My Notes

 Extravagant Love Passage: Mark 14 The passage talks about the following characters Chief Priest Judas Iscariot Mary Chief Priests - Selfishness Verse: Mark 14:1 1 “It was now two days before Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The leading priests and the teachers of religious law were still looking for an opportunity to capture Jesus secretly and kill him.” These people were trained in the law and yet this chapter opens up with their plotting to murder Jesus. They pursued this training of the Law as a career. And in the middle of their career, they encountered a disruption. The people no longer came to them. They were following Jesus.  This is the danger of only having selfish desires. They failed to see the truth.  How does this apply to our life? Are we coming to church for only blessing? God promises to bless and this is true. But if we are coming to church to only see blessing, we might miss Jesus. Judas Iscariot - Materialism Verse: John 14:4 4 “Some of t...

 Not by might, not by power… There are moments when you are weak…. You don’t see a way through…. Or perhaps you have lost the vision. Zerubbabel was faced with troubles and he was discouraged. And this is what the Lord said. Verse: Zechariah 4:6-7 6 “Then he said to me, “This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.  7 Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him! And when Zerubbabel sets the final stone of the Temple in place, the people will shout: ‘May God bless it! May God bless it!’”” Theses words come after the imagery presented in the beginning of the chapter 4. There are three things mentioned in this vision (imagery) - Tree, bowls and lampstand These three objects can be translated to  Stay connected to the source Stay connected to the right people Mountain becomes level ground Stay connected to the source We are peop...

 Fourth Vision Zechariah saw visions in the context of the return of the people from Babylon. The were going back to their land to rebuild it from its desolate condition. And God was asking people to return with their hearts as well. Verse: ‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ 3 “Therefore, say to the people, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.’” Three pointers from the fourth vision. Accusation God blesses but the devil curses. Salvation Accusation The fourth vision that Zechariah in the chapter 3. The return was a joyful event however there were people who were not happy. There were accusation from the past to dampen your spirit. Verse: Zechariah 3:1 1 “Then the angel showed me Jeshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord. The Accuser, Satan, was there at the angel’s right hand, making accusations against Jeshua.” And the valid accusation were set aside because God took it on himself. The same w...

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom!!! Nothing has really changed about this part of the school.... The podium to the left, the piano on the right and the line right on top.... The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom... As part of the school routine, the first thing we do is assemble in this hall, with this line staring down on us.  School exists to instill wisdom. And there is not a better line to begin our day with.... But is the fear of the the Lord key? Could this statement be wrong? What is the fear of the Lord? What can fear possibly do? Besides Fear and God don't get along together. In fact people today, revile God and often challenge God. And guess what? Nothing happens! While others use God's name (the religious kind) to get their community to listen to them. God doesn't intervene! Political parties use God's name for votes (Religious Polarization). God is clearly not interested in politics! Take that to the next level and people kill in the...

Return to me The book of Zechariah was written in a time when God was calling the people of Israel to come back from exile.  Verse: Zechariah 1:3 3 “Therefore, say to the people, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.’” The return brought around 50K people back to Israel. They wanted to build the temple to worship God but the little opposition they faced, they dropped their plan. So the temple work was halted for 20 years And God gave Zechariah visions to encourage the people to get back to building the Temple. First Vision Verse: Zechariah 1:11 11 “Then the other riders reported to the angel of the Lord, who was standing among the myrtle trees, “We have been patrolling the earth, and the whole earth is at peace.”” The vision he saw that the temple was in ruins and there was no move to rebuild it. God rose to fight for his people Verse: Zechariah 1:14 14 “Then the angel said to me, “Shout this messag...