Posts by Caleb Bunch

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Leviticus 16

Leviticus 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...

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Leviticus 1

We 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. ...

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Exodus 34

Moses 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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Exodus 33

Exodus 33 opens with the aftermath of the golden calf debacle. God’s answer to their rebellion was to tell them, “Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.” God had been traveling in the midst of the people up to this point on their journey. In some mysterious way, Hi...

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Exodus 32

When reading a chapter like Exodus 32, it is necessary to remind ourselves of the context. In this case, we can only comprehend the weight of the Israelite’s wickedness when we are reminded of what God had just done for them. These are the exact same people who had been living for generations as slaves under the oppressive hand of a genocidal maniac. They had just observ...

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Exodus 31

One of the greatest blessings that we have in this life, truly one of the most humbling and mind-boggling realities of the Christian life is that the Holy Spirit has been sent to make His home in our hearts. Every single believer functions as the “temple of the Holy Spirit.” (1 Cor. 6:19-20) We are promised that the Holy Spirit will indwell us (Ezekiel 36:27), and sea...

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Exodus 26

Yesterday we began to explore the tabernacle and its various pieces of divinely mandated furniture. The key point to remember is that everything that God designed was intentionally done in order to point forward to Jesus Christ. Our primary focus yesterday was on the mercy seat that covered the ark of the covenant that represented the fact that Jesus would come and mer...

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Exodus 24

Perhaps you have heard the phrase, “Talk is cheap.” It is all too easy to promise that we are going to do something and then fail to follow through. The Shepherding Notes today are simple in terms of complexity, simple to understand, but incredibly challenging to live out. Consider just a few verses....

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Exodus 25

The latter chapters of Exodus contain an abundance of instructions that the Lord gave to Moses concerning the specifications of the tabernacle and all of its furniture and design. Why was the LORD so particular about such small details like the color of the woven fibers ...

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Exodus 16

Let’s recap for just a moment. The Israelites have just been freed from their enslavement to the most powerful nation in the world. God set them free by sending the most powerful plagues in the history of the world. He then conquered their enemies by literally parting the Red Sea and leading them through safely before crushing Pharaoh and his armies beneath the collapsin...

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Exodus 15

When we last saw the Israelites, they had just made their way through the Red Sea and had turned around to see the Egyptians pursuing them with all deliberate speed. Once every Israelite had safely made it above the water line, the Lord closed the waters in, destroying Pharaoh and his entire army. Proverbs 11:10 tells us that, “when the wicked perish there are shouts of ...

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Exodus 14

There is perhaps no event more iconic in the Old Testament than the parting of the Red Sea. It is the final nail in the coffin as the Lord was completing the absolute humiliation of the Egyptians. There have been many attempts throughout history to claim that the Israelites did not actually walk through what we think of the Red Sea today. Skeptics instead believe that Mose...

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Exodus 13

My devotional thought for this chapter is simple but has proven to be of great encouragement to me. The Israelites had been living in Egypt for 400 years. No living Israelite had likely ever traveled in the wilderness where the Lord had led them. There was no GPS or Google Maps....

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Exodus 12

Exodus 12 marks the establishment of one of the most significant practices that the Jews would carry out for generations. The final plague that the Lord sent against the Egyptians was the death of the firstborn son of every family. Unlike many plagues, the Israelites were not automatically exempted. The land of Goshen was just as much a target as everywhere else. However, ...

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Exodus 11

Chapter 10 closed with the infuriated Pharaoh crying out, “Get away from me; take care never to see my face again, for on the day you see my face you shall die.” He is so aggressive in his rejection of God’s command to let His people go that He literally threatened the life of God’s messenger. Moses responded, “As you say! I will not see your face again.” But, ...

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Exodus 10

The plagues found in Exodus 10 were devastating blows to the Egyptian people. There is a mysterious switch in the mind of locusts that causes them to shift from solitary bugs to swarming armies. Hundreds of locust generations will go by without a swarm. Then, for reasons that are often weather related, they will molt, change colors, and begin multiplying feverishly. ...

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Exodus 9

Today is a good time to examine one of the underlying themes that is taking place in the Exodus narrative: Pharaoh’s heart being hardened. Below I am going to list all of the occasions that this pops up, and conclude with three important truths....

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Exodus 8

Today we see ongoing and relentless evidence of God’s power manifested in the plagues sent against the Egyptians. This chapter is overflowing with fascinating detail, but for today let's zone in on three important truths. ...

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Exodus 7

We have now arrived at the incredible period of the plagues. I would like to draw your attention to three truths from this chapter....

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Exodus 5

When Moses and Aaron arrive back in Egypt, they don’t waste any time getting to the point. At the very outset of the chapter we see that they have gained an appointment with Pharaoh and made the Lord’s demands clear....

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Exodus 6

When we read through the Old Testament, there are often occasions when many years pass by between chapters or between events. For that reason, it can sometimes be easily overlooked just how rare it is that the Lord God actually communicates verbally with people. When we were reading through Genesis, there were seven conversations between the Lord and Abraham, but they took...

