TEXT: ‘When the religious leaders saw the outrageous things he was doing, and heard all the children running and shouting through the Temple, “Hosanna to David’s Son!” they were up in arms and took him to task. “Do you hear what these children are saying?” Jesus said, “Yes, I hear them. And haven’t you read in God’s Word, ‘From the mouths of children and babies I’ll furnish a place of praise’?”’ – Matthew 21:15-16 The Message THOUGHT: Sometimes the problem is simply this: there are some people you just cannot please whatever you say or do. They never show their appreciation, nor say, “Thank you!” Matthew 21:12-16 records how Jesus cleared the merchants and money changers out of the temple. Then He healed the blind and lame. Even the children ended up excitedly praising God saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” They were copying what the multitudes had been shouting as Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. This was the final straw for the chief priests and scribes. Unable to deny the fact that Jesus was doing wonderful miracles, they tried to silence the praise. In reply, Jesus reminded them of Psalm 8:2, that what the children were doing was a fulfilment of prophecy. There really is...
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TEXT: ‘Look! I have been standing at the door, and I am constantly knocking. If anyone hears me calling him and opens the door, I will come in and fellowship with him and he with me’ – Revelation 3:20 Living Bible THOUGHT: Radical changes have taken place recently concerning door to door selling. Many homes now display a sign stating “No cold callers”. Home owners, plagued by repeated calls from over-zealous sales teams using aggressive sales techniques, have resorted to this to protect their privacy. Acting on the advice of the Police and Trading Standards, they are now careful about who they want knocking on their door. In this teaching we will study two occasions in the Bible where it mentions something or someone being at the door. Both will have an influence over a person’s life if they are allowed to. Sin – ‘You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master’ – Genesis 4:7 NLT Cain’s offering had been rejected whereas his brother Abel’s was accepted. God warned Cain that there was a powerful force...
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TEXT: ‘So the king asked me, “Why are you looking so sad? You don’t look sick to me. You must be deeply troubled.”’ – Nehemiah 2:2 NLT THOUGHT: Moving from Wadebridge to Exeter, I went from living in a small town of 5,000 to a city of over 100,000 people. I remember walking the High Street, seeing hundreds of people rushing to and fro, and thinking, “I don’t know anyone!” Previously in Wadebridge it sometimes took me an hour just to buy a newspaper, because I would stop and chat with people I knew. Another time walking along the High Street, I noticed how sad and worried the faces were of those around me. Looking at the ground as they walked, they seemed to be carrying all the cares of the world. The first time I was just thinking about me. The second occasion I started thinking about others because I noticed them. Jenny & I have just returned from a lovely holiday in Mexico. Despite forecasts of rain and stormy weather, we enjoyed brilliant sunshine and never saw a drop of rain to spoil our sunbathing or sightseeing! At breakfast on the first day I noticed a lady sat alone several tables away. She was making a phone...
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TEXT: ‘Let us not neglect our church meetings, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of His coming back again is drawing near’ – Hebrews 10:25 The Living Bible THOUGHT: Recently I was challenged by the results of a survey. “There are 320 million people in the USA, yet fewer than 20% attend church services regularly. The No 1 reason for not attending, “They say they are too busy!” This situation is being made worse as 150,000 walk away from church every week. It’s the same in the UK and many other countries, although the numbers and percentages are different. What can reverse this trend?” One thing can. One action can inspire someone to return. One simple gesture could lead them back to church. One question could change everything “Would you like to come to church with me?” An Alarming Statistic The survey discovered that only 2% of church members invite an unchurched person to their church in a whole year. Friendship evangelism is the most productive, yet obviously it is the most neglected. A Golden Opportunity The survey also discovered that over 80% of the unchurched said they would be more likely to attend if they were invited by a...
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TEXT: ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ’ – Ephesians 1:3 THOUGHT: As a Christian, Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is for you too. It is not just an historical record, or religious writing. It is God’s living word and it has the power to change your life for the better. One of the best ways to draw strength, inspiration and direction from the Bible is to personalise it. Realise that the promises are to you too, because you are in Christ. God’s Word says, ‘All the promises of God in Christ Jesus are Yes and Amen’ – 2 Corinthians 1:20. The requirement to benefit is to be in Christ. That only happens when we repent of our sins and receive God’s forgiveness. A whole new world opens up to us. We are born again and become like a new baby entering this world, everything is brand new. Then we can start discovering who we are in Christ, what are our rights and privileges, and what we can do through His name and the power of the Holy Spirit. Reading the Book of Ephesians is a wonderful experience, greatly enhanced by personalising it. So I...
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TEXT: ‘Although my house is not so with God, yet He has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. For this is all my salvation and all my desire; will He not make it increase?’ – 2 Samuel 23:5 THOUGHT: This teaching is the third in the King David trilogy and is taken from 2 Samuel 23:1-7. It is about the thoughts or positive confession of David towards the end of his life. Not the confession of his sins, but of the promises of God. There are some wonderful truths to be discovered than can shape our lives and help us understand why David was referred to as a man after God’s own heart – Acts 13:22. Keep going to the end and then look back over your life with thankfulness – ‘Now these are the last words of David’ He lived a life of praise and thankfulness often in the midst of great difficulty. It started early in his life as a psalmist and musician while still a young shepherd boy. Many of the psalms were written by David when he went through a crisis but then came into blessing as God intervened. Too many leave this life in bitterness and regret. Not so David! At the end he was still being influenced...
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