John

  • Judges

Judges 20

In Judges 20, the 11 tribes of Israel gather at Mizpeh to address the murder of the Levite’s wife by…

2 weeks ago
  • Judges

Judges 12

In Judges 12, the Ephraimites confronted Jephthah angrily for not calling them to battle, threatening to burn his house (Judges…

4 weeks ago
  • Judges

Judges 9

In Judges 9, Gideon's son Abimelech persuades the people of Shechem to make him king by arguing that it's better…

1 month ago
  • Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 26

Deuteronomy 26 - Once again we enter into an Old Testament story which has significant implications for how we understand…

3 months ago
  • Ezekiel

Ezekiel 15

Ezekiel 15 - The grapevine was of utmost importance to the agriculture of ancient Israel. Coming off the heels of…

3 months ago
  • Ezekiel

Ezekiel 9

Ezekiel 9 - It's tough to read about the judgment of God with regard to sin, however, it reveals the…

3 months ago
  • Ezekiel

Ezekiel 3

Ezekiel 3 - First, let's paint a backdrop of what Ezekiel is dealing with here. The people of Israel have…

3 months ago
  • Ezekiel

Ezekiel 2

Ezekiel 2 - It is intriguing to consider that God's Spirit entered Ezekiel in order to empower him to complete…

3 months ago
  • Acts

Acts 27

Acts 27 - It's interesting to me that Paul could have fallen by the wayside so many times in his…

3 months ago
  • Acts

Acts 15

Acts 15 - The first question we want to know is, who was right and who was wrong between Paul…

4 months ago
  • Acts

Acts 12

Acts 12 - King Herod never saw it coming. The grandson of the infamous Herod the Great was part of…

4 months ago
  • Acts

Acts 8

Acts 8 - It's an awesome thing when the Holy Spirit begins to transform lives and show himself in amazing…

4 months ago
  • Acts

Acts 5

Acts 5 - The early church faced persecution from both the Pharisees and the Sadducees. After hearing the testimony of…

4 months ago
  • Acts

Acts 4

Acts 4 - As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and…

4 months ago
  • Acts

Acts 3

Acts 3 - The miraculous signs and wonders led to opportunities to authenticate the message of the Gospel. Peter did…

4 months ago
  • Lamentations

Lamentations 3

Lamentations 3 - The first 20 verses of Lamentations 3 recall the conditions that God has allowed to take place…

4 months ago
  • Leviticus

Leviticus 24

Leviticus 24 - When I read the "eye for an eye" passage, I immediately think of the Sermon on the…

5 months ago
  • Leviticus

Leviticus 20

Leviticus 20 - In Chapter 18, we read that the laws of the OT are still applicable in the NT…

5 months ago
  • Leviticus

Leviticus 4

Leviticus 4 - While the peace offering in Leviticus 3 was optional, the sin offering was mandatory. The sin offering,…

5 months ago
  • Leviticus

Leviticus 1

Leviticus 1 - The book of Leviticus picks up right where Exodus left off. The opening verse begins with "Then…

5 months ago
  • Revelation

Revelation 22

Revelation 22 - Tree of Life The final chapter of the Bible bookends the story that God started in the…

5 months ago
  • Revelation

Revelation 21

Revelation 21 - There is a lot of crossover between what Isaiah writes in chapter 65 and the 21st chapter…

5 months ago
  • Revelation

Revelation 20

Revelation 20 - If someone comes up and asks you, "How do you interpret Revelation?" most likely, they are referring…

6 months ago
  • Revelation

Revelation 19

Revelation 19 - After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven,…

6 months ago
  • Revelation

Revelation 18

Revelation 18 - Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is…

6 months ago
  • Revelation

Revelation 17

Revelation 17 - We have already reiterated it over many chapters, but Rome stood proudly as a pagan symbol against…

6 months ago
  • Revelation

Revelation 16

Revelation 16 - The continuity of the seals and the trumpets is broken up with the bowls as they move…

6 months ago
  • Revelation

Revelation 15

Revelation 15 - The divine judgment which was revealed by the seals and proclaimed by the trumpets will now be…

6 months ago
  • Revelation

Revelation 14

Revelation 14 - First question I asked myself... who is Babylon? John, again, is writing symbolically here. Literal Babylon was…

6 months ago
  • Revelation

Revelation 13

Revelation 13 - The First Beast At the end of Revelation 12, we read of Satan's rage. He sets out…

6 months ago
  • Revelation

Revelation 12

Revelation 12 - The Woman It is out of Israel that the Messiah will come, therefore, it makes sense that…

6 months ago
  • Revelation

Revelation 11

Revelation 11 - I think a major issue with Revelation 11 is the fact that it relies heavily on Revelation…

6 months ago
  • Revelation

Revelation 10

Revelation 10 - This vision differs from the others for the simple fact that John is engaged in the action…

6 months ago
  • Revelation

Revelation 9

Revelation 9 - The 5th Trumpet The 5th trumpet releases a key to open the abyss. Many scholars believe this…

