In the last few verses of Psalm 116 the psalmist recounts how much he owes to God. 1. He makes a statement as it pertains to death. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death …
Jesus then rebukes the crowd for their lack of faith (v.36). They had the great privilege of seeing Him, and yet they refused to believe. It is evident here that seeing does not necessarily lead to believing. He goes on to explain that salvation involves both divine soverei …
This passage covers the transition between the ministry of John the Baptist and the ministry of Christ. We find John the Baptist with two of his disciples, Andrew and John (v. 35). After he pointed to the Lamb of God (Jesus) they left and followed Jesus (vv. 36-37). It appears that they …
On Sunday about dawn, a group of women, including Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Salome, Joanna, and others went to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body (v. 1). As they approached, an earthquake occurred, and an angel rolled away the stone from the door of the tomb (v. 2). The …
This chapter contains a list of those who returned with Ezra to Jerusalem (vv. 1-14). This was a much smaller group than the one that had returned with Zerubbabel earlier. Those returning with Ezra totaled 1496 males plus 18 heads of families. It is interesting to see how the nam …
Before dwelling on Israel’s future cleansing, Ezekiel reminded the exiles of their past sin which caused their judgment. When they were … in the land, they defiled it by their conduct and actions (v. 19). This profaning was like a menstrual discharge that rendered a wom …
The old prophet announced the fate of the younger prophet (vv. 20-22). He had disobeyed the Lord’s command and God’s judgement would be severe. The severity of this judgement was due to the importance of this young man’s mission. Even though the old prophet had sinned, the w …
A person’s behavior reflects his character. Even a child’s actions and conduct reveal what they are like We all must do the things that please God (v. 11). That is why it is important to not only listen to what people say but also to observe with our eyes what people do (v. 12). Sleeping when …
This is one of the most noted and best-loved chapters in the entire Bible. At the same time, few chapters have suffered more misinterpretation and misapplication than I Corinthians 13. Divorced from its context, it often becomes a sentimental sermon on Christian brotherhood. It is easy to …
At this point large crowds are following Jesus and He wants to make it clear that they need to examine why they are following Him (v. 25). When it comes to personal discipleship He is more interested in quality than quantity. He is looking for followers who will be willing …