How do we tie a war to Israel and the end times? Is the current war related to the end times, and is the antichrist figure about to appear? This article is written with the 2023 war in Gaza uppermost in our minds. The newspaper headlines about war in the Middle East will come and go, but the details in the Word of God will remain faithful to show us the truth.
Let’s turn to Zechariah 12-14, which talks about war with Israel from a unique perspective.
Continue readingAn increasing number of stores are rejecting cash for digital-only payments. Obviously, this applies to online stores and businesses. The use of credit cards and the rise of Apple Pay and Google Pay in stores and restaurants is slowly working toward the cashless society prophesied in the Bible.
Continue readingWhen we consider the men and women of faith in Hebrews 11–Abel and his excellent sacrifice, Enoch who walked with God, Noah who built the ark, Abraham who left for the unknown, elderly Sarah who received strength to bear a child, Moses who passed through the Red Sea–we find it hard to see ourselves walking in their shoes, having a faith like theirs.
Yet this is exactly what God intended with the offering of His Son. The communion they spent with God is ours with Christ. The faith stirred in hearing His voice is the same faith of the word that burns in our hearts today. The direction and calling they received is offered to us by the same Spirit in us who call Jesus Christ our Lord.
Continue readingIn our Bible college class, we were to read Revelation over the course of a week and write up our observations. Here is what I came up with, using the two main headings I was to fill in.
Continue readingI decided to examine the nativity accounts myself to see what the mystery is all about. (Spoiler alert: there’s no mystery; they work together perfectly.) I first made two columns on a sheet of paper and listed the main events of each book’s chapter two, and especially the locations of each event. My goal was to match up the events by similar location. I wanted to see if I could find a literal, historical account.
Before going further, let’s recap Matthew 2 and Luke 2.
In Matthew’s gospel, the nativity scene is actually in the very last verse of chapter one, where Mary is found to be with child after being betrothed to Joseph. An angel appears to Joseph and informs him that the child is from the Holy Spirit. Then a summary verse is given that He is born. Chapter two verse one tells us that Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
In chapter two, wise men came from the east to Jerusalem, to Herod, then to Bethlehem, following a star. They give gifts to the “young Child,” then depart home secretly to avoid Herod. Joseph is warned to flee to Egypt and the family goes. Herod kills children two years old and under not only in Bethlehem, but up and down the coast in the area. Joseph takes his family to Nazareth in Galilee after Herod’s death.
Luke chapter two has entirely different events happening, with much more detail surrounding Jesus’ birth:
In Luke chapter two, Joseph and Mary travel from Nazareth, which is way above Jerusalem, down south to their home town of Bethlehem, which is just outside of Jerusalem, slightly south. There, Jesus is born, we meet the angels singing “Glory in the highest,” and the shepherds come.
Eight days later, they are in Jerusalem and meet Simeon and Anna, who prophecy of Him.
Then they return north “to their own city, Nazareth.”
One thing we see is that Luke records more of the events surrounding Jesus’ birth than Matthew does. Matthew makes only one reference to His birth: “and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus” (Matt. 1:25).
Then I tried to connect up the events in similar cities in both chapter 2s and make them belong to each other. I utterly failed in my attempts to merge the two chapters.
Then I noticed a verse at Luke 2:41 that the family went to Jerusalem every year for the Passover. This is a crucial verse. It helps us understand how the chapters harmonize. Luke 2 events happen first, then on one of their later yearly visits to Jerusalem (one or two years later) the Matthew 2 events happen.
So all of the events in Luke chapter 2:1-40 happen first. During this time, the wise men mentioned in Matthew 2 see the star and begin their long journey from the east. 1-2 years pass. By the time the holy family makes their yearly trek back to Jerusalem for the Passover and temporarily reside in a relative’s home in the “Hill Country” (where her cousin Elizabeth lives, see Luke 1:36-40), which includes the area around Bethlehem and Jerusalem, chapter 2 of Matthew then comes into play: the wise men make it to Jerusalem at that time, then to Bethlehem where they meet the future ruler, not as a babe, but now as a “young child” at a “house,” not a manger — see this in Matt. 2:9-11.
Herod then has children two years old and under killed, based on the timing of the wise men (Matthew 2:16); presumably they saw the star about two years ago, which likely appeared at the time Jesus was born, and it took a long time to travel from the east. Of course, the final verse of Matthew chapter one coincides with Luke’s chapter two account of His birth, both taking place in Bethlehem, since Matthew’s verse is only stating a simple fact.
