The whole class has built up to this point where Pastor Alan discusses the New Jerusalem. The Kingdom is about receiving and giving, and New Jerusalem encompasses both the present and the future. Pastor Alan describes the imagery surrounding the New Jerusalem and paints a picture of life in the Kingdom.
Read MoreCovenant means Kingdom Come. The whole of the Old Testament reveals God's covenental nature that hasn't changed. Pastor Alan takes us through the New Testament and the advent of the New Covenant, showing us how this Kingdom is not solely for Israel but all who call on the name of the Lord.
Read MoreChrist released the Spirit of God on us, Pentecost came, but the question remains: Are we filled with the Holy Spirit? For those who call on the Lord, receiving the Holy Spirit is our promise, an ongoing promise of the New Covenant.
Read MoreThe inauguration of the New Covenant demands a heart change as the Spirit is received. Christ came to Earth bringing a baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire that was affirmed by John the Baptist and others. So, how do we receive?
Read MoreA popular question in Christianity is why did Christ have to die? This session of Emmaus walks us through the reasons Christ died on the cross and leaves us with a renewed love for Jesus and commitment to the New Covenant with Him.
Read MoreThe birth of Christ inaugurated the fulfillment of all the covenant promises, and we can understand Passover better when we look at how Christ's death, Christ's hour of darkness, mirrored the rituals found in the Passover. This session reveals the similarities between both and how Christ's sacrifice was the ultimate Passover.
Read MoreEzekiel had visions which gave him powerful revelation of the King and the Kingdom. In Ezekiel, we find that the ideal of a monarch in scripture was always that of a shepherd and not a dictator. Alan takes us to the New Testament and shows how this understanding permeates the whole concept of Kingdom life.
Read MoreMost people in the Western world do not put significance in dreams. Yet, we see that God used dreams to give revelation to many in covenental history. Daniel was one who received the gift to interpret dreams and God used that to continue to walk out his covenental promises. Listen to see how Jesus is revealed through Daniel's life and how the New Covenant was always in view.
Read MoreThe prophets in the Old Testament are typically seen as men to be respected but few want to emulate their lives. With clarity and honesty, Pastor Alan speaks about the prophets and explains how all are called to prophesy but not all are called to be prophets.
Read MoreKing David brought about a return of covenant life for the Israelites and received an unconditional promise that David's line and throne would be forever used by God. However, David's son Solomon and his successors led Israel into sin. Yet God never gave up on Israel and his covenant, bringing prophets to reveal Israel's sins and lead them to repentance. Walk with us through 500 years of Israelite history.
Read MoreDavid was a man after God's heart, but what does that mean? David did a lot of good things that pleased God, but also committed wrongdoings against God and his people. However, David did not meet the same fate as Saul, the king before him. If our heart's are right, like David's, even our mistakes can glorify the Lord and reveal God's heart. David was blessed and anointed and his throne was God's throne, as Christ reveals to us later.
Read MoreLaunching off from the principle Jesus is always in view even when when not obvious, we are lead through both sessions seeing how Jesus mirrored Moses and David. There are others who Jesus mirrors too, but when looking at the covenantal history of God and his people we see a clear line and buildup to the New Covenant, Jesus Christ. Again we see the cyclical nature of humanity in rebellion to God and God providing a way out through David who ascends the throne at the end of Session 13.
Read MoreIn this session, Pastor Alan takes us from Sinai to Joshua, or Moab. We run through Israel's rebellion from the Golden Calf to the national census, but also look to Moses as an example of a leader who intercedes for others and prevails by partnering with God in long-suffering when the people live in rebellion. The idea of the covenant is explained further as we look at different types of covenant that all foreshadow the New Covenant.
Read MoreThe story of the Bible seems repetitious. God saves his people, makes covenant with them, and then they rebel. We know it, we've read it, and we've lived the same story in our lives. In all, we see that God not only can be found but constantly reveals himself to his children. We see it in the lives of the patriarchs and matriarchs of Israel. We have our own stories of God seeking us. Pastor Alan opens the scriptures in this session to show us how God desires a people who will hear his voice and obey in their heart, and that God has adopted us to be a part of his family even though we rebel. When we see how God dealt with Israel, we see how God deals with us.
Read MoreJoseph's life reflected a near perfect type of Christ figure in the Old Testament, but no one would want the life he experienced. Joseph didn't have a birthright to begin with, but he received dreams from God that he kept in faith, virtue, and forgiveness. As a result, the 12 tribes of Israel were formed from Joseph's children through blessings by Jacob which teaches us that fatherhood means revealing to your children who they are as a blessing. Session 10 of Emmaus to New Jerusalem shows us these blessings and that God's ultimate intentions are always the central focus of the covenant story.
Read MoreJacob was a man who wrestled with God and received a name change to reflect that. He wasn't always a man who deserved God's blessings, showing us that righteousness doesn't mean we have to be perfect to be in covenant with God. Pastor Alan explains the difference between Jacob and Esau, and how one despised his birthright as the other took it and ran. In this session, we'll hear how the blessing and the birthright are central to understanding covenant and covenant history.
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In part II of our exploration of Abraham's life, we walk through the transformation from Abram to Abraham and are shown how Jesus revealed himself to Abraham, who is the father of faith for all who believe. Faith can often appear ridiculous to others not in covenant, and even Abraham and Sarah thought God's promise of a son was unbelievable. However, God always shows himself faithful to his children.
Read MoreEmmaus Session 7 begins the journey through Abram's life as the continuation of the covenant and blessing that Shem received, showing us God's longsuffering and mercy in the face of human rebellion. The groundwork is laid in the establishing of covenant between God and Abram. We end the session understanding faith as the work of God and that faith is a response, in that God initiates a promise and an individual responds.
Read MoreNoah was a righteous man and blameless in his generation, but his children began to stray from their father's path. Because of the flood, Shem, Ham, and Japheth were told to spread abroad and multiply in the earth. Instead, their descendants gathered and attempted to make a 'name' for themselves at Babel. The god of the nations have their origin in the fallen status of the sons of gods. We see that God gives people up to what they want but is very slow to give them up forever.
Read MoreGod's commitment to family restores his covenant purposes to the earth, and that is revealed throughout this session as we continue to walk through the blood lines that spread from Adam and Eve and look to the future of Jesus as the one who will crush the head of the serpent. The 'sons of God' and pre-flood dynamics are brought into the discussion as well. In all, we see God's grace and love for mankind continued throughout man's open rebellion.
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