The Apostle Paul begins his letter with a long and complex sentence (verses 3-10) that is like trying to drink from a firehose. We’ll break this down into smaller segments in the coming weeks. Bless God “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every […]
Ephesians 1:3 // Blessing the God Who Blesses Us Read More »
We are embarking on a study of the book of Ephesians that should prove to be encouraging to all of us. When we look at a young child, we may imagine their potential for the future. We may lament the “wasted potential” of a person who has gone down a bad path in life. But
Ephesians 1:1-2 // Grace and Peace for Faithful Saints Read More »
As we dive into the Scripture for this week, bring to mind two groups of people. The first are your friends—those you find easy to love and who love you; those you protect and who are protective of you; those to whom you are generous and who are generous to you. You have joyful, reciprocal
Matthew 5:43-48 // Grace for the Hateful Read More »
What do you do when someone humiliates you? What do you do when someone takes something that belongs to you? What do you do when an authority forces you to do something you don’t want to do? In this week’s passage from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addresses very practical questions related to our
Matthew 5:38-42 // Grace for the Vengeful Read More »
We’re continuing in the Sermon on the Mount—Jesus’ “Kingdom Manifesto,” describing God’s desire for His people. In Matthew 5:20 Jesus said our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, and this section ends in verse 48 with the statement, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” This is yet
Matthew 5:33-37 // Grace for Liars Read More »
In the Sermon on the Mount we’ve been reading Jesus’ kingdom portrait. Christians are to have a distinct flavor and appearance in this world. “You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world” (Matt. 5:13, 14). If we were to be just like everyone else, there would be no reason
Matthew 5:31-32 // God Hates Divorce Read More »