Jeremiah 35 — In this chapter the prophet was instructed to do a very strange thing. He was to bring a group of men into the Temple and offer them wine. These men were Rechabites and when they were served the wine they refused to drink it. This was out of respect for their ancestor Jonadab…
Colossians 3:18-4:1 — The household code that Paul gives in this section of his epistle raises a number of significant issues for the 21st Century reader. Many are uncomfortable with the idea of submission within marriage, and what do we do with instructions given to slaves? How do we understand this teaching in light of…
Romans 12:9a — “Let love be without dissimulation.” “Fake news” is a term that we’re all getting used to. It describes a real phenomenon that’s swirling around the world of social media and it’s also a term that certain politicians use to dismiss unflattering news stories. More than ever we need a healthy level of scepticism…
Colossians 3:17 — Ethical questions are those that concern right and wrong. In any given situation what is the “right” thing to do? As Christians, what is the basis for our ethics? How do we determine what is right and what is wrong? How do our ethics relate to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ? These…
Luke 7:18-23 — “Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?” These were John the Baptist’s questions for Jesus and it seems strange that such a man of faith and courage should ask them. Why did he ask them? Had he become so overwhelmed by his imprisonment that he’d lost his faith? Or…
Colossians 3:16 — In Ephesians chapter five, all Christians are commanded to be “filled with the Spirit.” What does this mean? How does it happen? What are the results? These are the questions we consider in this lesson and we’re greatly helped in answering them by what Paul wrote to the Colossians. Understanding the filling of…
Jeremiah 27:5-7 — In this text we have God’s message to Judah and five other nations concerning the advance of Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian empire. It was God’s will that these nations submit to Nebuchadnezzar’s rule or else be destroyed. At this point in history, Nebuchadnezzar, although a wicked, cruel and violent man, was “God’s…
Matthew 27:34 — “They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.” Immediately before being nailed to the cross, Jesus was offered a mixture that contained alcohol and a narcotic of some kind. It was designed to alleviate the pain He was about to experience.…
Colossians 3:16 — “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Singing in corporate worship has become a very controversial issue in evangelical circles over the last 30-40 years. There’s even…
Luke 7:11-17 — “And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her…” (v.13a) In this text Luke records a miracle that took place at an obscure Galilean village called Nain. Jesus met a funeral procession leaving the town. A young man had died, the only son of a widow. Jesus stopped the procession…