Welcome back, I’ve had to take a few weeks off writing due to exhaustion. I want us to think about something we maybe don’t consider a great deal. It’s easy to think of God as the creator of the universe, the all-seeing and all-knowing teacher and judge of our behaviour, or the loving deity who …
Tag Archives: self-examination
God is…omniscient?
Does God know everything? This may seem like an obvious question to answer for anyone who’s a Bible-believing Christian. Most of us would answer very quickly: of course he is…next question? Are there are any reasons to think he’s not? And what difference would it make to your life or mine? Is it true? Are …
God is not…foolish
That may seem like an entirely obvious statement! Anybody who’s ever read the Bible will know that it presents God as unfailingly wise. Not only that but we’re promised that we can go to him and learn from his wisdom to apply it to our own lives. Who could possibly accuse God of being foolish? …
Matthew 7 – Good and bad foundations
Last week we looked at Jesus’ warning that when he returns to the earth, not everyone who’ll welcome him as their lord will be recognised by him. I suggested that there’s a four-step process to becoming a genuine Christian who’ll be accepted by Jesus: a correct understanding of God’s word leads to faith, faith leads …
Matthew 7 – True and false disciples
Last week we saw Jesus’ warning to us about church leaders: while some will be faithful shepherds trying their best to feed their flock, others will be wolves in sheep’s clothing only interested in feeding on the flock. He taught that we can tell the difference by examining the fruits of their conduct as leaders …
Matthew 7: False prophets
Let’s read Matthew 7:15-20: Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good …
Matthew 7 – Two gates.
Let’s read Matthew 7:13-14 – “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” In these verses Jesus continued his teaching …
Matthew 7: The Golden Rule
Today we’ll look at a single verse, and it’s one of the best known out of all of Jesus’ teaching. Let’s read Matthew 7:12: So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. This verse is often referred to as “the …
Matthew 7 – to judge or not to judge…
We’ve reached Matthew 7 at last – it’s only taken us ten months! Today we’re going to look at what is perhaps one of the most frequently quoted – but also most often misunderstood – passages in all of Jesus’ teaching. Let’s read Matthew 7:1-5: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For …
Matthew 6 – the Lamp of the Body
Let’s read Matthew 6:22-23: The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! What was Jesus …
Nihilist to Christian 