Simpler Bible

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Simpler Bible episodes

  • Ep. 226. Matthew 7 | Sermon on the Mount Part 6

    Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding.

    What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey.

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      Here’s an excerpt from the blog post.

      Jesus taught as one who had authority and not like the scribes. He plainly says at the conclusion of this sermon, "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock." "These words" are the sum total of the Sermon on the Mount. He has shown them that their way of righteousness was fallible and futile. He revealed himself as the fulfillment of the Old Testament Messianic texts; he showed that the Pharisees were guilty of sin, that the Pharisee's "righteous" deeds weren't righteous, that the hypocrite misses the plank in their own eyes while seeing the speck in the others, and that the way to life was narrow. He goes so far as to say that not everyone who says to him, "Lord, Lord," will see the kingdom of heaven.


      This sermon is an incredibly challenging one, but not for the moralistic reasons we typically assign to this passage, but because it was calling the Jews away from works-based righteousness to righteousness only found in God by faith.

      For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

      16 min
    • Ep. 225. Matthew 7 | Sermon on the Mount Part 5

      Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding.

      What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey.

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      • Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption.

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        Here’s an excerpt from the blog post.

        Jesus doesn't use the term "hypocrite" to talk about wayward Christians. He uses the term exclusively for those who claim to be in a relationship with God but have missed him completely. The Pharisees are NOT Christians. John the Baptist and Jesus both call the Pharisees a "brood of vipers." Jesus says of the Pharisees they belong to their father, the devil. We read a text like Matthew 7 or even Matthew 23, and we, from the pulpit, encourage Christians not to be hypocrites. Christians ARE NOT hypocrites. Those who pretend to be Christian, who pretend to know God, who have lips that are near to him but hearts that are far from him, are the real hypocrites.


        This text must be interpreted in light of Jesus's reference to hypocrites. Comparing these verses to those in Matthew 23 makes it much clearer.


        Matthew 7:7-11 comes into crystal clear focus when we read the parallel text in Luke 11. Jesus, having dismantled the Jewish perspective of righteousness, offers righteousness that comes by faith by asking the Father for it. And God, who is abundantly good, WILL give the Holy Spirit to those who ask. There is no need to try to earn it. There is no need to try to be perfect, as God is perfect. Come to God as you are, as a sinner, weak in your will, and practice and find rest for your soul.


        There isn't anything I want more for people (who have already come to salvation) than that they would rest in the righteousness Christ has supplied.

        For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

        12 min
      • Episodes 218-224 summary

        Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding.

        What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey.

        Connect with Us:

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        • Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption.

          Join us in making Bible study Simpler!

          For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

          15 min
        • Ep. 224. Matthew 6 | Sermon on the Mount Part 4

          Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding.

          What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey.

          Connect with Us:

          • http://simplerbible.com
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          • Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption.

            Join us in making Bible study Simpler!

            Here’s an excerpt from the blog post.

            You will immediately notice that many of the verses in our additional reading today are from Matthew 5. Obviously, you know by now how I feel about context and the importance of it. That being said, it is unlikely we will understand what is being said in Chapter Six if we are not holding in mind what happened in Chapter 5. I do not expect someone new to studying the Scripture to be able to keep all the Old Testament texts in mind while reading the New Testament. (I don't know a single person who knows the Bible that well.) However, it is incumbent on us as readers to try to understand the sections of Scripture immediately preceding and following the text we are reading. I'll put it this way: if we have an "understanding" of a verse in isolation, that is, without considering the context in which it is buried, then it is likely we don't understand that verse at all.


            The conversation in verses 19-24 about treasures on earth versus those in heaven flows directly out of the selfish intent of the Pharisees in their "good works." Keep in mind that Jesus is talking to a group primarily made up of Jews, people with an understanding of the Law, and people who are likely picking up on all the Old Testament references Jesus is alluding to.


            Of course, we know and recognize that God knows our needs before they come to pass and that he is capable of meeting them.

            For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

            13 min
          • Ep. 223. Matthew 6 | Sermon on the Mount Part 3

            Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding.

            What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey.

            Connect with Us:

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            • Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption.

              Join us in making Bible study Simpler!

