Latest Blog Posts from Wednesday in the Word, the podcast about what the Bible means and how we know.
Hebrews says each of us is running a race designed for us by God. We are not on random paths subject to the winds of change and the pitfalls of our own mistakes. Our race course is personally set by God to result in both His glory and our good. If you’re still breathing, the race is not yet over and you have a calling yet to fulfill.
Habakkuk responds to what he has learned with a song of praise and fear. In his prayer we see the answers to our 2 theme questions.
Tools and resources you need to do a word study on the Biblical Greek word for faith, pistis, G4102.
Since every translation is an interpretation of the original language, you should consult several translations of different types when studying the Bible. Bibles fall on an interpretation scale and it will improve your study if you know the difference and have one of each type.
Habakkuk first asks why God would let evil go on so long among His own chosen people. Confused by the Lord’s answer, Habakkuk then asks how the Lord can let the wicked trample the righteous? Again, the Lord’s answer is not what Habakkuk expects.
Tools and resources you need to do a word study on the Biblical Greek word for endurance, hupomoné, G5281.
In February we finished the first 8 chapters of Matthew’s gospel, which completed the Sermon on the Mount. After 4 weeks on the Old Testament book of Habakkuk, we’ll start on new series on 1&2 Thessalonians, before returning to Matthew.
Habakkuk asks the Lord one of the most fundamental questions of faith: How long will you let your people suffer? The Lord answers, but not the way Habakkuk expects.
If you have an interest in learning more about who Jesus was, why he came or what he taught, here are some places to start.
The Old Testament book of Habakkuk speaks to two of the most fundamental questions of the Christian faith: 1) How long will God let His people suffer? and 2) Why should we keep believing Him if we’re not spared the tragedies of life?
Habakkuk teaches us how to move from worry to worship and from fear to faith no matter what our circumstances.
Matthew 7:12-29 summarizes two great themes we’ve seen in this sermon: 1) You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 2) There is a road that seems right to us, but it leads to destruction.
Why is life so hard? The Bible has a lot to say about suffering and trials and the problem of evil. Here are a few places to start exploring answers from Scripture.
Ask God for the life He has promised and you will receive it. Seek the good things that He has promised and you will find them. Knock on the door to the kingdom of heaven and it will open to you. These words are powerful because of the difficult battle they represent. Believing and acting on these promises is the central struggle of the Christian life.
One of the most crucial questions we all face is: how do I know I am saved? How do I know that I won’t walk away from God one day? Here are a few passages that will answer that question.
We’ll finish the Sermon on the Mount in mid-February. What to study next? The poll results were evenly split between the Old and New Testaments (35% each) with the rest voting for “topical” and 1 vote for “anything.” So . . . I’ve decided to take a break from Matthew and study the Old Testament book of Habakkuk.
In Matthew 7:6, many people understand Jesus to be saying something like: you don’t need to share the gospel with hostile, unworthy people. However, I agree with the minority who understand Jesus to be saying: don’t be the kind of fool who throws away what is beautiful and precious.
Welcome to the family! Really you can start anywhere and pick any book of the Bible to begin learning. In addition to finding a good local church and small group, here’s one suggested path to start learning.
The log in your own eye versus the speck in your neighbor’s eye is a powerful image of willfully living a lie. Jesus warns that if you condemn other people for their sins, you are ignoring a fundamental truth about yourself in a way that is almost impossible to imagine.
I spent 2021 in the Gospel of Matthew chapters 1-7. Teaching through the Sermon on the Mount has long been on my bucket list of passages to teach and I'm grateful to have reached that goal. If it were actually possible to compile a list of the "Bible's Greatest Hits,"...
Do I choose God or does God choose me? Once a believer, always a believer? You may never have thought these questions through. Or you may be inconsistent in living like they are true (or false). Either way, how you answer some basic theological questions makes a world of difference in daily life.
At first reading, Matthew 6:25-34 seems simple and straightforward: Don’t be anxious. God knows what you need and He will take care of you. The tricky part of this passage is figuring out exactly what we should not do and what we can expect God to do.
Tools and resources you need to do a word study on the Greek word for worry, merimano
Do I choose God or does God choose me? Once a believer, always a believer? You may never have thought these questions through. Or you may be inconsistent in living like they are true (or false). Either way, how you answer some basic theological questions makes a world of difference in daily life.
Why is the kingdom of heaven so incredibly valuable? In this passage, Jesus gives one of many important reasons: We cannot keep the treasures of this earth, and we cannot lose the treasures in heaven.
Tools and resources you need to do a word study on the Greek verb to judge, krino.
We have some really interesting passages left in the Sermon on on the Mount: store up treasures in heaven; do not be anxious about your life; don’t throw pearls to the pigs; seek and you will find; the golden rule and not everyone who says “Lord Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven. We’ll cover those in January-February and then I’m taking a break before starting the next series.
Tools and resources you need to do a word study on the Greek word for peace, eiréné
This last request is not to avoid the choice posed by temptation. This request is to be preserved through the choice. Father, do not let me fall into temptation to my doom.
Tools and resources you need to do a word study on the Greek word for trespass or transgression, paraptoma
It’s not surprising that we find forgiveness in the Lord’s prayer. For believers neither sin nor mercy are hypothetical concepts. We should be staggered by the power and beauty of mercy as proclaimed to us on the cross because we have been forgiven so great a debt.
Tools and resources you need to do a word study on the Biblical Greek noun for debts, opheilema G3783.
I hope you've been enjoying our study of the Lord's prayer. It's something most of us routinely say but don't often study. I plan to finish the Lord's Prayer in December, finish the Sermon on the Mount in January, and then start a new series after a break. We'll come...
In Matthew 6:11 we don’t know with certainty what the word translated “daily” means. This leads to much debate and two good interpretations: one literal and one metaphorical. Both understandings have merit. Both use good methodology. Both teach something that is taught elsewhere in Scripture, and in that sense, both of them are true. In this life, we may never be certain which one Jesus meant, but we can affirm the truths both of them teach.
Tools and resources you need to do a word study on the Greek noun for trial or temptation: peirasmos
In giving us the Lord’s prayer, Jesus is not giving us a ritual to perform or a spiritual discipline to ensure our prayers are answered. Jesus is challenging us to consider what is our hearts are set on.