Category: NT
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Out of the Heart
In James 3, he speaks about the use of the tongue. It is such a small thing but has the power to create or destroy worlds. An abuse of the tongue is a direct affront against God, who created the world through His Son, the Word. A corrupt tongue opposes the pure tongues of fire…
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Man of Sin
If we look at the law for kings in Deuteronomy 17, it prohibits the king from multiplying horses and chariots, wives, and wealth. This is exactly what Solomon is doing in 1 Kings 10-11. Chapter ten begins by commending his great wisdom, but then steps through his decline—that is, he begins violating the rules for…
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Brother’s Blood
In chapter three of John’s first letter, he draws a clear line between the righteous and the unrighteous. He lays it out in black and white, not black and shades of black, or white and off-white. Those who practice sinning are of the devil and those who practice righteousness are of God, children of God.…
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Shadow of Things to Come
Deuteronomy 16 covers the three yearly feast times which were required attendance for all Jewish males of fighting age. The Feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread was specifically a memorial of the deliverance from Egypt. The day after the Sabbath after Passover was the Feast of Firstfruits, from which the 50 days were counted to…
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Into the Name
Woven throughout the later chapters of Isaiah is the theme of a new Exodus, a return from the exile of Babylon. Yahweh opens the eyes of the blind, He frees the prisoners from the dungeon and leads them out. He causes His light to go before them, just as He did with the pillar of…
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For freedom
From the time of the Exodus, and throughout the Old Testament, God has called Himself “Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage,” and because of this they were not to serve any other god. This theme is woven all through Deuteronomy 6-8. Because God…
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The Trinity Pervades Reality
We see the distinct actions of each Person of the Trinity at work in creation. God the Father, the initiator, is the fountain and wellspring of all things. God the Son, the Word, is the wisdom, counsel, and order of all things. God the Spirit hovers or broods over His creation, bringing the environment together…
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Ascension Sunday
Daniel 7 and Revelation 5 both deal with the ascension of Jesus Christ to the Father. First, some background. Daniel lived most of his life during the seventy year exile of the Jews following the fall of Jerusalem. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had destroyed the city and the temple and had carried off most of…
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Yea, hath God said?
The serpent could say, from a certain point of view, that he didn’t really lie to the woman. They ate the fruit and did not immediately fall over and stop breathing. Their eyes were opened and God affirms that since they have eaten, they have “become like one of us in knowing good and evil.”…
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Creation and New Creation
Adam was created as the head of humanity. He was placed in the garden to work and keep it, that is, to serve and guard the sanctuary as a priest and to meet with God on the Sabbath day. He was blessed and given dominion and authority over all of creation. Adam’s transgression brought sin,…