TEXT: ‘Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?”’ (Matthew 21:42). After Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, He faced intense questioning by the chief priests, elders and scribes, who demanded to know whose authority He was acting under. In response, Jesus taught the parable of the wicked vinedressers, who refused to give the owner of the vineyard any proceeds from the harvests and ended up murdering his son. When Jesus said the owner would take revenge on the vinedressers and give the vineyard to someone else, the people replied, “Certainly not!” Then Jesus quoted Psalm 118:22-23, the Old Testament prophecy which is our text and this is the focus of Today’s Teaching. There are three points I want to highlight. 1. Revelation – ‘Have you never read in the scriptures?’ Psalm 118 was well known to the Jews, for they recited it verbatim at least six times a year, during holy festivals. For all their reciting, they did not realise it was prophetic and Jesus was the fulfilment of it. The Bible is more than an historical record, because it reveals the future. The...
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TEXT: ‘Come to Christ, who is the living Foundation of Rock upon which God builds; though men have spurned him, he is very precious to God who has chosen him above all others’ (1 Peter 2:4 TLB). When rugged fishermen write about their love for Jesus as their Saviour and Lord, it puts to shame Christians who are too embarrassed to even mention they have a faith. The Apostle John wrote, ‘Who loved me!’ (John 13:23). In other words, “That Jesus could love me!” Three times Jesus asked Peter, ‘Do you love Me?’ (John 21:15-17), and three times, in front of the other disciples, he replied, ‘Yes Lord, You know that I love You’. This impetuous disciple also used the word, “Precious” several times in his epistles and Today’s Teaching focusses on these. 1. Precious Faith – ‘These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold’ (1 Peter 1:7 NLT) How wonderful and valuable faith is. It is a gift from God1 and can work miracles for us and through us. Hebrews Chapter Eleven records some of the wonderful experiences of those who had faith, but the Bible is full...
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TEXT: ‘When He, the Spirit of Truth, has come’ (John 16:13). The night before Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion, He explained to His disciples what the role of the Holy Spirit (the Comforter) would be.1 One of those disciples was Peter, who writing in his epistle, revealed key areas as to what the Holy Spirit has done, does and will do for and with the believer, and this is the focus of Today’s Teaching. 1. The Holy Spirit and Prophecy – ‘This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward’ (1 Peter 1:10-11 NLT). Jesus said, ‘But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me’ (John 15:26). This is what the Holy Spirit had been doing down through the ages. ‘For no prophecy recorded in Scripture was ever thought up by the prophet himself. It was the Holy Spirit within these godly men who gave them true messages from God’ (2 Peter...
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TEXT: ‘All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one fully knows and accurately understands the Son except the Father; and no one fully knows and accurately understands the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son [deliberately] wills to reveal Him’ (Matthew 11:27 AMP). In Today’s Teaching we are studying “All Things”, a phrase the Apostle Paul used frequently, particularly in the Pastoral Epistles of 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus. In Part 1, we considered what God does: Gives life to all thingsGives us richly all things to enjoyGives understanding in all things Part 2 studies what we need to do in response to what God does. 2. What we need to do ‘Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age’ (Matthew 28:20 ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’ (Philippians 4:13) Be faithful in all things – ‘Women must likewise be worthy of respect, not malicious gossips, but self-controlled, [thoroughly] trustworthy in all things’ (1 Timothy 3:11) Although the context specifically refers to Deacon’s wives, this is surely something every Christian needs to do. ‘Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, but who can find a faithful man?’...
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TEXT: ‘All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one fully knows and accurately understands the Son except the Father; and no one fully knows and accurately understands the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son [deliberately] wills to reveal Him’ (Matthew 11:27 AMP). One of my favourite Bible verses, that often encouraged me to keep going during difficult time is, ‘All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose’ (Romans 8:28). Other verses with “All things” in them are equally inspiring: ‘With men this is impossible but with God all things are possible’ (Matthew 19:26) ‘If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes’ (Mark 9:23) As I studied the Bible I noticed that “All things” was a phrase that the Apostle Paul frequently used, and in Today’s Teaching we will consider several taken from the Pastoral Epistles – 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus, and these fall into two categories, which are, “What God does” and “What we need to do”. 1. What God Does Gives life to all things – ‘I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things’ (1 Timothy 6:13) God is not...
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