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Hebrews 11 is about faith, beginning with a definition. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Is faith important? Verse 6 says, “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God, must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11 is full of people of faith. Faith is more than belief in God, that God exists. It must include the idea that God will reward those who seek him, diligently. We cannot please God by accident, or in ignoran...
Last week we read about baptism defined as immersion in water. We also read about the purpose of baptism: Jesus said “he who believes and is baptized shall be saved” and Paul said “repent and be baptized for forgiveness of sins.” Both Peter and Paul compare baptism to Old Testament events. In I Corinthians 10:1-2, Paul writes about the similarity of baptism to the Israelites leaving Egypt when they crossed the Red Sea. He writes that they were under the cloud as they passed through the sea – surrounded by water, just as in baptism. Passing t...
Baptism is a word that is often misunderstood. The word as used in the New Testament refers to immersion. The original word, instead of being translated as immersion, was transliterated from baptizo to baptism. Today sprinkling or pouring water over are often substituted for New Testament baptism. We have seen from studying Bible history that God wants His people to be obedient to His commands. Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist is recorded in Matthew 3:13-17. Jesus said “it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” by being bapti...
Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is found in the Gospel of Matthew, chapters 5-7. This was His first teaching for those He had chosen to become His apostles, and for those who were following Him wanting to know more. They were followers because of His ability to heal every ailment, and did not know much else. We looked at the Beatitudes, and His “you have heard it said, but I say” statements in chapter 5. In Chapter 6, He teaches about doing charitable deeds and fasting in secret, doing them to please God, not man. God has always wanted our hearts, n...
The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 signals a change in what people thought was acceptable to God. The old law, the Law of Moses, that Jews of Jesus’ day knew so well was about to be nailed to the Cross. The people were expecting and hoping for a king to send the Romans back to Rome. Instead, there was a Messiah with new teachings. Jesus says numerous times in this sermon, “You have heard it said, but I say.” God has always wanted people’s hearts. The old law had many sacrifices and feast days to keep people close to Him. But you can do...
In Matthew 4 Jesus begins His ministry of teaching and healing. Just prior to this He was baptized by John the Baptist, tempted in the wilderness, and starts choosing His apostles. People are coming from everywhere to be healed. In chapter 5 Jesus sits down to teach and gives the Sermon on the Mount. He begins with the Beatitudes, the statements of blessings. Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those persecuted for...
There are many, many prophecies in the Old Testament about Jesus, the Messiah. There were promises of blessings to Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac in Genesis. There are many more that are more specific in other places. Isaiah 7:14 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and call his name Immanuel.” Micah 5:2, Out of Bethlehem, from the tribe of Judah will come one who will be ruler over Israel. Hosea 11:1 “Out of Egypt I called My son.” The books of Matthew and Luke tell of the fulfillment of these prophecies. Jesus was born of the vir...
Ecclesiastes 3:1 says “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” God had a plan from before creation. He chose His people to bring Christ into the world. He chose the time Christ would be born. He was promised for centuries. Many prophets spoke of Him. Think about the world at the time He was born. Why was this the time for “God’s purpose under heaven?” The Roman Empire controlled much of the world at that time which made it a good time for Christ to live and die and establish His church. Never before in histor...
There were many Old Testament prophets who were sent to bring the Israelites back to God. The people and the kings would forget who God was and what He had done for them and follow after someone else’s idols. Moses warned them about this from the beginning, and told them what the punishment would be. They rejected God anyway. If these were God’s chosen people and He loved them, why would it matter? Obedience to God’s will has always been paramount. A half-hearted attempt was never good enough. Attention to detail was required as we noted with...
Noah lived at a time when there were no righteous men left of his generation. The world was full of evil. The Lord saw “that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.” Noah was the exception. Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Noah was a righteous man and he walked faithfully with God. God was sorry that he had made man and decided to destroy the earth and man. Noah found favor with the Lord. He was instructed to build the ark, the kind of wood, the dimensions, and exactly how to build it. He was in...
David was called a man after God’s own heart. From the first encounter with David, we see his great faith and trust in God. He knows God will be with him as he faces Goliath. Later as he is being pursued by King Saul, David refuses to harm God’s anointed. In the Psalms we get a glimpse of David’s heart in his prayers. But still we wonder how can a man who commits adultery and murder be considered to be “a man after God’s own heart”? When confronted with the truth of what he had done, he said “I have sinned against the Lord.” He did not deny or...
“Choose this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15). Joshua led the Israelites into the land of Canaan, divided the land among the 12 tribes and established them there. Numerous times he told them to “be strong and courageous to do according to all the law that you may prosper wherever you go.” Then he tells them again: “Be strong and of good courage, do not be afraid, do not be dismayed, for the Lord is with you wherever you go.” Later he says, “take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the Lord your God.” Again, he tells them to be cour...
Moses was revered by the Jewish nation during Jesus’ lifetime. He was remembered as a great leader and as the man who brought the Old Testament law, or Law of Moses from Mt. Sinai to the people. He led the 12 tribes of Israel out of bondage in Egypt by bringing the ten plagues. He spoke with God at the burning bush, and in the wilderness on the way to the land of Canaan. The last plague was the death of the firstborn. Moses instructed the Israelites to roast a lamb in a fire, eat what they could, burn up the rest as a sacrifice, and put the b...
