Sermons and Biblical Studies

JOHN 20:24–25 “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). The disciple Thomas is representative of so many in the church today. Unless they see with their eyes, hear … Continue reading “A DOUBTING DISCIPLE”

JOHN 20:19–20 “Peace be with you.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord (John 20:19b, 20). Here we have the dramatic entrance of Jesus into the hiding place of the disciples. The doors had been locked so the disciples … Continue reading “PEACE BE WITH YOU”

JOHN 20:11–18 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father” (John 20:17a). Once Peter and John have left the tomb, Mary returns, still grieving for her lost Lord. There she encounters two angels who ask her why she is weeping. The implication is that this … Continue reading “A NEW RELATIONSHIP”

JOHN 20:3–10 … and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself (John 20:6, 7). Having received Mary’s news that someone had desecrated Jesus’ tomb and carried away the body, Peter and John … Continue reading “SEEING AND BELIEVING”

JOHN 20:1–2 “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we, do not know where they have laid Him” (John 20:2). Returning now to our studies in John, we pick up in Chapter 20 and the resurrection of Christ. Mary Magdalene woke up early to anoint Jesus’ body with oils, not having … Continue reading “AN EMPTY TOMB”

JOHN 10:7–21 “… I lay down My life for the sheep” (John 10:15). The question “For whom did Christ die?” has to do with God’s purpose in the mission of Jesus Christ. It does not have to do with the nature of Christ’s work, which was a satisfaction for sin. It does not have to … Continue reading “A PARTICULAR REDEMPTION”

RUTH 3 “I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative” (Ruth 3:9). Jesus told His disciples that He was going to give His life as a ransom for many. We normally associate ransom with kidnapping. But there is a different motif associated with the ransom concept … Continue reading “OUR KINSMAN REDEEMER”

MARK 10:35–45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). There have been many interpretations of the meaning of the Cross. We therefore have to be careful that our understanding of the Atonement is biblical. This is … Continue reading “A RANSOM PAID”

COLOSSIANS 1:19–23 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself … (Col. 1:19). The moving cause of the Atonement is sometimes represented as being the love of Jesus Christ for sinners. He is often depicted as having such sympathy for sinners … Continue reading “OUT OF HIS GOOD PLEASURE”

ROMANS 5:12–21 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous (Rom. 5:19). Jesus’ ministry was vicarious, which means He acted in our place. We can understand this concept in light of our relationship to the first Adam. When he sinned against God, … Continue reading “A VICARIOUS ATONEMENT”