The Lord commanded Moses to erect a tabernacle – a tent of meeting that signified God’s presence with Israel during their wilderness wanderings. It was to be built according to the Lord’s exacting specifications. David desired to build a house for God. Solomon – David’s son and successor – built the temple in Jerusalem. The temple complex had three courts.  The outer court of the temple was the vestibule that was open to the public.  The Holy Place was the inner court where the priests performed their ministry.  The Most Holy Place is where the Lord’s glorious presence symbolically resided.  A curtain separated the outer court from the Holy Place. Another curtain separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. These curtains were not the...

In The Ragamuffin Gospel, Brennan Manning writes about a dynamic young businesswoman who showed signs of stress and strain. The doctor prescribed tranquilizers and asked her to report to him in a couple of weeks. When she came back, he asked if she felt any different. “No, I don’t,” she replied. “But I’ve observed that other people seem a lot more relaxed.”   It’s true, isn’t it, that we usually see other people, not as they are, but as we are. That tendency is the occasion of the Parable of the Lost Coin. Luke 15:1 says, “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.”  Tax...

Luke 15:1 says, “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.” “Tax collectors” were the most despised men in Jesus’ day. Conspiring with Roman authorities, they sold out their God, families, and nation for ill-gotten gain. “Sinners” may refer to the notoriously immoral. Or the term may refer to irreligious people who did not live in strict adherence to the religious traditions. The cast of ragamuffins gathered to hear Jesus. Luke says it was “all” of them.  Luke 14:35 says, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” These social outcasts and spiritual outsiders took Jesus up on this invitation. They did not come to see a miracle or receive a blessing. They drew near to hear the words that fell from Jesus’ lips.  The famous Chicago evangelist,...

Luke 17 begins with two hard sayings of Jesus. The first is a warning to heed. Verses 1-2 say, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.”  The second hard saying is a command to obey. Verses 3-4 say, “Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day,...

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 records a trilogy of exhortations. Verse 18 is the longest and broadest: “Give thanks in all circumstances.” This call to thanksgiving is among the practical instructions for Christian living. Yet it is basic etiquette that parents teach children to practice. We may need to be commanded to rejoice and pray. But giving thanks seems to be the most obvious thing to do. We instinctively respond to random acts of kindness by almost thoughtlessly saying, “Thank you.” Yet it is crucial that we hear and heed this command because of its far-reaching implications. Thanksgiving should not be limited to good days, positive outcomes, or favorable circumstances. Give thanks in all circumstances.  Why give thanks in all circumstances? Verse 18 answers: “For this is the will of God...

Sunday morning – January 10, 1982 – Edmund Gravely took off from Rocky Mount, North Carolina, in his small plane, heading to Statesville, Georgia, to pick up a new plane he had recently bought. Not long after takeoff, he reported to air traffic controllers that he was turning around because he was feeling ill. Edmund then had a massive heart attack six thousand feet in the air. His only passenger was his wife, Janice. She was not a pilot. But she took the controls and managed to keep the plane in the air for two hours. “Help! Help! Won’t someone...

What is the shortest verse in the Bible? The most obvious answer is John 11:35: “Jesus wept.” That answer is right and wrong. John 11:35 is the shortest verse in English translations. In the Greek New Testament, the shortest verse is 1 Thessalonians 5:16: “Rejoice always.”   1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 records three instructions: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” This snapshot of spiritual devotion begins with rejoicing. “Rejoice” was a watchword among early Christians. The Greek term was used as a salutation.  Jesus used it as a greeting in Matthew 28:9.  Paul used it as a farewell in 2 Corinthians 13:11.  We greet one another with “Hello” and “Goodbye.” What encouragement it would be if...

The heading above Matthew 1:18-25 reads: “The Birth of Jesus Christ.” These verses do not actually record Christ’s birth. None of the nativity passages do. The text records the circumstances surrounding the birth of Jesus. How he was born confirms who he is. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, and adopted by Joseph. Matthew 1:1-17 presents Jesus as a part of the royal line of David, qualifying him to be the promised Messiah-King. This is why Matthew’s birth narrative begins with Joseph.  Joseph was betrothed to a virgin named Mary. Before their marriage was consummated, Mary became pregnant – not by Joseph. Joseph...

You cannot understand the ministry of the Holy Spirit if you do not understand the Person of the Holy Spirit. So let’s start at the beginning. Who is the Holy Spirit? There are two biblical answers to that question. First of all, the Holy Spirit is a real person. The Holy Spirit is not it. The Holy Spirit is who. He is a person. John 16:12-13 says, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” There are two basic...

I have the privilege of interviewing the late A. Louis Patterson Jr., longtime pastor of the Mt. Corinth Missionary Baptist Church in Houston. In our conversation, I asked about his conversion experience. It happened after he had moved to Los Angeles for work. One Sunday, he visited Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, pastored by his college classmate, E.V. Hill. After the service, Patterson asked an usher to let Hill know that he had been present. Walking to his car, Patterson heard his name called. Hill had come out to the parking lot to greet him. Hill asked, “How are you doing?” Patterson told him about his new job, showed him his...

Charles Spurgeon began a sermon on Matthew 6:33 by saying, “There is just as much need of this exhortation today as there was when our Savior first uttered it.” These words fell from the lips of the Lord Jesus Christ more than 2,000 years ago. Yet they are as relevant as the latest “Breaking News.” Matthew 6:25 says, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on.” “Anxious” means care or concern. It can refer to legitimate concern or sinful anxiety. Legitimate concerns become sinful anxieties when they produce a divided mind.  One thought uplifts. Another thought discourages. ...

Titus begins with an elaborate salutation in verses 1-4. Then Paul gets down to business. Verses 5-16 begin the main body of this letter. This extended passage is divided into two sections.  Verses 5-9 explain the nature of Christian leadership.  Verses 10-16 explain the necessity of Christian leadership.  In this message, we’ll focus on the qualifications for elders in verses 5-9. These qualifications parallel the list in 1 Timothy 3:1-7. But Paul did not cut-and-paste the same list and send it to Timothy in Ephesus and Titus in Crete. The two lists have similarities and differences that make them unique. That’s true in terms of their content and their contexts. In 1 Timothy, Paul addresses the importance of teaching and defending sound doctrine first. Then he lists the qualifications for elders in the...