Sunday Sermon-—Knowing God:Never An Ornamental Extra (Exodus 3:13-4:17)
Read moreJesus Shows the Sadducees Why They Should Believe in the Power of God (Mark 12:18-27)
Jesus Shows the Sadducees Why They Should Believe in the Power of God
Mark 12:18-27
The Sadducees were another religious group from that era, but they were opposed to the Pharisees in almost every way. Jesus had some views in common with the Pharisees, but none with the Sadducees. So who were they?
Read moreArchival Post: Weigh, Study, Arrange — And Teach!
Weigh, Study, Arrange — And Teach!
Archival Post
People ask me if I get nervous before teaching the Bible. The short answer is yes, I do get nervous. Sometimes it is because I’m guest teaching in a new place. Sometimes it is because I am handling a difficult passage that day. Sometimes I have no idea why. But I do get nervous from time to time. It is a huge responsibility to explain and apply and exhort people with and from the Word of God. It is His Word, not mine, and the responsibility is awesome.
Read moreKnowing God 02: People Who Experience God's Exodus (Exodus 2:11-3:12)
Sunday Teaching: Knowing God 02-—People Who Experience God's Exodus (Exodus 2:11-3:12)
Read moreJesus Challenged about Government Oppression, Pt. 2 (Mark 12:13-17)
Jesus Challenged about Government Oppression, Pt. 2
Mark 12:13-17
In part 1 of this article, we saw Herodians and Pharisees come together to challenge Jesus about Rome, about government oppression. They posed a question -- “Should we pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” -- hoping to catch Jesus in an answer that either maddened the masses or went against Roman law.
Read moreArchival Post: Perishing Without Vision? (Proverbs 29:18)
Perishing Without Vision? (Proverbs 29:18)
Archival Post
This is an oft-misunderstood verse. Many have taken this proverb to mean that unless a spiritual leader, like a pastor, has a vision for where the church is going to go, then the people flail and fail. "Without a vision, the people perish."
Read moreKnowing God 01: His Presence (Exodus 1:1-2:10)
Sunday Sermon—Knowing God 01: His Presence (Exodus 1:1-2:10)
Read moreJesus Challenged about Government Oppression, Pt. 1 (Mark 12:13-17)
Jesus Challenged about Government Oppression, Pt. 1
Mark 12:13-17
We find ourselves in a place in Mark's gospel where the hostility toward Jesus is reaching its peak. Soon, the religious leaders will conspire with the Roman authorities to put Christ to death. But these leaders and authorities feel a need to build their case against Jesus, and in the final week before his death, that's precisely what they set out to do. In this passage we find two enemy groups, the Pharisees and the Herodians, join together in an attempt to stop Jesus. They presented a challenge to Jesus about government oppression in Rome.
Read moreArchival Post: Adam's Work (Genesis 2:15)
Adam's Work (Genesis 2:15)
Archival Post
And Adam's work likely had a spiritual component to it. His work was a way for him to worship God. In fact, some scholars believe work would be better translated to worship and obey. Like the later priests in God's tabernacle, Adam was the man on God's ground, serving and loving His LORD.
Read moreThe Parable of the Vineyard, Pt. 2 (Mark 12:6-12)
The Parable of the Vineyard, Pt. 2
Mark 12:6-12
Jesus continued the conversation with the religious leaders who had come to question him by speaking to them in parables. Mark includes one of them, and it was centered around a man who planted a vineyard. This man must have expected great grapes and wine because he put a fence around the property, dug out a pit for a winepress, and built a tower in the midst of it. This vineyard was meant to succeed.
Read more