Revelation 11:1-14:20 The contrast between those who are aligned with Jesus and against him is never clearer than in Revelation. We are first introduced to two witnesses who are prophets and are given power to send down fire from heaven. Yet these allies of God will be killed, and their enemies will rejoice as if it is a worldwide holiday. God is opposed by a powerful threesome of a dragon, a beas...

Revelation 7:1-10:11 Judgment is the proper response to evil. Without judgment, evil would remain forever and Satan would win. God’s wrath and judgment consume much of Revelation. The first acts of judgment are unleashed through the opening of seals, the second group accompanied by trumpet blasts, and the final ones emptied out of bowls. The judgments are eerily like the plagues that struck Egypt ...

Revelation 3:1-6:17 After reading the first four letters to the churches yesterday, we now encounter the final three. These letters follow a general pattern of: a truth about Jesus, a statement about the church's present condition, an exhortation to action, and a reward to come. Every church is called to action, but each one is given a specific motivation to encourage them to live transformed live...

Jude 1:1-25; Revelation 1:1-2:29 When we consider the Jesus of Christmas, we picture a young child being held by Mary and Joseph in a rough stable. In our reading today we are introduced to a different side of Jesus in Revelation 1:9-20. Here Jesus is pictured in a robe with a golden sash around him. His hair is white like wool and his eyes are like fire. His feet are like glowing bronze and his v...

1 John 4:7-5:21; 2 John 1:1-13; 3 John 1:1-15 Merry Christmas! This may seem like a strange passage to read on Christmas, but tucked into 1-3 John is a glimpse of the true meaning of Christmas. Zero in on 1 John 4:9-10. These verses tell us that Jesus’ coming on Christmas (whether that was December 25 or not) is all about God’s love. There may be circumstances in life that cause us to question whe...

1 John 1:1-4:6 This evening, we will gather for a Christmas Eve service. For many, this is a family tradition, but John says that nostalgia is not the reason or purpose behind Christmas. There is something far greater happening. Christmas is essential because Christ’s birth and life grant us fellowship with God. This is the ultimate need we have as a people, a need to be with God. Since the fall o...

1 Peter 5:12-14; 2 Peter 1:1-3:18 What is your first memory? Maybe a gift you got as a child, a family vacation, or an awards ceremony. In Peter’s second letter, he wants his readers to understand the importance of memories. We must remember the things we have been taught. In 1:12 Peter says his mission is to remind the church of the things they have learned, then in 1:13 he says he must refresh t...

1 Peter 2:4-5:11 Be ready to suffer. This is one of the primary lessons of 1 Peter. In the American church we tend to resist suffering, complain about it, and get angry at those who are causing it. Peter’s challenge is instead to rejoice in it, praise God during it, and see it as a blessing. These responses are very different from our natural reactions. Instead of rejoicing we probably grumble, bu...

Hebrews 13:1-25; 1 Peter 1:1-2:3 I want this now! Whether from the mouth of a young child in a toy store or from a grownup, we all struggle with this desire. One of the most vivid examples of this is Veruca Salt in the original Willy Wonka movie. She had a consistent focus on herself and an insatiable appetite for more. This attitude is never cute and never appropriate for God’s people. The end of...

Hebrews 11:1-12:29 Hebrews 11 lists the heroes of faith─Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab… Enoch was “commended as one who pleased God.” Sarah by faith bore a child in old age because she “considered him faithful who had made the promise.” Moses was mentioned because he chose to trust God rather than enjoying “the fleeting pleasures of sin...because he was looki...

Hebrews 8:1-10:39 Jesus is not only superior to all prophets, priests, and kings, but he also brought a superior covenant. A covenant is God's way of relating to his people and Jesus brought a new way of doing this. The old covenant, which is another way of describing the Mosaic covenant, is inferior to that of Jesus'. Through the new covenant God promises to "put my laws in their minds and write ...

Hebrews 4:14-7:28 As we continue looking at Jesus' superiority in Hebrews, we discover that Jesus is the superior priest. In at least four areas, he supersedes the work of all previous priests. First, he is better because he is without sin and thus does not need to make sacrifices for himself. Second, he is permanently in God's presence versus high priests who were only able to enter the Most Holy...

2 Timothy 4:19-22; Hebrews 1:1-4:13 Jesus is greater than everything. Playing a comparison game, Jesus is shown to be superior to angels and Moses. These may seem like strange things to compare to Jesus, but they are some of the central figures in the Old Covenant. For people wrestling to give up their old ways for the new, they had to understand how much greater Jesus is. Yet to embrace the great...

2 Timothy 2:1-4:18 Yesterday we discovered that we are all runners and today in 2 Timothy we discover we are all soldiers, athletes, and farmers. We are to be soldiers in the sense that we focus on the marching orders of our commanding officer, Jesus. For an army to function well, it must be a cohesive unit with a clear mission. As Christians, we are to be the same. We are to be concerned with thi...

1 Timothy 6:11-21; Titus 1:1-3:15; 2 Timothy 1:1-18 I hate running, while my wife loves it. I find every step to be arduous, while my wife finds it to be an escape and place of relaxation. According to 1 Timothy and Titus, we are all runners. No, we may not be on a track team, but we are all running towards something. In 1 Timothy 6:11, Paul tells Timothy to "flee from all this, and pursue righteo...

1 Timothy 3:1-6:10 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus are called the Pastoral Epistles because they heavily focus on what it looks like to be a leader in the church. As you look at the list of requirements in 1 Timothy 3, you may notice there is far more focus on character than competency. Who a leader is internally gets far more attention in this passage than what they do. We see that a leader's life is to ...

James 4:1-5:20; 1 Timothy 1:1-2:15 In a small group I attended, one of the people mentioned some advice they had received from a coach, which was, why take responsibility when you can blame others? As we joked about this in my group, the quote continued in a long line of foolish people like Adam and Eve who blamed others rather than taking responsibility for themselves. James 4:1-10 describes our ...

James 1:1-3:18 Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Sadly, this nursery rhyme is completely bogus. Words have power and can cause pain that lasts longer than any broken bone. James wants us to understand the power of words. Our tongue is compared to a rudder on a ship and a flame in a fire. Our words can cause great healing or destruction depending on how we use them...

Philippians 2:12-4:23 What do you consider valuable? You may have family heirlooms, investments, collectibles, or your retirement account which you value above other things. In Philippians, we discover what is of utmost value. Paul acknowledges he valued his ethnic identity, his obedience to the law, and his standing among his religious peers, but he now understands all these things to be trash ne...

Philemon 1:1-25; Philippians 1:1-2:11 What does it mean to walk worthy in the Gospel? It means we should be seeking Christ every waking moment. Most days I start my conversation with God by asking Him to help me know him more today. Before I doze off at night, I often ask myself how I became more like Christ today. On the surface those are probably great questions, my problem is in the time betwee...