There is, in verse 5, a Gospel invitation: ‘Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed’. We eat bread. We drink wine. We remember our Saviour (Matthew 26: 26-29). ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom’ (10). ‘This sounds so old-fashioned’ – so the world tells us. […]
Joseph was the forgotten man. He asked the chief cup bearer to remember him (Genesis 40:14). The chief cup bearer forgot Joseph (Genesis 40:23). He wasn’t remembered until “two full years had passed” (Genesis 41:1). As he languished in prison, these two years must have seemed a very long time. Nevertheless, Joseph kept close to […]
Barak is an example of ‘faith’ (Hebrews 11:32-34). Faith involves believing God’s promise – ‘I will give…’ and obeying His command – ‘Go’ (4:6-7). God still says, ‘Go…I am with you always…’ (Matthew 28:19-20). Barak needed Deborah’s help (4:8-10). Both needed God’s help – ‘Our sufficiency comes from God’ (2 Corinthians 3:5-6). In Deborah’s song, […]
God the Father has declared Jesus to be His Son (3:17). Now, the devil challenges God’s Word: ‘If you are the Son of God…’ (3). The Spirit has descended upon Jesus (3:16). Now, the devil uses his power in an attempt to defeat Jesus. The devil sows seeds of doubt; the ‘if you are…’ approach […]
‘The people of the Lord marched down for Him against the mighty (13) – God is still calling His people to march for Him: ‘March on, my soul, with strength, with strength, but not thine own; The conquest thou shalt gain, through Christ the Lord alone‘ (Church Hymnary, 614). This is not ‘marching’ for ourselves, […]
Having overcome His enemy, Jesus begins His ministry. Satan will be back – Luke ends his account of Jesus’ temptations with these ominous words, ‘When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left until an opportune time‘ (4:12). Satan will try again, but – for now – he has failed to stop Jesus setting […]
Christ’s victory over the world was won for us (1 John 3:8: 5:4-5). Jesus was not a loner. He was a team leader: ‘From victory to victory His army He will lead’ (Church Hymnary, 481). At the very outset of His ministry, He set about putting together His ministry team. Peter, Andrew, James and John […]
In verse 20, Jesus refers to ‘the scribes and Pharisees’. Jesus warned against the shallow superficiality of these men who were more concerned with outward appearances than inner reality. This conflict with the Jewish religious leaders lies close to the surface in the Sermon on the Mount. When Jesus says, ‘This is their way. This […]
Matthew 2:1-12 ‘King of the Jews’ (2). Jesus came from the Jews. He came for ‘all nations’ (28:19). He is the ‘King of kings’ (Revelation 17:14; 19:16). Here on earth, we are learning ‘to worship Him’ (2). We are being prepared for heavenly worship (Revelation 7:9-12): ‘Kings and queens and beggar men, presidents and servants, […]
‘A Saviour, who is Christ the Lord’ (11). The Name, ‘Jesus’, means ‘Saviour’ (Matthew 1:21). Focus your thoughts on Him: The Lord Jesus Christ. Here is a prayer to help you make your response to Him: ‘Lord Jesus Christ, You have come to us, You are one with us, Mary’s Son. Cleansing our souls from […]
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