Matthew 26:1-5 — “Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people…and consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him.” As we turn out attention towards Good Friday and Easter Sunday, we begin with a message on the plot to kill Jesus. In the hours before Judas…
Romans 12:12 — “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.” There is no doubt that the coronavirus pandemic is already proving to be a real test of our patience. The disruption to our regular patterns of life and the restrictions on gatherings have made it more difficult to have self-control and to…
Hebrews 4:15-16, Matthew 4:1-11 — Perhaps the greatest impact the coronavirus will have on many people is the experience of isolation. In order to slow the spread of the virus, the authorities have imposed restrictions on social gatherings and travel. These are likely to tighten in the weeks to come. There are real challenges associated…
Mathew 25:14-30 — Our lives have changed fairly drastically over the last couple of weeks and we’re all still adjusting. We’re still figuring out what to and perhaps we feel like we can’t do anything. We can’t gather for worship and we can’t minster to our brothers and sisters in Christ like we have for years and…
I Peter 5:6-7 — “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” — Running right alongside the coronavirus epidemic is an epidemic of anxiety. People across our nation are worried about their health and about major…
Matthew 25:1-13 — In our study through Jesus’ Olivet Discourse we come to the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins. The story has to do with a wedding procession through the streets to the bride’s house where the wedding banquet was held. Ten virgins (the bridesmaids) were waiting for the bridegroom to come so they…
I Kings 16:8-14, Proverbs 23:29-35 — King Elah is a very minor figure in the broad sweep of Biblical history. His reign covers barely two verses in the Book of I Kings. All that’s recorded is where he was, and what he was doing, when he was killed by one his servants. He was drinking…
Luke 11:37 — “And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat.” The Pharisees were Jesus’ fiercest critics. They opposed Him just about everywhere He went. In this chapter we see them going so far as to accuse Jesus of being a…
I King 15:1-8, II Chronicles 13:1-22 — Abijam (Abijah) followed his father Rehoboam on the throne of Judah and in the Scriptures we are given two accounts of his life and reign. What is especially interesting about these accounts is that each portrays him in a different light. One is largely negative and the other…
Hebrews 4:1-3 — “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.” Drawing on Israel’s failure after the Exodus to enter into the Promised Land, the author of Hebrews urges Christians not to do the same – not to…