Bible Encounters

Can't leave the topic too soon. This satan figure is a big deal to our understanding of what is happening in the book.

I know we all have been taught the Satan is the name of the bad dude in Genesis 3. Well, that may not be the case at all.

The 'Sons of God' appear as a divine council in Scripture. What they failed to do in judging the world, Jesus was able to do perfectly and so take bake the nations that were given to rebellious spiritual beings. Heaven and Earth are now under the rule of the Heavenly Son of Man.

Who are the 'Sons of God' that approach God in Job 1:6? Let's dive into where that phrase occurs in the Old Testament and unpack their origin story.

Let's take a bit of time to investigate how Job is described. These details will help shape our understanding of the dialogue Job has with his friends and reveal the key theological view of their day that needs the book as a whole is offering a critique of.

We sometimes don't consider how certain books relate to other books in there arrangement in the Bible. In this lesson, I show the key similarity the Book of Job has with other wisdom books.

Some common ideas we bring to the book of Job Oldest book written because of the cultural descriptions The devil somehow was in heaven The heavenly court scene involved angels (NIV), (Heb. ‘sons of God’)   To make a point to the devil, God allowed the devil to destroy Jobs life and kill his kids  The book of Job is about suffering (maybe it’s more about God) Job is on trial regarding his morality...

He is risen....

In this lesson we will see how Jesus' crucifixion parallels the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16-17. 

Jesus is the Passover Lamb and God is leading people in a new exodus event!

This is the famous Olivet Discourse. Many Bible scholar disagree on what Jesus is talking about and when the events will take place. I encourage you guys to have a mindset of preparedness through faithful stewardship. 

We will make note of how Jesus is received by people in Jerusalem and how Jesus receives people as well. 

The last are first and the first are last...In this lesson we will explore how Matthew arranges various stories together to highlight this aspect of the Kingdom of Heaven. 

...For where 2 or 3 are gathered in my name...What is this gathering Jesus is talking about?

Jesus asks Peter who he is and Peter's ideas just get blown to pieces. 

Anybody hungry? Well, we have 5 dinner parties and a humble little moment about crumbs to explore in these chapters. They way I think Matthew is bringing all these dinners together to make a point about the Kingdom of God I think is amazing! 

Why does Jesus speak in parables? Does he purposely not want people to understand him? 

Jesus advances his kingdom through many signs but the Jews still demand to see more. 

Why does Jesus send 12? Why does Jesus tell them not to go to Gentile or Samaritan homes? What kind of pep talk does Jesus offer before the disciples head out?

The theme of the Kingdom of Heaven continues here. What is interesting is who enters into the Kingdom and how some struggle to see who Jesus really is. We will also here about the 'GOSPEL' again and find something surprising about Isaiah 53.

Did Jesus come to bring a new law? Well, he is bringing a new covenant right? How does the Law of Moses relate to the New Covenant mentioned in Jeremiah 31?

So the Gospel is about sins being forgiven so I can go to heaven right? Well, that may not be the best way to explain it. Actually, the Gospel may just be more about Jesus than about us. I think that is what Isaiah 40 is telling us. What does Isaiah 40 have to do with Matthew 3-4? Well, here we go....

In this lesson I want us to look at 4 'prophecies' from the OT from a different perspective.

As we read Matthew's account of Jesus's birth story, just think about how he is employing OT stories all over the place. Could this help us understand why he quotes Isaiah 7:14 and connects that birth story with Jesus? Maybe a 'virgin' having a child wasn't the miracle Matthew is referencing....oh boy.

We are actually going to talk about Matthew's genealogy and why it's such a big deal. Now you may be thinking to yourself this will be majorly boring but I promise you there are some really cool things Matthew does.