The traditional interpretation of the parable of the Parable of the Hidden Treasure describes the value of the kingdom of heaven (treasure) and the process by which one acquires that kingdom (sell everything). But there is more to this short parable, when placed in context and in light of all teachings of Jesus the interpretation gets turned on its head. Jesus sold everything and bought us (the...
Scripture Reading: Luke 15:1-7 1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep...
[audio:] Nicodemus When: Sometime after he cleared the temple Who: Ruler on the Jewish ruling council (71 members tasked the elite) V1 “As under the Greek rulers the Jews were allowed a large measure of self-government, many points of civil and religious administration fell to the lot of the high priests and the gerousía to settle. “ “Teacher of Israel” v10 Only the...
Sermon Audio “The Journey” When the Israelites stood at the far side of the Red Sea they had escaped certain death and were delivered to life by the hand of God, but their journey wasn’t over. The Israelites wandered through the wilderness before reaching their promise, and it wasn’t always pretty. At times God’s anger burned toward them but in the end both He and...
Picture God in your mind… If you’re like most of the people I’ve asked, you probably thought of some combination of a man in a gray beard floating in the clouds or a scowling judge glaring down from his judgment bench. Both are wrong. God has a presence in the world today, and how we see Him determines how we see ourselves and others. When the Spirit of God descended into the Temple built by...