What The Bible Says.

Fortnightly bible study.

Episode 98 - 10/04/25

Led by Graeme McPherson

This study takes up the tabernacle as a deliberate picture of the gospel and of Jesus Christ. Right at the outset the group is careful not to run wild with symbolism, but to let Scripture itself govern the links that are made. The aim is not to invent meanings, but to see how Exodus 25–26, read in the light of the New Testament, shows God’s redemptive purpose and His desire to dwell among His people.

A major theme is that the tabernacle reveals the heart of God: “that I may dwell among them.” The discussion repeatedly connects this with Eden, with John 1 where the Word “tabernacled” among us, and with the final fulfilment in Revelation where the dwelling place of God is with men. The tabernacle is therefore treated not merely as ancient furniture for worship, but as part of the Bible’s great storyline of God coming to dwell with His people through Christ.

The group also gives significant attention to the willing offerings used to build the tabernacle. This becomes an exhortation about worship, gratitude, and stewardship. Israel had been rescued from Egypt entirely by God’s power, and so their giving is read as the grateful response of a redeemed people. From there the study presses into application: what we do with our resources shows what we worship, and what is not yielded to God can easily be turned toward idols.

The ark and mercy seat form the theological centre of the discussion. The mercy seat is seen as the meeting place between God and man, the place of atonement, and a powerful picture of mercy standing over law. The group reflects on the cherubim guarding the way to God, the law inside the ark condemning sinners, and the mercy seat above it all, covered by sacrificial blood. From this they move naturally to Christ: the better sacrifice, the true meeting place with God, and the reason believers can now approach boldly.

The table of bread is read as a picture of fellowship, provision, and communion. Bread, wine, and the setting of a table point the group toward the Lord’s Supper, the Emmaus road, and Jesus as the bread of life. At the same time, the discussion keeps pressing into discipleship: believers are not only recipients of grace, but vessels through whom the bread is served. The tabernacle therefore becomes a pattern for ongoing communion with Christ and for a life that ministers His provision to others.

The lampstand then opens up the theme of light, holiness, and the work of the Spirit. Its beauty, purity, and hammered construction lead into reflection on how God forms His people through suffering and shapes each one distinctly for service. The oil is understood as pointing to the Holy Spirit, so that shining for God is never a matter of natural strength or outward impressiveness, but of divine life within. The wider discussion reinforces this by insisting that God’s presence does not rest on equipment, atmosphere, or externals, but upon consecrated people.

Overall, the study presents the tabernacle as both Christological and pastoral. Christ is shown as the true tabernacle, the fulfiller of the law, the mercy seat, the bread, and the meeting place with God. Yet the study does not stop there: because believers are united to Christ, the church itself is spoken of as God’s dwelling place, a royal priesthood called to holiness, worship, service, and witness. The result is a study that is rich in biblical theology, but also full of practical exhortation toward reverence, gratitude, godly character, and Spirit-filled ministry.

What The Bible Says.

Fortnightly bible study.

Episode 96 - 27/02/25

Led by Martin Rogers

In this second, conclusion of the study, we returned to Romans 11 and centred again on the great question: what does it mean that “all Israel will be saved”? The discussion began by reaffirming that Israel has experienced a partial hardening, not a total rejection, and that this hardening is bound up with God’s wider redemptive purpose in bringing salvation to the Gentiles. At the same time, the study firmly held that there is only one way of salvation for Jew and Gentile alike: through faith in Jesus Christ.

We then worked through Paul’s olive tree picture in Romans 11. Israel’s stumbling opened the door for the Gentiles, yet Gentile believers are not to boast, because they do not support the root; the root supports them. The grafting-in of the Gentiles was described as something “contrary to nature,” highlighting that our inclusion brings no merit of our own, but rests entirely on the grace of God. If God can graft in wild branches, then he is certainly able to graft the natural branches back in again.

