Last week’s message focused on the oppressive culture that was present during the life of Jesus. Under the brutal leaderships of Octavian, better known as Caesar Augustus, and Caesar Tiberius, those under their rule were taxed heavily and put under heavy requirements by the Herod’s and the governors of each province. Not only that, the Jews had Temple requirements, which put an even heavier burden upon them. Now look at Jesus’ statement in Luke 20:20-26:
What were Jesus’ listeners experiencing prior to the Sermon on the Mount?
A High Protein DietI Corinthians 3:1-23 New Revised Standard Version Hebrews 5:12New Revised Standard Version“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic elements of the oracles of God.You need milk, not solid food” Ephesians 4:1-16 New Revised Standard Version “I therefore, the prisoner … [Read more…]
What then? Are we any better off? No, not at all; for we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin, as it is written: There is no one who is righteous, not even one;
This introduction has plenty apocalyptic language in it, but the apocalypses that are referred to are ones of the past. There is a huge transition of some 3,600 years’ time from present to past. If you are not careful, you will miss it. The transition is made in the original text at verse 20. So, what two apocalyptic events (God’s Divine Judgment) could Paul be referring to? Two stories fit the descriptions:
The Scars that Lead to Faith John 20:24-29 We are all very familiar with this story and we give Ole’ Thomas a bad rap. However, the reality is that there is a very teachable moment in this text. Thomas struggled to believe that Jesus was alive, and it wasn’t until he saw the scars that … [Read more…]
The term lather, rinse, and repeat was developed by Proctor & Gamble to be placed as directions for how one was to clean their hair using their product. Interestingly enough, the reason for this wasn’t because they were concerned you needed clean hair but rather you would return more frequently to purchase your next bottle. Washing your hair every day actually can damage your hair.
How many of us exercise our bodies? What happens to our body when we exercise less and less? While God does make people of different shapes and sizes, there is definitely a difference between “being the way God made you” and “being out of shape”. The one is healthy while the other is not.
THE UNKNOWING OF THE ALTAR OF GOD Acts 17:22-34 ar-e-op’-a-gus (Areios pagos; Acts 17:19,22. Mars’ Hill, 17:22 the King James Version): A sort of spur jutting out from the western end of the Acropolis and separated from it by a very short saddle. Traces of old steps cut in the rock are still to be … [Read more…]
Picking up where we left off last week, we have Jesus in our story today at the same Colonnade that Peter and John would heal the lame man at the Beautiful Gate. I think we need to pay attention to these two stories, because the mood of the crowd had changed little over the months in this area.