There is nothing in these two accounts that confuse matters. But if we start with a wrong premise about the chapters, then we’ll end up with confusion. This is true about anything in life, not just the Bible. The two chapters were not meant to be merged accounts, but separate historical accounts occurring at different times in Jesus’ life.
If we have seen many images of the wise men kneeling at the foot of a baby in a manger to give gifts, then we’ll certainly be confused when we try to move verses around to make them fit the picture. But the picture is wrong to begin with. The wise men (the Bible doesn’t say how many there were), are not in the scene with the shepherds and angels; they come about two years later.
But there’s one more issue to throw into the mix.
In some translations for Matthew 2:1, such as the KJV, we have “when” Jesus was born in Bethlehem. In other versions, such as the NKJV, we have “after” Jesus was born in Bethlehem. When I looked at an interlinear to look more closely (http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/NTpdf/mat2.pdf) I don’t see either word spelled out. I suspect these words were added by the translators to keep the sentence grammatically correct. However, I see “after” used in this translation at the end of the page: https://wermuthsgreekbook.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/genitive-absolute-pdf.pdf Please note that I am not a student of the Greek New Testament, so this is not a final word on the matter. But “after” makes perfect sense, since the wise men came after Jesus was born, not when He was born.
The use of “when” in Matthew 2:1 misleads the reader into thinking the birth was quickly followed by the wise men’s arrival. Again, the men visit a “young Child,” not a baby, in a “home,” not a manger. They did not happen immediately one after the other, but with a gap of about 1 year.
So we can blame in part the 2:1 translation of “when” Jesus was born connected to the story of the wise men as introducing some difficulties.
Perhaps the last verse of Matthew 1 should therefore read: “and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS. Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea.”
Chapter 2:1 should say, “In the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,” The chapter and verse breaks are not in the manuscripts from which we translate God’s word; they were added by man at a later date.
My current nativity sequence is: Matt. 1:18-24, Luke 2:1-7, Matt.1:25-2:1a (up to before mention of wise men), Luke 2:8-41, [insert 1-2 year gap], Matt. 2:1b-23.
Below are the complete verses in the above sequence [World English Bible (WEB)].
Matthew 1:18-24
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was like this: After his mother, Mary, was engaged to Joseph, before they came together, she was found pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, intended to put her away secretly. 20 But when he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take to yourself Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 She shall give birth to a son. You shall name him Jesus, for it is he who shall save his people from their sins.”
22 Now all this has happened that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying,
23
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child,
and shall give birth to a son.
They shall call his name Immanuel,”
which is, being interpreted, “God with us.”Isaiah 7:14
24 Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took his wife to himself;
Luke 2:1-7
1 Now in those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. 2 This was the first enrollment made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 All went to enroll themselves, everyone to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to David’s city, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David; 5 to enroll himself with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him as wife, being pregnant.
6 While they were there, the day had come for her to give birth. 7 She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a feeding trough, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Matthew 1:25
25 and didn’t know her sexually until she had given birth to her firstborn son. He named him Jesus.
Matthew 2:1a
1a Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod,
Luke 2:8-41
8 There were shepherds in the same country staying in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock. 9 Behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be to all the people. 11 For there is born to you today, in David’s city, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 This is the sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a feeding trough.” 13 Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army praising God, and saying,
14
“Glory to God in the highest,
on earth peace, good will toward men.”
15 When the angels went away from them into the sky, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem, now, and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 They came with haste, and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby was lying in the feeding trough. 17 When they saw it, they publicized widely the saying which was spoken to them about this child. 18 All who heard it wondered at the things which were spoken to them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, just as it was told them.
21 When eight days were fulfilled for the circumcision of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
22 When the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought him up to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord,” Exodus 13:2, 12), 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons” (Leviticus 12:8).
25 Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 He came in the Spirit into the temple. When the parents brought in the child, Jesus, that they might do concerning him according to the custom of the law, 28 then he received him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,
29
“Now you are releasing your servant, Master,
according to your word, in peace;
30
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
31
which you have prepared before the face of all peoples;
32
a light for revelation to the nations,
and the glory of your people Israel.”
33 Joseph and his mother were marveling at the things which were spoken concerning him, 34 and Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, his mother, “Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which is spoken against. 35 Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
36 There was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher (she was of a great age, having lived with a husband seven years from her virginity, 37 and she had been a widow for about eighty-four years), who didn’t depart from the temple, worshiping with fastings and petitions night and day. 38 Coming up at that very hour, she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of him to all those who were looking for redemption in Jerusalem.
