Jesus said that if the world hated him, then it would hate those who follow him (John 15:18-21). It wasn’t long before the early church found this to be true. In Acts 7, we find Stephen’s response to the false accusations brought against him—that he had spoken against Moses and the temple. Yet, instead of […]
As Christians, we love to hear inspiring stories of believers who lived boldly for the cause of Christ. We are deeply moved by the passionate witness of missionaries, evangelists, and martyrs. But what about us? Can we be so bold? Can we be like Peter and John, who stood before the Jewish council that crucified […]
The four Gospels—according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—are not just ancient biographies of the man Jesus of Nazareth; they’re what we might call theological biographies. They are inspired accounts that ultimately tell us something about God and his purposes in redemptive history. Specifically, they were written to declare that Jesus is the Christ, the Son […]
After the devil had ended his temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, Luke tells us “he departed from him until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13). In Gethsemane, however, that time had now come. It was time for the Son of Man to be betrayed into the hands of sinners, to be led like a lamb […]
A parable is a story or saying designed to teach a deeper truth through a comparison with every-day realities. Greg Lanier explains why Jesus told parables: “Like the prophets of old, Jesus used parables to reveal the mystery of the kingdom, to stimulate reflection on sin, to call people to repentance—and to produce the opposite […]
Having stated the goals of gospel ministry and the qualifications of elders, Paul explains how the goals of faith and godliness are achieved in the local church: “He [an elder] must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke […]
The story of the blind beggar in Luke 18:31-43 is most often considered as being just another miracle story: Jesus gives a blind man physical sight. However, in our sermon series through Luke’s gospel we have seen over and over again how there’s more to Jesus’ miracle-working ministry than just physical healing. What we see […]
“He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:10-11). Here is the tragedy of Christmas: the Word was made flesh, but the creation failed to know its very own Creator. […]
After over 400 years of silence, the word of the God came to Zechariah and Elizabeth’s son, John – the last and greatest of the Old Testament prophets. We read that “he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3). But John wasn’t […]
