Awake Us Now

This week Matthew's writings reveal the authority of Jesus; even the winds and the waves obey Him! This authority, His authority, identifies Him as the Living God.

Dig Deeper - Week 12 - What did they see? Today we take a look at what John and Peter saw when the got to Jesus' grave.

John 20:3-7 ESV tells us, "So Peter went out with the other disciples, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself."

Note: the linen cloths were "lying there" undisturbed.

We continue with John 20:8-9 "Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise from the dead."

When Peter saw the cloths lying as they were, his reaction was something dramatic has happened! John on the other hand, he believed. What did John believe? He accepted what the women had told them that the angel had said that the Lord was risen!

Later they saw Jesus. The disciples' stories of Christ's resurrection are based on them SEEING Him! (Not the abandoned linen clothes.) They saw Him alive. At the very risk of their lives they believed and told that Jesus was alive. And many died for this truth and the world has never been the same.

Now What? Learn about God at https://www.awakeusnow.com EVERYTHING we offer FREE.

View live or on demand: https://www.awakeusnow.com/tuesday-bible-class

For more check out the series, "What's the Answer" https://www.awakeusnow.com/whats-the-answer

Join us Sundays

https://www.awakeusnow.com/sunday-service

Watch via our app. Text HELLO to 888-364-4483 to download our app.

Matthew's writings continue to show and tell us who Jesus. This week we see Jesus as the Rock, the firm foundation. We finish exploring the Sermon on the Mount and begin working through Chapter 8, where we see Jesus has authority!

In this section of Scripture, Jesus addresses common issues that all of us deal with.

Prayer is an amazing gift from God! We have His plea to talk with Him. Genuine prayer; not showy prayer, but rather simply experiencing the presence of our Living God, the Father. Other topics covered are Jesus' teaching on fasting and possessions. Based on Matthew 6:5-24.

Pastor points out the Old Testament's words, "Thus says the LORD," and compares them to the words of Jesus in the New Testament that say, "But I tell you." What does this tell us about who Jesus is? Pastor explores the "But I tell yous" as found in Matthew chapter 5 and we learn what Jesus calls us to. That call is to a changed heart, which can only happen when we come to faith in Jesus. God's call is personal! He wants to change each one of us by the shed blood of Jesus, the Son of God.

In Week 7, we hear more of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Jesus calls us salt and light. What does He mean when He uses these words to describe how we are to be? As historians have looked at world history, more and more of them are coming to the realization Christianity changed everything. Jesus has had a greater impact on the human condition than anyone in all of history. What Jesus produces in people, changes them!

We will look at the two pictures of the Messiah found in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament).

2 Pictures of Messiah

• Reigning King
• Humble Substitute

This double picture is what led some of the great Hebrew rabbis to suggest there might be two Messiahs that would come at different times and in different manners. And that then became the dominant tradition:

• Messiah will raise the dead
• Messiah will be victorious
• Messiah will reign in Jerusalem
• Messiah will bring peace

If we look at the New Testament the early followers of Jesus believed this same thing about the Messiah. However, when we go back to the pictures of Messiah in the Old Testament we don't simply see the reigning King we also see the Humble Substitute.

The eyewitnesses of Jesus raised and alive, is why those believers in Jesus as Messiah changed the world - for the first time they put together that Jesus was both a Reigning King and a Humble Substitute.

They said "There is ONE Messiah but He comes 2 times!"

The resurrection of Jesus puts these 2 Old Testament pictures of the Messiah together into ONE Messiah

• New Testament:
• Messiah was raised from death
• Messiah was victorious
• Messiah will return in victory
• Messiah will reign in Jerusalem
• Messiah will bring lasting peace

The Messiah is Almighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace! He is the King of Kings, He is the Prince of Peace and He IS coming back!

Now What? Learn about God at https://www.awakeusnow.com EVERYTHING we offer FREE.

View live or on demand: https://www.awakeusnow.com/tuesday-bible-class

For more check out the series, "What's the Answer" https://www.awakeusnow.com/whats-the-answer

Join us Sundays

https://www.awakeusnow.com/sunday-service

Watch via our app. Text HELLO to 888-364-4483 to download our app.

We finish Matthew 4 on following Jesus, and begin the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 that opens with the Beatitudes.

Week 5 of our Matthew study digs into chapter 4 on the Temptation of Jesus, His three temptations and the reality of an unseen spiritual world.