Paul had been assaulted by the mob, threatened with scourging by the Romans, and bullied by the high priest. It was evident to him there was no chance that he would receive a fair trial in a court headed by such a man as Ananias. If he said, “I am a Christian,†and ma …
John 17 is often referred to as the “Holy of Holies” of the New Testament. This has been referred to as the greatest prayer on earth and the greatest prayer recorded anywhere in Scripture. This wonderful prayer of our Lord closes the Upper Room Discourse and precedes His agony in the …
It is a big mistake to boast about what you will do tomorrow because there is really no way of knowing for sure what will happen (v. 1). This is especially true when it comes to putting off being saved. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Not only should a person refrain from …
The guilty ones were named and sent for, but the Benjamites rejected the request of the other tribes to surrender those wicked men of Gibeah for execution in order to purge the evil (vv. 12-13). Benjamin, because of pride, apparently felt that he could manage their own affairs and punish their …
Christ condemned the religious leaders for blocking the doorway to heaven. They themselves did not enter through the doorway to heaven. But in this text, it is not the Pharisees who are seen as blocking the door to heaven (v.15). It is the followers of Jesus Christ, the d …
Just as God permitted Satan to test Job (Job 1-2) and Peter (Luke 22:31-34), so He permitted Satan to attack Paul. To avoid exalting himself he describes these experiences in the third person …
In Chapter 36 there is another revelation of what God requires of a nation. Here we have the story of how this book of Jeremiah came to be written. It takes us back to the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, about the midpoint of Jeremiah’s ministry ( …
From the offering of this poor widow we learn that what we rightly give for the relief of the poor, and the support of God’s worship, is given unto God. We learn about a woman who understood the principle of giving. God doesn’t call us to give for the sake of giving. Givi …
This chapter records four experiences which God brought to Joshua and the people. Israel was not prepared to enter battle with the Canaanites until their hearts were renewed with Him …
The main argument of the Judaizers was that Gentiles had to become Jews in order to become Christians. To show the error of their way Paul now turns from subjective experience to the objective evidence of the Word of God. We should never judge the Scriptures by our experience but …