From there, the study pushed back against the idea that God’s promises to Israel have been cancelled or absorbed away. Romans 11 was read as teaching that, though many in Israel are presently enemies with respect to the gospel, they remain beloved because of the patriarchs, and the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. The discussion stressed that this does not place Jews above Gentiles in salvation, nor create two peoples of God, but it does mean that God’s covenant faithfulness to ethnic Israel still matters within his purposes in history.

The prophetic foundation for this was then laid from Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 36. Jeremiah speaks of a new covenant made with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, in which God writes his law on their hearts, forgives their sin, and maintains Israel as a nation before him. Ezekiel adds that this restoration is not for Israel’s sake, but for the sake of God’s holy name: he will gather them from the nations, bring them back into their own land, cleanse them, give them a new heart, and put his Spirit within them.

Ezekiel 37 then sharpened the picture through the valley of dry bones. The bones were understood as the house of Israel: scattered, cut off, and apparently without hope. Yet God promises both a physical return to the land and a spiritual renewal by his Spirit. The study noted that there appears to be a distinction between the bones coming together and the breath entering them. In other words, the regathering of Israel to the land may be visible already, while the full spiritual awakening still lies ahead.

That future awakening was tied especially to Hosea 3 and Zechariah 12. Hosea speaks of Israel abiding many days without king, sacrifice, or temple, and afterwards returning to seek the Lord and “David their king” in the latter days. Zechariah then gives the climactic moment: God pours out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication, and they look upon the one they have pierced and mourn for him. The study understood this as the national repentance of Israel and their recognition of Jesus as Messiah at the end.

So the conclusion reached was that “all Israel will be saved” does not mean every Jew who has ever lived, nor does it establish a separate way of salvation. Rather, it points to the future salvation of Israel as a people at the time appointed by God, when the remnant that remains will repent and believe in their Messiah. The whole thing is grounded not in human worthiness, but in divine mercy, covenant faithfulness, and God’s zeal for his own name. The study closed where Romans 11 closes: with wonder, humility, and worship before the wisdom of God, from whom and through whom and to whom are all things.

What The Bible Says.

Fortnightly bible study.

Episode 96 - 13/02/25

Led by Martin Rogers

This first session opened with the foundational claim of Romans 11:25–29: Israel has experienced a partial hardening, but this is neither total nor final, and God’s gifts and calling are irrevocable. We began by reflecting on Jacob becoming Israel, and on the symbolism of his wrestling with God, as a possible picture of the nation itself: resisting, contending, wounded, yet ultimately clinging to God for blessing. That set the tone for the whole evening: Israel’s story is one of struggle, discipline, covenant, and eventual redemption.

We then moved to the Old Testament foundations for Israel’s election. Passages such as Deuteronomy 7 and Psalm 135 helped us see that God chose Israel as His treasured possession, not because of their greatness or merit, but because of His own love and covenant purpose. We stressed that Israel’s place in God’s purposes begins with God’s sovereign choice, not with Israel’s worthiness. That point mattered because it guarded us from the idea that Israel’s significance comes from human righteousness rather than divine promise.

From there, we considered Israel’s rebellion and blindness. Romans 10 was central here: Israel was described as zealous for God, but not according to knowledge, attempting to establish its own righteousness rather than submitting to the righteousness of God in Christ. We repeatedly returned to the language of Israel as a disobedient and obstinate people, while also recognising that this is not uniquely Israel’s problem, but a mirror of fallen humanity more broadly. We noted that the hardness of Israel’s heart was not an accident, but something God has permitted within His wider redemptive plan.

A major thread throughout the evening was that Israel’s unfaithfulness does not cancel God’s faithfulness. Romans 3 and Romans 11 showed us that unbelief among some Jews does not nullify the covenant promises of God, nor does it mean that God has rejected His people. The existence of a remnant according to grace was held up as proof that God has not cast Israel off. We emphasised that if God could simply abandon Israel, then the security of all His promises would be called into question. His covenant faithfulness to Israel therefore becomes a comfort to us as believers as well as a warning against pride.

