October 31, 2012 SCRIPTURE: Matthew 5:33-37 OBSERVATIONS 1. Jesus may be referring to Deuteronomy 23:21 or Numbers 30:2, both about the serious of keeping oaths once made. Originally people would reinforce their words with the weight of something solid and reliable (Jesus gives some examples of things people would use), but over time these oaths themselves became empty…
deeper than we think
October 30, 2012 SCRIPTURE: Matthew 5:31-32 OBSERVATIONS 1. Jesus refers to Deuteronomy 24:1-4. In Matthew 19:8 Jesus describes this as Moses permitting, something that was not God’s will from the beginning. This tells us something important about the Law, that it contains elements of Moses’ thinking that were not God’s will. This helps us when we confront difficult…
taking sexual sin seriously
October 29, 2012 SCRIPTURE: Matthew 5:27-30 OBSERVATIONS 1. Jesus shows how sin is much deeper than wrong actions. It begins inside of me long before it shows itself in what I do. The heart is sinful, therefore sinful actions result. We may think He is being extreme about cutting off and gouging out, but He is…
waiting expectantly
October 28, 2012 SCRIPTURE: Psalm 5 OBSERVATIONS 1. David is confident that the Lord is on the side of those that do good, while He is opposed to those who are wicked, cruel deceitful. Is he referring to the heart (all of us have sinful, deceitful hearts) or to the lifestyle (not all of us choose…
Genesis 18:1-25:18
October 26-27, 2012 SCRIPTURE: Genesis 18:1-25:18 OBSERVATIONS What do you notice in this passage? APPLICATION What do you sense the Lord saying to you? PRAYER
a reconciling heart
October 25, 2012 SCRIPTURE: Matthew 5:21-26 OBSERVATIONS 1. Jesus is describing life in God’s kingdom (the world as God meant it to be), and showing us that hatred and name-calling are as unacceptable as murder in God’s world. Our response to this is an eagerness for reconciliation over revenge. Jesus is not explaining what we must…
how would you respond?
OK, so let me start by warning you, this video contains several references to b.s. The reason for posting this is because it lets us know how people perceive our message. Even if we would argue it is not our message, this is how many people understand what we are saying. It doesn’t help to…
surpass religious zealots???
October 24, 2012 SCRIPTURE: Matthew 5:17-20 OBSERVATIONS 1. The three sections of the Jewish Bible are the Law, the Prophets and the Writings. Jesus is not excluding the latter, but using the customary phrase ‘Law and Prophets’ in an inclusive sense for all the Jewish scriptures. Jesus describes His role as to fulfill them, to bring…
work as worship (and witness)
Today we are thinking about being salt and light in the world. Can we see our work as a part of our calling, not a distraction from it? Can our work become our witness, how we show and share Jesus with others? What do you think?
taste and see… through me?
October 23, 2012 SCRIPTURE: Matthew 5:13-16 OBSERVATIONS 1. Salt can be used both for seasoning and as a preservative. What did Jesus mean? His followers add flavour to the world, or His followers help preserve the world from decay and going bad. This is true when they live by the Spirit according to the pattern and…