Pontius Pilate hits on a brilliant idea which he thought would get him out of this no- win situation. He knew that Jesus was innocent, but he was on the hot seat between the Jewish leaders and what he knew to be the prisoner’s innocence. Every year it was customary for him to release …
“Peace at any price” is not a Biblical principle, for there cannot be true spiritual peace without purity (James3:13- 18). Church discipline is not a popular subject and very few churches today really practice it. Too many churches just sweep things under the rug instead of obeying the …
After a strong defense of his integrity and the questioning of God’s sovereignty, Job raises some questions about what he believed to be God’s indifference to wickedness in the world. The entire chapter focuses on the seeming injustices that God permits in this world. …
In our next woe Jesus gives an analogy of the Pharisees who appeared righteous on the outside. (like unto whitewashed tombs) however they were corrupt and decaying on the inside (vv. 27-32). It was a tradition for the Pharisees to build and decorate the tombs of the martyrs. However, it was …
Peter is saying that through the fiery trials of persecution and suffering it gives us opportunity to examine our own lives and ministry. Through this refining process we should ask ourselves the following questions: 1. Why am I suffering? (v. 15). Peter makes it c …
Solomon’s material wealth is displayed in the next few verses. His annual income was 666 talents of gold (25 tons or 50,000 pounds) (v. 13). This excluded profits that were given to him by other merchants (v. 14). The source of this massive amount of wealth in gold and silver was both external …
As has been previously stated, the Levites, the servants of God, were not to own their own land in Canaan. Instead, they were to be scattered among the other tribes as stated by Moses in his final message to the tribes, “They shall teach Thine ordinances to Jacob, and Thy law to Israel” …
Jesus and His disciples were staying in Bethany each night (v. 19). The next day the disciples noticed that the fig tree Jesus had cursed the day before was all dried up (vv. 20-21). As they called it to His attention He used it as an illustration to teach them these principles o …
The news came to Joseph one day that his father was very sick. He immediately laid aside his affairs of state, took his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, and hurried to see his father (v. 1). Jacob sat up in bed and when Joseph presented his two sons to him the aged patriarch prono …
Peter explains how the Christian who stands true to Christ during persecution doesn’t do evil. Christ never returned evil for evil and the Christian who has the right attitude of Christ toward suffering will not strike out against his persecutors …