the new self created in the likeness of God
One thousand years before Jesus’ life on earth, David penned these words: “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed…” (Psalm 2.1-2). As we will see in this lesson, those words would form part of the... Continue Reading →
Before His ascension Jesus promised that apostles that they would “receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1.8). They received the Spirit in Acts 2.1-4 and immediately received the power to “speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Furthermore, we read in Acts 2.43 that “many wonders and... Continue Reading →
Perhaps some 600 years before Jesus lived on the earth, the prophet Joel was commissioned by God to relay His word to the people of Judah. The people had suffered because of their sins and they would be punished further for their iniquities. Yet, there was hope! If the people would return to the Lord... Continue Reading →
Chapter 1 centered around the ascension of Jesus, the Son of God returning to the Father and being given dominion over all things as He sat at the Father’s right hand (see Daniel 7.13-14; Mark 16.19; Ephesians 1.20-23). But even though Jesus had left this earth, He only did so after preparing the apostles to... Continue Reading →
Acts 1 brims with anticipation. The chapter begins with Jesus working with his closest followers, but He would not remain with them for long. Furthermore, He instructed His followers to not “depart from Jerusalem” but to wait for the promised Spirit (vss. 4-5,8). Jesus’ ascension occurs in the middle of the chapter (vss. 9-11), but... Continue Reading →
Proclaiming The Kingdom If we had individual copies of the 27 books which comprise the New Testament, we likely would arrange them a little differently. Perhaps we would arrange Paul’s letters chronologically, rather than by length. We likely would group all of John’s writings (1 gospel, 3 letters and 1 apocalyptic vision) together. Definitely, we... Continue Reading →
Having described the kind of people in His Kingdom and the exceedingly high standard of righteousness which Kingdom citizens must follow, Jesus began issuing an invitation for us to enter the Kingdom of Heaven... to enter life (7.13-14). He then warned against dangers which could lead us off the narrow way, namely false teachers (7.15-20)... Continue Reading →
Only by following the narrow way can we reach our desired destination: eternal life (Matthew 7.13-14). Thus, it makes sense that after Jesus exhorts us to follow the narrow way, He warns against false prophets who would seek to divert our path (vss. 15-20). But false teachers are not the only danger, so Jesus warns... Continue Reading →
The "way" to eternal life is, according to Jesus, narrow. And certainly it must be, for it has one aim: to become "perfect, as you heavenly father is perfect" (5.48). There can be no deviation from this path, for any straying would lead us away from His nature, and thus away from Him. Thus, truth... Continue Reading →
"Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom..." (Matthew 4.23). The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) is our most complete account of the message Jesus proclaimed, the gospel of the kingdom. Within the sermon Jesus reveals what kind of people are in the Kingdom (5.3-12)... Continue Reading →
Built By Him 