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Advent 2023 #1: Hope in Hebrews (Hebrews 13:1-13)
December 3, 2023, Glynwood Baptist Church, Prattville, AL. James Jackson, Pastor Introduction Good morning! Please open your Bibles to Hebrews, chapter 11. This is a passage that’s been described as the “hall of faith,” because it’s an extensive list of some of the heroes of the Old Testament, and their example of faith. You may…
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Day 339: What We Gain, We Give (2 Corinthians 5:21, 8:9)
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty…
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Day 338: Is this the Same Guy? (2 Corinthians 2:5-11)
5 Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. 6 For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, 7 so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by…
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Day 337: Taking Care of Business (1 Corinthians 16:1-2)
Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. 1…
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Day 336: Sounding a Clear Call (1 Corinthians 14:8)
“If the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?” 1 Corinthians 14:8 NIV Through the Bible: 1 Corinthians 12-14 On my most recent trip to Israel, our tour guide was a trumpet player from Haifa named Yair. I love Yair. He’s brilliant and funny and full of energy. Wherever…
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Day 335: All Things to All People (1 Cor. 9:22)
22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. (1 Cor. 9:22) Through the Bible: 1 Corinthians 9-11 What does it take to build a bridge? It’s all about finding the safest, most effective way…
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Day 334: Christians, Christmas, and Corinth (1 Corinthians 8:1-4)
8 Now concerning[a] food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. 2 If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.[b] 4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol…
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Day 333: Overthinking Maturity (1 Cor. 3:1-3)
Left- The African Annual Fish. Right-Olm Salamander “But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of…
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Day 330: Be a Berean (Acts 17:10-11)
10 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. (Acts 17:10-11) Through…
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Day 332: Tentmakers and Tailgaters (Acts 18:1-3)
“After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, and because he was of the same trade he stayed with…
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James: Identity and Expectation (James 1:1-12)
#47 in 66in52: a one year Journey Through the Bible November 26, 2023, Glynwood Baptist Church, Prattville, AL, James Jackson, Pastor Good morning! Please open your Bibles to the book of James. My favorite book of the Bible. Not just because my name is James, although I’m not gonna lie—I remember looking at the Table…
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Day 331: The Ministers’ Job Description (1 Thessalonians 5:14-23)
14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually,…
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Day 330: What to Make of Mars Hill? (Acts 17:18-34)
“Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” So Paul went out from their midst. But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.”Acts 17:32-34 ESV Through…
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Day 329: Hagar and Sarai and Ishmael and Isaac and Moses and Christ (Galatians 4:21-31)
Through the Bible: Galatians 4-6 Hundreds of years before Paul wrote Galatians 4 with its fantastically complicated allegory, Moses told the story of Hagar and Sarai in Genesis 16. In Moses’ account, there are two women; Hagar and Sarai, and two children; Ishmael and Isaac. In Galatians 4:21-31, Paul utilizes the salvation history of the…
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46. Jesus, Continued (Acts 1-2)
The Acts of Who? (Acts 1-2) Good morning. Please open your Bibles to the book of Acts., chapter 2. In the early 1900’s, the evangelist Harry Ironside was walking through the city where he lived when he came upon a group of Salvation Army workers holding a meeting on a street corner. There were probably…
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Day 322: Just Deacons? (Acts 7-8)
56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. 58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses…
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Day 321: A Couple of Idiots (Acts 4:13)
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13 Through the Bible: Acts 4-6 Other than any season for my beloved Atlanta Braves, the 2004 Boston Red Sox are my favorite…
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Day 320: Babel Unraveled (Acts 2)
“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all…
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Day 319: The Guest at the Head of the Table (Luke 24:30)
30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. (Luke 24:30) Through the Bible: Luke 24, John 20-21 The two Emmaus disciples invite Jesus to their table. They sit down together. Jesus takes the bread, says the blessing, and serves the disciples.…
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Day 319: “They Were Kept From Recognizing Him” (Luke 24:13-16)
Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing…
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Day 318: Finding Lovely (Matthew 28)
28 After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to view the tomb. Matthew 28:1 Through the Bible: Matthew 28, Mark 16 This really happened: I had finished a wonderful book called Looking for Lovely by Annie F Downs. The gist of the book…
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Day 316: Jesus or Barabbas? (Matthew 27:21-22)
21 “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they answered. 22 “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!” Matthew 27:21-22 Through the Bible: Matthew 27, Mark 15 Barabbas’ name means “Son of Abba,” which is what a…
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Day 315: Rooms or Mansions? (John 14:1-3)
14 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come…
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Day 314: Sift Y’all Like Wheat (Luke 22:31-32)
31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you,[d] that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31-32) Through the Bible: Luke 22, John 13 Footnotes matter. In the ESV, there is a…
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Day 313: In Praise of Saint Incognita (Matthew 26, Mark 14)
9 And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” (Mark 14:9) In the Greek Orthodox sanctuary of the Church of the Nativity, there are two rows of ten columns. Each column bears the image of a different…
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Day 312: Consumed by Comparison (Matthew 25:14-15)
14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. (Matthew 25:14-15) Through the Bible: Matthew 25 When we read…
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Day 311: The Faithful and Wise Steward (Matthew 24:45-46)
““Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Matthew 24:45-46 ESV As I write this in 2023, we are in the midst of a…
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Day 309: What Jesus Was—and Wasn’t— Saying About Marriage in Luke 20
Through the Bible: Matthew 23, Luke 20-21 34 And Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, 35 but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, 36 for they cannot die…
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Day 308: Feast (A Poem Based on Matthew 22:1-14)
11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness.…
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Day 320: Pentecost: A Poem
2 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested[a] on each one of them.…
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Day 293 (again): Why Does Jesus Call Peter Simon Bar-Jonah in Matthew 16?
“An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.”Matthew 16:4 ESV “And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in…
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Day 290: The Cross (A Poem based on Luke 9:23)
23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. Luke 9:23-24 Through the Bible: Matthew 14, Mark 6,…
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