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Much of the Old Testament deals with future events and the coming Messiah and His Kingdom. Not only was John the Baptist the voice of God to his generation, he was also the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. He did not merely prophesy about the coming Messiah and the New Covenant, as the Old Testament prophets did, but he actually prepared the way for the hearts of the people to receive Jesus by bearing witness to the Light.
Although John the Baptist was the greatest of the Old Testament prophets, he was not a born again "new creature in Christ". When Jesus was raised from the dead, He enabled us to be "born of the Spirit" and...
DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS SICK? DID YOU KNOW YOU COULD HELP? YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE A HEALING MINISTRY BUT JESUS TOLD US ALL TO "HEAL THE SICK". (MATTHEW 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.)
This example of the widow's son being raised from the dead is often used to demonstrate that Jesus produced many miracles without any faith from those receiving the miracle, but by His faith alone. However, the prayer in Mark 6:5-6 shows that Jesus could not (nor would not) do many mighty works in His home town because of the people's unbelief. Many scriptures reveal that faith must be present to receive from God (Mk. 11:23-24; Jas. 1:5-7).
So, whose faith was present in this instance? First, the mother of the boy responded to Jesus in faith. For this woman to allow Jesus to interrupt the funeral procession and tell her to stop weeping has to be viewed...
There were only two things in all of scripture that caused Jesus to marvel. They were (1) the Centurion's faith and (2) the Jews' unbelief (Mk. 6:6). A faith that made Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith, marvel is worth examining. This centurion believed that the spoken word of Jesus was sufficient to produce his miracle. He didn't need Jesus to come to his house. He had faith in Jesus' word. Therefore, we can see that the person who simply believes the written Word of God is operating in a...
DO YOU THINK IT IS HARD TO LIVE A CHRISTIAN LIFE? IT IS IF WE DON'T GIVE ENOUGH TIME TO JESUS. THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS THESE DAYS THAT CAN TEMPT A PERSON. OUR JOB IS TO GUARD AGAINST THAT TEMPTATION. I HAVE SAID THIS MANY TIME AND YOU WILL PROBABLY HEAR IT FROM ME MANY, MANY MORE TIMES BUT YOU CAN'T BE TEMPTED BY SOMETHING YOU DON'T THINK ABOUT. TEMPTATION STARTS IN THE MIND AND IF WE DON'T STOP IT, SIN CREEPS IN.
This verse reveals one of God's cardinal laws that will work in the spiritual realm, as well as the physical world. Just as we "give" seed into the ground to receive back multiple seeds, so it is with everything we give. Whether it's money, possessions, an emotion such as love or hate, prayers, or our time, we will reap a harvest of whatever we give. We reap exactly what we sow and proportional to the same measure that we give (Gal. 6:7-8).
"He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully" (2 Cor. 9:6). This law works on positive or negative things that we sow.
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One of the ways in which God's goodness is revealed is in mercy. We may describe mercy as the readiness of God to relieve the misery of fallen creatures. Many times, mercy is called compassion or lovingkindness. It is expressed toward the sinner because of the misery that sin has brought upon him.
The "reed" referred to in this passage is probably speaking of the reeds that grew in the marshy areas in the land of Palestine. These were very fragile and could be easily bruised or broken. The term "smoking flax" refers to a linen wick which was made from flax and burned brightly when floating on oil in an open lamp. However, when the oil was depleted, the flax would just smoke until the oil...
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED IF ANY OF THE POLITICIANS REALLY KNOW JESUS? SURE THEY KNOW WHO HE IS BUT DO THEY REALLY KNOW HIM? I AM SURE SOME OF THEM DO BUT WHY DON'T WE EVER HEAR OF ONE OF THEM STANDING UP IN THE SENATE OR HOUSE PROCLAIMING THAT JESUS IS THE MESSIAH? I AM SURE IT IS BECAUSE THEY ARE AFRAID OF OFFENDING SOMEONE. DON'T THEY KNOW THAT BY NOT DOING THAT IT IS OFFENDING JESUS? IF ANY OF THEM REALLY READS GOD'S WORD, WHAT DO THEY DO WITH MATTHEW 10:32-33 WHERE JESUS SAYS "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven." I AM GLAD WE FINALLY GOT A PRESIDENT THAT IS NOT AFRAID TO MENTION JESUS IN FRONT OF THE WORLD.
The scribes were copyists of the holy scriptures. They preserved in written form the oral law, and faithfully handed down the Hebrew scriptures. In New Testament times, they were students, interpreters, and teachers of the Old Testament. Their functions regarding the law were to teach it, develop it, and use it in any connection with the Sanhedrin and various local courts. They were ambitious for honor, which they demanded, especially from their pupils, as well as from the general public. This homage was readily granted them (Mt. 23:5-11).
Ezra was a scribe during the Babylonian captivity of the Jews, and he was a very godly man. The office of a scribe was a worthy one, but the scribes of...