Matthew 2 - 3.17.25

Scripture

Matthew‬ ‭2‬:‭23‬ ‭NIV 

“and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.”

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Observation

This chapter recounts the story of the Wise Men following a shining star in the eastern sky, so they could find the One who would become the king of the Jews. 

Application

Prophecies Fulfilled 

Just like we learned a couple of Sundays ago, Jesus fulfilled over 300 Old Testament prophecies written about Him. There were 4 prophecies fulfilled in this chapter alone! The odds of one person fulfilling just 8 of those prophecies is 1 in 100 million billion! 🤯

Why do I say all this you may ask? To prove to you all that there is a God out there, and that God is backing the name of Jesus. God is giving His prophets prophecies of the Savior to come. God is giving them these prophecies hundreds of years before Jesus was even born! He has given them every detail to look for. From where He will be born, how He will die, and how He will be raised from the dead. It’s like me telling you who will be playing in the Super Bowl for the next hundreds of years to come, giving you the final scores of the games, and giving you the final stat sheet of every player that played in those games. I mean, to get every single detail with 100% accuracy, some may call that…miraculous! But then again, we do serve a God who performs many many miracles. From creation itself, to turning water into wine, to feeding thousands with just 5 loaves of bread & 2 fish, to healing the sick, and to raising the dead. The list goes on and on and it continues to this day! Our God makes the impossible…well, possible. This proves to me that our God is awesome and He is backing the name of Jesus.

Prayer

Father God, thank You for revealing Yourself to me. You opened my eyes and my heart to believing in the name of Jesus. I pray for those who don’t know You yet. I pray that they can see through Your Word, through Biblical and secular history, that Jesus was real; that He did exist and He is who He says He is. I pray that You open their eyes and heart the way You opened mine. May they too come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

-Moses Gaddi

Revelation 21 - 3.14.25

Scripture: Revelation 21:1-4

“Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Observation

This is the beginning of Eternity. John the disciple is getting a preview of the believer’s new home.  We would love to get a sneak peek at our new home, but the surprise will be worth the wait. Jesus is not only preparing our new place, he is coming back to get us and show us his work. 

Jesus said in John 14:1-3 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God believe also in me.  My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

Truly all our needs will be met. We will not look back to bring anything from our old life. Everything will be made new.

Now our hope is a reality. We will be with God face-to-face.  God’s dwelling place will be among his people, the redeemed, the saved.  We will not lose any of our loved ones in heaven to death again. There will be no more crying or pain.  We will get to see the New Holy City Jerusalem coming down from heaven. The meaning of the word Jerusalem is “the Lord will provide peace”.

Application

This is our hope. This is part of the Lord’s Prayer we frequently pray in Matthew 6:9-10: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done.” Your “kingdom come” is in the future tense. We want Jesus to come soon but we also want our loved ones as well as others to come to Jesus. This is also why our mission here at DSC to love God, love people and make disciples is so important. We want to give people a chance to have a saving relationship with Jesus so they have a chance to spend eternity with Jesus and all us believers.

Prayer

Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done. Jesus, you have been gone for a couple thousand years to prepare a place for us. It will be perfect. Help us to be bold so we can tell others to come and join us in meeting our Savior. Thank you for your promise of no more death, pain and tears. Thank you for making everything new. Thank you that we will have fellowship with God face to face.   In Jesus name Amen.

- Robert Oberg

Revelation 20 - 3.13.25

Revelation 20:11-15 

S -  11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

O – At the judgment, the books will be opened. The book of life contains the names of those who have put their trust in Christ to save them. These books also contain the recorded deeds of everyone, good or evil. Everyone’s life will be reviewed and evaluated. No one is saved by deeds, but deeds are seen as clear evidence of a person’s actual relationship with God. Jesus will look at how we have handled gifts, opportunities, and responsibilities. Gods gracious gift of salvation does not free us from the requirement of faithful obedience and service. Each of us must serve Christ in the best way we know how and live each day knowing the books will one day be opened and that the lake of fire is the final destination for everything wicked.

A - Revelations is intense and often over my head. But this portion stands out every time I read it and makes me take a closer look at my life and the lives of those around me. I want NO part of the destination for the wicked! I am confident in my salvation, as I have Accepted Him as my Savior, Believed that Christ died for me, and Confessed my sins to Him, and continue to do so. I still can’t help getting the picture of God standing there, holding the book open to my life, and wondering what He will see? Will He see a life fully devoted to Him, or one that just skimmed the Christian life, living mostly for my own fleshly desires and giving Him a bit of my time? Or will He see a woman fully devoted to the things of God and His people? How many of my friends and family still don’t know Him? Still don’t Accept, Believe or Confess in Him? I am filled with dread at the thought they would be thrown into the lake of fire! So what am I doing about it? Am I living the life of a true disciple?

Matthew 7:21-23 - 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

Matthew 7:21-23 speaks of a truth that may seem uncomfortable. In these verses, Jesus reminds His listeners that saying the right words isn’t enough to secure a place in His kingdom; rather, it is about doing the will of the Father. Many might profess their allegiance verbally, even exhibiting impressive spiritual feats, yet might find themselves unrecognized by Christ because their lives contradict their professions. This passage packs a cautionary message: Genuine discipleship transcends outward expressions and rests in a heart aligned with God’s will. (biblestorieshub.com)

P – Lord Jesus, I pray that my heart is always aligned with Your will. I pray for myself and the many in my shoes, that we step out in BOLDNESS to share the love of Christ with others in our circles before You get to the judgement days. Help us to walk in the confidence of Your love and power as we share the Gospel with those we love, with those we meet on the streets, in the store, sitting on the bleachers at a sports event. May we not be the reason anyone is thrown into the lake of fire, and help us to save as many as we possibly can in the name of Jesus!

 - Crystal Flory