              Here’s an excerpt from the blog post.

              In the second part of chapter five, Jesus systematically showed how the Pharisees were guilty of sin, even though they thought themselves righteous. In Chapter Six, Jesus will dismantle the so-called righteous deeds of the Pharisees and show that even their "righteous deeds" were sinful. It would do us well to remember that Jesus said in 5:20, "Unless your righteousness is greater than the scribes and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."


              The Pharisees were considered the pinnacle of human righteousness in the Jewish system, or at least they considered themselves the pinnacle of righteousness. What Jesus was doing was dismantling the Jewish perspective of works-based righteousness and replacing it with faith-based righteousness first introduced in the Biblical narrative with Abraham in Genesis 15:6.


              If we must draw personal application from chapter six then let it not be that we must give in secret, but rather that we not give, pray, or fast like the Pharisees who only did so to be seen by others. God is concerned with the heart of the offering rather than the offering itself. Of course, we have already discovered that with the story of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4, so we shouldn't be surprised to find it here again.

              For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

              13 min
            • Ep. 222. Matthew 5 | Sermon on the Mount Part 2

              Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding.

              What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey.

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              • Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption.

                Join us in making Bible study Simpler!

                Here’s an excerpt from the blog post.

                "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." That's a scary verse if the point of the gospels is moralistic behavior. Thankfully, that isn't the point of this text. Instead, these verses are meant to show that no one can be righteous through the works of the Law. Why? Because the Law requires perfection.


                Oh, great, you didn't commit adultery? But if you ever looked at someone with lust, then you are guilty. Excellent, you haven't ever murdered someone, but if you hated someone in your heart, you are just as guilty. So then we see the futility and shortcomings of the Law. According to the Law, no one is righteous; no one is good.


                Thankfully, Jesus isn't done with his sermon. He has something better to offer those buried under the Law's weight. Eventually, he will tell them that all they need to do to receive the gift of the Father is to "ask, seek, and knock."

                For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

                14 min
              • Ep. 221. Matthew 5 | Sermon on the Mount Part 1

                Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding.

                What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey.

                Connect with Us:

                • http://simplerbible.com
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                • Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption.

                  Join us in making Bible study Simpler!

                  Here’s an excerpt from the blog post.

                  When approaching the section of Scripture we call "The Sermon on the Mount," we have traditionally been taught to read them as moralistic instructions for believers. In this first section, "The Beatitudes," we are generally encouraged to follow the kind of behavior and attitudes outlined in these verses. It takes little time to see the problem with that moralistic approach because it inevitably makes salvation a product of works rather than faith.


                  Consider, if you will, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy." We have to ask ourselves if we believe God's mercy is reciprocal to our showing of mercy or if God's mercy is gifted to us by grace through faith. It isn't hard to realize that God showed us his mercy long before we even had a concept of mercy.


                  Or what about, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God?" There isn't a single one among us who is pure of heart on our own accord. Purity of heart is the benefit of having come to God in faith. But if we miss that all of these verses are related to Old Testament texts, then we will likely miss the point. Remember, the gospels are the revelation of Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament texts.

                  For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

                  21 min
                • Ep. 220. Matthew 4 | The Temptation

                  Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding.

                  What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey.

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                  • Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption.

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                    Here’s an excerpt from the blog post.

                    I can't tell you how many times someone has told me, "Even the Devil knows the Bible." They point to this text in Matthew and Satan's use of the Scripture to try to get Jesus to "test the Lord." Of course, Jesus doesn't fall for the trick and quotes another text, "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test." So then my teachers taught me, rightly, I might add, to know the Bible well.


                    I have already stated numerous times along this journey that there is a dearth of Biblical knowledge among those of us who call ourselves Christians. We think that since we know the stories of Noah, Abraham, and Isaac, or Jesus and Lazarus, we must know the Bible well. But sadly, we often miss the context and, therefore, the intent and application.


                    Let me pose a question for our consideration: If one of the best defenses we have against the temptations of the enemy is Scripture, do we think it matters that we understand the Bible correctly? And one more question: If we don't understand the Bible and God correctly, are we more susceptible to the temptations of the enemy?

