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July 5,2007; Jesus, Prince of Preachers and Premier Prophet (9 of 12)

Focus Text: John 13.5-12

“After that, He [Jesus] poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, are You washing my feet?’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.’ Peter said to Him, ‘You shall never wash my feet!’ Jesus answered him, ‘If I do not wash you,…  ( Click for more )

July 3,2007; Jesus, Prince of Preachers and Premier Prophet (8 of 12)

Focus Text: John 13.3-9

Our understanding of Jesus simply cannot be complete without an intimate knowledge of His last few hours upon the earth. Perhaps no portion of Sacred Scripture gives more insight into the person of Jesus than His final discourses just prior to His crucifixion. When one reads the events and discussions that took place on the night of the Last Supper a great vista of understanding opens up that otherwise might remain obscured. The final five installments of this miniseries will focus…  ( Click for more )

July 2,2007; Jesus Loves Me! This I Know

Focus Text: John 11.3-5

“Therefore the sisters [Martha and Mary] sent to Him, saying, ‘Lord, behold, he whom You love [Lazarus] is sick.’ When Jesus heard that, He said, ‘This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.” (John 11.3-5).

It is interesting that the two sisters, both of whom were the objects of the Master’s affection, referred to their brother as “…he…  ( Click for more )

June 29, 2007; Jesus, Prince of Preachers and Premier Prophet (7 of 12)

Focus Text: John 10.28-31

“‘And I [Jesus] give them [My sheep] eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.’” (John 10.28-31).

How great was/is Jesus? What power and authority did He possess while here upon this earth? What relationship…  ( Click for more )

June 28, 2007; Jesus, Prince of Preachers and Premier Prophet (6 of 12)

Focus Text: John 10.24-28

“Then the Jews surrounded Him [Jesus] and said to Him, ‘How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish;…  ( Click for more )

June 27,2007; Jesus, Prince of Preachers and Premier Prophet (5 of 12)

Focus Text: John 5.45-47

“Do not think that I [Jesus] shall accuse you [the rebellious Jewish leaders in Jerusalem] to the Father; there is one who accuses you——Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” (John 5.45-47).

A present active participle is a verb which depicts present and ongoing action; Jesus told the Jews that Moses accuses [present active…  ( Click for more )

June 26,2007; Jesus, Prince of Preachers and Premier Prophet (4 of 12)

Focus Text: John 5.38-44

Jesus is presenting arguments to prove that He is Messiah and as such, very God. His character and “style” are revealed in today’s focus text – and might we add, both His character and style are a surprise to many today and their modernized and politically correct image of Jesus.

“But you do not have His [God the Father’s] word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you…  ( Click for more )

June 25,2007; Jesus, Prince of Preachers and Premier Prophet (4 of 12)

Focus Text: John 5.38-44

Jesus is presenting arguments to prove that He is Messiah and as such, very God. His character and “style” are revealed in today’s focus text – and might we add, both His character and style are a surprise to many today and their modernized and politically correct image of Jesus.

“But you do not have His [God the Father’s] word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you…  ( Click for more )

Jesus, Prince of Preachers and Premier Prophet (4 of 12)

Focus Text: John 5.38-44

Jesus is presenting arguments to prove that He is Messiah and as such, very God. His character and “style” are revealed in today’s focus text – and might we add, both His character and style are a surprise to many today and their modernized and politically correct image of Jesus.

“But you do not have His [God the Father’s] word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal…  ( Click for more )

June 22,2007; Jesus, Prince of Preachers and Premier Prophet (3 of 12)

Focus Text: John 5.17-29

Today we continue to consider the character of Jesus as revealed in His sermons.

“But Jesus answered them [the hostile Jewish leaders in Jerusalem], ‘My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.’ Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. Then Jesus answered and said to them…” (John 5.17-19a). What follows in…  ( Click for more )

June 21,2007; Jesus, Prince of Preachers and Premier Prophet (2 of 12)

Focus Text: John 4.19-26

God’s only Son was a preacher but don’t let that throw you off track; He was nothing like the buffoons and con artists you see today! He was genuine to the core and truly loved the people to whom He ministered. He came to serve and not to be served. Plus, He came with a mission that would not be compromised, a mission directly from the throne room of Heaven. See how this played out in His life as a preacher and a prophet.

We last visited Jesus as He talked with…  ( Click for more )

June 20,2007; Jesus, Prince of Preachers and Premier Prophet (1 of 12)

Focus Text: John 4.19-24

An astute observer once said, “God had but one Son, and He was a preacher!” Lest we overlook that fact, it should be pointed out that there are no less than seven verses in the New Testament that explicitly state the fact that Jesus was a preacher, or that He preached from time to time (see Matthew 4.17; 4.23; 9.35; 11.1; Mark 1.14; 7.22; 9.60). In addition to these explicit verses there are literally scores of others that point out the fact that Jesus was a preacher.…  ( Click for more )

June 19,2007; Paul, Peerless Apostle and Prophet (15 of 15)

Focus Text: 2 Thessalonians 3.1-2

As we have observed, Paul was a man of fervent and continuous prayer. He prayed for many things, thanked God for multitudes of blessings, and besought others to pray in the same vein. However, there was one thing for which he prayed and for which he instructed others to pray that is typical of his entire life as a Christian. Note the thing about which we speak: “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with…  ( Click for more )

June 18,2007; Paul, Peerless Apostle and Prophet (14 of 15)

Focus Text: Philemon 1.1-9

“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Colossians 3.17). This text as much as any other reveals the heart of Paul! It seems that he not only was able to give thanks in all circumstances, he also could encourage others to do the same. Today’s devotional will take a look at Paul and the giving of thanks.

