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Be Reconciled to Your Brother

"So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift." - Matthew 5:23-24Jesus is teaching the disciples on a mountain, with crowds all around (v. 1). This is the famous Sermon on the Mount. There is so much content in this chapter, it is difficult to choose one verse to focus on. The verse I have chosen has to do with reco...

Healing Every Disease and Affliction

"And [Jesus] went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them." - Matthew 4:23-24Matthew is summing up Jesus' early ministry. Based in Galilee, Jesus is teaching, proclaiming t...

They Fell Down and Worshipped Him

"When [the wise men] saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh." - Matthew 2:10-11Matthew tells how Gentile wise men from east were among the first to worship the baby Jesus. When they found him, they were filled with great joy and fell down and worshipped him. They presented him royal treasures...

The Virgin Shall Conceive a Son

"'Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel' (which means, God with us)." - Matthew 1:23Matthew, describing the circumstances of Jesus' birth (v. 18), comments in an aside that the virgin conception of Jesus in Mary's womb was the fulfilment of a 700-year old prophecy of Isaiah. He links the virgin conception of Jesus to his deity.19th century liberals attacked the doctrine of the virgin conception of Jesus. They did not believe Jesus is fully God, a...

John 6:1-21: Jesus and the Laws of Physics

Do you remember the Sun family? Ric and Jocelyn Sun visited our church in February and shared about their ministry with Life International. They shared a deeply personal story of how they aborted their first child before they were believers and how God has provided forgiveness and grace over the years. When they visited, they had their three children with them. Well now they have a fourth, baby Nuria.Early in Jocelyn’s pregnancy (she’s in her forties), they were told that the baby probably h...

God Will Dwell with Man

"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.'" - Revelation 21:3John again hears a voice from God's throne in heaven. This time it is a statement of fact about the situation that exists after final judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). God now dwells with humanity. All those living on the earth are his people. God himself is with them. The key, repe...

Sharing in the First Resurrection

"Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Messiah, and they will reign with him for a thousand years." - Revelation 20:6According to John's vision, Satan will be seized and thrown into a sealed pit for 1000 years. He won't be able to deceive the nations during that time (v. 3). Believers then will come to life. This is called "the first resurrection." They will be priests of God and of Jesus...

The Righteous Deeds of the Saints

"'Let us rejoice, exult, and give [God] the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. It was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure'— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints." - Revelation 19:7-8Just before Jesus returns to earth (v. 11) to destroy the antichrist and the kings who follow him (v. 19), a great wedding takes place in heaven, which includes what is called the marriage supper of the Lamb (v. 9). The b...

Laid Waste in a Single Hour

"And [the shipmasters and sailors] threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out, 'Alas, alas, for the great city [Babylon] where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been laid waste. Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints, apostles, and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her!'" - Revelation 18:19-20In this chapter, two angels (vv. 1, 21) and another voice from heaven (v. 4) proclaim God's judgment upon Babylon the ...

Called, Chosen, and Faithful

"'And the ten horns that you [John] saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called, chosen, and faithful.'" - Revelation 17:12-14One of the seven angels of ch. 16 speaks to John about "the ...

The Truth and Justice of God's Judgments

"The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. And I heard the angel in charge of the waters say, 'Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was, for you brought these judgments. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!' And I heard the altar saying, 'Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments!'" - Revelation 16:4-7In this chapter, John describes se...

The Revelation of God's Righteous Acts

"And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast, its image, and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb saying, 'Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations ...

The Wine of God's Wrath

"And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, 'If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulphur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast a...

A Call for Endurance and Faith

"Also [the beast] was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe, people, language, and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. If anyone has an ear, let him hear. If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes. If anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call ...

Why Are There So Many Different Types of Churches in New Zealand, and What Is the Difference Between Them?

Thanks for your question, Jasmyn! It's a good one, and the answer is important to understand. I'll limit my answer to a discussion of the Protestant churches in New Zealand.It is important to start out with what all Protestants agree upon. They agree with four core statements of the Christian faith, as formulated in the early church: the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Athanasian Creed, and the Chalcedonian Definition of the Faith. Check out each of these links and read them carefully. If...

The Great Dragon Thrown Down

"And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, 'Now the salvation, the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Messiah have come, for the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the bl...

Where Is the Ark of the Covenant?

"Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail." - Revelation 11:19The apostle John continues to see visions about the future. Two temples are mentioned in this chapter. One is an earthly temple in the city of Jerusalem (vv. 1-2). The other is a heavenly temple where God dwells (v. 19). Very surprisingly, John sees the ark of God's covenant in the heaven...

The Ones Coming Out of the Great Tribulation

"I [John] said to him [the elder], 'Sir, you know.' And he said to me, 'These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple, and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore. The sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb [Jesus] in the midst of ...

How Long Before You Will Avenge?

"When he [the Lamb] opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the message of God and for the witness they had carried. They cried out with a loud voice, 'O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?' Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their co-servants and their brothers and sisters should be complete, who were to be kille...

The Lion Has Conquered

"And I [John] saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, 'Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?' And no one in heaven, on earth, or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, 'Weep no more. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.'” - Re...

Holy, Holy, Holy

"And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, 'Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!'" - Revelation 4:8The apostle John is invited to go up to heaven and see God seated on his throne. There are four living creatures around the throne who constantly praise God for his holiness. Each "holy" might refer to each of the three persons of the Trinity. God is holy, the L...

Buy from Me Gold Refined by Fire

"So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realising that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich, white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zea...

I Will Be Glad in My People

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create. For behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness. I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people. No more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress." - Isaiah 65:17-19God, through the prophet Isaiah, speaks of the new phase of existence he will bring about in the futur...

Repairing the Ruined Cities

"...[T]o grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit, that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of Yahweh, that he may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins. They shall raise up the former devastations. They shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations." - Isaiah 61:3-4When God's Anointed one comes (v. 1), the...

The Zion of the Holy One of Israel

"Your gates shall be open continually. Day and night they shall not be shut, that people may bring to you [the remnant of Israel] the wealth of the nations, with their kings led in procession. For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish. Those nations shall be utterly laid waste. The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the plane, and the pine, to beautify the place of my sanctuary [in Jerusalem], and I will make the place of my feet glorious. The sons of those wh...