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The Teachings of Jesus - Call of Levi (Matthew)

Text: Luke 5:27-39 The Occasion The call of Levi (Matthew) The reception at Levi’s home The criticism of the Pharisees Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners? The disciples of John fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink. (why?) The Parable “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the piece from the

God is still active, even in the silence

The Intertestamental Period “Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days —You would not believe if you were told.” The Intertestamental Period 333 BC -----------------------------------70 AD The rise of the Greek Empire Under Alexander the Great (following the return of the Jewish Exiles) The destruction of the Jerusalem Temple (The end of the nation of Israel until 1948) Writings and the “Voice of God” The Apocrypha D

Ezra – Learning from our Mistakes

Text: the book of Ezra -- DIVINE ORCHESTRATION King Cyrus of Persia decrees that the Temple in Jerusalem should be rebuilt He frees all the captive Israelites to return and rebuild the temple He suggests that everyone should give offerings to the Israelites for this task King Cyrus returns all the articles formerly taken from the house of the Lord King Artaxerxes I stops the work on the temple King Artaxerxes is swayed by Samaritans who slandered the Israelite

Here’s Something to Think About -- What Is Hope?

Hope is a word that is used so frequently and casually these days that it has lost much of the meaning ascribed to it in the scriptures. We may hear someone say, “I hope I win the lottery.” Or, “I hope it doesn’t rain and spoil our cookout” or “I hope we get some rain to end this drought.” This use of the word hope is nothing more than an expressed desire or wishful thinking without any real basis for an expectation of fulfillment. However, where the word hope is used in scr