Exploring God’s Word with Brad Thurston

The Abrahamic covenant has two parts: redemption and reconciliation: (Genesis 12:1-3) blessing in Psalm 67:2 reads salvation, or wholeness. This is found in the finished work of Christ, the work of the cross. The Unfinished work of Christ or the second part of the covenant is: through those blessed to bring blessing to others, or reconciliation to God through us. This Gods intentional purpose and...

Introduction: Food is an interesting unifying factor in community life.  Baptists are well known for it! Here are some interesting insights into different cultural interactions with food that we have enjoyed over the years! Germans and their breakfasts – meals in a home are a special event: The eye eats along with it. France, reserve a table and it is yours for the evening!!! (Many courses of smal...

Luke 24:1-12 This is the resurrection story and becomes the foundation for understanding the function of faith as well as the foundation for the creation and growth of the church through 2000 years!

The responses around the cross are sickening with their abuse, mocking, blasphemy, and a blatant disregard for justice.  The only bright spot is the thief on the cross. But after Jesus dies we see 4 other responses: The centurion The people beating their breasts The council member The women from Galilee: and here are some of their names: “and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and...

The many aspects of this text:  Crucifixion: the evil of it and how one dies: fulfilling Psalm 22:7,8; 14-18 (a Psalm of David) Keys to the Lord’s Prayer, the Key to Christian living: forgiveness and Kingdom coming  Two more who declare the innocence of Jesus, who are sinners  The response of the multitude there, witnesses to the type of death Jesus died. The veil torn in two with access to God an...

Trials 2,3, and 4 Pilate to Herod to Pilate Lies and deceptions, pressure and rioting of the mob prevail over justice Herod finds no fault, Pilate declare Jesus innocent 3 times:             Innocent of charges brought against him of insurrection against Rome             Innocent of leading people astray             Innocent of anything deserving death The rioting mob Look at the people involved:...

Three parts: Peter’s Denial What went on in his mind? How could he so easily have turned away from the one he was so eager to defend? And what happened when Jesus saw him? What remorse, what a failure. From arguing as to who was the greatest to being the most broken. In the end, his loyalty was only to himself.  For all his wild ideals, his great revelations, his encounters with Jesus on the mount...

The focus of Luke’s account is Jesus. Unlike the other gospels, he does not name the 3, or Peter who cuts off the servants ear, or the name of the servant. Luke does not have Judas kiss him, but only approach him to do so. John’s account is much more detailed.  But as concise as Luke’s account is, it is also extremely powerful. Again, we have the perspective of hind sight, even as Luke did in tell...

How do we get things so wrong? Misunderstandings lead to arguments, questioning our own motives and the motives of others. In our frustrations we want to quit and don’t see any answers to the situations we face. In deed in our instant society, qualities like Persistence and endurance to push on through with our convictions seem to quickly evaporate in favor of the route of least resistance.  Much...

My experiences with communion: Foot washing at seminary; people who got saved while taking communion, those who have been healed, those who take it daily, those who take it weekly, all revel actions of God in the process of communion: conviction of sin, worship, thanksgiving, understanding of truth, and many other events. It has been a rich and varied experience throughout my life with both deep a...

Some background The Passover is one of 3 pilgrimage feasts along with Weeks and booths. Josephus says about 2 ½ million attended and that during Pilate’s term there were riots and unrest throughout Jerusalem. This is about the Exodus and the emergence of a nation from the bondage of slavery.  It is central to the growth from a man to an ethnic group that will have a unique place in history.  Mirac...

When these things happen: stand up and lift your heads: A message of courage and hope! A threefold message here: The Son of Man will return Lift up your heads Guard your hearts The conditions surrounding the return of the Christ – Repetition of things learned! The devil’s plot to steal, kill and destroy The power of Christ The overwhelming glory of Christ dispels the darkness The preparation for w...