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Exodus 4

To this day, the ancient Egyptians are viewed by most people as an intriguing, mysterious culture. They receive more attention than any other ancient civilization of that time period in academia and entertainment alike. Part of the reason is due to their mythological and supernatural beliefs that are etched into practically every surface that they left behind. They were a ...

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Exodus 3

Names are highly significant in the Bible. They are descriptive of the character of the individual to whom the name represents. Exodus 3 is one of the most impactful chapters in the entire Old Testament. God has not verbally communicated to anyone at this point for over 500 years. ...

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Exodus 2

Moses and the Ark Moses was born during the time that a genocidal order was in effect that required all Egyptians to throw any Israelite baby boy they found into the river. Moses’ parents saw the beauty and intrinsic value of their son’s life, so they hid him. Eventually they did place Moses in the river, but not in the way Pharaoh demanded. He was placed into a bas...

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Exodus 1

The final piece of Joseph’s story does not happen in Genesis. Exodus is a continuation of the book of Genesis. In fact, in the original Hebrew, the first word of the book of Exodus is “and.” At the front end of Exodus, we see that Joseph died. One of the important facts that we missed in Genesis 50 is that “Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, ‘God ...

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Genesis 46-48

Joseph is reunited with his father. ...

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Genesis 41

Joseph was cast out of his home in Canaan; Jesus voluntarily left his home in heaven. Jesus was likewise falsely accused. Jesus likewise did not defend himself. Jesus likewise was abandoned by those that he had helped in the time of his greatest need. Much more than Joseph, Jesus suffered alone. And in a much greater way, Jesus experienced the lowest form of humiliation, d...

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Genesis 40

More than any of the other patriarchs, Joseph’s life parallels the life of Christ. Today and tomorrow we will focus in on the similarities in terms of humiliation and exaltation, and see how it relates to our salvation. For chapter 40, our focus will be on the process of humiliation suffered by Joseph....

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Genesis 39

Today’s focus will zone in on two aspects of what is taking place in the life of Joseph. Sexual Purity and False Accusations...

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Genesis 38

Today we are going to wade into the murky darkness of the sinful life of the fourth son of Israel. The events described in this chapter are disturbing and repulsive, revealing the hard heart of a rebel. If you examine the internal components of any finely crafted machine, you are going to see that every last element exists for a very significant reason. I know nothing abou...

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Genesis 37

In our text this morning, we see the negative results of bad parenting. Much of the division that existed between Joseph and his brothers directly resulted from the favoritism that Jacob showed to the offspring of his favorite wife. (For those who are tabulating, this is just one more reason why polygamy is always bad.)...

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Genesis 36

The Epilogues - Part 2...

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Genesis 35

The Epilogues - Part 1...

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Genesis 34

The Defiling of Dinah...

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Genesis 29

Turnabout is Fair Play...

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Genesis 28

Stairway to Heaven...

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Genesis 27

Jacob's Lie and Esau's False Repentance ...

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Genesis 26

The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree...

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Genesis 25

Passing the Torch...

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Genesis 24

How God Works...

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Genesis 23

Sarah's Death and Burial...

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Genesis 22

The Sacrifice of the Child of Promise...

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Genesis 21

The Child Of Promise...

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Genesis 20

Abraham, the deceiver...

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Genesis 19

God's mercy in the midst of God's wrath...

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Genesis 18

Abraham's Intercessory Prayer ...

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Genesis 17

The Covenant of Circumcision...

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Genesis 16

The God who Sees...

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Genesis 15

God 'Cuts' A Covenant...

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Genesis 14

The Mystery Priest...

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Genesis 13

Lot Compromises...

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Genesis 12

God calls Abram...

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Genesis 11

The Lord divides human languages...

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Genesis 10

The Table of Nations...

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Genesis 9

God makes a covenant with all creation....

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Genesis 7

The waters of God's wrath...

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Genesis 8

"God Remembered Noah" ...

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Genesis 6

God Calls Noah...

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Genesis 5

Enoch walked with God. ...

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Genesis 4

Abel's blood cried out for justice. Jesus' calls out for mercy. ...

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Genesis 3

The fall and the promise. ...

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Genesis 2

Rest and Marriage...

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Genesis 1

God created mankind as the pinnacle of creation and made us in His own image. This has far-reaching implications. ...

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Acts 6 - Six Applications from the Seven Servants

Here in Acts 6, we are introduced to the proto-deacons. Let me share six practical applications that we could all apply....

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Acts 9 - Transformation Results in Proclamation

Today we read about one of the most consequential moments in the history of the church – the conversion of Paul. However, I want to consider several other aspects of this chapter that surround the main story that may serve as an encouragement to you....

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Acts 7 - Be a Witness

Let’s consider five applications from this bitter-sweet passage about the first martyr....