We also explored the relation between Jewish unbelief and Gentile salvation. Romans 11:11 showed us that through Israel’s trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, with the purpose of provoking Israel to jealousy. We reflected on how extraordinary it is that Gentile believers worship the God of Israel, trust in Israel’s Messiah, and read Israel’s Scriptures. That reality itself was seen as part of God’s plan to stir Israel to reconsider her own promises. We also discussed the growth of Messianic Jewish faith in modern times, with the sense that God is already at work in drawing Jewish people to Jesus.

One of the key questions we raised in the session was the meaning of the phrase “all Israel will be saved.” We discussed several possibilities without forcing a final conclusion in this first part. We were clear, however, that salvation is always and only through faith in Jesus Christ, whether for Jew or Gentile, before the cross or after it. Hebrews 11 and Romans 9–11 helped underline that there is no second way of salvation. The unresolved question was not whether Jews need Christ, but how exactly Paul’s prophecy about “all Israel” should be understood in light of God’s covenant promises and future purposes.

We closed on a pastoral and worshipful note. Hosea helped us see God’s steadfast love toward an unfaithful people: chastening, grieving, yet refusing to give them up. That led us to rejoice not merely in Israel’s future hope, but in the wider truth that God is faithful to His covenant and faithful to His people. We ended with the sense that this doctrine should not produce arrogance or speculation, but humility, prayer, evangelistic concern, and deeper confidence in the God whose promises never fail. Part 1 therefore, set the stage for the next study by establishing the central truth that the salvation of Israel must be understood through the lens of God’s faithfulness, Christ’s righteousness, and the certainty of God’s redemptive plan.

#MCF #scriptureexplained #jesus #gospel #salvation #biblestudy #sounddoctrine #discipleship #church #christianliving #gracealone #holiness #eternallife #gospelofhope

What The Bible Says.

Fortnightly bible study.

Episode 93 - 27/02/25

Led by Tim Clark

This week we continued our WTBS session on “What the Bible Says About the Rejected Messiah,” returning again to the question of why many Jewish people—both in Jesus’ day and now—do not recognise Him as Messiah, even with the New Testament’s testimony and the historical claim of the resurrection.

We briefly recapped the main objections we’d already covered: the expectation of an earthly, kingdom-establishing Messiah (which we understood through the framework of one Messiah with two comings), the objection that God cannot become man, the claim that the New Testament contradicts Torah (set against Jesus fulfilling the Law rather than abolishing it), and the grievous reality of historic persecution carried out “in Jesus’ name,” which we distinguished from genuine biblical Christianity.

From there we focused on the destruction of the Temple in AD 70 and what that meant for sacrificial worship. We traced how, without the Temple, Mosaic practice became impossible in its original form, and we discussed how rabbinic Judaism developed around synagogue and rabbi rather than Temple and priest—necessarily re-framing atonement away from blood sacrifice, often appealing to passages such as Hosea 6:6.

We then pressed into the biblical necessity of substitutionary atonement. We grounded it in Leviticus 17:11 (“the life…is in the blood”), traced the principle back to Eden (God clothing Adam and Eve with skins), and then moved forward to the prophets, reading Isaiah 53:4–6 as unmistakably presenting a personal substitute—one who suffers for “our transgressions” and bears “the iniquity of us all.”

We linked that Old Testament framework directly to the New Testament witness. We noted how John 1:29 (“the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”) only makes full sense in light of Leviticus, and we read Hebrews 9:11–14 as a clear explanation of Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice—greater than bulls and goats, cleansing the conscience, and securing eternal redemption.

We then addressed the objection that the Trinity is polytheism. We explored how the Old Testament itself contains plurality within God’s oneness: we looked at the Shema (Deut. 6:4) alongside “one flesh” (Gen. 2:24) and “unity” (Ps. 133:1) to illustrate “compound oneness,” and we gathered several passages that show personal distinction without abandoning monotheism (Gen. 1:26; Isa. 48:16; Gen. 19:24; Prov. 30:4; Ps. 110:1). We then confirmed the triune pattern in the New Testament through Matt. 28:19 and 2 Cor. 13:14, and we noted how Hebrews 1 speaks plainly of the Son’s deity.

