Leprosy made you die many times before it killed you.

We read in Luke 5 today about Jesus’ encounter with a man full of leprosy.  John Bloom, Executive Director of Desiring God Ministries comments in the January 2009 Newsletter: He was one of the walking dead. It had almost been three years since the priest examined that suspicious spot on his left arm and looked … More Leprosy made you die many times before it killed you.

All for Jesus

Coty Pinckney on Luke 5:1-11 Jesus has gone out to preach elsewhere. He is no longer in Capernaum, but in another town on the same lake. The crowd keeps coming; as more and more arrive, they push those in front up toward Jesus, forcing Him into the water. So He goes out into the lake … More All for Jesus

Consider the already/not yet nature of the Kingdom promises

Pastor Coty Pinckney in a sermon, “The King and His Kingdom” comments: Jesus enters the synagogue on a Sabbath, takes the Isaiah scroll, and unrolls it to what we call chapter 61. Note that this section of Isaiah is about the Kingdom of God. Consider the verses that immediately precede what Jesus read: Violence shall … More Consider the already/not yet nature of the Kingdom promises

Big God, Little People

John Piper: A Big God for a Little People—Luke 2:1–5 Have you ever thought what an amazing thing it is that God ordained beforehand that the Messiah be born in Bethlehem (as the prophecy in Micah 5 shows); and that he so ordained things that when the time came, the Messiah’s mother and legal father … More Big God, Little People

Standing on the promises

J.C.Ryle on Zechariah’s Song in Luke 1:67-80 We should notice, secondly, in this hymn of praise, how much emphasis Zachariah lays on God’s fulfillment of His promises.He declares that God has “visited and redeemed his people,” speaking of it in the manner of the prophets as a thing already accomplished, because sure to take place. He … More Standing on the promises

Mercy has ripple effects

Luke 1:57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son.  And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.  And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his … More Mercy has ripple effects