Paul gave thanks that others obeyed the gospel of Christ and reacted positively to…  ( Click for more )

June 15,2007; Paul, Peerless Apostle and Prophet (13 of 15)

Focus Text: Philippians 1.1-9

No view of Paul could be complete without considering his teachings and his practice regarding prayer. The final three installments of this miniseries will consider this facet of Paul, the peerless apostle and prophet.

Perhaps we ought to begin with Saul of Tarsus as he waited in the city of Damascus after encountering Jesus while on the road going there. It was the Lord’s plan that Ananias visit Saul to communicate the terms of the gospel to him. To execute that plan, Ananias…  ( Click for more )

June 14,2007; Paul, Peerless Apostle and Prophet (12 of 15)

Focus Text: Philemon 1.1-9

Barabbas was a prisoner, but he was released due to the sinister motives of a mob (see Matthew 27.16-26). There were man prisoners in the jail at Philippi when a mighty earthquake flung open the doors and loosed everyone’s bonds. With great certainty, the jailer reasoned that surely all the prisoners had fled as he prepared to take his own life (see Acts 16.25-27). The Hebrews writer mentioned the plight of the [Christian] prisoners and asked that they be remembered by the faithful…  ( Click for more )

June 13,2007; Paul, Peerless Apostle and Prophet (11 of 15)

Focus Text: 1 Corinthians 4.1-3

Charges against the grand apostle were aplenty; the Jews and the Judaizers were quick to point the finger of blame at Paul. He could have literally consumed all his time in defending himself against the multiplicity of charges against him. However, he had a higher strategy! Rather than waste time with individual charges levied at him, why not go to the tap root of all issues and stop matters there? That is precisely what Paul did when he penned today’s focus text.

“Let…  ( Click for more )

Tuesday, June 12; Paul, Peerless Apostle and Prophet (10 of 15)

Focus Text: 1 Corinthians 3.1-11

The church at Corinth had tremendous spiritual problems. These problems were impetus behind Paul’s first epistle to them (see 1 Corinthians 1). At the root of the problems in Corinth was a perennial human problem, the problem of carnality. So significant was this root from which their other problems sprung, Paul wrote, “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with…  ( Click for more )

June 11,2007 - The World’s Most Potent Poison

Focus Text: Acts 14.1-3

NOTE: PLEASE PRAY FOR CARA, A VERY SPECIAL YOUNG LADY AND FRIEND OF MY FAMILY. ALSO, PRAY FOR OTHERS WHO WERE HURT IN ANY WAY BY THE SERIOUS AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT LAST WEEKEND. PLEASE, DO IT NOW!

Do you think you know the world’s most deadly poison? Well, I’ll admit right up front that this is sort of a trick question. You see, the world’s most deadly poison is not one which affects the central nervous system, or the cardio-pulmonary system, or the digestive system, or the liver,…  ( Click for more )

Paul, Peerless Apostle and Prophet (9 of 15)

Focus Text: 2 Corinthians 5.18-20

Paul wrote, “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5.18-20).

The…  ( Click for more )

Paul, Peerless Apostle and Prophet (8 of 15)

Focus Text: Philippians 1.27-30

Among other self-applied descriptions, Paul was an unrelenting contestant. We will take a look at some of the passages where he used this imagery to describe his own work as well as the expectations he had of other believers.

“For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict [note the word conflict] which you saw in me and now hear is in me.” (Philippians 1.29-30). The word translated conflict…  ( Click for more )

Paul, Peerless Apostle and Prophet (8 of 15)

Focus Text: Philippians 1.27-30

Among other self-applied descriptions, Paul was an unrelenting contestant. We will take a look at some of the passages where he used this imagery to describe his own work as well as the expectations he had of other believers.

“For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict [note the word conflict] which you saw in me and now hear is in me.” (Philippians 1.29-30). The word translated conflict…  ( Click for more )

IS HE PRINCE OF YOUR LIFE?

The Prince of Life (Acts 3:15) describes Jesus Christ. In addition to all the reasons previously given for this descriptive phrase, today’s final installment on this subject will offer one last reason for using this term. Might I suggest that He is called the Prince of Life because that, i.e. life, was and is His grand design for all humanity?

Of His mission on earth, John wrote “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but…  ( Click for more )

JUDGE OR FATHER? WHICH WILL IT BE?

The Father of the victim sits in the judge’s seat. The victim himself is acting as the defense attorney for the accused. What chance is there that justice will be served in such a situation? Don’t be too quick to jump to conclusions! Chances are you’d be wrong!

Having read previous devotionals, you recognize this to be the scenario in which the killers of Jesus found themselves. Peter spoke plainly when he charged that they had killed the Prince of Life (Acts 3:15), the one whom God had resurrected to His own right hand.…  ( Click for more )