During the last week of our Savior’s ministry here on earth, while the time for His death on the cross was drawing near, Jesus entered the temple and was challenged by the chief priests and elders. They asked Him, “By what authority are you doing these things” (Matthew 21:23). While their motives are wrong, their […]
The Hebrews writer wrote his epistle with a plan and with a purpose. His plan was to demonstrate the superiority of Christ and His purpose was to discourage Christians from departing from the faith. One way he tried to discourage these Christians from leaving the faith was to set forth a series of warnings that […]
Cain and Abel both offered sacrifices to God (Genesis 4:1-4). God was pleased with Abel’s offering (ver. 4), but He rejected Cain’s (ver. 5). Why? The Hebrews writer tells us why when he said, “by faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain” (Hebrews 11:4). Since faith comes by hearing the Word […]
Do I seek to please men? That is the question Paul asked in Galatians 1:10. He asked it with the preaching of the gospel in mind. This is a great question for all who preach the gospel to ask themselves. It is critical that our aim is always to please the Lord and not man. […]
James wrote, 13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little […]
As Christians, we should have a positive influence on the world. No one ever taught this truth more clearly than our Lord did in the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5:14-16 (ESV) 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a […]
Are you a disciple of Christ? If you are a member of the Lord’s church, you are a child of God, but that is not the question. The question is are you a disciple of Christ? What is a disciple? There are at least two characteristics shared by all disciples of Christ. First, disciples are […]
When Jesus said that He was the true Vine in John 15:1, it would have immediately gotten the attention of His apostles. Why? Because in the Old Testament, Israel was the vine of God. Jeremiah 2:21 (ESV) 21 Yet I planted you a choice vine, wholly of pure seed. How then have you turned degenerate […]
As Christians, we are engaged in spiritual warfare. As such, we are described in the New Testament as soldiers. 2 Timothy 2:1-3 (ESV) 1 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful […]
There are many different terms used in the New Testament to describe Christians. They all reveal something a little different about the nature and character of those who are followers of Christ. This week let us take a look at some of these terms and make sure that they describe us as individuals. If they […]