Mark 3:7-19; Luke 6:12-16; Matthew 5:1-12; Luke 6:17-26; Matthew 5:13-48; Luke 6:27-36; Matthew 6:1-4 We often throw around the phrase, I'm blessed. Sometimes this is used as a recognition of God's grace in our lives, but often we are only talking about material blessings. Jesus' definition of those who are "blessed" in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) is potentially very different than how w...  Read More

John5:1-47; Mark 2:23-28; Matthew 12:1-8; Luke 6:1-5; Mark 3:1-6; Matthew 12:9-14; Luke 6:6-11; Matthew 12:15-21 It is easy to substitute things for God. Generally, these are things like money, possessions, comfort, and friendship but they can also be things like tradition, rules, and spiritual experiences. Religion can easily become a replacement for a relationship with God and we see this consis...  Read More

Luke 5:1-11; Mark 1:40-45; Matthew 8:1-4; Luke 5:12-16; Mark 2:1-12; Matthew 9:1-8; Luke 5:17-26; Mark 2:13-17; Matthew 9:9-13; Luke 5:27-32; Mark 2:18-22; Matthew 9:14-17; Luke 5:33-39 How do you feel when you have to keep good news a secret? Jesus has a very strange request in Mark 1 when he askes the healed man to keep it a secret. The man no longer has leprosy so not only is he medically cured...  Read More

Mark 1:14-15; Matthew 4:12-17; Luke 3:23; John 4:46-54; Luke 4:16-30; Mark 1:16-20; Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:21-28; Luke 4:31-37; Mark 1:29-34; Matthew 8:14-17; Luke 4:38-41; Mark 1:35-39; Luke 4:42-44; Matthew 4:23-25 We do not often think about kingdoms, but there are still a few kingdoms around such as the Kingdom of Bhutan, the Kingdom of Cambodia, and the Kingdom of Thailand. We may not use th...  Read More

John 3:1-4:45; Luke 3:19-20 The Old Testament was a series of signposts pointing people to Jesus. Now that he has come, Jesus uses every opportunity and conversation to point people to himself. He points religiously confused Jewish men like Nicodemus to himself and religiously confused Samaritan women to himself. Jesus saw every relationship and interaction as an opportunity. As he talked with Nic...  Read More

Do you ever feel like everyone is against you and you are met with criticism and opposition? Jesus’ life is filled with opposition even before his formal ministry begins. Herod tried to kill him after his birth and now Satan opposes him. In the first true test, can the Messiah succeed where Adam and Eve failed? This temptation is more difficult than the one in Genesis. Jesus was tempted after a fo...  Read More

Matthew 2:1-23; Luke 2:41-52; Mark 1:2-8; Matthew 3:1-12; Luke 3:1-18; Mark 1:9-11; Matthew 3:13-17; Luke 3:21-22 People can have very different responses to the same event. For example, after a sporting event half the fans are elated, and half are depressed. On a far more significant level, we see people responding in very different ways to Jesus. During his lifetime and even today, people’s resp...  Read More

Luke 1:39-80; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 2:1-40 Before Jesus is born we learn much about his identity. Elizabeth recognizes that Jesus is Lord. He is her long awaited king. If you follow the word for Lord in her statement in Luke 1, she uses it for Jesus and then seemingly for God the Father in verse 45. Prior to Jesus having done anything other than exist in Mary's womb, Elizabeth seems to understand ...  Read More

Mark 1:1; Luke 1:1-4; John 1:1-18; Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38, 1:5-38 What is the most beautiful bridge you have seen? The Golden Gate Bridge? The Sydney Harbor Bridge? The Brooklyn Bridge? There are many beautiful bridges around the world, but ultimately, they exist to connect two land masses that are separated by water. As we move from the Old to the New Testament, we may wonder how to connect...  Read More

Malachi 2:10-4:6; Joel 1:1-3:21 How would you summarize the Bible in a sentence? We are about to finish up the Old Testament, but how would you explain the Bible succinctly to someone who did not know what it says?Malachi and Joel help us to summarize the contents of the whole Bible. They express God’s desire for us to find life in him, but our continual pursuit of things outside of him (idols). T...  Read More

Nehemiah 12:27-13:6, 5:14-19, 13:7-31; Malachi 1:1-2:9 What was the best party you ever attended? Maybe your wedding, a surprise birthday party, or a 50th wedding anniversary? When the walls of Jerusalem were completed, Israel threw a massive party. The purpose of the celebration was not about their own accomplishment but to celebrate the greatness and faithfulness of God. The description of the p...  Read More

Nehemiah 11:1-12:26; 1 Chronicles 9:1-34 Today it is common to move from where you grew up to pursue education, a job, or even a relationship. This would have been nearly unheard of at this time in history when generation after generation remained in the same locale. As the Jewish exiles slowly trickled back into Israel, they would have returned to their cities of origin, but there was a need for ...  Read More