Submitted by Andy McIlvain and originally posted March 2020.
There is a pandemic that has silently moved through the world. It is particularly acute in our region. It is not the Coronavirus or Avian Flu. It is Bible Illiteracy. Continue reading
Matthew
The Resurrection Message Will Overcome (Matthew 28:11-15)
Matthew 28:11-15
People today no longer look for an alternative historical narrative for the empty tomb of Jesus of Nazareth to try to disprove it. Back then a historical event demanded an explanation.
Continue readingHope in the hour of deepest darkness (Matthew 27:57-61)
Matthew 27:57-61
Hebert Fingarette taught philosophy at the University of California for many years. He wrote several books on a range of subjects including death. In his book on death, he stated that you should not be afraid, concerned, or anything about death. You are not going to suffer after you die, he asserted, because you will not exist then.
Continue readingHallowed (Matthew 6:9), Sermon on the Mount Series, Part 5
Matthew 6:9
“The Lord’s Prayer” or “Our Father” is one of the best known and most often recited portions of Scripture (Matthew 6:9-13). The words of this prayer have united Christians throughout history and across denominational lines. Every word of this prayer is packed with meaning. Let’s look at just the first petition. Continue reading
What Do You See in the Face of Your Enemy (Matthew 5:43-48), Sermon on the Mount Series, Part 4
Click here to read Matthew 5:43-38
What do you see in the face of your enemy? An object of revenge or justified wrath? Or, an object of love and altruistic prayer?
Get Ready (Joshua 1:1-6)
We might be tempted to think that the mission of God was completed and closed when Jesus died on the cross and victoriously rose from the dead. Continue reading
The Blessed Life is Not the Easy Life (Matt. 5:1-12) – Sermon on the Mount Series, Part 1
Click here to read Matthew 5:1-12
The heroes of our time rarely accomplished the great things they are known for easily. Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Theresa; these were people who faced abounding adversity, yet remained resolute. Those who confess Christ and seek to demonstrate to the world the life he calls us to will not find convenience and coziness in this world.
Why Truth Matters (Matthew 5:33-37) – Sermon on the Mount Series, Part 3
Click here to read Matthew 5:33-37
The religious leaders of Jesus’ day developed a complex system of oath making and keeping. Oaths were categorized. Whether a spoken oath was binding or not, or whether a broken oath was punishable or not, all depended upon the type of oath made. Continue reading
The Blessed Life (Matthew 5:1-12)
The heroes of our time rarely accomplished the great things they are known for easily. Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Theresa; these were people who faced abounding adversity, yet remained resolute. Those who confess Christ and seek to demonstrate to the world the life he calls us to will not find convenience and coziness in this world.
The Beatitudes are one of the best-known portions of Scripture (Matthew 5:1-12). They predicate the characteristics of the blessed person. However, there is a rhetorical irony contained within them. The type of people mentioned are not those you might expect to be blessed. “Blessed are the poor in spirit… Blessed are those who mourn… Blessed are the humble… Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness… Blessed are the merciful… Blessed are the pure in heart… Blessed are the peacemakers… Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness… Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of [Christ].” Jesus takes what is so often valued in the world and turns it upside down. And he promises these upside-down people the Kingdom of Heaven.
Let’s look at just one of these beatitudes. “Blessed are the merciful.” After apartheidism ended in South Africa, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was formed. It provided an opportunity for those who committed gross human right violations during the apartheid era to give testimony and request amnesty. There is a story of a frail black South African woman who sat-in on one of these trials. Former police officer Mr. van de Broek confessed that he with other officers shot the woman’s fourteen-year-old son dead at point-blank range. Then, eight years later, they seizing her husband and burned him at the stake. The commission asked the woman what she wanted for Mr. van de Broek. She said she wanted three things: 1. She wanted him to take her to the place they burned her husband, so that she could gather the ashes and give him a proper burial. 2. She said that Mr. van de Broek took her whole family and she still had lots of love to give. Twice a month she wanted him to join her in the ghetto, so that she could be a mother to him. 3. She wanted him to know that God had forgiven him, and that she forgave him too.
The blessed life is rarely the easy life. Which predications in the beatitudes do you resonate with? Which ones challenge you?
Calling Not Just Super Christians (Matthew 28:16-20)
Click here to read Matthew 28:16-20.
Upon hearing the words, “go make disciples of all nations (see Matthew 28:16-20),” you may conjure up in your mind a person like Hudson Taylor. At the age of 21, Taylor left his comfortable lifestyle in Yorkshire, England and traveled to China to share the good news. In the mid 1800’s, he weathered the five-and-a-half-month journey by sea. Continue reading