Piercing, Prodding, Persuading

“And Paul, as his manner was,…reasoned with them out of the scriptures,” (Acts 17:2) Our verse says that Paul, when he talked with people about Jesus, “…reasoned with them out of the scriptures,” (boldface added) Paul used Scriptures to deal with people. That point is important. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is…

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Awake to Righteousness

“Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God:” (1 Corinthians 15:34)    Paul warned the Christians at Corinth to “Awake to righteousness, and sin not;” and not to tolerate sin in their lives, because “…some have not the knowledge of God:” Some of the people around them not only didn’t…

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Two Miracles

   Some people in the Jewish hierarchy hated Jesus. They had no good argument against Him, so they used a tactic that wicked leaders often use: suppress truth by force. They excommunicated anyone who said that Jesus was the Christ: “…the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he…

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Previews of Jesus

   “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” (2 Timothy 3:16)    Our opening verse says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God,” Men wrote it, but God inspired them to write what they did: “For the prophecy came not in old…

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Spreading Sin

   “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” (Genesis 3:6)    God had…

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Going In and Out Among the People

 But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.” (1 Samuel 18:16    The Philistine giant Goliath challenged any Israelite soldier to a duel to the death. No one wanted to take his challenge. David did. He killed Goliath with a stone and a sling. Afterward, King Saul made…

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Resisting the New Normal

“And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spake unto him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good. And Micaiah said, “…as the LORD liveth,…

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Fighting Against God

“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.” (Psalm 2:1-3) Peter and John healed a lame man…

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In Case You Thought Joseph was Perfect

“And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation? That ye shall say, Thy servants’ trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an…

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The Power of the Word

“O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.” (Psalm 119:97) Not every command in the Bible is in the form of “Thou shalt” or “Thou shalt not.” The command to meditate on Scripture is not, yet Scripture meditation is a way of obeying God. Obedience is how we show our…

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