. 21:12-13.

18 Ministry of deliverance - Isa. 61:1-2, Luke 4:20-21.

The Wonder of Fulfilled Prophecy - Nathan Rages

According to Scriptures like Jer. 30:2-3, Isaiah 41:21-24, 44:7-8, 46:9-11, Daniel 2:27-28, Hab. 2:2-3, and John 13:19,14:29, the fulfilled prophecies of the Bible are meant to showcase the unique glory of the God and encourage the faith of believers.

One striking example of fulfilled Bible prophecy involves the great ancient city of Tyre as recorded in Ezekiel 26:1-14: 

1. King Nebuchadnezzar would lay seize to Tyre (v7-9) and break down her walls, towers and houses (v4,12).

2. Tyre’s stones and timbers would be scraped-up and thrown into the sea (v4,12,19).

3. Tyre would be made into “a bare rock” (v4).

4. Tyre would become “a place for the spreading of nets” (v5,14).

5. Tyre would be attacked by “many nations” (v3).

6. Tyre would not be re-built (v14,v21).

Applications:

#1 Be confident that God will do everything that He says.

#2 Be patient until the *remaining* prophecies are fulfilled.

Being a Disciple in God's Service - Richard Hamilton

Ananias of Damascus appears in Acts 9:10-19 and 22:12 as the brother who was sent to minister to the Apostle Paul at the time of Paul's conversion. Ananias was a faithful disciple who had:

1. An ear listening for God's call.

2. A will obedient to God's command.

3. A life ready to be used for God's service.

Each of these qualities can be applied to ourselves as believers.

Worthless Religion - Nathan Rages

One of the themes emphasized by the OT prophets was that religious practices were worthless without two things:

1. An obedient life (Jer 6:19-20, 7:9-10, 14:10-12, Isaiah 1:11-16, Micah 6:7-8, 1Sam 15:22).

2. A devout heart (Jer 9:25-26, 12:2-3, Isaiah 29:13, 1Sam 16:7).

Jesus gave similar warnings about religious hypocrisy in Matt. 9:13, 15:7-9, 23:3-28, and Luke 12:1.