Ephesians 1:15-23 Guest pastor, Josh Britnell illustrates the truths from this passage in Ephesians with his missionary experiences from Nicaragua and Southern Mexico. He shows how the prayer that Paul prays for the Ephesian Church is applicable to us today, and why we need to open our eyes to this truth!

Notice how Jesus uses a normal event to introduce important matters of consequence for the disciples. 3 areas of prophetic importance, only focusing on two this morning: the destruction of the temple and city, persecution of Christians, and the coming of the Son of Man. The uniqueness of Luke’s perspective is that he is writing a two part book, unlike both Mark and Matthew, he has the benefit of r...

Three parts to this encounter with Jesus: the beginning and end are illustrated with money. The middle two focus on the reality of eternal life, and the warning against those who seek earthy recognition as opposed to the rule of God in life.. The spies and their craftiness to catch Jesus with an impossible situati   Jesus response is astonishing, creating a direct confrontation with   Their hypocr...

FieldPartner International is an organization I have been involved with since their inception. Co-founder Christine Paterson asked me to share my testimony in a Zoom interview. Since several have asked me how I became a Christian and a preacher, I have decided to include a copy of that interview in my podcast. If you have any questions, you can personal message me on Facebook!

 The King takes his seat of honor in the temple Recall his 12th year when he was about his Father’s business  The seat of Godly authority from which the rule of God is to take place The crowds hang on to his every word. Gathering for the Passover and Pentecost (feast of weeks or first fruits) The confrontation continues to escalate between the leaders and Jesus. From this moment through Acts 7 the...

Part 1. 28-35 The Prophet calls for the initiation of events First he returns to the place of beginning to initiate the end: Bethany is the place where Jesus was baptized. The announcement by John of the Messiah coming. See John 1:28 Prophecy is not just the speaking forth of God’s Word as in preaching, though it does include that. There is also the element of proclaiming ahead of time what God wi...

This parable sounds very similar to the parable of the Talents in Matthew, and could easily be confused with that one, though there are distinct differences: in particular, in Matthew the parable has a distinct context of a discussion concerning the end times and the second coming of Jesus. The historical placement of this parable of the Minas in Luke, as well as how the parable is told, is very d...

Luke 18:35-19:10 It is about the questions, not the adjectives in Luke 18. The real question here is in 18:6 – Who then, can be saved? It is interesting to note how the leaders phrase their question to Jesus. They appear to be successful in life, but lack true peace or joy. The lawyer in Luke 10 still wonders who his neighbor is while the rich ruler leaves in sorrow, clinging to his possessions. B...

Cultural Complexities: Jews thought riches are a sign of the blessing of God: referring back to Abraham who received the covenant from God: Gen. 12:1-3 and in 13 he is described as “very rich”. Issac inherits his father’s riches, is described in 26:12,13: “Now Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundred times as much. And the LORD blessed him, and the man became rich, and contin...

The verse upon which these two parables hinge is the question in verse 8: Will Jesus find faith on earth? Notice, that the context of the question is asked in terms of two stories concerning prayer! One story is told to the disciples while the other is addresses to the Pharisees who are also a part of the crowd around Jesus.  The closer they get to Jerusalem the clearer Jesus speaks to the two kno...

Luke 24:1-12 The reactions of the first three groups of people to hear about the resurrection of Jesus were very different. They seem to be common to all though. What was your first reaction?

In Luke 19:37-39 Jesus enters Jerusalem in triumph with the crowd shouting praises:  Blessed is the King, the One who comes in the Name of the Lord; Peace in Heaven and Glory in the Highest (like the angels at the birth of Jesus) – but the Pharisees ask him to rebuke his disciples! They have been with him along this journey to Jerusalem and have continually grown in fear of the people and despair...

How was Judas preparing for this Passover festival?  What went through his mind? What was his motivation? Luke carefully points out, it was not really his personal greed, but other forces are at work here. And his plan is being controlled by the devil.  Others are in play here, and the guilt is not on the Jews, but their leaders who organize the events coming up. Rising hatred for the one who is m...