                    For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

                    15 min
                  • Ep. 219. Matthew 3 | John's Baptism

                    Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding.

                    What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey.

                    Connect with Us:

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                    • Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption.

                      Join us in making Bible study Simpler!

                      Here’s an excerpt from the blog post.

                      I grew up believing that John's Baptism along the Jordan River was no different than Christian Baptism. In fact, I can still vividly remember the baptismal up at the front of our relatively large church in Midland Texas. I remember watching people get dunked up there. The front wall was partially made of glass. The pastor would stand there in the water with the person getting baptized. They would speak into the microphone and tell us all how they had put faith in Jesus, and the pastor would dunk them in the water, saying, "I baptize you, my brother/sister, in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Buried with Christ in death, raised to walk in newness of life." No doubt, drawing upon Matthew 28 and Romans 6. I remember being taught that since Jesus was baptized, we, too, should be baptized. "If it was good enough for Jesus, it is good enough for me." That sort of mentality was usually the persuading argument. But I didn't need to be persuaded. I wanted to be baptized. In fact, I became a Christian at three years old, just a few months before my fourth birthday. I was ready to be baptized, but my pastor didn't think I was old enough to understand the decision I had made. Retrospectively, I can appreciate his caution. I was eventually baptized about 7 or 8 years old. But it would be another thirty years before I would consider that there was more than one kind of baptism represented in the Bible.


                      In our Western church culture there is really only one type of water baptism in view. We typically call it believer's baptism. That wasn't the case in the Bible. In the days of Jesus, people would be baptized into the teachings of whichever rabbi they followed. The Pharisees and Sadducees weren't the only religious organizations of the day, and the Jews loved their ceremonial washings (baptisms). In fact, there were so many regulations for cleansing and worship that fell under the heading of "baptism" that you would not have been able to discuss baptism without clarifying which one you meant.

                      For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

                      18 min
                    • Ep. 218. Matthew 1-2 | Advent

                      Welcome to Simpler Bible, your daily path to biblical understanding.

                      What's in Store: Daily podcasts, YouTube videos, and blog posts – everything you need to make your Bible study a breeze, no matter where you are on your faith journey.

                      Connect with Us:

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                      • Don't Miss Out: Hit subscribe for a daily dose of Bible wisdom. Let's explore the Scriptures together, connect the dots, and uncover the major themes of redemption.

                        Join us in making Bible study Simpler!

                        Here’s an excerpt from the blog post.

                        The Gospels are often the most familiar part of the Bible for those of us who grew up in and around the church. Our Sunday school teachers and pastors tended to gravitate toward the stories of Jesus, and they can't be faulted for that. Jesus is worth knowing and talking about.


                        I have come to be convinced of this after three decades of ministry; understanding the New Testament is made so much easier by having come to know the Old Testament. Jesus is a Jew, talking to Jewish people, presenting himself as the Messiah, and the fulfillment of the Jewish prophesies, the Jewish priesthood, and the Jewish sacrificial system, with heaven as the fulfillment of the Jewish Temple. Jesus is the Prophet in the likeness of Moses, the New David, The Good Shepherd, the Priest like Melchizedek. How can we be expected to understand the New Testament without first filling our minds with an understanding of the Old? That is what was lacking in my upbringing. I can count on two hands the number of times I heard the stories of Jesus related to the fulfillment of Old Testament texts. But shouldn't that be a priority for us?


                        We have spent two hundred and seventeen days trying to understand the Old Testament better. I have shown you how these things foreshadow the New Testament. A word of caution to you: don't forget the things we've looked at this far, and don't default to a view of the New Testament that reduces Jesus to a morality issue. Do the best you can to hold in mind the beaiyt of the Old Testament and journey well with us through the New as the blessing the prophets and Jewish forefathers were chasing.


                        This first coming of Jesus, this Advent, is the fulfillment of all that had been promised across the centuries to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and those people who came from that familial line.

                        For more visit http://simplerbible.com/episodes

                        17 min

                      About Simpler Bible

                      From the publisher's feed

                      Simpler Bible is your go-to online daily Bible reading program, where our dedicated pastor, Ryan, guides you through about one Bible chapter each day. Our mission is to make the Bible more accessible…

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