Posts Tagged ‘Jesus’
The Last Hymn at the Last Supper
The Passover meal had ended. Judas was well on his way to betray the Son of God. Bellies full, the remaining eleven prepared to sing the psalms they always sung before heading out for the evening. Matthew 26:30 reports that “when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” What…
Read MoreGod’s Grace Appeared
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men (Titus 2:11). Every person in the world is within the reach of God’s salvation. No one is beyond having their sins forgiven and obtaining everlasting life. The word “appeared” in our text is the Greek word ἐπιφαίνω/epiphainō. From this word, we get…
Read MoreThe Prince of Peace
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase ofhis government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of…
Read MoreOur Righteous Savior
I think we often take the fact of Christ’s sinlessness for granted. We often emphasize the impeccability of Christ, which means that He could not have sinned. The Bible is clear that Jesus is God. God is perfectly holy, and “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” God cannot sin; therefore, Jesus could…
Read MoreOur Great Obligation
On one occasion, Jesus entered the house of a Pharisee, Simon by name, for an evening dinner. No doubt you know the story. A woman “in the city, which was a sinner” came with an alabaster box of ointment with which she anointed Jesus’ feet (along with her tears). Besides this, she kept wiping his…
Read MoreAre You Afraid of Jesus?
In 2010, a man named Barry Glassner published a book entitled The Culture of Fear: Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things. While I cannot endorse all his ideas, I agree with his view that people and organizations (like politicians, advocacy groups, the marketing/advertising industry, and news outlets, including weather reporting) manipulate our perceptions…
Read MoreJustice vs. Authority?
One of the most frustrating aspects of the current political moment is its efforts to push us into false dichotomies. Either you support people of color, or you support law enforcement. Either you defend the President no matter what he says or does, or you like the destruction of private property and attacks on religious…
Read MoreThe Blessings of the Branch
Things looked bad for Israel, and even worse for Assyria. Yes, the Assyrians would invade (Isaiah 10:5-6; 36:1-2), but after they destroyed Israel, the army would meet their doom. The British poet, Lord Byron (George Gordon) described the story recorded in Isaiah 37:14-38. The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold, And his…
Read MoreIn My Place
Imagine for a moment, as painful as it might seem, that you’ve been jailed inside a maximum security prison. Even after several months of unimaginable incarceration, you remain an unrepentant convict. You’re considered by your peers a completely ruthless and lawless individual. And, indeed, you are. You hid yourself along well-traveled, lightly guarded avenues. With…
Read MoreO Little Town of Bethlehem
A visit to Bethlehem by famed Boston preacher Phillips Brooks inspired him to write a carol for a Christmas Sunday school service. Would you believe it was exactly one hundred and fifty years ago on the nose that folks in 1868 sang his carol, “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” for the very first time? This…
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