How do we know what real spiritual experience of God is? And then how do we have it? How do we actually move toward it? The Psalms are a journal—almost a kind of instruction manual from the inside—with people who are experiencing God and explaining a...
What does experience of God actually consist of? How does it happen? And how do I know if I’m experiencing God? Psalm 63 shows several principles of what a real experience of God is and consists of. Each principle can be used as a test on your own he...
We have a tremendous hunger for spiritual experience. But how do we experience God? And how do we know we’re experiencing God? The Psalms are an amazing resource, because in the Psalms you have someone describing their experience of God from the insi...
If you want to get the gist of who Jesus is, you have to look at a whole number of encounters Jesus had with individuals. The gospels are filled with encounters Jesus has with all sorts of people: with the powerful person, with the powerless person,...
Some people dwell on Christ’s power and authority and majesty, and other people dwell on Christ’s vulnerability and tenderness and grace. But it’s critical not to, because of our own temperaments, screen out one side of Jesus as if it’s incompatible....
This text tells us something that’s easy to ignore, that’s often missed: that Jesus is the final word. Jesus claims a finality here, and because he claims his salvation is completely by grace through him, the Pharisees and the Herodians get together...
Of all the passages that are read at Christmas, Luke 2 is perhaps the most famous. And in this most famous passage, the most famous word is peace. What is Christmas all about? Peace on earth. When Jesus Christ was born as a baby, he was born to brin...
The message of Christmas is the message of the gospel. It’s the essential message of Christianity. And in Luke 1, we have one person’s response to that message. At Christmastime you’ll be hearing this message. The question is, “How should you respond...
We’re looking at the life of Jesus. Not at his words and teachings, but at his deeds and his life—the things that happened to him and the things he did. Of course at the very beginning is his birth. The birth of Christ has one wonderfully big word a...
We’re looking at the Sermon on the Mount. It is very famous because in it, Jesus says, “This is what God wants from you. This is the law.” We learn that Jesus really demands things that no other founder of any religion has ever demanded. But when you...
The gospel of Matthew is famous for having long discourses of teaching. Matthew 11 is the best single place where Jesus explains how to receive him; Matthew 5 through 7 is the best single place where Jesus explains how to follow him. He teaches us wh...
We’re looking at one of the more well-known parts of Matthew 11. If you’re looking at Christianity, this is a matchless summary. Jesus calls out to those who are burdened and weary, and he gives an invitation to find rest in him. He says, “If you are...
Matthew chapter 11 begins with John the Baptist sending a message that reveals John is struggling with who Jesus is. All of Matthew 11 is a response to John the Baptist’s question. Jesus doesn’t say something like, “John, you’ve misunderstood me.” No...
In Matthew chapter 11 John the Baptist is struggling with the identity of Jesus. He sends a message and he says, “Are you really who you claim to be?” The rest of the chapter is Jesus’ answer to that question. The contemporary relevance of a chapter...
This passage is part of Jesus’ response to John the Baptist who was struggling with doubts about the identity of Jesus. It is so relevant for today because many of us may have similar questions or doubts about Jesus. We may be in a similar situation...
