Links & Quotes

There’s no secret formula to fruitfulness as a Christian. We just stay connected to Jesus and the fruit will grow. This clip is from this sermon.

I have lots of new content every week, which you can check out on my YouTube channel.

The “Ten Commandments” are not explicitly listed or reiterated in the New Testament. Does that mean they are obsolete? No, says David Mathis, it means they are fulfilled. “Jesus Himself says He did not come to destroy the Law and Prophets, but to do something even more striking: fulfill them (Matthew 5:17). That is, fulfill like prophecy. Not simply keep the Ten in place, or remain under them, or leave them untouched, but fulfill them—first in His own person, and then by His Spirit in His church. He came not to cast off Moses, but to fulfill Jeremiah, and in doing so, He accomplished what is even more radical: establishing Himself as the supreme authority, putting God’s law within His people (rather than on tablets), writing it on their hearts (rather than stone), and making all His people to know Him (Jeremiah 31:31–34).” Check out my post The 10 Commandments in the New Testament.

More archeological evidence supporting to the historicity of the Bible. You can check out the full article, but this paragraph is a good summation: “One of the surprising findings was that, according to the results of their tests, the Broad Wall in Jerusalem, also known as Hezekiah’s Wall, was likely built during the reign of Uzziah, who Scripture says built fortifications in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 26:9). Another finding was that Jerusalem was much more heavily populated and urbanized in the 12th through 10th centuries BC than some scholars previously thought. This would align with the biblical description of Jerusalem, particularly during the days of David and Solomon.”

“There is much of beauty, goodness, and truth to be discovered in the city of man, as Augustine pointed out toward the end of his great treatise, City of God. But all the culture and best intentions of men turn to corruption apart from the power of God to redeem and renew them. We who live also in the heavenly city now possess the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16); we are able to see the ways that culture can be ‘taken captive’ from the clutches of sin and unbelief and made to serve the purposes of Christ in all things. Thus, for the honor and glory of God, we commit ourselves daily to using all our time, activities, relationships, roles, responsibilities, and culture to furthering His rule on earth as it is in heaven.” —T.M. Moore

“Have movies and most conventional paleontologists got it all wrong? T. rex and other theropod dinosaurs (the meat-eaters) are often portrayed as intelligent predators that can outmuscle and outsmart their opponents. But is that really supported by science?” A very interesting compilation of research can be found here. The conclusion is exactly right: “God designed dinosaur brains that were perfectly suited for their lifestyles and body size when He created dinosaurs on Day 6 of the creation week (Genesis 1:25).” 

Pray For Them?!

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

How exactly should we pray for those who have so badly mistreated us? There’s a natural response, and then there’s a supernatural response that Jesus calls us to.

Check out this episode of The Podcast.

In chapter 14 of When Sheep Bite I wrote—

      In the New Testament, the Greek word for “bless” is eulogeo. The prefix eu- means “good” and the root logos is “word.” So, in the New Testament context in which we now live, to bless someone literally means to say good words both to them and about them. So when Jesus tells us, “Bless those who curse you and pray for those who mistreat you,” He is telling us to say good words to them, and to say good words about them in prayer to our Heavenly Father. …

      Commenting on Psalm 109:4, my friend Kevin Berry said, “While they accuse me like satan, I will pray for them like Jesus.” This is the highest level of Christian maturity: To pray like Jesus did for those who insulted Him, slandered Him, and crucified Him, “Father, forgive them for they don’t understand what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

The Scriptures that I reference on this episode of The Podcast are Matthew 5:44; Psalm 109:4; Revelation 12:10; John 10:10; Luke 23:34; Psalm 139:23-24; Romans 12:18-21.

And the blog posts I mention are: Unexpected Response and Choice Four-Letter Words.

I truly believe that When Sheep Bite will be a healing resource for shepherd leaders who are still feeling the pain of their latest sheep bite. Please pick up a copy today! 

