And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. —John 3:14-15 When the Israelites were bitten by poisonous snakes, they would die unless they were obedient and looked at the bronze snake that “Moses lifted up” while they were in the wilderness. The people were complaining once again that they did not have any food or water. They asked Moses why he brought them out in the wilderness just to die. This complaint was actually against the Lord and He sent venomous snakes among the…

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. —John 1:12-13 It is a marvel to see a child born into this world. For a baby to come out of the womb and into contact with the air for the first time is wondrous. Seeing the child for the first time is such a joy. So too is it when a person is reborn or born again into the kingdom of Jesus Christ. The first birth is physical and when a…

“Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ You are witnesses of all these things.” —Luke 24:46-48 Your sin can be forgiven in Jesus if you will repent (turn from your sin, evil ways, and have a changed mind about sin) and follow God’s ways. If this happens in a person’s life then their life will be transformed over time. There will be evidence…

But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it. —Luke 24:11 Global warming is a nonsense claim. Back in the early 70’s we were told the earth was going to enter a new ice age. Now global warming is being called climate change. That seems to cover all the bases regardless of what type of weather we have. This is plain nonsense. In the context of the verse above the men in the upper room believe it was nonsense when the women came back from the tomb and told them Jesus has risen from the dead. They did not believe it. The fact of the…

Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again… For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.” But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. So Pilate decided to grant their demand. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will. —Luke 23:20, 22, 23-25 I was watching a live feed of the Baltimore riots. We are talking about…

“I don’t even know him!” —Luke 22:57 Ever deny you had a relationship with someone even though you did? Teens sometimes do this to their parents when in public by not acknowledging them because they are embarrassed of them. Friends sometimes do this to other friends for the same reason when they are around the “popular” people. Peter, in the context of the verse above, did this to Jesus to “save his own skin.” Not long before he had just told Jesus that not only would he not deny him, but that he was willing to die with Jesus (Mark 14:31). Then when Jesus was arrested Peter followed to see…

“Pray that you will not give in to temptation.” —Luke 22:40 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.” —Luke 22:46 http://www.breakingchristiannews.com/articles/display_art.html?ID=15782 Jesus asked—“But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?” (Luke 18:8). The context of this question was directly related to prayer. As stated in the link above, Australia began fasting and praying for the United States today. They will do so for 7 days! Should we not join with them? Prayer was removed from the public schools here in America in 1962. Then the next year…

He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.” After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you. —Luke 22:19-20 Contracts… There are many kinds of them today. It used to be, yes in the “olden days,” that your word and a handshake were good enough to seal a deal. In this age we live…

But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me. —Luke 21:13 When did you last share about Jesus with another person? Do you and I do so regularly or just on occasion? http://www.lifeway.com/Article/research-survey-sharing-christ-2012 The sad fact is there are many who follow the Lord Jesus Christ that do not regularly share the gospel with anyone. The above verse in context speaks about a time coming when “there will be a time of great persecution. You will be dragged into synagogues and prisons, and you will stand trial before kings and governors because you are my followers” (Luke 21:12). Then the Lord told us that this is an opportunity…

Jesus looked at them and said, “Then what does this Scripture mean? ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ —Luke 20:17 When setting blocks, bricks or stone for the corner of a building, it is vital to have that corner placed right. It will determine the direction of the structure. If the cornerstone is off, the whole structure will be off. Jesus is that Perfect Cornerstone and without Him our life now and for eternity will be affected. Life now is skewed without Him and after we die, if we have rejected that Cornerstone as the builders did in the verse above, we will be forever…