SCRIPTURE: Psalm 111 “Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them.” (Psalm 111:2) When is the last time you thought about God’s work in your life? If you were asked to share about God’s greatness, what would you say? At our church we ask people to verbalize their praise…
Power seems to corrupt
SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 25-32 “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18) This verse summarizes what is going on in these chapters. Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, Tyre, Sidon, and Egypt – headed for a fall. Tyre and Egypt get special focus, it seems for special pride. Tyre was like the highest angel in Eden…
“I don’t need praise, I got love!”
SCRIPTURE: John 5:41-47 “I do not accept glory from human beings…” (John 5:41) What does it mean to give glory to someone? It is to praise, honour, celebrate, or boast about them. Everyone lives for an audience; we want to feel loved and valued. We seek love and value, because that is what we lost when we…
Beyond the words to the Word
SCRIPTURE: John 5:31-40 “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life.” (John 5:39) Jesus is referring to the Jewish Bible – what Christians call the Old Testament. The Jewish Bible was how God was setting up the coming of a Messiah for all nations. Jesus fulfills every promise, addresses every…
Agent(s) of life!
SCRIPTURE: John 5:24-30 “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7) As part of the creation process, God forms a unique creation: humanity (‘adam’). Though humans share common ‘material’ (dust, ‘adamah’) foundations, humans receive…
Are we working with God?
SCRIPTURE: John 5:16-23 “Making himself equal with God.” (John 5:18) Jesus is God/God’s Word made human (John 1:14, Philippians 2:6-7). But in this passage, Jesus is talking about His human/Adam nature – as God’s representative on earth. Adam was human, the son of God (Luke 3:38) made in God’s image, entrusted to do God’s work (Genesis 1:26-28). Jesus was human, the…
The King of kings
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 110 God (the LORD, YHWH, the holy name for God) says to David’s master (Lord, Adonai). Who is David’s master? Jesus says that he was referring to the coming Messiah (Matthew 22:41-46). God’s OT people were long awaiting God’s ultimate Ruler (Genesis 49:10). David knows that he is just a king; but the coming King will…
Mercy triumphs over judgment!
SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 19-24 “This is a lament and is to be used as a lament.” (Ezekiel 19:14) God does not delight in punishing the wicked, it breaks His heart. “The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the foreigner, denying them justice.” (Ezekiel 22:29) Do we really appreciate…
Come to ME, says Jesus!
SCRIPTURE: John 5:1-15 The Bethesda pool was known for having healing waters. Sometimes, when an angel is said to have stirred the waters. People desperate for healing waited here – some a long time – to be healed. Jesus does not heal everyone, but He does heal this man. As a sign, to encourage people to…
More than miracles
SCRIPTURE: John 4:43-54 “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.” (John 4:48) The man believes enough to beg Jesus to heal his son. But what Jesus means is that people are not believing in WHO He is. Jesus did not come to perform signs and wonders, but to restore us to LIFE and…