Tagged: Bible Study

THE BEST OF TIMES

“The main point in what we are saying is this: we have such a High Priest, Who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, Minister of the sanctuary and of that true tabernacle set up, not by man, but by the Lord.” —Hebrews 8:1-2 Jesus is a better Priest (Heb 7:28) with a better ministry in “a better covenant, founded on better promises” (Heb 8:6). The Jewish people did not think of God’s work with them as completed. They were waiting for the Messiah to give them the new covenant. The...

HOW WE BECAME PRIESTS

“You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.” — Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 7:17 Like almost all peoples throughout history, the Jewish people believed that sacrifice was one of the essential elements for dealing with sin and setting humanity free (see Lv 4:13-14). The person who offers sacrifices to God on behalf of the people is called a priest. Thus, priests are an essential part of God’s plan of salvation. Consequently, because Jesus is the Savior of the world, He must be a priest. For the Jews, all priests descended from the tribe of Levi. Yet Jesus was...

BAPTIZED IN THE SPIRIT

“It is He Who is to baptize with the Holy Spirit.” —John 1:33 Many people talk about being “baptized in the Spirit.” By this, they usually mean having a renewal of their life in the Spirit. However, the Bible considers being baptized in the Spirit to be the same as being baptized, and not a renewal of life in the Spirit. Thus, many people use the phrase, “baptized in the Spirit,” in an un-Biblical way. Although these people are wrongly using biblical terminology, they are “correct” pastorally. We have a great need to renew our being baptized in the Spirit....

THE CUTTING-EDGE WORD

“God’s word is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword.” —Hebrews 4:12 Like a surgeon’s scalpel, the Word of God cuts to the center of our heart and hits the correct spot. Jesus is the Word (Jn 1:1), and “nothing is concealed from Him; all lies bare and exposed to the eyes of Him to Whom we must render an account” (Heb 4:13). God’s Word is a scalpel and a sword (see Eph 6:17). We trust ourselves to the care of expert surgeons, to wield their scalpels precisely and effectively. Will we trust ourselves to the scalpel of Jesus,...

A HELICOPTER APPROACH

“They began to gather in great numbers. There was no longer any room for them, even around the door.” —Mark 2:2 In the Gospels, especially in Mark’s Gospel, we read about Jesus being surrounded by such large crowds that it was almost impossible to approach Him. Consequently, some people thought up various ways to get through, around, or over the crowds. They stepped on one another (Lk 12:1), pushed each other (Mk 3:10), climbed a tree (Lk 19:4), and even made a hole in the roof of the house where Jesus was staying (Mk 2:4). There can often be major...