39 When they had accomplished all things that were according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. 40 The child was growing, and was becoming strong in spirit, being filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. 41 His parents went every year to Jerusalem at the feast of the Passover.
Matthew 2:1b-23
1b behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, 2 “Where is he who is born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east, and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ would be born. 5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is written through the prophet,
6
‘You Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are in no way least among the princes of Judah;
for out of you shall come a governor
who shall shepherd my people, Israel.’” (Micah 5:2)
7 Then Herod secretly called the wise men, and learned from them exactly what time the star appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem, and said, “Go and search diligently for the young child. When you have found him, bring me word, so that I also may come and worship him.”
9 They, having heard the king, went their way; and behold, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them until it came and stood over where the young child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 They came into the house and saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Opening their treasures, they offered to him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 Being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country another way.
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.”
14 He arose and took the young child and his mother by night and departed into Egypt, 15 and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called my son” (Hosea 11:1).
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked by the wise men, was exceedingly angry, and sent out and killed all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all the surrounding countryside, from two years old and under, according to the exact time which he had learned from the wise men. 17 Then that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying,
18
“A voice was heard in Ramah,
lamentation, weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she wouldn’t be comforted,
because they are no more.” (Jeremiah 31:15)
19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, 20 “Arise and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel, for those who sought the young child’s life are dead.”
21 He arose and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in the place of his father, Herod, he was afraid to go there. Being warned in a dream, he withdrew into the region of Galilee, 23 and came and lived in a city called Nazareth; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets that he will be called a Nazarene.
God created us in His image, after His likeness (Genesis 1:26-27). That image encompasses all of us, our heart, soul, mind, and strength expressing love to the Creator of all. He made us to be image-bearers reflecting His glory to the world wherever we go.
History in ancient times tells us that when the emperors, like the Pharaohs, claimed new territory for their kingdom, they placed statues of themselves there to remind the occupants who their ruler was. Those images represented the ruler’s authority extended to there.
There may come a time when we look at our lives and realize that God was no longer at work. We no longer enjoy the freedom, peace, and power we had with Him.
In the same way in Israel’s history, in the time of Saul, they had departed from God, but the reality did not hit them until the Philistines went to war with them and Israel brought out the ark of the covenant to the battle. Israel lost the battle, and the Philistines captured the ark (1 Samuel 4).
When we do something wrong and we knew better, sometimes it shocks us awake, especially when we could have resisted it before. We approached life as usual, then wham! The sin came out of nowhere and we were surprised. The Jews were surprised because they brought the ark with them, the symbol of God’s presence. But the Lord was not with them.
Continue readingThe elders of Israel asked the prophet Samuel to make a king over them like the other nations have. When Samuel prayed about this, the Lord replied, “they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them” (1 Samuel 8:7).
Continue readingOur God wants to make Himself known to the world. He had this desire from the very beginning in the garden of Eden when He created the first couple. He made them in His image (Genesis 2:26–27).
He wanted them to be “fruitful,” meaning to flourish with all the God-given abilities, talents, and gifts they were given. To “multiply,” to procreate more godly images of Him. To “fill the earth” with these God-honoring images of Himself (Gen. 2:28 NKJV).
But sin entered in when the couple chose the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil at the instigation of a Satanic serpent (Gen. 3). So their offspring was corrupted with a sinful image, one that no longer looks to God for guidance, but instinctively acts with autonomy, deciding what is good and right for themselves. So all people begin life with this sinful mindset. Meanwhile, God left a promise of a new man who was to come, saying to the serpent, “He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Genesis 3:15; “bruise” in these two uses can also be rendered “crush”).
Continue readingThe “Our Father” prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 humbles me. The entire prayer is pointing us to see our need for the Lord in everything. The Father is exalted in heaven. We pray for His kingdom to come and replace the sorry mess we’ve made on earth. We pray that His will be done because what we want often doesn’t rise to His level of importance.
We need His daily bread because the world’s fare doesn’t satisfy. We need to face our sins and confess that we’re the problem after all. We need to forgive others and give them another reason to do well next time. The evil one is stronger than us and keeps leading us to temptation and ruin.
God desires that we be like His Son (Rom. 8:29). In the end, this is what salvation looks like, that we live the way He does because we have the relationship with God that He has. Jesus gave us a forceful command that helps us evaluate how we are living our lives and get back on track where we’ve gone off.
He said to His disciples, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt. 6:33).