We finished by returning to Paul’s olive-tree picture in Romans 11: we, as Gentiles, have been grafted in by grace, we must not boast over the natural branches, and we’re called to live in such a way that Israel is provoked to jealousy for her own God and Messiah. We closed with hope and humility—trusting God’s covenant purposes, remembering that the veil is removed in Christ, and seeking to hold the truth with love, reverence, and faithfulness.

#scriptureexplained #jesus #gospel #salvation #biblestudy #sounddoctrine #discipleship #church #christianliving #gracealone #holiness #eternallife #gospelofhope

What The Bible Says.

Fortnightly bible study.

Episode 93 - 13/02/25

Led by Tim Clark

Why was Messiah rejected—especially by the very nation to whom He first came? In Part 2 of Rejected Messiah, we follow the Bible’s own storyline: Israel’s longing for deliverance, the weight of expectation, and the shock of a suffering Redeemer. Luke 24 helps set the scene—“we were hoping…”—and shows how even sincere disciples can misread God’s plan until Christ opens the Scriptures.

Scripture also pulls back the curtain on the spiritual battle beneath the surface. From Genesis 3 onward there is enmity—hatred aimed not merely at people, but at God’s promise and God’s purposes. This matters because so much anti-Jewish hostility across history cannot be explained by politics alone; the Bible treats it as part of a deeper conflict over redemption.

We then address a painfully real obstacle: the sins of “Christendom” have often been used as a reason to reject Christ. Persecution, scapegoating, coercion, and hypocrisy have made the name “Christian” a stumbling block for Jewish hearers. Yet those sins are not the fruit of Jesus’ teaching—Christ commands love, truth, and humility—so we must separate biblical Christianity from the betrayals done in its name.

Next, we return to the obvious fact so often ignored: Jesus is Jewish. Luke 2 reminds us He was born into Israel’s covenant life, and Luke 13 shows His tender lament over Jerusalem. The gospel did not arrive as a Gentile invention; the first witnesses, apostles, and the earliest church were Jewish—God’s salvation going out from Israel to the nations exactly as promised.

Romans 9 and 11 then anchor God’s ongoing faithfulness. Paul’s grief for his “kinsmen according to the flesh” is unmistakable, and Romans 11:28–29 stands like a pillar: God’s gifts and calling are irrevocable. Salvation is only in Christ—yet God has not cancelled His covenant purposes for ethnic Israel, and the church must never become arrogant toward the root that supports it.

That leads into the hope-filled promise: “all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26–27). This is not automatic salvation for every Jew of all time, but a future, climactic turning to Messiah—echoing the prophets’ language of national mourning and recognition. The response for believers now is simple and biblical: pray, witness with humility, love without flattery, and refuse both errors—erasing Israel on the one hand, or baptising political agendas on the other.

Finally, we tackle the covenant question head-on. Jeremiah 31 declares that God Himself promised a New Covenant “with the house of Israel and the house of Judah,” not like the broken Sinai covenant—one marked by forgiveness and God’s law written on the heart. Jesus identifies His blood as “the new covenant” (Luke 22:20), and Hebrews 8 shows how Christ fulfils what the prophets foretold. Jew and Gentile alike have one way of salvation—Messiah alone—yet that salvation comes through God’s faithful story that began with Israel and was always meant to bless the nations.

What The Bible Says.

Fortnightly bible study.

Episode 93 - 16/01/25

Led by Tim Clark

This opening session launches a new “Israel-focused” series by framing the question: if Jesus came first to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” why has Israel, in large measure, rejected Him? The group begins with a short evangelistic video showing Jewish witnesses using the Tanakh to point fellow Jews to Messiah—highlighting how passages like Isaiah 52–53 and Isaiah 9:6 sound “New Testament” to many, even though they are in the Hebrew Scriptures.

The study then lays a biblical foundation for why Jewish evangelism is not optional. Matthew 28:19–20 and Acts 1:8 are read to show the gospel’s outward movement—beginning at Jerusalem, then Judea and Samaria, then “to the end of the earth.” Romans 1:16 is used to emphasise the pattern “to the Jew first,” and the group notes Paul’s repeated habit in Acts: entering new cities, going first to the synagogue, and only then turning outward when rejected.