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Acts 5 - Ananias and Sapphira

Today we read the chilling account of the death of two members of the early church. There are several aspects that I would like to note that will hopefully bring both clarity and comfort. First, notice that Ananias and Sapphira both had opportunities to repent. Ananias could have come clean as he was presenting the money to Peter. And in verse 8 Peter also he asked Saphira...

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Acts 4 - Praying Like the Apostles

Today we read about the arrest of Peter and John, which was fallout from the preaching and teaching that resulted from the healing of the lame man in chapter 3. It seems to me that most of the attention in this chapter typically goes to either the beginning section regarding the boldness of the apostles or the conclusion regarding the unity of the church. But, I want to ac...

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Acts 3 - True Compassion

Today our text contains a pretty straightforward event with no theological curveballs or complexities. So, let’s get super practical with three points of application from this passage....

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Acts 2 - The Gospel of the Resurrection

Acts is all about the Word of God going forth with power resulting in the expansion of God’s kingdom. Consider the beating heart of the sermon that drew thousands of people into the kingdom the day the church was born....

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Acts 1 - The Selection Process

Welcome to the book of Acts. Or, to be more accurate, the full title is ‘The Acts of the Apostles.’ This book could just as well be called ‘The Acts of the Holy Spirit' or ‘The Continued Ministry of Jesus.’ Today we will focus on how the apostles chose the replacement for Judas, and how we should go about making decisions in our lives....

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Luke 24 - The Christ Must Suffer

Today we conclude the book of Luke, but we are not concluding the writings of Luke. He is also the author of the book of Acts. The two work together to display the work of Christ in seeking and saving the lost....

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Luke 23 - Sayings From The Cross

There are seven times that Jesus spoke from the cross. They are spread across the four gospels as each author takes a slightly different focus of the final hours....

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Luke 22 - Lest I Forget Gethsemane

In a chapter like this, it becomes quite difficult to determine exactly where to turn our focus. But, for today I have selected the prayer of Jesus in Gethsemane....

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Luke 21 - Stay Awake

Today we are reading the sermon that Jesus preached that is commonly known as “the Olivet Discourse.” We also find this sermon in Matthew 24 and Mark 13. It is an extended passage about the coming judgment of the Jewish nation as well as the return of Christ. There are only three verses in this discourse that are unique to Luke’s gospel; namely verses 34-36....

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Luke 17 - 10 Lepers Cleansed

In recent days my notes have been a bit long. I will be attempting to be deliberately more brief moving forward. Today our focus is going to be on one story tucked in the center of this chapter – verses 11-19. ...

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Luke 20 - The Question That Jesus Refused To Answer

There are many occasions in the gospels when people ask Jesus a question. He usually responds with a very rich answer. However, there are occasions when Jesus answers a question with a question. Why does He do that?...

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Luke 19 - The Blind Beggar and the Tax Collector

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” ...

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Luke 15 - The Prodigal Father

The Prodigal Father - I want us to recognize the unchanging, unlimited, unfading, love of God that we see in this parable. But in doing so, I want us to be careful not to project ourselves onto the father character in the story. The point of the story is that He is NOT like us. ...

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Luke 18 - Two Men Went To Pray

Many of the parables are presentations of contrasts. Usually, the contrast is based around the actions of one person versus the actions of another. But the point that Jesus makes is never simply about the outward actions. He uses these contrasts to unveil people’s hearts. In Luke 18:9-14 we find a parable about two men who went up to pray. These two men were very differe...

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Luke 16 - The Rich Man and Lazarus

There are multiple parables in Luke 16 that are exclusive to this gospel account. Today we are going to set our attention on the parable of ‘The Rich Man and Lazarus’ found in verses 19-31. For our purposes today, I want us to consider five main aspects of this story so that we might apply what Jesus is teaching us. ...

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Luke 14 - Count the Cost

What is the cost of following Jesus? ...

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Luke 13 - Pilate and Herod

An introduction to two villains. ...

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My People Perish For Lack Of Knowledge

A short call to study the Word and an introduction to four Minor Prophets....

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One Anothering

The Bible calls us to act in certain ways toward one another. This post contains a simple list. ...

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Technology + Intro to Matthew

Is technology ruling you? and an Introduction to Matthew...

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Renew Your Mind + Intro to Daniel

Devotion in Motion - "Blind Faith" Introduction to Daniel...

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Pick up and Read

This post offers ten excellent books for helping Christians grow in their love of the Savior....

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Give Thanks

God desires us to give thanks. Our hearts are joyful when we recognize His goodness towards us....

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Study the Trinity

We must study the Trinity. This is an essential doctrine of the Christian faith. ...

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Why attend the men's conference?

Here are some of the hopes I have for those of us who are attending the men's conference October 23-25....

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Study the Gospels

A quote from J.C. Ryle about the significance of reading and studying the gospels. ...

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King Zog of Long Island

The miserable story of the dismal King Zog and how it relates to the gospel. ...

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A New Church, An Old Mission

"Why are you starting your own church?" I have been asked this question by many people over the course of the last two years... ...

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