Jim’s Blog

Key Verse: Matthew 9:11 “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Matthew, as we all know, was one of Jesus’ disciples. In fact, he is the writer of the book we’re now studying. But Matthew was one of the undesirables in Israelite society. He was a Jew, yes, but he was a […]

Key Verse: Matthew 7:2 “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged…” He knows that it’s as natural for humans to judge one another as it is to breathe. And every one of us is guilty. Every one of us is making judgments of others, as hard as it may be sometimes for […]

Key Verse: Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” This beatitude not only sets the tone for Jesus’ “sermon on the mount”, but it’s also the bedrock of Jesus’ ministry. He came to bring men and women into the kingdom. It wasn’t just a case of coming […]

Key Verse: Matthew 4:17 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” After successfully dealing with Satan’s temptations in the the wilderness, Jesus began his ministry. His message was very straight-forward, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” I think we need to be clear about this subject of repentance. Confession of sin […]

Matthew 5 The New Law vv. 17-20 (Part 1) Later in his writing about Jesus, Matthew (9:17) recalls Jesus saying, “Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, […]

History has shown us that short term crises eventually run up against long term habits and values. A case in point is the increasingly cavalier approach on the part of many to the ever surging Covid 19 pandemic. Social needs are trumping social distancing. People need each other.   Just a day or so ago […]

Key Verse: Matthew 1:20 “…that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” Matthew is the only one of the gospel writers who starts his record of the life and ministry of Jesus with a genealogy. Genealogies aren’t fun to read. In fact, they can be downright boring, but Matthew seeks to clearly […]

Key Verse: Revelation 16:5 “Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say; ‘You are just in these judgments, You who are and who were, the Holy One, because You have so judged…” In this chapter we see the anger of God at sin and the demands of His justice. Seven angels “pour […]

Key Verse: Revelation 15:4a “Who will not fear You, O Lord, and bring glory to Your name? For You alone are holy.” In chapters 15 and 16 we read about God’s wrath. This isn’t pleasant reading, and if we’ve thought of God only in terms of His love, these chapters can be disconcerting and even […]