SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 11:1-17 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: 1. “Obey me and do everything I command you, and you will be my people, and I will be your God” – God is remind His people that the “covenant” is not just a cruel yoke imposed on a slave, but an arrangement of mutual love and partnership. Each party made promises…
Apr 14 — Luke 5:33-39
SCRIPTURE: Luke 5:33-39 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: 1. “Can you make the guests of bridegroom fast when he is with them?” – Jesus is making a very bold claim, He is identifying Himself as God. In the old testament God Himself was the bridegroom, and the people of Israel were the bride. Here He is confirming that He is…
Apr 13 — Luke 5:27-32
SCRIPTURE: Luke 5:27-32 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: 1. “A tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth” – One of the most hated people to the Jews, they were traitors, taking taxes for the hated Romans, and robbing their own people while they were at it, to care for themselves. They were like the collaborators…
Apr 12 — Luke 5:12-26
SCRIPTURE: Luke 5:12-26 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: 1. “When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him” – Desperation, the key to seeking the Lord. 2. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” – If only He was always willing when we asked Him. The issue is not whether He is able, but…
Apr 11 — Luke 5:1-11
SCRIPTURE: Luke 5:1-11 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: 1. “The people crowding around him and listening to the word of God” – Jesus is the word of God (John 1:1-2), and what He speaks is the word of God. It is the message from God, His communication with us. The Bible is one expression of the Word of God, but the…
Apr 10 — Joshua 24:28-33
SCRIPTURE: Joshua 24:28-33 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: 1. “Then Joshua sent the people away, each to his own inheritance” – The idea of inheritance is important because it goes back to God’s promise to Abraham, to give him a place to call home (Canaan). But it also recalls the fact that sin has made us homeless, separated from God…
Apr 9 — Joshua 24:1-27
SCRIPTURE: Joshua 24:1-27 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: 1. “He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God” – I see this as a pattern that we should follow as leaders in the church, that we too ought to present ourselves before God. Maybe before I leave we need to do this, and…
Apr 8 — Joshua 23:1-16
SCRIPTURE: Joshua 23:1-16 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: 1. “After a long time had passed and the LORD had given Israel rest from all their enemies around them” – They are now experiencing a season of rest after many months of warfare, and after 40 years of wandering. This must have been “heavenly”. 2. “It was the LORD your God…
Apr 7 — Joshua 22:10-34
SCRIPTURE: Joshua 22:10-34 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: 1. “Built an imposing altar there by the Jordan… whole assembly of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them” – The Law of Moses warned against building an alternate place of worship (Leviticus 17:8-9), and therefore this was seen as a breaking of the faith (covenant) with God. 2. “Was…
Apr 6 — Joshua 22:1-9
SCRIPTURE: Joshua 22:1-9 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: 1. “You have not deserted your brothers but have carried out the mission the LORD your God gave you” – This passage should be remembered and applied to us as followers of Jesus, since we are also on a mission with the Lord, and must prove faithful in service and not desert…