Bart Byl on Acts 2.

When Jesus ascended into heaven, he didn't go into cryogenic deep freeze until he returns to earth. He is seated at the right hand of God, wielding supreme executive power over the universe. His first act is to pour his Spirit out on the 120 waiting disciples, and Peter speaks for them all when he preaches Christ to the bewildered crowds.

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Bart Byl on Luke 24:50-53.

Forty days after his resurrection, Jesus led his disciples to a mountain outside Jerusalem and rose up into heaven before them. His final act on earth was to raise his hands in blessing over them, assuring them and us that his atoning work was accepted by God and that we can now live under the favour of God.

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Bart Byl on 1 Samuel 20.

Series: Waiting for the Kingdom (1 Samuel)

When Jonathan realizes his father Saul really does intend to kill David, he must make a painful choice. True loyalty to God's anointed requires us to put Jesus above all other relationships.

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Bart Byl on Luke 12:13-34.

Jesus contrasts the foolishness of greed and anxiety with the freedom of seeking the kingdom and trusting the Father to take care of you. After all, true abundance is being loved by God.

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Bart Byl on 1 Samuel 19.

Series: Waiting for the Kingdom (1 Samuel)

David repeatedly escapes from Saul’s obsessed attempts to murder him. Each escape shows him to be a man under God's special protection. Christ, too, had enemies who sought to destroy him. Be instead of escaping like David, Jesus gave himself up to those who came to arrest him—out of love for both his faithless followers and his wicked enemies.

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Bart Byl on 1 Samuel 18.

Series: Waiting for the Kingdom (1 Samuel)

David's victory over Goliath causes people to choose sides. Jonathan and the people respond in love and loyalty, while the paranoid King Saul plots to kill his new son-in-law. We face a similar choice with the resurrected Jesus: do we gladly surrender to God's anointed ... or jealously oppose him?

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Bart Byl on Luke 24:13-35.

After rising from the dead, Jesus explains to two discouraged disciples that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer before glory; then he reveals himself in the breaking of the bread. This revelation is a gift given to all disciples by our risen Master.. Only in personal and collective communion with Christ himself will our hearts burn within us.

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Bart Byl on Luke 7:11–17.

Jesus arrives in Nain just as a shattered widow leads a funeral procession to the cemetery. With a touch and a word, he restores her son back to life. Like her, we're powerless against death. Our only hope is the Saviour who stands in its path to make it stop.

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Bart Byl on 1 Samuel 17.

Series: Waiting for the Kingdom (1 Samuel)

In one of the most famous stories in the Bible, David brings down the Philistine champion Goliath in single combat. Christ is our champion, the ‘man between’ who triumphs over the Enemy through the weakness of the cross. We are the fearful Israelites who rise with a shout to finish off the fleeing foe when we realize Christ has conquered.

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Bart Byl on 1 Samuel 16.

Series: Waiting for the Kingdom (1 Samuel)

God chooses, anoints and grants the Spirit to the shepherd-boy David, whom Saul invites to court to soothe his tormented mind. David, of course, is the prototype of Christ: God’s chosen Messiah, who has received the Spirit without measure, drives out evil spirits, and blesses his enemies. His future is ours.

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