REVIVALTALK

  Hebrews 8:13 - “In that He says, ‘A new covenant,’ He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.”             The Old Covenant is identified with the Law. God gave the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai after the exodus from Egypt. There are three parts to the Law: 1)     The Moral Law – this included the Ten Commandments. 2)     The Civil Law – these laws govern the social life of Israel. 3)     The Ceremonial Law – ordinances concerning the religious life of Israel. These three divisions together form the Law as it is expressed in the New Testament.             Kevin Conner writes in his book  The Covenants , “The Bible reveals that God is a covenant-making, covenant-keeping and covenant-revealing God. The Bible itself is a covenantal book being divided into two...

  “Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many” (Hebrews 12:15, NLT). A healthy tree has a healthy root system.  Roots anchor the tree and provide a storage and distribution system for nutrients. When tree roots are injured, the tree becomes stressed and is subject to fall.  Psalms 1:3, Isaiah 55:12, and Hebrews 12:15 compare a person to a tree. Hebrews 12:15 gives a specific warning about the root of bitterness.  A bitter root develops from a hurt that has not been forgiven and healed.  Bitterness is compared to a root because it is often hidden under an ill nature of ungratefulness, grudges, jealousy, and criticism, stemming from a judgmental mindset to blame others in order to justify the bitterness. Bitterness results in anger, slander, and malice.  To avoid a bitter root, we must be willing to acknowledge that people are hu...

  Acts 1:8 - But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” I researched what it means to testify. To testify means to bear witness or give evidence, often in a formal or legal setting. It is about sharing your personal experience or knowledge on a matter. In a religious context, it could mean sharing your faith or spiritual journey with others. In our Christian faith to testify means to share your personal experience of God’s presence, power, and work in your life. It is a public declaration of faith, it is our story of how we came to believe, how our lives have changed, or how God has helped us during the storms and trials of life.              We can testify of the goodness of God. He is the mighty God. We can testify of the goodness of God. He gives good gifts to His children. James 1:17 says,...

  Zechariah 4:7 – “Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” We are entering into a new year. We believe 2025 is a year to shout grace, grace to the mountain. This will be a year we experience God’s abundant grace. John 1:16 from the  ESV  reads, “For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” I want to challenge you to start the year putting God first in your personal life. In Matthew 6:33 we have this instruction from the Lord Jesus Christ. "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." There are three areas that I believe we need to concentrate on as we enter into a new season. 1.       Our  TIME  - We must be good stewards of our time. We must ask the Lord to help us order our days. I want to challenge you to spend time reading and studying the Wo...

Zechariah 12:10 – “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.” We have entered a new year. Our prophetic declaration for 2025 is “A Year of Abundant Grace.” John 1:16 from the  ESV Bible  reads, “ For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” This verse speaks to the belief that God's grace is not just a one-time gift but is continuously given, layer upon layer, in an ever-increasing measure.           The historical setting of Zechariah 12:10 speaks of the time when Jesus returns bodily. This is His revelation, His second appearing. This is after the rapture when He comes with His saints at the end of the Great Tribulation to tread the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almight...

  Psalms 103:1-5 – “ “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!  Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”             One of the first questions an applicant will ask a prospective employer is “what are the benefits to the employee?”  Do you have insurance coverage?  What are the retirement benefits?  In the study of scripture you learn there are many benefits available to the believer through the grace of God.             The word “benefit” is defined as “something advantageous or good; an advantage.” [i]   Psalms 103:...

  Revelation 4:2-11 – “Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a ca...

  Lamentations 3:21-24 – “This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘Therefore I hope in Him!’”             The mercy of God is an inexhaustible fountain that flows freely and abundantly. The Prophet Jeremiah writes in Lamentations 3:22, “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.” We become recipients of this mercy when we pray and receive the miracle of salvation. Psalms 27:1 says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?”             The prophet continues in Lamentations 3:23, “They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” His mercy never expires. There is n...

  Psalms 23:5 – “My cup runs over.”             The God we serve is the God who is more than enough. I love the words of Jesus in John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” The words “more abundantly” literally mean to the full, till it overflows.” The Complete Jewish Bible reads, “I have come so that they may have life, life in its fullest measure.”             God doesn’t just meet our need, but desires to over meet our needs. Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” The latter part of verse 5, “my cups over,” is a picture of overflow and abundance. The Great Shepherd receives us with extravagance. Proverbs 11:25 says, “The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.”...