From there the discussion stresses continuity: Gentile believers are not a replacement people, but are brought in—“other sheep” gathered into “one flock” under “one shepherd” (John 10:16). Jeremiah 31:31–34 is read to underline that the New Covenant is explicitly made with “the house of Israel” and “the house of Judah,” with Gentiles grafted in, sharing a Jewish root rather than becoming a separate root. This sets a humble tone: the faith is inseparable from God’s promises to Israel and from Israel’s Scriptures.

The group then turns to the central problem: what went wrong, and why do many Jews reject Jesus as Messiah? Several contributing themes are raised—expectations of a warrior-king, confusion about one coming versus two, and the danger of reading Scripture through the lens of what we most want. The study warns Christians not to be smug: hardness of heart is not uniquely “Jewish,” and the only reason any of us see Christ rightly is God’s gracious illumination and mercy.

Objection #1 is explored: “Jesus did not fulfil the Messiah’s promises.” Isaiah 2:1–4 and Ezekiel 37:25–28 are read to show the messianic hope of worldwide peace, nations streaming to Zion, Torah instruction going out from Jerusalem, and God’s sanctuary established among His people. The group notes that Jewish readers naturally expect these to arrive with Messiah’s appearance—so they ask, “Where is the peace? Where is the King on David’s throne? Where is the Temple?” The biblical response offered is that the Tanakh contains both a suffering-servant motif and a conquering-king motif—fulfilled in one Messiah, but in two comings.

Objection #2 follows: “God cannot be a man” (Numbers 23:19). The study answers by pointing to Tanakh episodes where God is encountered in a recognisably personal, embodied manner—Genesis 18 (the LORD appearing with “three men”), the “Angel of the LORD” narratives (e.g., Judges 13:21–22), and prophetic titles like Isaiah 9:6 (“Mighty God,” “Everlasting Father”) applied to a child. The point is not to force a foreign idea onto Israel’s Bible, but to show that Scripture itself contains categories that make incarnation intelligible, preparing the way for the Messiah revealed in the New Testament.

Objection #3 is introduced: “Christianity contradicts the Torah.” The group reads Matthew 5:17 (“fulfil,” not abolish) and Romans 3:31 (“we uphold the Law”), then distinguishes between being under the Law as a condemning covenant and living in the New Covenant where God writes His Law on the heart (Jeremiah 31). The discussion stresses that Christ fulfils the whole Law as the perfect Israelite, and that the Old and New Testaments are one story—without the sacrificial system and its logic, we cannot grasp why John calls Jesus “the Lamb of God.” The session pauses here, setting up the remaining objections for the next study.

What The Bible Says.

Fortnightly bible study.

Episode 92 - 19/12/25

Led by Tim Clark

Jesus presents Himself as the Amen, the faithful and true witness, confronting a church governed by human opinion with His absolute authority and final word.

Laodicea was materially rich but spiritually bankrupt, mistaking prosperity and comfort for true blessing while being blind to its real condition before God.

Their lukewarm faith mirrored their water supply, neither healing nor refreshing, revealing indifference rather than open rejection or wholehearted devotion.

Self-sufficiency had pushed Christ to the margins, as they claimed to need nothing, unknowingly repeating the sin of Eden—independence from God.

Jesus’ warning to “vomit” them out is severe, showing that half-hearted religion is not neutral but poisonous to the witness of His church.

Yet Christ offers gracious counsel, not destruction, inviting them to receive from Him true riches: refined gold (tested faith), white garments (righteousness), and eye salve (spiritual sight).

The letter ends with a personal call to repentance and fellowship, as Christ stands at the door and knocks, promising intimate communion to all who open to Him and overcome.

What The Bible Says.

Fortnightly bible study.

Episode 91 - 05/12/25

Led by Graeme McPherson

Christ reveals Himself to Philadelphia as holy and true, assuring a persecuted church that He is faithful, unlike the earthly authorities who had betrayed them.

