Amos 2:4-8 — “For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes…” Greed was flourishing in Israel and as always happens, with greed came injustice and oppression. The poor and the vulnerable were being…
Luke 2:1-7 — “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed…” Rome was a long way from Nazareth, and yet when Joseph and Mary became aware of Caesar’s decree they felt obligated to obey. Even though Mary was heavily…
Exodus 19:16-19 — “And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire…” Can you imagine what it must’ve been like for the Children of Israel when the LORD descended upon Mt Sinai? Can you imagine what experiencing all the natural phenomena that accompanied His presence? Then the deafening…
Luke 13:31-33 — “Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.” There were certain Pharisees who told Jesus that Herod Antipas was planning to kill Him. When Jesus heard this, He was completely untroubled. He…
Amos 1:1-2:3 — “The LORD will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither.” The first two chapters of Amos contain eight oracles of judgment, each one is addressed to a different nation. In this sermon, we consider the…
Luke 13:22-30 — “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” In this passage we see Jesus urging His audience to enter into the kingdom of God before the door was shut. Jesus was very direct with His hearers in…
Luke 13:18-21 — “Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? And whereunto shall I resemble it?…” In these verses we have two illustrations that Jesus gave to describe the kingdom of God. It might not seem so for those of us who are familiar with Jesus’ teaching, but these illustrations were…
Luke 13:10-17 — “And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day…” In these verses, Luke records a miracle that Jesus performed during a worship service on the Sabbath. He healed a woman who had been painfully disabled for nearly 20 years. It was a cause for great…
Romans 12:16b — “Be of the same mind one toward another.” The coronavirus pandemic and the ever-changing list of rules and restrictions has caused many people to become frustrated and fearful. This, in-turn, has led to a decrease in respect and common courtesy. We have all heard accounts of people being treated rudely for wearing…
Luke 13:6-9 — “He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.” In these verses we have one of Jesus’ lesser-known parables, one that perhaps we’ve not thought about very much. It’s a simple story and it had…