6 months ago
  • Revelation

Revelation 8

Revelation 8 - Continuing on the theme from Chapter 7, John either heard or saw something with every seal that…

6 months ago
  • Revelation

Revelation 7

Revelation 7 - God’s primary motive in our hearts has always been this: transformation. I think it's important to understand…

6 months ago
  • Revelation

Revelation 6

Revelation 6 - I grew up in Berne, Indiana which sits directly on top of the continental divide. If you…

6 months ago
  • Revelation

Revelation 5

Revelation 5 - The Scroll In ancient times, the Romans would seal their wills seven times. Each wax seal usually…

6 months ago
  • Revelation

Revelation 4

Revelation 4 - The Throne We just recently studied the book of Ezekiel and Leviticus which have some strong ties…

6 months ago
  • Revelation

Revelation 2

Revelation 2 - Although these letters are addressed to specific congregations in the first century, I believe they are representative…

6 months ago
  • Revelation

Revelation 1

Revelation 1 - The comparison game. We all do it. When life throws us unpredictable storms, (and especially when we…

6 months ago
  • Jeremiah

Jeremiah 35

Jeremiah 35 - What excuses are we giving for our lack of faithfulness to Jesus? Where are we settling for…

7 months ago
  • Jeremiah

Jeremiah 23

Jeremiah 23 - In this chapter, we see God really target the people in positions of leadership among the Jews.…

7 months ago
  • Jeremiah

Jeremiah 22

Jeremiah 22 - God has a message and it will be delivered. It may not come the way we expected.…

7 months ago
  • 2 Chronicles

2 Chronicles 34

2 Chronicles 34 - In this chapter, we have a brilliant example of what happens to us when we neglect…

8 months ago
  • 2 Chronicles

2 Chronicles 28

2 Chronicles 28 - Wow. What a chapter. Where do we begin? There are times in Scripture where we read…

8 months ago
  • 2 Chronicles

2 Chronicles 15

2 Chronicles 15 - Several years ago my wife was trying to get me onboard with adoption. Shamefully, I was…

9 months ago
  • 2 Chronicles

2 Chronicles 4

2 Chronicles 4 - Then he made the ten golden lampstands in the way prescribed for them and he set…

9 months ago
  • 2 Chronicles

2 Chronicles 2

2 Chronicles 2 - Solomon knew the dwelling place for God would not do Him justice. He makes this statement…

9 months ago
  • 1 Chronicles

1 Chronicles 28

1 Chronicles 28 - Loyalty of heart. I once had a pastor give me advice on how to preach a…

9 months ago
  • Isaiah

Isaiah 66

Isaiah 66 - As the book of Isaiah comes to a close, I am drawn to the writings of F.F.…

10 months ago
  • Isaiah

Isaiah 62

Isaiah 62 - *If you haven't read the Isaiah 61 blog entry, it would be helpful for context. Isaiah 62…

11 months ago
  • Isaiah

Isaiah 61

Isaiah 61 - Isaiah 61 is such an interesting chapter. In Luke 4, Jesus reads the first two verses of…

11 months ago
  • Isaiah

Isaiah 53

Isaiah 53 - The opening verse grabs my attention. "Who has believed our message?" It's a rhetorical question but one…

11 months ago
  • Isaiah

Isaiah 42

Isaiah 42 - God is the only Savior. His creation will bring glory to Him alone and it will not…

11 months ago
  • Isaiah

Isaiah 34

Isaiah 34 - The idea of this chapter is that the Lord will conquer all who oppose Him. There is…

12 months ago
  • Isaiah

Isaiah 32

Isaiah 32 - Isaiah's description of a true king is exactly what we all desire. He is righteous, just, and…

12 months ago
  • Isaiah

Isaiah 26

Isaiah 26 - Disease. Affliction. Poverty. The kingdom of man wrestles with the birth pains of this world. The city…

12 months ago
  • Isaiah

Isaiah 24

Isaiah 24 - The somber truth is that our world is headed for judgment. In the end, God will reign.…

12 months ago
  • Isaiah

Isaiah 14

Isaiah 14 - There are some deep theological principles at work in this chapter. There is also some controversy as…

1 year ago
  • Isaiah

Isaiah 9

Isaiah 9 - Here we get a description of Jesus as a child, son, and eventually, prince. He is called…

1 year ago
  • Isaiah

Isaiah 4

Isaiah 4 - Isaiah 4:2 describes the Branch of the Lord. The time is coming when the LORD will make…

1 year ago
  • Colossians

Colossians 1

Colossians 1 - Who has ever seen God? Jesus answered this question. "Lord," said Philip, "show us the Father, and…

1 year ago
  • Galatians

Galatians 2

Galatians 2 - As we read in Chapter 1 of Galatians, Paul's message that he was delivering to the Gentiles…

1 year ago
  • Exodus

Exodus 34

Exodus 34 - The term glory is not really an accurate depiction of what Moses asked for and received from…

1 year ago
  • Exodus

Exodus 27

Exodus 27 - "You shall charge the sons of Israel, that they bring you clear oil of beaten olives for…

