As Jesus returns to Jerusalem on day two, Jewish leaders come after Jesus trying to discredit Him in the eyes of the crowds and trying to catch or trap Jesus in something they can use to accuse Him before the Romans. On day two, when Jesus returned to the Temple compound a delegation of the Jewish leadership confronted Jesus and demanded to know who had given Him authority to clear the Temple the day before.

Grace Community Church Ramona Podcast

Rejection of the Messiah King

Our series is titled, "Yeshua, Messiah King" and yet, we have not seen Yeshua embrace his role as king. Rabbi, prophet, miracle worker, sage… but not king. We know from the Old Testament that men have to wait various times to become kings of Israel, and in our study today we will see that for Jesus, the wait is over, the King has come to the royal city and it causes quite a stir.

The King Has Come

Today we will see another man who sought out Jesus, and when he encountered the Messiah, not only did he find justification by his faith in Jesus, but he immediately embraced the truth that the rich young ruler found impossible to follow.

Making Changes

In this section of our study, we pick up with Jesus’ conversation with the rich young ruler, where the Messiah makes it clear that the way the world views status, is exactly opposite of the way of the Kingdom. The truth Jesus would have us learn is this. Those who willingly give up the pursuit of power and possessions for the sake of the kingdom, will not only have great joy and purpose in this life, but will be rewarded with power, authority, and possessions in His coming kingdom.

The Rich Young Ruler, Pt 2

How we identify ourselves reveals something about who we are, what we believe and what we do. As followers of Christ our primary identity is found in Christ and our lives should reflect that identity. Living according to your identity does not automatically happen. It is a process. In the letter to the Colossians, Paul gives us a roadmap as to how we can live according to our identity. A road map to living the Kingdom life here and now.

Identity Crisis - Living According to Your Identity

I’m going to suggest the simplest fix is the right fix though it may be very different from what you’ve been taught. As we resume our series, Yeshua Messiah King, Jesus is in the final days of public ministry leading up to His crucifixion in April of 33A.D. Along the way he encounters the man we’ve come to know as the rich young ruler.

The Rich Young Ruler

The name “Nahum“ means comfort or consolation. His book, a message of destruction for Nineveh, the capital city of the Assyrian Empire, brought comfort to the nations under Assyrian domination. The only thing we know about Nahum is found in 1:1 which says he was from Elkosh, a town or village about which we have no information. When did Nahum serve as God’s prophet?

Nahum

Through their words and sometimes strange actions the prophets cautioned a rebellious Israel that the way they lived their lives would have consequences unless they repented and turned back to God. This pattern of God calling His people back to faithfulness through warnings, the warnings either heeded or ignored, and the resulting blessings or judgement is repeated throughout the prophets. But overriding this pattern something else is also at work - the faithfulness and goodness of God; His unwavering covenantal love for His people.

Micah

Amos was from the southern kingdom of Judah. His hometown, Tekoa, was about five miles from Bethlehem. He was a sheep herder and a “dresser of sycamore figs (7:14). These trees are also called "fig-mulberry." The fruit is like a fig. Each fruit had to be pierced individually in order to ripen properly. This was a very important crop to the Near Eastern people. King David even appointed a special supervisor to oversee these crops (cf. I Chr. 27:28). Amos' agricultural knowledge is evident in his message.

Amos

Through the prophet Jeremiah, God revealed the Exile would last 70 years after which the Jews would be allowed to return (Jer. 29:10). In 539B.C. Jews began to return to Jerusalem. It took years to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple. The second Temple was completed by 515B.C. About this time disaster struck.

Joel

Seems the Israelites of old didn’t like paying taxes any more than we do. In 921B.C., the nation of Israel was split in two over the issue of taxes. This tax revolt not only split the nation, it also ushered in the age of the prophets like Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah and others.

Hosea

Enabled by the grace of God and ministry of the Holy Spirit, our heartfelt obedience to the Law of Messiah, is the only way to be saved from the carnal life, and enjoy the current and future blessings of the kingdom life.

Seeking To Strive

Do we take Jesus' instructions seriously? Having received the gift of justification salvation by faith, are we working hard to keep Jesus’ commands? We've discovered from Jesus Himself that the only way to gain kingdom life here and now is through obedience to His law.

Strive to Enter - 3

If we don’t work hard at the Christian life, we will not gain kingdom life and the rewards it brings now and in the Messianic Kingdom. We seldom, if ever, talk in terms of working hard at the Christian life. But as we will discover in Luke 13:24, Jesus Himself urges us to work hard to gain kingdom life.

Strive to Enter - 2

Group projects were all the rage when I was in 4th, 5th and 6th grades. I hated group projects. They were a lot of work and, inevitably, I did most of it. There were always 1 or 2 who did next to nothing. I was a conscientious student driven to make good grades. It wasn’t fair we all got the same grade when I did all the work. Is heaven going to be a huge Christian group project? Will all Christians receive the same heavenly blessings because we’re all part of this “group”?

Strive to Enter - 1

A podcast devoted to teaching the Word of God and salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.