GRATEFUL // November 21, 2021 // Pastor Jeff Hines
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LIKE THE MEN OF ISSACHAR // Sunday, September 19, 2021 // Pastor Jeff Hines
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Sunday — September 19, 2021
Understanding the Times
1 Chronicles 12: 32 (ESV)
Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times,
to know what Israel ought to do
Puritan / Israel Covenant
1. Individual Rights Come from God
2. Individual Accountability to God
Yale University Coat of Arms
Individual Rights Come from God
Individual Accountability to God
Spectrum of World History
Concentrated Power Vs Separated Power
YHWH / God
1. He is watching you
2. He wants you to be just
3. He will hold you accountable
Conscience
Day of Atonement / Yom Kippur
Psalm 103: 12 (ESV)
As far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
Hebrews 8: 12 (ESV)
For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more
Without God, there is no virtue because there is no prompting of the conscience.
What happened to Israel?
Judges 17: 6 & 21: 25 (ESV)
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
1 Samuel 8: 7 (ESV)
And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.
THE GREAT COMMISSION // Sunday, September 5, 2021
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Sunday — September 5, 2021
The Great Commission
World Missionaries: 26 @ $2,275.00 / $27,300.00
Home Missions: 8 @ $700.00 / $8,400.00
Children
Hill Crest Children’s Home
Child Hope
One Child: 47 Children / $21,982.00
51% of Churchgoers do not know of the Great Commission
Matthew 28: 18 – 20 (NLT)
Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Almost half of practicing Christian millennial say evangelism is wrong
Joshua Project
7,402 Unreached People Groups * 42.5 % * 3.1 Billion People
WHAT YOU GET- WHAT YOU GIVE // Sunday, August 29, 2021
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Sunday — August 29, 2021
What You Get – What You Give
What you get when you receive Christ:
1. Forgiveness
Romans 5: 15 (NLT)
…there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ.
2. Eternal Life
Romans 6: 23 (NLT)
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
3. The Holy Spirit
Romans 5: 3 - 5 (ESV)
…we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,
4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
4. Abilities
Ephesians 2: 10 (NLT)
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Why does God give us abilities?
1. To bring Him glory
1 Corinthians 10: 31 (NLT)
So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
2. To serve others.
1 Peter 4: 10 (NLT)
God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.
3. To be an example to others.
1 Timothy 4: 14 – 18 (NLT)
Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. 15 Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress. 16 Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.
4. To build the church.
Ephesians 4: 11 – 13 (NLT)
Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
What should I do?
1. Discover
2. Develop
3. Dedicate
4. Deploy
A Final word:
Romans 12: 3 – 9 (NLT)
I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. 4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. 6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. 9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them…
DANIEL: Being a Christian in Babylon, chapter 12 // Sunday, August 22, 2021
/Sunday — August 22, 2021
Chronological Order of Daniel
1 Babylonian Exile
2 Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
3 Nebuchadnezzar’s Image
4 Nebuchadnezzar’s Pride
7 The Times of the Gentiles
8 The Ram and Goat
5 Babylon falls to Persia
9 Prophecy of the 70 Weeks
6 Daniel in the Lions’ Den
10 - 12 Closing Visions
Daniel 12: 1- 11 (NLT)
“At that time Michael, the archangel
who stands guard over your nation, will arise. Then there will be a time of anguish greater than any since nations first came into existence. But at that time every one of your people whose name is written in the book will be rescued.
2 Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting disgrace.
3 Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever.
4 But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the time of the end, when many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase.”
5 Then I, Daniel, looked and saw two others standing on opposite banks of the river.
6 One of them asked the man dressed in linen, who was now standing above the river, “How long will it be until these shocking events are over?”
7 The man dressed in linen, who was standing above the river, raised both his hands toward heaven and took a solemn oath by the One who lives forever, saying, “It will go on for a time, times, and half a time. When the shattering of the holy people has finally come to an end, all these things will have happened.”
8 I heard what he said, but I did not understand what he meant. So I asked, “How will all this finally end, my lord?”
9 But he said, “Go now, Daniel, for what I have said is kept secret and sealed until the time of the end.
10 Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined by these trials. But the wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand. Only those who are wise will know what it means.
11 “From the time the daily sacrifice is stopped and the sacrilegious object that causes desecration is set up to be worshiped, there will be 1,290 days.
Matthew 24: 15 (NLT)
“The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place.” (Reader, pay attention!)
Daniel 12: 12 & 13 (NLT)
12 And blessed are those who wait and remain until the end of the 1,335 days!
13 “As for you, go your way until the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days, you will rise again to receive the inheritance set aside for you.”
