Free

“Therefore, if the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.”  John 8:36 Free – What kind of freedom does Jesus give?  It’s not what you might think.  The two Greek words here (eleutherose and eleutheroi) actually should be read “if the Son shall make you unconstrained and independent, you really will be…

If

“Therefore, if the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.”  John 8:36 If – The quintessential proclamation of freedom comes from Jesus.  It is far deeper than Lynyrd Skynyrd (Freebird), the Declaration of Independence, or anything from the great civil rights leaders.  We, of course, have viewed this as a statement of…

Scatters

“and the wolf snatches them, and scatters them.”  John 10:12 Scatters – A few days ago we learned that another member of our home Bible study was in the hospital suffering from a rare infection so serious that she was in isolation.  This past year has been a series of disasters, trials and unexpected threats. …

Serve

“But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image you have set up.”  Daniel 3:18 Serve – What is an agricultural word doing in the middle of a passage about idolatry?  That’s the question here.  The…

Destroyed

” You shall not live long on it, but will be utterly destroyed.”  Deuteronomy 4:26 Destroyed – This is a verse you don’t see on hand-held signs at football games.  We see John 3:16.  We have become use to the “forgiving God machine”.  Make a moral mistake?  God forgives.  Refuse to acknowledge Him?  God forgives. …

Confidence

“The fear of the Lord is strong confidence; and his children shall have a place of refuge.”  Proverbs 14:26  Confidence – How can anything that you are afraid of make you confident? Unless you know what “fear of the Lord” means, this phrase seems to be completely backwards.  Of course, once you realize that “fear…

Between

“and camp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea;”  Exodus 14:2 Between – God would not have made a very good general in the army today.  He doesn’t act according to any of the usual military strategy.  In fact, in this instance, He takes His children right into a dead end. Bayin, the Hebrew word…

Does not follow us

“Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name; and we tried to hinder him because he does not follow us.”  Luke 9:49 Does not follow us – Have you been a victim of the “not one of us” accusation?  It’s a travesty, especially when it occurs among the followers of Jesus.  That’s exactly…

Foolish ones

“You foolish ones, did not He who made the outside make the inside also?”  Luke 11:40 Foolish ones – Ever bite into an apple and discover that it is rotten on the inside?  Ever look at it and see a wormhole?  What do you do next?  Spit it out, of course.  It might have looked…

Opposed

“In the greatness of your majesty, you threw down those who opposed you”  Exodus 15:7 Opposed – In the oldest song in recorded history, Moses proclaims something quite spectacular.  This song of praise and triumph contains the sternest of warnings – something that we seem to have long forgotten.  Moses stands on the edge of…