Unbinding the Bible

In this episode, we'll introduce the book of Revelation. Written as a pastoral letter, a prophecy, and an apocalypse simultaneously, Revelation is a book unlike anything most modern readers of Scripture are familiar with. This, of course, comes as no surprise, considering the many widely varying interpretations of the book. But, using "Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth" (Rev. 1:5) as our interpretive guide, the book of Revelation will come to life for the strengthening of the church.

In this episode, we'll look at Colossians 1:24-29 - Paul's understanding of his ministry to the church, an understanding that carries with it potentially offensive, maybe even heretical-sounding connotations. We'll see that this is not the case at all, but we'll examine just what Paul means by the words "in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ for the sake of his body, that is, the church" (Col. 1:24). In seeking clarity at just this point, we'll see an often overlooked but incredibly vital characteristic of the church that we need to see more of today.

In this episode, we'll take a look at the book of Acts, paying particular attention to Paul after he meets Jesus on his way to Damascus. We'll talk about the ways Paul refers to himself, especially in relation to the Servant of the LORD descriptions from the book of Isaiah. 

In the second half of the episode, we'll talk about how closely connected many of the themes and images are between the way Jesus is described in the New Testament and the way his followers are described. Hopefully your entire perspective on just who the church is will be strengthened.

This episode is a sermon I preached April 28, 2019 on John 20:19-31. I'm inserting it here because of its powerful connection to both setting the captives free and the proclamation of the forgiveness of sins that we looked at in episode 035. Jesus very much wants to meet people in their own places of captivity so that, after setting them free, they can be used by him to set other captives free.

In this episode, we're going to address one of the gospel's fundamental questions: why does the one coming to restore justice to the world end up suffering? We'll take a close look at the mission of Jesus as well as his offer of (and our need for) the forgiveness of sins.

In this episode, we'll explore Isaiah's four "Servant Songs" and how they help us grasp a bit about the way biblical prophecy works. We'll then explore how misunderstanding the role of the Servant of the LORD played a major part in so many Jews missing Jesus when he came. Grasping these ideas will also help shape what the Christian life ought to look like for those who wish to follow Jesus.

This episode is a sermon I preached in May 2018 from John 3:1-17 - Jesus' interaction with a religious man named Nicodemus. I'm inserting it here to round out Jesus' teaching on the gospel from episode 032, lest anyone conclude that the way someone becomes a member of God's kingdom is simply by doing the will of God. No, Jesus is not advocating a "do your best" understanding of salvation. He knows that only when we receive life "from above" will we rightly see and understand anything in the kingdom of God.

This episode is a sermon I've given on two separate occasions, inviting listeners to experience the reality of the resurrection from a slightly different perspective. I'm inserting it on Easter Sunday as a BONUS episode in the hopes that it will encourage and strengthen you as you celebrate Jesus' resurrection.

This episode is a sermon I preached on Good Friday of last year. In it I trace the theme of thorns used throughout Scripture to help us make the most sense of Jesus being forced to wear a "crown" of thorns. I hope this episode encourages you as you celebrate Jesus' death this Good Friday.