DANIEL: Being a Christian in Babylon, chapter 11 part 2 // Sunday, August 8, 2021
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Sunday — August 8, 2021
Daniel 11 (part 2)
A helpful way to view Bible prophecy: It is Accurate, but Selective.
Daniel 8: 7 – 14; 23 - 25 (NLT)
7 The goat charged furiously at the ram and struck him, breaking off both his horns. Now the ram was helpless, and the goat knocked him down and trampled him. No one could rescue the ram from the goat’s power.
8 The goat became very powerful.
But at the height of his power,
his large horn was broken off.
In the large horn’s place grew four prominent horns pointing in the four directions of the earth.
9 Then from one of the prominent horns came a small horn whose power grew very great. It extended toward the south and the east and toward the glorious land of Israel.
10 Its power reached to the heavens, where it attacked the heavenly army, throwing some of the heavenly beings and some of the stars to the ground and trampling them.
11 It even challenged the Commander of heaven’s army by canceling the daily sacrifices offered to him and by destroying his Temple.
12 The army of heaven was restrained from responding to this rebellion. So the daily sacrifice was halted, and truth was overthrown (Mosaic Law). The horn succeeded in everything it did.
13 Then I heard two holy ones talking to each other. One of them asked, “How long will the events of this vision last? How long will the rebellion that causes desecration stop the daily sacrifices? How long will the Temple and heaven’s army be trampled on?”
14 The other replied, “It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the Temple will be made right again.”
23 “At the end of their rule, when their sin is at its height, a fierce king, a master of intrigue, will rise to power.
24 He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause a shocking amount of destruction and succeed in everything he does. He will destroy powerful leaders and devastate the holy people.
25 He will be a master of deception and will become arrogant; he will destroy many without warning. He will even take on the Prince of princes in battle, but he will be broken, though not by human power.
Daniel 11: 21 - 31 (NLT)
“The next to come to power will be a despicable man who is not in line for royal succession. He will slip in when least expected and take over the kingdom by flattery and intrigue.
22 Before him great armies will be swept away, including a covenant prince.
23 With deceitful promises, he will make various alliances. He will become strong despite having only a handful of followers.
24 Without warning he will enter the richest areas of the land. Then he will distribute among his followers the plunder and wealth of the rich—something his predecessors had never done. He will plot the overthrow of strongholds, but this will last for only a short while.
25 “Then he will stir up his courage and raise a great army against the king of Egypt. The king of Egypt will go to battle with a mighty army, but to no avail, for there will be plots against him.
26 His own household will cause his downfall. His army will be swept away, and many will be killed.
27 Seeking nothing but each other’s harm, these kings will plot against each other at the conference table, attempting to deceive each other. But it will make no difference, for the end will come at the appointed time.
28 “The king of Syria will then return home with great riches. On the way he will set himself against the people of the holy covenant, doing much damage before continuing his journey.
29 “Then at the appointed time he will once again invade Egypt, but this time the result will be different.
30For warships from western coastlands will scare him off, and he will withdraw and return home. But he will vent his anger against the people of the holy covenant and reward those who forsake the covenant.
31 “His army will take over the Temple fortress, pollute the sanctuary,
put a stop to the daily sacrifices,
and set up the sacrilegious object that causes desecration.
Matthew 24: 15 (NLT)
“The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place.” (Reader, pay attention!)
2 Thessalonians 2: 2 & 3 (NLT)
Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us.
3 Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction.
Daniel 11: 32 - 35 (NLT)
32 He will flatter and win over those who have violated the covenant.
But the people who know their God will be strong and will resist him.
33 “Wise leaders will give instruction to many, but these teachers will die by fire and sword, or they will be jailed and robbed.
34 During these persecutions, little help will arrive, and many who join them will not be sincere.
35 And some of the wise will fall victim to persecution. In this way, they will be refined and cleansed and made pure until the time of the end, for the appointed time is still to come.
Daniel 11: 1 – 35 contains 135 prophecies that have been fulfilled..
DANIEL: Being a Christian in Babylon, chapter 11 // Sunday, August 1, 2021
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Sunday — August 1, 2021
Daniel 11 (NLT)
A helpful way to view Bible prophecy: It is Accurate, but Selective.
Daniel 11: 1 (NASB)
In the first year of Darius the Mede, I arose to be of assistance and a protection for him.
Daniel 10: 2 (NLT)
“Now then, I will reveal the truth to you. Three more Persian kings will reign, to be succeeded by a fourth, far richer than the others. He will use his wealth to stir up everyone to fight against the kingdom of Greece.
Daniel 11: 3 & 4 (NLT)
“Then a mighty king will rise to power who will rule with great authority and accomplish everything he sets out to do.
