There are four points to our salvation:

• Rescued

• Relationship

• Renewed

• Restoration

The context is a banquet setting with a Pharisee. When he is surprised that Jesus does not wash in the traditional manner, Jesus responds by noting the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Though they “clean the outside of the cup”—an external show of...

Jesus condemned their seeking after a sign, especially when countless signs had already happened before their eyes. It is easy to overestimate the power of miraculous signs to change the heart of doubters and skeptics.

In light of the context, this refers to an attitude (not an isolated act or utterance) of defiant hostility toward God that rejects His saving power toward man, expressed in the Spirit-empowered person and work of Jesus.

Taking sides with Jesus means much more than saying the right things, like the woman who cried, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You”. She was certainly sincere, but that was not enough. We take sides with Jesus Christ...

Understanding the character of God removes many of the problems we have with prayer

Once we are secure in our relationship with God and His will, then we can bring our requests to Him.

We can ask Him to provide our needs (not our greed’s!) for today, to forgive us for what we have done yesterday, and to lead us in the future.

All...

It seems evident that the Lord wants each of us to imitate Mary in our worship and Martha in our work. Blessed are the balanced!

Christ’s ambassadors were indeed privileged people. They were able to see and hear things that the greatest saints in the Old Testament ages yearned to see and hear but could not. The Messiah was at work, and they were a part of His work!

Three men approach Jesus, all with aspirations of discipleship. All three of Jesus’ responses point to the radical nature of commitment to him and the extreme cost a disciple must be willing to pay.