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030214_Kingdom Bound: 6 Letter Words030214_Kingdom Bound: 6 Letter WordsDownloadsCommentPosted 1 year ago by biydamepsoI was recommended this web site by my cousin. I am not sure whether this post is written by him as no one else know such detailed about my trouble. You are amazing! Thanks! sidebar blogroll backlinksPosted 6 months ago by biydamepsoSometimes the better to simply take a stride back as well as recognize that not everybody gives your own beliefs computer disposal services near mePosted 11 days ago by biydamepsoThere are a few interesting points soon enough in this posting but I do not determine if them all center to heart. There exists some validity but I will take hold opinion until I check into it further. Excellent post , thanks and that we want much more! Added to FeedBurner likewise seo backlinks servicePosted 2 years ago by robinjackPeople often ask if it’s possible to be a YouTuber without showing your face or with no videos of you speaking. And, we think that’s because it sounds like a pretty strange experience for anyone steroids onlinePosted 2 months ago by biydamepsoAn attention-grabbing discussion is worth comment. I think that you should write more on this subject, it might not be a taboo topic however usually persons are not sufficient to speak on such topics. To the next. Cheers seo backlinks servicePosted 1 year ago by biydamepsoThere are a few interesting points soon enough in this posting but I do not determine if them all center to heart. There exists some validity but I will take hold opinion until I check into it further. Excellent post , thanks and that we want much more! Added to FeedBurner likewise sidebar blogroll backlinksPosted 4 years ago by AnonymousSports Toto Private Toto site Safety Playground Slot site Address Boatman bebe40.com Sports broadcast Hakpok SRT reservation Brave Girls Park Geun-hye release Japanese flag Controversy Online Casino Big Casino Hogame Powerball Site 007 Casino https://bebe40.com https://sports-totosite.com https://ubi40.com https://linktr.ee/bebe40Posted 19 days ago by biydamepsoAn attention-grabbing discussion is worth comment. I think that you should write more on this subject, it might not be a taboo topic however usually persons are not sufficient to speak on such topics. To the next. Cheers PBN backlink servicePosted 7 months ago by biydamepsoCan I simply say what a reduction to search out someone who truly is aware of what theyre speaking about on the internet. You positively know learn how to convey a difficulty to light and make it important. Extra individuals need to read this and perceive this aspect of the story. I cant consider youre not more popular because you undoubtedly have the gift. Universities in KampalaPosted 2 months ago by biydamepsoMuch obliged for the blog entry mate! Keep them coming... seo backlinks servicePosted 6 years ago by AnonymousI have learned SEO in my course and it has become a fever among all the people these days. People can practice their English writing skills and they can also write custom essay with the help of best essay services reviews coolest essay writing websites. I also like to explore my knowledge about SEO.Posted 2 years ago by robinjack‘Why are you hiding parts of yourself?’ The room suddenly becomes smaller, and my fingers involuntarily become preoccupied with the loose hair stuck to my shirt. I dive into the darkest aspects of myself. buy injectable steroids online with credit cardPosted 2 months ago by biydamepsoAn attention-grabbing discussion is worth comment. I think that you should write more on this subject, it might not be a taboo topic however usually persons are not sufficient to speak on such topics. To the next. Cheers seo backlinks serviceLength: 00:25:30
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SummaryTitle: Kingdom Bound: 6 Letter Words – Matthew 4:12-25 Aim: To understand the imp of repentance & following Christ. Intro: As a child, I was taught not to say certain 4 letter wds, as I’m sure you were also. Of course, didn’t know they were bad wds until you heard someone else say them & then repeated them in front of your mother/father/teacher. These days, many of the 4 letter curse words we were to avoid as children are all too acceptable & if you don’t curse you’re considered a little weird. But there are some wds that are almost thought of as curse wds, because people don’t want to hear them or do them. Some 4 letter wds considered curse wds by some: work (tho we are designed to work), wait, stop, and obey. They cramp our style. And there are several 6 letter wds that many don’t like as well, considering them almost curse wds: commit, submit, and give up (4+2). Jesus used 2 6 letter wds that have almost been forgotten & certainly may seem like curse wds to many, even Christians: repent & follow. Let’s consider these wds today. 