Posts from 2024

By and large, Americans know so little about sheep, yet the Bible is filled with references to shepherds and their flocks. My nearly ten years of living in New Zealand allowed me to be around them. When I went to New Zealand, there were three million people living in that beautiful land and there were eighty million sheep! I remember driving to conduct a Bible study at a residence on one of the large sheep farms (in New Zealand they…

(Editor’s note: Adair Chapman was the oldest brother of our dear Forrest Chapman, and was a great source of encouragement in Forrest’s decision to preach the gospel. Also a gospel preacher, Adair “emigrated” to Dallas, Texas early in his preaching career, where he became both wellknown and well-loved for his great work in the kingdom.) Members of the church will often ask, “Is it necessary for me to attend church services?” No intelligent person would ask, “Must I eat every…

In Matthew 18:15-17 Jesus discusses right relationships among His disciples. His words (seemingly) prompted Peter’s thoughts and his questions led to the parable Jesus presented (vs. 21). Rabbis of that time commonly taught that one who sinned against another was to be forgiven three times; after that, the wronged person was not obligated to forgive (he had “done his duty”). Peter seems to display a degree of pride in suggesting that he would go farther than required, offering to forgive…

(Matthew 7:24-27, Luke 6:46-49) This parable is Jesus’ conclusion to the “sermon on the mount.” The Master used three comparisons to show the necessity of obeying His words; two ways (Matthew 7:13), two trees (and their fruit, vs. 17), and two builders and their houses, vv. 24f. The last comparison makes it plain that what “counts” with God is what a person does – not merely what one professes. The hill country of Judæa has many gullies and dry washes…

In the first century, finding someone else’s buried treasure was not as uncommon as it might be today: The only safe place to hide something was in the ground. Jewish law expressly stated that the “finder” was to be the “keeper,” and thus this parable suggests nothing unethical in the man’s practice. In the little parable in Matthew 13:44, the man who discovered the hidden treasure recognized that what he had found was worth everything else he had! Even though…

Verizon made this question popular nationwide in commercials advertising their cell phones. Many listened and bought their phones. This same question is asked several times in God’s inspired word. Sometimes it was asked by God to man, and other times it was asked by man to God. In Matthew 13:1-9 Jesus told the parable of the sower or the different types of soils. According to Matthew 13:10-17, Jesus, when answering the Apostles question as to why He spoke in parables,…

The mustard seed was generally considered the smallest of all seeds in the ancient world. It was the smallest seed commonly used by the Jews, and it was frequently used as a metaphor in their speech to describe something infinitesimally small. Despite its small size, this tiny seed can grow into a bush that can reach as much as twenty feet tall, big enough to support bird nests. Found in three of the four gospel records (Matthew 13:31-32; Mark 4:30-32;…

Jesus gave five parables very short parables that deal with various characteristics of “the kingdom.” Eleven of His parables begin with the statement “the kingdom of heaven is like….” To make sense of the comparisons He made in these parables, it is helpful to understand how those who heard them would likely have interpreted the words, “the kingdom of heaven.” In the old testament, the people of national Israel were chosen by God to be His special people. When Gideon…

(Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:3-20, Luke 8:5-15) This is probably the best known of all Jesus’ parables. It appears that He told it early in His period of ministry, and it was presented by the Sea of Galilee, near Capernaum. The figure of a “sower” (farmer) would have been very familiar to those who heard this parable. Farms in Judea were small, divided by pathways between the fields rather than by fences. The soil of these paths tended to become compacted…

Rich Mullins compiled the words to a spiritual song, which was released in 1988, titled “Awesome God.” “Our God is an awesome God; He reigns in heaven above; With wisdom, power, and love; Our God is an awesome God.” It is a simple arrangement; yet, the words are powerfully true! Briefly, let’s consider four principles that the song sets forth to remind us of our God who should fill us with awe. First, the song reminds us that our God…

In Matthew 9:10-13, Jesus called a tax collector to become one of His disciples. The Pharisees objected, and Jesus’ response is truly instructive: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.’” The complainers would have agreed that “publicans and sinners” were “sick” with sin, but they…

There may have been more foolish speculation about the second coming of Jesus and the judgement day than on any other topic in the Bible. Some examples; “judgement day” occurs immediately at death; there will be a “rapture/secret rapture” and X years of “tribulation,” followed by an earthly reign by Jesus; “well, we can’t know anything for certain;” and there are many other “views” as well. There is a lot confusion and disagreement in the religious world about both the…