1 year ago
  • Exodus

Exodus 25

Exodus 25 - The ark, and later the tabernacle, would be constructed from the wood of the acacia tree. It…

1 year ago
  • Exodus

Exodus 12

Exodus 12 - The Passover is a powerful event in both Jewish tradition as well as Christianity. One major difference,…

1 year ago
  • Jude

Jude 1

Jude 1 - Jude was one of four half-brothers of Jesus. In the Greek, the name Jude was synonymous with…

1 year ago
  • 3 John

3 John 1

3 John 1 - Gaius was the Greek way of writing the Roman name Caius. Believe it or not, there…

1 year ago
  • 2 John

2 John 1

2 John 1 - We read in 2 John a more traditional opening as it's a letter written to a…

1 year ago
  • 1 John

1 John 5

1 John 5 - At the time of this writing, John was battling the incredible deception that had come against…

1 year ago
  • 1 John

1 John 4

1 John 4 - When I worked in the computer software industry, I became familiar with the latest viruses and…

1 year ago
  • 1 John

1 John 3

1 John 3 - This really is an incredible chapter! It's hard to summarize these thoughts in just a few…

1 year ago
  • 1 John

1 John 2

1 John 2 - and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also…

1 year ago
  • 1 John

1 John 1

1 John 1 - In this first chapter, John does not identify himself as the author, nor does the writing…

1 year ago
  • Job

Job 32

Job 32 - Elihu may have been younger, but he had the genealogy going for him. But the anger of…

1 year ago
  • Job

Job 15

Job 15 - Eliphaz brings a load of sarcasm to this chapter. He claims that his understanding of Scripture and…

1 year ago
  • Job

Job 4

Job 4 - There is a difference between theology and common sense. I know that the word 'theology' sounds like…

1 year ago
  • Matthew

Matthew 28

Matthew 28 - The appearances of the resurrected Christ are astonishing! Many people will concede that Jesus was a real…

2 years ago
  • Matthew

Matthew 27

Matthew 27 - Although we are typically hard on the Pharisees in Scripture, there were a few who sincerely had…

2 years ago
  • Matthew

Matthew 26

Matthew 26 - Judas Iscariot is an interesting person to study. There are so many questions that center around his…

2 years ago
  • Matthew

Matthew 25

Matthew 25 - Leonard Kevin Bias was born on November 17, 1963, in Landover, Maryland. He was a tall, quiet…

2 years ago
  • Matthew

Matthew 21

Matthew 21 - During the Passover festival, scores of Jews came from all over Israel and the Roman Empire to…

2 years ago
  • Matthew

Matthew 20

Matthew 20 - Our plans and God's plans never really pan out the same. He gives us the main idea,…

2 years ago
  • Matthew

Matthew 19

Matthew 19 - The topic of divorce was a hot-button issue back in Jesus' time, and it remains the same…

2 years ago
  • Matthew

Matthew 14

Matthew 14 - The miraculous feeding of the 5000 is recorded in all 4 Gospels. Matthew 14:21 specifies 5,000 males,…

2 years ago
  • Matthew

Matthew 11

Matthew 11 - Yet another piece of evidence that confirms Jesus was indeed the Messiah is the presence of John…

2 years ago
  • Matthew

Matthew 10

Matthew 10 - Jesus' selections were complete. Among his disciples were some strange picks by human standards. Among those chosen…

2 years ago
  • Matthew

Matthew 8

Matthew 8 - Jesus marveled. It's a strong phrase. What was it like for Jesus to marvel? What did it…

2 years ago
  • Matthew

Matthew 4

Matthew 4 - "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil."…

2 years ago
  • Matthew

Matthew 3

Matthew 3 - Photo credit: Nelson's New Illustrated Commentary Pictured is the traditionally accepted site (the Jordan River) for the…

2 years ago
  • Matthew

Matthew 2

Matthew 2 - Remarkably, the calendar we all depend on was originally created around Jesus' birth. Medieval creators tried to…

2 years ago
  • Proverbs

Proverbs 15

Proverbs 15 - "The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, observing the wicked and the good." Proverbs 15:3 HCSB  This…

2 years ago
  • 2 Peter

2 Peter 2

2 Peter 2 - 2 Peter 2 opens by describing two different kinds of false people within the church. Maybe…

2 years ago
  • 1 Peter

1 Peter 5

1 Peter 5 - Peter is following up on his previous chapter on suffering. It's no surprise that in order…

2 years ago
  • Titus

Titus 1

Titus 1 - Parenting is not an easy task. It involves incredible commitment, unyielding problem-solving, and loads of diapers. Parenting…

2 years ago
  • 2 Samuel

2 Samuel 23

2 Samuel 23 - David was never ashamed of who he was and where he came from. In a culture…

2 years ago
  • 2 Timothy

2 Timothy 3

2 Timothy 3 - We have already seen it mentioned times over the last several chapters, but Paul once again…

2 years ago
  • Romans

Romans 1

Romans 1 - John Calvin said of Romans, "When anyone understands this Epistle, he has a passage opened to him…

2 years ago