Continue readingAs I read America’s Declaration of Independence this morning, I was struck by its many parallels to our times. The Declaration included a list of 27 grievances committed by the British king against the original “united States of America.” For these reasons, the colonies determined to be “Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown” and to live as “Free and Independent States.” (Uppercase and lowercase have been preserved from the original document.)
We have jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire, for the Declaration’s grievances against the king have parallels to problems we face now.
Paul, who devoted his life to earning righteousness through the Mosaic law, found something that was foreign to him: grace. To clarify grace, he later wrote, if it is “by grace, it is no longer of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace” (Romans 11:6 NKJV). Grace is not dependent on us having something to offer as a prerequisite. If we say, “I can’t receive grace because I did not do well,” we have turned grace into a reward. It is no longer biblical grace. Grace (for instance, in the form of God’s help to us) isn’t given based on how well we’ve behaved, good deeds we’ve done, some charitable work we are proud of, or some difficult goal we’ve achieved. If we have received Christ, we are positioned for blessing because grace depends on his finished work, not ours.
Continue readingWhen did Eve in the Garden eat the fruit forbidden by God? Answer: “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise” (Genesis 3:6 NASB).
Earlier, the first human beings followed the Lord from the heart. But when they were prompted by the Tempter, they followed the flesh. Today, the Lord wants people to get back to following Him from the heart. How will He do it? “I will put my law within them and on their heart will I write it” (Jeremiah 31:33 NASB).
I read with interest the quotes you had gathered about repentance, addiction, and other subjects to help you grow. They are really good quotes.
I see one glaring problem with your quotes. First, read Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation [deliverance, rescue, or setting free] for everyone who believes…” The glaring omission from your quotes is Jesus Christ. He should be the star on every page of your quotes. V. 16 says so.
Continue readingSome of us may wonder why Christian growth seems to take such a long time, and we wonder if it is happening at all. Jesus addressed this issue in Mark 4. It’s a matter of how well we are hearing and receiving the message the Bible passage is trying to teach us. Frankly, the principles behind Bible learning are the same as learning other things as well.
How well do we listen? Regarding the message of the word, and hearing it, Jesus said, “But these [seeds] are sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred” (Mark 4:20).
When Adam and Eve disobeyed the Lord and ate the fruit of the wrong tree, the Lord spelled out the consequences for each of them in Genesis 3:16-19. These curses were not because God was angry or vindictive. It was much worse than that.
After these curses, we learn that Adam called his wife’s name Eve, “because she was the mother of all the living,” v. 20. Yet she was not the mother of all all life, was she? She did not create the animals or creeping things, neither the creatures of the air nor sea.
Continue readingMany words have been inked about the Son of God becoming a human being in the Christmas story. However, I seldom read of one aspect of the story, one important reason that’s left unmentioned, of why Jesus had to be born a human male.
Yes, He came to die for our sins, be buried, and rise from the dead, saving us from the wrath to come and giving us hope. Yes, He came to fulfill prophecy. He came to set up His kingdom. To reveal what God is really like and be our example to follow. To break the power of sin and the devil. To offer salvation by grace through faith for all. All of these blessed reasons are true and not to be taken lightly.
After seeing King Solomon’s riches and hearing his wisdom, the queen of Sheba said to him, “Behold, the half was not told me. You exceed in wisdom and prosperity the report which I heard” (1 Kings 10:7, NASB).
What wonderful words to say when we’ve had our fill of daily bread in the Word of God, “The half was not told me” of my Lord. How wonderful is the wisdom of our Savior and the riches of grace we have in Him.
Continue readingWhile King Solomon stood before the people before the newly dedicated temple, he prayed for several scenarios in which they would need to pray before the temple of God’s presence. “When your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You” (1 Kings 8:33). This scenario of defeat will tell the people they have sinned and they’ll need to confess it to get God’s wisdom and strength for victory again. When they humble themselves and seek the Lord, order will be restored and the Lord will once again lead the way.
Continue readingAt the dedication of the temple in Jerusalem, a house of prayer, Solomon prayed that when a foreigner “comes and prays toward this temple, hear in heaven” and answer their prayers that they “may know Your name and fear You” (1 Kings 8:41-43).
The contrast between the Pharisees of Jesus’ time and the Old Testament times regarding Gentiles is striking. Here, Solomon prays for the Lord to hear the Gentile prayers. And when we look among David’s mighty men in 2 Samuel 23:8-23, we find many non-Israelite nationals. Moses married a Moabite woman. Ruth was a foreigner, yet by God’s grace her story put her in the lineage of the Messiah (Matthew 1:5).
