Jude: introduction
Jude is the last book before Revelation and is one of the shortest books in the Bible, approximately 461 words (in Greek),[1] making it the fourth-shortest book in the New Testament.[2] Jude has been called the ‘most neglected book in the New Testament.’[3] Carson and Moo explain that Jude is a timeless book addressing issues found in every generation; "The atmosphere of postmodernism in which the church now lives requires us to guard vigilantly against the temptation to welcome heresy
Anna’s Anticipation
We finish our short series as we have seen the response of the incarnation from the first chapters of the Gospel of Luke. We finish with a short story about a woman who had a hard life but was filled with joy and praise. Although she is only mentioned in these two verses, we should find that she is a great example of faith for believers. Her life has a memorial written in the word of God, one that we
Simeon’s Blessing
We come to our second to last person whom we are going to look at during our short study in people’s responses to the incarnation of Jesus. Today we will see a response of a man who I believe understood the promises of the Old Testament in a way that many people have missed. His name is Simeon; Luke begins this section telling us about a man in Jerusalem. We find out four things about him. Righteous, devout, waiting and
A Priest’s Prophecy
We come to the third response to the good news of the incarnation found in the gospel of Luke. We have met this person before, Zechariah. As he was serving in the temple the angel Gabriel appeared to him and told him the news that his wife Elizabeth, who was barren and both of them were advanced in years was going to have a son. However, Zechariah did not believe the words that Gabriel had spoken to him. The last
Mary’s Magnificat
Last week we saw the angel Gabriel appear to Zechariah and give him the good news of the impossible task of him and his wife Elizabeth having a child because they were advanced in years. Then Elizabeth conceives and when she was 6 months pregnant with John the Baptist. Her response was one of joyous exclamation as she knew the promises of God were being fulfilled. This week we continue to ask the question about the correct response to the
Elizabeth’s Blessing
The most wonderful time of the year, apparently. Chaotic family gatherings, searching for sales and gifts in stores, disordered parking lot rules. Every year, this season comes around. We have heard the saying, ‘Jesus is the reason for the season.’ Nevertheless, we might know the reason for this season, but do we know the response that we should have? When we think or celebrate the incarnation of Jesus, the Son of God, coming down to earth and dwelling amongst his
The Resurrection
Jesus had told his disciples three times what was going to happen. And every time he finished by saying, “Three days later he will rise” (Mark 8:31, 9:31, 10:34). Now everything he had said had come to pass. However, this last comment was different than the others. He has pointed out that this was God’s definite plan since the beginning (Acts 2:22–23). To be able to point out seven different things that will happen to the Son of Man; delivered,
Buried
I have often mentioned that we often look at Christ's death on the cross as the only thing that Christ came to earth to achieve for us. It is an essential part of his earthly ministry but not the only part of his ministry on earth. The burial of Jesus is an integral piece of the gospel message (1 Cor 15:3-4, Acts 13:26-31). The burial is mentioned in all of the Gospel accounts (Matt 27:57–61; Mark 15:42–47; Luke 23:50–56; John
Killed
Jesus had hung on the cross since 9:00 AM that morning. Those watching had mocked the Lord of Glory. They had asked for a sign, but it was at midday that they saw a sign. Everything started to go dark. Joshua was there the day the sun stood still, but this day was the opposite. Darkness came over the whole land. This is the darkest day in the history of mankind. There had been dark days before and dark days
Mocked
Over the past weeks, we have seen the words of Jesus fulfilled. Jesus told his disciples three times that the Son of man came to suffer. We have noted that every piece has been falling into place. This week is no different. Before we get to this passage, we need to be reminded that sometimes when we hear something frequently, we can become numb to the emotion. I know people with emotionally draining jobs that see the effect of that
