Category Archives: Bible
Our Call to Discipleship
At the end of Matthew’s Gospel (28:16-20) Jesus gives his disciples the Great Commission. In Mark’s account (16:15), Jesus commands the disciples to “preach the gospel to all creation.” This was the first verse I ever memorized as a child. In the King James it reads “to every creature.” The wording in Matthew is a little different. We’re not just to preach the gospel, we are to make disciples. What’s the difference? Continue reading
eBibleteacher.com
I am adding eBibleteacher.com to the list of Useful Resources on the right-hand sidebar. There are free children’s sermons, images, maps and entire Powerpoint presentations available at this site. The thumbnail at left (click to enlarge) is a jpeg image that can easily be used as a background for Powerpoint. I found lots of interesting stuff in only a few minutes of browsing around. There is a search feature on the homepage if you ever need anything specific, and lots of links to other Christian resources.
An Easter Sermon
But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth. -Isaiah 53:5-7
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. -Acts 2:22-24
In John 10, Jesus describes himself as the Good Shepherd; and we are very much in need of a shepherd. He is also described as the Lamb of God, the perfect sacrificial lamb that takes away the sin of the world. When we need a shepherd, he is our shepherd. But when we need a sacrifice… Jesus is that for us too.
Easter is the celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection. He is the Lamb that was slain, but he is so much more. In short, he is an all sufficient savior.
Listen to the sermon Jesus, Sheep or Shepherd
Jesus, Sheep or Shepherd?
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
The 23rd Psalm; a very familiar passage and perhaps the most quoted poetry from the Old Testament. In John 10, Jesus explains that he is the good shepherd. He is not a hireling, but loves the sheep, and would lay down his life for them. He has been entrusted by the Father to care for the sheep. And of course, we’re the sheep.
We’ve all seen pictures of Jesus holding a lamb. But it’s more than a cute analogy. Sheep must be cared for. They have few natural defenses, and are very near sighted. They need the shepherd. We too are no match for the devil, often nearsighted (or blind), and desperately need the Good Shepherd. Continue reading
Thoughts on Holy Week: Jesus Died
I know, perhaps you’re thinking “Well duh.” But give it just a little more thought than that. This is God’s only son we’re talking about here. As a matter of fact, Jesus is God.
On Easter we will celebrate the resurrection. Jesus wasn’t just resurrected, he IS the resurrection. So we’re not simply celebrating the fact that Jesus rose from the dead. He was not the first to rise again. That miracle had happened more than once already. But when Jesus hung on the cross, it was the first time that God had ever died. Two of the gospels recorded Jesus’ birth; all four record the crucifixion. In Matthew’s Gospel, he records the sky going dark until the 9th hour (3 p.m.). Only Matthew goes on to say that the veil was torn in the temple from top to bottom, and the graves of the saints opened up. The Old Testament saints went through the street of Jerusalem prophesying (Matt. 27:45, 51-53). The darkness, the earthquake, the veil, the saints, all highlight an extraordinary event taking place that day. I’m thinking of a few other scriptures beyond the gospels: Continue reading
Christianity, Truth or Fiction
There is an old saying that is Christianity were a lie, they would have made up a better lie.
Think about it. The basic tenants of the Christian faith are that a carpenter from a small town in Israel was crucified by the Roman Empire, buried, rose again from the dead, and that faith in these events is what gets one into heaven. These are just the basics. We could make a long list. To be a faithful Christian, one must believe: Continue reading
Jesus in the Wilderness, a short film
Thank you Noel Heikkinen for sharing this video. Noel is doing a series on the Old Testament, and reminds us that each time Jesus resisted Satan he quoted from (what we call) the Old Testament scripture.
Jesus is Christ
Not just Jesus Christ. Jesus is Christ.
I’m not sure if it’s the title or what. On March 1st I posted the sermon I preached that morning Peter Confesses Jesus is the Christ. I’m not hung up on stats, but that particular post has only been viewed 3 times in the past 10 days. Personally, I feel it’s one of the better sermons I’ve preached in quite a while, yet almost no one read the blog post.
Like I said, maybe it’s the title. The post has little to do with Peter, and more to do with our understanding of what Christ means. It is particularly appropriate with Easter approaching. So may I politely suggest giving this post another try. No pressure.
The Wilderness of Sin
In Exodus 16 the Hebrews wandered into the Wilderness of Sin. My Bible teacher and preacher friends shouldn’t even need me to make this analogy. There it is. They literally entered the wilderness in the region of Sin.
It could have been the Mountain of Sin, the Valley of Sin, the Municipality of Sin, but no. The place was known to people in the region as the Wilderness of Sin. How often do we willingly wander through the Wilderness of Sin knowing full where we are and how to avoid it? What an illustration, and the Bible has already made it for us.
The Master's Table 