THE PARABLES OF JESUS

Prayer

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

Luke 18:1-­8 (NIV)

[1] Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

[2] He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men.

[3] And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'

[4]For some time he refused. But finally he said to…

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

THE POTTER and THE CLAY’

Jeremiah 18:1-4 (NIV)

[1] This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD:

[2] "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message."

[3] So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel.

[4] But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

Isaiah 45:9 (TLB)

[9]…

But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. Matthew 6:3-4

The church has a lot of critics, but no equals. If you want to encounter Jesus, then you need to be a part of the church. Jesus is always aware of what is going on in the lives of His people and in the church.

In the Book of Revelation, Jesus addresses the…

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

The sentence of eternal separation from God is on Adam. Every human being born is automatically “in Adam,” because he is the first biological parent. We all go down in flames with Adam unless we can be transferred to another. That’s what God does in Jesus Christ. Adam was the rebel, Jesus the obedient Son. He reverses the curse Adam brought on himself and his race. Jesus brings us into the new race, destined for…

JOB: Keyword - Sovereignty

Job is perhaps the earliest book of the Bible. Set in the period of the

patriarchs (Abraham, lsaac, Jacob, and Joseph), it tells the story of a man who Lose everything - his wealth, his family, his health and wrestles with the question, why?

A number of facts indicate a patriarchal date for Job, perhaps between Genesis 11 and l2 or not long after the time of Abraham: (1) Job lived 140 years After the events in the book (42:16) his lifespan must…

Exposed to Christ

When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, [who] were uneducated and untrained men, . . . they realized that they had been with Jesus.

- Acts 4:13, emphasis added

The transformation Christ brought about in the apostle John is remarkable. He manifested symptoms of intimate, personal exposure to Jesus, such as the following traits, which reflect the character of Christ. Ponder whether or not these traits are also in your life:

Authenticity: John…

Know That You Know Christ

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves . . . that Jesus Christ is in you.

- 2 Corinthians 13:5, emphasis added

Perhaps your name will be called today, and your life will end here on earth. Are you ready? Do you want to make sure you are going to heaven? Be sure you know that your sins are gone. Be sure you know that God has justified you. What does it mean to be "justified"? In popular everyday language justified…

Know That Christ Knows You

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me."

- John 10:27, emphasis added

There is an unforgettable illustration in the funeral ceremony of Empress Zita, the last Hapsburg Empress:

Thousands fell in line behind the coffin drawn by six black horses. The procession came to a stop at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, and there, a long-observed tradition was enacted. As a member of the funeral party knocked on the closed door…

Know That Christ Defeated Death

Through death He . . . destroy[ed] him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release[d] those who through fear of death were . . . subject to bondage.

- Hebrews 2:14-15, emphasis added

Over fifty-five million humans will enter eternity this year. Some will perish through starvation or murder, others through disease and accident. Some will die painlessly while others will die painfully, but all of them will die. Is that a…

Know That You Believe Christ

And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"

- John 20:28, emphasis added

Thomas was not present on the first occasion when Jesus appeared to His disciples after His Resurrection. The others told him about it afterward, but he replied, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it" (John 20:25 NIV).

Thomas is our pattern; he reflects…

Know What Christ Did

That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

- 1 John 1:3, emphasis added

The greatest power unleashed in Jesus is that He is now available anywhere, anytime, and to anyone. In fact, look at all the chapters in the gospel by John where Jesus was meeting people right where they were-just as He does today:

• Watching…

As the end of days approaches, you can find genuine and lasting hope by knowing Christ's presence!

Know That Christ Is Alive

[John] bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, and to all things that he saw.

- Revelation 1:2, emphasis added

John saw Jesus on Patmos-alive and powerful. The book of Revelation introduces us to the risen Christ of the Gospels and shows Him as the real Christ. When Jesus stepped from the tomb on Resurrection…

IT’S NOT TOO LATE . . .

Pt. 1 - FOR A FRESH START

Isaiah 43:19 NLT

“For I am about to do a brand-new thing. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness for my people to come home. I will create rivers for them in the desert!”

Isaiah 6:1-8 NIV

“ [1] In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. [2] Above him were seraphs, each…

Trials and Temptations a Formula of Faith

James 1:1-12

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings. 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives…

New Testament Books & Key Words

1. Matthew: King - Jesus Christ presented as the King of the Jews, the prophesied messiah (Anointed One), and Emmanuel (God with us). (4:17)

2. Mark: Servant - Jesus Christ presented as the perfect Servant who came "to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." (10:45).

3. Luke: Perfect Man - Jesus Christ presented as the perfect Son of Man whose mission was "to seek and to save that which was lost." (19:10).

4. John:…

Defeating the Devil's Strategies

John 21:15-19

All of us make tracks through the valley of failure. Then the key question is, What we will do next? Sadly, many believers who stumble give up a vibrant kingdom-serving life for a defeated existence. But failure can also be a chance for a new beginning of living in Christ's strength.

In pride, Peter thought his faith was the strongest of all the disciples' and swore that even if the others left Jesus, he never would (Mark…