Continue reading. My pain and loss echoes His own pain over our broken love relationship, for my sin separated me from God. I confess to hurting Him.
. I confess that it was my fault and my sin alone that understandably drove Him from me.
. I acknowledge that I still love Him more than my sin.
. I’m sorry for what I’ve done. I feel terrible over how I could chose momentary sin over a life with Him.
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal”
1 Cor. 13:1
If I don’t love the person when I speak to them, such as when using a gift of tongues, prophecy, or teaching, it doesn’t profit me or my hearers. Though I learn various languages, if I don’t really care about the person who’s listening, then it’s all noise and thunder that can’t steer people to Jesus.
Love uses words, but sometimes its actions speaks louder than words. Being patient and kind, seeking the good of another, not embarrassing people, being merciful (1 Cor. 13:4)–these actions are profitable because God is love. God moves through us when we love others. These actions and attitudes point people to the reality of God in your own life. It shows how the Spirit has changed you to be like the person who loves you.
Continue reading“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; and whoever will lose his life for my sake and the sake of the Good News will save it” (Mark 8:35).
Jesus has a cool way with words. In this verse, He is looking at “life,” “save,” and “lose” from two different perspectives. In the first part, your life represents the “me first” period before you became a child of God. We want to preserve, or save, everything about this life that we are comfortable with. We love to put ourselves first. When we agree with the world when it tells us that wealth, fame, and indulgence make life enjoyable, then we’ll tend to “save” this life. But if we do, Jesus warns us, we will lose what we cherish, with nothing to gain from it. No rewards accrue in the life to come for this pursuit of self.
Continue readingGod’s names throughout the Scriptures reveal His character and what He stands for. The more we hallow, or respect, His name, the more we will be delivered and be like Him. And how does that happen?
It happens when the sinner discovers that God is a “Savior.” When the estranged find in Him a “Father” to the fatherless. When the anxious learn of the “Prince of Peace.” Then the name is profoundly respected, the person of God is revered, and the heart of the believer is changed by the encounter.
Continue readingWe who are involved in the work of the Lord can fall into the terrible sin of pride. This was not a problem limited to the Pharisees. It is not a religious problem but a human being problem, because hypocrisy appears everywhere people do, not just in religious institutions.
The prideful try to make themselves a cut above, often by elevating themselves above others. The Pharisees prayed in public to gain the admiration of men (Matt. 23:5). They wore larger sleeves (phylacteries) to stand out among their peers. The proud are motivated to promote themselves, to gain recognition, in all that they do.
Continue readingThen Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
The Word of God contains words inspired by God and it is His vehicle to help us understand His Son, and His ways, and our place in His plans for the everlasting kingdom. Let’s dissect the above passage carefully for their meaning.
Note who the speaker is. It is “Jesus” the Christ, the Son of God made flesh, and who makes covenants with His people, of law then of grace. He is the express image of God, so to see His life is to know the person of the living God. He is the King of kings, and to Him all humanity will bend the knew as Lord and Ruler of all. He is the Creator, the one who made the worlds, who said, “Let there be light,” and light shined at His word.
Continue readingMany words have been inked about the Son of God becoming a human being in the Christmas story. However, I seldom read of one aspect of the story, one important reason that’s left unmentioned, of why Jesus had to be born a human male.
Yes, He came to die for our sins, be buried, and rise from the dead, saving us from the wrath to come and giving us hope. Yes, He came to fulfill prophecy. He came to set up His kingdom. To reveal what God is really like and be our example to follow. The break the power of sin and the devil. To offer salvation by grace through faith for all. All of these blessed reasons are true and not to be taken lightly.
Continue readingSome of the most enduring hymns contain a treasure-trove of scripture framing the whole. So it is with There’s a Song in the Air. It was written by Josiah G. Holland in the 1800s.
There’s a song in the air! There’s a star in the sky!
There’s a mother’s deep prayer and a Baby’s low cry!
A star, a song, a prayer, and a cry. The star was a promise from above that this Baby would be the Savior. The angels’ song points to God’s purpose of peace with mankind through this Savior, as foreshadowed by the deep prayer and answering cry.
Continue reading1 Samuel 15:1 “Because you have been anointed king, listen to the words of the Lord.”
We have been elevated to a higher position than any of the prophets and kings in the OT. How much more should we listen? Jesus said that to those who have, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, so it pays to listen and keep what you hear. We see by Saul’s example that he lost dearly. Yet our gains by the training of the Spirit through the grace of God are incalculable. It will be worth all we have to gain what God has to give us.
Continue reading
