Thy Kingdom come Matthew 6:10 Come – We’re not quite finished with this part of Yeshua’s example prayer. We discovered that this is not clock time. It’s God time. It’s kairos – the time when He fulfills His purposes . . the absolutely right time. Our awareness of His breaking into the world is essential…
Thy kingdom come Matthew 6:10 Come – We know that God’s Kingdom is not a physical place. The Greek word basileia is about reign and rule, not palaces and courtyards. God’s Kingdom is revealed wherever His servants and citizens live according to His government. But what does it mean to pray, “Your Kingdom come?” Hasn’t…
Hallowed be Thy Name. Matthew 6:9 Hallowed – Have you ever asked what it means to “hallow” His name? Our first intuition is that it must have something to do with honoring, like the second Commandment. But “hallow” is not a familiar word anymore. Perhaps is never was. Today we are left with this nebulous,…
Our Father in heaven Matthew 6:9 Our Father – The usual interpretation of this opening phrase focuses on fatherhood. Questions are raised about how we can understand God as Father if we lack examples of human fathers. This is, of course, a monumental problem in our culture today. With more and more children raised in…
“Pray, then, in this way.” Matthew 6:9 Pray – Do you say the Lord’s Prayer? Most of us do. We have since childhood. It’s part of the liturgy now. But I wonder if we actually pray as the Lord instructed. You see, Jesus was not teaching us a prayer. He was teaching how to pray. …
But Jesus said, “Leave the children alone, and don’t stop them from coming to me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such people.” Matthew 19:14 (translation R. France, NICNT) Kingdom Qualifications Such People – R. T. France has an excellent commentary on Matthew. In a footnote to this verse, he points out that there…
Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God. Acts 6:11 NASB Against Moses – If you read Luke’s account of the works of the apostles (commonly called Acts), you will find a very curious thing. Over and over the apostles claim to observe the…
according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled by His blood 1 Peter 1:2 Foreknowledge – Do we dare peek into such a controversial topic? Why not? It might be fun – and illuminating. Peter begins this thought with…
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen 1 Peter 1:1 Aliens – The Greek text really says, “to the elect sojourners of the dispersion”. The NASB changes the word order and alters some of the direct translation. The meaning…
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen 1 Peter 1:1 Apostle – God is a verb. He is all action. Even His Name, blessed be He, is a form of the verb “to be”. He is the great I…
