CCF Weekly Services Podcast

Jesus demonstrates upon entering Jerusalem that the God of Israel is more involved in the lives of His people than we give Him credit for. He demonstrates emotion to such a degree that it shows how invested He is in the lives of His people. He recalls the prophecies they ignored showing how much God had planned for their peace. And upon entering Jerusalem's Temple to cleanse it (again), he shows that investment is a long-term one. He won't tolerate evil for the same reason He won't go back on His promises. The only thing standing between us and a good God is a willingness to personally recognize and receive Him for who He is.

1. God cares about us personally.
2. God has a purpose and a plan for our lives.
3. God will clean where He dwells.

Those who will lose their lives at the beginning of the Tribulation ask God for vengeance in Heaven. This isn't a sinful act, but the response to that prayer is worth noting. They are told to do the same thing we are told to do when we are required to love and forgive our enemies. Receive God's Righteousness and rest in Him until His timing takes place.

1. More people will come to a saving relationship with Jesus in the Tribulation than any other time in history.
2. If you can't live for Jesus before the Tribulation, you won't be able to endure all but guaranteed martyrdom for Him then.
3. Forgiveness of those who have legitimately harmed us is impossible apart from God. And even then it's a challenge.

Jesus' Triumphal Entry went exactly as God intended it to. It also happened precisely when He intended it to. The only thing that would have kept anyone from fully appreciating these promises fulfilled was fear and doubt. The more we know God's word, the fewer reasons we have to doubt His promises. And the more reasons we have to trust His timing.

1. If you want God's perfect timing to be a reality in your life, it starts with doing God's will for your life.
2. Waiting for God's timing isn't passive. The time we spend in between prayer and fulfillment needs to be preparation.
3. The difference between the people who enjoy the fulfillment of God's promises and those who don't is fear.

The Tribulation begins with the rise of the Antichrist and the fallout of that judgment. With reference after reference to the Old Testament, the significance of each ultimately results in more deaths than this world has ever seen take place in correlation with an event. While there are differing views on the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,” the main point is that Jesus' kingdom couldn't be more unlike the beginning of the Antichrist's kingdom in every possible way. Yet when the world refuses Jesus Christ, all that's left for them is His opposite.

1. The Antichrist's rise to power will begin in peace, but take more life than any other antichrist before him.
2. The wrath of God includes but isn't limited to allowing people who love lies to be given what they want.
3. Jesus is perfectly contrasted by the Antichrist's kingdom and rise to power in every way.

Jesus tells a parable familiar to those involved with politics during His time. The purpose of this parable is explained in its punchline. The Kingdom of God isn't something they just let happen, but something they faithfully anticipate with the things they were charged to do in the mean time. Those who get caught up in this world or distracted miss out for a number of reasons. They either forget who they're serving, or what their purpose is to begin with.

1. How we view God matters.
2. Boredom is the attitude of forgotten purpose.
3. Faithfulness is what will be rewarded in Heaven.

Modern culture assumes that society makes people evil. Christianity acknowledges that people make society. Until our hearts are changed, nothing around us will. That is the hope of the Gospel. Only God can change our hearts and truly deal with the problem we refuse to acknowledge.

1. The Bible teaches that mankind is born naturally in a state of rebellion against God.
2. Society shifts the blame for what is wrong within us to what is wrong around us.
3. If we are born broken, we aren't our solution. If we are born again, we have received the solution.

Modern culture believes that freedom is found in demonstrating who we truly are. Scripture defines freedom as the ability to do what is best for you. If there is a right and wrong way to live life, then the difference between the Christian and the non-Christian is a heart that wants to live life the way Jesus gives us the freedom to do. To demonstrate His nature, rather than our own.

1. Christians aren't just given forgiveness for their sins, but a new nature that doesn't want to sin.
2. Freedom is the ability to do what is best for you.
3. The Christian Nature doesn't just stop sinning, but is now free to do what is good.

Christians don't fight sin by denying its power over us, shaming ourselves, or isolating ourselves over it. Self Control is called a fruit of the Spirit because it takes God's direct intervention in our hearts to understand, combat, and perceive sin properly.

1. Temptation isn't sin.
2. Fighting sin first requires us to see it as an enemy, which is a miracle.
3. A Saved Soul desires the sinless life it has never known because of the fact God's heart has replaced their own.