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Takin’ Him To Easy Street And Skid Row

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

Jesus sent us and the Holy Spirit empowers us to take the Good News to all nations—all the streets (Luke 24:47-49; Acts 1:8). As we move away from Jerusalem and into Judea, we should expect to see more differences with our audience. And then as we move into Samaria, there will probably be more differences than similarities. Regardless of how little we may have in common with those on other streets, the Holy Spirit still empowers us to witness there. 

(You can find all of the Scriptures I reference in this post by clicking here.) 

When we don’t live on someone else’s street, we tend to make some pretty big assumptions about them. For example, until I married a school teacher, I thought, “How nice it must be to be done with work by 3:00 every afternoon and have three months off in the summer!” 

Mistakenly, we think we can so easily fix the problems people on other streets have—we think we can show them how simple it is to correct anything out of balance on their street. These are natural thought patterns when so little of our circles overlap.

If you live on Main Street, two streets which are quite different from you are Easy Street and Skid Row. When it comes to finances, there tends to be extremes in our thoughts about the Samaritans that live on those streets—

  • Those on Easy Street only cares about themselves
  • Those on Skid Row should work harder 
  • Those on Easy Street have too much—it’s not fair! 
  • Those on Skip Row don’t have enough—it’s not fair! 

But here’s the thing: It’s really not about the money but it’s about our attitude about the money. 

In Luke 21:1-6, Jesus saw both rich people from Easy Street placing their tithe in the temple treasury, and a poor widow from Skid Row doing the same. Jesus said this widow put in more than anyone else. He was talking in terms of quality, not quantity. 

While they were still in the temple, the disciples pointed out how beautifully embellished the temple was. These decorations came from the money those on Easy Street had contributed. Jesus told them not to focus on the temporal temple but on the eternal Kingdom of God.  

As I said, Jesus doesn’t have a problem with money, but He does warn us about our ungodly attitude toward money (Luke 8:1-3; Matthew 27:57; Acts 4:32-5:4; Exodus 20:17; Luke 12:13-22).  

Even though Easy Street and Skid Row seem to be at opposite ends of the spectrum, I think we are effective witnesses for Jesus on these streets in exactly the same way. 

(1) Guard your attitude about money. Remember that Gad often provides for us by giving us a skill, and then making a job available that can use our skill. So let’s be thankful for our God-given jobs. Then we guard our attitude about money by tithing regularly, and making sure that when we bless others financially, we do it without expecting any fanfare (Colossians 3:23; Malachi 3:10; Matthew 6:2-3). 

(2) Let God be unique as unique with these folks on Easy Street and Skid Row as He is with you on Main Street. Don’t try to be someone else, and don’t expect others to be you—simply obey what God has spoken to your heart, just as you allow others to obey what God has spoken to their hearts. 

(3) Don’t tell, but show how you use the resources God has given to you. It’s not our place to “preach” to others about how they should or shouldn’t be handling their finances, but simply live out the biblical principles outlined above, and let your life show your godly attitude. 

(4) Always turn the focus to the eternal. Just as Jesus did with His disciples in the temple, He always reminded people that this world with its perks or tragedies is only temporary. What ultimately matters is where we will spend eternity (Luke 13:1-5). 

Money is always a touchy subject with people, so let’s make sure we have our own attitude aligned with Scripture before we try to bring the subject up with others. 

If you’ve missed any of the other messages in our Takin’ Him To The Street series, you can find them all here. 

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The Inverse Proportion Of Worldly Wealth

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

A young man came to Jesus and asked Him, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” 

Jesus initially replied by listing some of the Ten Commandments that should be followed, and the young man quickly replied, “I have kept all of these since I was a boy!” 

Then Jesus said, “There is just one more thing: sell everything you have and give to the poor, you will have treasure in Heaven. Then come, and follow Me.” 

Even though this young man had received the answer that he was seeking, Luke records, “he became very sad because he was very wealthy.” (Check out this full exchange here.) 