4 But at the height of his power, his kingdom will be broken apart and divided into four parts. It will not be ruled by the king’s descendants, nor will the kingdom hold the authority it once had. For his empire will be uprooted and given to others.
Daniel 11: 5 (NLT)
“The king of the south will increase in power, but one of his own officials will become more powerful than he and will rule his kingdom with great strength.
Daniel 11: 6 (NLT)
Some years later an alliance will be formed between the king of the north
(Syria) and the king of the south (Egypt). The daughter of the king of the south (Syria) will be given in marriage to the king of the north (Egypt) to secure the alliance, but she will lose her influence over him, and so will her father. She will be abandoned along with her supporters.
Daniel 11: 7 – 20 (NLT)
7 But when one of her relatives
becomes king of the south (Egypt),
he will raise an army and enter the fortress of the king of the north (Syria) and defeat him.
8 When he returns to Egypt, he will carry back their idols with him, along with priceless articles of gold and silver. For some years afterward he will leave the king of the north (Syria) alone.
9 “Later the king of the north (Syria) will invade the realm of the king of the south (Egypt) but will soon return to his own land.
10 However, the sons of the king of the north (Syria) will assemble a mighty army that will advance like a flood and carry the battle as far as the enemy’s fortress.
11 “Then, in a rage, the king of the south (Egypt) will rally against the vast forces assembled by the king of the north (Syria) and will defeat them.
12 After the enemy army is swept away, the king of the south (Egypt) will be filled with pride and will execute many thousands of his enemies. But his success will be short lived.
13 “A few years later the king of the north (Syria) will return with a fully equipped army far greater than before.
14 At that time there will be a general uprising against the king of the south (Egypt). Violent men among your own people will join them in fulfillment of this vision, but they will not succeed.
15 Then the king of the north (Syria) will come and lay siege to a fortified city and capture it. The best troops of the south (Egypt) will not be able to stand in the face of the onslaught.
16 “The king of the north (Syria) will march onward unopposed; none will be able to stop him. He will pause in the glorious land of Israel, intent on destroying it.
17 He will make plans to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will form an alliance with the king of the south (Egypt). He will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom from within, but his plan will fail.
18 “After this, he will turn his attention to the coastland and conquer many cities. But a commander from another land will put an end to his insolence and cause him to retreat in shame.
19 He will take refuge in his own fortresses but will stumble and fall and be seen no more.
20 “His successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor. But after a very brief reign, he will die, though not from anger or in battle.
DANIEL: Being a Christian in Babylon, chapter 10 // Sunday, July 25, 2021
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Sunday — July 25, 2021
Daniel 19: 1-3 (NLT)
In the third year of the reign of King Cyrus of Persia, Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar) had another vision. He understood that the vision concerned events certain to happen in the future—times of war and great hardship.
2 When this vision came to me, I, Daniel, had been in mourning for three whole weeks.
3 All that time I had eaten no rich food. No meat or wine crossed my lips, and I used no fragrant lotions until those three weeks had passed.
Romans 8: 28 (NLT)
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Philippians 4: 6 & 7 (ESV)
Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Daniel 10: 4 - 6 (NLT)
On April 23, as I was standing on the bank of the great Tigris River,
5 I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist.
6 His body looked like a precious gem. His face flashed like lightning, and his eyes flamed like torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze, and his voice roared like a vast multitude of people.
Daniel 10: 7 - 9 (NLT)
Only I, Daniel, saw this vision. The men with me saw nothing, but they were suddenly terrified and ran away to hide.
8 So I was left there all alone to see this amazing vision. My strength left me, my face grew deathly pale,
and I felt very weak.
9 Then I heard the man speak, and when I heard the sound of his voice,
I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground.
Romans 3: 23
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
Daniel 10: 10 & 11 (NLT)
Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees.
11 And the man said to me, “Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you.” When he said this to me, I stood up,
still trembling.
12 Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer.
13 But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia.
14 Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future,
for this vision concerns a time yet to come.”
15 While he was speaking to me,
I looked down at the ground, unable to say a word.
16 Then the one who looked like a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing in front of me, “I am filled with anguish because of the vision I have seen, my lord, and I am very weak.
17 How can someone like me, your servant, talk to you, my lord?
My strength is gone, and I can hardly breathe.”
18 Then the one who looked like a man touched me again, and I felt my strength returning.
19 “Don’t be afraid,” he said, “for you are very precious to God.
Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!”
As he spoke these words to me, I suddenly felt stronger and said to him, “Please speak to me, my lord, for you have strengthened me.”
20 He replied, “Do you know why I have come? Soon I must return to fight against the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia, and after that the spirit prince of the kingdom of Greece will come.
21 Meanwhile, I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one helps me against these spirit princes except Michael, your spirit prince.
