In Matthew 21:23-27, the religious leaders came to Jesus and asked Him by what authority He did His miracles and teaching and who gave Him that authority. Jesus agreed to answer them if they could first answer His question. He asked, “The baptism of John, whence was it? From heaven or from men?” He had […]
Some people view God as a myth in which religious people find comfort. Many religious people believe in God, but only seek him in time of need. Often Christians have a head knowledge of who God is, but they live as if He is an imaginary friend. A person’s view of God has a huge […]
The Pharisees and scribes murmured against Jesus because He ministered to sinners. “Lost sinners came to Jesus, not because He catered to them or compromised His message, but because He cared for them.” (W. Wiersbe) To address this murmuring, Jesus told three parables that picture salvation. The first was of a shepherd searching for a […]
If you have never read the account of Queen Esther in the Bible, you need to. Every time I read the book of Esther, the drama excites me. Young Esther found favour in the sight of the king, and he chose her as his queen. Later, to protect the Jews, Queen Esther entered the king’s […]
In the preceding context, Jesus told a dinner host that he should not invite his friends who could repay his kindness. Rather, he should invite the disabled who could not repay him. Jesus assured him that on Judgment Day God will recompense all who do this. Jesus then told the parable of the Great Banquet. […]
Read Luke 13:1-9. I recently planted our winter vegetable garden. I fortified the ground with nutrients. I chose what to plant. I chose where to plant each plant. I water the plants. I pulled a couple of struggling plants and replaced them with stronger plants. I am the master of my garden. In our parable […]
There are two kinds of seriously sick people. One feels sick all over and is so miserable that he or she cannot hide it. The other may have cancer or some other disease and not even know it. In our Scripture today, we are going to see two spiritually sick people. One was obviously a […]
Decisions. Decisions! DECISIONS! Life is full of them. Whether it is deciding what brand of milk to buy, where to go on holiday, what course to take in school, how to deal with a problem, what car to buy or whether to change jobs, every decision you make is important to God. If you are […]
Illustration: Have someone hold a rod. Bang the rod with another rod. Ask him if I banged his rod. Ask him for proof – saw, felt, heard. Did you know that there is more proof that Christ rose from the dead than there is that I hit your rod? Read Acts 1:1-3. Transition This morning […]
One morning Marion Gilbert opened the door to get the newspaper and was surprised to see a strange little dog with her paper in his mouth. Delighted with this unexpected “delivery service,” She fed him some treats. The following morning she was horrified to see the same dog sitting in front of the door, wagging […]