The word “very” is used twice by Luke (Luke 18:23). It speaks of a greatness or heaviness of something. It appears that when we are very wealthy, it is very hard to trust anything other than that wealth. The opposite also appears to be true: When worldly wealth is scant, our trust in God for our daily bread is high. This is what mathematicians would refer to as an inverse proportion. 

On the other hand, Jesus promised eternal rewards for those who replaced trust in possessions with trust in God (also see Matthew 6:19-21; Luke 18:28-30). This is what mathematicians would referred to as proportional. 

Both this proportional treasure and the inverse proportional trust in God are God’s indisputable realities. 

As this young man shows us, it’s not about what we do or about what commands we have kept. In fact, it’s not about us at all! It’s all about a total trust in the only One who is eternally trustworthy! 

You may also want to check out:

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Takin’ Him To Main Street

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

Just as assuredly as Jesus fulfilled God’s promise of His crucifixion and resurrection, we Christians are fulfilling God’s promise that we would take the message of forgiveness of sins to the whole world (Luke 24:45-48). We are taking Him to every street where God sends us. There is a song written by Michael McDonald called “Takin’ it to the streets.” One verse says—

Take this message to my brother 
You will find him everywhere 
Wherever people live together 
Tied in poverty’s despair

We know what the “it” is. He is a Savior, a God, a Redeemer, a Father who has made it possible for everyone everywhere to be in a personal relationship with Him for all of eternity! 

When anyone talks about taking the Good News of Jesus to people, our minds typically think “missionary.” 

What is a missionary? What comes to mind when you think of a missionary? 

Quite simply, a missionary is a person sent on a mission (see Luke 24:47; Matthew 28:19-20). 

(You can read all of the Scriptures I reference in this post by clicking here.)

We are not sent on our mission unprepared, but Jesus promised us both His authority and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18-19; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8). In both Luke and Acts, Jesus says that our witness is to begin in Jerusalem. 

I recently looked up a list of the most common street names in America. I found that the most common street name is “Main Street.” But Main Street is also used as a way for people to describe the average setting in the USA. 

Going to “Jerusalem” or “Main Street” first is foretold in the Old Testament (Ezekiel 3:4-5). We’re not first sent to people with an unknown language or obscure customs, but to people we know and understand. These are people to whom we can easily find common interests. 

There are two simple steps when we take Jesus to our Main Street.

  1. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to you today and every day. 

You cannot give to others what you do not first have yourself, so you need to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to you first. Pray before reading the Bible to ask the Spirit to give you insight (Psalm 119:18). 

  1. Find a friend and tell them what was revealed to you.   

After Jesus was revealed to Andrew, he found Peter and told him what he had discovered. And after Philip met Jesus, he found Nathanael and brought him to Jesus (John 1:35-46). 

Every person with whom you interact today is precious to God. Our mission is to help them realize that awesome truth. 

So get filled up with the wisdom from the Spirit and then find a friend on Main Street and bring them to Jesus! 

Follow along with all of the messages in this series Takin’ Him To The Streets by clicking here. 

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Profound Humility

When something is recorded in all four Gospels, we should really take note.

Look at the profound humility of John! His birth was foretold by an angel, his ministry was so powerful that people wondered if he was the Messiah or possibly Elijah, yet he never let all these accolades go to his head. 

“I am such a lowly servant of Jesus that I don’t even have the right to take off His sandals.” 

As C.S. Lewis said, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s think of yourself less.” John was too focused on making sure people saw Jesus that he had no time to think about himself. 

Jesus said John was the greatest of the prophets (Matthew 11:11; Luke 7:28). The applause of the world means nothing. All that matters is the applause from nail-scarred hands, and the voice of the Master saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Who Looks Good?

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

The Gospel of John introduces John the baptizer to us like this, “He himself was not the Light; he came only as a witness to the Light” (John 1:8). 