Jesus alone holds the key of David, meaning entrance into God’s kingdom is determined by Him, not by synagogue membership, heritage, or religious power.

The “open door” set before the church represents permanent access to God’s household, even though the synagogue had shut its doors against them.

The believers endured exclusion, shame, and danger for confessing Jesus as Messiah, yet they refused to deny His name or abandon His word.

Those who falsely claimed to be God’s people would one day acknowledge that Christ truly loved the faithful church they had rejected.

Jesus promises preservation through coming trials, not escape from faithfulness, calling the church to patient endurance rather than fear.

The reward for perseverance is eternal security—to be made a pillar in God’s temple, bearing His name, and belonging forever to the New Jerusalem.

What The Bible Says.

Fortnightly bible study.

Episode 90 - 21/11/25

Led by Graeme McPherson

Tonight, we continue with our study of the seven churches of Revelation - The church of Sardis.

In this study, we explore Jesus’ message to the church in Sardis, a fellowship that carried the reputation of being alive yet was declared spiritually dead, revealing the danger of outward success without inward faithfulness.

We look at the historical and cultural setting of Sardis—a wealthy, influential, pluralistic city—where both Jews and Christians were tempted to compromise the distinctiveness of God’s truth to “get along” with the world around them.

Jesus exposes a church that had blended into its environment, losing the sharp edge of the gospel, softening its message, and allowing comfort, peace and reputation to replace wholehearted loyalty to Him.

Through Scripture, we examine how a church—or a believer—can appear vibrant externally while spiritually empty, exploring themes such as compromise, friendship with the world, incomplete works, and the loss of Jesus’ pre-eminence.

Jesus calls Sardis to wake up, strengthen what little remains, remember what they first received, hold fast to the truth, and repent before everything spiritually alive within them dies out completely.

We see how this warning speaks directly to our own “get-along culture,” where the exclusive claims of Christ are often diluted, avoided, or re-packaged to avoid rejection, conflict, or cultural disapproval.

Yet the study ends with hope—Christ promises white garments, secure names in the Book of Life, and the joy of walking with Him in victory for those who refuse compromise, hold to His Word, and keep Him above all else.

What The Bible Says.

Fortnightly bible study.

Episode 89 - 07/11/25

Led by Martin Rogers

Tonight, we continue with our study of the seven churches of Revelation - The church of Thyatira.

1️⃣ The Church at Thyatira – a small town with a big message.

Though it was the smallest and most obscure of the seven churches, Thyatira received the longest letter from Christ—showing that even the least significant church in worldly eyes can carry deep spiritual lessons.

2️⃣ Christ reveals Himself as the Son of God with eyes like fire.

This unique title—used nowhere else in Revelation—shows His penetrating vision and refining judgment. Nothing escapes His sight; He sees every heart and motive within His church.

3️⃣ Faith, love, and service that outgrew their beginnings.

Thyatira was commended for its love, faith, service, and patient endurance. Their later works were greater than their first, reminding us that true discipleship is a life of continual growth and increasing fruitfulness.

4️⃣ The danger of tolerance and compromise.

Despite their strengths, the church was rebuked for allowing “Jezebel” to teach immorality and idolatry. Her influence symbolised false teaching and moral compromise—showing how spiritual corruption can arise within the church itself.

5️⃣ A call to daily, reasonable service and sacrificial living.

Romans 12:1–2 was central to the discussion: offering ourselves as living sacrifices, not conformed to the world but transformed by renewing our minds. True worship is seen in humble, everyday obedience.

6️⃣ Christ’s mercy and His warning of judgment.

Even Jezebel was given time to repent, yet she refused. The Lord’s patience reveals His mercy—but His discipline shows that He will not tolerate sin in His people. Judgment begins with the house of God.

7️⃣ Hold fast until He comes.

To the faithful who resisted false teaching, Jesus placed no further burden but promised reward: authority with Him and the gift of the Morning Star. The call remains—stand firm, stay pure, and serve faithfully until His return.