Last week we looked at the promises God gave to Abraham. He repeated those promises to his son Isaac, and his son Jacob. The first century Jews were very aware of their heritage and their lineage. They knew they were God’s chosen people from the time of Moses. It was a cultural heritage even more than a religious one. They were not as obedient as God’s chosen people should have been, but they never forgot their roots. When Moses approached the burning bush God referred to Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses knew who He was...
Abraham was revered by the Israelite nation from the time of Moses leading the twelve tribes out of Egypt through the time of Christ. Abraham was the grandfather of Jacob who was the father of the 12 tribes. In Genesis 12 Abraham is given a promise from God. “I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” This promise is about Jesus Christ and includes all the families of the earth, not just the Israelites. The Israelites were God’s chosen people. “I wi...
Last week we looked at the Creation and the Creator beginning in Genesis. This week in Genesis we will look at Adam and Eve and the first encounter with evil, with Satan. Satan, in the form of a serpent, tempts Eve and she fails the test. Then Adam fails the test as well. From these encounters we learn about the nature of Satan. First, we learn that Satan is a liar. Second, we learn that he is a deceiver. He will lie about the Word of God to deceive people. We also see this in the New Testament at the temptation of Christ. Satan says worship me...
This past year we read through the Bible. We read about 40-50 pages per week and did not really spend much time on lessons to be learned. For the next few weeks, we will go back and think a little deeper about what we have read. Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” establishes that God is the Creator of all things. It establishes that God existed before the beginning of creation. Imagine all that this implies: the immense power and authority to speak things into existence, the wisdom and creativity to est...
We set out to read through the Bible in one year and to read the Bible for one year. This week we will read First John through the book of Revelation. We have read all of the Old Testament and will have read the New Testament twice. From creation to Christ, God had a plan for mankind. Most of the people written about in the Bible could not see the entire picture, how it all fit together. We are fortunate to have the completed Bible so we can read about the Creation, the promises, the history of the Old Testament. We also can read of the...
We are nearing the end of our reading through the Bible. This week we will finish the Old Testament by reading the books of Obadiah through Malachi. These are all prophets sent by God to bring His people back to Him. These prophets have a little different message than some of the previous prophets we have read. Many of the others were warning the people of what was to come if they failed to obey. These prophets are mostly reminding the people of the failures that led them into captivity and being forced from the land of Canaan. These prophets...
We will be reading Paul’s epistles from Ephesians through Philemon this week. Paul was always an encourager, a teacher, a man of prayer, and wished for all to be obedient Christians. He wrote to correct problems in the church and to correct false teachers. He always wrote with love. Paul encourages people to walk worthy, to walk in love, and to walk in wisdom. It matters how we walk. John tells us to walk in the light. Our walk is our life. Live worthy, in love, with wisdom. Then Paul says to stand firm. His education in the Jewish laws and t...
Daniel, Hosea, Joel and Amos are the books of the Old Testament we will read this week. These are all prophets of God, speaking truth to the Israelites and in some cases other nations. Each book is a little different. Daniel interprets his own dreams and those of the king. Hosea is told to marry a certain type of woman to create a visual of his prophecy. Joel is more like other prophets we have read, warning of destruction and a call for repentance. Amos was a sheep breeder who became a prophet. Daniel is best known for being in the lion’s d...
Paul was an encourager. He wrote letters to churches to help them grow spiritually. This week we will read I and II Corinthians. Corinth was a center of trade and a crossroads of cultures, and as a result the church had challenges in uniting for the common cause, to serve Christ and to love each other. Toward the end of 1 Corinthians Paul instructs them to “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.” They were surrounded by evil influences from idolatry, false teachers and immoral Chr...
This week we will read Romans and Galatians. These are both letters from Paul. Paul was educated in the law of Moses and the traditions of the Jews. His mission was to preach Christ to the gentiles, the non-Jews. With his background and knowledge this almost seems like his talents would have been better used in teaching the Jewish people. It turns out he was exactly the right man for the job. There had always been conflict between Jews and Gentiles. The Jews considered themselves superior, often referring to gentiles as dogs. There were Jews...
In Ezekiel, chapters 25 through 48, he continues the prophecy of God. In the first few chapters, Ezekiel is warning the Israelites what to expect if they do not repent and return to doing God’s will. The last few chapters are a warning of things to come to those nations which have taken advantage of Israel during the time of their exile. The theme of the book is the same though. God tells Ezekiel to tell Israel and several other nations His prophecies so when they come true, “then they shall know that I am the Lord.” He wants His chosen peopl...
We will go back to the Old Testament and read the first 24 chapters of Ezekiel this week. Ezekiel was a prophet who lived about the same time as Jeremiah and gave many of the same warnings to the Israelites. Ezekiel speaks the Words of God, and also tells of his vision of the glory of God. In Chapter 20 the Israelite elders come to Ezekiel to inquire of God. Instead, God reminds them of their history, coming out of Egypt, into the promised land, the law and covenant, and how they have turned away from God in many ways. God wanted his people to...