  • John had a similar birth announcement as Jesus had (Luke 1:11-14, 28-33) 
  • John’s birth prompted a Holy Spirit-inspired song from his father that resonates with Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55, 68-70) 
  • The early years of John are described in much the same terms as how Luke describes the early years of Jesus (Luke 1:80, 2:52) 
  • John quoted Scripture and taught with very similar authority as Jesus did (Matthew 3:1-12; Luke 3:1-19) 

Yet for all their similarities, John knew that he was only a herald of Jesus (John 1:19-27). 

John was not the Light—he was only a witness to the Light.

I am not the Light—I am only a witness to the Light. 

You may think that this statement is pretty obvious, and I did too. But as I read these words from John 1:8 again, it caused me to reevaluate just how much I really believe this. 

Do I remember this when no one compliments my sermon? Do I remember this when what I thought was an insightful comment on a verse of Scripture gets hardly any “likes” on my social media channels? Do I remember this when I am complemented and my posts are appreciated? 

Who exactly am I trying to make look good: me or Jesus?

I want John’s desire to become my desire and my prayer: “Jesus must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). 

(Please check out all of the Scriptures I referenced in this post by clicking here.)

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Right Remembering

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

Jesus hung on the Cross for about 6 hours. He was mostly silent during this time—His seven statements from the Cross would have taken less than a minute to say them all back-to-back. 

He hung silently and thoughtfully. I know He was thoughtful because John records, “Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scriptures would be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty’” (John 19:28). 

Movie directors will often show a flashback scene where their character looks back to remember what came before. I think during this silent time on the Cross, Jesus reviewed His public ministry. He reviewed every jot and tittle of every promise His Father had made, and He knew that each and every one had been completed.  

This culminating event on the Cross was the fulfillment of the big picture that God had been painting all along. The system of sacrifices centered in the tabernacle or the temple had been trying to show us something. 

There were daily sacrifices and annual sacrifices; there were sacrifices for willful sins and sacrifices for unintentional sins; there were sacrifices for priests and for laypeople. Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, decade after decade, century after century these sacrifices continued, never feeling like the work was finished. 

These practices were only a shadow, but a shadow that foretells the Reality—

The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. … The reality, however, is found in Christ. (Hebrews 10:1; Colossians 2:17) 

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.)

Jesus knew that He had come as the Reality (John 13:1), but before this final event on the Cross that would fully reveal the Reality, Jesus had one last thing to do: He wanted to share a final meal with His friends (Luke 22:7-15). 

Jesus said that eagerly desired to eat the Passover meal with them. This Passover remembrance looked backwards to the deliverance from Egypt and was celebrated year after year, decade after decade, century after century. 

The events were so long ago that they may have seemed like fading shadows to those who were celebrating this meal over a millennia after the fact. Jesus brought Reality. 

Jesus knew He was the most powerful Person on earth, but He also knew that He had come to serve (Mark 10:45; John 13:3-5). To demonstrate His servanthood…

  • He washed the feet of His betrayer 
  • He washed the feet that would run away from Him in terror 
  • He prepared them for what was coming 

Peter boldly declared that he would never run away, and Matthew and Mark record that all of the other disciples declared the same thing—(Luke 22:33; Matthew 26:35; Mark 14:31). But Jesus knew the prophecy that said, “I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered (Matthew 26:31). 

So Jesus prepared them by praying for them, and He prepared them by showing them the Reality of all those daily, weekly, monthly, annual, and Passover sacrifices (Luke 22:17-20, 31-32). 

Jesus was the completion of this sacrifices (Hebrews 7:26-28, 9:11-14)! 

The prophecy God gave in Jeremiah was completed in Christ’s broken body and spilled blood on the Cross—“For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:12). 

The purpose of this Last Supper—this meal that completes so many jots and tittles—is to remember. The devil wants you to remember what YOU did. Jesus wants you to remember what HE did. 

Good Friday and the celebration of Communion helps us remember correctly that Jesus paid in-full the penalty for our sins, so now our forgiven sins are forgotten sins. The moment we sin, there is already the remedy for our sins that has been paid for. We repent, ask forgiveness, and receive His immediate cleaning. 

Such amazing love! 

