“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem” (vs. 1). The Greek term magŏs may refer to a wise man, scholar, scientist, astronomer, interpreter, or seer (cf. Daniel 4:8-9,18). Coffman has pointed out that “[t]he translation ‘wise men’ is a fortunate rendition of the Greek term ‘magi,’ since the truly wise of all ages are indeed those who...
What Loves Does
Introduction
A. Love and faith are much alike: they are both lasting (1 Corinthians 13:13), and yet neither can be perceived by the natural senses.
B. Intangible things like faith and love can only be detected and measured by their effects (James 2:14-26; cf. Hebrews 11).
C. How can you tell if someone loves you? What are love’s effects?
I. Love serves.
A. If we love God, we will serve Him (Matthew 6:24).
B. If we love...
What Is a Christian?
Introduction
A. Most dictionaries define the word “Christian” as “a person who believes in the doctrines of Jesus and acknowledges his divinity.”
B. While man’s definitions of a Christian are diverse and conflicting, the only definition that matters is God’s, for He invented the word.
C. In fulfillment of prophecy (Isaiah 62:2), God gave His people a new name (Acts 11:26)—“Christian.” What does it mean to be a...
Forgiveness
Introduction
A. Although we know that we must forgive others if we wish to be forgiven by God, the world encourages us to seek vengeance.
B. To help us better understand the proper spirit of forgiveness, we can consider the manner in which God forgives.
I. How does God forgive?
A. He is longsuffering first (Nahum 1:3; Nehemiah 9:17; 2 Peter 3:9).
B. On the other hand, He has promised to “judge the world...
Saul’s Conversion
Introduction
A. Saul set out for Damascus with the intention of arresting all the Christians he could find in the synagogues there, but when he arrived, he preached that Jesus is the Christ.
B. When Saul of Tarsus was converted, he left no room for doubt in anyone’s mind that he was changed forever.
I. In Saul’s conversion, we see a dramatic change in him.
A. There was a change in his perspective (Acts 26:9)...
Discipline: A Test of Love
Introduction
A. Although discipline probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of great demonstrations of love, these two are always bound together.
B. True discipline is the training that corrects the mind and molds one’s moral character.
I. Love requires me to discipline my children.
A. This first involves constant instruction from God’s Word (Ephesians 6:4; 2 Timothy 3:13-17).
B. It also involves...
Matthew 1: The Women in Jesus’ Family Tree
Matthew wrote his gospel to persuade the Jewish community to believe that Jesus was the Christ, the awaited Messiah. With this aim, he started his writing by recording the genealogy of Jesus that proved that He was a legal heir of David’s throne through His perceived father, Joseph. Although Jewish custom on writing genealogies rarely included female names, Matthew went out of his way to include five women in his...
Darwinism—A Deadly Doctrine
As the words of a certain hymn say, “We live in a changing world.” In the past few decades we have seen men of science rid the world of dreaded diseases like smallpox and polio. We have seen these men strap astronauts into rocket ships, send them into orbit around the earth, and even land them on the lunar surface. They have probed the depths of space and unlocked many of the secrets of the human genome. Today’s...
David and Goliath
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (Romans 8:31–32).
On March 19, 1966, the NCAA Division I basketball championship was played between the perennial powerhouse University of Kentucky (led by legendary coach Adolph Rupp) and little-known...
Fishers of Men
So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs” (John 21:15).
In this text, we find Jesus once again on the shores of beautiful Galilee, on this occasion recruiting disciples from among the fishermen of Capernaum. It is remarkable to see how Jesus was able to take...