In this passage we come to the last of the seven I am statements. Jesus says, “I am the true Vine.” Jesus uses this illustration to teach his disciples what the only way of bearing fruit comes from. Here are two things to notice....
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now I am found, WAS BLIND, BUT NOW I SEE. In December of 1772 John Newton started to write the song that is so well known, Amazing Grace. I am not aware of every verse that inspired John Newton to write this song, but I do suspect that John 9 could have been used. If it wasn’t, it is still a very fitting line for the chapter we are studying today. Here are some points....
Today we come to one of the celebrations of Israel that holds much significance for us today. Let’s dive in....
Within the human race there is a natural tendency toward self-righteousness and legalism. As humans we like to make rules and regulations that we think will give us some type of credibility or gain some favor from God. Even though we might not say it out loud, the way that we live shows it clearly. Sometimes we may even equate someone with being a mature Christian because ...
Keep ReadingWe have come to an end to this short but rich letter. There are two things that Paul mentions in this chapter that I think we all struggle with… Anxiety and contentment. Anxiety is a worry or fear we have of something that might take place in the future, while contentment is a present state of satisfaction with how things are. Most of us when we think of anxiety don’t ...
Keep ReadingWhen you consider the fact that Jesus came down to live among us, what do you think about? Do you think about his great love for us? Do you think about his mercy and grace that he has toward us? These are all wonderful things to meditate on because they are all true, but how many times do we think about the deep humility of Christ by adding a human nature to himself? ...
Keep ReadingLeviticus 16 describes the ritual sacrifices that were to be made on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). This was the chief sacrifice made by every Jewish family each year. The Israelites were supposed to make these sacrifices in faith. If they did so with hearts that believed that the Lord would deal with sin on their behalf, then they were, in a sense, cleansed. “For on...
Keep ReadingWe have spent over half of the year examining Genesis and Exodus. At this point, we are going to speed up a little bit and hit the highlights of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. As we begin our journey through Leviticus, I want you to notice two things from Chapter 1. ...
Keep ReadingIt is highly probable that when Paul wrote this he was actually chained up to a Roman soldier. That means that Paul was able to carefully study the soldiers gear, armor, and weaponry and to use it to describe how we as Christians should gear up. We will take a very very brief look at each piece of equipment mentioned because there can be long studies on each piece of gear....
Keep ReadingMoses experienced the Lord’s presence in a myriad of unique and fascinating ways during his lifetime. There are also various parallels that God intended to draw between Moses and the greater future deliverer of God’s people, Jesus Christ. Today we are going to highlight one distinct way that Moses foreshadowed Christ. Although the majority of the focus that you have pr...
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