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Showing posts from April, 2023

Are you willing to suffer for someone else to know Jesus?

In our study this week of the book of Habakkuk, we saw the prophet Habakkuk questioning God, receiving God’s answer, and praying to God, declaring that, despite the lack of blessings, he would continue to rejoice in God.  We saw God give Habakkuk an unconventional, even undesirable, answer to his question.  God was going to do a new thing.  God told Habakkuk to watch and be utterly amazed.  God was about to do something he would not believe!  Then the Lord declared that He was going to raise up Judah’s enemy, the Babylonians… God was going to use the Babylonians to discipline His people for their sins for 70 years.   God was going to use the Babylonians to call His people back to Himself.   God was going to use the Babylonians to fulfill the prophecies His people ignored. Habakkuk questioned this, but ultimately he declared his faith in God despite exile, despite fig trees without buds, despite bare grapevines, despite failed olive crops, despite e...

Homiletics: Habakkuk

Content ( not sentence, direct verbiage from Scripture, fit on one line ): 1.Hab:how long I call4hlp,u listen ;y mk me lk injstc/u tolr8 wrong;law paralyzd/justic prvrtd(Hab 1:1-4) 2.Lk nations,be amazed,I going do smthng u believe ;I raising Babylonians;dreaded ppl(Hab 1:5-7) 3.fly lk eagle devour;hordes adv lk desert wind;guilty ppl(Hab 1:8-11) 4.u L apptd them;ur eyes too pure lk on evil,y u tolerate the treacherous(Hab 1:12-13) 5.u md ppl lk fish;wicked pulls them up w/hooks,catches in net,gathers in dragnet,rejoices(Hab 1:14-15) 6.he sacrifices to net, burns incense to dragnet;is he to kp emptyng net/destroying nations(Hab 1:16-17) 7.I will lk to see what he will say(Hab 2:1) 8.L:write revelation, mk plain on tablet so herald may run w/it;rev awaits apptd time(Hab 2:2-3) 9.enemy puffed, desires uprt , rteous live by faithfulness;woe to him who piles stolen goods(Hab 2:4-6) 10.bec u plunderd many nations, ppls will plunder u;u plotted ruin many ppls;stones cry o...

Devotional: Lamentations

Have you ever been in a desperate situation where you were waiting on God for deliverance?  Back in 2010, I was diagnosed with cancer, and it sent my family into a tailspin!  Both of my in-laws died of cancer, so my husband was especially numb when the diagnosis came.  My first reaction was: oh God, I’m going to die.  And He spoke to my heart, telling me, “This is not how I’m going to take you out of this world.  Fight.”  And fight I did.  Surgery.  Chemotherapy.  Preparation for reconstruction. Reconstruction surgery.  Continuing to work a job throughout the whole process.  And the things that got me through this desperate time were my faith in God, my supportive family, my church, and the mission I’d been given to walk through this illness in such a way as to be an example to others who were watching.  Some of those watchers were patients at the cancer center who were terrified about their own diagnoses.  I would sit in ...

Homiletics: Lamentations

Content ( not sentence, direct verbiage from Scripture, fit on one line ): 1.desrtd city lk widow;bittrly weeps,friends>enemies;Jud>exile;splendor departd;Jerus sinned(Lam1:1-8) 2.enemy triumphd,ppl groan;L sent fire;trampled Jud;I weep,no1 comfort;children destitute(Lam1:9-16) 3.Jerus unclean;L rteous I rebelled;allied betrayed;distressed,inside death;my groans many(Lam1:17-22) 4.L covered Zion anger;brought kingdm/princes dn;w/d rt hand;reject altar,abandon sanctuar(Lam2:1-8) 5.gates sunk/brkn,king/princes exiled;dust hds;weepg,ppl destrd;proph false;enemies scoff(Las 2:9-16) 6.L fulfilled wd;ppl cry out;should wn eat offsprg;young/old slaughtered;no1 escaped(Lam 2:17-22)   7.I seen afflict L’s wrath;turned hand v me;besieged me;weighed me dn;shuts out my prayer(Lam 3:1-8) 8.md paths crooked;left me w/o help;pierced my heart;filled me bitter herbs;trampled me(Lam 3:9-16) 9.deprived pc;soul dncast;yet hv hope;bec L’s compass nvr fail;great faithfulness;L=...

Homiletics: Jeremiah 30-33

Content ( not sentence, direct verbiage from Scripture, fit on one line ): 1.wd came Jer;L:write;days cming I bring Is/Jud bk,restore land;cries lk wm labor;Jacob saved(Jer 30:1-7) 2.that day;they serve king I raise; afraid ;I save u/with u/discipline;allies forgot u(Jer 30:8-14) 3.bec sins I done these;ur enemies go exile;I restore u/heal;songs thsgvg;community estab(Jer 30:15-21) 4.u my ppl,I ur G;anger accompl purposes;I G Is;ppl survive I gv rest;I lvd u;sing songs joy(Jer30:22-31:7) 5.I gather;they come,will pray;hear wd L,proclaim;L deliver/redeem;they sorrow no more(Jer 31:8-14) 6.L:voice Ramah,Rachel weeping for children;hope for descendants;strayed/repented(Jer 31:15-21) 7.How long u wander;I refresh weary;days coming I plant Is/Judah(Jer 31:22-28) 8.those days every1 die own sin;days cmng I mk new cov;put law minds write hearts;G/ppl(Jer 31:29-35) 9.only if hvns meas I rej desc Is;days cmng city rebuilt;whole valley holy nvr again demo (Jer 31:36-40)  ...

Homiletics: Jeremiah 1

Content ( not sentence, direct verbiage from Scripture, fit on one line ): 1.wds Jeremiah son Hilkiah, one of priests Anathoth territory Benjamin (Jer 1:1) 2.wd L came 13 th y reign Josiah koJ (Jer 1:2) 3.thru reign Jehoiakim son Josiah to 5 th mo of 11 th y Zedekiah when ppl went exile (Jer 1:3) 4.wd L came saying (Jer 1:4) 5.Before formed you womb, I knew you,b4 born, set you apart,apptd you prophet to nations (Jer 1:5) 6.Alas Sovereign L, I know how speak, too young (Jer 1:6) 7.L: say too young, you must go everyone I send you, say whatever I command (Jer 1:6) 8. afraid them, I with you,will rescue you (Jer 1:8) 9.L reached out hand,touched my mouth, said: I put my words in your mouth (Jer 1:9) 10.today I appt u over nations/kingdoms 2 uproot/tear down/destroy/overthrow/build/plant(Jer 1:10)   11.wd L came:what you see, Jere? I see branch almond tree (Jer 1:11) 12.L: you seen correctly, I watching to see my word is fulfilled (Jer 1:12) 13.wd L c...