February 10, 2019
JESUS, SON OF MAN, SON OF GOD Jesus remained silent before His accusers. But when Caiaphas, the high priest, demanded that Jesus answer whether He was the Messiah, the Son of God, He replied, “You have said it.” In other words, Jesus answered in the positive. And Jesus said even more, quoting the prophet Daniel,
February 9, 2019
THE LORD JESUS SANG ON THE NIGHT OF HIS BETRAYAL The night Jesus was betrayed to be crucified, He joined His disciples in singing a hymn before going up to the Mount of Olives to pray and await His betrayer. What hymn did they sing? The traditional Passover hymns were the “Hallel” (“praise”) psalms found
February 8, 2019
EXTRAVAGANT GENEROSITY THE MARK OF GOSPEL BELIEVING PEOPLE What Jesus said is true. Wherever the gospel is preached, the story of a woman’s extravagant generosity towards Jesus is told. A woman in Bethany came up to him with “an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and poured it on his head” (Matt.26:7) causing those in
February 7, 2019
ARE YOU INVESTING IN THE MASTER’S WORK? This is from the Parable of the Talents. Matthew’s gospel has this parable arranged in alignment with Jesus’ discussion of end times in chapter 24 and nested between His Parable of the Ten Virgins and His discussion of the judgment of the sheep and goats. Its placement and
January 21, 2019
WHICH KING WILL YOU CHOOSE? This was Herod the “Tetrarch” (“ruler of a quarter”), not Herod the Great. He was one of the sons of Herod the Great, and was better known as “Antipas.” After the death of Herod the Great, his sons went before Tiberius Caesar to plea their case for their father’s throne,
January 20, 2019
GIVING ALL, LOSING NOTHING, GAINING EVERYTHING! One of Christ’s many kingdom parables, this one emphasizes the willingness of one to give up everything in this world in order to have the kingdom of heaven. The value of the kingdom is “hidden” to most, yet revealed to those who discover its treasure. Others probably thought the
January 18, 2019
WHICH IS HARDER TO BELIEVE? Jesus affirmed two miraculous events in one verse. First, what many call fable, Jesus treated as fact. Jesus not only affirmed the Jonah story in Scripture, but saw it as a Messianic sign. Second, He prophesies His own death and resurrection. Modern man may discount the stories of the Bible
January 15, 2019
WHO GETS YOUR PRIORITY LOVE? This statement from Jesus to His disciples is very disconcerting, until you understand it’s significance. Jesus is claiming the priority love that belongs to God alone. He is not saying you cannot love your family and be His follower too. No, far from it. He is saying that we must
January 13, 2019
SEEING THROUGH GOD’S EYES When Jesus looks at us, what does He see? He sees a world of people who are “confused and helpless.” What is His response? He has “compassion” for us because we are “like sheep without a shepherd.” Do you see what Jesus sees? Have you ever asked the Lord to
January 8, 2019
ARE YOU PERSISTENT IN PRAYER? Jesus used one verb and three participles to teach persistence in prayer. His verb was “keep on.” This gives the idea of persistent and ongoing prayer. Yet, it has a stopping point with a promise. We are to “keep on” until we receive, find, or have opened that which is