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"A New Heart"
Caleb Klinge
Recorded live on August 10, 10 AM @ New Life Christian Center
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LifeBlog |
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My Redeemer Lives
by David Krause
(Healthcare Ministry)
Recently the phrase in Ephesians 3:20, "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think" has taken on new meaning for me. When preparing to meet with people at healthcare centers, I find myself praying that God will fulfill His heart's desire in everything that transpires, knowing that His glorious plans and desires are far greater than anything I can ask or imagine. One way God answers these prayers is by stirring up faith in the people we visit. In order to connect with people of diverse backgrounds in the Bible studies we share, we often relate promises in the Old Testament to their fulfillment in the New. The following study about the promised redeemer was graciously received by our Jewish and Gentile friends alike.
Job declares, "I know that my Redeemer lives, and that He shall stand at last on the earth." With faith and anticipation he speaks of the day when he will meet Him face to face, saying "in my flesh I will see God". (Job 19:25-27 NKJV) This promise of a redeemer who would erase the curse of sin and take the reins of rulership on the earth begins in the Garden of Eden where God says to the serpent that had deceived Eve, "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." (Genesis 3:15 NKJV).
The Hebrew words translated "her Seed" imply that the redeemer who would bruise the head of Satan would be born of a virgin. The devil would be allowed to bruise his heel (harm his body) and the redeemer would bruise his head (take away the devil's authority that he stole from the first man and woman). This prophecy is known as the Proto-Evangel, which means the "first good news". God has kept His promise to restore to the redeemed the authority that that the devil stole from Adam and Eve, just as He kept his promises to redeem Israel from slavery in Egypt "with an outstretched arm and great judgments", to take them as His people and to be their God. (Exodus 6:6-8).
God declares through Jeremiah that the redeemer of Israel will be called, "The LORD Our Righteousness" and that he will be a king from David's line who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. "In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety." (Jeremiah 23:5-6 NIV) The fulfillment of this last promise is drawing near, for we are now seeing an Exodus even greater than the one from Egypt, as God continues to gather the Jewish nation from countries far and wide. "So then, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "when people will no longer say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,' but they will say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.' Then they will live in their own land." (Jeremiah 23:7-8 NIV)
(Continued below)
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 Dear Friends,
Blessings on You!
Summer is winding down, and merging into Indian Summer/Fall. The new school year is already starting! On the Hebrew calendar, the fall season is where the festivals culminate in the feast of Tabernacles. This feast calls for a trumpet to sound gathering all of the people of God together, and it's a time of ingathering of the harvest that has ripened through the summer months.
It's time to re-gather with strength as a congregation as we move into the fall. We encourage you to engage in the upcoming outreaches (Church Outside, Friend Day, the Alpha Course) and invite others to come with you. Sign up for the Life Groups that launch September 17th, which were a huge success over the summer.
God says, "I will gather others also, gather them in with those already gathered (Isaiah 56:8). Let's join in His work!
In Jesus' Love and Purpose,
Caleb & Rachel |
| Church Outside - Sunday, August 24 |
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Water Baptism - Sunday, August 31 @ 6 p.m. |
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| Life Groups Launching - Wednesday, September. 17 |
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| Alpha Course - Launching on Wednesday, September 17 |
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| Friend Day! September 14 @ 10 a.m. |
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Join us for a barbeque lunch after the service. |
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Lifeblog continued |
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My Redeemer Lives
by David Krause (Healthcare Ministry)
Like Job, Daniel speaks of a day of redemption when the Lord will raise the righteous to everlasting life: "Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever." (Daniel 12:2-3 NIV) David declares that the God who created heaven and earth is his strength and his redeemer. (Psalm 19:1, 14) He commands his soul to praise the Lord for all His benefits including forgiveness and healing, redeeming his life from the pit and crowning him with love and compassion. (Psalm 103:1-5 NIV) He predicts the resurrection of the Messiah, when he prays, "You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption." Like Job, he looks forward to being in God's presence forever, declaring, You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Psalm 16:10-11 NKJV) Isaiah provides further details about this redeemer who would be born of a virgin, declaring that He will be called Immanuel ("God with us"). "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14 NKJV) He describes the redeemer as a Son upon whom the government will rest, who will be in a close personal relationship with his people. "His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever." (Isaiah 9:6-7 NKJV) Isaiah describes how this Messiah will take the judgment of our sins upon Himself: "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:6 NKJV) In the fullness of time, God fulfilled this promise by sending His only Son to bear the judgment we all deserved. God gave his only Son and Yeshua (Jesus) voluntarily laid down his life, so that whoever believes in him would have eternal life. (John 3:16) To help the teachers of the Law comprehend that the Messiah is both the son of David and the Son of God, Jesus asked, "What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?" "The son of David," they replied. He said to them, "How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him 'Lord'? For he says, " 'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet." ' [ref. Psalm 110:1] If then David calls him 'Lord,' how can he be his son?" No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions. (Matthew 22:41-46 TNIV) Proverbs 30 asks a similar question: "Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and the name of his son? Tell me if you know!" (Proverbs 30:4 NIV, emphasis added.) Peter declares, "you were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God." (1 Peter 1:18-21 NIV) Our Redeemer lives and he continues forever with an "unchangeable priesthood". "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." (Hebrews 7:24-25 NKJV) Here are some heartening testimonies by people whose lives declare, "I know my Redeemer lives." (1) I know My Redeemer Lives - Video by Nicole C. Mullen(2) First peruse this article: Team Hoyt background; then watch: Father and son in the Ironman race | |
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