Crazy week. Eternal hope. And Habakkuk in between.
#1161: What is Biblical wisdom? | 1 Corinthians 2 | Isaiah 36-37 | Psalm 118 |
We often think of wisdom in kinda abstract terms, but it’s ultimately practical…wisdom is skill for living. Now lest you think — and rightfully so — that that could be how you might think about it in a secular sense, that’s exactly why we have focus questions here. So today as we knock down a short 1 Co 2, keep an ear out — and we’ll wrap up the day by highlighting a key distinction that’s worth remembering.
#1160: Why are 'group letters' important to you? | 1 Corinthians 1 | Isaiah 33-35 | Proverbs 14:4-6
#1159: How does the resurrection answer life's big questions? | Matthew 28 | Isaiah 30-32 | Proverbs 14:1-3
#1158: What is Jesus referencing from the cross? | Matthew 27:11-66 | Psalm 22
#1157: How did Jesus' accusers hear "Son of Man?" | Matthew 26:47-27:10 | Isaiah 28-29
Every once in a while you will hear the objection, “Jesus never claimed to be God.” Answering that, of course, usually means referring to his “I AM” statements in the book of John where He refers to Himself in the same way that God identified Himself to Moses from the burning bush.
So — spoiler alert! — when I pose today’s focus question, “How did Jesus’ accusers hear “Son of Man?,” you know what the answer is.
#1156: What is Caiaphas' motivation? | Matthew 26:1-46 | Isaiah 24-27
It is at this point in Matthew where we turn to its three-chapter conclusion. And right away in our reading we’ll hear about Caiaphas, the guy who’s the head dude of the 71-person ruling counsel, the Jewish Supreme Court if you will. And he’ll appear again in the next couple days. So, who was Caiaphas, what’s his motivation?
#1155: What's up with the Valley of Vision? | Matthew 25 | Isaiah 21-23
If you ever do some poking around in annals of well-selling Christian books, you’ll find a curious title called Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions. And what’s beautiful about it is that it’s full of poetry that, frankly, reads a lot like Psalms. It’s beautiful stuff, and that’s why it’s been around a long time. But where does that come from?
#1154: How will you really know? | Matthew 24 | Isaiah 19-20 | Proverbs 13:11-24
Today the discourse turns to the end times — eschatology being the four dollar theology word for it. And our focus question today is “How will you really know?”, and here’s what to listen for. As the world starts going to the proverbial heck in a handbasket, there is a whole lotta deception going on…except for Christians. So the question is, “How will you really know truth? What’s real versus fake news?”
#1153: What does "Abel to Zechariah" signify? | Matthew 23 | Isaiah 15-18 | Proverbs 13:1-10
#1152: Who were Sadducees and Pharisees? | Matthew 22 | Isaiah 13-14 | Proverbs 12:16-28
#1151: When does Jesus deliver justice? | Matthew 21 | Isaiah 11-12 | Psalm 9-10
Today’s OT and Wisdom segments both speak to justice again and, unlike most days where the focus question is about something we bump into in the text, today’s a bigger picture view, because it’s important to remember. When does Jesus deliver justice? We’ll tackle that very briefly at the end of today.