Exodus 1:6-14 — After centuries in Egypt circumstances changed dramatically for the Children of Israel. A new Pharaoh decided to turn on this group of people that had grown rapidly. He made them slaves and subjected to them to a regime of terrible violence and brutality. These were God’s chosen people, so why did He allow…
Jeremiah 42 — In this chapter we meet a remnant in Judah who survived not only the atrocities committed by the Chaldeans but also the murderous activities of a warlord named Ishmael. Their leaders were ready to take them into Egypt in the hopes of finding safety, security and economic opportunity but before they departed, they…
Colossians 3:21 — “Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.” How can we as parents provoke our children? What happens when they are discouraged? Are we raising discouraged children? These are serious questions that this text causes us to ask. In this short Bible study there is a vitally important message for…
Romans 5:3-4 — Sometimes it seems as though all we have to rejoice in as Christians are those things that await us in the future. We feel like we have to grit our teeth and somehow make it through this life while trying to keep our eyes fixed on the glory that is to come. Is…
James 1:22-25 — When does a sermon finish? The obvious answer is when the preacher says “Amen” and stops talking, but this is incorrect for it’s then, for the hearer, that the sermon really begins! In this message Pastor Brendan explains what we must do to ensure we receive all that God for intends for us from the…
Colossians 3:20 — As we continue our study of the Household Code we come to the command addressed to children. In this short lesson we consider Paul’s instruction in light of God’s Law and the example of God’s Son. Jesus “learned obedience” and it was difficult, just as it is for children today!
Colossians 3:19 — “Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.” This was a very unusual command in the Greco-Roman world of the First Century. Pederasty and prostitution flourished in these ancient societies. It was not uncommon for a man to have a wife but also to engage in these sexual practices. So…
Jeremiah 22:13-19 — King Jehoiakim was a man driven by greed and in this short text we see what his greed led to. He exploited and oppressed his own people. He perpetrated violence and murder and as a consequence God ensured he died a shameful death. Jehoiakim’s life stands as a warning about the deadly dangers…
Luke 7:31-35 — “To what shall I liken the men of this generation? They are like children…” This was Jesus’ assessment of the people of His day when it came to their responses to the ministry of John the Baptist and to His own ministry. Popular opinion was fickle. People were inconsistent – condemning a man…
Psalm 130:3-4 — “If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?…” What if God noted down our sins and never remitted them? What if they continued to pile up over the years? How could any of us stand before Him on the Day of Judgment? This is a fearful thought and it does us…