EXPOSITORY ARTICLE | David Dann | Athens, Georgia
“And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, ‘He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak'” (Mark 7:37, NKJV). That is how Mark presents Jesus to the world. He truly is the One who “has done all things well.” Read More
EXPOSITORY ARTICLE | Kyle Boyd | Wichita, Kansas
via Aaron Burden | Unsplash.com
None of the Gospel writers make a case for Christ quite like Matthew. His attention to detail and methodical writing style results in a book filled with all the evidence one needs to be sure that Jesus IS the long-awaited Messiah as prophesied centuries before. Written to a Jewish audience, Matthew carefully lays out his case leaving the reader with no doubt that Jesus IS the Christ and that He IS Lord and King. Let’s briefly examine three points Matthew uses to show beyond doubt that God’s Anointed One has come. Read More
EXPOSITORY ARTICLE | Jeremy Diestelkamp | Toronto, Ontario
via Jeff Jacobs | Pixabay.com
During the Passover week about 2000 years ago, in a place just outside of Jerusalem, hung a man who was nailed to a cross: Jesus. The Romans frequently reserved this method of execution for criminals who committed the worst types of offenses. What criminal offense had Jesus been convicted of? Nothing! Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor of Judea, declared Jesus innocent on multiple occasions but had him crucified anyway due to his fear of a riot (John 19:1-16). Read More
EXPOSITORY ARTICLE | Chadwick Brewer | Richmond, Virginia
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Peter’s preamble is poignant and powerful. Everything that follows is predicated on God’s divine power granting us all thing that pertain to life and godliness (v. 3). It is God who moves first to establish a relationship with man. It is not man that starts to build that relationship. In fact, man cannot. Read More
EXPOSITORY ARTICLE | Sean Cavender | Bald Knob, Arkansas
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A Cry of Defeat
“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1)
These words are a cry of despair, disappointment, and defeat. There appears to be no end in sight. “Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning” is how the first verse concludes. Psalm 22 is considered a psalm of David. He portrays the faithful servant of God enduring pain and humiliation because of his enemies. It is no wonder Jesus quoted the opening words while He was on the cross (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34). Read More
EXPOSITORY ARTICLE | Alex Hale | Cabot, Arkansas
Isaiah 52:13-53:12 is perhaps the most well-known passage in the entire book. This prophecy serves as the fourth and final servant song within the book (cf. 42:1-9; 49:1-13; 50:4-9). Isaiah inserts references to “the servant of the LORD” throughout chapters 40-55. While it is true that this servant is called Israel (49:3), he should be viewed as distinct from the people as a whole. To put it another way, the servant Isaiah speaks about is the representative of the whole. The servant is charged with two primary tasks: to bring salvation to Israel and serve as a light to the Gentiles (49:6). In chapters 50-52, Isaiah presents this servant as the true hope of Israel. Read More
EXPOSITORY ARTICLE | Jeremy Woodman | Kingston, Ontario
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“He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?
(Micah 6:8, NKJV)
The preceding quote from the prophet Micah is one of the most elegant quotes in the entire Bible. Like the prophet himself, it directs and delivers plain truth to a generation that had entangled themselves with sin and complicated their lives with ritualistic religion. The lessons apply to our generation as well as his.
To fully appreciate Micah’s statement, we have to look at it in its historical context. Read More
EXPOSITORY ARTICLE | William Stewart | Odessa, Ontario
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There are several occasions in Scripture where Old Testament people and events are used to provide lessons about faith in the New Testament. For example, the circumstances in Elijah’s life as recorded in 1 Kings 17-18 are the backdrop for a great lesson prayer in James 5.
In 1 Kings 17:1, Elijah foretold a drought which would come. However, James tells us he prayed for the drought (James 5:17). Why would he pray for a drought? It was a punishment upon the people of Israel for their sins (1 Kings 16:33; Deuteronomy 28:22, 24). It should have persuaded them to repent. Three and a half years later, we read of Elijah’s showdown with the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel. God was faithful, giving his prophet victory over the false prophets of Baal. As a result, the people’s hearts turned back to the Lord (1 Kings 18:37-40). Thus, it was time for Elijah to pray for the rains to return. Notice from 1 Kings 18… Read More
EXPOSITORY ARTICLE | Sean Cavender | Bald Knob, Arkansas
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Introduction
The prophecies of Ezekiel are some of the most fascinating in the Old Testament. He wrote during the exile of Judah to Babylon. He was a contemporary of Daniel, yet Ezekiel’s primary message was to Judah themselves, explaining why God was punishing them.
One of the most discouraging, yet vivid scenes, in the book of Ezekiel, is found in chapter 10. Ezekiel describes God’s glory as leaving the temple. The temple had served as a sign to Israel that God was with them. The temple was where sacrifices were made, and the ceremonies of the Day of Atonement were held. The Most Holy Place was in the midst of the temple. God could not literally be held within the temple, He was far too great to be confined to one location like that, but the temple was a symbol of God’s care, grace, and covenant with Israel. Read More
EXPOSITORY ARTICLE | Sean Cavender | Bald Knob, Arkansas
via Aaron Burden | Unsplash.com
Interest in the book of Revelation has heightened over the past several decades, perhaps popularized by the authors of the Left Behind series. They and many other writers present the symbols in Revelation as literal, futuristic, cataclysmic events, leading up to the second coming of Christ. There are a lot of conspiracy-type theories and approaches to the book of Revelation. Many people think they have unearthed “the” single key to help unlock all of the book’s hidden and secret meanings. Media (TV, movies, news) sensationalize the book of Revelation. It is beyond the scope of this article to deal with all the erroneous approaches to the book – suffice it to say we need to teach the book of Revelation. Read More