If you have missed any of the messages in this series looking at some of the jots and tittles of prophecy that are fulfilled in Jesus, you can check them all out by clicking here.  

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A Week To Slow Down

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

I would like to make a case for you to really slow down this week.

Check out this episode of The Podcast.

Here are some helpful resources from this episode:

I have two series of messages focusing on the Passion Week that will help you go deeper in  your Bible study time: Christ’s Passionate Journey (which I mentioned in this podcast) and Bold Claims.

This is a helpful timeline of the whole Passion Week, and this timeline focuses on the events of the crucifixion.

I loved the book The Blood of the Cross by Horatius Bonar. It is an eye-opening (and heart-opening) devotional book that has stood the test of time.

My new book When Sheep Bite is available for pre-order!

Here are a bunch of ways to get in touch with me and follow along with other projects on which I am involved

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Fearless Stewards

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

I’ve noticed over the years that some people get quite nervous—even fearful—with the thought of God coming close to then. Some people have told me, “I can’t go to church—the roof will fall in on me!” 

If I’m honest, I had a time in my life when I feared God’s approach. I didn’t want to pray, “God, use me however You want to” because I just knew He was going to send me somewhere I didn’t want to go, or ask me to give up something that was special to me. 

But from the the birth of Jesus until His ascension, the consistent message is: Fear not! and Rejoice! 

Today we celebrate what is now called Palm Sunday. This is the triumphal arrival of Jesus in the Holy City of Jerusalem, just a few days before His earthly ministry will reach its climax at His crucifixion. This is a story recounted by all four Gospel writers.

Matthew 21:4 says that Christ’s arrival on a donkey was “to fulfill” another one of the jots and tittles. And John adds, “Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written, ‘Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt’” (John 12:14-15).  

Typically, conquerors came with a show of overwhelming force, not a show of humility. But Jesus came to Jerusalem with the same message repeated at His birth, “Fear not.” 

This is elaborated on in the original prophecy found in Zechariah 9:9-14, where the opening word is, “Rejoice!” We rejoice because He is coming to take away the instruments of war that the occupying forces used to keep the citizens in bondage. He is coming to bring freedom He is coming to announce hope and restoration. 

With all of these jot-and-tittle prophecies, we have been asking three questions. 

(1) What did it mean then? Quite simply, on that first Palm Sunday it meant that this was not the time for judgment. 

(2) What does it mean now? Since the final judgment has not taken place, it must mean it still is not a time of judgment, but a time of favor. God is still drawing people to Himself by His kindness (Romans 2:4). 

Zechariah 9:14 makes it clear that there will be a day of judgment. And Peter says that God’s not being slow about this, but He is demonstrating His patience so that none will have to perish without Him (2 Peter 3:9-10). 

(3) What does it mean for me? It means that I don’t have to fear the approach of God. 

First, there is no fear when God calls me to stand before Him because my sins have been forgiven (Romans 8:1). 

Second, there is no fear when God asks me to give something to Him because God has equipped me ahead of time to respond obediently. When Jesus sent His disciples ahead of Him to bring back the donkey that He would ride into Jerusalem, Jesus must have already informed the donkey’s owners that this would be coming. The disciples were simply to say, “The Master needs the donkey now.” 

God has already prepared me to say, “Yes” to whatever He calls me to do (Psalm 139:16). 

Finally, there is no fear when God asks me to give something to Him because I’m only giving back to Him what is already His. You and I are just stewards of what God has given us. When the disciples talked to the steward of the donkey, they assured him, “The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly” (Mark 3:11). And the prophecy in Zechariah, God says, “Now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you” (Zechariah 9:12). Maybe not here on earth, but the rewards in Heaven will be incalculable for His faithful servants! 

Those who know Jesus as their Master can live as fearless stewards. 

We don’t fear the requests of our King, but we rejoice to allow Him access. We don’t fear the approach of our Judge, but we rejoice to stand before Him forgiven and rejoicing! 

If you’ve missed any of the other messages in this series, you can find them all here. 

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