Sermons by Pastor Ernest Amstalden (Page 30)

O LORD, PLEASE OPEN HIS EYES

Question of the week:
What difference does this truth make in your life, having your eyes now opened to the reality of this intense spiritual battle between God Almighty and the fallen angels, and how does this truth affect your behavior since you now know that your loyalty to God is being watched every day by both sides of the spiritual war?
Quote by Michael Heiser
“Many people think of the New Testament as a recounting of the life of Jesus and the apostles sprinkled with a collection of letters sent by Paul to churches with odd names. While we follow these men and their lives and read the correspondence, the New Testament is so much more.
The New Testament makes the rebirth of a struggle thousands of years in the making. The people of God have been isolated and under foreign rule. The divine presence of the days of Moses, David, Solomon, and the prophets is nothing but memory. When angels visit Mary and Zechariah to announce the impending births of Jesus and John, centuries of divine silence are broken. Thirty years later, JUDEA WILL EXPLODE. THE UNSEEN SPIRITUAL CONFLICT IS EVEN MORE VOLATILE.
Every chapter of the New Testament provides a glimpse into this conflict. The cosmic geography of the Old Testament is evident in the New. Where Jesus goes and what he says and does when he gets there is framed BY CONFRONTATION WITH UNSEEN POWERS. The conflict pursues him unto death – as God has planned and Jesus provoked. THE KINGDOM OF GOD ESTABLISHES A PERMANENT BEACHHEAD AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS AND THE DOOR OF THE EMPTY TOMB.
The rest of the New Testament draws heavily on Old Testament motifs. Jesus is gone but present, just as Yahweh was in heaven invisible yet on earth in human form. The seed of Abraham, scattered to the winds in exile, turn out to function like spiritual cell groups secretly planted in every nation under the dominion of the hostile gods. The kingdom spreads slowly but relentlessly, one new believer at a time. EVERY CHURCH IS A NEW POCKED OF RESISTANCE, EVERY BAPTISM ANOTHER PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE MOST HIGH, EVERY CELEBRATION OF THE LORD’S SUPPER A DENIAL OF FELLOWSHIP WITH LESSER MASTERS AND A PROCLAMATION OF THE SUCCESS OF YAHWEH’S MYSTERIOUS PLAN.
The lines are drawn. The stakes are high. The enemy desperate. The fullness of the Gentiles will come, all Israel will be saved, and the Deliverer will come from the heavenly Zion.
IT’S JUST A MATTER OF TIME. Dr. Michael Heiser

CAN YOU HANDLE THE TRUTH?

Question of the week:
The Greek word “apologia” means to give an answer for the way you live. The best example of “apologia” is found in Acts 22:1-26:32. As you read and study the entire episode, extract some of the major points the Apostle Paul is making for his defense, and what would your personal answer be if questioned to give an answer for the way you live?

YOU WILL BE REWARDED

1 Peter 3:8-14 1 Peter 1:13; 1 Peter 3:12; 1 Peter 1:6-7 Matthew 19:27-29; Matthew 6:1-4 Matthew 6:20; Matthew 10:41; Matthew 16:27 Ephesians 6:7-8; Colossians 3:23-24 Hebrews 10:35; 1 Peter 3:8-11

FINDING REST IN A RESTLESS WORLD

Question of the week:
From the day God created a man and a woman and put them in the Garden of Eden, he meant for them to find rest in His creation. Can you find that principle in the Old and New Testament
applied when people disobeyed or obeyed it? What was the result in every instance?

LIVING BY BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES

Question of the week:
We all know that the Bible clearly states that we are Ambassadors of Jesus Christ, that is, we are representative of the Heavenly Kingdom on this earth. As such, we do not have authority beyond what has been bestowed upon us to represent the King of Heaven. Why is this kingdom principle of uttermost importance to make a wife/husband relationship fulfilled and blessed? You may want to study John 5:18-23 to find the kingdom principle at work.

THE DIVINE ALTERNATIVE

Question of the week:
Jesus revealed in Matthew 5:38-42 how the divine alternative impacts our responses to unjust treatment. How does His teaching apply to everyday situations in your life, and how would unbelievers perceive Christianity if you lived by this divine alternative?

BUILDING WITH LIVING STONES

Question of the week:
The writer of Hebrews communicates that those who were not the people of God in the Old Covenant have become the people of God through the New Covenant (Hebrews 8:7-13).
This has been prophesied in the Old Testament. Which prophets did so? and where is this also taught in the New Testament?

I CAN ONLY IMAGINE

Question of the week:
Hebrews 4:12 states that ”THE WORD OF GOD IS LIVING AND ACTIVE, SHARPER THAN ANY TWO-EDGED SWORD, PIERCING TO THE DIVISION OF SOUL AND OF SPIRIT, OF JOINTS AND OF MARROW AND DISCERNING THE THOUGHTS AND INTENTIONS OF THE HEART.” What does this verse SAY TO YOU PERSONALLY, and what other Scripture verses can you find that will help you see the importance of feeding on the Word of God daily?

HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT THAT?

Question of the week:
Peter is telling us that we have been “ransomed” with the “precious blood of Christ”. Why is the blood of Jesus “precious”? Explain it in your own words.
Send in your answers!

THE RESURRECTION CHANGES EVERYTHING

1 Corinthians 15:1-7 John 11:17-27 1 Corinthians 15:12-22; 2 Corinthians 5:14-20 1. His followers WITNESSED HIS MIRACLES 2. His followers EMBRACED HIS TEACHINGS Matthew 13:1-23 3. His followers WATCHED HIS CRUCIFIXION…