Matthew 5:13-16 — Since 1911, the census has collected information on religious affiliations and in 2016, for the first time, more Australians identified as having “no religion” than anything else. In 2006 it was 19% of the population who identified this way, in 2011 it was 22% and now it stands at 30%. This is a remarkable change…
Colossians 3:15 — “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts…” Peace is essential to our wellbeing and yet it’s something we often fail to experience. Perhaps this is because we don’t understand how the Bible talks about peace, or how it is we come to know that peace within our own hearts. In…
Luke 6:46-49 — In these verses we have the conclusion to Jesus’ sermon in Luke chapter 6. It opens with a series of “blessings and woes” (vs.20-26) and it closes with a powerful illustration (vs.47-49). Jesus pressed His hearers to actually do what He said! — “Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the…
Jeremiah 7:29-8:1 — “Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places…” All that was left for Judah to do was mourn. No longer was God calling His rebellious people to repent, rather He had rejected and forsaken “the generation of His wrath.” The Babylonians were going to come and destroy the city, take thousands…
Luke 6:43-45 — What we say reveals the condition our heart. That’s what Jesus taught in these verses as He spoke of trees and fruit. Our speech, like good fruit, is evidence of a good tree, or, like bad fruit it points to a bad tree. Jesus said it plainly at the end of the section,…
Matthew 27:27-31 — After Jesus had been condemned to die, the Governor’s soldiers took Him to their barracks where they violently humiliated Him. They dressed Him up as a king with a purple robe, a crown of thorns and a stick for a sceptre. They bowed the knee and mockingly proclaimed “Hail, King of the…
Colossians 3:14 — “And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.” Love is the fountainhead of authentic Christian virtue. That’s what Paul teaches us in this text as he brings to a close his discussion of the “new man” and his “new clothes.” Without love, our efforts to exercise the Christian…
Luke 6:41-42 — We live in an age of rampant hypocrisy. Politicians and celebrities are often on television or using social media to lecture us on what society is doing wrong and yet their own personal morality leaves a lot to be desired. Furthermore, the widespread use of social media has created limitless opportunities to critique…
Colossians 3:12-13 — With new life in Christ comes a new way of living, but it’s not automatic. There are sins to be put off and virtues to be put on. That’s what Paul instructs his readers to do in this text – to put on new attitudes and new behaviours as they would new clean…
Luke 6:39-40 — “Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.” What did Jesus mean when He made this statement midway through His sermon in Luke 6? What was He trying to…