Matthew 27:27-31 — After Jesus had been condemned to die, the Governor’s soldiers took Him to their barracks where they violently humiliated Him. They dressed Him up as a king with a purple robe, a crown of thorns and a stick for a sceptre. They bowed the knee and mockingly proclaimed “Hail, King of the…

Hebrews 1:3a — For nearly 1,700 years the church has confessed that God the Son is “Light of Light, very God of very God.” This is in keeping with what the writer to the Hebrews says concerning the Son in the opening lines of his letter – “Who being the brightness [effulgence] of his glory.” It’s also in keeping…

Colossians 3:14 — “And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.” Love is the fountainhead of authentic Christian virtue. That’s what Paul teaches us in this text as he brings to a close his discussion of the “new man” and his “new clothes.” Without love, our efforts to exercise the Christian…

Luke 6:41-42 — We live in an age of rampant hypocrisy. Politicians and celebrities are often on television or using social media to lecture us on what society is doing wrong and yet their own personal morality leaves a lot to be desired. Furthermore, the widespread use of social media has created limitless opportunities to critique…

Philippians 3:17-21 — Every person has a worldview, that is, a framework of beliefs through which they interpret the world. These beliefs and assumptions inform a person’s values and decisions. In this text the Apostle Paul describes two worldviews, one that is self-centred and earthly and another that is Son-centred and eternal. He explains what happens…

Colossians 3:12-13 — With new life in Christ comes a new way of living, but it’s not automatic. There are sins to be put off and virtues to be put on. That’s what Paul instructs his readers to do in this text – to put on new attitudes and new behaviours as they would new clean…

Philippians 3:12-14 — From Paul’s frequent use of athletic metaphors it seems as though he possessed an affection for sport. He uses a sporting metaphor in this text to explain how we can live a successful Christian life. He likens the Christian life to a race and he gives us five essentials to help us run…

Ezra 10 — “Now therefore make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves…from the strange [pagan] wives.”  A significant number among the remnant that returned from captivity in Babylon had committed grievous sin by taking wives from the pagan nations that surrounded Judea. When this was discovered,…

Luke 6:39-40 — “Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.” What did Jesus mean when He made this statement midway through His sermon in Luke 6? What was He trying to…

Hebrews 1:2b – “…by whom also he made the worlds.” The Son through whom God has spoken is the Creator of all things. The writer to the Hebrews wanted his readers to grasp this fundamental truth. He wanted them to identify the God they knew, the God of the Old Testament, with the Son. As we…