intercede

We continue our Advent series this week as we hear Justin preach over Hebrews 4: 14-16. This passage describes a Great High Priest who intercedes for us to the Father. We see that this Great High Priest is not someone who is unfamiliar with our struggle with sin and hardship, but is someone who knows firsthand what they are like and yet never succumbs to them. We see in the text that this Great High Priest is Jesus Himself, the God of eternal glory who rules all creation, stepped down from His throne in order to save us from the very thing keeping us furthest away from Him; our sin.

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In this podcast, Pastor Justin starts a new series breaking down the different components that comprise the sound of revival. Revival has a sound, but we must know the elements that must work together to release the earth-shaking sound of revival in our generation!

When all I can do is groan out to God. The mess is too big. The future is too hard. The pain is too deep. Sometimes we groan because we don’t know what to say. Sometimes we groan because words just aren’t enough. 

The Spirit hears our groans. He joins with us in our groaning. He steps into the place of confusion, doubt, or fear. We’re His children! Isn’t that what a good parent would do? He adds His groans to ours.

But here’s the difference. While our groans are weak. His groans are strong. While our groans are full of confusion. His are full of clarity. While our groans feel like despair. His are filled with hope. Because He knows what His children need. 

21.09.19

Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand…And as soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses’ anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.20 He took the calf that they had made and burned it with fire and ground it to powder and scattered it on the water and made the people of Israel drink it. 21 And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought such a great sin upon them?” 22 And Aaron said, “Let not the anger of my lord burn hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. 23 For they said to me, ‘Make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ 24 So I said to them, ‘Let any who have gold take it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”25 And when Moses saw that the people had broken loose (for Aaron had let them break loose, to the derision of their enemies), 26 then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is on the Lord’s side? Come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him. 27 And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Put your sword on your side each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor.’” 28 And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And that day about three thousand men of the people fell. 29 And Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for the service of the Lord, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day.”30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” 31 So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold. 32 But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written.” 33 But the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book.34 But now go, lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you; behold, my angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.”35 Then the Lord sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf, the one that Aaron made.33 The Lord said to Moses, “Depart; go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt… Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”4 When the people heard this disastrous word, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments. 

1.    Does it seem to you like a serious thing to go back on your word or promise to God?
2.    What do you need forgiveness for?  Be specific.  Write it down on paper if you don’t want to share with the group.
3.     Do you think forgiveness is something people in our culture are looking for?  If not, what are they looking for?  Is it related to forgiveness?
4.     Do you see a connection in your life between awareness of God’s forgiveness and experience of his presence? 
5.     Is experiencing God’s presence an incentive to you in daily or hourly decisions?
6.    Have you ever found it hard to forgive?  Why?
7.    How does God taking on flesh and dying enable him to forgive us when he couldn’t before?

Hope my listeners are doing well In-Sha-Allah! :)

This episode covers what we can prepare ourselves for on the Day of Judgement when we are in front of Allah with our good deeds. 

Just like we need lawyers for big cases, who will fight for us whilst we remain silent or cannot say anything, we can also have intercessors that will be our voice on that Day. 

A person passing away in Madina is a great virtue and allows our Prophet Muhammad SAW to intercede for that person, but this may seem almost impossible for some of us, but do not worry, for there are other things that will intercede for us, such as our fasting, recitation of the Qur'an, having righteous friends, etc which is covered in this podcast.  

May Allah allow us all to enter Jannah without reckoning - Ameen!

I ask that you remember me in your du'as and may Allah accept our efforts to draw everyone close to Him.  

Farooq

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Psalm 20

As Edwin and Andrew wrap up their conversations on Psalm 20, the application takes a surprising turn. This is a prayer for the king before battle, but can we pray it for each other? Andrew and Edwin believe so, explain their reasons, and apply it to our own prayers for one another.

Read the written devo that goes along with this episode by clicking here.

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Thanks for talking about the text with us today.

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We have seen the story of the mission of God starting small and multiplying beyond what anybody would have dreamed imaginable, and it's been one story made up of smaller stories

- faithfulness and unfaithfulness

- opportunities and obstacles

- difficult circumstances wrapped up in the sovereignty of God.

Each story is woven into the bigger story by these consistent themes of the Reign of Jesus, the Power of the Holy Spirit, and the Kingdom of God advancing through the Church.

From 120 followers of Jesus in Jerusalem to hundreds of thousands throughout the known western world. And this morning, I want you to see it’s more than just an adventure. It’s more than just mere history. In fact, I would say that chapter 28 is really the fulfillment of a promise Jesus made. He said that his disciples would be witnesses to the uttermost parts of the world. Well...here they are: Rome - for all intents and purposes, the uttermost part of THEIR world - AND quite literally the gateway to the rest of the world (All roads lead to - and from - Rome, right?).

By the time we get to chapter 28, we see that the Great Commission is attainable. You could say that chapter 28 is a guarantee of sorts. Yes, God gave us a mission - and because of what we have read this whole year, I believe this book proves we as God’s ambassadors are guaranteed to succeed.

There’s not a whole lot in life that has that guarantee. School? (academic excellence, clubs, activities - guarantee for success?) Career? (effort, training, education, internships - guaranteed for success?) Marriage? Diet? Raising great kids?

Some of you know what it’s like to put all your effort into those things, just to watch them fall.

Without guarantees we are left with this sense of uncertainty and doubt. Sometimes cynicism prevents us from developing a true confidence to keep on keeping on.

I wonder if that has happened with our efforts in fulfilling the Great Commission. When it comes to sharing the gospel with the world, is it because we don’t have the right training or techniques that we neglect to obey what Jesus commissioned us to do? Or is it something else? Is it a lack of know-how, or is it a lack of confidence?

But what if we TRULY believed that we are guaranteed to succeed in evangelizing the world, if we would just put ourselves out there and do what Jesus told us to do?