2014 theme: KB – bound for the Kingdom, but also bound by the Kingdom. If we are in Christ (or not) the kingdom of God has claims on our lives. I would submit to you that if we are to enter into relationship w/God, & thereby enter into the kingdom of God thru faith in Christ, we must repent & follow Jesus. Belief, repentance, following must go together or none will stand on their own. Matthew 4:12-25 [READ] After His baptism/commissioning to ministry & His temptation by Satan in the desert wilderness, Jesus got wd that John the Baptist had been arrested (which led to John’s death by beheading under King Herod). Hearing that, Matthew recorded that Jesus "w/drew into Galilee,” back to His hometown of Nazareth. But He soon left Nazareth to live in Capernaum, still part of the region of Galilee, but NE of Nazareth & on the NW side of the Sea of Galilee. There Jesus began His 3 yr ministry which culminated at the cross. As Matthew was writing primarily to the Jews, he pointed out that Capernaum was “in the territory of Zebulun & Naphtali, (2 of the tribes of Israel) so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled,” & he quoted Is.9:2, how that the lands of Zebulun & Naphtali, in Galilee of the Gentiles & the people dwelling there in darkness & under the shadow of death, have seen a great light; on them a light has dawned. That light, of course, is Jesus. Then Matthew wrote that “From that time Jesus began to preach.” The wd means “to proclaim, be a herald, w/the suggestion of formality & gravity & authority” commanding a listening & obeying audience (Strong’s). What was Jesus’ message? “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” In vs23 we read that Jesus “went thruout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues & proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom & healing every disease & every affliction among the people.” So Jesus was proclaiming that the kingdom of heaven/God was at hand & then He was showing them that the kingdom was at hand in His very person, by healing, delivering those who were sick, oppressed by demons, etc. Quickly His fame spread. People were naturally caught up w/hearing this new authoritative voice & seeing His accompanying miracles. Was this the one of whom John the Baptist spoke, who would baptize w/the Holy Spirit & fire? Could this be the Messiah? But, if they were to become part of/enter this kingdom; if they believed He was the King/Messiah & so put faith in Him, there were 2 steps they must take – not works to be performed, but natural byproducts of their faith. Same is true for us today & anyone who would enter into this kingdom of God by faith in Jesus Christ as Savior/Lord. We must repent & follow Jesus. May seem like dirty wds because we understand that we are saved by grace alone thru faith alone in Christ alone, which is absolutely true. We can’t be saved by works, tho we are saved to works. But repentance & following are not works, they are the natural follow-thru of genuine faith, which we will see. May seem like dirty wds also because we want to go our own way & call our own shots & we think that to repent & follow will cramp our style. Instead, however, they are the steps to life as it is supposed to be by God’s gracious design. To repent means to “change one’s mind” (Strong’s). It is to turn around & go another way. Repent is a forgotten wd today, altho as David Gudzik wrote, it was the “1st wd of John the Baptist’s gospel (3:1-2), & the 1st wd of Jesus’ gospel (4:17), the 1st wd in the preaching ministry of the disciples (Mk6:12), the 1st wd in the preaching instructions Jesus gave after the resurrection (Lk24:46-47), the 1st wd of exhortation in the 1st Christian sermon (Acts 2:38), & the 1st wd in the mouth of the Apostle Paul thru his ministry (Acts 26:19-20).” I often like what David Gudzik writes, because he thinks like me, but articulates it better. I like what David Gudzik wrote about repentance: “Repentance is not something we do before we can come to God, but what coming to God is like.” He explained, “If you’re in NY & want to go to LA, you must leave NY. If you don’t leave NY, you can’t go to LA. And you can’t come to God thru faith in Christ unless you leave your past & self-life behind.” Repentance leads to following Jesus. To repent is to follow Jesus. Matthew expressed following in 2 different ways. The 1st was when Jesus called His 1st disciples, Peter & his brother Andrew (vs18-19). He said to them “Follow Me & I will make you fishers of men.” They were fishermen, so they understood, at least in part, the concept of catching men. But that wd “follow” is actually 2 wds in the Grk – “deute” & “opiso.” “Deute” means “come hither, come now, w/the force of an interjection: come!” “Opiso” means “after” (Strong’s). “Come after Me, now! Follow Me.” And Jesus called James & John in the same way, & all 4 of them immediately left everything – work, possessions, and family – to follow Jesus. But the wd translated “followed” is another Grk wd – “akoloutheo” which means to “join w/one as his attendant/disciple, accompany, follow after one who precedes” (Strong’s). Following, then, flows from repenting, & repenting leads to following, & both are outworkings of faith. If we turn our gaze onto Christ, placing our faith in Him, then we naturally turn from what was to follow Him. Must be true for us or we have to question our faith in Christ. We must leave our old self, w/its practices, behind, if we would truly follow Christ in whom we believe & upon whom we are banking our life. You may be a murderer, thief, sexual deviant, adulterer, homosexual, idolater (worshiping anything/one else), gossip, liar, sinfully angry, selfish, prideful, arrogant, etc. – but you cannot stay that way if you would follow Christ. If you truly believe, depending solely on Christ for your salvation/relationship w/God, you must repent & follow Christ. Of course, that presents a dilemma, because we can’t do it, tho we must & will if we truly believe. It does take our thought & commitment, but God must & will do it in us who are His by faith. As we’ll see next week in the Beatitudes, we are in desperate need of help because we are spiritually impoverished, but recognizing that leads us to the blessing of God’s help, as we look to Him in faith. But repentance & following are not simply one time decisions/choices; rather they must be repeated, perhaps daily – not to keep ourselves saved, but to keep our focus on Christ, who by His Spirit is continually sanctifying & transforming us. Our part is conscious realignment (still w/God’s help). The potholes are really bad this year, aren’t they? Probably many of us will need to take our cars/trucks to the garage to have the wheels aligned, straightened so they are lined up w/each other & not working against one another. We need the same spiritually & for the same reasons, not only for our own sake, readjusting our focus on Christ, but for the sake of the body, household of God, that we’ll be lined up w/each other, working together, not against each other. That realignment is called repentance – turning our minds/hearts/lives back to Jesus, so that we can follow Him. Repentance must be repeated if we would keep following Jesus. We read in vs 25 that “great crowds followed” Jesus – same wd used in vs20 & 22, describing Peter, Andrew, James & John. They followed Jesus because they wanted to see/experience the miracles. But in John 6:66 we read that “After this (some of Jesus’ hard teachings & conflict w/Jewish leaders) many of His disciples turned back & no longer walked w/Him” (no longer followed Him). Jesus asked the 12, “Will you also go away?” Spokesman Peter replied, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, & we have believed, & have come to know, that You are the Holy One of God” (vs68). They were true believers, yet Peter himself denied knowing Jesus at His trial. All the disciples fled & forsook Jesus at His arrest. After His resurrection, Jesus again said to Peter, 2ce - “follow (akoloutheo) Me.” Peter needed an alignment, to turn again to Jesus, Jesus being His focus, & follow Him. How often we need realignment! When we’re chased by the demons of our past, when we lose sight of Christ in time of crisis/need, when like Peter our gaze is taken off of Christ when the winds of storm arise & we begin to sink, when the temptations of the past pull on us & the lusts of the eyes/flesh & boastful pride of life demand our attention. We must repent – turn & gaze again upon our Savior & follow Him. We may have to do this 100 times a day some days, but we must do it. Don’t quit, give up – turn to look at Him again. Cry out to Him again, not for your eternal salvation which is secure in Christ, but for salvation from that moment, for the light/life of His presence & reign in us. Thru John the Revelator, Jesus said to several of the churches in Asia Minor – Ephesus, Pergamum, Sardis & Laodicea: “Repent” – turn around again & follow Me. To the church at Ephesus He said, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, & do the works you did at 1st.” Return to your 1st love – Me. Is He saying that to our church today? Is He saying that to you today? Bro/Sis, we are Kingdom Bound! Bound for the Kingdom – hallelujah! But also bound by the Kingdom, the Kingdom marking our lives, the King shaping now. May we daily be kingdom minded & King Jesus focused! |
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